Digital Commons Network^™

Apol2 Stabilizes Ku80 To Confer Nhej-Mediated Radioresistance In Gastric Cancer, Dan Zu, Qimei Bao, Hanyi He, Yuke Zhong, Mingcong Deng, Yangchan Hu, Chunkai Zhang, Chen Liang, Yixing Huang, Haidong Liu, Xiao Li, Yanhua He, Guoyan Luo, Weixin Wu, Fenghui Guan, Shengfeng Xu, Min Liu, Albino Bacolla, Ji Jing, Yian Du, John A Tainer, Yin Shi, Zu Ye, Xiangdong Cheng

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Radiotherapy is one of the most important adjuvant treatment methods for gastric cancer (GC). However, radioresistance remains a major clinical obstacle. In this study, APOL2 is identified as a key player in promoting non-homologous end joining (NHEJ)-mediated double-strand break (DSB) repair and enhancing radioresistance in GC. Bioinformatics and clinical data revealed that high APOL2 expression is correlated with poor prognosis in GC patients. Functional experiments showed that APOL2 overexpression enhances genomic stability by accelerating DSB repair via the NHEJ pathway, while APOL2 knockout impairs repair capacity. Mechanistically, APOL2 binds to and stabilizes Ku80 by enhancing USP7-mediated deubiquitylation, thereby increasing Ku80 …

Multiomic And Electrophysiologic Analyses Reveal That An Inherited Mrc2 Variant Causes Fibroblast Dysfunction And Increased Atrial Fibrillation Susceptibility, Kevin S Ho, Joshua A Keefe, Shuai Zhao, Mohit M Hulsurkar, Sung Yun Jung, Md Abul Hassan Samee, Xander H T Wehrens

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

A recent study identified a rare variant in the mannose receptor C type 2 (MRC2) gene in individuals with familial reentrant supraventricular tachycardia, a Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) electrocardiogram pattern, and structurally normal hearts. WPW syndrome is associated with atrial fibrillation (AF), and MRC2 was recently proposed as a protective gene for AF. We determined whether the E990G-heterozygous (het) loss-of-function variant in Mrc2 increases AF susceptibility and identified aberrant cellular mechanisms resulting from Mrc2 deficiency in atrial cardiofibroblasts (ACFs) and atrial tissue in mice that may promote AF. Programmed electrical stimulation was performed to determine AF susceptibility in Mrc2 E990G-het …

Single-Nucleus Mrna-Sequencing Reveals Dynamics Of Lipogenic And Thermogenic Adipocyte Populations In Murine Brown Adipose Tissue In Response To Cold Exposure, Janina Behrens, Tongtong Wang, Christoph Kilian, Anna Worthmann, Mark A Herman, Joerg Heeren, Lorenz Adlung, Ludger Scheja

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective and methods: Brown adipose tissue (BAT) comprises a heterogeneous population of adipocytes and non-adipocyte cell types. To characterize these cellular subpopulations and their adaptation to cold, we performed single-nucleus mRNA-sequencing (snRNA-seq) on interscapular BAT from mice maintained at room temperature or exposed to acute (24h) or chronic (10 days) cold (6 °C). To investigate the role of the de novo lipogenesis (DNL)-regulating transcription factor carbohydrate response element-binding protein (ChREBP), we analyzed control and brown adipocyte-specific ChREBP knockout mice.

