From the Dean

To submit college, student, faculty, staff or administrative news for future editions, please Click Here. The deadline for news submission is the first Thursday of the month for inclusion in that month’s edition. The Dean’s E-News will now be published at the end of each month.

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Colleagues, Faculty, Staff and Students

As I take time to reflect back on the year, it is apparent that we have faced and overcome many challenges: LCME/SACS, class expansion, budget cuts, the opening of the new Dallas campus and strategic planning in the face of an uncertain external environment. The successes we have achieved have been the result of your dedication and team work and I want to thank every one of you, faculty, staff and students, for your hard work. I couldn’t be more proud of our College of Medicine community, and I feel very fortunate to be your dean.

The LCME site visit draws ever closer and we are in the final stages of our accreditation preparations.  We sent in the LCME documents the first week in December, and it was an exercise in patience to compile the thick binders of documents that will be used by the LCME and the site visit team.  Many thanks to Academic Affairs and the Dean’s Office for their many hours of hard work on this part of the process.

The Curriculum Committee is doing a fantastic job of putting things in place to prepare us for accreditation.  They are also developing a website for Curriculum Committee reports, minutes and more to be available soon. I want to thank the members of the Curriculum Committee for their leadership in working to ensure that our curriculum prepares our graduates to be both compassionate and techincally skilled physicians.

Everyone at the Dallas campus is to be congratulated for making the launch of our clinical training program there a success. Dr. Columbus and her staff did a tremendous job, and the two welcome events on December 8 were very well received.  Affiliation agreements and faculty appointments are progressing well, and the students I have talked to are very pleased with the eudcational environment at the Baylor University Medical Center.

In Round Rock, our M3s hosted a very successful reception for M2s on December 10 to showcase the Round Rock campus.  In Temple, renovations on Lecture Hall 2 continue, and Scott & White has hired a new associate vice president for education to help with undergraduate and graduate medical education on the Temple campus who will start on February 1. 

The Health Science Center’s Convocation is January 20 in College Station, and I encourage all of you—students, faculty and staff—to make a good showing.  The focus of Convocation will be on the HSC’s upcoming accreditation visit from SACS and the Quality Enhancement Plan QEP), the institution-wide project called “CARE,” or Critically Appraise Relevant Evidence.

Please take note of all of the important upcoming activities.  We have much to do, and I thank you for your continued hard work and diligence.  I want to wish all of you the happiest of holiday seasons.

Sincerely,

T. Samuel Shomaker, M.D., J.D.
The Jean and Thomas McMullin Dean of Medicine and
Vice President for Clinical Affairs for the Texas A&M Health Science Center

Dates to Remember

• HSC Convocation: January 20, 2012, Rudder Auditorium, College Station
• LCME SITE VISIT: February 26-March 1, 2012, Bryan-College Station, Temple, Dallas
• SACS SITE VISIT: March 6-8, 2012, locations TBD

College News

To submit college, student, faculty, staff or administrative news for future editions, please Click Here. The deadline for news submission is the first Thursday of the month for inclusion in that month’s edition. The Dean’s E-News will now be published at the end of each month.

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2011 Research Excellence Award Recipients

On December 14, the College of Medicine Research Excellence Awards were presented at a reception on the Bryan campus.  It is with great pleasure that we announce the 2011 Research Excellence Award recipients:

Junior Faculty Category: Dr. Kayla Bayless from Molecular & Cellular Medicine

Senior Faculty Category: Dr. Jeff Cirillo from Microbial & Molecular Pathogenesis

These two individuals have outstanding research programs that bring significant acclaim to our institution and truly worthy recipients of these awards. Please join us in congratulating them and their scientific achievements.

Fane Retires after Four Decades of Medicine

Dr. Larry Fane will retire from his duties as Regional Chair of Pediatrics and Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine in Round Rock effective December 31, 2011.  His 40 years of working and striving for the selfless purpose of helping others live happier and healthier lives have indeed been an absolute joy to everyone’ faculty, staff, students and patients alike.

Dr. Fane looks forward to retirement and all the perks it brings, yet he will miss his colleagues and the students he has guided into the medical profession.

Dr. Fane joined the College of Medicine faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics in 2008 and taught in lecture, laboratory and clinical settings. He was appointed the first Regional Chair of Pediatrics for the Round Rock campus and has served in that capacity since December 2009. Dr. Fane has indeed made a permanent mark on everyone here at Round Rock with his commitment to both the profession of Pediatrics and the profession of academic instruction.

Dr. Fane is a Pediatrician with Lone Star Circle of Care (LSCC).  Dr. Fane received his Doctorate of Medicine in 1967 from the University of Iowa.  He completed an internship at Bellevue Hospital in New York, New York and a residency in Pediatrics at the William Beaumont General Hospital in El Paso, Texas in 1970.

