Digital Commons Network^™

Molecular Mechanism Behind The Safe Immunostimulatory Effect Of Withania Somnifera, Kriti Kalpana, Shen Yap, Moriya Tsuji, Akira Kawamura

Publications and Research

Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal (family Solanaceae) is a medicinal plant known for, among many pharmacological properties, an immune boosting effect. Our recent study revealed that its key immunostimulatory factor is lipopolysaccharide of plant-associated bacteria. This is peculiar, because, although LPS can elicit protective immunity, it is an extremely potent pro-inflammatory toxin (endotoxin). However, W. somnifera is not associated with such toxicity. In fact, despite the presence of LPS, it does not trigger massive inflammatory responses in macrophages. To gain insights into the safe immunostimulatory effect of W. somnifera, we conducted a mechanistic study on its major phytochemical constituent, …

Structure–Activity Relationship Studies On 6-Chloro-1-Phenylbenzazepines Leads To The Identification Of A New Dopamine D1 Receptor Antagonist, Rajan Giri, Hari K. Namballa, Vishwashiv Emogaje, Wayne W. Harding

Publications and Research

The 1-phenylbenzazepine template has yielded a number of D1R-like ligands, which, though useful as pharmacological tools, have significant drawbacks in terms of selectivity versus D5R as well as pharmacokinetic behavior. A number of 1-phenylbenzazepines contain a 6-chloro functional group, but extensive SAR studies around the 6-chloro-1-phenylbenzazepine framework have not been reported in the literature. To further understand the tolerance of the 6-chloro-1-phenylbenzazepine template for various substituent groups towards affinity and selectivity at D1R, we synthesized two series of analogs with structural variations at the C-7, C-8, N-3, C-3′ and C-4′ positions. The series 2 analogs differed from …

Tcga Expression Analyses Of 10 Carcinoma Types Reveal Clinically Significant Racial Differences, Brian Lei, Xinyin Jiang, Anjana Saxena

Publications and Research

Epidemiological studies reveal disparities in cancer incidence and outcome rates between racial groups in the United States. In our study, we investigated molecular differences between racial groups in 10 carcinoma types. We used publicly available data from The Cancer Genome Atlas to identify patterns of differential gene expression in tumor samples obtained from 4112 White, Black/African American, and Asian patients. We identified race-dependent expression of numerous genes whose mRNA transcript levels were significantly correlated with patients’ survival. Only a small subset of these genes was differentially expressed in multiple carcinomas, including genes involved in cell cycle progression such as CCNB1 …

Changes To Sea Surface Temperatures And Vertical Wind Shear And Their Influence On Tropical Cyclone Activity In The Caribbean And The Main Developing Region, Keneshia Hibbert, Equisha Glenn, Thomas M. Smith, Jorge E. González-Cruz

Publications and Research

Sea surface temperatures and vertical wind shear are essential to tropical cyclone formation. TCs need warm SSTs and low shear for genesis. Increasing SSTs and decreasing VWS influences storm development. This work analyzes SST and VWS trends for the Caribbean, surrounding region, and the Atlantic hurricane main developing region from 1982–2020. Storm intensity increases significantly during this period. Annual and seasonal trends show that regional SSTs in the MDR are warming annually at 0.0219 °C yr⁻¹ and, per season, 0.0280 °C yr⁻¹. Simultaneously, VWS decreases during the late rainfall season, at 0.056 m/s yr⁻¹ in the …

Radiation-Induced Gastrointestinal (Gi) Syndrome As A Function Of Age, Hongyan Li, Herman C. Kucharavy, Carla Hajj, Liyang Zhao, Guoqiang Hua, Ryan Glass, Phillip B. Paty, Zvi Fuks, Richard Kolesnick, Karen Hubbard, Adriana Haimovitz-Friedman

Publications and Research

Previous studies show increased sensitivity of older mice (28–29 months) compared with young adult mice (3 months, possessing a mature immune system) to radiation-induced GI lethality. Age-dependent lethality was associated with higher levels of apoptotic stem cells in small intestinal crypts that correlated with sphingomyelinase activity, a source of pro-apoptotic ceramide. The objective of this study is to determine whether the cycling crypt base columnar cells (CBCs) in aging animals are specifically more sensitive to radiation effects than the CBCs in young adult mice, and to identify factors that contribute to increased radiosensitivity. Mortality induced by subtotal body radiation was …

