Digital Commons Network^™

Design And Cohort Characteristics Of Track, A Prospective Study Of Hyperkalaemia Management Decision-Making, Judith Hsia, Nitin Shivappa, Ameet Bakhai, Jordi Bover, Javed Butler, Pietro Manuel Ferraro, Linda Fried, Markus P Schneider, Navdeep Tangri, Wolfgang C Winkelmayer, Meredith Bishop, Hungta Chen, Anna-Karin Sundin, Marc P Bonaca

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Guideline-recommended hyperkalaemia management includes dietary potassium (K

METHODS: This study enrolled participants within 21 days of an episode of hyperkalaemia in four European countries (UK, Spain, Germany, Italy) and the USA. During the 12-month follow up, data collected will include participant and healthcare provider characteristics (specialty and practice setting), hyperkalaemia treatment objectives and strategies, rationale for management decisions and indicators of response and patient-reported perceptions of their hyperkalaemia treatment.

RESULTS: The enrolled cohort includes 1330 participants, mean age 68 years, of whom 31% were women. At baseline, 6% reported heart failure, 55% chronic kidney disease, 29% both and 9% …

Meta-Analysis Comparing Oral Anticoagulant Monotherapy Versus Dual Antithrombotic Therapy In Patients With Atrial Fibrillation And Stable Coronary Artery Disease, Mushood Ahmed, Areeba Ahsan, Aimen Shafiq, Raheel Ahmed, Mahboob Alam, Pierre Sabouret, Jamal S Rana, Gregg C Fonarow

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Oral anticoagulants (OACs) are routinely used for the management of atrial fibrillation (AF) while antiplatelet agents are used in coronary artery disease (CAD). However, data regarding the comparative clinical outcomes of OAC monotherapy versus dual antithrombotic therapy (anticoagulant plus antiplatelet agent) in patients with AF and stable CAD are limited.

METHODS: A comprehensive search of major databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Embase was performed from inception to September 1, 2024 to identify randomized control trials (RCTs) that compared OAC monotherapy with dual antithrombotic therapy in patients with AF and stable CAD. The risk ratios (RRs) were estimated with …

Integrated Safety And Efficacy Analyses Of Phase 3 Trials Of A Microbiome Therapeutic For Recurrent Cdi, Colleen S Kraft, Matthew Sims, Michael Silverman, Thomas J Louie, Paul Feuerstadt, Edward S Huang, Sahil Khanna, Charles S Berenson, Elaine E L Wang, Stuart H Cohen, Louis Korman, Christine Lee, Colleen R Kelly, Alberto Odio, Paul P Cook, Bret Lashner, Mayur Ramesh, Princy Kumar, Ananya De, Asli Memisoglu, David A Lombardi, Brooke R Hasson, Barbara H Mcgovern, Lisa Von Moltke, Darrell S Pardi, Ecospor Iii And Ecospor Iv Investigators

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: Recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI) often occurs after standard-of-care antibiotics. VOWST oral spores (VOS, previously SER-109), an FDA-approved orally administered microbiome therapeutic, is indicated to prevent rCDI following antibiotics for rCDI.

OBJECTIVE, DESIGN, AND PATIENTS: To evaluate safety and efficacy of VOS from two phase 3 trials, (randomized, placebo-controlled [ECOSPOR III: NCT03183128] and open-label, single arm [ECOSPOR IV: NCT03183141]) of 349 adults with rCDI and prevalent comorbidities.

METHODS: VOS or placebo [ECOSPOR III only] (4 capsules once daily for 3 days). Integrated analysis of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) collected through week 8; serious TEAEs and TEAEs of special interest …

Stareg: Statistical Replicability Analysis Of High Throughput Experiments With Applications To Spatial Transcriptomic Studies, Yan Li, Xiang Zhou, Rui Chen, Xianyang Zhang, Hongyuan Cao

