Digital Commons Network^™

Cerebellar High-Grade Glioma: A Translationally Oriented Review Of The Literature, Ashley L B Raghu, Jason A Chen, Pablo A Valdes, Walid Ibn Essayed, Elizabeth Claus, Omar Arnaout, Timothy R Smith, E Antonio Chiocca, Pier Paolo Peruzzi, Joshua D Bernstock

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

World Health Organization (WHO) grade 4 gliomas of the cerebellum are rare entities whose understanding trails that of their supratentorial counterparts. Like supratentorial high-grade gliomas (sHGG), cerebellar high-grade gliomas (cHGG) preferentially affect males and prognosis is bleak; however, they are more common in a younger population. While current therapy for cerebellar and supratentorial HGG is the same, recent molecular analyses have identified features and subclasses of cerebellar tumors that may merit individualized targeting. One recent series of cHGG included the subclasses of (1) high-grade astrocytoma with piloid features (HGAP, ~31% of tumors); (2) H3K27M diffuse midline glioma (~8%); and (3) …

Safety And Microbiological Activity Of Phage Therapy In Persons With Cystic Fibrosis Colonized With Pseudomonas Aeruginosa: Study Protocol For A Phase 1b/2, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial, Pranita D Tamma, Maria Souli, Michael Billard, Joseph Campbell, Douglas Conrad, Damon W Ellison, Beth Evans, Scott R Evans, Kerryl E Greenwood-Quaintance, Andrey A Filippov, Holly S Geres, Toshimitsu Hamasaki, Lauren Komarow, Mikeljon P Nikolich, Thomas P Lodise, Seema U Nayak, Carmelle Norice-Tra, Robin Patel, David Pride, Janie Russell, Daria Van Tyne, Henry F Chambers, Vance G Fowlerjr, Robert T Schooley, Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Bacteriophages (phages) are a promising anti-infective option for human disease. Major gaps remain in understanding their potential utility.

METHODS: This is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study of a single dose of intravenous phage in approximately 72 clinically stable adult cystic fibrosis volunteers recruited from up to 20 US sites with Pseudomonas aeruginosa airway colonization. The single dose of phage consists of a mixture of four anti-pseudomonal phages. Six sentinel participants will be sequentially enrolled with dose escalation of the phage mixture by one log

DISCUSSION: This trial will investigate the activity of phages in reducing P. aeruginosa colony counts …

Pertussis And Influenza Immunization: Perceived Attitude And Decision Of Postpartum Patients, Nutan B Hebballi, Tayler Parker, Elisa I Garcia, Dalya M Ferguson, Susan Lesser, Kuojen Tsao, Maryam Broussard, Susan H Wootton

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Vaccination of pregnant patients with tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) and influenza vaccine during influenza season can reduce maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality; nevertheless, vaccination rates remain suboptimal in this patient population. To investigate the effect of a brief educational counseling session on maternal Tdap and influenza vaccination and determine factors influencing women's decision in regards to receiving Tdap and or influenza vaccine during their pregnancy.

METHODS: A face-to-face semi-structured cross-sectional survey was administered to postpartum patients on their anticipated day of discharge (June 11-August 21, 2018). A brief educational counseling session about maternal …

Clinical Significance Of Glycolytic Metabolic Activity In Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Joann Jung, Sowon Park, Yeonwoo Jang, Sung-Hwan Lee, Yun Seong Jeong, Sun Young Yim, Ju-Seog Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

High metabolic activity is a hallmark of cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the molecular features of HCC with high metabolic activity contributing to clinical outcomes and the therapeutic implications of these characteristics are poorly understood. We aimed to define the features of HCC with high metabolic activity and uncover its association with response to current therapies. By integrating gene expression data from mouse liver tissues and tumor tissues from HCC patients (n = 1038), we uncovered three metabolically distinct HCC subtypes that differ in clinical outcomes and underlying molecular biology. The high metabolic subtype is characterized by poor …

Ai In The Hands Of Imperfect Users, Kristin M Kostick-Quenet, Sara Gerke

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

As the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) continues to expand in healthcare, much attention has been given to mitigating bias in algorithms to ensure they are employed fairly and transparently. Less attention has fallen to addressing potential bias among AI/ML's human users or factors that influence user reliance. We argue for a systematic approach to identifying the existence and impacts of user biases while using AI/ML tools and call for the development of embedded interface design features, drawing on insights from decision science and behavioral economics, to nudge users towards more critical and reflective decision making using …

