Digital Commons Network^™

Epigenetic Dysregulations In Arsenic-Induced Carcinogenesis, Ranakul Islam, Lei Zhao, Yifang Wang, Grace Lu-Yao, Ling-Zhi Liu

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Arsenic is a crucial environmental metalloid whose high toxicity levels negatively impact human health. It poses significant health concerns to millions of people in developed and developing countries such as the USA, Canada, Bangladesh, India, China, and Mexico by enhancing sensitivity to various types of diseases, including cancers. However, how arsenic causes changes in gene expression that results in heinous conditions remains elusive. One of the proposed essential mechanisms that still has seen limited research with regard to causing disease upon arsenic exposure is the dysregulation of epigenetic components. In this review, we have extensively summarized current discoveries in arsenic-induced …

Be The Change: Advancing Lung Health And Closing The Global Healthcare Gap, Gregory P Downey, M Patricia Rivera, Lynn Schnapp, Irina Petrache, Jesse Roman, Karen Collishaw

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Dataset Of Middle Cerebral Artery Blood Flow Stability In Response To High-Definition Transcranial Electrical Stimulation, Luiz H. Stefano, Diandra B. Favoretto, Diego C. Nascimento, Luan R.A. Santos, Marom Bikson, Joao P. Leite, Octavio M. Pontes-Neto, Dylan J. Edwards, Taiza G.S. Edwards

Moss-Magee Rehabilitation Papers

This supplementary dataset is supportive of the randomized sham-controlled, double-blind, crossover clinical trial investigating polarity- and intensity-dependent effects of high-definition transcranial electrical stimulation (HD-tDCS) applied over the right temporo-parietal junction on mean middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity (MCA-BFv) bilaterally. Data of eleven healthy right-handed adults (6 women, 5 men; mean age 31 ± 5.6 years old) were analyzed for MCA-BFv, assessed using transcranial doppler ultrasound on the stimulated and the contralateral hemisphere concomitantly, during and after 3 blocks of 2 min HD-tDCS at 1, 2, and 3 mA. Participants received three electrical stimulation conditions (anode center, cathode center, and …

How Does Spinopelvic Alignment Influence Short-Term Clinical Outcomes After Lumbar Fusion In Patients With Single-Level Degenerative Spondylolisthesis?, Stephen Dimaria, Brian A. Karamian, Mark J. Lambrechts, Arun P. Kanhere, John J. Mangan, Winston W. Yen, Arlene Maheu, Mahir A. Qureshi, Jose A. Canseco, David L. Kaye, Barrett I. Woods, Mark F. Kurd

Rothman Institute Papers

Context: Studies on adult spinal deformity have shown spinopelvic malalignment results in worse outcomes. However, it is unclear if this relationship exists in patients with single‑level degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS) receiving short‑segment fusions.

Aims: To determine if spinopelvic alignment affects patient‑reported outcome measures (PROMs) after posterior lumbar decompression and fusion (PLDF) with or without a transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion in patients with L4‑5 DS.

Settings and Design: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted on patients who underwent PLDF for L4‑5 DS at a single tertiary referral academic medical center.

Materials and Methods:Patients were divided into groups based on preoperative cutoff …

Bridging Thrombolysis In Atrial Fibrillation Stroke Is Associated With Increased Hemorrhagic Complications Without Improved Outcomes, Feras Akbik, Ali Alawieh, Laurie Dimisko, Brian M. Howard, C Michael Cawley, Frank C. Tong, Fadi Nahab, Owen B. Samuels, Ilko Maier, Wuwei Feng, Nitin Goyal, Robert M. Starke, Ansaar Rai, Kyle M. Fargen, Marios N. Psychogios, Pascal Jabbour, Reade De Leacy, Saleh G. Keyrouz, Travis M. Dumont, Peter Kan, Jan Liman, Adam S. Arthur, Stacey Q. Wolfe, J. Mocco, Roberto Javier Crosa, W Christopher Fox, Benjamin Gory, Alejandro M. Spiotta, Jonathan A. Grossberg

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) associated ischemic stroke is associated with worse functional outcomes, less effective recanalization, and increased rates of hemorrhagic complications after intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). Conversely, AF is not associated with hemorrhagic complications or functional outcomes in patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy (MT). This differential effect of MT and IVT in AF associated stroke raises the question of whether bridging thrombolysis increases hemorrhagic complications in AF patients undergoing MT.

