From the Interim Dean

Colleagues, Faculty, Staff and Students,

A new year is upon us, and I urge you take a moment to reflect upon all that has been achieved and to consider the challenges ahead. We have much to do and much to look forward to in the coming months, including the Health Science Center’s biennial Convocation, our annual Mini-Medical School and Commencement for the Class of 2010.

The college’s 6th Annual Mini-Medical School kicks off January 21 and will run every Thursday evening for six weeks. This popular community outreach program showcases the research and knowledge of our faculty and allows Bryan-College Station residents to hear current health and wellness topics from local experts. For more information about the 2010 Mini-Medical School, along with a list of speakers and topics, visit the Mini-Medical School website.

Commencement for the Class of 2010 will be Saturday, May 22, so mark your calendars!

Here’s to a stellar new year.

Sincerely,

Edward J. Sherwood, M.D.
Interim Dean
Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine
147 Joe H. Reynolds Medical Building
College Station, Texas 77843-1114
Phone: 979/845-3431; Fax: 979/847-8663
Email: sherwood@medicine.tamhsc.edu

Dates to Remember

• Convocation: Wednesday, January 20, 1-3 p.m., Annenberg Presidential Conference Center
• Mini-Med School: Thursdays beginning January 21, 6-7:30 p.m., RMB Lecture Hall 1
• Executive Committee Meeting: Thursday, February 4, 3-4 p.m., various locations

College News

2010 Mini-Medical School Kicks Off January 21

 

The College of Medicine’s 2010 Mini-Medical School does more than educate. It puts members of the community at the forefront of healthcare. It puts the me in medicine.

Over the course of six weeks, community members immerse themselves in the medical field with presentations, demonstrations and interaction with the physicians and researchers who make it all happen. The College of Medicine offers Mini-Med School free to engage and educate community members in the hot topics of healthcare: stem cell research, H1N1, allergies, hypertension and diabetes.

Thursday evenings from January 21 to February 25, 2010
Reynolds Medical Building
Lecture Hall 1

6:00 p.m. to approximately 7:30 p.m.
One hour for lecture and 30 minutes for interactive Q&A

Make your required reservations by one of the following ways:

1. Register online at the Mini-Medical School website.
2. Email Brenda Long at bklong@medicine.tamhsc.edu.
3. Call (979) 862-3992.

Paid parking is available in Lot 72 between the Reynolds Medical Building and the Mays Business School for $2 per hour.

Round Rock Ribbon Cutting and Open House

With a crowd of more than 100 legislators, Williamson County and City of Round Rock officials, community leaders, Texas A&M System administrators and invited guests, the Health Science Center and the College of Medicine celebrated the opening of the Round Rock campus on Thursday, December 10, 2009. Read the full article at the HSC online news site.

2009 Harvest Luncheon Pictorial: Hash sports florals and students serenade

The 2009 Harvest Luncheon on November 24 saw Interim Dean Dr. Sherwood dishing up mashed potatoes for faculty, staff and students alongside a very fashionable Dr. Hash and some entertaining musical selections from the students. For the full photo gallery, visit the College of Medicine facebook page.

Student singers at 2009 Fall Harvest Lunch

COM Thanks Hervey for Exceptional Service

The College of Medicine gratefully acknowledges the service of Brian T. Hervey, former Director of Institutional Advancement. As of January 5, 2010, he has accepted a position at Scott & White Hospital in Temple as the Director of Planned Giving where he will be a full-time fundraiser. Brian has served the College of Medicine and the HSC exceptionally by elevating the professionalism and success of the College’s fundraising efforts. Please join us in wishing Brian success in his new venture. You will be missed!

Latest News from Center of Excellence

WACO, Texas - Since its establishment by the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System in mid-2007, the Department of Veterans Affairs VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans (COE) has continued the research focus on vulnerability and resilience to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-induced disorders encountered by returning war veterans.

In August of 2009, the COE was awarded VA Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment to support two post-doctoral research fellows. The COE recruited, Dr. Jack Tsan in October 2009 to fill one of the two positions. Dr. Tsan comes from the University of Houston with a PhD in clinical psychology. He is interested in conducting research on help-seeking behavior and telemedicine. In particular, his area of concentration will center on understanding and addressing treatment resistance among Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom returning war veterans for receiving evidence-based mental health care. In the midst of this growth in research, the Waco VA campus that houses the COE is also expanding physically while in the midst of a $10 million renovation.

