From the Dean

Colleagues, Faculty, Staff and Students,

Another month has flown by, and we remain busy in our endeavors. The Legislature is now in session, and we continue to monitor the hearings and proceedings but it is still too early to tell what our budget might look like for the upcoming biennium.

Last week Dr. Dickey testified before the Senate Finance Committee and the House Appropriations Committee about the impact of the substantial budget cuts proposed in the base budget bills of both chambers. The next few months will be particularly demanding as we wait for the legislature to conclude deliberations on our budget.

In the meantime, Vice Dean for Finance and Administration Matt Brown has reconvened the Budget Strategy Task Force that I assembled late last year to help us think through the budget challenges facing the College. This really is a situation where we are compelled to plan for the worst but hope for the best.

In other news, the College proved more popular with medical school applicants this year than in previous years and, as a result, we have accepted a larger class of applicants than we have seats to accommodate in the entering class. We are working diligently to develop incentives and academic options to induce students to defer their acceptance to entering year 2012 so that we can get down to our accredited class size.

We have provided information and a current list of options on our website and will continue to update that information as more options become available. There is always a silver lining to be found in every challenge and as we work to look after this group of students we are creating joint degree and other programmatic opportunities that may actually increase our appeal to talented applicants and which we might not have created otherwise.

We have also garnered some positive media attention for a program spearheaded by Dr. Kathryn Kotrla, Associate Dean of the Round Rock campus. Dr. Kotrla is working with the Austin Police Department to develop a training program called “Citizen Soldiers” for officers on how to deal with returning combat veterans in potential conflict situations. Even though the program is in its early stages, it was featured by an Austin television station last week, and we look forward to more good news as the program develops.

I would also like to take a moment to recognize the winners of the Employee of the Quarter Award for the third and fourth quarters of 2010: Ms. Danielle M. Dickey, Lead Education Coordinator in the Office of the Associate Dean of the Bryan-College Station campus and Ms. Winona Murphy, Education Coordinator for the Family Medicine Residency in Bryan.

Thank you, Danielle and Winona, for your willingness to serve the College of Medicine in such a positive and inspiring manner.

Finally, I want to remind everyone in the College of Medicine community that we are now only 12 months from our LCME site visit which will occur in February 2012. Although preparations are on schedule we still have much to do to prepare for this crucial event. I want to thank all of the many members of our community that are working hard on our institutional preparations and I want to ask all of you to re-double your efforts to make sure that we make an outstanding showing for the LCME.

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

• Basic Science Department Chairs Meeting: February 24, 12-1:30 p.m., HPEB 3047B and MEC 407C
• Bush Presidential Library and Museum Issues Forum with Dr. James Rohack: February 24, 7 p.m., Bush Library
• Mini-Medical School 2010: Thursdays, February 24 and March 3, 6-7:30 p.m., HPEB, LL lecture hall
• Executive Committee Meeting: March 3, 3-4 p.m., HPEB Lower Level 43; Bryan only
• Academic Council Meeting: March 3, 4-5 p.m., HPEB Lower Level 43 A & B; Bryan only
• Magnolia Tea: March 10, 2-4 p.m., The Reed House, College Station
• Faculty/Staff Meeting: March 22, 3:30 p.m., HPEB LL 38 with videoconferencing to sites in B-CS, Temple, RR, Houston and Corpus, details TBA
• Reunion Weekend: April 29-30, Bryan and College Station, details at medicine.tamhsc.edu/reunion
• 2011 Commencement: May 21, 2 p.m., Rudder Auditorium, Texas A&M University campus

College News

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B-CS Mini-Medical School in Full Swing

BRYAN—Now in its seventh season, the College of Medicine’s signature community outreach program Mini-Medical School has begun at the TAMHSC campus in Bryan on Thursday evenings. The program continues until March 3, and upcoming topics include complicated migraines and research on alcohol’s effects during pregnancy.

Mini-Medical School lectures are recorded and posted Online.

See more about Mini-Medical School

Faculty of Neuroscience Symposium on April 2

The 3rd Annual Faculty of Neuroscience Symposium, hosted by the faculty of neuroscience at the Texas A&M Health Science Center and Texas A&M University, will take place Saturday, April 2 at the Integrated Life Sciences Building in College Station.

The faculty invites undergraduate and graduate students to submit scientific posters to present.

