Digital Commons Network^™

Extensive Mycobacterium Abscessus Pneumonia In An Immunocompetent Infant With No Underlying Lung Pathology, Morouge M Alramadhan, James R Murphy, Michael L Chang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pulmonary infection due to Mycobacterium abscessus occurs in patients with cystic fibrosis, but rarely in immunocompetent children without underlying lung pathology. Treatment is complicated by frequent resistance to many antibiotics. We present a case report of a 4-month-old female infant with 2 months of cough, difficulty feeding, and failure to thrive, with extensive culture-confirmed M. abscessus pulmonary infection without identified immunodeficiency or underlying lung pathology following multidisciplinary evaluation. We describe our complete evaluation including immunodeficiency evaluation incorporating whole-exome sequencing, describe our antibiotic selection and treatment duration given complicated susceptibility pattern of the M. abscessus isolate, and review literature for nontuberculous …

Recognizing A Mis-Chievous Cause Of Acute Viral Gastroenteritis, Rohit Josyabhatla, Ankur A Kamdar, Shabba A Armbrister, Rhea Daniel, Konstantinos Boukas, Keely G Smith, Melissa R Van Arsdall, Kokila Kakarala, Anthony R Flores, Audrey Wanger, Yuying Liu, Jon Marc Rhoads

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Historically, children evaluated for vomiting and diarrhea secondary to viral enteritis have symptoms lasting 2-4 days and respond to supportive care, including oral rehydration and anti-emetics if required. Recently, within a 14-day timespan, we encountered three children with severe diarrhea who rapidly became dehydrated and went into hypotensive shock. Although SARS-CoV-2 molecular tests were negative by nasopharyngeal swab, all were later found to have MIS-C. This small case series underscores features reported in previous larger studies and emphasizes the rapid clinical evolution of this condition. We highlight the importance of early recognition of cardinal laboratory findings characteristic of MIS-C (i.e., …

Indications For Inpatient Magnetoencephalography In Children - An Institution's Experience, Michael W Watkins, Ekta G Shah, Michael E Funke, Stephanie Garcia-Tarodo, Manish N Shah, Nitin Tandon, Fernando Maestu, Christopher Laohathai, David I Sandberg, Jeremy Lankford, Stephen Thompson, John Mosher, Gretchen Von Allmen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is recognized as a valuable non-invasive clinical method for localization of the epileptogenic zone and critical functional areas, as part of a pre-surgical evaluation for patients with pharmaco-resistant epilepsy. MEG is also useful in localizing functional areas as part of pre-surgical planning for tumor resection. MEG is usually performed in an outpatient setting, as one part of an evaluation that can include a variety of other testing modalities including 3-Tesla MRI and inpatient video-electroencephalography monitoring. In some clinical circumstances, however, completion of the MEG as an inpatient can provide crucial ictal or interictal localization data during an ongoing …

Conservation Of Epithelial-To-Mesenchymal Transition Process In Neural Crest Cells And Metastatic Cancer, April Zhang, Hira Aslam, Neha Sharma, Aryeh Warmflash, Walid D Fakhouri

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a highly conserved cellular process in several species, from worms to humans. EMT plays a fundamental role in early embryogenesis, wound healing, and cancer metastasis. For neural crest cell (NCC) development, EMT typically results in forming a migratory and potent cell population that generates a wide variety of cell and tissue, including cartilage, bone, connective tissue, endocrine cells, neurons, and glia amongst many others. The degree of conservation between the signaling pathways that regulate EMT during development and metastatic cancer (MC) has not been fully established, despite ample studies. This systematic review and meta-analysis …

Can Erythropoietin Reduce Hypoxemic Neurological Damages In Neonates With Congenital Heart Defects?, Sara Ottolenghi, Giuseppina Milano, Michele Dei Cas, Tina O Findley, Rita Paroni, Antonio F Corno

