Michael B Fallon

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Scholarly Contributions

Books

• Fallon, M. B. (2016). Cardiopulmonary Complications of Cirrhosis.
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  Nevah, MI, Kuruvilla, A and Fallon, MB. Cardiopulmonary Complications of Cirrhosis. In Zakim and Boyer’s Hepatology. T. Boyer, A. Sanyal, N. terrault and K. Lindor eds. 7th edition, Elsevier, Philadelphia, PA. in press
• Fallon, M. B. (2016). Diseases of the Liver and Biliary System.
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  Fallon, MB lead author. Diseases of the Liver and Biliary System, Chapters 39-44. In: Cecil Essentials of Medicine. I. Benjamin, R. Griggs, E. Wing and G. Fitz eds. 9th edition. Elsevier, Philadelphia, PA 2016

Journals/Publications

• Bajaj, J. S., Tandon, P., OʼLeary, J. G., Wong, F., Biggins, S. W., Garcia-Tsao, G., Kamath, P. S., Maliakkal, B., Fallon, M. B., Lai, J. C., Thuluvath, P. J., Vargas, H. E., Subramanian, R. M., Thacker, L. R., & Reddy, K. R. (2019). Outcomes in Patients With Cirrhosis on Primary Compared to Secondary Prophylaxis for Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis. The American journal of gastroenterology.
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  Antibiotic prophylaxis is recommended for prevention of the first episode of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP; primary prophylaxis 1°) and subsequent episodes (secondary prophylaxis 2°). We aimed to compare outcomes in cirrhotic inpatients on 1° vs 2° SBP prophylaxis.
• Forde, K. A., Fallon, M. B., Krowka, M. J., Sprys, M., Goldberg, D. S., Krok, K. L., Patel, M., Lin, G., Oh, J. K., Mottram, C. D., Scanlon, P. D., Kawut, S. M., & , P. V. (2019). Pulse Oximetry Is Insensitive for Detection of Hepatopulmonary Syndrome in Patients Evaluated for Liver Transplantation. Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.), 69(1), 270-281.
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  Screening for hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) using pulse oximetry is recommended in liver transplant (LT) candidates because mortality is increased, independently of the severity of the oxygenation defect. LT exception points may be afforded to those with HPS and severe hypoxemia. We assessed the screening characteristics of pulse oximetry for HPS. The Pulmonary Vascular Complications of Liver Disease 2 study is a multicenter, prospective cohort study of adults undergoing their first LT evaluation. Patients underwent protocolized assessment of oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry (SpO ), arterial blood gas, spirometry, and contrast-enhanced echocardiography (CE). HPS was defined as an alveolar-arterial gradient ≥15 mm Hg (≥20 mm Hg if age >64 years), intrapulmonary vascular dilatation on CE, and absence of lung disease. The study sample included 363 patients. Of these, 75 (20.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 16.6%-25.2%) met the criteria for HPS. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (or c-statistic) for SpO in discriminating HPS was 0.59 (95% CI, 0.51-0.66). An SpO
• Bajaj, J. S., Tandon, P., O'Leary, J. G., Biggins, S. W., Wong, F., Kamath, P. S., Garcia-Tsao, G., Maliakkal, B., Lai, J. C., Fallon, M., Thuluvath, P., Vargas, H. E., Subramanian, R. M., Thacker, L. R., & Reddy, K. R. (2018). The Impact of Albumin Use on Resolution of Hyponatremia in Hospitalized Patients With Cirrhosis. The American journal of gastroenterology, 113(9), 1339-1344.
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  Hyponatremia is associated with poor outcomes in cirrhosis independent of MELD. While intravenous albumin has been used in small series, its role in hyponatremia is unclear. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of albumin therapy on hyponatremia.
• DuBrock, H. M., Krowka, M. J., Forde, K. A., Krok, K., Patel, M., Sharkoski, T., Sprys, M., Lin, G., Oh, J. K., Mottram, C. D., Scanlon, P. D., Fallon, M. B., & Kawut, S. M. (2018). Clinical Impact of Intrapulmonary Vascular Dilatation in Candidates for Liver Transplant. Chest, 153(2), 414-426.
