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Gut Microbiota, Blood Metabolites, And Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction In Us Hispanics/Latinos, Kai Luo, Alkis Taryn, Eun-Hye Moon, Brandilyn A Peters, Scott D Solomon, Martha L Daviglus, Mayank M Kansal, Bharat Thyagarajan, Marc D Gellman, Jianwen Cai, Robert D Burk, Rob Knight, Robert C Kaplan, Susan Cheng, Carlos J Rodriguez, Qibin Qi, Bing Yu

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) is an important precursor of heart failure (HF), but little is known about its relationship with gut dysbiosis and microbial-related metabolites. By leveraging the multi-omics data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), a study with population at high burden of LVDD, we aimed to characterize gut microbiota associated with LVDD and identify metabolite signatures of gut dysbiosis and incident LVDD.

RESULTS: We included up to 1996 Hispanic/Latino adults (mean age: 59.4 years; 67.1% female) with comprehensive echocardiography assessments, gut microbiome, and blood metabolome data. LVDD was defined through a composite criterion …

Osteoarthritis Disease Severity In The Temporomandibular Joint And The Knee Joint: A Comparative Cadaveric Study, Jessica A Immonen, Jason Ciccotelli, Linh M Nguyen, Lesley Gilmer, Landen Broadhead, Mackenzie Kitchen, Conner Paul, Jeremy James

Journal Articles

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the level of disease severity in a pilot cohort of temporomandibular joints (TMJs) and compare them to the pathology findings previously characterized in cadaveric knee joints.

DESIGN: Thirty-one intact TMJs from 17 cadaveric donors were harvested and arthritic lesioning seen in the knee joint was investigated on the condyle and the fossa of the TMJ. Prevalence of gross alterations was equated and disease severity was determined for sex- and age-based donor pools using a validated, osteoarthritis (OA) disease severity scale (DSS). Knee joint DSS scores were also compared to the TMJ …

Assessment Of Oral And Overall Health Parameters Using The Sillha Oral Wellness System, Shawn S Adibi, Ryan Hanson, David F Fray, Tania Abedi, Brianna Neil, Danielle Maher, Gena Tribble, Ben F Warner, Mary C Farach-Carson

Journal Articles

OBJECTIVE: The study evaluated use of a multipoint saliva analyzer to assess patient wellness in a contemporary dental practice setting.

STUDY DESIGN: Unstimulated saliva from a diverse 104 patient cohort was analyzed using the SillHa Oral Wellness System. The device measures the following 7 analytes present in the patient's oral rinse: cariogenic bacteria, acidity, buffer capacity, blood, leukocytes, protein, and ammonia. Data obtained were compared with validated clinical assessment data independently provided by credentialed dental professionals.

RESULTS: Measured leukocyte and protein levels were higher in patients with periodontal disease and/or deep gingival pockets. Patients with a history of cancer and/or …

Impact Of Diabetes On The Gut And Salivary Iga Microbiomes, Eric L Brown, Heather T Essigmann, Kristi L Hoffman, Noah W Palm, Sarah M Gunter, Joel M Sederstrom, Joseph F Petrosino, Goo Jun, David Aguilar, William B Perkison, Craig L Hanis, Herbert L Dupont

Journal Articles

Mucosal surfaces like those present in the lung, gut, and mouth interface with distinct external environments. These mucosal gateways are not only portals of entry for potential pathogens but also homes to microbial communities that impact host health. Secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) is the single most abundant acquired immune component secreted onto mucosal surfaces and, via the process of immune exclusion, shapes the architecture of these microbiomes. Not all microorganisms at mucosal surfaces are targeted by SIgA; therefore, a better understanding of the SIgA-coated fraction may identify the microbial constituents that stimulate host immune responses in the context of health …

The Emerging Spectrum Of Cardiopulmonary Pathology Of The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19): Report Of 3 Autopsies From Houston, Texas, And Review Of Autopsy Findings From Other United States Cities, Louis Maximilian Buja, Dwayne A Wolf, Bihong Zhao, Bindu Akkanti, Michelle Mcdonald, Laura Lelenwa, Noah Reilly, Giulia Ottaviani, M Tarek Elghetany, Daniel Ocazionez Trujillo, Gabriel M Aisenberg, Mohammad Madjid, Biswajit Kar

Journal Articles

This paper collates the pathological findings from initial published autopsy reports on 23 patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from 5 centers in the United States of America, including 3 cases from Houston, Texas. Findings confirm that COVID-19 is a systemic disease with major involvement of the lungs and heart. Acute COVID-19 pneumonia has features of a distinctive acute interstitial pneumonia with a diffuse alveolar damage component, coupled with microvascular involvement with intra- and extravascular fibrin deposition and intravascular trapping of neutrophils, and, frequently, with formation of microthombi in arterioles. Major pulmonary thromboemboli with pulmonary infarcts and/or hemorrhage occurred in …

