Digital Commons Network^™

Human Single Cell Rna-Sequencing Reveals A Targetable Cd8+ Exhausted T Cell Population That Maintains Mouse Low-Grade Glioma Growth, Rasha Barakat, Jit Chatterjee, Rui Mu, Xuanhe Qi, Xingxing Gu, Igor Smirnov, Olivia Cobb, Karen Gao, Angelica Barnes, Jonathan Kipnis, David H Gutmann

2020-Current year OA Pubs

In solid cancers, T cells typically function as cytotoxic effectors to limit tumor growth, prompting therapies that capitalize upon this antineoplastic property (immune checkpoint inhibition; ICI). Unfortunately, ICI treatments have been largely ineffective for high-grade brain tumors (gliomas; HGGs). Leveraging several single-cell RNA sequencing datasets, we report greater CD8

Myt1l Deficiency Impairs Excitatory Neuron Trajectory During Cortical Development, Allen Yen, Simona Sarafinovska, Xuhua Chen, Dominic D Skinner, Fatjon Leti, Marialynn Crosby, Jessica Hoisington-Lopez, Yizhe Wu, Jiayang Chen, Zipeng A Li, Kevin K Noguchi, Robi D Mitra, Joseph D Dougherty

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Mutations reducing the function of MYT1L, a neuron-specific transcription factor, are associated with a syndromic neurodevelopmental disorder. MYT1L is used as a pro-neural factor in fibroblast-to-neuron transdifferentiation and is hypothesized to influence neuronal specification and maturation, but it is not clear which neuron types are most impacted by MYT1L loss. In this study, we profile 412,132 nuclei from the forebrains of wild-type and MYT1L-deficient mice at three developmental stages: E14 at the peak of neurogenesis, P1 when cortical neurons have been born, and P21 when neurons are maturing, to examine the role of MYT1L levels on neuronal development. MYT1L deficiency …

Comparing Neoantigen Cancer Vaccines And Immune Checkpoint Therapy Unveils An Effective Vaccine And Anti-Trem2 Macrophage-Targeting Dual Therapy, Sunita Keshari, Alexander S Shavkunov, Qi Miao, Akata Saha, Tomoyuki Minowa, Martina Molgora, Charmelle D Williams, Mehdi Chaib, Anna M Highsmith, Josué E Pineda, Sayan Alekseev, Elise Alspach, Kenneth H Hu, Marco Colonna, Kristen E Pauken, Ken Chen, Matthew M Gubin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The goal of therapeutic cancer vaccines and immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) is to promote T cells with anti-tumor capabilities. Here, we compared mutant neoantigen (neoAg) peptide-based vaccines with ICT in preclinical models. NeoAg vaccines induce the most robust expansion of proliferating and stem-like PD-1+TCF-1+ neoAg-specific CD8 T cells in tumors. Anti-CTLA-4 and/or anti-PD-1 ICT promotes intratumoral TCF-1- neoAg-specific CD8 T cells, although their phenotype depends in part on the specific ICT used. Anti-CTLA-4 also prompts substantial changes to CD4 T cells, including induction of ICOS+Bhlhe40+ T helper 1 (Th1)-like cells. Although neoAg vaccines or ICTs expand iNOS+ macrophages, neoAg vaccines …

Cd4+ T Cells Drive Corneal Nerve Damage But Not Epitheliopathy In An Acute Aqueous-Deficient Dry Eye Model, Alexia Vereertbrugghen, Manuela Pizzano, Agostina Cernutto, Florencia Sabbione, Irene A Keitelman, Douglas Vera Aguilar, Ariel Podhorzer, Federico Fuentes, Celia Corral-Vázquez, Mauricio Guzmán, Mirta N Giordano, Analía Trevani, Cintia S De Paiva, Jeremías G Galletti