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  Intrapulmonary vascular dilatations (IPVD) frequently are detected in patients with liver disease by the delayed appearance of microbubbles at contrast-enhanced echocardiography. IPVD with an elevated alveolar-arterial (A-a) gradient define hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS); however, the importance of IPVD in the absence of abnormal gas exchange is unknown. We aimed to determine the clinical impact of IPVD in patients with liver disease.
• Frenette, C. T., Morelli, G., Shiffman, M. L., Frederick, R. T., Rubin, R. A., Fallon, M. B., Cheng, J. T., Cave, M., Khaderi, S. A., Massoud, O., Pyrsopoulos, N., Park, J. S., Robinson, J. M., Yamashita, M., Spada, A. P., Chan, J. L., & Hagerty, D. T. (2018). Emricasan Improves Liver Function in Patients With Cirrhosis and High Model for End-Stage Liver Disease Scores Compared With Placebo. Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.
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  Caspase-mediated apoptosis and inflammation contribute to progression of liver disease. Emricasan is a pan-caspase inhibitor that reduced serum markers of apoptosis and liver inflammation in patients with hepatitis C and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
• Mendizabal, M., Goldberg, D. S., Piñero, F., Arufe, D. T., José de la Fuente, M., Testa, P., Coronel, M., Baratta, S., Podestá, L. G., Fallon, M. B., & Silva, M. O. (2018). Isolated Intrapulmonary Vascular Dilatations and the Risk of Developing Hepatopulmonary Syndrome in Liver Transplant Candidates. Annals of hepatology, 16(4), 548-554.
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  The natural history of intrapulmonary vascular dilations (IPVD) and their impact on patient outcomes in the setting of portal hypertension has only been described in small series.
• Nemakayala, D., Patel, P., Rahimi, E., Fallon, M. B., & Thosani, N. (2018). Use of quantitative endoscopic ultrasound elastography for diagnosis of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Endoscopic ultrasound, 5(5), 342-345.
• O'Leary, J. G., Reddy, K. R., Garcia-Tsao, G., Biggins, S. W., Wong, F., Fallon, M. B., Subramanian, R. M., Kamath, P. S., Thuluvath, P., Vargas, H. E., Maliakkal, B., Tandon, P., Lai, J., Thacker, L. R., & Bajaj, J. S. (2018). NACSELD Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure (NACSELD-ACLF) Score Predicts 30-Day Survival in Hospitalized Patients with Cirrhosis. Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.).
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  NACSELD (North American Consortium for the Study of End-Stage Liver Disease) definition of acute-on-chronic liver failure (NACSELD-ACLF) as ≥2 extra-hepatic organ failures has been proposed as a simple bedside tool to assess risk of mortality in hospitalized patients with cirrhosis. We validated NACSELD-ACLF's ability to predict 30-day survival (defined as in-hospital death or hospice discharge) in a separate multicenter prospectively enrolled cohort of both infected and uninfected hospitalized patients with cirrhosis. We utilized the NACSELD database of 14 tertiary care hepatology centers that prospectively enrolled non-elective hospitalized patients with cirrhosis (N=2675). The cohort was randomly split 60%/40% into training (N=1605) and testing (N=1070) groups. Organ failures assessed were: 1) shock, 2) hepatic encephalopathy (grade III/IV), 3) renal (need for dialysis), and 4) respiratory (mechanical ventilation). Patients were most commonly Caucasian (79%) men (62%) with a mean age of 57 years with a diagnosis of alcohol-induced cirrhosis (45%). 1079 patients had an infection during hospitalization. Mean Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) was 19 and median Child score was 10. No demographic differences were present between the 2 split groups. Multivariable modeling revealed NACSELD-ACLF score, as determined by number of organ failures, was the strongest predictor of decreased survival after controlling for admission age, white blood cell count, serum albumin, MELD score, and presence of infection. The c-statistic for the training set was 0.8073 and was 0.8532 for the validation set.
• Raevens, S., & Fallon, M. B. (2018). Potential clinical targets in hepatopulmonary syndrome: lessons from experimental models. Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.).
