New Mexico Department of Health

Abstract Melanoma brain metastasis (MBM) is linked to dismal prognosis and onset of brain metastasis is increasing in frequency in all cancer types. Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) are "seeds" of fatal metastasis and smallest functional units of cancer. We previously employed an unbiased, multipronged approach to discover a unique ribosomal protein large/small subunit (RPL/RPS) CTC gene signature associated with MBM. In this study, we hypothesized that MBM-CTC drives secondary metastasis (“metastasis of metastasis” per clinical scenarios), and has targeted organ specificity for the liver. We injected parallel cohorts of immunodeficient and newly developed humanized NBSGW (huNBSGW) mice with cells from CTC-derived melanoma brain metastasis to identify secondary metastatic patterns. We found the presence of a melanoma brain-liver metastasis axis in huNBSGW mice. Furthermore, RNA sequencing analysis of tissues showed a significant upregulation of the RPL/RPS CTC gene signature linked to metastatic spread to the liver. Additional RNA sequencing of CTCs from huNBSGW blood revealed extensive CTC clustering with human B cells in these mice. CTC:B-cell clusters were also upregulated in the blood of patients with primary melanoma and maintained either in CTC-driven MBM or MBM CTC-derived cells promoting extensive liver metastasis. CTC-generated tumor tissues were interrogated at single-cell gene and protein expression levels (10x Genomics Xenium and HALO spatial biology platforms, respectively). Collectively, our findings suggest the presence of a CTC brain-liver metastasis axis, and that heterotypic CTC:B-cell interactions can be critical at multiple stages of metastasis. Significance: This study provides important insights into the relevance of prometastatic CTC:B-cell clusters in melanoma progression, extends the importance of the CTC RPL/RPS gene signature beyond primary metastasis/MBM by driving targeted organ specificity for liver metastasis (“metastasis of metastasis”), and identifies new targets for therapies against clinical melanoma metastasis, eg, ongoing studies involcving cryogenic electron microscopy analyses of CTC ribosomes. Citation Format: DARIO MARCHETTI. The Melanoma CTC Brain-Liver Metastasis Axis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Brain Cancer; 2026 Mar 23-25; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(6_Suppl):Abstract nr B067.

Background: Rising kidney discard rates and uncertainty around accepting higher-risk donor kidneys highlight the need for decision-support tools that integrate donor and recipient factors and communicate risk in ways that are understandable and usable at the time of offer. Conventional indices (e.g., KDPI/KDRI) provide population-level signals but do not deliver individualized, cognitively accessible information aligned with real-time clinical workflows. Objective: To describe how key transplant stakeholders—patients, coordinators, and providers—interpret and evaluate a prototype Kidney Risk Calculator app that generates donor–recipient–specific survival projections, and to identify the content, format and features, and functionality needed for clinically meaningful, patient-centered decision support. Design: Qualitative study using focus groups and individual interviews. Setting: University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) Kidney Transplant Center. Participants: Five patients (four transplant candidates and one patient advocate), three transplant coordinators, and five transplant providers (3 attending physicians and 2 advanced practice practitioners). Methods: Semi-structured sessions (45–60 minutes) with 13 stakeholders (patients, coordinators, and providers) included a live app demonstration and explored usability, interpretability, contextual information needs, perceived clinical utility, and anticipated barriers/facilitators. Data were collected via one coordinator focus group, one patient focus group, and five provider interviews; sessions were recorded, transcribed, de-identified, and analyzed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Stakeholders affirmed the value of personalized projections as an adjunct to clinical judgment, particularly for higher-risk offers. Participants prioritized: 1) Content—clear education on hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive donors and Public Health Service (PHS) risk criteria; plain explanations of Calculated Panel Reactive Antibody (CPRA); and framing that makes time on dialysis and trade-offs salient; 2) Format & Features—plain-language narratives, percentages rather than decimals, simple visuals, minimized acronyms, U.S. customary units, and a stepwise (“TurboTax‑like”) input flow preferred by patients; and 3) Functionality—attention to cognitive load and workflow alignment, given phone-based time pressure and digital-access constraints. Stakeholders emphasized that the tool’s value hinges on clarity, context, and workflow fit—not predictive accuracy alone. Limitations: Single‑center, formative prototype study with a modest sample; findings are illustrative and may have limited transferability. Participants reacted to a demonstration rather than using the app during real‑time offer calls; convenience/email recruitment and Zoom‑only English sessions may introduce selection bias; team involvement in app development may contribute residual confirmation bias despite mitigation. Conclusions: Early stakeholder input suggests that a kidney offer decision support tool should integrate individualized predictions with plain language explanations, contextual information that addresses common misconceptions, workflow aligned functionality, and accessible outputs. Tools designed and implemented with these features may support acceptance of medically complex kidneys and may help reduce offer bypass and organ discard. These inferences reflect stakeholder perceptions in a formative qualitative study and warrant prospective evaluation.

