Digital Commons Network^™

Nutritional Status And Tuberculosis Risk In Adult And Pediatric Household Contacts, Omowunmi Aibana, Xeno Acharya, Chuan-Chin Huang, Mercedes C Becerra, Jerome T Galea, Silvia S Chiang, Carmen Contreras, Roger Calderon, Rosa Yataco, Gustavo E Velásquez, Karen Tintaya, Judith Jimenez, Leonid Lecca, Megan B Murray

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Studies show obesity decreases risk of tuberculosis (TB) disease. There is limited evidence on whether high body mass index also protects against TB infection; how very high body mass indices influence TB risk; or whether nutritional status predicts this risk in children. We assessed the impact of body mass index on incident TB infection and disease among adults and children.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a prospective cohort study among household contacts of pulmonary TB cases in Lima, Peru. We determined body mass index at baseline and followed participants for one year for TB infection and disease. We used …

Endothelial Cells Expressing Endothelial And Mesenchymal Cell Gene Products In Lung Tissue From Patients With Systemic Sclerosis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease., Fabian A. Mendoza, Sonsoles Piera-Velazquez, John L. Farber, Carol Feghali-Bostwick, Sergio A. Jimenez

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether lung endothelial cells (ECs) from patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc)-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD) express mesenchymal cell-specific proteins and gene transcripts, indicative of the occurrence of endothelial-to-mesenchymal phenotypic transition (EndoMT).

METHODS: Lung tissue from 6 patients with SSc-associated pulmonary fibrosis was examined by histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Confocal laser microscopy was utilized to assess the simultaneous expression of EC and myofibroblast molecular markers. CD31+CD102+ ECs were isolated from the lung tissue of 2 patients with SSc-associated ILD and 2 normal control subjects, and the expression of EC and mesenchymal cell markers and other relevant genes was analyzed …

Local Corticotropin Releasing Hormone (Crh) Signals To Its Receptor Crhr1 During Postnatal Development Of The Mouse Olfactory Bulb, Isabella Garcia, Paramjit K Bhullar, Burak Tepe, Joshua Ortiz-Guzman, Longwen Huang, Alexander M Herman, Lesley Chaboub, Benjamin Deneen, Nicholas J Justice, Benjamin R Arenkiel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Neuropeptides play important physiological functions during distinct behaviors such as arousal, learning, memory, and reproduction. However, the role of local, extrahypothalamic neuropeptide signaling in shaping synapse formation and neuronal plasticity in the brain is not well understood. Here, we characterize the spatiotemporal expression profile of the neuropeptide corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and its receptor CRHR1 in the mouse OB throughout development. We found that CRH-expressing interneurons are present in the external plexiform layer, that its cognate receptor is expressed by granule cells, and show that both CRH and CRHR1 expression enriches in the postnatal period when olfaction becomes important towards olfactory-related …

Effective Combat Leadership: How Do Individual, Social, And Organizational Factors In The U.S. Army Reserve Cultivate Effective Women's Leadership In Dangerous Contexts?, Diana Drita Ellerman

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This research centered on the experiences of a dozen women who served in U.S. Army Reserve leadership positions. Although they served in dangerous contexts the Army had an exclusionary policy at the time that formally excluded the women from direct combat. The impetus for the research was Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta's announcement in January 2013 that the U.S. military would be eliminating the exclusionary policy. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into what individual, social, and organizational factors support women's effective leadership in dangerous contexts. The research utilized narrative inquiry in order to bring forth the …

Identification Of A Novel Gene On 10q221 Causing Autosomal Dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa (Adrp), Stephen P Daiger, Lori S Sullivan, Sara J Bowne, Daniel C Koboldt, Susan H Blanton, Dianna K Wheaton, Cheryl E Avery, Elizabeth D Cadena, Robert K Koenekoop, Robert S Fulton, Richard K Wilson, George M Weinstock, Richard A Lewis, David G Birch

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Whole-genome linkage mapping identified a region on chromosome 10q21.3-q22.1 with a maximum LOD score of 3.0 at 0 % recombination in a six-generation family with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (adRP). All known adRP genes and X-linked RP genes were excluded in the family by a combination of methods. Whole-exome next-generation sequencing revealed a missense mutation in hexokinase 1, HK1 c.2539G > A, p.Glu847Lys, tracking with disease in all affected family members. One severely-affected male is homozygous for this region by linkage analysis and has two copies of the mutation. No other potential mutations were detected in the linkage region nor were …

