Digital Commons Network^™

Effect Of A 6-Week Structured Exercise Intervention On Tnf-Α During The Chronic Recovery Phase Of A Burn Injury Compared To Regular Daily Activities: A Pilot Randomised Cross-Over Trial, Tyler Jerome Osborne, Grant Rowe, Dale W. Edgar, Mark Fear, Fiona M. Wood, Timothy Fairchild, Brook Galna, Pippa Kenworthy, Brad Wall

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Burn injury induces a prolonged inflammatory response that may contribute to long-term metabolic dysfunction. Exercise is known to reduce inflammation in various clinical populations; however, its effect on chronic post-burn inflammation remains unclear. This crossover trial investigated the impact of a 6-week exercise intervention on tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in adults with non-severe burns sustained more than one year prior. Methods: Twenty-one participants were randomised to complete either a 6-week exercise program or a control period first, separated by a 4-week washout. The exercise program comprised three supervised sessions per week of combined resistance and cardiovascular training. Primary (TNF-α) …

Preliminary Evidence Of Blood Dna Methylation Changes In Pregnant Women Adhering To A Mediterranean Diet, Grace Tavelli, Nikki Schultz, Joanna Brisbane, Nina Kresoje, Samantha Lodge, Jeremy K. Nicholson, Nicola J. Armstrong, Desiree Silva, Nina D’Vaz, David Martino

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background/Objectives: Consumption of a Mediterranean diet (MD) has been associated with reduced incidence of non-communicable diseases and reduced overall mortality, with epigenomic effects representing plausible mediators. The aim of this pilot study was to explore potential epigenetic associations between DNA methylation markers in blood and adherence to an MD in pregnancy. Methods: Fifty-two pregnant women with high or low adherence to an MD throughout pregnancy, who participated in the BioMood ORIGINS study, were selected using an extremes-of-exposure design. DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles from whole blood were generated using the TWIST human methylome panel. We conducted both genome-wide and candidate gene-based …

Seeing Voices: A Dynamic, Interprofessional Approach To Teaching Performing Arts And Speech-Language Pathology Students About Vocal Anatomy And Physiology, Deborah Hersh, Luzita Fereday, Fiona Palmer, David Hall, Pedro Amarante Andrade, Priscilla Cornelius, Charn Nang, Jane White

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objectives: Seeing Voices was an interprofessional, technology-enabled, large-scale, teaching and learning event developed to address the need to improve voice students’ knowledge of laryngeal anatomy and physiology toward understanding and maintaining vocal health. Seeing Voices trialed a novel interprofessional educational approach, collected both quantitative and qualitative data about student experiences of laryngostroboscopic examination, and built a databank of laryngeal recordings for future student learning. Methods: Seeing Voices involved two 3-hour seminars in a large, university lecture space, run by an interprofessional team (speech-language pathologists, vocal coach, Ear Nose and Throat consultant) with quality equipment projecting laryngeal images to large screens …

Vaccination Games Of Boundedly Rational Parents Toward New Childhood Immunization, Wei Yin, Martial L. Ndeffo-Mbah, Tamer Oraby

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Infectious diseases harm societies through disease-induced morbidity, mortality, loss of productivity, and inequality. Thus, controlling and preventing them is critical for public health and societal well-being. However, societies can hinder efforts to control the spread of diseases by failing to adhere to public health recommendations, such as through vaccine hesitancy. Various disease-transmission models have been utilized to help policymakers respond to (re)emerging outbreaks. The usefulness of such models in assessing the effectiveness of public health policies is significantly dependent on human behavior. This paper introduces a new model of parental behavior toward a new childhood immunization. The model incorporates societal …

Perceived Stress And Subjective Happiness In Medical Students Before And After A Wellness Speaker Session, Smaran Marupudi, Jared Hensley, Sriya Gullapalli, David Sta. Maria, Nikhilesh Anand

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Medical students experience psychological stress due to academic workload, thereby leading to a reduction in overall well-being. In response, medical schools are incorporating wellness activities into the curriculum. However, single-session events have not been rigorously evaluated. This pilot study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of a single-session speaker event and examined pre- versus post-event differences in mean stress and happiness scores among survey respondents.

