Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Progestin Therapy With A Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Agonist For The Conservative Management Of Endometrial Cancer, Andrea R Hagemann, Ian S Hagemann, David G Mutch, Eric J Devor, Paige K Malmrose, Yuping Zhang, Abigail M Morrison, Kristina W Thiel, Kimberly K Leslie

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Obesity is a major risk factor for endometrial cancer. In addition to hormone therapy with progestins, glucagon like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists such as semaglutide may be helpful to achieve weight loss during conservative treatment of endometrial hyperplasia or cancer.

METHODS: We theorized that the combination of semaglutide and the progestin levonorgestrel would be useful as a novel treatment or prevention regimen and tested this hypothesis using endometrial cancer cell lines and patient-derived organoids (PDOs).

RESULTS: Hec50, KLE, and Ishikawa endometrial cancer cells express GLP-1R, as determined by both qPCR and Western blotting, and GLP-1R agonist treatment induces GLP-1R …

Swog S1815: A Phase Iii Randomized Trial Of Gemcitabine, Cisplatin, And Nab-Paclitaxel Versus Gemcitabine And Cisplatin In Newly Diagnosed, Advanced Biliary Tract Cancers, Rachna T Shroff, Benjamin Tan, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: SWOG S1815 was a randomized, open label phase III trial, evaluating gemcitabine, nab-paclitaxel, and cisplatin (GAP) versus gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC) in patients with newly diagnosed advanced biliary tract cancers (BTCs).

METHODS: Patients with newly diagnosed locally advanced unresectable or metastatic BTC, including intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC) and gallbladder carcinoma (GBC), were randomly assigned 2:1 to either GAP (gemcitabine 800 mg/m

RESULTS: Among 452 randomly assigned participants, 441 were eligible and analyzable, 67% with ICC, 16% with GBC, and 17% with ECC. There was no significant difference in overall survival (OS) between GAP versus GC. Median …

Noise Reduction In The Operating Room, Riley Ebenroth, Anthony Barker

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Student Projects

Background and Review of Literature: Excessive noise levels in the operating room (OR) have serious detrimental effects on both patients and providers, such as acoustic trauma, increased heart rate and blood pressure, angina, surgical site infection, fatigue, mental stress, and anxiety. There is currently no set standard endorsed for OR noise levels in the United States. Purpose: The purpose of the project was to reduce noise in the OR which has been shown to impair concentration and communication as well as to determine whether an educational intervention will reduce the average OR noise levels within a surgical case.

Methods: This …

Implementation Of Endotracheal Tube Cuff Manometry In The Operating Room: A Quality Improvement Project, Brianna Baker, Elisha Ross, Madelyn Wilke

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Student Projects

Background & Review of Literature: An endotracheal tube (ETT) is a device utilized during general anesthesia to secure the airway, providing a means for mechanical ventilation. The ETT features an inflatable cuff that ensures a tracheal seal and prevents complications. Cuff inflation pressure is monitored by manual palpation or a manometer. The AG Cuffill syringe is a manometer device used to measure ETT cuff pressure. The recommended ETT cuff pressure is 20 to 30 cmH2O. Deviations from the recommended range can lead to complications, escalating hospital costs, and compromising patient outcomes. Washington University School of Medicine’s (WUSM) Department …

Increasing Awareness And Use Of The Emergency Manual In The Operating Room, Joshua Danback, Annie Depenaloza, Logan Johnston

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Student Projects

Background and Review of Literature: Operating room emergency manuals function as cognitive aids, facilitating evidence-based treatment, error reduction, and better patient outcomes in diverse patient care and equipment-related emergencies. A concerning amalgam of stress, infrequent occurrence, and lack of standardized response hinders anesthesia providers’ practical experience during unexpected crises, potentially leading to errors and safety concerns.

Purpose: The purpose is to increase anesthesia providers’ utilization of the digital Stanford Emergency Manual (SEM).

