Digital Commons Network^™

Differentiation In The Human Urothelia Is Defined By Distinct Alternative Polyadenylation, Ninh B Le, Surbhi Sona, Briana Santo, Yi Zhang, Rosie Ou, R Allen Schweickart, Veena Kochat, William I Padron, Kunal Rai, Shih-Han Lee, Joo Mi Yi, Oliver Wessely, Byron H Lee, Angela H Ting

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Distinct epithelial cell states arise during differentiation, but mechanisms generating transcriptomic diversity among them remain poorly defined. The human ureter urothelium contains basal progenitor, intermediate cells, and terminally differentiated umbrella cells. Prior single-cell RNA sequencing revealed similar global gene expression profiles across these states, raising the question of how distinct identities emerge. Here, we show that alternative cleavage and polyadenylation (APA) introduces a major layer of transcriptomic diversity during urothelial differentiation, largely independent of changes in mRNA levels. Analysis of 13,544 urothelial cells identified hundreds of differentiation-associated APA events. Single-cell imaging revealed spatially specific APA patterns, and reporter assays demonstrated …

Changing Bodies And The History Of Anthropometrics, Moramay López-Alonso

History of Medicine Seminar

No abstract provided.

Tead-Independent Mechanisms Of Yap Function In Cardiomyocyte Cell Cycle Reentry, Bing Xie, Jeffrey Steimle, Vaibhav Deshmukh, Lin Liu, Chang-Ru Tsai, Todd R Heallen, Wyatt Paltzer, Yuka Morikawa, Fansen Meng, Jun Wang, James F Martin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Adult mammalian hearts exhibit limited regenerative capacity because of the restricted renewal of cardiomyocytes. Recent studies reveal that mammalian hearts exhibit transient regenerative potential within a short time frame after birth, suggesting a regulatory mechanism that prevents adult hearts from initiating a regenerative response to cardiac injury. Here, we discovered that an active form of YAP, named YAP6SA, which is not inhibited by the Hippo signaling pathway and does not interact with TEADs, induces cardiomyocyte cell cycle reentry. In addition, YAP6SA interacts with scaffold protein MPDZ to regulate Rho GTPases and promote cell cycle progression in cardiomyocytes (CMs). Importantly, YAP6SA …

Multilevel Analysis Of The Food And Physical Activity Environment And Adult Obesity Across U.S. Counties And States, Ann Mary Abraham, Michael D Swartz, Alexandra E Van Den Berg, Stephen H Linder

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Adult obesity rates have risen steadily across the United States over the past decade, with more than 40% of adults affected. Persistent geographic and demographic disparities exist in obesity prevalence across the nation. While prior research has examined individual or environmental associated factors of obesity, limited studies have addressed both physical activity and food environments across the nation using multilevel approaches. This cross-sectional ecological study (2014-2024) used a two-level random intercept model to assess the association between county- and state-level factors and adult obesity prevalence across over 3000 U.S. counties nested within 51 states. County-level associated factors included food insecurity, …

Maturity-Onset Diabetes Of The Young (Mody) In A Racially/Ethnically Diverse Pediatric Population, Shilpi Relan, Guido Alarcon, Danielle Guffey, Charles G Minard, Mary E Fang, Kelly Timmons, Rona Y Sonabend, Mustafa Tosur, Maria J Redondo, Jennifer E Posey

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Context: Current practice guidelines recommend considering a diagnosis of maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) in patients with diabetes with an affected parent but without typical features of type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

Objective: To test if these criteria apply to a real-world cohort of racially/ethnically diverse children with diabetes.

Methods: We performed a retrospective case review of electronic medical records of youth diagnosed with MODY in a large academic pediatric hospital in Southwestern United States. Cases were ascertained based on the identification of a molecular diagnosis of MODY.

Results: We studied 50 genetically confirmed cases of MODY: 60% …

Metabolome Contribution To Sex Differences In The Link Between Alcohol Consumption And Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Analysis In The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study Of Latinos (Hchs/Sol), Brian Wang, Kai Luo, Wenyan Ma, Yanbo Zhang, Christina Cordero, Amber Pirzada, Martha Daviglus, Krista M Perreira, Bing Yu, Eric Boerwinkle, Robert C Kaplan, Qibin Qi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption has been linked to improved insulin resistance and lower type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk predominantly in females but not males. Potential mechanisms underlying this sex difference remain unclear.

