Digital Commons Network^™

Nmda Receptor Subunit Nmr-2 Regulates Pathogen-Induced Immune Responses Via The Nervous System In C. Elegans, Benson Otarigho, Jonathan Lalsiamthara, Alejandro Aballay

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Neural control of innate immunity must balance restraint of basal immune activity with rapid activation upon pathogen encounter. Glutamate, the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the nervous system, has been implicated in several neurological disorders associated with inflammation, suggesting a potential link to immune regulation. However, how glutamatergic signaling contributes to immune balance remains unknown. Here, we demonstrated that the NMDA-type ionotropic glutamate receptor subunit NMR-2, a component of the NMDA receptor complex, acts in the

Association Of Infection Frequency And Incident Clonal Hematopoiesis Of Indeterminant Potential, Ajibike Lapite, Vernon A Burk, James Decuir, Junichi Ishigami, Seyedmohammad Saadatagah, Pradeep Natarajan, Christie M Ballantyne, Elizabeth A Platz, Katherine Y King

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminant potential (CHIP) is an age-related phenomenon associated with increased risk of hematologic malignancy. Preclinical studies have shown that infection is a driver of CHIP; clinical studies in people living with HIV suggest a relationship between chronic infection and CHIP, but the association between infection frequency and incident CHIP in the general population remains unknown. We leveraged the atherosclerosis risk in communities study to design a closed prospective cohort study. CHIP was determined based on whole-exome sequencing at 2 time points 20 years apart. Included were 3,367 individuals without cancer or CHIP at time 1 and without …

Malaria In Children At 9 Us Hospitals: 2016-2023, Sesh Alexander Sundararaman, Brianne Roper, Amy K F Davis, Karen L Hanze Villavicencio, Jonathan A Mayhew, Michelle L Wang, Nina L Tang, Vijaya L Soma, Ziyi Wang, Margaret E Feeney, Indi Trehan, Jill E Weatherhead, Chandy C John, Jeffrey S Gerber, Audrey R Odom John

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objectives: This study set out to describe imported pediatric malaria in the United States over an 8-year period, including patient demographics, clinical outcomes, and risk factors for severe disease.

Methods: A retrospective descriptive study of pediatric patients treated for malaria at 9 hospitals in the United States from 2016 to 2023 was conducted to analyze patient demographics, clinical outcomes, and risk factors for severe malaria.

Results: A total of 171 children were treated across the 9 US hospitals included in this study from 2016 to 2023. Most patients had traveled to West Africa to visit friends and relatives. Fever was …

Rural-Urban Differences In Hypertension Prevalence And Control In A Large Regional Health System Cohort, Yordanos M Tiruneh, Susan Mcbride, Huaxin Song, Matthew Decaro, Alaa Rihan, Theresa Byrd, Alex Baham, Jared W Magnani, Elmer V Bernstam, Jarett D Berry

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Rural US populations bear a high burden of cardiovascular disease, with hypertension contributing to the rural-urban gap. We examined hypertension prevalence and control across the rural-urban continuum among patients in a large healthcare system in Northeast Texas.

Methods: We analyzed the electronic health record data from 363,539 patients with at least one outpatient encounter between September 2021 and April 2025. We defined hypertension using ICD-10-CM codes, antihypertensive prescriptions, or a blood pressure ≥ 130/80 mm Hg. We classified rurality using the Rural-Urban Commuting Area categories. Multivariable logistic regression models were adjusted for age, sex, race, ethnicity, insurance, and level …

Characteristics Of People Who Inject Drugs Approached For Injection Assistance In Rural Kentucky, April Young, Ryli Hockensmith, Preston T Tolbert, Susan Westneat, Peter Vickerman, Jack Stone, Hilary L Surratt, Kayo Fujimoto, Hannah K Knudsen, Rachel Vickers-Smith, Katherine L Thompson, Laura Fanucchi, Julia Kollitz, Jennifer R Havens, Melvin D Livingston

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: This study aims to understand the characteristics of people who inject drugs approached by others for injection assistance.

Method: Peer-referral and outreach were used to recruit rural adults who recently injected drugs in Appalachian Kentucky (n=435). Interviewer-administered questionnaires elicited data on participant characteristics and injection assistance. Descriptive statistics and generalized estimating equations clustered on peer-referral recruitment chain were used for analysis.