Methods: All anesthesia providers at the project sites were invited to complete pre-intervention and post-intervention surveys throughout the project timeline. Surveys assessed participants’ awareness of the digital …

Automated Blood Glucose Reminders In The Intraoperative Setting, Christopher Posey, Zeinab Halo, Emily Mueth

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Student Projects

Background and Review of Literature: Maintaining optimal blood glucose (BG) levels in patients with diabetes (PWD) undergoing surgery is crucial to prevent perioperative complications. Anesthesia providers are expected to adhere to established guidelines for monitoring BG levels in PWD during surgery. However, ensuring consistent adherence to these guidelines remains a challenge.

Purpose: This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to investigate the effect of automated BG reminders on anesthesia provider adherence to an intraoperative BG monitoring guideline for surgical PWD.

Methods: A QI project was conducted at Barnes-Jewish Hospital (BJH) over three months. The population of interest was surgical patients with …

The Tetracycline Resistome Is Shaped By Selection For Specific Resistance Mechanisms By Each Antibiotic Generation, Kevin S Blake, Yao-Peng Xue, Vincent J Gillespie, Skye R S Fishbein, Niraj H Tolia, Timothy A Wencewicz, Gautam Dantas

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The history of clinical resistance to tetracycline antibiotics is characterized by cycles whereby the deployment of a new generation of drug molecules is quickly followed by the discovery of a new mechanism of resistance. This suggests mechanism-specific selection by each tetracycline generation; however, the evolutionary dynamics of this remain unclear. Here, we evaluate 24 recombinant Escherichia coli strains expressing tetracycline resistance genes from each mechanism (efflux pumps, ribosomal protection proteins, and enzymatic inactivation) in the context of each tetracycline generation. We employ a high-throughput barcode sequencing protocol that can discriminate between strains in mixed culture and quantify their relative abundances. …

The Development Of A Chest X-Ray Module For Student Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Adam Bergen, Brett Beutenmiller, Keishauna Hayes

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Student Projects

Background: Chest X-ray (CXR) interpretation is essential for Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs) in diagnosing and managing patient conditions. However, literature indicates deficiencies in SRNA education and proficiency, which could pose a risk to patient safety and outcomes. Moreover, the Council on Accreditation (COA) has introduced new clinical experience requirements, mandating SRNAs’ interpret a minimum of five CXRs during training.

Methods: Guided by Cognitive Load Theory, the project team developed an e-learning module that emphasizes the ABCDE systematic approach to CXR interpretation, covering normal anatomy, anatomical abnormalities, commonly placed devices, and differentiation between benign and pathological findings.

Results: The implementation …

Bacterial Community Assembly Of Specific Pathogen-Free Neonatal Mice, Elizabeth A Kennedy, James S Weagley, Andrew H Kim, Avan Antia, Anna L Deveaux, Megan T Baldridge

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Neonatal mice are frequently used to model diseases that affect human infants. Microbial community composition has been shown to impact disease progression in these models. Despite this, the maturation of the early-life murine microbiome has not been well-characterized. We address this gap by characterizing the assembly of the bacterial microbiota of C57BL/6 and BALB/c litters from birth to adulthood across multiple independent litters.

RESULTS: The fecal microbiome of young pups is dominated by only a few pioneering bacterial taxa. These taxa are present at low levels in the microbiota of multiple maternal body sites, precluding a clear identification of …

A Synthetic Chronogenetic Gene Circuit For Programmed Circadian Drug Delivery, Lara Pferdehirt, Anna R Damato, Kristin L Lenz, Maria F Gonzalez-Aponte, Daniel Palmer, Qing-Jun Meng, Erik D Herzog, Farshid Guilak

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Circadian medicine, the delivery of therapeutic interventions based on an individual's daily rhythms, has shown improved efficacy and reduced side-effects for various treatments. Rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases are characterized by diurnal changes in cytokines, leading to inflammatory flares, with peak disease activity in the early morning. Using a combination of synthetic biology and tissue engineering, we developed circadian-based gene circuits, termed "chronogenetics", that express a prescribed transgene downstream of the core clock gene promoter, Period2 (Per2). Gene circuits were transduced into induced pluripotent stem cells that were tissue-engineered into cartilage constructs. Our anti-inflammatory chronogenetic constructs produced therapeutic concentrations …

