Digital Commons Network^™

Ethnic And Racial Differences In Self-Reported Symptoms, Health Status, Activity Level, And Missed Work At 3 And 6 Months Following Sars-Cov-2 Infection, Kelli N O'Laughlin, Robin E Klabbers, Imtiaz Ebna Mannan, Nicole L Gentile, Rachel E Geyer, Zihan Zheng, Huihui Yu, Shu-Xia Li, Kwun C G Chan, Erica S Spatz, Ralph C Wang, Michelle L'Hommedieu, Robert A Weinstein, Ian D Plumb, Michael Gottlieb, Ryan M Huebinger, Melissa Hagen, Joann G Elmore, Mandy J Hill, Morgan Kelly, Samuel Mcdonald, Kristin L Rising, Robert M Rodriguez, Arjun Venkatesh, Ahamed H Idris, Michelle Santangelo, Katherine Koo, Sharon Saydah, Graham Nichol, Kari A Stephens

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Data on ethnic and racial differences in symptoms and health-related impacts following SARS-CoV-2 infection are limited. We aimed to estimate the ethnic and racial differences in symptoms and health-related impacts 3 and 6 months after the first SARS-CoV-2 infection.

METHODS: Participants included adults with SARS-CoV-2 infection enrolled in a prospective multicenter US study between 12/11/2020 and 7/4/2022 as the primary cohort of interest, as well as a SARS-CoV-2-negative cohort to account for non-SARS-CoV-2-infection impacts, who completed enrollment and 3-month surveys (

RESULTS: Following SARS-CoV-2 infection, the majority of symptoms were similar over time between ethnic and racial groups. At …

Timing Of Invasive Mechanical Ventilation And Death In Critically Ill Adults With Covid-19: A Multicenter Cohort Study, Adam Green, Jean-Sebastien Rachoin, Christa Schorr, Phil Dellinger, Jonathan D Casey, Isabel Park, Shruti Gupta, Rebecca M Baron, Shahzad Shaefi, Krystal Hunter, David E Leaf

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: To investigate if the timing of initiation of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) for critically ill patients with COVID-19 is associated with mortality.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data for this study were derived from a multicenter cohort study of critically ill adults with COVID-19 admitted to ICUs at 68 hospitals across the US from March 1 to July 1, 2020. We examined the association between early (ICU days 1-2) versus late (ICU days 3-7) initiation of IMV and time-to-death. Patients were followed until the first of hospital discharge, death, or 90 days. We adjusted for confounding using a multivariable Cox …

Clinical Manifestations And Outcome Of Patients With Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis In Pakistan A Single-Center Experience, Shakeel Ur Rehman, Salman Farooq, Muhammad Bilal Tariq, Nosheen Nasir, Mohammad Wasay, Sobia Masood, Musa Karim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rapidly progressing central nervous system (CNS) infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, a free-living amoeba found in warm freshwater. The disease progression is very rapid, and the outcome is nearly always fatal. We aim to describe the disease course in patients admitted with PAM in a tertiary care center in Karachi, Pakistan between the periods of 2010 to 2021. A total of 39 patients were included in the study, 33 males (84.6%). The median age of the patients was 34 years. The most frequent presenting complaint was fever, which was found in 37 patients (94.9%) …

Epilepsy Center Characteristics And Geographic Region Influence Presurgical Testing In The United States, Stephanie M Ahrens, Kristen H Arredondo, Anto I Bagić, Shasha Bai, Kevin E Chapman, Michael A Ciliberto, Dave F Clarke, Mariah Eisner, Nathan B Fountain, Jay R Gavvala, M Scott Perry, Kyle C Rossi, Lily C Wong-Kisiel, Susan T Herman, Adam P Ostendorf, Naec Center Director Study Group

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

bjective

Persons with drug‐resistant epilepsy may benefit from epilepsy surgery and should undergo presurgical testing to determine potential candidacy and appropriate intervention. Institutional expertise can influence use and availability of evaluations and epilepsy surgery candidacy. This census survey study aims to examine the influence of geographic region and other center characteristics on presurgical testing for medically intractable epilepsy.

