Digital Commons Network^™

Pet Ownership And Health-Related Quality Of Life Among Middle-Aged Adults, Kristi Martin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Pet ownership continues to be part of modern society in the United States. Researchers have explored pet ownership’s impact on chronic diseases and aging populations, but research on health-related quality of life is limited. Grounded in the socioecological model, this quantitative study analyzed data from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (N = 10,348) to investigate the impact of pet ownership on health-related quality of life among low-income adults aged 30-50 years. Chi-square tests were performed to analyze the associations between age, income, gender, and race with three health-related quality of life metrics. Results showed no statistically significant …

From Molecules To Models: A Holistic Review Of Autism Spectrum Disorder Mechanisms And Research Tools, Sriya Gullapalli, Lois Baldado, Megan W. Szobody, Anesu K. Murambadoro, Kevin Garcia Valdez, Arjun Bellamkonda, Daniela Gonzalez, Usman Ghumman, Nikhilesh Anand, Kelsey A. Potter-Baker, Bharathi Gadad

School of Medicine Publications

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction, as well as restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. These features are associated with atypical early brain development and connectivity. While ASD has been traditionally associated with molecular genetic alterations, recent research highlights the significant contribution of various environmental factors to the pathophysiology of the disorder. Pathogenic genetic variations in key regulatory genes remain central to ASD risk; however, environmental influences such as advanced maternal or paternal age, poor maternal health during pregnancy, gestational diabetes mellitus, alterations in the early-life …

Proceedings Of The 25th International Symposium On Adapted Physical Activity, Catherine Carty, Gerard Masdeu Yelamos

Publications

This volume presents the Proceedings of the 25th International Symposium of Adapted Physical Activity (ISAPA 2025), hosted by Munster Technological University under the Patronage of UNESCO. It is intended as a permanent scholarly record of the symposium, its themes, and its contributions across research, practice, policy, culture, and inclusion in line with CoARA principles.

Acute Dislocations Of The Sternoclavicular Joint: Treatment And Outcomes, Elsa B. Rodriguez-Baron, Fidel Moreno-Diaz, Daniel E. Pereira, Kathy Mcgurk, Langdon Hartsock, Lucy Bowers, Paul Matuszewski, Kevin Murr, John Sharpe, Michael Tucker, Nathan Redlich, Peter Krause, Clay Spitler, Bradley Foulke, Grant Quilling, Abbey Debruin, Richard Behlmer, Paul Whiting, Stephanie Tanner, Kyle Jeray, Joseph Brock Walker, Sarah Obudzinski, Julie Titter, Andrew Chen, Aseel Dib, Christine Churchill, Benjamin Averkamp, Joseph Hsu, Kimberly Tann, Et Al

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES: Identify treatment and describe outcomes and complications of acute anterior and posterior sternoclavicular joint dislocation. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING: Twelve level-one trauma centers. PATIENT/PARTICIPANTS: One hundred twenty-five patients with acute sternoclavicular joint dislocation, most were male (67%), White (61%), 18-29 years old (57%), involved in a motorized collision (60%), with anterior (35%) or posterior (65%) sternoclavicular joint dislocation treated by operative or nonoperative technique. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Outcomes and complications of joint instability, post-traumatic arthritis, neurovascular injury, chronic pain, and cosmetic deformities after operative and nonoperative treatment of anterior and posterior acute sternoclavicular joint dislocation are reported. RESULTS: …

Comparative Assessment Of Lower Limb Neuromusculoskeletal Activation And Joint Kinematics In Normal And Impaired Gait, Jack Ryan Schule

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis evaluates whether accessible and affordable technologies can provide clinically significant, quantifiable gait analysis comparable to traditional marker-based motion capture systems. Modern high-end systems offer excellent accuracy but remain financially and logistically inaccessible to many clinicians and researchers. To address this gap, a framework was developed using markerless pose estimation using the model, MediaPipe, inertial measurement units (IMUs) processed through an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), and surface electromyography (sEMG) to measure joint kinematics and neuromuscular activity during gait. An experiment was performed where data was collected from participants with both normal gait and pathologies including: Osgood–Schlatter disease, Plica Band …