Methods: This study used anonymous, unlinked, pre- and post-event cross-sectional surveys to compare group-level perceived stress and subjective happiness among medical students attending a single-session wellness speaker event. First- and second-year medical students completed validated …

Clinical Insights Into The Management Of Sleep Disturbances Within Cancer Care: A Qualitative Analysis, Sam Adams, Timothy D. Clay, Mitchell Turner, Christopher Kueh, Kelly Moes, Travis Cruickshank

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: The present study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of how oncology healthcare professionals’ (HCPs) manage sleep disturbances. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 oncology HCPs (medical oncologists, oncology nurse practitioners, clinical nurse consultants) working in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to understand oncology HCPs’ perspectives on treating sleep disturbances, explore challenges and barriers to their management, as well as opportunities for improvement. Results: Four main themes were developed: (1) sleep disturbances are underreported and underassessed, (2) poor sleep can be difficult to manage, (3) limited capacity to address sleep issues, and (4) opportunities …

Assessment Of Rotator Cuff External Rotation: Isometric Vs. Isotonic Testing Modes, Luca Maestroni, Filippo Beretta, Fabio Civera, Paolo Artina, Marco Cuniberti, Francesco Bettariga, Anthony Turner

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objectives: To assess intra-session reliability of isometric and isotonic shoulder external rotation (ER) strength tests and to compare their outcomes. Methods: Thirty-eight healthy subjects (19 females; 19 males; 25.7 ± 6.0 years; 175 ± 9 cm; 70.3 ± 11.4 kg) completed a shoulder ER strength assessment including Prone and Standing ER Isometric tests and Seated 5 repetition maximum (RM) ER tests. Normality was checked with the Shapiro–Wilk test. Reliability was assessed using the CV and ICC (3, k, 95% CI). Linear mixed models examined sex and dominance effects. Correlations and multiple regression tested associations between tests (p < 0.05). Results: All tests performed displayed “excellent” reliability scores (CV from 1.9 to 3.1% and ICC from 0.970 to 0.994). No significant effect of dominance was observed in any strength test. Males showed significantly higher values than females in both Prone (3.8% higher, p < 0.001) and Standing (2.7% higher, p = 0.003) isometric ER strength tests. Prone and Standing isometric tests were moderately correlated (r = 0.62, 95% CI [0.46, 0.74], p < 0.001). A regression model explained 52.4% of the variance in Seated 5 RM ER strength (R² = 0.524, …

Measuring Plantar Flexor Voluntary Activation And Maximal Voluntary Contraction In A Portable, Seated Method: A Validity And Reliability Study, Molly E. Coventry, Andrea B. Mosler, Paola T. Chivers, Brady D. Green, Ebonie K. Rio, Myles C. Murphy

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Voluntary activation testing quantifies the ability of the motor nervous system to produce maximal force. Laboratory assessment of ankle plantar flexor voluntary activation is common, but field testing in practical settings is limited by equipment portability. We aimed to compare plantar flexor voluntary activation and maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) using a portable device with a standardised laboratory method and evaluate the test–retest reliability of the portable protocol. Methods: We performed a pseudo-randomised, crossover design. Participants completed two protocols: (1) portable force plate testing and (2) a laboratory-based isokinetic dynamometer. Voluntary activation was assessed using twitch interpolation via tibial nerve …

Physical Activity And Exercise Patterns Of Submariners In Land And Sea Environments, Benjamin Kirk, Georgios Mavropalias, Anthony Blazevich, Jodie Cochrane Wilkie, Aus Molan, Kazunori Nosaka

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Submarine environments pose unique challenges to maintaining physical activity and exercise routines due to confined spaces, demanding schedules, and limited resources. This study investigated submariners’ physical activity patterns, sleep quality, and perceived exercise barriers in both land- and sea-based settings, with the goal of informing targeted health interventions. Materials and Methods: Ethics approval was granted by the Defence Science and Technology Group and Edith Cowan University review panels. This cross-sectional study surveyed 21 Royal Australian Navy submariners (25-48 years; 18 male) using a modified version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Participants reported weekly engagement in general physical activity …