Results: We identified different cell populations, including seven brown adipocyte subtypes with distinct metabolic profiles. One of them highly expressed ChREBP …

Restricting Metabolic Plasticity Enhances Stress Adaptation Through The Modulation Of Pdh And Hif1a In Trap1-Depleted Colon Cancer, Hong-Yuan Tsai, Miao-Hsueh Chen, Jihye Yun, Lisa A Lai, John F Valentine, Mary P Bronner, Teresa A Brentnall, Sheng Pan, Ru Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Metabolic plasticity allows cancer cells to survive under adverse conditions. To investigate the role of mitochondrial chaperone tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 (TRAP1) in this process, we used CRISPR/Cas9 mediated genetic deletion to knock out (KO) TRAP1 in colon cancer cells. Depletion of TRAP1 triggered a series of events: induced metabolic reprogramming, increased glycolytic flux, downregulation of mitochondrial complex I, and elevated ROS generation. TRAP1-deficient cells showed tolerance to Oxidative Phosphorylation (OXPHOS) inhibitors and exhibited a higher extracellular acidification rate (ECAR). Additionally, TRAP1 depletion activated hypoxia response elements (HREs) and upregulated HIF1A target genes such as GLUT1 and MCT1. …

Using Video Ethnography And Stimulated Recall Interviews To Describe The Diagnostic Process In The Emergency Department, Milisa Manojlovich, Caitlin Cassady, Sarah J Parker, Ellie Davis, Charlotte Ahr, David Ryamukuru, Anna Wang, Kalyan Pasupathy, Hardeep Singh, Prashant Mahajan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objectives: Understanding how physicians make diagnoses is challenging because cognitive processes are unobservable and partly unconscious, making it difficult for physicians to describe how they arrived at a diagnosis. Physicians who work in emergency departments (EDs) are especially vulnerable to making diagnostic errors because the ED is a fast-paced, dynamic setting where complex decision-making occurs under severe time, information, and resource constraints. The purpose of our study was to describe how the diagnostic process evolves for ED clinicians in both pediatric and adult ED settings.

Methods: We used a qualitative, video ethnography study design to capture in situ, real-time ED …

Bicontinuous Interconnected Porous Biomaterials For Tissue Engineering And Regeneration, Aihik Banerjee, Anjana Khanal, Prince D Okoro, Shankar P Kharal, Kevin Dalsania, Baishali Kanjilal, Shiril B Iragavarapu, Yiqing Chen, Janitha M Unagolla, Huinan H Liu, Joshua T Morgan, Robert P Hesketh, Arash Pezhouman, Reza Ardehali, Bahman Anvari, Martin F Haase, Iman Noshadi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Biomaterials mimicking natural extracellular matrix are necessary to create an optimal microenvironment for cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, and differentiation. These scaffolds must possess bicontinuous interconnected porosity to ensure the effective exchange of oxygen, nutrients, and metabolic waste, which are crucial for developing functional tissues. Here, a novel bicontinuous interfacially jammed emulsion (BIJEL)-Integrated PORous Engineered System (BIPORES) is developed to confer bioinert synthetic polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) with unique bicontinuous interconnected porosity and surface topography. This platform is fabricated through controlled phase separation and interfacial stabilization of two continuous phases by nanoparticles. Functional validation using human mesenchymal stem cells, and human …

Call To Action-Pediatric Masld Requires Immediate Attention To Curb Health Crisis, Phillipp Hartmann, Marialena Mouzaki, Sara Hassan, Mohit Kehar, Krupa R Mysore, Erin Mauney, Dieudonne Nonga, Sara Karjoo, Shilpa Sood, Andrea Tou, Christine Brichta, Rachel E Herdes, Nikhil Pai, Donna K Garner, Mary E Rinella, Mazen Noureddin, Zobair Younossi, Alina M Allen, Arun Sanyal, Taisa Kohut, Rohit Kohli, Charina M Ramirez, Stavra Xanthakos, Miriam B Vos, Jeffrey B Schwimmer, Samar H Ibrahim, Jennifer Panganiban

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Pediatric metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has become more prevalent on a global scale over the last decades and is associated with significant comorbidities in childhood and a 40-fold higher risk of early mortality in young adulthood. MASLD has now become the leading indication for liver transplantation in young adults in the United States. However, pediatric MASLD is still perceived as an indolent condition by many patients, families, and clinicians. In this Call to Action, we aim to raise awareness of pediatric MASLD as a public health crisis. Herein, we describe insufficient screening and disease staging practices, and a …

