Digital Commons Network^™

Comprehensive Analysis Of The Tumor Targeting Efficiency Of Functionalized Nanoparticles In An Immunocompetent Environment, Nolan Jackson, Nasry Bouzeineddine, Daniel Cecchi, Safara Holder, Katrina Gee, Wayne Beckham, Sameh Basta, Sunil Krishnan, Devika B Chithrani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The success of nanoparticle-based cancer therapeutics relies on their efficient tumor uptake and retention. Given this, improving nanoparticle localization in tumors is paramount to maximize their therapeutic potential. A common approach to achieve this is to functionalize nanoparticles with active targeting moieties that bind to specific tumor-associated receptors. Among these, arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptides have shown a potential to promote tumor accumulation by targeting the ανβ3 integrin receptor, a receptor commonly overexpressed by tumors owing to its role in promoting angiogenesis, metastasis and proliferation. Yet, its efficacy is commonly assessed using immunocompromised mice models. While useful, these models do not …

Sti Testing And Diagnosis Rates Among Patients With Mpox In 2 Populous Us Cities, 2022, Shauna H Gunaratne, Karen J Vigil, Simian Huang, Nina Kumenda, Jacob Mclean, Clare Delaurentis, Delivette Castor, Jason Zucker

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Mpox is recognized as a sexually transmitted infection, and the 2022 epidemic and 2024 resurgence of mpox cases through sexual transmission highlighted the need for sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing. Our objective was to observe rates of STI testing and STI diagnoses in patients with confirmed mpox in Houston, Texas and New York City, New York (NY).

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study involving manual review of confirmed mpox cases at three large clinical centers in Houston, Texas and New York City, NY. Descriptive statistics were calculated for rates of STI testing and new diagnoses of syphilis, chlamydia …

The Role Of Traumatic Brain Injury On Intimate Partner Violence And Changes In Mental Health From Late Adolescence To Young Adulthood, Eric J Connolly, Elizabeth Baumler, Deborah M Little, Meghan L Royle, Anne C Wingert, Leila Wood, Jeff R Temple

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and traumatic brain injury (TBI) are common correlates of mental health problems in adolescence. However, research has yet to investigate whether IPV victimization is related to developmental changes in mental health, as well as the contributing role that TBI may play in conditioning this association. We address this gap by analyzing longitudinal data with well-validated measures of mental health from an ethnically diverse sample of adolescents.

Methods: Prospective data from the Dating it Safe sample (n = 699) were used to measure IPV victimization, depression, post-traumatic stress, binge drinking, and TBI from 2015 to …

Polychlorinated Biphenyls Alter Estrogen Receptor Β-Mediated Epigenetic Regulation, Promoting Endometriosis, Yuri Park, Nuri Sung, Eunsu Kim, Jaeyeong Jeong, Juhee Sim, Mi Jin Park, John P Lydon, Xiaoming Guan, Sang Jun Han

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Endometriosis is a pathological condition characterized by the ectopic growth of endometrial cells, leading to chronic pelvic pain and infertility. Epidemiological studies have associated exposure to dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls, particularly PCB126, with an increased risk of endometriosis. However, the underlying mechanisms of this association remain poorly understood. We utilized a surgically induced endometriosis mouse model and human endometrial cell lines to assess the impact of PCB126 on endometriosis progression. Mice were exposed to environmentally relevant doses of PCB126. Endometriotic lesion growth, estrogen receptor signaling, receptor tyrosine kinase activity, and gene expression changes induced by PCB126-mediated elevation of DNA methyltransferase 3A …

Dual Targeting Of Orphan Nuclear Receptors Nr4a1 And Nr4a2 For Nonhormonal Endometriosis Therapy, Wai Ning Tiffany Tsui, Yuri Park, Srijana Upadhyay, Da Mi Kim, Lei Zhang, Gus Wright, Amanuel Hailemariam, Arafat Rahman Oany, Sang Jun Han, Stephen Safe