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Replicable signals from different yet conceptually related studies provide stronger scientific evidence and more powerful inference. We introduce STAREG, a statistical method for replicability analysis of high throughput experiments, and apply it to analyze spatial transcriptomic studies. STAREG uses summary statistics from multiple studies of high throughput experiments and models the the joint distribution of p-values accounting for the heterogeneity of different studies. It effectively controls the false discovery rate (FDR) and has higher power by information borrowing. Moreover, it provides different rankings of important genes. With the EM algorithm in combination with pool-adjacent-violator-algorithm (PAVA), STAREG is scalable to datasets …

Unraveling The Link: Seizure Characteristics And Ammonia Levels In Urea Cycle Disorder During Hyperammonemic Crises, Mongkol Chanvanichtrakool, John M Schreiber, Wei-Liang Chen, John Barber, Anqing Zhang, Nicholas Ah Mew, Andreas Schulze, Greta Wilkening, Sandesh C S Nagamani, Andrea Gropman, Urea Cycle Disease Consortium

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: This retrospective clinical study performed at a single clinical center aimed to identify the prevalence of seizures in individuals with urea cycle disorders (UCDs) with and without hyperammonemic (HA) crises. In addition, we sought to correlate the utility of biochemical markers and electroencephalography (EEG) in detecting subclinical seizures during HA.

Methods: Medical records of individuals with UCDs enrolled in Urea Cycle Disorders Consortium Longitudinal Study (UCDC-LS) (NCT00237315) at Children's National Hospital between 2006 and 2022 were reviewed for evidence of clinical and subclinical seizuress during HA crises, and initial biochemical levels concurrently.

Results: Eighty-five individuals with UCD …

Contemporary Epidemiology Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Understanding Risk Factors And Surveillance Strategies, Fouad Jaber, George Cholankeril, Hashem B El-Serag

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The contemporary epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) shows a shift in the main etiological risk factors from less common but highly virulent (eg, hepatitis C and B) to more common but weak risk factors (eg, alcohol and metabolic syndrome). Therefore, we are in a seemingly paradoxical state of declining overall incidence rates of HCC-related to improved prevention and treatment of viral hepatitis but burgeoning number of people at an elevated risk of HCC. Several geographic regions have reported an increase in HCC attributable to alcoholic liver disease and metabolic dysfunction associated with steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The importance of risk …

Inhaled Corticosteroids Attenuate The Association Of Fine Particulate Matter And Acute Asthma Events, Kristen A Staggers, Paula Sierra, Drew A Helmer, Charles Minard, Meredith C Mccormack, Tianshi David Wu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Cancer Drug-Tolerant Persister Cells: From Biological Questions To Clinical Opportunities, Mariangela Russo, Mengnuo Chen, Elisa Mariella, Haoning Peng, Sumaiyah K Rehman, Elena Sancho, Alberto Sogari, Tzen S Toh, Nathalie Q Balaban, Eduard Batlle, Rene Bernards, Mathew J Garnett, Matthew Hangauer, Eleonora Leucci, Jean-Christophe Marine, Catherine A O'Brien, Yaara Oren, E Elizabeth Patton, Caroline Robert, Susan M Rosenberg, Shensi Shen, Alberto Bardelli

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The emergence of drug resistance is the most substantial challenge to the effectiveness of anticancer therapies. Orthogonal approaches have revealed that a subset of cells, known as drug-tolerant 'persister' (DTP) cells, have a prominent role in drug resistance. Although long recognized in bacterial populations which have acquired resistance to antibiotics, the presence of DTPs in various cancer types has come to light only in the past two decades, yet several aspects of their biology remain enigmatic. Here, we delve into the biological characteristics of DTPs and explore potential strategies for tracking and targeting them. Recent findings suggest that DTPs exhibit …

Perspectives On Hand Hygiene In Belizean Healthcare Facilities During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Evaluation With Healthcare Workers, Kelsey Mcdavid, Christina Craig, Anh N Ly, Nicholas Bivens, Francis Morey, Russell Manzanero, Gerhaldine Morazan, Ella Hawes, Alexandra Medley, Kristy Murray, Matthew Lozier