Dr. Fane served in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1973 and the U.S. Army Reserves from 1985 to 2001 and is a Retired Colonel, having earned the Legion of Merit Award.  He practiced in Virginia, Iowa, and throughout Texas before joining LSCC in 2006.  Dr. Fane has held academic appointments as Assistant Clinical Instructor with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas and the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas.  He is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the Association of Military Surgeons

Indeed the College of Medicine has benefited from his talents, insight, dedication and passion. His wisdom, depth of knowledge, compassion, fairness, and concern for individual students and the profession are all hallmarks of this great professor and leader.

A crowd of faculty, staff, and students honored Dr. Fane during the Round Rock Holiday Luncheon on December 15, 2011.  Dr. T. Samuel Shomaker, The Jean and Thomas McMullin Dean of Medicine and Vice President for Clinical Affairs and Dr. Nelson Avery, Associate Dean for Development in OIA and Director of Preventive Medicine Residency Program presented Dr. Fane with a Certificate of Appreciation award for his service and dedication.

We sincerely wish Dr. Fane the best in his retirement and a great start of another new beginning in life.

Inter-professional Education Simulation Coming Spring 2012

In spring 2012, an Inter-professional Education (IPE) activity will be conducted with the College of Medicine, College of Nursing and College of Pharmacy students from the Round Rock campus. This IPE will focus on all three Colleges’ specific core competencies of collaborative practice. This scenario will consist of three patients with varying health issues and will require a team-based approach to develop a method of total quality health care for the patient.

IPEs, an important step in advancing clinical health education for third-year medical students, emphasize the need for a collaborative approach for health professionals to be educated to deliver patient-centered care as members of an interdisciplinary team.

In November 2010, the Health Science Center Round Rock campus hosted an IPE event at the Simulation Center with Dr. Robert Simpkins, a clinical affiliate faculty member, Brenda Austin, RN, MSN, Assistant Professor and Simulation Coordinator at the College of Nursing, Carolyn Prosise, RN, MSN, Assistant Professor at the College of Nursing, College of Medicine third-year medical students Brady Whitmer, Kimberly Fehlis and Sarah Dornak, College of Nursing Round Rock students and the Williamson County EMS Staff.

Medicine and Nursing students, faculty and staff participated in two scenarios that involved two patients each experiencing chest pain. Students of each discipline had to evaluate, assess and treat each patient appropriately. Throughout the simulation communication and teamwork were emphasized. At the completion of the simulation, a debriefing session was conducted for the students, faculty and staff. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and all agreed this type of activity should be considered at all levels of professional healthcare education.

COM Hosts Water Station at First B-CS Marathon

On December 11, 2011, more than a dozen faculty and staff volunteers braved the cold to man a water station at the first Bryan-College Station Marathon.  Not only did they provide water and refreshments, volunteers also donned bonnets, booties and masks to remind runners of the College and its support of healthy community activities!

The Wellness Program Committee recruited volunteers to help man a water aid station at the marathon located at the 10.5 mile marker. The volunteers displayed a College of Medicine banner, dressed up like researchers and doctors, distributed candy, fruit, water and Gatorade and cheered on the runners as they passed by.

Many thanks to Joey Wylie (team captain and Chair of the Wellness Program Committee), Eric Wylie, Lanette Christensen, Kara and Suat Cirillo, Jan Hubbell, Amminikutty Jeevan, Anna and Sereth Kjolen, Rachel and Johnathan Levins, John Lewis, Rose-Anne Meissner, Andrew Robison, Amanda Schrader, Suzanne Stammler and son, and Mindy Holster.

Call for Nominations for Alton Ochsner Award

Nominations for the Alton Ochsner Award Relating Smoking and Disease are requested for any candidate who should be honored for his or her outstanding scientific achievements relating the role of tobacco consumption to the pathogenesis of disease.   Nomination requirements were sent via email on December 13.

Please submit nominations in PDF format to the Dean's Office no later than Friday, March 16, 2012 so they can be routed for Dr. Dickey's review and forwarding to the award committee.

For a PDF of the nomination requirements or for more information, contact Ellen Weichert at weichert@medicine.tamhsc.edu

Faculty

To submit college, student, faculty, staff or administrative news for future editions, please Click Here. The deadline for news submission is the first Thursday of the month for inclusion in that month’s edition. The Dean’s E-News will now be published at the end of each month.

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Office of Faculty Development Announcements

The Office of Faculty Development is also pleased to announce that the Faculty Development Basic Program online modules are accessible online.

CME and Faculty Development credit is available for each module.

*Per CME credit requirements, it is important to note that the modules are NOT self-paced and the time is fixed. On the website, next to the title of each module, the approximate amount of time for completion is included.*

Please make sure to complete the assessment and module evaluation at the conclusion of each module. A score of at least 80 is required for credit to be awarded, and you will receive a certificate within 30 days upon successful completion.

The entire BASIC PROGRAM (all 5 modules) will also be offered in the spring in a half-day workshop and will allow faculty to obtain 2.5 hours of CME credit through this workshop.