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Previous studies show that orphan nuclear receptor 4A1 (NR4A1) regulates endometriotic cell growth, survival, estrogen receptor β (ERβ), mechanistic target of rapamycin signaling and fibrosis. NR4A2 is also expressed in epithelial and stromal derived endometriotic cells, and in this study the effects of 1,1-bis(3'-indolyl)-(3,5-disubstitutedphenyl)methane (DIM-3,5) dual NR4A1/nuclear receptor 4A2 (NR4A2) ligands and knockdown of NR4A1 and NR4A2 were investigated. The dual NR4A1/2 DIM-3,5 analogs inhibited previously identified proendometriotic pathways and gene products, and they also inhibited TWIST1 and multiple markers associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The results show that both NR4A1 and NR4A2 regulate the same pathways, including endometriotic cell …

Sers And Seira Detection Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons And Their Derivatives In Murine Tissues: Bioaccumulation And Clearance, Oara Neumann, Andrés B Sánchez-Alvarado, Weiwu Jiang, Guo Dong Zhou, Sachin B Jorveka, Parmeet Dhindsa, Nagireddy Putluri, Peter Nordlander, Melissa A Suter, Bhagavatula Moorthy, Naomi J Halas

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The toxicological effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) have attracted considerable research interest due to their known bioaccumulation. However, time-resolved and longitudinal studies that examine in vivo bioaccumulation and clearance remain limited. Here we use Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) and Surface-Enhanced Infrared Absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopies to detect and track the presence of two PAHs: pyrene, benzo[a]pyrene, and one PAC: 5,12-naphthacenequinone, in murine organ tissues. Mice were exposed to a three-component mixture of these three chemicals, then their organs were collected at 24-, 48-, and 72- hours post-exposure. The accumulation of each of these chemicals in …

Digital Quality Measure Of Potentially Avoidable Emergency Presentations Among Patients With Colorectal Cancer, Natalia Khalaf, Basim Ali, Andrew Zimolzak, Yan Liu, Li Wei, Fasiha Kanwal, Hardeep Singh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: We previously developed a digital quality measure (dQM) of emergency presentations (EPs) in colorectal cancer (CRC) and found it to be associated with worse outcomes. Potentially avoidable EPs were common in this cohort, but identifying them required time-intensive chart reviews. We aimed to enhance the existing dQM to automate the detection of potentially avoidable EPs.

Materials and methods: We defined potentially avoidable EPs as those preceded by a CRC red flag (iron-deficiency anaemia or haematochezia ≥60 days prior, or positive stool-based screening test ≥180 days prior). The enhanced dQM was applied to a national cohort of incident CRC cases …

A Case Of Granuloma Annulare Mimicking Candidal Intertrigo In The Groin, Scotty Smith, Patrice Perche, Leonard Gately

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Granuloma annulare (GA) is a benign, non-infectious granulomatous skin condition of uncertain etiology, often presenting as annular erythematous plaques. While commonly localized to the hands and feet, GA has multiple clinical variants and can mimic other dermatologic conditions, leading to diagnostic challenges. We report a rare case of GA localized to the inguinal region in a 55-year-old female initially treated empirically for candidal intertrigo without improvement. Biopsy demonstrated interstitial histiocytic infiltrates dissecting between collagen bundles with increased dermal mucin, confirming a diagnosis of interstitial GA. The patient was subsequently treated with triamcinolone 0.1% ointment and hydroxychloroquine 200 mg twice daily …

One-Sided Matching Portal (Osmp): A Tool To Facilitate Rare Disease Patient Matchmaking., Matthew Osmond, E Magda Price, Orion J. Buske, Mackenzie Frew, Madeline Couse, Taila Hartley, Conor Klamann, Hannah G B H Le, Jenny Xu, Delvin So, Anjali Jain, Kevin Lu, Kevin Mo, Hannah Wyllie, Erika Wall, Hannah G. Driver, Warren A. Cheung, Ana S A Cohen, Emily G. Farrow, Isabelle Thiffault, Care Rare Canada Consortium, Andrei L. Turinsky, Tomi Pastinen, Michael Brudno, Kym M. Boycott

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Genomic matchmaking-the process of identifying individuals with overlapping phenotypes and rare variants in the same gene-is an important tool facilitating gene discoveries for unsolved rare genetic disease (RGD) patients. Current approaches are two-sided, meaning both patients being matched must have the same candidate gene flagged. This limits the number of RGD patients eligible for matchmaking. One-sided matchmaking, in which a gene of interest is queried in the genome-wide sequencing data of RGD patients, would make matchmaking possible for previously undiscoverable individuals. However, platforms and workflows for this approach have not been well established.

