EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education, such as nursing, include postdoctoral training and residency training if applicable.)

A. Personal Statement

I have background training in radiology, with specific research interest in cardiothoracic imaging. My Ph.D. thesis involved the assessment of lung perfusion in an experimental model of lung embolism and alveolar damage with dual-energy CT. More recently, I have completed fellowship training in body MRI and cardiothoracic imaging, and became enthusiastic about the potential clinical applications of MRI in the assessment of the lungs. This research project will build the foundations of my long-term plan to foster a scientific career focused on the translation of newer CT and MRI technologies for the evaluation of cardiothoracic diseases. I have successfully accomplished different roles and collaborated with other researchers on various projects, which resulted in peer-reviewed publications. Therefore, I understand the relevance of effective communication among project members, the elaboration of a realistic research plan, timeline, and budget.

B. Positions and Honors

Positions and Employment

Other Experience and Professional Memberships

Honors

C. Contribution to Science

1. My first publication was based on experimental research comparing the effects of montelukast, a cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonist, against glucocorticoid therapy in asthma. Treatment for persistent asthma generally rely on inhaled or systemic glucocorticoids; however, the use of this class of medication is not devoid of significant side effects. At that time, cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonists were introduced as an alternative to glucocorticoids in the treatment of asthma, with less side effects. Our results revealed that montelukast could significantly decreased the amount of eosinophil infiltration in the bronchial wall, although it was inferior to glucocorticoids in the reduction of mononuclear cell infiltration, exhaled nitric oxide (an inflammatory marker), and respiratory system resistance.
   1. Leick-Maldonado EA, Kay FU, Leonhardt MC, Kasahara DI, Prado CM, Fernandes FT, Martins MA, Tibério IF. Comparison of glucocorticoid and cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonist treatments in an experimental model of chronic airway inflammation in guinea-pigs. Clin Exp Allergy. 2004 Jan;34(1):145-52. PubMed PMID: 14720275.
2. After completing my medical training and residency, my research activity resumed and expanded to combine my interest in cardiothoracic diseased with the diagnosic capabilities of noninvasive medical imaging. I have compared the effects of using an alternative acquisition protocol in chest CT angiograms for pulmonary embolism tailored to reduce nondiagnostic scans. Our data support the avoidance of a deep inspiration effort before the acquisition of CT angiograms for pulmonary embolism, with a reduction of 7.3% to 7% in the number of nondiagnostic scans by adopting this measure. This result have important implications, since pulmonary embolism is a life threatening condition if undiagnosed.
   1. Kay FU, Macedo AC, Chate RC, Szarf G, Teles GB, Sasdelli Neto R, Funari MB. Reduction of poor contrast enhancement of the pulmonary artery in computed tomography angiography using an alternative respiratory maneuver. J Thorac Imaging. 2014 Mar;29(2):107-12. PubMed PMID: 24157623.
3. Interstitial and bronchial diseases are relatively prevalent in the population of patients with collagen vascular disease, and chest radiographs and especially high-resolution CT have been used as tools to assess lung involvement. I have assessed the prevalence and temporal evolution of lung manifestations of collagen vascular disease in high-resolution CT and radiographs. Our assessment of a cohort of patients with mixed connective tissue disease revealed the progression of lung fibrosis in the lower lobes from 7.5% to 11.2% in an interval of 10 years, with increased prevalence of bronchiolectasis and honeycombing. In another study comprising a large cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, we have found a high prevalence of abnormal findings on chest radiographs (45%).
   1. Kawassaki AM, Pereira DA, Kay FU, Laurindo IM, Carvalho CR, Kairalla RA. Pulmonary involvement in rheumatoid arthritis: evaluation by radiography and spirometry. J Bras Pneumol. 2015 Jul-Aug;41(4):331-42. PubMed PMID: 26398753; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4635953.
   2. Kawano-Dourado L, Baldi BG, Kay FU, Dias OM, Gripp TE, Gomes PS, Fuller R, Caleiro MT, Kairalla RA, Carvalho CR. Pulmonary involvement in long-term mixed connective tissue disease: functional trends and image findings after 10 years. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2015 Mar-Apr;33(2):234-40. PubMed PMID: 25896472.
4. In the beginning of the 2010 decade, much attention was brought the lung cancer screening with CT, after the publication of the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST), which showed a reduction of mortality of screened patients. We have successfully implemented the first lung cancer screening program in Brazil with the support of the Brazilian government. Our data revealed that although the prevalence of positive scans (revealing lung nodules) were comparatively higher to that observed in developed countries, probably reflecting a higher prevalence of subclinical or past granulomatous infections, the number of patients requiring biopsy procedures and who were ultimately diagnosed with lung cancer was similar in comparison with prior reports.
   1. dos Santos RS, Franceschini JP, Chate RC, Ghefter MC, Kay F, Trajano AL, Pereira JR, Succi JE, Fernando HC, Júnior RS. Do Current Lung Cancer Screening Guidelines Apply for Populations With High Prevalence of Granulomatous Disease? Results From the First Brazilian Lung Cancer Screening Trial (BRELT1). Ann Thorac Surg. 2016 Feb;101(2):481-6; discussion 487-8. PubMed PMID: 26409711.
   2. Santos RS, Franceschini J, Kay FU, Chate RC, Costa Júnior Ada S, de Oliveira FN, Trajano AL, Pereira JR, Succi JE, Saad Junior R. Low-dose CT screening for lung cancer in Brazil: a study protocol. J Bras Pneumol. 2014 Mar-Apr;40(2):196-9. PubMed PMID: 24831407; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4083651.
5. In 2015, I moved to the US to pursue further research and clinical education in magnetic resonance (MR) applied to cardiothoracic imaging. I completed a body MR imaging fellowship in 2016, followed by a cardiothoracic imaging fellowship in 2017. During these years, I have been involved in research of the diagnostic role of MR for assessing renal and prostate cancer, under mentorship of Dr. Ivan Pedrosa, MD PhD.