The program includes keynote speakers Dr. Paul Micevych of the University of California Los Angeles, Dr. Bruce Trapp of the Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Tim Schallert of the University of Texas at Austin.

For registration and abstract submission please email sasky-25@neo.tamu.edu

For questions email Robyn L Balden

The deadline for registration and abstract submission is March 19.

Faculty

In Print and On Air

Dr. Kory Gill, Assistant Professor of Family & Community Medicine and Texas A&M Physician, was featured in a Feb. 14 article in the Texas A&M University Battalion re: obesity. See the Full Article.

Dr. David McClellan, Director of the Family Medicine Residency and Acting Chair of the Department of Family & Community Medicine, was published in the February 2011 issue of Family Medicine, the official journal of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. He and his co-authors published an original article titled “A Reduction in Emergency Department Use by Children from a Parent Educational Intervention.”

See the Full Article.

Research from D.S. Reddy, Ph.D. and Co-Researchers re: Seizures Featured in Biotech Week

The researchers concluded: “These studies suggest that P exerts disease-modifying effects in the hippocampus kindling model at doses that do not significantly affect seizure expression and motor performance, and the kindling-retarding effects of P may occur partly through a complex PR-dependent and PR-independent mechanism.”

Students

Thanks from Twin City Mission

Dear College of Medicine Students and Staff:

On behalf of Twin City Mission, I would like to thank all of those who answered the Christmas wishes of our Housing program clients for your thoughtfulness, generosity and efforts in making such a positive impact on their lives. Those we serve often have very limited financial resources and, were it not for the kindness of people like you, would have more difficulty making ends meet and providing for themselves and their families. Again, please accept my thanks, along with that of the housing services staff and clients for your continued support. We look forward to more collaboration in the future and hope you have a wonderful year!

Sincerely,

Eric Fisher
Case Manager
Twin City Mission
Homeless & Housing services

Administration

Employees of the 3rd and 4th Quarters Announced

From the Office of the Dean: The winners of the Employee of the Quarter Award for the third and fourth quarters of 2010 are:

Ms. Danielle M. Dickey, Lead Education Coordinator in the Office of the Associate Dean of the Bryan-College Station campus and
Ms. Winona Murphy, Education Coordinator for the Family Medicine Residency in Bryan.

Due to the moving of several offices to the new Bryan campus, nominations were delayed for the third quarter. Therefore, two winners were selected for the two final quarters of 2010.

Co-workers describe Danielle as “amazing, a positive leader, a great communicator, a successful multi-tasker, a problem solver, a dedicated supervisor, and one that leads by example.”

Winona’s co-workers describe her as “eager to help and get the job done, has a positive can-do attitude, hardworking, dependable and upbeat. Many commented on how she is always smiling.”

As winners of Employee of the Quarter, Danielle and Winona will each receive a certificate and a $100 gift card.

Please join me in congratulating Ms. Dickey and Ms. Murphy and thanking them for their willingness to serve the College of Medicine in such a positive and inspiring manner.

SACS and QEP Update

The latest issue of Pulse is now online, and with it, the most recent article for the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)

Successful accreditation depends upon support across the Health Science Center, and we are all being called upon to complete this effort.

Basic Science

HUMANITIES IN MEDICINE

Medicine and Humanities Consultations 2011

March 28, 2011: Alma Golden, M.D., presents “Ethical Issues of Public Health on Family Reproductive Patterns”

May 2, 2011: Ed Eckenfelds, M.D., presents “Compassion and the Professions: The Skipjack Project”

For additional information, contact the Dept. of Humanities in Medicine at 979-845-0755.

Consultations are held in The Longhorn Room of The Stagecoach Inn in Salado, Texas from 1-6 p.m. We anticipate the approval of four hours physician Continuing Medical Education credit, Continuing Nurses Education credit and social worker Continuing Education Units for each consultation.

MICROBIAL & MOLECULAR PATHOGENESIS

Presentations, Conferences and Meetings

Dr. Lan Ly traveled to Houston to TAMHSC IBT to give an invited seminar, “Small Animal Models Vaccine Analysis and Pathogenesis (SAMVAP),” as a part of the Center for Infectious & Inflammatory Diseases (CIID) seminar series on Tuesday, January 25, 2011.

