Digital Commons Network^™

Underreporting On The Mmpi-2-Rf Extends To Extra-Test Measures Of Suicide Risk, Lauren R Khazem, Katrina A Rufino, Megan L Rogers, Austin J Gallyer, Thomas E Joiner, Joye C Anestis

Staff and Researcher Publications

Detection of under-reporting in suicide risk assessment remains a significant concern in clinical practice. The aim of this research is to examine whether under-reporting based on elevated MMPI-2-RF K-r and L-r scale scores may aid in identifying patients with suppressed scores on SUI and extra-test measures of suicide risk. We anticipated that, in voluntarily admitted psychiatric inpatients (N=1,011) and individuals receiving outpatient services in a university-affiliated psychology clinic (N=521), those indicated as under-reporting would produce lower mean scores across SUI and extra-test measures of suicide risk, and that the magnitudes of the associations between SUI and …

Metabolomics Profiling Of Patients With A-Β+ Ketosis-Prone Diabetes During Diabetic Ketoacidosis, Farook Jahoor, Jean W Hsu, Paras B Mehta, Kelly R Keene, Ruchi Gaba, Surya Narayan Mulukutla, Eunice Caducoy, W Frank Peacock, Sanjeet G Patel, Rasmus Bennet, Ake Lernmark, Ashok Balasubramanyam

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

When stable and near-normoglycemic, patients with “A−β+” ketosis-prone diabetes (KPD) manifest accelerated leucine catabolism and blunted ketone oxidation, which may underlie their proclivity to develop diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). To understand metabolic derangements in A−β+ KPD patients during DKA, we compared serum metabolomics profiles of adults during acute hyperglycemic crises, without (n = 21) or with (n = 74) DKA, and healthy control subjects (n = 17). Based on 65 kDa GAD islet autoantibody status, C-peptide, and clinical features, 53 DKA patients were categorized as having KPD and 21 type 1 diabetes (T1D); 21 nonketotic patients were categorized as …

Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption May Modify Associations Between Genetic Variants In The Chrebp (Carbohydrate Responsive Element Binding Protein) Locus And Hdl-C (High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol) And Triglyceride Concentrations, Danielle E Haslam, Gina M Peloso, Melanie Guirette, Fumiaki Imamura, Traci M Bartz, Achilleas N Pitsillides, Carol A Wang, Ruifang Li-Gao, Jason M Westra, Niina Pitkänen, Kristin L Young, Mariaelisa Graff, Alexis C Wood, Kim V E Braun, Jian'an Luan, Mika Kähönen, Jessica C Kiefte-De Jong, Mohsen Ghanbari, Nathan Tintle, Rozenn N Lemaitre, Dennis O Mook-Kanamori, Kari North, Mika Helminen, Yasmin Mossavar-Rahmani, Linda Snetselaar, Lisa W Martin, Jorma S Viikari, Wendy H Oddy, Craig E Pennell, Frits R Rosendall, M Arfan Ikram, Andre G Uitterlinden, Bruce M Psaty, Dariush Mozaffarian, Jerome I Rotter, Kent D Taylor, Terho Lehtimäki, Olli T Raitakari, Kara A Livingston, Trudy Voortman, Nita G Forouhi, Nick J Wareham, Renée De Mutsert, Steven S Rich, Joann E Manson, Samia Mora, Paul M Ridker, Jordi Merino, James B Meigs, Hassan S Dashti, Daniel I Chasman, Alice H Lichtenstein, Caren E Smith, Josée Dupuis, Mark A Herman, Nicola M Mckeown

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: ChREBP (carbohydrate responsive element binding protein) is a transcription factor that responds to sugar consumption. Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and genetic variants in the

METHODS: Data from 11 cohorts from the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology consortium (N=63 599) and the UK Biobank (N=59 220) were used to quantify associations of SSB consumption, genetic variants, and their interaction on HDL-C and triglyceride concentrations using linear regression models. A total of 1606 single nucleotide polymorphisms within or near

RESULTS: In a meta-analysis, rs71556729 was significantly associated with higher HDL-C concentrations only among the highest SSB consumers …