Objective: This study evaluated associations of sex-specific alcohol-associated metabolomic signatures (AMSs) with insulin resistance and T2D risk in US Hispanic/Latino adults.

Methods: We analyzed serum metabolome data in the HCHS/SOL, a prospective, multicenter, community-based study of Hispanics/Latinos, aged 18 to 74 years old, enrolled from four U.S. metropolitan areas between 2008 and 2011. Sex-specific AMSs were developed using Elastic Net to identify serum metabolites uniquely associated with alcohol …

Proton Versus Photon Radiotherapy For Patients With Oropharyngeal Cancer In The Usa: A Multicentre, Randomised, Open-Label, Non-Inferiority Phase 3 Trial, Steven J Frank, Paul M Busse, J Jack Lee, David I Rosenthal, Mike Hernandez, David M Swanson, Adam S Garden, G Brandon Gunn, Samir H Patel, James W Snider, Daniel J Ma, Jason K Molitoris, Nancy Y Lee, Upendra Parvathaneni, Mark W Mcdonald, Noah S Kalman, Alexander Lin, Nasiruddin Mohammed, Christina Henson, Christian Hyde, Gopal K Bajaj, Sanford R Katz, Roi Dagan, William H Morrison, Jay P Reddy, C David Fuller, Shalin J Shah, Jack Phan, Gregory M Chronowski, Lauren Mayo, Erich M Sturgis, Renata Ferrarotto, Xiaorong R Zhu, Xiaodong Zhang, Li Wang, Katherine A Hutcheson, Adel K El-Naggar, Amy C Moreno, Anna Lee, Michael T Spiotto, Neil D Gross, Stephen Y Lai, Jay J Liao, Jonathan Paly, Zhongxing Liao, Robert L Foote

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Radiotherapy is an integral component of treatment for oropharyngeal cancer. Toxicity from the current state-of-the-art photon radiotherapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), has prompted the search for alternative, less toxic therapies. One such alternative that might de-intensify treatment is proton therapy. In this trial, we aimed to directly compare IMRT with intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT), both concurrent with systemic therapy, hypothesising comparable disease control and survival and lower toxicity.

Methods: This randomised, multicentre, open-label, non-inferiority, phase 3 trial was conducted in 21 sites (cancer centres or universities) in the USA. Patients (aged ≥18 years) with stage III or stage IV …

N-Palmitoyl Glutamine Is A Candidate Mediator Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Jeremy M Robbins, Mark Benson, Anthony R P Verkerke, Gaurav Tiwari, Shuliang Deng, Prashant Rao, Usman A Tahir, Julian Avila-Pacheco, Xu Shi, Yuntian Guan, Foje-Geh Tendoh, Jacob L Barber, Patricia E Miller, Andrew S Perry, Michael E Hall, Alexis C Wood, Kent D Taylor, Wendy S Post, Stephen S Rich, Matthew Nayor, James G Wilson, Gregory D Lewis, Ravi V Shah, Jerome I Rotter, Scott A Summers, Laura M Raffield, Shingo Kajimura, Claude Bouchard, Clary B Clish, Mark A Sarzynski, Robert E Gerszten

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Cardiorespiratory fitness is an integrative measure of cardiometabolic health and predictor of survival, yet little is known about its molecular underpinnings. Small molecule metabolites and lipids are increasingly recognized as exercise-stimulated signaling molecules and candidate molecular transducers of cardiorespiratory fitness.