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Congenital heart defects (CHD), the most common cause of birth defects with increasing birth prevalence, affect nearly 1% of live births worldwide. Cyanotic CHD are characterized by hypoxemia, with subsequent reduced oxygen delivery to the brain, especially critical during brain development, beginning in the fetus and continuing through the neonatal period. Therefore, neonates with CHD carry a high risk for neurological comorbidities, even more frequently when there are associated underlying genetic disorders. We review the currently available knowledge on potential prevention strategies to reduce brain damage induced by hypoxemia during fetal development and immediately after birth, and the role of …

Hippo-Yap Pathway Orchestrates Neural Crest Ontogenesis, Xiaolei Zhao, Tram P Le, Shannon Erhardt, Tina O Findley, Jun Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Neural crest (NC) cells are a migratory stem cell population in vertebrate embryogenesis that can give rise to multiple cell types, including osteoblasts, chondrocytes, smooth muscle cells, neurons, glia, and melanocytes, greatly contributing to the development of different tissues and organs. Defects in NC development are implicated in many human diseases, such as numerous syndromes, craniofacial aberration and congenital heart defects. Research on NC development has gained intense interest and made significant progress. Recent studies showed that the Hippo-Yap pathway, a conserved fundamental pathway with key roles in regulation of cell proliferation, survival, and differentiation, is indispensable for normal NC …

Deep Learning For Automated Analysis Of Cellular And Extracellular Components Of The Foreign Body Response In Multiphoton Microscopy Images, Mattia Sarti, Maria Parlani, Luis Diaz-Gomez, Antonios G Mikos, Pietro Cerveri, Stefano Casarin, Eleonora Dondossola

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The Foreign body response (FBR) is a major unresolved challenge that compromises medical implant integration and function by inflammation and fibrotic encapsulation. Mice implanted with polymeric scaffolds coupled to intravital non-linear multiphoton microscopy acquisition enable multiparametric, longitudinal investigation of the FBR evolution and interference strategies. However, follow-up analyses based on visual localization and manual segmentation are extremely time-consuming, subject to human error, and do not allow for automated parameter extraction. We developed an integrated computational pipeline based on an innovative and versatile variant of the U-Net neural network to segment and quantify cellular and extracellular structures of interest, which is …

Prevalence And Factors Associated With Mental Health Symptoms In Adults Undergoing Covid-19 Testing, Ikponmwosa Osaghae, Linh K Nguyen, Tong Han Chung, Olivia Moffitt, Yen-Chi L Le, Mark B Suh, Pooja N Prasad, Eric J Thomas, Christine D Gordon, Kevin O Hwang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Understanding the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on persons receiving COVID-19 testing will help guide mental health interventions. We aimed to determine the association between sociodemographic factors and mental health symptoms at 8 weeks (baseline) after a COVID-19 test, and compare prevalence of mental health symptoms at baseline to those at 16-week follow-up.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective cohort study of adults who received outpatient COVID-19 testing at primary care clinics. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between sociodemographic characteristics and COVID-19 test results with mental health symptoms. Mental health symptoms reported at …

Prevalence And Factors Associated With Mental Health Symptoms In Adults Undergoing Covid-19 Testing, Ikponmwosa Osaghae, Linh K Nguyen, Tong Han Chung, Olivia Moffitt, Yen-Chi L Le, Mark B Suh, Pooja N Prasad, Eric J Thomas, Christine D Gordon, Kevin O Hwang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Understanding the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on persons receiving COVID-19 testing will help guide mental health interventions. We aimed to determine the association between sociodemographic factors and mental health symptoms at 8 weeks (baseline) after a COVID-19 test, and compare prevalence of mental health symptoms at baseline to those at 16-week follow-up.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective cohort study of adults who received outpatient COVID-19 testing at primary care clinics. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between sociodemographic characteristics and COVID-19 test results with mental health symptoms. Mental health symptoms reported at …

