Digital Commons Network^™

Developmental And Behavioral Updates, Trisha Williams, Tobie O'Brien, Jamie Neal Lewis

Advanced Practice Perspectives Podcast: For Nursing Contact Hours

In this episode, pediatric expert Jamie Neal Lewis discusses the core symptoms of ADHD and shares strategies for evaluation and care, ensuring you have the tools needed to help your child succeed.

Click here to stream the podcast episode.

Multisociety Endorsement Of The 2024 European Guideline Recommendations On Coronary Revascularization, Marc Ruel, Song Wan, Lars G Svensson, Leonard N Girardi, Y Joseph Woo, Vinay Badhwar, Marc R Moon, Wilson Y Szeto, Vinod H Thourani, Rui M S Almeida, Zhe Zheng, Walter J Gomes, Dawn S Hui, Rosemary F Kelly, Miguel Sousa Uva, Joanna Chikwe, Faisal G Bakaeen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Improving Pediatric Magnetic Resonance Imaging Safety By Enhanced Non-Technical Skills And Team Collaboration, Masashi Uramatsu, Hidekuni Takahashi, Paul Barach, Yoshikazu Fujisawa, Megumi Takahashi, Shiro Mishima, Gaku Yamanaka

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Safe pediatric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ideally relies on non-sedative techniques, as avoiding risky sedation is inherently safer. However, in practice, sedation often becomes unavoidable, particularly for younger children or those with anxiety, to ensure motion-free, high-quality imaging. This narrative review explores the current practices and proposes strategies to enhance safety in pediatric MRI examinations.

METHODS: We identified and analyzed 247 studies addressing various aspects of pediatric MRI safety, including sedation protocols, patient monitoring, and team-based management approaches.

RESULTS: Safe sedation requires careful drug selection tailored to individual needs, continuous monitoring, and robust emergency preparedness. While efforts are underway …

Multiparametric Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Is Associated With Outcomes In Pediatric Heart Transplant Recipients, Christina Laternser, Michael Markl, Cynthia K Rigsby, Joshua D Robinson, Nazia Husain

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Multiparametric cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has an emerging role in non-invasive surveillance of pediatric heart transplant recipients (PHTR). Higher myocardial T2, higher extracellular volume fraction (ECV), and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) have been associated with adverse clinical outcomes in adult heart transplant recipients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of CMR-derived T1 and T2 mapping, ECV, and LGE for clinical outcomes in PHTR.

METHODS: We performed a single-center, retrospective chart review of consecutive, gadolinium-enhanced CMR studies in PHTR over a 7.5-year period, excluding follow-up studies. Standard CMR ventricular volume and function analysis, T1 mapping …

Artificial Intelligence In Fetal And Pediatric Echocardiography, Pei-Ni Jone

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Echocardiography is the main modality in diagnosing acquired and congenital heart disease (CHD) in fetal and pediatric patients. However, operator variability, complex image interpretation, and lack of experienced sonographers and cardiologists in certain regions are the main limitations existing in fetal and pediatric echocardiography. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI), including machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL), offer significant potential to overcome these challenges by automating image acquisition, image segmentation, CHD detection, and measurements. Despite these promising advancements, challenges such as small number of datasets, algorithm transparency, physician comfort with AI, and accessibility must be addressed to fully integrate AI …

High Peripheral T Cell Diversity Is Associated With Lower Risk Of Toxicity And Superior Response To Dual Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy In Patients With Metastatic Nsclc, Mehmet Altan, Ruoxing Li, Ziyi Li, Runzhe Chen, Ajay Sheshadri, Latasha Little, Jefferson Sinson, Natalie Vokes, Saumil Gandhi, Mara B Antonoff, Stephen G Swisher, Greg Lizee, Alexandre Reuben, John V Heymach, Jianjun Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Despite significant successes, immune checkpoint blockade fails to achieve clinical responses in a significant proportion of patients, predictive markers for responses are imperfect and immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are unpredictable. We used T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing to systematically analyze prospectively collected patient blood samples from a randomized clinical trial of dual immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy to evaluate changes in the T-cell repertoire and their association with response and irAEs.