METHODS: This international cohort study of 22 comprehensive stroke centers analyzed patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) undergoing MT between June 1, 2015 and December 31, 2020. Patients were divided into …

Defective Rab31-Mediated Megakaryocytic Early Endosomal Trafficking Of Vwf, Egfr, And M6pr In Runx1 Deficiency, Gauthami Jalagadugula, Guangfen Mao, Lawrence E Goldfinger, Jeremy Wurtzel, Fabiola Del Carpio-Cano, Michele P Lambert, Brian Estevez, Deborah L French, Mortimer Poncz, A Koneti Rao

Cardeza Foundation for Hematologic Research

Transcription factor RUNX1 is a master regulator of hematopoiesis and megakaryopoiesis. RUNX1 haplodeficiency (RHD) is associated with thrombocytopenia and platelet granule deficiencies and dysfunction. Platelet profiling of our study patient with RHD showed decreased expression of RAB31, a small GTPase whose cell biology in megakaryocytes (MKs)/platelets is unknown. Platelet RAB31 messenger RNA was decreased in the index patient and in 2 additional patients with RHD. Promoter-reporter studies using phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-treated megakaryocytic human erythroleukemia cells revealed that RUNX1 regulates RAB31 via binding to its promoter. We investigated RUNX1 and RAB31 roles in endosomal dynamics using immunofluorescence staining for markers of …

A Response To: Letter To The Editor Regarding "Importance Of Early Screening And Diagnosis Of Chronic Kidney Disease In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes"., Neil Skolnik, Alyssa Style

Department of Family & Community Medicine Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Pleomorphic Dermal Sarcoma Of The Scalp: Review Of Management And Distinguishing Features From Atypical Fibroxanthoma, Alexa J Cohen, Sahithi Talasila, Bojan Lazarevic, Laura Gleason, Viral Patel, Neda Nikbakht

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Serpinb3 Drives Cancer Stem Cell Survival In Glioblastoma, Adam Lauko, Josephine Volovetz, Soumya M Turaga, Defne Bayik, Daniel J Silver, Kelly Mitchell, Erin E Mulkearns-Hubert, Dionysios C Watson, Kiran Desai, Manav Midha, Jing Hao, Kathleen Mccortney, Alicia Steffens, Ulhas Naik, Manmeet S Ahluwalia, Shideng Bao, Craig Horbinski, Jennifer S Yu, Justin D Lathia

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Despite therapeutic interventions for glioblastoma (GBM), cancer stem cells (CSCs) drive recurrence. The precise mechanisms underlying CSC resistance, namely inhibition of cell death, are unclear. We built on previous observations that the high cell surface expression of junctional adhesion molecule-A drives CSC maintenance and identified downstream signaling networks, including the cysteine protease inhibitor SerpinB3. Using genetic depletion approaches, we found that SerpinB3 is necessary for CSC maintenance, survival, and tumor growth, as well as CSC pathway activation. Knockdown of SerpinB3 also increased apoptosis and susceptibility to radiation therapy. SerpinB3 was essential to buffer cathepsin L-mediated cell death, which was enhanced …

Next-Generation Sequencing Supports Targeted Antibiotic Treatment For Culture Negative Orthopedic Infections, Ravina Kullar, Emanuele Chisari, James Snyder, Christopher Cooper, Javad Parvizi, Jason Sniffen

Rothman Institute Papers

The isolation of an infective pathogen can be challenging in some patients with active, clinically apparent infectious diseases. Despite efforts in the microbiology lab to improve the sensitivity of culture in orthopedic implant-associated infections, the clinically relevant information often falls short of expectations. The management of peri-prosthetic joint infections (PJI) provides an excellent example of the use and benefits of newer diagnostic technologies to supplement the often-inadequate yield of traditional culture methods as a substantial percentage of orthopedic infections are culture-negative. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has the potential to improve upon this yield. Bringing molecular diagnostics into practice can provide critical …

Design, Development, And Testing Of Best4baby, An Mhealth Technology To Support Exclusive Breastfeeding In India: Pilot Study., Tony Ma, Katie Chang, Amal Alyusuf, Elina Bajracharya, Yukiko Washio, Patricia J Kelly, Roopa M Bellad, Niranjana S Mahantashetti, Umesh Charantimath, Vanessa Short, Parth Lalakia, Frances J. Jaeger, Shivaprasad Goudar, Richard Derman

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) at 6 months of age in most low- and middle-income countries, including India, is surprisingly low. There is a relative lack of mobile health apps that specifically focus on leveraging the use of peer counselors (PCs) to support mothers as a means of increasing EBF practices in low- and middle-income countries.