Sofosbuvir And Velpatasvir For Hcv Genotype 2 And 3 Infection, Graham R. Foster, Nezam Afdhal, Stuart K. Roberts, Norbert Bräu, Edward J. Gane, Stephen Pianko, Eric Lawitz, Alex Thompson, Mitchell L. Shiffman, Curtis Cooper, William J. Towner, Brian Conway, Peter Ruane, Marc Bourlière, Tarik Asselah, Thomas Berg, Stefan Zeuzem, William Rosenberg, Kosh Agarwal, Catherine Am Stedman, Hongmei Mo, Hadas Dvory-Sobol, Lingling Han, Jing Wang, John Mcnally, Anu Osinusi, Diana M. Brainard, John G. Mchutchison, Francesco Mazzotta, Tram T. Tran, Stuart C. Gordon, Keyur Patel, Nancy Reau, Alessandra Mangia, Mark Sulkowski

Gastroenterology Articles

BACKGROUND: In phase 2 trials, treatment with the combination of the nucleotide polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir and the NS5A inhibitor velpatasvir resulted in high rates of sustained virologic response in patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2 or 3.

METHODS: We conducted two randomized, phase 3, open-label studies involving patients who had received previous treatment for HCV genotype 2 or 3 and those who had not received such treatment, including patients with compensated cirrhosis. In one trial, patients with HCV genotype 2 were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive sofosbuvir-velpatasvir, in a once-daily, fixed-dose combination tablet …

Female Fighters Fight Toward Equal Footing, Desiree A. Mathurin, Ryan Wallerson

Capstones

A staple in the boxing world met a primary member of the judo world in an octagon ring housed in the MGM Grand on November 15, 2015. Dubbed by some as the biggest upset of the year,Holly Holm faced off against Ronda Rousey for the Women’s UFC Bantamweight championship and delivered the sweet science to Rousey

The Interrelationships Of Placental Mammals And The Limits Of Phylogenetic Inference, James E. Tarver, Mario Dos Reis, Siavash Mirarab, Raymond J. J. Moran, Sean Parker, Joseph E. O'Reilly, Benjamin L. King, Mary J. O'Connell, Robert J. Asher, Tandy Warnow, Kevin J. Peterson, Philip C.J. Donoghue, Davide Pisani

Dartmouth Scholarship

Placental mammals comprise three principal clades: Afrotheria (e.g., elephants and tenrecs), Xenarthra (e.g., armadillos and sloths), and Boreoeutheria (all other placental mammals), the relationships among which are the subject of controversy and a touchstone for debate on the limits of phylogenetic inference. Previous analyses have found support for all three hypotheses, leading some to conclude that this phylogenetic problem might be impossible to resolve due to the compounded effects of incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) and a rapid radiation. Here we show, using a genome scale nucleotide data set, microRNAs, and the reanalysis of the three largest previously published amino acid …

Ethnic Differences In Maternal Adipokines During Normal Pregnancy, Xinhua Chen, Theresa O Scholl

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

Two adipokines (adiponectin and resistin) have opposite relations with insulin resistance and inflammation. Our major focus was to determine whether there were detectable ethnic differences in maternal adipokines during pregnancy. We also explored the correlation of the adipokines with maternal glucose homeostasis, blood pressure and anthropometric parameters. Pregnant women (n = 1634) were from a large prospective cohort study in Camden NJ (African-American 36.8%; Hispanic 47.6%; Caucasian 15.6%). Serum adiponectin and resistin were measured at entry (week 16.8) and the 3rd trimester (week 30.7) using the Luminex xMapTechnology. Significant differences were observed among ethnic groups, controlling for confounding variables. African …

Exploring The Factors Of Persistence For African American Senior Nursing Students, Yolanda Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

African American nursing students experience commonalities within their college experience. Often these students may be faced with challenges, barriers, and/or struggles that may place a hindrance on their success in meeting their educational goals. This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to explore African American female nursing students perceptions of faculty-student relationships and its implications for persistence. Four African American female nursing students and two nursing faculty agreed to participate in this study. This research study offers an examination of past and present research regarding the history of African American nursing students, health disparity, social justice and diversity within the …

A Quantitative Study Of The Variables That Influence Work-Family Conflict Of Female Counselors, Emeline Eckart

