IT Workforce: Point-Counterpoint Dialogue between Academic Professionals and IT Leaders

The challenges of developing the IT workforce are greater than ever. The challenges include recruiting talented students into MIS and IT majors, retaining talented candidates in the IT/MIS field, and developing programs that prepare entry-level and experienced IT professionals in the right skill sets to meet the needs of employers. The dialogue we propose will enable both academic professionals and industry leaders to talk about the challenges they face and to exchange viewpoints about how to meet these challenges

Somatic Mutation Profiles of MSI and MSS Colorectal Cancer Identified by Whole Exome Next Generation Sequencing and Bioinformatics Analysis

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is with approximately 1 million cases the third most common cancer worldwide. Extensive research is ongoing to decipher the underlying genetic patterns with the hope to improve early cancer diagnosis and treatment. In this direction, the recent progress in next generation sequencing technologies has revolutionized the field of cancer genomics. However, one caveat of these studies remains the large amount of genetic variations identified and their interpretation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we present the first work on whole exome NGS of primary colon cancers. We performed 454 whole exome pyrosequencing of tumor as well as adjacent not affected normal colonic tissue from microsatellite stable (MSS) and microsatellite instable (MSI) colon cancer patients and identified more than 50,000 small nucleotide variations for each tissue. According to predictions based on MSS and MSI pathomechanisms we identified eight times more somatic non-synonymous variations in MSI cancers than in MSS and we were able to reproduce the result in four additional CRCs. Our bioinformatics filtering approach narrowed down the rate of most significant mutations to 359 for MSI and 45 for MSS CRCs with predicted altered protein functions. In both CRCs, MSI and MSS, we found somatic mutations in the intracellular kinase domain of bone morphogenetic protein receptor 1A, BMPR1A, a gene where so far germline mutations are associated with juvenile polyposis syndrome, and show that the mutations functionally impair the protein function. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We conclude that with deep sequencing of tumor exomes one may be able to predict the microsatellite status of CRC and in addition identify potentially clinically relevant mutations

Alternative Therapy for Epstein-Barr Virus Related Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rapidly fatal condition characterized by excessive immune activation. HLH can occur as a familial or sporadic acquired disorder. Acquired HLH is more frequently found in adults and is commonly secondary to infections, malignancies, or autoimmune diseases. Diagnosing HLH is challenging because of the rare occurrence, variable presentation, and nonspecific findings of this disorder. Diagnosis of HLH can be based on the diagnostic criteria which were used in the HLH-2004 trial. Given the rarity of this disease, protocols for its treatment have developed slowly, and obtaining adequate short-term and long-term control of the disease continues to be a challenge. Conventional induction therapy for HLH is dexamethasone and etoposide (VP-16), followed by or with cyclosporine. Intrathecal methotrexate ± hydrocortisone is given to those with central nervous system disease. We are reporting a patient who was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) related HLH. He achieved complete remission with rituximab alone. To our knowledge, this is the first case of an adult patient with EBV related HLH who went into remission with rituximab therapy alone, without using the conventional chemotherapy