Dr. David McMurray traveled to Rockville, MD, from 24-25 January for the quarterly meeting of the Board of Directors of the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation.

Dr. Helene Andrews-Polymenis traveled to University of California-Davis, to present an invited seminar on January 18, 2011.

Dr. James Samuel traveled to St. Maartens to attend the Association of Medical School Microbiology & Immunology Chairs Meeting on January 19-23, 2011.

Awards

Dr. Julian Leibowitz received a Notice of Award for a continuation of a project with Indiana University entitled, “Novel RNA Structures in Coronavirus Replication.”

Dr. Katja Mertens received a Notice of Award for a NIH R03 grant entitled, “Development of Site-Specific Mutagenesis in Coxiella burnetii.”

Service

Dr. Helene Andrews-Polymenis traveled to Washington, DC, to participate in the USDA Study Section on January 9-12, 2011.

MOLECULAR & CELLULAR MEDICINE

Recent Publications

Robinson, A.P., Foraker, J., Ylostalo, J., and Prockop, D. (2011) Human Stem/Progenitor Cells from Bone Marrow Enhance Glial Differentiation of Rat Neural Stem Cells: a Role for TGFbeta and Notch Signaling. Stem Cells Dev. 20 (2): 289-300. 2010 Sept. 14. [Epub ahead of print]

Lee, S.O., Li, X., Khan, S., and Safe, S. (2011) Targeting NR4A1 (TR3) in Cancer Cells and Tumors. Expert Opin. Ther. Targets. 15(2):195-206. 2011 Jan. 1 [Epub ahead of print]

Basha, R., Baker, C.H., Sankpal, U.T., Ahmad, S., Safe, S., Abbruzzese, J.L., and Abdelrahim, M. (2011) Therapeutic Applications of NSAIDS in Cancer: Special Emphasis on Tolfenamic Acid. Front. Biosci. (Scholar Edition). S3 :797-805.

Presentations

Dr. Hubert Amrein gave a seminar for the Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience entitled "Detecting Sugars from the Inside and the Outside" on December 2, 2010.

Dr. Fen Wang was an invited speaker for a seminar at the COM in College Station on January 18, 2011. The title of his presentation was "Fibroblast Growth Factor Signaling in Prostate Development and Tumorigenesis".

Dr. James Martin gave a presentation on "Bmp Regulation of Progenitor Cells" at the University of California, San Francisco on January 27, 2011.

Dr. Sarah Bondos gave a seminar for the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky on January 25, 2011. The seminar was entitled “Interplay between Structured and Intrinsically Disordered Regions of the Drosophila Hox Transcription Factor Ubx Instigates and Stabilizes Context-specific Functions.”

Grants

Dr. Fen Wang was awarded a 2 year cost reimbursable subcontract agreement for $55,000 with UT/MD Anderson Cancer Center- Sponsor is Astra Zeneca. Title of the grant is "Early-Passage Prostate Cancer Xenografts to Test Drug Efficacy in Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancers".

NEUROSCIENCE & EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS

Manuscripts Accepted or In Press

Farnell, Y.F., Shende, V.R., Neuendorff, N., Allen, G.C., Earnest, D.J. (2011) Immortalized cell lines for real-time analysis of circadian pacemaker and peripheral oscillator properties. Eur. J. Neurosci. (in press)

Reddy DS and Mohan A. Development and persistence of limbic epileptogenesis are impaired in mice lacking progesterone receptors. Journal of Neuroscience. January 12, 2011, 31(2):650-658

Damborsky JC, Winzer-Serhan UH. (2010) Sex-specific effects of chronic neonatal nicotine exposure on gene expression in early postnatal development. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. 269.7.

Huang PS, Abbott LC, Winzer-Serhan UH (2010) Lack of high affinity nicotinic acetylcholine receptors decreases the number of GABAergic interneurons but not synaptic density in the hippocampal region of aged mice. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr., 349.15.

Mendez IA, Damborsky JC, Winzer-Serhan U, Bizon JL, Setlow B. (2010) The roles of nicotinic and muscarinic cholinergic receptors in cost-benefit decision making. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr., 512.1.

Wu X, Chakraborty S, Heaps CL, Davis MJ, Meininger GA and Muthuchamy M. Fibronectin increases the cardiac contractility of mouse ventricle via alpha (5) beta (1) integrin. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, 50:203-213, 2011

Review Articles

Rimer, M. (2011). Emerging Roles for MAP Kinases in Agrin Signaling. Communicative & Integrative Biology, in press.