Methods

We analyzed annual report and supplemental survey data reported in 2020 from 206 adult epilepsy center directors and 136 pediatric epilepsy center directors in the United States. Test utilization data were compiled with annual center volumes, available resources, and US Census …

Population-Based Mini-Mental State Examination Norms In Adults Of Mexican Heritage In The Cameron County Hispanic Cohort, Avram S Bukhbinder, Miriam Hinojosa, Kristofer Harris, Xiaojin Li, Christine M Farrell, Madison Shyer, Nathan Goodwin, Sahar Anjum, Omar Hasan, Susan Cooper, Lois Sciba, Amanda Falk Vargas, David H Hunter, Guadalupe J Ortiz, Karen Chung, Licong Cui, Guo-Qiang Zhang, Susan P Fisher-Hoch, Joseph B Mccormick, Paul E Schulz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background:

Accurately identifying cognitive changes in Mexican American (MA) adults using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) requires knowledge of population-based norms for the MMSE, a scale which has widespread use in research settings.

Objective:

To describe the distribution of MMSE scores in a large cohort of MA adults, assess the impact of MMSE requirements on their clinical trial eligibility, and explore which factors are most strongly associated with their MMSE scores.

Methods:

Visits between 2004–2021 in the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort were analyzed. Eligible participants were ≥18 years old and of Mexican descent. MMSE distributions before and after stratification by …

Risk Of Depression In A Suburban Primary Care Setting Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Carman H Whiting, Pouran Yousefi, Jude K A Des Bordes, Nahid J Rianon

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Major depression is a common disorder affecting millions of adults each year. Many population-based surveys showed an increase in the number people with symptoms of depression at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our aim was to determine and compare the prevalence of depression risk in a primary care setting before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study based on retrospective review of medical records from a large suburban primary care clinic. Records of adults 18 years and older, seen between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020 and who had also been screened for …

Reproductive Coercion Victimization And Associated Mental Health Outcomes Among Female-Identifying Young Adults, Emily A Muñoz, Ryan C Shorey, Jeff R Temple

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Reproductive coercion is a serious public health problem. Victimization has been associated with poor mental health outcomes, including symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression in clinical and college samples. We build on these findings by examining the association between reproductive coercion victimization and mental and behavioral health outcomes, including depression, PTSD symptoms, anxiety, and drinking behaviors in a diverse community-derived sample of female-identifying young adults (mean age = 20; SD=.72). Participants (n = 368) were originally recruited as part of a study on dating violence in seven Texas public high schools. Participants completed an online study that …

A Phase 3b Study For Management Of Ocular Side Effects In Patients With Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Amplified Glioblastoma Receiving Depatuxizumab Mafodotin, Colin J Vize, Stella K Kim, Tim Matthews, Marian Macsai, Ryan Merrell, Sigmund Hsu, Madan Gopal Kundu, Jennifer Yoon, Emma Kennedy, Madhavi Pai, Earle Bain, Andrew B Lassman, Golnaz Moazami

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: The Understanding New Interventions with GBM ThErapy (UNITE) study was designed to assess the effect of prophylaxis for ocular side effects (OSEs) in patients with glioblastoma receiving the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) depatuxizumab mafodotin. UNITE (NCT03419403) was a phase 3b, open-label, randomized, exploratory study performed at 18 research sites in 5 countries.

METHODS: The study enrolled adult patients with epidermal growth factor receptor-amplified, histologically confirmed, newly diagnosed supratentorial glioblastoma or grade IV gliosarcoma, and a Karnofsky Performance Status ≥70, receiving depatuxizumab mafodotin. All patients were administered depatuxizumab mafodotin during concurrent radiotherapy and temozolomide and with adjuvant temozolomide. Ninety patients were …

A Steadier Hand: The First Human Clinical Trial Of A Single-Use Robotic-Assisted Surgical Device For Cochlear Implant Electrode Array Insertion, Jay A Gantz, Bruce J Gantz, Christopher R Kaufmann, Allan M Henslee, Camille C Dunn, Xiaoyang Hua, Marlan R Hansen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and utility of an investigational robotic-assisted cochlear implant insertion system.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, single-arm, open-label study under abbreviated Investigational Device Exemption requirements.

SETTING: All procedures were performed, and all data were collected, at a single tertiary referral center.

PATIENTS: Twenty-one postlingually deafened adult subjects that met Food and Drug Administration indication criteria for cochlear implantation.

