UCLA Pathology and Laboratory Medicine—Fall/Winter Edition December 2014 | Page 1

Inside this issue:

Fall/Winter Newsletter—2014

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS,

2

HOLIDAY EVENTS AND DEPARTMENT

NEWS

3

NEW EMPLOYEES 4

PUBLICATIONS 5

PUBLICATIONS

CONTINUED

6

CAP/AABB Inspection was a success

On Monday October 27, a 15-member team from Vanderbilt University Medical Center arrived at the

doors of the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center ready to serve as inspectors for the College of

American Pathologists (CAP). Two representatives from Scottsdale, AZ served as inspectors for the

American Association for Blood Banks (AABB). Laboratory accreditation is of paramount importance

because it establishes a level of excellence that we then strive to exceed. The teams spent two and a

half days scrutinizing all areas of the department including but not limited to: Ronald Reagan Core

Laboratory and Support Services, Santa Monica Hospital, Brentwood Annex, Anatomic Pathology,

Molecular Diagnostics Laboratories, and the Bruin University Reference Laboratory at Panorama City.

Other than a few easily remedied minor deficiencies, the team of inspectors had nothing but the highest

praise for the department that was clearly above and beyond CAP & AABB expec-

tations. With sincere admiration, the inspectors mentioned that UCLA was a beauti-

ful facility that was a pleasure to visit. They were very impressed by the sense of

ownership and the focus on patient care all sites displayed via a superb level of

collaboration & communication. When asked whether they would want a loved one

treated here at UCLA, the team unanimously stated, ―Wholeheartedly Yes!‖

UCLA Health / CTI Medical Laboratories, a new partnership between the world renowned Uni-

versity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Health enterprise and China’s leading product and

environmental quality testing and validation firm, Centre Testing International (CTI), hosted a

wildly successful Launch Ceremony on November 19th in the Zhabei district of Shanghai.

During the event, Mayor Garcetti presided over the ceremonial logo unveiling and partnership ribbon cutting; he also presented a

certificate to the co-founders of the laboratory, Sangem Hsu, President of CTI and Dr. Scott Binder, Senior Vice Chair of Pathol-

ogy and Director of Pathology Laboratory Services at UCLA commemorating the exciting new partnership which links two of

the Pacific’s most vibrant cities. | Read More | More Pictures | Medical Lab Profile

UCLA Health/ CTI Medical Laboratories Launch Ceremony Celebrates

Groundbreaking Partnership

U C L A P A T H O L O G Y A N D L A B O R A T O R Y M E D I C I N E

Q U A R T E R L Y N E W S L E T T E R

UCLA Pathology and Laboratory Medicine—Fall/Winter Edition December 2014 | Page 2

Awards and Recognitions

Congratulations to Dr. Wanwisa Himakhum

who has been chosen as the recipient of the

Foundation Travel Scholarship from the Amer-

ican Society of Cytopathology.

Congratulations to Dr. Rita Effros as she

takes office as the president of the Gerontolog-

ical Society of America. | Read More

Congratulations to Dr. Linda Baum, who has

been inducted as a Fellow of the American

Association for the Advancement of Science. |

Read More

Infectious Disease Isolation Laboratory

As part of a global effort to prepare for and respond to the Ebola

virus outbreak, several members of the department have assisted

with the development of an Isolation Laboratory at the Ronald

Reagan Medical Center. Laboratory testing will be done in the

patient’s room with point-of-care testing (POCT) meters to en-

sure that no blood leaves the secured area except under special

monitored circumstances. Department volunteers will receive

complete and comprehensive training on all of the POCT meters

that will be used; they will also receive complete training in the

donning and doffing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as

recommended by the Los Angeles County of Public Health. The-

se important steps toward preparation serve as a good reminder

of the critical importance of hand hygiene and PPE as part of our

daily routine. We deal with patients with infec-

tions such as tuberculosis and HIV and by multi-

drug resistant bacteria on a daily basis; these

infections are far more common and potentially

just as deadly as Ebola.