Results: Nearly one-third (30.1%) reported others had come to them for injection assistance. People approached for assistance were slightly younger (prevalence ratio [PR]: 0.91, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85-0.99) but otherwise, demographically similar to their counterparts. Those approached …

The 2026 Fifa World Cup: Communicable Disease Risks And Advice For Visitors To Canada, The United States, And Mexico, Alfonso J Rodriguez-Morales, Ivan Arturo Rodríguez-Sabogal, Beatriz Elena Porras-Pedroza, Álvaro A Faccini-Martínez, Daniel Grisales-Nieto, Florencia Escarrá, Pasesa Pascuala Quispe-Torrez, Francisco Javier Membrillo, Tomás Orduna, Susana Lloveras, Tânia S S Chaves, Miguel M Cabada, Cecilia Perret, René Echavarría, Ana F Ribeiro, Melinda Tanabe, Fernando Bazzino, Maximiliano Ramirez, Baruch Diaz, Karen Mirna Loro Morejón, Karen Daly, Reinaldo Rosas, Maria Belen Lopez, Cristina Miranda, Marisa Liliana Fernandez, Yasemin Özsürekçi, Wasin Matsee, Yenddy Carrero, Cristian Biscayart, Sergio Cimerman, Maria L Avila-Aguero, Roberto Debbag, Jose Brea, Alejandro Risquez, Jaime David Acosta-España, Rolando Ulloa-Gutierrez, Carlos Espinal, Carlos N Torres-Martinez, Marta González-Sanz, Aula Abbara, Jill Weatherhead, Mario Masana

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Circulating Metabolites Associated With Protection Against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection And Inhibition Of Mycobacterial Growth, Todia P Setiabudiawan, Lika Apriani, Julian Avila-Pacheco, Edwin Ardiansyah, Vinod Kumar, Bachti Alisjahbana, Ayesha J Verrall, Andrew R Dinardo, Agnes R Indrati, Vera P Mourits, L Charlotte J De Bree, Simone J C F M Moorlag, Clary B Clish, Leo A B Joosten, Arjan Van Laarhoven, Krista E Van Meijgaarden, Mihai G Netea, Simone A Joosten, Valerie A C M Koeken, Philip C Hill, Reinout Van Crevel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

A significant proportion of individuals who are heavily exposed to infectious tuberculosis patients do not acquire Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection, as detected by an interferon gamma release assay (IGRA). We examined circulating metabolite profiles and metabolic genotypes in 199 heavily exposed IGRA-negative tuberculosis household contacts in Indonesia. Based on differentially abundant metabolites, activity of several pathways including arachidonic acid, arginine and proline, glutathione, and tryptophan metabolism, correlated with a negative IGRA at three months. SNPs near PRODH (involved in arginine and proline metabolism) were associated with circulating proline concentrations and persistently negative IGRA results, while SNPstudys near AFMID (involved in …

Developing A Durable, Memory-Driven, Cspz-Targeting Lyme Disease Vaccine By Rationale Adjuvant Selection\, Miranda Mccarty, Sergio A Hernández, Jill Malfetano, Ana Carolina Leão, Maria Jose Villar, Xiuli Yang, Yi-Lin Chen, Jungsoon Lee, Zhuyun Liu, Ulrich Strych, Maria Elena Bottazzi, Utpal Pal, Klemen Strle, Wen-Hsiang Chen, Yi-Pin Lin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Rational adjuvant selection is a systematic approach based on adjuvant-mediated immunomodulation to identify safe vaccine regimens that enhance protective immunity. Transmitted through ticks and caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), Lyme disease (LD) is the most common vector-borne disease in the Northern hemisphere. There are no approved human vaccines, making it suitable for testing the concept of rational adjuvant selection. Here, we formulated our previously developed and effective LD vaccine antigen, CspZ-YAC187S, with different adjuvants suitable for human use; we analyzed the immune response by transcriptomics and tested the vaccine efficacy after Bb infection. We identified Alum-CpG and Alum-αGal …

Assessment And Mitigation Of Covid-19 Occupational Hazards Among Small Businesses In A High-Risk Community, Sadie H Conway, Denise Vasquez, Soyoung Kwon, Kristina D Mena, Louis D Brown, Janelle Rios

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose –: This project explored COVID-19 workplace hazards and factors influencing the implementation of risk mitigation approaches among small businesses in a high-risk community.