More information about the COE is available online.

Faculty

Scholtz Appointed Texas A&M Associate Vice President for Research

HSC and TAMU administrators praise former Department Head Marty Scholtz for service and leadership in the following excerpt from Texas A&M Research and Graduate Studies press release of December 2009.

Dr. J. Martin Scholtz, Professor and Head of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, has been appointed Associate Vice President for Research in the Division of Research and Graduate Studies at Texas A&M University, effective Jan. 1, 2010.

“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Scholtz to our leadership team in the Division of Research and Graduate Studies at Texas A&M University. Dr. Scholtz brings his perspective of 16 years as a faculty member at the Texas A&M Health Science Center, as well as nearly six years of administrative/research leadership experience as a department head. He also has an outstanding research record in biomedical sciences, chemistry and life sciences that will be of tremendous value in helping Texas A&M University faculty in expanding their already cutting-edge research programs,” said Vice President for Research Dr. Jeffrey R. Seemann.

“Dr. Marty Scholtz has distinguished himself as an outstanding scientist and chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine in the College of Medicine,” said A&M Health Science Center Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies Dr. David S. Carlson. “Dr. Scholtz also has been a valuable senior advisor to me as a member of Research Advisory Council in the Health Science Center Office of Research. With Dr. Scholtz in the new position of Associate Vice President for Research at Texas A&M, the cooperation and collaboration of the research offices at the University and the Health Science Center will be enhanced even further.” Dr. Scholtz joined the Texas A&M Health Science Center in 1993 as an assistant professor in Medical Biochemistry and Genetics. He also joined the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences as an associate member in 1993. Dr. Scholtz was promoted to Associate Professor and granted tenure in 1999. He became a full professor in 2004 in the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Genetics, as well as in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. His research program, funded by the NIH, Welch Foundation, Amgen and other organizations, will remain active at the Health Science Center.

Find the full article at http://rgs.tamu.edu/news/scholtz-appointed-associate-vice-president-for-research.

Shaodong Guo, Ph.D. appointed as new Assistant Professor

The Division of Molecular Cardiology of Department of Medicine is pleased to announce that Shaodong Guo, Ph.D. has accepted a position as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Guo joined our department and the Cardiovascular Research Institute in October 2009.

Dr. Guo received his Ph.D in Physiology in the Department of Biology at Peking University, China in 1995. Then he completed his postdoctoral research training in genetics, biochemistry and medicine at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Harvard University, respectively. Dr. Guo was an Instructor in Medicine at Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School for three years prior to joining the faculty at Texas A&M Health Science Center.

Dr. Guo’s general research interests include the mechanisms of hyperglycemia and cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure, focusing on insulin and angiotensin II (AngII) signal transduction, insulin resistance, gene transcriptional control of nutrient homeostasis, obesity-induced diabetes and cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction in diabetes.

Dr. Guo has been working on the gene transcriptional regulation of metabolic homeostasis by insulin receptor substrate proteins (IRS) and Forkhead FoxO transcription factors with the hope of understanding how the signaling from insulin via IRS to FoxO proteins plays a key role in many fundamental cellular processes, including cellular growth and metabolism. He has taken a multidisciplinary approach in both cell- and animal- based experiments to investigate how different signals regulate FoxO and how dysregulation of the FoxO pathway is involved in the development of metabolic diseases. His work has been published in a number of journals including the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Molecular Endocrinology, Molecular & Cellular Biology, Cell Metabolism, and Nature Medicine. While at Harvard, Dr. Guo’s research was funded by the American Diabetes Association Junior Faculty Award. His long term goals are to identify components of the IRS/FoxO regulatory network that can be targeted for therapeutic intervention in the treatment of diabetes mellitus and cardiac dysfunction.

Two Brits Cross the Pond to Join Bix Lab

Dr. Gregory Bix was selected to sponsor University of Manchester undergraduate students to come to the College of Medicine in their research placement exchange program. Two students, Jessica Rachwal and Maxim Saini, have accepted one-year positions in the Bix Lab.