INTERVENTION: All patients underwent standard-of-care surgery for unilateral cochlear implantation with the addition of a single-use robotic-assisted insertion device during cochlear electrode insertion.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Successful insertion of cochlear implant electrode array, electrode array insertion time, postoperative implant function. …

Futility In Acute Care Surgery: First Do No Harm, Melissa Hornor, Uzer Khan, Michael W Cripps, Allyson Cook Chapman, Jennifer Knight-Davis, Thaddeus J Puzio, Bellal Joseph

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The consequences of the delivery of futile or potentially ineffective medical care and interventions are devastating on the healthcare system, our patients and their families, and healthcare providers. In emergency situations in particular, determining if escalating invasive interventions will benefit a frail and/or severely critically ill patient can be exceedingly difficult. In this review, our objective is to define the problem of potentially ineffective care within the specialty of acute care surgery and describe strategies for improving the care of our patients in these difficult situations.

Clinical Manifestations And Outcome Of Patients With Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis In Pakistan. A Single-Center Experience, Shakeel Ur Rehman, Salman Farooq, Muhammad Bilal Tariq, Nosheen Nasir, Mohammad Wasay, Sobia Masood, Musa Karim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rapidly progressing central nervous system (CNS) infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, a free-living amoeba found in warm freshwater. The disease progression is very rapid, and the outcome is nearly always fatal. We aim to describe the disease course in patients admitted with PAM in a tertiary care center in Karachi, Pakistan between the periods of 2010 to 2021. A total of 39 patients were included in the study, 33 males (84.6%). The median age of the patients was 34 years. The most frequent presenting complaint was fever, which was found in 37 patients (94.9%) …

Poor Sleep Quality And Suicidal Ideation Among Pregnant Women During Covid-19 In Ethiopia: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Aragaw Asfaw Hasen, Abubeker Alebachew Seid, Ahmed Adem Mohammed

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 has profoundly impacted the mental health and well-being of pregnant women worldwide. In Ethiopia, the poor sleep quality and suicidal ideation among pregnant women has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to provide comprehensive evidence on the prevalence and associated factors of poor sleep quality and suicidal ideation among pregnant women during COVID-19 in Ethiopia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendation. Data were searched from PubMed, Google Scholar, and African Journals Online from the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic to February 2023. …

Vitamin D3 Supplementation At 5000 Iu Daily For The Prevention Of Influenza-Like Illness In Healthcare Workers: A Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trial., Noud Van Helmond, Tracy L Brobyn, Patrick J Lariccia, Teresa Cafaro, Krystal Hunter, Satyajeet Roy, Brigid Bandomer, Kevin Q Ng, Helen Goldstein, Ludmil V Mitrev, Alan Tsai, Denise Thwing, Mary Ann Maag, Myung K Chung

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Departmental Research

Vitamin D supplementation has been shown to reduce the incidence of acute respiratory infections in populations at risk. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of preventing viral infections in healthcare workers. The aim of this study was to assess the hypothesis that vitamin D3 supplementation at 5000 IU daily reduces influenza-like illness (ILI), including COVID-19, in healthcare workers. We conducted a prospective, controlled trial at a tertiary university hospital. A random group of healthcare workers was invited to receive 5000 IU daily vitamin D3 supplementation for nine months, while other random healthcare system workers served as controls. All healthcare …

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 …

The Maternal And Infant Environmental Health Riskscape Study Of Perinatal Disparities In Greater Houston: Rationale, Study Design And Participant Profiles, R Jeanne Ruiz, Kristyn Grimes, Elizabeth Spurlock, Angela Stotts, Thomas F Northrup, Yolanda Villarreal, Robert Suchting, Melissa Cernuch, Liza Rivera, Raymond P Stowe, Rita H Pickler

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Pregnant Mexican Americans (hereafter called Latinas) and Black/African American women are at increased risk for psychological distress, contributing to preterm birth and low birthweight; acculturative stress combined with perceived stress elevates depressive symptoms in Latinas. Based on our prior research using a psychoneuroimmunology framework, we identified psychological and neuroendocrine risk factors as predictors of preterm birth in Latina women that are also identified as risk factors for Black/African American women.