Contact Dr. Lori Graham at graham@medicine.tamhsc.edu or Dr. Courtney West at west@medicine.tamhsc.edu for username/password information to access the modules.  These modules will be updated annually, and we welcome your ideas and suggestions for the future.

Profiles in Medicine: Shapiro receives MAGPIX® Excellence in Research Award

On November 10, 2011, Lee Shapiro, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System in Temple, was awarded the MAGPIX Excellence in Research Award by Luminex Corporation for his publication "Early traumatic brain injury-induced cytokine alterations are similarly detected by two distinct methods of multiplex assay" in Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience.

The MAGPIX Excellence in Research Award recognizes use of Luminex’s award winning technology by leading researchers who  publish their ground breaking research in peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Shapiro and his team have recently been using multiplex technology to simultaneously quantify over twenty different inflammatory protein levels in the brain following traumatic brain injury and seizures. The ability to map the precise spatial and temporal expression patterns of so many inflammatory proteins adds to our growing understanding of the complexities of the neuroinflammatory response. Elucidating the functional consequences of specific inflammatory alterations may pave the way to better diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in the future.

Such research puts the College of Medicine in the forefront of this rapidly expanding field.

Gastel Leads Workshops in Ghana

Over a period of five days, Barbara Gastel, M.D., Professor, Integrative Biosciences at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Humanities in Medicine at the College of Medicine, presented or led several workshops in medical writing and reporting in Accra, Ghana.

On November 21-22 she gave three presentations for the workshop “Health Reporting Workshop for Health Professionals and Journalists.”  On November 23 she presented a “train-the-trainer” session for the same group.  On November 24-25 she led a workshop titled “AuthorAID Post-PACN (Pan Africa Chemistry Workshop)-Congress Workshop on Research Writing.”

Dr. Gastel gives international exposure to the College of Medicine while increasing her experience and education in all aspects of medical literature, her specialty. She has served and continues to serve as a mentor to numerous College of Medicine and Texas A&M University students.

Russell One of Four Invited International Scholars

Gul A. Russell, Ph.D., Professor of Humanities in Medicine, was one of four invited international scholars to give lecture presentations at an event sponsored by the Soudavar Foundation and the Center for Iranian Studies School and Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.

Dr. Russell presented a lecture on the “History of Science--Sans Frontière--Without Boundaries”

The history of science as a discipline was introduced in the United States by George Sarton (1884-1956) at Harvard. Having lived through the two world wars, Sarton concluded that in human experience, the only progress was through science. Scientific discoveries were objective and cumulative, surmounting national, ethnic, and linguistic divisions. This was reflected in the history of science (and medicine). Dr. Russell argued that we may regard this view as questionable under the present realities, but the vision--even if unattainable, was still valid and needed in educating future generations. Dr. Russell gave examples of a multicultural heritage from history of medicine.

Dr. Russell's presentation gave international exposure to the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine while adding to her scholarship/research experience in her field. She will draw on her experiences and interaction with colleagues for resource material as she coordinates and leads several students in directed research in the history of medicine.

Students

To submit college, student, faculty, staff or administrative news for future editions, please Click Here. The deadline for news submission is the first Thursday of the month for inclusion in that month’s edition. The Dean’s E-News will now be published at the end of each month.

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Profiles in Medicine: Students Arrive in Dallas!

(DALLAS) — The Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) College of Medicine and Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas (BUMC) on Dec. 8 welcomed the inaugural group of medical students to the newly established TAMHSC Clinical Training Program in Dallas.

The program brings together resources from both entities to offer clinical training opportunities to third- and fourth-year students from the TAMHSC-College of Medicine.

“Given the close proximity and ties between BUMC and our own Baylor College of Dentistry,  and the excellent medical education opportunities offered by the Baylor Health Care System, this truly is the right time and place for an expansion of our College of Medicine program in Dallas,” said Nancy W. Dickey, M.D., president of the Texas A&M Health Science Center and vice chancellor for health affairs for The Texas A&M University System. “We look forward to the progression of this program that joins an academic institution with a health care provider to benefit the community and tomorrow’s health professionals, and we hope it serves as a model for others to follow.”

Twenty-four third-year students entered the program this month. The following academic year, a comparable number of new third-year students will arrive in Dallas to join the inaugural group as that group enters their fourth year of medical school.

See the full article at TAMHSC-News

Administration

To submit college, student, faculty, staff or administrative news for future editions, please Click Here. The deadline for news submission is the first Thursday of the month for inclusion in that month’s edition. The Dean’s E-News will now be published at the end of each month.

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Marks Appointed Regional Chair of I-Med for RR Campus

The Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine announces the appointment of Lianne Marks, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.P., as Regional Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine for the College in Round Rock.  Dr. Marks’ appointment was effective December 1, 2011.  An assistant professor of Internal Medicine at the College of Medicine, Dr. Marks previously served as clerkship director for Internal Medicine from February 2009-October 31, 2010.

