Recent UMass Chan Publications

The underlying mechanisms of Moyamoya disease (MMD), a rare, progressive cerebrovascular disorder marked by distal internal carotid artery stenosis or occlusion and the formation of fragile collaterals, remain poorly understood, in part because conventional models fail to capture the genetic, vascular, and neurovascular complexity of human MMD. Driven by recent advances in disease modeling, MMD re...

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight real-world challenges for older adults with AML, including the need for more effective treatments for patients with TP53-mutated AML. AML-directed treatment was associated with longer survival without a decrease in the time spent in hospice care, and the risk of in-hospital mortality remains elevated for this population.

Minimally invasive surgical (MIS) techniques have fundamentally transformed the management of colorectal cancer. Since the early 1990s, the field has rapidly evolved, shifting from initial concerns about oncologic safety to the widespread adoption of both laparoscopic and robotic surgeries. Specifically, laparoscopic approaches to colorectal cancer resection are now widely adopted and supported by...

Background: May-Thurner syndrome (MTS) is an uncommon cause of deep vein thrombosis and unilateral lower extremity lymphedema. We present the largest case series to date of 26 MTS patients with lymphedema. We aim to report the pathophysiology of lymphedema in relation to venous dysfunction onset in MTS patients and evaluate the effectiveness of surgical lymphedema treatment. Methods: Retrospective...

CONCLUSIONS: Social risk screening and referral practices vary widely among hospitals caring for children. Standardized policies and support mechanisms may reduce variability and promote equitable social care practices across hospitals.

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CONCLUSIONS: Smoking behaviors among people living with HIV are shaped by overlapping influences, including societal norms, mental health, HIV-related stigma, and other structural stressors. An understanding of these overlapping factors can inform the development of text-based interventions that offer effective cessation support tailored to this population.

Core-binding factor acute myeloid leukemia (CBF-AML) in fit patients is treated with curative-intent induction chemotherapy followed by 3-4 cycles of high-dose cytarabine (HiDAC) consolidation. No standard therapy exists for patients with contraindications to HiDAC consolidation. Oral azacitidine is approved as indefinite maintenance therapy for intermediate/high risk AML but has not been studied ...

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The mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR^(mt)), which promotes mitochondrial biogenesis and proteostasis, is regulated by the transcription factor ATFS-1. In C. elegans, impaired atfs-1 expression perturbs mitochondrial function and slows development. Here, using an RNAi suppressor screen, we find that inhibition of the nuclear hormone receptor NHR-180 increases mitochondrial function and ...

INTRODUCTION: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is associated with progressive loss of lung function and poor prognosis. There remains a need for novel therapies for patients with IPF. Admilparant, an oral lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 antagonist, slowed lung function decline and was well tolerated in a phase 2 trial when administered 60 mg two times per day in patients with IPF over 26 weeks...

AI/ML-based tools for generative and predictive modeling have become important contributors to small molecule drug discovery, enabling virtual compound design and ADME profiling prior to synthesis. Alongside these methods, simpler nonlearned strategies based on direct SMILES manipulation remain useful, particularly for low data targets. Herein is described a method for fragment optimization in whi...

CONCLUSIONS: Our emergent sensemaking ET procurement framework offers 3 actionable recommendations: formalize multi-stakeholder information exchange roles, treat vendor responsiveness to sense-demanding as a selection criterion, and use each procurement cycle to surface and address foundational governance and infrastructure gaps.

INTRODUCTION: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common neurological complication of cancer treatment that worsens function and quality of life. Topical herbal medicines are increasingly used as localized interventions for neuropathic symptoms; however, their clinical efficacy remains uncertain. This systematic review evaluated the effectiveness of topical herbal formulations f...

CONCLUSION: Findings provide preliminary evidence that a structured, neurodiversity-affirming telehealth framework can yield concordant ASD/non-ASD classifications under shared-information conditions. Neurodiversity-affirming practice can coexist with structured, criterion-based diagnostic decision-making: affirming clients' experiences and reducing deficit-based assumptions does not require presu...

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CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals that cardiac and vascular adipose depots harbor transcriptionally specialized adipocytes and progenitors with distinct intercellular communication programs that are remodeled in atrial fibrillation and aortic aneurysm.

CONCLUSION: The definition of CDAI so-called low disease activity is likely overly broad and includes patients in the upper range of LDA with an inferior prognosis. These differences in outcomes across the range of LDA should be incorporated into therapeutic recommendations that recognize these disparate outcomes.

CONCLUSION: The varying training goals and approaches reported here can inform how Access Programs and other psychiatric consultation programs develop or modify their professional training. This study also provides a framework for summarizing Access Program training activities, aligning professional training activities with program goals, and conceptualizing formal training as part of a multicompo...

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Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is characterized by impaired bone mechanical integrity and increased fracture risk. Although anti-transforming growth factor beta (anti-TGF-β) treatment improves bone architecture and whole-bone mechanical properties in Col1a1^(+/-) OI mice, its effects on tissue-scale strain behavior and local cortical mechanics remain unclear. Here, digital volume correlation (DVC), ...

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HIV-1 maturation requires the viral protease to cleave the Gag polyprotein into its constituent domains. Subsequent conformational and morphological changes result in a mature, infectious virion. Prior studies support a hypothesis in which Gag conformational dynamics and the heterogeneity of the immature Gag lattice enable proteolytic and morphological maturation. We developed a single-molecule Fö...

CD47 is an innate immune checkpoint that can protect tumor cells from macrophage-mediated clearance, but the regulatory mechanisms underlying its expression in ovarian cancer (OC) remain incompletely understood. Here, we investigated the epigenetic regulation of CD47 expression in OC. Single-cell and spatial transcriptomic analyses indicated preferential CD47 expression in malignant epithelial cel...

Innate host defense depends on transcriptional programs, which support survival through two strategies that can vary independently. Resistance lowers pathogen burden, while resilience limits the damage a given burden causes. In Caenorhabditis elegans infected with Staphylococcus aureus, the highly conserved transcription factor HLH-30/TFEB drives most of the host response, which mediates infection...

Diverse human cell types establish specialized functions through lineage- and context-specific regulatory programs. Interpreting non-coding genetic risk requires integrated multi-omic reference maps that directly connect regulatory DNA to cellular expression across human tissues. Here we present a single-nucleus multiomic atlas comprising 459,856 transcriptomic and chromatin accessibility profiles...

CONCLUSION: A brief, technology-delivered MI intervention produced modest short-term improvements in asthma control among Black emerging adults.

Improving siRNA delivery to the central nervous system (CNS) is a major focus for treating the numerous debilitating neurological conditions that have a genetic basis. Here, we present an albumin-binding siRNA based on an amphiphilic dendrimer conjugate (D-siRNA). We demonstrate that D-siRNA achieves effective and homogeneous delivery throughout the CNS following administration into the cerebrospi...

CONCLUSIONS: Patient experiences with HDP highlight the need for more personalized and contextually responsive care strategies. Addressing systemic barriers and incorporating patient perspectives into care delivery may strengthen trust, improve adherence, and enhance outcomes for women at increased risk for hypertensive complications during pregnancy.