Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) is a private, not-for-profit community healthcare system founded in 1948. Located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States and serving a 16-county region in North Florida and South Georgia, TMH comprises a 772-bed acute care hospital, a psychiatric hospital, multiple specialty care centers, three residency programs, 22 affiliated physician practices, and partnerships with Doctors’ Memorial Hospital, UF Health, and Weems Memorial Hospital.
INTRODUCTION:Hereditary myopathy with early respiratory failure (HMERF) is a rare myopathy resulting from a mutation on the TTN region of the titin gene. A case report and a thorough review of PubMed-reported cases were conducted. DESIGN/METHODS:A 53-year-old man reported progressive lower extremity weakness and dyspnea. On examination, he had steppage gait and muscle strength was reduced in lower limb muscles. Electromyography showed myopathic findings in iliopsoas and gastrocnemius muscles. A lumbar magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated patchy fatty atrophy of iliopsoas and lumbar paraspinals muscles. Next-generation sequencing revealed a heterozygous titin gene (TTN) mutation c.95187 G > C (p.Trp31729Cys) consistent with the diagnosis of HMERF. RESULTS:Fifty-eight patients of HMERF (14-78 years old) were identified. The earlier age of onset was 14 years. Most patients presented with limb muscle weakness but 11 began with an initial respiratory complaint. On average, patients required noninvasive ventilation 5.5 years postsymptom onset. CONCLUSIONS:HMERF should be considered in the differential diagnosis of an adult with concomitant respiratory and limb muscle weakness.
Clot-in-transit (CIT) is a life-threatening condition in which a venous thrombus is visualized within the right heart while migrating toward the pulmonary arteries. Its coexistence with severe cardiomyopathy and a left ventricular thrombus confers high morbidity and mortality. We report the case of a woman in her 40s with advanced heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 10%-15%, who presented with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) , a large mobile thrombus traversing the tricuspid valve, and an apical left ventricular thrombus, complicated by cardiogenic shock. Given her hemodynamic instability and high surgical risk, she underwent emergent percutaneous aspiration thrombectomy using the FlowTriever device (Inari Medical, Inc., Irvine, CA), achieving successful clot removal and hemodynamic improvement. This case highlights the role of minimally invasive thrombectomy in selected high-risk patients.
Abstract Background: Acquirement of Platinum-resistance leads to recurrence and poor survival outcomes in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients with inadequate second-line treatment options. Moreover, the current therapeutic strategies lack the precision to target the chemoresistant cells in vivo limiting treatment efficacy. Identification and validation of unique targeting moieties are critical to develop effective therapeutic strategies for this dreadful disease. Methods: Phage Display peptide library screening, ELISA and FACS were used to identify novel peptide binders using platinum resistant EOC cells (both intrinsic and acquired). MTT, cell cycle analysis, confocal microscopy, scratch assay and adhesion assays used to delineate the peptide properties. Clinical relevance was determined using primary tumor cells derived from high grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) patients and subsequent PDX models. In-silico analysis and molecular docking were employed to identify the putative receptor/s. Results: Two novel heptapeptides (A and B) exhibiting higher binding capabilities to platinum-resistant cells were identified by phage peptide display screening and further validated using multiple EOC cell lines, primary cells isolated from malignant ascites of high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients, and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. Peptide A showed ∼2-fold increased binding in intrinsically cisplatin-resistant cells (TOV112D, OVCAR3) while peptide B demonstrated ∼3 fold higher binding to A2780Ptres cells compared to platinum-sensitive A2780 cells. Peptide A showed a 5-fold increased binding in chemoresistant patient-derived cells and a 3-fold higher binding towards chemoresistant PDX models compared to chemonaïve counterparts, suggesting the presence of unique surface receptor(s) enriched in resistant populations. Peptide A did not induce toxicity, cell cycle alteration or proliferation but reduced adhesion and invasion of the resistant cells. Intraperitoneal injection of peptide A led to reduced secondary metastasis in platinum-resistant PDX mice. In silico docking identified GPCR proteins, particularly Endothelin Type A/B receptors (ETAR/ETBR), as putative receptors for peptide A. Functional characterization and receptor identification for peptide B are in progress. Conclusions: With higher affinity towards platinum-resistant cells and ability to impede adhesion, these novel peptide/s have promising potential to be developed as scaffolds for imaging or as therapeutic conjugates for the targeted treatment of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer cells. Citation Format: Pritha Ray, Sreyashi Nath, Pranita Uttamrao Patil, Parijat Das, Prasenjit Bhaumik. Identification and characterization of novel peptide binders against platinum resistant epithelial ovarian cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2026; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2026 Apr 17-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 3101.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE:Prior disparity research has focused on evaluating patient outcomes in freestanding children's hospitals, rather than identifying potential drivers of these disparities. Our objective was to evaluate drivers of disparities in respiratory illness care quality and outcomes in a national sample of general hospitals. METHODS:This retrospective study used pretrial data from hospitals in the SIP trial (Simultaneously Implementing Pathways for Improving Asthma, Pneumonia, and Bronchiolitis Care for Hospitalized Children, NCT05206695). Patients were eligible if they had a primary diagnosis of asthma, pneumonia, or bronchiolitis and were admitted during 3 winter periods (2019-2022). We evaluated quality measures/adherence to evidence-based practices and patient outcomes (length of stay, intensive care unit [ICU] transfer, and hospital readmission/emergency department [ED] revisit within 30 days). Multilevel regression models were used to evaluate disparities by race and ethnicity, primary insurance, and preferred language. RESULTS:A total of 3188 admissions from 33 hospitals were analyzed. Quality measure adherence was 30% to 89%. Children with asthma on public insurance were more likely to receive recommended discharge prescriptions of inhaled corticosteroids than those on private insurance (77% vs 70%; odds ratio [OR], 1.87 [95% CI, 1. 12-3.12]). Children with public insurance admitted for asthma had higher risk of ICU transfer (adjusted OR [AOR], 1.93 [95% CI, 1.01-3.72]) and 30-day readmissions/ED revisits (AOR, 2.72 [95% CI, 1.37-5.39]). Hispanic children admitted for asthma had higher risk of 30-day readmissions/ED revisits compared with white children (AOR, 2.37 [95% CI, 1.08-5.22]). CONCLUSIONS:In this national analysis of children admitted to general hospitals, we found disparities in outcomes for children with asthma who were on public insurance or Hispanic.