Inhibition Of Bmper Mitigates Pulmonary Hypertension By Modulating Lrp1-Yap Interaction In Smooth Muscle Cells, Hua Mao, Claire M Li, Bing Sun, Christopher S Ward, Alan R Waich-Cohen, Ivan O Rosas, Howard J Huang, Harry Karmouty-Quintana, Liang Xie, Lavannya M Pandit, Xinchun Pi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: BMPER (bone morphogenetic protein-binding endothelial regulator) is a secreted protein that is highly expressed in endothelial cells. It regulates the BMP (bone morphogenetic protein) pathway during vascular development and adulthood. Mutations in the BMP pathway are recognized as risk factors for pulmonary arterial hypertension group 1 pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, the roles of BMPER in pulmonary arterial hypertension remain unknown.

Methods: We assessed BMPER expression in Group 1 pulmonary arterial hypertension patient samples and examined its role in vascular remodeling using in vivo and in vitro approaches.

Results: BMPER level was elevated in pulmonary arterial hypertension lungs and significantly …

The Non-Coding Rna Journal Club: Highlights On Recent Papers-14, El Cheima Mhamedi, Florent Hubé, Suresh K. Alahari, Francisco J. Enguita, Barbara Pardini, Mark W. Feinberg, Laura Poliseno, Beshoy Armanios, Jing Jin, Xiao-Bo Zhong, Nikolaos Sideris, Salih Bayraktar, Leandro Castellano, Gaetano Santulli, Stanislovas S. Jankauskas, Will S. Plewa, Simon J. Conn, Ling Yang, Patrick K. Shiu, Abhishek Kaushik, Alexander Serganov, Gentile, Giuseppe Viglietto, Nicola Amodio, Tijana Mitić, Andrea Caporali

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

The field of non-coding RNA research is advancing at a breathtaking pace, continually uncovering new layers of regulatory complexity and functional diversity [...].

Distinct Molecular Responses Of Human Intestinal Organoids To Proton And Photon Radiation, Victoria Poplaski, Tajhal D Patel, Hoa Nguyen-Phuc, Amal Kambal, Lawrence Bronk, Mary K Estes, Cristian Coarfa, Sarah E Blutt

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Radiation exposure impairs rapidly renewing tissues like the intestinal epithelium, yet translational insights from murine models have been limited by species-specific responses. Here, we use human intestinal organoids (HIOs) derived from jejunal epithelium to evaluate human epithelial responses to low dose proton and photon (gamma) radiation. Gamma irradiation induces a unique developmental and metabolic shift in crypt-like organoids, including enrichment of amino acid metabolism pathways and activation of fetal-associated transcription factors and morphology. Integrated multi-omic profiling reveals serotonin biosynthesis as a central regenerative node. Human intestinal organoids can complement animal models and are emerging as a powerful tool in modeling …

Translational Framework Linking Perfluoroheptanoic Acid (Pfhpa) Exposure To Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease In Adolescents, Brittney O Baumert, Ana C Maretti-Mira, Douglas I Walker, Zhenjiang Li, Nikos Stratakis, Hongxu Wang, Yinqi Zhao, Fabian Christoph Fischer, Qiran Jia, Damaskini Valvi, Scott M Bartell, Jiawen Carmen Chen, Thomas Inge, Justin R Ryder, Todd Jenkins, Stephanie Sisley, Stavra Xanthakos, David E Kleiner, Rohit Kohli, Sarah Rock, Sandrah P Eckel, Michele A La Merrill, Max M Aung, Matthew P Salomon, Rob Mcconnell, Jesse Goodrich, David V Conti, Lucy Golden-Mason, Lida Chatzi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: The rising prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), particularly among pediatric populations, requires identification of modifiable risk factors to control disease progression. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have emerged as potential contributors to liver damage; however, their role in MASLD remains underexplored. This study aimed to develop a translational framework integrating human and in vitro data to elucidate the effect of PFAS on MASLD development.