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  Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a relatively common and potentially severe pulmonary complication of cirrhosis with increased risk of mortality. In experimental models, a complex interaction between pulmonary endothelial cells, monocytes and the respiratory epithelium, producing chemokines, cytokines, and angiogenic growth factors underlies alterations in the alveolar microvasculature, resulting in impaired oxygenation. Models systems are critical for evaluating mechanisms and for preclinical testing in HPS, due to the challenges of evaluating the lung in the setting of advanced liver disease in humans. This review provides an overview of current knowledge and recent findings in the rodent common bile duct ligation model of HPS, which recapitulates many features of human disease. We focus on the concepts of endothelial derangement, monocyte infiltration, angiogenesis, and alveolar type II cell dysfunction as main contributors and potential targets for therapy. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
• Watt, G. P., Lee, M., Pan, J. J., Fallon, M. B., Loomba, R., Beretta, L., McCormick, J. B., & Fisher-Hoch, S. P. (2018). High Prevalence of Hepatic Fibrosis, Measured by Elastography, in a Population-Based Study of Mexican Americans. Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.
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  Hepatic fibrosis is a primary risk factor for cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, which affect a disproportionate number of Hispanics in the United States. We aimed to determine the prevalence of significant fibrosis, measured by point shear-wave elastography (pSWE), and determine characteristics of hepatic fibrosis and simple steatosis in a population-based study of Mexican American Hispanics in south Texas.
• Bajaj, J. S., O'Leary, J. G., Tandon, P., Wong, F., Garcia-Tsao, G., Kamath, P. S., Maliakkal, B., Biggins, S. W., Thuluvath, P. J., Fallon, M. B., Subramanian, R. M., Vargas, H. E., Lai, J., Thacker, L. R., & Reddy, K. R. (2017). Hepatic Encephalopathy Is Associated With Mortality in Patients With Cirrhosis Independent of Other Extrahepatic Organ Failures. Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association, 15(4), 565-574.e4.
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  Although survival times have increased for patients with cirrhosis, hepatic encephalopathy (HE) remains a major complication and its relative contribution toward mortality in North America is unclear. We investigated whether HE is associated with mortality independent of extrahepatic organ failures (EHOFs).
• O'Leary, J. G., Wong, F., Reddy, K. R., Garcia-Tsao, G., Kamath, P. S., Biggins, S. W., Fallon, M. B., Subramanian, R. M., Maliakkal, B., Thacker, L., & Bajaj, J. S. (2017). Gender-Specific Differences in Baseline, Peak, and Delta Serum Creatinine: The NACSELD Experience. Digestive diseases and sciences, 62(3), 768-776.
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  Women have lower serum creatinine values than men for similar renal function.
• Tandon, P., Reddy, K. R., O'Leary, J. G., Garcia-Tsao, G., Abraldes, J. G., Wong, F., Biggins, S. W., Maliakkal, B., Fallon, M. B., Subramanian, R. M., Thuluvath, P., Kamath, P. S., Thacker, L. R., Bajaj, J. S., & , N. A. (2017). A Karnofsky performance status-based score predicts death after hospital discharge in patients with cirrhosis. Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.), 65(1), 217-224.
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  Identification of patients with cirrhosis at risk for death within 3 months of discharge from the hospital is essential to individualize postdischarge plans. The objective of the study was to identify an easy-to-use prognostic model based on the Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS). The North American Consortium for the Study of End-Stage Liver Disease consists of 16 tertiary-care hepatology centers that prospectively enroll nonelectively admitted cirrhosis patients. Patients enrolled had KPS assessed 1 week postdischarge. KPS was categorized into low (score 10-40), intermediate (50-70), and high (80-100). Of 954 middle-aged patients (57 ± 10 years, 63% men) with a median Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score of 17 (interquartile range 13-21), the mortality rates for the low, intermediate, and high performance status groups were 23% (36/159), 11% (55/489), and 5% (15/306), respectively. Low, intermediate, and high performance status was seen in 17%, 51%, and 32% of the cohort, respectively. Low performance status was associated with older age, dialysis, hepatic encephalopathy, longer length of stay, and higher white blood cell count or MELD score at discharge. A model was derived using the three independent predictors of 3-month mortality: KPS, age, and MELD score. This score had better discrimination (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.74) than a model using MELD (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.62) or MELD and age (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.67) to predict 3-month mortality.
