Digital Commons Network^™

Edematous Severe Acute Malnutrition Is Characterized By Hypomethylation Of Dna, Katharina V. Schulze, Mark J. Manary, Indi Trehan, Et Al.

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

A Targeted Gene Panel That Covers Coding, Non-Coding And Short Tandem Repeat Regions Improves The Diagnosis Of Patients With Neurodegenerative Diseases, Allen Chi-Shing Yu, Aldrin Kay-Yuen Yim, Anne Yin-Yan Chan, Liz Y P Yuen, Wing Chi Au, Timothy H T Cheng, Xiao Lin, Jing-Woei Li, Larry W L Chan, Vincent C T Mok, Ting-Fung Chan, Ho Yin Edwin Chan

Open Access Publications

Genetic testing for neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) is highly challenging because of genetic heterogeneity and overlapping manifestations. Targeted-gene panels (TGPs), coupled with next-generation sequencing (NGS), can facilitate the profiling of a large repertoire of ND-related genes. Due to the technical limitations inherent in NGS and TGPs, short tandem repeat (STR) variations are often ignored. However, STR expansions are known to cause such NDs as Huntington's disease and spinocerebellar ataxias type 3 (SCA3). Here, we studied the clinical utility of a custom-made TGP that targets 199 NDs and 311 ND-associated genes on 118 undiagnosed patients. At least one known or likely pathogenic …

Local Health Department Accreditation Is Associated With Organizational Supports For Evidence-Based Decision Making, Peg Allen, Stephanie Mazzucca, Renee G Parks, Mackenzie Robinson, Rachel G Tabak, Ross Brownson

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Small Bowel Obstruction Secondary To Wild Banana Seed Ingestion, Divya K Natarajan, Phonexay Homthavong, Indi Trehan

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

A Brief Review Of Low-Dose Rate (Ldr) And High-Dose Rate (Hdr) Brachytherapy Boost For High-Risk Prostate, Benjamin W Fischer-Valuck, Hiram A Gay, Sagar Patel, Brian C Baumann, Jeff M Michalski

Open Access Publications

For patients with unfavorable or high-risk prostate cancer, dose escalated radiation therapy leads to improved progression free survival but attempts to deliver increased dose by external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) alone can be limited by late toxicities to nearby genitourinary and gastrointestinal organs at risk. Brachytherapy is a method to deliver dose escalation in conjunction with EBRT with a potentially improved late toxicity profile and improved prostate cancer related outcomes. At least three randomized controlled trials have demonstrated improved biochemical control with the addition of either low-dose rate (LDR) or high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy to EBRT, although only ASCENDE-RT compared …

Structural And Functional Abnormities Of Amygdala And Prefrontal Cortex In Major Depressive Disorder With Suicide Attempts, Lifei Wang, Yimeng Zhao, Elliot K Edmiston, Fay Y Womer, Ran Zhang, Pengfei Zhao, Xiaowei Jiang, Feng Wu, Lingtao Kong, Yifang Zhou, Yanqing Tang, Shengnan Wei

Open Access Publications

Finding neural features of suicide attempts (SA) in major depressive disorder (MDD) may be helpful in preventing suicidal behavior. The ventral and medial prefrontal cortex (PFC), as well as the amygdala form a circuit implicated in emotion regulation and the pathogenesis of MDD. The aim of this study was to identify whether patients with MDD who had a history of SA show structural and functional connectivity abnormalities in the amygdala and PFC relative to MDD patients without a history of SA. We measured gray matter volume in the amygdala and PFC and amygdala-PFC functional connectivity using structural and functional magnetic …

Antibiotic Stewardship Teams And Clostridioides Difficile Practices In United States Hospitals: A National Survey In The Joint Commission Antibiotic Stewardship Standard Era, Valerie M Vaughn, M Todd Greene, David Ratz, Karen E Fowler, Sarah L Krein, Scott A Flanders, Erik R Dubberke, Sanjay Saint, Payal K Patel

Open Access Publications

OBJECTIVE: Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) can be prevented through infection prevention practices and antibiotic stewardship. Diagnostic stewardship (ie, strategies to improve use of microbiological testing) can also improve antibiotic use. However, little is known about the use of such practices in US hospitals, especially after multidisciplinary stewardship programs became a requirement for US hospital accreditation in 2017. Thus, we surveyed US hospitals to assess antibiotic stewardship program composition, practices related to CDI, and diagnostic stewardship.