METHODS: Patients with immunotherapy-naïve metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were treated with ipilimumab and nivolumab according to trial protocol (LONESTAR, NCT03391869). Blood samples were systematically obtained at baseline (n=107), …

Glucose-Lowering Agents Developed In The Last Two Decades And Their Perioperative Implications, Basavana Goudra, Geno Merli, Michael Green

Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Papers

The last two decades have provided far more options f both patients and their physicians in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. While dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4is) and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have been approved for nearly two decades, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2is) are relatively new. Of interest to perioperative physicians, these drugs present specific perioperative concerns, prompting many societies to issue guidelines. Retained gastric contents due to slow gastric emptying is a significant drawback of GLP-1RAs, increasing the risk of aspiration. Recommendations include withholding GLP-1RAs for a predefined period of time, performing gastric ultrasound to evaluate gastric …

Phenotypic And Genetic Heterogeneity Of A Pakistani Cohort Of 15 Consanguineous Families Segregating Variants In Leber Congenital Amaurosis-Associated Genes, Sana Bibi, Jamal Shah, Kiran Afshan, Meng Wang, Hafiz Muhammad Jafar Hussain, Nadeem Qureshi, Rui Chen, Sabika Firasat

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is a congenital onset severe form of inherited retinal dystrophy (IRD) and a common cause of pediatric blindness. Disease-causing variants in at least 14 genes are reported to predispose LCA phenotype. LCA is inherited as an autosomal recessive disease. It can be an isolated eye disorder or as part of a syndrome, such as Senior Loken or Joubert syndrome. Sequencing studies from consanguineous populations have proven useful for novel variants identification; thus, the present study aimed to explore the genetic heterogeneity of 15 consanguineous Pakistani families, each segregating a severe IRD phenotype using targeted next …

Pancreaticoduodenectomy In Trauma Patients With Grade Iv-V Duodenal Or Pancreatic Injuries: A Post Hoc Analysis Of An East Multicenter Trial, Rachel Leah Choron, Charoo Piplani, Julia Kuzinar, Amanda L. Teichman, Christopher Bargoud, Jason D. Sciarretta, Randi N. Smith, Dustin Hanos, Iman N. Afif, Jessica H. Beard, Navpreet Kaur Dhillon, Ashling Zhang, Mira Ghneim, Rebekah Devasahayam, Oliver Gunter, Alison A. Smith, Brandi Sun, Chloe S. Cao, Jessica K. Reynolds, Lauren A. Hilt, Daniel N. Holena, Grace Chang, Meghan Jonikas, Karla Echeverria-Rosario, Nathaniel S. Fung, Aaron Anderson, Caitlin A. Fitzgerald, Ryan Peter Dumas, Jeremy H. Levin, Christine T. Trankiem, Jaehee Yoon, Jacqueline Blank, Joshua P. Hazelton, Christopher J. Mclaughlin, Rami Al-Aref, Jordan Michael Kirsch, Daniel S. Howard, Dane R. Scantling, Kate Dellonte, Michael A. Vella, Brent Hopkins, Chloe Shell, Pascal Udekwu, Evan G. Wong, Bellal Joseph, Howard Lieberman, Walter A. Ramsey, Collin H. Stewart, Claudia Alvarez, John D. Berne, Jeffry Nahmias, Ivan Puente, Joe Patton, Ilya Rakitin, Lindsey Perea, Odessa Pulido, Hashim Ahmed, Jane Keating, Lisa M Kodadek, Jason Wade, Henry Reynold, Martin Schreiber, Andrew Benjamin, Abid Khan, Laura K. Mann, Caleb Mentzer, Vasileios Mousafeiris, Francesk Mulita, Shari Reid-Gruner, Erica Sais, Christopher W. Foote, Carlos H. Palacio, Dias Argandykov, Haytham Kaafarani, Michelle T. Bover Manderski, Lilamarie Moko, Mayur Narayan, Mark Seamon

SKMC Student Presentations and Publications

INTRODUCTION: The utility of pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for high-grade traumatic injuries remains unclear and data surrounding its use are limited. We hypothesized that PD does not result in improved outcomes when compared with non-PD surgical management of grade IV-V pancreaticoduodenal injuries.

