Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Diabetes And Metabolic Syndrome Burden On Pain, Neuropathy Severity And Fiber Type, Long Davalos, Brian C Callaghan, Lavanya Muthukumar, Simone Thomas, Evan L Reynolds, A Gordon Smith, J Robinson Singleton, Ahmet Höke, Senda Ajroud-Driss, Mazen M Dimachkie, Stefanie Geisler, David M Simpson, Pnrr Study Group, Amro M Stino

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Determine the association between diabetes and metabolic syndrome (MetS) burden (number of MetS criteria fulfilled) and pain, neuropathy severity, and fiber type involvement in individuals with established polyneuropathy.

METHODS: The Peripheral Neuropathy Research Registry was queried for individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes (DPN) and non-diabetic peripheral neuropathy (cryptogenic sensory polyneuropathy and prediabetes) using cross-sectional observational data. Associations between diabetes or MetS burden and pain presence (yes/no), neuropathy severity (Total Neuropathy Score reduced), and fiber type involvement (pinprick, vibration, and proprioception examination-small, large, mixed) using logistic, linear, and multinomial regression models were determined.

RESULTS: A total of …

Kpna2 Promotes Osteosarcoma Progression By Regulating The Alternative Splicing Of Ddx3x Mediated By Ybx1, Li Cao, Ke Jia, B A Van Tine, Yihan Yu, Yizhong Peng, Xuanzuo Chen, Qing Pan, Wenbo Yang, Zhicai Zhang, Zengwu Shao, Wei Wu

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a rapidly progressive primary malignant bone tumor that occurs in children and adolescents aged between 15 and 19 years and adults aged over 60 years. As alternative splicing (AS) changes caused by abnormal splicing factors contribute to tumor progression, gene expression and AS analyses were performed on 44 osteosarcoma patients to create a genome-wide co-expression network of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), AS events, and AS genes. A gain- or loss-of-function osteosarcoma cell model was established, and an interactive network analysis and enrichment analysis were performed. Karyopherin Subunit Alpha 2 (KPNA2) negatively correlated with patient survival. KPNA2 transports splicing …

Choroid Plexus Apocrine Secretion Shapes Csf Proteome During Mouse Brain Development, Ya'el Courtney, Joshua P Head, Neil Dani, Olga V. Chechneva, Frederick B Shipley, Yong Zhang, Michael J Holtzman, Cameron Sadegh, Towia A Libermann, Maria K Lehtinen

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The choroid plexus (ChP) regulates cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) composition, providing essential molecular cues for brain development; yet, embryonic ChP secretory mechanisms remain poorly defined. Here we identify apocrine secretion by embryonic ChP epithelial cells as a key regulator of the CSF proteome and neurodevelopment in male and female mice. We demonstrate that the activation of serotonergic 5-HT

Sleep Variability And Time To Achieving Pregnancy: Findings From A Pilot Cohort Study Of Women Desiring Pregnancy, Peinan Zhao, Emily S Jungheim, Bronwyn S Bedrick, Leping Wan, Patricia T Jimenez, Ronald Mccarthy, Jessica Chubiz, Justin C Fay, Erik D Herzog, Siobhan Sutcliffe, Sarah K England

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether chronodisruption is associated with achieving pregnancy.

DESIGN: Pilot prospective cohort study.

SETTING: Academic Medical Center.

SUBJECTS: One hundred eighty-three women desiring pregnancy were recruited from the local community of an academic medical center located in the Midwest and provided sleep information between February 1, 2015, and November 30, 2017.

EXPOSURE: Sleep and activity data were obtained via actigraphy watches worn continuously for 2 weeks to assess measures of chronodisruption, including sleep period onset, offset, midtime, and duration; as well as variability in each of these measures.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Time to becoming pregnant over 1-year of …