The Immunoregulatory Landscape Of Human Tuberculosis Granulomas, Evan Li, Antony Rodriguez, Amber U Luong, David Allen, John Morgan Knight, Farrah Kheradmand, David B Corry

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The allergic airway diseases chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS), asthma, allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis/aspergillosis (ABPM/A), and cystic fibrosis (CF) share a common immunological signature marked by T H 2 and TH 17 cell predominant immune responses, the production of IgE antibody, and atypical inflammatory cell infiltrate that includes eosinophils and other innate immune effector cells. Severe forms of these disorders have long been recognized as being related to hypersensitivity reactions to environmental fungi. Increasingly however,environmental fungi are assuming a more primary role in the etiology of these disorders, with airway mycosis, a type of non-invasive airway fungal infection,recognized as …

Thromboelastography-Based Profiling Of Coagulation Status In Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery: Analysis Of 422 Patients, John C Cowling, Xu Zhang, Kulvinder S Bajwa, Ekatarina G Elliott, Melissa M Felinski, Julie Holihan, Michelle Scerbo, Brad E Snyder, Michael D Trahan, Todd D Wilson, Sharon L Courtney, Connie L Klein, Angielyn R Rivera, Erik B Wilson, Shinil K Shah, Davide Cattano

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction/purpose: Some clinical indicators suggest hypercoagulability/hyperaggregability in patients with morbid obesity. Thromboelastography (TEG®) has been used to profile coagulation status in surgical patients. We aimed to assess coagulation profiles in patients with morbid obesity undergoing bariatric surgery by correlating demographic and patient characteristics to pre-operative TEG® values.

Materials and methods: Pre-operative TEG® values from 422 patients undergoing bariatric surgery were evaluated. TEG® results were analyzed by gender, use of medications known to alter the coagulation profile, and body mass index (BMI).

Results: Patients have a mean of 45.03 ± 11.8 years, female (76.3%), and with a mean BMI of 42 …

The Cgas–Sting Pathway In Diabetic Retinopathy And Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Shannon Erhardt, Mingjie Zheng, Xiaolei Zhao, Tram P Le, Tina O Findley, Jun Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The neural crest (NC) is a multipotent and temporarily migratory cell population stemming from the dorsal neural tube during vertebrate embryogenesis. Cardiac neural crest cells (NCCs), a specified subpopulation of the NC, are vital for normal cardiovascular development, as they significantly contribute to the pharyngeal arch arteries, the developing cardiac outflow tract (OFT), cardiac valves, and interventricular septum. Various signaling pathways are shown to orchestrate the proper migration, compaction, and differentiation of cardiac NCCs during cardiovascular development. Any loss or dysregulation of signaling pathways in cardiac NCCs can lead to abnormal cardiovascular development during embryogenesis, resulting in abnormalities categorized as …

Associations Between Physiological Biomarkers And Psychosocial Measures Of Pregnancy-Specific Anxiety And Depression With Support Intervention, Karen L Weis, Tony T Yuan, Katherine C Walker, Thomas F Gibbons, Wenyaw Chan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Stress and anxiety significantly impact the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, and in pregnancy, the subsequent maternal-fetal response can lead to poor outcomes. The objective of this study was to assess the association between psychosocial measures of pregnancy-specific anxiety and physiologic inflammatory responses. Specifically, to determine the effectiveness of the Mentors Offering Maternal Support (M-O-M-S

Oral Factors That Impact The Oral Microbiota In Parkinson's Disease, Natalia S Rozas, Gena D Tribble, Cameron B Jeter

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) are at increased risk of aspiration pneumonia, their primary cause of death. Their oral microbiota differs from healthy controls, exacerbating this risk. Our goal was to explore if poor oral health, poor oral hygiene, and dysphagia status affect the oral microbiota composition of these patients. In this cross-sectional case-control study, the oral microbiota from hard and soft tissues of patients with PD (n = 30) and age-, gender-, and education-matched healthy controls (n = 30) was compared using 16S rRNA gene sequencing for bacterial identification. Study participants completed dietary, oral hygiene, drooling, and …