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Dry eye disease (DED) is characterized by a dysfunctional tear film in which the corneal epithelium and its abundant nerves are affected by ocular desiccation and inflammation. Although adaptive immunity and specifically CD4+ T cells play a role in DED pathogenesis, the exact contribution of these cells to corneal epithelial and neural damage remains undetermined. To address this, we explored the progression of a surgical DED model in wild-type (WT) and T cell-deficient mice. We observed that adaptive immune-deficient mice developed all aspects of DED comparably to WT mice except for the absence of functional and morphological corneal nerve changes, …

Rsk1 Dependency In Flt3-Itd Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Tim Kong, Angelo B A Laranjeira, Christopher T Letson, Layow Yu, Fan He, Aarthi Jayanthan, Gerrit Los, Sandra E Dunn, Grant A Challen, Stephen T Oh

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Internal tandem duplications (ITD) in fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) represent the most common genetic alteration in de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Here, we identify ribosomal protein s6 kinase a1 (RSK1) as a core dependency in FLT3-ITD AML and unveil the existence of crucial bi-directional regulation. RSK1 perturbation resulted in marked apoptosis and abrogated phosphorylation of FLT3 and associated downstream signaling cascades in FLT3-ITD AML cell lines. Using cycloheximide, MG-132, and ubiquitination assays, we further demonstrate mechanistically that RSK1 regulates FLT3-ITD activity, and protein stability through deubiqutinase USP1, which we identify as a second dependency. Importantly, multivariate analysis revealed …

Protective Effect And Molecular Mechanisms Of Human Non-Neutralizing Cross-Reactive Spike Antibodies Elicited By Sars-Cov-2 Mrna Vaccination, Jordan J Clark, Ali H Ellebedy, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Neutralizing antibodies correlate with protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Recent studies, however, show that binding antibody titers, in the absence of robust neutralizing activity, also correlate with protection against disease progression. Non-neutralizing antibodies cannot directly protect against infection but may recruit effector cells and thus contribute to the clearance of infected cells. Additionally, they often bind conserved epitopes across multiple variants. Here, we characterize 42 human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-vaccinated individuals. Most of these antibodies exhibit no neutralizing activity in vitro, but several non-neutralizing antibodies provide protection against lethal challenge with SARS-CoV-2 …

Comparing Neoantigen Cancer Vaccines And Immune Checkpoint Therapy Unveils An Effective Vaccine And Anti-Trem2 Macrophage-Targeting Dual Therapy, Sunita Keshari, Martina Molgora, Marco Colonna, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The goal of therapeutic cancer vaccines and immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) is to promote T cells with anti-tumor capabilities. Here, we compared mutant neoantigen (neoAg) peptide-based vaccines with ICT in preclinical models. NeoAg vaccines induce the most robust expansion of proliferating and stem-like PD-1

Impact Of Vitamin D On Hyperoxic Acute Lung Injury In Neonatal Mice, Thu T Tran, Jonathan Davies, Richard A Johnston, Harry Karmouty-Quintana, Huiling Li, Caroline E Crocker, Amir M Khan, Joseph L Alcorn

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Prolonged exposure to hyperoxia can lead to hyperoxic acute lung injury (HALI) in preterm neonates. Vitamin D (VitD) stimulates lung maturation and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. Our objective was to determine if VitD provides a dose-dependent protective effect against HALI by reducing inflammatory cytokine expression and improving alveolarization and lung function in neonatal mice.

METHODS: C57BL/6 mouse neonates were randomized and placed in room air or hyperoxic (85% O

RESULTS: Neonatal mice treated with VitD in hyperoxic conditions had improved weight gain, reduced pulmonary edema and increased alveolar surface area compared to untreated pups in hyperoxia. No significant …

Association Of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus With Sensorineural Hearing Loss - A Population-Based Analysis, Marwin Li, Natalie Perlov, Jena Patel, Dev Amin, Ayan Kumar, Zachary D. Urdang, Thomas O. Willcox, Rebecca C. Chiffer

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus are more likely to develop sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) than non-diabetic patients.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING: TriNetX US Collaborative Network (2003-2022).