Design/methodology/approach –: Using a novel framework, data were collected from 90 workplaces through site visits and consultations with at least one owner, manager or supervisor ("employer") and at least one non-managerial staff member ("employee"). A risk assessment and mitigation plan were prepared based on site-specific hazards; later, a follow-up visit assessed whether recommendations had been implemented and factors influencing these decisions.

Findings –: A total of 84 businesses (93.3%) implemented at least one recommendation, citing ease …

Randomised Controlled Trial Comparing Antibiotic Cement Bead Pouch Versus Negative Pressure Wound Therapy For The Management Of Severe Open Tibia Fracture Wounds: Beads Versus Vac (Bvv) Protocol, Lucas S Marchand, Gerard Slobogean, Nathan N O'Hara, Anthony D Harris, David W Grainger, Lehana Thabane, Mohit Bhandari, Gregory J Della Rocca, Patrick J Kellam, Robert D Zura, Debra Marvel, Jeffrey L Wells, I Leah Gitajn, Kyle J Jeray, Robert V O'Toole, Zachary M Working, Roman M Natoli, Patrick F Bergin, Jennifer E Hagen, Ashley E Levack, Ernesto Guerra-Farfan, Gregory M Schrank, Joan N Hebden, Franca Mossuto, Cassandra Tsoutsounakis, David Pogorzelski, Hailey Pineda, Sofia Bzovsky, Sheila Sprague, Bvv Investigators

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Early open fracture management aims to minimise the risk of complications. For the most severe open fracture wounds, multiple irrigation and debridement surgeries are required to overcome severe wound contamination, to reassess the evolving tissue injury or to temporise and plan further surgery. When multiple irrigation and debridement surgeries are needed, uncertainty remains about how the open fracture wound should be managed to best minimise complications. The primary aim of this trial is to compare the antibiotic cement bead pouch vs negative pressure wound therapy in the management of patients with severe open tibia fracture wounds.

Methods and analysis: …

A Tractable Nematode Model For The Emerging Fungal Pathogen, Candida Auris, Melissa Martinez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant opportunistic fungal pathogen. It

poses a significant threat to immunocompromised patients and those with prolonged stays in

healthcare facilities. C. auris spreads rapidly in health care facilities through enhanced

colonization of skin and abiotic surfaces. The genetic factors contributing to this ability and to

the virulence, drug resistance, and stress-tolerant nature of C. auris are largely unknown.

Current animal models of C. auris infections are not well standardized and report conflicting

results. Additional animal models of virulence are needed, especially those amenable to high-

throughput analysis. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been validated as …

Characterization Of Staphylococcus Aureus Clinical Isolates From Deep Musculoskeletal Infections For An In Vitro Biofilm Model For Phage Therapy, Raquel C. Luna

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections is a growing concern in the treatment of deep musculoskeletal infections (MSKIs) and orthopaedic device-related infections (ODRIs). Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for about one third of these infections due to its strong biofilm forming capacity, presence on human skin, and the large number of antibiotic-resistant variants. Bacteriophage (phage) therapy is now being considered as a treatment for MDR MSKIs/ODRIs. We are investigating the use of phage encapsulated into or adsorbed onto biodegradable microspheres for local delivery to the site of these MDR infections. We determined that the anti-staphylococcal phage K effectively lyses the S. …

From Antigen Presentation To Tumor Control: Mechanisms Of Type I Conventional Dendritic Cell-Based Cancer Vaccines, Josue E. Pineda

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Type 1 conventional dendritic cells (cDC1s) are important for generating and sustaining antitumor immunity. Accordingly, the abundance of cDC1s in human tumors correlates with improved outcomes in cancer. Capitalizing on this role, we previously demonstrated that vaccination with in vitro-derived murine cDC1s elicits durable tumor control in multiple preclinical models; however, the immunological mechanisms underlying the efficacy of cDC1 vaccination remain unclear. Here, we examined whether in vitro-derived cDC1s resemble tumor-infiltrating DC populations and whether MHC-I and MHC-II antigen presentation contribute to cDC1-mediated tumor control following vaccination in melanoma.

