The Laboratory Report
Fall 2019
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Welcome to the Fall Houston Methodist Hospital Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine Newsletter:
The Laboratory Report. If you have contributions or feedback for upcoming newsletters, please
email us
.
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In this issue:
- Faculty Accomplishments
- Laboratory News
- Trainee News
- New Faculty
- Faculty Appointments & Promotions
- Conferences and Events
- Faculty Publications
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Dr. Schwartz Receives Prestigious Papanicolaou Award
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Mary R. Schwartz, MD,
received the American Society of Cytopathology’s (ASC) Papanicolaou Award at the annual scientific meeting of the ASC in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Papanicolaou Award is the highest award given by the ASC, and was established in 1958 to recognize meritorious contributions in the field of cytopathology. The award is named for Dr. George Papanicolaou, whose work birthed the field of cytopathology. It honors the lifesaving contributions that the field has provided to patients around the world. As the recipient of the 2019 Papanicolaou Award, Dr. Schwartz presented the annual Papanicolaou Address on November 15 to attendees of the Association’s Annual Scientific Meeting. Dr. Schwartz stated that she is “deeply honored to receive this award.” Past recipients of the Papanicolaou Award from HMH include Dina R. Mody, MD, and former department member Ibrahim Ramzy, MD—a remarkable achievement for our department.
Thank you, Dr. Schwartz, for your continued contributions to cytopathology, and congratulations on this honor!
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Dr. Chévez-Barrios Honored with IAM Award
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The Award for Excellence in a Peer-Reviewed Publication was established to recognize new publications in high-impact journals and to foster innovative research. Dr. Chevéz-Barrios was honored at the October 24 IAM Town Hall. This is the second IAM Award for Excellence in a Peer-Reviewed Publication received by members of our Department in 2019.
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IAM Award recipients and HMRI leadership (
left to right): Dr. Qilin Gu, Dr. Patricia Chévez-Barrios, Mr. Ed Jones, Dr. John P. Cooke, Dr. Palas Chanda, and Dr. Robert Krencik
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Congratulations, Dr. Chévez-Barrios!
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Dr. Long and Dr. Olsen Receive System Quality and Patient Award for Teamwork in Infection Prevention
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Department members
S. Wesley Long, MD, PhD,
and
Randall Olsen, MD,
PhD,
were honored at the annual System Quality and Patient Safety Awards on October 29 with the Teamwork Award for their work in infection prevention and control. Dr. Long stated that it was “gratifying to have our long-time collaboration with System Infection Control recognized.”
Congratulations, Dr. Long and Dr. Olsen!
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(
left to right) Dr. Randall Olsen, Dr. S. Wesley Long, and HMH Chief Quality Officer Dr. Stuart Dobbs
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Dr. Mody Receives College of American Pathologists
Foundation’s Herbek Award
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Dina R. Mody, MD,
received the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Foundation’s Gene and Jean Herbek Humanitarian Award for her innovative and unique contributions to the CAP See, Test, and Treat program. Dr. Mody has been involved with See, Test, and Treat since its inception in 2011. In her remarks to the audience at the September 21 awards ceremony in Orlando, Florida, Dr. Mody thanked the CAP Foundation and her colleagues at HMH, and had a special message to the young people in the audience to “get involved, participate, and help the underserved in your locale…you don’t have to go far to change lives.”
Thank you, Dr. Mody, for your dedication to the See, Test, and Treat program, and congratulations on this prestigious award!
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The blood bank and transfusion medicine staff were featured in the “Compliments” section of HMH Executive Vice-President Roberta Schwartz’s September 6 system-wide email. Department members including
Christopher Leveque, MD,
Eric Salazar, MD,
and the nurses and technologists in the blood bank and transfusion medicine service were lauded by a long-time patient for their “compassion, strong work ethics, and teamwork.”
Many thanks to the blood bank and transfusion medicine teams for your dedication to patients!
