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Tobacco Smoke Carcinogens Induce Dna Repair Machinery Function Loss: Protection By Carbon Nanotubes, Anukriti Dhasmana, Anupam Dhasmana, Hobani Yahya H, Abdullah Farasani, Mahmoud Habibullah, Freah L. Alshammary, Saif Khan, Shafiul Haque, Mohtashim Lohani

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Purpose: DNA damage is a continuous process occurring within the cells caused by intrinsic and extrinsic factors, but it gets repaired regularly. If the DNA repair process is faulty, the incidences of damages/mutations can accumulate in cells resulting in cell transformation. It is hypothesized that the negative variations in DNA repair pathways in even at one point viz. genetic, translational or posttranslational stage may fairly be crucial for the beginning and development of carcinogenesis. Therefore, we investigated the potential of tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNs) related carcinogens to interact with the enzymes involved in DNA repair mechanisms in the current study. …

Stratifying Chronic Stroke Patients Based On The Influence Of Contralesional Motor Cortices: An Inter-Hemispheric Inhibition Study, Yin-Liang Lin, Kelsey A. Potter-Baker, David A. Cunningham, Manshi Li, Vishwanath Sankarasubramanian, John Lee, Stephen Jones, Ken Sakaie, Xiaofeng Wang, Andre G. Machado

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Objective:

A recent “bimodal-balance recovery” model suggests that contralesional influence varies based on the amount of ipsilesional reserve: inhibitory when there is a large reserve, but supportive when there is a low reserve. Here, we investigated the relationships between contralesional influence (inter-hemispheric inhibition, IHI) and ipsilesional reserve (corticospinal damage/impairment), and also defined a criterion separating subgroups based on the relationships.

Methods:

Twenty-four patients underwent assessment of IHI using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (ipsilateral silent period method), motor impairment using Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer (UEFM), and corticospinal damage using Diffusion Tensor Imaging and active motor threshold. Assessments of UEFM and IHI were repeated …

Multi National Survey Of The Advice Given To Muslim Kidney Graft Recipients By Muslim Nephrologists About Lifestyle And Religious Rituals With Potential Medical Risk, Ziad M. S. Arabi, Elwaleed A. Elhassan, Mubarak I. Abdalla, Mahfooz A. Farooqui, Atif A. Mateen, Saleh Kaysi, Syed A. Alam, Saif A. Khan, Mohamed F. Elmuzaini, Mourad M. Alsabbagh, Abdulrahman R. Altheaby

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Muslim renal transplant recipients often ask their physicians if performing certain lifestyles or religious obligations may be harmful to their health. Permissibility as advised by an expert Muslim physician is considered as being religiously accepted. A cross-sectional, survey-based study was conducted enquiring what nephrologists would advise their transplant recipients to do, about some lifestyles and religious duties. Fifty-eight nephrologists responded to the survey. Of these, 77% routinely follow-up post-transplant patients; 34% were from Saudi Arabia, 18% from the USA, and 20% from Pakistan. Fifty-four percent of the respondents would let patients with stable graft function fast during Ramadan, while 20% …

Cerebrovascular Events And Outcomes In Hospitalized Patients With Covid-19: The Svin Covid-19 Multinational Registry, James E. Siegler, Pere Cardona, Juan F. Arenillas, Blanca Talavera, Ana N. Guillen, Alba Chavarrıa-Miranda, Mercedes De Lera, Priyank Khandelwal, Ivo Bach, Ameer E. Hassan, Laurie Preston, Mary S. Patterson, Saif Bushnaq, Osama Zaidat

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Background

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been associated with a significant risk of thrombotic events in critically ill patients.

Aim

To summarize the findings of a multinational observational cohort of patients with SARS-CoV-2 and cerebrovascular disease.

Methods

Retrospective observational cohort of consecutive adults evaluated in the emergency department and/or admitted with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) across 31 hospitals in four countries (1 February 2020–16 June 2020). The primary outcome was the incidence rate of cerebrovascular events, inclusive of acute ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhages (ICH), and cortical vein and/or sinus thrombosis (CVST).

