Digital Commons Network^™

Genetic Analyses Of The Electrocardiographic Qt Interval And Its Components Identify Additional Loci And Pathways, Luisa Foco, Reem Salman, Raymond Noordam, Jan-Walter Benjamins, Jeffrey Haessler, Leo-Pekka Lyytikäinen, Linda Repetto, Maria Pina Concas, Marten E Van Den Berg, Stefan Weiss, Antoine R Baldassari, Traci M Bartz, James P Cook, Daniel S Evans, Rebecca Freudling, Oliver Hines, Jonas L Isaksen, Honghuang Lin, Arden Moscati, Martina Müller-Nurasyid, Casia Nursyifa, Yong Qian, Anne Richmond, Carolina Roselli, Kathleen A Ryan, Eduardo Tarazona-Santos, Sébastien Thériault, Stefan Van Duijvenboden, Helen R Warren, Jie Yao, Dania Raza, Stefanie Aeschbacher, Gustav Ahlberg, Alvaro Alonso, Laura Andreasen, Joshua C Bis, Eric Boerwinkle, Archie Campbell, Eulalia Catamo, Massimiliano Cocca, Michael J Cutler, Dawood Darbar, Alessandro De Grandi, Antonio De Luca, Jun Ding, Christina Ellervik, Patrick T Ellinor, Stephan B Felix, Philippe Froguel, Christian Fuchsberger, Martin Gögele, Claus Graff, Mariaelisa Graff, Xiuqing Guo, Torben Hansen, Susan R Heckbert, Paul L Huang, Heikki V Huikuri, Nina Hutri-Kähönen, M Arfan Ikram, Rebecca D Jackson, Juhani Junttila, Maryam Kavousi, Jan A Kors, Thiago P Leal, Rozenn N Lemaitre, Henry J Lin, Lars Lind, Allan Linneberg, Simin Liu, Peter W Macfarlane, Massimo Mangino, Thomas Meitinger, Massimo Mezzavilla, Pashupati P Mishra, Rebecca N Mitchell, Nina Mononen, May E Montasser, Alanna C Morrison, Matthias Nauck, Victor Nauffal, Pau Navarro, Kjell Nikus, Guillaume Pare, Kristen K Patton, Giulia Pelliccione, Alan Pittman, David J Porteous, Peter P Pramstaller, Michael H Preuss, Olli T Raitakari, Alexander P Reiner, Antonio Luiz P Ribeiro, Kenneth M Rice, Lorenz Risch, David Schlessinger, Ulrich Schotten, Claudia Schurmann, Xia Shen, M Benjamin Shoemaker, Gianfranco Sinagra, Moritz F Sinner, Elsayed Z Soliman, Monika Stoll, Konstantin Strauch, Kirill Tarasov, Kent D Taylor, Andrew Tinker, Stella Trompet, André Uitterlinden, Uwe Völker, Henry Völzke, Melanie Waldenberger, Lu-Chen Weng, Eric A Whitsel, James G Wilson, Christy L Avery, David Conen, Adolfo Correa, Francesco Cucca, Marcus Dörr, Sina A Gharib, Giorgia Girotto, Niels Grarup, Caroline Hayward, Yalda Jamshidi, Marjo-Riitta Järvelin, J Wouter Jukema, Stefan Kääb, Mika Kähönen, Jørgen K Kanters, Charles Kooperberg, Terho Lehtimäki, Maria Fernanda Lima-Costa, Yongmei Liu, Ruth J F Loos, Steven A Lubitz, Dennis O Mook-Kanamori, Andrew P Morris, Jeffrey R O'Connell, Morten Salling Olesen, Michele Orini, Sandosh Padmanabhan, Cristian Pattaro, Annette Peters, Bruce M Psaty, Jerome I Rotter, Bruno Stricker, Pim Van Der Harst, Cornelia M Van Duijn, Niek Verweij, James F Wilson, Dan E Arking, Julia Ramirez, Pier D Lambiase, Nona Sotoodehnia, Borbala Mifsud, Christopher Newton-Cheh, Patricia B Munroe

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The QT interval is an electrocardiographic measure representing the sum of ventricular depolarization and repolarization, estimated by QRS duration and JT interval, respectively. QT interval abnormalities are associated with potentially fatal ventricular arrhythmia. Using genome-wide multi-ancestry analyses (>250,000 individuals) we identify 177, 156 and 121 independent loci for QT, JT and QRS, respectively, including a male-specific X-chromosome locus. Using gene-based rare-variant methods, we identify associations with Mendelian disease genes. Enrichments are observed in established pathways for QT and JT, and previously unreported genes indicated in insulin-receptor signalling and cardiac energy metabolism. In contrast for QRS, connective tissue components and …

Agreement Between Sars-Cov-2 Pcr Test Results Using Nasopharyngeal And Mid-Turbinate Specimens Among Asymptomatic Working-Age Adults, Fayaz Momin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether mid-turbinate specimens reliably detect active infection in asymptomatic adults undergoing regular COVID-19 PCR testing.

