Digital Commons Network^™

Spontaneous Hemidiaphragm Elevation, A Subtle, Early Sign Of Malignancy, Michael Lee Phillips, Caitlyn Brown, Rena Phillips, John Ashby, Chad Martins

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Coil Embolization And Open Splenectomy For A Massive Splenic Vein Aneurysm: A Case Report, Kaitlyn Vu, Logan Brown, Blake Durrence, Tilak Patel, Robert Larsen, Stephanie Gordy

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Aortic Rupture Averted: Brucella Aortitis With Pseudoaneurysm Formation In The Southeastern United States, Nigel D'Souza, Thomas Horton

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Aortic Occlusion From Dislodged Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device, Margaret Carey, Edward Jerry Cohn

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Guillan-Barre Syndrome Following Campylobacter Jejuni Infection: A Case Report, Joanmarie Lewandowski, Shahla Delawalla, Tilak Patel

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Prenatal Detection Of Grade Iv Germinal Matrix-Intraventricular Hemorrhage With White Matter Loss And Corpus Callosum Thinning Confirmed By Fetal Mri, Avery G. Kanemasu, Sara K. Wiggins, Keisha L. Reddick

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

An Unusual Cause Of Postpartum Bleeding: Choriocarcinoma Following Term Pregnancy, Erika R. Olsen, Sarah Hitt, James Burke

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

An Unusual Case Of Adrenal Insufficiency, Claudia Ludden, Cooper Alden Josephs

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Finding Foxg1 Syndrome In An Adult Patient, Claudia Ludden, Timothy P. Connelly

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Intracranial Mycotic Aneurysm With Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Rare Neurologic Presentation Of Streptococcus Constellatus Bacteremia, Matthew R. Corn, Grace Fawcett, Cooper Alden Josephs, Matthew Mcginty, Ellie Stark, Thomas Horton

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Disparities In The Inpatient Management Of Anemia: A Multicenter Retrospective Analysis, Eunice Adebayo, Michael Lee Phillips, Ritij Sarvaiya, Harsh Desai, Nayda Parisio Poldiak, Julie Worthington, Taylor Templeton-Jager, Kelsey Zealy

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Association Of Acetaminophen/Butalbital/Caffeine Doses And Incidence Of Cerebral Vasospasm, Emma Cloud, Mallory Stringer, Eric Shaw

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Levetiracetam Use In Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage And Spontaneous Intracranial Hemorrhage For Seizure Prophylaxis, Taylor Dodd, Mallory Stringer, Eric Shaw

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Tirofiban Use Following Mechanical Thrombectomy With Emergent Stent Placement In Acute Ischemic Stroke, Taylor Dodd, Mallory Stringer, Eric Shaw

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Insulin Dosing In A Hyperkalemia Protocol, Kayla Hedgspeth, Rohan Johnson, Eric Shaw, Stephanie Lesslie

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Oral Vancomycin Dosing Strategies For Initial, Non-Fulminant C. Difficile Infection Treatment, Hunter Mcdowell, Eric Shaw, Danielle Lott

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Heparin Infusions And Resultant Monitoring Parameters, Victoria Michel-Milian, Eric Shaw, Alisha B. Terry

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Epoetin Alfa Administration In Intermittent Hemodialysis, Britany Shellhouse, Eric Shaw, Stacie Coleman

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Impact Of Perioperative Antibiotic Timing On Surgical Site Infections In Hysterectomy And Colorectal Surgeries, Britany Shellhouse, Eric Shaw, Amy Taylor

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Gastroparesis – An Often-Overlooked Sign Of Multiple Sclerosis, Breveenn Kukan, Kaylee Brown, Minh Chung, Steven Veselsky, Joshua Ferrell

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2025

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Skin In Patients With Systematic Sclerosis Using High-Frequency Ultrasound And Shear Wave Elastography: A Comparative Study With Histology, Molecular, And Clinical Parameters, Ruhani Desai, Filemon Tan, Minghua Wu, Jeffery L. Browning, Samuel Theodore, Meng Zhang, Brian Skaug, Harshdeep Singh Chawla, Manmohan Singh, Salavat Aglyamov, Kirill V. Larin, Maureen Mayes, Shervin Assassi

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Objective: Ultrasound (US) has been proposed as a potential tool for assessing skin fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc). However, a large-scale comparison of US-based assessment with histologic markers of skin fibrosis has not been reported. We evaluated US-based skin assessments for their face validity (differentiation between involved SSc and healthy control [HC] skin), construct validity (comparison to modified Rodnan skin score [mRSS]), and criterion validity (comparison to histologic and gene expression fibrosis markers).

