Digital Commons Network^™

New Insights And Enhanced Human Norovirus Cultivation In Human Intestinal Enteroids, Khalil Ettayebi, Victoria R Tenge, Nicolas W Cortes-Penfield, Sue E Crawford, Frederick H Neill, Xi-Lei Zeng, Xiaomin Yu, B Vijayalakshmi Ayyar, Douglas Burrin, Sasirekha Ramani, Robert L Atmar, Mary K Estes

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are the leading cause of epidemic and sporadic acute gastroenteritis worldwide. We previously demonstrated human intestinal stem cell-derived enteroids (HIEs) support cultivation of several HuNoV strains. However, HIEs did not support virus replication from every HuNoV-positive stool sample, which led us to test and optimize new medium conditions, identify characteristics of stool samples that allow replication, and evaluate consistency of replication over time. Optimization of our HIE-HuNoV culture system has shown the following: (i) a new HIE culture medium made with conditioned medium from a single cell line and commercial media promotes robust replication of HuNoV strains …

Spliceosome-Targeted Therapies Trigger An Antiviral Immune Response In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Elizabeth A Bowling, Jarey H Wang, Fade Gong, William Wu, Nicholas J Neill, Ik Sun Kim, Siddhartha Tyagi, Mayra Orellana, Sarah J Kurley, Rocio Dominguez-Vidaña, Hsiang-Ching Chung, Tiffany Y-T Hsu, Julien Dubrulle, Alexander B Saltzman, Heyuan Li, Jitendra K Meena, Gino M Canlas, Srinivas Chamakuri, Swarnima Singh, Lukas M Simon, Calla M Olson, Lacey E Dobrolecki, Michael T Lewis, Bing Zhang, Ido Golding, Jeffrey M Rosen, Damian W Young, Anna Malovannaya, Fabio Stossi, George Miles, Matthew J Ellis, Lihua Yu, Silvia Buonamici, Charles Y Lin, Kristen L Karlin, Xiang H-F Zhang, Thomas F Westbrook

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Many oncogenic insults deregulate RNA splicing, often leading to hypersensitivity of tumors to spliceosome-targeted therapies (STTs). However, the mechanisms by which STTs selectively kill cancers remain largely unknown. Herein, we discover that mis-spliced RNA itself is a molecular trigger for tumor killing through viral mimicry. In MYC-driven triple-negative breast cancer, STTs cause widespread cytoplasmic accumulation of mis-spliced mRNAs, many of which form double-stranded structures. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-binding proteins recognize these endogenous dsRNAs, triggering antiviral signaling and extrinsic apoptosis. In immune-competent models of breast cancer, STTs cause tumor cell-intrinsic antiviral signaling, downstream adaptive immune signaling, and tumor cell death. Furthermore, RNA …

Houston Hurricane Harvey Health (Houston-3h) Study: Assessment Of Allergic Symptoms And Stress After Hurricane Harvey Flooding, Abiodun O Oluyomi, Kristen Panthagani, Jesus Sotelo, Xiangjun Gu, Georgina Armstrong, Dan Na Luo, Kristi L Hoffman, Diana Rohlman, Lane Tidwell, Winifred J Hamilton, Elaine Symanski, Kimberly Anderson, Joseph F Petrosino, Cheryl Lyn Walker, Melissa Bondy

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused unprecedented flooding across the greater Houston area. Given the potential for widespread flood-related exposures, including mold and sewage, and the emotional and mental toll caused by the flooding, we sought to evaluate the short- and long-term impact of flood-related exposures on the health of Houstonians. Our objectives were to assess the association of flood-related exposures with allergic symptoms and stress among Houston-area residents at two time points: within approximately 30 days (T1) and 12 months (T2) after Hurricane Harvey's landfall.

METHODS: The Houston Hurricane Harvey Health (Houston-3H) Study enrolled a total of 347 …

Discovery Of Small Molecules Targeting The Tandem Tudor Domain Of The Epigenetic Factor Uhrf1 Using Fragment-Based Ligand Discovery, Lyra Chang, James Campbell, Idris O Raji, Shiva K R Guduru, Prasanna Kandel, Michelle Nguyen, Steven Liu, Kevin Tran, Navneet K Venugopal, Bethany C Taylor, Matthew V Holt, Nicolas L Young, Errol L G Samuel, Prashi Jain, Conrad Santini, Banumathi Sankaran, Kevin R Mackenzie, Damian W Young