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The World Health Organization recommends healthcare workers (HCWs) practice hand hygiene (HH) while providing care. Making alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) available at points of care is recommended during times of high patient volume, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In low- and middle-income countries, such as Belize, there may be limited access to HH materials within healthcare facilities (HCF). This paper examines the motivators and barriers to HH among HCWs in the 11 largest public healthcare facilities in Belize and HCWs' experiences with an intervention. In 2021, focus group discussions (FGDs) gathered HCWs' HH perceptions and preferences. An intervention was then …

On The Power Of Constructive Criticism, Anna Devor, Androu Abdalmalak, Taner Akkin, Yeka Aponte, George J. Augustine, Sabrina Brigadoi, Erin M. Buckley, Robert E. Campbell, Stefan A. Carp, Jean-Yves Chatton, Jerry L. Chen, Ji-Xin Cheng, Tomáš Cižmár, Robert J. Cooper, Ippeita Dan, Patrick J. Drew, Turgut Durduran, Valentina Emiliani, Tommaso Fellin, Amanda J. Foust, Ling Fu, Amir Gandjbakhche, Judit Gervain, Ariel Gilad, Edgar Guevara Codina, Xue Han, Elizabeth M. Hillman, Ute Hochgeschwender, Song Hu, Na Ji, Prakash Kara, Beop-Min Kim, Tiffany S. Ko, Duygu Kuzum, Jérôme Lecoq, Rickson C. Mesquita, Timothy H. Murphy, U. Valentin Nägerl, Nozomi Nishimura, Yumie Ono, Nisan Ozana, Francesco S. Pavone, Darcy S. Peterka, Ferruccio Pisanello, Anna Wang Roe, Andy Y. Shih, Shy Shoham, François St-Pierre, Sungho Tak, Lin Tian, Kai Wang, Martin Wolf, Ji Yi, Ofer Yizhar, Meryem A. Yucel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The editorial discusses the practice of peer review for SPIE Neurophotonics.

Considerations For Reporting Variants In Novel Candidate Genes Identified During Clinical Genomic Testing, Jessica X Chong, Seth I Berger, Samantha Baxter, Erica Smith, Changrui Xiao, Daniel G Calame, Megan H Hawley, E Andres Rivera-Munoz, Stephanie Ditroia, Genomics Research To Elucidate The Genetics Of Rare Diseases (Gregor) Consortium, Michael J Bamshad, Heidi L Rehm

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Since the first novel gene discovery for a Mendelian condition was made via exome sequencing, the rapid increase in the number of genes known to underlie Mendelian conditions coupled with the adoption of exome (and more recently, genome) sequencing by diagnostic testing labs has changed the landscape of genomic testing for rare diseases. Specifically, many individuals suspected to have a Mendelian condition are now routinely offered clinical ES. This commonly results in a precise genetic diagnosis but frequently overlooks the identification of novel candidate genes. Such candidates are also less likely to be identified in the absence of large-scale gene …

Metagenomic Study Of The Mesa: Detection Of Gemella Morbillorum And Association With Coronary Heart Disease, Kent D Taylor, Alexis C Wood, Jerome I Rotter, Xiuqing Guo, David M Herrington, W Craig Johnson, Wendy S Post, Russell P Tracy, Stephen S Rich, Shaista Malik

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Inflammation is a feature of coronary heart disease (CHD), but the role of proinflammatory microbial infection in CHD remains understudied.

METHODS AND RESULTS: CHD was defined in the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) as myocardial infarction (251 participants), resuscitated arrest (2 participants), and CHD death (80 participants). We analyzed sequencing reads from 4421 MESA participants in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine program using the PathSeq workflow of the Genome Analysis Tool Kit and a 65-gigabase microbial reference. Paired reads aligning to 840 microbes were detected in >1% of participants. The association of the …

Targeting Snai1-Mediated Colorectal Cancer Chemoresistance And Stemness By Sphingosine Kinase 2 Inhibition, Harinarayanan Janakiraman, Zachary Gao, Yun Zhu, Jiangling Dong, Scott A Becker, Alhaji Janneh, Besim Ogretmen, E Ramsay Camp

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), cancer stem cells (CSCs), and colorectal cancer (CRC) therapy resistance are closely associated. Prior reports have demonstrated that sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) supports stem cells and maintains the CSC phenotype. We hypothesized that the EMT inducer SNAI1 drives S1P signaling to amplify CSC self-renewal capacity and chemoresistance.