Methods: We measured PFAS plasma levels in the Teen-LABS cohort (n = 136), comprising adolescents with obesity (mean age = 16.8 years) undergoing bariatric surgery. Plasma samples were also analyzed using proteomic …

Nasal Microbionts Differentially Colonize And Elicit Cytokines In Human Nasal Epithelial Organoids, Andrea I Boyd, Leah A Kafer, Isabel F Escapa, Amal Kambal, Hira Tariq, Susan G Hilsenbeck, Hoa Nguyen-Phuc, Anubama Rajan, Joshua M Lensmire, Kathryn A Patras, Pedro A Piedra, Sarah E Blutt, Katherine P Lemon

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Nasal colonization by Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pneumoniae is associated with an increased risk of infection by these pathobionts, whereas nasal colonization by Dolosigranulum species is associated with health. Human nasal epithelial organoids (HNOs) differentiated at air-liquid interface (ALI) physiologically recapitulate human nasal respiratory epithelium with a robust mucociliary blanket. Due to their natural stem-like properties, HNO lines are a long-term experimental resource that offers genetic diversity based on the different donors. To develop HNOs as a new model system for bacterial nasal colonization, we reproducibly monocolonized HNOs differentiated at ALI with S. aureus, S. pneumoniae, or Dolosigranulum …

Selective Rna Sequestration In Biomolecular Condensates Directs Cell Fate Transitions, Patrizia Pessina, Mika Nevo, Junchao Shi, Srikanth Kodali, Eduard Casas, Yingzhi Cui, Alicia L Richards, Emily J Park, Xi Chen, Florencia Levin-Ferreyra, Alejandra Rivera Tostado, Erica Stevenson, Nevan J Krogan, Danielle L Swaney, Qilong Ying, Qi Chen, Justin Brumbaugh, Bruno Di Stefano

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Controlling stem cell differentiation is a longstanding goal in biomedical research. Here we explore how cell fate is influenced by RNA condensates, specifically P-bodies, which modulate gene expression posttranscriptionally. We profiled the transcriptomes of biomolecular condensates in diverse developmental contexts spanning multiple vertebrate species. Our analyses revealed conserved, cell type-specific sequestration of untranslated RNAs encoding cell fate regulators. P-body RNA contents do not reflect active gene expression in each cell type but are enriched for translationally repressed transcripts characteristic of the preceding developmental stage. Mechanistically, P-body contents are controlled by microRNAs and can be profoundly reshaped by perturbing AGO2 or …

Intouch Week Of October 27, 2025, New York Medical College

InTouch

• Founder’s Dinner Honors Leadership and Inspires Generosity
• SOM Class of 2029 Officially Don Their White Coats for the First Time
• 32nd Annual Faculty Author Awards Highlights Faculty Excellence
• Mill Etienne, M.D. ’02, M.P.H., Awarded Prestigious AAMC Award for Humanism in Medicine
• NYMC Goes Orange for Physical Therapy Month
• Students Carve Out Creativity at the NYMC Pumpkin Carving Contest
• For Medical Students, the Pre-Matriculation Program Continues to Evolve
• NYMC/WMC Ophthalmology Alumni Gather for Inaugural Reception at AAO Conference in Orlando
• Fire Safety Training at BSB for Students, Faculty, and Staff
• TCDM Goes to the Dominican Republic on a Volunteer Mission Trip

Influence Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Anatomy Higher Education Around The World, Sneh Patel, Santanu De

FDLA Journal

The Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) disrupted the higher education sector worldwide in several disciplines, especially those in healthcare as well as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) that require active, experiential learning via practical application of concepts centering around anatomy. Dynamic instructional and technological interventions took place rapidly in an effort to minimize the adverse repercussions of moving away from traditional means of education in these critical scientific fields. COVID-19 necessitated administrators, faculty, students, and interns at colleges, universities, medical/ healthcare science programs and residencies to pursue teaching, learning, and assessment of anatomy courses/curricula through innovative strategies without compromising …

