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1.
PLOS Digit Health ; 3(5): e0000239, 2024 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38768087

ABSTRACT

This paper presents results from the Smart Healthy Campus 2.0 study/smartphone app, developed and used to collect mental health-related lifestyle data from 86 Canadian undergraduates January-August 2021. Objectives of the study were to 1) address the absence of longitudinal mental health overview and lifestyle-related data from Canadian undergraduate students, and 2) to identify associations between these self-reported mental health overviews (questionnaires) and lifestyle-related measures (from smartphone digital measures). This was a longitudinal repeat measures study conducted over 40 weeks. A 9-item mental health questionnaire was accessible once daily in the app. Two variants of this mental health questionnaire existed; the first was a weekly variant, available each Monday or until a participant responded during the week. The second was a daily variant available after the weekly variant. 6518 digital measure samples and 1722 questionnaire responses were collected. Mixed models were fit for responses to the two questionnaire variants and 12 phone digital measures (e.g. GPS, step counts). The daily questionnaire had positive associations with floors walked, installed apps, and campus proximity, while having negative associations with uptime, and daily calendar events. Daily depression had a positive association with uptime. Daily resilience appeared to have a slight positive association with campus proximity. The weekly questionnaire variant had positive associations with device idling and installed apps, and negative associations with floors walked, calendar events, and campus proximity. Physical activity, weekly, had a negative association with uptime, and a positive association with calendar events and device idling. These lifestyle indicators that associated with student mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic suggest directions for new mental health-related interventions (digital or otherwise) and further efforts in mental health surveillance under comparable circumstances.

2.
Pathol Res Pract ; 257: 155309, 2024 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38678848

ABSTRACT

Gene expression of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue may serve for molecular studies on cardiovascular diseases. Chemotherapeutics, such as doxorubicin (DOX) may cause heart injury, but the mechanisms of these side effects of DOX are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate whether DOX-induced gene expression in archival FFPE heart tissue in experimental rats would correlate with the gene expression in fresh-frozen heart tissue by applying RNA sequencing technology. The results showed RNA from FFPE samples was degraded, resulting in a lower number of uniquely mapped reads. However, DOX-induced differentially expressed genes in FFPE were related to molecular mechanisms of DOX-induced cardiotoxicity, such as inflammation, calcium binding, endothelial dysfunction, senescence, and cardiac hypertrophy signaling. Our data suggest that, despite the limitations, RNA sequencing of archival FFPE heart tissue supports utilizing FFPE tissues from retrospective studies on cardiovascular disorders, including DOX-induced cardiotoxicity.


Subject(s)
Cardiotoxicity , Doxorubicin , Formaldehyde , Paraffin Embedding , Sequence Analysis, RNA , Transcriptome , Animals , Cardiotoxicity/genetics , Formaldehyde/toxicity , Doxorubicin/adverse effects , Sequence Analysis, RNA/methods , Rats , Male , Tissue Fixation/methods , Myocardium/pathology , Myocardium/metabolism , Gene Expression Profiling/methods , Rats, Sprague-Dawley
3.
J Am Coll Radiol ; 2023 Nov 19.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37984767

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Low-dose CT (LDCT) is underused in Arkansas for lung cancer screening, a rural state with a high incidence of lung cancer. The objective was to determine whether offering free LDCT increased the number of high-risk individuals screened in a rural catchment area. METHODS: There were 5,402 patients enrolled in screening at Highlands Oncology, a community oncology clinic in Northwest Arkansas, from 2013 to 2020. Screenings were separated into time periods: period 1 (10 months for-fee), period 2 (10 months free with targeted advertisements and primary care outreach), and period 3 (62 months free with only primary care outreach). In all, 5,035 high-risk participants were eligible for analysis based on National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology. Enrollment rates, incidence densities (IDs), Cox proportional hazard models, and Kaplan-Meier curves were performed to investigate differences between enrollment periods and high-risk groups. RESULTS: Patient volume increased drastically once screenings were offered free of charge (period 1 = 4.6 versus period 2 = 66.0 and period 3 = 69.8 average patients per month). Incidence density per 1,000 person-years increased through each period (IDPeriod 1 = 17.2; IDPeriod 2 = 20.8; IDPeriod 3 = 25.5 cases). Cox models revealed significant differences in lung cancer risk between high-risk groups (P = .012) but not enrollment periods (P = .19). Kaplan-Meier lung cancer-free probabilities differed significantly between high-risk groups (log-rank P = .00068) but not enrollment periods (log-rank P = .18). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that eligible patients are more receptive to free LDCT screening, despite most insurances not having a required copay for eligible patients.