Dr. Marks currently is the Medical Quality Director for the regional clinics at Scott & White Healthcare Round Rock and is a Senior Staff Physician in the Department of Internal Medicine.  Dr. Marks graduated with honors from the University of Florida in Gainesville with a degree in Molecular Neuroscience.  She received her medical degree from the University of Miami Medical School in 2004 and her Ph.D. degree in Immunology at the same institution in 2002.  She completed her internal medicine internship and residency in 2007 at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.  Dr. Marks is board certified in Internal Medicine and joined Scott & White in 2007. 

Dr. Marks is a member of the Williamson County Medical Society and the Texas Medical Association.  She is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.

Ferguson Appointed as Regional Chair of Pediatrics for RR Campus

The Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine announces the appointment of Laura Ferguson, M.D., F.A.A.P. as Regional Chair of the Department of Pediatrics for the College in Round Rock.  Dr. Ferguson’s appointment is effective January 1, 2012.

Dr. Ferguson has more than 27 years of experience in pediatric health care and is passionate about providing comprehensive pediatric care from birth to adolescence. She had a distinguished career at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston for more than 15 years.  She is an experienced educator, leader and great role model for young physicians and medical students, receiving awards for teaching excellence.  Her passion for medical education is demonstrated by her leadership as Co-Chair of the Medical Education Committee of Texas Pediatric Society. 

Dr. Ferguson is nationally recognized for abilities in pediatric medical education and quality.  She served on advisory and editorial boards for the Pediatrics Review and Education Program (PREP) published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.  She also served as a member of the Editorial Board of American Academy of Pediatrics publication AAP News.  Furthermore, she participated in the development of quality improvement modules on management of newborn hyperbilirubinemia and lactation support as well as prevention of child abuse for the American Academy of Pediatrics.     

Dr. Ferguson currently is the Associate Medical Director and Director of Quality Council for Lone Star Circle of Care and a staff pediatrician at Dell Children’s Circle of Care Clinics.  Dr. Ferguson received her BA in Biology and Psychology from Rice University in 1980 and an M.D. degree from the University of Texas at Houston in 1985.  She completed her residency in Pediatrics at University of Texas Medical School at Houston Affiliated Hospitals in 1988. 

Dr. Ferguson began her career in private practice in Stephenville, Texas.  She completed an HRSA-sponsored fellowship in Leadership in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities at the University of New Mexico Center for Development and Disability in 2007.  Dr. Ferguson served as a section chief at the main campus clinic at The Children’s Hospital of Scott & White from 2009-2011 and was associate director of the Children’s Quality Committee as well as a pediatric residency continuity clinic preceptor.

Dr. Ferguson is board certified in Pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics.  She joined the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine faculty and Lone Star Circle of Care in 2011.

Attention All CMS Users!

Web Content Providers: CMS Training Now Offered Monthly

For anyone who serves their department as a website content provider, the Texas A&M Health Science Center website content management system (CMS) training was recently modified to include hands-on, interactive exercises.

OIT’s Web Services Group regular training sessions are held the last Friday of every month. It’s a great opportunity to brush up on your content management skills and find out about useful features within Cascade Server 6.7.

Register at http://training-cms.tamhsc.edu/

In addition, the Web Services Group maintains a CMS Training Site which provides users with quick reference sheets, tutorials, frequently-asked questions, and a thorough User Guide for Cascade Server 6.7. A new feature of the site includes step-by-step videos that show how to perform specific tasks within the CMS.

If you have any questions about registration or about the site referenced, please contact Cynthia Kauder at 979-436-0916 or Kauder@tamhsc.edu

Basic Science

Microbial & Molecular Pathogenesis

Recent Publications

• Dana K. Shaw, Jenny A. Hyde, and Jon T. Skare.  “The BB0646 protein demonstrates lipase and hemolytic activity associated with Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiological agent of Lyme disease” was accepted for publication in Molecular Microbiology.
• Ly LH and McMurray DN. Chapter 3. Contributions of the guinea pig model to the understanding of BCG-induced resistance to tuberculosis. In: Takii T, Maeyama J, Yamamoto S (eds); BCG –Vaccine and Adjuvant; Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association, Tokyo, Japan; pp. 46-64 (2011)

Presentations, Conferences & Meetings

• Dr. David McMurray traveled to Rockville, MD, from 16-18 November to attend a quarterly meeting of the Board of Directors of the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation.
• Dr. Robert Alaniz attended the CPRIT Annual Conference: Innovations in Cancer Research and Prevention, in Austin from 15-17 November.
• Dr. James Samuel traveled to Alexandria, VA, from 17-18 November to attend the PATRIC SWG Meeting.

Professional Appointments

• Dr. Jon Skare was re-appointed to the Editorial Board of Infection and Immunity through 2014.
• Dr. Skare was appointed to the Editorial Advisory Board of Molecular Microbiology for 2012-2013.