METHODS: Electronic medical record data from the TriNetX US Collaborative Network was queried for subjects without prior hearing loss, defined using medical billing codes (ICD-10, CPT, etc.), who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus after January 2003. Patients were stratified by most recent HbA1c (8.0-13.9% or ≥14.0%) and by age at diagnosis (21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, ≥71 years). Primary outcome was …

Identification Of Lrp1+Cd13+ Human Periosteal Stem Cells That Require Lrp1 For Bone Repair, Youngjae Jeong, Lorenzo Deveza, Laura Ortinau, Kevin Lei, John R Dawson, Dongsu Park

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Human periosteal skeletal stem cells (P-SSCs) are critical for cortical bone maintenance and repair. However, their in vivo identity, molecular characteristics, and specific markers remain unknown. Here, single-cell sequencing revealed human periosteum contains SSC clusters expressing known SSC markers, podoplanin (PDPN) and PDGFRA. Notably, human P-SSCs, but not bone marrow SSCs, selectively expressed identified markers low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) and CD13. These LRP1+CD13+ human P-SSCs were perivascular cells with high osteochondrogenic but minimal adipogenic potential. Upon transplantation into bone injuries in mice, they preserved self-renewal capability in vivo. Single-cell analysis of mouse periosteum further supported the preferential …

Firearm Access, Carriage And Use In An Ethnically Diverse Sample Of Young Adults In Texas, Usa, Yu Lu, Elizabeth Baumler, Annalyn Saludares Demello, Leila Wood, Hillary Mcguire, Jeff R Temple

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background Despite the high rates of firearm ownership and firearm-related injuries and mortalities in Southern US states, understandings on the factors contributing to these are lacking.

Methods Using wave 10 (2021) data from a longitudinal study, we examined firearm-related experiences among 636 ethnically diverse young adults (mean age=26 years; 62% female) in Texas, USA.

Results Just over half of participants had ready access to firearms, with 22.3% having carried a firearm outside of their home, 4.9% having been threatened with a firearm by a romantic partner and 4.4% by a non-romantic partner. More firearm access and carriage were reported in …

Il-37 Suppresses Cns Autoimmunity By Increasing The Frequency Of Treg Cells And Reducing Cd4 + T Cell-Derived Il-10 Production, Reza Yazdani, Hamed Naziri, Gholamreza Azizi, Bogoljub Ciric, Mozhde Askari, Amir Moghadam-Ahmadi, Jaya Aseervatham, Guang-Xian Zhang, Mohamad Rostami

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Interleukin-37 (IL-37) has anti-inflammatory properties in innate and adaptive immunity. Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS), have increased serum levels of IL-37. However, it is unknown whether IL-37 has an inhibitory effect on ongoing autoimmune neuroinflammation, thus offering a potential MS therapy.

AIM: Here, we examined the effect of IL-37 in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model after disease onset to determine if it was protective.

FINDINGS: IL-37-treated mice developed a less severe disease than control mice, with reduced demyelination as determined by increased expression of myelin basic protein. …

Low-Molecular Weight Cyclin E Confers A Vulnerability To Pkmyt1 Inhibition In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Mi Li, Amriti R Lulla, Yan Wang, Spyros Tsavaschidis, Fuchenchu Wang, Cansu Karakas, Tuyen D T Nguyen, Tuyen N Bui, Marc A Pina, Mei-Kuang Chen, Sofia Mastoraki, Asha S Multani, Natalie W Fowlkes, Aysegul Sahin, C Gary Marshall, Kelly K Hunt, Khandan Keyomarsi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cyclin E is a regulatory subunit of CDK2 that mediates S phase entry and progression. The cleavage of full-length cyclin E (FL-cycE) to low-molecular weight isoforms (LMW-E) dramatically alters substrate specificity, promoting G1-S cell cycle transition and accelerating mitotic exit. Approximately 70% of triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) express LMW-E, which correlates with poor prognosis. PKMYT1 also plays an important role in mitosis by inhibiting CDK1 to block premature mitotic entry, suggesting it could be a therapeutic target in TNBC expressing LMW-E. In this study, analysis of tumor samples of patients with TNBC revealed that coexpression of LMW-E and PKMYT1-catalyzed CDK1 …