Xatlas: Scalable Small Variant Calling Across Heterogeneous Next-Generation Sequencing Experiments, Jesse Farek, Daniel Hughes, William Salerno, Yiming Zhu, Aishwarya Pisupati, Adam Mansfield, Olga Krasheninina, Adam C English, Ginger Metcalf, Eric Boerwinkle, Donna M Muzny, Richard Gibbs, Ziad Khan, Fritz J Sedlazeck

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: The growing volume and heterogeneity of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data complicate the further optimization of identifying DNA variation, especially considering that curated high-confidence variant call sets frequently used to validate these methods are generally developed from the analysis of comparatively small and homogeneous sample sets.

Findings: We have developed xAtlas, a single-sample variant caller for single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) and small insertions and deletions (indels) in NGS data. xAtlas features rapid runtimes, support for CRAM and gVCF file formats, and retraining capabilities. xAtlas reports SNVs with 99.11% recall and 98.43% precision across a reference HG002 sample at 60× whole-genome coverage …

Pharmacokinetic Study Of Intranasal Dexamethasone And Methylprednisolone Compared With Intravenous Administration: Two Open-Label, Single-Dose, Two-Period, Two-Sequence, Cross-Over Study In Healthy Volunteers, Graciela Cárdenas, Raúl J. Bobes, Gladis Fragoso, Nicolas I. Pérez-Osorio, Marisela Hernández, Alejandro Espinosa, Agnes Fleury, José Flores, Juan Carlos Alvarenga, Juan Pedro Laclette

School of Medicine Publications

Dexamethasone (DXM) and methylprednisolone (MEP) are potent glucocorticoids used to control several inflammatory conditions. Evidence of delayed DXM reaching the central nervous system (CNS) as well as tachyphylaxis and systemic, undesirable side effects are the main limitations of peripheral delivery. Intranasal administration offers direct access to the brain as it bypasses the blood–brain barrier. The Mucosal Atomization Device is an optimal tool that can achieve rapid absorption into the CNS and the bloodstream across mucosal membranes. This study was designed to evaluate and compare the bioavailability of DXM and MEP after intranasal versus intravenous administration. Two open-label, balanced, randomized, two-treatment, …

Pneumococcal Vaccine Guidance 2022, Bona Shin, Michael Do, Elaina Lioudis

Transformative Medicine

PCV15 and PCV20 received FDA approval in 2021. This article provides an overview of all pneumococcal vaccines - PPSV23, PCV13, PCV15, and PCV20 and their place in therapy. It provides a summary of pneumococcal disease burden in the U.S., vaccine spectrum of activity, indications, adult/pediatric dosing schedules, efficacy, and common adverse drug reactions.

“I Have A Lot Of Pvcs And I Need To See A Cardiologist”, Ravi Choxi, Arun Kundra

Transformative Medicine

No abstract provided.

Forest Therapy For Anxiety, Fiteh Yelekal, Nipa Doshi

Transformative Medicine

No abstract provided.

Listen To The Voices Of The Women, Judith Mirkinson

Journal of International Women's Studies

Using survivor testimonies, military records and statements from human rights organizations, this paper lays out the undeniable truth of the “comfort women” system. This truth is recognized by the international community and maintains that the Japanese government and Japanese Imperial Army instituted and maintained the largest system of sexual slavery in the 20th century. These testimonies provide the factual counterpoint to the historical denialism of Harvard Professor J. Mark Ramseyer as well as the Japanese government. The “comfort women” survivors’ experiences, since breaking a 40-year silence in the 1990s, manifest a resilience and sense of purpose in demanding an accounting …

Multidisciplinary Retreatment Of Skeletal Class Ii Malocclusion With Obstructive Sleep Apnea And Multiple Prosthesis, Si-Rong Chen, Cheng-Hui Lin, Ellen Wen-Ching Ko

