Alexandra Tabakin
Rutgers University
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Publication
Featured researches published by Alexandra Tabakin.
PLOS Genetics | 2013
Piya Ghose; Eun Chan Park; Alexandra Tabakin; Nathaly Salazar-Vasquez; Christopher Rongo
Many aerobic organisms encounter oxygen-deprived environments and thus must have adaptive mechanisms to survive such stress. It is important to understand how mitochondria respond to oxygen deprivation given the critical role they play in using oxygen to generate cellular energy. Here we examine mitochondrial stress response in C. elegans, which adapt to extreme oxygen deprivation (anoxia, less than 0.1% oxygen) by entering into a reversible suspended animation state of locomotory arrest. We show that neuronal mitochondria undergo DRP-1-dependent fission in response to anoxia and undergo refusion upon reoxygenation. The hypoxia response pathway, including EGL-9 and HIF-1, is not required for anoxia-induced fission, but does regulate mitochondrial reconstitution during reoxygenation. Mutants for egl-9 exhibit a rapid refusion of mitochondria and a rapid behavioral recovery from suspended animation during reoxygenation; both phenotypes require HIF-1. Mitochondria are significantly larger in egl-9 mutants after reoxygenation, a phenotype similar to stress-induced mitochondria hyperfusion (SIMH). Anoxia results in mitochondrial oxidative stress, and the oxidative response factor SKN-1/Nrf is required for both rapid mitochondrial refusion and rapid behavioral recovery during reoxygenation. In response to anoxia, SKN-1 promotes the expression of the mitochondrial resident protein Stomatin-like 1 (STL-1), which helps facilitate mitochondrial dynamics following anoxia. Our results suggest the existence of a conserved anoxic stress response involving changes in mitochondrial fission and fusion.
Investigative and Clinical Urology | 2016
Rachel Davis; Nicholas J. Farber; Alexandra Tabakin; Isaac Yi Kim; Sammy E. Elsamra
Open radical cystectomy (ORC) is the current gold standard treatment for muscle invasive bladder cancer. As surgeons become more proficient in minimally invasive and robotic surgical techniques, the number of patients undergoing robotic-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) is increasing. Although minimally invasive methods are on the rise, research that critically compares open surgery with robotic methods is limited. In this review, we surveyed and appraised the current literature comparing ORC and RARC with regards to perioperative, functional, and oncologic outcomes in order to distinguish the benefits and disadvantages of each method. Here we report that RARC is associated with several perioperative advantages over ORC such as lower estimated blood loss and transfusion rate, and possibly faster gastrointestinal recovery, lower narcotic requirement, and shorter length of stay. ORC is less costly and permits less time in the operating room. Recent data suggests that there is no difference between ORC and RARC when comparing urinary continence and postoperative quality of life. Moreover, ORC and RARC are both associated with similar rates of obtaining positive surgical margins, lymph node yield, and recurrence. However, RARC patients had an increased likelihood of having distant metastases to extrapelvic lymph nodes and the peritoneum. At this point, it is unclear if ORC or RARC has superior patient outcomes, and more research is needed to ascertain management-altering conclusions.
Urology | 2018
Alexandra Tabakin; John L. Dutton; Aisha Fatima; Evita T. Sadimin; Thomas L. Jang
A 41-year-old female patient presented with left-sided flank pain and gross hematuria temporally unrelated to her menstrual cycle. Abdominal computed tomography scan showed a large left-sided solid, enhancing kidney mass radiographically consistent with renal cell carcinoma. Following surgical resection, histopathological examination revealed polypoid endometriosis. Polypoid endometriosis is rare and mimics a neoplasm clinically, radiographically, and on gross examination. Patients with polypoid endometriosis often present with symptoms related to mass effect rather than classic endometriosis hallmark symptoms such as dyspareunia, dysmenorrhea, and cyclic abdominal pain. Treatment includes surgical resection.