METHODS: This is a retrospective, multicenter analysis from 35 level 1 trauma centers from January 2010 to December 2020. Included patients were ≥15 years of age with the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma grade IV-V duodenal and/or pancreatic injuries. The study compared operative repair strategy: PD versus non-PD.

RESULTS: The sample (n=95) was young (26 years), male (82%), …

Prospective, Crossover, Comparative Study Of Two Methods Of Chlorhexidine Bathing, Richard J. Hankins

Theses & Dissertations

Bathing intensive care unit (ICU) patients with chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) decreases hospital acquired infections (HAIs). The optimal method of CHG bathing remains undefined. Prospective cluster crossover study comparing CHG daily bathing with 2% CHG impregnated cloths versus 4% CHG solution. In phase 1, from January 2020 through March 2020, one ICU utilized 2% cloths, while the other ICU utilized 4% solution. After an interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, in phase 2, from July 2020 through September 2020, the unit CHG bathing assignments were reversed. Swabs were performed three times per week from patients’ arms and legs to measure skin …

Protocol For Monitoring Clonal Hematopoiesis In Transgenic Mouse Models Using Multispectral Imaging, Priyanka Khanna, Lauren B Ostermann, Shayaun Khazaei, Ran Zhao, Michael Andreeff

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Clonal hematopoiesis involves the clonal expansion of hematopoietic cells, potentially progressing into hematological malignancies. Here, we present a protocol for the development and characterization of two mouse models designed to simulate clonal hematopoiesis and acute myeloid leukemia. We describe steps for model generation, monitoring clonal expansion, harvesting, fixation, and staining of bone marrow and spleen tissues. We specifically focus on the visualization and analysis of p53 mutant clonal expansions, providing a comprehensive protocol for studying these phenomena in mouse models. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Pourebrahim et al.

Rna-Dependent Rna Polymerase Of Predominant Human Norovirus Forms Liquid-Liquid Phase Condensates As Viral Replication Factories, Sreejesh Shanker, Gundeep Kaur, Sue E Crawford, Jeroen Pollet, Fabio Stossi, Mary K Estes, B V Venkataram Prasad

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Many viral proteins form biomolecular condensates via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) to support viral replication and evade host antiviral responses, and thus, they are potential targets for designing antivirals. In the case of nonenveloped positive-sense RNA viruses, forming such condensates for viral replication is unclear and less understood. Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are positive-sense RNA viruses that cause epidemic and sporadic gastroenteritis worldwide. Here, we show that the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of pandemic GII.4 HuNoV forms distinct condensates that exhibit all the signature properties of LLPS with sustained polymerase activity and the capability of recruiting components essential for viral replication. …

Quinoline-Based Compounds Can Inhibit Diverse Enzymes That Act On Dna, Jie Yang, Bigang Liu, John R Horton, Caleb Chang, Chuxuan Li, Leora Maksoud, Yifei Yang, Dante Rotili, Abhinav K Jain, Xing Zhang, Robert M Blumenthal, Taiping Chen, Yang Gao, Sergio Valente, Antonello Mai, Xiaodong Cheng

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

DNA methylation, as exemplified by cytosine-C5 methylation in mammals and adenine-N6 methylation in bacteria, is a key epigenetic process. Developing non-nucleoside inhibitors to cause DNA hypomethylation is crucial for treating various conditions without the toxicities associated with existing cytidine-based hypomethylating agents. This study characterized fifteen quinoline-based analogs, particularly compounds with additions like a methylamine (9) or methylpiperazine (11), which demonstrate similar low micromolar inhibitory potency against human DNMT1 and Clostridioides difficile CamA. These compounds (9 and 11) intercalate into CamA-bound DNA via the minor groove, causing a conformational shift that moves the catalytic domain away from the DNA. This study …