Results

Of the 14,483 patients with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2, …

Isolated Central Nervous System Metastasis From Neuroendocrine Carcinoma Of The Cervix Without Pulmonary Metastasis, Fabiola Valenzuela, Sohum Desai

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix (NECC) accounts for 2% of all cervical cancers. Brain metastasis is rare, with few cases described in the literature, and is usually associated with preceding pulmonary metastasis. We describe an additional case of isolated brain metastasis without pulmonary metastasis from NECC and reflect on unique management.

A 37-year-old woman with a history of NECC presented with severe headache post-total hysterectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection. The computed tomography (CT) scan demonstrated obstructive hydrocephalus with several intra-axial lesions located in the pineal region, left cerebellar hemisphere, and left frontal operculum. A right frontal ventriculostomy was initially …

Initial Experience With The Next-Generation Resolute Onyx Zotarolimus-Eluting Stent In Symptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease, Ameer E. Hassan, Mahmoud H. Mohammaden, Rani R. Rabah, Wondwossen G. Tekle

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Background and Purpose: Intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) is a common cause of stroke worldwide. Although there are different endovascular options for the treatment of symptomatic ICAD (sICAD), it is still controversial. Herein, we aim to study the safety and efficacy of a new generation of drug-eluting balloon-mounted stent (DES); Resolute (R) onyx DES in the treatment of sICAD.

Methods:A prospectively maintained neuroendovascular procedures database in a high-volume comprehensive stroke center was reviewed from October 2019 through January 2020. Patients were included if they had sICAD (≥70% stenosis), failed medical management, and underwent intracranial stenting with R-onyx DES. Technical success …

Role Of Mirna-Mrna Interaction In Neural Stem Cell Differentiation Of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Satish Kumar, Joanne E. Curran, Erica De Leon, Ana C. Leandro, Tom E. Howard, Donna M. Lehman, Sarah Williams-Blangero, David C. Glahn, John Blangero

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

miRNA regulates the expression of protein coding genes and plays a regulatory role in human development and disease. The human iPSCs and their differentiated progenies provide a unique opportunity to identify these miRNA-mediated regulatory mechanisms. To identify miRNA–mRNA regulatory interactions in human nervous system development, well characterized NSCs were differentiated from six validated iPSC lines and analyzed for differentially expressed (DE) miRNome and transcriptome by RNA sequencing. Following the criteria, moderated t statistics, FDR-corrected p-value ≤ 0.05 and fold change—absolute (FC-abs) ≥2.0, 51 miRNAs and 4033 mRNAs were found to be significantly DE between iPSCs and NSCs. The miRNA target …

Surrogates And Artificial Intelligence: Why Ai Trumps Family, Ryan Hubbard, Jake Greenblum

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

The increasing accuracy of algorithms to predict values and preferences raises the possibility that artificial intelligence technology will be able to serve as a surrogate decision-maker for incapacitated patients. Following Camillo Lamanna and Lauren Byrne, we call this technology the autonomy algorithm (AA). Such an algorithm would mine medical research, health records, and social media data to predict patient treatment preferences. The possibility of developing the AA raises the ethical question of whether the AA or a relative ought to serve as surrogate decision-maker in cases where the patient has not issued a medical power of attorney. We argue that …

Covid-19: Fighting The Invisible Enemy With Microrna, Neeraj Chauhan, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Murali M. Yallapu

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Introduction: The novel coronavirus (CoV) disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral infection that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. It is believed that early reports of COVID-19 cases were noticed in December 2019 and soon after became a global public health emergency. It is advised that COVID-19 transmits through human to human contact and in most cases it remains asymptomatic. Several approaches are being utilized to control the outbreak of this fatal viral disease. microRNAs (miRNAs) are known signature therapeutic tool for the viral diseases; they are small non-coding RNAs that target the mRNAs to inhibit their post-transcriptional expression, therefore, impeding …