Molecular & Cellular Medicine

Recent Publications

• Lin, P.J., Jongsma, C.G., Liao, S., and Johnson, A.E. (2011) Transmembrane segments of nascent polytopic membrane proteins control cytosol/ER targeting during membrane integration. J Cell Biol. 195 (1):41-54.[Epub ahead of print 2011 Sep 26].
• Lin, P.J., Jongsma, C.G., Pool, M.R., and Johnson A.E. (2011) Polytopic membrane protein folding at L17 in the ribosome tunnel initiates cyclical changes at the translocon. J Cell Biol. 195 (1):55-70. [Epub ahead of print 2011 Sep 26].
• Person, A.M. and Wells, G.B. (2011) Characterizing low affinity epibatidine binding to alpha4beta2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors with ligand depletion and nonspecific binding. BMC Biophys. 4 (1):19. [Epub ahead of print]
• Sreevalsan, S., Joseph, S., Jutooru, I., Chadalapaka, G., and Safe, S.H. (2011) Induction of apoptosis by cannabinoids in prostate and colon cancer cells is phosphatase dependent. Anticancer Res. 31 (11): 3799-3807.
• Shetty, A.K. (2011) Progress in Cell Grafting Therapy for Temporal Lobe Epilepsy., Neurotherapeutics, 8(4):721-735.
• Hattiangady, B., and Shetty, A.K. (2011) Neural stem cell grafting in an animal model of chronic temporal lobe epilepsy., Current Protocols in Stem Cell Biology, Chapter 2, Unit2D.7.
• Kuruba, R., Hattiangady, B., Parihar, V.K., Shuai, B., and Shetty, A.K. (2011) Differential susceptibility of interneurons expressing neuropeptide y or parvalbumin in the aged hippocampus to acute seizure activity., PLoS ONE, 6 (9), e24493.

Presentations

• Dr. Allison Rice-Ficht gave a presentation entitled "Good or Bad Brucella Vaccine: It's All in the Delivery" at the Brucellosis 2011 Annual International Research Conference, UCA Auditorium, Puerto Madera in Buenos Aires, Argentina on September 21-23, 2011.
• Dr. Allison Rice-Ficht presented a talk entitled "Tuning Vaccine Performance with Micro and Nanoparticles" at the Western Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious DIseases Research Annual Meeting, Texas A&M University, Annenberg Presidential Conference Center, College Station, TX on October 11-12, 2011.  
• Dr. Gregg Wells attend the Society for Neuroscience, 41st Annual Meeting in Washington, DC on November 16, 2011. He presented a poster entitled "Feasibility of an indirect approach to water-soluble extracellular domain á4â2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor" at the meeting. The poster was co-authored by C.E. Mander and A.M. Person

Grants

• Dr. Allison Rice-Ficht (PI) was awarded a DOD STTR A11A-029-0101 grant from September 2011 to March 2012 for her project entitled "Nanoparticle Technology for Minimally-invasive Delivery of DNA Vaccines"

Service

• Dr Ashok K. Shetty (Professor of MCM, and Director of Neurosciences at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine) participated and reviewed grant applications in two National Institutes of Health Study section meetings:
  (1) Developmental Brain Disorders (DBD) study section, Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health (as a charter member, October 13-14, 2011).
  (2) National Institute on Aging IRG study section, NIA-Neuroscience (as an ad-hoc member, October 6-7, 2011).

Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics

George C.Y. Chiou, Ph.D.

TEACHING

• Appointed Regent Professorship by the TAMUS Board of Regents 

RESEARCH/SCHOLARLY ACTIVITIES

Grants

Grants funded

• Sinphar of Taiwan, Treatment of dry AMD with MC1101, Chiou, 20 %, $1.0M to MC for clinical trials.

Dr. Dustin W. DuBois

Research/Scholarly Activity

Abstracts (full citations)

• Nicotine and Varenicline activate nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on GABAergic neurons in hippocampus and medial septum/diagonal band. Dustin W. DuBois, Joanne C. Damborsky, Annette S. Fincher, Gerald D. Frye, Ursula H. Winzer-Serhan.  Winter Conference on Brain Research.  2011.

Seminars presented

• Nov 9th 2011, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders:  New Insights and Potential Therapies, TAMU Psychology Brown Bag Seminar Series

 

William H. Griffith, Ph.D.

Research

• I attended the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington DC on November 12-16th and had two abstracts.
• Murchison D, Peebles KA, Mieckowski AN, Sohrabji F, Griffith WH. Rapid modulation of synaptic transmission and membrane currents in basal forebrain cholinergic neurons of F344 rats by estrogen receptor agonists. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, #653.07, 2011
• Damborsky, JC, Griffith, WH, Winzer-Serhan, UH. Patch-clamp recordings of spontaneous synaptic currents from the CA1 hippocampus of adult male rats following chronic neonatal nicotine exposure reveal alterations in inhibitory transmission. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, #687.07, 2011.