Taiwanese Journal of Orthodontics

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder syndrome, especially in the middle-aged, obese men population. Patients suffer from an interrupted sleep at night, which could be life-threatening. Treatment alternatives include continuous positive airway pressure, mandible advanced device, nasal surgery and maxillo-mandibular advancement surgery. This article presented a patient who came with chief complaints of lower jaw retrusion, poor sleep quality, unsatisfactory occlusion and old prosthesis. The patient had declined the surgical-orthodontics in 12 years ago, and went for another camouflage orthodontic treatment with extraction of teeth and multiple prosthesis. He presented with skeletal Class II with retrognathic mandible …

Camouflage Treatment Of Skeletal Anterior Open Bite With Tongue Training, Cheng-Han Sie, Wen-Ken Tai, Chih-Chen Chou, Po-Yu Yang, Jung-Chun Yeh, Chun-Te Ho, Chia-Tze Kao

Taiwanese Journal of Orthodontics

The aim of this case report was to present an adult patient who suffered from poor occlusal function and poor aesthetic appearance due to skeletal anterior open bite. After orthodontic treatment, she was satisfied with improvements of mastication and esthetics. A case of 20-year-old female with skeletal Class II jaw relationship, mandible retrognathism and anterior open bite without signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorder. Intraoral examination showed premature contact over bilateral posterior teeth and the forward resting position of tongue. Our treatment plan was orthodontic camouflage with extraction of all first premolars and tongue training. As forward resting position of …

Quality Of Life Changes In Taiwanese Patients With Dentofacial Deformities Undergoing Orthognathic Surgery, Jing Hao Ng, I-Chen Lee, Becky Chiang-Lin Liu, Ellen Wen-Ching Ko

Taiwanese Journal of Orthodontics

Objectives: The evaluation of orthognathic surgery (OgS) is shifting towards a coherent approach for patient care that balances objective clinician-defined measures with patient-centred outcome assessments, including health-related quality of life (QoL). This aim of this study adds to the pool of literature in East Asian subjects by studying the longitudinal QoL changes in Taiwanese patients with dentofacial deformities (DFD) undergoing OgS, using two standardized questionnaires at three different treatment stages. Materials and Methods: This prospective cohort study comprised 113 consecutive Taiwanese OgS patients who underwent surgical-orthodontic treatment between 2015 and 2018. The subjects completed SF-36 and OHIP-14 standardized questionnaires with …

Comparison Of Bone Thickness In Infrazygomatic Crest Area At Various Miniscrew Insertion Angles: A Cone-Beam Computed Tomographic Study, Rajju Dangal, Rabindra Man Shrestha, Jyoti Dhakal, Sujita Shrestha, Alka Gupta, Shreya Shah

Taiwanese Journal of Orthodontics

Introduction: The infrazygomatic crest (IZC) is an alternative site for miniscrew anchorage. It is important to analyze the anatomy of the region during preoperative planning to minimize the risk of unwanted tooth movement and injury to the vital structures. The literatures on the clinical application of miniscrew in IZC is scarce. Objective: To determine bone thickness, height and angle of insertion of miniscrew in the IZC region. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional observational comparative study included 44 patients above18 years. IZC bone thickness and height of miniscrew insertion were measured on cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) records. Student t-test was done …

Cephalometric Analysis: History And Clinical Application, Ib Leth Nielsen

Taiwanese Journal of Orthodontics

When roentgen cephalometry was first introduced to the orthodontic profession in 1931 by Broadbent in the USA and Hofrath in Germany it was a major milestone in terms of new diagnostic tools available to orthodontists. Until that time only clinical observation and study casts of the patients had been available to the clinician but now a more in depth understanding of the facial makeup became possible. This meant that each patient’s malocclusion could now be related to their facial skeletal and dental morphology. The dentoalveolar components could now be studied in detail and better treatment plans could be developed that …

2022-12-27_Michiganoverview_Covidlongtermcare, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Long Term Care Data

The COVID Long Term Care Facilities page was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 data page: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/stats/data-about-places/long-term-care-data.

This report is created by the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services from data self-reported by long-term care facilities into EMResource. Data for all reporting facilities is posted weekly each Monday.