Seminars Presented

Xin Wu, Ph.D.: 11/20/10, Integrin mediated mechanotransduction in cardiovascular diseases, NHLBI, NIH

Service

D.Samba Reddy, Ph.D., RPh. is serving as the Executive Editor, International Journal of Pharmaceutical Science and Nanotechnology http://www.ijpsnonline.com , Preparing for the first issue 2011

Xin Wu, Ph.D.: Grant Review, Seed Grant Research Selection Committee, Cardiovascular/Pulmonary Diseases selection panel in American Medical Association. 6 grants.

Awards

Dr. Mendell Rimer’s graduate student, Ximena Paez, won first place at the annual post-SFN Poster Session held by SFN local chapter, TAMIN. The poster was titled “Role of motoneurons in murine models of spinal muscular atrophy” by X. Paez & M. Rimer.

Clinical Science

Latest from the Center of Excellence on Returning War Veterans

Drs. Gulliver, Morissette and Kimbrel joined Dr. Kotrla in meeting with the Austin Police Department on January 28 to begin the development of a “train-the-trainers” manual to assist the Austin PD in the optimal ways to deal with veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and/or traumatic brain injury. This collaboration is expected to continue over the next several months.

Dr. Davidson presented at Psychiatry Grand Rounds at Scott and White in Temple on January 13, 2011. The title of her presentation was “Tailoring Behavioral and Pharmacotherapy for the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence.”

The Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans held its first mini-Retreat on February 3 re: future research directions and challenges of conducting research with in a VA and academic setting.

Presentations/Posters

VanderVeen JW, Kruse MI, Reyna SH, Mardikar AA, Morissette SB, Kamholtz BW, Munroe J, Knight J, Zimering RT & Gulliver: “Differences in drinking patterns among Fire Fighters who report cigarette smoking during their first year of fire service.”, 17th Annual meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, February 16-19th, 2011, Toronto, Ontario

VanderVeen JW, Morissette SB, Hitsman B, Kamhotz BS & Gulliver SB: “An examination of smoking-related characteristics among individuals diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder.” 17th Annual meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, February 16-19th, 2011, Toronto, Ontario

DIVISION OF INVESTIGATIVE PATHOLOGY

Dr. Alexzander Asea

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Siepermann M, Koscielniak E, Dantonello T, Klee D, Boos J, Krefeld B, Borkhardt A, Hoehn T, Asea A, Wessalowski R. Oral low-dose chemotherapy: successful treatment of an alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma during pregnancy. Pediatric Blood and Cancer 2011, Jan 16. [Epub ahead of print].

Manuscripts Accepted/Presented

Kaur P, Asea A. Quantitation Methods for Heat Shock Proteins in Clinical Samples Using Mass Spectrometry. Meth. Mol. Biol. (Accepted).

Afroze SH, Uddin MN, Cao X, Asea A and Gizachew D. Internalization of exogenous ADP-ribosylation factor 6 (Arf6) proteins into cells. PLoS Biology (Submitted).

Presentations/Meetings/Workshops

“Choosing a Career in Biomedical Research” Edward’s Academy, December 2, 2010, Temple, TX

“Career Development and the Unwritten Rules of Academia” 12th RCMI International Symposium on Health Disparities – Bridging the Gap between Disparity and Equity, December 6-9, Nashville, TN

“Drug Discovery” Today’s Girls, December 22, 2010, Temple, TX

“Use of Heat Shock Proteins for Therapeutic Gain” Savara Pharmaceuticals, January 20, 2011, Temple,TX

“Research in the Division of Investigative Pathology” Salado High School, January 27, 2011, Salado, TX

Lectures

“Cell Adaptation, Injury and Aging: Molecular Control” M1 Medical Students, Texas A&M Health Science Center, January 07, 2011

ACADEMIC MEDICINE

 
Division of Molecular Cardiology

Presentations

Kenneth M. Baker
Dr. Baker presented the talk entitled “Intracellular Renin-Angiotensin System: Implications on ECM in Diabetic Models” during the Session on “How Do Other Organs Regulate ECM in the Heart?” at the Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology: Extracellular Matrix and Cardiovascular Remodeling at Granlibakken Resort, Tahoe City, California, 23-28 January, 2011.

