Publications by authors named "William Johnson"

Purpose: We conducted a phase I/II study evaluating nivolumab plus doxorubicin, vinblastine, dacarbazine (N-AVD) as frontline therapy for treatment-naïve older adults (OA) with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03033914).

Methods: Patients age ≥60 years with newly diagnosed, any stage, cHL were treated with six cycles of AVD at standard doses plus nivolumab 240 mg intravenously once every 2 weeks (on days 1 and 15) of each cycle.

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Objectives: To describe member adherence to a mail-based, health insurer-sponsored gap closure program for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening using multi-target stool DNA (mt-sDNA; Cologuard) tests.

Methods: Combined patient data from Exact Sciences Laboratories LLC and data from mass-mailed mt-sDNA orders placed by a large Medicare Advantage Insurance Plan were analyzed (03/01/2023-06/30/2023). Adherence and time to test return were the primary and secondary outcomes, respectively.

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  • Inactivation of the ATRX gene is a key feature of malignant gliomas, leading to G-quadruplex (G4) DNA structures that cause replication stress and genomic instability.
  • The study tested a drug, CX-5461, on glioma stem cells and mouse models, both alone and with radiation, showing it was particularly effective against ATRX-deficient tumors.
  • The results revealed that CX-5461 increased DNA damage and cell death specifically in ATRX-deficient models, reduced tumor growth, and improved survival in mice, highlighting its potential as a new treatment approach for this type of cancer.
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  • The study evaluates the use of mixed-reality (MixR) technology for patient setup in breast and chest wall radiotherapy, comparing it to traditional 3-point alignment methods in a clinical trial.
  • In this trial involving 18 patients (10 for proton and 8 for photon therapy), alignment accuracy was measured using cone-beam CT imaging, with the MixR approach yielding similar accuracy to 3-point alignment.
  • The findings suggest that MixR is feasible and can achieve comparable accuracy and efficiency; however, further advancements in technology and understanding are needed to fully optimize its effectiveness.
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Strabismus following other intraocular surgery has several well-described etiologies. Vitreoretinal surgeries are the most likely to require retrobulbar anesthesia and exoplants, two commonly associated risk factors for postoperative strabismus. A reliable assessment of the incidence of strabismus secondary to other ocular surgery has not been established.

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Great Salt Lake is a critical habitat for migratory birds that is threatened by elevated metal concentrations, including mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb), and is subject to severe hydrologic changes, such as declining lake level. When assessing metal profiles recorded in Great Salt Lake sediment, a large data gap exists regarding the sources of metals within the system, which is complicated by various source inputs to the lake and complex biogeochemistry. Here, we leverage Hg and Pb stable isotopes to track relative changes in metal source contributions to Great Salt Lake over time.

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Background: There is extensive evidence that rapid infant weight gain increases the risk of childhood obesity, but this is normally based on childhood body mass index (BMI) only and whether or not this is because infants with rapid weight gain accrue greater fat mass is unknown.

Objective: The primary objective of our study was to test whether the proportion of infant weight gain due to concurrent increases in fat mass is greater in infants with rapid weight gain as compared to those with normal growth.

Methods: Body composition was assessed by (1) air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) at 0 and 6 months in 342 infants from Australia, India, and South Africa and (2) deuterium dilution (DD) at 3 and 24 months in 555 infants from Brazil, Pakistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.

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Background/objective: Pacific children are at high obesity risk, yet the behavioral and environmental factors that contribute to obesity development in this setting remain poorly understood. We assessed associations between childhood risk factors for obesity with body mass index (BMI) trajectories between ages 2-9 years in Samoa.

Subjects/methods: In a prospective cohort of 485 children from 'Upolu, we measured weight and height at ages 2-4 (2015), 3.

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The introduction of genome engineering technology has transformed biomedical research, making it possible to make precise changes to genetic information. However, creating an efficient gene-editing system requires a deep understanding of CRISPR technology, and the complex experimental systems under investigation. While Large Language Models (LLMs) have shown promise in various tasks, they often lack specific knowledge and struggle to accurately solve biological design problems.

