Digital Commons Network^™

Global Longitudinal Strain And Cardiac Events In Patients With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Related Myocarditis., Magid Awadalla, Syed S Mahmood, John D Groarke, Malek Z O Hassan, Anju Nohria, Adam Rokicki, Sean P Murphy, Nathaniel D Mercaldo, Lili Zhang, Daniel A Zlotoff, Kerry L Reynolds, Raza M Alvi, Dahlia Banerji, Shiying Liu, Lucie M Heinzerling, Maeve Jones-O'Connor, Rula B Bakar, Justine V Cohen, Michael C Kirchberger, Ryan J Sullivan, Dipti Gupta, Connor P Mulligan, Sachin P Shah, Sarju Ganatra, Muhammad A. Rizvi Md, Gagan Sahni, Carlo G Tocchetti, Donald P Lawrence, Michael Mahmoudi, Richard B Devereux, Brian J Forrestal, Anant Mandawat, Alexander R Lyon, Carol L Chen, Ana Barac, Judy Hung, Paaladinesh Thavendiranathan, Michael H Picard, Franck Thuny, Stephane Ederhy, Michael G Fradley, Tomas G Neilan

Department of Medicine

BACKGROUND: There is a need for improved methods for detection and risk stratification of myocarditis associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Global longitudinal strain (GLS) is a sensitive marker of cardiac toxicity among patients receiving standard chemotherapy. There are no data on the use of GLS in ICI myocarditis.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the role of GLS and assess its association with cardiac events among patients with ICI myocarditis.

METHODS: This study retrospectively compared echocardiographic GLS by speckle tracking at presentation with ICI myocarditis (cases, n = 101) to that from patients receiving an ICI who did not …

The Impact Of An Undergraduate Biology Class On Donor Recruitment At A Hospital-Based Blood Donor Center, Alexis R. Peedin, Yara A. Park, Marshall A. Mazepa, Thomas Neish, Jay S. Raval, R Chad Siniard

Pathology Research and Scholarship

OBJECTIVES: A biology class, BIOL 294H, taught undergraduates about platelet donation while partnering with the University of North Carolina's (UNC's) hospital-based Blood Donation Center to recruit apheresis platelet donors. We identified our platelet donors' demographics and learned how BIOL 294H affected recruitment.

METHODS: Every platelet donor presenting to the UNC Blood Donation Center from February 7, 2017, to March 10, 2017, was asked to complete an electronic 10-question survey.

RESULTS: A total of 159 unique donors completed the survey; 64% were female and 75% were between ages 18 and 25 years. Overall, 70% were UNC undergraduate students. Over half (56%) …

Association Of Time-Varying Blood Pressure With Chronic Kidney Disease Progression In Children., Ben Christopher Reynolds, Jennifer Lynn Roem, Derek Kai Sing Ng, Mina Matsuda-Abedini, Joseph Thomas Flynn, Susan Lynn Furth, Bradley A. Warady, Rulan Savita Parekh

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Importance: Optimal blood pressure (BP) management in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) slows progression to end-stage renal disease. Studies often base progression risk on a single baseline BP measurement, which may underestimate risk.

Objective: To determine whether time-varying BP measurements are associated with a higher risk of progression of CKD than baseline BP measurements.

Design, Setting, and Participants: The ongoing longitudinal, prospective cohort study Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKID) recruited children from January 19, 2005, through March 19, 2014, from pediatric nephrology centers across North America, with data collected at annual study visits. Participants included children aged 1 …

De Novo Mutations Across 1,465 Diverse Genomes Reveal Mutational Insights And Reductions In The Amish Founder Population, Michael D Kessler, Douglas P Loesch, James A Perry, Nancy L Heard-Costa, Daniel Taliun, Brian E Cade, Heming Wang, Michelle Daya, John Ziniti, Soma Datta, Juan C Celedón, Manuel E Soto-Quiros, Lydiana Avila, Scott T Weiss, Kathleen Barnes, Susan S Redline, Ramachandran S Vasan, Andrew D Johnson, Rasika A Mathias, Ryan Hernandez, James G Wilson, Deborah A Nickerson, Goncalo Abecasis, Sharon R Browning, Sebastian Zöllner, Jeffrey R O'Connell, Braxton D Mitchell, Timothy D O'Connor