As expected, MHC-I- or MHC-II-deficiency had minimal impact on …

Understanding Epigenomic Landscapes In Cancer Progression And Immunotherapy Response, Jonathan Schulz

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Nonmutational epigenomic reprogramming has emerged as a key hallmark of cancer that plays crucial roles in tumor evolution during its progression and response to therapy. However, the extent and nature of epigenomic reprogramming remains poorly understood. This dissertation examines how epigenetic regulation shapes cancer progression and response to immunotherapy. Working at the intersection of cancer biology and computational genomics, it develops analytical frameworks for characterizing chromatin structure and DNA methylation across diverse tumor contexts and uses these frameworks to address two complementary biological questions: how promoter-associated chromatin organization varies across cancer types, and how epigenetic perturbation modulates tumor immunogenicity in …

An Integrated Framework For Early Detection And Transmissibility Assessment Of Emerging Variants In Wastewater, Xingwen Chen, Tin Phan, Wei Lin Lee, Katie Clark, Steven F Rhode, Samantha Brozak, Bruce Pell, Tsultrim Palden, Mats Leifels, Anna Gitter, Yang Kuang, Stefan Wuertz, Janelle Thompson, Kristina D Mena, Eric J Alm, Fuqing Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Tracking the emergence of new viral variants is critical for epidemic preparedness, but remains challenging because variants typically circulate at low prevalence during the early phase of outbreaks. Here, we present an integrated framework that combines sensitive variant detection in wastewater with quantitative assessment of transmissibility through dynamic epidemic modeling. Using the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant as a proof of concept, we developed a novel nested allele-specific RT-qPCR assay (NAS-PCR) that achieved a thousand-fold increase in sensitivity compared with allele-specific RT-qPCR (limit of detection: 0.5 copies/μl). NAS-PCR detected Omicron in wastewater samples from the Greater Boston area starting in September 2021, …

Optimized Ultrasound Imaging Of Phase-Change Nanodroplets, Charles R Dyall, Dmitry Nevozhay, Andy Liu, Trevor M Mitcham, George J Lu, Konstantin V Sokolov, Richard R Bouchard

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Phase-change nanodroplets (PCNDs) continue to generate significant research interest due to their potential to extravasate into tissue, to be targeted for molecular imaging and drug delivery, and to undergo an induced phase-change to "activated" microbubbles (MBs) for ultrasound (US) imaging. To accurately quantify molecular markers, however, one assumes a consistent proportion of PCNDs in a region of interest (ROI) are stably activated and imaged. Herein we present a framework for developing a diagnostic sequence that is optimized for PCND activation uniformity, contrast, and acquisition time. To develop this framework, activation was examined at three scales of increasing complexity: single, adjacent, …

Potential Impact Of Parasites In The Transmission Of Chronic Wasting Disease, Paulina Soto, Rodrigo Morales

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Long Covid Persistence And Surveillance Gaps Across 58 Us Hospitals, Jiazi Tian, Alaleh Azhir, Matthew Decaro, Ngan Chau, Jonas Hügel, Michele Morris, Jingya Cheng, Pedram Fard, Ingrid V Bassett, Douglas S Bell, Elmer V Bernstam, Shyam Visweswaran, Jeffrey G Klann, Shawn N Murphy, Hossein Estiri

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Importance: Surveillance of postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) depends on diagnostic coding systems that capture fewer than one-half of affected individuals, rendering millions invisible to health systems and policymakers.

Objective: To quantify the gap between true PASC burden and diagnostic code-based estimates, determine the proportion representing chronic disease, and characterize organ system heterogeneity and temporal trends across diverse populations.

Design, setting, and participants: This retrospective cohort study used electronic health record data from 58 hospitals and affiliated clinics in 4 US regions, from 2017 to 2025. Adults (aged ≥18 years) with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection or a COVID-19 diagnosis code …

A Rare Case Of Gastric Ascariasis, Sharon Pan, Kevin Yu, Blaine A Mathison, Yan Gao, Marc Roger Couturier, Salem Muayad, Violeta Chávez, Ranya Selim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Ascariasis, caused by the parasitic roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides, is one of the most common helminthic infections globally. Spread by contaminated soil through the fecal-oral route, A. lumbricoides typically infects the small intestine and has rarely been reported to infect the stomach.