Influenza Vaccination For The Prevention Of Cardiovascular Disease In The Americas: Consensus Document Of The Inter-American Society Of Cardiology And The Word Heart Federation, Álvaro Sosa Liprandi, María Inés Sosa Liprandi, Ezequiel José Zaidel, Gabriel M Aisenberg, Adrián Baranchuk, Eduardo Costa Duarte Barbosa, Gabriela Borrayo Sánchez, Bryce Alexander, Fernando Tomás Lanas Zanetti, Ricardo López Santi, Ana Girleza Múnera-Echeverri, Pablo Perel, Daniel Piskorz, Carlos Enrique Ruiz-Mori, Jorge Saucedo, Osiris Valdez, José Ramón González Juanatey, Daniel José Piñeiro, Fausto J Pinto, Fernando Stuardo Wyss Quintana

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular mortality is decreasing but remains the leading cause of death world-wide. Respiratory infections such as influenza significantly contribute to morbidity and mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease. Despite of proven benefits, influenza vaccination is not fully implemented, especially in Latin America.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to develop a regional consensus with recommendations regarding influenza vaccination and cardiovascular disease.

METHODS: A multidisciplinary team composed by experts in the management and prevention of cardiovascular disease from the Americas, convened by the Inter-American Society of Cardiology (IASC) and the World Heart Federation (WHF), participated in the process and the formulation of …

Mir-9-1 Suppresses Cell Proliferation And Promotes Apoptosis By Targeting Uhrf1 In Lung Cancer, Cheng-You Jia, Wei Xiang, Ji-Bin Liu, Geng-Xi Jiang, Feng Sun, Jian-Jun Wu, Xiao-Li Yang, Rui Xin, Yi Shi, Dan-Dan Zhang, Wen Li, Zavuga Zuberi, Jie Zhang, Gai-Xia Lu, Hui-Min Wang, Pei-Yao Wang, Fei Yu, Zhong-Wei Lv, Yu-Shui Ma, Da Fu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Lung cancer is listed as the most common reason for cancer-related death all over the world despite diagnostic improvements and the development of chemotherapy and targeted therapies. MicroRNAs control both physiological and pathological processes including development and cancer. A microRNA-9 to 1 (miR-9 to 1) overexpression model in lung cancer cell lines was established and miR-9 to 1 was found to significantly suppress the proliferation rate in lung cancer cell lines, colony formation in vitro, and tumorigenicity in nude mice of A549 cells. Ubiquitin-like containing PHD and RING finger domains 1 (UHRF1) was then identified to direct target of miR-9 …

Prevalence And Factors Associated With Mental Health Symptoms In Adults Undergoing Covid-19 Testing, Ikponmwosa Osaghae, Linh K Nguyen, Tong Han Chung, Olivia Moffitt, Yen-Chi L Le, Mark B Suh, Pooja N Prasad, Eric J Thomas, Christine D Gordon, Kevin O Hwang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Understanding the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on persons receiving COVID-19 testing will help guide mental health interventions. We aimed to determine the association between sociodemographic factors and mental health symptoms at 8 weeks (baseline) after a COVID-19 test, and compare prevalence of mental health symptoms at baseline to those at 16-week follow-up.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective cohort study of adults who received outpatient COVID-19 testing at primary care clinics. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between sociodemographic characteristics and COVID-19 test results with mental health symptoms. Mental health symptoms reported at …

Correlation Between Concentrations Of Four Heavy Metals In Cord Blood And Childhood Blood Of Jamaican Children, Mohammad H Rahbar, Maureen Samms-Vaughan, Manouchehr Hessabi, Jan Bressler, Shezeen Gillani, Megan L Grove, Sydonnie Shakspeare-Pellington, Katherine A Loveland