Capsinoids, Non-Pungent Trpv1 Agonists, Induce A Mild Hypothermia That Provides Short- And Long-Term Neuroprotection After Ischemic Stroke, Alexander Andersohn, Alexander Andersohn

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) has demonstrated neuroprotection in instances of cardiac arrest and neonatal hypoxia/ischemia but faces different challenges in application to stroke due to the activation of cold defense mechanisms in conscious patients. This dissertation examines the efficacy and specificity of capsinoids (a purified mixture of capsiate and dihydrocapsiate) to induce a sustained mild hypothermia in conscious mice that is neuroprotective after stroke. Capsinoids function as TRPV1 agonists. However, unlike capsaicin, capsinoids are vulnerable to esterase-mediated breakdown, thus significantly restricting their action to the site of delivery. We showed that capsinoids delivered intraperitoneally (IP) to mice induced a TRPV1-dependent drop …

Ddt Exposure Induces Microglial Activation And Disease-Associated Microglial Signatures: Relevance To Mechanisms Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Isha Mhatre-Winters, Aseel Eid, Nicole Blum, Yoonhee Han, Ferass M Sammoura, Long-Jun Wu, Jason R Richardson

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the presence of amyloid-β plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuroinflammation. Previously, we reported that serum levels of dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), the primary metabolite of the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), were significantly higher in AD patients compared to age-matched controls and that DDT exposure worsened AD pathology in animal models.

Objective: Here, we investigated the effect of DDT on neuroinflammation in primary mouse microglia (PMG) and C57BL/6J mice.

Methods: DDT-induced inflammatory and disease-associated microglial (DAM) gene expression were determined in PMG by qPCR and immunocytochemistry, with and without pretreatment with the sodium channel antagonist tetrodotoxin (TTX). Furthermore, …

Improved Model For Neurodegeneration In C. Elegans, Jean-Pierre Arditi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

During Alzheimer's disease (AD), insoluble amyloid beta (AP) peptides accumulate to form extracellular aggregates (plaques). The direct cause of neuronal dysfunction observed in AD has been broadly investigated. The amyloid hypothesis states that AP plaques are neurotoxic, but recent studies support the AP oligomer hypothesis, which states that intracellular AP (iAP) is neurotoxic. To test this hypothesis, I used CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to generate two transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) strains. I generated a strain (RSLl 11) using the rab-3 promoter to co-express GFP in neurons, which showed no gross behavioral changes but had a 50% reduced egglaying rate. RSLl …

Dual-Task Interaction Between Vestibular Function And Cognitive Processing Using The P300 Event-Related Potential, Laurel Elise Money-Nolan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Previous research has established links between vestibular function and cognitive processing, aging and cognitive function, and aging and vestibular function. Theories of cognitive resource allocation discuss how cognitive resources, such as attention, are devoted towards and divided between tasks when multitasking. This dual-task study, utilizing a balance task and a listening/cognitive task, across the young- and middle-aged adult age range, aimed to evaluate potential relationships between vestibular function, cognition, and age, and to examine how cognitive resources might be allocated under dual-task conditions.

The dual-task protocol in this study utilized an oddball paradigm with tonal stimuli to measure the P300 …

Advancing Trypanosoma Cruzi N-Myristoyltransferase As A Drug Target For Chagas Disease Through In Silico Discovery And Biochemical Evaluation, Diana Citlali González García

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Chagas disease remains one of the most persistent and neglected parasitic infections in the Americas, advancing silently through the intracellular replication of Trypanosoma cruzi amastigotes and the invasive spread of trypomastigotes. The survival of the parasite is critically reliant on protein N-myristoylation, a lipid modification catalyzed by N-myristoyltransferase (NMT). This dissertation aims to advance beyond prior studies by systematically investigating NMT inhibition across multiple biological levels, spanning from the characterization of the purified enzyme, through cellular infection models, to the global proteomic remodeling induced within the parasite, thereby evaluating TcNMT as a potential therapeutic vulnerability in T.cruzi.Recombinant TcNMT was expressed, …