Social Impact Award from LA Based Anti-Human Trafficking Organization

Dr. Scott Nelson recently received the Social Impact Award at the gala dinner of the Thai Community

Development Center (Thai CDC) in Los Angeles. The Thai CDC is a 501c non-profit organization com-

mitted to serving the community of recent immigrants from Thailand and other countries. It is a nation-

wide leader in the fight against human trafficking and to this point has provided relief to over 2000 vic-

tims of modern day human slavery. Activities in this regard include rescue and immediate care of such

victims, as well as providing medical, legal, language, and immigration support; they also partner with

the judicial system in the ultimate prosecution of human traffickers. Community development activities

are many and include providing recent immigrants with the skills and knowledge to be self- sufficient

citizens and residents of our community. The Thai CDC is responsible for the establishment of Thai Town as an officially designat-

ed community in East Hollywood, and is responsible for the building of low income senior housing and many other needed commu-

nity resources. Dr. Nelson served on the Board of Directors of the Thai CDC for 8 years, and as Chairman of the Board of Directors

for 6 years. Having lived in Thailand as a young man, Dr. Nelson has retained ties with Thailand and has worked actively with Thai

non-profit organizations and the Thai medical community. He is fluent in the Thai language and his wife, Prapajit is from Thailand.

Our Award Winning Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS) Class of 2015 Congratulations to the CLS class of 2015! Their poster entitled ―Laboratory

Techniques Used for Monitoring Renal Transplant Patients‖ was a winner at

the Student Forum Day of the 2014 California Association for Medical Labor-

atory Technology’s (CAMLT) annual meeting. The CAMLT holds a Student

Day at their annual meeting; the purpose of this is to encourage students en-

tering the laboratory profession to network and become involved in organiza-

tions such as CAMLT. Presentations and posters from laboratory students in

training programs throughout California were part of the CAMLT student

Day.

Cathrine Chong, Alejandra Cortez, Kristine Gih, Jafrin Hossain, Do Nguyen,

Joseph Nolasco, Giancarlo Rodriguez, and Rose Silvas received a one year

CAMLT membership for their winning poster.

Congratulations to Dr. Haodong Xu, and his

laboratory for their recent paper in the Journal

of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology. | Read

More

UCLA Pathology and Laboratory Medicine—Fall/Winter Edition December 2014 | Page 3

October – Halloween

Pathology Faculty and Staff get into the Halloween spirit.

Core Lab assists UCLA Wellness with ―Movember‖ Men’s Health Clinic

―Movember‖ is the month formerly known as November,

where men and women across the globe join together to

raise awareness for men’s health issues. Men grow and

women support a Mo (mustache) for 30 days to become

walking, talking billboards for men’s health causes such

as prostate and testicular cancer initiatives. On

―Movember‖ 20, at the John Wooden Center, staff from the UCLA Ronald Reagan

Medical Center Core Laboratory (Volunteers who were at the event: Lavita Boyd,

Khanh Andrews, Lauren Stompe, Nathan Okawa, and Dawn Stene) assisted with

performing FREE cholesterol and glucose. The purpose was to help students, faculty,

and staff at an event entitled ―Mo Your Numbers‖, an effort designed to help the

public learn their numbers and get educated about their health. This year nearly 400

attended and 146 were screened - a fantastic increase in participation. UCLA Health

was able to provide a much more comprehensive screening to participants. A special

thank-you to Lavita for coordinating this enormous effort. We truly appreciate every-

thing you have done to make this a success and demonstrate a professional laboratory

presence at this event.

November Events—Movember

The men and women of the UCLA Pathology Department

celebrated Movember in fine form. This year marked a new

high in our department’s tradition of Movember participation.

Movember is a month long movement of mustache growth to

raise awareness and funds for men’s health, including prostate

cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health issues.

Department News

Clinical Laboratory Management Association (CLMA) ESSAY CONTEST

Joseph Nolasco, a California State University Dominguez Hills affiliated Clinical Laboratory Scientist

(CLS) student placed first in the CLMA Greater Los Angeles Chapter’s 2014 Essay Contest. Joseph’s

essay describing how he would encourage others to pursue a career in Clinical Laboratory Science was

awarded the top prize of $1000 during the chapter’s Annual Young LAB Summer Soiree. The theme of

Joseph’s essay was to raise awareness of the prominent role that CLSs play in patient-care by instilling

the importance of teamwork and education.

The CLMA is an international association of over 1,800 clinical laboratory professionals. The mission

of the CLMA is to ―empower laboratory professionals to achieve excellence in leadership through for-

ward-thinking educational, networking, and advocacy opportunities‖.