To test the hypothesis that caffeine intake would increase heat strain and markers of acute kidney injury (AKI), intestinal injury, and endotoxemia after physical work in the heat. Using a double-blind, crossover design, 14 (6 male) active, caffeine-habituated adults ingested 5 mg/kg of bodyweight (up to 400 mg) of caffeine or placebo 30 min before a 2-hr heat trial (35 °C dry bulb, 50% relative humidity) involving walking (40% V̇O2peak) and box-lifting. Bodyweight was measured pre- and post-trial. Core temperature (Tcore) and heart rate (HR) were recorded every 10 min. Blood and urine samples were collected pre-, post-, and 1-hr post-trial to assess markers of AKI, intestinal injury, and endotoxemia. Caffeine increased peak Tcore (38.2 ± 0.4 vs 38.0 ± 0.3 °C; p = 0.02), peak HR (147 ± 18 vs 138 ± 17 bpm; p = 0.02) and bodyweight loss (1.7% ± 1.0% vs 1.5% ± 1.1%, p = 0.04) compared to placebo. There were no differences in markers of AKI (urinary IGFBP7•TIMP-2, NGAL) (p > 0.05). Serum cystatin C increased from pre- to post-trial in the caffeine (∆0.24 ± 0.43 mg/L, p = 0.03) but not placebo (∆-0.07 ± 0.17 mg/L, p = 0.81) condition, suggesting a reduction in glomerular filtration. There were no differences in markers of intestinal injury (I-FABP) or endotoxemia (LBP, sCD14) (p > 0.05). Caffeine ingestion before work in the heat exacerbated increases in Tcore but did not affect biomarkers of kidney or intestinal injury. Workers performing labor in hot environmental conditions should consider that caffeine during work in the heat may increase the rate of Tcore rise.

To examine how persons using different methamphetamine-opioid combinations differ with respect to social, risk, and health characteristics, and to identify patterns of vulnerability across simultaneous, sequential, and independent use. 414 people who use illicit drugs were surveyed, 384 of whom reported polydrug use involving methamphetamine, in Nevada and New Mexico between June 2022 and August 2023. Participants were classified into three mutually exclusive groups based on self-reported methamphetamine and opioid use patterns: simultaneous use (deliberately using both drugs together), sequential use (using both drugs but not deliberately using simultaneously), and independent use (using methamphetamine alone or with non-opioid drugs). Prevalence ratios were calculated to examine associations between use patterns and social, economic, health, and drug use characteristics. We identified three distinct use patterns: simultaneous (53.1%), sequential (17.7%), and independent (29.2%). Individuals in these risk groups exhibited differential social, economic, carceral, and health-related risk: those engaged in simultaneous showed higher vulnerability relative to people who use independently and sequentially. Healthcare engagement was associated with lower simultaneous use. These findings suggest the need to support development of strategies to support transition from higher to lower-risk drug use patterns.

This work presents a new Compton-TDCR coincidence system developed at Sofia University (SU), Bulgaria, to study the non-linearity of the light yield of liquid scintillation (LS) cocktails. The system is based on the Compton coincidence technique. The TDCR counter employs three Hamamatsu R331-05 photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). The signals from the PMTs are analyzed and counted by a nanoTDCR+ module. A high-resolution n-type HPGe (nHPGe) detector is used to detect Compton-scattered photons from the LS. The nHPGe signals are processed by a multichannel analyzer - nanoMCA-II. A region of interest (ROI) is selected in the nHPGe spectrum and only events within this ROI are used to generate coincidence signals for the nanoTDCR+. This custom acquisition setup estimates the energy of the LS Compton electrons with high precision. This is of paramount importance for the exploration of the non-linearity of LS responses. Data obtained with the new Compton-TDCR were fitted using Birks' ionization quenching formula, allowing for the determination of the scintillator's light output and the ionization quenching parameters.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of hospitalization among young children. Nirsevimab is recommended for all infants younger than 8 months and children aged 8 to 19 months who are at increased risk of severe RSV entering their second RSV season. Additional data are necessary to identify children aged 8 to 19 months at increased risk for severe disease. The Respiratory Syncytial Virus Hospitalization Surveillance Network, a population-based surveillance system, captures laboratory-confirmed RSV-associated hospitalizations in 12 states. We compared demographics and clinical characteristics of children aged 0 to 23 months by age category, and of children aged 12 to 23 months by severity (not admitted to the intensive care unit [ICU], admitted to the ICU, or with prolonged [≥3days] ICU admission) during the 2022-2023 season using χ2 tests and logistic regression. Among 3659 randomly sampled hospitalized children in 2022-2023, 31.2%, 40.0%, and 28.9% were aged 0 to 2, 3 to 11, and 12 to 23 months, respectively. Compared with children aged 0 to 2 months, children 3 to 11 and 12 to 23 months were more likely to have at least 1 underlying medical condition (UMC) (3.4%, 12.6%, 23.4%, respectively; P < .05). Children aged 12 to 23 months with prolonged ICU admission were more likely to have airway abnormalities, cardiovascular disease (CVD), Down syndrome (with or without concomitant CVD), and feeding tube dependence than those without ICU admission (P < .05 for all). UMCs were more frequently identified among hospitalized children aged 12 to 23 months compared with children 0 to 2 months; prolonged ICU admission was associated with airway abnormalities, CVD, Down syndrome, and feeding tube dependence.

This paper presents findings from a pilot study of a five-week feminist psychoeducational group developed for mothers experiencing eco-distress during matrescence, the developmental shift of motherhood. Weekly journaling prompts served as narrative provocations to catalyze reflection and identity transformation in a case study of five mothers. Rather than a clinical or therapeutic intervention, this study tested a scalable, consciousness-raising format grounded in developmental principles of relational growth, eco-feminist psychology, and narrative therapy principles. Thematic analysis of participants’ journals identified five core themes in eco-maternal identity development: nature relatedness, paradoxical emotions, ecological questing, intergenerational commitment, and environmental stewardship. By externalizing eco-distress and reframing and reconstructing narratives about their relationship to nature, participants articulated a more integrated ecological self. These findings suggest that structured narrative reflection, situated in a developmental and feminist framework, may be a promising pathway for supporting maternal well-being and ecological engagement in the face of climate crisis.