Methods: We performed nontargeted liquid chromatography mass spectrometry-based plasma metabolomics in 654 participants (mean age, 35 years; 55% women) from the HERITAGE Family Study (Health, Risk Factors, Exercise Training, and Genetics) who had cardiorespiratory fitness (maximal oxygen uptake [VO2max]) measured by cardiopulmonary exercise testing and underwent 20 weeks of supervised endurance training. Metabolite-VO2max relationships were assessed using linear regression …

Association Between Ultraprocessed Food Consumption And Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Mesa (Multiethnic Study Of Atherosclerosis), Amier Haidar, Rishi Rikhi, Karol E Watson, Alexis C Wood, Michael D Shapiro

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) have been linked to adverse cardiometabolic outcomes and increased atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) (ASCVD) risk. However, prior research has largely focused on homogenous populations, lacking racial and ethnic diversity.

Objectives: The objectives are to examine the longitudinal relationship between UPF consumption and ASCVD risk and to investigate whether these associations differ by race/ethnicity, sex, or socioeconomic status.

Methods: The MESA (Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) is a prospective cohort study of 6,814 U.S. adults aged 45 to 84 years, without clinically apparent CVD. UPF consumption was classified according to the Nova classification system. Multivariable cox proportional hazards …

Conclusions Are Not Supported By The Published Statistical Analysis Comment On López-Toledo Et Al Flaxseed Improves Glucose And Lipid Metabolism In Mexican Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes: A Parallel Randomized Clinical Trial, Robert W Spitz, Deependra K Thapa, Thirupathi Reddy Mokalla, Wasiuddin Najam, Andrew W Brown, David B Allison

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

López-Toledo et al [...].

Circadian-Shaped Immune Variability Predicts Infection Outcome, Jonathan Lalsiamthara, Mariko Locke, Alejandro Aballay

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Disease risk and severity are influenced by genetics, epigenetics, and environmental factors. However, immune responses vary even among genetically similar or related individuals, shaped by inherited and noninherited factors. Using Caenorhabditis elegans, we found that pathogen susceptibility can be predicted by preinfection biomarkers. Individuals with high-basal expression of irg-5, an infection response gene regulated by the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-1 (PMK-1) pathway, were more susceptible to Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. A genome-wide screen identified the myeloid ecotropic viral integration site-1 (MEIS) homeobox protein UNC-62 as a regulator of irg-5 expression, acting through PMK-1 and GATA binding erythroid-like transcription factor …

Cholesterol Efflux Protein, Abca1, Supports Anticancer Functions Of Myeloid Immune Cells, Shruti V Bendre, Yu Wang, Basel Hajyousif, Rajendra K C, Shounak G Bhogale, Dhanya Pradeep, Natalia Krawczynska, Claire P Schane, Erin Weisser, Avni Singh, Simon Han, Hannah Kim, Lara Kockaya, Anasuya Das Gupta, Adam T Nelczyk, Hashni Epa Vidana Gamage, Yifan Fei, Desirée Rodríguez-Casiano, Xingyu Guo, Haoyun Li, Ryan J Deaton, Fei Mo, Maria Sverdlov, Peter H Gann, Saurabh Sinha, Sahil Sahni, Kun Wang, Kevin Van Bortle, Emad Tajkorshid, Wendy A Woodward, Wonhwa Cho, Erik R Nelson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Breast and other solid tumors respond poorly to immune therapy. Myeloid cells (MCs) such as macrophages contribute to resistance. Established clinical evidence links cholesterol to cancer outcomes, with MC function being regulated by cholesterol metabolism. We screened MC-expressed regulators of cholesterol homeostasis linked to survival and identified the cholesterol efflux protein ABCA1. ABCA1 activity increases anticancer functions of macrophages: enhancing tumor infiltration, decreasing angiogenic potential, reducing efferocytosis, and improving support of CD8+ T cell activity. Mechanistically, different AKT isoforms are involved, through both PI3K-dependent and PI3K-independent mechanisms. Highlighting the clinical relevance of our findings are correlations between ABCA1 in macrophages …

Nf2 Loss Malignantly Transforms Human Pancreatic Acinar Cells And Enhances Cell Fitness Under Environmental Stress, Yi Xu, Michael H Nipper, Angel A Dominguez, Chenhui He, Francis E Sharkey, Sajid Khan, Han Xu, Daohong Zhou, Lei Zheng, Yu Luan, Jun Liu, Pei Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) occurs as a complex, multifaceted event driven by the interplay of tumor-permissive genetic mutations, the nature of the cellular origin, and microenvironmental stress. In this study, using primary human pancreatic acinar 3D organoids, we performed a CRISPR-KO screen targeting 199 potential tumor suppressors curated from clinical PDAC samples. Our data revealed significant enrichment of a list of candidate genes, with neurofibromatosis type 2 associated gene (NF2) emerging as the top target. Functional validation confirmed that loss of NF2 promoted the transition of PDAC to an invasive state, potentially through extracellular matrix modulation. NF2 inactivation …