Tumor Intrinsic Mettl5 Modulates Atf4 Translation To Prevent T Cell-Induced Ferroptosis In Ovarian Cancer, Jiakai Hou, Cheng-Wei Ju, Nicholas A Egan, Yanjun Wei, Yunfei Wang, Minghao Dang, Tianyi Zhou, Leilei Shi, Ningbo Zheng, Si Chen, Ashley M Guerrero, Xiaofang Liang, Wanfu Wu, Areej Akhtar, Chitra Dhiman, Debanwita Roy Burman, Andro E Gerges, Mason D Flores, Han Li, Li-Sheng Zhang, Marleen Kok, Xiaobo Mao, Linghua Wang, Qin Feng, Yiwen Chen, Sanghoon Lee, Daniel J Mcgrail, Nidhi Sahni, Chuan He, Amir A Jazaeri, Weiyi Peng

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Poor clinical responses to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) observed in ovarian cancer (OC) highlight an unmet need to understand the mechanisms driving immune evasion in this disease. To address this, an integrative analysis is conducted by combining in vitro genome‐wide immune screens, in vivo ICB screens, and clinical data mining, and METTL5 is identified as a crucial OC‐intrinsic factor that promotes immune resistance. Immunologically “cold” OC tumors and poor responders to ICB exhibit elevated METTL5 expression. Mechanistically, knocking out (KO) METTL5 in OC disrupts ATF4 translation by altering 18S rRNA m6A levels, leading to the downregulation of SLC7A11 and SLC3A2 …

Perceived Utility Of Genetic Carrier Screening In A Diverse Patient Population, Jack A Colleran, Meagan Choates, Syed Hashmi, Brittanie Shelton, Aranza Gonzalez Cendejas, Angela Haynes Burgess, Blair K Stevens

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Current reproductive guidelines call for offering expanded carrier screening (ECS) for genetic conditions. Currently available panels can include screening for carrier status of tens to hundreds of autosomal recessive and/or X-linked conditions. Clinical utility is based on alterations to reproductive decision-making, but study cohorts supporting the utility of ECS largely consist of individuals of European ancestry who are highly educated, of high income, and who often receive preconception counseling. There is a lack of research on the views of patients from diverse backgrounds. Therefore, we aimed to assess and compare perceptions of the utility of ECS and targeted carrier screening …

Kras Inhibition Activates An Actionable Cd24 "Do Not Eat Me" Signal In Pancreatic Cancer, Yongkun Wei, Minghui Liu, Er-Yen Yen, Jun Yao, Zhenzhen Xun, Phuoc T Nguyen, Xiaofei Wang, Zecheng Yang, Abdelrahman Yousef, Dean Pan, Yanqing Jin, Ching-Fei Li, Madelaine S Theardy, Jangho Park, Yiming Cai, Mitsunobu Takeda, Matthew Vasquez, Elizabeth M Park, David H Peng, Yong Zhou, Hong Zhao, Timothy P Heffernan, Andrea Viale, Huamin Wang, Stephanie S Watowich, Han Liang, Dan Zhao, Ronald A Depinho, Wantong Yao, Haoqiang Ying

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

KRASG12C inhibitors (G12Ci) have produced encouraging, albeit modest and transient, clinical benefit in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Identifying and targeting resistance mechanisms to G12Ci treatment is therefore crucial. To better understand the function of KRASG12C and possible G12Ci bypass mechanisms, we developed an autochthonous KRASG12C-driven PDAC model. Compared to the classical KRASG12D PDAC model, the G12C model exhibits slower tumor growth, yet similar histopathological and molecular features. Aligned with clinical experience, G12Ci treatment of KRASG12C tumors produced modest impact despite stimulating a ‘hot’ tumor immune microenvironment. Immunoprofiling revealed that CD24, a ‘don’t eat me’ signal, is significantly upregulated on cancer …