Evidence That Crispr-Cas9 Y537s-Mutant Expressing Breast Cancer Cells Activate Yes-Associated Protein 1 To Driving The Conversion Of Normal Fibroblasts Into Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts, Luca Gelsomino, Amanda Caruso, Emine Tasan, Adele Elisabetta Leonetti, Rocco Malivindi, Giuseppina Daniela Naimo, Francesca Giordano, Salvatore Panza, Guowei Gu, Benedetta Perrone, Cinzia Giordano, Loredana Mauro, Bruno Nardo, Gianfranco Filippelli, Daniela Bonofiglio, Ines Barone, Suzanne A W Fuqua, Stefania Catalano, Sebastiano Andò

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Endocrine therapy (ET) has improved the clinical outcomes of Estrogen receptor alpha-positive (ERɑ +) breast cancer (BC) patients, even though resistance to ET remains a clinical issue. Mutations in the hormone-binding domain of ERɑ represent an acquired intrinsic mechanism of ET resistance. However, the latter also depends on the multiple functional interactions between BC cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME). Here, we investigated how the most common Y537S-ERɑ mutation may influence the behavior of fibroblasts, the most prominent component of the TME.

METHODS: We conducted coculture experiments with normal human foreskin fibroblasts BJ1-hTERT (NFs), cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), isolated from …

Prone Positioning Is Associated With Increased Insulin Requirements In Mechanically Ventilated Patients With Covid-19, Harry Griffiths, Amy Cardwell, Max Richardson, Meg Barne, Bogdan Petrisor, Ammara Usman, Laura Heales, Julia Calvo Latorre, Vishakha Bansiya, Razeen Mahroof, Tamas Szakmany, Daniel Martin, Anthony Rostron, Andrew Conway Morris, Sam Lockhart

Peninsula Medical School

Stress hyperglycaemia is common in critical illness. We have previously observed that increasing severity of respiratory failure in patients with severe COVID-19 is associated with increased insulin demand. Given previously reported direct effects of hypoxia on insulin action, we reasoned that rapid improvements in oxygenation following prone positioning may improve insulin sensitivity and increase risk of hypoglycaemia. A retrospective multi-centre service evaluation comparing blood glucose and insulin administration in patients with COVID-19 pneumonitis receiving prone mechanical ventilation, comparing the 16 h pre-prone and 16 h post-prone time periods. 155 patients were included in this analysis. Oxygenation improved significantly following prone …

A Reward Self-Bias Leads To More Optimal Foraging For Ourselves Than Others, Luis Sebastian Contreras-Huerta, M. Andrea Pisauro, Svenja Küchenhoff, Arno Gekiere, Campbell Le Heron, Patricia L. Lockwood, Matthew A.J. Apps

School of Psychology

People are self-biased for rewards. We place a higher value on rewards if we receive them than if other people do. However, existing work has ignored one of the most powerful theorems from behavioural ecology of how animals seek resources in everyday life, the Marginal Value Theorem (MVT), which accounts for optimal behaviour for maximising resources intake rate. Does this self-bias help humans maximise rewards when foraging for their own benefit compared to foraging for the benefit of others? Participants had to decide when to leave patches where reward intake was gradually depleting, in environments with different average reward rates. …

Myh6 Variants Are Associated With Atrial Dysfunction In Neonates With Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, Melissa Quintanilla Anfinson, Sara Creighton, Pippa M. Simpson, Jeanne M. James, Phoebe Lim, Peter C. Frommelt, Aoy Tomita-Mitchell, Michael E. Mitchell