METHODS: CRC cell lines with or without ectopic expression of SNAI1 were used to study the role of S1P signaling as mediators of cancer stemness and 5-fluorouracil (5FU) chemoresistance. The therapeutic ability of sphingosine kinase 2 (SPHK2) was assessed using siRNA and ABC294640, a SPHK2 inhibitor. CSCs were isolated from patient-derived …

Circulating Tumor Cell Count And Overall Survival In Patients With Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer, Amir Goldkorn, Catherine Tangen, Melissa Plets, Daniel Bsteh, Tong Xu, Jacek K Pinski, Sue Ingles, Timothy Junius Triche, Gary R Macvicar, Daniel A Vaena, Anthony W Crispino, David James Mcconkey, Primo N Lara, Maha H A Hussain, David I Quinn, Tanya B Dorff, Seth Paul Lerner, Ian Thompson, Neeraj Agarwal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: In metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC), new first-line combination therapies have enhanced overall survival (OS), but clinical outcomes for individual patients vary greatly and are difficult to predict. Peripheral blood circulating tumor cell (CTC) count is the most extensively validated prognostic liquid biomarker in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), and recent studies have suggested that it may also be informative in mHSPC.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the prognostic value of CTC count in men with mHSPC.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this prognostic study, peripheral blood was drawn at registration (baseline) and at progression to mCRPC in the S1216 study …

Galectin 3-Binding Protein (Lgals3bp) Depletion Attenuates Hepatic Fibrosis By Reducing Transforming Growth Factor-Β1 (Tgf-Β1) Availability And Inhibits Hepatocarcinogenesis, Dae-Hwan Kim, Minjeong Sung, Myong-Suk Park, Eun-Gene Sun, Sumin Yoon, Kyung Hyun Yoo, Kamalakannan Radhakrishnan, Sung Yun Jung, Woo-Kyun Bae, Sang-Hee Cho, Ik-Joo Chung

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Increased Galectin 3-binding protein (LGALS3BP) serum levels have been used to assess hepatic fibrosis stages and the severity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Considering the crucial role of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in the emergence of these diseases, the present study tested the hypothesis that LGALS3BP regulates the TGF-β1 signaling pathway.

Methods: The expression levels of LGALS3BP and TGFB1 were analyzed in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and HCC. Multiple omics techniques, such as RNA-sequencing, transposase-accessible chromatin-sequencing assay, and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry proteomics, were used to identify the regulatory mechanisms for the LGALS3BP-TGF-β1 axis. The effects of altered …

Pkmyt1 Is A Marker Of Treatment Response And A Therapeutic Target For Cdk4/6 Inhibitor-Resistance In Er+ Breast Cancer, Anran Chen, Beom-Jun Kim, Aparna Mitra, Craig T Vollert, Jonathan T Lei, Diana Fandino, Meenakshi Anurag, Matthew V Holt, Xuxu Gou, Jacob B Pilcher, Matthew P Goetz, Donald W Northfelt, Susan G Hilsenbeck, C Gary Marshall, Marc L Hyer, Robert Papp, Shou-Yun Yin, Carmine De Angelis, Rachel Schiff, Suzanne A W Fuqua, Cynthia X Ma, Charles E Foulds, Matthew J Ellis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Endocrine therapies (ET) with cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibition are the standard treatment for estrogen receptor-α-positive (ER+) breast cancer, however drug resistance is common. In this study, proteogenomic analyses of patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) from patients with 22 ER+ breast cancer demonstrated that protein kinase, membrane-associated tyrosine/threonine one (PKMYT1), a WEE1 homolog, is estradiol (E2) regulated in E2-dependent PDXs and constitutively expressed when growth is E2-independent. In clinical samples, high PKMYT1 mRNA levels associated with resistance to both ET and CDK4/6 inhibition. The PKMYT1 inhibitor lunresertib (RP-6306) with gemcitabine selectively and synergistically reduced the viability of ET and palbociclib-resistant ER+ breast …