Elevating Mental Health Disparities And Building Psychosocial Resilience Among Bipoc Children And Youth To Broaden The Climate And Health Discourse, Surili Sutaria Patel, Katherine Robb, C. Pluff, Evelyn Maldonado, Grace Tatar, Tia Williams

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

The co-occurring crises of climate change, a global pandemic, and the social justice movement has put demands on psychosocial resilience. The country and global community has witnessed that those who contribute the least to climate change are the most impacted, and that black, indigenous, and people of color bear the health and financial burdens brought on by a changing climate. Given that eco-anxiety is on the rise amongst young people, such increases in awareness building have not yielded action at the speed and scale necessary to protect the most climate-sensitive among us: children and youth. Raising healthy children and youth …

Impact Of Amerind Ancestry And Fads Genetic Variation On Omega-3 Deficiency And Cardiometabolic Traits In Hispanic Populations, Chaojie Yang, Brian Hallmark, Jin Choul Chai, Timothy D O'Connor, Lindsay M Reynolds, Alexis C Wood, Michael Seeds, Yii-Der Ida Chen, Lyn M Steffen, Michael Y Tsai, Robert C Kaplan, Martha L Daviglus, Lawrence J Mandarino, Amanda M Fretts, Rozenn N Lemaitre, Dawn K Coletta, Sarah A Blomquist, Laurel M Johnstone, Chandra Tontsch, Qibin Qi, Ingo Ruczinski, Stephen S Rich, Rasika A Mathias, Floyd H Chilton, Ani Manichaikul

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) have critical signaling roles that regulate dyslipidemia and inflammation. Genetic variation in the FADS gene cluster accounts for a large portion of interindividual differences in circulating and tissue levels of LC-PUFAs, with the genotypes most strongly predictive of low LC-PUFA levels at strikingly higher frequencies in Amerind ancestry populations. In this study, we examined relationships between genetic ancestry and FADS variation in 1102 Hispanic American participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. We demonstrate strong negative associations between Amerind genetic ancestry and LC-PUFA levels. The FADS rs174537 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) accounted for much …

Integrated Single-Cell Atlas Of Endothelial Cells Of The Human Lung, Jonas C Schupp, Taylor S Adams, Carlos Cosme, Micha Sam Brickman Raredon, Yifan Yuan, Norihito Omote, Sergio Poli, Maurizio Chioccioli, Kadi-Ann Rose, Edward P Manning, Maor Sauler, Giuseppe Deiuliis, Farida Ahangari, Nir Neumark, Arun C Habermann, Austin J Gutierrez, Linh T Bui, Robert Lafyatis, Richard W Pierce, Kerstin B Meyer, Martijn C Nawijn, Sarah A Teichmann, Nicholas E Banovich, Jonathan A Kropski, Laura E Niklason, Dana Pe'er, Xiting Yan, Robert J Homer, Ivan O Rosas, Naftali Kaminski

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Cellular diversity of the lung endothelium has not been systematically characterized in humans. We provide a reference atlas of human lung endothelial cells (ECs) to facilitate a better understanding of the phenotypic diversity and composition of cells comprising the lung endothelium.

METHODS: We reprocessed human control single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) data from 6 datasets. EC populations were characterized through iterative clustering with subsequent differential expression analysis. Marker genes were validated by fluorescent microscopy and in situ hybridization. scRNAseq of primary lung ECs cultured in vitro was performed. The signaling network between different lung cell types was studied. For cross-species …

Potential Benefits Of Bovine Colostrum In Pediatric Nutrition And Health, Per Torp Sangild, Caitlin Vonderohe, Valeria Melendez Hebib, Douglas G Burrin

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Bovine colostrum (BC), the first milk produced from cows after parturition, is increasingly used as a nutritional supplement to promote gut function and health in other species, including humans. The high levels of whey and casein proteins, immunoglobulins (Igs), and other milk bioactives in BC are adapted to meet the needs of newborn calves. However, BC supplementation may improve health outcomes across other species, especially when immune and gut functions are immature in early life. We provide a review of BC composition and its effects in infants and children in health and selected diseases (diarrhea, infection, growth-failure, preterm birth, necrotizing …