METHODS: Qualitative agreement between 2481 paired nasopharyngeal and mid-turbinate PCR results was assessed. Mean cycle threshold values for each positive result were evaluated as an indicator of active infection.

RESULTS: Overall agreement between nasopharyngeal and mid-turbinate tests was 98.4%. Positive percent agreement was 37.2%, and negative percent agreement was ~100%. Test pairs with lower cycle thresholds (≤30 and ≤25) reached 67% and 100% positive percent agreement, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 infections with high viral loads were detected …

Assessing Associations Between Insecure Income And Us Workers' Health: An Ipums-Meps Analysis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Gig economy compensation policy initiatives, such as California Prop 22, are increasing the number of US workers receiving piece rate pay (PRP) and other forms of insecure income. However, there is limited evidence about how this trend affects people's health. Using data from the 2008-19 IPUMS Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), we examined associations between insecure compensation and US adults' self-reported overall health as well as psychological distress. We report significant associations with three types of insecure income - PRP, hourly, and daily pay - on overall health and psychological distress. These effects were robust to adjustment for suspected confounders, …

Clinical Epidemiology Of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales In The Greater Houston Region Of Texas: A 6-Year Trend And Surveillance Analysis, Kayo Fujimoto

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) remain an urgent public health priority in the United States. CRE poses a major threat to patients in healthcare and a potential risk to the community. This study examined the epidemiological trends, clinical, and microbiological data of CRE in the Greater Houston region of Texas.

METHODS: A multi-institutional retrospective observational study was conducted using surveillance data collected from 2015 to 2020. Predictors of incidence rates of CRE were determined by a negative binomial regression fit using a generalized estimation equation.

RESULTS: Over a 6-year period, 4236 CRE cases were reported, of which Klebsiella pneumoniae accounted for …

Impact Of High, Low, And Non-Optimum Temperatures On Chronic Kidney Disease In A Changing Climate, 1990-2019: A Global Analysis, David Gimeno Ruiz De Porras, Bin Luo, Kai Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Although a few studies have reported the relationship between high and low temperatures and chronic kidney disease (CKD), the global burden of CKD attributable to extreme heat and cold in recent decades remains unknown.

METHODS: Based on the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2019, we obtained data on age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) and age-standardized rates of disability-adjusted life years (ASDR) per 100 000 population of the CKD attributable to non-optimum temperatures from 1990 to 2019. The annual mean temperature of each country was used to divide each country into five climate zones (tropical, subtropical, warm-temperate, cool-temperate, and boreal). …

Pivoting The Biosafety Program In Response To Covid-19: Recommendations Of Key Services And Tasks To Consider For The Next Pandemic

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a rapid adjustment of work tasks was necessary for many biosafety programs (and other safety programs) to address drastic shifts in workload demands amid pandemic-related shutdowns and subsequent needs for supporting COVID-19-related safe work protocols, diagnostic testing, research, vaccine development, and so forth. From a program management standpoint, evaluating and understanding these tasks were critically important to ensure that appropriate support and resources were in place, especially during such unprecedented times of rapid change and significant impact to normal life and routine.

METHODS: Described here are examples of how the biosafety program …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Adolescent Mental Health And Substance Use, Elizabeth Torres

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to determine whether COVID-19-induced financial impact, stress, loneliness, and isolation were related to perceived changes in adolescent mental health and substance use.

METHODS: Data were from Baseline (2018) and Wave 3 (2020; mean age = 14.8; 50% female) of 1,188 adolescents recruited from 12 Texas public middle schools as part of a randomized controlled trial. Participants were primarily Black (23%), Latinx (41%), Asian (11%), and White (9%). We assessed mental health and substance use (Baseline and Wave 3) and pandemic-related physical interaction, loneliness, stress, family conflict, and economic situation (Wave 3).