Aging Skeletal Muscle: Influence Of Obesity And Role Of The Exercise Responsive Nuclear Receptor Nor-1, Hector G. Paez

Alternative Theses and Dissertations (AETDs)

Skeletal muscle mass and function are critical components of overall health and quality of life. Advanced age is associated with skeletal muscle disease characterized by a loss of muscle mass, function, and quality. Indeed, low muscle mass and function is associated with poor disease outcomes and greater mortality, greater incidence of falls, and a high fiscal and societal cost. Aging contributes to a decline in skeletal muscle health through several intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms including impaired nutrient sensing, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, physical inactivity, and proteostatic imbalance. Obesity, an increasingly prominent public health concern, is becoming more common in the elderly …

A Rose By Any Other Name: Mapping Taxonomic And Thematic Naming Errors Poststroke, Nicholas Riccardi, Deena Schwen Blackett, Abigail Broadhead, Dirk B. Den Ouden, Chris Rorden, Julius Fridriksson, Leonardo Bonilha, Rutvik H. Desai

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

Understanding the neurobiology of semantic knowledge is a major goal of cognitive neuroscience. Taxonomic and thematic semantic knowledge are represented differently within the brain's conceptual networks, but the specific neural mechanisms remain unclear. Some neurobiological models propose that the anterior temporal lobe is an important hub for taxonomic knowledge, whereas the TPJ is especially involved in the representation of thematic knowledge. However, recent studies have provided divergent evidence. In this context, we investigated the neural correlates of taxonomic and thematic confrontation naming errors in 79 people with aphasia. We used three complementary lesion-symptom mapping (LSM) methods to investigate how structure …

Dean's Report- Fall 2024, Marina K. Holz

GSBMS Dean’s Report

No abstract provided.

Regulation And Function Of The Rna-Binding Protein Khsrp During Neuronal Development, Regeneration And Axonal Injury Response, Courtney Nicole Buchanan

Theses and Dissertations

Axons, which extend long distances from neuronal cell bodies, rely on localized mRNA translation to swiftly respond to extracellular stimuli and physiological states. This work investigates the mechanism underlying the RNA-binding protein KHSRP’s, axonal mRNA translation and regulatory pathways involved in neuronal growth and regeneration. Our results indicate that KHSRP deletion in mice leads to upregulation of growth-associated mRNAs linked to neuronal morphology and function, resulting in increased axon growth and altered memory consolidation. Indicating a critical role for KHSRP in neuronal development and function through post-transcriptional regulation (Chapter 2). Additionally, we show there is a rapid increase in axonal …

Dean's Update, October 2024, Neil W. Schluger

SOM Dean's Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Transcription And Post-Translational Mechanisms: Dual Regulation Of Adiponectin-Mediated Occludin Expression In Diabetes, Yanru Duan, Demin Liu, Huahui Yu, Shihan Zhang, Yihua Xia, Zhiyong Du, Yanwen Qin, Yajing Wang, Xin-Liang Ma, Huirong Liu, Yunhui Du

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Occludin, a crucial component of tight junctions, has emerged as a promising biomarker for the diagnosis of acute ischemic disease, highlighting its significant potential in clinical applications. In the diabetes, Occludin serves as a downstream target gene intricately regulated by the adiponectin (APN) signaling pathway. However, the specific mechanism by which adiponectin regulates Occludin expression remains unclear.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Endothelial-specific Ocln knockdown reduced APN-mediated blood flow recovery after femoral artery ligation and nullified APN's protection against high-fat diet (HFD)-triggered apoptosis and angiogenesis inhibition in vivo. Mechanically, we have meticulously elucidated APN's regulatory role in Occludin expression through a …

Medical Students’ Self-Perceived Knowledge And Clinical Comfort With Genetics In Pakistan, Maheen Arshad, Angela Trepanier, S Shahrukh Hashmi, Rizwan Naeem, Saqib Mehmood, Myla Ashfaq