RESULT: We released a beta version …

Multimodal Reprogramming Of The Tumor Microenvironment By Mmr And Dual Checkpoint Blockade In Hepatocellular Carcinoma Models, Mulu Z. Tesfay, Aleksandra Cios, Khandoker Usran Ferdous, Randal S. Shelton, Bahaa Mustafa, Camila C. Simoes, Murat Gokden, Isabelle R. Miousse, Kimberly J. Krager, Marjan Boerma, Alicja Urbaniak, Anuradha Kunthur, Sri Obulareddy, Joshua M. Eichhorn, Steven R. Post, Jean Christopher Chamcheu, Omeed Moaven, Chiswili Y. Chabu, Dan G. Duda, Matteo Conti, Bruno Nardo, Rang Govindarajan, Martin E. Fernandez-Zapico, Lewis R. Roberts, Mitesh J. Borad, Martin J. Cannon, Alexei G. Basnakian, Bolni M. Nagalo

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, thus, there is an urgent need to develop more effective therapeutic options for this dismal condition. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are associated with improved response to immune checkpoint blockade in HCC, but their low abundance in most cases limits their therapeutic efficacy. Here, we demonstrate, in mice, that low-dose intratumoral immunovirotherapy with the trivalent measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) induces superior tumor-growth delay and extended host survival compared to individually administered vaccines for measles, mumps, or rubella viruses. Further, our results show that MMR therapy synergizes with PD-1 and …

A Neuroimmune Cerebral Assembloid Model To Study The Pathophysiology Of Familial Alzheimer's Disease, Andrea Becerra-Calixto, Anik Banerjee, Huihui Fan, Chunfeng Tan, Eunyoung Lee, Louise D Mccullough, Juneyoung Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia globally. The accumulation of amyloid and tau proteins, neuronal cell death and neuroinflammation are seen with AD progression, resulting in memory and cognitive impairment. Microglia are crucial for AD progression as they engage with neural cells and protein aggregates to regulate amyloid pathology and neuroinflammation. Recent studies indicate that microglia contribute to the propagation of amyloid beta (Aβ) via their immunomodulatory functions including Aβ phagocytosis and inflammatory cytokine production. Three-dimensional cell culture techniques provide the opportunity to study pathophysiological changes in AD in human-derived samples that are difficult to recapitulate in …

Synaptic Transmission Promotes Brain Metastatic Outgrowth In Breast Cancer, Jayanta Mondal, Patrick Nylund, Prit Benny Malgulwar, William E Johnson, Jason T Huse

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This work demonstrates that normal neuron-to-neuron signaling machinery is hijacked by metastasizing cancer cells during their outgrowth in the central nervous system.

Quiescent Oxphos-High Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells That Persist After Chemotherapy Depend On Bcl-Xl For Survival, Slawomir Andrzejewski, Marie Winter, Leandro Encarnacao Garcia, Olusiji Akinrinmade, Francisco Madeira Marques, Emmanouil Zacharioudakis, Anna Skwarska, Julio Aguirre-Ghiso, Marina Konopleva, Guangrong Zheng, Susan A Fineberg, Daohong Zhou, Evripidis Gavathiotis, Tao Wang, Eugen Dhimolea

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The persistent residual tumor cells that survive after chemotherapy are a major cause of treatment failure, but their survival mechanisms remain largely elusive. These cancer cells are typically characterized by a quiescent state with suppressed activity of MYC and MTOR. We observed that the MYC-suppressed persistent triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells are metabolically flexible and can upregulate mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) genes and respiratory function ("OXPHOS-high" cell state) in response to DNA-damaging anthracyclines such as doxorubicin, but not to taxanes. The elevated biomass and respiratory function of mitochondria in OXPHOS-high persistent cancer cells were associated with mitochondrial elongation and remodeling, …