Phospho-Rpa2 Predicts Response To Platinum And Parp Inhibitors In Homologous Recombination-Proficient Ovarian Cancer, Angela Schab, Amanda Compadre, Rebecca Drexler, Megan Loeb, Kevin Rodriguez, Joshua Brill, Carmen Sandoval, Brooke Sanders, Lindsay Kuroki, Carolyn Mccourt, Andrea R. Hagemann, Premal Thaker, David Mutch, Matthew Powell, Ian S. Hagemann, Lulu Sun, Priyanka Verma, Elena Lomonosova, Dineo Khabele, Mary M. Mullen, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUNDTreatment of tubo-ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) includes cytoreductive surgery, platinum-based chemotherapy, and often poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. While homologous recombination (HR) deficiency is a well-established predictor of therapy sensitivity, over 50% of HR-proficient HGSCs also exhibit sensitivity. Currently, there are no biomarkers to identify which HR-proficient HGSCs will be sensitive to standard-of-care therapy. Replication stress may serve as a key determinant of response.METHODSWe evaluated phospho-RPA2-T21 (p-RPA2) foci via immunofluorescence as a biomarker of replication stress in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded HGSC samples collected at diagnosis from patients treated with platinum chemotherapy (discovery cohort, n = 31; validation cohort, n = 244) …

Reference Range Determination For The Sflt-1/Plgf Ratio In A Diverse Cohort Of Pregnant Women In The United States, Antonio F Saad, David M Haas, Eugene Chang, Scott A Shainker, Miriah Denbo, Michelle Silasi, George Saade, Sarosh Rana, Tetsuya Kawakita, Luis D Pacheco, Jennifer Powers Carson, Angela Dietl, Deirdre Allegranza, Ge Guo, David Stamilio

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The serum soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) to placental growth factor (PlGF) ratio is an established tool for predicting preeclampsia in many countries but is not widely adopted in the United States. This study aimed to determine reference ranges for the Elecsys® sFlt-1/PlGF ratio and the sFlt-1 and PlGF immunoassays (Roche Diagnostics International Ltd) in a diverse US population of healthy pregnant women.

METHODS: This was a prospective, noninterventional sample and data collection study performed between November 2022 and November 2023 at 9 collection sites and one measurement site in the United States. Evaluable women were ≥18 years old, …

Evaluation Of Internally Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation Targeting Multiple Shoulder Nerves For Chronic Shoulder Pain Relief And Function Restoration: A Prospective Study, Mitsukuni Yoshida, Peter K Park, Loc V Thang

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Shoulder pain is a prevalent musculoskeletal disorder, affecting up to 70% of adults over their lifetimes. Recently, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has gained attention as a treatment for joint pain. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of internally cooled RFA (icRFA) in alleviating shoulder pain and improving both qualitative and quantitative measures of shoulder function.

DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.

SUBJECTS: Patients with chronic shoulder pain (n = 35) who responded positively to diagnostic blocks of the suprascapular nerve (SSN), axillary nerve (AN), and lateral pectoral nerve (LPN).

METHODS: Patients underwent icRFA targeting the SSN, AN, and LPN. Treatment response …

The Loss Of Opa1 Accelerates Intervertebral Disc Degeneration And Osteoarthritis In Aged Mice, Vedavathi Madhu, Miriam Hernandaz-Meadows, Ashley Coleman, Kimheak Sao, Kameron Inguito, Owen Haslam, Paige K Boneski, Hiromi Sesaki, Ruteja A Barve, John A Collins, Makarand V Risbud

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Recent studies have highlighted the importance of mitochondria in NP cells and articular chondrocyte health. Since the understanding of mechanisms governing mitochondrial dynamics in these tissues is lacking, we investigated the role of OPA1, a mitochondrial fusion protein, in their homeostasis. OPA1 knockdown in NP cells altered mitochondrial size and cristae shape and increased the oxygen consumption rate. OPA1 governed the morphology of multiple organelles, including peroxisomes, early endosomes and cis-Golgi and loss resulted in the dysregulation of autophagy. Metabolic profiling and

Exploitable Mechanisms Of Antibody And Car Mediated Macrophage Cytotoxicity, Tianyi Liu, Alexander B Kim, Young Ah Goo, Minsoo Son, Jaenyeon Kim, Carl J Deselm, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Macrophages infiltrate solid tumors and either support survival or induce cancer cell death through phagocytosis or cytotoxicity. To uncover regulators of macrophage cytotoxicity towards cancer cells, we perform two co-culture CRISPR screens using CAR-macrophages targeting different tumor associated antigens. Both identify ATG9A as an important regulator of this cytotoxic activity. In vitro and in vivo, ATG9A depletion in cancer cells sensitizes them to macrophage-mediated killing. Proteomic and lipidomic analyses reveal that ATG9A deficiency impairs the cancer cell response to macrophage-induced plasma membrane damage through defective lysosomal exocytosis, reduced ceramide production, and disrupted caveolar endocytosis. Depleting non-cytotoxic macrophages using CSF1R inhibition …