The information below represents COVID-19 data reported directly to MDHHS by licensed and operating Skilled Nursing, Home for the Aged and Adult Foster Care facilities (licensed to serve 13 or more individuals) in Michigan from January 1, 2020. All long-term care facilities additionally have an obligation to report COVID-positive residents and/or staff …

Netact: A Computational Platform To Construct Core Transcription Factor Regulatory Networks Using Gene Activity., Kenong Su, Ataur Katebi, Vivek Kohar, Benjamin Clauss, Danya Gordin, Zhaohui S Qin, Radha Krishna Murthy Karuturi, Sheng Li, Mingyang Lu

Faculty Research 2023

A major question in systems biology is how to identify the core gene regulatory circuit that governs the decision-making of a biological process. Here, we develop a computational platform, named NetAct, for constructing core transcription factor regulatory networks using both transcriptomics data and literature-based transcription factor-target databases. NetAct robustly infers regulators' activity using target expression, constructs networks based on transcriptional activity, and integrates mathematical modeling for validation. Our in silico benchmark test shows that NetAct outperforms existing algorithms in inferring transcriptional activity and gene networks. We illustrate the application of NetAct to model networks driving TGF-β-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition and macrophage …

2022-12-27_Michiganoverview_Covidstats, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Cumulative Michigan COVID-19 Data

The COVID Overview page was obtained from Michigan's main COVID-19 page: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/stats.

The State of Michigan is working around the clock to test and treat COVID-19 patients. Below is the most recent data healthcare experts across the state have compiled. COVID case and testing data will be posted once a week on Tuesdays.

This report is provisional and subject to change. City of Detroit and Wayne County are reported separately. MDHHS began tracking probable cases April 5, 2020. FCI indicates federal correctional institute. MDOC indicates Michigan Department of Corrections. Diagnostic tests, including nucleic acid amplification/real-time polymerase chain reaction (NAAT/RT-PCR) …

Blackberry Plant Named ‘Apf-268’, John R. Clark

Patents Granted

Description and specifications of a new and distinct cultivar of blackberry plant named ‘APF-268’ which originated from seed produced by a hand-pollinated cross of Arkansas selections ‘APF-45’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,449) x ‘APF-158’ (non-patented, unreleased genotype) is provided. This new cultivar of blackberry plant can be distinguished by its large fruit with consistent size and sweet flavor. The plants have consistently good plant health and primocane-fruiting habit.

2022-12-27_Michiganoverview_Covidcounts, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Confirmed Cases by Date of Onset Data

Data was downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet which appeared in the Public Use Datasets section under the Cumulative Data link of Michigan's Coronavirus webpage, under the url https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/stats.

Cases are aggregated by the date of onset of COVID-19 symptoms, if known, otherwise by laboratory specimen date if known, otherwise by case referral date. Deaths are aggregated by the date of death if known, otherwise by the last date of a change to the case status.

2022-12-27_Michiganoverview_Isdreporting, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Outbreak Reports

The K-12 Aged ISD Reporting page was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 data page: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/stats/k-to-12-aged-isd-reporting.

This report is created from data reported by the Michigan Disease Surveillance System (MDSS) the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' web-based communicable disease reporting system. Data is updated every week.

The purpose of the dashboard is to report the 7 day average of COVID-19 cases in Michigan school students aged 5 through 18 at the intermediate school district and school district levels, as well as display trends over time to better illustrate the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cases are attributed to …

Novel Plasma Protein Biomarkers From Critically Ill Sepsis Patients, Douglas Fraser

Data and Test Instruments

No abstract provided.

Jahmaes Dates V. Justin Winters

2022 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Aa And Dha Are Decreased In Paediatric Ad/Hd And Inattention Is Ameliorated By Increased Plasma Dha, John J. Miklavcic, Ellen Ivity, Ian M. Macdonald, Liana Urichuk, Vera C. Mazurak, Christina Rinaldi, Michael T. Clandinin

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

The purpose of this study was to assess long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) status in relation to socio-behavioral outcomes in children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD). In a case-control design, plasma phospholipid fatty acid content was assessed in children aged 5–12 years with AD/HD and in typically functioning children. Dietary intakes of LCPUFAs arachidonic acid (AA; 20:4n6) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n3) were quantified using a four-day food record, polymorphisms were determined in FADS1 and FADS2, and socio-behavioral outcomes were assessed using the Conners 3 Parent Rating Scales in a cross section of children with AD/HD. Compared to …

