Digital Commons Network^™

Combination Tigit/Pd-1 Blockade Enhances The Efficacy Of Neoantigen Vaccines In A Model Of Pancreatic Cancer, Hui Peng, Lijin Li, Chong Zuo, Michael Y Chen, Xiuli Zhang, Nancy B Myers, Graham D Hogg, David G Denardo, S Peter Goedegebuure, William G Hawkins, William E Gillanders

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Cancer neoantigens are important targets of cancer immunotherapy and neoantigen vaccines are currently in development in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and other cancer types. Immune regulatory mechanisms in pancreatic cancer may limit the efficacy of neoantigen vaccines. Targeting immune checkpoint signaling pathways in PDAC may improve the efficacy of neoantigen vaccines.

METHODS: We used KPC4580P, an established model of PDAC, to test whether neoantigen vaccines can generate therapeutic efficacy against PDAC. We focused on two immunogenic neoantigens associated with genetic alterations in the CAR12 and CDK12 genes. We tested a neoantigen vaccine comprised of two 20-mer synthetic long peptides …

Socioecological Model-Based Design And Implementation Principles Of Lower Limb Preservation Programs As Partners For Limb-Loss Rehabilitation Programs- A Mini-Review, Vipul Khetarpaul, John P Kirby, Patrick Geraghty, John Felder, Prateek Grover

2020-Current year OA Pubs

People with lower limb loss, especially of dysvascular etiology, are at substantial risk for both ipsilateral and contralateral reamputation. Additionally, while not as well documented for reamputation, there is recognition that amputation incidence is influenced by not only sociodemographic factors such as sex, race, socioeconomic status, but also by system factors such as service access. A systems strategy to address this disparity within the field of limb-loss rehabilitation is for Limb-loss Rehabilitation Programs (LRP) to partner with medical specialists, mental health professionals, and Limb Preservation Programs (LPP) to provide comprehensive limb care. While LPPs exist around the nation, design principles …

Case Report: Real-World Experience Using A Personalized Cancer-Specific Circulating Tumor Dna Assay In Different Metastatic Melanoma Scenarios, Karam Khaddour, Alice Zhou, Omar H Butt, Griffin Budde, Allyson Koyen Malashevich, George Ansstas

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Circulating-tumor DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as an important biomarker for monitoring disease status in cancer patients. Different ctDNA testing platforms have shown promising results in the early detection of disease, monitoring response to treatment, and prognostication in metastatic melanoma. However, several challenges exist, including the reduced shedding of ctDNA into the bloodstream in the metastatic setting, differences in sensitivity among various ctDNA assays, and the inherent inability to distinguish tumor-specific mutations from other mutations that are not related to the cancer of interest. Using a ctDNA assay that is designed to detect multiple single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) that are specific to …

Mechanisms Of Persistent Atrial Fibrillation And Recurrences Within 12 Months Post-Ablation: Non-Invasive Mapping With Electrocardiographic Imaging, Ramya Vijayakumar, Mitchell N Faddis, Phillip S Cuculich, Yoram Rudy

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Catheter ablation of persistent AF has not been consistently successful in terminating AF or preventing arrhythmia recurrences. Non-invasive Electrocardiographic Imaging (ECGI) can help to understand recurrences by mapping the mechanisms of pre-ablation AF and comparing them with the patterns of recurrent arrhythmias in the same patient.

METHODS: Seventeen persistent AF patients underwent ECGI before their first catheter ablation. Time-domain activation maps and phase progression maps were obtained on the bi-atrial epicardium. Location of arrhythmogenic drivers were annotated on the bi-atrial anatomy. Activation and phase movies were examined to understand the wavefront dynamics during AF. Eight patients recurred within 12 …

Use Of Leishmania Major Parasites Expressing A Recombinant Trypanosoma Cruzi Antigen As Live Vaccines Against Chagas Disease, Catherine W Cai, Anne O'Shea, Christopher S Eickhoff, Hongjie Guo, Warren G Lewis, Stephen M Beverley, Daniel F Hoft

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION:

METHODS: We generated recombinant

RESULTS: We demonstrate that mice inoculated with these recombinant TS-expressing