Mechanistic Study Of Pexidartinib-Induced Toxicity In Human Hepatic Cells, Si Chen, Yuxi Li, Xilin Li, Nan Mei, Xiaobo He, Matthew S Bryant, Xuan Qin, Feng Li, Lei Guo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Pexidartinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2019 for treating adult patients with symptomatic tenosynovial giant cell tumors. Because of its hepatotoxicity risks, pexidartinib received a boxed warning; however, mechanistic studies on this hepatotoxicity remain limited. In this study, we demonstrate that pexidartinib decreases cell viability in primary human hepatocytes and hepatic HepG2 cells. A 24-h treatment with pexidartinib led to apoptosis in HepG2 cells, as evidenced by increased caspase 3/7 activity and the induction of cleaved PARP and γ-H2A.X. Pexidartinib-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress was observed at early time points of …

Successful Therapeutic Response Of Intravenous Immunoglobulin In Guillain-Barre Syndrome With Onset More Than Two Weeks: A Case Report, Ezra Immanuelly Pribadi, Fauna Herawati, Valentinus Besin, Marisca Evalina Gondokesumo

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), with a global incidence of 1–2 cases per 100,000 population annually, remains the most common cause of acute flaccid paralysis. Standard treatment includes plasma exchange within 4 weeks or intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) within 2 weeks of symptom onset. However, IVIg may still benefit selected late-presenting cases. Here, we report a case a 17-year-old male presented with progressive bilateral limb weakness and paresthesia that began approximately 3 weeks before admission. He also experienced a brief syncope episode and defecation syncope, indicating possible autonomic involvement. On hospital day 3, after shared decision-making, the family opted for IVIg over plasma …

The Impact Of G6pd Deficiency On Liver Damage And Disease Progression In Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Cross-Sectional Study In Thailand, Watcharapong Jugnam-Ang, Phatchayanat Tansakul, Makamas Chanda, Poonlarp Cheepsunthorn, Pisit Tangkijvanich, Chalisa L. Cheepsunthorn Ph.D.

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Background. Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is a key enzyme in the pentose phosphate pathway, producing reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) to support redox homeostasis and cancer cell proliferation. While G6PD deficiency has been linked to reduced cancer risk, its impact on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear.

Objectives. This study investigates the prevalence of G6PD deficiency in HCC patients and its association with clinical parameters across disease stages.

Methods. A cross-sectional study analyzed G6PD activity and clinical data from 174 HCC patients, 100 hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients, and 154 healthy controls. Peripheral blood G6PD activity was measured, and …

Effectiveness Of Vitamin D3 In Facilitating The Therapeutic Progression Of Healing Diabetic Foot Ulcers, Fatemeh Nouri, Sara Aghaei, Gülüzar Özbolat, Yusuf Döğüş, Mahdi Mirhamidi, Reza Rahimi Barghani, Amin Daemi

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Background: Today’s, diabetes and its complications have afflicted a large population all over the world, so that it is estimated that its prevalence in all age groups will reach from 2.8% in 2000 to 4.4% in 2030. It is well known that vitamin D may cause rapid wound healing and anti-inflammatory.

Objective: Regarding the importance of the quality of life of diabetic patients and the improvement of chronic diabetic foot ulcers, this paper aims to investigate the efficacy of vitamin D3 on the healing of diabetic foot ulcers. The present research is conducted as a randomized controlled trial.

Methods: …

Enhanced Piezo1 Function Contributes To The Pathogenesis Of Sickle Cell Disease, Luis O Romero, Manisha Bade, Laila Elsherif, Jada D Williams, Xiangmei Kong, Adebowale Adebiyi, Kenneth I Ataga, Shang Ma, Julio F Cordero-Morales, Valeria Vásquez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Sickle cell disease (SCD), an inherited blood disorder caused by a mutation in the β-globin gene, is characterized by sickle erythrocytes that are prone to hemolysis, leading to anemia and vaso-occlusion crises. In sickle erythrocytes, hemoglobin aggregation is followed by altered cation permeability and subsequent dehydration. Interventions that restore cation permeability can decrease hemolysis and ameliorate the symptoms associated with SCD. PIEZO1 is a nonselective mechanosensitive cation channel that regulates erythrocyte volume. Gain-of-function (GOF) mutations in PIEZO1 cause hemolytic anemia by increasing cation permeability, leading to erythrocyte dehydration in humans and mice. Although PIEZO1 plays a key role in erythrocyte …