Evidence For Improved Dna Repair In The Long-Lived Bowhead Whale, Denis Firsanov, Max Zacher, Xiao Tian, Todd L Sformo, Yang Zhao, Gregory Tombline, J Yuyang Lu, Zhizhong Zheng, Luigi Perelli, Enrico Gurreri, Li Zhang, Jing Guo, Anatoly Korotkov, Valentin Volobaev, Seyed Ali Biashad, Zhihui Zhang, Johanna Heid, Alexander Y Maslov, Shixiang Sun, Zhuoer Wu, Jonathan Gigas, Eric C Hillpot, John C Martinez, Minseon Lee, Alyssa Williams, Abbey Gilman, Nicholas Hamilton, Ekaterina Strelkova, Ena Haseljic, Avnee Patel, Maggie E Straight, Nalani Miller, Julia Ablaeva, Lok Ming Tam, Chloé Couderc, Michael R Hoopmann, Robert L Moritz, Shingo Fujii, Amandine Pelletier, Dan J Hayman, Hongrui Liu, Yuxuan Cai, Anthony K L Leung, Zhengdong Zhang, C Bradley Nelson, Lisa M Abegglen, Joshua D Schiffman, Vadim N Gladyshev, Carlo C Maley, Mauro Modesti, Giannicola Genovese, Mirre J P Simons, Jan Vijg, Andrei Seluanov, Vera Gorbunova

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

At more than 200 years, the maximum lifespan of the bowhead whale exceeds that of all other mammals. The bowhead is also the second-largest animal on Earth1, reaching over 80,000 kg. Despite its very large number of cells and long lifespan, the bowhead is not highly cancer-prone, an incongruity termed Peto’s paradox2. Here, to understand the mechanisms that underlie the cancer resistance of the bowhead whale, we examined the number of oncogenic hits required for malignant transformation of whale primary fibroblasts. Unexpectedly, bowhead whale fibroblasts required fewer oncogenic hits to undergo malignant transformation than human fibroblasts. …

Periostin Promotes Sarcoma Growth By Promoting Tumor-Associated Macrophage Migration And Differentiation, Jin-Fen Xiao, Kristin Ishaya, Emily Y Ko, Annaliese Fowler, Marina T Broz, Jlenia Guarnerio

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Soft-tissue sarcomas (STS) are characterized by abundant extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, yet the functional contribution of specific ECM components remains poorly understood. In this study, we identify periostin (POSTN), a matricellular protein, as a regulator of sarcoma progression and the tumor immune microenvironment. Analysis of human sarcoma datasets revealed that high POSTN expression correlates with poor prognosis and elevated expression of ECM-related and myeloid cell–associated genes. In murine genetic models of sarcoma, tumors expressing high levels of Postn displayed enhanced expression of ECM genes and monocyte-recruiting cytokines. Functional silencing of Postnin vivo reduced tumor growth without altering tumor cell …

Reviewing Vascular Influences On Neuronal Migration, Cortical Development, And Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Focus On Autism, Adhd And Schizophrenia, Lalit K Ahirwar, Spiros L Blackburn, Devin W Mcbride, Peeyush Kumar T

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

During cortical development, newly born neurons migrate radially or tangentially from their origin to expand the cortex. Simultaneously, neuron-derived factors support angiogenesis, and an elaborate network of blood cerebral vessels develops in the cortex. Traditionally, blood cerebral vessels were considered to support the growing cortex or migrating neurons by providing nutrients and oxygen. However, recent studies have shed light on Endothelial cells' influence on cortical development; they guide neuronal migration by providing molecular cues and structural support. Here, we review the current understanding of how CNS cerebral vessels support neurogenesis, neuronal migration, and the formation of the six-layer cortical structure …

Evaluation Of Renal Masses With Cest Mri: Protocol Optimization And Preliminary Results, Xiaojing Wang, Jochen Keupp, Ivan E Dimitrov, Ananth Madhuranthakam, Durga Udayakumar, Mahsa Taherzadeh, Emin Albayrak, Orson W Moe, Payal Kapur, Robert E Lenkinski, Ivan Pedrosa, Elena Vinogradov

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: This study investigates the application of CEST MRI in human kidneys, with the overarching goal of developing CEST MRI for renal mass characterization. Here, the focus is on the development of a protocol and the proof-of-principle evaluation of CEST for the characterization of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).