UCLA Pathology and Laboratory Medicine—Fall/Winter Edition December 2014 | Page 4

Welcome New Employees

Lalaine Bartolome – CLS, Brentwood

Gina Bonifacio – HLT, Flow Cytometry

Malaya Garcia – HLT, Cytogenetics

Christina Gunning – CLS, SMH

Kelly Jew – CPT, SMH

Wing Kwok- HLT, Blood Processing Lab

Arminda Mestre – HLT, Cytogenetics

Janice Minko – CLS, SMH

Gay Vergara-CLS, SMH

Chanida Anukul – Sr. CLS Specialist, SMH

Wei Bai – Sr. CLS Specialist, Molecular Pathology

Dennis D. Bedural – CPT III, RRH Core Lab

Emmanuel Deang – HLT I, Brentwood

Thuy Nguyen –CLS, Brentwood

Patrick Ravelo- CLS, SMH

November 2014

October 2014

Welcome Dylan Acogny, our new School of Medicine

Ergonomics, Safety, and Compliance Coordinator to

Pathology

Dylan will be working in the Operations Management

group assisting Pathology’s Research labs and school

employees in safety and ergonomics. Dylan was born in

France, but has lived in Southern California for most of

his life. He is a recent graduate from California State

University, Northridge (CSUN), where he completed his

Masters in Environmental and Occupational Health, es-

tablishing research, critical thinking, analysis, and scien-

tific writing skills. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in

Environmental and Occupational Health from CSUN as

well, which set his foundation in scientific knowledge.

His educational and professional focus has been on safe-

ty and he brings with him experience working at Amgen

and Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center. He has

knowledge of industrial hygiene, safety, ergonomics,

laboratory research, radiation safety, and waste manage-

ment. Dylan is excited to be a part of the Pathology and

Laboratory Medicine team and

looks forward to collaborating with

everyone to support the department

and share his knowledge to aid any-

one in need of assistance.

December 2014

Juvy T. Carig – CPT, Support Services

Melissa Cobarrubias – Cytotechnologist, Cytology

Marine Kupalyan – Admin Assist III, Cytology

Diana Pearson – CLS, RRH Core Lab

Frodina N. Pinckney – CLS , Flow Cytometry/Bone Marrow

Sonnyboy Viray – CPT, Support Services

UCLA Pathology and Laboratory Medicine—Fall/Winter Edition December 2014 | Page 5

One of the goals of the Pathology Research Alumni Committee is to highlight publications from our current and

recently former graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and residents in the departmental newsletter. If anyone

has additional publications (newly published, first-author only) that should be highlighted, please contact Doug

Smoot (dsmoot@mednet.ucla.edu).

PATHOLOGY RESEARCH ALUMNI COMMITTEE & PUBLICATIONS

-- Joshua Deignan, PhD, FACMG, Assistant Professor, Pathology & Laboratory

Medicine, Chair, Pathology Research Alumni Committee

June—November 2014

GSRs:

Maomeng Tong – Recent GSR (Jonathan Braun lab)

Sampling of Intestinal Microbiota and Targeted Amplification of Bacte-

rial 16S rRNA Genes for Microbial Ecologic Analysis.

Tong M, Jacobs JP, McHardy IH, Braun J.

Curr Protoc Immunol. 2014 Nov 3;107:7.41.1-7.41.11. doi:

10.1002/0471142735.im0741s107.

Reprograming of gut microbiome energy metabolism by the FUT2

Crohn's disease risk polymorphism.

Tong M, McHardy I, Ruegger P, Goudarzi M, Kashyap PC, Haritunians

T, Li X, Graeber TG, Schwager E, Huttenhower C, Fornace AJ Jr, Son-

nenburg JL, McGovern DP, Borneman J, Braun J.

ISME J. 2014 Nov;8(11):2193-206. doi: 10.1038/ismej.2014.64. Epub

2014 Apr 29.

Jonathan Jacobs – GSR (Jonathan Braun lab)

Immune and genetic gardening of the intestinal microbiome.

Jacobs JP, Braun J.

FEBS Lett. 2014 Nov 17;588(22):4102-4111. doi: 10.1016/

j.febslet.2014.02.052. Epub 2014 Mar 5. Review.

Lisa Kohn – CMP Graduate (Gay Crooks lab)

Human lymphoid development in the absence of common γ-chain re-

ceptor signaling.

Kohn LA, Seet CS, Scholes J, Codrea F, Chan R, Zaidi-Merchant S,

Zhu Y, De Oliveira S, Kapoor N, Shah A, Abdel-Azim H, Kohn DB,

Crooks GM.

J Immunol. 2014 Jun 1;192(11):5050-8. doi: 10.4049/

jimmunol.1303496. Epub 2014 Apr 25.

Michael Arensman – CMP Student (David Dawson lab)

The CREB-binding protein inhibitor ICG-001 suppresses pancreatic

cancer growth.

Arensman MD, Telesca D, Lay AR, Kershaw KM, Wu N, Donahue TR,

Dawson DW.

Mol Cancer Ther. 2014 Oct;13(10):2303-14. doi: 10.1158/1535-

7163.MCT-13-1005. Epub 2014 Jul 31.