A Soft-Stiff Patterned Bioengineering Model Reveals Kinase Pathways Driving Directional Cell Migration In Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Tamanna Islam, Jacob Hooper, Xiaojun Zhang, Clarissa Garcia, Md Mahedi Hasan, David H Drewry, Mohammad Anwar Hossain, Taslim A Al-Hilal

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Directional cell migration by pulmonary arterial cells (PACs) is one of the important features of diseases involving arterial remodeling, such as pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a disease that is often characterized by reduced arterial compliance and increased extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffening. However, there are no therapeutics that can halt the directional cell migration of PACs in PAH. The inability to identify drug targets or drugs against the directional cell migration during PAH pathogenesis stems from an incomplete understanding of the process and a lack of effective translational models for screening of candidate small molecules. Here, for the first time, we …

Advances In Fret Methodologies For Probing Molecular Interactions, Geetika Verma, Vasanthi Jayaraman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) has evolved into a powerful, quantitative approach for probing biomolecular structure, dynamics, and interactions. This research highlight brings together recent studies in Biophysical Journal that push the boundaries of traditional FRET. These innovations expand the spatial and temporal resolution of FRET, enabling its application to increasingly complex biological systems.

Genetics-Nutrition Interactions Control Diurnal Enhancer-Promoter Dynamics And Liver Lipid Metabolism, Dishu Zhou, Ying Chen, Panpan Liu, Kun Zhu, Juliet Holder-Haynes, S Julie-Ann Lloyd, Cam Mong La, Inna I Astapova, Seunghee Choa, Ying Xiong, Hosung Bae, Marlene Aguilar, Hongyuan Yang, Yu A An, Zheng Sun, Mark A Herman, Xia Gao, Liming Pei, Cholsoon Jang, Joshua D Rabinowitz, Samer G Mattar, Yongyou Zhang, Dongyin Guan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The circadian clock controls 24-h rhythmic processes. However, how genetic variations outside clock genes impact peripheral diurnal rhythms remains largely unknown. Here, we find that genetic variation contributes to different diurnal patterns of hepatic gene expression in both humans and mice. Nutritional challenges alter the rhythmicity of gene expression in mouse liver in a strain-specific manner. Remarkably, genetics and nutrition interdependently control more than 80% of rhythmic gene and enhancer-promoter interactions (E-PIs), with a noncanonical clock regulator, estrogen-related receptor gamma (ESRRγ), emerging as a top transcription factor during motif mining. Knockout of Esrrγ abolishes strain-specific metabolic processes in response to …

Multicenter Stroke Preclinical Assessment Network Analysis Of Cardiovascular Risk Factor Subgroups Treated With The Poly(Adp-Ribose) Polymerase Inhibitor Veliparib, Raymond C Koehler, Karni Bedirian, Mu-Hsun Chen, Yanrong Shi, Suyi Cao, Brooklyn D Avery, Senthilkumar S Karuppagounder, Kazi Akhter, Adnan Bibic, Valina L Dawson, Ted M Dawson, Márcio A Diniz, Jessica Lamb, Karisma A Nagarkatti, Anjali Chauhan, Jaroslaw Aronowski, Louise D Mccullough, Andreia Lopes De Morais, Xuyan Jin, Cenk Ayata, Mariia Kumskova, Rakesh B Patel, Anil K Chauhan, Enrique C Leira, Pradip K Kamat, Mohammad B Khan, Krishnan M Dhandapani, David C Hess, Ligia S B Boisserand, Basavaraju G Sanganahalli, Lauren H Sansing, Patrick D Lyden

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The Stroke Preclinical Assessment Network tested 6 therapeutic interventions initiated at the time of reperfusion after focal ischemic stroke in young mice, aging mice, obese mice, and spontaneously hypertensive rats. This randomized, controlled trial was conducted across 6 sites with concealed treatment and blinded neurobehavior assessments. The trial had an adaptive design with preset levels of efficacy and futility interrogated after each of 4 stages. The primary outcome was turning preference on the corner test at 1 month. The PARP (poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase) inhibitor, veliparib, was considered futile after the second stage when pooling all animal models (n=231 …