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Despite the established roles of the epigenetic factor UHRF1 in oncogenesis, no UHRF1-targeting therapeutics have been reported to date. In this study, we use fragment-based ligand discovery to identify novel scaffolds for targeting the isolated UHRF1 tandem Tudor domain (TTD), which recognizes the heterochromatin-associated histone mark H3K9me3 and supports intramolecular contacts with other regions of UHRF1. Using both binding-based and function-based screens of a ~ 2300-fragment library in parallel, we identified 2,4-lutidine as a hit for follow-up NMR and X-ray crystallography studies. Unlike previous reported ligands, 2,4-lutidine binds to two binding pockets that are in close proximity on TTD and …

Functional Cooperativity Between The Trigger Factor Chaperone And The Clpxp Proteolytic Complex, Kamran Rizzolo, Angela Yeou Hsiung Yu, Adedeji Ologbenla, Sa Rang Kim, Haojie Zhu, Koichiro Ishimori, Guillaume Thibault, Elisa Leung, Yi Wen Zhang, Mona Teng, Marta Haniszewski, Noha Miah, Sadhna Phanse, Zoran Minic, Sukyeong Lee, Julio Diaz Caballero, Mohan Babu, Francis T F Tsai, Tomohide Saio, Walid A Houry

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

A functional association is uncovered between the ribosome-associated trigger factor (TF) chaperone and the ClpXP degradation complex. Bioinformatic analyses demonstrate conservation of the close proximity of tig, the gene coding for TF, and genes coding for ClpXP, suggesting a functional interaction. The effect of TF on ClpXP-dependent degradation varies based on the nature of substrate. While degradation of some substrates are slowed down or are unaffected by TF, surprisingly, TF increases the degradation rate of a third class of substrates. These include λ phage replication protein λO, master regulator of stationary phase RpoS, and SsrA-tagged proteins. Globally, TF acts to …

Central Nervous System Intravascular Lymphoma Leading To Rapidly Progressive Dementia, Christie G Turin, Kevin Ting, Anthony Bradshaw, S Richard Dunham, Karen Nunez-Wallace, Shital M Patel, Priti Dangayach, Stephanie Holdener, Weei-Chin Lin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Intravascular lymphoma is an uncommon subtype of B-cell lymphoma with neoplastic cells limited to the lumen of small blood vessels. We report a case of a 52-year-old man who presented with constitutional symptoms and rapidly progressive dementia. He was found to have diffuse leptomeningeal and faint parenchymal enhancement on magnetic resonance imaging and was subsequently diagnosed with intravascular lymphoma following a brain biopsy. He responded remarkably well to systemic and intrathecal chemotherapy. The diagnosis and treatment of intravascular lymphoma have been guided by a few case reports and are largely based on expert opinion.

Disparities In Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Among Pregnant And Post-Partum Women, Mohamed M Gad, Islam Y Elgendy, Ahmed N Mahmoud, Anas M Saad, Toshiaki Isogai, Isadora Sande Mathias, Rabel Misbah Rameez, Johnny Chahine, Hani Jneid, Samir R Kapadia

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background

The incidence of cardiovascular disease among pregnant women is rising in the United States. Data on racial disparities for the major cardiovascular events during pregnancy are limited.

Methods and Results

Pregnant and post‐partum women hospitalized from January 2007 to December 2017 were identified from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. The outcomes of interest included: in‐hospital mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, pulmonary embolism, and peripartum cardiomyopathy. Multivariate regression analysis was used to assess the independent association between race and in‐hospital outcomes. Among 46 700 637 pregnancy‐related hospitalizations, 21 663 575 (46.4%) were White, 6 302 089 (13.5%) were Black, and 8 914 …

Microbiome For Mars: Surveying Microbiome Connections To Healthcare With Implications For Long-Duration Human Spaceflight, Virtual Workshop, July 13, 2020, Michael Lapelusa, Dorit Donoviel, Sergio E Branzini, Paul E Carlson, Stephanie Culler, Amrita K Cheema, Rima Kaddurah-Daouk, Denise Kelly, Isabelle De Cremoux, Rob Knight, Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, Stephen L Mayo, Sarkis K Mazmanian, Emeran A Mayer, Joseph F Petrosino, Keith Garrison

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The inaugural "Microbiome for Mars" virtual workshop took place on July 13, 2020. This event assembled leaders in microbiome research and development to discuss their work and how it may relate to long-duration human space travel. The conference focused on surveying current microbiome research, future endeavors, and how this growing field could broadly impact human health and space exploration. This report summarizes each speaker's presentation in the order presented at the workshop.