Students

Welcome back after your brief and study-filled break. When you’re not studying, take a minute to check out the College of Medicine facebook page for photos of recent events.

Good luck to the M2s on your January 25 exam!

Administration

OFFICE OF RESEARCH & GRADUATE STUDIES

I am delighted to announce that this year’s recipient of the College of Medicine’s Excellence in Research Award is Dr. Geoffrey Kapler from the Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine. Dr. Kapler has done ground-breaking work on DNA replication using the Tetrahymena system, and more information about his research can be found at his web site.

We will be inviting Dr. Kapler to present a seminar on his research in the spring, and I encourage everyone to attend and hear about the exciting work from his lab.

Van G. Wilson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies

Basic Science

HUMANITIES IN MEDICINE

Students

The Department of Humanities in Medicine would like to thank the medical students and Rachael Hohlt for their musical performances during the 2009 Harvest Luncheon. The music was outstanding and what a fun time they provided for everyone! We appreciate your time and talent:

Janet Benavidez
Sunjay Devarajan
Esther Eng
Collin Fuller
Madhuri Murthy
Ross Pinson
Jessica Solis
Taryn Tietz
Simon Tong
Jonathon Hsu
James Lee

Awards

John J. McDermott, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Texas A&M University, has been awarded the Melbern G. Glasscock Endowed Chair in the Humanities, effective December 1. The Glasscock Chair is perhaps the most prestigious endowed position in the College of Liberal Arts. This award is a fitting tribute to John’s many contributions to the intellectual life of the department, college and university.

Congratulations to Barbara Gastel, M.D. on her selection to receive the 2010 John P. McGovern Science and Society Award. This award is presented annually by Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society in recognition of outstanding contributions in communicating science. This is a most prestigious award, as some previous winners have been Condoleezza Rice and Norman Borlaug. Dr. Gastel will accept the Award at the 2010 Sigma Xi Annual Meeting and International Research Conference next November in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Presentations

Gül A. Russell, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Humanities, gave an invited presentation titled “Crossing Boundaries: Chemistry of Art” as part of the First–Year Lecture Series at the Rudder Auditorium on October 26. The lecture was sponsored by Sengage Learning and the Texas A&M University Chemistry Department. Her lecture elaborated on how the science of light and color paved the way for a revolution in painting in the nineteenth century.

Additionally, the centennial Pasteur Exhibition, brought to the College of Medicine by Dr. Russell from the Pasteur Institute in 1995, was also displayed at the Rudder Tower on loan by the Department of Humanities.

Dr. Russell was also invited to give a poster presentation based on her teaching at the Symposium on “Art Museums and Medical Education: Conversation Across Disciplines” at the Harvard Museum of Art as part of the Harvard Macy Institute of Professional Development Program for Academic Leaders at the AAMC Conference in Boston in November.

In a field which is gaining ground at medical centers, her poster on “Perceptual Processes in Art & Medicine” was well received and provided a unique neuroscientific rationale as to how art could be an effective tool in the education of future physicians to enhance their observational skills and doctor-patient relations.

MICROBIAL & MOLECULAR PATHOGENESIS

Publications

Lee, M.-S., R.P. Cherla, D. Leyva-Illades, and V.L. Tesh. 2009. Bcl-2 regulates the onset of Shiga toxin 1-induced apoptosis in THP-1 cells. Infection and Immunity.

Jeevan A, Sharma AK and DN McMurray. Ultraviolet radiation reduces resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in BCG-vaccinated guinea pigs. Tuberculosis.

Bansal T, Alaniz RC, Wood TK, Jayaraman A., “The bacterial signal indole increases epithelial-cell tight-junction resistance and attenuates indicators of inflammation.” Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2009 Dec 4.

McMurray DN, Ly LH. (2009) TB vaccines: the paradigms they are a-shifting. Expert Rev Vaccines 8: 1615-1618.

Russell-Lodrigue KE, Andoh M, Poels MWJ, Shive HR, Weeks BR, Zhang GQ, Tersteeg C, Masegi T, Hotta A, Yamaguchi T, Fukusi H, Hirai K, McMurray DN, Samuel JE. (2009) Coxiella burnetii isolates cause genogroup-specific virulence in mouse and guineapig models of acute Q fever. Infect Immun.