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This study investigated whether the concentrations of four metals [lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), and aluminum (Al)] are correlated in cord blood and childhood blood samples from Jamaican children. Cord blood samples were obtained from 21 pregnant women enrolled in the second Jamaican Birth Cohort Study from July 1, 2011 to September 30, 2011, and blood samples were drawn from their children who participated in a follow up study when the children were 4–8 years old. Correlations were assessed by the Pearson or the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. The mean ages of children at the childhood visit and their …

Endmt Regulation By Small Rnas In Diabetes-Associated Fibrotic Conditions: Potential Link With Oxidative Stress, Roberta Giordo, Yusra M A Ahmed, Hilda Allam, Salah Abusnana, Lucia Pappalardo, Gheyath K Nasrallah, Arduino Aleksander Mangoni, Gianfranco Pintus

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Diabetes-associated complications, such as retinopathy, nephropathy, cardiomyopathy, and atherosclerosis, the main consequences of long-term hyperglycemia, often lead to organ dysfunction, disability, and increased mortality. A common denominator of these complications is the myofibroblast-driven excessive deposition of extracellular matrix proteins. Although fibroblast appears to be the primary source of myofibroblasts, other cells, including endothelial cells, can generate myofibroblasts through a process known as endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndMT). During EndMT, endothelial cells lose their typical phenotype to acquire mesenchymal features, characterized by the development of invasive and migratory abilities as well as the expression of typical mesenchymal products such as α-smooth …

Carving The Path To Allogeneic Car T Cell Therapy In Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Oren Pasvolsky, May Daher, Gheath Alatrash, David Marin, Naval Daver, Farhad Ravandi, Katy Rezvani, Elizabeth Shpall, Partow Kebriaei

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Despite advances in the understanding of the genetic landscape of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and the addition of targeted biological and epigenetic therapies to the available armamentarium, achieving long-term disease-free survival remains an unmet need. Building on growing knowledge of the interactions between leukemic cells and their bone marrow microenvironment, strategies to battle AML by immunotherapy are under investigation. In the current review we describe the advances in immunotherapy for AML, with a focus on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy. CARs constitute powerful immunologic modalities, with proven clinical success in B-Cell malignancies. We discuss the challenges and possible …

The Association Of Pre-Kidney Transplant Dialysis Modality With De Novo Posttransplant Heart Failure, Colin R Lenihan, Sai Liu, Medha Airy, Carl Walther, Maria E Montez-Rath, Wolfgang C Winkelmayer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) after kidney transplantation is a significant but understudied problem. Pretransplant dialysis modality could influence incident HF risk through differing cardiac stressors. However, whether pretransplant dialysis modality is associated with the development of posttransplant HF is unknown.

METHODS: We used the US Renal Data System to assemble a cohort of 27,701 patients who underwent their first kidney transplant in the USA between the years 2005 and 2012 and who had Medicare fee-for-service coverage for >6 months preceding their transplant date. Patients with any HF diagnosis prior to transplant were excluded. Detailed baseline patient characteristics and comorbidities were …

Mucins, Gut Microbiota, And Postbiotics Role In Colorectal Cancer, Ramesh Pothuraju, Sanjib Chaudhary, Satyanarayana Rachagani, Sukhwinder Kaur, Hemant K Roy, Michael Bouvet, Surinder K Batra

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

An imbalance in the crosstalk between the host and gut microbiota affects the intestinal barrier function, which results in inflammatory diseases and colorectal cancer. The colon epithelium protects itself from a harsh environment and various pathogenic organisms by forming a double mucus layer, primarily comprising mucins. Recent studies are focusing on how dietary patterns alter the gut microbiota composition, which in turn regulates mucin expression and maintains the intestinal layers. In addition, modulation of gut microbiota by microbiotic therapy (involving fecal microbiota transplantation) has emerged as a significant factor in the pathologies associated with dysbiosis. Therefore, proper communication between host …

Case Report: Dupilumab Successfully Controls Severe Eczema In A Child With Elevated Ige Levels And Recurrent Skin Infections, Tejas P Joshi, Sara Anvari, Meera R Gupta, Carla M Davis, Joud Hajjar

