Digital Commons Network^™

Nanocurcumin Combined With Insulin Alleviates Diabetic Kidney Disease Through P38/P53 Signaling Axis, Dianxiong Zou, Meenakshi Arora, Richard Friend, David Sheikh-Hamad, Rita Basu, M N V Ravi Kumar

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Treatments for diabetic kidney disease (DKD) mainly focus on managing hyperglycemia and hypertension, but emerging evidence suggests that inflammation also plays a role in the pathogenesis of DKD. This 10-week study evaluated the efficacy of daily oral nanoparticulate-curcumin (nCUR) together with long-acting insulin (INS) to treat DKD in a rodent model. Diabetic rats were dosed with unformulated CUR alone, nCUR alone or together with INS, or INS alone. The progression of diabetes was reflected by increases in plasma fructosamine, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, bilirubin, ALP, and decrease in albumin and globulins. These aberrancies were remedied by nCUR+INS or INS but …

Respiratory Function Changes As Early Signs Of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Marco Fasolino, Michele Aliberti, Ersilia Satta, Carlo Santoriello, James Peter Orengo, Francesca Polverino

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: The current diagnostic criteria for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may remain unsatisfactory for months or years in the early disease. Pulmonary assessment has never been considered useful in the early diagnosis of ALS, and studies of pulmonary function in this patient category are lacking.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to assess the pulmonary function in subjects with unspecific symptoms of ALS in whom an ALS diagnosis cannot be reached based on the current available guidelines.

METHODS: We performed pulmonary function tests, arterial gas analysis, maximal inspiratory (MIP) and expiratory (MEP) pressure, and respiratory drive (P0.1) assessment in …

Lower Respiratory Illnesses In Childhood Are Associated With The Presence Of Air Trapping In Early Adulthood, Courtney Wheatley-Guy, Surya P Bhatt, Fernando D Martinez, Stefano Guerra, Wayne J Morgan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Several factors occurring in early life, including lower respiratory tract illnesses (LRIs), are involved in determining lung structure and function in adulthood, but the effects of these factors on lung development remain largely unknown. Hereby, we evaluated the parameters from computed tomography (CT) scans performed at the age of 26 years in 39 subjects from the birth cohort of the Tucson Children's Respiratory Study (TCRS) in order to determine the relationship between early childhood factors and lung structural changes in young adult life. We found that participants with LRIs in childhood had increased air trapping at the age of 26 …

Dietary Behaviours During Covid-19 Among Households At Risk For Food Insecurity, Christine Markham

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The objective of the present study was to examine associations between variables of COVID-19-related concerns and changes in fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption among a sample of participants from the Brighter Bites program at risk for food insecurity. Cross-sectional data were collected during April-June 2020 using a rapid-response survey to understand social needs, COVID-19-related concerns and diet-related behaviours among families with children participating in Brighter Bites (

Validation Of A Process For Shared Decision-Making In Pediatrics, Douglas J Opel, Holly Hoa Vo, Nicolas Dundas, Heather Spielvogle, Amanda Mercer, Benjamin S Wilfond, Jonna Clark, Carrie L Heike, Elliott M Weiss, Mersine A Bryan, Seema K Shah, Carolyn A Mccarty, Jeffrey D Robinson, Jennifer Blumenthal-Barby, Jon Tilburt

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

OBJECTIVE: We sought to confirm, refute, or modify a 4-step process for implementing shared decision-making (SDM) in pediatrics that involves determining 1) if the decision includes >1 medically reasonable option; 2) if one option has a favorable medical benefit-burden ratio compared to other options; and 3) parents' preferences regarding the options; then 4) calibrating the SDM approach based on other relevant decision characteristics.

METHODS: We videotaped a purposive sample of pediatric inpatient and outpatient encounters at a single US children's hospital. Clinicians from 7 clinical services (craniofacial, neonatology, oncology, pulmonary, pediatric intensive care, hospital medicine, and sports medicine) were eligible. …

The Potential Of Ketamine For Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Review Of Clinical Evidence, Anya Ragnhildstveit, Jeremy Roscoe, Lisa C Bass, Christopher L Averill, Chadi G Abdallah, Lynnette A Averill

Staff and Researcher Publications

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a devastating condition, for which there are few pharmacological agents, often with a delayed onset of action and poor efficacy. Trauma-focused psychotherapies are further limited by few trained providers and low patient engagement. This frequently results in disease chronicity as well as psychiatric and medical comorbidity, with considerable negative impact on quality of life. As such, off-label interventions are commonly used for PTSD, particularly in chronic refractory cases. Ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NDMA) receptor antagonist, has recently been indicated for major depression, exhibiting rapid and robust antidepressant effects. It also shows transdiagnostic potential for an …

Size Distributions Of Intracellular Condensates Reflect Competition Between Coalescence And Nucleation, Lien Beckers, Joshua A Riback, Clifford P Brangwynne, Ned S Wingreen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Phase separation of biomolecules into condensates has emerged as a mechanism for intracellular organization and affects many intracellular processes, including reaction pathways through the clustering of enzymes and pathway intermediates. Precise and rapid spatiotemporal control of reactions by condensates requires tuning of their sizes. However, the physical processes that govern the distribution of condensate sizes remain unclear. Here we show that both native and synthetic condensates display an exponential size distribution, which is captured by Monte Carlo simulations of fast nucleation followed by coalescence. In contrast, pathological aggregates exhibit a power-law size distribution. These distinct behaviours reflect the relative importance …

Primary Spinal Intramedullary Anaplastic Ganglioglioma In A Pediatric Patient, Marc Prablek, Frank Y Lin, Melissa M Blessing, Guillermo Aldave, David Bauer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Gangliogliomas (GGs) are rare tumors of the central nervous system composed of neoplastic neural and glial cells and are typically low-grade. Intramedullary spinal anaplastic GGs (AGG) are rare, poorly understood, and often aggressive tumors that can result in widespread progression along the craniospinal axis. Due to the rarity of these tumors, data are lacking to guide clinical and pathologic diagnosis and standard of care treatment. Here, we present a case of pediatric spinal AGG to provide information on our institutional approach to work-up and to highlight unique molecular pathology.

CASE DESCRIPTION: A 13-year-old female presented with signs of spinal …