4.
Front Public Health ; 11: 1258742, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37849717

ABSTRACT

Background: COVID-19 vaccines play a critical role in reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and despite vaccine availability, disparities in COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Canadian subgroups exist. Community organizations are uniquely situated to relay important vaccine messaging around all vaccines, understand components of vaccine hesitancy, and facilitate vaccine uptake within the communities they serve. The objective of this research was to solicit community organizations perspectives specific to COVID-19 vaccines and explore strategies of increasing vaccine uptake within their communities. Methods: A qualitative focus group study was held in the spring of 2021 with 40 community organizations from across the country. Discussions focused on COVID-19 vaccine communication and awareness within their communities, vaccine misinformation, and strategies to increase vaccine acceptance and access. Data were analyzed utilizing thematic and inductive techniques. Results: Vaccine hesitancy was identified among staff and clients. Vaccine confidence, complacency, convenience, and mistrust in government and authorities were identified as contributors to vaccine hesitancy. Community organizations utilized innovative and novel methods to encourage vaccine uptake and increase vaccine confidence. Leveraging established trusting relationships was key to successful messaging within communities. Conclusion: Community organizations used innovative methods, built on established trust, to increase vaccine confidence within their communities and among their staff. Community agencies played an important role in COVID-19 vaccine uptake within subgroups of the Canadian population. Community organizations are key public health partners and play a critical role in increasing COVID-19 vaccine confidence.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines , COVID-19 , Humans , COVID-19/prevention & control , Canada , SARS-CoV-2 , Humanities , Social Networking , Immunization
5.
Tob Induc Dis ; 21: 106, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37605769

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Alterations in DNA methylation profiles have been associated with cancer, and can be influenced by environmental factors such as smoking. A small but growing literature indicates there are reproducible and robust differences in methylation levels among smokers, never smokers, and ex-smokers. Here, we compared differences in salivary DNA methylation levels among current and ex-smokers (at least 2 years abstinent). METHODS: Smokers (n=26) and ex-smokers (n=30) provided detailed smoking histories, completed the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), and submitted a saliva sample. Whole-genome DNA methylation from saliva was performed, and ANCOVA models and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used for the differences between groups and the performance of significant CpG sites. RESULTS: After controlling for race, age, and gender, smokers had significantly lower methylation levels than ex-smokers in two CpG sites: cg05575921 (AHRR) and cg21566642 (ALPPL2). Based on the ROC analyses, both CpGs had strong classification potentials (cg05575921 AUC=0.97 and cg21566642 AUC=0.93) in differentiating smoking status. Across all subjects, the percent methylation of cg05575921 (AHRR) and cg21566642 (ALPPL2) positively correlated with the length of the last quit attempt (r=0.65 and 0.64, respectively, p<0.001) and PASAT accuracy (r=0.29 and 0.30, respectively, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In spite of the small sample size and preliminary research, our results replicate previously reported differences in AHRR hypomethylation among smokers. Furthermore, we show that the duration of smoking abstinence is associated with a recovery of methylation in ex-smokers, which may be linked to a reduced risk of smoking-associated diseases. The association with cognitive performance suggests that the hypomethylation of AHRR in saliva may reflect systemic exposure to cigarette-related toxicants that negatively affect cognitive performance, and should be validated in larger studies.

