819 results match your criteria: "VA Nebraska Western Iowa Health Care System & University of Nebraska Medical Center[Affiliation]"

Purpose: Breast cancer (BC) brain metastasis (BrM) remains a significant clinical problem. Mucins have been implicated in metastasis; however, if they are also involved in BCBrM remains unknown. We queried BrM patient databases and found Mucin 5AC (MUC5AC) to be upregulated and therefore sought to define the role of MUC5AC in BCBrM.

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Objective: The aim of this research was to determine how common gout flares are after ceasing anti-inflammatory prophylaxis.

Methods: A rapid literature review and meta-analysis were undertaken. PubMed was searched from inception to February 2024.

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Article Synopsis
  • The text discusses the importance of forecasting future health issues in the USA for effective planning and public awareness regarding disease and injury burdens.
  • It describes the methodology for predicting life expectancy, cause-specific mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) from 2022 to 2050 using the Global Burden of Diseases framework.
  • The forecasting includes various scenarios to assess the potential impacts of health risks and improvements across the country, focusing on demographic trends and health-related risk factors.
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Metabolic control of luteinizing hormone-responsive ovarian steroidogenesis.

J Biol Chem

November 2024

Olson Center for Women's Health, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA; VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • Luteinizing hormone (LH) is key for ovulation and progesterone production across species but knowledge gaps remain about the metabolic processes involved.
  • Research using metabolomics in luteal cells shows that LH rapidly activates pathways that increase glycolysis and oxygen use, stimulating lipid production.
  • Discoveries highlight the importance of fatty acid synthesis and oxidation in progesterone production, suggesting potential approaches to improve ovarian function and create non-hormonal contraceptives.
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Article Synopsis
  • * In cancer, disruptions in this pathway contribute to tumor growth and the spread of cancer to other parts of the body (metastasis).
  • * Understanding the core components of this pathway can aid in developing new cancer therapies and targets for treatment, especially in metastatic cases.
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(1) Background: Advanced-stage lung cancer poses significant management challenges. The goal of this study was to identify crucial clinical and PET radiomics features that enable prognostic stratification for predicting outcomes. (2) Methods: PET radiomics features of the primary lung lesions were extracted from 99 patients with stage IVB NSCLC, and the robustness of these PET radiomics features was evaluated against uncertainties stemming from extraction parameters and contour variation.

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  • - The Veterans Affairs (VA) system plays a key role in researching rheumatoid arthritis (RA) due to its extensive resources and reach within the U.S. healthcare system.
  • - The VA Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry (VARA) features over 3,600 participants from 19 medical centers, providing rich longitudinal clinical data and biological samples, enhancing research capabilities.
  • - With strong connections to various internal and external databases, VARA is well-positioned to tackle significant RA-related research questions in the future.
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The objective of this study was to assess fibrinogen (FIB) co-modified with citrulline (CIT) and/or malondialdehyde-acetaldehyde (MAA) initiates macrophage-fibroblast interactions leading to extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition that characterizes rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD). Macrophages (Mϕ) were stimulated with native-FIB, FIB-CIT, FIB-MAA or FIB-MAA-CIT. Supernatants (SN) (Mϕ-SN [U-937-derived] or MϕP-SN [PBMC-derived]) or direct antigens were co-incubated with human lung fibroblasts (HLFs).

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Rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease: Advancing the identification and management.

Semin Arthritis Rheum

November 2024

VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE, USA; Division of Rheumatology & Immunology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, USA. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • - Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a serious complication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that significantly impacts patient health, but effective screening and management strategies are still lacking.
  • - Recent research underscores the need for improved identification of RA-ILD through accurate risk stratification and the exploration of peripheral biomarkers to support personalized medicine approaches.
  • - There is a critical need for randomized trials to evaluate treatments for RA-ILD, especially immunomodulatory therapies, to develop evidence-based management strategies.
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Role of Relaxin Signaling in Cancer: A Review.

Biochem Pharmacol

December 2024

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA; VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA. Electronic address:

The investigation into relaxin (RLN), additional RLN-like proteins, and RLN family peptide receptors (RXFP) has demonstrated their role in modulating the extracellular matrix (ECM), immune cells, specifically macrophages, and angiogenesis, with recent evidence showing an effect on signaling pathways in tumor cells. These findings serve as the basis for our narrative review to collate pertinent studies in this field and provide our perspective on their clinical and investigational significance. In the article, we discuss findings from pertinent studies focusing on evaluating the expression or effect of RLN1, RLN2, or RXFP1 in various cancers.

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Although peroxisomes are known to oxidize ethanol, metabolize lipids, and regulate oxidative stress, they remain understudied in the context of ethanol-induced liver injury. We examined peroxisome early responses to alcohol-induced oxidative stress and lipid overload. Analysis of peroxisomes labeled with catalase, an ethanol oxidizing enzyme, or ABCD3, a fatty acid transporter, revealed that distinct peroxisome populations differentially respond to ethanol.

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Unlabelled: Colorectal cancer (CRC) outcomes in terms of incidence and mortality are significantly worse in African Americans than other Americans. While differences in primary preventions for neoplasia (diet, obesity remediation, aspirin prophylaxis) are being elucidated, genetic mutations affecting premalignant lesions and immune response mechanisms may possibly also explain the increased incidence and mortality, particularly from right-sided disease.

