Digital Commons Network^™

Reduced Microrna-503 Expression Augments Lung Fibroblast Vegf Production In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Jun Ikari, Amy J. Nelson, Jannah Obaid, Alvaro Giron-Martinez, Kumiko Ikari, Fumihiko Makino, Shunichiro Iwasawa, Yoko Gunji, Maha Farid, Xingqi Wang, Hesham Basma, Dawn Demeo, Carol Feghali-Bostwick, Olaf Holz, Klaus Rabe, Xiangde Liu, Stephen I. Rennard

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

Alterations in microRNA (miRNA) expression may contribute to COPD pathogenesis. In COPD, lung fibroblast repair functions are altered in multiple ways, including extracellular mediator release. Our prior study revealed miR-503 expression is decreased in COPD lung fibroblasts, although the exact role played by miR-503 is undetermined. The current study examined a role of miR-503 in cytokine, growth factor and fibronectin production by lung fibroblasts from patients with and without COPD. Primary adult lung fibroblasts were isolated from patients with or without COPD. MiR-503 expression and interleukin (IL)-6, -8, PGE2, HGF, KGF, VEGF and fibronectin release were examined with or without …

Molecular Characterization Of Nrxn1 Deletions From 19,263 Clinical Microarray Cases Identifies Exons Important For Neurodevelopmental Disease Expression, Chelsea Lowther, Marsha Speevak, Christine M Armour, Elaine S Goh, Gail E Graham, Chumei Li, Susan Zeesman, Malgorzata J M Nowaczyk, Lee-Anne Schultz, Antonella Morra, Rob Nicolson, Peter Bikangaga, Dawa Samdup, Mostafa Zaazou, Kerry Boyd, Jack H Jung, Victoria Siu, Manjulata Rajguru, Sharan Goobie, Mark A Tarnopolsky, Chitra Prasad, Paul T Dick, Asmaa S Hussain, Margreet Walinga, Renske G Reijenga, Matthew Gazzellone, Anath C Lionel, Christian R Marshall, Stephen W Scherer, Dimitri J Stavropoulos, Elizabeth Mccready, Anne S Bassett

Paediatrics Publications

PURPOSE: The purpose of the current study was to assess the penetrance of NRXN1 deletions.

METHODS: We compared the prevalence and genomic extent of NRXN1 deletions identified among 19,263 clinically referred cases to that of 15,264 controls. The burden of additional clinically relevant copy-number variations (CNVs) was used as a proxy to estimate the relative penetrance of NRXN1 deletions.

RESULTS: We identified 41 (0.21%) previously unreported exonic NRXN1 deletions ascertained for developmental delay/intellectual disability that were significantly greater than in controls (odds ratio (OR) = 8.14; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.91-22.72; P < 0.0001). Ten (22.7%) of these had a second clinically relevant CNV. Subjects with a deletion near the 3' end of NRXN1 were significantly more likely to have a second rare CNV than subjects with a 5' NRXN1 deletion (OR = 7.47; 95% CI: 2.36-23.61; P = 0.0006). The prevalence of intronic NRXN1 deletions was not statistically different between cases and controls (P = 0.618). The majority (63.2%) of intronic NRXN1 deletion cases had a second rare CNV at a prevalence twice as high as that for exonic NRXN1 deletion cases (P = 0.0035).

CONCLUSIONS: The results support the importance of exons …

Brainstem Shape Is Affected By Clinical Course In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Marcus Lo, Leire Zubiaurre-Elorza, Conor Wild, Annika C Linke, David S C Lee, Victor K Han, Rhodri Cusack

Paediatrics Publications

The brainstem, critical for motor function, autonomic regulation, and many neurocognitive functions, undergoes rapid development from the third trimester. Accordingly, we hypothesized it would be vulnerable to insult during this period, and that a difficult clinical course in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) would affect development, and be reflected through atypical shape. Our study population consisted of 66 neonates - all inpatients from the NICU at Victoria Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre, ON, Canada, of which 45 entered the final analysis. The cohort varied in gestational age (GA) and ranged from neurologically healthy to severely brain-injured. Structural MRI was …

Pediatric Emergency Care Capacity In A Low-Resource Setting: An Assessment Of District Hospitals In Rwanda, Celestin Hategeka, Jean Shoveller, Lisine Tuyisenge, Cynthia Kenyon, David F Cechetto, Larry D Lynd