• Wong, F., O'Leary, J. G., Reddy, K. R., Garcia-Tsao, G., Fallon, M. B., Biggins, S. W., Subramanian, R. M., Thuluvath, P. J., Kamath, P. S., Patton, H., Maliakkal, B., Tandon, P., Vargas, H., Thacker, L., & Bajaj, J. S. (2017). Acute Kidney Injury in Cirrhosis: Baseline Serum Creatinine Predicts Patient Outcomes. The American journal of gastroenterology, 112(7), 1103-1110.
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  The International Ascites Club (IAC) recently defined Stage 1 acute kidney injury (AKI) for cirrhosis as an acute increase in serum creatinine (SCr) by ≥0.3 mg/dl or by ≥50% in
• Bajaj, J. S., Reddy, K. R., Tandon, P., Wong, F., Kamath, P. S., Garcia-Tsao, G., Maliakkal, B., Biggins, S. W., Thuluvath, P. J., Fallon, M. B., Subramanian, R. M., Vargas, H., Thacker, L. R., O'Leary, J. G., & , N. A. (2016). The 3-month readmission rate remains unacceptably high in a large North American cohort of patients with cirrhosis. Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.), 64(1), 200-8.
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  In smaller single-center studies, patients with cirrhosis are at a high readmission risk, but a multicenter perspective study is lacking. We evaluated the determinants of 3-month readmissions among inpatients with cirrhosis using the prospective 14-center North American Consortium for the Study of End-Stage Liver Disease cohort. Patients with cirrhosis hospitalized for nonelective indications provided consent and were followed for 3 months postdischarge. The number of 3-month readmissions and their determinants on index admission and discharge were calculated. We used multivariable logistic regression for all readmissions and for hepatic encephalopathy (HE), renal/metabolic, and infection-related readmissions. A score was developed using admission/discharge variables for the total sample, which was validated on a random half of the total population. Of the 1353 patients enrolled, 1177 were eligible on discharge and 1013 had 3-month outcomes. Readmissions occurred in 53% (n = 535; 316 with one, 219 with two or more), with consistent rates across sites. The leading causes were liver-related (n = 333; HE, renal/metabolic, and infections). Patients with cirrhosis and with worse Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score or diabetes, those taking prophylactic antibiotics, and those with prior HE were more likely to be readmitted. The admission model included Model for End-Stage Liver Disease and diabetes (c-statistic = 0.64, after split-validation 0.65). The discharge model included Model for End-Stage Liver Disease, proton pump inhibitor use, and lower length of stay (c-statistic = 0.65, after split-validation 0.70). Thirty percent of readmissions could not be predicted. Patients with liver-related readmissions consistently had index-stay nosocomial infections as a predictor for HE, renal/metabolic, and infection-associated readmissions (odds ratio = 1.9-3.0).
• Boyer, T. D., Sanyal, A. J., Wong, F., Frederick, R. T., Lake, J. R., O'Leary, J. G., Ganger, D., Jamil, K., Pappas, S. C., & , R. S. (2016). Terlipressin Plus Albumin Is More Effective Than Albumin Alone in Improving Renal Function in Patients With Cirrhosis and Hepatorenal Syndrome Type 1. Gastroenterology, 150(7), 1579-1589.e2.
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  Hepatorenal syndrome type 1 (HRS-1) in patients with cirrhosis and ascites is a functional, potentially reversible, form of acute kidney injury characterized by rapid (
• Fallon, M. B. (2016). International Liver Transplant Society Practice Guidelines: Diagnosis and Management of Hepatopulmonary Syndrome and Portopulmonary Hypertension. Transplantation.
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  Krowka MJ, Fallon MB, Kawut SM, Fuhrmann V, Heimbach JK, Ramsay MA, Sitbon O, Sokol RJ. International Liver Transplant Society Practice Guidelines: Diagnosis and Management of Hepatopulmonary Syndrome and Portopulmonary Hypertension. Transplantation. 2016 100(7):1440-52. PMID: 27326810.
• Fallon, M. B. (2016). Role of splenic reservoir monocytes in pulmonary vascular monocyte accumulation in experimental hepatopulmonary syndrome. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2016 31(11):1888-1894. PMID: 27029414.