Objective: This study aimed to design, develop, and test the usability of Breastfeeding Education Support Tool for Baby (BEST4Baby), a mobile health app specifically designed to support PCs in providing in-home breastfeeding counseling support to mothers in rural India on optimal breastfeeding practices.

Methods: A …

Role Of Hla-I Structural Variants And The Polyreactive Antibodies They Generate In Immune Homeostasis, Mepur H Ravindranath, Fatiha El Hilali, Carly J Amato-Menker, Hajar El Hilali, Senthamil R Selvan, Edward J Filippone

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Cell-surface HLA-I molecules consisting of β2-microglobulin (β2m) associated heavy chains (HCs), referred to as Face-1, primarily present peptides to CD8+ T-cells. HCs consist of three α-domains, with selected amino acid sequences shared by all alleles of all six isoforms. The cell-surface HLA undergoes changes upon activation by pathological conditions with the expression of β2m-free HCs (Face-2) resulting in exposure of β2m-masked sequences shared by almost all alleles and the generation of HLA-polyreactive antibodies (Abs) against them. Face-2 may homodimerize or heterodimerize with the same (Face-3) or different alleles (Face-4) preventing exposure of shared epitopes. Non-allo immunized males naturally carry HLA-polyreactive …

Characterizing Metastatic Uveal Melanoma Patients Who Develop Symptomatic Brain Metastases., Alexander Z Wei, Matan Uriel, Agata Porcu, Michael P Manos, Ann C Mercurio, Michael M Caplan, Liam Hulse, Rino S Seedor, Marta Holovatska, Jasmine Francis, Shaheer A Khan, Diana E Mcdonnell, Dmitry Bogomolny, Takami Sato, Brian P Marr, Rizwan Haq, Marlana Orloff, Alexander Shoushtari, Richard D Carvajal

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Metastatic uveal melanoma (mUM) is an advanced ocular malignancy characterized by a hepatotropic pattern of spread. As the incidence of brain metastases (BM) in mUM patients has been thought to be low, routine CNS surveillance has not been recommended. Notably, no formal assessment of BM incidence in mUM has to date been published to support this clinical practice. We aimed to determine the true rate of BM in mUM and to clarify the clinical and genomic risk factors associated with BM patients through a collaborative multicenter, retrospective research effort. Data collected from 1,845 mUM patients in databases across four NCI-designated …

Alterations In Cerebral Glucose Metabolism Measured By Fdg Pet In Subjects Performing A Meditation Practice Based On Clitoral Stimulation, Andrew B. Newberg, Nancy A. Wintering, Chloe Hriso, Faezeh Vedaei, Feroze B. Mohamed, Sara E. Gottfried, Reneita Ross

Institute of Emerging Health Professions Faculty Papers

Background: The relationship between sexuality, or the libido, and spirituality or religion has long been debated in psychiatry. Recent studies have explored the neurophysiology of both sexual experiences and spiritual practices such as meditation or prayer. In the present study, we report changes in cerebral glucose metabolism in a unique meditation practice augmented by clitoral stimulation called, Orgasmic Meditation, in which a spiritual state is described to be attained by both male and female participants engaged in the practice as a pair.

Methods: Male (N=20) and female (N=20) subjects had an intravenous catheter connected to a bag of normal saline …

Symptom Phenotypes In Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: The Pah “Symptome”, Lee Ann Matura, Jamison D. Fargo, Kathleen Boyle, Jason S. Fritz, Kerri A. Smith, Jeremy A. Mazurek, Diane Pinder, Christine L. Archer-Chicko, Harold I. Palevsky, Allan I. Pack, Marilyn S. Sommers, Steven M. Kawut

