Digital Commons Network^™

Radiogenic Second Cancer Risk Differences In Female Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients Treated With Proton Versus Photon Radiotherapies, Kenneth L. Homann

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) is the most common cancer diagnosis of young adults in the United States. Advances in curative treatments for HL, including the use of photon radiation therapy (RT) techniques, have increased 10 year survival rates to approximately 90% among young patients. These RT treatments, however, contribute to an increased incidence of radiogenic second cancer (RSC) formation to the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor volume relative to the general population. These RSCs are the leading cause of death among long-term HL survivors. Proton therapy has been shown to reduce the therapeutic dose, and therefore, the risk of developing a …

Distinct Phenotypes In Zebrafish Models Of Human Startle Disease, Lisa R. Ganser, Qing Yan, Victoria M. James, Robert Kozol, Maya Topf, Robert J. Harvey, Julia E. Dallman

Faculty Articles

Startle disease is an inherited neurological disorder that causes affected individuals to suffer noise- or touch-induced non-epileptic seizures, excessive muscle stiffness and neonatal apnea episodes. Mutations known to cause startle disease have been identified in glycine receptor subunit (GLRA1 and GLRB) and glycine transporter (SLC6A5) genes, which serve essential functions at glycinergic synapses. Despite the significant successes in identifying startle disease mutations, many idiopathic cases remain unresolved. Exome sequencing in these individuals will identify new candidate genes. To validate these candidate disease genes, zebrafish is an ideal choice due to rapid knockdown strategies, accessible embryonic stages, and stereotyped behaviors. The …

Locking Compression Plate In Musculoskeletal Oncology'a Nriend In Need', Masood Umer, Kashif Abbas, Shahid Khan, Haroon Ur Rashid

Department of Surgery Docs

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

We are presenting our experience in the use of locking compression plate (LCP) after juxta-articular oncological resections in addition to its use in pathologic fracture.

METHODS:

A retrospective audit of skeletal reconstruction using LCP in 25 cases of long bone tumors was performed from 2008 to 2010. Reconstruction following limb salvage surgery was done in 17 patients and internal fixation of pathological fracture was done in 8 patients. All patients were available for > 12 months of follow-up, and thus assessed for union at the resected ends.

RESULTS:

There were 8 males and 17 females in the study. The …

Multicenter Study Of Pectus Excavatum, Final Report: Complications, Static/Exercise Pulmonary Function, And Anatomic Outcomes., Robert E. Kelly, Robert B. Mellins, Robert C. Shamberger, Karen K. Mitchell, M Louise Lawson, Keith T. Oldham, Richard G. Azizkhan, Andre V. Hebra, Donald Nuss, Michael J. Goretsky, Ronald J. Sharp, George W. Holcomb, Walton K T Shim, Stephen M. Megison, R Lawrence Moss, Annie H. Fecteau, Paul M. Colombani, Dan Cooper, Traci Bagley, Amy Quinn, Alan B. Moskowitz, James F. Paulson

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: A multicenter study of pectus excavatum was described previously. This report presents our final results.

STUDY DESIGN: Patients treated surgically at 11 centers were followed prospectively. Each underwent a preoperative evaluation with CT scan, pulmonary function tests, and body image survey. Data were collected about associated conditions, complications, and perioperative pain. One year after treatment, patients underwent repeat chest CT scan, pulmonary function tests, and body image survey. A subset of 50 underwent exercise pulmonary function testing.

RESULTS: Of 327 patients, 284 underwent Nuss procedure and 43 underwent open procedure without mortality. Of 182 patients with complete follow-up (56%), …

Investigation Of Commercial Milk Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (Elisa) Kits: Specificity And Utility For Residues Of Foods Subjected To Proteolysis During Processing, Katherine O. Ivens

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Analytical methods, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), are used to detect and quantify residues from allergenic sources in food products. However, ELISAs have not been validated for use in foods that have been exposed to proteolysis. This thesis explores the specificities, sensitivities, and capabilities of commercially-available milk ELISA kits for detecting milk residues in cheeses that have undergone varying degrees of proteolysis.