Senolytic-Resistant Senescent Cells Have A Distinct Sasp Profile And Functional Impact: The Path To Developing Senosensitizers, Utkarsh Tripathi, Masayoshi Suda, Vagisha Kulshreshtha, Bryan T Piatkowski, Allyson K Palmer, Nino Giorgadze, Christina Inman, Nathan Gasek, Ming Xu, Kurt O Johnson, Tamar Pirtskhalava, Selim Chaib, Larissa P G Langhi Prata, Yi Zhu, Renuka Kandhaya-Pillai, Stefan G Tullius, Saranya P Wyles, Rambabu Majji, Hari Krishna Yalamanchili, David B Allison, Tamar Tchkonia, James L Kirkland

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The senescent cell (SC) fate is linked to aging, multiple disorders and diseases, and physical dysfunction. Senolytics, agents that selectively eliminate 30%-70% of SCs, act by transiently disabling the senescent cell antiapoptotic pathways (SCAPs), which defend those SCs that are proapoptotic and pro-inflammatory from their own senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Consistent with this, a JAK/STAT inhibitor, Ruxolitinib, which attenuates the pro-inflammatory SASP of senescent human preadipocytes, caused them to become "senolytic-resistant". Administering senolytics to obese mice selectively decreased the abundance of the subset of SCs that is pro-inflammatory. In cell cultures, the 30%-70% of human senescent preadipocytes or human umbilical …

In Vivo Volumetric Visualization And Quantification Of Cumulus Expansion In Mice With Intravital Optical Coherence Tomography, Kohei Umezu, Frank J Brooks, Irina Larina

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Ovulation is preceded by a critical physiological process known as cumulus expansion, during which the cumulus cell layer surrounding the oocyte undergoes structural remodeling. Despite the recognized importance of this process for reproductive success, live quantitative imaging of cumulus expansion has not been previously achieved due to limitations of current imaging technologies for deeply located ovaries. In this study, we employed intravital optical coherence tomography for three-dimensional visualization of mouse follicles containing cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC) within the physiological context of the ovary, both ex vivo and in vivo. This method enabled time-lapse measurement of cumulus layer thickness and COC …

Findings And Recommendations From The State Of The Art (Sota) Conference On Nursing Research To Improve Veteran Outcomes, Amelia E Schlak, Sarah Krein, Laura A Petersen, David Atkins, Catherine Battaglia, Elizabeth Burkhart, Renee Colsch, Marguerite Daus, Heather Gilmartin, Nipa Kamdar, Melissa Knox, Ann Kutney-Lee, Christine M Olney, Kathryn Rugen, Tracy Weistreich, Sheila Cox Sullivan, On Behalf The Nursing Sota Planning Committee

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the largest employer of nurses in the United States, has more than 120,000 nursing personnel providing care to over 9 million Veterans across diverse settings. Despite nursing's central role in delivering and sustaining care, research on strengthening the nursing workforce and optimizing nursing practice has remained underdeveloped in VHA. To address this gap, VHA's Office of Research and Development, in partnership with the Office of Nursing Services, convened a State of the Art (SOTA) conference in November 2023 focused on nursing. The Nursing SOTA brought together nurses, researchers, operational leaders, and other stakeholders to review …

A Year In Review On Tuberculosis And Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria Disease: A 2026 Update For Clinicians And Scientists, Simone Tunesi, Graham Bothamley, Gunar Günther, Yousra Kherabi, Liga Kuksa, Berit Lange, Christoph Lange, Natalie Lorent, Francesca Saluzzo, Martina Sester, Xenia Emilie Sinding Iversen, Marc Tebruegge, Conor Tweed, Anca Vasiliu, Lorenzo Guglielmetti, Tuberculosis Network European Trials Group (Tbnet)

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, while infections from non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) represent a growing public health threat. In its 20th year of activity, the Tuberculosis Network European Trials group (TBnet; www.tbnet.eu) is one of the leading research networks in Europe. In this review, we summarize the main advances in TB and NTM that occurred in 2025.