METHODS: Surveys were mailed to infection preventionists at 900 randomly sampled US hospitals between May and October 2017. Hospitals were surveyed on antibiotic stewardship programs; …

Regional Differences In The Expression Of Tetrodotoxin-Sensitive Inward Ca2+ And Outward Cs+ /K+ Currents In Mouse And Human Ventricles, Wei Wang, Rebecca L. Mellor, Jeanne M. Nerbonne, C. William Blake

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Associations Between Family Weight-Based Teasing, Eating Pathology, And Psychosocial Functioning Among Adolescent Military Dependents, Arielle T Pearlman, Denise E Wilfley, Et Al

Open Access Publications

Weight-based teasing (WBT) by family members is commonly reported among youth and is associated with eating and mood-related psychopathology. Military dependents may be particularly vulnerable to family WBT and its sequelae due to factors associated with their parents' careers, such as weight and fitness standards and an emphasis on maintaining one's military appearance; however, no studies to date have examined family WBT and its associations within this population. Therefore, adolescent military dependents at-risk for adult obesity and binge-eating disorder were studied prior to entry in a weight gain prevention trial. Youth completed items from the Weight-Based Victimization Scale (to assess …

Embracing Differences To Improve Success: American Orthopaedic Association Presidential Address, Boston, Massachusetts, June 23, 2017: Aoa Critical Issues, Regis J O'Keefe

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Melanoma In Individuals With Neurofibromatosis Type 1: A Retrospective Study, May Zhang, Trisha Bhat, David H. Gutmann, Kimberly J. Johnson

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Mission Critical Partnership For Infection Prevention Success, Karen Hoffmann, Hilary M Babcock

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Protocol For The Effectiveness Of An Anesthesiology Control Tower System In Improving Perioperative Quality Metrics And Clinical Outcomes: The Tectonics Randomized, Pragmatic Trial, Christopher R King, Joanna Abraham, Thomas G Kannampallil, Bradley A Fritz, Arbi Ben Abdallah, Yixin Chen, Bernadette Henrichs, Mary Politi, Brian A Torres, Angela Mickle, Thaddeus P Budelier, Sherry Mckinnon, Stephen Gregory, Sachin Kheterpal, Troy Wildes, Michael S Avidan, Tectonics Research Group

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Nanotherapy Targeting Nf-Κb Attenuates Acute Pain After Joint Injury, Huimin Yan, Xin Duan, Kelsey H Collins, Luke E Springer, Farshid Guilak, Samuel A Wickline, M Farooq Rai, Hua Pan, Christine T N Pham

Open Access Publications

Inflammation after joint injury leads to joint responses that result in eventual osteoarthritis development. Blockade of inflammation, by suppressing NF-κB expression, has been shown to reduce joint injury-induced chondrocyte apoptosis and reactive synovitis

Management Of Adrenal Insufficiency Risk After Long-Term Systemic Glucocorticoid Therapy In Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Clinical Practice Recommendations, Sasigarn A. Bowden, Anne M. Connolly, Kathi Kinnett, Philip S. Zeitler

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Ctcf Variants In 39 Individuals With A Variable Neurodevelopmental Disorder Broaden The Mutational And Clinical Spectrum, Enrico D. H. Konrad, Marwan Shinawi, Emily Fassi, Et Al.

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Syndemic Effects Of Hiv Risk Behaviours: Results From The Nhanes Study, L Smith, C Cao, X Zong, D T Mcdermott, S Stefanac, S Haider, S E Jackson, N Veronese, G F López-Sánchez, A Koyanagi, L Yang, I Grabovac

Open Access Publications

The aim of the present study is to use the syndemic framework to investigate the risk of contracting HIV in the US population. Cross-sectional analyses are from The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We extracted and aggregated data on HIV antibody test, socio-demographic characteristics, alcohol use, drug use, depression, sexual behaviours and sexually transmitted diseases from cycle 2009-2010 to 2015-2016. We carried out weighted regression among young adults (20-39 years) and adults (40-59 years) separately. In total, 5230 men and 5794 women aged 20-59 years were included in the present analyses. In total, 0.8% men and 0.2% women were …

Recommendations And Alerting For Delirium Alleviation In Real-Time (Radar): Protocol For A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Phillip E Vlisides, Jacqueline W Ragheb, Aleda Leis, Amanda Schoettinger, Kim Hickey, Amy Mckinney, Joseph Brooks, Mackenzie Zierau, Alexandra Norcott, Shirley Yang, Michael S Avidan, Lillian Min

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Top 10 Research Priorities In Spatial Lifecourse Epidemiology, Peng Jia, Ross C. Brownson, Et Al.

