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The Potential Mechanism Of Treating Ic/Bps With Hyperbaric Oxygen By Reducing Vascular Endothelial Growth Inhibitor And Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1Α, Jing Zhang, Jiarui Kang, Liyang Wu

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

To investigate the roles of vascular endothelial growth inhibitor (VEGI) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in the treatment of refractory interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO).Materials and methods: A total of 38 patients were included. They were assessed before and 6 months after HBO treatment. Three- day voiding diaries were recorded, and O’leary-Sant scores, visual analog scale (VAS) scores, quality of life (QoL) scores, pelvic pain, and urgency/frequency (PUF) scores were evaluated. Bladder capacity was assessed by cystoscopy. Bladder mucosa was collected for Western blot, qRT-PCR, and immunofluorescence staining to compare the expression of VEGI and HIF-1α before …

Clinical Characteristics And Disease Course Before And After Sars-Cov-2 Infection In A Large Cohort Of Systemic Sclerosis Patients, Aslıhan Avanoğlu Güler, Büşra Özçi̇men, Mesude Seda Aydoğdu, Alper Sari, Aliyeva Numune, Nazife Tüzün Ersan, Seda Çolak, Hazan Karadeni̇z, İbrahim Vasi̇, Hamit Küçük, Yasemin Yalçinkaya, Abdulsamet Erden, Mehmet Kayaalp, Mehmet Akif Öztürk, Berna Göker, Ahmet Omma, Sedat Yilmaz, Süleyman Serdar Koca, Murat İnanç, Ali Akdoğan, Abdurrahman Tufan

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

The objective of this study is to evaluate the clinical presentations and adverse outcomes of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and assess the impact of SSc features on the clinical course of COVID-19.Materials and methods: In this multicenter, retrospective study, SSc patients with COVID-19 were included. Clinical features of SSc, along with detailed COVID-19 data, were extracted from medical records and patient interviews.Results: The study included 112 patients (mean age 51.4 ± 12.8 years; 90.2% female). SSc-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD) was evident in 57.1% of the patients. The findings revealed hospitalization in 25.5%, respiratory …

A Retrospective Study On The Clinical And Molecular Outcomes Of Calpainopathy In A Turkish Patient Cohort, İzem Olcay Şahi̇n, Emine Karataş, Mikail Demi̇r, Büşra Tan, Hüseyin Per, Yusuf Özkul, Munis Dündar

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Calpainopathy, also known as limb-girdle muscular dystrophy recessive type 1, is a progressive muscle disorder that impacts the muscles around the hips and shoulders. The disease is caused by defects in the CAPN3 gene and can be inherited in both recessive and dominant forms. In this retrospective study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical and molecular results of our patients with calpainopathy and to examine the CAPN3 variants in Turkish and global populations.Materials and methods: Molecular analyses were performed using the next-generation sequencing (NGS) method. CAPN3 variants were identified through the examination of various databases.Results: In this retrospective study, the …

Rehabilitation Therapy Versus Drug-Only Therapy In Patients With Multiple Sclerosis, Florin Mihai Marcu, Doriana Ciobanu, Ioan Cosmin Boca, Elena Sirbu, Paul Alexandru Deme, Nicolae Catalin Hreniuc, Dorina Ianc

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

The treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) does not cure the disease, but it is intended to reduce the intensity, duration, and frequency of symptoms. Rehabilitation therapy (RT), including an individualized physical therapy program (PTP) and adapted occupational therapy (OT), has benefits in terms of aerobic capacity, muscle strength, coordination, and ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL). The primary objective of this study was to examine the efficacy of RT comprising PTP, OT, and drug treatment (DT) versus DT alone in patients with MS. Another objective was to highlight the importance of continuing the PT and OT at home, …