Jennifer Chou – CMP Graduate (Rita Effros lab)

Prostaglandin E2 promotes features of replicative senescence in chroni-

cally activated human CD8+ T cells.

Chou JP, Ramirez CM, Ryba DM, Koduri MP, Effros RB.

PLoS One. 2014 Jun 11;9(6):e99432. doi: 10.1371/

journal.pone.0099432. eCollection 2014. Erratum in: PLoS One.

Parrisa Solaimani – Recent GSR (Oliver Hankinson lab)

SIN3A, Generally Regarded as a Transcriptional Repressor, Is Required

for Induction of Gene Transcription by the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor.

Solaimani P, Wang F, Hankinson O.

J Biol Chem. 2014 Nov 28;289(48):33655-62. doi: 10.1074/

jbc.M114.611236. Epub 2014 Oct 10.

William Kim - CMP Graduate (Gay Crooks lab)

Erythropoiesis from human embryonic stem cells through erythropoietin

-independent AKT signaling.

Kim WS, Zhu Y, Deng Q, Chin CJ, He CB, Grieco AJ, Dravid GG,

Parekh C, Hollis RP, Lane TF, Bouhassira EE, Kohn DB, Crooks GM.

Stem Cells. 2014 Jun;32(6):1503-14. doi: 10.1002/stem.1677.

Post Docs:

Ronik Khachatoorian - Postdoc (Samuel French lab)

Structural characterization of the HSP70 interaction domain of the hepa-

titis C viral protein NS5A.

Khachatoorian R, Ruchala P, Waring A, Jung CL, Ganapathy E, Wheat-

ley N, Sundberg C, Arumugaswami V, Dasgupta A, French SW.

Virology. 2014 Nov 25;475C:46-55. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2014.10.011.

[Epub ahead of print]

Lin Lin – Recent Postdoc (Jonathan Braun lab)

Human NK cells licensed by killer Ig receptor genes have an altered

cytokine program that modifies CD4+ T cell function.

Lin L, Ma C, Wei B, Aziz N, Rajalingam R, Yusung S, Erlich HA,

Trachtenberg EA, Targan SR, McGovern DP, Heath JR, Braun J.

J Immunol. 2014 Jul 15;193(2):940-9. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1400093.

Epub 2014 Jun 16.

Dhong Hyun Lee – Recent Postdoc (Jonathan Said lab)

Synergistic effect of JQ1 and rapamycin for treatment of human osteo-

sarcoma.

Lee DH, Qi J, Bradner JE, Said JW, Doan NB, Forscher C, Yang H,

Koeffler HP.

Int J Cancer. 2014 Oct 11. doi: 10.1002/ijc.29269. [Epub ahead of

print]

Thomas Zangle – Recent Postdoc (Michael Teitell lab)

Live-cell mass profiling: an emerging approach in quantitative biophys-

ics.

Zangle TA, Teitell MA.

Nat Methods. 2014 Nov 25;11(12):1221-8. doi: 10.1038/nmeth.3175.

Christina Priest – Postdoc (Peter Tontonoz lab)

SUMOylation places LRH-1 in PROXimity to lipid metabolism.

Priest C, Tontonoz P.

Cell Metab. 2014 Oct 7;20(4):558-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2014.09.008.

Stephen Lee – Postdoc (Peter Tontonoz lab)

Eosinophils in fat: pink is the new brown.

Lee SD, Tontonoz P.

Cell. 2014 Jun 5;157(6):1249-50. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.05.025.

UCLA Pathology and Laboratory Medicine—Fall/Winter Edition December 2014 | Page 6

Newsletter Committee: Arnold Scheer, Daisy Castro, Bushra Yasin, and Khanh Andrews

Send us your suggestions for future newsletters at : Email Dcastro@mednet.ucla.edu

Publications Continued

Randall Chin – Postdoc (Jing Huang lab)

The metabolite α-ketoglutarate extends lifespan by inhibiting ATP

synthase and TOR.

Chin RM, Fu X, Pai MY, Vergnes L, Hwang H, Deng G, Diep S, Lo-

menick B, Meli VS, Monsalve GC, Hu E, Whelan SA, Wang JX, Jung

G, Solis GM, Fazlollahi F, Kaweeteerawat C, Quach A, Nili M, Krall

AS, Godwin HA, Chang HR, Faull KF, Guo F, Jiang M, Trauger SA,

Saghatelian A, Braas D, Christofk HR, Clarke CF, Teitell MA, Pet-

rascheck M, Reue K, Jung ME, Frand AR, Huang J.

Nature. 2014 Jun 19;510(7505):397-401. doi: 10.1038/nature13264.