Journal of Clinical Urology | 2018
Kushan Radadia; Nicholas J. Farber; Alexandra Tabakin; Wei Wang; Hiren V. Patel; Charles F. Polotti; Robert E. Weiss; Sammy E. Elsamra; Isaac Yi Kim; Eric A. Singer; Mark N. Stein; Tina M. Mayer; Thomas L. Jang
Objective: Alvimopan use has reduced the length of hospital stay in patients undergoing major abdominal surgeries and radical cystectomy. Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for testicular cancer may be associated with delayed gastrointestinal recovery prolonging hospital length of stay. We evaluate whether alvimopan is associated with enhanced gastrointestinal recovery and shorter hospital length of stay in men undergoing retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for testicular cancer. Materials and methods: From 2010 to 2016, 29 patients underwent open, transperitoneal bilateral template retroperitoneal lymph node dissection. Data for patients who received alvimopan were prospectively collected and compared to a historical cohort of patients who did not receive alvimopan. Primary outcome measures were length of stay and recovery of gastrointestinal function. Descriptive statistics were reported. Time-to-event outcomes were evaluated using cumulative incidence curves and log rank test. Factors associated with length of stay were analyzed for correlation using multiple linear regression. Results: Of 29 men undergoing retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, eight received alvimopan and 21 did not. The two cohorts were well matched, with no significant differences. In the alvimopan cohort compared with those who did not receive alvimopan median time to return of flatus was 2 versus 4 days (p=0.0002), and median time to first bowel movement was 2.5 versus 5 days (p=0.046), respectively. Median length of stay in the alvimopan cohort was 4 days versus 6 days in those who did not receive alvimopan (p=0.074). In adjusted analyses, receipt of alvimopan did not influence length of stay. Conclusion: Alvimopan may facilitate gastrointestinal recovery after retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for testicular cancer. Whether this translates into reduced length of stay needs to be determined by randomized controlled trials using larger cohorts. Level of evidence: 3b.
The Journal of Urology | 2017
Nicholas Farber; Izak Faiena; Viktor Y. Dombrovskiy; Alexandra Tabakin; Brian Shinder; Rutveej Patel; Sammy Elsamra; Thomas L. Jang; Eric A. Singer; Robert M. Weiss
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The effect of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is poorly understood. We evaluated changes in HRQOL in patients with a new diagnosis of NMIBC compared with the general population using the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (MHOS) database. METHODS: We identified 325 Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with NMIBC between initial and 2-year follow-up using SEERMHOS data (1998-2013). NMIBC patients who underwent cystoscopy with biopsy or transurethral resection of bladder tumor(s) for bladder cancer were propensity matched 1:5 to non-cancer controls (n1⁄41685). Changes from baseline in the physical component score (PCS) and mental component score (MCS), which are normalized to between 0-100, where 50 represents the US population mean, were compared between NMIBC patients and non-cancer controls with c testing and multivariate linear regression analysis. We secondarily assessed differences in urinary symptoms on post-diagnosis surveys with univariate and multivariate models. RESULTS: Pre-diagnosis, mean PCS (39.94 vs 39.54, p 1⁄4 0.71) and mean MCS (52.03 vs 52.17, p 1⁄4 0.82) scores were similar between NMIBC patients and matched non-cancer controls. Postdiagnosis, NMIBC patients had a significantly greater decrease in PCS compared with controls (-2.87 (95% CI -3.87, -1.86) vs. -1.47 (95% CI -1.93, -1.02), p 1⁄4 0.02). Conversely, mean MCS change did not vary between groups (-1.79 (95% CI -2.76, -0.81) vs. -0.72 (95% CI -1.21, -0.23), p 1⁄4 0.09). With respect to urinary function, NMIBC pts were more likely to have worsening of urinary leakage (38.0 % vs 18.7 %, p1⁄4 < 0.01), require physician intervention for urinary symptoms (33.9 % vs 13.7 %, p1⁄4 <0.01 ), and receive treatment for urine leakage (31.6 % vs 12.0 %, p1⁄4 <0.01 ) compared with non-cancer controls (p 1⁄4 <0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of NMIBC is associated with a significant decrease in physical HRQOL, including a significant impact on urinary symptoms and leakage. Further efforts to prospectively evaluate HRQOL in patients with NMIBC should be pursued to inform and improve patient counseling.
Bladder Cancer | 2018
Nicholas J. Farber; Izak Faiena; Viktor Y. Dombrovskiy; Alexandra Tabakin; Brian Shinder; Rutveej Patel; Sammy E. Elsamra; Thomas L. Jang; Eric A. Singer; Robert E. Weiss
The Journal of Urology | 2018
Alexandra Tabakin; Sinae Kim; Charles F. Polotti; Zorimar Rivera-Núñez; Joshua Sterling; Parth Modi; Nicholas Farber; Kushan Radadia; Rahul R. Parikh; Sharad Goyal; Robert E. Weiss; Isaac Yi Kim; Sammy Elsamra; Eric A. Singer; Thomas L. Jang
The Journal of Urology | 2017
Kushan Radadia; Nicholas Farber; Alexandra Tabakin; Wei Wang; Lee Milas; Thomas L. Jang
Journal of Clinical Oncology | 2017
Kushan Radadia; Nicholas Farber; Alexandra Tabakin; Lee Milas; Thomas L. Jang
The Journal of Urology | 2016
Izak Faiena; Alexandra Tabakin; Jeffrey J. Leow; Neal Patel; Parth Modi; Amirali Hassanzadeh Salmasi; Benjamin I. Chung; Steven D. Chang; Eric A. Singer