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The efficacy of dupilumab in pediatric patients with severe eczema presenting in the setting of elevated immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels and recurrent bacterial skin infections is not well-understood. Here we present the case of a child with elevated IgE levels in whom dupilumab treatment led to remarkable control of his eczema and recurrent skin infections. We also review the use of dupilumab in other patients with molecularly proven cases of hyper IgE (HIGE) syndrome. Our case supports the notion that dupilumab may have a seminal application in treating severe eczema that occurs in the setting of elevated IgE levels and …

Open Problems In Extracellular Rna Data Analysis: Insights From An Ercc Online Workshop, Roger P Alexander, Robert R Kitchen, Juan Pablo Tosar, Matthew Roth, Pieter Mestdagh, Klaas E A Max, Joel Rozowsky, Karolina Elżbieta Kaczor-Urbanowicz, Justin Chang, Leonora Balaj, Bojan Losic, Eric L Van Nostrand, Emily Laplante, Bogdan Mateescu, Brian S White, Rongshan Yu, Aleksander Milosavljevic, Gustavo Stolovitzky, Ryan M Spengler

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

We now know RNA can survive the harsh environment of biofluids when encapsulated in vesicles or by associating with lipoproteins or RNA binding proteins. These extracellular RNA (exRNA) play a role in intercellular signaling, serve as biomarkers of disease, and form the basis of new strategies for disease treatment. The Extracellular RNA Communication Consortium (ERCC) hosted a two-day online workshop (April 19–20, 2021) on the unique challenges of exRNA data analysis. The goal was to foster an open dialog about best practices and discuss open problems in the field, focusing initially on small exRNA sequencing data. Video recordings of workshop …

Genomic Mapping Of Dna-Repair Reaction Intermediates In Living Cells With Engineered Dna Structure-Trap Proteins, Jingjing Liu, Qian Mei, Sadeieh Nimer, Devon M Fitzgerald, Susan M Rosenberg

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Diverse DNA structures occur as reaction intermediates in various DNA-damage and -repair mechanisms, most of which results from replication stress. We harness the power of proteins evolutionarily optimized to bind and "trap" specific DNA reaction-intermediate structures, to quantify the structures, and discern the mechanisms of their occurrence in cells. The engineered proteins also allow genomic mapping of sites at which specific DNA structures occur preferentially, using a structure-trapping protein and ChIP-seq- or Cut-and-Tag-like methods. Genome-wide identification of sites with recurrent DNA-damage intermediates has illuminated mechanisms implicated in genome instability, replication stress, and chromosome fragility. Here, we describe X-seq, for identifying …

Kv13 Channel Up-Regulation In Peripheral Blood T Lymphocytes Of Patients With Multiple Sclerosis, Ioannis Markakis, Ioannis Charitakis, Christine Beeton, Melpomeni Galani, Elpida Repousi, Stella Aggeloglou, Petros P Sfikakis, Michael W Pennington, K George Chandy, Cornelia Poulopoulou

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Voltage-gated Kv1.3 potassium channels are key regulators of T lymphocyte activation, proliferation and cytokine production, by providing the necessary membrane hyper-polarization for calcium influx following immune stimulation. It is noteworthy that an accumulating body of in vivo and in vitro evidence links these channels to multiple sclerosis pathophysiology. Here we studied the electrophysiological properties and the transcriptional and translational expression of T lymphocyte Kv1.3 channels in multiple sclerosis, by combining patch clamp recordings, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and flow cytometry on freshly isolated peripheral blood T lymphocytes from two patient cohorts with multiple sclerosis, as well as from healthy …

