Digital Commons Network^™

Correction: Exploiting Prmt5 As A Target For Combination Therapy In Mantle Cell Lymphoma Characterized By Frequent Atm And Tp53 Mutations, Yuxuan Che, Yang Liu, Yixin Yao, Holly A Hill, Yijing Li, Qingsong Cai, Fangfang Yan, Preetesh Jain, Wei Wang, Lixin Rui, Michael Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

An Artificial Intelligence Optimized Hepatic Differentiation Unveils Nr5a2 And Ap-1 Transcriptional Regulation In Hepatic Maturation, Zijun Huo, Jian Tu, Wei-Lei Yang, Mo-Fan Huang, Ruoyu Wang, Chih-Wei Chu, An Xu, Yao Yu, Tara N Tavakol, Mikal Kizilbash, Megan E Fisher, Yu-Wen Huang, Dandan Zhu, Trinh T T Phan, Rachel Shoemaker, Ya-Wen Chen, Yang Zhang, Chad D Huff, Shih-Yu Chen, Tien-Jen Liu, Haipeng Xiao, Dung-Fang Lee, Ruiying Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The generation of hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) holds great promise for drug discovery and cell-based therapy for liver disease. However, current differentiation protocols are complicated and unstable, and the underlying gene regulatory mechanisms of hepatic differentiation remain incompletely defined. Here, we developed a machine learning-based artificial intelligence (AI) tool using phase-contrast images of hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs), which are essential for generating HLCs. The AI tool significantly improves the success rate of hepatic differentiation without the need for immunostaining or lineage tracing. By optimizing the methodology, we achieved an impressive purity of 90-95% for HLCs …

The Effects Of Orexin Receptor Antagonism During Early Withdrawal In Stimulant Use Disorder: Protocol For A Proof-Of-Concept Study, Heather Webber, Nikky Tran, Rita Blake, Sarah Goldman, Trevor George, Bill Bailey, Robert Suchting, Jin Yoon, Jessica Vincent, Michael Weaver, Joy Schmitz, Scott Lane

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Stimulant use disorders (StimUDs), including cocaine and methamphetamine use disorders, remain a major public health concern in the United States with no US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved pharmacological treatments. The early recovery period following stimulant use is marked by sleep disturbances, heightened stress reactivity, and dysregulated reward processing, contributing to high rates of resumption of use. Evidence from animal and human studies supports the orexin neuropeptide system as a promising therapeutic target for minimizing these disruptive mechanisms. Suvorexant, an FDA-approved dual orexin receptor antagonist for insomnia, has previously been shown to improve sleep, reduce stress, and attenuate craving …

Analysis Of The Effects Of Magnetic Field, Heat Transfer, And Thermal Radiation On Blood Flow Through Bifurcated Artery To Enhance Tumor Treatments, Abdullahi Isah, Dauda Gulibur Yakubu, Ali Musa

Tanzania Journal of Science

The work presents the effects of some pertinent parameters on blood flow through bifurcated artery to enhance tumor treatments. Combining appropriately the basic equations, together with the fractionalized Maxwell fluid model allow us to determine the velocity, temperature and concentration of blood flow through bifurcated artery. The study adopted the Atangana-Baleanu fractional time derivative on fluid model to describe the non-Newtonian behavior of blood flow. The numerical simulations were performed using the combined Laplace transform and the method of undetermined coefficients and the results obtained with the aid of Mathcad software were simulated and presented graphically. From the graphical results, …

Overlapping Mhc Class I/Ii Epitopes Program Cdc1-Like Differentiation Of Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells Via Mtorc1 Signaling Inhibition, S B Amanya, A Murthy, N Bisht, Z N Bullock, K J Ernste, J Vasquez-Perez, W Liu, A Trivedi, D Oyewole-Said, A Paul, L Umokoro, V Akhanov, M Samuel, Z Shi, M H Nguyen, S Huang, M Jeong, P Iakova, K A Jain, K Pham, D C Kraushaar, V Konduri, W K Decker

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Viral infection polarizes monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDC) to initiate type 1 immunity. The availability of overlapping (homologous) MHC class I and II epitopes, an occurrence frequently and primarily associated with intracellular infection, significantly enhances this process; however, the underlying mechanism(s) are unclear. We demonstrate that moDC loaded with homologous MHC epitopes acquire a cDC1-like phenotype in a process governed by mTORC1. mTORC1 pathway inhibition leads to NF-κB-mediated expression of IL-12 and other type I immune polarizing genes. The observed cDC1-like gene signature was also significantly enhanced in clinical moDC vaccine products made through methodologies that enforced class I and II …

What Are The Top 10 Global Research Priorities For Perianal Crohn's Disease? The Global Perianal Crohn's Disease Priority Setting Partnership, Theo Pelly, Parakkal Deepak, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Perianal Crohn's disease (pCD) is a debilitating condition with a prevalence of approximately 20% in patients within 10 years of diagnosis of CD. The condition significantly impacts patient quality of life, and there remain a number of unmet needs relating to its optimal management. A global Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) was established to identify the top 10 research priorities for pCD.