METHODS/DESIGN: In this prospective, randomized controlled trial with parallel group design we will explore psychosocial, neuroendocrine, and birth outcome effects of the Mastery Lifestyle Intervention (MLI). The MLI is …

Risk Factors For Sars-Cov-2 Transmission In Close Contacts Of Adults At High Risk Of Infection Due To Occupation: Results From The Contact Tracing Strategy Of The Covida Epidemiological Surveillance Study In Bogotá, Colombia, In 2020-2021, Andrea Ramírez Varela, Sandra Contreras-Arrieta, Guillermo Tamayo-Cabeza, Leonardo Salas Zapata, Yuldor Caballero-Díaz, Luis Jorge Hernández Florez, Andrés Patiño Benavidez, Rachid Laajaj, Fernando De La Hoz, Giancarlo Buitrago Gutierrez, Silvia Restrepo, Eduardo Behrentz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 transmission in close contacts of adults at high risk of infection due to occupation, participants of the CoVIDA study, in Bogotá D.C., Colombia.

SETTING: The CoVIDA study was the largest COVID-19 intensified sentinel epidemiological surveillance study in Colombia thus far, performing over 60 000 RT-PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study implemented a contact tracing strategy (via telephone call) to support traditional surveillance actions performed by the local health authority.

PARTICIPANTS: Close contacts of participants from the CoVIDA study.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: SARS-CoV-2 testing results were obtained (RT-PCR with CoVIDA …

Associations Between Mental Health And Hiv Status Among Sexual Minority And Heterosexual Adolescents In Nigeria, Morenike Oluwatoyin Folayan, Olakunle Oginni, Olanrewaju Ibikunle Ibigbami, Uma Philip, Nserd Ntonoba Mfam, Chinedu Mbam, Amos Ganyam, Agada A Salem, Christopher Osuji, Cory Bradley, Joanne Lusher, Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: We aimed to determine associations between the mental health status of adolescents by self-reported sexual identity; and to determine associations between the mental health status of sexual minority adolescents living with and without HIV.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study collected data from Nigerians aged 13-19 years old using an online survey. We collected information on dependent (sexual identity) and independent (presence of depressive symptoms, generalised anxiety disorder, suicidal attempt/ideation, HIV status) study variables. A multivariate regression model determined associations between the dependent and independent variables. A second multivariate regression model was developed to establish associations between HIV status among sexual …

Pleiomorphism Plurihormonal Pit-1-Positive Macroadenoma With Central Hyperthyroidism: A Rare Case Report And Literature Review, Guiliang Peng, Chuanhong Guo, Yangfan Lv, Dandan Li, Ling Zhou, Rufei Shen, Yong Chen, Xin Zheng, Zheng Sun, Hongting Zheng, Min Long

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Thyrotropin-secreting pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs) are rare pituitary adenomas that are occasionally accompanied by hypersecretion of other anterior pituitary hormones, such as growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL). The clinical, biochemical, and pathological characteristics may represent diverse circumstances.

CASE PRESENTATION: In this report, a 33-year-old female diagnosed with a TSH PitNET co-secreting GH presented no obvious clinical symptoms. The main characteristics were elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free tri-iodothyronine (FT3), and free thyroxine (FT4) levels accompanied by slightly elevated GH and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detected a pituitary macroadenoma (18 × 16 × 16 mm) …

The Microbial Etiology Of Community-Acquired Pneumonia In Adults: From Classical Bacteriology To Host Transcriptional Signatures, Naomi J Gadsby, Daniel M Musher

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

All modern advances notwithstanding, pneumonia remains a common infection with substantial morbidity and mortality. Understanding of the etiology of pneumonia continues to evolve as new techniques enable identification of already known organisms and as new organisms emerge. We now review the etiology of pneumonia (at present often called "community-acquired pneumonia") beginning with classic bacteriologic techniques, which identified Streptococcus pneumoniae as the overwhelmingly common cause, to more modern bacteriologic studies, which emphasize Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, Moraxella catarrhalis,

Menstrual Health Among Adolescents And Young Adults In Rural Haiti., Emily R. Rupe, Jonathan Rodean, Emily A. Hurley, Melissa K. Miller, Marie Daphnee Boncoeur, Abbey R. Masonbrink

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Adolescent and young adult (AYA) females in low- and middle-income countries often face disparities in menstrual health (MH). Poor MH and lack of sexual and reproductive health education leads to school absenteeism, increasing risk for adverse psychosocial and educational outcomes. Further, disasters (e.g., earthquakes) are linked with unsafe living environments and sanitation facilities for women. We sought to describe MH perspectives and practices among AYAs in rural Haiti.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in two rural communities in Haiti. AYA females aged 14-24 years completed questions on demographics, the Menstrual Practice Needs Scale (36 items; MPNS-36) and the …