Injectable Microparticle-Nanoliposome Hydrogel For Extended Release Of Small Hydrophilic Molecules, Gil Aizik, Wonmin Choi, Claire A Ostertag-Hill, Matthew Torre, Daniel S Kohane

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Achieving sustained local release of small hydrophilic drugs is challenging and is particularly important when the drugs are toxic. To address these challenges, we developed a hybrid system comprising drug-containing microparticles embedded within a nanoliposomal hydrogel matrix. This system forms through salt-induced gelation using physiologically relevant sodium chloride concentrations (0.9%), allowing for microparticle encapsulation without harsh chemical processes. In vitro, the hybrid system exhibited a slower release of encapsulated cargo compared to microparticles or hydrogel alone. In vivo proof of principle was provided with tetrodotoxin (TTX), a small hydrophilic and ultrapotent local anesthetic, which can cause systemic toxicity if the …

Intouch Week Of October 20, 2025, New York Medical College

InTouch

• New Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program Established
• Building Bridges for Better Health
• Fire Safety Training Events for Students, Faculty, and Staff
• TCDM Prepares Dental Professionals to Meet New Mexico’s Evolving Needs
• In the Community-NYMC Advances Children’s Environmental Health Initiatives Across New York State
• Alumni Spotlight: Deena Casiero, M.D. '06, Advancing the Game of College Sports Medicine

The Impact Of Childcare Services On The Professional And Personal Lives Of Nurse-Parents In Puerto Rico, Sandily Villegas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of childcare services on the professional and personal lives of nurse-parents in Puerto Rico. The problem investigated was that nurses who are parents constantly face challenges regarding balancing work and childcare responsibilities. This study used qualitative research with a grounded theory framework. Neuman System Theory serves as a framework for evaluating the stressors and challenges faced by nurse-parents. The central research question was: How does the availability of childcare services affect the professional and personal lives of nurse-parents in Puerto Rico? To answer this question, data were collected through three …

A Case Study Of Ai-Enabled Software As A Medical Device Cleared By The Fda For Assessing Hemorrhage Risk Index (Appraise-Hri) After Trauma, Andrew Frock, Jeffrey T Robbins, Francisco G Vital-Lopez, Valmik Desai, Gheorghe Doros, Barry E Sands, Arunkumar Prabhakaran, Christopher Nemeth, Gregory T Rule, Jason L Sperry, Francis X Guyette, Stephen R Wisniewski, Ernest E Moore, Martin Schreiber, Bellal Joseph, Chad T Wilson, Bryan Cotton, Daniel Ostermayer, Brian G Harbrecht, Mayur B Patel, Suzanne Tamang, Sanjay Malunjkar, David A Spain, Andrew T Reisner, Jonathan D Stallings, Jaques Reifman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Hemorrhage is the leading cause of preventable death on the battlefield, yet combat medics lack clinical decision support systems to help stratify hemorrhage risk in trauma casualties. We previously trained the Automated Processing of the Physiological Registry for Assessment of Injury Severity - Hemorrhage Risk Index (APPRAISE-HRI) software to associate patterns in vital signs (heart rate and blood pressure) collected from trauma patients with three HRI levels: I (low), II (average), or III (high). To independently validate APPRAISE-HRI and obtain U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance, we collected trauma registry and continuous vital sign data from 5895 trauma patients …

A Pooled Sample Study Of Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Wait Time Among A Pregnant Population In New York, Stanley Nkemjika, Gulshan Begum, Bolaji Yoade, Vaibhav Vyas, Henry Onyeaka, Olubusola Olatunji, Olaniyi Olayinka, Ayana Jordan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and Aim: Opioid use disorder (OUD) during pregnancy has become a major public health issue, with its prevalence rising significantly in recent years. The incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) has also surged, from 1.5 cases per 1000 hospital births in 1999 to 6.0 cases per 1000 in 2013. This study aims to identify and analyze the concerns faced by pregnant people in accessing OUD treatment on time, specifically focusing on New York.