Methods: Ten healthy volunteers and five patients diagnosed with ccRCC underwent CEST MRI scans at 3 T. The sequence performance was characterized in healthy volunteers and tested using three saturation power levels, B1rms = 0.7, 1.2, and 1.6 μT. We compared the magnetization transfer ratio asymmetry (MTRasym) values at 1.0, …

Smart Spatial Omics (S2-Omics) Optimizes Region Of Interest Selection To Capture Molecular Heterogeneity In Diverse Tissues, Musu Yuan, Kaitian Jin, Hanying Yan, Amelia Schroeder, Chunyu Luo, Sicong Yao, Bernhard Dumoulin, Jonathan Levinsohn, Tianhao Luo, Jean R Clemenceau, Inyeop Jang, Minji Kim, Yunhe Liu, Minghua Deng, Emma E Furth, Parker Wilson, Anupma Nayak, Idania Lubo, Luisa Maren Solis Soto, Linghua Wang, Jeong Hwan Park, Katalin Susztak, Tae Hyun Hwang, Mingyao Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Spatial omics technologies have transformed biomedical research by enabling high-resolution molecular profiling while preserving the native tissue architecture. These advances provide unprecedented insights into tissue structure and function. However, the high cost and time-intensive nature of spatial omics experiments necessitate careful experimental design, particularly in selecting regions of interest (ROIs) from large tissue sections. Currently, ROI selection is performed manually, which introduces subjectivity, inconsistency and a lack of reproducibility. Previous studies have shown strong correlations between spatial molecular patterns and histological features, suggesting that readily available and cost-effective histology images can be leveraged to guide spatial omics experiments. Here we …

Differential Effects Of Murine Stroke Models On Dopaminergic Neurons, Glial Responses, And Neurobehavioral Outcomes, Sidra Tabassum, Heng Hu, Silin Wu, Shuning Huang, Bosco Seong Kyu Yang, Chang-Hun Lee, Aaron W Gusdon, Xuefang S Ren

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Stroke is a leading cause of disability worldwide, often resulting in persistent motor, cognitive, and emotional impairments. While the hippocampus and amygdala play critical roles in post-stroke behavioral changes, specific neuronal alterations and prolonged glial responses within these regions across different stroke types remain unclear. This study investigates the behavioral, neuronal, and glial effects of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO), and photothrombotic stimulation (PTS) in mice. SAH and tMCAO models exhibited significant motor deficits, spatial and recognition memory impairments, and increased anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors, whereas the PTS model showed similar motor and cognitive impairments but …

Inhibiting Monocyte Migration Reduces Arterial Thrombosis And Facilitates Thrombolysis, Hee Jeong Jang, Jiwon Kim, Ha Kim, Taesu Kim, Jinyong Chung, Sebastian Cremer, Marvin Krohn-Grimberghe, Eo Jin Kim, Dawid Schellingerhout, Matthias Nahrendorf, Dong-Eog Kim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Monocytes contribute to the initiation and propagation of venous thrombosis. Little is known about the roles monocytes play in arterial thrombosis, the cause of stroke and myocardial infarction.

Methods: We investigated how CCR2 (CC chemokine receptor 2) knockout (-/-)-mediated monocyte deficiency affects platelet function, blood coagulation, thrombus volume, and thrombolytic susceptibility in 666 male mice with FeCl3-mediated carotid arterial thrombosis, including 365 C57BL/6 wild type (WT) mice, 295 CCR2-/- mice, and 6 CX3CR1-GFP (CX3C chemokine receptor 1-green fluorescent protein) mice.

Results: Intravital microscopy and flow cytometry showed that both neutrophils and monocytes were recruited to the acute arterial thrombus, …

Profiling The Preclinical Pharmacokinetics And Biodistribution Of A Platinum(Iv)-Based Oxaliplatin Prodrug Oxalitex And Their Significance To Antitumor Response, Guangan He, Gregory D Thiabaud, Kathryn A Shelton, Luke J Segura, Jonathan F Arambula, Jonathan L Sessler, Rick A Finch, Zahid H Siddik

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OxaliTEX (NOVO-111) is a novel gadolinium(III) texaphyrin-platinum(IV) complex that is under development for clinical trials. It was designed as a prodrug of oxaliplatin (1,2-diaminocyclohexane-platinum(II) oxalate) tethered to a tumor-affinic texaphyrin moiety to improve drug delivery to the tumor. However, oxaliTEX was not only more effective as an antitumor agent but also better tolerated in mice. To appreciate this higher therapeutic index and advance its preclinical development, studies were undertaken to profile its plasma pharmacokinetics, distribution to tumor and normal tissues, and pharmacodynamics of the p53/p21 molecular pathway. Nude mice, with or without a subcutaneous colorectal HCT-116 xenograft harboring a phenotypically …