The Reliability And Heritability Of Cortical Folds And Their Genetic Correlations Across Hemispheres, Fabrizio Pizzagalli, Guillaume Auzias, Qifan Yang, Samuel R. Mathias, Joshua Faskowitz, Joshua D. Boyd, Armand Amini, Denis Rivière, Katie L. Mcmahon, John Blangero

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Cortical folds help drive the parcellation of the human cortex into functionally specific regions. Variations in the length, depth, width, and surface area of these sulcal landmarks have been associated with disease, and may be genetically mediated. Before estimating the heritability of sulcal variation, the extent to which these metrics can be reliably extracted from in-vivo MRI must be established. Using four independent test-retest datasets, we found high reliability across the brain (intraclass correlation interquartile range: 0.65–0.85). Heritability estimates were derived for three family-based cohorts using variance components analysis and pooled (total N > 3000); the overall sulcal heritability pattern was …

The Case For Capping Residency Interviews, Helen K. Morgan, Abigail F. Winkel, Taylor Standiford, Rodrigo Munoz, Eric A. Strand, David A. Marzano, Tony Ogburn, Carol A. Major, Susan Cox, Maya M. Hammoud

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Objective

To determine 2020 residency cycle application practices and to model potential consequences in the 2021 cycle if (1) applicants scheduled an uncapped number of interviews; (2) applicants were capped to schedule 12 interviews; (3) residency programs kept their number of interview offers unchanged; and (4) programs increased their interview offers by 20%.

Design and Setting

The authors sent an anonymous survey to all obstetrics and gynecology applicants registered through the Electronic Residency Application Service in February 2020 asking respondents to share demographics and number of interview offers received and completed. Based on prior estimates that 12 interviews are needed …

Smoking And Covid-19: Adding Fuel To The Flame, Vivek K. Kashyap, Anupam Dhasmana, Andrew Massey, Sudhir Kotnala, Nadeem Zafar, Meena Jaggi, Murali M. Yallapu, Subhash C. Chauhan

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, an infection caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), has led to more than 771,000 deaths worldwide. Tobacco smoking is a major known risk factor for severe illness and even death from many respiratory infections. The effects of smoking on COVID-19 are currently controversial. Here, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on the effects of smoking on the clinical manifestations, disease progression, inflammatory responses, immunopathogenesis, racial ethnic disparities, and incidence of COVID-19. This review also documents future directions of smoking related research in COVID-19. The current epidemiological finding suggests that …

Two-Year Responses Of Office And Ambulatory Blood Pressure To First Occupational Lead Exposure, Yu-Ling Yu, Wen-Yi Yang, Lutgarde Thijs, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Cai-Guo Yu, Dong-Mei Wei, Fang-Fei Wei, Tim S. Nawrot, Zhen-Yu Zhang, Jan A. Staessen

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Lead exposure causing hypertension is the mechanism commonly assumed to set off premature death and cardiovascular complications. However, at current exposure levels in the developed world, the link between hypertension and lead remains unproven. In the Study for Promotion of Health in Recycling Lead (URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02243904), we recorded the 2-year responses of office blood pressure (average of 5 consecutive readings) and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure to first occupational lead exposure in workers newly employed at lead recycling plants. Blood lead (BL) was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (detection limit 0.5 µg/dL). Hypertension was defined …

Ultra-High-Field Imaging Reveals Increased Whole Brain Connectivity Underpins Cognitive Strategies That Attenuate Pain, Enrico Schulz, Anne Stankewitz, Anderson M. Winkler, Stephanie Irving, Viktor Witkovsky, Irene Tracey