Methods: The pooled sample of 225,275 individuals represents pregnant patients with OUD who received treatment at substance use disorder (SUD) facilities across New York State between …

Large Language Models As Information Providers For Appropriate Antimicrobial Use: Computational Text Analysis And Expert-Rated Comparison Of Chatgpt, Claude And Gemini, Marcello Di Pumpo, Maria Rosaria Gualano, Danilo Buonsenso, Francesca Raffaelli, Daniele Donà, Vittorio Maio, Patrizia Laurenti, Walter Ricciardi, Leonardo Villani

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: Antimicrobial resistance is a critical public health threat. Large language models (LLMs) show great capability for providing health information. This study evaluates the effectiveness of LLMs in providing information on antibiotic use and infection management.

METHODS: Using a mixed-method approach, responses to healthcare expert-designed scenarios from ChatGPT 3.5, ChatGPT 4.0, Claude 2.0 and Gemini 1.0, in both Italian and English, were analysed. Computational text analysis assessed readability, lexical diversity and sentiment, while content quality was assessed by three experts via DISCERN tool.

RESULTS: 16 scenarios were developed. A total of 101 outputs and 5454 Likert-scale (1-5) scores were obtained …

Tng260 Is A Small-Molecule Corest Inhibitor That Sensitizes Stk11-Mutant Tumors To Anti-Pd-1 Immunotherapy, Leanne G Ahronian, Soumyadip Sahu, Minjie Zhang, Ayushi S Patel, Ke Geng, Reshmee Bhattacharya, Gerald S Falchook, Jonathan W Goldman, Alexander I Spira, Salman R Punekar, David R Spigel, Judy S Wang, Ferdinandos Skoulidis, Janaye Stephens, Mary Meynardie, Jaylen M Powell, Alfonso Lopez, Michela Ranieri, Magdalena A Ploszaj, Yi Jer Tan, Yeuan Ting Lee, Yi Yu, Jiehui Deng, Ting Chen, Patrick Mccarren, Alice Tsai, Suleman S Hussain, Brian Doyon, Kenjie Amemiya, Jacques Ermolieff, Preksha Shahagadkar, Nikitha M Das, Lauren R Flynn, Julie A Shields, Laney Danielczyk, Brian J Mcmillan, Andre Mignault, Samuel R Meier, Hsin-Jung Wu, David J Guerin, Douglas A Whittington, Chengyin Min, Iga Sienczylo, John P Maxwell, Heather J Dibenedetto, Hideo Watanabe, Brian B Haines, Alan Huang, Adam Crystal, Jannik N Andersen, Xinyuan Wu, Kwok-Kin Wong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with loss of the tumor suppressor gene STK11 are resistant to immune checkpoint therapies like anti–PD-1. In this study, we conducted an in vivo CRISPR screen that identified histone deacetylase 1 as a target to reverse anti–PD-1 resistance driven by loss of STK11 and developed TNG260, a potent small-molecule inhibitor of the CoREST complex with selectivity exceeding previously generated inhibitors in this class in preclinical studies. Treatment with TNG260 led to increased expression of immunomodulatory genes in STK11-deficient cancer cells. When combined with anti–PD-1, TNG260 induced immune-mediated stasis and/or regression in STK11 …

Resilience And Vulnerabilities Of Tumor Cells Under Purine Shortage Stress, Jianpeng Yu, Chen Jin, Cheng Su, David Moon, Michael A Sun, Hong Zhang, Xue Jiang, Fan Zhang, Nomi Tserentsoodol, Michelle L Bowie, Christopher J Pirozzi, Daniel J George, Robert Wild, Xia Gao, David M Ashley, Yiping He, Jiaoti Huang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: Purine metabolism is a promising therapeutic target in cancer; however, how cancer cells respond to purine shortage, particularly their adaptation and vulnerabilities, remains unclear.