Methods: We conducted a non-systematic review of articles published in 2025, with a strong emphasis on research with current or potential impact on clinical practice. We also selected the most impactful papers regarding the management of adult …

Comparing Rotational Thromboelastometry And Standard Coagulation Assays For Predicting Intraoperative Bleeding In Pediatric Liver Transplantation, Kirby Deshotels, Trung Nguyen, Jun Teruya, Muhammed Umair M Mian, Kelby Fuller, Sanjiv Harpavat, Anna Banc-Husu, Amir Navaei, John Goss, Moreshwar Desai, Arun Saini

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Utility of preoperative rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) over standard coagulation assays (SCAs) in predicting intraoperative bleeding during orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in children with liver failure (LF) remains unclear.

Methods: In this single-center retrospective cohort of pediatric OLT recipients, we compared the predictive values of preoperative ROTEM parameters (intrinsic pathway (INTEM) maximum clot firmness (MCF), extrinsic pathway (EXTEM) clotting time (CT), INTEM CT, and fibrinogen-based (FIBTEM) MCF) and the corresponding SCAs (platelet count, international normalized ratio (INR), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and fibrinogen level, respectively) for significant intraoperative bleeding (blood loss of > 22 mL/kg; i.e., ≥ 85th percentile for …

Mir-302 Regulates Pancreatic Progenitor Pool And Pancreatic Size, Ziyue Z Yang, Caroline G Snider, Ronald J Parchem

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Disruptions in pancreatic development can lead to health issues such as pancreatic agenesis and congenital diabetes mellitus. Understanding pancreatic organogenesis is critical for elucidating disease mechanisms and developing regenerative therapies. The pancreas consists of endocrine and exocrine cells, both of which are derived from multipotent progenitor cells (MPCs). MPC proliferation and differentiation are tightly controlled by multiple mechanisms, including post-transcriptional regulation by miRNAs. However, these regulatory factors are not fully understood. Here, we profiled miRNA expression in MPCs and identified that mir-302 was highly enriched during the earliest stages of pancreatic development. Loss of mir-302 resulted in reduced pancreatic size …

Empowering Through Structured Boundaries: An Integral Model For Fostering Balanced Eating And Nutritional Well-Being, Citrine Elatrash, Colleen Macke, Jenna Shi, Theresa Wilson, Sarah H Elsea, Stephanie Sisley

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: Treating obesity in complex disorders requires individualized health management plans. Effective obesity management in the Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS) population has multiple inherent barriers related to their cognitive impairments, anxiety, behavioral disturbances, and sleep disorders. However, to date, no research exists related to strategies caregivers successfully employ to help individuals with SMS manage their food intake and mitigate associated behaviors.

Methods: We performed a qualitative thematic analysis of group interviews from 23 caregivers representing 21 individuals with SMS. Hybrid thematic analysis revealed that successful strategies employed by caregivers in this unique population revolved around a global theme of Empowering Through …

Amino Acids And Lean Mass Accretion In Preterm Neonates, Antonio C Ramos Dos Santos, Marta L Fiorotto, Teresa A Davis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose of review: This review evaluates recent evidence on how total protein and energy intake, amino acid composition, and nutrient delivery modality influence protein synthesis in preterm neonates, with the goal of informing nutritional strategies to support optimal lean mass accretion and growth.

Recent findings: Preterm neonates exhibit anabolic resistance to feeding due to impaired insulin and amino acid signaling in skeletal muscle. Enteral nutrition, especially fortified human milk, supports better lean mass accretion and neurodevelopment than parenteral nutrition. Intermittent bolus feeding and pulsatile leucine supplementation during continuous feeding further enhance mTORC1-dependent translation initiation signaling and protein synthesis efficiency in …

Evolving Burden Of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease And Its Complications In A Us Nationwide Healthcare System, Basim Ali, Ronald Samuel, Jennifer R Kramer, Liang Li, Xian Yu, Yumei Cao, Roxanne Desiderio, George Cholankeril, Steven M Asch, Hashem B El-Serag, Fasiha Kanwal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a growing public health problem. Measuring the burden of cirrhosis and its complications in people with MASLD is important to inform health care delivery.