Prostate Cancer Malignancy Detection And Localization From Mpmri Using Auto-Deep Learning As One Step Closer To Clinical Utilization, Weiwei Zong, Eric Carver, Simeng Zhu, Eric Schaff, Daniel Chapman, Joon K. Lee, Hassan Bagher-Ebadian, Benjamin Movsas, Winston Wen, Tarik Alafif, Xiangyun Zong

Radiation Oncology Articles

Automatic diagnosis of malignant prostate cancer patients from mpMRI has been studied heavily in the past years. Model interpretation and domain drift have been the main road blocks for clinical utilization. As an extension from our previous work we trained on a public cohort with 201 patients and the cropped 2.5D slices of the prostate glands were used as the input, and the optimal model were searched in the model space using autoKeras. As an innovative move, peripheral zone (PZ) and central gland (CG) were trained and tested separately, the PZ detector and CG detector were demonstrated effective in highlighting …

Tourist Accommodation Demand Vs. Blue Flag Award: Review And A Simple Empirical Approach To Bivariate Trends In The South-East Of Spain, Javier Alarcon

Journal of Mediterranean Tourism Research

An analytical review of the literature on the effect of the Blue Flag eco-label on tourism demand reveals clear divergences. Certain free sources provide valuable panel data to study trends over time in Blue Flag awards to beaches, on one side, and the demand for accommodation in bathing season, on the other. These data also serve as a basis for the construction of correlation models, such as the simple approach tested here in a representative territory of sun&beach tourism, on the south and east coasts of Spain. As a result, these two variables follow a similar trend, and the Blue …

Aspen Leaves As A "Chemical Landscape" For Fungal Endophyte Diversity - Can Nitrogen And Herbivory Shape The Community Composition In Controlled Conditions?, Johanna Witzell, Vicki Huizu Guo Decker, Marta Agostinelli, Carmen Romeralo Tapia, Michelle Cleary, Benedicte Riber Albrectsen

Aspen Bibliography

The endophytic microbiome may influence the ecological performance of plants, including forest trees. Various abiotic and biotic factors may shape the endophyte communities directly but also indirectly, by modifying the quality of host plants as a substrate. We hypothesized that potentially antifungal or fungistatic condensed tannins (CTs) would determine the quality of aspen (Populus tremula) leaves as a substrate for endophytic fungi. By subjecting the plants to nitrogen fertilization (N) or herbivory (H; leaf beetles) we aimed to change the internal “chemical landscape”, especially the CT levels, in aspen leaves. We expected that this would lead to changes in the …

Financing Benefits And Barriers To Routine Hiv Screening In Clinical Settings In The United States: A Scoping Review, Hani Serag, Isabel Clark, Cherith Naig, David Lakey, Yordanos M. Tiruneh

School of Medicine Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone between 13--64 years be tested for HIV at least once as a routine procedure. Routine HIV screening is reimbursable by Medicare, Medicaid, expanded Medicaid, and most commercial insurance plans. Yet, scaling-up HIV routine screening remains a challenge. We conducted a scoping review for studies on financial benefits and barriers associated with HIV screening in clinical settings in the U.S. to inform an evidence-based strategy to scale-up routine HIV screening. We searched Ovid MEDLINE®, Cochrane, and Scopus for studies published between 2006-2020 in English. The search identified 383 Citations; we screened 220 …

Structure-Based Rational Design Of Small Α-Helical Peptides With Broad-Spectrum Activity Against Multidrug-Resistant Pathogens, Sandeep Lohan, Anastasia G. Konshina, Roman G. Efremov, Innokentiy Maslennikov, Keykavous Parang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

A series of small (7–12 mer) amphipathic cationic peptides were designed and synthesized to create short helical peptides with broad-range bactericidal activity and selectivity toward the bacterial cells. The analysis identified a lead 12-mer peptide 8b with broad-spectrum activity against Gram-positive (MIC = 3.1–6.2 μg/mL) and Gram-negative (MIC = 6.2–12.5 μg/mL) bacteria and selectivity toward prokaryotic versus eukaryotic cells (HC50 = 280 μg/mL, >75% cell viability at 150 μg/mL). The rapid membranolytic action of 8b was demonstrated by a calcein dye leakage assay and confirmed using scanning electron microscopy. According to circular dichroism and NMR spectroscopy, the peptides have an …