A Unique High-Output Cardiac Hypertrophy Phenotype Arising From Low Systemic Vascular Resistance In Cantu Syndrome, Gautam K Singh, Conor Mcclenaghan, Manish Aggarwal, Hongjie Gu, Maria S Remedi, Dorothy K Grange, Colin G Nichols

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Background Cardiomegaly caused by left ventricular hypertrophy is a risk factor for development of congestive heart failure, classically associated with decreased systolic and/or diastolic ventricular function. Less attention has been given to the phenotype of left ventricular hypertrophy with enhanced ventricular function and increased cardiac output, which is potentially associated with high-output heart failure. Lack of recognition may pose diagnostic ambiguity and management complexities. Methods and Results We sought to systematically characterize high-output cardiac hypertrophy in subjects with Cantu syndrome (CS), caused by gain-of-function variants in

Fairness And Privacy In Machine Learning Algorithms, Neha Bhargava

Master of Science in Computer Science Theses

Roughly 2.5 quintillion bytes of data is generated daily in this digital era. Manual processing of such huge amounts of data to extract useful information is nearly impossible but with the widespread use of machine learning algorithms and their ability to process enormous data in a fast, cost-effective, and scalable way has proven to be a preferred choice to glean useful insights and solve business problems in many domains. With this widespread use of machine learning algorithms there has always been concerns about the ethical issues that may arise from the use of this modern technology. While achieving high accuracies, …

Experiences Of Parents With Opioid Use Disorder During Their Attempts To Seek Treatment: A Qualitative Analysis, Christine Bakos-Block, Angela J Nash, A Sarah Cohen, Tiffany Champagne-Langabeer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In the U.S., 12.3% of children live with at least one parent who has a substance use disorder. Prior research has shown that men are more likely to seek treatment than women and that the barriers are different; however, there is limited research focusing specifically on opioid use disorder (OUD). We sought to understand the barriers and motivators for parents with OUD. We conducted a qualitative study by interviewing parents with OUD who were part of an outpatient treatment program. Interviews followed a semi-structured format with questions on access to and motivation for treatment. The interviews were recorded and transcribed …

Two-Year Follow-Up Of Kte-X19 In Patients With Relapsed Or Refractory Adult B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia In Zuma-3 And Its Contextualization With Scholar-3, An External Historical Control Study, Bijal D Shah, Armin Ghobadi, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Brexucabtagene autoleucel (KTE-X19) is an autologous anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy approved in the USA to treat adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (R/R B-ALL) based on ZUMA-3 study results. We report updated ZUMA-3 outcomes with longer follow-up and an extended data set along with contextualization of outcomes to historical standard of care.

METHODS: Adults with R/R B-ALL received a single infusion of KTE-X19 (1 × 10

RESULTS: After 26.8-months median follow-up, the overall complete remission (CR) rate (CR + CR with incomplete hematological recovery) among treated patients (N = 55) in phase 2 was 71% …

Efficacy Of Cabozantinib In Metastatic Mit Family Translocation Renal Cell Carcinomas, Jonathan Thouvenin, Omar Alhalabi, Maria Carlo, Lucia Carril-Ajuria, Laure Hirsch, Nieves Martinez-Chanza, Sylvie Négrier, Luca Campedel, Dylan Martini, Delphine Borchiellini, Jad Chahoud, Massimo Lodi, Philippe Barthélémy, Elshad Hasanov, Andrew W Hahn, Thierry Gil, Srinivas R Viswanathan, Ziad Bakouny, Pavlos Msaouel, Mehmet Asim Bilen, Toni K Choueiri, Laurence Albiges, Nizar M Tannir, Gabriel G Malouf

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: MiT family translocation renal cell carcinoma (TRCC) is a rare and aggressive subgroup of renal cell carcinoma harboring high expression of c-MET. While TRCC response rates to VEGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors are limited, efficacy of cabozantinib (a VEGFR, MET, and AXL inhibitor) in this subgroup is unclear.