Acute Encephalitis, Myoclonus And Sweet Syndrome After Mrna-1273 Vaccine, Gabriel Torrealba-Acosta, Jennifer C Martin, Yve Huttenbach, Catherine R Garcia, Muhammad R Sohail, Sandeep Krishna Agarwal, Carina Wasko, Eric M Bershad, Mohammad I Hirzallah

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

A patient presented with fever, generalised rash, confusion, orofacial movements and myoclonus after receiving the first dose of mRNA-1273 vaccine from Moderna. MRI was unremarkable while cerebrospinal fluid showed leucocytosis with lymphocyte predominance and hyperproteinorrachia. The skin evidenced red, non-scaly, oedematous papules coalescing into plaques with scattered non-follicular pustules. Skin biopsy was consistent with a neutrophilic dermatosis. The patient fulfilled the criteria for Sweet syndrome. A thorough evaluation ruled out alternative infectious, autoimmune or malignant aetiologies, and all manifestations resolved with glucocorticoids. While we cannot prove causality, there was a temporal correlation between the vaccination and the clinical findings.

Modes Of Failure With Fractional Flow Reserve Guidewires: Insights From The Manufacturer And User Facility Device Experience Database, Nauman Khalid, Yagya Pandey, Umair Khalid, Hassan Kamran, Jason P Wermers, Lovely Chhabra, Mahboob Alam, Hani Jneid, Waleed Tallat Kayani

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurement is commonly used in the cardiac catheterization laboratory to assess the functional significance of coronary arterial plaques. Robust real-world data on complications and modes of failure of FFR guidewires are limited.

AIM: To characterize these outcomes by analyzing the post-marketing surveillance data from the United States Food and Drug Administration Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database for commonly used FFR guidewires.

METHODS: The MAUDE database was queried from January 2010 through April 2020 for 3 FFR guidewires [PressureWire

RESULTS: Guidewire tip fracture was the most commonly reported mode of failure, in 174 …

Feasibility And Efficacy Of The "Funpals Playgroup" Intervention To Improve Toddler Dietary And Activity Behaviors: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Aliye B Cepni, Ashley Taylor, Christine Crumbley, Debbe Thompson, Nancy E Moran, Norma Olvera, Daniel P O'Connor, Katherine R Arlinghaus, Craig A Johnston, Tracey A Ledoux

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

This study evaluated the feasibility and effects of the Families Understanding Nutrition and Physically Active Lifestyles (FUNPALs) Playgroup on toddler (12–36-month-old) diet and activity behaviors. Parent–toddler dyads were recruited from disadvantaged communities and randomly assigned to receive 10-weekly sessions of the FUNPALs Playgroup (n = 24) or dose-matched health education control group (n = 26). FUNPALs Playgroups involved physical and snack activities, delivery of health information, and positive parenting coaching. The control group involved group health education for parents only. Process outcomes (e.g., retention rate, fidelity) and focus groups determined feasibility and perceived effects. To evaluate preliminary effects, …

Structure And Function Of An Arabidopsis Thaliana Sulfate Transporter, Lie Wang, Kehan Chen, Ming Zhou

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Plant sulfate transporters (SULTR) mediate absorption and distribution of sulfate (SO42−) and are essential for plant growth; however, our understanding of their structures and functions remains inadequate. Here we present the structure of a SULTR from Arabidopsis thaliana, AtSULTR4;1, in complex with SO42− at an overall resolution of 2.8 Å. AtSULTR4;1 forms a homodimer and has a structural fold typical of the SLC26 family of anion transporters. The bound SO42− is coordinated by side-chain hydroxyls and backbone amides, and further stabilized electrostatically by the conserved Arg393 and two helix dipoles. Proton and SO42− are co-transported by AtSULTR4;1 and a …