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Women with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) experience multiple symptoms, including dyspnea, fatigue, and sleep disturbance, that impair their health‐related quality of life (HRQOL). However, we know little about phenotypic subgroups of patients with PAH with similar, concurrent, multiple symptoms. The objectives of this study were to define the “symptome” by symptom cluster phenotypes and compare characteristics such as biomarkers, cardiac structure and function (echocardiography), functional capacity (6‐min walk distance), and HRQOL between the groups. This cross‐sectional study included 60 women with PAH. Subjects completed an assessment battery: Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Symptom Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Multidimensional Dyspnea Profile, Patient‐Reported …

Gut Permeability May Be Associated With Periprosthetic Joint Infection After Total Hip And Knee Arthroplasty, Emanuele Chisari, Jeongeun Cho, Marjan Wouthuyzen-Bakker, Javad Parvizi

Rothman Institute Papers

A growing number of recent investigations on the human genome, gut microbiome, and proteomics suggests that the loss of mucosal barrier function, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract, may substantially affect antigen trafficking, ultimately influencing the close bidirectional interaction between the gut microbiome and the immune system. This cross-talk is highly influential in shaping the host immune system function and ultimately affecting the outcome of interventions. We hypothesized that the loss of mucosal barrier in the gut may be associatedto acute and chronic periprosthetic joint infections (PJI). Zonulin, soluble CD14 (sCD14), and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were tested in plasma as part of …

Clinical Status, Nutritional Behavior, And Lifestyle, And Determinants Of Community Well-Being Of Patients From The Perspective Of Physicians: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Young Older Adults, Nonagenarians, And Centenarians In Salerno And Province, Italy, Silvana Mirella Aliberti, Richard H W Funk, Luigi Schiavo, Aldo Giudice, Elena Ciaglia, Annibale Alessandro Puca, Joseph S. Gonnella, Mario Capunzo

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Longevity is rightly considered one of the greatest achievements of modern society. Biomedical research has shown that aging is the major risk factor for many diseases, so to find the right answers to aging it is necessary to identify factors that can positively influence longevity. This study investigated the clinical status, nutritional behavior, lifestyle, and social and community determinants of the well-being of young older adults and nonagenarians/centenarians in Salerno and province through the judgment of their physicians. Data were collected through an online survey. Multivariate Poisson and logistic regression models were used to calculate significant predictors of the outcomes …

Recurrent Giant Cell Myocarditis After Heart Transplant: A Case Report, Eitan S. Frankel, Alexander G. Hajduczok, Indranee N. Rajapreyar, Yevgeniy Brailovsky

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Giant cell myocarditis (GCM) is a rare but well-known cause of fulminant myocarditis. Despite optimal medical therapy, many patients progress to orthotopic heart transplant (OHT). We present a case of recurrent GCM following OHT, including complex considerations in patient management and infectious sequelae.

CASE SUMMARY: A 33-year-old previously healthy male presented with 2 months of worsening shortness of breath. Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) demonstrated a left ventricular ejection fraction of 30-35%. After ruling out an ischaemic aetiology, he was discharged on guideline-directed medical therapy and later presented with productive cough, worsening dyspnoea on exertion, and diarrhoea. He was found to …

Isc10, An Inhibitor Of The Smk1 Mapk, Prevents Activation Loop Autophosphorylation And Substrate Phosphorylation Through Separate Mechanisms, Abhimannyu Rimal, Thomas M Swayne, Zeal P Kamdar, Madison A Tewey, Edward Winter

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Many eukaryotic protein kinases are activated by the intramolecular autophosphorylation of activation loop residues. Smk1 is a meiosis-specific mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in yeast that autophosphorylates its activation loop tyrosine and thereby upregulates catalytic output. This reaction is controlled by an inhibitor, Isc10, that binds the MAPK during meiosis I and an activator, Ssp2, that binds Smk1/Isc10 during meiosis II. Upon completion of the meiotic divisions, Isc10 is degraded, and Smk1 undergoes autophosphorylation to generate the high activity form of the MAPK that controls spore formation. How Isc10 inhibits Smk1 is not clear. Here, we use a bacterial coexpression/reconstitution system …

Emerging Lessons From The Covid-19 Pandemic About The Decisive Competencies Needed For The Public Health Workforce: A Qualitative Study, Osnat Bashkin, Robert Otok, Lore Leighton, Kasia Czabanowska, Paul Barach, Nadav Davidovitch, Keren Dopelt, Mariusz Duplaga, Leah Okenwa Emegwa, Fiona Macleod, Yehuda Neumark, Maya Peled Raz, Theodore Tulchinsky, Zohar Mor