The Emerging Role Of Tertiary Lymphoid Structures As Predictive And Prognostic Biomarkers Of Immunotherapy In Cancer, Lidia B. Medhin, Rodas Amanuel, Lydia Warburton, Leslie Calapre, Benhur Amanuel, Elin S. Gray

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have improved outcomes across several cancers, yet many patients do not respond, highlighting the need for robust predictive biomarkers. Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), ectopic lymphoid aggregates that support local antigen presentation and adaptive immune activation, have emerged as potential indicators of favourable prognosis and immunotherapy responsiveness. Methods: This review summarises current clinical and translational evidence examining the prognostic and predictive value of TLS in solid malignancies. Studies assessing TLS presence, organisation, and biological function were identified through searches of major scientific databases and evaluated with respect to their association with patient outcomes and responses to …

Grwd1 Inhibits Nucleolar Stress And Reduces The Sensitivity Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma To Oxaliplatin., Yuanyuan Li, Yumeng Wu, Shenghuan Zuo, Wenjing Zhao, Jibin Liu, Yilang Wang, Xiubing Zhang, Jian Xu, Feng Sun, Dianzheng Zhang, Shudong Zhu, Aiguo Shen

PCOM Scholarly Works

No abstract available

Prior Head Circumference Measurements In Infants With Older Subdural Hematomas: Did We Miss It?, Maryann Alvarez Griffis, Nancy D. Kellogg, Wouter Koek

School of Medicine Publications

Objective: To establish whether infants with macrocephaly and non-acute subdural hematomas (SDHs) had missed opportunities for measuring fronto-occipital circumference (FOC) and obtaining neuroimaging prior to diagnosis. Macrocephaly due to SDH in infancy is initially detected by FOC measurements and/or neuroimaging, as neurologic symptoms may be subtle or missed.

Methods: Retrospective chart review of infants with macrocephaly and non-acute SDHs referred to child abuse pediatricians for suspected abusive head trauma (AHT) over an 8-year period. A study sample of 35 infants met inclusion criteria and had complete prior medical records which were reviewed for missed opportunities for earlier SDH diagnosis. Four …

Mapping Charge Interactions In Intrinsically Disordered Proteins, Michael Phillips, Andrea Holla, Magdalena Wojtas, Aritra Chowdhury, Andrea Sottini, Sebastian L B König, Natalie Mutter, Nick Lamb, Jonathan Huihui, Monika Lopko, Andrea Soranno, Daniel Nettels, Andrzej Ożyhar, Benjamin Schuler, Kingshuk Ghosh

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are often rich in charged residues, and electrostatic interactions have a pronounced effect on their conformational distributions, interactions and functions. However, attaining quantitative understanding of electrostatics is challenging because of the sequence-specific arrangement of charges in the chain, the long-range nature of electrostatic interactions, charge screening, and the condensation of counterions-effects that all need to be taken into account self-consistently. Here, analytically tractable quantitative models are developed to predict ensemble average distances between any pair of residues in IDPs as a function of sequence and salt concentration, explicitly considering charge patterning. These models are tested systematically …

Adapting Lessons From The Indian Subcontinent To Accelerate Elimination Of Visceral Leishmaniasis As A Public Health Problem In East Africa, Eva Iniguez, Daniel Masiga, Caryn Bern, Sridhar Srikantiah

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

This viewpoint draws lessons from the elimination of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) as a public health problem in the Southeast Asia region (SEAR) to inform efforts in East Africa (EA), now the global epicenter of Leishmania donovani transmission. VL is fatal and there is no licensed vaccine. Success in India relied on robust surveillance, rapid diagnosis, single-dose treatment, vector control, and multi-partner coordination. EA faces additional challenges than SEAR with multiple sand fly vectors, sensitive diagnostics and longer treatment regimens, high population mobility, and gaps in ecological and epidemiological knowledge. We highlight how strategies from South Asia could be adapted while …

Neutrophil-To-Lymphocyte Ratio As A Prognostic Factor Of Survival Outcomes In Head And Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Receiving Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy, Pablo Llerena, Praneet C. Kaki, Kathryn Nunes, Eric Mastrolonardo, Kelly Bridgham, Annie Moroco, Hani Samarah, Mouadh Barbirou, David Baek, Chun Wang, Voichita Bar-Ad, David Cognetti, Joseph Curry, Jennifer M. Johnson, Hushan Yang, Larry A. Harshyne, Adam J. Luginbuhl

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a prognostic marker in cancers treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), reflecting the link between inflammation and cancer immune response. This study examines NLR's prognostic value in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients receiving neoadjuvant ICI therapy, focusing on its potential as an independent predictor of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS).