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Retinoic Acid Receptors In Acute Myeloid Leukemia Therapy, Orsola Di Martino, John S Welch

Open Access Publications

Retinoic acid (RA) signaling pathways regulate fundamental biological processes, such as cell proliferation, development, differentiation, and apoptosis. Retinoid receptors (RARs and RXRs) are ligand-dependent transcription factors. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is the principal endogenous ligand for the retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARA) and is produced by the enzymatic oxidation of dietary vitamin A, whose deficiency is associated with several pathological conditions. Differentiation therapy using ATRA revolutionized the outcome of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), although attempts to replicate these results in other cancer types have been met with more modest results. A better knowledge of RA signaling in different leukemia contexts …

Genomic Characterization Of Antibiotic Resistant Escherichia Coli Isolated From Domestic Chickens In Pakistan, Muhammad Rafique, Robert F Potter, Aura Ferreiro, Meghan A Wallace, Abdul Rahim, Akbar Ali Malik, Naila Siddique, Muhammad Athar Abbas, Alaric W D'Souza, Carey-Ann D Burnham, Naeem Ali, Gautam Dantas

Open Access Publications

Poultry husbandry is important for the economic health of Pakistan, but the Pakistani poultry industry is negatively impacted by infections from

Membrane Potential Determined By Flow Cytometry Predicts Fertilizing Ability Of Human Sperm, Lis C Puga Molina, Stephanie Gunderson, Joan Riley, Pascal Lybaert, Aluet Borrego-Alvarez, Emily S Jungheim, Celia M Santi

Open Access Publications

Infertility affects 10 to 15% of couples worldwide, with a male factor contributing up to 50% of these cases. The primary tool for diagnosing male infertility is traditional semen analysis, which reveals sperm concentration, morphology, and motility. However, 25% of infertile men are diagnosed as normozoospermic, meaning that, in many cases, normal-appearing sperm fail to fertilize an egg. Thus, new information regarding the mechanisms by which sperm acquire fertilizing ability is needed to develop a clinically feasible test that can predict sperm function failure. An important feature of sperm fertilization capability in many species is plasma membrane hyperpolarization (membrane potential …

Implementation And Sustainability Of A Pharmacy-Led, Hospital-Wide Bedside Medication Delivery Program: A Qualitative Process Evaluation Using Re-Aim, Beth Prusaczyk, Amanda S Mixon, Sunil Kripalani

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

The Interplay Between Tissue Niche And Macrophage Cellular Metabolism In Obesity, Sabine Daemen, Joel D Schilling

Open Access Publications

Obesity is associated with the development of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The presence of chronic, low-grade inflammation appears to be an important mechanistic link between excess nutrients and clinical disease. The onset of these metabolic disorders coincides with changes in the number and phenotype of macrophages in peripheral organs, particularly in the liver and adipose tissue. Macrophage accumulation in these tissues has been implicated in tissue inflammation and fibrosis, contributing to metabolic disease progression. Recently, the concept has emerged that changes in macrophage metabolism affects their functional phenotype, possibly triggered by distinct …

The Interplay Between Viral-Derived Mirnas And Host Immunity During Infection, Richa Mishra, Ashish Kumar, Harshad Ingle, Himanshu Kumar

Open Access Publications

MicroRNAs are short non-coding RNAs that play a crucial role in the regulation of gene expression during cellular processes. The host-encoded miRNAs are known to modulate the antiviral defense during viral infection. In the last decade, multiple DNA and RNA viruses have been shown to produce miRNAs known as viral miRNAs (v-miRNAs) so as to evade the host immune response. In this review, we highlight the origin and biogenesis of viral miRNAs during the viral lifecycle. We also explore the role of viral miRNAs in immune evasion and hence in maintaining chronic infection and disease. Finally, we offer insights into …