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Dr. Long and Microbiology Laboratory Featured
in Houston Chronicle Flu Coverage
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S. Wesley Long, MD, PhD,
Director of the HMH Microbiology Laboratory, was featured in the Houston Chronicle's recent coverage of the 2019–20 flu season. The article, entitled
“
Here's What's New with the Flu Shot
,
”
urged Texans to take the flu seriously by making sure that they and their loved ones receive the flu vaccine. In the piece, Dr. Long debunked common misconceptions about the flu vaccine, including the notion that the vaccine can give individuals the flu. Dr. Long stated that this is, “Not physically possible. The flu shot doesn’t use a live virus ... Giving you a hamburger bun isn’t like giving you a hamburger; giving you part of the virus (getting a flu shot) is just [a] portion of it.”
The article also highlighted the
flu tracker
developed by Dr. Long and Clinical Informatics Fellow
Paul Christensen, MD,
during the 2017–18 flu season. The goal of the tracker is to make information regarding the flu virus available to clinicians in real time to aid in the diagnosis of potential flu cases.
Great work, Dr. Long!
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HMH Cytology Staff Participate in Liberty/Dayton CAP
See, Test, and Treat Event
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Ten members of the HMH cytology staff, including processors, cytotechnologists, and pathologists from our HMH-TMC hospital participated in the latest See, Test, and Treat event held on October 5
at Liberty-Dayton Regional Medical Center in Liberty, Texas. They tested 60 patients for cervical cancer screening, 11 of which were found to be abnormal and will be followed-up. The event was a success, and all look forward to the next one. We greatly appreciate the work you are doing for the community!
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(
left to right): Cytologists Brittany Dipietro, Cynthia Renteria, Nancy Beltran, and Chief Cytologist Donna Armylagos
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(
left to right): Medical Lab Assistants Rhea Enifo, Justus Awolu, and Krystal Robinson
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HMH Laboratory Management Team Take Part
in I CARE in Action Day of Service
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Members of the HMH Laboratory Management Team took part in HMH’s annual I CARE in Action Day of Service on November 1. The team’s project was facilitated by Rebuilding Together Houston, a local nonprofit organization that focuses on supporting those most in need by helping to revitalize and repair the homes of low-income Houstonians, especially those who are veterans or senior-citizens. The Laboratory Management Team helped to replace worn siding and paint the house of an elderly local woman who had lost her husband in recent years. Many thanks to the Laboratory Management Team for taking part in the Day of Service and for sharing our I CARE values with the community!
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I CARE in Action Participants (
left to right): Josmarie Alvarado Diaz, Pat Cernoch, Julie Garner, Stephanie Hausler, Elizabeth Quiles, Leah Stewart, Marisol Belmares, and Heather Hendrickson
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Josmarie Alvarado Diaz wielding her paintbrush.
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Heather Hendrickson demonstrating proper safety precautions.
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Seema Siddiqui with all hands on deck.
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HM The Woodlands Hospital Continues to Experience Growth
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Hazel Awalt, MD
, Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital Laboratory Medical Director, reports that Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital continues to grow at a fast pace. In September, additional ICU beds were opened; in October another 32 acute care beds were opened, and the hospital’s occupancy was at capacity many days.
On September 27, ground was broken for the new second patient tower. Scheduled for completion in 2022, this expansion will include another 100 beds, ten ORs, expanded services for endoscopy and the emergency department, and a new home for the outpatient laboratory. Parts of the main laboratory have expanded, and planning for additional expansion continues. Outpatient laboratory blood draws are also steadily increasing; Mondays and Tuesdays consistently have between 60 and 80 patients per day.
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Ms. Erika Walker Presents at AMP Annual Meeting
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Erika Walker, a developmental technologist in the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, presented data at the Association for Molecular Pathology Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, in early November. The poster, entitled “Alternative Method of DNA Fragment Analysis for the Detection of
CALR
and
FLT3
-ITD Mutations,” highlighted her innovative design of two new assays that support hematology testing at Houston Methodist.
Great work, Erika!
Erika Walker and mentor Dr. Jessica Thomas
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Residents and Fellows Escape!
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Pathology residents
Dyron Allen, MD, Renee Eng, MD, John Rogers, MD, Fernando Zazueta, MD, Donghwa Baek, MD, Michelle Lin, MD, and Ahmed Shehabeldin, MD,
along with Department Education Director
Suzanne Z. Powell, MD,
participated in a team-building exercise on October 20 at Escape the Room Houston. The group, better known as “Felix the Corgi Mitosis,” escaped the room after using only one of six clues available, with a remarkable 10 minutes, 32 seconds remaining on the clock! Their success at escaping the room ensures that Felix the Corgi Mitosis will never have to worry about being trapped in an HMH laboratory.