Professional Service

Sudhiranjan Gupta
Dr. Gupta was elected Faculty of the American Heart Association (F.A.H.A.).

Publications

Kumar S, Seqqat R, Chigurupati S, Kumar R, Baker KM, Young D, Sen S, Gupta S. Inhibition of Nuclear Factor Κ B (NF-Κ B) Regresses Cardiac Hypertrophy by Modulating the Expression of Extracellular Matrix and Adhesion Molecules. Journal of Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 50: 206-215, 2011.

Internal Medicine

In order to generate an accurate count of scholarly products within the Department of Medicine, all scholarly products are counted only once and are not reported for every faculty member involved. For the purposes of this departmental report, a scholarly product will be counted under the first author’s division or program only. If the first author is not in the Department of Internal Medicine, credit will be assigned to the highest author in IM.

For December 2010, Internal Medicine divisions and programs reported the following scholarly activity:

Total Numbers

4 Peer-reviewed publications
7 Manuscripts accepted/in review/in press
7 Abstracts accepted/presented
2 Book chapters
6 Presentations
2 Posters/exhibits
22 Lectures
1 Editor – Book/Textbook
20 Articles reviewed
2 Reviewer of conference abstracts (# of faculty reviewers)
1 Grants received
1 Study sessions
2 Notable accomplishments
2 Educational Projects

Reported by Division

Cardiology 1 Lecture 1 Grants received	General Internal Medicine 1 Manuscripts accepted/in review/in press 1 Articles Reviewed	Geriatrics 1 Poster 4 Presentations
Gastroenterology 1 Manuscripts accepted/in review/in press		Hospital Medicine 6 Lectures
Nephrology Lab 2 Manuscripts 4 Articles Reviewed 1 Presentations 1 Notable Accomplishments	Pulmonary Disease 2 Book chapters 1 Editor – Book/textbook 1 Posters/exhibits 6 Lectures	Nephrology 6 Abstracts 1 Presentations 6 Lectures
Gastroenterology – Lab 2 Publications 1 Manuscript 1 Educational Projects 2 Lectures 12 Articles Reviewed 1 Notable Accomplishments	Infectious Disease 1 Articles Reviewed 1 Lectures	Hematology/Oncology 1 Manuscripts 1 Publication

Reported by Program

Medical Education (UME/GME) 1 Publication 2 Manuscripts 1 Reviewer – Conference Abstracts 1 Articles Reviewed – Peer-Reviewed Journals

Collaborative Research 1 Articles Reviewed 1 Educational Project 1 Reviewer – Conference Abstracts

Publications - Peer-Reviewed

Gastroenterology Lab

1. G Alpini, A Franchitto, S DeMorrow, P Onori, E Gaudio, C Wise, H Francis, J Venter, S Kopriva, R Mancinelli, G Carpino, F Stagnitti, Y Ueno, Y Han, F Meng, and S Glaser. Activation of alpha(1)-adrenergic receptors stimulate the growth of small mouse cholangiocytes via calcium-dependent activation of nuclear factor of activated T cells 2 and specificity protein 1. Hepatology, 2010 Oct 18. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 21204075

2. R Turner, O Lozoya, Y Wang, V Cardinale, E Gaudio, G Alpini, G Mendel, E Wauthier, C Barbier, D Alvaro, and L M Reid. Human Hepatic Stem Cell and Maturational Liver Lineage Biology. Hepatology, | DOI: 10.1002/hep.24157, 2011.

Hematology/Oncology

1. Cable CT, Colbert CY, Showalter T, Ahluwalia R, Song J, Whitfield P, Rodriquez J. Prevalence of anemia after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery: What’s the right number? Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2010 Nov 3. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 21105676

Medical Education(UME/GME)

1. Invited Review
McNeal T, Colbert CY, Cable C, Mirkes C, Lubowinski J, Myers JD. Patients’ attention to and understanding of adverse drug reaction warnings. Patient Intelligence. 2010 Dec 10;2:59-68. DOI: 10/2147/PI.S9569.

Manuscripts – In review/Accepted/In press

Gastroenterology

1. Vincent, J. Hochhalter, A.K., Broglio, K. & Avots-Avotins, A.
Survey Respondents Planning to Have Screening Colonoscopy Report Unique Barriers. The Permanente Journal. In press. December 2010.