Heterogeneous Clinical Phenotypes Of Sporadic Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease: A Neuropsychological Data-Driven Approach, Deepti Putcha, Erik Musiek, Kyle Womack, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The clinical presentations of early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) and late-onset Alzheimer's disease are distinct, with EOAD having a more aggressive disease course with greater heterogeneity. Recent publications from the Longitudinal Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Study (LEADS) described EOAD as predominantly amnestic, though this phenotypic description was based solely on clinical judgment. To better understand the phenotypic range of EOAD presentation, we applied a neuropsychological data-driven method to subtype the LEADS cohort.

METHODS: Neuropsychological test performance from 169 amyloid-positive EOAD participants were analyzed. Education-corrected normative comparisons were made using a sample of 98 cognitively normal participants. Comparing the relative levels of …

Advancing Mitochondrial Therapeutics: Synthesis And Pharmacological Evaluation Of Pyrazole-Based Inhibitors Targeting The Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier, Lingaiah Maram, Jessica M Michael, Henry Politte, Vaishnavi S Srirama, Aymen Hadji, Mohammad Habibi, Meredith O Kelly, Rita T Brookheart, Brian N Finck, Lamees Hegazy, Kyle S Mccommis, Bahaa Elgendy

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Inhibition of mitochondrial pyruvate transport via the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) has shown beneficial effects in treating metabolic diseases, certain cancers, various forms of neurodegeneration, and hair loss. These benefits arise either from the direct inhibition of mitochondrial pyruvate metabolism or from the metabolic rewiring when pyruvate entry is inhibited. However, current MPC inhibitors are either nonspecific or possess poor pharmacokinetic properties. To address this, approximately 50 pyrazole-based MPC inhibitors were synthesized to explore the structure-activity relationship for MPC inhibition, evaluated through inhibition of mitochondrial pyruvate respiration. These inhibitors were designed with increased steric hindrance around electron-deficient double bonds, allowing …

Punch Cd3-Ols: A Phase 3 Prospective Observational Cohort Study To Evaluate The Safety And Efficacy Of Fecal Microbiota, Live-Jslm (Rebyota) In Adults With Recurrent Clostridioides Difficile Infection, Paul Feuerstadt, Teena Chopra, Whitfield Knapple, Nicholas W Van Hise, Erik R Dubberke, Brian Baggott, Beth Guthmueller, Lindy Bancke, Michael Gamborg, Theodore S Steiner, Daniel Van Handel, Sahil Khanna

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of fecal microbiota, live-jslm (RBL; REBYOTA)-the first single-dose, broad consortia microbiota-based live biotherapeutic approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for preventing recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI) in adults following standard-of-care (SOC) antibiotic treatment.

METHODS: PUNCH CD3-OLS was a prospective, phase 3, open-label study, conducted across the US and Canada. Participants were aged ≥18 years with documented rCDI and confirmed use of SOC antibiotics. Participants with comorbidities including inflammatory bowel disease and mild-to-moderate immunocompromising conditions could be enrolled. A single dose of RBL was rectally administered …

Ddo-Adjuvanted Influenza A Virus Nucleoprotein Mrna Vaccine Induces Robust Humoral And Cellular Type 1 Immune Responses And Protects Mice From Challenge, Victoria Gnazzo, Hanaa Saleh, Ítalo A Castro, Adrianus C M Boon, Amelia K. Pinto, James D Brien, Carolina B López

2020-Current year OA Pubs

A challenge in viral vaccine development is to produce vaccines that generate both neutralizing antibodies to prevent infection and cytotoxic CD8

Discordance Between 90y-Pet/Ct(Mr)-Estimated Activity And Dose Calibrator Measured Administered Activity: An International Study In Sirt Patients Treated With Resin And Glass Microspheres, Thomas Carlier, Silvano Gnesin, Justin K Mikell, Maurizio Conti, John O Prior, Niklaus Schaefer, Maria Del Sol Pérez Lago, Clément Bailly, Yuni K Dewaraja, Thiago V M Lima