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study including three neoadjuvant trials: durvalumab ± metformin, nivolumab ± tadalafil, or nivolumab ± BMS-986205 from 2017 to 2022. Pre-treatment NLR was calculated using absolute neutrophil and absolute lymphocyte counts obtained before neoadjuvant …

Bacterial Immune Activation Via Supramolecular Assembly With Phage Triggers, Tong Zhang, Yifei Lyu, Christina R Beck, Naseer Iqbal, Renee Barbosa, Alireza Ghanbarpour, Michael T Laub

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Bacteria use diverse mechanisms to protect themselves against phages

From Damage Signals To Immune Modulators: Oxidized Lipids In Immunometabolic Inflammation, Neetu Srivastava, Xiaoxiao Wan

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Oxidized lipids, once viewed as byproducts of oxidative stress, are now recognized as critical mediators linking metabolism, redox imbalance, and immunity. Generated through enzymatic and nonenzymatic oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, oxidized phospholipids, lipid aldehydes, and oxidized lipoproteins act as context-dependent signals regulating immune activation, resolution, and metabolic adaptation. In metabolic inflammation, these lipids engage scavenger and Toll-like receptors to influence macrophage polarization, dendritic-cell function, and T-cell differentiation. Their context and concentration determine whether oxidized lipids amplify inflammation or promote immune tolerance. Accumulation of these species connects oxidative stress to immune dysfunction, contributing to diseases, such as atherosclerosis, obesity, diabetes, …

E3 Ubiquitin Ligases And Asthma Relief, Ajay P. Nayak

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Emerging Options And Future Strategies In Immunotherapy For Advanced Lung Squamous-Cell Carcinoma, Y Wang, R Rosell, F R Hirsch, S Lu, R Govindan, K Park, S Peters, J J Zhang

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Advanced-stage lung squamous-cell carcinoma (LUSC) remains a therapeutic challenge. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized LUSC treatment, only a small subset of LUSC patients can achieve durable clinical benefits, underscoring the need for novel strategies. Emerging immunotherapy strategies have demonstrated early evidence of promise for LUSC patients, particularly multi-specific antibodies and fusion proteins, antibody-drug conjugates, adoptive cell therapies, and cancer vaccines. Additionally, advances in multi-omics and artificial intelligence offer potential for precise immunotherapy by deciphering the complex tumor-immune microenvironment and predicting therapeutic responses. The future of LUSC treatment lies in rational multi-target and biological therapies to boost immune cytotoxicity, …

Signal Peptidase Complex Mediates Rotavirus Vp7 Processing And Virion Assembly, Xuejiao Zhu, Enkai Li, Liliana Sanchez-Tacuba, Wandy Beatty, Bin Li, Siyuan Ding

2020-Current year OA Pubs

For viruses that replicate in the proximity of or bud at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) associated membranes, proper processing of their glycoproteins is critical for successful infection. Rotavirus outer capsid protein VP7 is an ER-resident protein. However, its N-terminal signal peptide is removed by an unknown proteolytic mechanism. In this study, we leveraged tandem affinity purification followed by high-resolution mass spectrometry to profile host proteins that interact with VP7. We identified members of the signal peptidase complex (SPC) family as important host factors that facilitate rotavirus infection. CRISPR knockout or siRNA knockdown of distinct SPC subunits resulted in significant decrease …

Active Bone Marrow Dose Reconstruction In A Large-Scale Cohort Study Of Cancer Patients Treated With Photon Radiotherapy, Keith T Griffin, Kishan J Pithadia, Yeon Soo Yeom, Lior Braunstein, Kelly L Bolton, Lindsay M Morton, Choonsik Lee

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have investigated the dose-response relationship between external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and leukemia by reconstructing the mean active bone marrow (ABM) dose as part of the exposure assessment. However, no prior study has leveraged electronic medical records (EMR) to reconstruct ABM dose and dose-volume in an EBRT patient population.