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  Wu W, Zhang J, Yang W, Hu B, Fallon MB. Role of splenic reservoir monocytes in pulmonary vascular monocyte accumulation in experimental hepatopulmonary syndrome. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2016 31(11):1888-1894. PMID: 27029414
• Fallon, M. B. (2016). Use of quantitative endoscopic ultrasound elastography for diagnosis of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Use of quantitative endoscopic ultrasound elastography for diagnosis of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.
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  Nemakayala D, Patel P, Rahimi E, Fallon MB, Thosani N. Use of quantitative endoscopic ultrasound elastography for diagnosis of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Endosc Ultrasound. 2016 5(5):342-345. PMID: 27803909
• Fallon, M. B. (2016). Vapreotide Study Group.. Child-Turcotte-Pugh Class is Best at Stratifying Risk in Variceal Hemorrhage: Analysis of a US Multicenter Prospective Study.. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2016 [epub ahead of print] PMID: 27779613.
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  Fortune BE, Garcia-Tsao G, Ciarleglio M, Deng Y, Fallon MB, Sigal S, Chalasani NP, Lim JK, Reuben A, Vargas HE, Abrams G, Lewis MD, Hassanein T, Trotter JF, Sanyal AJ, Beavers KL, Ganger D, Thuluvath PJ, Grace ND, Groszmann RJ; Vapreotide Study Group.. Child-Turcotte-Pugh Class is Best at Stratifying Risk in Variceal Hemorrhage: Analysis of a US Multicenter Prospective Study. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2016 [epub ahead of print] PMID: 27779613
• Fortune, B. E., Garcia-Tsao, G., Ciarleglio, M., Deng, Y., Fallon, M. B., Sigal, S., Chalasani, N. P., Lim, J. K., Reuben, A., Vargas, H. E., Abrams, G., Lewis, M. D., Hassanein, T., Trotter, J. F., Sanyal, A. J., Beavers, K. L., Ganger, D., Thuluvath, P. J., Grace, N. D., , Groszmann, R. J., et al. (2016). Child-Turcotte-Pugh Class is Best at Stratifying Risk in Variceal Hemorrhage: Analysis of a US Multicenter Prospective Study. Journal of clinical gastroenterology.
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  Data on acute variceal hemorrhage (AVH) in the United States is limited and the best method to stratify risk is not clear. Taking advantage of a prospective US cohort study, we aimed to (1) describe clinical outcomes of AVH and their predictors; (2) compare predictors of 6-week mortality.
• Garza, A. L., Vatcheva, K. P., Pan, J. J., Rahbar, M. H., Fallon, M. B., McCormick, J. B., & Fisher-Hoch, S. P. (2016). Liver and Other Gastrointestinal Cancers Are Frequent in Mexican Americans. Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities, 3(1), 1-10.
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  Disease patterns in Mexican American health-disparity populations differ from larger US populations.
• Jiao, J., Watt, G. P., Lee, M., Rahbar, M. H., Vatcheva, K. P., Pan, J. J., McCormick, J. B., Fisher-Hoch, S. P., Fallon, M. B., & Beretta, L. (2016). Cirrhosis and Advanced Fibrosis in Hispanics in Texas: The Dominant Contribution of Central Obesity. PloS one, 11(3), e0150978.
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  Liver cirrhosis is a leading cause of death in Hispanics and Hispanics who live in South Texas have the highest incidence of liver cancer in the United States. We aimed at determining the prevalence and associated risk factors of cirrhosis in this population. Clinical and demographic variables were extracted for 2466 participants in the community-based Cameron County Hispanic Cohort in South Texas. Aspartate transaminase to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI) was used to predict cirrhosis in Cameron County Hispanic Cohort. The prevalence of cirrhosis using APRI≥2 was 0.94%, which is nearly 4-fold higher than the national prevalence. Using APRI≥1, the overall prevalence of cirrhosis/advanced fibrosis was 3.54%. In both analyses, highest prevalence was observed in males, specifically in the 25-34 age group. Risk factors independently associated with APRI≥2 and APRI≥1 included hepatitis C, diabetes and central obesity with a remarkable population attributable fraction of 52.5% and 65.3% from central obesity, respectively. Excess alcohol consumption was also independently associated with APRI≥2. The presence of patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing-3 gene variants was independently associated with APRI≥1 in participants >50 years old. Males with both central obesity and excess alcohol consumption presented with cirrhosis/advanced fibrosis at a young age. Alarmingly high prevalence of cirrhosis and advanced fibrosis was identified in Hispanics in South Texas, affecting young males in particular. Central obesity was identified as the major risk factor. Public health efforts are urgently needed to increase awareness and diagnosis of advanced liver fibrosis in Hispanics.