The Effects Of On-Pump And Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery On Oxidative Stress And Cerebral Oxygenation: A Prospective Observational Study, Ökkeş Hakan Mi̇ni̇ksar, Sameh Alagha, Ferit Çi̇çekçi̇oğlu, Mehtap Honca, Ayşe Yeşim Göçmen

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

In this prospective observational study, our goal was to investigate the relationship between serum levels of oxidative stress (OS) parameters and regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2) in addition to evaluating postoperative clinical outcomes among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG).Materials and methods: This study comprised 64 adult patients undergoing elective CABG (on-pump [n = 48] and off-pump [n = 16]) procedures. Serum OS levels and rSO2 values were measured intraoperatively at three specific time points: T1 (after induction), T2 (15 min before aortic cross-clamp removal or the final distal anastomosis), and T3 (15 min after aortic cross-clamp removal …

Diurnal Rhythm Of Urinary Aquaporin-2 In Children With Primary Monosymptomatic Nocturnal Enuresis, Nehal Abdelhamid, Mohamed A. Abd Almawla, Aliaa A. Wahby, Mervat Ismail, Hani Abdelsalam Elmikaty, Hanan M. Hamed, Ingy Ashmawy, Bataul Mohamed Abdelraoaf, Enas Mokhtar Abdelhamid, Hassan M. Salam

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Nocturnal enuresis can be frustrating for children and their families as the child ages. Our aim is to evaluate urine aquaporin 2 (AQP-2) as a noninvasive biomarker of water balance in children with primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (PMNE).Material and methods: The study included 90 children; sixty-eight children suffering from PMNE aged (9.57 ± 2.16) years and 22 healthy children with good toilet control, matched sex and age. All enuretic children were subjected to complete history taking, clinical evaluation, and bed wetting diary. Serum arginine vasopressin (AVP) and urine AQP-2 were tested in the morning (at 9–11 am) and evening (at …

Acute Responses Of Strength-Related Gene Expressions To Maximum Strength And Force Sense Acuity, Muammer Altun, Erdal Balcan, Sevinç Batir, Mehmet Hilmi Gökmen, Şule Özgüneş, Zübeyde Öztel

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Although high muscle strength worsens the sense of force, it is unknown whether there is a relationship betweenthis deterioration and the underlying molecular mechanisms. This study examined the relationship between decreased force sense (FS)acuity and strength-related gene expressions.Materials and methods: Maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) and FS (50% MVIC) tests were performed on the kneejoints of twenty-two subjects. The expression analyses were evaluated by qRT-PCR in blood samples taken before, after MVIC, after 50%MVIC, and 15 min after the test.Results: MVIC and FS error values were significantly correlated with each other (r = .659, p = .001). The qRT-PCR analyses …

Evaluation Of Accompanying Allergic Disease In Children With Proven Drug Allergies, Şule Büyük Yaytokgi̇l, Kezban İpek Demi̇r, Özge Yılmaz Topal, Azize Pınar Metbulut, İlknur Külhaş Çeli̇k, Müge Toyran, Ersoy Ci̇velek, Emine Di̇bek Misirlioğlu

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Data on the prevalence of allergic diseases in children with proven drug allergies are limited. We aim to evaluate thefrequency of allergic comorbidity in children with proven common drug allergies.Materials and methods: Children with drug hypersensitivity confirmed by diagnostic allergy tests at our center between January 2010and December 2020 were screened retrospectively. Patients with the most common drug allergies (due to antibiotics, nonsteroidalantiinflammatory drugs [NSAIDs], and antiepileptic drugs) were selected for analysis. Age, sex, the culprit drug, initial reactioncharacteristics, diagnostic test results, and the study physician who diagnosed concomitant allergic diseases were noted.Results: A total of 168 patients (boys, 51.2%) …

Minipuberty Period Of Children With Atopic Dermatitis Compared To Healthy Children, Serkan Bilge Koca, Hatice Eke Güngör, Murat Cansever