Presentations

The following presentation was made at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology, December 5-9, San Diego: Lee, M.-S., R.P. Cherla, D. Leyva-Illades, and V.L. Tesh. The interaction of TRAIL and DR5 is involved in Shiga toxin 1-induced apoptosis in human monocytic and macrophage-like THP-1 cells.

Dr. Robert Alaniz made an oral presentation at UTMB Sealy Center for Vaccine Development McLaughlin Symposium on November 10-12, 2009; The Changing Landscape of Vaccine Development: Vaccines for Biothreats and Emerging and Neglected Diseases; Presentation Title “Membrane Vesicles: a new generation bio-nanoparticle vaccine platform.”

Dr. Robert Alaniz made a Seminar Presentation at UTSA Department of Biology and South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases on December 4th, 2009; Seminar Title “The Membrane Vesicle Vaccine Platform and Salmonella Immunity.”

Dr. David McMurray traveled to Houston, on December 2 to deliver a research seminar at the Institute for Biosciences and Technology (IBT) and meet with faculty and staff of the Center for Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases. The title of his seminar was “In situ studies of cytokine profiles in the granulomas of tuberculous guinea pigs.”

Dr. McMurray traveled to Houston on December 9 to deliver a research seminar at the Baylor College of Medicine Pulmonary Critical Care Noon Conference, and to meet with faculty and staff. The title of his seminar was “Regulation of pulmonary immunity in experimental airborne tuberculosis.”

Dr. McMurray traveled to Galveston on November 17 to deliver a talk to the McGovern Academy for Oslerian Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch. The title of his talk was “What would Osler think about TB in the 21st Century?”

Service

Dr. James Samuel participated in the NIH Study Section in San Francisco from November 8-10, 2009.

Dr. McMurray attended the quarterly meeting of the Board of Directors of the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation in Rockville, Maryland from November 18-19.

MOLECULAR & CELLULAR MEDICINE

Faculty

Dr. Gregory Bix gave an invited seminar at the University of Louisville (Louisville, KY) on Thursday, October 1, 2009 entitled “Matrix Revolutions: Perlecan Domain V as a novel Stroke Therapy.” He also gave an invited seminar with the same title at Cornell University Medical School, Burke Institute (White Plains, NY) on Tuesday, October 5, 2009.

Dr. Richard Finnell was an invited speaker at the International Fulda Symposium: Homocysteine, Folate and Cobalamin Disorders in Fulda, Germany, November, 2009. The lecture was entitled "Maternal Nutrition and Risk Factors for Neural Tube Defects.”

Dr. Sarah Bondos gave an invited seminar entitled “Interplay Between Structured and Intrinsically Disordered Regions of Ubx Instigates and Stabilizes Context-Specific Functions” at the Indiana University School of Medicine’s Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics seminar on November 16, 2009.

Dr. Gregg Wells attended the 39th Annual Society for Neuroscience Meeting in Chicago from October 17-21, 2009. He gave a research presentation entitled “Distinguishing specific binding from non-specific binding between epibatidine and α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor when ligand depletion is significant” on October 18. It was co-authored by A. M. Person.

Zhao (George) Huang in the Bondos lab gave a talk entitled "Functionalization and patterning of chimeric protein-based materials" at the 2009 Materials Research Society’s Fall Meeting in Boston on November 30 - December 4.

Dr. Gregory Bix gave an invited seminar at the Department of Pharmacology, Texas Tech Health Science Center in Amarillo, TX on December 15, 2009. The seminar was entitled "Matrix Revolutions: Perlecan DV as a Novel Stroke Therapy.”

Poster presentations

Zhao Huang in the Bondos lab presented a poster entitled "Functionalization and patterning of chimeric protein-based materials" at the 2009 Materials Research Society Fall meeting in Boston, MA on November 30 - December 4. It was co-authored by Y. Lu, J. Shah, K. Matthews, J. Lou, and S. Bondos.

Yang Lu collaborating with the Bondos lab presented a poster "Size effects in the mechanical properties of the Drosophila Hox transcription factor Ultabithorax self-assembled protein fibers" at the 2009 Materials Research Society Fall meeting in Boston, MA on November 30 - December 4. It was co-authored by Z. Huang, J. Shah, K. Matthews, S.E. Bondos, and J. Lou.