6.
Nat Commun ; 13(1): 4517, 2022 08 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35922426

ABSTRACT

Deciphering Multiple Myeloma evolution in the whole bone marrow is key to inform curative strategies. Here, we perform spatial-longitudinal whole-exome sequencing, including 140 samples collected from 24 Multiple Myeloma patients during up to 14 years. Applying imaging-guided sampling we observe three evolutionary patterns, including relapse driven by a single-cell expansion, competing/co-existing sub-clones, and unique sub-clones at distinct locations. While we do not find the unique relapse sub-clone in the baseline focal lesion(s), we show a close phylogenetic relationship between baseline focal lesions and relapse disease, highlighting focal lesions as hotspots of tumor evolution. In patients with ≥3 focal lesions on positron-emission-tomography at diagnosis, relapse is driven by multiple distinct sub-clones, whereas in other patients, a single-cell expansion is typically seen (p < 0.01). Notably, we observe resistant sub-clones that can be hidden over years, suggesting that a prerequisite for curative therapies would be to overcome not only tumor heterogeneity but also dormancy.


Subject(s)
Multiple Myeloma , Humans , Multiple Myeloma/diagnostic imaging , Multiple Myeloma/genetics , Multiple Myeloma/therapy , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/genetics , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/pathology , Phylogeny , Positron-Emission Tomography , Exome Sequencing
7.
Blood Cancer J ; 12(5): 85, 2022 05 30.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35637217

ABSTRACT

Deciphering genomic architecture is key to identifying novel disease drivers and understanding the mechanisms underlying myeloma initiation and progression. In this work, using the CoMMpass dataset, we show that structural variants (SV) occur in a nonrandom fashion throughout the genome with an increased frequency in the t(4;14), RB1, or TP53 mutated cases and reduced frequency in t(11;14) cases. By mapping sites of chromosomal rearrangements to topologically associated domains and identifying significantly upregulated genes by RNAseq we identify both predicted and novel putative driver genes. These data highlight the heterogeneity of transcriptional dysregulation occurring as a consequence of both the canonical and novel structural variants. Further, it shows that the complex rearrangements chromoplexy, chromothripsis and templated insertions are common in MM with each variant having its own distinct frequency and impact on clinical outcome. Chromothripsis is associated with a significant independent negative impact on clinical outcome in newly diagnosed cases consistent with its use alongside other clinical and genetic risk factors to identify prognosis.


Subject(s)
Chromothripsis , Multiple Myeloma , Chromosome Aberrations , Gene Rearrangement , Genomics , Humans , Multiple Myeloma/genetics
8.
Cancers (Basel) ; 13(24)2021 12 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34944912

ABSTRACT

Chemotherapy with doxorubicin (DOX) may cause unpredictable cardiotoxicity. This study aimed to determine whether the methylation signature of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) prior to and after the first cycle of DOX-based chemotherapy could predict the risk of cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients. Cardiotoxicity was defined as a decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by >10%. DNA methylation of PBMCs from 9 patients with abnormal LVEF and 10 patients with normal LVEF were examined using Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip. We have identified 14,883 differentially methylated CpGs at baseline and 18,718 CpGs after the first cycle of chemotherapy, which significantly correlated with LVEF status. Significant differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were found in the promoter and the gene body of SLFN12, IRF6 and RNF39 in patients with abnormal LVEF. The pathway analysis found enrichment for regulation of transcription, mRNA splicing, pathways in cancer and ErbB2/4 signaling. The preliminary results from this study showed that the DNA methylation profile of PBMCs may predict the risk of DOX-induced cardiotoxicity prior to chemotherapy. Further studies with larger cohorts of patients are needed to confirm these findings.

