UAB Researchers Identify Proteins That May Help Brain Tumors Spread
Scientists at UAB have identified a molecular pathway that seems to contribute to the ability of malignant glioma cells in a brain tumor to spread and invade previously healthy brain tissue. Researchers said the findings, published September 19 in the journal PLOS ONE, provide new drug-discovery targets to rein in the ability of these cells to move.
Gliomas account for about a third of brain tumors, and survival rates are poor. Only about half of the 10,000 Americans diagnosed with malignant glioma survive the first year, and only about one quarter survive for two years.
“Malignant gliomas are notorious, not only because of their resistance to conventional chemotherapy and radiation therapy, but also for their ability to invade the surrounding brain, causing neurological impairment and death,” said Hassan Fathallah-Shaykh, MD, PhD, associate professor in the UAB Department of Neurology. “Brain invasion, a hallmark of gliomas, also helps glioma cells evade therapeutic strategies.”
Fathallah-Shaykh said there is a great deal of interest in the idea that a low-oxygen environment induces glioma cells to react with aggressive movement, migration and brain invasion. A new strategy to shrink tumors is to cut off the tumor’s blood supply – and thus its oxygen source – through the use of anti-angiogenesis drugs. Angiogenesis is the process of making new blood vessels.
“Stop angiogenesis and you shut off a tumor’s blood and oxygen supply, denying it the components it needs to grow,” Fathallah-Shaykh said. “Drugs that stop angiogenesis are believed to create a kind of killing field. This study identified four glioma cell lines that increased their motility when subjected to a low-oxygen environment – in effect escaping the killing field to create a new colony elsewhere in the brain.”
Fathallah-Shaykh and his team then identified two proteins that form a pathway linking low oxygen to increased motility.
“We identified a signaling protein that is activated by hypoxia called Src,” Fathallah-Shaykh said. “We also identified a downstream protein called neural Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (N-WASP), which is regulated by Src in the cell lines with increased motility.”
The researchers then used protein inhibitors to shut off Src and N-WASP. When either protein was inhibited, low oxygen lost its ability to augment cell movement.
“These findings indicate that Src, N-WASP and the linkage between are key targets for drugs that would interfere with the ability of a cell to move.” Fathallah-Shaykh said. “If we can stop them from moving, then techniques such as anti-angiogenesis should be more effective. Anti-motility drugs could be a key component in treating gliomas in the years to come.”
UAB Studies New Drug for Vasculitis
In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a research consortium that includes UAB has shown that a new drug for vasculitis, a potentially life-threatening auto-immune disease which causes inflammation in blood vessels, is as effective as standard therapy over 18 months.
While standard therapy consists of daily oral doses of a cancer drug called cyclophosphamide, followed by azathioprine, an immunosuppressant often used in organ transplant, researchers showed that four infusions of a monoclonal antibody called rituximab over one month were as effective in providing remission of symptoms as standard therapy in patients with types of vasculitis associated with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA).
Among patients receiving rituximab, 64 percent were in remission at six months, 48 percent at one year and 39 percent at 18 months, compared to 53 percent, 39 percent and 33 percent for standard therapy.
“The FDA approved rituximab for vasculitis based on our six-month data,” said Barri Fessler, MD, associate professor of medicine in the UAB Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology and one of the study co-authors. “We’ve now followed these patients for 18 months, and results indicate that rituximab continues to be as effective as standard therapy.”
Fessler said these findings give physicians a new option for treating vasculitis, which, while rare, can lead to severe organ damage and even death.
“It provides flexibility for patients and physicians,” she said. “For some patients, rituximab may be the more appropriate medication.”
Fessler says rituximab works by targeting B cells which have been implicated in vasculitis. Rituximab decreases the number of B cells, which promotes remission of symptoms.
UAB was one of nine study sites for this trial, and Fessler says they will continue to follow the patients who participated in the trial to examine long term outcomes.