Grants

Dr. Gregg Wells received an National Institute of General Medical Sciences Award with P.I. Rene Anand from Ohio State University entitled “Fish Electric Organ as a Factory for Membrane Proteins” in response to RFA-GM-10-009 Exceptional, Unconventional Research Enabling Knowledge Acceleration (EUREKA). Project period: August 10, 2009-July 31, 2013. Role: Co-investigator

Recent Publications

Sims-Lucas, S., Eswarakumar, V., Hains, D., Kish, K., Becknell, B., Zhang, J., Wang, F., and Bates, C. (2009). Deletion of Frs2α from the ureteric epithelium causes renal hypoplasia. Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 297(5):F1208-19. Epub 2009 Sep 9.

Cao, X., Littlejohn, J., Rodarte, C., Zhang, L., Martino, B., Rascoe, P., Hamid, K., Jupiter, D., and Smythe, W.R. (2009). Up-regulation of Bcl-xl by hepatocyte growth factor in human mesothelioma cells involves ETS transcription factors. Am J Pathol. 175(5):2207-2216. Epub 2009 Oct 15.

Higgins, E.W., Rao, A., Baumann, S.S., James, R.L., Kuehl, T.J., Muir, T.W., and Pierce, L.M. (2009). Effect of estrogen replacement on the histologic response to polypropylene mesh implanted in the rabbit vagina model. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 201(5):505.e1-9. Epub 2009 Aug 15.

Cho, Y., Sagle, L.B., Iimura, S., Zhang, Y., Kherb, J., Chilkoti, A., Scholtz, J.M., and Cremer, P.S. (2009). Hydrogen Bonding of beta-Turn Structure Is Stabilized in D(2)O. J Am Chem Soc. 131(42):15188-15193.

Arenas-Gamboa, A.M., Ficht, T.A., Davis, D.S., Elzer, P.H., Kahl-McDonagh, M., Wong-Gonzalez, A., and Rice-Ficht, A.C. (2009). Oral vaccination with microencapsuled strain 19 vaccine confers enhanced protection against Brucella abortus strain 2308 challenge in red deer (Cervus elaphus elaphus). J Wildl Dis. 45(4):1021-1029.

Ficht, T.A., Kahl-McDonagh, M.M., Arenas-Gamboa, A.M., and Rice-Ficht, A.C. (2009). Brucellosis: the case for live, attenuated vaccines. Vaccine. 27 Suppl 4:D40-43.

Cai, Z., Shi, Z., Sanchez, A., Zhang, T., Liu, M., Yang, J., Wang, F. and D. Zhang (2009) "Transcriptional regulation of TLR11 gene expression in epithelial cells". J. Biol. Chem. 284(48): 33088-33096. Epub 2009 Oct 2.

Fu, H., Grimsley, G.R., Razvi, A., Scholtz, J.M., and Pace, C.N. (2009) Increasing protein stability by improving beta-turns.Proteins. 77(3): 491-498.

Zhang, J., Ji, J.Y., Yu, M., Overholtzer, M., Smolen, G.A., Wang, R., Brugge, J.S., Dyson, N.J., and Haber, D.A. (2009) YAP-dependent induction of amphiregulin identifies a non-cell-autonomous component of the Hippo pathway. Nat Cell Biol. 11(12): 1444-1450. Epub 2009 Nov 22.

Fischer-Valuck, B.W., Barrilleaux, B.L., Phinney, D.G., Russell, K.C., Prockop, D.J., and O'Connor, K.C. (2010) Migratory response of mesenchymal stem cells to macrophage migration inhibitory factor and its antagonist as a function of colony-forming efficiency. Biotechnol Lett. 32(1): 19-27. Epub 2009 Aug 25.

NEUROSCIENCE & EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS

Service

Diane E. Chico, Ph.D. moderated the GEA/GSA Small Group Discussion session “Integration of the Basic Sciences in the Clinical Years of Undergraduate Medical Education” at the 2009 AAMC annual meeting from November 6-11 in Boston.