 

D. Samba Reddy, Ph.D.

RESEARCH/SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY

Abstracts (full citations)

• Kuruba R and Reddy DS. Neuroprotective effects of GABAergic agents in the rat model of refractory status epilepticus. Soc Neurosc Abstr 338/08 (C45).
• Reddy DS, Gangisetty O and Wu X (2011). Ovarian cycle-related changes in expression and function of extrasynaptic GABA-A receptors in the hippocampus subfields. Soc Neurosc Abstr 338/07 (C44).

Seminars and Invited Presentations

Meetings/symposium presentations (not abstracts from above)

• Dec’11 Invited to present a seminar in the symposium ‘Pharmaceutical Discovery and Development’ and 2011 Indian Pharmaceutical Congress meeting, Bangalore, India

 

Mendall Rimer, Ph.D.

Research/Scholarly Activity

Abstracts (full citations)

• Paez-Colasante, X, Seaberg, B, Rimer, M. Testing the role of motoneurons in SMA model mice. Program No. 54.22. 2011 Neuroscience Meeting Planner. Washington, DC: Society for Neuroscience, 2011. Online.

Other Scientific/Scholarly Meetings Attended

National

• 11/11/11-11/16/11, 2011 Annual Society for Neuroscience meeting, Washington, D.C.

Other Research/Scholarly Activities of Importance (not covered above)

• 11/10/11, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Norman Hackerman Advanced Research Program pre-proposal entitled “Role of survival of motoneuron (SMN) in postnatal neurons from spinal muscular atrophy model mice” was selected for submission as full-proposal      

Winzer-Serhan,Ph.D

RESEARCH/SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY

Abstracts (full citations)

• Damborsky JC, Griffith WH, Winzer-Serhan UH. (2011) Patch-clamp recordings of spontaneous synaptic currents from the CA1 hippocampus of adult male rats following chronic neonatal nicotine exposure reveal alterations in inhibitory transmission. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. 687.07.
• Huang PS, Abbott LC, Winzer-Serhan UH (2011) Long-term nicotine and caloric restriction treatment improves memory in middle-aged mice and differentially regulates SIRT1, Nampt and Ku70 gene expression in cortical areas. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. 612.18.

Seminars and Invited Presentations

Meetings/symposium presentations (not abstracts from above)

• Nov. 12-16, Society for Neuroscience, Annual Meeting, Washington, DC

Clinical Science

Division of Investigative Pathology

Dr. Alexzander Asea

Peer-Reviewed Publications

• Kaur P, Nagaraja GM, Asea, A. 2011. Combined lentiviral and RNAi technologies for the delivery and permanent silencing of the hsp25 gene. Methods in Molecular Biology 787:121-136.
• Panossian A, Kaur P, Wikman G, Asea A. 2011. Rhodiola rosea L. extract SHR-5 and salidroside stimulate neuropeptide Y expression in neuroglia cells. Frontiers in Neuroendocrine Science (in press).
• Nagaraja GM, Kaur P, Asea A. Role of human and mouse HspB1 in metastasis. Current Molecular Medicine (in press).
• Campisi J, Sharkey C, Johnson JD, Asea A, Maslanik T, Bernstein-Hanley I, Fleshner M. Stress-induced facilitation of host response to bacterial challenge is dependent on extracellular Hsp72 and independent of αβ-T cells. Stress (in press).

Presentations/Meetings/Workshops

• “Today’s Girl Pink Pageant” November 12, 2011, Copperas Cove, TX
• “Targeting Hsp27 in Breast Cancer Tumors Using Combined Lentivirus-RNAi Technology.” Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Innovations in Cancer Prevention and Research Conference, November 15-17, Austin, TX

Articles Reviewed

• African Journal of Traditional Complimentary and Alternative Medicine
• Cellular Immunology
• Cell Stress & Chaperones
• PLoS ONE

Conferences Attended

• Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Innovations in Cancer Prevention and Research Conference, November 15-17, Austin, TX

Dr. Punit Kaur

Peer-Reviewed Publications

• Kaur P, Nagaraja GM, Asea, A. 2011. Combined lentiviral and RNAi technologies for the delivery and permanent silencing of the hsp25 gene. Methods in Molecular Biology 787:121-136.
• Panossian A, Kaur P, Wikman G, Asea A. 2011. Rhodiola rosea L. extract SHR-5 and salidroside stimulate neuropeptide Y expression in neuroglia cells. Frontiers in Neuroendocrine Science (in press).
• Nagaraja GM, Kaur P, Asea A. Role of human and mouse HspB1 in metastasis. Current Molecular Medicine (in press).