Automated Morphological Phenotyping Using Learned Shape Descriptors And Functional Maps: A Novel Approach To Geometric Morphometrics, Oshane O. Thomas, Hongyu Shen, Ryan L. Raaum, William E. H. Harcourt-Smith, John D. Polk, Mark Hasegawa-Johnson

Publications and Research

The methods of geometric morphometrics are commonly used to quantify morphology in a broad range of biological sciences. The application of these methods to large datasets is constrained by manual landmark placement limiting the number of landmarks and introducing observer bias. To move the field forward, we need to automate morphological phenotyping in ways that capture comprehensive representations of morphological variation with minimal observer bias. Here, we present Morphological Variation Quantifier (morphVQ), a shape analysis pipeline for quantifying, analyzing, and exploring shape variation in the functional domain. morphVQ uses descriptor learning to estimate the functional correspondence between whole triangular meshes …

Lead Induced Differences In Bone Properties In Osteocalcin +/+ And −/− Female Mice, G. Yildirim, W. C. Budell, O. Berezovska, S. Yagerman, S. S. Maliath, P. Mastrokostas, S. Tommasini, T. L. Dowd

Publications and Research

Lead (Pb) toxicity is a major health problem and bone is the major reservoir. Lead is detrimental to bone, affects bone remodelingand is associated with elderly fractures. Osteocalcin (OC) affects bone remodeling, improves fracture resistance and decreases with age and in some diseases. The effect of lead in osteocalcin depleted bone is unknown and of interest. We compared bone mineral properties of control and Pb exposed (from 2 to 6 months) femora from female adult C57BL6 OC+/+ and OC−/− mice using Fourier Transform Infrared Imaging (FTIRI), Micro-computed tomography (uCT), bone biomechanical measurements and serum turnover markers (P1NP, CTX). Lead significantly …

Feeling Analogue: Using Modular Synthesizers, Designing Synthesis Communities, Eliot Bates

Publications and Research

When Harald Bode nominally invented the modular synthesiser in 1960, it was not yet clear whether it was a musical instrument or a less-defined form of studio-sited audio technology (Subotnik 1970). Much of the technology, from the interface design to the specific parts, was shared with nonmusical test and measurement equipment. Sixty years later, hardware modular synthesis is used not just for musical creation but for noise, sound art and data sonification/visualization. Through an ethnographic study of the design and use of the Eurorack modular synthesis format, and of modular synthesis maker and user communities spread through North America, Europe …

Anti-Inflammatory Effects Of Vagus Nerve Stimulation In Pediatric Patients With Epilepsy, Supender Kaur, Nathan R Selden, Alejandro Aballay

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: The neural control of the immune system by the nervous system is critical to maintaining immune homeostasis, whose disruption may be an underlying cause of several diseases, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer's disease.

METHODS: Here we studied the role of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Vagus nerve stimulation is widely used as an alternative treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy. Thus, we studied the impact that VNS treatment has on PBMCs isolated from a cohort of existing patients with medically refractory epilepsy. A comparison of genome-wide changes in gene expression …

Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury In The Middle East And North Africa Region: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis To Assess Characteristics, Mechanisms, And Risk Factors, Samar Al-Hajj, Sarah H Farran, Batoul Dekmak, Layal Hneiny, Hussein Abou Abbas, Aya Hassoun, Nadine Youness, Sarah Ghalayini, Nour Abou Khalil, Fiona Lecky, Shima Shahjouieh, Layal Ghamlouche, Zainab Nasrallah, Firas Kobeissy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pediatric traumatic brain injury (pTBI) represents a major cause of child injuries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This review aims to assess pTBIs in the MENA region and reports their clinical severity and outcomes. A search was conducted using major electronic databases, including Medline/Ovid, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and SCOPUS. Abstracts were screened independently and in duplicate to detect original research. The objective and study findings for each article were recorded, along with the mechanism of pTBI, patient age and sex, injury assessment tool(s) used, and outcome. A total of 1345 articles were retrieved, of …

Tnik Regulation Of Interferon Signaling And Endothelial Cell Response To Virus Infection, Khanh M Chau, Abishai Dominic, Eleanor L Davis, Sivareddy Kotla, Estefani Turcios Berrios, Arsany Fahim, Ashwin Arunesh, Shengyu Li, Dongyu Zhao, Kaifu Chen, Alan R Davis, Minh T H Nguyen, Yongxing Wang, Scott E Evans, Guangyu Wang, John P Cooke, Jun-Ichi Abe, David P Huston, Nhat-Tu Le

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Traf2 and Nck-interacting kinase (TNIK) is known for its regulatory role in various processes within cancer cells. However, its role within endothelial cells (ECs) has remained relatively unexplored.