Rajesh Miranda, Ph.D. served on the NIH/AA-4 study section in Washington, D.C. from November 16-17.

Ian Murray, Ph.D. was interviewed by the Texas A&M University Battalion as an expert for an Alzheimer’s Disease lifestyle report on November 10, 2009.

State/National Service

Farida Sohrabji, Ph.D. participated in the Alzheimer’s Disease State Strategic Plan Teleconference meeting on November 13, 2009. Dr. Sohrabji also participated in the Advisory Committee on Women’s Health Research meeting on October 14 and at Town Hall Meetings at the University of Chicago (Neuroscience Panel) on October 15 in Chicago.

Grants

Farida Sohrabji, Ph.D. received equipment supplement to NIH Grant for equipment totaling $14,366.

Presentations

Rajesh Miranda, Ph.D. presented “Ethanol Control of MicroRNA Function in Fetal Neural Stem Cells: Uncovering Novel Mechanisms of Teratology” at Rutgers University School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Department of Animal Sciences on October 30, 2009.

Rajesh Miranda, Ph.D. presented a seminar titled, “Epigenetic control of microRNA function in fetal neural stem cells: Uncovering novel mechanisms of ethanol teratology” at the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Division of Metabolism and Health Effects on November 18, 2009.

Abstracts

Damborsky J.C., Griffith W.H., Winzer-Serhan U.H. (2009) Electrophysiological analysis of adolescent and adult hippocampus from male rats following chronic neonatal nicotine exposure. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. 345.4.

Huang P.S., Abbott L.C., Winzer-Serhan U.H., (2009) Chronic systemic nicotine exposure decreases caloric consumption and body weight gain in young adult male C57BL/6 mice. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. 345.15.

External Departmental Review

William H. Griffith, Ph.D. participated in the external review of the Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth from November 19-20.

Clinical Science

INTERNAL MEDICINE

Dr. Alpini gave a lecture “Functional heterogeneity of the intrahepatic biliary epithelium,” Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Medical School on November 12, 2009.

Dr. Alpini Co-chaired the early morning workshop “Cholangiocyte Biology” at the American Association for the Studies of Liver Diseases AASLD meeting in Boston. He also attended an NIH study session, Program Project Application (PO1) entitled “Cellular and Molecular Basis of IBD” from November 19-20, 2009, and he attended VA Oncology study session, December 3-4, 2009.

Dr. Alpini is a member of the Editorial Board of World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology.

Dr. DeMorrow is a member of the Editorial Board of World Journal of Gastrointestinal Pathophysiology.

Abstracts and Presentations

Those noted in bold below presented the following abstracts at the American Association for the Studies of Liver Diseases in Boston from October 30-November 3, 2009.