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

We investigated how the attenuation of pain with cognitive interventions affects brain connectivity using neuroimaging and a whole brain novel analysis approach. While receiving tonic cold pain, 20 healthy participants performed three different pain attenuation strategies during simultaneous collection of functional imaging data at seven tesla. Participants were asked to rate their pain after each trial. We related the trial-by-trial variability of the attenuation performance to the trial-by-trial functional connectivity strength change of brain data. Across all conditions, we found that a higher performance of pain attenuation was predominantly associated with higher functional connectivity. Of note, we observed an association …

Neuroendovascular Clinical Trials Disruptions Due To Covid-19. Potential Future Challenges And Opportunities, Ansaar T. Rai, Thabele M. Leslie-Mazwi, Kyle M. Fargen, Aditya S. Pandey, Guilherme Dabus, Ameer E. Hassan, Justin F. Fraser, Joshua A. Hirsch, Rishi Gupta, Ricardo Hanel

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Objective: To assess the impact of COVID-19 on neurovascular research and deal with the challenges imposed by the pandemic.

Methods: A survey-based study focused on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and single-arm studies for acute ischemic stroke and cerebral aneurysms was developed by a group of senior neurointerventionalists and sent to sites identified through the clinical trials website (https:// clinicaltrials. gov/), study sponsors, and physician investigators.

Results: The survey was sent to 101 institutions, with 65 responding (64%). Stroke RCTs were being conducted at 40 (62%) sites, aneurysm RCTs at 22 (34%) sites, stroke single-arm studies at 37 (57%) sites, and …

A New Era In Asthma Management: Assessment Of Asthma Control, Kevin R. Murphy, Joel Solis

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Asthma is recognized as a chronic, heterogenous disease characterized by airway inflammation and a history of respiratory symptoms (eg, wheeze, shortness of breath, chest tightness, or cough) that vary over time and in intensity.1 Variations are often triggered by factors such as exercise, allergen or irritant exposure, change in weather, or viral respiratory tract infections. Asthma symptoms and airflow limitation may resolve spontaneously or in response to treatment. Symptoms may be absent for weeks or months, yet airway hyperresponsiveness related to chronic airway inflammation usually persists.

Influence Of Processing Pipeline On Cortical Thickness Measurement, Shahrzad Kharabian Masouleh, Simon B. Eickhoff, Yashar Zeighami, Lindsay B. Lewis, Robert Dahnke, Christian Gaser, Francois Chouinard-Decorte, Claude Lepage, Lianne H. Scholtens, Felix Hoffstaedter, John Blangero

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

In recent years, replicability of neuroscientific findings, specifically those concerning correlates of morphological properties of gray matter (GM), have been subject of major scrutiny. Use of different processing pipelines and differences in their estimates of the macroscale GM may play an important role in this context. To address this issue, here, we investigated the cortical thickness estimates of three widely used pipelines. Based on analyses in two independent large-scale cohorts, we report high levels of within-pipeline reliability of the absolute cortical thickness-estimates and comparable spatial patterns of cortical thickness-estimates across all pipelines. Within each individual, absolute regional thickness differed between …

The Effects Of An Aerobic Training Intervention On Cognition, Grey Matter Volumes And White Matter Microstructure, Claire E. Sexton, Jill F. Betts, Andrea Dennis, Aiden Doherty, Paul Leeson, Cameron Holloway, Erica Dall'armellina, Anderson M. Winkler, Naiara Demnitz, Thomas Wassenaar

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

While there is strong evidence from observational studies that physical activity is associated with reduced risk of cognitive decline and dementia, the extent to which aerobic training interventions impact on cognitive health and brain structure remains subject to debate. In a pilot study of 46 healthy older adults (66.6 years ± 5.2 years, 63% female), we compared the effects of a twelve-week aerobic training programme to a waitlist control condition on cardiorespiratory fitness, cognition and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcomes. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed by VO max testing. Cognitive assessments spanned executive function, memory and processing speed. Structural MRI analysis …