METHODS: Leveraging RNA-seq data and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA), we probed the potential impact of TNIK depletion on ECs.

RESULTS: Examination of RNA-seq data uncovered more than 450 Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) in TNIK-depleted ECs, displaying a fold change exceeding 2 with a false discovery rate (FDR) below 0.05. IPA analysis unveiled that TNIK depletion leads to the inhibition of the interferon (IFN) pathway [-log (

SUMMARY: Our findings suggest that …

Possible Molecular Mechanisms Underlying The Development Of Atherosclerosis In Cancer Survivors, Priyanka Banerjee, Julia Enterría Rosales, Khanh Chau, Minh T H Nguyen, Sivareddy Kotla, Steven H Lin, Anita Deswal, Robert Dantzer, Elizabeth A Olmsted-Davis, Hung Nguyen, Guangyu Wang, John P Cooke, Jun-Ichi Abe, Nhat-Tu Le

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cancer survivors undergone treatment face an increased risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD), yet the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Recent studies have revealed that chemotherapy can drive senescent cancer cells to acquire a proliferative phenotype known as senescence-associated stemness (SAS). These SAS cells exhibit enhanced growth and resistance to cancer treatment, thereby contributing to disease progression. Endothelial cell (EC) senescence has been implicated in atherosclerosis and cancer, including among cancer survivors. Treatment modalities for cancer can induce EC senescence, leading to the development of SAS phenotype and subsequent atherosclerosis in cancer survivors. Consequently, targeting senescent ECs displaying the SAS …

Endothelial Activation And Fibrotic Changes Are Impeded By Laminar Flow-Induced Chk1-Senp2 Activity Through Mechanisms Distinct From Endothelial-To-Mesenchymal Cell Transition, Minh T H Nguyen, Masaki Imanishi, Shengyu Li, Khanh Chau, Priyanka Banerjee, Loka Reddy Velatooru, Kyung Ae Ko, Venkata S K Samanthapudi, Young J Gi, Ling-Ling Lee, Rei J Abe, Elena Mcbeath, Anita Deswal, Steven H Lin, Nicolas L Palaskas, Robert Dantzer, Keigi Fujiwara, Mae K Borchrdt, Estefani Berrios Turcios, Elizabeth A Olmsted-Davis, Sivareddy Kotla, John P Cooke, Guangyu Wang, Jun-Ichi Abe, Nhat-Tu Le

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The deSUMOylase sentrin-specific isopeptidase 2 (SENP2) plays a crucial role in atheroprotection. However, the phosphorylation of SENP2 at T368 under disturbed flow (D-flow) conditions hinders its nuclear function and promotes endothelial cell (EC) activation. SUMOylation has been implicated in D-flow-induced endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (endoMT), but the precise role of SENP2 in counteracting this process remains unclear.

METHOD: We developed a phospho-specific SENP2 S344 antibody and generated knock-in (KI) mice with a phospho-site mutation of SENP2 S344A using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. We then investigated the effects of SENP2 S344 phosphorylation under two distinct flow patterns and during hypercholesteremia (HC)-mediated EC activation.

RESULT: …

Oncology-Specific Radiation Dose And Image Noise Reference Levels In Adult Abdominal-Pelvic Ct, Moiz Ahmad, Xinming Liu, Ajaykumar C Morani, Dhakshinamoorthy Ganeshan, Marcus R Anderson, Ehsan Samei, Corey T Jensen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: To provide our oncology-specific adult abdominal-pelvic CT reference levels for image noise and radiation dose from a high-volume, oncologic, tertiary referral center.

METHODS: The portal venous phase abdomen-pelvis acquisition was assessed for image noise and radiation dose in 13,320 contrast-enhanced CT examinations. Patient size (effective diameter) and radiation dose (CTDI

RESULTS: The noise reference level was 11.25 HU with a reference range of 10.25-12.25 HU. The dose reference level at a median effective diameter of 30.7 cm was 26.7 mGy with a reference range of 19.6-37.0 mGy. Dose increased with patient size; however, image noise remained approximately constant within …

Chimeric Rnas Reveal Putative Neoantigen Peptides For Developing Tumor Vaccines For Breast Cancer, Brandon Mistretta, Sakuni Rankothgedera, Micah Castillo, Mitchell Rao, Kimberly Holloway, Anjana Bhardwaj, Maha El Noafal, Constance Albarracin, Randa El-Zein, Hengameh Rezaei, Xiaoping Su, Rehan Akbani, Xiaoshan M Shao, Brian J Czerniecki, Rachel Karchin, Isabelle Bedrosian, Preethi H Gunaratne

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: We present here a strategy to identify immunogenic neoantigen candidates from unique amino acid sequences at the junctions of fusion proteins which can serve as targets in the development of tumor vaccines for the treatment of breastcancer.