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Background: MYH6 variants are the most well-known genetic risk factor (10%) for hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and are associated with decreased cardiac transplant-free survival. MYH6 encodes for α-myosin heavy chain (α-MHC), a contractile protein expressed in the neonatal atria. We therefore assessed atrial function in HLHS patients with MYH6 variants. Methods: We performed a retrospective, blinded assessment of pre-stage I atrial function using 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography (2D-STE). Variant carriers were control-matched based on AV valve anatomy, sex, and birth year. Studies were obtained postnatally from awake patients prior to surgical intervention. Right atrial (RA) and right ventricular …

Analysis Of Cns Autoimmunity In Genetically Diverse Mice Reveals Unique Phenotypes And Mechanisms., Emily A Nelson, Anna L. Tyler, Taylor Lakusta-Wong, Karolyn G Lahue, Katherine C Hankes, Cory Teuscher, Rachel M Lynch, Martin T Ferris, J Matthew Mahoney, Dimitry N Krementsov

Faculty Research 2024

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease with significant heterogeneity in disease course and progression. Genetic studies have identified numerous loci associated with MS risk, but the genetic basis of disease progression remains elusive. To address this, we leveraged the Collaborative Cross (CC), a genetically diverse mouse strain panel, and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). The 32 CC strains studied captured a wide spectrum of EAE severity, trajectory, and presentation, including severe-progressive, monophasic, relapsing remitting, and axial rotary-EAE (AR-EAE), accompanied by distinct immunopathology. Sex differences in EAE severity were observed in 6 strains. Quantitative trait locus analysis revealed distinct genetic linkage …

The Rna Receptor Rig-I Binding Synthetic Oligodeoxynucleotide Promotes Pneumonia Survival, Yongxing Wang, Vikram V Kulkarni, Jezreel Pantaleóngarcía, Michael K Longmire, Mathilde Lethier, Stephen Cusack, Scott E Evans

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pneumonia is a worldwide threat to public health, demanding novel preventative and therapeutic strategies. The lung epithelium is a critical environmental interface that functions as a physical barrier to pathogen invasion while also actively sensing and responding to pathogens. We have reported that stimulating lung epithelial cells with a combination therapeutic consisting of a diacylated lipopeptide and a synthetic CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) induces synergistic pneumonia protection against a wide range of pathogens. We report here that mice deficient in TLR9, the previously described receptor for ODN, still displayed partial ODN-induced protection. This prompted us to seek an alternate ODN receptor, …

Multi-Organ Gene Expression Analysis And Network Modeling Reveal Regulatory Control Cascades During The Development Of Hypertension In Female Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat, Eden Hornung, Sirisha Achanta, Alison Moss, James S. Schwaber, Rajanikanth Vadigepalli

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Hypertension is a multifactorial disease with stage-specific gene expression changes occurring in multiple organs over time. The temporal sequence and the extent of gene regulatory network changes occurring across organs during the development of hypertension remain unresolved. In this study, female spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were used to analyze expression patterns of 96 genes spanning inflammatory, metabolic, sympathetic, fibrotic, and renin-angiotensin (RAS) pathways in five organs, at five time points from the onset to established hypertension. We analyzed this multi-dimensional dataset containing ~15,000 data points and developed a data-driven dynamic network model that accounts for …