1. A Torrice, M Gatto, R Semeraro, C Napoli, G Nuzzo, F Giuliante, G Alpini, G Carpino, A Franchitto, P B Berloco, P Onori, E Gaudio, and D Alvaro. Prostate apoptosis response 4 (Par-4) is expressed in normal cholangiocytes, down-regulated in human cholangiocarcinoma and promotes apoptosis of neoplastic cholangiocytes when induced pharmacologically. Hepatology 50: 1077, 2009.
2. S Glaser, S DeMorrow, C Wise, H Francis, J Venter, E Gaudio, S Kopriva, A Franchitto, Y Ueno, P Onori, G Carpino, and G Alpini. The α1A-adrenergic receptor agonist, phenylephrine, stimulates the proliferation of small mouse cholangiocytes by activation of the Ca2+-dependent transcription factors, NFATc1 and NFATc4. Hepatology 50: 1073, 2009.
3. G Alpini, F Meng, E Gaudio, P Onori, A Franchitto, J Venter, R Mancinelli, S Kopriva, C Meininger, and H Francis. H1 (but not H3) histamine receptor agonists accelerate the regrowth of the biliary epithelium following 70% partial hepatectomy by increased cholangiocyte VEGF expression. Hepatology 50: 1076, 2009.
4. F Meng, G Alpini, S DeMorrow, G Frampton, J Venter, M White, S Kopriva, V Chiasson, and H Francis. Stimulation of the H4 histamine receptor decreases cholangiocarcinoma growth and invasion via integrin-dependent mechanisms. Hepatology 50: 1071, 2009.
5. R Mancinelli, F Markland, S Swenson, P Onori, S DeMorrow, G Carpino, S Kopriva, H Francis, S Glaser, J Venter, M White, D Alvaro, L Pannarale, F Meng, G Alpini, and E Gaudio. Chronic administration of contortrostatin, a disintegrin from snake venom, inhibits ductal hyperplasia in bile duct ligated rats by decreased expression of cholangiocyte angiogenic factors. Hepatology 50: 1070, 2009.
6. S Glaser, E Gaudio, P Onori, J Venter, B Chow, A Franchitto, G Carpino, S Kopriva, M White, I Lam, R Mancinelli, C Wise, Y Ueno, F Meng, V Chiasson, and G Alpini. Knockout of the gene for secretin inhibits biliary hyperplasia of large cholangiocytes in cholestatic mice by an autocrine mechanism. Hepatology 50: 1075, 2009.
7. S DeMorrow, E Gaudio, J Venter, P Onori, M White, S Kopriva, G Frampton, M Coufal, H Francis, S Glaser, C Wise, A Franchitto, G Fava, G Carpino, and G Alpini. Modulation of biliary neuropeptide Y (NPY) expression regulates cholangiocarcinoma cell growth and invasion by an autocrine mechanism. Hepatology 50: 1821, 2009.
8. M White, J Venter, S Kopriva, E Gaudio, P Onori, and G Alpini. Inhibition of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) expression by neuropeptide Y leads to decreased cholangiocyte hyperplasia in bile duct ligated rats. Hepatology 50: 769, 2009.
9. Gabriel Frampton, Monique Coufal, Sharon DeMorrow. Monoamine oxidase A is suppressed in cholangiocarcinoma via IL-6-driven hypermethylation and subsequent suppression of Sp1 DNA binding to the promoter.

Dr. Alpini presented three posters at the ASCB meeting in San Diego from December 4-9, 2009:

1. R Mancinelli, H Francis, A Franchitto, P Onori, E Gaudio, J Venter, S Kopriva, S Glaser, G Carpino, M White, W Butler, D Alvaro; L Pannarale, F Meng, and G Alpini. The bile acid, taurocholate, prevents biliary damage induced by in vitro hypoxia by changes in the expression of angiogenic factors in cholangiocytes. ASCB Mol Biol Cell: A545/B492, 2009.
2. R Mancinelli, G Alpini, P Onori, A Franchitto, J Venter, H Francis, S Kopriva, M White, D Alvaro, D Jefferson, L Izzo, A Bolognese, and E Gaudio. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) stimulates biliary growth in the course of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. ASCB Mol Biol Cell: A130/B77, 2009.
3. F Meng, S DeMorrow, H Francis, S Glaser, J Venter, E Gaudio, P Onori, A Franchitto , R Mancinelli, Y Ueno, S Kopriva, M White, G Carpino, W Butler, and G Alpini. Colony stimulating factors are involved in biliary epithelial remodeling through the modulation of stemness phenotypes. ASCB Mol Biol Cell: A1567/B725, 2009.

Publications

Torrice A, Cardinale V, Gatto M, Semeraro R, Napoli C, Onori P, Alpini G, Gaudio E, Alvaro D. Polycystins play a key role in the modulation of cholangiocyte proliferation. Dig Liver Dis. 2009 Nov 6. [Epub ahead of print]. [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

M. Coufal, P. Invernizi, E. Gaudio, F. Bernuzzi, G. Frampton, P Onori, A Franchitto, G Carpino, J Ramirez, D. Alvaro, M. Marzioni, G. Battisti, G., A. Benedetti, DeMorrow S. Increased local dopamine secretion has growth promoting effects in cholangiocarcinoma. Int J Cancer 2009 In press.

Onori P, Wise C, Gaudio E, Franchitto A, Francis H, Carpino G, Lee V, Lam I, Miller T, Dostal DE, Glaser SS. Secretin inhibits cholangiocarcinoma growth via dysregulation of the cAMP-dependent signaling mechanisms of secretin receptor. Int J Cancer. 2009 Nov 10. [Epub ahead of print]

View an online report of Internal Medicine’s scholarly activity.