Methods: We aimed to quantify the changes in the burden of MASLD-related cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a nationwide U.S. healthcare system. We used data from the Veterans Health Administration to examine temporal trends between 2010 and 2021 in the annual incidence and prevalence of cirrhosis and HCC in a large cohort of patients with MASLD, and to compare them to those in patients with hepatitis C …

Esophageal Myotomy And Risk Of Esophageal Cancer And Mortality In Achalasia: Real-World Cohort Study, Fouad Jaber, Mohamad Ali Ibrahim, Mohammed Jaber, Youssef Soliman, Mai A Khalaf, Tara Keihanian, Fares Ayoub, Mohamed O Othman, Salmaan Jawaid

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background and study aims: Achalasia is associated with increased risk of esophageal cancer, particularly squamous cell carcinoma. Although esophageal myotomy improves dysphagia, its impact on cancer risk and mortality remains unclear.

Patients and methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the TriNetX research network, including adults (≥ 18 years) with achalasia confirmed by esophageal manometry. Patients were categorized based on treatment of those undergoing esophageal myotomy (peroral endoscopic myotomy [POEM] or laparoscopic Heller myotomy [LHM]) and those managed without myotomy. Patients with prior esophagectomy or malignancies associated with increased esophageal cancer risk were excluded. The primary outcome was incident …

Hypothyroidism Is Associated With Higher Healthcare Utilisation And Higher Need For Blood Transfusion After Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty (Tka) In Patients With Osteoarthritis: A National Inpatient Sample Analysis, Sumanth R Chandrupatla, Kranti C Rumalla, Jasvinder A Singh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: To examine the association of hypothyroidism with primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) outcomes in adults with primary underlying diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: We identified a prospective cohort of patients in the 2016-2020 national inpatient sample (NIS) that received primary TKA with an underlying diagnosis of OA, identified using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Common Modification (ICD-10-CM) and Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) codes in the primary procedure and diagnosis positions, respectively. We performed multivariable-adjusted regression analyses for healthcare utilisation (length of hospital stay, hospital charges and discharge destination) and clinical outcomes (blood transfusion; prosthetic fracture, dislocation or infection; …

Molecular Heterogeneity Of Hpv-Associated Cancers And Strategies To Overcome Treatment Resistance, Sara Rasouli, Weiyi Gong, Raegan Wood, Danyal Daneshdoust, Anam Khan, Rani Mahyoob, Chongwen Cao, Zihao Yu, Nagireddy Putluri, Gennady Shvets, Haichang Li, Bo Zhao, Xuefeng Liu, Jenny Li

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a major driver of global cancer incidence, responsible for nearly all cervical cancers and a significant proportion of oropharyngeal, anal, and other anogenital cancers. Despite the availability of effective vaccines, HPV-associated cancers persist due to persistent infection, immune evasion, and the virus's ability to integrate into the host genome, contributing to molecular heterogeneity and therapeutic resistance. Here, we summarize molecular heterogeneity and the emerging combined therapeutic strategies. High-risk HPV types, notably HPV16 and HPV18, initiate carcinogenesis through persistent infection of epithelial basal cells and through the actions of the E6 and E7 oncoproteins, which disrupt the …

The Words Community Dwelling, Spanish-Preferring Mexican/Mexican American Adults Use To Talk About Alzheimer’S Disease And Genetic Testing: Implications For Education And Outreach, Jamie C Fong, Fatima I Chavez, Karla Silos, Mirna L Arroyo-Miranda, Gabriela Castro Castro, Mark E Kunik, Joshua M Shulman, Luis D Medina

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Hispanic/Latino (H/L) adults are more likely than non-Hispanic White individuals to have Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet fewer than one in five H/L adults has apolipoprotein E (APOE) Ɛ4, underscoring gaps in understanding genetic risk across H/L heritage groups. H/L adults remain underrepresented in AD research that uses genetic data for participant stratification. To inform culturally appropriate educational materials for 16 million U.S. Spanish speakers, we identified culturally salient words Spanish-preferring H/L adults use to describe AD and genetic testing beyond APOE.