9.
JMIR Res Protoc ; 10(9): e30504, 2021 Sep 17.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34516391

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency that poses challenges to the mental health of approximately 1.4 million university students in Canada. Preliminary evidence has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic had a detrimental impact on undergraduate student mental health and well-being; however, existing data are predominantly limited to cross-sectional survey-based studies. Owing to the evolving nature of the pandemic, longer-term prospective surveillance efforts are needed to better anticipate risk and protective factors during a pandemic. OBJECTIVE: The overarching aim of this study is to use a mobile (primarily smartphone-based) surveillance system to identify risk and protective factors for undergraduate students' mental health. Factors will be identified from weekly self-report data (eg, affect and living accommodation) and device sensor data (eg, physical activity and device usage) to prospectively predict self-reported mental health and service utilization. METHODS: Undergraduate students at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada), will be recruited via email to complete an internet-based baseline questionnaire with the option to participate in the study on a weekly basis, using the Student Pandemic Experience (SPE) mobile app for Android/iOS. The app collects sensor samples (eg, GPS coordinates and steps) and self-reported weekly mental health and wellness surveys. Student participants can opt in to link their mobile data with campus-based administrative data capturing health service utilization. Risk and protective factors that predict mental health outcomes are expected to be estimated from (1) cross-sectional associations among students' characteristics (eg, demographics) and key psychosocial factors (eg, affect, stress, and social connection), and behaviors (eg, physical activity and device usage) and (2) longitudinal associations between psychosocial and behavioral factors and campus-based health service utilization. RESULTS: Data collection began November 9, 2020, and will be ongoing through to at least October 31, 2021. Retention from the baseline survey (N=427) to app sign-up was 74% (315/427), with 175-215 (55%-68%) app participants actively responding to weekly surveys. From November 9, 2020, to August 8, 2021, a total of 4851 responses to the app surveys and 25,985 sensor samples (consisting of up to 68 individual data items each; eg, GPS coordinates and steps) were collected from the 315 participants who signed up for the app. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this real-world longitudinal cohort study of undergraduate students' mental health based on questionnaires and mobile sensor metrics is expected to show psychosocial and behavioral patterns associated with both positive and negative mental health-related states during pandemic conditions at a relatively large, public, and residential Canadian university campus. The results can be used to support decision-makers and students during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and similar future events. For comparable settings, new interventions (digital or otherwise) might be designed using these findings as an evidence base. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/30504.

10.
Expo Health ; 13(2): 269-280, 2021 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34337191

ABSTRACT

Both arsenic and cadmium are reported to be toxic to humans. The use of saliva as a biomarker of low-level exposures to these elements has not been adequately explored, and the putative relationship between exposure and obesity is unclear. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the relationship between salivary arsenic and cadmium concentrations and their association with obesity. Arsenic and cadmium concentrations were analyzed in human saliva samples by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry on 270 randomly selected women who participated in the Arkansas Rural Community Health Study. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to evaluate the association between heavy metal concentrations and obesity. Stratified logistic regression was performed based on menopausal status. Generalized linear models were used to evaluate weight gain velocity. Significant positive associations were observed in postmenopausal women for both arsenic (OR = 4.43, 95% CI 1.91-10.28) and cadmium (OR = 2.72, 95% CI 1.23-5.99) concentrations, as well as significant trends among tertiles (p < 0.01 and p = 0.01, respectively). No relationship with obesity was evident among premenopausal women for either metal. A dose-response relationship was observed between increasing weight gain velocity and increasing metal concentrations. At concentrations well below governmental and industrial standards for acute toxicity, significant associations between obesity and concentration of these heavy metals are evident. The rate at which individuals gain weight is affected by metal concentrations and may play a role in the rapid increase in weight in postmenopausal women. These results might explain, in part, the missing variability in the increasing obesity pandemic in certain population exposed to these environmental toxicants.

11.
Nat Commun ; 12(1): 293, 2021 01 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33436579

ABSTRACT

Smoldering myeloma (SMM) is associated with a high-risk of progression to myeloma (MM). We report the results of a study of 82 patients with both targeted sequencing that included a capture of the immunoglobulin and MYC regions. By comparing these results to newly diagnosed myeloma (MM) we show fewer NRAS and FAM46C mutations together with fewer adverse translocations, del(1p), del(14q), del(16q), and del(17p) in SMM consistent with their role as drivers of the transition to MM. KRAS mutations are associated with a shorter time to progression (HR 3.5 (1.5-8.1), p = 0.001). In an analysis of change in clonal structure over time we studied 53 samples from nine patients at multiple time points. Branching evolutionary patterns, novel mutations, biallelic hits in crucial tumour suppressor genes, and segmental copy number changes are key mechanisms underlying the transition to MM, which can precede progression and be used to guide early intervention strategies.