Vitamin D Status And Risk Of Incident Tuberculosis Disease: A Nested Case-Control Study, Systematic Review, And Individual-Participant Data Meta-Analysis, Omowunmi Aibana, Chuan-Chin Huang, Said Aboud, Alberto Arnedo-Pena, Mercedes C Becerra, Juan Bautista Bellido-Blasco, Ramesh Bhosale, Roger Calderon, Silvia Chiang, Carmen Contreras, Ganmaa Davaasambuu, Wafaie W Fawzi, Molly F Franke, Jerome T Galea, Daniel Garcia-Ferrer, Maria Gil-Fortuño, Barbará Gomila-Sard, Amita Gupta, Nikhil Gupte, Rabia Hussain, Jesus Iborra-Millet, Najeeha T Iqbal, Jose Vicente Juan-Cerdán, Aarti Kinikar, Leonid Lecca, Vidya Mave, Noemi Meseguer-Ferrer, Grace Montepiedra, Ferdinand M Mugusi, Olumuyiwa A Owolabi, Julie Parsonnet, Freddy Roach-Poblete, Maria Angeles Romeu-García, Stephen A Spector, Christopher R Sudfeld, Mark W Tenforde, Toyin O Togun, Rosa Yataco, Zibiao Zhang, Megan B Murray

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated the association between preexisting vitamin D deficiency and incident tuberculosis (TB). We assessed the impact of baseline vitamins D levels on TB disease risk.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: We assessed the association between baseline vitamin D and incident TB in a prospective cohort of 6,751 HIV-negative household contacts of TB patients enrolled between September 1, 2009, and August 29, 2012, in Lima, Peru. We screened for TB disease at 2, 6, and 12 months after enrollment. We defined cases as household contacts who developed TB disease at least 15 days after enrollment of the index patient. …

Economic Evaluation Of Lupus Nephritis In The Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics Inception Cohort Using A Multistate Model Approach., M. R.W. Barber, J. G. Hanly, L. Su, M. B. Urowitz, Y. St Pierre, J. Romero-Diaz, C. Gordon, C. Aranow, M. Mackay, A. E. Clarke, +30 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the long-term costs of lupus nephritis (LN). The costs were compared between patients with and without LN using multistate modeling.

METHODS: Patients from 32 centers in 11 countries were enrolled in the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics inception cohort within 15 months of diagnosis and provided annual data on renal function, hospitalizations, medications, dialysis, and selected procedures. LN was diagnosed by renal biopsy or the American College of Rheumatology classification criteria. Renal function was assessed annually using the estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) or estimated proteinuria. A multistate model was used to predict 10-year cumulative …

Elevated Albumin In Retinas Of Monkeys With Experimental Glaucoma, Louvenia Carter-Dawson, Yujin Zhang, Ronald S Harwerth, Ricky Rojas, Pramod Dash, Xinping C Zhao, Elizabeth Woldemussie, Guadalupe Ruiz, Alice Chuang, William P Dubinsky, John B Redell

Journal Articles

PURPOSE: To establish the identity of a prominent protein, approximately 70 kDa, that is markedly increased in the retina of monkeys with experimental glaucoma compared with the fellow control retina, the relationship to glaucoma severity, and its localization in the retina.

METHODS: Retinal extracts were subjected to 2-D gel electrophoresis to identify differentially expressed proteins. Purified peptides from the abundant 70 kDa protein were analyzed and identified by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) separation, and collision-induced dissociation sequencing. Protein identity was performed on MASCOT (Matrix Science, Boston, MA) and confirmed by Western blot. The relationship between the increase in this …

Social Support In An Internet Weight Loss Community, Kevin O Hwang, Allison J Ottenbacher, Angela P Green, M Roseann Cannon-Diehl, Oneka Richardson, Elmer V Bernstam, Eric J Thomas

Journal Articles

PURPOSE: To describe social support for weight loss shared by members of a large Internet weight loss community.

METHODS: We conducted a mixed-methods study with surveys (n=193) and interviews (n=13) of community members along with a content analysis of discussion forum messages (n=1924 messages). Qualitative data were analyzed for social support themes.