White Matter Disruption In Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: Results From Enigma Pediatric Moderate To Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Emily L Dennis, Karen Caeyenberghs, Kristen R Hoskinson, Tricia L Merkley, Stacy J Suskauer, Robert F Asarnow, Talin Babikian, Brenda Bartnik-Olson, Kevin Bickart, Erin D Bigler, Linda Ewing-Cobbs, Anthony Figaji, Christopher C Giza, Naomi J Goodrich-Hunsaker, Cooper B Hodges, Elizabeth S Hovenden, Andrei Irimia, Marsh Königs, Harvey S Levin, Hannah M Lindsey, Jeffrey E Max, Mary R Newsome, Alexander Olsen, Nicholas P Ryan, Adam T Schmidt, Matthew S Spruiell, Benjamin S C Wade, Ashley L Ware, Christopher G Watson, Anne L Wheeler, Keith Owen Yeates, Brandon A Zielinski, Peter Kochunov, Neda Jahanshad, Paul M Thompson, David F Tate, Elisabeth A Wilde

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: Our study addressed aims (1) to test the hypothesis that moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in pediatric patients is associated with widespread white matter (WM) disruption, (2) to test the hypothesis that age and sex affect WM organization after injury, and (3) to examine associations between WM organization and neurobehavioral outcomes.

METHODS: Data from 10 previously enrolled, existing cohorts recruited from local hospitals and clinics were shared with the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics Through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Pediatric Moderate/Severe TBI (msTBI) working group. We conducted a coordinated analysis of diffusion MRI (dMRI) data using the ENIGMA dMRI processing pipeline.

RESULTS: Five …

Reducing Covid-19 Quarantine With Sars-Cov-2 Testing: A Simulation Study, Bo Peng, Wen Zhou, Rowland W Pettit, Patrick Yu, Peter G Matos, Alexander L Greninger, Julie Mccashin, Christopher I Amos

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 testing on shortening the duration of quarantines for COVID-19 and to identify the most effective choices of testing schedules.

DESIGN: We performed extensive simulations to evaluate the performance of quarantine strategies when one or more SARS-CoV-2 tests were administered during the quarantine. Simulations were based on statistical models for the transmissibility and viral loads of SARS-CoV-2 infections and the sensitivities of available testing methods. Sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of perturbations in model assumptions on the outcomes of optimal strategies.

RESULTS: We found that SARS-CoV-2 testing can effectively reduce the …

An Assessment Of The Social Determinants Of Health In An Urban Emergency Department, Edgardo Ordonez, Katherine Dowdell, Natasha M Navejar, Deepa Dongarwar, Aya Itani, Hamisu M Salihu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: Social determinants of health (SDOH) have significant impacts on patients who seek care in the emergency department (ED). We administered a social needs screening tool and needs assessment survey to assess SDOH and evaluate for trends in the population of patients visiting our ED.

METHODS: A survey was distributed via convenience sampling to adult ED patients to capture self-reported demographic information and data about social needs. We categorized the questions related to SDOH based on the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification coding format and created a composite variable called "SDOH Strata" based on the SDOH Index …

Cyclic Amp Is Dispensable For Allorecognition In Dictyostelium Cells Overexpressing Pka-C, Shigenori Hirose, Mariko Katoh-Kurasawa, Gad Shaulsky

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Allorecognition and tissue formation are interconnected processes that require signaling between matching pairs of the polymorphic transmembrane proteins TgrB1 and TgrC1 in Dictyostelium. Extracellular and intracellular cAMP signaling are essential to many developmental processes. The three adenylate cyclase genes, acaA, acrA and acgA are required for aggregation, culmination and spore dormancy, respectively, and some of their functions can be suppressed by activation of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase PKA. Previous studies have suggested that cAMP signaling might be dispensable for allorecognition and tissue formation, while others have argued that it is essential throughout development. Here, we show that allorecognition and tissue …

Later Sleep Timing Predicts Accelerated Summer Weight Gain Among Elementary School Children: A Prospective Observational Study, Jennette P Moreno, Javad Razjouyan, Houston Lester, Hafza Dadabhoy, Mona Amirmazaheri, Layton Reesor-Oyer, Teresia M O'Connor, Daphne C Hernandez, Bijan Najafi, Candice A Alfano, Stephanie J Crowley, Debbe Thompson, Tom Baranowski

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Objectives and background: Social demands of the school-year and summer environment may affect children's sleep patterns and circadian rhythms during these periods. The current study examined differences in children's sleep and circadian-related behaviors during the school-year and summer and explored the association between sleep and circadian parameters and change in body mass index (BMI) during these time periods.