DISCUSSION: Altogether, these data indicate that

Islet Cilia And Glucose Homeostasis, Isabella Melena, Jing W Hughes

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Diabetes is a growing pandemic affecting over ten percent of the U.S. population. Individuals with all types of diabetes exhibit glucose dysregulation due to altered function and coordination of pancreatic islets. Within the critical intercellular space in pancreatic islets, the primary cilium emerges as an important physical structure mediating cell-cell crosstalk and signal transduction. Many events leading to hormone secretion, including GPCR and second-messenger signaling, are spatiotemporally regulated at the level of the cilium. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of cilia action in islet hormone regulation and glucose homeostasis, focusing on newly implicated ciliary pathways that regulate insulin …

Multi-Omics Insights Into The Biological Mechanisms Underlying Statistical Gene-By-Lifestyle Interactions With Smoking And Alcohol Consumption, Timothy D Majarian, Mary F Feitosa, Michael Province, Dabeeru C Rao, Karen Schwander, Yun Ju Sung, C Charles Gu, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Though both genetic and lifestyle factors are known to influence cardiometabolic outcomes, less attention has been given to whether lifestyle exposures can alter the association between a genetic variant and these outcomes. The Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium's Gene-Lifestyle Interactions Working Group has recently published investigations of genome-wide gene-environment interactions in large multi-ancestry meta-analyses with a focus on cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption as lifestyle factors and blood pressure and serum lipids as outcomes. Further description of the biological mechanisms underlying these statistical interactions would represent a significant advance in our understanding of gene-environment …

Implicating Genes, Pleiotropy, And Sexual Dimorphism At Blood Lipid Loci Through Multi-Ancestry Meta-Analysis, Stavroula Kanoni, Adam E. Locke, E Warwick Daw, Mary F. Feitosa, Mary K. Wojczynski, Bernhard Banas, Carsten A. Boger, Bettina Jung, D C. Rao, Michael A. Province, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Dose-Dependent Treatment Effects After Mid-Trial Dose Escalation In Biomarker, Clinical, And Cognitive Outcomes For Gantenerumab Or Solanezumab In Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Disease, Guoqiao Wang, Yan Li, Chengjie Xiong, Eric Mcdade, David B Clifford, Susan L Mills, Anna M Santacruz, Andrew J Aschenbrenner, Jason Hassenstab, Tammie L S Benzinger, Brian A Gordon, Anne M Fagan, Kelley A Coalier, Jorge J Libre-Guerra, Austin Mccullough, Nelly Joseph-Mathurin, Charles D Chen, Randall J Bateman, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: While the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Trials Unit (DIAN-TU) was ongoing, external data suggested higher doses were needed to achieve targeted effects; therefore, doses of gantenerumab were increased 5-fold, and solanezumab was increased 4-fold. We evaluated to what extent mid-trial dose increases produced a dose-dependent treatment effect.

METHODS: Using generalized linear mixed effects (LME) models, we estimated the annual low- and high-dose treatment effects in clinical, cognitive, and biomarker outcomes.

RESULTS: Both gantenerumab and solanezumab demonstrated dose-dependent treatment effects (significant for gantenerumab, non-significant for solanezumab) in their respective target amyloid biomarkers (Pittsburgh compound B positron emission tomography standardized uptake …

Age Differences In The Association Between Sleep And Alzheimer's Disease Biomarkers In The Epad Cohort, Sharon L Naismith, Yue Leng, Jake R Palmer, Brendan P Lucey

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to determine the independent association between sleep quality and Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers, and whether the associations differ with age.

METHODS: We included 1240 individuals aged ≥50, without dementia from the

RESULTS: For the youngest age tertile, shorter sleep duration and higher sleep efficiency were associated with greater p-tau/Aβ42 ratio. For the oldest tertile, longer sleep latency was associated with greater p-tau/Aβ42.

DISCUSSION: Differential relationships between sleep and AD pathology depend on age. Short sleep duration and sleep efficiency are relevant in middle age whereas time taken to fall asleep is more closely linked to AD biomarkers …

Clinical And Molecular Characteristics Of A Novel Rare De Novo Variant In Ppp2ca In A Patient With A Developmental Disorder, Autism, And Epilepsy, Iris Verbinnen, Sara S Procknow, Lisa Lenaerts, Sara Reynhout, Aujan Mehregan, Chris Ulens, Veerle Janssens, Katherine A King

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PP2A-related (neuro) developmental disorders are a family of genetic diseases caused by a heterozygous alteration in one of several genes encoding a subunit of type 2A protein phosphatases. Reported affected genes, so far, are

Donor Chimerism And Immune Reconstitution Following Haploidentical Transplantation In Sickle Cell Disease, Yaya Chu, Brenda Grossman, Shalini Shenoy, Et Al

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: We previously reported the initial results of a phase II multicenter transplant trial using haploidentical parental donors for children and aolescents with high-risk sickle cell disease achieving excellent survival with exceptionally low rates of graft-versus-host disease and resolution of sickle cell disease symptoms. To investigate human leukocyte antigen (HLA) sensitization, graft characteristics, donor chimerism, and immune reconstitution in these recipients.