Participation In Activities Among People With Long-Term Spinal Cord Injury In Sweden And The Usa - An Explorative Study Using Secondary Data Analysis, Jessica L Dashner, Ulrica Antepohl

2020-Current year OA Pubs

STUDY DESIGN: Secondary data analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To explore differences in participation, secondary health complications, and the use of assistive devices and personal assistance among people with long-term SCI in Sweden and the USA.

SETTING: Community dwelling individuals with SCI in Sweden and USA.

METHODS: Secondary analysis of data collected via PARTS-Mv3 among individuals living with SCI in Sweden (n = 73) and in the USA (n = 45). Descriptive analyses provided information regarding the participants, their participation in activities, and secondary health complications, together with the use of assistive devices and personal assistance.

RESULTS: Both samples included more males than …

Incident Depression After Breast Cancer Among Older Asian, Native Hawaiian, And Pacific Islander Women, Alzina Koric, Chun-Pin Esther Chang, Yuan-Chin Amy Lee, Mei Wei, Catherine Lee, Jing Wang, Mia Hashibe

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Longitudinal studies examining mental health outcomes among older (≥66 years) Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (ANHPI) women diagnosed with breast cancer are limited. We evaluated incident depression after breast cancer among specific groups of older ANHPI compared with older non-Hispanic White (NHW) women. Predictors of depression and the risk of death following early onset of depression after breast cancer were also evaluated.

METHODS: A cohort of 26 776 older ANHPI women in the United States diagnosed with breast cancer between 2000 and 2017 was identified from the SEER-Medicare linked claims. There were 6694 older ANHPI and 20 082 …

Sexually Dimorphic Impact Of Prenatal Hyperandrogenism On Offspring Growth Trajectory In Sheep, Eylem Topaktas, Joseph Ciarelli, Stephanie Domke, Brooke Pallas, Adel Ghnenis, Mansi Agarwal, Charles Goss, Kevin Cho, Leah P Shriver, Gary J Patti, Vasantha Padmanabhan, Arpita Kalla Vyas

2020-Current year OA Pubs

In a translationally relevant ovine model of gestational hyperandrogenism we have previously reported cardiometabolic disruption in female offspring (males were not extensively studied). We hypothesized that gestational hyperandrogenism would lead to sex-specific disruption in offspring's growth, cytokine and metabolic milieu, potential mediators of cardiometabolic disease (CMD). 100 mg Testosterone propionate (T) or vehicle (C) was administered intramuscularly twice weekly between gestational days (GD) 30-90. Two cohorts of offspring were generated, including both males and females. Fetal weight and systemic metabolomics were analyzed in the fetal cohort (GD120). Growth trajectory, systemic cytokines, and metabolomics were analyzed in the postnatal cohort. Data …

High-Frequency, At-Home Monitoring Of Drug Safety And Tolerability In Clinical Trials: Results From Studies Of Fluvoxamine For Covid-19 Treatment, Eric J Lenze, Madeline Nykamp, J Philip Miller, Angela Stevens, Julia Schweiger, Torie Gettinger, Michael Yingling, Yi Zhang, Ginger E Nicol, Charles F Zorumski, Angela M Reiersen

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Clinical trials are increasingly using remote monitoring techniques at the patient's home. We conducted a secondary analysis of remote safety and tolerability monitoring from two fully-remote clinical trials that tested fluvoxamine for the acute treatment of COVID-19. Both trials assessed pulse and blood pressure daily, and one study assessed symptoms daily via Ecological Momentary Assessment. On average, patients provided data on vital signs on 93% of the study days and provided data on side effects on 81% of the study days. With respect to safety, patients taking fluvoxamine had reduced pulse rate compared to placebo, with the greatest difference-5 points-at …

Factors Associated With Self-Report Symptom Screening Adherence In Pediatric Cancer Patients, L Lee Dupuis, Allison A King, Lisa M Klesges, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Objective was to describe the association between baseline characteristics and the number of Symptom Screening in Pediatrics Tool (SSPedi) assessments completed over an 8-week period.