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory, pruritic, noncontagious, chronic relapsing skin disease. Skin barrierabnormalities, excessive T helper 2 activity, and immune dysregulation are held responsible. Androgens have a negative effect on theintegrity of the epidermal skin barrier, while estrogen has a positive effect. We aimed to investigate whether hormones make a differencebetween healthy children and children with AD during minipuberty.Materials and methods: A total of 96 infants (postnatal 4–13 weeks), 48 diagnosed with AD and 48 controls, were included. Each groupconsisted of 23 girls (47.9%) and 25 boys (52.1%). Anthropometric examinations and hormone measurements were compared.Results: The two groups, having …

Adjunctive Use Of Laser Biostimulation With Nonsurgical Periodontal Therapy: A Split Mouth, Randomized, Case-Control Study In Diabetic And Nondiabetic Periodontitispatients, Funda Akansel, Umur Sakallioğlu, Müge Lütfi̇oğlu, Feyza Otan Özden, Adil Karadağ

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Laser biostimulation therapy (LBT) is suggested to have positive effects on periodontal healing. This study evaluatedLBT with nonsurgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) in diabetes mellitus (DM) and systemic health (SH) conditions.Materials and methods: Thirty periodontitis patients (15 with DM and 15 with SH) were included in the study, which had a split-mouthdesign, by applying LBT in the mouth of the same systemic condition. Thus, 4 study groups were formed, as 1) NSPT – DM: NSPT alonein DM, 2) NSPT + LBT – DM: NSPT + LBT application in DM, 3) NSPT – SH: NSPT alone in SH, and 4) NSPT + …

Braf Inhibitor Candidate Molecule Usnic Acid Might Use Both Intrinsic And Extrinsic Pathways Of Apoptosis, Burcu Peli̇n Buyuk, Demet Cansaran Duman, Turker Duman

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Melanoma is one of the most aggressive cancers and treatment methods commonly used for patients with skin cancer include checkpoint and BRAF/MEK inhibitors, traditional chemotherapy drugs, radiation and adjuvant treatment methods. Due to the resistance and toxic effects that the patient develops against the drugs, an effective treatment method has not been developed for melanoma yet. Materials and methods: In this study we evaluated the anti-cancer effect of usnic acid (UA) on A-375 melanoma cells and human epidermal melanocytes by xCELLigence real-time cell analysis system. To determine through which cell death pathway UA exerts its anti-proliferative effect, its apoptotic …

Are Serum Thrombomodulin And Interleukin-8 Levels Associated With Disease Severity And Mortality In Critically Ill Children With Respiratory Failure?, Di̇lan Akgün Ünlü, Hazal Ceren Tuğrul, Selen Ceren Çakmak, Gürkan Atay, Seher Erdoğan

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Thrombomodulin (TM) is found on endothelial cell surfaces and increases in response to endothelial injury of different organs. Interleukin (IL)-8 regulates pulmonary inflammation. TM and IL-8 are candidate biological markers of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The aim of the present study was to compare TM and IL-8 levels in pediatric patients with and without ARDS who received respiratory support and to determine their relationships with prognosis.Materials and methods: This was a prospective observational study of 55 patients who received respiratory support in the pediatric intensive care unit. Eighteen patients without active infection were defined as the control group. …

The Kidney In Heart Failure: The Role Of Venous Congestion, Oluwaseun Adebayo Bamodu, Chen-Chih Chung, Thomas R Pisanic, Alexander T H Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have emerged as pivotal players in tumorigenesis, disease progression, and resistance to therapies.

OBJECTIVE: This comprehensive review delves into the intricate relationship between CSCs and the cell-of-origin in diverse cancer types.

DESIGN: Comprehensive review of thematically-relevant literature.

METHODS: We explore the underlying molecular mechanisms that drive the conversion of normal cells into CSCs and the impact of the cell-of-origin on CSC properties, tumor initiation, and therapeutic responses. Moreover, we discuss potential therapeutic interventions targeting CSCs based on their distinct cell-of-origin characteristics.