Gastroenterology Lab

1. Anandamide exerts its antiproliferative actions on cholangiocarcinoma by activation of the GPR55 receptorLi Huang, Jonathan Ramirez, Gabriel A Frampton, Lessie E Golden, Matthew A Quinn, Hae Yong Pae, Darijana Horvat, Li-jian Liang, Sharon DeMorrow. In resubmission to Laboratory Investigation. Jonathan Ramirez is an Internal Medicine resident.

Hematology/Oncology

1. Cable CT, Ahluwalia R, Mirkes C, Colbert CY. A case of disseminated intravascular coagulation associated with a prosthetic heart valve. Amer J of Med Sci. In press Dec 2010.

General Internal Medicine

1. Laffer C, Elijovich F. “Critical appraisal of clinical effectiveness of fixed combination of valsartan, amlodipine, HCTZ in achieving blood pressure goals.” Integrated Blood Pressure Control. Accepted Dec 2010.

Medical Education (UME/GME)

GI Fellowship Program
1. Vincent, J. Hochhalter, A.K., Broglio, K. & Avots-Avotins, A.
Survey Respondents Planning to Have Screening Colonoscopy Report Unique Barriers. The Permanente Journal. In press. December 2010. Jennifer Vincent, MD was a fellow during the course of the study.

Office of Medical Education, Evaluation & Research Development - DOM
2. Colbert CY, Ogden PE, Ownby AR, Bowe C. Systems-Based Practice in Graduate Medical Education: Systems Thinking as a Foundational Construct. Teaching and Learning in Medicine. In press Dec 2010.

Nephrology Lab

1. Chiasson VL, Quinn MA, Young KJ, Mitchell BM. PKCbetaII-mediated phosphorylation of eNOS threonine 495 mediates the endothelial dysfunction induced by tacrolimus. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2011;(in 2nd review).

2. Chiasson VL, Munshi N, Young KJ, Mitchell BM. Pin1 deficiency increases endothelial nitric oxide synthase serine 116 phosphorylation, endothelial dysfunction, and blood pressure. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2011;(in review).

Book Chapters

Pulmonary

1. Barker J. “Critical Care Medicine,” Chapter 29, Yearbook of Medicine, pp. 263-274. Publisher: Mosby, 2010.

2. Jones S. “Sleep Disorders,” Chapter 35, Yearbook of Medicine, pp. 313-332. Publisher: Mosby, 2010.

Abstracts – Accepted/Presented

Cardiology

1. N. Nair, S . Kumar, S. Gupta, G.J.Dehmer. MicroRNA profiling in Diastolic Dysfunction.
Abstract accepted for presentation at the American College of Cardiology annual Scientific sessions, Apr 2011 at New Orleans,LA

Nephrology

1. Luis Concepcion, Hoang-Lan Nguyen: “Acute Kidney Injury: Shift CVVHD Dose”, abstract accepted at 31st Annual Dialysis Conference, Phoenix AZ, February 20-22, 2011.

2. Marinobufagenin Levels are Elevated in Preeclamptic Patients: Enoch Agunanne, D Horvat, R Harrison, MN Uddin, R Jones, JB Puschett. Abstract accepted for oral presentation, SSCI Tenth Annual Nephrology Young Investigators Forum, Feb. 16, 2011, New Orleans LA. Accepted for poster presentation at the 2011 Southern Regional Meetings, Feb 17, 2011, New Orleans LA.

3. Hoang-Lan Nguyen, Luis Concepcion: “Metformin Intoxication Requiring Dialysis”, abstract accepted at 31st Annual Dialysis Conference, Phoenix AZ, February 20-22, 2011.

4. Hoang-Lan Nguyen, Luis Concepcion: “Inpatient Hemodialysis: How Are We Doing?”, abstract accepted at 31st Annual Dialysis Conference, Phoenix AZ, February 20-22, 2011.

5. Dietary Fruits and Vegetables Reduce Augmented Urine Endothelin and Aldosterone Excretion Associated with Reduced GFR: Nimrit Goraya, Donald Wesson. Abstract accepted for poster presentation at 2011 Southern Regional Meetings, February 2011, New Orleans LA.