Case summary: We describe an unusual case of a male in his 30s with a history of neuroendocrine tumor (NET) who immigrated from Colombia and who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and colonoscopy for further evaluation of abdominal pain. He was incidentally found to have a female Ascaris worm in his stomach that was retrieved during the EGD.

Conclusion: …

Multidisciplinary Approach To Complex Lower Extremity Limb Salvage In Pyogenic Arthritis, Pyoderma Gangrenosum, And Acne (Papa) Syndrome: A Case Report, Michael M Talanker, Anthony V Basta, Tien Do, Robert Tung, Addison Allen, Morgan Martin, Bryan L Ruygrok, Patrick J Kellam, Jeffrey G Trost, Mohin A Bhadkamkar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Limb salvage using free tissue transfer in patients with rare autoinflammatory syndromes is poorly described, and the safety of microvascular reconstruction in this population remains uncertain. Hereditary pyogenic arthritis, pyoderma gangrenosum, and acne (PAPA) syndrome is characterized by dysregulated inflammation, pathergy, and impaired wound healing, raising concern for flap compromise and postoperative complications. We report a rare case of lower extremity free tissue transfer in a patient with PAPA syndrome. A 66-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis and PAPA syndrome presented with rapid wound breakdown, violaceous ulceration, exposed hardware, and periprosthetic joint infection following left total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Examination revealed …

Brief Report: Hepatitis B Vaccination Histories In Persons With Hiv Needing Revaccination, Minhee Kang, Triin Umbleja, Anchalee Avihingsanon, Sandra W Cardoso, Josphat Kosgei, Karen J Vigil, Ta Thi Dieu Ngan, Unoda Chakalisa, Stephanie Caruso, Kenneth E Sherman, Kristen M Marks

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Past studies of hepatitis B vaccines in people with HIV (PWH) have shown mixed results about improving responses with increases in dose or dose frequency, leading to inconsistent guidelines and practice. We examined vaccine series completion and revaccinations in PWH lacking a seroprotective response.

Methods: Hepatitis B vaccination histories were evaluated as a retrospective study in 561 participants of A5379 trial (NCT04193189). Individuals in 41 sites in Africa, Asia, South America, and the United States qualified for the trial with antibody titers below the seroprotective level (< 10 mIU/mL) despite past hepatitis B vaccinations. The primary measure of interest was the number of vaccines in the past vaccination records.

Results: Of the 1098 trial candidates, 561 (51%) did not …

Optical Coherence Tomography As An Emerging Technique For Identifying Pediatric Middle Ear Effusion, Roger Neuberger, Jeffrey Carter, Adriana Dives, Ana Sofia C Ibarrola, Maritsa Ixba, Elton Lambert, Yi-Chun Liu, Anna H Messner

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: Acute otitis media (AOM) and otitis media with effusion (OME) rely on accurate characterization of middle ear effusion (MEE). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a potential modality for noninvasive analysis of MEE, thereby assisting with otitis media diagnosis. This study aims to compare the diagnostic performance of OCT with otoscopy and tympanometry in pediatric patients.

Methods: A prospective convenience sample of 164 pediatric patients aged 6 months to 12 years was recruited from two tertiary care pediatric otolaryngology clinics. During their visit, each child underwent otoscopy, tympanometry, and OCT evaluation. Scans were reviewed by both a fellowship-trained pediatric otolaryngologist …

Derivation And Validation Of The Pediatric Community-Acquired Pneumonia Severity (Pedcaps) Score: A Prospective Cohort Study, Todd A Florin, Ron Reeder, Lilliam Ambroggio, Richard M Ruddy, Samir S Shah, Allison Cator, Matthew J Lipshaw, Geoffrey A Capraro, Laura F Sartori, Amy Y Cheng, Leah Tzimenatos, Patrick S Walsh, Claudia R Morris, Chris A Rees, Son H Mclaren, Tamar R Lubell, Chari D Larsen, Justin Moher, Eileen J Klein, Shubhada Hooli, Nathan Kuppermann

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a frequent and costly cause of pediatric emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. Previous prognostic tools for CAP are limited by small samples, single-center or retrospective designs, lack of generalizability to ED settings, lack of biomarkers, or limited objective data. To overcome these limitations, we will derive and externally validate a prediction rule for pediatric CAP severity in a large, multicenter prospective cohort.