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

The global COVID-19 crisis exposed the critical need for a highly qualified public health workforce. This qualitative research aimed to examine public health workforce competencies needed to face COVID-19 challenges and identify the gaps between training programs and the competency demands of real-world disasters and pandemics. Through a sample of thirty-one participant qualitative interviews, we examined the perspectives of diverse stakeholders from lead public health organizations in Israel. Grounded Theory was used to analyze the data. Six themes emerged from the content analysis: public health workforce's low professional status and the uncertain future of the public health workforce; links between …

Pre-Exposure To Mrna-Lnp Inhibits Adaptive Immune Responses And Alters Innate Immune Fitness In An Inheritable Fashion, Zhen Qin, Aurélie Bouteau, Christopher Herbst, Botond Z. Igyártó

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

Hundreds of millions of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-LNP vaccine doses have already been administered to humans. However, we lack a comprehensive understanding of the immune effects of this platform. The mRNA-LNP-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is highly inflammatory, and its synthetic ionizable lipid component responsible for the induction of inflammation has a long in vivo half-life. Since chronic inflammation can lead to immune exhaustion and non-responsiveness, we sought to determine the effects of pre-exposure to the mRNA-LNP on adaptive immune responses and innate immune fitness. We found that pre-exposure to mRNA-LNPs or LNP alone led to long-term inhibition of the adaptive immune response, which …

Bone Health Management In The Continuum Of Prostate Cancer Disease, Ettickan Boopathi, Ruth Birbe, Sunday A. Shoyele, Robert B. Den, Thangavel Chellappagounder

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men. PCa cells require androgen receptor (AR) signaling for their growth and survival. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the preferred treatment for patients with locally advanced and metastatic PCa disease. Despite their initial response to androgen blockade, most patients eventually will develop metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Bone metastases are common in men with mCRPC, occurring in 30% of patients within 2 years of castration resistance and in >90% of patients over the course of the disease. Patients with mCRPC-induced bone metastasis develop lesions throughout their skeleton; the 5-year …

Genomic Testing In Localized Prostate Cancer Can Identify Subsets Of African Americans With Aggressive Disease, Shivanshu Awasthi, G. Daniel Grass, Javier Torres-Roca, Peter A. S. Johnstone, Julio Pow-Sang, Jasreman Dhillon, Jong Park, Robert J. Rounbehler, Elai Davicioni, Alex Hakansson, Yang Liu, Angelina K. Fink, Amanda Derenzis, Jordan H. Creed, Michael Poch, Roger Li, Brandon Manley, Daniel Fernandez, Arash Naghavi, Kenneth Gage, Grace Lu-Yao, Evangelia Katsoulakis, Ryan J. Burri, Andrew Leone, Cesar E. Ercole, Joshua D. Palmer, Neha Vapiwala, Curtiland Deville, Timothy R. Rebbeck, Adam P. Dicker, William Kelly, Kosj Yamoah

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Personalized genomic classifiers have transformed the management of prostate cancer (PCa) by identifying the most aggressive subsets of PCa. Nevertheless, the performance of genomic classifiers to risk classify African American men is thus far lacking in a prospective setting.

METHODS: This is a prospective study of the Decipher genomic classifier for National Comprehensive Cancer Network low- and intermediate-risk PCa. Study-eligible non-African American men were matched to African American men. Diagnostic biopsy specimens were processed to estimate Decipher scores. Samples accrued in NCT02723734, a prospective study, were interrogated to determine the genomic risk of reclassification (GrR) between conventional clinical risk …

Defining The Role Of Powassan Virus In Evading Host Antiviral Immunity (September 2022), Melissa Molho, Phd, Holly Ramage, Phd

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Posters

Background

Powassan Virus (POWV) is an emerging neurotropic flavivirus transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected tick. Currently, there is no specific antiviral treatment nor approved vaccine for POWV. During infection, many interferon-independent host proteins and pathways sense and respond to viral infection. Flaviviruses have evolved multiple mechanisms to counteract host antiviral programs, often with individual viral proteins mediating this antagonism. However, it has not been determined if these mechanisms are conserved across diverse flaviviruses.