RESULTS: Accruing evidence suggest that the cell-of-origin, the cell type from which the tumor …

Identifying Missing Is-A Relations In Snomed Ct With Fine-Tuned Pre-Trained Language Models And Non-Lattice Subgraphs, Xubing Hao, Rashmie Abeysinghe, Jay Shi, Guo-Qiang Zhang, Licong Cui

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Ensuring the completeness of IS-A relations in SNOMED CT is crucial for maintaining its accuracy in clinical applications. In this study, we propose a hybrid approach leveraging non-lattice subgraphs and pre-trained language models (PLMs) to identify missing IS-A relations in SNOMED CT. We fine-tuned four BERT-based models: BERT, DistillBERT, DeBERTa, and BioClinicalBERT, and four generative large language models (LLMs): BioMistral, Llama3, Gemma2, and Phi-4. Missing IS-A relations were identified through consensus predictions by all eight models. De-BERTa achieved the best performance (precision: 0.96, recall: 0.97, F1-score: 0.965) for IS-A relation prediction. Our approach identified 678 potential missing IS-A relations in …

Relational Database-Based Resource-Provenance Visualization Engine: With An Application To Bican Data, Xiaojin Li, Yan Huang, Lydia Ng, Kimberly A Smith, Wei-Chun Chou, Rashmie Abeysinghe, Ling Tong, Shiwe Lin, Licong Cui, Shiqiang Tao, Guo-Qiang Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Provenance tracking ensures data integrity, security, and accountability in healthcare and biomedical research. As biomedical data grows in complexity, comprehensive tracking mechanisms are needed to maintain reproducibility, transparency, and compliance with regulatory standards, such as GDPR. Traditional log-based and ontology-based approaches capture and standardize data lineage, while cryptographic and blockchain-based methods enhance security and verifiability. However, challenges remain in scalability, security, and usability. To address these, we introduce the Resource-Provenance Visualization Engine (RPVE), an advanced system integrating data lineage tracking and interactive visualization. RPVE employs the Randomized N-gram Hashing Identifier (NHash ID) to establish precise data links within the BRAIN …

Diagnostic Value Of Soluble Interleukin-2 Receptor In Patients Suffering Neurosarcoidosis: A Systematic Review, Aditya Chanpura, Rajesh K Gupta, Shitiz K Sriwastava, Jan Rahmig

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Neurosarcoidosis is an inflammatory granulomatous disease. Up to 25% of occult sarcoidosis affecting the nervous system are only detected by autopsy. In addition, in recent years the suspicion arose that the soluble Interleukin-2 Receptor (sIL-2R) might be useful in differentiating between neurosarcoidosis and neurosarcoidosis-like diseases such as neurotuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, or cerebral lymphoma.

Objectives: Therefore, we aimed to systematically review randomized controlled trials (RCT), observational studies, and case-control studies evaluating sIL-2R levels in neurosarcoidosis patients.

Design: For this systematic review, a comprehensive literature search of electronic databases including EMBASE, The Web Of Science, The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and Google …

Perspective: The Evolution Of Hormones And Person Perception-A Quantitative Genetic Framework, Christopher I Gurguis, Tyler S Kimm, Teresa A Pigott

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Evolutionary biology provides a unifying theory for testing hypotheses about the relationship between hormones and person perception. Person perception usually receives attention from the perspective of sexual selection. However, because person perception is one trait in a suite regulated by hormones, univariate approaches are insufficient. In this Perspectives article, quantitative genetics is presented as an important but underutilized framework for testing evolutionary hypotheses within this literature. We note tacit assumptions within the current literature on psychiatric genetics, which imperil the interpretation of findings thus far. As regulators of a diverse manifold of traits, hormones mediate tradeoffs among an array of …