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pakistan has a high rate of genetic disorders and neonatal mortality concurrent with noted lack of genetic counselors and geneticists. To meet the needs of the patient population, the responsibility of providing clinical genetic services falls on general and specialty physicians. However, their education regarding these essential services is not standardized in medical school curricula nor has it ever been evaluated. The purpose of this work is to describe the self-perceived knowledge, clinical comfort, and perspectives of Pakistani medical students toward their medical genetics' education. A web-based survey was distributed electronically to medical schools around the country. The survey comprised …

Molecular Architecture And Functional Dynamics Of The Pre-Incision Complex In Nucleotide Excision Repair, Jina Yu, Chunli Yan, Tanmoy Paul, Lucas Brewer, Susan E Tsutakawa, Chi-Lin Tsai, Samir M Hamdan, John A Tainer, Ivaylo Ivanov

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is vital for genome integrity. Yet, our understanding of the complex NER protein machinery remains incomplete. Combining cryo-EM and XL-MS data with AlphaFold2 predictions, we build an integrative model of the NER pre-incision complex(PInC). Here TFIIH serves as a molecular ruler, defining the DNA bubble size and precisely positioning the XPG and XPF nucleases for incision. Using simulations and graph theoretical analyses, we unveil PInC's assembly, global motions, and partitioning into dynamic communities. Remarkably, XPG caps XPD's DNA-binding groove and bridges both junctions of the DNA bubble, suggesting a novel coordination mechanism of PInC's dual incision. …

Superior Antitumor Immune Response Achieved With Proton Over Photon Immunoradiotherapy Is Amplified By The Nanoradioenhancer Nbtxr3, Yun Hu, Sébastien Paris, Narayan Sahoo, Qi Wang, Qianxia Wang, Hampartsoum B Barsoumian, Ailing Huang, Jordan Da Silva, Célia Bienassis, Claudia S Kettlun Leyton, Tiffany A Voss, Fatemeh Masrorpour, Thomas Riad, Carola Leuschner, Nahum Puebla-Osorio, Saumil Gandhi, Quynh-Nhu Nguyen, Jing Wang, Maria Angelica Cortez, James W Welsh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Recent findings suggest that immunoradiotherapy (IRT), combining photon radiotherapy (XRT) or proton radiotherapy (PRT) with immune checkpoint blockade, can enhance systemic tumor control. However, the comparative efficacy of XRT and PRT in IRT remains understudied. To address this, we compared outcomes between XRT + αPD1 and PRT + αPD1 in murine αPD1-resistant lung cancer (344SQR). We also assessed the impact of the nanoparticle radioenhancer NBTXR3 on both XRT + αPD1 and PRT + αPD1 for tumor control and examined the tumor immune microenvironment using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq). Additionally, mice cured by NBTXR3 + PRT + αPD1 were rechallenged with …

Preventive Treatment With A Cd73 Small Molecule Inhibitor Enhances Immune Surveillance In K-Ras Mutant Pancreatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia, Lincoln N Strickland, Wendao Liu, Usama Hussein, Nicolette Mardik, Xian Chen, Tingting Mills, Lana A Vornik, Michelle I Savage, Shizuko Sei, John Clifford, Holger K Eltzschig, Powel H Brown, Zhongming Zhao, Florencia Mcallister, Jennifer M Bailey-Lundberg

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Immunoprevention is an emerging consideration for solid tumors, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We and others have shown that Kras mutations in genetic models of spontaneous pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN), which is a precursor to PDAC, results in CD73 expression in the neoplastic epithelium and some populations of infiltrating immune cells, including macrophages and CD8 T cells. CD73 is an ecto-enzyme that converts extracellular adenosine monophosphate to adenosine, a critical immune inhibitory molecule in PDAC. We hypothesized inhibition of CD73 would reduce the incidence of PanIN formation and alter the immune microenvironment. To test our hypothesis, we used the KrasG12D; …