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between female counselors’ work-family conflict and their demographic (i.e., ethnicity, age, educational level, and annual household income), occupational (i.e., ethnicity, age, educational level, and annual household income), and family (i.e., marital/partner status; number of children at home under the age of 18; age of youngest child; care of elderly, ill, or disabled family members; source of support; and support) characteristics. Super’s (1990) Life-Space Life-Span theory provided a framework to understand female counselors’ engagement in multiple roles in work and family and the conflict that can result in two directions: work …

The Happy Older Latinos Are Active (Hola) Health Promotion And Prevention Study: Study Protocol For A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Daniel E. Jimenez, Charles F. Reynolds, Margarita Alegría, Philip Harvey, Stephen Bartels

Dartmouth Scholarship

Results of previous studies attest to the greater illness burden of common mental disorders (anxiety and depression) in older Latinos and the need for developing preventive interventions that are effective, acceptable, and scalable. Happy Older Latinos are Active (HOLA) is a newly developed intervention that uses a community health worker (CHW) to lead a health promotion program in order to prevent common mental disorders among at-risk older Latinos. This pilot study tests the feasibility and acceptability of delivering HOLA to older, at-risk Latinos.

Methods/Design: HOLA is a multi-component, health promotion intervention funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). …

Are Immune Modulating Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Associated With Necrotizing Enterocolitis?, Ashanti L Franklin, Mariam Said, Clint D Cappiello, Heather Gordish-Dressman, Zohreh Tatari-Calderone, Stanislav Vukmanovic, Khodayar Rais-Bahrami, Naomi L C Luban, Joseph M Devaney, Anthony D Sandler

Genomics and Precision Medicine Faculty Publications

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating gastrointestinal emergency. The purpose of this study is to determine if functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in immune-modulating genes pre-dispose infants to NEC. After Institutional Review Board approval and parental consent, buccal swabs were collected for DNA extraction. TaqMan allelic discrimination assays and BglII endonuclease digestion were used to genotype specific inflammatory cytokines and TRIM21. Statistical analysis was completed using logistic regression. 184 neonates were analyzed in the study. Caucasian neonates with IL-6 (rs1800795) were over 6 times more likely to have NEC (p = 0.013; OR = 6.61, 95% CI 1.48-29.39), and over …

Effectiveness Of Food-Demos To Increase Nutrition Knowledge, Megan Hemmelgarn

Honors Projects

This research investigated the effectiveness of a one-time food-demo at increasing the knowledge and improving the behavior of vegetable and diary consumption in the diets of college-aged females. Participation included a convenience sample of 26 college-aged females living in residence halls at a Bowling Green State University in Northwest Ohio. Testing was delivered before intervention as a baseline of knowledge and diet behavior. Post-testing was delivered immediately after intervention and evaluated any gain in knowledge from the baseline. One-month after intervention, post 2-testing was distributed evaluating retention of knowledge and behavioral change. Overall, participants experienced knowledge gain immediately after intervention …

Isosorbide Mononitrate In Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction., Margaret M. Redfield, Kevin J. Anstrom, James A. Levine, Gabe A. Koepp, Barry A. Borlaug, Horng H. Chen, Martin M. Lewinter, Susan M. Joseph, Sanjiv J. Shah, Marc J. Semigran, G. Michael Felker, Robert T. Cole, Gordon R. Reeves, Ryan J. Tedford, W.H. Wilson Tang, Steven E. Mcnulty, Eric J. Velazquez, Monica R Shah, Eugene Braunwald

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Nitrates are commonly prescribed to enhance activity tolerance in patients with heart failure and a preserved ejection fraction. We compared the effect of isosorbide mononitrate or placebo on daily activity in such patients.

METHODS: In this multicenter, double-blind, crossover study, 110 patients with heart failure and a preserved ejection fraction were randomly assigned to a 6-week dose-escalation regimen of isosorbide mononitrate (from 30 mg to 60 mg to 120 mg once daily) or placebo, with subsequent crossover to the other group for 6 weeks. The primary end point was the daily activity level, quantified as the average daily accelerometer …

‘Much Clearer With Pictures’: Using Community-Based Participatory Research To Design And Test A Picture Option Grid For Underserved Patients With Breast Cancer, Marie-Anne Durand, Shama Alam, Stuart W. Grande, Glyn Elwyn

Dartmouth Scholarship

Women of low socioeconomic status (SES) diagnosed with early stage breast cancer experience decision-making, treatment and outcome disparities. Evidence suggests that decision aids can benefit underserved patients, when tailored to their needs. Our aim was to develop and test the usability, acceptability and accessibility of a pictorial encounter decision aid targeted at women of low SES diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.