Methods: This is a prospective cohort study of children 3 months to 18 years old with CAP who present to EDs within the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network. Enrollment began 8/2023 …

Antibiotics Aren’T Enough, Andrew R Dinardo, Christoph Lange

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Risk Factors For The Development Of Food Allergy In Infants And Children: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Nazmul Islam, Alexandro W L Chu, Falana Sheriff, Farid Foroutan, Gordon H Guyatt, Romina Brignardello-Petersen, Paul Oykhman, Alfonso Iorio, Ariel Izcovich, Katherine M Morrison, Yetiani Roldan Benitez, Rachel J Couban, Dorota Borovsky, Yiming Zhang, Leonardo Ologundudu, Keerthana Pasumarthi, Syed Fahad Farooq, Kyle Tong, Wang-Choi Tang, Haseeb Faisal, Muhammad Faran Khalid, Mohammad Saad Asif, Shannon French, Susan Waserman, R Sharon Chinthrajah, Hugh A Sampson, S Shahzad Mustafa, Jay A Lieberman, Kirsi M Järvinen, Sally Bailey, Philippe Bégin, Scott H Sicherer, Jennifer Gerdts, Melanie Carver, Lynda Mitchell, Kelly Cleary, Matthew J Greenhawt, Julie Wang, Aikaterini Anagnostou, Marcus S Shaker, Anita Chandra-Puri, Patricia C Fulkerson, Robert A Wood, Derek K Chu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Importance: The incidence and risk (predictive) factors for early life food allergy development remain uncertain.

Objective: To estimate the incidence and quantify risk factors for food allergy development.

Data sources: MEDLINE and Embase were systematically searched to January 1, 2025. Data were analyzed from June 1, 2025, to November 25, 2025.

Study selection: Incidence estimates included studies confirming food allergy via food challenge. Risk factor analyses included cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies in any language assessing children younger than 6 years using multivariable analyses.

Data extraction and synthesis: Paired reviewers independently extracted data. Random-effects meta-analyses pooled incidence and adjusted odds …

Vo: The Vaccine Ontology, Jie Zheng, Asiyah Yu Lin, Anthony Huffman, Anna Maria Masci, Rebecca Racz, Guanming Wu, Kallan Roan, Edison Ong, Sirarat Sarntivijai, Joy Hu, Eliyas Asfaw, Hayleigh Kahn, Xingxian Li, Xumeng Zhang, Joshua Monickaraj, Nilufer Kosar, Jianfu Li, Warren Manuel, Rashmie Abeysinghe, Hasin Rehana, Benu Bansal, Yuanyi Pan, Jinjing Guo, Virginia He, Justin Song, Andrey I Seleznev, Katelyn Hur, Anna He, Alexander Davydov, Qi Yang, Anna Ostropolets, Randi Vita, Bjoern Peters, Alan Ruttenberg, Alexander D Diehl, Charles Tapley Hoyt, Paola Roncaglia, Rachael P Huntley, Richard H Scheuermann, Melanie Courtot, Thomas Todd, Samantha Sayers, Fang Chen, Xinna Li, Feng-Yu Yeh, Zuoshuang Xiang, Arzucan Ozgur, Patricia L Whetzel, Mark A Musen, Christopher J Mungall, Wolfgang W Leitner, Licong Cui, Lesley A Colby, Harry L T Mobley, Brian D Athey, Gilbert S Omenn, Lindsay G Cowell, Cui Tao, Junguk Hur, Barry Smith, Yongqun He