Assessing Tolerability With The Functional Assessment Of Cancer Therapy Item Gp5: Psychometric Evidence From Libretto-531, A Phase 3 Trial Of Selpercatinib In Medullary Thyroid Cancer, Antoine Regnault, Laurine Bunod, Angely Loubert, Marcia S. Brose, Lisa M. Hess, Patricia Maeda, Yan Lin, Rebecca M. Speck, Adrienne M. Gilligan, Nalin Payakachat

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: This psychometric analysis generated evidence to support the use of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy item GP5 (GP5) as a measure of tolerability and confirms the appropriateness of categorizing "high side-effect burden" using a rating of 3 or 4 (score ranges 0-4) in patients with advanced/metastatic RET-mutant medullary thyroid cancer (MTC).

METHODOLOGY: Blinded, pooled interim data from the safety population (n=290) enrolled in the phase 3 LIBRETTO-531 trial (NCT04211337) were used. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated for test-retest reliability using data from cycles 1-2 post-baseline. Construct validity was evaluated by examining the correlations of GP5 ratings with …

Age-Related Tfeb Downregulation In Proximal Tubules Causes Systemic Metabolic Disorders And Occasional Apolipoprotein A4-Related Amyloidosis, Jun Nakamura, Takeshi Yamamoto, Yoshitsugu Takabatake, Tomoko Namba-Hamano, Atsushi Takahashi, Jun Matsuda, Satoshi Minami, Shinsuke Sakai, Hiroaki Yonishi, Shihomi Maeda, Sho Matsui, Hideaki Kawai, Isao Matsui, Tadashi Yamamuro, Ryuya Edahiro, Seiji Takashima, Akira Takasawa, Yukinori Okada, Tamotsu Yoshimori, Andrea Ballabio, Yoshitaka Isaka

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

With the aging of society, the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD), a common cause of death, has been increasing. Transcription factor EB (TFEB), the master transcriptional regulator of the autophagy/lysosomal pathway, is regarded as a promising candidate for preventing various age-related diseases. However, whether TFEB in the proximal tubules plays a significant role in elderly patients with CKD remains unknown. First, we found that nuclear TFEB localization in proximal tubular epithelial cells (PTECs) declined with age in both mice and humans. Next, we generated PTEC-specific Tfeb-deficient mice and bred them for up to 24 months. We found that TFEB …

Author Correction: Single-Cell And Spatial Proteo-Transcriptomic Profiling Reveals Immune Infiltration Heterogeneity Associated With Neuroendocrine Features In Small Cell Lung Cancer, Ying Jin, Yuefeng Wu, Alexandre Reuben, Liang Zhu, Carl M Gay, Xintong Zhou, Qi Zheng, Junyu Ren, Zhaoyuan Fang, Teng Peng, Nan Wang, Liang Ma, Lungevity Panshi Initiative Consortium, Yun Fan, Hai Song, Jianjun Zhang, Ming Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

The Proteomics Of T-Cell And Early T-Cell Precursor (Etp) Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia: Prognostic Patterns In Adult And Pediatric-Etp All, Fieke W Hoff, Lourdes Sriraja, Yihua Qiu, Gaye N Jenkins, David T Teachey, Meenakshi Devidas, Mignon L Loh, Evangelia Petsalaki, Steven M Kornblau, Terzah M Horton

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The 5-year overall survival (OS) rates of T-cell lymphocytic leukemia (T-ALL) are better for children (>90%) compared to adults (~57%). The early T-cell precursor (ETP) T-ALL subtype is prognostically unfavorable in adults, but less significant in pediatric T-ALL, and the diagnosis and prognosis of "near"-ETP is controversial. We compared protein and RNA expression patterns in pediatric and adult T-ALL to identify prognostic subgroups, and to further characterize ETP and near-ETP T-ALL in both age groups.