METHODS: This was a sub-analysis of a cluster randomized controlled trial among 10 sites that were randomized to the intervention group. Participants were English- or Spanish-speaking pediatric patients 8-18 years of age newly diagnosed with cancer. Participants were prompted to complete SSPedi three times weekly for 8 weeks. The outcome was the number of SSPedi assessments completed during the 8-week period. Factors associated with the number of assessments were determined using mixed effects Poisson …

Phase Ii Basket Trial Of Dual Anti-Ctla-4 And Anti-Pd-1 Blockade In Rare Tumors (Dart) Swog S1609: Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasm (Pnen) Cohort, Sandip Pravin Patel, Jillian Fisher, Young Kwang Chae, Luisa Solis Soto, Anup Kasi, Bhavana Konda, Mark Walshauser, Edwin Parra, Jiexin Zhang, Caroline Duault, Edgar Gonzalez-Kozlova, Ganiraju Manyam, Jianhua Zhang, Hong Chen, Dzifa Yawa Duose, Caddie Laberiano Fernandez, Raja Luthra, Gheath Al-Atrash, Seunghee Kim-Schulze, Holden T Maecker, Ignacio I Wistuba, Sacha Gnjatic, J Jack Lee, Jianjun Zhang, Christine M Magner, Helen X Chen, Elad Sharon, Megan Othus, Christopher W Ryan, Charles Blanke, Cara L Haymaker, Razelle Kurzrock

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: SWOG S1609 Dual Anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 blockade in Rare Tumors (DART) studied the efficacy of ipilimumab combined with nivolumab across multiple rare tumor types. We report the results of the pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasm (PNEN) cohort.

Experimental design: Treatment consisted of ipilimumab 1 mg/kg intravenously every 6 weeks with nivolumab 240 mg intravenously every 2 weeks. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR) (Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid TumorsRECIST V.1.1). Secondary endpoints include progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and toxicity. Clinical benefit rate (includes ORR plus stable disease (SD)>6 months was examined. Correlative …

"Holy Cow, Where Do I Sign Up?" Attitudes Of Military Veterans Toward Epigenomic Biomarker Toxic Exposure Testing, Stacey Pereira, Calvin Apodaca, Kyle Slominski, Rachele K Lipsky, Cristian Coarfa, Cheryl L Walker, Amy L Mcguire, Lea Steele, Drew A Helmer

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Introduction: After the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act in 2022, there has been a great interest in studying toxic exposures encountered during military service. Development of epigenomic biomarkers for exposures could facilitate understanding of exposure-related health effects, but such testing could also provide unwanted information.

Materials and methods: We explored attitudes toward epigenomic biomarker research and the potential to test for past exposures using semistructured interviews with Veterans (n = 22) who experienced potentially harmful exposures.

Results: Twenty Veterans said they would hypothetically want to receive …

Hydration Status And Acute Kidney Injury Biomarkers In Ncaa Female Soccer Athletes During Preseason Conditioning, Daniel E Newmire, Erica M Filep, Jordan B Wainwright, Heather E Webb, Darryn S Willoughby

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Exercise training in extreme temperatures concurrent with hypohydration status may potentiate the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) in young, healthy persons.

Background/Objectives: It is unknown how repeated training bouts in ambient higher temperatures and humidity may influence measures of AKI. The purpose of this study was to investigate hydration status and renal biomarkers related to AKI in NCAA Division I female soccer athletes during preseason conditioning.

Methods: A convenience sample of n = 21 athletes were recruited (mean ± SEM; age: 19.3 ± 0.25 y; height: 169.6 ± 1.36 cm; mass: 68.43 ± 2.46 kg; lean body …

Pneumococcal Colonization Dynamics Among Young Children With And Without Respiratory Symptoms During The First Year Of The Sars-Cov-2 Pandemic., Liset Olarte, Brian R. Lee, Dithi Banerjee, Douglas Swanson, Christopher J. Harrison, Rangaraj Selvarangan

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Non-pharmaceutical interventions to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 were implemented across the United States in 2020. These public health measures might influence pneumococcal colonization in younger children and their subsequent risk of invasive pneumococcal disease. Our objective was to evaluate pneumococcal colonization rates in children ≤ 5 years of age with and without respiratory symptoms during the first 12 months of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (April 2020 - March 2021).

STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study evaluating pneumococcal colonization rates, density and serotype distribution across three study periods (April-July [Period 1], August-November [Period 2] and December-March [Period 3]) after …

Encorafenib, Cetuximab, And Mfolfox6 In Braf-Mutated Colorectal Cancer, Elena Elez, Takayuki Yoshino, Lin Shen, Sara Lonardi, Eric Van Cutsem, Cathy Eng, Tae Won Kim, Harpreet Singh Wasan, Jayesh Desai, Fortunato Ciardiello, Rona Yaeger, Timothy S Maughan, Van K Morris, Christina Wu, Tiziana Usari, Robert Laliberte, Samuel S Dychter, Xiaosong Zhang, Josep Tabernero, Scott Kopetz, Breakwater Trial Investigators

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: First-line treatment with encorafenib plus cetuximab (EC) with or without chemotherapy (oxaliplatin, leucovorin, and fluorouracil [mFOLFOX6]) for BRAF V600E-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer, an aggressive subtype with a poor prognosis, was compared with standard care (chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab) in an open-label, phase 3 trial, which showed significance regarding one of the two primary end points, objective response according to blinded independent central review (odds ratio for EC+mFOLFOX6 vs. standard care, 2.44; one-sided P< 0.001). This result led to accelerated Food and Drug Administration approval of this investigational combination therapy for BRAF V600E-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer, including as first-line therapy. Data on progression-free survival (the second primary end point) and an updated interim analysis of overall …

Anti-Transforming Growth Factor-Β Treatment Shows Increased Bone Mass And Strength In A Novel Mouse Model For Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type I, Ellen Busschers, Yuqing Chen-Everson, Mary Adeyeye, I-Wen Song, Emily Busse, Alexis Castellon, Oscar Ruiz, Nicole Meyers, Yangjin Bae, Catherine Ambrose, Brendan Lee

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Anti-transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is a promising approach for the treatment of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). To date, preclinical and clinical studies for the use of anti-TGF-β therapy have focused on moderate to severe OI caused by qualitative defects in collagen. However, the majority of OI patients are represented by type I OI. Mutations resulting in the haploinsufficiency of type I collagen is the cause of OI type I in the majority of patients. To study the effect of anti-TGF-β therapy in type I OI, we generated a novel mouse model for OI type I. CMV-CRE mice were crossed to …

Low Frequency, High Complexity: Assessing Skill Decay In Transesophageal Echocardiography Post-Simulation Training, Enyo Ablordeppey, Emily Terian, Collyn T Murray, Laura Wallace, Wendy Huang, Erica Blustein, Alexander Croft, Ernesto Romo, Mansi Agarwal, Daniel Theodoro

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Resuscitative transesophageal echo (rTEE) is a promising adjunct to cardiac arrest resuscitation. However, it is a high-acuity diagnostic tool that is rarely used in this setting and its safety establishment is limited because of low occurrence. High-acuity, low occurrence skills such as rTEE during cardiac arrest inevitably decay. In this study we examined the content and percentage of rTEE skill decay following simulation-based education (SBE).

METHODS: Resuscitative TEE-naïve emergency physicians (EP) were trained using a combination of clinical exposure, web-based didactics, and monthly hands-on sessions with a high-fidelity rTEE simulator for four months. The COVID-19 pandemic created a natural …

What Drives Clinic Follow-Up After Traumatic Spinal Injury? An Observational Cohort Study From Tanzania, Chibuikem A Ikwuegbuenyi, Julie Woodfield, Romani Roman Sabas, Sean Inzerillo, Noah Willett, Magalie Cadieux, Scott L Zuckerman, Francois Waterkeyn, Halinder S Mangat, Hamisi K Shabani, Roger Härtl

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate factors associated with clinic follow-up after traumatic spinal injury (TSI) in Tanzania, focusing on demographic, injury-related and hospital variables. We hypothesised that socioeconomic and injury-specific factors would predict follow-up adherence.

DESIGN: Retrospective observational cohort study.