Paediatrics Publications

BACKGROUND: Health system strengthening is crucial to improving infant and child health outcomes in low-resource countries. While the knowledge related to improving newborn and child survival has advanced remarkably over the past few decades, many healthcare systems in such settings remain unable to effectively deliver pediatric advance life support management. With the introduction of the Emergency Triage, Assessment and Treatment plus Admission care (ETAT+)-a locally adapted pediatric advanced life support management program-in Rwandan district hospitals, we undertook this study to assess the extent to which these hospitals are prepared to provide this pediatric advanced life support management. The results of …

Desynchronization Of Autonomic Response And Central Autonomic Network Connectivity In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Janine Thome, Maria Densmore, Paul A Frewen, Margaret C Mckinnon, Jean Théberge, Andrew A Nicholson, Julian Koenig, Julian F Thayer, Ruth A Lanius

Department of Medicine Publications

OBJECTIVES: Although dysfunctional emotion regulatory capacities are increasingly recognized as contributing to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), little work has sought to identify biological markers of this vulnerability. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a promising biomarker that, together with neuroimaging, may assist in gaining a deeper understanding of emotion dysregulation in PTSD. The objective of the present study was, therefore, to characterize autonomic response patterns, and their related neuronal patterns in individuals with PTSD at rest.

METHODS: PTSD patients (N = 57) and healthy controls (N = 41) underwent resting-state fMRI. Connectivity patterns of key regions within the central autonomic network …

Examining Correlates Of Color Signaling And Aggression In Female Sceloporus Jarrovii, Savannah Price

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many animals have color signals used during aggression. While most often males are colorful and aggressive while females are cryptically-colored and less aggressive, in some species both males and females are colorful and aggressive. However, such species have received relatively less study. In the mountain spiny lizard, Sceloporus jarrovii, both males and females have bright blue abdominal patches displayed during aggressive interactions. In this exploratory study, I used this species to examine possible signaling functions of adult female color and its relationship to aggression in agonistic encounters. Chapter 1 presents a study that aimed to identify phenotypic correlates of the …

Sustained Nitric Oxide-Releasing Nanoparticles Interfere With Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Adhesion And Biofilm Formation In A Rat Central Venous Catheter Model., Mircea Radu Mihu, Vitor Cabral, Rodney Pattabhi, Moses T Tar, Kelvin P Davies, Adam J Friedman, Luis R Martinez, Joshua D Nosanchuk

Dermatology Faculty Publications

Staphylococcus aureus is frequently isolated in the setting of infections of indwelling medical devices, which are mediated by the microbe's ability to form biofilms on a variety of surfaces. Biofilm-embedded bacteria are more resistant to antimicrobial agents than their planktonic counterparts and often cause chronic infections and sepsis, particularly in patients with prolonged hospitalizations. In this study, we demonstrate that sustained nitric oxide-releasing nanoparticles (NO-np) interfere with S. aureus adhesion and prevent biofilm formation on a rat central venous catheter (CVC) model of infection. Confocal and scanning electron microscopy showed that NO-np-treated staphylococcal biofilms displayed considerably reduced thicknesses and bacterial …

Variability In Objective And Subjective Measures Affects Baseline Values In Studies Of Patients With Copd, Wayne H. Anderson, Jae Wook Ha, David J. Couper, Wanda K. O'Neal, R. Graham Barr, Eugene R. Bleecker, Elizabeth E. Carretta, Christopher B. Cooper, Claire M. Doerschuk, M. Bradley Drummond, Meilan K. Han, Nadia N. Hansel, Victor Kim, Eric C. Kleerup, Fernando J. Martinez, Stephen I. Rennard, Donald Tashkin, Prescott G. Woodruff, Robert Paine, Jeffrey L. Curtis, Richard W. Kanner, Spiromics Research Group

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

RATIONALE: Understanding the reliability and repeatability of clinical measurements used in the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of disease progression is of critical importance across all disciplines of clinical practice and in clinical trials to assess therapeutic efficacy and safety.

OBJECTIVES: Our goal is to understand normal variability for assessing true changes in health status and to more accurately utilize this data to differentiate disease characteristics and outcomes.