Upper Limb Capabilities, Self-Care And Fine Motor Activities With And Without Equipment In Persons With Cervical Spinal Cord Injury At Discharge From Rehabilitation And 1 Year Post-Injury, Ralph J. Marino, David Chen, Sara Mulroy, Edelle Field-Fote, Benjamin Leiby

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Posters

Introduction: There is little information on the impact of assistive technology or devices (AT) on function. The purpose of this project was to explore the impact of AT on self-care (SC) and fine motor (FM) function in persons with cervical SCI, and to examine the functional capabilities of those who benefit from AT.

Methods: Persons with acute cervical SCI, all levels and AIS grades, with an upper extremity motor score (UEMS) > 0 were enrolled. At discharge from rehabilitation and 1 year post-injury we collected the Capabilities of Upper Extremity questionnaire (CUE-Q), and the combined SC and FM questions of the …

Lessons Learned As Thomas Jefferson University's Rural Physician Shortage Area Program (Psap) Approaches The Half-Century Mark, Howard K. Rabinowitz, Robert J. Motley, Fred W. Markham Jr., Gillian A. Love

Department of Family & Community Medicine Faculty Papers

To help increase the supply and retention of rural family physicians, Thomas Jefferson University initiated the Physician Shortage Area Program (PSAP) in 1974. The program selectively admits medical school applicants who both grew up in a rural area and plan to practice in a rural area. During medical school, PSAP students have ongoing mentoring and rural clinical experiences.

As the program now approaches the half-century mark, this commentary summarizes several important lessons learned. First, outcomes research is critical, and program leaders have been able to publish 15 papers and a book about the PSAP and its outcomes. Second, these studies …

Open Repair Of Complete Proximal Hamstring Avulsions In Workers' Compensation Patients, Emma E Johnson, Joseph M Brutico, Lasya Rangavajjula, Yuwei Xia, Ryan W Paul, Peters Otlans, Justin W Arner, Sommer Hammoud, James P Bradley, Steven B Cohen

Rothman Institute Papers

Background: Several studies have reported excellent results after surgical repair of proximal hamstring avulsions. However, the effect on these patients of receiving workers' compensation has not yet been explored.

Hypothesis: Workers' compensation patients undergoing proximal hamstring repair of complete tears will have similar outcomes when compared with a matched control group of non-workers' compensation patients.

Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods: Workers' compensation patients who underwent complete proximal hamstring avulsion open repair between 2010 and 2019 were identified (WC group). A control group was matched by age (±3 years), sex, and body mass index (BMI; ±3). Demographics …

A Word From The Writing Team (September 2022), Pam Walter, Mfa, Liz Declan, Ma, Mfa

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Upcoming Workshops
• Writing Opportunity

Genitourinary And Sexual Symptoms And Treatments In Transfeminine Individuals: A Qualitative Exploration Of Patients' Needs, Paul Chung, Vishal Swaminathan, Sabina Spigner, Joon Yau Leong, Jessica Bulafka, Rosemary Frasso

Department of Urology Faculty Papers

Introduction: Medical providers may not be familiar with the genitourinary and sexual symptoms of transgender and non-binary (TGNB) individuals. This lack of familiarity may hinder a provider's ability to address these issues as patients may hesitate to report symptoms due to fear of stigma, misgendering, and being treated disrespectfully.

Aim: To describe the array of genitourinary and sexual symptoms in transfeminine individuals.

Methods: Upon institutional review board approval, researchers used semi-structured interviews with 25 transfeminine individuals assigned male at birth to explore urinary and sexual symptoms on a sample of convenience. Participants were recruited and interviews were conducted until saturation …

Highlights From The 67th Annual Meeting Of The American Society For Artificial Internal Organs In Chicago, Il, Christopher D. Pritting, Alice L. Sweedo, Vakhtang Tchantchaleishvili, Dongfang Wang, Joseph B. Zwischenberger

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

Dr. Willem J. Kolff founded the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs (ASAIO) in 1955. Each year experts in the fields of renal, pulmonary, pancreatic, cardiac, bioengineering, and orthopedic research congregate to discuss the latest developments in their respective fields. Throughout the conference's history, ASAIO has adapted to promote inquiry, ingenuity, and innovation. The congeniality partnered with the expertise of the conference's attendees has facilitated continuous progress since the conference's inception.

The 2022 ASAIO Annual Conference was held in Chicago, IL in an entirely in-person format, the first since the 65th conference in 2019. This year there were exhibits by …