Highlights From Studies Presented At The American Heart Association Scientific Session 2020: Navigating New Roads In Prevention, Aliza Hussain, Mahmoud Al Rifai, Dhruv Mahtta, Jing Liu, Vardhmaan Jain, Salim S Virani

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW: This review highlights late-breaking science presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Session 2020 that demonstrated advancements in preventative cardiology and introduced novel treatment approaches for the management of chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, and/or heart failure.

RECENT FINDINGS: The studies reviewed include clinical trials that assessed the use of omecamtiv in the treatment of heart failure with reduced heart failure (GALACTIC-HF); effects of sotagliflozin in patients with diabetes and recent heart failure exacerbation; cardiovascular outcomes with the use of omega-3 carboxylic acids in patients with high vascular risk and atherogenic dyslipidemia (STRENGTH) and omega-3 …

Plasmid-Based Reverse Genetics For Probing Phosphorylation-Dependent Viroplasm Formation In Rotaviruses, Jeanette M Criglar, Sue E Crawford, Mary K Estes

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Rotavirus (RV) replication occurs in cytoplasmic compartments, known as viroplasms, that are composed of viral and cellular proteins. Viroplasm formation requires RV nonstructural proteins NSP2 and NSP5 and cellular lipid droplets (LDs); however, the mechanisms required for viroplasm assembly remain largely unknown. We previously identified two conformationally-distinct forms of NSP2 (dNSP2, vNSP2) found in RV-infected cells that interact differentially with hypo- and hyperphosphorylated NSP5, respectively, and indicate a coordinated phosphorylation-dependent mechanism regulating viroplasm assembly. We also reported that phosphorylation of dNSP2 on serine 313 by the cellular kinase CK1α triggers the localization of vNSP2 to sites of viroplasm assembly and …

Protein-Functionalized Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Hydrogels As Scaffolds For Monolayer Organoid Culture, Reid L Wilson, Ganesh Swaminathan, Khalil Ettayebi, Carolyn Bomidi, Xi-Lei Zeng, Sarah E Blutt, Mary K Estes, K Jane Grande-Allen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Stem cell-derived, organotypic in vitro models, known as organoids, have emerged as superior alternatives to traditional cell culture models due to their unparalleled ability to recreate complex physiological and pathophysiological processes. For this reason, they are attractive targets of tissue-engineering efforts, as constructs that include organoid technology would be expected to better simulate the many functions of the desired tissue or organ. While the 3D spheroidal architecture that is the default architecture of most organoid models may be preferred for some applications, 2D monolayer arrangements remain the preferred organization for many applications in tissue engineering. Therefore, in this work, we …

Helicobacter Pylori Diagnosis And Therapy In The Era Of Antimicrobial Stewardship, Akiko Shiotani, Priya Roy, Hong Lu, David Y Graham

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The diagnosis and therapy of Helicobacter pylori infection have undergone major changes based on the use the principles of antimicrobial stewardship and increased availability of susceptibility profiling. H. pylori gastritis now recognized as an infectious disease, as such there is no placebo response allowing outcome to be assessed in relation to the theoretically obtainable cure rate of 100%. The recent recognition of H. pylori as an infectious disease has changed the focus to therapies optimized to reliably achieve high cure rates. Increasing antimicrobial resistance has also led to restriction of clarithromycin, levofloxacin, or metronidazole to susceptibility-based therapies. Covid-19 resulted in …

Safety And Efficacy Of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation To Treat And Prevent Recurrent Clostridioides Difficile In Cancer Patients, Hiba Ali, Shruti Khurana, Weijie Ma, Yuanzun Peng, Zhi-Dong Jiang, Herbert Dupont, Hao Chi Zhang, Anusha S Thomas, Pablo Okhuysen, Yinghong Wang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Cancer patients are at increased risk of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI) due to malignancy itself, cancer therapy, and frequent antibiotic use and have a lower response rate to standard oral antibiotics. There are limited data on the safety and efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for treating rCDI in cancer patients. We aim to describe our experience of using FMT to treat rCDI at a tertiary cancer center.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of cancer patients who underwent FMT for rCDI at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center from June 2017 through January 2020. Baseline …

Meld-Na Is More Strongly Associated With Risk Of Infection And Outcomes Than Other Characteristics Of Patients With Cirrhosis, Zachary P Fricker, V V Pavan Kedar Mukthinuthalapati, Samuel Akinyeye, Naga Chalasani, Bashar M Attar, Maya Balakrishnan, Marwan Ghabril, Michelle T Long

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The nature and outcomes of infection among patients with cirrhosis in safety-net hospitals are not well described. We aimed to characterize the rate of and risk factors for infection, both present on admission and nosocomial, in this unique population. We hypothesized that infections would be associated with adverse outcomes such as short-term mortality.