Biliverdin Reductase A Is A Major Determinant Of Protective Nrf2 Signaling, Chirag Vasavda, Ruchita Kothari, Navneet Ammal Kaidery, Suwarna Chakraborty, Sunil Jamuna Tripathi, Ryan S Dhindsa, Cristina Ricco, Shruthi Shanmukha, Samaneh Saberi, Julia E Lefler, Priyanka Kothari, Kalyani Chaubey, Adele M Snowman, Michael C Ostrowski, Eugenio Barone, Lakshminarayan M Iyer, L Aravind, Sudarshana M Sharma, Andrew A Pieper, Bobby Thomas, Solomon H Snyder, Bindu D Paul

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Biliverdin reductase A (BVRA), the terminal enzyme in heme catabolism, generates the neuroprotective and lipophilic antioxidant bilirubin. Here, we identify a nonenzymatic role for BVRA in redox regulation. Through phylogenetic, genetic, biochemical, and enzymatic assays, we found that BVRA exerts critical nonenzymatic antioxidant activity. Transcriptomic analyses further revealed that BVRA physically and genetically interacts with nuclear factor erythroid-derived factor-like 2 (NRF2), a major transcriptional regulator of cellular redox signaling. ChIP-seq and RNA-seq analyses reveal that BVRA and NRF2 coordinate the expression of antioxidant genes, many of which are typically dysregulated in neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. Thus, this noncanonical …

The Latest In Resuscitation Research: Highlights From The 2024 American Heart Association's Resuscitation Science Symposium, Gabriela M Galli, Aarthi Kaviyarasu, Sachin Agarwal, Catherine R Counts, Tommaso Scquizzato, Betty Yang, Clark G Owyang, Ryan Coute, Simon Orlob, Lindsay Shepard, Saleem Halablab, James Horowitz, Sarah Perman, Ryan Morgan, Anne Grossestreuer, Jacob Vine, Nicholas Johnson, Luke Andrea, Ari Moskowitz, Benjamin Abella, Cameron Dezfulian, Walid H Farooqi, Felipe Teran

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Efficacy Of Erdafitinib Before Or After Enfortumab Vedotin In Fgfr3-Altered Advanced Urothelial Cancer: Analysis Of The Unite Collaborative Study, Cindy Y Jiang, Hyunsoo Hwang, Ilana Y Epstein, Dimitra Rafailia Bakaloudi, Rafee Talukder, Amy K Taylor, Amanda Nizam, Tanya Jindal, Michael J Glover, Ali Raza Khaki, Pedro C Barata, Charles B Nguyen, Eugene Oh, Nancy B Davis, Hannah Mabey, Christopher J Hoimes, Sean T Evans, Bashar Abuqayas, Emily Lemke, Irene Tsung, Wei Qiao, Deepak Kilari, Yousef Zakharia, Mehmet A Bilen, Matthew I Milowsky, Sumit A Shah, Shilpa Gupta, Hamid Emamekhoo, Joaquim Bellmunt, Ajjai S Alva, Petros Grivas, Pavlos Msaouel, Vadim S Koshkin, Matthew T Campbell, Omar Alhalabi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Erdafitinib is approved for locally advanced/metastatic urothelial cancer (LA/mUC). As enfortumab vedotin (EV) plus pembrolizumab enters frontline management, outcomes with erdafitinib pre- and post-EV are clinically relevant but not specifically evaluated in clinical trials.

Methods: UNITE is a multi-institutional retrospective study of patients with LA/mUC treated with novel targeted agents. All patients with FGFR3 alterations treated with EV only, erdafitinib then EV (Erda->EV), and EV then erdafitinib (EV->Erda) were included. Sequential treatment with EV and Erda was not required. Primary endpoints were observed response rates (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS); secondary endpoint was overall survival (OS).

Results: …

Impact Of Obicetrapib On Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events In High-Risk Patients: A Pooled Analysis, Stephen J Nicholls, Adam J Nelson, Kausik K Ray, Christie M Ballantyne, Marc Ditmarsch, Douglas Kling, Andrew Hsieh, Michael Szarek, John J Kastelein, Michael H Davidson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: The cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitor obicetrapib decreases levels of atherogenic lipids and raises high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C).

Objectives: In this study, we sought to determine the effect of obicetrapib on cardiovascular events.