RESULTS: COVID-19-induced …

Evaluation Of A 2-1-1 Telephone Navigation Program To Increase Cancer Control Behaviors: Results From A Randomized Controlled Trial, Lynn N Ibekwe, David Jobe, Sally W Vernon

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: to evaluate the effectiveness of a telephone navigation intervention for increasing use of cancer control services among underserved 2-1-1 callers.

DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial.

SETTING: 2-1-1 call centers in Houston and Weslaco, Texas (located in the Rio Grande Valley near the Mexican border).

PARTICIPANTS: 2-1-1 callers in need of Pap test, mammography, colorectal cancer screening, smoking cessation counseling, and/or HPV vaccination for a daughter (n = 1,554). A majority were low-income and described themselves as Black or Hispanic.

INTERVENTION: Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a cancer control referral for the needed service(s) with telephone navigation from a …

Gaseous Air Pollutants And Dna Methylation In A Methylome-Wide Association Study Of An Ethnically And Environmentally Diverse Population Of Us Adults, James D Stewart, Kristina M Jordahl, Parveen Bhatti, Themistocles L Assimes, James S Pankow, Weihua Guan, Myriam Fornage, Jan Bressler, Kari E North, Karen N Conneely, Yun Li, Lifang Hou, Pantel S Vokonas, Cavin K Ward-Caviness, Rory Wilson, Kathrin Wolf, Melanie Waldenberger, Josef Cyrys, H Marike Boezen, Judith M Vonk, Sergi Sayols-Baixeras, Mikyeong Lee, Andrea A Baccarelli, Eric A Whitsel

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Epigenetic mechanisms may underlie air pollution-health outcome associations. We estimated gaseous air pollutant-DNA methylation (DNAm) associations using twelve subpopulations within Women's Health Initiative (WHI) and Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohorts (n = 8397; mean age 61.3 years; 83% female; 46% African-American, 46% European-American, 8% Hispanic/Latino). We used geocoded participant address-specific mean ambient carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO2; NOx), ozone (O3), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentrations estimated over the 2-, 7-, 28-, and 365-day periods before collection of blood samples used to generate Illumina 450 k array leukocyte DNAm measurements. We estimated methylome-wide, subpopulation- and race/ethnicity-stratified pollutant-DNAm associations in …

Agreement Between Sars-Cov-2 Pcr Test Results Using Nasopharyngeal And Mid-Turbinate Specimens Among Asymptomatic Working-Age Adults, Fayaz Momin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether mid-turbinate specimens reliably detect active infection in asymptomatic adults undergoing regular COVID-19 PCR testing.

METHODS: Qualitative agreement between 2481 paired nasopharyngeal and mid-turbinate PCR results was assessed. Mean cycle threshold values for each positive result were evaluated as an indicator of active infection.

RESULTS: Overall agreement between nasopharyngeal and mid-turbinate tests was 98.4%. Positive percent agreement was 37.2%, and negative percent agreement was ~100%. Test pairs with lower cycle thresholds (≤30 and ≤25) reached 67% and 100% positive percent agreement, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 infections with high viral loads were detected …

Confirming Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Induction In The Endovascular Puncture Mouse Model, Spiros L Blackburn, Devin W Mcbride

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and purpose: Experimental studies of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) using the endovascular perforation model routinely use either cerebral blood flow (CBF) or intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring to confirm SAH induction. We designed this study to test the hypothesis that contralateral CBF is a better marker of SAH induction than ipsilateral CBF.

Methods: Sixty-eight adult C57BL/6J mice were subjected to endovascular perforation. Mice were monitored using laser Doppler (for relative CBF) or ICP probes.

Results: The ipsilateral CBF significantly decreased prior to ICP rising. However, reduction of the CBF in the contralateral hemisphere occurred at the same time as the rise …

Usp7 Substrates Identified By Proteomics Analysis Reveal The Specificity Of Usp7, Siting Li, Min Huang, Xu Feng, Guangsheng Pei, Qinglei Hang, Zhongming Zhao, Boyi Gan, Li Ma, Junjie Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs) remove ubiquitin chains from proteins and regulate protein stability and function. USP7 is one of the most extensively studied DUBs, since USP7 has several well-known substrates important for cancer progression, such as MDM2, N-MYC, and PTEN. Thus, USP7 is a promising drug target. However, systematic identification of USP7 substrates has not yet been performed. In this study, we carried out proteome profiling with label-free quantification in control and single/double-KO cells of