METHODS: CD34 cells were enriched using the CliniMACS

RESULTS: HLA antibodies were detected in 7 of 11 (64%) evaluable patients but rarely were against donor antigens. Myeloid engraftment was rapid (100%) at a median of 9 days. At 30 …

Primates Chunk Simultaneously-Presented Memoranda, Charles D Holmes, Shinung Ching, Lawrence H Snyder

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Though much research has characterized both the behavior and electrophysiology of spatial memory for single targets in non-human primates, we know much less about how multiple memoranda are handled. Multiple memoranda may interact in the brain, affecting the underlying representations. Mnemonic resources are famously limited, so items may compete for "space" in memory or may be encoded cooperatively or in a combined fashion. Understanding the mode of interaction will inform future neural studies. As a first step, we quantified interactions during a multi-item spatial memory task. Two monkeys were shown 1-4 target locations. After a delay, the targets reappeared with …

Expert Guidance On Prophylaxis And Treatment Of Dermatologic Adverse Events With Tumor Treating Fields (Ttfields) Therapy In The Thoracic Region, Milan J Anadkat, Mario Lacouture, Adam Friedman, Zachary D Horne, Jae Jung, Benjamin Kaffenberger, Sujith Kalmadi, Liza Ovington, Rupesh Kotecha, Huda Ismail Abdullah, Federica Grosso

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) are electric fields, delivered via wearable arrays placed on or near the tumor site, that exert physical forces to disrupt cellular processes critical for cancer cell viability and tumor progression. As a first-in-class treatment, TTFields therapy is approved for use in newly diagnosed glioblastoma, recurrent glioblastoma, and pleural mesothelioma. Additionally, TTFields therapy is being investigated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), brain metastases from NSCLC, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and gastric adenocarcinoma. Because TTFields therapy is well tolerated and delivery is locoregional, there is low risk of additive systemic adverse events (AEs) when used …

Sars-Cov-2 Booster Vaccination Rescues Attenuated Igg1 Memory B Cell Response In Primary Antibody Deficiency Patients, Frank J Lin, Alexa Michelle Altman Doss, Hannah G Davis-Adams, Lucas J Adams, Christopher H Hanson, Laura A Vanblargan, Chieh-Yu Liang, Rita E Chen, Jennifer Marie Monroy, H James Wedner, Anthony Kulczycki, Tarisa L Mantia, Caitlin C O'Shaughnessy, Saravanan Raju, Fang R Zhao, Elise Rizzi, Christopher J Rigell, Tiffany Biason Dy, Andrew L Kau, Zhen Ren, Jackson S Turner, Jane A O'Halloran, Rachel M Presti, Daved H Fremont, Peggy L Kendall, Ali H Ellebedy, Philip A Mudd, Michael S Diamond, Ofer Zimmerman, Brian J Laidlaw

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Although SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have proven effective in eliciting a protective immune response in healthy individuals, their ability to induce a durable immune response in immunocompromised individuals remains poorly understood. Primary antibody deficiency (PAD) syndromes are among the most common primary immunodeficiency disorders in adults and are characterized by hypogammaglobulinemia and impaired ability to mount robust antibody responses following infection or vaccination.

METHODS: Here, we present an analysis of both the B and T cell response in a prospective cohort of 30 individuals with PAD up to 150 days following initial COVID-19 vaccination and 150 days post mRNA booster vaccination. …

Postnatal Osterix But Not Dmp1 Lineage Cells Significantly Contribute To Intramembranous Ossification In Three Preclinical Models Of Bone Injury, Evan G Buettmann, Susumu Yoneda, Pei Hu, Jennifer A Mckenzie, Matthew J Silva

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Murine models of long-bone fracture, stress fracture, and cortical defect are used to discern the cellular and molecular mediators of intramembranous and endochondral bone healing. Previous work has shown that Osterix (Osx