Vasculitis is made up of a family of conditions. The types of vasculitis studied in this trial included granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis, both associated with ANCA. They are rare diseases, affecting 10-20 persons in a million.
Kirklin Tapped to AHA Board
James Kirklin, MD, director of cardiothoracic surgery at UAB, has been elected to an officer position with the American Heart Association. Kirklin will serve as an officer on the AHA’s Greater Southeast Affiliate Board of Directors.
Kirklin has been affiliated with the AHA’s Birmingham organization for almost 20 years, serving most recently on the Open Your Heart committee for the 2013 Birmingham Heart Ball.
Kirklin was instrumental in the formation of the national Cardiac Transplant Research Database and the multi-institutional Pediatric Heart Transplant Study, both of which are headquartered at UAB. Kirklin is internationally known for his expertise in cardiac surgery, heart and lung transplants, congenital heart disease and left ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement therapy.
Pulmonary Associates COPD Awareness Day with Free Screenings
Pulmonary Associates of the Southeast, PC will host their 6th annual COPD Awareness Day featuring free screenings on Wednesday, November 13.
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), also known as emphysema and chronic bronchitis, recently surpassed stroke becoming the third leading cause of death in the United States.
“Unfortunately, many people who are at risk for COPD dismiss early symptoms as a normal result of aging or being out of shape. This year, Pulmonary Associates of the Southeast is providing free screenings to help individuals who may be at risk for COPD recognize the symptoms,” said Debi Waldrup, Pulmonary Associates of the Southeast Administrator.
The free screenings will take place at the Pulmonary Associates office located on the Trinity Medical Center campus at 800 Montclair Road, Professional Office Building 880. Spirometry, a test for COPD, and Alpha 1, a test for emphysema, will be provided at no-charge from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm.
For people with COPD, symptoms such as chronic cough, wheezing and shortness of breath can seem relentless. As COPD progresses, symptoms tend to get worse and cause more damage to the lungs. Through the Annual COPD Awareness Day event, the physicians of Pulmonary Associates are working to help people who suffer from COPD understand that with proper diagnosis and treatment they can enjoy an improved quality of life.
For more information, visit www.pulmonarydocs.com
UAB opens first and only multiple myeloma clinic in Alabama
The UAB Division of Hematology and Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant Program have established the only multidisciplinary myeloma clinic in Alabama.
Treatment options in myeloma have significantly improved over the last five years with development of novel agents that target malignant myeloma cell growth. The Multiple Myeloma Clinic was developed by a group of UAB physicians who have an interest in clinical trial development and the identification of therapeutic and preventive targets, as well as understanding the pathogenesis of the disease.
“Caring for the myeloma patient involves specialized management of the multiple organ systems affected by the disease,” said Racquel Innis-Shelton, MD, medical director of the UAB Multiple Myeloma Clinic. “At our clinic, patients will have access to a team of board-certified physicians with expertise in the fields of hematology/oncology, bone marrow transplantation, nephrology, interventional radiology, radiation/oncology and orthopedics.”
UAB clinicians will collaborate with local physicians, offering patients updated treatment recommendations and access to cutting-edge research.
McElderry is First in U.S. to Use New Heart Catheter
UAB physician Tom McElderry, MD, has become the first surgeon in the United States to use the new IntellaTip MiFi™ XP catheter in a patient.
The device was given FDA approval in the United States in August for the treatment of atrial flutter, an arrhythmia that affects nearly one million Americans.
IntellaTip MiFi™ XP is engineered to deliver highly localized electrical information in real time. An innovative set of electrodes around the catheter’s tip provide electrograms of the heart with a higher resolution than any other ablation catheter. These electrograms help clinicians assess lesion maturation and differentiate viable from non-viable tissue.
McElderry, associate professor of medicine and section chief of Electrophysiology in the UAB Division of Cardiovascular Disease, worked with Boston Scientific for five years on the sensor technology.