METHOD: We mined the sequence reads of breast tumor tissue that are usually discarded as discordant paired-end reads and discovered cancer specific fusion transcripts using tissue from cancer free controls as reference. Binding affinity predictions of novel peptide sequences crossing the fusion junction were analyzed by the MHC Class I binding predictor, MHCnuggets. CD8+ T cell responses against the 15 peptides were …

Comparing Cigarette-Cue Attentional Bias Between People With Hiv/Aids And People With Opioid Use Disorder Who Smoke, Gopalkumar Rakesh, Joseph L Alcorn, Rebika Khanal, Seth S Himelhoch, Craig R Rush

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Special populations like people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and people with opioid use disorder (OUD) smoke tobacco cigarettes at rates three to four times greater than the general population. Patients with tobacco use disorder exhibit attentional bias (AB) for cigarette cues. Eye tracking can quantify this bias by measuring fixation time (FT) on cigarette and matched neutral cues, to calculate an AB score. Although previous studies have measured this bias in people who smoke without any other comorbid conditions, no study, to our knowledge, has measured or compared this bias in special populations.

METHODS: We performed exploratory analyses on …

Advances In The Management Of Spinal Metastases: What The Radiologist Needs To Know, Sarah M Bahouth, Debra N Yeboa, Amol J Ghia, Claudio E Tatsui, Christopher A Alvarez-Breckenridge, Thomas H Beckham, Andrew J Bishop, Jing Li, Mary Frances Mcaleer, Robert Y North, Laurence D Rhines, Todd A Swanson, Wang Chenyang, Behrang Amini

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Spine is the most frequently involved site of osseous metastases. With improved disease-specific survival in patients with Stage IV cancer, durability of local disease control has become an important goal for treatment of spinal metastases. Herein, we review the multidisciplinary management of spine metastases, including conventional external beam radiation therapy, spine stereotactic radiosurgery, and minimally invasive and open surgical treatment options. We also present a simplified framework for management of spinal metastases used at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, focusing on the important decision points where the radiologist can contribute.

Reactome Pathway Analysis From Whole-Blood Transcriptome Reveals Unique Characteristics Of Systemic Sclerosis Patients At The Preclinical Stage, Chiara Bellocchi, Xuan Wang, Marka A Lyons, Maurizio Marchini, Maurizio Lorini, Vincenzo Carbonelli, Nicola Montano, Shervin Assassi, Lorenzo Beretta

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to characterize differential expressed pathways (DEP) in subjects with preclinical systemic sclerosis (PreSSc) characterized uniquely by Raynaud phenomenon, specific autoantibodies, and/or capillaroscopy positive for scleroderma pattern.

METHODS: Whole-blood samples from 33 PreSSc with clinical prospective data (baseline and after 4 years of follow-up) and 16 matched healthy controls (HC) were analyzed for global gene expression transcriptome analysis via RNA sequencing. Functional Analysis of Individual Microarray Expression method annotated Reactome individualized pathways. ANOVA analysis identified DEP whose predictive capability were tested in logistic regression models after extensive internal validation.

RESULTS: At 4 years, 42.4% subjects progressed (evolving …

Dementia And Cognitive Impairment In French-Speaking Sub-Saharan Africa: A Comprehensive Review On Moving Out Of The Shadows Of Neglect, Cyrille D. Nkouonlack, Wepnyu Y. Njamnshi, Samuel A. Angwafor, Joseph N. Siewe Fodjo, Michel K. Mengnjo, Leonard Ngarka, Maggy Mbede, Leonard N. Nfor, Carlson Abomate, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications

Dementia is a global public health problem with increasing prevalence and incidence worldwide. The African continent is expected to bear the biggest brunt of the burden of dementia by 2050 because of the rapid demographic changes, including rapid population growth, an increase in life expectancy, and ageing. However, French-speaking Sub-Saharan African (FS-SSA) countries are underrepresented in research on dementia in Africa. While the reasons are diverse and complex, linguistic and cultural barriers to research, disproportionately affect these countries and may be significant factors. Any efforts, therefore, to redress the burden of dementia in Africa must consider the specific demographic, cultural, …