Subject(s)
Evolution, Molecular , Smoldering Multiple Myeloma/genetics , APOBEC Deaminases/genetics , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Alleles , Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism , Clone Cells , DNA Copy Number Variations/genetics , Disease Progression , Female , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Genes, Tumor Suppressor , Genome, Human , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Multivariate Analysis , Mutation/genetics , Mutation Rate , Progression-Free Survival , Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)/genetics , Smoldering Multiple Myeloma/diagnosis , Time Factors , Translocation, Genetic
12.
Haematologica ; 106(3): 736-745, 2021 03 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32079689

ABSTRACT

Disruption of the normal splicing patterns of RNA is a major factor in the pathogenesis of a number of diseases. Increasingly research has shown the strong influence that splicing patterns can have on cancer progression. Multiple Myeloma is a molecularly heterogeneous disease classified by the presence of key translocations, gene expression profiles and mutations but the splicing patterns in MM remains largely unexplored. We take a multifaceted approach to define the extent and impact of alternative splicing in MM. We look at the spliceosome component, SF3B1, with hotspot mutations (K700E and K666T/Q) shown to result in an increase in alternative splicing in other cancers. We discovered a number of differentially spliced genes in comparison of the SF3B1 mutant and wild type samples that included, MZB1, DYNLL1, TMEM14C and splicing related genes DHX9, CLASRP, and SNRPE. We identified a broader role for abnormal splicing showing clear differences in the extent of novel splice variants in the different translocation groups. We show that a high number of novel splice loci is associated with adverse survival and an ultra-high risk group. The enumeration of patterns of alternative splicing has the potential to refine MM classification and to aid in the risk stratification of patients.


Subject(s)
Multiple Myeloma , Alternative Splicing , Humans , Multiple Myeloma/genetics , Mutation , Phosphoproteins/genetics , RNA Splicing , RNA Splicing Factors/genetics , RNA Splicing Factors/metabolism , Serine-Arginine Splicing Factors , Spliceosomes/genetics
13.
BMC Bioinformatics ; 21(1): 144, 2020 Apr 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32293247

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The study of cancer genomics continually matures as the number of patient samples sequenced increases. As more data is generated, oncogenic drivers for specific cancer types are discovered along with their associated risks. This in turn leads to potential treatment strategies that pave the way to precision medicine. However, significant financial and analytical barriers make it infeasible to sequence the entire genome of every patient. In contrast, targeted sequencing panels give reliable information on relevant portions of the genome at a fiscally responsible cost. Therefore, we have created the Targeted Panel (TarPan) Viewer, a software tool, to investigate this type of data. RESULTS: TarPan Viewer helps investigators understand data from targeted sequencing data by displaying the information through a web browser interface. Through this interface, investigators can easily observe copy number changes, mutations, and structural events in cancer samples. The viewer runs in R Shiny with a robust SQLite backend and its input is generated from bioinformatic algorithms reliably described in the literature. Here we show the results from using TarPan Viewer on publicly available follicular lymphoma, breast cancer, and multiple myeloma data. In addition, we have tested and utilized the viewer internally, and this data has been used in high-impact peer-reviewed publications. CONCLUSIONS: We have designed a flexible, simple to setup viewer that is easily adaptable to any type of cancer targeted sequencing, and has already proven its use in a research laboratory environment. Further, we believe with deeper sequencing and/or more targeted application it could be of use in the clinic in conjunction with an appropriate targeted sequencing panel as a cost-effective diagnostic test, especially in cancers such as acute leukemia or diffuse large B-cell lymphoma that require rapid interventions.


Subject(s)
High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing/methods , Neoplasms/genetics , Software , Algorithms , Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Female , Gene Dosage , Genome, Human , Genomics , Humans , Lymphoma, Follicular/genetics , Multiple Myeloma/genetics , Mutation , Precision Medicine , Web Browser
14.
Clin Cancer Res ; 26(10): 2422-2432, 2020 05 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31988198

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Copy-number changes and translocations have been studied extensively in many datasets with long-term follow-up. The impact of mutations remains debated given the short time to follow-up of most datasets. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We performed targeted panel sequencing covering 125 myeloma-specific genes and the loci involved in translocations in 223 newly diagnosed myeloma samples recruited into one of the total therapy trials. RESULTS: As expected, the most commonly mutated genes were NRAS, KRAS, and BRAF, making up 44% of patients. Double-Hit and BRAF and DIS3 mutations had an impact on outcome alongside classical risk factors in the context of an intensive treatment approach. We were able to identify both V600E and non-V600E BRAF mutations, 58% of which were predicted to be hypoactive or kinase dead. Interestingly, 44% of the hypoactive/kinase dead BRAF-mutated patients showed co-occurring alterations in KRAS, NRAS, or activating BRAF mutations, suggesting that they play a role in the oncogenesis of multiple myeloma by facilitating MAPK activation and may lead to chemoresistance. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, these data highlight the importance of mutational screening to better understand newly diagnosed multiple myeloma and may lead to patient-specific mutation-driven treatment approaches.


