Newswise — December 4, 2014—(BRONX, NY)—Investigators at Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care (MECCC), The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University’s NCI–designated Albert Einstein Cancer Center will present their findings at the American Society of Hematology’s (ASH) 56th Annual Meeting and Exposition on therapeutic options for disorders like thrombosis and diseases such as childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia and sickle cell disease. ASH 2014 will take place December 6-9, 2014 in San Francisco.

Below are the Montefiore and Einstein oral presentations that will take place during the meeting. Researchers are available for media interviews.

1. Ovarian Vein Thrombosis: Clinical Features, Risk Factors, and Outcomes – Presented by Amer Assal, M.D., Division of Hematology-Oncology, Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care and Einstein. Session 331. Pathophysiology of Thrombosis: Risk factors and biomarkers. Monday, December 8, 5:30pm; West Building, 2006-2008 (Moscone Center).• The largest study on ovarian vein thrombosis (OVT) to date, investigated incidence, clinical features and therapeutic options for this disorder, which does not have consensus on treatment. Results found that OVT can occur within either ovarian vein, but occurs predominantly on the right in peripartum patients. Anticoagulation was not associated with decreased recurrence rate, providing evidence that a prospective study of patients is needed to determine the best therapy for OVT.

2. Polymorphisms in Genes Related to Oxidative Stress Are Associated with Inferior Cognitive Function after Therapy for Childhood ALL – Presented by Peter Cole, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics, Einstein and attending physician, Division of Hematology-Oncology, director, Hematologic Malignancy Service, Montefiore. Session: 902. Health Services and Outcomes Research – Malignant Diseases: Late Effects after Treatment of Hematological Malignancies/Quality of Care. Tuesday, December 9, 8:15AM; West Building, 3006-3008 (Moscone Center).• Neurocognitive deficits are a major problem among survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This study evaluated whether some of the observed patient variability in cognitive outcomes can be explained by inherited polymorphisms in genes related to the multifactorial pathophysiology of treatment-induced cognitive decline.

3. Reducing Health Care Utilization in Sickle Cell Disease Patients By Implementation of an Individualized, Multimodal Care Plan during Hospital Admission and at Inpatient to Outpatient Discharge – Presented by Deepa Manwani, M.D., associate professor of clinical pediatrics, Einstein, and director, Sickle Cell Disease Program, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Montefiore. Session: 901. Health Services and Outcomes Research – Non-Malignant Conditions: Sickle Cell Disease: Current Challenges and Potential Solutions. Monday, December 8, 11:45 AM; West Building, 3006-3008 (Moscone Center).• Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a chronic illness characterized by vaso-occlusive complications leading to unpredictable episodes of pain, cumulative organ damage and high health care utilization rates. Lack of outpatient follow up with a trained hematologist following hospitalization increases SCD readmission rates. Implementation of an individualized, multimodal care plan during the inpatient stay and at the inpatient to outpatient discharge resulted in reduced acute care utilization with a 38% reduction the 30 day readmission rate.

Each year, the American Society of Hematology offers merit-based awards to trainees with high-scoring annual meeting abstracts. 2014 Abstract Achievement Awards were presented to several Montefiore-Einstein trainees, including: Aditi Shastri, M.D., whose abstract is titled “Targeting of MDS & AML Stem Cells Via Inhibition of STAT3 by Pyrimethamine;” medical student Monica Zell, whose abstract is titled “Analysis of Large Cohort Shows That Caribbean Adult T Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma Is a Chemotherapy Refractory Disease with Very Poor Prognosis that Behaves Distinctly from Japanese Subtypes;” and Tushar D. Bhagat, Ph.D., whose abstract is titled “Myelodysplastic Syndrome Marrow Stroma Shows Widespread Aberrant Hypermethylation That Is Abrogated By Treatment with Dnmt Inhibitors.”

More than 10 posters will be presented at the meeting, this also includes a poster by Montefiore internal medicine resident Timothy Geoffrey Bowler, PhD, MBBS, which found novel mutations and high rates of false positive mutations in MLL3, via exome sequencing of Familial myelodysplastic syndromes. ###About Montefiore Health SystemMontefiore Health System is a premier academic health system and the University Hospital for Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Combining nationally-recognized clinical excellence with a population health perspective that focuses on the comprehensive needs of the communities it serves, Montefiore delivers coordinated, compassionate, science-driven care where, when and how patients need it most. Montefiore consists of seven hospitals and an extended care facility with a total of 2,455 beds, a School of Nursing, and state-of-the-art primary and specialty care provided through a network of more than 150 locations across the region, including the largest school health program in the nation and a home health program. The Children's Hospital at Montefiore is consistently named in U.S. News' "America's Best Children's Hospitals." Montefiore's partnership with Einstein advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. The health system derives its inspiration for excellence from its patients and community, and continues to be on the frontlines of developing innovative approaches to care. For more information please visit www.montefiorehealthsystem.org. Follow us on Twitter; like us on Facebook; view us on YouTube.

About Albert Einstein College of MedicineAlbert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University is one of the nation’s premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2014-2015 academic year, Einstein is home to 742 M.D. students, 212 Ph.D. students, 102 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 292 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 2,000 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2014, Einstein received $158 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Through its extensive affiliation network involving Montefiore, Jacobi Medical Center—Einstein’s founding hospital, and three other hospital systems in the Bronx, Brooklyn and on Long Island, Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States. For more information, please visit www.einstein.yu.edu, read our blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and view us on YouTube.

Meeting Link: ASH 2014