An International Study Of Interobserver Variability Of “String Sign” Of Pancreatic Cysts Among Experienced Endosonographers, Seifeldin Hakim, Emmanuel Coronel, Graciela M Nogueras González, Philip S Ge, Suresh T Chari, Nirav Thosani, Srinivas Ramireddy, Ricardo Badillo, Tomas Davee, Marc F Catalano, Robert J Sealock, Sreeram Parupudi, Lyndon V Hernandez, Virendra Joshi, Atsushi Irisawa, Surinder Rana, Sundeep Lakhtakia, Peter Vilmann, Adrian Saftoiu, Siyu Sun, Marc Giovannini, Matthew H Katz, Michael P Kim, Manoop S Bhutani

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: No single optimal test reliably determines the pancreatic cyst subtype. Following EUS-FNA, the "string sign" test can differentiate mucinous from nonmucinous cysts. However, the interobserver variability of string sign results has not been studied.

METHODS: An experienced endosonographer performed EUS-FNA of pancreatic cysts on different patients and was recorded on video performing the string sign test for each. The videos were shared internationally with 14 experienced endosonographers, with a survey for each video: "Is the string sign positive?" and "If the string sign is positive, what is the length of the formed string?" Also asked "What is …

Meta-Analysis Comparing Outcomes Of Catheter Ablation For Ventricular Arrhythmia In Ischemic Versus Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy, Indranill Basu-Ray, Dibbendhu Khanra, Sumit K Shah, Anindya Mukherjee, Sudhanva V Char, Bhavna Jain, T Jared Bunch, Michael Gold, Adedayo A Adeboye, Mohammad Saeed

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Catheter ablation is an effective treatment for ventricular arrhythmia (VA) in ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM). However, results in non-ICM (NICM) patients are not satisfactory, and studies comparing differences between NICM and ICM are limited. We conducted a meta-analysis of procedural characteristics and long-term outcomes of catheter ablation for VA, comparing results between ICM and NICM.

METHODS: Studies in the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were systematically reviewed. Four studies reporting comparison of catheter ablation of VA between ICM and NICM were examined. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to appraise study quality. A random-effects model with inverse variance method was used …

Thyroid Storm In A Patient With Covid-19, Angela N Rao, Ruaa Y Al-Ward, Ruchi Gaba

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: A thyroid storm is a severe exacerbation of thyrotoxicosis that can cause significant morbidity and mortality. The emergence of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that originated in Wuhan, China, has become a worldwide pandemic. We present the first documented case of thyroid storm (as defined by the Burch-Wartofsky criteria) in a patient with COVID-19.

METHODS: Laboratory and diagnostic studies, including thyroid function tests, thyroid antibody testing, SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal polymerase chain reaction testing, and thyroid ultrasound were performed.

RESULTS: A 25-year-old woman presented to the hospital with dry cough, dyspnea, palpitations, weight loss, diarrhea, and anxiety. Physical examination revealed exophthalmos with …

An International Study Of Interobserver Variability Of “String Sign” Of Pancreatic Cysts Among Experienced Endosonographers, Wanda Phipatanakul, David T Mauger, Theresa W Guilbert, Leonard B Bacharier, Sandy Durrani, Daniel J Jackson, Fernando D Martinez, Anne M Fitzpatrick, Amparito Cunningham, Susan Kunselman, Lisa M Wheatley, Cindy Bauer, Carla M Davis, Bob Geng, Kirsten M Kloepfer, Craig Lapin, Andrew H Liu, Jacqueline A Pongracic, Stephen J Teach, James Chmiel, Jonathan M Gaffin, Matthew Greenhawt, Meera R Gupta, Peggy S Lai, Robert F Lemanske, Wayne J Morgan, William J Sheehan, Jeffrey Stokes, Peter S Thorne, Hans C Oettgen, Elliot Israel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Asthma remains one of the most important challenges to pediatric public health in the US. A large majority of children with persistent and chronic asthma demonstrate aeroallergen sensitization, which remains a pivotal risk factor associated with the development of persistent, progressive asthma throughout life. In individuals with a tendency toward Type 2 inflammation, sensitization and exposure to high concentrations of offending allergens is associated with increased risk for development of, and impairment from, asthma. The cascade of biological responses to allergens is primarily mediated through IgE antibodies and their production is further stimulated by IgE responses to antigen exposure. In …