Subject(s)
Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics , Exosome Multienzyme Ribonuclease Complex/genetics , Multiple Myeloma/genetics , Mutation , Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf/genetics , Adult , Aged , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , DNA Mutational Analysis , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Multiple Myeloma/drug therapy , Multiple Myeloma/mortality , Multiple Myeloma/pathology , Prognosis , Survival Rate
15.
Haematologica ; 105(4): 1055-1066, 2020 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31221783

ABSTRACT

MYC is a widely acting transcription factor and its deregulation is a crucial event in many human cancers. MYC is important biologically and clinically in multiple myeloma, but the mechanisms underlying its dysregulation are poorly understood. We show that MYC rearrangements are present in 36.0% of newly diagnosed myeloma patients, as detected in the largest set of next generation sequencing data to date (n=1,267). Rearrangements were complex and associated with increased expression of MYC and PVT1, but not other genes at 8q24. The highest effect on gene expression was detected in cases where the MYC locus is juxtaposed next to super-enhancers associated with genes such as IGH, IGK, IGL, TXNDC5/BMP6, FAM46C and FOXO3 We identified three hotspots of recombination at 8q24, one of which is enriched for IGH-MYC translocations. Breakpoint analysis indicates primary myeloma rearrangements involving the IGH locus occur through non-homologous end joining, whereas secondary MYC rearrangements occur through microhomology-mediated end joining. This mechanism is different to lymphomas, where non-homologous end joining generates MYC rearrangements. Rearrangements resulted in overexpression of key genes and chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing identified that HK2, a member of the glucose metabolism pathway, is directly over-expressed through binding of MYC at its promoter.


Subject(s)
Genes, myc , Multiple Myeloma , RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics , Genes, Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain , Humans , In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence , Multiple Myeloma/genetics , Protein Disulfide-Isomerases , Translocation, Genetic
17.
Blood ; 128(13): 1735-44, 2016 09 29.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27516441

ABSTRACT

To elucidate the mechanisms underlying relapse from chemotherapy in multiple myeloma, we performed a longitudinal study of 33 patients entered into Total Therapy protocols investigating them using gene expression profiling, high-resolution copy number arrays, and whole-exome sequencing. The study illustrates the mechanistic importance of acquired mutations in known myeloma driver genes and the critical nature of biallelic inactivation events affecting tumor suppressor genes, especially TP53, the end result being resistance to apoptosis and increased proliferation rates, which drive relapse by Darwinian-type clonal evolution. The number of copy number aberration changes and biallelic inactivation of tumor suppressor genes was increased in GEP70 high risk, consistent with genomic instability being a key feature of high risk. In conclusion, the study highlights the impact of acquired genetic events, which enhance the evolutionary fitness level of myeloma-propagating cells to survive multiagent chemotherapy and to result in relapse.


Subject(s)
Clonal Evolution , Genes, Tumor Suppressor , Multiple Myeloma/genetics , Mutation , Adult , Aged , Cell Proliferation , DNA Copy Number Variations , Disease Progression , Female , Gene Expression Profiling , Genes, p53 , Genes, ras , Genomic Instability , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Middle Aged , Models, Genetic , Multiple Myeloma/pathology , Multiple Myeloma/therapy , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics , Recurrence , Risk Factors , Stem Cell Transplantation , Transplantation, Autologous
18.
BMC Bioinformatics ; 16 Suppl 13: S7, 2015.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26424171

