Light at the ENDothelium-role of Sox17 and Runx1 in endothelial dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease that is characterized by an obliterative vasculopathy of the distal pulmonary circulation. Despite significant progress in our understanding of the pathophysiology, currently approved medical therapies for PAH act primarily as pulmonary vasodilators and fail to address the underlying processes that lead to the development and progression of the disease. Endothelial dysregulation in response to stress, injury or physiologic stimuli followed by perivascular infiltration of immune cells plays a prominent role in the pulmonary vascular remodeling of PAH.

Elevated 2-oxoglutarate antagonizes DNA damage responses in cholangiocarcinoma chemotherapy through regulating aspartate beta-hydroxylase.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is resistant to systemic chemotherapies that kill malignant cells mainly through DNA damage responses (DDRs). Recent studies suggest that the involvement of 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG) dependent dioxygenases in DDRs may be associated with chemoresistance in malignancy, but how 2-OG impacts DDRs in CCA chemotherapy remains elusive. We examined serum 2-OG levels in CCA patients before receiving chemotherapy.

Molecular profiling reveals potential targets in cholangiocarcinoma.

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a devastating malignancy and has a very poor prognosis if tumors spread outside the liver. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the CCA progression will likely yield therapeutic approaches toward treating this deadly disease.

Aim: To determine the molecular pathogenesis in CCA progression.

The Differential Effects of Chronic Alcohol and Cigarette Smoke Exposures on Cognitive-Behavioral Dysfunction in Long Evans Rats.

Background And Objective: Chronic heavy alcohol consumption and daily cigarette smoking are the most prevalent substance use problems in the U.S., including Veterans.

Modified Method to Perform Autopsy Safely During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During autopsies, pathologists, pathology residents and their support staff in the autopsy suite face potential risk of being exposed to SARS-CoV-2 because some procedures such as lung dissection may produce aerosols. In addition to follow the CDC guidelines for postmortem examination, we modified the method of organ dissection and evisceration for additional mitigation of risk. The lung weight was calculated by subtracting the weight of the formalin by volume from the weight of the lung after formalin fixation.

Body Mass Index and Risk of Complications After Posterior Lumbar Spine Fusion: A Matched Cohort Analysis Investigating Underweight and Obese Patients.

Objective: Previous studies have demonstrated that obesity is associated with increased complications after lumbar fusion. However, there are little published data on the effect of being underweight on lumbar fusion outcomes. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effect of being underweight versus obese on outcomes after lumbar spinal fusion.

In vitro comparison of CPD whole blood with conventional blood components.

Introduction: Resuscitation of severely injured trauma patients is commonly performed using red blood cells in additive solution supplemented with plasma and platelet concentrates. There is an increasing interest in the use of low anti-A titer Group O whole blood (LTOWB) in the early management of the resuscitation. It is unclear whether clinical outcome is improved using this approach.

Remote Dispensing of Emergency Release Red Blood Cells.

Objectives: Patients with acute bleeding are frequently transfused with emergency release (ER) group O RBCs. This practice has been reported to be safe with a low rate of acute hemolytic transfusion reactions (AHRs).

Methods: Records of patients who received ER RBCs over a 30-month period were examined at our hospitals.

Myriocin Treatment Reverses Alcohol-Induced Alterations in Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid-Containing Phospholipid Expression in the Liver.

Chronic heavy alcohol exposure causes steatohepatitis manifested by abnormal intra-hepatocyte accumulation of lipid and parenchymal inflammation. Attendant alterations in polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-containing phospholipids could cause alcoholic liver disease (ALD) to progress by promoting oxidative stress, inflammation, and fibrogenesis. Previously we showed that myriocin, a serine palmitoyltransferase inhibitor, ameliorates experimental alcohol-induced steatohepatitis.

Autopsy Education and Rate: Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Autopsy training is required for board certification by the American Board of Pathology and may be affected by autopsy rate. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has affected autopsy education and rate. Prior to the pandemic, our autopsy gross organ review lectures at the Brown University pathology residency program were in-person and used a detective style to discover the pathological lesions followed by an integrated discussion of anatomic and clinical pathology.

Multiorgan Infarctions in a Young Adult with COVID-19: Autopsy Findings.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may cause a hypercoagulability state and thrombotic complications. Multiorgan infarctions in young patients are very rare. Here we report a 35-year-old male patient with COVID-19 complicated by multiorgan infarctions.

Pulmonary tumor embolism: A retrospective study over a 30-year period.

Background: Pulmonary tumor embolism (PTE) is difficult to detect before death, and it is unclear whether the discrepancy between antemortem clinical and postmortem diagnosis improves with the advance of the diagnostic technologies. In this study we determined the incidence of PTE and analyzed the discrepancy between antemortem clinical and postmortem diagnosis.

Methods: We performed a retrospective autopsy study on patients with the history of malignant solid tumors from 1990 to 2020 and reviewed all the slides of the patients with PTE.

Effect of Age on Clinical Trial Outcome in Participants with Probable Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: Age may affect treatment outcome in trials of mild probable Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Objective: We examined age as a moderator of outcome in an exploratory study of deep brain stimulation targeting the fornix (DBS-f) region in participants with AD.

Methods: Forty-two participants were implanted with DBS electrodes and randomized to double-blind DBS-f stimulation ("on") or sham DBS-f ("off") for 12 months.

Immune Microenvironment in Gallbladder Adenocarcinomas.

Programmed death-1 (PD1) expression has not been reported in gallbladder adenocarcinoma. In this study we examined PD1 expression in gallbladder cancer to explore the correlation between PD1 expression and the clinicopathologic parameters. We found that 98% (46/47) cases expressed programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) with 85% cases being PD-L1 3+.

Rapid Peak Alignment for MALDI-TOF Lipid Analysis.

The ability to measure structural and functional alterations in cellular and tissue lipids with small footprint, accessible instrumentation has sparked interest in their role in disease pathology. However, various lipidomic analytical tools tend to be cumbersome and time-consuming. A rapid, accurate, and straight forward peak alignment software routine would greatly facilitate the analysis of large datasets, such as those produced by matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS).

COVID-19 pandemic in Yemen: A questionnaire based survey, what do we know?

Introduction: Coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently one of the most important public health crises affecting the global human population. It continues to spread widely, as the world still lacks specific treatments and a vaccine for the virus. The scenario of COVID-19 in Yemen seems obscure due to the lack of adequate data, therefore, we developed an electronic questionnaire and distributed it online among Yemeni people.

AMH is Higher Across the Menstrual Cycle in Early Postmenarchal Girls than in Ovulatory Women.

Context: Adolescents have more small, growing follicles and larger ovaries than normal women and are prone to anovulatory cycles (ANOV). It is unknown if a higher antral follicle count (AFC) per se contributes to ANOV in early postmenarchal girls.

Objective: To determine the relationship between AMH (an AFC biomarker), other reproductive hormones, and ANOV in postmenarchal girls and to compare AMH in girls and regularly cycling adults.

Empirically defining treatment response and remission in body dysmorphic disorder.

Background: The number of clinical trials in body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) has steadily increased in recent years. As the number of studies grows, it is important to define the most empirically useful definitions for response and remission in order to enhance field-wide consistency and comparisons of treatment outcomes across studies. In this study, we aim to operationally define treatment response and remission in BDD.