Power Washing Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis, Tiana R Endicott-Yazdani, Gary S Schwartz, Haiying Zhang, Randall L Rosenblatt, Puneet S Garcha

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is an uncommon cause of insidious onset shortness of breath and hypoxemia. It is caused by an accumulation of surfactant within the alveoli. Left untreated, it can be fatal. Standard-of-care treatment is whole-lung lavage; however, in severe cases, the associated hypoxemia can be profound and single-lung ventilation would not be tolerated, potentially preventing a lifesaving treatment. Single cases using veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to perform whole-lung lavage have been reported. Here we describe three patients with severe pulmonary alveolar proteinosis who were successfully treated with whole-lung lavage using veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for oxygenation support.

Mitochondrial Regulation Of Diabetic Kidney Disease, Daniel L Galvan, Koki Mise, Farhad R Danesh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The role and nature of mitochondrial dysfunction in diabetic kidney disease (DKD) has been extensively studied. Yet, the molecular drivers of mitochondrial remodeling in DKD are poorly understood. Diabetic kidney cells exhibit a cascade of mitochondrial dysfunction ranging from changes in mitochondrial morphology to significant alterations in mitochondrial biogenesis, biosynthetic, bioenergetics and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). How these changes individually or in aggregate contribute to progression of DKD remain to be fully elucidated. Nevertheless, because of the remarkable progress in our basic understanding of the role of mitochondrial biology and its dysfunction in DKD, there is great excitement …

Ketamine: Neuroprotective Or Neurotoxic?, Divya Choudhury, Anita E Autry, Kimberley F Tolias, Vaishnav Krishnan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Ketamine, a non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, has been employed clinically as an intravenous anesthetic since the 1970s. More recently, ketamine has received attention for its rapid antidepressant effects and is actively being explored as a treatment for a wide range of neuropsychiatric syndromes. In model systems, ketamine appears to display a combination of neurotoxic and neuroprotective properties that are context dependent. At anesthetic doses applied during neurodevelopmental windows, ketamine contributes to inflammation, autophagy, apoptosis, and enhances levels of reactive oxygen species. At the same time, subanesthetic dose ketamine is a powerful activator of multiple parallel neurotrophic signaling cascades …

Enhancing Glucose Metabolism Via Gluconeogenesis Is Therapeutic In A Zebrafish Model Of Dravet Syndrome, Rajeswari Banerji, Christopher Huynh, Francisco Figueroa, Matthew T Dinday, Scott C Baraban, Manisha Patel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Energy-producing pathways are novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders. Here, we focussed on correcting metabolic defects in a catastrophic paediatric epilepsy, Dravet syndrome which is caused by mutations in sodium channel NaV1.1 gene, SCN1A. We utilized a translatable zebrafish model of Dravet syndrome (scn1lab) which exhibits key characteristics of patients with Dravet syndrome and shows metabolic deficits accompanied by down-regulation of gluconeogenesis genes, pck1 and pck2. Using a metabolism-based small library screen, we identified compounds that increased gluconeogenesis via up-regulation of pck1 gene expression in scn1lab larvae. Treatment with PK11195, a pck1 activator …

Pharmacologically Induced Ex Copula Ejaculation In Horses And Donkeys, Afroza Khanam, Ayman A Swelum, Firdous A Khan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Pharmacologically induced ex copula ejaculation is a method used for collection of semen when the traditional methods of semen collection are not feasible. Common indications for this method include health issues that either preclude the physical act of mating or result in impaired erection and ejaculation. The method also offers an alternative when there is a lack of equipment and facilities required for semen collection using the conventional artificial vagina method. A variety of pharmacological protocols for ex copula ejaculation in stallions have been evaluated in both research and clinical settings with no serious side-effects reported. In general, these protocols …