Methods: Twenty HCs and 52 patients with SSc underwent clinical and US assessment followed by a forearm skin biopsy. Predefined areas were assessed on the finger, hand, …

Concomitant Transcatheter Edge-To-Edge Repair For Mitral And Tricuspid Regurgitation For Polyvalvular Disease, Omar Khan, Matthew Summers

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

This patient is a 77-year-old male with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, severe tricuspid regurgitation, and moderate mitral regurgitation who underwent simultaneous transcatheter edge-to-edge repair of both mitral and tricuspid valves. Post-procedure, the patient exhibited significant symptomatic improvement and reduced regurgitation severity, highlighting the feasibility of dual-valve TEER in high-risk patients.

Multimodal Machine Learning For Alzheimer's Disease Classification Using Adni Biomarker Fusion, Hesameddin Mostaghimi, Hamid R. Okhravi, Bahar Niknejad, Daniel A. Cohen, Michel A. Audette, Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Despite ongoing advances, accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains challenging due to its multifactorial nature, comorbidities, and clinical heterogeneity. Accordingly, approaches that combine multimodal data may improve AD classification by integrating complementary information. To investigate this, we evaluated classification performance using a preprocessed ADNI-3 dataset comprising a shared set of clinical/cognitive features along with four imaging modality-based cohorts: trimodal (MRI + amyloid PET + tau PET), MRI + amyloid PET, MRI + tau PET, and MRI-only. We trained a range of supervised machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) classifiers using stratified five-fold cross-validation and evaluated performance using accuracy, …

Clinical Challenges Associated With Enhancing Hypertension Among The Underserved African American Population, Ashley Richardson

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects

Background 

African Americans face a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension, tend to develop complications at younger ages, and have disproportionately higher mortality rates. Key social determinants of health (SDoH)—including food deserts, unequal access to healthcare, and geographic disparities in healthcare resources—contribute to these ongoing inequities. Addressing both systemic and individual barriers is crucial for effective hypertension management.

Objective

This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a culturally relevant, community-based intervention designed to reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure among Black adults with uncontrolled hypertension.

Methods 

Quality improvement (QI) initiatives typically employ multicomponent, equity-focused models. The primary components of …

The Postsynaptic Scaffolding Protein Sapap3 Shapes Mitochondrial Activity: The Case Of Huntington's Disease, Patrícia Coelho, Ildete Luísa Ferreira, Ana Sofia Lourenço, Daniela Marinho, Sandra Isabel Anjo, Zongwei Fang, Lígia Fão, Sandra I. Mota, Philippe J. Mas, Mário Carvalho, Rui Jorge Nobre, Carina Henriques, Joana Fraga, Dongqing Wang, Sandra Macedo Ribeiro, Luís Pereira De Almeida, Patrícia Monteiro, Isaura Simões, Darren J. Hart, Bruno Manadas, João Peça, Pedro Castanheira, A. Cristina Rego

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Postsynaptic scaffolding protein SAP90/PSD95-associated protein 3 (SAPAP3) modulates cortico-striatal signalling and regulates the maintenance of synaptic structure. Notably, SAPAP3 defects have been reported in several human psychiatric disorders that share pathophysiological features with Huntington’s disease (HD), a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the expression of mutant huntingtin (mHTT) and marked dysfunction of cortico-striatal synapses and mitochondria. However, the role of SAPAP3 in mitochondrial function and HD pathophysiology remains unexplored. SAPAP3 was extracted from striatal synaptoneurosomes and analyzed by SWATH-MS proteomics to identify potential interactors, revealing SAPAP3 association with several mitochondrial proteins, particularly Mic60. These data were further complemented with proximity ligation …

The Crucial Role Of Machine Learning Models In Predicting Current Childhood Asthma: Model Comparison, Calibration, And Shap-Based Interpretation, Aditya Chakraborty, A. K.M. Raquibul Bashar

Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Asthma is one of the most prominent chronic diseases in children and one of the most challenging ailments to diagnose in infants and preschoolers in the United States. Predictive models can be instrumental in improving early diagnosis, personalized treatment strategies, and disease progression. By utilizing nationalized data, this study focuses on building and comparing high-performing analytical predictive models based on the relevant risk factors and identifying the most influential predictors.

Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional BRFSS Asthma Call-Back Survey data (2011-2020; N = 9,813) and randomly split participants into training and testing sets. An XGBoost model (hyperparameters tuned via grid …

Place Matters: Investigating The Social And Environmental Drivers Of Hypertension In Nashville, Marquinta Harvey, Michael D. Oliver, Tatum Brown, Deya Rassul, Thomas Strickler, Jarod Parrish, Catherine Bass

Funded Scholarship

Hypertension disparities persist across communities, driven by interactions between social determinants of health (SDOH) and behavioral factors. This study examines geographic and demographic patterns of hypertension in Nashville, Tennessee, to assess how socioeconomic, environmental, and behavioral factors contribute to inequities in prevalence, treatment, and control. Granular ZIP code-level analyses highlight community-specific drivers and the need for policy reforms to advance health equity.

The Interplay Between Loneliness, Cortisol, And Nk Cell Function: The Role Of Cortisol In Nk Cell Dysfunction, Abhinav Saurabh, Yvonne Baumer, Laurel G. Mendelsohn, Elizabeth M. Aquino Peterson, Dana Sadler, Shirley J. Lopez De Leon, Ayushi Dave, Andrew S. Baez, Lola R. Ortiz-Whittingham, Mario A. Pita, Manuel A. Cintron, Hannatu A. Tarfa, Sandy T. Reynolds, Shelby R. Hicks, Sonal Sharda, J. Eleanor Seo, Maria Lopez-Ocasio, Pradeep K. Dagur, Skyler A. Kuhn, Neelam R. Redekar, James F. Troendle, Ayanna L. Wells, Marie Marah, Katherine J. Tolentino, Michael J. Corley, Alika K. Maunakea, Lynnette K. Nieman, Marcus R. Andrews, Tiffany M. Powell-Wiley

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Chronic psychosocial stressors contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and related risk factors, particularly in under-resourced communities. Psychosocial stressors activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, leading to sustained cortisol action on immune cells. Natural killer (NK) cells are altered in distribution and function in cardio-metabolic diseases; however, pathways linking cortisol as a marker of chronic stress to NK cell dysfunction remain understudied. We recruited 186 African American women from the Step It Up Community-Engaged, Digital Health Physical Activity Intervention study and collected cortisol, NK cell measures, and psychosocial stress measures using validated questionnaires, including chronic stress and loneliness. Plasma cortisol levels were …

Senescent Fibroblasts In Aging And Pulmonary Fibrosis, Sara B. Palega, Aiwei Y. Borengasser, Yan Y. Sanders

Microbiology & Molecular Cell Biology Faculty Publications

Aging is a major risk factor for many chronic lung diseases, including Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), a fatal and incurable disease characterized by progressive fibrotic remodeling. Age-associated structural alterations, impaired regenerative capacity, and dysregulated cellular signaling collectively create a pro-fibrotic microenvironment. A central driver of this pathological shift is the accumulation of senescent cells, which undergo irreversible growth arrest and develop a robust pro-inflammatory senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Emerging evidence identifies senescent lung fibroblasts as critical mediators of IPF pathogenesis. These cells promote excessive extracellular matrix deposition, myofibroblast differentiation, and tissue stiffening, while simultaneously impairing epithelial regeneration. Together, these effects …

Single-Cell Transciptomic Analysis Reveals Age-Related Remodeling Of Brain Endothelial Cells, Hai Duc Nguyen, Summer Siddiqui, Diana G. Bohannon, Robert V. Blair, Hong-Wen Deng, Alexandre Prat, Woong-Ki Kim

Microbiology & Molecular Cell Biology Faculty Publications

Blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity naturally declines with age. Brain endothelial cells (ECs) and pericytes (PCs) form the BBB, and aging impairs tight junctions, likely via altered PC-to-EC signaling. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this impairment remain unclear. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, we profiled 68,316 brain ECs expressing 15,564 genes from young and old mice. Unsupervised clustering and annotation revealed five distinct EC subtypes—Capillary EC1, Capillary EC2, Arterial EC, Venous EC1, and Venous EC2—defined by marker genes Mfsd2a, Plvap, Bmx, Nr2f2, and Vcam1, respectively. Aging shifted EC subtype distribution, with reduced Capillary EC1 (45% vs. 57%) and increased Arterial …