Methods: The effects of 10 mg obicetrapib and placebo daily on major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) rates were investigated in a pooled analysis of 354 patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) and 2,530 patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) over 365 days. The association between on-treatment lipids and MACE were also investigated.

Results: The cohort (mean age 66 years, 36% female, ASCVD 82%, HeFH 27%, diabetes …

Functional Diversity In Gii.4 Norovirus Entry: Hbga Binding And Capsid Clustering Dynamics, B Vijayalakshmi Ayyar, Carmen V Apostol, Janam Jitendra Dave, Soni Kaundal, Joseph A Kendra, Frederick H Neill, Khalil Ettayebi, Sarah Maher, Ramakrishnan Anish, Gabriel I Parra, Göran Larson, Robert L Atmar, Sue E Crawford, B V Venkataram Prasad, Mary K Estes

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Human noroviruses (HuNoVs), especially GII.4 strains, are the leading cause of acute viral gastroenteritis worldwide, yet no approved vaccines or antivirals exist. The pandemic GII.4 Sydney 2012 strain enters cells via membrane wounding and clathrin-independent carrier-mediated endocytosis, but it is unclear whether this entry mechanism is conserved across GII.4 variants. We compared early binding and entry of multiple GII.4 variants using wild-type and mutant GII.4 virus-like particles (VLPs) and modified human intestinal enteroid cultures. Only a subset of GII.4 variants, including GII.4 Sydney, form distinct, histo-blood group antigen (HBGA)-dependent capsid clusters on the cell surface. Clustering strains display significantly enhanced …

Phosphorylation Of Ryr1 At Ser2902 Decreases Ca2+ Leak In Skeletal Muscle And Susceptibility To Malignant Hyperthermia And Heat Stroke, Rachel Sue Zhen Yee, Chang Seok Lee, Ting Chang, Sung Yun Jung, Omar Yousif, Courtney Cavazos, John Colyer, Filip Van Petegem, George G Rodney, Susan L Hamilton

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The ryanodine receptor 1 (RYR1) is the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ release channel required for both skeletal muscle contraction and Ca2+ leak. Mutations in RYR1 cause malignant hyperthermia susceptibility (MHS) and enhanced sensitivity to heat stroke (ESHS), which can result in death due to excessive skeletal muscle thermogenesis upon exposure to volatile anesthetics or heat. Here, we investigated the molecular and physiological functions of phosphorylation of RYR1 at Ser2902 by the kinase SPEG (striated muscle preferentially expressed protein). Muscle from SPEG-deficient mice expressing RYR1 with a Ser2902 →Asp2902 (S2902D) point mutation to mimic phosphorylation by SPEG showed decreased SR Ca2+ …

Top-Down Instruction Outweighs Emotional Salience: Nocturnal Sleep Physiology Indicates Selective Memory Consolidation, Laura B.F. Kurdziel, Carie Fiedler, Alex Gajewski, Caroline Pongratz

Psychology Faculty Publications

Introduction:

Sleep plays a crucial role in memory consolidation, not only stabilizing newly encoded information but also potentially supporting forgetting. Yet it remains unclear how sleep prioritizes what is retained or discarded when multiple salience cues, such as emotional valence and top-down instructional goals, compete for consolidation.

Methods:

In two studies, we examined how emotional content and intentional memory instruction interact to shape memory performance across a 12 h interval that included either nocturnal sleep or wakefulness. Participants completed a directed forgetting paradigm with neutral and negatively valenced words, followed by immediate recognition and delayed free recall.

Results:

In both …

Intouch Week Of October 6, 2025, New York Medical College

InTouch

• NYMC Goes Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• Summer Research Fellowships Empower Medical Students to Explore, Innovate, and Lead
• International Symposium on Adolescent and Young Adult NHL Has Far Reach
• A Look Inside NYMC with the 2025-2026 Social Media Ambassadors
• SOM Welcomes New Faculty
• Pet the Stress Away Brings Joy to NYMC
• Stay Warm with Savings on Hoodies
• In The Community: College Joins Forces at Westchester Heart Walk to Fight Heart Disease and Stroke
• In The Community: SHSP Students and Faculty Partner with the White Plains Youth Bureau for Community Health and Wellness Day
• Faculty Spotlight: Christopher Whitehurst, Ph.D., Cracks …