3d Bi-Directional Transformer U-Net For Medical Image Segmentation, Xiyao Fu, Zhexian Sun, Haoteng Tang, Eric M Zou, Heng Huang, Yong Wang, Liang Zhan

2020-Current year OA Pubs

As one of the popular deep learning methods, deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) have been widely adopted in segmentation tasks and have received positive feedback. However, in segmentation tasks, DCNN-based frameworks are known for their incompetence in dealing with global relations within imaging features. Although several techniques have been proposed to enhance the global reasoning of DCNN, these models are either not able to gain satisfying performances compared with traditional fully-convolutional structures or not capable of utilizing the basic advantages of CNN-based networks (namely the ability of local reasoning). In this study, compared with current attempts to combine FCNs and …

Mortality In Pediatric Oncology And Stem Cell Transplant Patients With Bloodstream Infections, Daniel N Willis, Mary Claire Mcglynn, Patrick J Reich, Robert J Hayashi

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Bloodstream infections (BSI) continue to represent a significant source of morbidity for pediatric oncology patients, however less is known regarding this population's risk of death. We sought to evaluate the risk of BSI and death at a large pediatric cancer center.

METHODS: We retrospectively collected inpatient data from pediatric oncology and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients over a 9-year period. We performed univariate and multivariable modeling to assess risk of BSI and mortality examining the following variables: demographics, underlying malignancy, history of HSCT, central line type, and febrile neutropenia (FN).

RESULTS: During the study period, 6763 admissions from …

Top-Down And Bottom-Up Propagation Of Disease In The Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses, John R Ostergaard, Hemanth R Nelvagal, Jonathan D Cooper

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses (NCLs) may be considered distinct neurodegenerative disorders with separate underlying molecular causes resulting from monogenetic mutations. An alternative hypothesis is to consider the NCLs as related diseases that share lipofuscin pathobiology as the common core feature, but otherwise distinguished by different a) initial anatomic location, and b) disease propagation.

METHODS: We have tested this hypothesis by comparing known differences in symptomatology and pathology of the CLN1 phenotype caused by complete loss of

RESULTS: Despite displaying similar pathological endpoints, the clinical phenotypes and the evidence of imaging and

DISCUSSION: The propagation of disease in these two …

Decision-Making Factors For An Autologous Stem Cell Transplant For Older Adults With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma: A Qualitative Analysis, Owais Mian, Martine Puts, Arleigh Mccurdy, Tanya M Wildes, Mark A Fiala, Matthew Kang, Mary Salib, Shabbir Alibhai, Hira Mian

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: A utologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) remains a standard of care among older adults (aged ≥65) with multiple myeloma (MM). However, heterogeneity in the eligibility and utilization of ASCT remains. We identified decision-making factors that influence ASCT eligibility and utilization among older adults with MM.

METHODS: A qualitative study across two academic and two community centres in Ontario was conducted between July 2019-July 2020. Older adults with MM (newly diagnosed MM aged 65-75 in whom a decision had been made about ASCT in <12 months) and treating oncologists completed a baseline survey and a subsequent interview, which was analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS: Eighteen patients completed the survey and 9 follow-up interviews were conducted. Patients were happy with …

Stat3 Gain-Of-Function Syndrome, Tiphanie P Vogel, Jennifer W Leiding, Megan A Cooper, Lisa R Forbes Satter

2020-Current year OA Pubs

STAT3 gain-of-function (GOF) syndrome is a multi-organ primary immune regulatory disorder characterized by early onset autoimmunity. Patients present early in life, most commonly with lymphoproliferation, autoimmune cytopenias, and growth delay. However, disease is often progressive and can encompass a wide range of clinical manifestations such as: enteropathy, skin disease, pulmonary disease, endocrinopathy, arthritis, autoimmune hepatitis, and rarely neurologic disease, vasculopathy, and malignancy. Treatment of the autoimmune and immune dysregulatory features of STAT3-GOF patients relies heavily on immunosuppression and is often challenging and fraught with complications including severe infections. Defects in the T cell compartment leading to effector T cell accumulation …

"Provider Discretionary Power Practices To Support Implementation Of Patient-Centered Hiv Care In Lusaka, Zambia", Chanda Mwamba, Njekwa Mukamba, Anjali Sharma, Kasapo Lumbo, Marksman Foloko, Herbert Nyirenda, Sandra Simbeza, Kombatende Sikombe, Charles B Holmes, Izukanji Sikazwe, Carolyn Bolton Moore, Aaloke Mody, Elvin Geng, Laura K Beres

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Traditional patient-provider relationships privilege the providers, as they possess the formal authority and clinical knowledge applied to address illness, but providers also have discretion over how they exercise their power to influence patients' services, benefits, and sanctions. In this study, we assessed providers' exercise of discretionary power in implementing patient-centered care (PCC) practices in Lusaka, Zambia.