“The catheter helps physicians pinpoint the areas for therapy delivery, which helps make a more precise diagnosis and treatment of rhythm atrial flutter,” McElderry said. “In my opinion, we’re going to be able to use this catheter or similar technology in the future to address more complex arrhythmias.”
Gentiva Hospice Introduces Memory Care Program
Gentiva Hospice is bringing a new concept to its hospice care with Memory Care specialty which is reaching out to the growing number of patients, families and caregivers who suffer from the effects of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
“Dementia is reaching a crisis state in this country,” said Gentiva’s Senior National Hospice Medical Director, Ronald Crossno, MD, FAAFP, FAAHPM. “Gentiva is responding to this with specialized training for its clinicians and social workers.”
In addition to training, Gentiva’s Memory Care program incorporates measures to help with the symptoms of dementia and to assess for vulnerabilities prevalent with those with dementia, such as falls and infections. Gentiva has also created a caregiver’s guide that helps educate families about how to care for someone with dementia. All of this is supported by Gentiva’s network of national and local medical directors.
For more information on the Memory Care program and hospice care from Gentiva, call 205-870-4340 or visit www.gentiva.com.
UAB Medicine Names Anthony Patterson to New Role
UAB Hospital has added a senior vice president of inpatient services position to its operational structure and has named former UAB Hospital Interim CEO Anthony Patterson to the position.
This appointment took effect in September and is part of a reorganization of the UAB Medicine operating structure which included elimination of the UAB Hospital CEO position and the creation of a UAB Medicine COO position recently filled by Reid Jones, former University of Alabama Health Services Foundation executive vice president and senior vice president of ambulatory services.
Patterson is a two-time magna cum laude graduate of UAB. He earned an undergraduate degree in nursing and his master’s degree in health services administration before going on to serve UAB in a number of professional roles. He started at UAB as a registered nurse, worked as a charge nurse and practiced in many areas within UAB Hospital. Patterson served as senior associate vice president and COO of UAB Highlands Hospital until he was named interim CEO at UAB Hospital in January 2013.
Alabama Hospital Outperform Nation in Infection Control
Alabama’s hospitals again outperformed the nation in the prevention of healthcare-associated infections. This was released in the 2012 annual infection report by the Alabama Department of Public Health. The report includes data reported by hospitals in 2012, along with a comparison to the data reported in 2011.
“Our hospitals performed better than the nation in all four categories being reported,” said Dr. Donald Williamson, state health officer. “In last year’s report, they were better in three of the four categories, which include catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central line-associated bloodstream infections and two types of surgical site infections.”
The hospital-specific information allows consumers to review the data by region and by the volume of patients and may be found at www.adph.org.
Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing, Samford University, Awarded Scholarships
Samford University’s Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing has been selected as a grant recipient of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program (NCIN). During this academic year, IVMSON will receive $50,000 to support students in the school’s accelerated second baccalaureate nursing program.
Each NCIN Scholar has already earned a bachelor’s degree in another field, and is making a career switch to nursing through an accelerated nursing degree program, which prepares students to pass the licensure exam required for all registered nurses in 12 to18 months.
Five Samford students will be awarded NCIN scholarships. Since 2008, the NCIN program has distributed 3,117 scholarships to students at 125 schools of nursing. This year, funding for 400 scholarships was granted to 52 schools of nursing.
According to Joy Whatley, associate dean and director of undergraduate programs, it is a tremendous financial hardship for second career students to return to school. Most often they have no financial aid remaining from their previous degree. Without the help of the RWJF, many of these students would not be able to pursue a nursing career.
In addition to a $10,000 scholarship, NCIN scholars receive other support to help them meet the demands of an accelerated degree program.
Briggs Elected to Third Term on AHA Board
Vicki Briggs will serve a third term on the Board of Directors for the American Heart Association’s Greater Southeast Affiliate for the 2013-14 fiscal year.