METHODS: We used descriptive statistics to characterize infections within a retrospective cohort characterized previously. We used multivariable logistic regression models to assess potential risk factors for infection and associations with key outcomes such as short-term mortality and length of stay.

RESULTS: The study cohort …

X-Linked Serotonin 2c Receptor Is Associated With A Non-Canonical Pathway For Sudden Unexpected Death In Epilepsy, Cory A Massey, Samantha J Thompson, Ryan W Ostrom, Janice Drabek, Olafur A Sveinsson, Torbjörn Tomson, Elisabeth A Haas, Othon J Mena, Alica M Goldman, Jeffrey L Noebels

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy is a leading cause of epilepsy-related mortality, and the analysis of mouse Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy models is steadily revealing a spectrum of inherited risk phenotypes based on distinct genetic mechanisms. Serotonin (5-HT) signalling enhances post-ictal cardiorespiratory drive and, when elevated in the brain, reduces death following evoked audiogenic brainstem seizures in inbred mouse models. However, no gene in this pathway has yet been linked to a spontaneous epilepsy phenotype, the defining criterion of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy. Most monogenic models of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy invoke a failure of inhibitory synaptic …

Deep Simulation Of Facial Appearance Changes Following Craniomaxillofacial Bony Movements In Orthognathic Surgical Planning, Lei Ma, Daeseung Kim, Chunfeng Lian, Deqiang Xiao, Tianshu Kuang, Qin Liu, Yankun Lang, Hannah H Deng, Jaime Gateno, Ye Wu, Erkun Yang, Michael A K Liebschner, James J Xia, Pew-Thian Yap

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Facial appearance changes with the movements of bony segments in orthognathic surgery of patients with craniomaxillofacial (CMF) deformities. Conventional bio-mechanical methods, such as finite element modeling (FEM), for simulating such changes, are labor intensive and computationally expensive, preventing them from being used in clinical settings. To overcome these limitations, we propose a deep learning framework to predict post-operative facial changes. Specifically, FC-Net, a facial appearance change simulation network, is developed to predict the point displacement vectors associated with a facial point cloud. FC-Net learns the point displacements of a pre-operative facial point cloud from the bony movement vectors between pre-operative …

Adipocyte-Specific Ablation Of Pu1 Promotes Energy Expenditure And Ameliorates Metabolic Syndrome In Aging Mice, Ke Yun Chen, Alejandra De Angulo, Xin Guo, Aditya More, Scott A Ochsner, Eduardo Lopez, David Saul, Weijun Pang, Yuxiang Sun, Neil J Mckenna, Qiang Tong

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: Although PU.1/Spi1 is known as a master regulator for macrophage development and function, we have reported previously that it is also expressed in adipocytes and is transcriptionally induced in obesity. Here, we investigated the role of adipocyte PU.1 in the development of the age-associated metabolic syndrome.

Methods: We generated mice with adipocyte-specific PU.1 knockout, assessed metabolic changes in young and older adult PU.1^fl/fl (control) and AdipoqCre PU.1^fl/fl (aPU.1KO) mice, including body weight, body composition, energy expenditure, and glucose homeostasis. We also performed transcriptional analyses using RNA-Sequencing of adipocytes from these mice.

Results: aPU.1KO mice have elevated energy …

Lifestyle Risk Factors, Quality Of Life, And Intervention Preferences Of Barrett's Esophagus Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study, Xiaotao Zhang, Sharmila Anandasabapathy, Julian Abrams, Mohamed Othman, Hoda J Badr

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Lifestyle counseling to achieve a healthy weight, quit smoking, and reduce alcohol is a cornerstone in the management of Barrett's Esophagus (BE). However, little is known about whether patients make these recommended lifestyle changes or the impact of non-adherence on their quality of life (QOL). This study characterized the lifestyle risk factors, QOL, and intervention preferences of BE patients as a first step toward developing lifestyle change interventions for this population.

METHODS: Patients with a confirmed BE diagnosis (N = 106) completed surveys at a surveillance endoscopy visit (baseline) and at 3- and 6-month follow-ups. Patients reported …

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 …

Long Noncoding Rnas And Their Therapeutic Promise In Diabetic Nephropathy, Juan D Coellar, Jianyin Long, Farhad R Danesh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Recent advances in large-scale RNA sequencing and genome-wide profiling projects have unraveled a heterogeneous group of RNAs, collectively known as long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), which play central roles in many diverse biological processes. Importantly, an association between aberrant expression of lncRNAs and diverse human pathologies has been reported, including in a variety of kidney diseases. These observations have raised the possibility that lncRNAs may represent unexploited potential therapeutic targets for kidney diseases. Several important questions regarding the functionality of lncRNAs and their impact in kidney diseases, however, remain to be carefully addressed. Here, we provide an overview of the main …

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 …

A Pharmacokinetic Analysis Of Hemodialysis For Metformin-Associated Lactic Acidosis, Stephen A Harding, Rana Biary, Robert S Hoffman, Mark K Su, Mary Ann Howland

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: Although hemodialysis is recommended for patients with severe metformin-associated lactic acidosis (MALA), the amount of metformin removed by hemodialysis is poorly documented. We analyzed endogenous clearance and hemodialysis clearance in a patient with MALA.