Experimental design: Using the recently developed purine shortage-inducing prodrug DRP-104 and genetic approaches, we investigated the responses in prostate, lung, and glioma cancer models.

Results: We demonstrate that when de novo purine biosynthesis is compromised, cancer cells employ microtubules to assemble purinosomes, multiprotein complexes of de novo purine biosynthesis enzymes that enhance purine biosynthesis efficiency. Although this process enables tumor cells to adapt to purine shortage stress, it also renders them more susceptible to the …

Alterations Of The Upper Respiratory Microbiome Among Children Living With Hiv Infection In Botswana, Sweta M Patel, John Farirai, Mohamed Z Patel, Sifelane Boiditswe, Leabaneng Tawe, Shimane Lekalake, Mogomotsi Matshaba, Andrew P Steenhoff, Tonya Arscott-Mills, Kristen A Feemster, Samir S Shah, Nathan Thielman, Coleen K Cunningham, Lawrence A David, David M Murdoch, Matthew S Kelly

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Children living with HIV (CLWH) are at high risk of colonization and infection by respiratory pathogens, though this risk can be reduced by other microbes in the upper respiratory microbiome. The impact of HIV infection on the pediatric upper respiratory microbiome is poorly understood, and we sought to address this knowledge gap by identifying associations between HIV infection and the nasopharyngeal microbiomes of Batswana children. We enrolled Batswana CLWH (< 5 years) and age- and sex-matched HIV-exposed, uninfected and HIV-unexposed, uninfected children in a cross-sectional study. We used shotgun metagenomic sequencing to compare nasopharyngeal microbiomes by HIV status. Among the 143 children in this study, HIV and HIV-associated immunosuppression were associated with alterations in nasopharyngeal microbiome composition, including lower abundances of Corynebacterium species associated with resistance to bacterial pathogen colonization. These findings suggest that the upper respiratory microbiome may contribute to the high risk of respiratory infections among CLWH.

Evaluation Of Anti-Bacterial Efficacy Of Ginger, Resin Gum, And Nigella Sativa Irrigants Against Enterococcus Faecalis: An In Vitro Study, Iman El Ghazzawy, Leen Imad Hasbini, Reem Chamseddine, Wael Betbout, Roula Abiad

International Arab Journal of Dentistry

Objectives: To evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of Ginger, Resin Gum, and Nigella Sativa, against Enterococcus Faecalis.

Methods: Thirty-eight extracted single-rooted premolars were inoculated with E.faecalis, except the negative control, and incubated for 4 weeks. After instrumentation samples were divided into 4 groups (n=7) according to final irrigation: NaOCl+EDTA (Group A), Nigella sativa (B), Resin Gum (C), Ginger (D), plus 2 control groups (n=5): Saline (E), and Saline without bacterial inoculation (F). Cultures were collected at baseline and after irrigation.

Results: One-way ANOVA showed that in groups A-D a statistically significant reduction of bacterial load was observed at …

Knowledge And Attitudes About Epilepsy Of Neurology Outpatients In Türkiye, Ayşe Pinar Ti̇ti̇z, Abi̇di̇n Erdal, Yaren Ağar, Buse Altunbaşak

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: We aimed to evaluate the level of epilepsy-related knowledge and attitude among neurology outpatients without an epilepsy diagnosis.

Materials and methods: The Epilepsy Knowledge and Attitude Scale was applied to 331 adult patients who were evaluated with various diagnoses in the neurology outpatient clinic.