Methods: Protein expression was assessed using RPPA methodology for 321 target proteins in 361 T-ALL patient samples from 292 pediatrics and 69 adults, …

Transforming Growth Factor-Beta Is Increased In Sputum From Individuals With Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Pulmonary Fibrosis, Timothy M. Wilson, Matthew Bolt, Andrew Stahly, Joyce S. Lee, Tami J. Bang, Peter B. Sachs, Kevin D. Deane, Stephen M. Humphries, Joshua J. Solomon, M. Kristen Demoruelle

Division of Rheumatology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) develops in 5-10% of patients with RA and contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality, particularly in those with a fibrotic phenotype. Yet, biomarkers to reliably identify RA patients with underlying pulmonary fibrosis are inadequate. Herein, we used sputum to identify lung-based biomarkers that distinguish RA patients with underlying pulmonary fibrosis and may better inform underlying pathogenesis in RA-ILD.

METHODS: We included 37 RA patients with pulmonary fibrosis (RA-PF) and 30 RA patients without ILD (RA-no-ILD). Induced sputum and serum were tested for TGF-β levels by immunoassay. DNA was extracted to determine presence of the MUC5B …

Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries In Justice-Involved Individuals And Executive Function Consequences On Transition And Reentry Into The Community ​, Alaina L. Randerson, Michael Sutcliffe, Cassandra Nelson, Ariana Gonzalez

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

The United States has the highest documented incarceration rate in the world (Carson, 2022), with an increasing number of justice-involved individuals (JII) potentially affected by mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Despite the high prevalence of mTBIs in the general population, limited research exists on the prevalence and impact of mTBIs in JII. Preliminary evidence suggests that the prevalence of mTBIs in incarcerated individuals is 50 times higher than in the general public (Siegler et al., 2017). This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of JII with mTBI, focusing on the origin of mTBIs, executive dysfunction, and the occupational barriers …

Navigating Life After The Nicu: A Developmental Guide For Preterm And High-Risk Infants And Toddlers, Reagan Lachaussee, Mary Jan Greer Phd, Otr, Theresa Mensi

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Premature and medically fragile infants are at high risk for developmental delays and benefit from ongoing support. Parents often feel overwhelmed and uncertain about how to support their child’s development at home. This project addressed gaps in caregiver education and support by developing the PEARLS Program (Promoting Early Achievements, Resilience, and Life Skills), a practical resource tailored to the needs of families and healthcare providers.

A needs assessment and provider feedback guided the program’s development, identifying challenges such as information overload, confusion around corrected age, and feeding difficulties. The PEARLS Program empowers families with digestible, actionable resources, including …

Multi-Antigen Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (Eehv) Mrna Vaccine Induces Humoral And Cell-Mediated Responses In Mice, Rongsheng Peng, Jie Tan, Paul D Ling

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background/Objectives: Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) causes lethal hemorrhagic disease (HD) in Asian and African elephants in human care and the wild. It is the leading cause of death for young Asian elephants in North American and European zoos despite sensitive diagnostic tests and improved treatments. Thus, there is a critical need to develop an effective vaccine to prevent severe illness and reduce mortality from EEHV-HD. We generated a multi-antigenic EEHV mRNA vaccine to address this need that encodes the EEHV1A-subtype glycoproteins gB, gH, gL, and gO. These conserved proteins are the entry machinery for several herpesviruses in the betaherpesvirus subfamily …

Macrowire For Intracranial Thrombectomy: An Early Experience Of A New Device And Technique For Anterior Circulation Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke, Mohamad Ezzeldin, Daniel Vela Duarte, Vinodh Doss, Sourabh Lahoti, David Hasan, Alejandro Spiotta, Khaled Asi, Vasu Saini, Tapan Mehta, Ameer Hassan, Diogo Haussen, Dileep Yavagal, Jesse Jones, Omar Tanweer, Waleed Brinjikji

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) has become the standard of care for treatment of acute ischemic stroke secondary to large vessel occlusion up to 24 h from the last known normal time. With ADAPT and SOLUMBRA techniques, classically, a large bore aspiration catheter is delivered over a microcatheter and microwire crossing the clot to perform thrombectomy. Recently, a novel macrowire (Colossus 035 in.) has been introduced as a potential alternative to the use of microwire-microcatheter to allow the delivery of the aspiration catheter (ID = 0.070 in. up to 0.088 in.) over a macrowire alone.