SETTING: Tertiary government referral centre for neurosurgery and orthopaedics in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

PARTICIPANTS: 443 adults with TSI admitted between September 2016 and October 2021. Inclusion criteria included survival to discharge and availability of the discharge date. Patients with missing data were excluded.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes were any clinic follow-up and 1-year follow-up post-discharge. Secondary outcome was …

Intratumoral Neutrophil-To-Lymphocyte Ratio Is Mirrored By Circulating Neutrophil-To-Lymphocyte Ratio In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Kyle G Mitchell, Younghee Lee, Nathaniel Deboever, Marcelo V Negrao, Hai T Tran, Edwin Parra, Lauren Byers, Alexandre Reuben, Lorenzo Federico, Chantale Bernatchez, Jing Wang, Mara B Antonoff, Ara A Vaporciyan, Stephen G Swisher, Tina Cascone, Ignacio I Wistuba, John V Heymach, Don L Gibbons, Jianjun Zhang, Daniel J Mcgrail, Boris Sepesi, Cara L Haymaker

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Tumor-initiated emergency granulopoiesis results in expansion of the circulating neutrophil compartment and neutrophil recruitment into the tumor microenvironment (TME), which may in turn promote tumor progression. Although an elevated circulating neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (cNLR) has repeatedly been demonstrated to be an adverse prognostic factor in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), whether this neutrophil expansion in circulation reflects a similar relative neutrophil abundance in the TME remains unclear. We sought to characterize the relationships between cNLR and the intratumoral neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (tNLR), between tNLR and proteogenomic and immune features of NSCLC tumors, and between tNLR and prognosis.We analyzed tNLR (transcriptomic …

Do Female Patients Experience Worse Outcomes Than Male Patients After Inguinal Hernia Repair? An Analysis Of The Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative Database, Amrita Iyer, Sunjay Kumar, Martina Rama, Sourav Podder, Li-Ching Huang, Sami Tannouri, Talar Tatarian, Francesco Palazzo

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most common general surgery operations. Some evidence suggests that female patients are at greater risk of chronic postoperative pain and hernia recurrence. We investigated rates of chronic inguinal pain and recurrence after inguinal hernia repair in both male and female patients using the Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative database.

METHODS: The Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative database was queried for patients undergoing elective, unilateral inguinal hernia repair who completed 30-day clinical follow-up and baseline and 1-year European Registry for Abdominal Wall Hernias Survey surveys. Both open and minimally invasive cases were included. …

Differences In Arterial Events In Vascular Ehlers-Danlos, Loeys-Dietz, And Marfan Syndrome, Ernesto Calderon-Martinez, Walter V Velasco, Dongchuan Guo, Ellen H Hostetler, Zhang Xun, Sara Stephens, Sherene Shalhub, Julie De Backer, Maral Ouzounian, Scott A Lemaire, Olivier Milleron, Nadine Hanna, Pauline Arnaud, Maria Tchitchinadze, Siddharth K Prakash, Mark Lindsay, Julien Marcadier, Richmond Jeremy, Shaine A Morris, Anji T Yetman, Catherine Boileau, Alan C Braverman, Guillaume Jondeau, Dianna M Milewicz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Heritable thoracic aortic disease is due to altered genes that confer a highly penetrant risk for thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection, and a subset of these genes also cause aneurysms and dissections of peripheral arteries beyond the aorta. Arterial aneurysms, dissections, and ruptures are associated with pathogenic variants (PVs) in COL3A1, which is responsible for vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, but arterial events are rare in Marfan syndrome due to PVs in FBN1, and poorly characterized in Loeys-Dietz syndrome due to PVs in the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β pathway genes.