Methods: This was a prospective observational study with 119 children ages 5 to 8 years with three sequential BMI assessments: early school-year (fall), late school-year (spring), and beginning of the following school-year in Houston, Texas, USA. Sleep midpoint, sleep duration, variability of …

Platelet And Erythrocyte Extravasation Across Inflamed Corneal Venules Depend On Cd18, Neutrophils, And Mast Cell Degranulation, Angie De La Cruz, Aubrey Hargrave, Sri Magadi, Justin A Courson, Paul T Landry, Wanyu Zhang, Fong W Lam, Monica A Bray, C Wayne Smith, Alan R Burns, Rolando E Rumbaut

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Platelet extravasation during inflammation is under-appreciated. In wild-type (WT) mice, a central corneal epithelial abrasion initiates neutrophil (PMN) and platelet extravasation from peripheral limbal venules. The same injury in mice expressing low levels of the β2-integrin, CD18 (CD18hypo mice) shows reduced platelet extravasation with PMN extravasation apparently unaffected. To better define the role of CD18 on platelet extravasation, we focused on two relevant cell types expressing CD18: PMNs and mast cells. Following corneal abrasion in WT mice, we observed not only extravasated PMNs and platelets but also extravasated erythrocytes (RBCs). Ultrastructural observations of engorged limbal venules showed platelets and RBCs …

Therapeutic Efficacy Of A Potent Anti-Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Antibody Is Contingent On Fc Effector Function, Vanja Krneta-Stankic, Mark E Corkins, Adriana Paulucci-Holthauzen, Malgorzata Kloc, Andrew B Gladden, Rachel K Miller

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

E-cadherin junctions facilitate assembly and disassembly of cell contacts that drive development and homeostasis of epithelial tissues. In this study, using Xenopus embryonic kidney and Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, we investigate the role of the Wnt/planar cell polarity (PCP) formin Daam1 (Dishevelled-associated activator of morphogenesis 1) in regulating E-cadherin-based intercellular adhesion. Using live imaging, we show that Daam1 localizes to newly formed cell contacts in the developing nephron. Furthermore, analyses of junctional filamentous actin (F-actin) upon Daam1 depletion indicate decreased microfilament localization and slowed turnover. We also show that Daam1 is necessary for efficient and timely localization of junctional …

Highlights From Studies Presented At The Virtual American College Of Cardiology Scientific Sessions 2021: Staying Updated With The Latest Advancements In Prevention, Vardhmaan Jain, Mahmoud Al Rifai, Dhruv Mahtta, Jing Liu, Aliza Hussain, Salim S Virani

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review highlights late-breaking science presented at the Virtual American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions 2021 that demonstrated advancements in preventative cardiology and introduced novel therapeutic modalities for the management of chronic kidney disease, heart failure, and COVID-19.

RECENT FINDINGS: The studies reviewed include clinical trials that assessed the use of dapagliflozin in patients with respiratory failure due to COVID-19 (DARE-19 trial); evinacumab for patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia and pancreatitis; effect of genotype-guided oral P2y12 inhibitors vs conventional clopidogrel on long-term ischemic outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (TAILOR-PCI trial); anticoagulation in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (ACTION trial); …

A Synthetic Circuit For Buffering Gene Dosage Variation Between Individual Mammalian Cell, Jin Yang, Jihwan Lee, Michelle A Land, Shujuan Lai, Oleg A Igoshin, François St-Pierre

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Precise control of gene expression is critical for biological research and biotechnology. However, transient plasmid transfections in mammalian cells produce a wide distribution of copy numbers per cell, and consequently, high expression heterogeneity. Here, we report plasmid-based synthetic circuits - Equalizers - that buffer copy-number variation at the single-cell level. Equalizers couple a transcriptional negative feedback loop with post-transcriptional incoherent feedforward control. Computational modeling suggests that the combination of these two topologies enables Equalizers to operate over a wide range of plasmid copy numbers. We demonstrate experimentally that Equalizers outperform other gene dosage compensation topologies and produce as low cell-to-cell …