1. Kay FU, Canvasser NE, Xi Y, Pinho DF, Costa DN, Diaz de Leon A, Khatri G, Leyendecker JR, Yokoo T, Lay AH, Kavoussi N, Koseoglu E, Cadeddu JA, Pedrosa I. Diagnostic Performance and Interreader Agreement of a Standardized MR Imaging Approach in the Prediction of Small Renal Mass Histology. Radiology. 2018 May;287(2):543-553. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2018171557. Epub 2018 Feb 1. PubMed PMID: 29390196; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5929366.
2. Canvasser NE, Kay FU, Xi Y, Pinho DF, Costa D, de Leon AD, Khatri G, Leyendecker JR, Yokoo T, Lay A, Kavoussi N, Koseoglu E, Cadeddu JA, Pedrosa I. Diagnostic Accuracy of Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Identify Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma in cT1a Renal Masses. J Urol. 2017 Oct;198(4):780-786. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2017.04.089. Epub 2017 Apr 28. PubMed PMID: 28457802; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5972826.
3. Costa DN, Kay FU, Pedrosa I, Kolski L, Lotan Y, Roehrborn CG, Hornberger B, Xi Y, Francis F, Rofsky NM. An initial negative round of targeted biopsies in men with highly suspicious multiparametric magnetic resonance findings does not exclude clinically significant prostate cancer-Preliminary experience. Urol Oncol. 2017 Apr;35(4):149.e15-149.e21. doi: 10.1016/j.urolon2016.11.006. Epub 2016 Dec 9. PubMed PMID: 27939349; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5366083.

Complete List of Published Work in My Bibliography:
http://bit.ly/2ilcFdS

D. Additional Information: Research Support and/or Scholastic Performance

Completed Research Support

PROADI-SUS, Brazilian Health Ministry                                   dos Santos, RS (PI)             01/01/11-01/01/13

Low-dose CT screening for lung cancer in Brazil.

The goal of this project was to implement the first lung cancer screening program in Brazil

Role: Co-Investigator

Sao Paulo Research Foundation, Sao Paulo/Brazil Martins     Martins, MA (PI)                  01/01/00-01/01/02

Comparison of glucocorticoid and cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonist treatments in an experimental model of chronic airway inflammation in guinea-pigs

The goal of this project was to compare the effects of a cysteinyl leukotriene receptor inhibitor with the effects of glucocorticoids on multiple inflammatory and morphometric parameters in an experimental model of asthma.

Role: Co-Investigator