METHODS: HIV clinical encounters between patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and providers across 24 public health facilities in Lusaka Province were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Using qualitative content analysis, we identified practices of discretionary power (DP) employed in the implementation of PCC …

Sustainability In Pediatric Hospitals: An Exploration At The Intersection Of Quality Improvement And Implementation Science, Sara Malone, Jason Newland, Sapna R Kudchadkar, Kim Prewitt, Virginia Mckay, Beth Prusaczyk, Enola Proctor, Ross C Brownson, Douglas A Luke

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Although new evidence-based practices are frequently implemented in clinical settings, many are not sustained, limiting the intended impact. Within implementation science, there is a gap in understanding sustainability. Pediatric healthcare settings have a robust history of quality improvement (QI), which includes a focus on continuation of change efforts. QI capability and sustainability capacity, therefore, serve as a useful concept for connecting the broader fields of QI and implementation science to provide insights on improving care. This study addresses these gaps in understanding of sustainability in pediatric settings and its relationship to QI.

METHODS: This is a cross-sectional observational study …

Neurology Resident Eeg Training In Europe, Fábio A Nascimento, Jay R Gavvala, Hatice Tankisi, Sándor Beniczky

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: To detail current European EEG education practices and compare European and U.S. EEG teaching systems.

METHODS: A 19-question online survey focused on EEG clinical practices and residency training was emailed to all 47 European Academy of Neurology Societies.

RESULTS: Thirty-two (68 %) out of the 47 Societies completed the survey. In half of countries, general neurologists are either among the providers or the only providers who typically read EEGs. The number of weeks devoted to EEG learning required to graduate ranged from none to 26, and it was expected to be continuous in one country. In most countries (n …

Management Of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia In The Setting Of Acute Covid-19 Infection, Kevin G Shim, Mallory Crain, Kristan Augustin, Karolyn A Oetjen

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) often presents with significant coagulopathy which may result in both hemorrhagic and thrombotic complications. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has complicated the initial treatment and diagnosis of APL owing to the viral infection's own associated coagulopathy. Here we report two cases of APL newly diagnosed in the setting of COVID-19 infection and considerations in their management. Included is a discussion of strategies for the dosing of arsenic trioxide in patients with significant obesity and renal insufficiency. The case series submitted does not represent a study on patients and thus no specific informed consents or permissions …

Functional Tic-Like Presentations Differ Strikingly From Provisional Tic Disorder, Amanda L Arbuckle, Emily C Bihun, Bradley L Schlaggar, Kevin J. Black

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Protocol For A Proof-Of-Concept Study Evaluating Systematic Quality Improvement With Realtime Event Support (Squires), Arianna Montes De Oca, Thaddeus P. Budelier, Rachel C. Wolfe, Teresa M. Murray-Torres, Melissa Milbrandt, Ryan Guffey, Alex Kronzer, Mara L. Bollini, Brian A. Torres, Bernadette Henrichs, Arbi Ben Abdallah, Sherry L. Mckinnon, Ivan Kangrga, Andrea Reidy, Paul W. Kerby, Michael S. Avidan, Troy S. Wildes

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Protocol For The Perioperative Outcome Risk Assessment With Computer Learning Enhancement (Periop Oracle) Randomized Study, Bradley Fritz, Christopher King, Yixin Chen, Alex Kronzer, Joanna Abraham, Arbi Ben Abdallah, Thomas Kannampallil, Thaddeus Budelier, Arianna Montes De Oca, Sherry Mckinnon, Bethany Tellor Pennington, Troy Wildes, Michael Avidan

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Protocol For The Ketamine For Postoperative Avoidance Of Depressive Symptoms (K-Pass) Feasibility Study: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Bradley A Fritz, Bethany R Tellor Pennington, Ben J A Palanca, Julie A Schweiger, Jon T Willie, Nuri B Farber

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

A Promising Genetic Target For A Deadly Disease: Single Immunoglobulin Interleukin 1 (Sigirr) Mutations In Necrotizing Enterocolitis, Misty Good, Camilia R Martin

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.