Knockdown Of Ketohexokinase Versus Inhibition Of Its Kinase Activity Exert Divergent Effects On Fructose Metabolism, Se-Hyung Park, Taghreed Fadhul, Lindsey R. Conroy, Harrison A. Clarke, Ramon Sun, Kristina Wallenius, Jeremie Boucher, Gavin O'Mahony, Alessandro Boianelli, Marie Persson, Sunhee Jung, Cholsoon Jang, Analia S. Loria, Genesee J. Martinez, Zachary A. Kipp, Evelyn A. Bates, Terry D. Hinds Jr., Senad Divanovic, Samir Softic

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Excessive fructose intake is a risk factor for the development of obesity and its complications. Targeting ketohexokinase (KHK), the first enzyme of fructose metabolism, has been investigated for the management of metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). We compared the effects of systemic, small molecule inhibitor of KHK enzymatic activity with hepatocyte-specific, N-acetylgalactosamine siRNA–mediated knockdown of KHK in mice on an HFD. We measured KHK enzymatic activity, extensively quantified glycogen accumulation, performed RNA-Seq analysis, and enumerated hepatic metabolites using mass spectrometry. Both KHK siRNA and KHK inhibitor led to an improvement in liver steatosis; however, via substantially different mechanisms, KHK …

The Impact Of Pdcd4, A Translation Inhibitor, On Drug Resistance, Qing Wang, Hsin-Sheng Yang

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Programmed cell death 4 (Pdcd4) is a tumor suppressor, which has been demonstrated to efficiently suppress tumorigenesis. Biochemically, Pdcd4 binds with translation initiation factor 4A and represses protein translation. Beyond its role in tumor suppression, growing evidence suggests that Pdcd4 enhances the chemosensitivity of several anticancer drugs. To date, numerous translational targets of Pdcd4 have been identified. These targets govern important signal transduction pathways, and their attenuation may improve chemosensitivity or overcome drug resistance. This review will discuss the signal transduction pathways regulated by Pdcd4 and the potential mechanisms through which Pdcd4 enhances chemosensitivity or counteracts drug resistance.

Pulmonary Vascular Manifestations Of Hereditary Haemorrhagic Telangiectasia, Sarah Cullivan, Barry Kevane, Brian Mccullagh, Terry M O'Connor, Robin Condliffe, Sean Gaine

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is an autosomal dominant, multisystem disorder that manifests with a spectrum of disease including cardiopulmonary complications. HHT is characterised by aberrant signalling via the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) pathway, with loss of vascular integrity, angiogenesis and vascular dysplasia. The disease has an estimated prevalence of 1 in 5000 persons and the penetrance increases with increasing age. HHT commonly presents with epistaxis and telangiectasia, while visceral arteriovenous malformations are not uncommon. Mutations in the ENG, ACVRL1 and MADH4 genes account for 97% of all HHT cases, and it is recommended that genetic tests are used in …

Benefits Of Calorie Restriction In Mice Are Mediated Via Energy Imbalance, Not Absolute Energy Or Protein Intake, Daniel L Smith, Sharon E Mitchell, Maria S Johnson, Victoria K Gibbs, Stephanie Dickinson, Beate Henschel, Rui Li, Kathryn A Kaiser, Daniella E Chusyd, Andrew W Brown, David B Allison, John R Speakman, Tim R Nagy

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Caloric restriction (CR) results in reduced energy and protein intake, raising questions about protein restriction's contribution to CR longevity benefits. We kept ad libitum (AL)-fed male C57BL/6J mice at 27°C (AL27) and pair-fed (PF) mice at 22°C (22(PF27)). The 22(PF27) group was fed to match AL27 while restricted for calories due to cold-induced metabolism. The 22(PF27) mice had significantly lower body weight, lean mass, fat mass, leptin, IGF-1, and TNF-α levels than AL27 mice (p< 0.001 for all). Manipulations over ~11 weeks resulted in significant differences in body temperature, physical activity, and expression of key genes linked to hunger in the hypothalamus. Survival was significantly greater in 22(PF27) compared to AL27 overall (p< 0.001). CR in the context of equivalent energy and protein intake resulted in hormonal, metabolic, and physiological benefits and extended longevity. Hence, energy imbalance, rather than low energy or protein intake per se, mediates the benefits of CR.