Dynamic Incorporation Of Multiple In Silico Functional Annotations Empowers Rare Variant Association Analysis Of Large Whole-Genome Sequencing Studies At Scale, Xihao Li, Zilin Li, Hufeng Zhou, Sheila M. Gaynor, Yaowu Liu, Han Chen, John Blangero, Joanne E. Curran, Michael Mahaney, Juan M. Peralta

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Large-scale whole-genome sequencing studies have enabled the analysis of rare variants (RVs) associated with complex phenotypes. Commonly used RV association tests have limited scope to leverage variant functions. We propose STAAR (variant-set test for association using annotation information), a scalable and powerful RV association test method that effectively incorporates both variant categories and multiple complementary annotations using a dynamic weighting scheme. For the latter, we introduce 'annotation principal components', multidimensional summaries of in silico variant annotations. STAAR accounts for population structure and relatedness and is scalable for analyzing very large cohort and biobank whole-genome sequencing studies of continuous and dichotomous …

Mir-205: A Potential Biomedicine For Cancer Therapy, Neeraj Chauhan, Anupam Dhasmana, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Murali M. Yallapu

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

microRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that regulate the expression of their target mRNAs post transcriptionally. miRNAs are known to regulate not just a gene but the whole gene network (signaling pathways). Accumulating evidence(s) suggests that miRNAs can work either as oncogenes or tumor suppressors, but some miRNAs have a dual nature since they can act as both. miRNA 205 (miR-205) is one such highly conserved miRNA that can act as both, oncomiRNA and tumor suppressor. However, most reports confirm its emerging role as a tumor suppressor in many cancers. This review focuses on the downregulated expression …

Part I. Sars-Cov-2 Triggered 'Panic' Attack In Severe Covid-19, Elliot M. Frohman, Nicole R. Villemarette-Pittman, Esther Melamed, Roberto A. Cruz, Reid Longmuir, Thomas C. Varkey, Lawrence Steinman, Scott S. Zamvil, Teresa C. Frohman

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has produced a world-wide collapse of social and economic infrastructure, as well as constrained our freedom of movement. This respiratory tract infection is nefarious in how it targets the most distal and highly vulnerable aspect of the human bronchopulmonary tree, specifically, the delicate yet irreplaceable alveoli that are responsible for the loading of oxygen upon red cell hemoglobin for use by all of the body's tissues.

In most symptomatic individuals, the disease is a mild immune-mediated syndrome, with limited damage to the lung tissues. About 20% of those affected experience a disease course characterized …

Part Ii. High-Dose Methotrexate With Leucovorin Rescue For Severe Covid-19: An Immune Stabilization Strategy For Sars-Cov-2 Induced 'Panic' Attack, Elliot M. Frohman, Nicole R. Villemarette-Pittman, Roberto A. Cruz, Reid Longmuir, Vernon Rowe, Elizabeth S. Rowe, Thomas C. Varkey, Lawrence Steinman, Scott S. Zamvil, Teresa C. Frohman

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Here, in Part II of a duology on the characterization and potential treatment for COVID-19, we characterize the application of an innovative treatment regimen for the prevention of the transition from mild to severe COVID-19, as well as detail an intensive immunotherapy intervention hypothesis. We propose as a putative randomized controlled trial that high-dose methotrexate with leucovorin (HDMTX-LR) rescue can abolish 'PANIC', thereby 'left-shifting' severe COVID-19 patients to the group majority of those infected with SARS-CoV-2, who are designated as having mild, even asymptomatic, disease. HDMTX-LR is endowed with broadly pleiotropic properties and is a repurposed, generic, inexpensive, and widely …

The Professional And Personal Impact Of The Coronavirus Pandemic On Us Neurointerventional Practices: A Nationwide Survey, Kyle M. Fargen, Thabele M. Leslie-Mazwi, Richard P. Klucznik, Stacey Q. Wolfe, Patrick Brown, Sameer A. Ansari, Guilherme Dabus, Alejandro M. Spiotta, Maxim Mokin, Ameer E. Hassan, David Liebeskind, Babu G. Welch, Adnan H. Siddiqui, Joshua A. Hirsch

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Background Little is currently known about the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on neurointerventional (NI) procedural volumes or its toll on physician wellness.