6. Hypertensives with CKD Have Higher Dietary Acid Due to Lower Intake of Fruits and Vegetables: Nimrit Goraya, Donald Wesson. Abstract accepted for oral presentation at 2011 Southern Regional Meetings, February 2011, New Orleans LA.

Presentations

Geriatrics

1. Coleman EA, Stevens AB, Hauser N & Robinson L. Care Transition Intervention Model Implementation. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services National Conference on Care Transitions. Baltimore, MD. December 2010.

2. Hochhalter, A.K. Preliminary Findings from the Central Texas Community Living Program. Gerontological Society of America Conference. New Orleans, LA. November 2010.

3. Hochhalter, A.K. Identifying Target Groups for Transitional Care Interventions Using Healthcare Record Data. Gerontological Society of America Conference. New Orleans, LA. November 2010.

4. Smith, M.L., Herrera, A.P., Hochhalter, A.K., Ahn, S., & Ory, M.G.
Positive Attitudes & Social Activities among Post-Menopausal Women: Determinants of Successful Aging Through the 60s, 70s, & 80s. America Public Health Association. Denver, CO. November 2010.

Nephrology Lab

1. Mitchell BM. Immunophilins and Transplant Hypertension. Texas A&M Health Science Center/S&W Transplant Grand Rounds, Temple, TX, December 2, 2010.

Nephrology

1. Chaffer- Chronic Kidney Disease, invited speaker, Medtronic, Dec 1, 2010, Minneapolis MN. (simulcast national meeting)

Posters/Exhibits

Geriatrics

1. Day, K.L., Hochhalter, A.K., Friedman, D.B., Anderson, L.A., Buckmaster, P.L., Bryant, L.L., Wu, B., Hunter, R., Caprio, A., & Weaver, E. U.S. Physicians' perceptions, knowledge, and practices of cognition in older adults: A Review. Gerontological Society of America Conference. New Orleans, LA. November 2010.

Pulmonary Division

1. Beckendorf R, Boucher M. “All the Wheezes is not Asthma: A Case of Bronchial Carcinoid.”ACP State Meeting in Houston (11/10). Miranda Boucher, MD is an Internal Medicine resident.

Lectures

Cardiology

1. EP Lecture: Mechanism & Catheter Ablation of Atrial Flutter (Staff & Fellows, EP Conference Room)

Infectious Disease

1. HIV life cycle- Internal Medicine Noon Conference (residents) December 9, 2010

Hospital Medicine

1. Deppisch – EKG I, MS3 inpatient lecture series, Dec. 6, 2010

2. Deppisch – EKG II, MS3 inpatient lecture series, Dec. 7, 2010

3. Deppisch – EKG III, MS3 inpatient lecture series, Dec. 13, 2010

4. Deppisch – EKG IV, MS3 inpatient lecture series, Dec. 14, 2010

5. Vohra – Syncope, MS3 inpatient lecture series, Dec. 27, 2010

6. Reddy S – DKA, MS3 inpatient lecture series, Dec. 28, 2010

Nephrology

1. Enoch Agunanne: Anticoagulation in End-Stage Renal Disease, Nephrology Morbidity & Mortality Conference, December 1, 2010, Scott & White Temple. (Fellows & Senior Staff)

2. Enoch Agunanne: FGF-23 Mineral Bone Disease, Nephrology Journal Club, December 22, 2011, Scott & White Temple. (Fellows & Senior Staff)

3. Luis Concepcion: Biostatistics Seminar Part IV, Scott & White Temple, Dec. 15, 2011 (fellows)

4. Luis Concepcion: Biostatistics Seminar Part V, Scott & White Temple, Dec. 22, 2011 (fellows)

5. Hoang-Lan Nguyen: “Disorders of ECF Volume / Sodium Contents vs Disorders of Total Body Fluid Osmolality / Water Regulation”, Renal Physiology Conference, Scott & White Temple, December 9, 2010. (fellows & senior staff)

6. Geetha Seerangan: Frequent Hemodialysis, Nephrology Journal Club, December 8, 2010, Scott & White Temple (Fellows & Senior Staff)

Gastroenterology Lab

1. DeMarrow- 11/4/10 Physiology of the pancreas (M2 medical students), 1 hr

2. DeMarrow- 11/18/10 Physiology of the Small and Large instestine and Digestion and Absorption (M2 Medical students) 2 hr