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: Therapeutic administration of

METHODS: We analysed patient

RESULTS: Quantification ratio between calibrators and PET was significantly different from 1, regardless of the scatter correction used. In glass microspheres, the mean A

CONCLUSIONS: We observed in patients similar activity discrepancies as reported for vials, with a relative difference of 44 ± 16% between glass and resin

Retinoic Acid Antagonizes Estrogen Signaling To Maintain Adult Uterine Cell Fate, Yan Yin, Meade Haller, Lauren Goldinger, Shivani Bharadwaj, Emily So, Vivian Robles-Pinos, David Chen, Liang Ma

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Classical tissue recombination experiments demonstrate that cell-fate determination along the anterior-posterior axis of the Müllerian duct occurs prior to postnatal day 7 in mice. However, little is known about how these cell types are maintained in adults. In this study, we provide genetic evidence that a balance between antagonistic retinoic acid (RA) and estrogen signaling activity is required to maintain simple columnar cell fate in adult uterine epithelium. Transdifferentiation of simple columnar uterine epithelium into stratified cervicovaginal-like epithelium was observed in three related mouse genetic models, in which RA signaling was perturbed in the postnatal uterus. Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis …

Characterization Of The Vaginal Microbiome Of Postmenopausal Patients Receiving Chemoradiation For Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer, Brett A. Tortelli, Jessika Contreras, Stephanie Markovina, Li Ding, Kristine M. Wylie, Julie K. Schwarz

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The standard-of-care treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer includes pelvic radiation therapy with concurrent cisplatin-based chemotherapy and is associated with a 30%-50% failure rate. New prognostic and therapeutic targets are needed to improve clinical outcomes. The vaginal microbiome has been linked to the pathogenesis of cervical cancer, but little is known about the vaginal microbiome in locally advanced cervical cancer as it relates to chemoradiation. In this pilot study, we utilized 16S rRNA gene community profiling to characterize the vaginal microbiomes of 26 postmenopausal women with locally advanced cervical cancer receiving chemoradiation. Our analysis revealed diverse anaerobe-dominated communities whose taxonomic …

Sleep-Wake Variation In Body Temperature Regulates Tau Secretion And Correlates With Csf And Plasma Tau, Geoffrey Canet, Brendan P. Lucey, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Sleep disturbance is bidirectionally associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. While the sleep-wake cycle regulates interstitial and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tau levels, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial, given the evidence that tau pathology spreads through neuron-to-neuron transfer, involving the secretion and internalization of pathological tau forms. Here, we combined in vitro, in vivo, and clinical methods to reveal a pathway by which changes in body temperature (BT) over the sleep-wake cycle modulate extracellular tau levels. In mice, a higher BT during wakefulness and sleep deprivation increased CSF and plasma tau …

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Of Il-7 In Critically Ill Patients With Covid-19, Manu Shankar-Hari, Kenneth E. Remy, Jane Blood, Andrew H. Walton, Teresa Blood, Richard Hotchkiss, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Lymphopenia and failure of lymphocytes to mount an early IFN-γ response correlate with increased mortality in COVID-19. Given the essential role of CD4 helper and CD8 cytotoxic cells in eliminating viral pathogens, this profound loss in lymphocytes may impair patients' ability to eliminate the virus. IL-7 is a pleiotropic cytokine that is obligatory for lymphocyte survival and optimal function.

METHODS: We conducted a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of CYT107, recombinant human IL-7, in 109 critically ill, patients with lymphopenia who have COVID-19. The primary endpoint was to assess CYT107's effect on lymphocyte recovery with secondary clinical endpoints including …

Toxoplasma Chitinase-Like Protein Orchestrates Cyst Wall Glycosylation To Facilitate Effector Export And Cyst Turnover, Yong Fu, Tadakimi Tomita, Louis M Weiss, Christopher M West, L David Sibley

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Metabolites And Lipid Species Mediate The Associations Of Adiposity In Childhood And Early Adulthood With Mammographic Breast Density In Premenopausal Women, Kayla R Getz, Myung Sik Jeon, Lili Liu, Lei Liu, Haixiang Zhang, Chongliang Luo, Jingqin Luo, Adetunji T Toriola

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Mammographic breast density (MBD), a strong predictor of breast cancer, is highly influenced by body mass index (BMI) in childhood and early adulthood, but the mechanisms underlying these associations are not fully understood. Our goal is to identify biomarkers that mediate the associations of BMI at ages 10 and 18 with MBD in premenopausal women.

