Nathan Berger - Academia.edu

Nathan Berger

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Papers

Breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Hospitalizations, and Mortality in Vaccinated Patients With Cancer in the US Between December 2020 and November 2021

JAMA Oncology

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Associations Between Obesity and Changes in Adult BMI Over Time and Colon Cancer Risk

Obesity, 2008

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Sustaining Student Engagement – Successes and Challenges of a Virtual STEM Program for High School Students

The Journal of STEM Outreach, 2021

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Physical function and quality of life in patients with chronic GvHD: a summary of preclinical and clinical studies and a call for exercise intervention trials in patients

Bone Marrow Transplantation, 2015

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Abstract A21: Exercising our AABCs: A community-based pilot intervention in African American breast cancer survivors (AABCs)

Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 2012

African-American (AA) women have higher rates of breast cancer (BRCA) mortality than Caucasian wo... more African-American (AA) women have higher rates of breast cancer (BRCA) mortality than Caucasian women and, this disparity is even greater in certain local communities including Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Randomized control trials involving supervised aerobic and resistance training exercise have shown improved body composition and quality of life (QoL) in BRCA patients; however, most studies have focused on Caucasian women and many have been conducted in clinic-based settings. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a 20-week, supervised, resistance training, group exercise intervention coupled with a support group program and home walking program utilizing facilities and personnel at a community cancer support center (The Gathering Place, Beachwood, Ohio) in 18 AA Stage I-III BRCA survivors who were within 12 months of completing treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation). On average, the patients were 56.4 ± 10.8 years old and had a baseline BMI of 32.5 ± 6.3 kg/m2. Attendance rates were 70.0 ± 19.1% for the exercise sessions and 63.1 ± 13.8% for the support group. We found a post-treatment decrease in waist circumference (Baseline (B):93.7 ± 14.1 cm; End of Treatment (EOT): 92.0 ± 14.0 cm; p=0.02) and total body fat (B: 45.4 ± 7.1%; EOT: 44.1 ± 7.9%; p=0.01) and an increase in lean mass (B: 42.4 ± 4.4 kg; EOT: 43.2 ± 4.8 kg; p=0.02) among those who attended 70% or more of the sessions (n=12). We also found a clinically relevant improvement in overall QoL using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B) scale (B: 101.1 ± 21.5; EOT: 108.6 ± 19.8; p=0.05). Our preliminary results demonstrate that conducting lifestyle interventions in AA BRCA survivors in a community setting is feasible. Future interventions should include strategies to enhance adherence and include dietary and supervised aerobic exercise components to enable greater weight loss. Citation Format: Nora L. Nock, Cynthia Owusu, Emily S. Kullman, Kris Austin, Beth Roth, Carl Harmon, Stephen Cerne, Halle Moore, Paul Hergenroeder, Mary Vargo, Hermione Malone, Michael Rocco, Hillard M. Lazarus, John P. Kirwan, Ellen Heyman, Nathan A. Berger. Exercising our AABCs: A community-based pilot intervention in African American breast cancer survivors (AABCs). [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fifth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2012 Oct 27-30; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2012;21(10 Suppl):Abstract nr A21.

A time to stop, a time to start: high-dose chemotherapy in overweight and obese patients

Bone marrow transplantation, Jan 2, 2015

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Cancer in the elderly

Journal of cancer epidemiology, 2014

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Race, age, and obesity disparities in adult physical activity levels in breast cancer patients and controls

Frontiers in public health, 2014

Physical activity has been shown to be inversely associated with breast cancer recurrence and sur... more Physical activity has been shown to be inversely associated with breast cancer recurrence and survival. Although physical activity is known to decline with age, rates of change in physical activity have not been well characterized in breast cancer patients and subgroups with known disparities in breast cancer survival, especially in minorities, the elderly, and the obese. We evaluated moderate and strenuous physical activity from high school through diagnosis in 1,220 breast cancer patients, and from high school to recruitment in 935 controls. We compared the proportion of patients and controls meeting the American Cancer Society (ACS) guidelines for physical activity and differences in declines in level of physical activity by race, age, and obesity. At diagnosis, only 33.2% of breast cancer patients met the ACS physical activity guidelines. Only 13.2, 24.7, and 30.5% of African-American (AA), obese, and older (≥65 years) patients met the guidelines, respectively. Controls showed s...