Great job, Felix the Corgi Mitosis!
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Trainee Candidates Currently Being Interviewed
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With five PGY1 residency spots to fill, our Department has begun the process of interviewing candidates for the 2020–21 academic year. Over the course of 17 interview dates between October and January, 74 candidates will be interviewed. The intense day-long interview process includes an overview of our residency program, meetings with faculty members, the noon conference, Dr. Ro’s 2:15 conference, and dinner with current residents at a local restaurant. We look forward to once again recruiting a stellar group of residents.
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Trainees Present at CAP 19
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Pathology residents
Drs. Lukas Cara, Jim Hsu, Moon Joo Kim, Michelle Lin, Paloma Monroig-Bosque, and Ahmed Shehabeldin,
as well as Texas A&M medical student
Lacey Durham,
presented at the College of American Pathologists’ 2019 Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. The College of American Pathologists is the largest organization of board-certified pathologists in the country, and our trainees enjoyed the opportunity to present their research to CAP 19 attendees from across the country.
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PGY4 Chief Resident Dr. Paloma Monroig-Bosque and Texas A&M medical student Lacey Durham
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PGY2 Resident Dr. Moon Joo Kim
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PGY3 Chief Resident Dr. Ahmed Shehabeldin
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Dr. Shehabeldin discussing his poster
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PGY2 Resident Dr. Lukas R. Cara
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PGY2 Resident Dr. Michelle Lin
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PGY2 Resident Dr. Jim Hsu
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Congratulations to all of our trainees for their outstanding work!
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Our department welcomed
Brian Castillo, MD,
to HMH as a staff pathologist and Assistant Professor of Clinical Pathology and Genomic Medicine
Institute for Academic Medicine (IAM)
. Dr. Castillo earned his MD from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSC). He completed a general surgery internship and a postdoctoral fellowship in nephrology at the University of Texas Long School of Medicine in San Antonio. Dr. Castillo’s AP/CP residency was at UTHSC, and he completed a blood banking/transfusion medicine fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Castillo was an Assistant Professor with the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UTHSC for four years before joining our department in September. Dr. Castillo states that he is “excited about my new career path with HMH and looking forward to contributing to the team.”
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Our department welcomed
Jian Chen, BM, PhD,
to HMH as a staff pathologist and Co-Director of Transfusion Medicine Service. Following his pathology residency and transfusion medicine fellowship at HMH, Dr. Chen became an attending physician at Ohio State University and then Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. His areas of interest include hematopoietic stem cell mobilization and collection, therapeutic apheresis, and transfusion complications. As a former trainee, Dr. Chen is thrilled to be back in Houston and to join the wonderful team at Houston Methodist Hospital.
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Faculty Appointments & Promotions
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Andrea Diaz de Vivar, MD,
was promoted to Medical Director of Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital. Dr. Diaz de Vivar joined our Department as a staff pathologist in March of this year after having previously served as a staff pathologist at Texas Children's Hospital, an anatomic pathologist at St. Luke’s Medical Center, and an associate for Brown and Associates Medical Laboratories. Dr. Diaz de Vivar's clinical interests involve both anatomic and clinical pathology, including surgical, gynecologic, and oncologic pathology.
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Yimin Ge, MD, PhD,
was promoted to Professor of Clinical Pathology and Genomic Medicine at the Houston Methodist Institute for Academic Medicine (IAM). Dr. Ge joined our department in as an Assistant Professor in 2006 with a clinical focus in cytopathology and pulmonary pathology, and he is active in the teaching and mentoring of medical students, residents, and fellows in our department. Dr. Ge has been the recipient of four of our department’s microgrants to support his research, and he has published numerous papers in the areas of gynecologic and pulmonary pathology.