METHODS: This study consists of 705 premenopausal women who had their screening mammogram at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, and provided a fasting blood sample. Our comprehensive metabolomic and lipidomic profiling yielded complete data for 828 metabolites and 857 lipid species after imputation. …

Safety And Tolerability Of Letetresgene Autoleucel (Gsk3377794): Pilot Studies In Patients With Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Mehmet Altan, Ramaswamy Govindan, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: The study aims to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and antitumor response of letetresgene autoleucel (lete-cel), genetically modified autologous T cells expressing a T-cell receptor specific for New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma 1 (NY-ESO-1)/LAGE-1a shared epitope, alone or in combination with pembrolizumab, in HLA-A*02-positive (HLA-A*02:01, HLA-A*02:05, and/or HLA-A*02:06) patients with NY-ESO-1- and/or LAGE-1a-positive non-small cell lung cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Study 208749 was a single-arm study of lete-cel alone. Study 208471 was a multiarm study of lete-cel alone or in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with advanced or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer.

RESULTS: More than 2,500 patients were …

Cumulative Excess Body Mass Index And Mgus Progression To Myeloma, Lawrence Liu, Nikhil Grandhi, Mei Wang, Ekaterina Proskuriakova, Theodore Thomas, Martin W Schoen, Kristen M Sanfilippo, Kenneth R Carson, Alissa Visram, Celine Vachon, Graham Colditz, Murali Janakiram, Mengmeng Ji, Su-Hsin Chang

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: Obesity is a risk factor associated with multiple myeloma (MM) and its precursor, monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS). However, it is unclear how cumulative exposure to obesity affects the risk of MGUS progression to MM.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of cumulative exposure to excess body mass index (EBMI), defined as BMI (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) greater than 25, with risk of MGUS progression to MM.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study included patients with MGUS, including immunoglobin G, immunoglobin A, or light chain MGUS, from the nationwide US Veterans …

Intersection Of Race And Rurality With Health Care-Associated Infections And Subsequent Outcomes, Katelin B Nickel, Hannah Kinzer, Anne M Butler, Karen E Joynt Maddox, Victoria J Fraser, Jason P Burnham, Jennie H Kwon

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: Health care-associated infections (HAIs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality, but little is known about whether structural factors impacting race and rurality are associated with HAI and subsequent outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of race and rurality, which are proxies for structural disadvantage, with HAI and subsequent outcomes.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study was conducted at 3 US urban and suburban hospitals. Participants were adults aged 18 years or older admitted for 48 hours or longer from January 1, 2017, to August 31, 2020. Statistical analysis was performed from November 2022 to April 2024. …

Racial Differences In Ctdna Profiles, Targeted Therapy Use, And Outcomes In Metastatic Breast Cancer, Emily L Podany, Katherine Clifton, Shaili Tapiavala, Foluso O Ademuyiwa, Cynthia X Ma, Andrew A Davis, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: Black patients with metastatic breast cancer (mBC) have higher mortality rates than White patients despite advances in treatment.

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether Black patients with metastatic breast cancer have different genomic profiles compared with White patients and whether there are inequities in targeted treatment use between these groups.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective, population-based cohort study assessed adult patients with mBC who underwent genomic profiling at academic institutions in the US between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2023. Data analysis was performed between July 2023 and July 2024. A validation cohort was also included.