OBJECTIVE: To test the …

High Ldl Particle And Apob Concentrations In Patients With Adrenal Cortical Adenomas, Raul Gregg-Garcia, Prerna Dogra, Elizabeth Atkinson, Kai Yu, Vanessa Fell, Vinaya Simha, Margery A Connelly, Robin P F Dullaart, Irina Bancos

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Context: Patients with nonfunctioning adenomas (NFAs), adenomas with mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS) and Cushing syndrome (CS) demonstrate an increased cardiovascular risk.

Objective: This work aimed to determine the extent of lipoprotein abnormalities in NFA, MACS, and CS.

Methods: We conducted a single-center, cross-sectional study of patients with NFA (n = 167), MACS (n = 213), CS (n = 142), and referent individuals (n = 202) between January 2015 and July 2022. Triglyceride-rich lipoprotein particles (TRLP), low-density lipoprotein particles (LDLP), high-density lipoprotein particles (HDLP), their subclasses and sizes were measured using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Multivariable logistic analyses were adjusted …

Influenza Knowledge And Barriers To Vaccination In Immunosuppressed Patients In The Pediatric Rheumatology Clinic., Julia G. Harris, Leslie Favier, Jordan T. Jones, Maria Ibarra, Michael J. Holland, Emily Fox, Kelly Jensen, Ashley K. Sherman, Ashley M. Cooper

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Most patients with a pediatric rheumatic disease are at increased risk of influenza due to immunosuppressive medication use. Despite initial quality improvement efforts, our influenza vaccination rate plateaued at 72%, which prompted a survey of patients and families to assess provider vaccine recommendations, influenza knowledge, and barriers to influenza vaccination.

METHODS: Patients on immunosuppressive medication or their parent were eligible to complete a survey between July 2019 and January 2020. Survey questions assessed demographics, rheumatology diagnosis, immunosuppressive medication(s), influenza vaccination recommendation, patient/parent influenza knowledge, and barriers to influenza vaccination. Influenza vaccination rates for immunosuppressed patients were acquired each influenza …

Comparison Of Vendor-Pretrained And Custom-Trained Deep Learning Segmentation Models For Head-And-Neck, Breast, And Prostate Cancers, Xinru Chen, Yao Zhao, Hana Baroudi, Mohammad D El Basha, Aji Daniel, Cenji Yu, Jack Phan, Seungtaek L Choi, Chelain R Goodman, Xiaodong Zhang, Joshua S Niedzielski, Sanjay S Shete, Laurence E Court, Zhongxing Liao, Fredrik Löfman, Peter A Balter, Jinzhong Yang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background/objectives: We assessed the influence of local patients and clinical characteristics on the performance of commercial deep learning (DL) segmentation models for head-and-neck (HN), breast, and prostate cancers.

Methods: Clinical computed tomography (CT) scans and clinically approved contours of 210 patients (53 HN, 49 left breast, 55 right breast, and 53 prostate cancer) were used to train and validate segmentation models integrated within a vendor-supplied DL training toolkit and to assess the performance of both vendor-pretrained and custom-trained models. Four custom models (HN, left breast, right breast, and prostate) were trained and validated with 30 (training)/5 (validation) HN, 34/5 left …