Epub 2014 May 14.

Residents/Fellows:

Jennifer Woo – Resident

A Novel Association of Biventricular Cardiac Non-Compaction and

Diabetic Embryopathy: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Woo JS, Perez-Rosendahl M, Haydel DM, Perens G, Fishbein MC.

Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014 Nov 11. [Epub ahead of print]

Aaron James – Resident

Splenic hamartomas in Alagille syndrome: case report and literature

review.

James AW, Nguyen A, Said J, Genshaft S, Lassman CR, Teitell M.

Fetal Pediatr Pathol. 2014 Aug;33(4):216-25. doi:

10.3109/15513815.2014.913748. Epub 2014 May 27.

Circulating tumor cells in sarcomas: A brief review.

Chang L, Asatrian G, Dry SM, James AW. Med Oncol. Dec 2014,

Accepted for publication. Communicating author.

Clinical and histopathological diagnosis of glomus tumor: An institu-

tional experience of 138 cases.

Mravic M, LaChaud G, Nguyen A, Scott MA, Dry SM, James AW.

Int J Surg Path. Dec 2014, Accepted for publication. Communicating

author.

Cytogenetics of melanoma: A brief review.

James AW, Chang L, Shrestha S, Cochran A, Binder S, Tirado CA. J

Assoc Genetic Technologists, Oct 2014, Accepted for publication.

Communicating author.

Pericytes and perivascular stem cells in tumor biology. Scott MA,

Shen J, Lam K, Yen YH, Mravic M, Lugassy C, Barnhill RL, Dry SM,

Peault B, James AW. Int J Ortho. Oct 2014, Invited Review. Com-

municating author.

Stem cell technology for bone regeneration: current status and poten-

tial applications. Asatrian G, Pham D, Hardy WR, James AW, Peault

B. Stem Cells and Cloning: Advances and Applications. Invited re-

view, Oct 2014, Epub ahead of print. Communicating author.

Michael Alberti – Resident

Influence of serum separator tubes on mycophenolic acid concentra-

tions determined by HPLC.

Alberti MO, Fukuchi AM, Kelly KA.

Ther Drug Monit. 2014 Oct;36(5):686-7. doi: 10.1097/

FTD.0000000000000066. No abstract available.

Atsuko Seki – Recent Fellow

Posterolateral hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a rare, but clinically sig-

nificant variant of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Seki A, Perens G, Fishbein MC.

Cardiovasc Pathol. 2014 Nov-Dec;23(6):381-2. doi: 10.1016/

j.carpath.2014.07.002. Epub 2014 Jul 15.

Reply to the editor-does the cervical vagus contain sympathetic fibers

that act on the heart?

Seki A, Chen PS, Fishbein MC.

Heart Rhythm. 2014 Oct;11(10):e79-80. doi: 10.1016/

j.hrthm.2014.07.009. Epub 2014 Jul 9. No abstract available.

Predicting the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy.

Seki A, Fishbein MC.

Cardiovasc Pathol. 2014 Sep-Oct;23(5):253-60. doi: 10.1016/

j.carpath.2014.05.001. Epub 2014 May 21.

Sympathetic nerve fibers in human cervical and thoracic vagus nerves.

Seki A, Green HR, Lee TD, Hong L, Tan J, Vinters HV, Chen PS,

Fishbein MC.

Heart Rhythm. 2014 Aug;11(8):1411-7. doi: 10.1016/

j.hrthm.2014.04.032. Epub 2014 Apr 24.

Shino Magaki – Resident

Comorbidity in dementia: update of an ongoing autopsy study.

Magaki S, Yong WH, Khanlou N, Tung S, Vinters HV.

J Am Geriatr Soc. 2014 Sep;62(9):1722-8. doi: 10.1111/jgs.12977.

Epub 2014 Jul 15.

Maria Vergara-Lluri – Recent Fellow

Comparative evaluation of ProEx C and ImmunoCyt/uCyt assays in

atypical urine cytology.

Vergara-Lluri ME, Hu E, Rao JY, Levin M, Apple SK, Moatamed

NA.

Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2014 Sep;138(9):1215-22. doi: 10.5858/

arpa.2013-0433-OA.

Winnie Wu – Fellow

Strong expression of chemokine receptor CCR9 in diffuse large B-cell

lymphoma and follicular lymphoma strongly correlates with gastroin-

testinal involvement.

Wu W, Doan N, Said J, Karunasiri D, Pullarkat ST.

Hum Pathol. 2014 Jul;45(7):1451-8. doi: 10.1016/

j.humpath.2014.02.021. Epub 2014 Mar 13.