METHODS: The PSP followed standard James Lind Alliance (JLA) methodology. An initial survey was circulated to gather unanswered research questions from key stakeholders. From these responses, a longlist of summary questions was formed. These questions were …

Clingen Api Platform For Classification Of Human Genetic Variants, Neethu Shah, Tierra Farris, Arturo Alejandro Zuniga, Andrew R Jackson, Jessie Arce, Kevin Riehle, Christine G Preston, Mark E Mandell, Bryan Wulf, Gloria Cheung, Keyang Yu, Deborah I Ritter, Dubravka Jevtic, Miroslav Milinkov, Novak Martinovic, Nevena Vucinic, Aleksandar Mihajlovic, Alan F Rubin, Melissa S Cline, Marina Distefano, Malachi Griffith, Obi L Griffith, Matt W Wright, Teri E Klein, Sharon E Plon, Aleksandar Milosavljevic

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

In this commentary, we describe how the Clinical Genome Resource's (ClinGen's) application programming interface-based microservices accelerate growth and dissemination of knowledge about human genetic variation. By exposing findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable, and AI-ready variant data, ClinGen lays a foundation for next-generation software applications, AI systems, and variant classification workflows.

Bridging The Gap: At For Those With Physical Or Intellectual Disability, Rebekah Nesbitt

The 2026 Assistive Technology for Persons with Intellectual and Physical Disabilities Conference

No abstract provided.

Challenges And Opportunities To Access Assistive Technology In The Americas Region, Yasmin Garcia Mendez

The 2026 Assistive Technology for Persons with Intellectual and Physical Disabilities Conference

No abstract provided.

2026 Abstract Book (Pdf), School Of Public Health

School of Public Health Delta Omega Honors Day Poster Sessions

The collection of abstracts for the 2026 Delta Omega Honors Day Poster Session.

Protocol For Inducing Focal Striatal Stroke In Mice Using Photothrombosis, Bridget R. Boyle, Eileen Collyer, Andrea P. Berghella, Elena Blanco-Suarez

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Here, we present a protocol for inducing focal striatal stroke in mice using photothrombosis. We describe steps for photothrombotic striatal surgery, magnetic resonance imaging, open field behavioral assessment of stroke-induced motor deficits, and post-stroke monitoring. We then detail procedures for tissue collection and immunofluorescence. This protocol provides a standardized approach for consistently modeling striatal stroke in mice, enabling mechanistic studies and preclinical therapeutic testing.

Noise-Induced Gains: Are You Damaging Your Hearing While You Train?, Taylor Hitschmann, Lillian Beauvais, Blake Roth, Andrew Gannon

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This study investigated the potential risk of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) among individuals who listen to music during exercise. Survey data were collected alongside sound intensity measurements to better understand listening behaviors in fitness settings. Results indicated that although most participants reported listening at recommended safe levels, a notable proportion exceeded these thresholds, potentially increasing their risk of NIHL. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring listening habits during workouts. Hearing health professionals are encouraged to enhance public awareness and promote safe listening practices to help reduce the likelihood of long-term auditory damage.

Developing A Community Partnership Toolkit To Expand Vocational Opportunitiesfor Adults With Disabilities In A Day Program Setting, Bonnie Chapman

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

This capstone project aimed to address the gap in community-based vocational opportunities for adults with disabilities within a day program setting. It was identified that participants lacked consistent opportunities to engage in real-world work experiences, which limited their ability to develop vocational skills and explore meaningful roles within the community. This gap was further compounded by a limited number of local businesses willing or prepared to establish partnerships with the program. Additionally, staff reported having insufficient resources and tools to effectively develop and sustain these partnerships, creating a significant barrier to expanding vocational opportunities.