METHODS: Our study is the first study designed entirely to establish the repeatability of a large number of instruments utilized for the clinical assessment of COPD in the same subjects over the same …

Foxc1 Is Associated With Estrogen Receptor Alpha And Affects Sensitivity Of Tamoxifen Treatment In Breast Cancer., Jinhua Wang, Yali Xu, Li Li, Lin Wang, Ru Yao, Qiang Sun, Guanhua Du

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

FOXC1 is a member of Forkhead box transcription factors that participates in embryonic development and tumorigenesis. Our previous study demonstrated that FOXC1 was highly expressed in triple-negative breast cancer. However, it remains unclear what is the relation between FOXC1 and ERα and if FOXC1 regulates expression of ERα. To explore relation between FOXC1 and ERα and discover regulation of ERα expression by FOXC1 in breast cancer, we analyzed data assembled in the Oncomine and TCGA, and found that there was significantly higher FOXC1 expression in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer than that in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. Overexpression of FOXC1 reduced …

Sting Expression And Response To Treatment With Sting Ligands In Premalignant And Malignant Disease., Jason R Baird, Zipei Feng, Hong D Xiao, David Friedman, Ben Cottam, Bernard A Fox, Gwen Kramer, Rom S Leidner, Richard Bryan Bell, Kristina H Young, Marka R Crittenden, Michael J Gough

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Human papilloma virus positive (HPV+) tumors represent a large proportion of anal, vulvar, vaginal, cervical and head and neck squamous carcinomas (HNSCC) and late stage invasive disease is thought to originate from a premalignant state. Cyclic dinucleotides that activate STimulator of INterferon Genes (STING) have been shown to cause rapid regression of a range of advanced tumors. We aimed to investigate STING ligands as a novel treatment for papilloma. We tested therapies in a spontaneous mouse model of papilloma of the face and anogenital region that histologically resembles human HPV-associated papilloma. We demonstrate that STING ligands cause rapid regression of …

Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms In Pathological Gambling: Potential Evidence Of Anti-Reward Processes, Cheryl L. Green, Ramzi W. Nahhas, Arielle A. Scoglio, Igor Elman

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Excessive gambling is considered to be a part of the addiction spectrum. Stress-like emotional states are a key feature both of pathological gambling (PG) and of substance addiction. In substance addiction, stress symptomatology has been attributed in part to "anti-reward" allostatic neuroadaptations, while a potential involvement of anti-reward processes in the course of PG has not yet been investigated. Methods: To that end, individuals with PG (n = 22) and mentally healthy subjects (n = 13) were assessed for trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress symptomatology (PTSS) using the Life Events Checklist and the Civilian Mississippi Scale, respectively. Results: In …

The Distinct Metabolic Phenotype Of Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma Defines Selective Vulnerability To Glycolytic Inhibition, Justin Goodwin, Michael L. Neugent, Shin Yup Lee, Joshua H. Choe, Hyunsung Choi, Dana M. R. Jenkins, Robin J. Ruthenborg, Maddox W. Robinson, Ji Yun Jeong, Masaki Wake, Hajime Abe, Norihiko Takeda, Hiroko Endo, Masahiro Inoue, Zhenyu Xuan, Hyuntae Yoo, Min Chen, Jung-Mo Ahn, John D. Minna, Kristi L. Helke, Pankaj K. Singh, David B. Shackelford, Jung-Whan Kim

Journal Articles: Eppley Institute

Adenocarcinoma (ADC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) are the two predominant subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and are distinct in their histological, molecular and clinical presentation. However, metabolic signatures specific to individual NSCLC subtypes remain unknown. Here, we perform an integrative analysis of human NSCLC tumour samples, patient-derived xenografts, murine model of NSCLC, NSCLC cell lines and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and reveal a markedly elevated expression of the GLUT1 glucose transporter in lung SqCC, which augments glucose uptake and glycolytic flux. We show that a critical reliance on glycolysis renders lung SqCC vulnerable to glycolytic inhibition, …