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Michael Greenwood, MD,
received his faculty appointment as Assistant Professor of Clinical Pathology and Genomic Medicine at the Houston Methodist Institute for Academic Medicine (IAM). Dr. Greenwood joined our department in July 2019 after completing fellowships in Molecular Genetic Pathology and HLA at HMH. Dr. Greenwood’s areas of clinical interest include informatics and testing related to HLA and transplant immunology.
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Elizabeth Jacobi, MD,
received her faculty appointment as Assistant Professor of Clinical Pathology and Genomic Medicine at the Houston Methodist Institute for Academic Medicine (IAM). Dr. Jacobi joined our Department in July 2019 after completing a surgical pathology fellowship at HMH and a cytopathology fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Jacobi’s clinical focus is in the areas of general surgical pathology and cytopathology, and she plans to conduct research in the areas of cytopathology and breast pathology.
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Texas Society of Pathologists: January 24–26, 2020, in Plano, Texas. Learn more
here
.
United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology: February 29–March 5, 2020, in Los Angeles, California. Learn more
here.
American Association of Clinical Chemistry Annual Scientific Meeting and Clinical Lab Expo: July 26–30, 2020, in Chicago, Illinois. Learn more
here.
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Final Grand Rounds of 2019
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Steve Zhou, MD, PhD,
will present at the next departmental Grand Rounds on December 3 at 8 AM.
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Schedule for 2020
Grand Rounds
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January 1
Susan L. Haley, MD
Houston Methodist Hospital
Surgical Pathology and Cytopathology
April 7
Robert Folberg, MD
Michigan State University
Ophthalmic Pathology
May 5
Andrew L. Feldman, MD
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
Hematopathology
June 2
Daniel J. Brat, MD, PhD
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Neuropathology
September 1
Paul Wakely, MD
The Ohio State University
Cytopathology
October 6
William E. Winter, MD
University of Florida
Clinical Chemistry
November 3
Anil Parwani, MD, PhD
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
GU Pathology
December 1
Zejuan Li, MD, PhD
Houston Methodist Hospital
Molecular Diagnostic Pathology
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Office of Academic Development News
The Office of Academic Development within the pathology department is available to assist department members with editing manuscripts, grants, posters, and presentations. Please contact
Sasha Pejerrey
at
If you need help reducing percent overlap within a document for a specific journal requirement, please let us know! We have access to iThenticate and expertise in reducing overlap to whatever percent a particular journal may require.
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Talialegna A, Varela MC, Rosato RR,
Rosato AE
. VraSR and Virulence Trait Modulation during Daptomycin Resistance in Methicillin-Resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
Infection.
mSphere.
2019 Feb 13;4(1). pii: e00557–18.
Department members
Agustina Taglialegna, PhD, Maria Celeste Varela, PhD, and Adriana Rosato, PhD,
were recognized by mSphere as the authors of a “top cited and downloaded article.” The article provides new insights into both the role of the VraSR protein in the regulation of virulence in daptomycin-resistant MRSA and the host-pathogen interactions that encourage the persistence of daptocmycin-resistant MRSA strains within the infected host.
Congratulations, all!
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Srigley JR, Delahunt B, Samaratunga H, Clouston D,
Ro J
,
Shen S
, et al. Controversial issues in Gleason and International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) prostate cancer grading: proposed recommendations for international implementation.
Pathology
. 2019 Aug 1;51(5):463-473.
Marks SM, Katz DJ, Davidow AL, Pagaoa MA, Teeter LD,
Graviss EA
. The Impact of HIV Infection on TB Disparities among US-Born Black and White Tuberculosis Patients in the United States.
Journal of Public Health Management and Practice
. 2019 Aug 1.
https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000000949
Monroig-Bosque PDC
, Morales-Rosado JA, Roden AC, Churg A,
Barrios R
,
Cagle PT,
et al. Micropapillary adenocarcinoma of lung: Morphological criteria and diagnostic reproducibility among pulmonary pathologists.
Annals of Diagnostic Pathology
. 2019 Aug 1;41:43-50.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anndiagpath.2019.04.008
Soliman BG, Nguyen DT, Chan EY, Chihara RK, Meisenbach LM,
Graviss EA,
et al. Robot-assisted hiatal hernia repair demonstrates favorable short-term outcomes compared to laparoscopic hiatal hernia repair.