Quality Assessment Of Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter Ultrasonography: Scoping Literature Review And Delphi Protocol, Mohammad I Hirzallah, Piergiorgio Lochner, Muhammad Ubaid Hafeez, Andrew G Lee, Christos Krogias, Deepa Dongarwar, Ramneek Manchanda, Lara Ouellette, Nicholas D Hartman, Michael Ertl, Felix Schlachetzki, Chiara Robba

Library Staff Publications

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The optic nerve is surrounded by the extension of meningeal coverings of the brain. When the pressure in the cerebrospinal fluid increases, it causes a distention of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD), which allows the use of this measurement by ultrasonography (US) as a noninvasive surrogate of elevated intracranial pressure. However, ONSD measurements in the literature have exhibited significant heterogeneity, suggesting a need for consensus on ONSD image acquisition and measurement. We aim to establish a consensus for an ONSD US Quality Criteria Checklist (ONSD US QCC).

METHODS: A scoping systematic review of published ultrasound ONSD …

The Associations Between Relative And Absolute Body Mass Index With Mortality Rate Based On Predictions From Stigma Theory, Gregory Pavela, Nengjun Yi, Luis Mestre, Stella Lartey, Pengcheng Xun, David B Allison

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: The social consequences of obesity may influence health and mortality rate (MR), given obesity's status as a highly stigmatized condition. Hence, a high absolute body mass index (BMI) in conjunction with the stigmatization of a high BMI may each independently increase the rate of MR.

Objectives: We tested whether relative BMI, defined as ordinal rank within a social reference group jointly defined by age, sex, and race/ethnicity, is associated with MR independent of absolute BMI.

Methods: Data were from three nationally representative datasets: the Health and Retirement Study (n = 31,115), the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS, n = …

Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes Among Individuals With Excess Weight: Weight Trajectory Effects, Arthur H Owora, David B Allison, Xuan Zhang, Nana Gletsu-Miller, Kishore M Gadde

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) among individuals with overweight or obesity is well-established; however, questions remain about the temporal dynamics of weight change (gain or loss) on the natural course of T2D in this at-risk population. Existing epidemiologic evidence is limited to studies that discretely sample and assess excess weight and T2D risk at different ages with limited follow-up, yet changes in weight may have time-varying and possibly non-linear effects on T2D risk. Predicting the impact of weight change on the risk of T2D is key to informing primary prevention. We critically review the …

Improved Right Ventricular Systolic Function After Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy In Patients With Heart Failure, Hakimeh Sadeghian, Ali Kazemisaied, Mehrnaz Rezvanfard, Arash Jalali, Afsaneh Sadeghian, Haleh Ashraf, Farbod Semnani, Amirhossein Ghaseminejad Raeini

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Background

Since the introduction of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) to improve left ventricular function, the effect of CRT on the right ventricle in patients with heart failure has not been well described.

Methods

We evaluated the effect of CRT on right ventricular systolic function in 20 patients (80% men; mean [SD] age, 58.5 [9.8] y) with cardiomyopathy and right ventricular systolic dysfunction (New York Heart Association class III or IV, left ventricular ejection fraction ≤35%, and QRS interval ≥120 ms). The median follow-up time was 15 months. Right ventricular systolic function, defined as a tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) …

Combined Disease Of The Quadricuspid Aortic Valve, Robert Blazekovic, Jasmina Catic, Stjepan Barisin, Marko Kusurin, Savica Gjorgjievska, Stanislav Glumbic

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

No abstract provided.

Removal Of Kcnq2 From Parvalbumin-Expressing Interneurons Improves Anti-Seizure Efficacy Of Retigabine, Junzhan Jing, Corrinne Dunbar, Alina Sonesra, Ana Chavez, Suhyeorn Park, Ryan Yang, Heun Soh, Maxwell Lee, Anastasios V Tzingounis, Edward C Cooper, Xiaolong Jiang, Atul Maheshwari

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Anti-seizure drug (ASD) targets are widely expressed in both excitatory and inhibitory neurons. It remains unknown if the action of an ASD upon inhibitory neurons could counteract its beneficial effects on excitatory neurons (or vice versa), thereby reducing the efficacy of the ASD. Here, we examine whether the efficacy of the ASD retigabine (RTG) is altered after removal of the Kv7 potassium channel subunit KCNQ2, one of its drug targets, from parvalbumin-expressing interneurons (PV-INs). Parvalbumin-Cre (PV-Cre) mice were crossed with Kcnq2-floxed (Kcnq2fl/fl) mice to conditionally delete Kcnq2 from PV-INs. In these conditional knockout mice (cKO, PV-Kcnq2 …