Methods: We performed a multicenter, retrospective, international cohort study of patients with TRCC treated with cabozantinib. The main objectives were to estimate response rate according to RECIST 1.1 and to analyze progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

Results: Fifty-two patients with metastatic TRCC treated in …

Plasma Growth Hormone Is A Potential Biomarker Of Response To Atezolizumab And Bevacizumab In Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients, Yehia I Mohamed, Dan G Duda, Muhammad O Awiwi, Sunyoung S Lee, Lina Altameemi, Lianchun Xiao, Jeffrey S Morris, Robert A Wolff, Khaled M Elsayes, Rikita I Hatia, Aliya Qayyum, Shadi M Chamseddine, Asif Rashid, James C Yao, Armeen Mahvash, Manal M Hassan, Hesham M Amin, Ahmed Omar Kaseb

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has limited systemic therapy options when discovered at an advanced stage. Thus, there is a need for accessible and minimally invasive biomarkers of response to guide the selection of patients for treatment. This study investigated the biomarker value of plasma growth hormone (GH) level as a potential biomarker to predict outcome in unresectable HCC patients treated with current standard therapy, atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atezo/Bev).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study included unresectable HCC patients scheduled to receive Atezo/Bev. Patients were followed to determine progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Plasma GH levels were measured by ELISA and …

The Prevalence Of Sars-Cov-2 Antibodies Within The Community Of A Private Tertiary University In The Philippines: A Serial Cross Sectional Study, Lourdes S. Tanchanco, Jenica Clarisse Y. Sy, Angel Belle C. Dy, Myla D. Levantino, Arianna Maever L. Amit, John Wong, Kirsten Angeles, John Paul Vergara

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a public health emergency in all sectors of society, including universities and other academic institutions. This study determined the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among administrators, faculty, staff, and students of a private tertiary academic institution in the Philippines over a 7 month period. It employed a serial cross-sectional method using qualitative and quantitative COVID-19 antibody test kits. A total of 1,318 participants were tested, showing 47.80% of the study population yielding IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 virus. A general increase in seroprevalence was observed from June to December 2021, which coincided with the vaccine roll-out of …

Using An Advocacy Practicum To Establish A Framework For Virtual Community Consultations In The Ottawa Adult Autism Community, Margaret Janse Van Rensburg, Courtney Weaver, Christine Jenkins, Morgan Banister, Edward King, Sheila Bell, The Ottawa Adult Autism Initiative

Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Efficacy And Safety Of Pacritinib Vs Placebo For Patients With Severe Covid-19: A Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial, John Cafardi, Carole Miller, Howard Terebelo, Chad Tewell, Sadia Benzaquen, David Park, Pamela Egan, Daniel Lebovic, Kristen Pettit, Eric Whitman, Douglas Tremblay, Jonathan Feld, Sarah Buckley, Karisse Roman-Torres, Jennifer Smith, Adam Craig, John Mascarenhas

Einstein Health Papers

IMPORTANCE: The morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19 remain high despite advances in standard of care therapy, and the role of anti-inflammatory agents that inhibit the interleukin 6/JAK2 pathway is still being elucidated.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the oral JAK2/IRAK1 inhibitor pacritinib vs placebo in the treatment of adults with severe COVID-19.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This phase 2, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial enrolled hospitalized adult patients with severe COVID-19 at 21 centers across the US between June 2020 and February 2021, with approximately 1.5 months of safety follow-up per patient. Data analysis was performed …

Symptom-Driven Inhaled Corticosteroid/Long-Acting Beta-Agonist Therapy For Adult Patients With Asthma Who Are Non-Adherent To Daily Maintenance Inhalers: A Study Protocol For A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial, James G Krings, Kaitlyn M Wojcik, Vanessa Chen, Tejas C Sekhar, Kelly Harris, Abigail Zulich, Kaharu Sumino, Ross Brownson, Eric Lenze, Mario Castro

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: While inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are considered the essential foundation of most asthma therapy, ICS inhaler nonadherence is a notoriously common problem and a significant cause of asthma-related morbidity. Partially acknowledging the problem of nonadherence, international organizations recently made paradigm-shifting recommendations that all patients with mild-to-moderate persistent asthma be considered for symptom-driven ICS-containing inhalers rather than relying on adherence to traditional maintenance ICS inhalers and symptom-driven short-acting beta-agonists (SABA). With this new approach, asthma patients are at least exposed to the important anti-inflammatory effects of ICS-containing inhalers when their symptom reliever inhaler is deployed due to acute symptoms.

METHODS: This …