"Douglas Farmer"

Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is a histone/protein deacetylase involved in cellular senescence, inflammation, and stress resistance. We previously reported that myeloid SIRT1 signaling regulates the inflamed liver's canonical pyroptosis cell death pathway. However, whether/how hepatocyte SIRT1 is engaged in programmed cell death in the cold-stressed liver remains uncertain. Here, we undertook translational studies in human and mouse orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) to interrogate the significance of hepatocyte-specific SIRT1 signaling in cold-stored donor livers and liver grafts after reperfusion...

Persistent pleural effusions (PPEf) represent a known complication of orthotopic liver transplant (OLT). However, their clinical relevance is not well described. We evaluated the clinical, biochemical, and cellular characteristics of post-OLT PPEf and assessed their relationship with longitudinal outcomes. We performed a retrospective cohort study of OLT recipients between 2006 and 2015. Included patients had post-OLT PPEf, defined by effusion persisting >30 days after OLT and available pleural fluid analysis...

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become a mainstay treatment for severe aortic stenosis and is increasingly used for veterans, producing excellent short-term outcomes. There is a paucity of long-term outcome data after TAVR in the veteran population. METHODS: We examined consecutive patients who underwent TAVR at a single Veterans Affairs medical center through 2019. Baseline characteristics, echocardiographic and angiographic variables, and clinical outcomes were abstracted...

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to investigate the rates of complications and diagnostic yield of transjugular liver biopsy (TJLB) in deceased donor liver transplant (DDLT) recipients. METHODS: From January 2009 to December 2019, 1,055 TJLBs were performed in 603 adult DDLT recipients with a mean age of 54 (±12 years). Data were retrospectively reviewed to determine the diagnostic efficacy and incidence of major and minor complications in the 3-day and 1-month period after TJLB...

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Bidirectional trafficking of cells between the mother and the fetus is routine in pregnancy and a component of maternal-fetal tolerance. Changes in fetal-to-maternal cellular trafficking have been reported in prenatal complications, but maternal-to-fetal trafficking has never been studied in the context of fetal intervention. We hypothesized that patients undergoing open fetal surgery would have altered maternal-fetal cellular trafficking. METHODS: Cellular trafficking was analyzed in patients with myelomeningocele (MMC) who underwent open fetal surgical repair (n = 5), patients with MMC who had routine postnatal repair (n = 6), and healthy control healthy patients (n = 9)...