The specificity, accuracy, and consistency of twelve commercially-available milk ELISA kits for individual milk proteins and commonly used milk-derived ingredients, including α-,β-, and κ-casein, β-lactoglobulin, α-lactalbumin, non-fat dry milk, sodium caseinate, and whey protein concentrate were evaluated. …

Outcome Of Radiologically Placed Tunneled Haemodialysis Catheters, Raza Sayani, Muhammad Anwar, Tanveer-Ul-Haq, Nauman Al-Qamari, Muhammad Asif Bilal

Department of Radiology

Objective: To study the outcome of radiologically placed double lumen tunneled haemodialysis catheters for the management of renal failure.STUDY Design: Case series.PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Interventional Suite of Radiology Department at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from April 2010 to June 2011.METHODOLOGY: All consecutive patients who were referred to the department of radiology by the nephrologists for double lumen tunneled haemodialysis catheter (Permacath) placement during the study period were included. Patients with septicemia, those for whom follow-up was not available, those coming for catheter exchange or who died due to a noncatheter related condition were excluded. A radio-opaque, …

Tumor Necrosis Factor -Α, Interleukin-10, Intercellular And Vascular Adhesion Molecules Are Possible Biomarkers Of Disease Severity In Complicated Plasmodium Vivax Isolates From Pakistan., Afsheen Raza, Najia K. Ghanchi, Ali Bin Sarwar Zubairi, Ahmed Raheem, Sobia Nizami, Mohammad Asim Beg

Department of Medicine

Background: Cytokine-mediated endothelial activation pathway is a known mechanism of pathogenesis employed by Plasmodium falciparum to induce severe disease symptoms in human host. Though considered benign, complicated cases of Plasmodium vivax are being reported worldwide and from Pakistan. It has been hypothesized that P.vivax utilizes similar mechanism of pathogenesis, as that of P.falciparum for manifestations of severe malaria. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to characterize the role of cytokines and endothelial activation markers in complicated Plasmodium vivax isolates from Pakistan.

Methods and Principle Findings: A case control study using plasma samples from well-characterized groups suffering from P.vivax …

Acceptance Of Disability And Its Predictors Among Stroke Patients In Taiwan, Shan-Yun Chiu, Hanoch Livneh, Long-Lung Tsao, Tzung-Yi Tsai

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Modern medicine has increased the survival rate for stroke patients; however, the patient’s psychosocial adaptation after stroke onset may be related to the clinical outcomes. This study aimed to investigate patients’ acceptance of disability (AOD) and its predictors in stroke patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study used a purposive sampling method to recruit 175 stroke patients from a hospital in southern Taiwan. A structured questionnaire gathered data on respondent demographics and disease characteristics, and included the Chinese version of the AOD Scale-Revised. Factors associated with AOD were examined by a multiple linear regression analysis. Results: The mean AOD score was …

Microrna-138 Regulates Hypoxia-Induced Endothelial Cell Dysfunction By Targeting S100a1., Anagha Sen, Shumei Ren, Carolin Lerchenmüller, Jianxin Sun, Norbert Weiss, Patrick Most, Karsten Peppel

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

The Ca(2+) sensor S100A1 is essential for proper endothelial cell (EC) nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS) activation. S100A1 levels are greatly reduced in primary human microvascular ECs subjected to hypoxia, rendering them dysfunctional. However mechanisms that regulate S100A1 levels in ECs are unknown. Here we show that ECs transfected with a S100A1-3' untranslated region (UTR) luciferase reporter construct display significantly reduced gene expression when subjected to low oxygen levels or chemical hypoxia. Bioinformatic analysis suggested that microRNA -138 (MiR-138) could target the 3'UTR of S100A1. Patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) or mice subjected to femoral artery resection (FAR) displayed …

Severe Painful Vaso-Occlusive Crises And Mortality In A Contemporary Adult Sickle Cell Anemia Cohort Study., Deepika S. Darbari, Zhengyuan Wang, Minjung Kwak, Mariana Hildesheim, James Nichols, Darlene Allen, Catherine Seamon, Marlene Peters-Lawrence, Anna Conrey, Mary K. Hall, Gregory J. Kato, James G. Taylor Vi

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Frequent painful vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) were associated with mortality in the Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease (CSSCD) over twenty years ago. Modern therapies for sickle cell anemia (SCA) like hydroxyurea are believed to have improved overall patient survival. The current study sought to determine the relevance of the association between more frequent VOCs and death and its relative impact upon overall mortality compared to other known risk factors in a contemporary adult SCA cohort.