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  • The combination of rituximab and lenalidomide (R-len) is an effective treatment for relapsed/refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL), specifically for follicular lymphoma (FL) and marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), with a significant overall response rate of 82%.
  • In a study involving 84 patients, the median age at treatment initiation was 65, with a median progression-free survival of 22 months and a 2-year overall survival rate of 83%.
  • Common adverse effects included hematologic toxicity, fatigue, and gastrointestinal issues, but overall safety aligned with previous clinical trials, suggesting R-len’s use in real-life settings is consistent with
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Objectives: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare, life-threatening condition characterized by a massive overactivation of the immune system. Because the clinical findings are nonspecific, the development of assays to facilitate rapid diagnosis is critical for patient care. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the performance of a microfluidic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for HLH biomarkers and investigate the impact of insourcing this testing on workflow, cost, and turnaround time in a tertiary-care cancer hospital.

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  • Soil microbes are crucial for plant growth, but understanding their complex interactions in natural environments is still lacking, particularly when multiple microbial species are involved.* -
  • A meta-analysis was conducted to explore how bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi interact and affect various plant growth traits, revealing mostly positive additive effects, except for some unique responses in ectomycorrhizal plants.* -
  • These results indicate that findings from controlled studies can apply to real-world settings, supporting the idea of using diverse beneficial microbes to enhance plant growth.*
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Introduction: Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist that treats type 2 diabetes mellitus and can be used as an adjunct for weight loss when combined with exercise and diet. Here we report a case of a bilateral, incongruent central visual scotoma under scotopic conditions in a board-certified ophthalmologist associated with semaglutide use that resolved quickly following medication discontinuation.

Case Report: A 72-year-old male ophthalmologist (JAD) started 3.

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Background And Importance: Giant aneurysms can present technical challenges during treatment with flow diversion including inability to access the aneurysm outflow directly. Encircling the aneurysm with a microwire/microcatheter has been well described; however, it can result in a twisted stent because of catheter twisting during the reduction maneuver, which, in turn, could lead to thromboembolic complications.

Case Presentation: Here, we describe a novel technique to manage the twist of the flow diverter in a giant internal carotid artery aneurysm using a combination of angioplasty and off-label placement of a balloon-mounted cardiac stent within the flow diverter.

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Background: Infants suffering from lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) have distinct nasopharyngeal (NP) microbiome profiles that correlate with severity of disease. Whether these profiles precede the infection or are a consequence of it, is unknown. In order to answer this question, longitudinal studies are needed.

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Characterizing the phenotypic diversity and metabolic capabilities of industrially relevant manufacturing cell lines is critical to bioprocess optimization and cell line development. Metabolic capabilities of production hosts limit nutrient and resource channeling into desired cellular processes and can have a profound impact on productivity. These limitations cannot be directly inferred from measured data such as spent media concentrations or transcriptomics.

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Purpose: Changes in autonomic (ANS) and enteric nervous systems (ENS) may be involved in pathogenesis of obesity. We hypothesized that baseline autonomic and enteric parameters may predict outcomes of diverse obesity therapies.

Material And Methods: We studied ANS and ENS physiology in 37 patients (8 male, 29 female, age 45 years, weight 129.

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Background: There is a paucity of data evaluating outcomes of lower extremity bypass (LEB) using supra-inguinal inflow for revascularization of infra-inguinal vessels. The purpose of this study is to report outcomes after LEB originating from aortoiliac arteries to infra-femoral targets.

Methods: The Vascular Quality Initiative database (2003-2020) was queried for patients undergoing LEB from the aortoiliac arteries to the popliteal and tibial arteries.

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Background And Aims: Smokers typically have a lower body mass index (BMI) than non-smokers, while smoking cessation is associated with weight gain. In pre-clinical research, nicotine in tobacco smoking suppresses appetite and influences subsequent eating behaviour; however, this relationship is unclear in humans. This study measured the associations of smoking with different eating and dietary behaviours.

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