Surgical Endoscopy
. 2019 Aug 5.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-019-07055-8
Do H, Makthal N, Chandrangsu P,
Olsen RJ
, Helmann JD,
Musser JM,
et al. Metal sensing and regulation of adaptive responses to manganese limitation by MtsR is critical for group A streptococcus virulence.
Nucleic Acids Research
. 2019 Aug 22;47(14):7476-7493.
https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkz524
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Graviss EA,
et al. for the Tuberculosis Epidemiologic Studies Consortium. Comparing QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus with other tests to diagnose Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.
Journal of Clinical Microbiology
. 2019 Aug 28.
https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00985-19
Baek D
,
Barbieri A
,
Ayala A
, Lee KM, Ju MJ,
Ro J
. Monophasic epithelial synovial sarcoma initially diagnosed as metastatic adenocarcinoma of unknown primary.
Human Pathology: Case Reports
. 2019 Sep 1;17. 200307.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpcr.2019.200307
Srivastava BS, Singh VK, Kashyap VK, Srivastava R,
Khan A
,
Jagannath C
. Commentary: Bettering BCG: a tough task for a TB vaccine?
Frontiers in Immunology
. 2019 Sep 12;10. 2195.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2019.02195
Chévez-Barrios P
, Eagle RC, Krailo M, Piao J, Albert DM, Gao Y, et al. Study of Unilateral Retinoblastoma With and Without Histopathologic High-Risk Features and the Role of Adjuvant Chemotherapy: A Children's Oncology Group Study.
Journal of Clinical Oncology
: official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. 2019 Sep 20;JCO1801808.
https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.18.01808
Agarwal S, Nguyen DT,
Graviss EA
. Homelessness and Mortality Among Persons With Tuberculosis in Texas, 2010-2017.
Public Health Reports
. 2019 Sep 20;33354919874087.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0033354919874087
Hobeika MJ, Menser T, Nguyen D, Beal L, Zajac S,
Graviss EA
. United States Donation after Circulatory Death Liver Transplantation is Driven By a Few High-Utilization Transplant Centers.
American Journal of Transplantation
. 2019 Sep 30.
https://doi.org/10.1111/ajt.15629
Bernard PE
, Kachroo P, Eraso JM, Zhu L, Madry JE, Linson SE, et al. Polymorphisms in Regulator of Cov Contribute to the Molecular Pathogenesis of Serotype M28 Group A Streptococcus.
American Journal of Pathology
. 2019 Oct 1;189(10):2002-2018.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpath.2019.06.009
Beggs GA, Zalucki YM, Brown NG, Rastegari S,
Phillips RK
, Palzkill T, et al. Structural, Biochemical, and In Vivo Characterization of MtrR-Mediated Resistance to Innate Antimicrobials by the Human Pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
Journal of Bacteriology
. 2019 Oct 15;201(20).
https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.00401-19
Lunsford KE, Agopian VG, Yi SG,
Nguyen DTM
,
Graviss EA
, Harlander-Locke MP, et al. Delayed Implantation of Pumped Kidneys Decreases Renal Allograft Futility in Combined Liver-Kidney Transplantation.
Transplantation
. 2019 Oct 23.
https://doi.org/10.1097/TP.0000000000003040
Vakil H, Tran L, Lewis GD,
Cykowski MD
, Butler EB, Teh BS. Biopsy proven metastatic meningioma: A case report and review of the literature.
Reports of Practical Oncology and Radiotherapy.
2019 Nov 1;24(6):528-532.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rpor.2019.08.002
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THE LABORATORY REPORT is a publication of the Houston Methodist Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine
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Editor-in-Chief
April Ewton, MD
Editorial Committee
Hazel Awalt, MD
Andrea Diaz de Vivar, MD
Byron Moore, MD
Seema Mullick, MD
Thu Ngo, MD
Steven Shen, MD, PhD
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Editorial Coordinators
Sasha M. Pejerrey, PhD
Adrienne Winston
Department Chair
James M. Musser, MD, PhD
Houston Methodist Hospital
Mark Vassallo, MSN, RN
Manual Hinojosa, MHA
James Cook, MBA, MT(AS-CP) DLM
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