EXPOSURES: Targeted treatment …

Differential Impact Of Lymphatic Outflow Pathways On Cerebrospinal Fluid Homeostasis, Zachary Papadopoulos, Leon C D Smyth, Igor Smirnov, Daniel A Gibson, Jasmin Herz, Jonathan Kipnis

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Dysfunctional lymphatic drainage from the central nervous system (CNS) has been linked to neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders, but our understanding of the lymphatic contribution to CNS fluid autoregulation remains limited. Here, we studied forces that drive the outflow of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) into the deep and superficial cervical lymph nodes (dcLN and scLN) and tested how the blockade of lymphatic networks affects CNS fluid homeostasis. Outflow to the dcLN occurred spontaneously in the absence of lymphatic pumping and was coupled to intracranial pressure (ICP), whereas scLN drainage was driven by pumping. Impaired dcLN drainage led to elevated CSF outflow …

Advances In The Development Of Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier Inhibitors For Therapeutic Applications, Henry Politte, Lingaiah Maram, Bahaa Elgendy

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) is a transmembrane protein complex critical for cellular energy metabolism, enabling the transport of pyruvate from the cytosol into the mitochondria, where it fuels the citric acid cycle. By regulating this essential entry point of carbon into mitochondrial metabolism, MPC is pivotal for maintaining cellular energy balance and metabolic flexibility. Dysregulation of MPC activity has been implicated in several metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cancer, underscoring its potential as a therapeutic target. This review provides an overview of the MPC complex, examining its structural components, regulatory mechanisms, and biological functions. We explore …

A Comprehensive Head-To-Head Comparison Of Key Plasma Phosphorylated Tau 217 Biomarker Tests, Noëlle Warmenhoven, Nicolas R Barthélemy, Suzanne E Schindler, Andrew J Aschenbrenner, Cyrus A Raji, Tammie L S Benzinger, John C Morris, Laura Ibanez, Jigyasha Timsina, Carlos Cruchaga, Randall J Bateman, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Plasma phosphorylated-tau 217 (p-tau217) is currently the most promising biomarker for reliable detection of Alzheimer's disease pathology. Various p-tau217 assays have been developed, but their relative performance is unclear. We compared key plasma p-tau217 tests using cross-sectional and longitudinal measures of amyloid-β (Aβ)-PET, tau-PET and cognition as outcomes and benchmarked them against CSF biomarker tests. Samples from 998 individuals [mean (range) age 68.5 (20.0-92.5) years, 53% female] from the Swedish BioFINDER-2 cohort, including both cognitively unimpaired and cognitively impaired individuals, were analysed. Plasma p-tau217 was measured with mass spectrometry assays [the ratio between phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated (%p-tau217WashU) and p-tau217WashU] and …

Efficacy And Safety Of Zilucoplan In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Sabrina Paganoni, Timothy M Miller, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: The etiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disease, is unknown. However, neuroinflammation and complement activation may play a role in disease progression.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of zilucoplan, an inhibitor of complement C5, in individuals with ALS.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Zilucoplan was tested as regimen A of the HEALEY ALS Platform Trial, a phase 2 to 3 multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled perpetual platform clinical trial with sharing of trial infrastructure and placebo data across multiple regimens. Regimen A was conducted from August 17, 2020, to May 4, 2022. A total of 162 participants were …

Cracking The Pericellular Matrix Code: Exploring How Mmp-2, -3, And -7 Influence Matrix Breakdown And Biomechanical Properties, Benjamin Tizian Baumann, Jule Nieuwstraten, Christian Konrads, Farshid Guilak, Marina Danalache

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: The intricate process of articular cartilage remodeling, pivotal for both physiological functions and osteoarthritis (OA) progression, is orchestrated through a balance of matrix synthesis and breakdown, which is mediated by matrix metalloproteinase enzymes (MMPs). At the heart of this remodeling lies the pericellular matrix (PCM), a specialized microenvironment encapsulating each chondrocyte and composed mainly of collagen type VI and perlecan. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of MMP-2, -3, and -7 on the structural integrity and biomechanical attributes of the PCM.

METHODS: Human articular cartilage explants (N = 10 patients) were incubated with activated MMP-2, …