Body Mass Index Change In Gastrointestinal Cancer And Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Is Associated With Dedicator Of Cytokinesis 1, Merry-Lynn Noelle Mcdonald, Sungho Won, Manuel Mattheisen, Peter J. Castaldi, Michael H. Cho, Erica Rutten, Megan Hardin, Wai-Ki Yip, Stephen I. Rennard, David A. Lomas, Emiel F.M. Wouters, Alvar Agusti, Richard Casaburi, Christoph P. Lange, George O'Connor, Craig P. Hersh, Edwin K. Silverman

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: There have been a number of candidate gene association studies of cancer cachexia-related traits, but no genome-wide association study (GWAS) has been published to date. Cachexia presents in patients with a number of complex traits, including both cancer and COPD. The objective of the current investigation was to search for a shared genetic aetiology for change in body mass index (ΔBMI) among cancer and COPD by using GWAS data in the Framingham Heart Study.

METHODS: A linear mixed effects model accounting for age, sex, and change in smoking status was used to calculate ΔBMI in participants over 40 years …

Reliability Of Medical Records In Diagnosing Inflammatory Breast Cancer In Egypt, Lynne Le, Catherine Schairer, Ahmed Hablas, Jane L. Meza, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, Mohamed Ramadan, Sofia D. Merajver, Ibrahim A. Seifeldin, Amr S. Soliman

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare, aggressive breast cancer diagnosed clinically by the presence of diffuse erythema, peau d'orange, and edema that arise quickly in the affected breast. This study evaluated the validity of medical records in Gharbiah, Egypt in identifying clinical signs/symptoms of IBC. For 34 IBC cases enrolled in a case-control study at the Gharbiah Cancer Society and Tanta Cancer Center, Egypt (2009-2010), we compared signs/symptoms of IBC noted in medical records to those recorded on a standardized form at the time of IBC diagnosis by clinicians participating in the case-control study. We calculated the sensitivity …

Mononuclear-Macrophages But Not Neutrophils Act As Major Infiltrating Anti-Leptospiral Phagocytes During Leptospirosis., Xu Chen, Shi-Jun Li, David M. Ojcius, Ai-Hua Sun, Wei-Lin Hu, Xu'ai Lin, Jie Yan

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

OBJECTIVE: To identify the major infiltrating phagocytes during leptospirosis and examine the killing mechanism used by the host to eliminate Leptospira interrogans.

METHODS: Major infiltrating phagocytes in Leptospira-infected C3H/HeJ mice were detected by immunohistochemistry. Chemokines and vascular endothelial cell adhesion molecules (VECAMs) of Leptospira-infected mice and leptospirosis patients were detected by microarray and immunohistochemistry. Leptospira-phagocytosing and -killing abilities of human or mouse macrophages and neutrophils, and the roles of intracellular ROS, NO and [Ca2+]i in Leptospira-killing process were evaluated by confocal microscopy and spectrofluorimetry.

RESULTS: Peripheral blood mononuclear-macrophages rather than neutrophils were the main infiltrating phagocytes in the lungs, liver …

Intimate Partner Violence And Women's Cancer Quality Of Life, Ann L. Coker, Diane R. Follingstad, Lisandra S. Garcia, Heather M. Bush

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

Purpose

Because intimate partner violence (IPV) may disproportionately impact women’s quality of life (QOL) when undergoing cancer treatment, women experiencing IPV were hypothesized to have (a) more symptoms of depression or stress and (b) lower QOL as measured with the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT-B) and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy—Spiritual Well-being (FACIT-SP) Scales relative to those never experiencing IPV.

Methods

Women, aged 18–79, who were included in one of two state cancer registries from 2009 to 2015 with a recent incident, primary, invasive biopsy-confirmed cancer diagnosis were recruited and asked to complete a phone interview, within 12 …

Mental Health Treatment Seeking Patterns And Preferences Of Appalachian Women With Depression, Claire Snell-Rood, Emily Hauenstein, Carl G. Leukefeld, Frances Feltner, Amber Marcum, Nancy E. Schoenberg

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

This qualitative study explored social-cultural factors that shape treatment seeking behaviors among depressed rural, low-income women in Appalachia—a region with high rates of depression and a shortage of mental health services. Recent research shows that increasingly rural women are receiving some form of treatment and identifying their symptoms as depression. Using purposive sampling, investigators recruited 28 depressed low-income women living in Appalachian Kentucky and conducted semistructured interviews on participants’ perceptions of depression and treatment seeking. Even in this sample of women with diverse treatment behaviors (half reported current treatment), participants expressed ambivalence about treatment and its potential to promote recovery. …