Chronic Ethanol Exposure Enhances The Aggressiveness Of Breast Cancer: The Role Of P38Γ, Mei Xu, Siying Wang, Zhenhua Ren, Jacqueline A. Frank, Xiuwei H. Yang, Zhuo Zhang, Zun-Ji Ke, Xianglin Shi, Jia Luo

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Both epidemiological and experimental studies suggest that ethanol may enhance aggressiveness of breast cancer. We have previously demonstrated that short term exposure to ethanol (12–48 hours) increased migration/invasion in breast cancer cells overexpressing ErbB2, but not in breast cancer cells with low expression of ErbB2, such as MCF7, BT20 and T47D breast cancer cells. In this study, we showed that chronic ethanol exposure transformed breast cancer cells that were not responsive to short term ethanol treatment to a more aggressive phenotype. Chronic ethanol exposure (10 days - 2 months) at 100 (22 mM) or 200 mg/dl (44 mM) caused the …

Trends In Psychotropic Dispensing Among Older Adults With Dementia Living In Long-Term Care Facilities: 2004-2013., Akshya Vasudev, Salimah Z Shariff, Kuan Liu, Amer M Burhan, Nathan Herrmann, Sean Leonard, Muhammad Mamdani

Psychiatry Publications

OBJECTIVE: Guidelines worldwide have cautioned against the use of antipsychotics as first-line agents to treat neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia. We aimed to investigate the changes over time in the dispensing of antipsychotics and other psychotropics among older adults with dementia living in long-term care facilities.

METHODS: We used drug claims data from Ontario, Canada, to calculate quarterly rates of prescription dispensing of six psychotropic drug classes among all elderly (≥65 years of age) long-term care residents with dementia from January 1, 2004, to March 31, 2013. Psychotropic drugs were classified into the following categories: atypical and conventional antipsychotics, non-sedative and …

Long-Term Seizure And Psychosocial Outcomes Of Vagus Nerve Stimulation For Intractable Epilepsy, Vibhangini S. Wasade, Lonni Schultz, Karthik Mohanarangan, Aryamaan Gaddam, Jason M. Schwalb, Marianna Spanaki-Varelas

Neurology Articles

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a widely used adjunctive treatment option for intractable epilepsy. Most studies have demonstrated short-term seizure outcomes, usually for up to 5 years, and thus far, none have reported psychosocial outcomes in adults. We aimed to assess long-term seizure and psychosocial outcomes in patients with intractable epilepsy on VNS therapy for more than 15 years. We identified patients who had VNS implantation for treatment of intractable epilepsy from 1997 to 2013 at our Comprehensive Epilepsy Program and gathered demographics including age at epilepsy onset and VNS implantation, epilepsy type, number of antiepilepsy drugs (AEDs) and seizure …

Race, Calcineurin Inhibitor Exposure, And Renal Function After Solid Organ Transplantation, Lenar Yessayan, A Shafiq, Edward L. Peterson, K Wells, Yong Hu, Keoki L. Williams, David E. Lanfear

Nephrology Articles

BACKGROUND: Calcineurin-inhibitor (CNI)-induced nephrotoxicity frequently complicates transplantation. African-Americans are at a greater risk of renal failure than the general population. We investigated whether race was an effect modifier of the relationship between CNI exposure and kidney function after nonrenal solid organ transplantation.

METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of 1609 patients who underwent initial nonrenal solid organ transplantation between January 2000 and June 2012. A central repository administrative database was queried electronically for demographics, comorbidities, and serial levels of tacrolimus, cyclosporine, and serum creatinine. Predictors of interest were total drug exposure of tacrolimus and cyclosporine (area under the concentration-time …

Genetic Factors Influencing B-Type Natriuretic Peptide-Mediated Production Of Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate And Blood Pressure Effects In Heart Failure Patients, David E. Lanfear, Jia Li, Raza Abbas, Ruicong She, Badri Padhukasahasram, Ramesh C. Gupta, David Langholz, W Hw Tang, Keoki L. Williams, Hani N. Sabbah, Sheryl L. Chow