The purpose of this project was …

Examining Moderators In The Relationship Between Injury/Injury Anxiety And Eating Disturbances In College Women Athletes, Lydia M. Reichley

Undergraduate Theses

Introduction: Injury and injury-related anxiety are common in collegiate athletes and may contribute to maladaptive psychological and behavioral outcomes, including eating disturbances. This study examined the relationship between injury/injury anxiety and eating disturbances, and whether athletic identity, injury self-efficacy, and body shame moderated this relationship. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used with 57 female collegiate and club athletes from Bellarmine University (M age = 19.98 + 1.37). Participants completed an online survey including the Sport Injury Anxiety Scale (SIAS), Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS), Athletic Injury Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (AISEQ), Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), and the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (OBC; …

Can The Implementation Of The Pause Decrease Death Anxiety And Poor Mental Health In Practicing Nurses?, Lilli Meyer

Undergraduate Theses

Practicing nurses are frequently exposed to patient death, placing them at increased risk for death anxiety and compromised mental health. Despite this, there remains a lack of structured, in-the-moment interventions to support emotional processing within clinical settings. This study evaluates whether the implementation of “The Pause,” a brief moment of silence following a patient’s death, may reduce death anxiety and improve mental health outcomes among practicing nurses. A quantitative survey consisting of eight questions was distributed to nurses in the Louisville, Kentucky area over a three-month period, yielding 26 responses. Findings indicated that 80.8% of participants reported no improvement or …

Is Home Birth A Choice? Racial And Geographic Differences In Unintended Home Births In The U.S., Anna De La Paz

Population Health Research Brief Series

Home births that happen without planning or medical support (i.e., unintended home births) carry a higher likelihood of adverse outcomes, such as low birth weight, preterm birth, and hypothermia. This data slice summarizes findings using data from CDC WONDER (2017–2023) on racial, regional, and metropolitan status differences in home births among women ages 15–44 in the U.S. Findings show that unintended home births are disproportionately concentrated among non-Hispanic Black women, with rates varying substantially by region and metropolitan status.

Progesterone Receptors Drive Advanced Breast Cancer Phenotypes Including Circulating Tumor- And Stem-Like Cell Expansion In The Context Of Esr1 Mutation, Thu H. Truong, Noelle E. Gillis, Amy R. Dwyer, Rosemary J. Huggins, Kyla M. Hagen, Sai Harshita Posani, Nuri A. Temiz, Carlos Perez Kerkvliet, Ellie M. Piepgras, Julie H. Ostrander, Geoffrey L. Greene, Carol A. Lange

Department of Urology Faculty Papers

Endocrine therapy resistance remains a major challenge in the treatment of advanced estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer. This can be driven by acquired mutations in the estrogen receptor gene (ESR1), such as Y537S or D538G, that results in constitutive estrogen-independent ER activity. Progesterone receptors (PR) are important modifiers of ER activity, in part via direct binding. We previously showed that PR mediates expansion of cancer stem-like cell (CSC) populations. In this study, we sought to define whether PR function changes in the context of ESR1 mutations. PR readily interacted with wild type (WT), but not Y537S or D538G ERs. …

The Mommy Wine Culture: A Scoping Review Using The Person-Environment-Occupational Model., Sabina Khan

Student Dissertations

Maternal alcohol use as a coping response to parenting-related stress has received growing attention in public health and psychology but remains underexplored within occupational therapy. This gap limits understanding of how daily role demands, environmental pressures, and individual vulnerabilities combine to shape drinking as a functional coping behavior. This dissertation aimed to identify and synthesize factors associated with maternal alcohol use in the context of parenting stress and interpret these determinants using the person–environment–occupation model. A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O’Malley framework and reported according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Five databases were systematically searched without date or …

Mastering The Ppco Framework: A Guide For Evidence-Based Nursing, Mayra Garcia

PPCO Resources & Education

No abstract provided.

Staff Education To Improve Nursing Knowledge Of Follow-Up Adherence Support Strategies In A Large Outpatient Urology Clinic, Ivette Dieguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Site monitoring identified inconsistent adherence to scheduled follow-up care as an operational concern, underscoring the need for standardized nursing strategies to enhance follow-up communication. This staff education project aimed to determine whether a focused educational intervention could improve nursing knowledge of adherence support strategies, with confidence measured as a secondary outcome. Guided by the ADDIE instructional design model and the Johns Hopkins evidence-based practice model, the project was implemented in a large outpatient urology clinic with 18 participating registered nurses. Participants completed anonymous paper-based pretests and posttests surrounding a single 45-minute, live group education session. Educational content covered common barriers …