PURPOSE: To support future studies on the relationship between radiation exposure and adverse health effects among EBRT patients, we demonstrate methods to retrospectively calculate ABM dose and dose-volume metrics in a large patient cohort using EMR.

METHODS: We retrieved complete EMR for 639 individuals (five pediatric and 634 adult) …

Parkinson's Disease As A Somato-Cognitive Action Network Disorder, Jianxun Ren, Evan M Gordon, Nico U F Dosenbach, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an incurable neurological disorder that often begins insidiously with sleep disturbances and somatic symptoms, progressing to whole-body motor and cognitive symptoms

Accuracy And Reliability Of Artery-Vein Differentiation In Small-Field Macular Oct Angiography, Haneen Alfauri, Tugce Ilayda Turer, Cyriac Manjaly, Aditya Santoki, Senyue Hao, Marin Woronets, Chao Zhou, Rithwick Rajagopal

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: Accurate artery-vein (AV) differentiation in small-field macular optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) remains challenging due to a lack of standardized guidelines. We propose and validate criteria for

APPROACH: Small field-of-view (FOV) OCTA scans were analyzed using established AV criteria for large-field (

RESULTS: A total of 465 vessels from 20 healthy eyes were evaluated across 3 pseudo-branching orders using the criteria for OCTA. Annotators achieved high accuracy (95.1%, 92.3%) and strong intra/inter-rater reliability (

CONCLUSIONS: Accurate and reproducible AV labeling is feasible in

Bach2 Regulates T Cell Lineage State To Enhance Car T Cell Function, Tien-Ching Chang, Amanda Heard, John Lattin, John M Warrington, Amanda Barrett, Jack H Landmann, Yangdon Tenzin, Vishaal Ganesh, Bryant Thompson, Sadia Afrin, Deepesh Kumar Gupta, Ju-Fang Chang, Julie Ritchey, Mehmet Emrah Selli, Yu-Sung Hsu, A J Federico, Avery Horn, Michael P Meers, John F Dipersio, Nathan Singh, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Nearly all chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) signal in the absence of antigen, referred to as 'tonic signaling'. Tonic signaling of CARs containing 41BB domains enhances T cell fitness and function, in contrast to the exhaustion driven by CD28-containing CARs. Here we show that 41BB induces BACH2, a transcriptional regulator that directs stem and memory programs. Overexpression of BACH2 successfully prevented exhaustion but locked CAR T cells in a quiescent state. We linked BACH2 to a degradation domain to tune BACH2, enabling us to prevent exhaustion while enabling potent effector function that broadly enhanced the long-term efficacy of CAR T cells …

Cdk4/6 Inhibition Mitigates Chemotherapy-Induced Expansion Of Tp53-Mutant Clonal Hematopoiesis, Irenaeus C C Chan, Giulia Petrone, J Scott Beeler, Duc Tran, Griffen Mustion, Catrina Fronick, Carlos Cruchaga, Kelly L Bolton, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Therapy-related myeloid neoplasm (tMN) is a fatal consequence of exposure to cytotoxic therapy administered in the treatment of cancer. Individuals with pre-existing TP53 clonal hematopoiesis (CH) are at high risk of tMN, with avoidance of therapy being the only strategy to reduce tMN risk. Here, in four randomized clinical trials, we show that the CDK4/6 inhibitor trilaciclib, given in conjunction with a variety of chemotherapeutic regimens and across diverse populations of patients with cancer, mitigates chemotherapy-related expansion of CH clones with mutations in DNA damage response genes, including TP53. This finding was also observed in a syngeneic mouse model of …

Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) Is An Agonist Of The Alzheimer's Disease-Associated Immune Receptor Trem2, Hunter B Dean, Ryan A Tuckey, Rory A Greer, Jessica A Greven, Shan-Zhong Yang, Daniel S Elston, Gunnar N Eastep, Yuwei Song, Thomas J Brett, Yuhua Song, Erik D Roberson