A Case Of Perifollicular Macular Amyloidosis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Macular amyloidosis is a common type of primary localized cutaneous amyloidosis. We present a case report of a 74-year-old patient with no significant past medical history who was evaluated for dark macules and pruritus for over a year. On exam, follicular-based brown macules on the upper and lower back, bilateral shoulders, and bilateral dorsal upper arms were noted. The morphology and distribution of follicular-based macules was unusual, so the differential included follicular lichen planus, follicular eczema, and macular amyloidosis. Punch biopsy showed deposits of eosinophilic fibrillary material along with pigmentary incontinence in the papillary dermis, consistent with macular amyloidosis. Additionally, …

Treating Phantom Limb Pain: Cryoablation Of The Posterior Tibial Nerve, Alexa Levey

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Phantom limb pain (PLP) is a complex pathophysiologic process involving both the central and peripheral nervous system for which there is no definitive treatment. The number of individuals living with amputated limbs is predicted to increase to 3.5 million by 2050, and up to 80% of these patients will have PLP. In this case report, we will demonstrate successful reduction of PLP in a patient with bilateral phantom toe pain utilizing nerve blockade and subsequent cryoablation of the posterior tibial nerves.

Minimal Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Disease Activity And Health-Related Quality Of Life In Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis Receiving Bimekizumab: Exploratory Analyses From A Phase 2b Open-Label Extension Study, John D Reveille, Marga Oortgiesen, Natasha De Peyrecave, Atul Deodhar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases, such as ankylosing spondylitis (AS), has been variable. Here, we assess disease activity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) through the pandemic in patients with AS.

METHODS: In the open-label extension (OLE) of the phase 2b BE AGILE study, patients with AS received 160 mg of subcutaneous bimekizumab every 4 weeks. We assessed Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score with C-reactive protein (ASDAS-CRP), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL) scores in the OLE immediately before and during the COVID-19 pandemic …

Coronary-To-Coronary Bypass Grafting In Aortoarteritis: A Case Report

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is an idiopathic vasculitis affecting the aorta and its major branches. In TA, coronary artery involvement is rare and it mainly consists of stenosis or occlusion of the coronary ostia. In TA, as the arterial tree is diseased, often, arterial grafts are unsuitable for grafting so the saphenous vein grafts (SVG) are commonly used. We present a case of a young female with TA with an ostial left main stenosis who has undergone a right coronary-to-left anterior descending artery SVG and put on immunosuppression and steroids. She was asymptomatic with a patent graft during 7 years follow-up.

Post–Lung Transplantation Outcomes And Ex Vivo Histopathological Findings In Severe Post-Covid-19 Pulmonary Disease—A Single-Center Experience, Rodrigo Hasbun

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: A significant proportion of patients with severe and persistent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) require continuous ventilatory support and occasional extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Lung transplantation is a treatment option for patients who develop severe ARDS.

METHODS: Our lung transplant database was retrospectively reviewed for patients who underwent lung transplantation for COVID-19 pulmonary disease at Memorial Hermann Hospital, Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas, from January 2020 to March 2022. We evaluated outcomes of patients who were followed in our clinic at least 6 months post-transplant. Pretransplant patient characteristics, COVID-19-related treatment, histopathology results, and postdischarge …

Modulation Of The Association Between Age And Death By Risk Factor Burden In Critically Ill Patients With Covid-19, Rupal Mehta

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Older age is a key risk factor for adverse outcomes in critically ill patients with COVID-19. However, few studies have investigated whether preexisting comorbidities and acute physiologic ICU factors modify the association between age and death.

DESIGN: Multicenter cohort study.

SETTING: ICUs at 68 hospitals across the United States.

PATIENTS: A total of 5,037 critically ill adults with COVID-19 admitted to ICUs between March 1, 2020, and July 1, 2020.

INTERVENTIONS: None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary exposure was age, modeled as a continuous variable. The primary outcome was 28-day inhospital mortality. Multivariable logistic regression tested the association between …

Duration Of Ischemia Affects Outcomes Independent Of Infarct Size In Stroke, Johanna T Fifi, Arnd Doerfler, Alejandro Tomasello, Albert J Yoo, Sunil A Sheth

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Delays in endovascular reperfusion for patients with large vessel occlusion stroke are known to worsen outcomes, and the mechanism is believed to be time-dependent expansion of the ischemic infarction. In this study, we hypothesize that delays in onset to reperfusion (OTR) assert an effect on outcomes independent of effects of final infarct (FI).