Multi-Organ Physiologic Deficits During Exercise Identify Clinical And Molecular Predisposition To Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction, Isabela Landsteiner, Lindsey K Stolze, Tess E Peterson, Andrew Perry, Phillip Lin, Quanhu Sheng, Shilin Zhao, Kaushik Amancherla, Michael Y Mi, Takenori Ikoma, Laura P Cohen, Ilya Giverts, Joseph Campain, Joao A C Lima, Wendy S Post, Kent D Taylor, Robert Gerszten, Stephen S Rich, Russell Tracy, Peter Durda, Alexis C Wood, Rajeev Malhotra, Jerome I Rotter, Clary Clish, Matthew Nayor, Eric R Gamazon, Ravi V Shah, Gregory D Lewis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Exercise unmasks limitations in multi-organ system reserve capacity characteristic of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, the metabolic and genetic underpinnings of exercise deficits, and their cumulative contribution to HFpEF severity and prognosis, remain incompletely understood.

Methods: We used invasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing (iCPET), metabolite profiling, and genomics to simultaneously characterize seven exercise physiologic deficits in HFpEF patients: reduced exercise stroke volume and heart rate, steep pulmonary capillary wedge pressure/cardiac output (PCWP/CO) slope, elevated pulmonary vascular resistance, pulmonary mechanical limitation to exercise, impaired peripheral oxygen extraction, and obesity-related exaggerated metabolic cost of initiating exercise. We first mapped …

The Impact Of A Mindfulness Meditation Program On Phq-9 Scores In Eskd Clients At The Dialysis Center, Christi Collins Weaver

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Patients undergoing hemodialysis for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) experience high rates of untreated depressive symptoms, which negatively impact quality of life, treatment adherence, and therefore increased hospitalization and higher mortality rates.

PICOT: In adult patients receiving in-center hemodialysis (P), how does the implementation of a structured mindfulness meditation program (I), compared to usual care (C), affect depressive symptoms as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) (O) over an eight-week period (T)?

Evidence: Current literature demonstrates that depression is highly prevalent among individuals with ESKD and is associated with increased morbidity and decreased treatment adherence. Evidence supports mindfulness …

Community As Coping: Mental Illness And Homelessness Within A Tent Camp, Karen A. Snedker, Jennifer Mckinney

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

"Drawing from interview data with residents of Tent City 3, a sanctioned homeless camp, we illustrate the complex connections between mental illness and homelessness from the residents’ perspectives to understand how living in this tent city helps residents manage mental health."

Integration Of Aged Brain Multi-Omics Reveals Cross-System Mechanisms Underlying Alzheimer’S Disease Heterogeneity, Lucas P Scheidemantel, Katia De Paiva Lopes, Chris Gaiteri, Vilas Menon, Philip L De Jager, Julie A Schneider, Aron S Buchman, Yanling Wang, Shinya Tasaki, Roberto T Raittz, David A Bennett, Ricardo A Vialle

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The molecular correlates of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are increasingly being defined by multi-omics. However, findings from different data types are often difficult to reconcile. Here, we apply a data-driven multi-omics framework integrating seven omics layers from up to 1,358 aged human brain samples from the Religious Orders Study and Rush Memory and Aging Project. We demonstrate sprawling cross-omics biological factors relating to AD phenotypes. The strongest AD-associated factor (factor 8) is characterized by elevated immune activity at the epigenetic level, decreased heat shock gene expression in the transcriptome, and disrupted energy metabolism and cytoskeletal dynamics in the proteome. Unsupervised clustering …

Exploring Lived Experiences Faced By Latina Breast Cancer Survivors, Deborah Fortino

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore and understand lived experiences of Latina breast cancer survivors through semi-structured interviews on the Zoom Video Conferencing platform. The theory that guided the study was the Health Belief Model (HBM), a health behavior framework that explored Latina breast cancer survivors' behaviors concerning health (Rosenstock et al., 1988). Furthermore, Fleming et al.’s (2003) five steps of gathering qualitative data and Ajjai and Higgs’s (2007) six stages of data analysis were utilized to acquire the information to explore the phenomenon of Latina breast cancer survivors’ lived experiences. The sample population included nine …