Intra-Decadal Increase In Globally-Spread Magallana Gigas In Southern California Estuaries, Marah L Wolfe, Chelsea M Bowers-Doerning, Anabell Espinosa, Ty Frantz, William J Hoese, Joann G Lam, Kailee R Lamp, Rachael A Lyons, Justin K Nguyen, Bryce D Keyes, Jada Smith, Holly L Suther, Meaghan Swintek, Juliann C Vannordstrand, Danielle C Zacherl

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction and establishment of non-indigenous species (NIS) has been accelerated on a global scale by climate change. NIS Magallana gigas' (formerly Crassostrea gigas') global spread over the past several decades has been linked to warming waters, specifically during summer months, raising the specter of more spread due to predicted warming. We tracked changes in density and size distribution of M. gigas in two southern California, USA bays over the decade spanning 2010-2020 using randomly placed quadrats across multiple intertidal habitats (e.g., cobble, seawalls, riprap) and documented density increases by 2.2 to 32.8 times at 7 of the 8 sites surveyed …

Association Of Risk Factors And Comorbidities With Chronic Pain In The Elderly Population, Neil Mookerjee, Nicole Schmalbach, Gianna Antinori, Subhadra Thampi, Dylan Windle-Puente, Amy Gilligan, Ha Huy, Megha Andrews, Angela Sun, Roshni Gandhi, William Benedict, Austin Chang, Ben Sanders, Justin Nguyen, Maanika Reddy Keesara, Janet Aliev, Aneri Patel, Isaiah Hughes, Ian Millstein, Krystal Hunter, Satyajeet Roy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVE: Chronic pain disorders affect about 20% of adults in the United States, and it disproportionately affects individuals living in the neighborhoods of extreme socioeconomic disadvantage. In many instances, chronic pain has been noted to arise from an aggregation of multiple risk factors and events. Therefore, it is of importance to recognize the modifiable risk factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the comorbid medical conditions and risk factors associated with chronic pain disorders in patients aged 65 years and older.

METHODS: Our team retrospectively reviewed medical records of elderly patients (65 years and older) who were evaluated …

Measurement Of 8-Hydroxy-2′-Deoxyguanosine In Serum And Cerebrospinal Fluid Of Horses With Neuroaxonal Degeneration And Other Causes Of Proprioceptive Ataxia, Megan Palmisano, Jeaneen Kulp, Susan Bender, Darko Stefanovski, Mary Robinson, Amy Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Eight-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a biomarker of oxidative damage evaluated in human neurodegenerative disease, has potential to correlate with postmortem diagnosis of neuroaxonal dystrophy/degenerative myeloencephalopathy (NAD/DM) in horses.

HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that 8-OHdG will be higher in CSF and serum from NAD/DM horses compared with horses with other neurologic diseases (CVSM, EPM) and a control group of neurologically normal horses. We also hypothesized that 8-OHdG will be higher in CSF compared with serum from NAD/DM horses.

ANIMALS: Fifty client-owned horses with postmortem diagnoses: 20 NAD/DM, 10 CVSM, 10 EPM, and 10 control horses. Serum and CSF samples were obtained between November …

Measurement Of 8-Hydroxy-2′-Deoxyguanosine In Serum And Cerebrospinal Fluid Of Horses With Neuroaxonal Degeneration And Other Causes Of Proprioceptive Ataxia, Megan Palmisano, Jeaneen Kulp, Susan Bender, Darko Stefanovski, Mary Robinson, Amy Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Eight-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a biomarker of oxidative damage evaluated in human neurodegenerative disease, has potential to correlate with postmortem diagnosis of neuroaxonal dystrophy/degenerative myeloencephalopathy (NAD/DM) in horses.

HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that 8-OHdG will be higher in CSF and serum from NAD/DM horses compared with horses with other neurologic diseases (CVSM, EPM) and a control group of neurologically normal horses. We also hypothesized that 8-OHdG will be higher in CSF compared with serum from NAD/DM horses.