Copyright

Missouri Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Race To Ban Race: Legal And Critical Arguments Against State Legislation To Ban Critical Race Theory In Higher Education, Vanessa Miller, Frank Fernandez, Neal H. Hutchens

Missouri Law Review

Anti-critical race theory bills have garnered national attention in the K-12 context. However, many critical race theory (“CRT”) bans also impact institutions of higher education. The bills seek to prohibit the teaching of ideas that include the premise that racism and sexism are pervasive in our society. Those opposing CRT believe its tenets promote anti-white racism, cultural division, and threaten the public institution of education. Scholars and educators have criticized anti- CRT bills for their mischaracterization of the use and tenets of CRT and related theories of scholarship. This Article argues that state anti- CRT laws and policies in higher …

Extreme Temperatures And Sickness Absence In The Mediterranean Province Of Barcelona: An Occupational Health Issue, Mireia Utzet, Amaya Ayala-Garcia, Fernando G Benavides, Xavier Basagaña

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to assess the association between daily temperature and sickness absence episodes in the Mediterranean province of Barcelona between 2012 and 2015, according to sociodemographic and occupational characteristics.

METHODS: Ecological study of a sample of salaried workers affiliated to the Spanish social security, resident in Barcelona province between 2012 and 2015. The association between daily mean temperature and risk of new sickness absence episodes was estimated with distributed lag non-linear models. The lag effect up to 1 week was considered. Analyses were repeated separately by sex, age groups, occupational category, economic sector and medical diagnosis groups of …

Workplace Aggression Against Healthcare Workers In A Spanish Healthcare Institution Between 2019 And 2021: The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Aitor Díaz, Mireia Utzet, Joan Mirabent, Pilar Diaz, Jose Maria Ramada, Consol Serra, Fernando G Benavides

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: Describe the incidence of first aggressions among healthcare workers (HCWs) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Spanish healthcare institution, according to workers' socio-occupational characteristics and analyze the impact of the pandemic on it.

METHODS: A cohort involving HCWs who worked in the institution for at least 1 week each year from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2021. Adjusted relative risks (aRR) were estimated using generalized estimating equations and negative binomial models to calculate the differences in WPA between the different time periods. All analyses were stratified by gender.

RESULTS: Among women, the incidence was 6.8% (6.0; …

Plasma Enzymatic Activity, Proteomics And Peptidomics In Covid-19-Induced Sepsis: A Novel Approach For The Analysis Of Hemostasis, Fernando Dos Santos, Joyce B Li, Nathalia Juocys, Rafi Mazor, Laura Beretta, Nicole G Coufal, Michael T Y Lam, Mazen F Odish, Maria Claudia Irigoyen, Anthony J O'Donoghue, Federico Aletti, Erik B Kistler

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Infection by SARS-CoV-2 and subsequent COVID-19 can cause viral sepsis. We investigated plasma protease activity patterns in COVID-19-induced sepsis with bacterial superinfection, as well as plasma proteomics and peptidomics in order to assess the possible implications of enhanced proteolysis on major protein systems (e.g., coagulation). Methods: Patients (=4) admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center with confirmed positive test for COVID-19 by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were enrolled in a study approved by the UCSD Institutional Review Board (IRB# 190699, Protocol #20-0006). Informed consent was obtained …

Sound Speed Estimation For Distributed Aberration Correction In Laterally Varying Media, Rehman Ali, Trevor M Mitcham, Melanie Singh, Marvin M Doyley, Richard R Bouchard, Jeremy J Dahl, Nebojsa Duric

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Spatial variation in sound speed causes aberration in medical ultrasound imaging. Although our previous work has examined aberration correction in the presence of a spatially varying sound speed, practical implementations were limited to layered media due to the sound speed estimation process involved. Unfortunately, most models of layered media do not capture the lateral variations in sound speed that have the greatest aberrative effect on the image. Building upon a Fourier split-step migration technique from geophysics, this work introduces an iterative sound speed estimation and distributed aberration correction technique that can model and correct for aberrations resulting from laterally varying …