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A Community-Based Exercise and Support Group Program in African-American Breast Cancer Survivors (ABCs)

Journal of Physical Therapy and Health Promotion, 2013

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Targeting Epigenetics to Prevent Obesity Promoted Cancers

Cancer prevention research (Philadelphia, Pa.), Mar 1, 2018

Epigenetic changes in DNA and associated chromatin proteins are increasingly being considered as ... more Epigenetic changes in DNA and associated chromatin proteins are increasingly being considered as important mediators of the linkage between obesity and cancer. Although multiple agents, targeted at epigenetic changes, are being tested for therapy of established cancers, this issue of carries two articles demonstrating that the bromodomain inhibitor I-BET-762 can attenuate adipose tissue-promoted cancers. Although I-BET-762 significantly delayed, rather than completely prevented, the onset of adiposity-promoted transformation and malignancy, these experiments provide important proof of principle for the strategies of targeting epigenetic changes to disrupt the obesity-cancer linkage. Because bromodomain proteins represent only one of multiple epigenetic mediators, it is probable that targeting other epigenetic processes, alone or in combination, may serve to even more effectively disrupt the obesity promotion of cancer. Given the magnitude of the current obesity pandemic and its impa...

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Apocalyptic horsemen of geriatric oncology

Translational cancer research, 2020

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Risks of SARS-CoV-2 Breakthrough Infection and Hospitalization in Fully Vaccinated Patients With Multiple Myeloma

JAMA Network Open

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Abnormal Metabolism in the Progression of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease to Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Mechanistic Insights to Chemoprevention

Cancers

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is on the rise and becoming a major contributor to the d... more Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is on the rise and becoming a major contributor to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Reasons for this include the rise in obesity and metabolic syndrome in contrast to the marked advances in prevention and treatment strategies of viral HCC. These shifts are expected to rapidly propel this trend even further in the coming decades, with NAFLD on course to become the leading etiology of end-stage liver disease and HCC. No Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications are currently available for the treatment of NAFLD, and advances are desperately needed. Numerous medications with varying mechanisms of action targeting liver steatosis and fibrosis are being investigated including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists and farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonists. Additionally, drugs targeting components of metabolic syndrome, such as antihyperglycemics, have been found to affect NAFLD progression and are ...

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Crown-like Structures in Breast Adipose Tissue from Normal Weight Women: Important Impact

Cancer prevention research (Philadelphia, Pa.), 2017

Crown-like structures (CLS), composed of macrophages surrounding dead or dying adipocytes, are a ... more Crown-like structures (CLS), composed of macrophages surrounding dead or dying adipocytes, are a histologic hallmark of the proinflammatory process by which adipose tissue contributes to the increased risk and worse prognosis of breast cancer in obese, postmenopausal patients. In this issue of Cancer Prevention Research, Iyengar and colleagues report the intriguing finding that CLS can be identified in a significant proportion of normal-BMI women undergoing mastectomy for breast cancer risk reduction or therapy. This surprising observation suggests that some normal weight women may have similar mechanisms driving initiation and/or progression of breast cancer as those contributing to the increased incidence and worse prognosis of breast cancer in obese postmenopausal women. The possibility of a common mechanism in both lean and obese women provides added impetus to more fully define this process and evaluate its important implications for prevention and screening strategies as well ...

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Prevalence of metabolic syndrome among urban community residents in China

BMC Public Health, 2013

Background Metabolic risk factors and abnormalities such as obesity and hypertension are rapidly ... more Background Metabolic risk factors and abnormalities such as obesity and hypertension are rapidly rising among the Chinese population following China’s tremendous economic growth and widespread westernization of lifestyle in recent decades. Limited information is available about the current burden of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in China. Methods We analyzed data on metabolic risk factors among 22,457 adults aged ≥ 32 years participating in the “Zhabei Health 2020” survey (2009–2010), a cross-sectional study of a representative sample of community residents in Zhabei District. We defined MetS using Chinese-specific cut-off points for central obesity according to consensus criteria recently endorsed by several international and national organizations in defining MetS in different populations worldwide. We used a multiple logistic regression model to assess the associations of potential risk factors with MetS. Results The unadjusted prevalence of the MetS was 35.1% for men and 32.5% for w...

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