Ferroptotic Cell Death And Tlr4/Trif Signaling Initiate Neutrophil Recruitment After Heart Transplantation, Wenjun Li, Guoshuai Feng, Jason M Gauthier, Inessa Lokshina, Ryuji Higashikubo, Sarah Evans, Xinping Liu, Adil Hassan, Satona Tanaka, Markus Cicka, Hsi-Min Hsiao, Daniel Ruiz-Perez, Andrea Bredemeyer, Richard W Gross, Douglas L Mann, Yulia Y Tyurina, Andrew E Gelman, Valerian E Kagan, Andreas Linkermann, Kory J Lavine, Daniel Kreisel

Open Access Publications

Non-apoptotic forms of cell death can trigger sterile inflammation through the release of danger-associated molecular patterns, which are recognized by innate immune receptors. However, despite years of investigation the mechanisms which initiate inflammatory responses after heart transplantation remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate that ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1), a specific inhibitor of ferroptosis, decreases the level of pro-ferroptotic hydroperoxy-arachidonoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine, reduces cardiomyocyte cell death and blocks neutrophil recruitment following heart transplantation. Inhibition of necroptosis had no effect on neutrophil trafficking in cardiac grafts. We extend these observations to a model of coronary artery ligation-induced myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury where inhibition of ferroptosis resulted in …

Rrx-001 Followed By Platinum Plus Etoposide In Patients With Previously Treated Small-Cell Lung Cancer, Daniel Morgensztern, Michal Rose, Saiama N Waqar, John Morris, Patrick C Ma, Thomas Reid, Christina E Brzezniak, Karen G Zeman, Arvinda Padmanabhan, Joann Hirth, Alexander I Spira, Jane B Trepel, Sukhmani K Padda

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: This exploratory single-arm phase II study evaluated the efficacy and safety of RRx-001 followed by reintroduction of platinum plus etoposide in patients with previously treated small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

METHODS: Patients were treated with RRx-001 4 mg IV on day 1 of each week of a 21-day cycle followed at progression by re-challenge with etoposide 80-100 IV mg/m

RESULTS: Twenty-six patients were enroled and received at least one dose of RRx-001. The median number of prior lines of therapy was 2 (range 1-9) and 19 (73.1%) patients had platinum-resistant disease. In the intention-to-treat population, one patient (3.8%) had complete …

Visualization Of Positive And Negative Sense Viral Rna For Probing The Mechanism Of Direct-Acting Antivirals Against Hepatitis C Virus, Dandan Liu, Philip R Tedbury, Shuiyun Lan, Andrew D Huber, Maritza N Puray-Chavez, Juan Ji, Eleftherios Michailidis, Mohsan Saeed, Tanyaradzwa P Ndongwe, Leda C Bassit, Raymond F Schinazi, Robert Ralston, Charles M Rice, Stefan G Sarafianos

Open Access Publications

RNA viruses are highly successful pathogens and are the causative agents for many important diseases. To fully understand the replication of these viruses it is necessary to address the roles of both positive-strand RNA ((+)RNA) and negative-strand RNA ((-)RNA), and their interplay with viral and host proteins. Here we used branched DNA (bDNA) fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to stain both the abundant (+)RNA and the far less abundant (-)RNA in both hepatitis C virus (HCV)- and Zika virus-infected cells, and combined these analyses with visualization of viral proteins through confocal imaging. We were able to phenotypically examine HCV-infected cells …

Mobilized Peripheral Blood: An Updated Perspective, Darja Karpova, Michael P Rettig, John F Dipersio

Open Access Publications

Enforced egress of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) out of the bone marrow (BM) into the peripheral circulation, termed mobilization, has come a long way since its discovery over four decades ago. Mobilization research continues to be driven by the need to optimize the regimen currently available in the clinic with regard to pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile, costs, and donor convenience. In this review, we describe the most recent findings in the field and how we anticipate them to affect the development of mobilization strategies in the future. Furthermore, the significance of mobilization beyond HSC collection, i.e. for chemosensitization, conditioning, and …

Interpreting Neurologic Outcomes In A Changing Trial Design Landscape: An Analysis Of Heartware Left Ventricular Assist Device Using A Hybrid Intention To Treat Population, Claudius Mahr, Duc Thinh Pham, Nahush A. Mokadam, Scott C. Silvestry, Jennifer Cowger, Michael S. Kiernan, David A. D'Alessandro, Erin E. Coglianese, Muhammad Faraz Masood, Robert L. Kormos, Mary V. Jacoski, Jeffrey J. Teuteberg

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.