Differential Phenotypes Of Memory Cd4 And Cd8 T Cells In The Spleen And Peripheral Tissues Following Immunostimulatory Therapy., Gail D Sckisel, Annie Mirsoian, Christine M Minnar, Marka R Crittenden, Brendan Curti, Jane Q Chen, Bruce R Blazar, Alexander D Borowsky, Arta M Monjazeb, William J Murphy

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND: Studies assessing immune parameters typically utilize human PBMCs or murine splenocytes to generate data that is interpreted as representative of immune status. Using splenocytes, we have shown memory CD4-T cells that expand following systemic immunostimulatory therapies undergo rapid IFNg-mediated activation induced cell death (AICD) resulting in a net loss of total CD4-T cells which correlates with elevated PD-1 expression. This is in contrast to CD8-T cells which expand with minimal PD-1 upregulation and apoptosis. In this study we expand upon our previous work by evaluating CD4 and CD8-T cell phenotype and distribution in peripheral organs which are more representative …

Persuasive Interventions For Controversial Cancer Screening Recommendations: Testing A Novel Approach To Help Patients Make Evidence-Based Decisions., Barry Saver, Kathleen M Mazor, Roger Luckmann, Sarah L Cutrona, Marcela Hayes, Tatyana Gorodetsky, Nancy Esparza, Gonzalo Bacigalupe

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

PURPOSE: We wanted to evaluate novel decision aids designed to help patients trust and accept the controversial, evidence-based, US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations about prostate cancer screening (from 2012) and mammography screening for women aged 40 to 49 years (from 2009).

METHODS: We created recorded vignettes of physician-patient discussions about prostate cancer screening and mammography, accompanied by illustrative slides, based on principles derived from preceding qualitative work and behavioral science literature. We conducted a randomized crossover study with repeated measures with 27 men aged 50 to 74 years and 35 women aged 40 to 49 years. All participants saw …

Astrocytes Promote Progression Of Breast Cancer Metastases To The Brain Via A Kiss1-Mediated Autophagy., Natalya Kaverina, Anton V Borovjagin, Zaira Kadagidze, Anatoly Baryshnikov, Maria Baryshnikova, Dmitry Malin, Dhimankrishhna Ghosh, Nameeta Shah, Danny R Welch, Patrik Gabikian, Apollon Karseladze, Charles Cobbs, Ilya V Ulasov

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Formation of metastases, also known as cancer dissemination, is an important stage of breast cancer (BrCa) development. KISS1 expression is associated with inhibition of metastases development. Recently we have demonstrated that BrCa metastases to the brain exhibit low levels of KISS1 expression at both mRNA and protein levels. By using multicolor immunofluorescence and coculture techniques here we show that normal adult astrocytes in the brain are capable of promoting metastatic transformation of circulating breast cancer cells localized to the brain through secretion of chemokine CXCL12. The latter was found in this study to downregulate KISS1 expression at the post-transcriptional level …

Safety And Feasibility Of Minimally Invasive Inguinal Lymph Node Dissection In Patients With Melanoma (Safe-Milnd): Report Of A Prospective Multi-Institutional Trial., James W Jakub, Alicia M Terando, Amod Sarnaik, Charlotte E Ariyan, Mark Faries, Sabino Zani, Heather B Neuman, Nabil Wasif, Jeffrey M Farma, Bruce J Averbook, Karl Y Bilimoria, Travis E Grotz, Jacob B Jake Allred, Vera J Suman, Mary Sue Brady, Douglas Tyler, Jeffrey D Wayne, Heidi Nelson

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive inguinal lymph node dissection (MILND) is a novel approach to inguinal lymphadenectomy. SAFE-MILND (NCT01500304) is a multicenter, phase I/II clinical trial evaluating the safety and feasibility of MILND for patients with melanoma in a group of surgeons newly adopting the procedure.