METHODS: A 62-year-old man with a history of type II diabetes mellitus presented after several days of vomiting and diarrhea and was found to have acute kidney injury (AKI) and severe acidemia. Initial serum metformin concentration was 315.34 μmol/L (40.73 μg/mL) (typical therapeutic concentrations 1-2 μg/mL). He underwent 6 h of hemodialysis. We collected hourly whole blood, serum, urine, and dialysate metformin concentrations. Blood, urine, …

Characteristics And Outcomes Of In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest In Covid-19 A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Lukasz Szarpak, Magdalena Borkowska, Frank W Peacock, Zubaid Rafique, Aleksandra Gasecka, Jacek Smereka, Katarzyna Pytkowska, Marta Jachowicz, Lukasz Iskrzycki, Natasza Gilis-Malinowska, Milosz J Jaguszewski

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: The purpose herein, was to perform a systematic review of interventional outcome studies in patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic period.

METHODS: A meta-analysis was performed of publications meeting the following PICOS criteria: (1) participants, patients > 18 years of age with cardiac arrest due to any causes; (2) intervention, cardiac arrest in COVID-19 period; (3) comparison, cardiac arrest in pre-COVID-19 period; (4) outcomes, detailed information for survival; (5) study design, randomized controlled trials, quasi-randomized or observational studies comparing cardiac arrest in COVID-19 and pre-COVID-19 period for their effects in patients with …

Improving Student Confidence With Electronic Health Record Order Entry, Arindam Sarkar, Anjali Aggarwal, Larissa Grigoryan, Susan G Nash, Nidhi Mehrotra, Roger J Zoorob, William Y Huang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: Despite near-universal utilization of electronic health records (EHRs) by physicians in practice, medical students in most ambulatory settings gain limited experience with placing EHR orders. In this study, an individual preceptor site investigated the usefulness of a targeted curriculum in improving students' EHR confidence and clinical reasoning skills.

METHODS: Family medicine clerkship students assigned to one community health center were invited to participate in this prospective, survey-based study. In their first week, students observed a preceptor performing EHR tasks. For the remainder of the 4-week clerkship, students utilized decision support tools, assigned a working diagnosis, entered unsigned orders in …

Creating A 'Community Of Inquiry': A Framework For Optimizing The Virtual Education Experience, Betty Lee Ligon, Audrea Burns, Satid Thammasitboon

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended.

Background: Medical educators must learn to implement technologic advances to create meaningful learning experiences, implementing media tools that are effective in meeting evolving academic needs and fostering interpersonal engagement. The increasing time constraints in a department of more than 1,600 faculty interspersed throughout a large metropolitan complex served as the catalyst for utilizing technology to create a framework for providing virtual faculty development.

Objective: To use a Community of Inquiry (CoI) as a framework to guide the development of an interactive, virtual writing retreat.

Methods: We used the three elements …

Alpha-Single Chains Of Collagen Type Vi Inhibit The Fibrogenic Effects Of Triple Helical Collagen Vi In Hepatic Stellate Cells, Christian Freise, Hyunho Lee, Christopher Chronowski, Doug Chan, Jessica Cziomer, Martin Rühl, Tarkan Dagdelen, Maik Lösekann, Ulrike Erben, Andre Catic, Werner Tegge, Detlef Schuppan, Rajan Somasundaram, Ergun Sahin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The interaction of extracellular matrix (ECM) components with hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is thought to perpetuate fibrosis by stimulating signaling pathways that drive HSC activation, survival and proliferation. Consequently, disrupting the interaction between ECM and HSCs is considered a therapeutical avenue although respective targets and underlying mechanisms remain to be established. Here we have interrogated the interaction between type VI collagen (CVI) and HSCs based on the observation that CVI is 10-fold upregulated during fibrosis, closely associates with HSCs in vivo and promotes cell proliferation and cell survival in cancer cell lines. We exposed primary rat HSCs and a rat …

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 …

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 …

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 …