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells 2 (TREM2) is one of the strongest genetic risk factors for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). Several TREM2 ligands are known, including charged lipids and AD-associated proteins like apolipoprotein E and amyloid-β, but the full range of endogenous ligands for TREM2 remains unknown. Here we combined virtual screening of the Human Metabolome Database with molecular dynamics simulations, binding free energy estimation, and biolayer interferometry to identify novel TREM2 ligands and map their binding sites. Cholecalciferol, the unmodified parent form of vitamin D3, emerged as a top candidate. Structural modeling indicated that cholecalciferol binds TREM2 at …

Durability Of Efficacy, Safety, And Quality Of Life 5 Years After Valoctocogene Roxaparvovec Gene Transfer For Severe Hemophilia A: Final Phase 3 Gener8-1 Trial Results, Andrew D Leavitt, Elaine Majerus, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Valoctocogene roxaparvovec, a gene therapy for severe hemophilia A, enables endogenous factor VIII (FVIII) expression and confers bleed control.

OBJECTIVES: To present the final 5-year efficacy and safety results from the phase 3 GENEr8-1 trial.

METHODS: Adult men (

RESULTS: Median follow-up was 261.1 weeks; 128 of 134 participants completed the study. For the 112 participants who enrolled from a previous noninterventional study (rollover population), mean ABR for treated bleeds declined by 83.3% (

CONCLUSION: Valoctocogene roxaparvovec provides durable hemostatic efficacy, FVIII activity, and improved health-related quality of life for ≥5 years, with no new safety signals.

Synovial Fibroblast Responses To Different Types Of Injury Resulting In Cartilage Repair Or Osteoarthritis, Fraser L Collins, Alexander J Knights, Tristan Maerz, Anke J Roelofs, Cosimo De Bari

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) has advanced our understanding of the heterogeneity of synovial fibroblasts and their roles in tissue repair and osteoarthritis. Here, we compared the fibroblast responses to different types and duration of joint injury in mice.

DESIGN: Published scRNA-seq data of synovial fibroblasts from a model of joint surface injury (JSI, day 6) and two post-traumatic osteoarthritis models, destabilisation of the medial meniscus (DMM, day 7 and 2 months) and anterior cruciate ligament rupture (ACLR, day 7 and day 28), were integrated and analysed using clustering, DEG, gene-set enrichment, regulon, pseudotime trajectory and cell-cycle analyses.

RESULTS: The response …

Piezo Mechanosensitivity In Chondrocytes Is Differentially Modulated By L-Type And T-Type Voltage-Sensitive Ion Channels, Alireza Savadipour, Gabrielle K Marushack, Robert J Nims, Jaquelin M Garcia-Castorena, Wolfgang Liedtke, Farshid Guilak

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: One of the primary factors contributing to OA development is altered or excessive mechanical stress on the joint, which chondrocytes sense in part through the PIEZO mechanosensitive ion channels. These channels activate signaling pathways that result in joint inflammation and cartilage degeneration. In addition to PIEZO channels, voltage-gated calcium (Ca

DESIGN: To better understand the relationship between PIEZO1 and VGCCs, we quantified porcine chondrocytes' intracellular Ca

RESULTS: In primary chondrocytes, nifedipine, an L-type VGCC blocker, reduced PIEZO1 sensitivity to both mechanical compression and pharmacological agonism, while NNC-55, a T-type VGCC blocker, increased PIEZO1 activation in response to both stimuli. …

Patient And Chondral Defect-Specific Characteristics And Associated Matrix-Induced Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation Conversion Rates Following Biopsy, Derrick M Knapik, Daniel C Touhey, S Ryan Pierson, Christopher K Bozorgmehr, Matthew V Smith, Matthew J Matava, Robert H Brophy

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Focal chondral defects in the knee lead to swelling, discomfort, and mechanical symptoms, resulting in disability and loss of function. Matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI) has emerged as a viable treatment option, with satisfactory clinical outcomes reported compared with microfracture. Patient and lesion-specific variables associated with MACI after biopsy remain largely underreported.

PURPOSE: To examine patient- and defect-specific characteristics associated with conversion to MACI after biopsy from a single institution.

STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

METHODS: A retrospective chart review of prospectively collected data from June 2018 to March 2025 was performed. Inclusion criteria included patients …