Decoding Fibrosis In Nonresolvable Covid-19: A Role For Myeloid-Specific Hif1a Deletion, Kemly Philip, Hannah P Thompson, Scott D Collum, Isabella Lefebvre, Bindu Akkanti, Bihong Zhao, Rahat Hussain, Manish Patel, Michael R Blackburn, Tingting W Mills, Harry Karmouty-Quintana

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A complication of viral lung infections is the development of pulmonary fibrosis. This phenomenon is most evident in patients with COVID-19, where in its most aggressive form patients developed nonresolvable (NR) COVID-19 requiring lung transplantation. NR-COVID-19 was characterized by the presentation of a fulminant fibrotic lung injury that progressed rapidly, even in patients with limited comorbidities. However, the mechanisms that led to this rapidly progressing form of fibrosis are not fully understood. A common clinical manifestation in the most severe cases of COVID-19 was the presence of "silent" hypoxemia. Thus, we hypothesized that a dysfunctional hypoxic response may result in …

The Role Of Neutrophils In Vasospasm And Delayed Cerebral Ischemia After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Is It Time For A Sah Clinical Trial Targeting Neutrophils?, William W Wroe, Hussein A Zeineddine, Spiros L Blackburn, Jaroslaw Aronowski, Devin W Mcbride

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a devastating neurological disease, and one of the primary drivers of morbidity after aneurysm rupture is the phenomenon of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI). Significant knowledge has been gained over the past two decades of the impact of neuroinflammation in DCI; and neutrophils are now believed to play a major role. There is significant human subject data showing the rise of neutrophil related inflammatory markers and neutrophil's association with poor outcome after aSAH, but as of yet no trials involving human subjects have been done specifically targeting neutrophils. There is however a growing body of evidence …

Fusobacterium Sphaericum Sp Nov, Isolated From A Human Colon Tumor Adheres To Colonic Epithelial Cells And Induces Il-8 Secretion, Martha A Zepeda-Rivera, Yannick Eisele, Alexander Baryiames, Hanrui Wu, Claudia Mengoni, Gianmarco Piccinno, Elsa F Mcmahon, Kaitlyn D Lacourse, Dakota S Jones, Hans Hauner, Samuel S Minot, Nicola Segata, Floyd E Dewhirst, Christopher D Johnston, Susan Bullman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cancerous tissue is a largely unexplored microbial niche that provides a unique environment for the colonization and growth of specific bacterial communities, and with it, the opportunity to identify novel bacterial species. Here, we report distinct features of a novel Fusobacterium species, F. sphaericum sp. nov. (Fs), isolated from primary colon adenocarcinoma tissue. We acquire the complete closed genome and associated methylome of this organism and phylogenetically confirm its classification into the Fusobacterium genus, with F. perfoetens as its closest neighbor. Fs is phenotypically and genetically distinct, with morphological analysis revealing its coccoid shape, that while similar to …

A Review Of Engraftment Assessments Following Fecal Microbiota Transplant, Chloe Herman, Bridget M Barker, Thais F Bartelli, Vidhi Chandra, Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, Mary Jewell, Le Li, Chen Liao, Florencia Mcallister, Khemlal Nirmalkar, Joao B Xavier, J Gregory Caporaso

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) is a treatment for recurrent Clostridium difficile infections and is being explored for other clinical applications, from alleviating digestive and neurological disorders, to restoring microbiomes impacted by cancer treatment. Quantifying the extent of engraftment following an FMT is important in understanding a recipient's response to treatment. Engraftment and clinical response need to be investigated independently to evaluate an FMT's role (or lack thereof) in achieving a clinical response. Standardized bioinformatics methodologies for quantifying engraftment extent would not only improve assessment and understanding of FMT outcomes, but also facilitate comparison of FMT results and protocols across studies. …

Better Floors, Better Health: A Theory Of Change For An Improved Household Flooring Intervention In Rural Communities In Kwale And Bungoma Counties, Kenya, Stella Kepha, Hugo Legge, Katherine E. Halliday, Victoria Ochwal, Lynne Elson, Jacinta Mwongeli, William E. Oswald, Beatrice Kakoi, James Wambua, Charles Mwandawiro, Ulrike Fillinger, Rachel Pullan, Doris Njomo