Results: The participants comprised 331 people, 51.4% of whom were women and 48.6% of whom were men. The knowledge and attitude values increase significantly as the education level of our participants increased (p < 0.001). The knowledge and attitude scores of those who knew about an individual with epilepsy were significantly higher (p < 0.001). Attitude scale scores were higher in patients diagnosed with headache, multiple sclerosis, syncope, Behçet’s disease, essential tremor and sleep disorders compared with other groups.

Conclusion: This study focused on a subgroup of adults without epilepsy who had other neurological conditions. The findings may illuminate the critical …

Anthropometric And Metabolic Assessment In Adults With Down Syndrome: The Need For Novel Indices And Tailored Criteria ​, Seli̇n Teki̇n, Nergi̇s Basmaci, İnci̇lay Lay, Alper Gürlek

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: This study aimed to evaluate the metabolic profile of adults with Down syndrome (DS) using novel anthropometric and metabolic indices, while also highlighting the limitations of traditional obesity assessment methods compared with the non-DS population.

Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study included 22 adults with DS and 28 age- and sex-matched non-DS controls. Anthropometric measurements, including BMI, waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC), were recorded alongside novel indices such as waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), body adiposity index (BAI), A body shape index (ABSI), and visceral adiposity index (VAI). Metabolic parameters (fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, lipid profiles, HOMA-IR) and CBC-derived …

Reliability Of Handheld Autorefractometers In Patients After Cataract Surgery ​, Ayça Küpeli̇ Çinar, Abdulkadi̇r Can Çinar, Hande Güçlü

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Accurate postoperative refraction assessment is essential for optimal visual rehabilitation after cataract surgery. Although handheld autorefractometers (HH-ARMs) are widely used in pediatric and uncooperative patients, their reliability in adults after cataract surgery remains uncertain. This study compared refractive outcomes obtained with a HH-ARM (Mediworks V100; Mediworks, Guangzhou, China) and a TB-ARM (Canon RK-F2; Canon Inc., Tokyo, Japan) to evaluate the clinical applicability of HH-ARM in this population.

Materials and methods: This prospective study included 150 eyes of 150 patients (aged 55–85 years) who underwent uncomplicated phacoemulsification with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. At 1 month postoperatively, spherical value (SV), cylindrical …

A Social Media Campaign And Web-Based Survey About Prostate Cancer Genetics: Mixed Methods Study, Amy Leader, Stacy Loeb, Preethi Selvan, Ashley Hunter, Rebecca Hartman, Scott Keith, Veda Giri

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Germline genetic variants are important for prostate cancer (PCa) management and hereditary cancer risk assessment, but testing is underused. Furthermore, patients are often unaware of the genetic connections to PCa. Social media is increasingly serving as a source of awareness for health information and a method to gather data from a large population.

OBJECTIVE: There were three objectives: to (1) create and test social media messages related to PCa genetics and genetic testing, (2) determine which social media message was most engaging, and (3) assess knowledge of and attitudes toward PCa genetic testing through an online survey using the …

Unveiling The Potential Of Marine Peptides In Leukemia: Mechanistic Insights And Future Horizon In Peptide Research, Salman Ahmed, Waqas Alam, Khalaf Alsharif, Michael Aschner, Esra Küpeli̇ Akkol, Mamdouh Allahyani, Hayaa Alhuthali, Luci̇ano Saso, Esra Gi̇zem Türkcanoğlu, Haroon Khan

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Leukemia is a malignant disorder that affects the bone marrow and blood. It is frequently diagnosed in adults, with a higher incidence in males than females. Globally, it ranks as the 15th most widespread cancer and is the 11th leading cause of cancer-related fatalities. The intensity and severity of treatment have increased, leading to a rise in relapse rates, toxicity, and adverse health effects. Therefore, there is a critical need for new treatments. The antileukemic properties of natural compounds have been extensively studied. Aquatic organisms are a rich source of potential medicinal compounds. Anticancer peptides offer an ideal treatment approach …