RESULTS: Survey respondents were primarily white (91.4%) and female (93.8%) with mean age 37.3 years and mean body mass index 30.9. They used forums frequently, with 56.8% reading messages, 36.1% replying to messages, and 18.5% posting messages to start a discussion related to weight loss on a daily …

Comparative Efficacy Of 2 Topical Anesthetics For The Placement Of Orthodontic Temporary Anchorage Devices, Derek S Reznik, Arthur H Jeske, Jung-Wei Chen, Jeryl English

Journal Articles

This study compared the effectiveness of topical benzocaine 20% versus a combination of lidocaine, tetracaine, and phenylephrine in providing sufficient analgesia for the placement of orthodontic temporary anchorage devices (TADs). The 2 topical anesthetics were tested against each other bilaterally using a randomized, double-blind, crossover design. The agents were left in place for the amount of time prescribed by the manufacturer. The TAD was then placed, and each subject rated the degree of pain on a Heft-Parker visual analogue scale. A pulse oximeter was used to record the preoperative and postoperative pulse rates. Statistically significant differences in perceived pain (P …

Sustained Attention In Children With Two Etiologies Of Early Hydrocephalus., Maegan D. Swartwout, Paul T. Cirino, Amy W. Hampson, Jack M. Fletcher, Michael E. Brandt, Maureen Dennis

Journal Articles

Several studies have shown that children with spina bifida meningomyelocele (SBM) and hydrocephalus have attention problems on parent ratings and difficulties in stimulus orienting associated with a posterior brain attention system. Less is known about response control and inhibition associated with an anterior brain attention system. Using the Gordon Vigilance Task (Gordon, 1983), we studied error rate, reaction time, and performance over time for sustained attention, a key anterior attention function, in 101 children with SBM, 17 with aqueductal stenosis (AS; another condition involving congenital hydrocephalus), and 40 typically developing controls (NC). In SBM, we investigated the relation between cognitive …

Effect Of Progressive Mandibular Advancement On Pharyngeal Airway Size In Anesthetized Adults., Samuel T Kuna, Lee C Woodson, Daneshvari R Solanki, Oliver Esch, Donald E Frantz, Mali Mathru

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: General anesthesia in adult humans is associated with narrowing or complete closure of the pharyngeal airway. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of progressive mandibular advancement on pharyngeal airway size in normal adults during intravenous infusion of propofol for anesthesia.

METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging was performed in nine normal adults during wakefulness and during propofol anesthesia. A commercially available intraoral appliance was used to manually advance the mandible. Images were obtained during wakefulness without the appliance and during anesthesia with the participants wearing the appliance under three conditions: without mandibular advancement, advancement to 50% maximum …

Correlates Of Tobacco Cessation Counseling Among Hispanic Physicians In The Us: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study., Francisco G Soto Mas, Héctor G Balcázar, Julia Valderrama Alberola, Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Physician advice is an important motivator for attempting to stop smoking. However, physicians' lack of intervention with smokers has only modestly improved in the last decade. Although the literature includes extensive research in the area of the smoking intervention practices of clinicians, few studies have focused on Hispanic physicians. The purpose of this study was to explore the correlates of tobacco cessation counseling practices among Hispanic physicians in the US. METHODS: Data were collected through a validated survey instrument among a cross-sectional sample of self-reported Hispanic physicians practicing in New Mexico, and who were members of the New Mexico …

Dominance Of The Proximal Coordinate Frame In Determining The Locations Of Hippocampal Place Cell Activity During Navigation, Jennifer J Siegel, Joshua P Neunuebel, James J Knierim

Journal Articles

The place-specific activity of hippocampal cells provides downstream structures with information regarding an animal's position within an environment and, perhaps, the location of goals within that environment. In rodents, recent research has suggested that distal cues primarily set the orientation of the spatial representation, whereas the boundaries of the behavioral apparatus determine the locations of place activity. The current study was designed to address possible biases in some previous research that may have minimized the likelihood of observing place activity bound to distal cues. Hippocampal single-unit activity was recorded from six freely moving rats as they were trained to perform …

Epstein-Barr Virus Infection Of Langerhans Cell Precursors As A Mechanism Of Oral Epithelial Entry, Persistence, And Reactivation, Dennis M. Walling, Autumn J. Ray, Joan E. Nichols, Catherine M. Flaitz, C. Mark Nichols

Journal Articles

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous human herpesvirus associated with many malignant and nonmalignant human diseases. Life-long latent EBV persistence occurs in blood-borne B lymphocytes, while EBV intermittently productively replicates in mucosal epithelia. Although several models have previously been proposed, the mechanism of EBV transition between these two reservoirs of infection has not been determined. In this study, we present the first evidence demonstrating that EBV latently infects a unique subset of blood-borne mononuclear cells that are direct precursors to Langerhans cells and that EBV both latently and productively infects oral epithelium-resident cells that are likely Langerhans cells. These data …