Cardiology Articles

Natriuretic peptides (NPs) represent a critical pathway in heart failure (HF). We explored genetic determinants of pharmacodynamic effects of B-type NP (BNP) and changes in plasma cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and blood pressure (BP). HF patients (n = 135) received recombinant human BNP (nesiritide) at standard doses, and plasma cGMP levels were measured at baseline and during infusion. We tested the association of 119 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 4 candidate genes (NPR1, NPR2, NPR3, and membrane metallo-endopeptidase (MME)) with the change in cGMP and BP. Gene-based testing for association of genetic variation with endpoints was significant only for MME. …

Chronic Systemic Immune Dysfunction In African-Americans With Small Vessel-Type Ischemic Stroke, Candice M. Brown, Cheryl D. Bushnell, Gregory P. Samsa, Larry B. Goldstein, Carol A. Colton

Neurology Faculty Publications

The incidence of small vessel-type (lacunar) ischemic strokes is greater in African-Americans compared to whites. The chronic inflammatory changes that result from lacunar stroke are poorly understood. To elucidate these changes, we measured serum inflammatory and thrombotic biomarkers in African-Americans at least 6 weeks post-stroke compared to control individuals. Cases were African-Americans with lacunar stroke (n = 30), and controls were age-matched African-Americans with no history of stroke or other major neurologic disease (n = 37). Blood was obtained > 6 weeks post-stroke and was analyzed for inflammatory biomarkers. Freshly isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide …

Safety And Immunogenicity Of Human Serum Albumin-Free Mmr Vaccine In Us Children Aged 12-15 Months., Maurice A. Mufson, Clemente Diaz, Michael Leonardi, Christopher J. Harrison, Stanley Grogg, Antonio Carbayo, Simon Carlo-Torres, Robert Jeanfreau, Ana Quintero-Del-Rio, Gisele Bautista, Michael Povey, Christopher Da Costa, Ouzama Nicholson, Bruce L. Innis

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: M-M-R(TM)II (MMRII; Merck & Co) is currently the only measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine licensed in the United States. Another licensed vaccine would reinforce MMR supply. This study assessed the immunogenicity of a candidate vaccine (Priorix(TM), GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines [MMR-RIT]) when used as a first dose among eligible children in the United States.

METHODS: In this exploratory Phase-2, multicenter, observer-blind study, 1220 healthy subjects aged 12-15 months were randomized (3:3:3:3) and received 1 dose of 1 of 3 MMR-RIT lots with differing mumps virus titers (MMR-RIT-1 [4.8 log10]; MMR-RIT-2 [4.1 log10]; MMR-RIT-3 [3.7 log10] CCID50) or MMRII co-administered with hepatitis A vaccine …

Outcomes With As-Needed Ranibizumab After Initial Monthly Therapy: Long-Term Outcomes Of The Phase Iii Ride And Rise Trials., David S. Boyer, Quan Dong Nguyen, David M. Brown, Karen Basu, Jason S. Ehrlich

Journal Articles: Ophthalmology

PURPOSE: To determine whether the efficacy and safety achieved with monthly ranibizumab as treatment for diabetic macular edema (DME) can be maintained with less-than-monthly treatment.

DESIGN: Open-label extension (OLE) phase of randomized, sham-controlled phase III trials: RIDE (NCT00473382) and RISE (NCT00473330).

PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred of 582 adults who completed the 36-month randomized core studies elected to enter the OLE.

METHODS: All patients participating in the OLE were eligible to receive 0.5 mg ranibizumab according to predefined re-treatment criteria: Treatment was administered when DME was identified by the investigator on optical coherence tomography or when best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) worsened by …

Silibinin-Mediated Metabolic Reprogramming Attenuates Pancreatic Cancer-Induced Cachexia And Tumor Growth., Surendra K. Shukla, Aneesha Dasgupta, Kamiya Mehla, Venugopal Gunda, Enza Vernucci, Joshua J. Souchek, Gennifer Goode, Ryan King, Anusha Mishra, Ibha Rai, Sangeetha Nagarajan, Nina V. Chaika, Fang Yu, Surendra K. Shukla