METHODS: Twelve melanoma surgeons from 10 institutions without any previous MILND experience, enrolled patients into a prospective study after completing specialized training including didactic lectures, participating in a hands-on cadaveric laboratory, and being provided an instructional DVD of the procedure. Complications and adverse postoperative events were graded using the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria …

Bone-Specific Alkaline Phosphatase And Bone Turnover In African American Hemodialysis Patients, Lenar Yessayan, Carol L. Moore, Mei Lu, Jerry Yee

Nephrology Articles

INTRODUCTION: Noninvasive measures of bone activity include intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BSAP). Whether BSAP measurement alone or in combination with other biochemical data provides more reliable information about bone turnover than iPTH alone in African Americans on hemodialysis is unknown.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the optimal predictor and cutoff points for BSAP, iPTH, calcium and phosphorus in classifying bone biopsy findings. Forty-three African American hemodialysis patients were available for analysis. Biochemical data on the day of biopsy across a spectrum of qualitative histologic bone features were compared. Classification and regression tree analysis was …

Collective Behavior Quantification On Human Odor Effects Against Female Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes—Open Source Development, A.H. Poh, Mahmoud Moghavvemi, C.S. Leong, Yee Ling Lau, A.S. Ghandari, A. Apau, Faisal Rafiq Mahamd Adikan

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

Classifying and quantifying mosquito activity includes a plethora of categories, ranging from measuring flight speeds, repellency, feeding rates, and specific behaviors such as home entry, swooping and resting, among others. Entomologists have been progressing more toward using machine vision for efficiency for this endeavor. Digital methods have been used to study the behavior of insects in labs, for instance via three-dimensional tracking with specialized cameras to observe the reaction of mosquitoes towards human odor, heat and CO2, although virtually none was reported for several important fields, such as repellency studies which have a significant need for a proper response quantification. …

Combinatorial Effects Of Quercetin And Sex-Steroids On Fluid And Electrolytes’ (Na+, Cl-, Hco3-) Secretory Mechanisms In The Uterus Of Ovariectomised Female Sprague-Dawley Rats, H. Shahzad, N. Giribabu, K. Karim, N.M. Kassim, S. Muniandy, N. Salleh

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

Dysregulation of uterine fluid environment could impair successful reproduction and this could be due to the effect of environmental estrogens. Therefore, in this study, effect of quercetin, an environmental estrogen on uterine fluid and electrolytes concentrations were investigated under sex-steroid influence. Ovariectomised adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were given 10, 50 or 100mg/kg/day quercetin subcutaneously with 17-β estradiol (E) for seven days or three days E, then three days E plus progesterone (P) (E+P) treatment. Uterine fluid secretion rate, Na+, Cl- and HCO3 - concentrations were determined by in-vivo perfusion. Following sacrifice, uteri were harvested and levels of the proteins of …

Micrornas Regulating Cluster Of Differentiation 46 (Cd46) In Cardioembolic And Non-Cardioembolic Stroke, J.R. Tan, K.S. Tan, F.L. Yong, A. Armugam, C.W. Wang, K. Jeyaseelan, P.T.H. Wong

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

Ischemic stroke is a major cause of mortality and morbidity globally. Among the ischemic stroke subtypes, cardioembolic stroke is with poor functional outcome (Modified Rankin score ≥ 2). Early diagnosis of cardioembolic stroke will prove beneficial. This study examined the microRNAs targeting cluster of differentiation 46 (CD46), a potential biomarker for cardioembolic stroke. CD46 mRNA level was shown to be differentially expressed (p < 0.001) between cardioembolic stroke (median = 1.32) and non-cardioembolic stroke subtypes (large artery stroke median = 5.05; small vessel stroke median = 6.45). Bioinformatic search showed that miR-19a, -20a, -185 and -374b were found to target CD46 mRNA and further verified by luciferase reporter assay. The levels of miRNAs targeting CD46 were significantly reduced (p < 0.05) in non-cardioembolic stroke patients (large artery stroke median: miR-19a = 0.63, miR-20a = 0.42, miR-185 = 0.32, miR-374b = 0.27; small artery stroke median: miR-19a = 0.07, miR-20a = 0.06, miR-185 = 0.07, miR-374b = 0.05) as compared to cardioembolic stroke patients (median: miR-19a = 2.69, miR-20a = 1.36, miR-185 = 1.05, miR-374b = 1.23). ROC curve showed that the miRNAs could distinguish cardioembolic stroke from non-cardioembolic stroke with better AUC value as compared to CD46. Endogenous expression of CD46 in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) were found to be regulated by miR-19a and miR-20a. Thus implicating that miR-19a and -20a may play a role in pathogenesis of cardioembolic stroke, possibly via the endothelial cells.