Methods: We performed a subgroup analysis from the prospective multicenter COMPLETE (International Acute Ischemic Stroke Registry With the Penumbra System Aspiration Including the 3D Revascularization Device; Penumbra, Inc) registry for 257 patients with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion who underwent endovascular therapy with successful reperfusion (modified …

Predominantly Persistent Intraretinal Fluid In The Comparison Of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatments Trials, Juan E Grunwald, Maureen G Maguire, Gui-Shuang Ying, Comparison Of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatments Trials (Catt) Research Group

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: To describe predominantly persistent intraretinal fluid (PP-IRF) and its association with visual acuity (VA) and retinal anatomic findings at long-term follow-up in eyes treated with pro re nata (PRN) ranibizumab or bevacizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

DESIGN: Cohort within a randomized clinical trial.

PARTICIPANTS: Participants in the Comparison of Age-related Macular Degeneration Treatments Trials (CATT) assigned to PRN treatment.

METHODS: The presence of intraretinal fluid (IRF) on OCT scans was assessed at baseline and monthly follow-up visits by Duke OCT Reading Center. Predominantly persistent intraretinal fluid through week 12, year 1, and year 2 was defined as the …

Association Between Metabolic Overweight/Obesity Phenotypes And Readmission Risk In Patients With Lung Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Hang Dong, Jiajun Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Increased body mass index (BMI) and metabolic abnormalities are controversial prognostic factors of lung cancer. However, the relationship between metabolic overweight/obesity phenotypes and hospital readmission in patients with lung cancer is rarely reported.

METHODS: We established a retrospective cohort using the United States (US) Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD). We included adult patients diagnosed with lung cancer from January 1, 2018 to November 30, 2018 and excluded patients combined with other cancers, pregnancy, died during hospitalization, low body weight, and those with missing data. The cohort was observed for hospital readmission until December 31, 2018. We defined and distinguished four …

Hepatic Circadian And Differentiation Factors Control Liver Susceptibility For Fatty Liver Disease And Tumorigenesis, Samay Shivshankar, Zheng Chen, Kai Sun, Frances M Sladek, Mamoun Younes, Kristin Eckel-Mahan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer deaths, and the most common primary liver malignancy to present in the clinic. With the exception of liver transplant, treatment options for advanced HCC are limited, but improved tumor stratification could open the door to new treatment options. Previously, we demonstrated that the circadian regulator Aryl Hydrocarbon-Like Receptor Like 1 (ARNTL, or Bmal1) and the liver-enriched nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4α) are robustly co-expressed in healthy liver but incompatible in the context of HCC. Faulty circadian expression of HNF4α- either by isoform switching, or loss of expression- results in an increased …

Gastrocnemius Venous Aneurysm-A Diagnostic Dilemma, Kourosh Keyhani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A 63-year-old man with multiple previous orthopedic procedures in both lower extremities had presented to us for a third opinion regarding the point-specific pain in his right lateral calf. The initial diagnosis had been venous reflux at two other institutions. However, repeat imaging studies demonstrated an aneurysmal gastrocnemius vein without any other abnormalities, such as venous reflux or thrombosis. The patient had received compression stocking therapy for 6 months but had continued to experience increasing pain at night, especially when lying in bed. The patient was reexamined in the supine position, which showed a prominent bulge in the lateral calf. …

Mir-486 Is Essential For Muscle Function And Suppresses A Dystrophic Transcriptome, Michael A Lopez, Marcas M Bamman, Jeffrey J Widrick, David K Crossman, Min Xie, David Jee, Eric C Lai, Matthew S Alexander

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

miR-486 is a muscle-enriched microRNA, or “myomiR,” that has reduced expression correlated with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). To determine the function of miR-486 in normal and dystrophin-deficient muscles and elucidate miR-486 target transcripts in skeletal muscle, we characterized mir-486 knockout mice (mir-486 KO). mir-486 KO mice developed disrupted myofiber architecture, decreased myofiber size, decreased locomotor activity, increased cardiac fibrosis, and metabolic defects were exacerbated in mir-486 KO:mdx5cv (DKO) mice. To identify direct in vivo miR-486 muscle target transcripts, we integrated RNA sequencing and chimeric miRNA eCLIP sequencing to identify key transcripts and pathways that contribute towards mir-486 …