• Krowka, M. J., Fallon, M. B., Kawut, S. M., Fuhrmann, V., Heimbach, J. K., Ramsay, M. A., Sitbon, O., & Sokol, R. J. (2016). International Liver Transplant Society Practice Guidelines: Diagnosis and Management of Hepatopulmonary Syndrome and Portopulmonary Hypertension. Transplantation, 100(7), 1440-52.
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  Two distinct pulmonary vascular disorders, hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) and portopulmonary hypertension (POPH) may occur as a consequence of hepatic parenchymal or vascular abnormalities. HPS and POPH have major clinical implications for liver transplantation. A European Respiratory Society Task Force on Pulmonary-Hepatic Disorders convened in 2002 to standardize the diagnosis and guide management of these disorders. These International Liver Transplant Society diagnostic and management guidelines are based on that task force consensus and should continue to evolve as clinical experience dictates. Based on a review of over 1000 published HPS and POPH articles identified via a MEDLINE search (1985-2015), clinical guidelines were based on, selected single care reports, small series, registries, databases, and expert opinion. The paucity of randomized, controlled trials in either of these disorders was noted. Guidelines are presented in 5 parts; I. Definitions/Diagnostic criteria; II. Hepatopulmonary syndrome; III. Portopulmonary hypertension; IV. Implications for liver transplantation; and V. Suggestions for future clinical research.
• Watt, G. P., Vatcheva, K. P., Beretta, L., Pan, J. J., Fallon, M. B., McCormick, J. B., & Fisher-Hoch, S. P. (2016). Hepatitis C virus in Mexican Americans: a population-based study reveals relatively high prevalence and negative association with diabetes. Epidemiology and infection, 144(2), 297-305.
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  This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and risk factors for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Mexican Americans living in South Texas. We tested plasma for the presence of HCV antibody from the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort (CCHC), a randomized, population-based cohort in an economically disadvantaged Mexican American community on the United States/Mexico border with high rates of chronic disease. A weighted prevalence of HCV antibody of 2·3% [n = 1131, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·2-3·4] was found. Participants with diabetes had low rates of HCV antibody (0·4%, 95% CI 0·0-0·9) and logistic regression revealed a statistically significant negative association between HCV and diabetes (OR 0·20, 95% CI 0·05-0·77) after adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical factors. This conflicts with reported positive associations of diabetes and HCV infection. No classic risk factors were identified, but important differences between genders emerged in analysis. This population-based study of HCV in Mexican Americans suggests that national studies do not adequately describe the epidemiology of HCV in this border community and that unique risk factors may be involved.
• Watt, G. P., Vatcheva, K. P., Griffith, D. M., Reininger, B. M., Beretta, L., Fallon, M. B., McCormick, J. B., & Fisher-Hoch, S. P. (2016). The Precarious Health of Young Mexican American Men in South Texas, Cameron County Hispanic Cohort, 2004-2015. Preventing chronic disease, 13, E113.
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  Hispanic men have higher rates of illness and death from various chronic conditions than do non-Hispanic men. We aimed to characterize the health of Mexican American men living on the US-Mexico border in South Texas and elucidate indications of chronic disease in young men.
• Wu, W., Zhang, J., Yang, W., Hu, B., & Fallon, M. B. (2016). Role of splenic reservoir monocytes in pulmonary vascular monocyte accumulation in experimental hepatopulmonary syndrome. Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology, 31(11), 1888-1894.
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  Pulmonary monocyte infiltration plays a significant role in the development of angiogenesis in experimental hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) after common bile duct ligation (CBDL). Hepatic monocytes are also increased after CBDL, but the origins remain unclear. Splenic reservoir monocytes have been identified as a major source of monocytes that accumulate in injured tissues. Whether splenic monocytes contribute to monocyte alterations after CBDL is unknown. This study evaluates monocyte distributions and assesses effects of splenectomy on monocyte levels and pulmonary vascular and hepatic abnormalities in experimental HPS.