Briggs was installed as the Chief Operating Officer of St. Vincent’s Health System in Birmingham in December, 2011. Under her leadership, St. Vincent’s has worked within the community to highlight the link between heart disease and women. For the past two years, St. Vincent’s has served as the local sponsor the Go Red For Women movement.
Prior to joining St. Vincent’s, Briggs served as the CEO of the Regional Health System of Acadiana in Lafayette, Louisiana. Before that, she served as the CEO of Trinity Medical Center in Birmingham.
Briggs earned her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, and her MBA from Samford University’s Brock School of Business.
Fisher Named DCH Director of Marketing
Brad Fisher, APR, has been named corporate director of marketing and communication for the DCH Health System.
As corporate director, Fisher will be responsible for planning, executing and evaluating all marketing and public relations activities for the DCH Health System. Fisher had been communication director for DCH since 1985.
Before coming to DCH in 1979, Fisher worked as a reporter for the Florence Times*Tri-Cities Daily and The Tuscaloosa News.He has received many awards, including the Silver Medal, the club’s highest award, from The Tuscaloosa Advertising Federation.
Fisher teaches a reporting class at The University of Alabama, where he graduated with a degree in journalism and public relations. He earned his Accreditation in Public Relations in 2003.
UAB Students Among First in Nation to Use New App
Graduate students at UAB are among the first in the nation to use a newly released mobile app that identifies medication and recognizes dangerous interactions instantly. Rick Kilgore, PhD, program director of the UAB Surgical Physician Assistant Program, says the new tool created by MedSnap is vital.
“We find that the medicine a patient says they are taking, compared with their medical charts and the medicine they bring to the clinic often is inconsistent,” said Kilgore. “It is critical to know the actual patient-medication history to avoid dangerous interactions; yet there are medical personnel in practice who still rely on the pictures found in the Physician’s Desk Reference to help patients identify unknown drugs. Those are not safe ways to determine what a patient is taking.”
To help eliminate the guesswork, Birmingham-based MedSnap spent the past two years creating MedSnap ID. The app captures the image of any number of pills on its Snap Surface and will identify each pill using more than one million images of medication in its database.
Children’s of Alabama Rheumatologist Receives Research Award
Matthew Stoll, MD, PhD, MSCS, a pediatric rheumatologist at Children’s of Alabama and an assistant professor of pediatric rheumatology at UAB, has received a Rheumatology Research Foundation Investigator Award. He will be recognized at the 2013 American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ACR/ARHP) Annual Meeting.
The award provides support for clinical investigators engaged in research relevant to rheumatic diseases during the period they are developing projects that will compete for NIH funding. Stoll’s research seeks to identify intestinal bacteria present in excessive quantities in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) and to identify abnormal immunity to intestinal bacteria.
“The successful completion of this project will result in identification of bacterial triggers in patients with SpA which will allow us to eliminate the trigger via specifically-targeted antibiotic therapy or the introduction of more beneficial bacteria that could out-compete the harmful ones,” Stoll said.
Autry Joins Medical West
Pam Autry has joined Medical West as Interim Chief Nursing Officer.
A native of Gadsden, Autry received her BSN degree and PhD from UAB. Before joining Medical West, she was the Director of Medical Nursing at UAB and the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at the UAB School of Nursing.
Rumpshaker 5K Raises $20,000 for Princeton
Princeton Baptist Medical Center was recently presented with a check for $20,000 for money raised during the fifth annual Rumpshaker 5K race held in March.
The Rumpshaker 5K is an annual charity held at Sloss Furnace to raise awareness about colon cancer and the importance of screening. The Rumpshaker 5K was the vision of Amanda Vandegrift, an avid runner, whose mother succumbed to colon cancer. Amanda’s vision was embraced by colon rectal surgeon, Dr. Mark Parker and his practice partners as well as other sponsors and the Rumpshaker 5K was created. The event has raised more than $500,000 in five years with Princeton receiving $100,000 in contributions since the race’s inception.
The funds will be used for Princeton’s Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Department where colonoscopies are performed, and for education and awareness about colon cancer.