Pulmonary

1. Beckendorf-Pulmonary Function Testing, Pulmonary Hypertension, COPD, Asthma, OSA: Medical Student, Intern, Resident and Fellow

2. Beckendorf-Pulmonary Rehabilitation: Pulmonary Fellow (Guardado)

3. Beckendorf-How to start and maintain a Pulmonary Rehab program (Guardado)

4. Beckendorf-How to develop, enhance and maintain a PFT lab (Velazco)

5. Beckendorf-Diagnostic Tools for Evaluating Patients with Respiratory Dysfunction (Medical Student II)

6. Beckendorf-Interstitial Lung Disease (Medical Student II)

Editor – Book

1. Barker J. Editor for pulmonary critical care chapters, Yearbook of Medicine, pp. 261-328. Publisher: Mosby, 2010.

Reviewer – Conference Abstracts

Medical Education (UME/GME)

1. Colbert CY - Abstract reviewer for AAMC’s Southern Group on Educational Affairs (SGEA) Conference, April 2011, Houston, TX - 5 abstracts (Dec 2010)

Collaborative Research

1. Wehbe-Janek -Reviewed conference abstracts for Association of Standardized Patient Educators

Articles Reviewed – Peer-Reviewed Journals – Dec. 2010

Collaborative Research

1. Wehbe-Janek J. -Simulation in Healthcare – 1 article

Gastroenterology Lab

1. DeMarrow- Nature Reviews: Gastroenterology and Hepatology (1)
Laboratory Investigation (1)
Hepatology (2)
Digestive liver diseases (1)

2. G Alpini- Hepatology (2 articles reviewed)
Am J Pathol (1 article reviewed)
Lab Invest (2)
BBA- Molecular Cell Research (1)
J Physiol, J Clin Invest (1)

General Internal Medicine

1. Elijovich-Hypertension (AHA)

Infectious Disease

1. Midturi- Medical Mycology – 1 article reviewed

Medical Education(UME/GME)

1. Colbert CY - Medical Education Online – 1 article (Dec 2010)

Nephrology Lab

1. Mitchell BM– 4 articles – Hypertension (Dec 2010)

Study Sessions (NIH, etc.)

Gastroenterology Lab

G Alpini- American Liver Foundation – Dec 2010

Grants Received

Cardiology

1. A to Z Heart Aware Reaching Rural Populations
PI: McNeal C
Grant Source: AstraZeneca
Amount: $159,000
Investigators: Hochhalter, A.K., Bush, R., Menajovsky, B., Ory, M.G., & Shepherd, L.

Geriatrics

See Cardiology grants - above

Notable Accomplishments: Faculty News, Appointments, Nominations

Gastroenterology Lab

1. G Alpini -International member of Italian Liver Foundation, 2011

Nephrology Lab

1. Mitchell BM- Appointed to Editorial Board for Hypertension

Educational Projects

Gastroenterology Lab

1. DeMarrow -Accepted Matthew Quinn into my lab as a Graduate student and formed his graduate advisory committee

Collaborative Research/Education

1. Wehbe-Janek H. – DOM Collaborative Fellowship Presentation – assisted with simulation/SP case development and vignette development for January 4th presentation

INTERNAL MEDICINE RESEARCH

Dr. Gianfranco Alpini attended an American Liver Foundation study session January 13, 2011.

Dr. Gianfranco Alpini – paper accepted
HEP-10-1509.R2
Lineage tracing demonstrates no evidence of cholangiocyte epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in murine models of hepatic fibrosis

Neuropeptide Y inhibits cholangiocarcinoma cell growth and invasion.
Demorrow S, Onori P, Venter J, Invernizzi P, Frampton G, White M, Franchitto A, Kopriva S, Bernuzzi F, Francis H, Coufal M, Glaser S, Fava G, Meng F, Alvaro D, Carpino G, Gaudio E, Alpini G.
Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2011 Jan 26. [Epub ahead of print]PMID: 21270292 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Anandamide exerts its antiproliferative actions on cholangiocarcinoma by activation of the GPR55 receptor.
Li Huang, Jonathan Ramirez, Gabriel A Frampton, Lessie E Golden, Matthew A Quinn, Hae Yong Pae, Darijana Horvat, Li-jian Liang, Sharon DeMorrow Laboratory Investigation (2011), IN press