Mark2 Variants Cause Autism Spectrum Disorder Via The Downregulation Of Wnt/Β-Catenin Signaling Pathway., Maolei Gong, Jiayi Li, Zailong Qin, Matheus Vernet Machado Bressan Wilke, Yijun Liu, Qian Li, Haoran Liu, Chen Liang, Joel A. Morales-Rosado, Ana S A Cohen, Susan S. Hughes, Bonnie Sullivan, Valerie A. Waddell, Marie-José H. Van Den Boogaard, Richard H. Van Jaarsveld, Ellen Van Binsbergen, Koen L. Van Gassen, Tianyun Wang, Susan M. Hiatt, Michelle D. Amaral, Whitley V. Kelley, Jianbo Zhao, Weixing Feng, Changhong Ren, Yazhen Yu, Nicole J. Boczek, Matthew J. Ferber, Carrie Lahner, Sherr Elliott, Yiyan Ruan, Cyril Mignot, Boris Keren, Hua Xie, Xiaoyan Wang, Bernt Popp, Christiane Zweier, Juliette Piard, Christine Coubes, Frederic Tran Mau-Them, Hana Safraou, A Micheil Innes, Julie Gauthier, Jacques L. Michaud, Daniel C. Koboldt, Odent Sylvie, Marjolaine Willems, Wen-Hann Tan, Benjamin Cogne, Claudine Rieubland, Dominique Braun, Scott Douglas Mclean, Konrad Platzer, Pia Zacher, Henry Oppermann, Lucie Evenepoel, Pierre Blanc, Laïla El Khattabi, Neshatul Haque, Nikita R. Dsouza, Michael T. Zimmermann, Raul Urrutia, Eric W. Klee, Yiping Shen, Hongzhen Du, Leonard Rappaport, Chang-Mei Liu, Xiaoli Chen

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Microtubule affinity-regulating kinase 2 (MARK2) contributes to establishing neuronal polarity and developing dendritic spines. Although large-scale sequencing studies have associated MARK2 variants with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the clinical features and variant spectrum in affected individuals with MARK2 variants, early developmental phenotypes in mutant human neurons, and the pathogenic mechanism underlying effects on neuronal development have remained unclear. Here, we report 31 individuals with MARK2 variants and presenting with ASD, other neurodevelopmental disorders, and distinctive facial features. Loss-of-function (LoF) variants predominate (81%) in affected individuals, while computational analysis and in vitro expression assay of missense variants supported the effect of …

Homozygous Variants In Wdr83os Lead To A Neurodevelopmental Disorder With Hypercholanemia, Scott Barish, Sheng-Jia Lin, Reza Maroofian, Alper Gezdirici, Hamoud Alhebby, Aurélien Trimouille, Marta Biderman Waberski, Tadahiro Mitani, Ilka Huber, Kristian Tveten, Øystein L Holla, Øyvind L Busk, Henry Houlden, Ehsan Ghayoor Karimiani, Mehran Beiraghi Toosi, Reza Shervin Badv, Paria Najarzadeh Torbati, Fatemeh Eghbal, Javad Akhondian, Ayat Al Safar, Abdulrahman Alswaid, Giovanni Zifarelli, Peter Bauer, Dana Marafi, Jawid M Fatih, Kevin Huang, Cassidy Petree, Daniel G Calame, Charlotte Von Der Lippe, Fowzan S Alkuraya, Sami Wali, James R Lupski, Gaurav K Varshney, Jennifer E Posey, Davut Pehlivan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

WD repeat domain 83 opposite strand (WDR83OS) encodes the 106-aa (amino acid) protein Asterix, which heterodimerizes with CCDC47 to form the PAT (protein associated with ER translocon) complex. This complex functions as a chaperone for large proteins containing transmembrane domains to ensure proper folding. Until recently, little was known about the role of WDR83OS or CCDC47 in human disease traits. However, biallelic variants in CCDC47 were identified in four unrelated families with trichohepatoneurodevelopmental syndrome, characterized by a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) with liver dysfunction. Three affected siblings in an additional family share a homozygous truncating WDR83OS variant and a phenotype of …

Total Retinal Thickness Is An Important Factor In Evaluating Diabetic Retinal Neurodegeneration, Noor-Us-Sabah Ahmad, Kristen Staggers, Kyungmoo Lee, Nitish Mehta, Amitha Domalpally, Benjamin J Frankfort, Yao Liu, Roomasa Channa