Methods A 37-question online survey was designed and distributed to physician members of three NI physician organizations.

Results A total of 151 individual survey responses were obtained. Reduced mechanical thrombectomy procedures compared with pre-pandemic were observed with 32% reporting a greater than 50% reduction in thrombectomy volumes. In concert with most (76%) reporting at least a 25% reduction in non-mechanical thrombectomy urgent NI procedures and a nearly unanimous (96%) cessation of non-urgent elective cases, 68% of …

Retinal And Renal Microvasculature In Relation To Central Hemodynamics In 11‐Year‐Old Children Born Preterm Or At Term, Fang-Fei Wei, Anke Raaijmakers, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Nicholas Cauwenberghs, Lutgarde Thijs, Zhen-Yu Zhang, Cai-Guo Yu, Elena Levtchenko, Harry A. J. Struijker‐Boudier, Wen‐Yi Yang

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Background

Prematurity disrupts the perinatal maturation of the microvasculature and macrovasculature and confers high risk of vascular dysfunction later in life. No previous studies have investigated the crosstalk between the microvasculature and macrovasculature in childhood.

Methods and Results

In a case‐control study, we enrolled 55 children aged 11 years weighing <1000 g at birth and 71 matched controls (October 2014–November 2015). We derived central blood pressure (BP) wave by applanation tonometry and calculated the forward/backward pulse waves by an automated pressure–based wave separation algorithm. We measured the renal resistive index by pulsed wave Doppler and the central retinal arteriolar equivalent by computer‐assisted program software. Compared with controls, patients had higher central systolic BP (101.5 versus 95.2 mm Hg, P<0.001) and backward wave amplitude (15.5 versus 14.2 mm Hg, P=0.029), and smaller central retinal arteriolar equivalent (163.2 versus 175.4 µm, P<0.001). In multivariable analyses, central retinal arteriolar equivalent was smaller with higher values (+1 SD) of central systolic BP (−2.94 µm; 95% CI, −5.18 to −0.70 µm [P=0.011]) and forward (−2.57 µm; CI, −4.81 to −0.32 µm [P=0.026]) and backward (−3.20 µm; CI, −5.47 to −0.94 µm [P=0.006]) wave amplitudes. Greater renal resistive index was associated with higher backward wave amplitude (0.92 mm Hg, P=0.036).

Conclusions

In childhood, prematurity compared with term birth is associated with higher central systolic BP and forward/backward wave amplitudes. Higher renal resistive index likely moves reflection points closer to the heart, thereby explaining the inverse association of central retinal arteriolar equivalent with central systolic BP and backward wave amplitude. These …

Cardiovascular End Points And Mortality Are Not Closer Associated With Central Than Peripheral Pulsatile Blood Pressure Components, Qi-Fang Huang, Lucas S. Aparicio, Lutgarde Thijs, Fang-Fei Wei, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Yi-Bang Cheng, Chang-Sheng Sheng, Wen-Yi Yang, Natasza Gilis-Malinowska, José Boggia

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Pulsatile blood pressure (BP) confers cardiovascular risk. Whether associations of cardiovascular end points are tighter for central systolic BP (cSBP) than peripheral systolic BP (pSBP) or central pulse pressure (cPP) than peripheral pulse pressure (pPP) is uncertain. Among 5608 participants (54.1% women; mean age, 54.2 years) enrolled in nine studies, median follow-up was 4.1 years. cSBP and cPP, estimated tonometrically from the radial waveform, averaged 123.7 and 42.5 mm Hg, and pSBP and pPP 134.1 and 53.9 mm Hg. The primary composite cardiovascular end point occurred in 255 participants (4.5%). Across fourths of the cPP distribution, rates increased exponentially (4.1, …