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Vaccines are widely used in both research and clinical settings. To facilitate FAIR data practices, we urgently need to standardize vaccine representation, integrate information across diverse vaccine types, and support computer-assisted reasoning. Accordingly, we have since 2007 developed the community-based Vaccine Ontology (VO), which aligns with the Basic Formal Ontology and adheres to OBO Foundry principles. VO ontologically models vaccines, vaccine components, vaccine immune responses, vaccine investigation studies and other vaccine-related topics. VO represents more than 10,000 vaccines targeting 289 infectious pathogens and cancers in humans and over 30 nonhuman animal species. VO provides mappings to external resources such as …

Hyperdynamic Microtubule-Based Structural Changes In Monocyte-Derived-Neuronal-Like Cells From Patients With Schizophrenia, Alfredo Bellon, Alonso Cortez-Resendiz, Lauren N Forrest, Omar Elmarasi, Janani Iyer, Anjali Iyer, Chachrit Khunsriraksakul, Dajiang Liu, L Elliot Hong, Therese M Jay, Marie-Odile Krebs, Anne Hosmalin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A consistent postmortem finding in schizophrenia (SCZ) is reduction in dendrites' size. However, neurons with larger dendritic trees have also been encountered. In vitro experiments with neurons and neuronal-like cells coming directly from patients with SCZ showed similar results, evidencing at times more extensions and at others less arborizations. The process of extending and retracting neuronal outgrowths depends on microtubules polymerization and depolymerization. The possibility that microtubule polymerization/depolymerization is related to defects in the neuronal structure comes from several microtubular anomalies reported in SCZ such as its abnormal distribution in the cytoplasm, irregular shape of microtubules and even absence of …

Expanding The Mutation Spectrum Of Non-Syndromic Retinitis Pigmentosa In Consanguineous Pakistani Families: Unraveling Novel Pathogenic Variants In Rp1, Pde6b, And Prcd Genes For Precision Diagnosis, Tayyaba Shan, Nimra Mukhtar, Sayyed Hammad Ullah, Asad Ullah, Asfandyar Ahmad Khan, Yumei Li, Meng Wang, Raeesa Tehreem, Amtul Aziz, Kiran Afshan, Rui Chen, Sabika Firasat

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Tracking Hiv Through Wastewater: Ethical Considerations In Public Health Surveillance, Faith E Fletcher, Olive R Pertuit, Catherine Troisi, Jelani Kerr, Dakotah Kinsella, Grace Elizabeth White, Steven Vargas, Anthony Maresso, Thomas P Giordano

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Ending the HIV epidemic requires timely identification of new HIV infections and promptly linking patients to high-quality care. Innovative methods are needed to capture real-time HIV incidence data to more effectively identify persons in need of HIV care access. Emerging advancements in wastewater surveillance (WWS) offer the potential to identify geographic areas with elevated prevalence of detectable viral loads among people who are undiagnosed or no longer receiving care, enabling more targeted interventions to reduce HIV transmission. The introduction of new public health technologies requires balancing potential risks with the significant clinical and population-level benefits of decreasing the number of …

Developing Scenario-Based Strategies For Health, Climate, And Environmental Preparedness: The One Health, One Earth Approach, Azar M Abadi, Kyle D Brumfield, Moiz Usmani, Gemma Jiang, T C Chakraborty, Yuzhou Wang, Zhijie Zhou, Cenlin He, Minghao Qiu, Jennifer D Stowell, Douglas Fritz, Sunil Kumar, Qiang Guo, Ying Xiong, Georgia Destouni, Qian Xiao, Xindi C Hu, Kelvin C Fong, Yun Hang, John Nielsen-Gammon, Rima Habre, Jennifer R Bratburd, Christopher W Tessum, Antarpreet Jutla, Rita R Colwell, Gabriel M Filippelli, Thanh H Nguyen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Climate change amplifies many threats to human health. Despite advances in understanding climate change dynamics and impacts, there remains a critical gap in translating scientific knowledge into equitable, and community‐driven health interventions. The inaugural One Earth, One Health workshop sought to explore this gap through human‐centered design exercises involving interdisciplinary researchers from climate and Earth sciences, engineering, epidemiology, microbiology, and environmental health. Although participants did not co‐develop solutions with affected communities, they used stakeholder role‐playing to guide ideation and lay groundwork for actionable plans. Through these methods, participants identified community needs and proposed prototype solutions to alleviate health threats …