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: Macular retinal nerve fibre layer (mRNFL) and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness (GC-IPL) measurements are important markers of diabetic retinal neurodegeneration (DRN). In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to quantify the contribution of total retinal thickness (TRT) and other factors in the variation of mRNFL and GC-IPL thickness among participants with diabetes.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We used macular-centred spectral domain-optical coherence tomography scans from participants with diabetes in the UK Biobank. Two multiple linear regression models (prior to and after adjusting for TRT) were used to determine factors associated with mRNFL and GC-IPL thicknesses. A p value of less …

Management Of Aorto-Right Ventricular Fistulas After Tavr, Ricardo Chia, Chamaka Kalutota, Kerry Cao, Steven Douedi, William Chang, Dominic Pinciotti, Mohammad Beizaeipour, Jennifer Joiner, Daniel Ice, Ronald Ross, Richard Kovach, Chunguang Chen, Muhammad Raza

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

This clinical case series reviews the diagnosis and management of aorto-right ventricular fistulas post-transcatheter aortic valve replacement, highlighting 3 cases. We emphasize early detection, individualized treatment strategies, and the role of multidisciplinary heart teams in achieving favorable outcomes. Comprehensive imaging and procedural planning are crucial for successful intervention and management of this rare complication.

Induction Of A Distinct Macrophage Population And Protection From Lung Injury And Fibrosis By Notch2 Blockade, Mayra Cruz Tleugabulova, Meizi Liu, Michael S Diamond, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Macrophages are pleiotropic and diverse cells that populate all tissues of the body. Besides tissue-specific resident macrophages such as alveolar macrophages, Kupffer cells, and microglia, multiple organs harbor at least two subtypes of other resident macrophages at steady state. During certain circumstances, like tissue insult, additional subtypes of macrophages are recruited to the tissue from the monocyte pool. Previously, a recruited macrophage population marked by expression of Spp1, Cd9, Gpnmb, Fabp5, and Trem2, has been described in several models of organ injury and cancer, and has been linked to fibrosis in mice and humans. Here, we show that Notch2 blockade, …

Age-Related Decline In Blood-Brain Barrier Function Is More Pronounced In Males Than Females In Parietal And Temporal Regions, Xingfeng Shao, Qinyang Shou, Kimberly Felix, Brandon Ojogho, Xuejuan Jiang, Brian T Gold, Megan M Herting, Eric L Goldwaser, Peter Kochunov, Elliot Hong, Ioannis Pappas, Meredith Braskie, Hosung Kim, Steven Cen, Kay Jann, Danny J J Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) plays a pivotal role in protecting the central nervous system (CNS), and shielding it from potential harmful entities. A natural decline of BBB function with aging has been reported in both animal and human studies, which may contribute to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders. Limited data also suggest that being female may be associated with protective effects on BBB function. Here, we investigated age and sex-dependent trajectories of perfusion and BBB water exchange rate (kw) across the lifespan in 186 cognitively normal participants spanning the ages of 8-92 years old, using a non-invasive diffusion-prepared pseudo-continuous arterial …

Fc-Enhanced Anti-Ctla-4, Anti-Pd-1, Doxorubicin, And Ultrasound-Mediated Blood-Brain Barrier Opening: A Novel Combinatorial Immunotherapy Regimen For Gliomas, Kwang-Soo Kim, Karl Habashy, Andrew Gould, Junfei Zhao, Hinda Najem, Christina Amidei, Ruth Saganty, Víctor A Arrieta, Crismita Dmello, Li Chen, Daniel Y Zhang, Brandyn Castro, Leah Billingham, Daniel Levey, Olivia Huber, Marilyn Marques, David A Savitsky, Benjamin M Morin, Miguel Muzzio, Michael Canney, Craig Horbinski, Peng Zhang, Jason Miska, Surya Padney, Bin Zhang, Raul Rabadan, Joanna J Phillips, Nicholas Butowski, Amy B Heimberger, Jian Hu, Roger Stupp, Dhan Chand, Catalina Lee-Chang, Adam M Sonabend

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive brain cancer that is resistant to conventional immunotherapy strategies. Botensilimab, an Fc-enhanced anti-CTLA-4 antibody (FcE-aCTLA-4), has shown durable activity in "cold" and immunotherapy-refractory cancers.