ANIMALS: Fifty client-owned horses with postmortem diagnoses: 20 NAD/DM, 10 CVSM, 10 EPM, and 10 control horses. Serum and CSF samples were obtained between November …

Novel Oppositional Defiant Disorder Or Conduct Disorder 24 Months After Traumatic Brain Injury In Children And Adolescents, Daniel S Lowet, Florin Vaida, John R Hesselink, Linda Ewing-Cobbs, Russell J Schachar, Sandra B Chapman, Erin D Bigler, Elisabeth A Wilde, Ann E Saunders, Tony T Yang, Olga Tymofiyeva, Mingxiong Huang, Jeffrey E Max

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: The authors sought to identify predictive factors of new-onset or novel oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder assessed 24 months after traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods: Children ages 5 to 14 years who had experienced TBI were recruited from consecutive hospital admissions. Soon after injury, participants were assessed for preinjury characteristics, including psychiatric disorders, socioeconomic status (SES), psychosocial adversity, and family function, and the presence and location of lesions were documented by MRI. Psychiatric outcomes, including novel oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder, were assessed 24 months after injury.

Results: Of the children without preinjury oppositional defiant disorder, conduct …

Large T Antigen Mediated Target Gene Replication Improves Site-Specific Recombination Efficiency, Zening Wang, Chuan Chen, Xin Ge

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

With advantages of high-fidelity, monoclonality and large cargo capacity, site-specific recombination (SSR) holds great promises for precise genomic modifications. However, broad applications of SSR have been hurdled by low integration efficiency, and the amount of donor DNA available in nucleus for SSR presents as a limiting factor. Inspired by the DNA replication mechanisms observed in double-stranded DNA virus SV40, we hypothesized that expression of SV40 large T antigen (TAg) can increase the copy number of the donor plasmid bearing an SV40 origin, and in consequence promote recombination events. This hypothesis was tested with dual recombinase-mediated cassette exchange (RMCE) in suspension …

Generation Of Protease Inhibitory Antibodies By Functional In Vivo Selection, Ki Baek Lee, Xin Ge

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Targeting dysregulated protease expression and/or abnormal substrate proteolysis, highly selective inhibition of pathogenic proteases by monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) presents an attractive therapeutic approach for the treatment of diseases including cancer. Herein, we report a functional selection method for protease inhibitory mAbs by periplasmic co-expression of three recombinant proteins-a protease of interest, an antibody Fab library, and a modified β-lactamase TEM-1. We validate this approach by isolation of highly selective and potent mAbs inhibiting human matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9).

One-Step Production Of Fully Biotinylated And Glycosylated Human Fc Gamma Receptors, Minhyo Kang, Zening Wang, Xin Ge

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Initiating and regulating humoral immunity, Fc gamma receptors (FcγRs) have been identified both as therapeutics and as drug targets, and thus production of biologically active FcγRs is highly demanded for biopharmaceutical development. Focusing on low-affinity FcγRs IIA (131H/R allotypes), IIB, and IIIA (176F/V), this study used human 293-F cells to achieve correct post-translational modifications (PTMs) including biotinylation, N-glycosylation, and disulfides. Approaches involving co-expression of FcγR-AviTag and Escherichia coli biotin ligase BirA, endoplasmic reticulum retention, stable and transient transfections, and optimization of transgene ratio were investigated. Protein electrophoresis under reducing and non-reducing conditions, enzymatic deglycosylation, streptavidin pull-down assays, and binding kinetic …

Atypical Presentation Of Psoriasis On The Breast Of An Elderly Woman: A Case Report, Susuana Adjei, Mohamad R Taha, Anisha B Patel, Stephen K Tyring

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease that affects over 60 million adults and children globally. It is classically characterized by pink plaques covered with silver scales on the extensor surfaces, trunk, or scalp. In this report, we describe the case of a woman in her late 60s with psoriasis presenting as a painful plaque on her left breast. This case highlights the importance of considering psoriasis as a differential diagnosis in patients with unilateral breast plaques, even in the absence of typical psoriasis scaling elsewhere on the body.