Presentations/Meetings/Workshops

• “Immunomolecular Characteristics of Triple-negative Breast Cancer Stem Cells: Role of Hsp72 Containing Exosomes.” Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Innovations in Cancer Prevention and Research Conference, November 15-17, Austin, TX

Posters/Exhibits

• Kaur P, Krishnan S, Asea A. Immunomolecular characteristics of triple-negative breast cancer stem cells: Role of Hsp72 containing exosomes. Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Innovations in Cancer Prevention and Research Conference, November 15-17, Austin, TX
• Nagaraja GM, Kaur P, Neumann W, Asea EE, Bausero MA, Multhoff G, Asea A. Targeting Hsp27 in breast cancer tumors using combined Lentivirus-RNAi technology. Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Innovations in Cancer Prevention and Research Conference, November 15-17, Austin, TX

Conferences Attended

• Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Innovations in Cancer Prevention and Research Conference, November 15-17, Austin, TX

Dr. Nagaraja Ganachari-Mallappa

Peer-Reviewed Publications

• Kaur P, Nagaraja GM, Asea, A. 2011. Combined lentiviral and RNAi technologies for the delivery and permanent silencing of the hsp25 gene. Methods in Molecular Biology 787:121-136.
• Nagaraja GM, Kaur P, Asea A. Role of human and mouse HspB1 in metastasis. Current Molecular Medicine (in press).

Service

• Attended the Today’s Girl Youth Organization of Lampasas Pink Ribbon pageant supporting the breast cancer research of Dr. Alexzander Asea and the Division of Investigative Pathology on November 12, 2011 in Lampasas, TX

Division of Molecular Cardiology

Professional Service

• Dr. David Dostal has been appointed as Co-Chair for the American Heart Association Molecular Signaling 3 Peer Review Committee.
• Dr. David Dostal served as a reviewer for the Fall Molecular Signaling 3 Peer Review Committee, Oct. 20, 2011.

Presentations

• Dr. Dostal was an invited speaker for the Biomedical Sciences Seminar Series at the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of South Carolina, Columbia on November 21, 2011.  The Topic of his presentation was “Is Mechanosensing an Integral Regulator of the Frank-Starling Mechanism?”

Publications (Published)

• Sampson HW, Chaput CD, Brannen J, Probe RA, Guleria RS, Pan J, Baker KM, VanBuren V. Alcohol Induced Epigenetic Perturbations During the Inflammatory Stage of Fracture Healing. The Journal of Experimental Biology and Medicine. 2011 Nov 15. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 22087020.
• Perepu RS, Dostal DE, Garcia C, Kennedy RH, Sethi R.  Cardiac dysfunction subsequent to chronic ozone exposure in rats.  Mol Cell Biochem. 2012 Jan;360(1-2):339-45. Epub 2011 Sep 27. PMID: 21947659.

Book Chapters

• Honey B. Golden , Deepika Gollapudi , Fnu Gerilechaogetu , Jieli Li , Ricardo J. Cristales , Xu Peng , and David E. Dostal.  Chapter 20: Isolation of Cardiac Myocytes and Fibroblasts from Neonatal Rat Pups: In Cardiovascular Development: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology Series.  Vol. 843, Xu Peng and Marc Antonyaks (eds.), Springer Science, 2012.
• Honey B. Golden , Suraj Sunder , Yang Liu , Xu Peng , and David E. Dostal.  Chapter 23: In Utero Assessment of Cardiovascular Function in the Embryonic Mouse Heart Using High-Resolution Ultrasound Biomicroscopy: In Cardiovascular Development: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology Series.  Vol. 843,  Xu Peng and Marc Antonyaks (eds.), Springer Science, 2012.

Internal Medicine

View an online report of Internal Medicine's Scholarly Activity (PDF)

Internal Medicine Research

• Dr. Gianfranco Alpini participated in the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and American Liver Foundation Research Award.
• Dr. Gianfranco Alpini attended and gave an overview of my research at the Cholestasis and Hepatobiliary Transport” Early Morning Workshop at the AASLD on Monday November 7^th.
• Dr. Gianfranco Alpini participated in the NIH Study Session on November 16^th to review program grants.
• Dr. Gianfranco Alpini joined the Immuno-Gastroenterology Editorial Board as the Associate Editor.
• Dr. Heather Francis was Co-moderator of “Transport and Bile Acid Metabolism” parallel session at AASLD, San Francisco November 2011
• Dr. Heather Francis was invited to speak at a seminar series for the Middle College students at the Texas Bioscience Institute, Temple Texas, November 2011. Inhibition of Histidine Decarboxylase Ablates the Autocrine Tumorigenic Effects of Histamine in Human Cholangiocarcinoma.
• Dr. Heather Francis was invited to speak at UMHB, Sigma Pi Chemistry Club monthly meeting, November 2011.

Abstracts

• A Renzi, S Glaser, F Meng, P Onori, Y Han, A Franchitto, J Venter, M White, D Staloch, Y Ueno, E Gaudio, and G Alpini. Melatonin increases the expression of miR-141 reducing the proliferation of cholangiocytes by targeting Clock and Cry1.  Hepatology 54:A862, 2011. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Studies of Liver Diseases, San Francisco, November 2011.

