Pittsburgh Surgical Outcomes Research Center
Transforming the conduct of clinical research

Simmons Conference - Drs. Othman Malak and Maryam Mohammed

March 9, 2021 -
9:00am to 10:30am

Event Description

Dr. Othman Malak

Alternative Conduits Have Worse Outcomes than Prosthetic Grafts In Infra-inguinal Bypass

In the absence of saphenous vein for lower extremity bypass, alternative autologous venous conduits and non-autologous biologic conduits have been touted as superior options to conventional prosthetic grafts in below knee and infra-geniculate bypasses. However, the published data is often conflicting, and based on single institutional series.  We therefore sought to compare the outcomes of alternative conduits in infra-inguinal bypasses in the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS-VQI) database which is one of the largest national datasets available. Mentor: Dr. Tzeng

 

Dr. Maryam Mohammed

Investigating the role of metformin in improving immune defects associated with aging.

Old age is independently associated with poor post-operative outcomes, possibly secondary to defects in immune response. Mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the central hallmarks of aging. Multiple studies, including one from our own department, have demonstrated decreased mortality and decreased baseline inflammation in type 2 diabetic patients taking metformin. Although the mechanism underlying these effects is likely multifactorial, metformin's primary site of action has been presumed to be the mitochondria. Our group has demonstrated salutary effects of metformin on immune function in a mouse model of aging and is working to elucidate the metabolic pathways by which it exerts these effects. We will discuss our current data and ongoing work pertaining to these objectives. Mentor: Dr. Zuckerbraun

Location and Address

Virtual through Teams