Developing Endpoints For The Cardiac Burden In Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1: A Workshop Report, Julia M Hartman, Samuel Carrell, William J Groh, Thomas A Cooper, Jordana Kron, Greg Hundley, Jennifer Jordan, Amy Ladd, Man Hung, Nicholas E Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Cardiac disease is a well-established manifestation of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), characterized by progressive cardiac conduction slowing with increased risk of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, heart block, and sudden cardiac death. Multiple disease modifying therapies are in clinical trials for DM1 and show promise in improving skeletal muscle weakness and myotonia. Testing the effects of these medicines, or others, in the heart is of critical importance, but requires identification of endpoints of cardiac function that accurately reflect the state of DM1 cardiac disease. To better define cardiac endpoints, the Myotonic Dystrophy Clinical Research Network (DMCRN) and the Myotonic Dystrophy …

Versatile Smad2 And Smad3 Epitope-Tagged Mouse Models For Genomic Profiling Of Tgfβ Signaling: Uncovering Gdf9-Smad2/3 Targets, Zian Liao, Qian Zhang, Keisuke Shimada, Kaori Nozawa, Suni Tang, Masahito Ikawa, Diana Monsivais, Martin M Matzuk

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) signaling pathways are integral for a plethora of biological processes. SMAD2 and SMAD3 are the principal transcriptional effectors of TGFβ superfamily ligands, yet quantitative, genome-wide mapping of their DNA-associated complexes under physiological contexts has remained limited due to the lack of specific, robust models. Here, we generated two versatile epitope-tagged mouse models in which endogenous SMAD2 and SMAD3 proteins are globally tagged with hemagglutinin (HA) and podoplanin (PA) sequences, respectively, enabling high-fidelity profiling of SMAD2 and SMAD3 binding across tissues. To demonstrate the broad application of our models, we exemplified the usage of our lines …

Structure-Preserving Multivariate Hypothesis Testing For Mass Spectrometry Imaging And Single-Cell Data, Keziah E Liebenberg, Erin Craig, Robert Tibshirani, Livia S Eberlin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Motivation: Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) offer high-resolution views into tissue and cellular heterogeneity. However, conventional statistical analyses often treat sub-measurements (pixels or cells) as independent, ignoring their nested origin from individual samples. This assumption inflates the effective sample size, increases false discoveries, and undermines biological interpretation. Pixel- or cell-level averaging avoids this but sacrifices spatial or cellular resolution.

Results: We evaluated block-SAM on both simulated and real-world datasets. In DESI-MSI data from kidney, lung, and ovarian tumors, block-SAM consistently identified fewer-but more reliable-differential features compared to traditional-SAM. For example, in the kidney dataset, traditional-SAM identified …

Ex Vivo Effect Of Apixaban On Hemostatic Biomarkers In Children With Heart Disease: A Saxophone Trial Substudy, Ghada A Aborkhees, Amy J Barr, Kevin Dietrich, Christoph Male, Zhaoqing Wang, Chen Yao, R Mark Payne, Andrew C Glatz, Paul Monagle, Kristin M Burns, Alison M Reedy, Joshua L Dyme, Peter H Schafer, Antoinette Ajavon-Hartmann, Lesley G Mitchell

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The SAXOPHONE (Safety of Apixaban on Pediatric Heart Disease on the Prevention of Embolism) trial demonstrated the safety of apixaban for thromboprophylaxis in children with heart disease. Included a priori in the trial design was an exploratory biomarker substudy to evaluate the effects of apixaban on surrogate biomarkers of efficacy, thrombin generation capacity, and hemostatic proteins. The study assessed changes in d-dimer, thrombin generation assay parameters, factor VIII, fibrinogen, protein C, and protein S in children receiving apixaban compared with standard-of-care vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) or low-molecular-weight heparin.

METHODS: SAXOPHONE participants aged >1 year (n=182) had blood samples for …

Reference Proteins To Improve Core 1 And Core 2 Alzheimer's Disease Csf And Plasma Biomarkers, Linda Karlsson, Nicolas R Barthélemy, Kanta Horie, Suzanne E Schindler, Brian A Gordon, Cyrus A Raji, Tammie L S Benzinger, John C Morris, Randall J Bateman, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Concentration-based fluid biomarkers represent an informative and cost-effective way to detect and monitor Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. However, non-AD-related interindividual variation in biofluids can also affect biomarker concentrations. Here, we investigated whether normalization of CSF and plasma biomarkers to reference proteins, such as amyloid-β40 (Aβ40) and non-phosphorylated mid-region tau (np-tau), improves their robustness and reliability of representing AD pathology load. Using the Swedish BioFINDER-2 cohort [n = 1702, 50.7% male, mean (standard deviation) age 68.4 (12.2) years], we compared the associations between tau/Aβ-PET load and fluid biomarkers alone versus biomarkers in a ratio with a reference protein (Aβ40 or np-tau) …