Reciprocal Control Of Obesity And Anxiety-Depressive Disorder Via A Gaba And Serotonin Neural Circuit, Guobin Xia, Yong Han, Fantao Meng, Yanlin He, Dollada Srisai, Monica Farias, Minghao Dang, Richard D Palmiter, Yong Xu, Qi Wu

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

The high comorbidity between obesity and mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, often exacerbates metabolic and neurological symptoms significantly. However, neural mechanisms that underlie reciprocal control of feeding and mental states are largely elusive. Here we report that melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) neurons located in the dorsal bed nucleus of the stria terminus (dBNST) engage in the regulation of mentally associated weight gain by receiving GABAergic projections from hypothalamic AgRP neurons onto α5-containing GABA

Quality Improvement In Diabetes Care: A Review Of Initiatives And Outcomes In The T1d Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative, Olivia Z B Ginnard, G Todd Alonso, Sarah D Corathers, Carla Demeterco-Berggren, Lauren H Golden, Brian T Miyazaki, Grace Nelson, Emma Ospelt, Osagie Ebekozien, Joyce M Lee, Kathryn S Obrynba, Daniel J Desalvo, T1d Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative Study Group

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Despite immense strides in therapeutic advances, clinical outcomes continue to be less than ideal for people with type 1 diabetes. This discrepancy has prompted an outpouring of quality improvement (QI) initiatives to address the medical, psychosocial, and health equity challenges that complicate ideal type 1 diabetes care and outcomes. This article reviews a framework for QI in diabetes care that guided the development of the T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative to improve care delivery and health outcomes in type 1 diabetes. Evaluation of the methodology, outcomes, and knowledge gained from these initiatives will highlight the importance of continued QI initiatives …

Monitoring Self-Perceived Occupational Health Inequities In Central America, 2011 And 2018, Michael Silva-Peñaherrera, David Gimeno Ruiz De Porras, George L Delclos, Marianela Rojas Garbanzo, Pamela Merino-Salazar, Maria Lopez-Ruiz, Fernando G Benavides

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objectives. to analyze changes in occupational health inequity between 2011 and 2018 among workers in Central America. Methods. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews at the workers' homes for the 2 Central America Working Conditions Surveys (n = 12 024 in 2011 and n = 9030 in 2018). We estimated health inequity gaps by means of absolute and relative population attributable risks and the weighted Keppel index. We stratified all analyses by gender. Results. Between 2011 and 2018, the proportion of workers reporting poor self-perceived health decreased both in women (from 32% to 29%) and men (from 33% to 30%). …

Research Hotspots And Trends Of Microrna In Periodontology And Dental Implantology: A Bibliometric Analysis, Kang Gao, Yiping Dou, Menghao Lv, Yihui Zhu, Sitong Hu, Pan Ma

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Periodontal disease is a leading cause of tooth loss, and microRNA (miRNA) has been shown to regulate various biological processes. This study aimed to quantitatively analyze the literature related to miRNA in periodontology and dental implantology and summarize the research hotspots and trends in this field.

METHODS: Literature records from 1985 to 2020 were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection database. After manual selection, the data was used for cooperative network analysis, keyword co-occurrence analysis, and reference co-citation analysis and visualized by CiteSpace.

RESULTS: A total of 287 papers were analyzed between 2007 and 2020, and more …

Trends In Race/Ethnicity Of Pediatric Residents And Fellows: 2007-2019, Kimberly Montez, Emma A Omoruyi, Kenya Mcneal-Trice, Wendy J Mack, Lahia Yemane, Alissa R Darden, Christopher J Russell

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A diverse pediatric workforce reflecting the racial/ethnic representation of the US population is an important factor in eliminating health inequities. Studies reveal minimal improvements over time in the proportions of underrepresented in medicine (URiM) physicians; however, studies assessing trends in pediatric URiM trainee representation are limited. Our objective was to evaluate longitudinal trends in racial/ethnic representation among a cross-section of US pediatric trainees and to compare it to the US population.

METHODS: Repeated cross-sectional study of graduate medical education census data on self-reported race/ethnicity of pediatric residents and subspecialty fellows from 2007 to 2019. To evaluate trends …