METHODS: Two hundred sixty four SCA adults were assigned into two groups based on patient reported outcomes for emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalizations …

Feasibility Of Improving Cone-Beam Ct Number Consistency Using A Scatter Correction Algorithm., Jun Li, Weiguang Yao, Ying Xiao, Yan Yu

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

The study was to explore the feasibility of improving cone-beam CT (CBCT) number (corresponding to the Hounsfield units in computed tomography) consistency using a scatter-correction algorithm, with the aim of using CBCT images for treatment planning with density correction. A scatter correction algorithm was applied to a Varian OBI CBCT and an Elekta XVI CBCT, and was evaluated for improving CBCT number consistency. CBCT numbers of phantom materials were compared between images with and without bolus, which introduced additional scatter, and with and without scatter correction processing. It was observed that CBCT numbers were different in the images with and …

Medical Education Digest, Vol. 15 No. 6 (November-December 2013), Nova Southeastern University

Medical Education Digest

No abstract provided.

Two-Category Place Representations Persist Over Body Rotations, Hyoun Kyoung Pyoun, Jesse Sargent, Stephen Dopkins, John W. Philbeck

Neurological Surgery Faculty Publications

We explored a system that constructs environment-centered frames of reference and coordinates memory for the azimuth of an object in an enclosed space. For one group, we provided two environmental cues (doors): one in the front, and one in the rear. For a second group, we provided two object cues: a front and a rear cue.For a third group, we provided no external cues; we assumed that for this group, their reference frames would be determined by the orthogonal geometry of the floor-and-wall junction that divides a space in half or into multiple territories along the horizontal …

Barrier-Repair Prescription Moisturizers: Do We Really Need Them? Facts And Controversies., Ronni Wolf, Lawrence Parish

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

There is now scientific evidence of genetically driven skin-barrier anomalies in atopic patients. These barrier anomalies facilitate sustained antigen ingress through the defective barrier, which can bring about a Th2-dominant response. It enhances the transepidermal water loss, resulting in dry skin and leading to the release of preformed proinflammatory cytokines and to a cascade of events ending up in inflammation.

Executive Summary: Randomized Comparison Of Two Internet-Supported Methods Of Natural Family Planning, Richard J. Fehring, Mary Schneider

Randomized Comparison of Two Internet-Supported Methods of Natural Family Planning

Only 0.2% of US women use modern methods of natural family planning, i.e., the basal body temperature and the cervical mucus methods of natural family planning (NFP). The reason that such few women use NFP methods is because they are often ineffective, they are difficult to use, there is lack of access to properly trained NFP teachers, a lack of motivation to use a behavioral method, and health professionals are reluctant to prescribe NFP methods. One way to potentially increase the use of NFP methods is to provide easy access to an effective but simplified NFP method that uses a …

Job's Syndrome With An Atypical Presentation, Abbas Ali Tasneem, Sabahat Sarfaraz, Syed Mujahid Hassan, Nasir Hassan Luck, Sabiha Anis, Zaigham Abbas

Section of Gastroenterology

Hyper Immunoglobulin E syndrome also called Job's or Buckley Syndrome is a rare primary immunodeficiency disease characterized by elevated serum IgE levels (> 2000 IU/ml), recurrent infections and eosinophilia. Other features include coarse facies and non-immunologic abnormalities of the dentition, bones, vasculature and connective tissues. We are reporting a case of a twenty four years old male with coarse facies who presented with severe pallor and upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Investigations revealed markedly elevated serum IgE levels (11,800 IU/ml), severe anaemia, esophageoduodenal erosions, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) gastritis and oro-esophageal candidiasis.

Spatial Warping By Oriented Line Detectors Can Counteract Neural Delays

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The slow speed of neural transmission necessitates that cortical visual information from dynamic scenes will lag reality. The "perceiving the present" (PTP) hypothesis suggests that the visual system can mitigate the effect of such delays by spatially warping scenes to look as they will in ~100 ms from now (Changizi, 2001). We here show that the Hering illusion, in which straight lines appear bowed, can be induced by a background of optic flow, consistent with the PTP hypothesis. However, importantly, the bowing direction is the same whether the flow is inward or outward. This suggests that if the warping is …

Sternal Wound Infection Caused By Mycobacterium Chelonae., Shinya Unai, Joseph Miessau, Pawel Karbowski, Gurjyot Bajwa, Hitoshi Hirose

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Sternal wound infection caused by Mycobacterium chelonae, a member of the rapidly growing nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), is rare and may present without signs and symptoms of systemic infection.

METHODS: We present a patient who had a M. chelonae infection of the sternum following excision of a left atrial myxoma and conducted a review of the literature from 1976 to 2013.

