April 2010

Pathology & Laboratory Medicine News Items –

Announcements


  • Dr. Daniel Remick has been invited to give the 8th Annual John Spitzer Distinguished Lecture, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, March 25, 2010 in New Orleans. The title of his presentation is:  Sepsis Complex Inflammation for a Complex Disease
  • Dr. Remick also served as a moderator at the 8th Congress on Trauma, Shock, Injury and Sepsis, Munich Germany, on Immune Dysfunction in Sepsis in Injury Animals/Patients: Update on Immunopathogenesis and Pathophysiology.
  • Dr. Remick was invited to give two presentations at the 8th Congress on Trauma, Shock, Injury and Sepsis, Munich Germany, Pulmonary Endotoxin Tolerance – Spare the Lung but Kill the Bacteria and Lessons Learned from Experimental Peritonitis Models
  • Dr. Remick organized a symposium for the Association of Investigative Pathology at the 2010 Experimental Biology meeting to be held in Anaheim, California. The session is titled: Genetics and Molecular Biomarkers of Disease and Nanotechnology
  • Because of Dr. Martin Kroll’s lab’s excellent performance in Hematology Cell Identification, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) has invited the Hematology section of Laboratory Medicine to become a referee for the 2010 Survey year. Referees are selected participants with a record of perfect performance on graded cell identification challenges from the preceding years. These referees serve as “experts” who perform a valuable service to evaluate the images used in the CAP Surveys Program. As a participant in the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Hematology (FH Series) Survey, you may be aware of our referee laboratories that provide data for cell identification. With CLIA-88 regulations governing consensus for qualitative proficiency testing, the role of referees is particularly important.
  • The Tissue Dispensary celebrated its one-year anniversary with a perfect record in tracking the use of Tissue in surgery.  Lisa O’Connor said “I am so proud of this!! You all have done an outstanding job.”  James Becker, MD, Chair of Surgery said “I agree with al the kudos that have been voiced. This was a terrific team effort.”   Special thanks go to Carol Cohen, our Medical Technologist, Mark Flomenbaum, our Medical Director, Kate Murphy, our Supervisor of the Blood Bank, and to Janet Means and Dr. Chris Andry, for their tremendous support, and to the staff in the Blood Bank, for making this program a success.
  • In Laboratory Medicine, we had our CAP inspection on March 1st, by the Mayo Clinic Reference Laboratory. We did exceptionally well and they gave us high praises on the way the laboratory is run. Our thanks to the staff, faculty and administration, who make our laboratory exceptional in its delivery of care every day!!!
  • The Kurosawa and Geisbert labs were awarded a joint 7-year NIH contract for developing “Animal Models of Disease”.   Co-PIs on the contract are Shinichiro Kurosawa, MD, PhD; Deborah J Stearns-Kurosawa, PhD; Thomas Geisbert and Katherine Bossart.
  • Shinichiro Kurosawa and Deborah J Stearns-Kurosawa are collaborators on an NIH STTR grant with PI Steven Opal, MD (Memorial Hospital, RI) and ProThera Biologics (RI) to study the influence of a protease inhibitor on disease progression during bacteria infection.
  • Janet Means received her official letter of appointment to the Department of Public Health Clinical Laboratory Advisory Committee from the DPH commissioner. The multidisciplinary committee was convened to review and revise state laboratory regulations. It is a three year appointment commencing April 1. Congratulation Janet from Dr. Remick and Dr. Kroll!
    • From Dr. Kroll, “Congratulations!!! You will provide great expertise, knowledge and judgment to the committee.  The State and the Public will be greatly served. They are lucky to have you serve on the committee!”

Presentations

  • Ivana Delalle, MD, PhD is giving an invited lecture at the Institute of Neuropathology, Zurich, Switzerland, on April 8.
  • Zach Hunter, MA student, is first author in the Poster Presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Permanent Abstract ID:  8108 Abstract Title: “The attainment of CR/VGPR is associated with significantly longer progression free survival in rituximab-naive WM patients undergoing rituximab-based therapy, and is predicted by polymorphisms in FcGRIIIA-158”
  • Zach Hunter, MA student has been invited to give a talk on Clinical Charactaristics and Genetics of Familial WM at the annual International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation’s Educational Forum in Las Vegas on April 10th

Publications-ACCEPTED

  • DJ Stearns-Kurosawa, PhD, Valta Collins, Scott Freeman, Vernon L. Tesh, Shinichiro Kurosawa, MD, PhD. “Distinct Physiologic and Inflammatory Responses Elicited in Baboons after Challenge with Shiga Toxin Type-1 or -2 from Enterohemorrhagic E.coli”  Infection and Immunity, in press
  • Quiroz R, Joseph L, Sam F Serial Troponin-I Measurement as a Diagnostic and Therapeutic Tool in Chronic Myocarditis. Has been accepted for publication in Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, 2010
  • Lazar HL, Joseph L, San Mateo C, Frame J, Cabral HJ, McDonnell M, Chipkin S. Expression of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase in Conduits Used in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus Undergoing Coronary Revascularization. J Card Surg 2010; 25:120-126

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