Proportional Sway-Based Electrotactile Feedback Improves Lateral Standing Balance, V S Raghav Hari Krishna, Jeonghee Kim, Shuo-Hsiu Chang, Yoonsuck Choe, Hangue Park

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Plantar cutaneous augmentation is a promising approach in balance rehabilitation by enhancing motion-dependent sensory feedback. The effect of plantar cutaneous augmentation on balance has been mainly investigated in its passive form (e.g., textured insole) or on lower-limb amputees. In this study, we tested the effect of plantar cutaneous augmentation on balance in its active form (i.e., electrical stimulation) for individuals with intact limbs.

METHODS: Ten healthy subjects participated in the study and were instructed to maintain their balance as long as possible on the balance board, with or without electrotactile feedback evoked on the medial side of the heel, …

Precision Needle-Punch Tumor Enrichment From Paraffin Blocks Improves The Detection Of Clinically Actionable Genomic Alterations And Biomarkers, Douglas I Lin, Richard S P Huang, Ioannis Ladas, Rachel B Keller, Nimesh R Patel, Sotirios Lakis, Brennan Decker, Tyler Janovitz, Douglas A Mata, Jeffrey S Ross, Jo-Anne Vergilio, Julia A Elvin, Roy S Herbst, Philip C Mack, Jonathan K Killian

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: While many molecular assays can detect mutations at low tumor purity and variant allele frequencies, complex biomarkers such as tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and genomic loss of heterozygosity (gLOH) require higher tumor purity for accurate measurement. Scalable, quality-controlled, tissue-conserving methods to increase tumor nuclei percentage (TN%) from tumor specimens are needed for complex biomarkers and hence necessary to maximize patient matching to approved therapies or clinical trial enrollment. We evaluated the clinical utility and performance of precision needle-punch enrichment (NPE) compared with traditional razor blade macroenrichment of tumor specimens on molecular testing success.

METHODS: Pathologist-directed NPE …

Postsurgical Pyoderma Gangrenosum After Penile Inversion Vaginoplasty: Case With Review Of Diagnostic And Management Strategies, Michael M Talanker, Jessica R Nye, David T Mitchell, Daniel J Freet

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Postsurgical pyoderma gangrenosum (PSPG) is a highly uncommon and unpredictable wound healing complication. Rapid progression of ulcers at incisions can cause unfettered dehiscence. Most commonly, PSPG involves breast procedures; however, in this work, we detail a case of a patient who developed PSPG 10 days postoperatively after penile inversion vaginoplasty.

METHODS: The patient in this case underwent a penile inversion vaginoplasty with orchiectomy in the standard fashion. She had no risk factors for PSPG. Following an uncomplicated hospital stay, the patient developed difficulty with pain control and increasing serous drainage on the 10th postoperative day. On readmission, the patient …

Biologic Complications Associated With Cylindrical Lead Spinal Cord Stimulator Implants: A Narrative Review, Peter D Vu, Dorina Pinkhasova, Zohal B Sarwary, Anush Rita Markaryan, Bakir Mousa, Omar Viswanath, Christopher L Robinson, Giustino Varrassi, Vwaire Orhurhu, Ivan Urits, Jamal Hasoon

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose of review: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a minimally invasive and reversible therapy for the treatment of severe neuropathic pain. There are several biologic complications that can arise during the implantation of SCS systems. This review aims to consolidate recent research on complications associated with SCS, specifically focusing on biologic complications.

Recent findings: Biologic complications are less frequently encountered compared to device-related complications but may have more severe consequences. Biologic complications covered in this review include infection, seromas, hematomas, dural puncture, nerve/spinal cord injury, and therapy habituation.

Conclusion: The application of SCS remains a viable and effective choice for …