Neglected Intestinal Parasites, Malnutrition And Associated Key Factors: A Population Based Cross-Sectional Study Among Indigenous Communities In Sarawak, Malaysia, Y. Rajoo, S. Ambu, Y.A.L. Lim, K. Rajoo, S.C. Tey, C.W. Lu, R. Ngui

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) have been recognized as one of the most significant causes of illness among disadvantaged communities. Many studies have been conducted on the prevalence of IPIs in Malaysia. However, these studies mostly focused on the indigenous groups in Peninsular Malaysia. The present study was conducted to provide the current baseline data on prevalence of IPIs, anaemia, malnutrition and associated risk factors among the indigenous communities in Sarawak, situation at northwest Borneo island of Malaysia. A cross sectional study was conducted among the longhouses communities. Stool samples were obtained and examined for the presence of IPIs using microscopy …

The Associations Between Vdr Bsmi Polymorphisms And Risk Of Vitamin D Deficiency, Obesity And Insulin Resistance In Adolescents Residing In A Tropical Country, R. Rahmadhani, N.L. Zaharan, Zahurin Mohamed, Foong Ming Moy, Muhammad Yazid Jalaludin

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

Background: The vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene is expressed abundantly in different tissues; including adipocytes and pancreatic beta cells. The rs1544410 or BsmI single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the intronic region of the VDR gene has been previously associated with vitamin D levels, obesity and insulin resistance. Aims: This study was aimed to examine the association between BsmI polymorphism and risk of vitamin D deficiency, obesity and insulin resistance in adolescents living in a tropical country. Methods: Thirteen-year-old adolescents were recruited via multistage sampling from twenty-three randomly selected schools across the city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (n = 941). Anthropometric …

What Matters For Life Satisfaction Among The Oldest-Old? Evidence From China, S.T. Ng, N.P. Tey, M.N. Asadullah

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

Objective The world population is aging rapidly and the well-being of older people is of great interest. Therefore, this study investigates the determinants of life satisfaction among the oldest-old (i.e. individuals aged 80 or over) in China. Materials and methods We use the 2011/2012 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey data (n = 6530) for this paper. Logistic regression is used to analyse the effects of socio-demographic, economic, health, instrumental activities of daily living, family and community factors on life satisfaction and depression among the oldest-old in China. Results Our analysis confirms the significance of many factors affecting life satisfaction among …

Cigarette Smoking And Cardio-Renal Events In Patients With Atherosclerotic Renal Artery Stenosis., Christopher A Drummond, Pamela S Brewster, Wencan He, Kaili Ren, Yanmei Xie, Katherine Tuttle, Steven T Haller, Kenneth Jamerson, Lance D Dworkin, Donald E Cutlip, Timothy P Murphy, Ralph B D'Agostino, William L Henrich, Jiang Tian, Joseph I Shapiro, Christopher J Cooper

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Cigarette smoking causes cardiovascular disease and is associated with poor kidney function in individuals with diabetes mellitus and primary kidney diseases. However, the association of smoking on patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis has not been studied. The current study utilized data from the Cardiovascular Outcomes in Renal Atherosclerotic Lesions (CORAL, NCT00081731) clinical trial to evaluate the effects of smoking on the risk of cardio-renal events and kidney function in this population. Baseline data showed that smokers (n = 277 out of 931) were significantly younger at enrollment than non-smokers (63.3±9.1 years vs 72.4±7.8 years; p

Conformity To Gender Stereotypes Impacting Body-Esteem, Eating, And Exercise Behaviors In Female College Students, Madison Rae Sauerteig

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Conformity to gender stereotypes and the impacts they may have on body-esteem, eating, and exercise behaviors have always been a very important topic in society because of the mental, physical and emotional problems that could arise. In society today, it is extremely unlikely to go a day without hearing or seeing something about eating healthy, exercising, or performing the correct “role”. With this increased pressure from the media and peers, conforming to the stereotypes in society can impact someone beyond what they may believe possible or even realize. A stereotype is a widely held and oversimplified image or idea of …