• S Swendsen, S Glaser, H Francis, J Sharma, Y Han, A Stokes, J Venter, L Hubble, C-G Liu, G Alpini, and F Meng. The miR-17-92 microRNA cluster regulates gall bladder cancer stem cell potential through modulating PTEN expression. Hepatology 54:A885, 2011. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Studies of Liver Diseases, San Francisco, November 2011.

• Y Han, F Meng, S Glaser, J Venter, S Swendsen, D Staloch, A Stokes, H Francis, M White, and G Alpini. Suppression of miR-34a expression by melatonin blocks human cholangiocarcinoma tumor growth and invasion. Hepatology 54:A889, 2011. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Studies of Liver Diseases, San Francisco, November 2011.

• S Glaser, F Meng, J Venter, Y Han, M White, D Staloch, and G Alpini. The autocrine proliferative effects of substance P on cholangiocarcinoma growth depend on decreased neutral endopeptidase expression. Hepatology 54:A867, 2011. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Studies of Liver Diseases, San Francisco, November 2011.

• H Francis, F Meng, P Onori, J Venter, M White, Y Ueno, A Franchitto, A Renzi, E Gaudio, and G Alpini. H1 and H2 histamine receptor agonists differentially stimulate the regeneration of small and large cholangiocytes by activation of Ca²⁺ and cAMP-dependent mechanisms, respectively.  Hepatology 54:A862, 2011. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Studies of Liver Diseases, San Francisco, November 2011.

• M Quinn*, C, Galindo, G Frampton, H. Pae, D. Horvat, M. McMillin, S. DeMorrow.  The bile acid deoxycholic acid acts as a neuroendocrine hormone to modulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Studies of Liver Diseases, San Francisco, November 2011.

• M Quinn*, C, Galindo, G Frampton, H. Pae, D. Horvat, M. McMillin, S. DeMorrow.  The bile acid deoxycholic acid acts as a neuroendocrine hormone to modulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Studies of Liver Diseases, San Francisco, November 2011.

• M. McMillin*, C. Galindo, G. Frampton, D. Horvat, H. Pae, M. Quinn, S. Afroze, S. DeMorrow. Hedgehog pathway is activated in a murine model of hepatic encephalopathy. Poster presentation at the Annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington DC November 12-16, 2011

• M Quinn*, C Galindo, G Frampton, H Pae, D Horvat, M McMillin, S DeMorrow. The Bile Acid Deoxycholic Acid acts as a Neuroendocrine Hormone to modulate the HPA axis.  Poster presentation at the Annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington DC November 12-16, 2011

• S Glaser, P Onori, F Meng, A Franchitto, R Mancinelli, J Venter, M White, W Butler, Y Ueno, E Gaudio, and G Alpini. Lack of the expression of the secretin-secretin receptor signaling axis exacerbates carbon tetrachloride-induced damage of large cholangiocytes. Hepatology 54:A135, 2011. Oral presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Studies of Liver Diseases, San Francisco, November 2011.

• F Meng, Y Han, S Glaser, S DeMorrow, A Stokes, Y Ueno, D Staloch, M White, J Venter, H Francis, and G Alpini. Role of colony stimulating factors in biliary remodeling during liver regeneration. Hepatology 54:A264, 2011. Oral presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Studies of Liver Diseases, San Francisco, November 2011.

• Y Han, S Glaser, H Tsukamoto, J Venter, H Francis, C-G Liu, A Stokes, D Staloch, G Alpini, and F Meng. Let-7 microRNA-mediated regulation of Toll-like receptor 4 expression during alcoholic liver injury. Hepatology 54:A61, 2011. Oral presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Studies of Liver Diseases, San Francisco, November 2011.

• P. Onori; F. Meng; K.K. Baker; Y. Han; E. Gaudio; H.L. Francis. Regulation of histidine decarboxylase expression by microRNA- 125b during cholestatic liver injury. Oral presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Studies of Liver Diseases, San Francisco, November 2011.

Manuscripts

• Francis HL, Demorrow S, Franchitto A, Venter JK, Mancinelli RA, White MA, Meng F, Ueno Y, Carpino G, Renzi A, Baker KK, Shine HE, Francis TC, Gaudio E, Alpini GD, Onori P. Histamine stimulates the proliferation of small and large cholangiocytes by activation of both IP(3)/Ca(2+) and cAMP-dependent signaling mechanisms. Lab Invest. 2011 November 7. doi: 10.1038/labinvest. 2011.158. [Epub ahead of print]

• D Leyva-Illades, M McMillin, M Quinn, S DeMorrow.  Cholangiocarcinoma pathogenesis: role of the tumor microenvironment. (2011), Translational gastrointestinal cancer. In press
• C Johnson, Y Han, N Hughart, J McCarra, G Alpini, F Meng. Interleukin-6 and its receptor, key players in hepatobiliary inflammation and cancer. Translational Gastrointestinal Cancer 2011 Nov 14. DOI: 10.3978/j.issn.2224-4778.2011.11.02