Naproxen Chemoprevention Induces Proliferation Of Cytotoxic Lymphocytes In Lynch Syndrome Colorectal Mucosa, Charles M Bowen, Nan Deng, Laura Reyes-Uribe, Edwin Roger Parra, Pedro Rocha, Luisa M Solis, Ignacio I Wistuba, Valerie O Sepeda, Lana Vornik, Marjorie Perloff, Eva Szabo, Asad Umar, Krishna M Sinha, Powel H Brown, Eduardo Vilar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Recent clinical trial data from Lynch Syndrome (LS) carriers demonstrated that naproxen administered for 6-months is a safe primary chemoprevention that promotes activation of different resident immune cell types without increasing lymphoid cellularity. While intriguing, the precise immune cell types enriched by naproxen remained unanswered. Here, we have utilized cutting-edge technology to elucidate the immune cell types activated by naproxen in mucosal tissue of LS patients.

METHODS: Normal colorectal mucosa samples (pre- and post-treatment) from a subset of patients enrolled in the randomized and placebo-controlled 'Naproxen Study' were obtained and subjected to a tissue microarray for image mass cytometry …

Membranous Nephropathy In Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Responsive To Ibrutinib: A Case Report, Anna-Eve Turcotte, William F Glass, Jamie S Lin, Jan A Burger

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Membranous nephropathy (MN) is an uncommon renal presentation in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and as such, there is no standard therapy for these patients. A few cases of MN in CLL have been described with varying success in MN treatment involving alkylating agents and fludarabine. Here we report the first case of MN in a patient with CLL treated with ibrutinib with complete renal response. This presentation underlines the importance of recognizing rare glomerular diseases that may occur with CLL and offers a new therapeutic avenue to the treatment of CLL-associated MN.

Distinct Patterns Of Auto-Reactive Antibodies Associated With Organ-Specific Immune-Related Adverse Events, Mehmet Altan, Quan-Zhen Li, Qi Wang, Natalie I Vokes, Ajay Sheshadri, Jianjun Gao, Chengsong Zhu, Hai T Tran, Saumil Gandhi, Mara B Antonoff, Stephen Swisher, Jing Wang, Lauren A Byers, Noha Abdel-Wahab, Maria C Franco-Vega, Yinghong Wang, J Jack Lee, Jianjun Zhang, John V Heymach

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

UNLABELLED: The roles of preexisting auto-reactive antibodies in immune-related adverse events (irAEs) associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy are not well defined. Here, we analyzed plasma samples longitudinally collected at predefined time points and at the time of irAEs from 58 patients with immunotherapy naïve metastatic non-small cell lung cancer treated on clinical protocol with ipilimumab and nivolumab. We used a proteomic microarray system capable of assaying antibody reactivity for IgG and IgM fractions against 120 antigens for systemically evaluating the correlations between auto-reactive antibodies and certain organ-specific irAEs. We found that distinct patterns of auto-reactive antibodies at baseline were …

A Scientific Communication Mentoring Intervention Benefits Diverse Mentees With Language Variety Related Discomfort, Carrie A Cameron, Hwa Young Lee, Cheryl B Anderson, Erin K Dahlstrom, Shine Chang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We studied social-psychological effects over time of a faculty-mentor workshop intervention that addressed attitudes associated with language variety and their impact on scientific communication (SC) skill development of PhD and postdoctoral STEM research trainees (N = 274). Six months after their mentors attended the workshop, all mentees had significant gains in productivity in speaking tasks. In particular, mentees with high language discomfort rated their quality of communication with their mentor and their enthusiasm about communicating more highly (p < .05 for both measures), compared to mentees with low language discomfort. In addition, mentees raised speaking nonstandardized varieties of English reported significant reductions in discomfort related to language use (p = .003), compared to mentees raised speaking standardized English. We conclude that training mentors to understand and respond to …

School-Based Intervention Impacts Availability Of Vegetables And Beverages In Participants’ Homes, Erin A Hudson, Marissa Burgermaster, Sophia M Isis, Matthew R Jeans, Sarvenaz Vandyousefi, Matthew J Landry, Rebecca Seguin-Fowler, Joya Chandra, Jaimie Davis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

As rates of metabolic syndrome rise, children consume too few vegetables and too much added sugar. Because children tend to eat what is available at home, the home environment plays a key role in shaping dietary habits. This secondary analysis evaluated the effects of a school-based gardening, cooking, and nutrition education intervention (TX Sprouts) compared to control on the availability of vegetables, fruit juice, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) at home. In the TX Sprouts cluster-randomized trial, 16 schools were randomized to TX Sprouts (