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: Household flooring is increasingly being investigated as a determinant of health, however the pathways through which flooring may impact health and wellbeing are not yet well understood. The SABABU study is a cluster-randomised controlled trial evaluating the impact of an improved flooring intervention on soil-transmitted helminthiasis, tungiasis, and enteric infections in Bungoma and Kwale counties, Kenya. This paper presents the findings from a theory of change development process that was undertaken as part of the formative research phase of the SABABU project. Methods: A co-creation workshop (n = 1), stakeholder meetings (n = 2), and community meetings (n = …

Allogeneic Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells For Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Trial., Mya C Schiess, Jessika Suescun, Juan D Martinez-Lemus, Charles Green, Tia S Thomas, Mohammad Shahnawaz, Emily Tharp, Nikunj B Satani, Jerome G Saltarrelli, Christopher Adams, Marie-Francoise Doursout, Vanessa Thyne, Rula Abuamouneh, Elsa M Rodarte, Sean I Savitz, Timothy M Ellmore

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Neuroinflammation contributes to Parkinson's disease (PD) progression and motor dysfunction. Allogeneic human mesenchymal stem cells (allo-hMSCs) may reduce neuroinflammation and improve motor symptoms.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of repeated intravenous doses of 10 × 106/kg allo-hMSCs in improving motor symptoms in patients with PD (PwP).

Methods: In this phase 2, randomized, placebo-controlled trial (November 2020-July 2023), mild-to-moderate PwP received either three allo-hMSC infusions, one placebo followed by two allo-hMSC infusions, or three placebo infusions at 18-week intervals. Follow-up lasted 88 weeks. The primary outcome was a >70% posterior probability (PP) of a difference in the proportion of participants …

Prone Percutaneous Jungbluth For Reduction Of Irreducible Posterior Pelvic Ring Injuries: A Technical Trick, Joseph M Radley, Jonathan A Copp, Daniel S Gloekler, Jonathan G Eastman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Unstable pelvic ring injuries represent a challenge due to the complex anatomy. Further, surgical access to the pelvic ring is altered by patient positioning in the supine versus prone position. Certain injury patterns present with the posterior pelvis in a fixed displaced position. These injuries can be exceedingly challenging to reduce from a supine position. In the prone position, these injuries can be reduced more directly with an open approach, but this is associated with wound healing complications. The technical trick herein demonstrated a successful technique utilizing a large Jungbluth clamp percutaneously applied to the posterior superior iliac spines with …

Efficacy Of Platelet Rich Plasma Versus Placebo For Improvement In Olfactory Function In Adults With Olfactory Dysfunction: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Ali B Jafar, Ghabrielle Almeida, Fatima Al Mousawi, Eric Delgado Rendon, Amber U Luong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Olfactory dysfunction significantly impairs quality of life. Conventional treatments such as corticosteroids and olfactory training offer limited and inconsistent efficacy. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), a biologically active agent, has shown potential regenerative effects in olfactory neuroepithelium. This study systematically evaluates the efficacy of PRP compared to placebo in improving olfactory function.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD 420251045079). The databases searched included PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Central, and Web of Science. Seven studies (four RCTs, three non-RCTs) involving 789 patients were included. Subjective and objective outcomes were extracted and …

Whipple Disease Initial Presentation As Supraclavicular Lymphadenopathy In A Patient With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Diagnostic Challenge, Sara E Amin, Swati Gite, Audrey Wanger, Violeta Chavez, Jacob Armstrong, Beenu Thakral, Patricia Navarro, Jennifer Makhoul, Amer Wahed, Navneet Narula, Karan Saluja

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Whipple disease is a rare systemic disease caused by Tropheryma whipplei. It can present with a wide range of nonspecific symptoms that might overlap with underlying medical conditions, posing a diagnostic challenge. We present a 61-year-old man with a past medical history of rheumatoid arthritis and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, who presented with persistent leukocytosis and supraclavicular lymphadenopathy. A positron emission tomography scan revealed hypermetabolic activity in the supraclavicular, abdominal, and pelvic lymph nodes along with a myocardial hypermetabolic lesion, concerning a lymphoproliferative disorder versus sarcoidosis. A supraclavicular lymph node excisional biopsy revealed complete architectural effacement by a diffuse foamy …