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: It is understood that cancer is a clonal disease initiated by a single cell, and that metastasis, which is the spread of cancer from the primary site, is also initiated by a single cell. The seemingly natural capability of cancer to adapt dynamically in a Darwinian manner is a primary reason for therapeutic failures. Survival advantages may be induced by cancer therapies and also occur as a result of inherent cell and microenvironmental factors. The selected "more fit" clones outmatch their competition and then become dominant in the tumor via propagation of progeny. This clonal expansion leads to relapse, therapeutic resistance and eventually death. The goal of this study is to develop and demonstrate a more detailed clonality approach by utilizing integrative genomics. METHODS: Patient tumor samples were profiled by Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) and RNA-seq on an Illumina HiSeq 2500 and methylation profiling was performed on the Illumina Infinium 450K array. STAR and the Haplotype Caller were used for RNA-seq processing. Custom approaches were used for the integration of the multi-omic datasets. RESULTS: Reported are major enhancements to CloneViz, which now provides capabilities enabling a formal tumor multi-dimensional clonality analysis by integrating: i) DNA mutations, ii) RNA expressed mutations, and iii) DNA methylation data. RNA and DNA methylation integration were not previously possible, by CloneViz (previous version) or any other clonality method to date. This new approach, named iCloneViz (integrated CloneViz) employs visualization and quantitative methods, revealing an integrative genomic mutational dissection and traceability (DNA, RNA, epigenetics) thru the different layers of molecular structures. CONCLUSION: The iCloneViz approach can be used for analysis of clonal evolution and mutational dynamics of multi-omic data sets. Revealing tumor clonal complexity in an integrative and quantitative manner facilitates improved mutational characterization, understanding, and therapeutic assignments.


Subject(s)
Clonal Evolution/genetics , Epigenomics/methods , Genomics/methods , Neoplasms/genetics , Epigenesis, Genetic , Humans
19.
J Cheminform ; 7: 22, 2015.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26110024

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The WikiHyperGlossary is an information literacy technology that was created to enhance reading comprehension of documents by connecting them to socially generated multimedia definitions as well as semantically relevant data. The WikiHyperGlossary enhances reading comprehension by using the lexicon of a discipline to generate dynamic links in a document to external resources that can provide implicit information the document did not explicitly provide. Currently, the most common method to acquire additional information when reading a document is to access a search engine and browse the web. This may lead to skimming of multiple documents with the novice actually never returning to the original document of interest. The WikiHyperGlossary automatically brings information to the user within the current document they are reading, enhancing the potential for deeper document understanding. RESULTS: The WikiHyperGlossary allows users to submit a web URL or text to be processed against a chosen lexicon, returning the document with tagged terms. The selection of a tagged term results in the appearance of the WikiHyperGlossary Portlet containing a definition, and depending on the type of word, tabs to additional information and resources. Current types of content include multimedia enhanced definitions, ChemSpider query results, 3D molecular structures, and 2D editable structures connected to ChemSpider queries. Existing glossaries can be bulk uploaded, locked for editing and associated with multiple social generated definitions. CONCLUSION: The WikiHyperGlossary leverages both social and semantic web technologies to bring relevant information to a document. This can not only aid reading comprehension, but increases the users' ability to obtain additional information within the document. We have demonstrated a molecular editor enabled knowledge framework that can result in a semantic web inductive reasoning process, and integration of the WikiHyperGlossary into other software technologies, like the Jikitou Biomedical Question and Answer system. Although this work was developed in the chemical sciences and took advantage of open science resources and initiatives, the technology is extensible to other knowledge domains. Through the DeepLit (Deeper Literacy: Connecting Documents to Data and Discourse) startup, we seek to extend WikiHyperGlossary technologies to other knowledge domains, and integrate them into other knowledge acquisition workflows.

20.
BMC Bioinformatics ; 15 Suppl 11: S9, 2014.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25350589

ABSTRACT

Tumors are heterogeneous in composition. They are composed of cancer cells proper, along with stromal elements that collectively form a microenvironment, all of which are necessary to nurture the malignant process. In addition, many of the stromal cells are modified to support the unique needs of the malignant state. Tumors are composed of a variety of clones or subpopulations of cancer cells, which may differ in karyotype, growth rate, expression of cell surface markers, sensitivity to therapeutics, etc. New tools and methods to provide an improved understanding of tumor clonal architecture are needed to guide therapy.


Subject(s)
Clonal Evolution , Mutation , Neoplasms/genetics , Clone Cells , Computational Biology/methods , Humans , Software
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