Methods: We evaluated the efficacy and immune microenvironment phenotype of a mouse analogue of FcE-aCTLA-4 in treatment-refractory preclinical models of glioblastoma, both as a monotherapy and in combination with doxorubicin delivered via low-intensity pulsed ultrasound and microbubbles (LIPU/MB). Additionally, we studied 4 glioblastoma patients treated with doxorubicin, anti-PD-1 with concomitant LIPU/MB to investigate the novel effect of doxorubicin modulating FcγR expressions in tumor-associated macrophages/microglia (TAMs).

Results: FcE-aCTLA-4 demonstrated high-affinity binding …

Characterization Of Driver Mutations Identifies Gene Signatures Predictive Of Prognosis And Treatment Sensitivity In Multiple Myeloma, Jian-Rong Li, Abinand Krishna Parthasarathy, Aravind Singaram Kannappan, Shahram Arsang-Jang, Jing Dong, Chao Cheng

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

In multiple myeloma (MM), while frequent mutations in driver genes are crucial for disease progression, they traditionally offer limited insights into patient prognosis. This study aims to enhance prognostic understanding in MM by analyzing pathway dysregulations in key cancer driver genes, thereby identifying actionable gene signatures. We conducted a detailed quantification of mutations and pathway dysregulations in 10 frequently mutated cancer driver genes in MM to characterize their comprehensive mutational impacts on the whole transcriptome. This was followed by a systematic survival analysis to identify significant gene signatures with enhanced prognostic value. Our systematic analysis highlighted 2 significant signatures, TP53 …

Transport Of Β-Amyloid From Brain To Eye Causes Retinal Degeneration In Alzheimer’S Disease, Qiuchen Cao, Shige Yang, Xiaowei Wang, Huaiqing Sun, Weijie Chen, Yuliang Wang, Junying Gao, Yanchi Wu, Qiuhua Yang, Xue Chen, Songtao Yuan, Ming Xiao, Maiken Nedergaard, Yuqing Huo, Qinghuai Liu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The eye is closely connected to the brain, providing a unique window to detect pathological changes in the brain. In this study, we discovered β-amyloid (Aβ) deposits along the ocular glymphatic system in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 5×FAD transgenic mouse model. Interestingly, Aβ from the brain can flow into the eyes along the optic nerve through cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), causing retinal degeneration. Aβ is mainly observed in the optic nerve sheath, the neural axon, and the perivascular space, which might represent the critical steps of the Aβ transportation from the brain to the eyes. Aquaporin-4 facilitates the influx …

Differences In Brain Volume In Military Service Members And Veterans After Blast-Related Mild Tbi: A Limbic-Cenc Study, Emily L Dennis, Jared A Rowland, Carrie Esopenko, Nicholas J Tustison, Mary R Newsome, Elizabeth S Hovenden, Brian B Avants, Jessica Gill, Sidney R Hinds, Kimbra Kenney, Hannah M Lindsey, Sarah L Martindale, Mary Jo Pugh, Randall S Scheibel, Pashtun-Poh Shahim, Robert Shih, James R Stone, Maya Troyanskaya, William C Walker, Kent Werner, Gerald E York, David X Cifu, David F Tate, Elisabeth A Wilde

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Importance: Blast-related mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), the "signature injury" of post-9/11 conflicts, are associated with clinically relevant, long-term cognitive, psychological, and behavioral dysfunction and disability; however, the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear.

Objective: To investigate associations between a history of remote blast-related mild TBI and regional brain volume in a sample of US veterans and active duty service members.

Design, setting, and participants: Prospective cohort study of US veterans and active duty service members from the Long-Term Impact of Military-Relevant Brain Injury Consortium-Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (LIMBIC-CENC), which enrolled more than 1500 participants at 5 sites used in …