Estimating The Heritability Of Experiencing Child Maltreatment In An Extended Family Design, Katharina Pittner, Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg, Lenneke R. A. Alink, Renate S. M. Buisman, Lisa J. M. Van Den Bergo, Laura H. C. G. C. Compier-De Block, Alexandra Voorthuis, Bernet M. Elzinga, Jolanda Lindenberg, Marieke S. Tollenaar, Marielle Linting, Vincent P. Diego, Marinus H. Van Ijzendoorn

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Child-driven genetic factors can contribute to negative parenting and may increase the risk of being maltreated. Experiencing childhood maltreatment may be partly heritable, but results of twin studies are mixed. In the current study, we used a cross-sectional extended family design to estimate genetic and environmental effects on experiencing child maltreatment. The sample consisted of 395 individuals (225 women; M _age = 38.85 years, range_age = 7–88 years) from 63 families with two or three participating generations. Participants were oversampled for experienced maltreatment. Self-reported experienced child maltreatment was measured using a questionnaire assessing physical and emotional abuse, and physical …

Development Of Thrombocytopenia Is Associated With Improved Survival In Patients Treated With Immunotherapy, Hussein A. Assi

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Background:

Immune-related adverse events are associated with efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). We hypothesize that immune-mediated thrombocytopenia could be a biomarker for response to ICIs.

Materials & methods:

This retrospective study included 215 patients with metastatic malignancies treated with ICIs. Patients were stratified by nadir platelet count. Outcomes of interest were progression-free survival and overall survival.

Results:

On multivariate analysis, grade 1 thrombocytopenia was positively associated with overall survival compared with patients who did not develop thrombocytopenia (hazard ratio [HR]= 0.28 [95% CI: 0.13–0.60]; p = 0.001), while grade 2–4 thrombocytopenia was not (HR= 0.36 [95% CI: 0.13–1.04]; p …

Qtc Cutoff, Gender, Race And Age On Reporting Of Prolonged Qtc, Supraja Thunuguntla, Michael Machiorlatti

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Background
The aim of the study is to evaluate the association of QTc cutoff, gender, race, and age on reporting of QTc interval prolongation.

Methods
Retrospective study of 147 patients admitted to our hospital or ER visit from January 2016 to May 2020. Simple descriptive statistics and longitudinal linear mixed model was performed on the 213 total observations from 147 patients.

Results
The average age of the patients was 65 (±17.8, 18-98) years. Females were 32% (n=47) and Hispanics 78.4% of sample. QTc prolongation was reported in 65% (n=138) of the 213 EKG’s. Calculated 90th and 99th percentile for QTC …

“Tomorrow Never Dies”: Recent Advances In Diagnosis, Treatment, And Prevention Modalities Against Coronavirus (Covid-19) Amid Controversies, Partha Laskar, Murali M. Yallapu, Subhash C. Chauhan

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

The outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (2019-nCoV or COVID-19) is responsible for severe health emergency throughout the world. The attack of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is found to be responsible for COVID-19. The World Health Organization has declared the ongoing global public health emergency as a pandemic. The whole world fights against this invincible enemy in various capacities to restore economy, lifestyle, and safe life. Enormous amount of scientific research work(s), administrative strategies, and economic measurements are in place to create a successful step against COVID-19. Furthermore, differences in opinion, facts, and implementation methods laid additional layers …

Multiple Testing Correction Over Contrasts For Brain Imaging, Bianca A. Alberton, Thomas E. Nichols, Humberto R. Gamba, Anderson M. Winkler

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

The multiple testing problem arises not only when there are many voxels or vertices in an image representation of the brain, but also when multiple contrasts of parameter estimates (that represent hypotheses) are tested in the same general linear model. We argue that a correction for this multiplicity must be performed to avoid excess of false positives. Various methods for correction have been proposed in the literature, but few have been applied to brain imaging. Here we discuss and compare different methods to make such correction in different scenarios, showing that one classical and well known method is invalid, and …