Objectives: This study sought to define the relative risk of arterial …

Apolipoprotein M Attenuates Age-Related Macular Degeneration Phenotypes Via Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Signaling And Lysosomal Lipid Catabolism, Tae Jun Lee, Andrea Santeford, Kristen M Pitts, Carla Valenzuela Ripoll, Ryo Terao, Zhen Guo, Mualla Ozcan, Dagmar Kratky, Christina Christoffersen, Ali Javaheri, Rajendra S Apte

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness in people over 50. AMD and cardiovascular disease share risk factors including age, impaired lipid metabolism, and extracellular lipid deposition. Because of its importance in age-related diseases, we hypothesize that apolipoprotein M (ApoM), a lipocalin that binds sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), might restore lipid homeostasis and retinal function in AMD. In support, we find that human patients with AMD demonstrate significantly reduced ApoM compared to controls. In mice with impaired retinal cholesterol efflux, ApoM improves retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) function and lipotoxicity in an S1P- and S1P receptor 3-dependent manner. Ultrastructural evidence …

Assessing The Impact Of Home Environmental Exposures On Allergic Rhinitis Using Real-Time Air Quality Monitoring And Symptom Assessment: Observational Feasibility Study., Aero Cavalier, Anthony I. Dick, Vickie Johnson Ii, Emily Cramer, Kamal Eldeirawi, Jayant Pinto, Sharmilee M. Nyenhuis, Victoria S. Lee

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Rhinitis is the most common sinonasal condition and poses a significant cost burden. Rhinitis symptom control is associated with exposure to environmental triggers (eg, aeroallergens, pollutants, and irritants). While people spend much of their time at home, studies examining the association of rhinitis symptoms with home environmental exposures, especially in low-income, urban, and racial or ethnic minorities, are limited. Frequently, 3 types of surveys are used in ecological momentary assessment (EMA): a survey conducted at a predetermined rate, an event-triggered survey, and a follow-up survey to gauge behavioral changes in response to the event.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to …

Exploring Predictors Of Treatment Response To Glp-1 Receptor Agonists For Smoking Cessation, Luba Yammine, Constanza De Dios, Robert Suchting, Charles E Green, David A Nielsen, Consuelo Walss-Bass, Joy M Schmitz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Understanding predictors of smoking cessation medication efficacy facilitates the ability to enhance treatment effectiveness. In our pilot trial, exenatide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, adjunct to nicotine patch improved smoking abstinence compared to nicotine patch alone. This secondary analysis explores potential baseline characteristics associated with differential treatment response to exenatide.

Aims and methods: The parent trial randomized (1:1) 84 smokers with prediabetes and/or overweight to once-weekly placebo or exenatide, 2 mg, subcutaneously. All participants received nicotine patch (21 mg) and brief smoking cessation counseling, with biologically confirmed 7-day point prevalence abstinence at week 6 (end-of-treatment) deemed the primary outcome. …

Patterns Of Sialyl-Lewis X Expression Predict Gastric Histopathology, Nancy Vargas, Andrés Quiroga, Juan Pablo Chaves, Harold Bolaños, Ilke Nalbantoglu, Claudia Patricia Acosta Astaiza, Yuefeng Wu, José B Sáenz

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Gastric cancer develops through a series of pre-cancerous changes over decades of chronic inflammation. Chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) represents a critical transition in the progression to gastric cancer, though validated histologic markers are needed to more accurately detect and assess the extent of CAG. We previously identified sialyl-Lewis X (sLe

METHODS: We obtained gastric corpus and/or antrum biopsies from 149 adult patients with dyspepsia. Biopsies were stained with hematoxylin/eosin and a commercially available antibody to sLe

RESULTS: The majority of patients (70%) had gastric pathology (CNG or CAG ± IM). The presence of sLe

CONCLUSION: Patterns of sLe

Dysferlinopathy As Cause Of Long-Term Hyperckemia With Preserved Strength, Ikreet Cheema, Jacob Goodwin, Teerin Liewluck, Robert Charles Bucelli, Alan Pestronk, Margherita Milone

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Dysferlin (DYSF) has a crucial role in sarcolemmal repair. While DYSF mutations commonly manifest as limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMDR2) or distal Miyoshi myopathy, atypical manifestations, such as asymptomatic hyperCKemia and pseudometabolic myopathy, are rarely reported. We describe clinical, serologic, radiologic, genetic, and muscle pathology findings of three patients with rare dysferlinopathy phenotypes and long-term follow up in one of them. We also review the literature pertinent to uncommon forms of dysferlinopathy presenting with hyperCKemia and pseudometabolic phenotype.

RESULTS: Patient 1 is a 51-year-old female with exercise-induced myalgia predominantly affecting calf muscles for 7 years. She had a 22-year history …