Objective: Our team therefore examined colonic segments seeking to test the hypothesis that the immune response and somatic genetic profiles of the colonic anatomic segments may vary and thus account for variations in neoplasia risk among the various colonic segments revealing an antigenic relationship with precancerous lesions.

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Objective: Investigate the association between the MUC5B rs35705950 promoter variant and survival in RA-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD).

Methods: We studied participants in the Veteran Affairs Rheumatoid Arthritis (VARA) registry with validated ILD diagnoses. Participants were followed until death or end of study period.

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Outcomes following off-site remote systemic cancer therapy administration.

Cancer

January 2025

Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.

Background: The Veterans Affairs Nebraska Western Iowa Health Care System (VA-NWIHCS) uses teleoncology and remote systemic cancer therapy services to expand care to veterans in rural Nebraska via remote sites in Lincoln and Grand Island. This study compares clinical outcomes in patients receiving care at these remote sites to those at the primary site in Omaha.

Methods: Data were retrospectively reviewed for 151 patients who received first-line systemic therapy at VA sites in Omaha, Lincoln, or Grand Island between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2020.

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Objective: Racial and ethnic disparities in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) outcomes are well recognized. However, whether disparities in RA treatment selection and outcomes differ by urban versus rural residence, independent of race, have not been studied. Our objective was to evaluate whether biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD) initiation after methotrexate administration differs by rural versus urban residence among veterans with RA.

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Article Synopsis
  • Genome-wide sequencing has opened up new possibilities for using genetics in medicine, specifically through the development of genetic risk scores (GRS) that estimate the combined impact of multiple genetic factors on health outcomes.
  • There has been a growing application of GRS in rheumatology, particularly for diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, since the introduction of polygenic risk scores in 2007.
  • Despite their potential, there isn't a standardized method for applying GRS in clinical settings, presenting a challenge for rheumatologists; this review offers a systematic approach to evaluate GRS for practical use in patient care.
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  • Urate-lowering treatment (ULT) using xanthine oxidase inhibitors (XOIs) initially increases gout flare-ups, and researchers aimed to understand inflammation responsiveness by analyzing blood samples from two independent trial cohorts over 48 weeks.
  • The study found that after 48 weeks of ULT, serum urate levels normalized in patients and associated proteins indicated reduced inflammation and included key mediators of gout flare-ups, such as C5 and IL-1B.
  • Mechanistic studies revealed that febuxostat treatment reduced proteins linked to complement activation in cultured macrophages, suggesting that monitoring serum proteins may help identify the decline of gouty inflammation in response to ULT.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the relationship between metabolic syndrome, its components, and certain proteins (adipokines) with the effectiveness of advanced therapies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
  • It included 2,368 patients, revealing that 29% had metabolic syndrome, which significantly decreased their chances of achieving meaningful improvement in disease activity after 6 months of treatment.
  • The findings suggest that while metabolic syndrome hampers treatment response for both TNFi and non-TNFi therapies, the adipokines measured did not influence clinical outcomes.
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Lipid droplet-associated proteins in alcohol-associated fatty liver disease: A proteomic approach.

Alcohol Clin Exp Res (Hoboken)

November 2024

Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.

Background: The earliest manifestation of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is steatosis characterized by deposition of fat in specialized organelles called lipid droplets (LDs). While alcohol administration causes a rise in LD numbers in the hepatocytes, little is known regarding their characteristics that allow their accumulation and size to increase. The aim of the present study is to gain insights into underlying pathophysiological mechanisms by investigating the ethanol-induced changes in hepatic LD proteome as a function of LD size.

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Objective: We evaluated a behaviorally designed intervention utilizing gamification and social support to improve physical activity and reduce symptoms in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee (KOA).

Methods: Veterans with KOA, aged 40-80 years, were enrolled in this randomized controlled trial. Participants received a Fitbit and completed a 2- to 4-week baseline period.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the gene expression profiles of circulating CD14+ monocytes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) to better understand the disease's pathogenesis.
  • Researchers collected blood samples from various groups, including RA patients with and without lung disease, and those with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and healthy controls, analyzing the RNA for gene expression differences.
  • Findings revealed that monocytes in RA-ILD patients exhibited unique gene expression patterns, particularly in inflammation and fibrosis regulation, linking their immune features more closely to IPF than to RA without lung involvement, which could inform future therapeutic strategies.
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Article Synopsis
  • * Recent efforts to stop smoking haven't been put into action yet, and it’s important to see what could happen if smoking rates stay the same or improve.
  • * Researchers used models to predict health outcomes by 2050 based on different scenarios of smoking rates, showing that cutting smoking could greatly improve health and life expectancy.
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Aconitate decarboxylase 1 mediates the acute airway inflammatory response to environmental exposures.

Front Immunol

October 2024

Division of Allergy & Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States.

Background: Environmental lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and microbial component-enriched organic dusts cause significant lung disease. These environmental exposures induce the recruitment and activation of distinct lung monocyte/macrophage subpopulations involved in disease pathogenesis. Aconitate decarboxylase 1 () was one of the most upregulated genes following LPS (vs.

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