Transcriptomic Clustering Of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Molecular Subtypes Based On Bruton’S Tyrosine Kinase Expression Levels, Gorkem Kismali, Ganiraju Manyam, Nitin Jain, Cristina Ivan, Betty Lamothe, Lakesla R Iles, Varsha Gandhi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Historically, CLL prognostication relied on disease burden, reflected in clinical stage. Later, chromosome abnormalities and genomics suggested several CLL subtypes which were aligned with response to therapy. Gene expression profiling data identified pathways associated with CLL progression. We hypothesized that transcriptome and proteome may identify functional omics associated with CLL nosology. As a test cohort, we utilized publicly available treatment-naïve CLL transcriptomics data (n = 130) and did consensus clustering that identified BTK-expression-based clusters. The BTK-High and BTK-Low clusters were validated in public and our in-house databases (n = >550 CLL patients). To associate with functional relevance, we took samples …

Characterization Of An Inorganic Powder-Based Scintillation Detector Under A Uhdr Electron Beam, Daline Tho, Sam Beddar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) radiation therapy needs a reliable dosimetry solution and scintillation detectors are promising candidates. In this study, we characterized an inorganic powder-based scintillation detector under a 9 MeV UHDR electron beam.

Methods: A mixture of ZnS:Ag powder and optic glue was coupled to an 8 m Eska GH-4001-P polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) optical fiber. We evaluated the dependence of the detector on dose per pulse (DPP), pulse repetition frequency (PRF), and pulse width (PW). Additionally, we determined the stability and the reproducibility of the detector.

Results: The signal ratio between the PMMA clear optical fiber and the …

Characterization Of An Inorganic Powder-Based Scintillation Detector Under A Uhdr Electron Beam, Daline Tho, Sam Beddar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

(1) Background: Ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) radiation therapy needs a reliable dosimetry solution and scintillation detectors are promising candidates. In this study, we characterized an inorganic powder-based scintillation detector under a 9 MeV UHDR electron beam. (2) Methods: A mixture of ZnS:Ag powder and optic glue was coupled to an 8 m Eska GH-4001-P polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) optical fiber. We evaluated the dependence of the detector on dose per pulse (DPP), pulse repetition frequency (PRF), and pulse width (PW). Additionally, we determined the stability and the reproducibility of the detector. (3) Results: The signal ratio between the PMMA clear optical …

Artificial Intelligence-Based Methodologies For Early Diagnostic Precision And Personalized Therapeutic Strategies In Neuro-Ophthalmic And Neurodegenerative Pathologies, Rahul Kumar, Ethan Waisberg, Joshua Ong, Phani Paladugu, Dylan Amiri, Jeremy Saintyl, Jahnavi Yelamanchi, Robert Nahouraii, Ram Jagadeesan, Alireza Tavakkoli

SKMC Student Presentations and Publications

Advancements in neuroimaging, particularly diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques and molecular imaging with positron emission tomography (PET), have significantly enhanced the early detection of biomarkers in neurodegenerative and neuro-ophthalmic disorders. These include Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica, and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disease. This review highlights the transformative role of advanced diffusion MRI techniques-Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging and Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging-in identifying subtle microstructural changes in the brain and visual pathways that precede clinical symptoms. When integrated with artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, these techniques achieve unprecedented diagnostic precision, facilitating early detection of neurodegeneration and …

Evaluation Of An Artificial Intelligence-Based Intraocular Lens Calculator: Ai-Based Iol-Optimized Formula, Douglas D Koch

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: To evaluate the ZEISS AI IOL Calculator (ZEISS AI) and compare its accuracy in refractive prediction to the Barrett Universal II (BUII) and Kane formulas.

Setting: Cullen Eye Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Methods: The ZEISS AI IOL Calculator (ZEISS AI) is an artificial intelligence (AI) based IOL-optimized formula. The refractive prediction errors (PEs) were calculated in the entire dataset and subgroups of short eyes (axial length (AL) ≤ 22.5 mm) and long eyes (AL ≥ 25.0 mm). The standard deviation (SD), root-mean-square absolute error (RMSAE), mean absolute error (MAE), median absolute error …