RESULTS: Seventy cases of NTM sternal wound infection after cardiac surgery were identified, including six outbreaks and ten sporadic cases including the present case. Thirty-four cases were isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery, 16 cases were isolated valve …

Cholera Vaccination Campaign Contributes To Improved Knowledge Regarding Cholera And Improved Practice Relevant To Waterborne Disease In Rural Haiti, Max Raymond

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Haiti's cholera epidemic has been devastating partly due to underlying weak infrastructure and limited clean water and sanitation. A comprehensive approach to cholera control is crucial, yet some have argued that oral cholera vaccination (OCV) might result in reduced hygiene practice among recipients. We evaluated the impact of an OCV campaign on knowledge and health practice in rural Haiti.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We administered baseline surveys on knowledge and practice relevant to cholera and waterborne disease to every 10th household during a census in rural Haiti in February 2012 (N = 811). An OCV campaign occurred from May-June 2012 after …

Proggene: Gene Expression Based Survival Analysis Web Application For Multiple Cancers., Chirayu Pankaj Goswami, Harikrishna Nakshatri

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Identification of prognostic mRNA biomarkers has been done for various cancer types. The data that are published from such studies are archived in public repositories. There are hundreds of such datasets available for multiple cancer types in public repositories. Wealth of such data can be utilized to study prognostic implications of mRNA in different cancers as well as in different populations or subtypes of same cancer.Description: We have created a web application that can be used for studying prognostic implications of mRNA biomarkers in a variety of cancers. We have compiled data from public repositories such as GEO, EBI …

Residual Fmri Sensitivity For Identity Changes In Acquired Prosopagnosia, Christopher J. Fox, Giuseppe Iaria, Bradley C. Duchaine, Jason J. S. Barton

Dartmouth Scholarship

While a network of cortical regions contribute to face processing, the lesions in acquired prosopagnosia are highly variable, and likely result in different combinations of spared and affected regions of this network. To assess the residual functional sensitivities of spared regions in prosopagnosia, we designed a rapid event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment that included pairs of faces with same or different identities and same or different expressions. By measuring the release from adaptation to these facial changes we determined the residual sensitivity of face-selective regions-of-interest. We tested three patients with acquired prosopagnosia, and all three of these patients …

Reducing Multi-Sensor Data To A Single Time Course That Reveals Experimental Effects, Aaron Schurger, Sebastien Marti, Stanislas Dehaene

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background: Multi-sensor technologies such as EEG, MEG, and ECoG result in high-dimensional data sets. Given the high temporal resolution of such techniques, scientific questions very often focus on the time-course of an experimental effect. In many studies, researchers focus on a single sensor or the average over a subset of sensors covering a “region of interest” (ROI). However, single-sensor or ROI analyses ignore the fact that the spatial focus of activity is constantly changing, and fail to make full use of the information distributed over the sensor array.

Methods: We describe a technique that exploits the optimality and …

Vaccination Practice For Pediatric Inflammatory Disease Patients Receiving Immuno-Suppressive Therapy, Naser Tolaymat Md, Clare M. Lenhart Phd, Mph

Department of Pediatrics

No abstract provided.

Combination Of Necroptosis And Apoptosis Inhibition Enhances Cardioprotection Against Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury., Shizuka Koshinuma, Masami Miyamae, Kazuhiro Kaneda, Junichiro Kotani, Vincent M. Figueredo

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: Necroptosis has been proposed as a mode of cell death that is a caspase-independent programmed necrosis. We investigated whether necroptosis is involved in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in isolated guinea pig hearts and, if so, whether simultaneous inhibition of necroptosis and apoptosis confers enhanced cardioprotection.

METHODS: Isolated perfused guinea pig hearts were subjected to 30 min ischemia and 4 h reperfusion (control = CTL, n = 8). Necrostatin-1 (necroptosis inhibitor, 10 μM), Z-VAD (apoptosis inhibitor, 0.1 μM) and both inhibitors were administered starting 5 min before ischemia and during the initial 30 min of reperfusion (Nec, Z-VAD, Nec + Z-VAD; …

A Preliminary Report Of Percutaneous Craniofacial Osteoplasty In A Rat Calvarium., William Parkes, Jewel Greywoode, Brian J O'Hara, Ryan N. Heffelfinger, Howard Krein

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the potential for injectable, permanent bone augmentation by assessing the biocompatability and bioactivity of subperiosteal hydroxylapatite (Radiesse) deposition in a rat model.

STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled animal model METHODS: Fourteen adult Sprague Dawley rats were injected in the parietal skull with 0.2 ml of hydroxylapatite (10 animals) or a carrier gel control (4 animals), using a subperiosteal injection technique on the right and a subcutaneous injection technique on the left. At 1, 3, and 6 months, 3 rats (1 negative control, 2 variables) were sacrificed and calvaria were harvested. At 12 months, the remaining 5 rats were …

Lactobacillus Acidophilus Alleviates Platelet-Activating Factor-Induced Inflammatory Responses In Human Intestinal Epithelial Cells, Alip Borthakur, Sumit Bhattacharyya, Anoop Kumar, Arivarasu Natarajan Anbazhagan, Joanne K. Tobacman, Pradeep K. Dudeja

Clinical & Translational Sciences

Probiotics have been used as alternative prevention and therapy modalities in intestinal inflammatory disorders including inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Pathophysiology of IBD and NEC includes the production of diverse lipid mediators, including platelet-activating factor (PAF) that mediate inflammatory responses in the disease. PAF is known to activate NF-kB, however, the mechanisms of PAF-induced inflammation are not fully defined. We have recently described a novel PAF-triggered pathway of NF-κB activation and IL-8 production in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), requiring the pivotal role of the adaptor protein Bcl10 and its interactions with CARMA3 and MALT1. The current studies …

Validation Of Verbal Autopsy Tool For Ascertaining The Causes Of Stillbirth, Sidrah Nausheen, Sajid B. Soofi, Kamran Sadiq, Atif Habib, Ali Turab, Zamir Suhag, Zaid Bhatti, Imran Ahmed, Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Zahid Memon, Rajiv Bahl, M. Imran Khan, Shireen Bhutta

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Objective: To assess performance of the WHO revised verbal autopsy tool for ascertaining the causes of still birth in comparison with reference standard cause of death ascertained by standardized clinical and supportive data.
Methods: All stillbirths at a tertiary hospital in Karachi, Pakistan were prospectively recruited into study from August 2006- February 2008. The reference standard cause of death was established by two senior obstetricians within 48 hours using the ICD coding system. Verbal autopsy interviews using modified WHO tool were conducted by trained health workers within 2- 6 weeks of still birth and the cause of death …

Developmental Genes Targeted For Epigenetic Variation Between Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome Children, Carmen J. Marsit, Devin C. Koestler, Debra Watson-Smith, Charlotte M. Boney

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Epigenetic mechanisms are thought to be critical in mediating the role of the intrauterine environment on lifelong health and disease. Twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) is a rare condition wherein fetuses share the placenta and develop vascular anastomoses, which allow blood to flow between the fetuses. The unequal flow results in reciprocal hypo- and hypervolemia in the affected twins, striking growth differences and physiologic adaptations in response to this significant stressor. The donor twin in the TTTS syndrome can be profoundly growth restricted and there is likely a nutritional imbalance between the twins. The consequences of TTTS on fetal programming …

The Advanced Practice Nurse And Patient-Centered Medical Home: Maintaining Patient Focus, Meeting The Institute For Healthcare Improvement Triple Aim Through The Electronic Health Record, Aileen Teresa Twomey

Seton Hall University DNP Final Projects

The Federal Government enacted the Heath Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) in 2009, which incentivized providers to use electronic health records (EHR) for meaningful use (MU); the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) stems from the Act. Research by the National Council on Quality Assurance (NCQA) shows that primary care practices have a positive influence on the health of patients, families and communities. These positive influences are related to their ability to deliver first-contact access, and to develop long-term therapeutic relationships that focus on the person rather than the disease, improving patient health outcomes and reducing health care …

Predictors Of Perioperative Blood Loss In Total Joint Arthroplasty., Jai Hyung Park, Mohammad R Rasouli, S M Javad Mortazavi, Anthony T Tokarski, Mitchell G Maltenfort, Javad Parvizi

Rothman Institute Papers

UNLABELLED: UPDATE The print version of this article has errors that have been corrected in the online version of this article. In the Materials and Methods section, the sentence that reads as "During the study period, our institution offered preoperative autologous blood donation to all patients who were scheduling for total joint arthroplasty with a hemoglobin level of no less than 11 mg/dL or a hematocrit level of at least 33%." in the print version now reads as "During the study period, our institution offered preoperative autologous blood donation to all patients who were scheduling for total joint arthroplasty with …