Journal Articles: Eppley Institute

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US. Cancer-associated cachexia is present in up to 80% of PDAC patients and is associated with aggressive disease and poor prognosis. In the present studies we evaluated an anti-cancer natural product silibinin for its effectiveness in targeting pancreatic cancer aggressiveness and the cachectic properties of pancreatic cancer cells and tumors. Our results demonstrate that silibinin inhibits pancreatic cancer cell growth in a dose-dependent manner and reduces glycolytic activity of cancer cells. Our LC-MS/MS based metabolomics data demonstrates that silibinin treatment induces global metabolic reprogramming in pancreatic …

Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma Metastatic From The Uterus To The Inferior Vena Cava And Right Atrium, Daniel Scher, William Nghiem, Salim Aziz, Rodeen Rahbar, Whitney Banks, Anthony Venbrux, Shawn Sarin

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Endometrial stromal sarcoma metastases usually occur within the pelvis and rarely involve the great vessels or the heart. We present the case of a 55-year-old woman who was referred for endovascular therapy to treat presumed thrombosis of the inferior vena cava. The suspected thrombus was recalcitrant to endovascular removal with use of an AngioVac venous drainage device. Results of an intraprocedural transvenous biopsy revealed the mass to be the intravascular extension of an endometrial stromal sarcoma. The patient underwent surgical excision of the tumor, and, shortly thereafter, a hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy. This complex case highlights both the rarity of malignancy …

Multivariate Criteria Most Accurately Distinguish Cardiac From Noncardiac Causes Of Dyspnea, Mirza Nubair Ahmad, Syed Hasan Yusuf, Rafath Ullah, Mirza Mujadil Ahmad, Mary K Ellis, Haroon Yousaf, Timothy E Paterick, Khawaja Afzal Ammar

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing provides oxygen pulse as a continuous measure of stroke volume, which is superior to other stress-testing methods in which systolic function is measured at baseline and at peak stress. However, the optimal peak oxygen pulse criterion for distinguishing cardiac from noncardiac causes of exercise limitation is unknown.

In comparing several peak oxygen pulse criteria against the clinical standard of cardiopulmonary exercise testing, we retrospectively studied 54 consecutive patients referred for cardiopulmonary exercise testing. These exercise tests included measurement of oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, breathing reserve, arterial blood gases at baseline and at peak stress, exercise electrocardiogram, …

Tunneling A Pulmonary Artery Graft: A Simplified Way To Insert And Remove A Temporary Right Ventricular Assist Device, Pankaj Saxena, Silvana F Marasco

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Right ventricular failure can occur early or late after left ventricular assist device implantation. Support with a right ventricular assist device is needed in patients whose right ventricular failure does not respond to conservative management. The use of a temporary right ventricular assist device can enable the recovery of right ventricular function and avoid the use of a more permanent biventricular assist device, which is associated with complications and higher costs. We present our technique of instituting temporary right ventricular assist device support in patients who have undergone left ventricular assist device implantation.

Progressive Hearing Loss In Mice Carrying A Mutation In Usp53, Marcin Kazmierczak, Suzan L. Harris, Piotr Kazmierczak, Prahar Shah, Valentin Starovoytov, Kevin K. Ohlemiller, Martin Schwander

Open Access Publications

UNLABELLED: Disordered protein ubiquitination has been linked to neurodegenerative disease, yet its role in inner ear homeostasis and hearing loss is essentially unknown. Here we show that progressive hearing loss in the ethylnitrosourea-generated mambo mouse line is caused by a mutation in Usp53, a member of the deubiquitinating enzyme family. USP53 contains a catalytically inactive ubiquitin-specific protease domain and is expressed in cochlear hair cells and a subset of supporting cells. Although hair cell differentiation is unaffected in mambo mice, outer hair cells degenerate rapidly after the first postnatal week. USP53 colocalizes and interacts with the tight junction scaffolding proteins …

Detection Of Sleep Disordered Breathing In Patients Hospitalized With Congestive Heart Failure, Sunil Sharma, Paul Mather

Department of Sleep Medicine Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the plethysmographic signal-derived oxygen desaturation index (ODI) as an inpatient screening strategy to identify sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF).

BACKGROUND: SDB is highly prevalent among patients hospitalized with CHF but is widely underdiagnosed. We evaluated overnight photoplethysmography as a possible screening strategy for hospitalized patients with CHF.

METHODS: Consecutively admitted heart failure patients with high clinical suspicion of SDB and ODI ≥5 were offered outpatient polysomnography (PSG), which was completed within 4 weeks of discharge. PSG was considered positive if the apnea hypoxia index (AHI) was …