Chronic Administration Of Methylphenidate Produces Neurophysiological And Behavioral Sensitization, Pamela B Yang, Alan C Swann, Nachum Dafny

Journal Articles

The electrophysiological properties of acute and chronic methylphenidate (MPD) on neurons of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and caudate nucleus (CN) have not been studied in awake, freely behaving animals. The present study was designed to investigate the dose-response effects of MPD on sensory evoked potentials recorded from the PFC and CN in freely behaving rats previously implanted with permanent electrodes, as well as their behavioral (locomotor) activities. On experimental day 1, locomotor behavior of rats was recorded for 2 h post-saline injection, and sensory evoked field potentials were recorded before and after saline and 0.6, 2.5, and 10 mg/kg, i.p., …

Repression Of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (Trail) But Not Its Receptors During Oral Cancer Progression, Nadarajah Vigneswaran, Darryl C. Baucum, Jean Wu, Yahuan Lou, Jerry Bouquot, Susan Muller, Wolfgang Zacharias

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: TRAIL plays an important role in host immunosurveillance against tumor progression, as it induces apoptosis of tumor cells but not normal cells, and thus has great therapeutic potential for cancer treatment. TRAIL binds to two cell-death-inducing (DR4 and DR5) and two decoy (DcR1, and DcR2) receptors. Here, we compare the expression levels of TRAIL and its receptors in normal oral mucosa (NOM), oral premalignancies (OPM), and primary and metastatic oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) in order to characterize the changes in their expression patterns during OSCC initiation and progression. METHODS: DNA microarray, immunoblotting and immunohistochemical analyses were used to …

Platelet-Activating Factor Is Crucial In Psoralen And Ultraviolet A-Induced Immune Suppression, Inflammation, And Apoptosis., Peter Wolf, Dat X Nghiem, Jeffrey P Walterscheid, Scott Byrne, Yumi Matsumura, Yasuhiro Matsumura, Cora Bucana, Honnavara N Ananthaswamy, Stephen E Ullrich

Journal Articles

Psoralen plus UVA (PUVA) is used as a very effective treatment modality for various diseases, including psoriasis and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. PUVA-induced immune suppression and/or apoptosis are thought to be responsible for the therapeutic action. However, the molecular mechanisms by which PUVA acts are not well understood. We have previously identified platelet-activating factor (PAF), a potent phospholipid mediator, as a crucial substance triggering ultraviolet B radiation-induced immune suppression. In this study, we used PAF receptor knockout mice, a selective PAF receptor antagonist, a COX-2 inhibitor (presumably blocking downstream effects of PAF), and PAF-like molecules to test the role of PAF …

Noninvasive Assessment Of Diffusion Hypoxia Following Administration Of Nitrous Oxide-Oxygen, Arthur H. Jeske, Clark W. Whitmire, Chris Freels, Mike Fuentes

Journal Articles

The phenomenon of diffusion hypoxia is commonly believed to occur unless nitrous oxide-oxygen inhalation sedation is followed by "washout" with 100% oxygen for 5 minutes upon termination of the flow of nitrous oxide. When systematically studied, however, this phenomenon generally appears to be unfounded. The present study evaluated the effect of breathing room air instead of 100% oxygen in healthy (ASA 1) human volunteers following administration of sedative concentrations of nitrous oxide. The occurrence of hypoxia was determined objectively, using pulse oximetry and a standardized psychomotor skills test (Trieger test). Diffusion hypoxia was not observed using these criteria.

Isolation Of Lautropia Mirabilis From Oral Cavities Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Children, S. N. Rossmann, P. H. Wilson, J. Hicks, B. Carter, S. G. Cron, C. Simon, C. M. Flaitz, G. J. Demmler, W. T. Shearer, M. W. Kline

Journal Articles

Lautropia mirabilis, a pleomorphic, motile, gram-negative coccus, has been isolated from the oral cavities of 32 of 60 (53.3%) children infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and 3 of 25 (12.0%) HIV-uninfected controls; the association of L. mirabilis isolation with HIV infection is significant (P < 0.001). All children in the study, both HIV-infected children and controls, were born to HIV-infected mothers. The presence of this bacterium was not associated with clinical disease in these children. The HIV-infected children with L. mirabilis did not differ from the HIV-infected children without L. mirabilis in immunological status, clinical status, or systemic medications. The role of HIV infection itself or concomitant factors in the establishment of L. mirabilis in the oral cavity remains to be elucidated.