Methods: Community-residing, Spanish-preferring Mexican/Mexican American adults (n = 14) completed freelisting interviews, a method eliciting …

Dynamic Progression Of Ectopic Lymphoid Structure Formation In Lacrimal Glands Of A Sjögren’S Disease Murine Model, Sara Abdelhamid, Alison V Ramirez, Emre Aksan, Elizaveta A Demianova, Cintia S De Paiva, Maria C Edman, J Andrew Mackay, Sarah F Hamm-Alvarez

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Sjögren's Disease (SjD) is a chronic autoimmune condition characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of lacrimal glands (LG) and salivary glands (SG). In SG, these immune structures have properties of ectopic lymphoid structures (ELS) and appear to play a critical role in disease pathology. While the presence of ELS in patients' SG biopsies is linked to disease severity, their presence and composition in LG has not been well characterized.

Methods: The properties and time course of apparent ELS development in LG from the male non-obese diabetes free (NOR) sub-strain of the Non-Obese Diabetic (NOD) mice was investigated at stages encompassing early …

A Comparative Analysis Of The Sport Mental Health Assessment Tool (Smhat-1) Between Paediatric And Adult Olympic And Paralympic Athletes, Ashley N Triplett, Travis Anderson, Eric G Post, Jessica Bartley, Jeffrey S Shilt, Eric L Dugan, Amber Donaldson, Jonathan Finnoff, William M Adams

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: To determine if paediatric athletes exhibit differences in positive screenings on the Sport Mental Health Assessment Tool (SMHAT-1) compared with adults.

Methods: Team USA Olympic and Paralympic paediatric athletes ≤21 years (n=589; 58.8% female; age=19.5±1.7 years) completed the SMHAT-1 between January 2021 and September 2024. A comparative sample of Team USA adult athletes (n=493, 54.2% female; age=27.3±4.9 years) matched for sex and sport was randomly sampled, and the percentage of athletes with a positive screening on each questionnaire was calculated. χ2 analysis compared the proportion of positive screenings between paediatric and adult samples. Piecewise linear regression assessed the association …

A Strategy To Identify Biliary Atresia Efficiently: A Perspective From A Texas Center, Sanjiv Harpavat, Tebyan A Rabbani, Ashley M Upton, Sridevi Devaraj, Jose A Hernandez, Benjamin L Shneider

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Infants with biliary atresia are often diagnosed after 60 days of life because the disease is difficult to detect in its early stages. However, infants treated before 30-45 days of life have the best long-term outcomes. To help accelerate the biliary atresia diagnosis, we have developed a streamlined strategy that involves two sequential tests: (1) direct or conjugated bilirubin measurements and (2) a feeding abdominal ultrasound exam. In this review, the strategy is shared to encourage others to provide feedback as well as to consider incorporating portions into their own clinical workflows.

“Shaking The Ladder” Reveals How Analytic Choices Can Influence Associations In Nutrition Epidemiology: Beef Intake And Coronary Heart Disease As A Case Study, Colby J Vorland, Lauren E O'Connor, Beate Henschel, Cuiqiong Huo, James M Shikany, Carlos A Serrano, Robert Henschel, Stephanie L Dickinson, Keisuke Ejima, Aurelian Bidulescu, David B Allison, Andrew W Brown

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Nutrition epidemiological models involve many analytic decisions, such as defining exposures, selecting which covariates to include, or configuring variables in different ways. We explored the impact of analytical decisions on conclusions in nutrition epidemiology using self-reported beef intake and incident coronary heart disease as a case study. We used REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) data, and selected covariates and their configurations from published literature to recapitulate common models used to assess associations between meat intake and health outcomes. Three model sets were designed: sets one and two used continuous and quintile-defined beef intakes, respectively, each with …