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

De novo mutations (DNMs), or mutations that appear in an individual despite not being seen in their parents, are an important source of genetic variation whose impact is relevant to studies of human evolution, genetics, and disease. Utilizing high-coverage whole-genome sequencing data as part of the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) Program, we called 93,325 single-nucleotide DNMs across 1,465 trios from an array of diverse human populations, and used them to directly estimate and analyze DNM counts, rates, and spectra. We find a significant positive correlation between local recombination rate and local DNM rate, and that DNM rate explains a …

Patients' Perspectives Of Tuberculosis Treatment Challenges And Barriers To Treatment Adherence In Ukraine: A Qualitative Study, Omowunmi Aibana, Emily Dauria, Tetiana Kiriazova, Olena Makarenko, Mariya Bachmaha, Natasha Rybak, Timothy Palen Flanigan, Vasyl Petrenko, Anne E Becker, Megan B Murray

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: To understand the challenges faced by patients with tuberculosis (TB) and factors that influence TB treatment adherence in Ukraine.

DESIGN: Qualitative study.

SETTING: TB treatment facilities in Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine.

PARTICIPANTS: Sixty adults who had undergone treatment for drug-sensitive TB between June 2012 and August 2015.

METHODS: We conducted semistructured, in-depth, individual interviews among a purposively selected clinical sample of patients previously treated for drug-sensitive TB. Interview content encompassed WHO's framework for barriers to adherence to long-term therapies and included questions about patient preferences and motivators concerning treatment adherence. We examined treatment experience across strata defined by previously identified …

Insights Image For "Evidence Of Increased Hypoxia Signalling In Fetal Liver From Maternal Nutrient Restriction In Mice"., Bethany N Radford, Victor K M Han

Paediatrics Publications

No abstract provided.

Evidence Of Increased Hypoxia Signaling In Fetal Liver From Maternal Nutrient Restriction In Mice., Bethany N Radford, Victor K M Han

Paediatrics Publications

BACKGROUND: Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a pregnancy condition where fetal growth is reduced, and offspring from IUGR pregnancies are at increased risk for type II diabetes as adults. The liver is susceptible to fetal undernutrition experienced by IUGR infants and animal models of growth restriction. This study aimed to examine hepatic expression changes in a maternal nutrient restriction (MNR) mouse model of IUGR to understand fetal adaptations that influence adult metabolism.

METHODS: Liver samples of male offspring from MNR (70% of ad libitum starting at E6.5) or control pregnancies were obtained at E18.5 and differential expression was assessed by …

Reactive Stepping After A Forward Fall In People Living With Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury Or Disease, Katherine Chan, Jae Woung Lee, Janelle Unger, Jaeeun Yoo, Kei Masani, Kristin E Musselman

Physical Therapy Publications

STUDY DESIGN: Cross sectional.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the reactive stepping ability of individuals living with incomplete spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D) to that of sex- and age-matched able-bodied adults.

SETTING: A tertiary SCI/D rehabilitation center in Canada.

METHODS: Thirty-three individuals (20 with incomplete SCI/D) participated. Participants assumed a forward lean position in standing whilst 8-12% of their body weight was supported by a horizontal cable at waist height affixed to a rigid structure. The cable was released unexpectedly, simulating a forward fall and eliciting one or more reactive steps. Behavioral responses (i.e., single step versus non-single step) were compared …

Safety And Immunogenicity Of The Oral, Inactivated, Enterotoxigenic Escherichia Coli Vaccine Etvax In Bangladeshi Children And Infants: A Double-Blind, Randomised, Placebo-Controlled Phase 1/2 Trial, Firdausi Qadri, Marjahan Akhtar, Taufiqur R Bhuiyan, Mohiul I Chowdhury, Tasnuva Ahmed, Tanzeem A Rafique, Arifuzzaman Khan, Sadia I A Rahman, Farhana Khanam, Anna Lundgren, Gudrun Wiklund, Joanna Kaim, Madeleine Löfstrand, Nils Carlin, A Louis Bourgeois, Nicole Maier, Alan Fix, Thomas Wierzba, Richard I Walker, Ann-Mari Svennerholm

Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli causes diarrhoea, leading to substantial mortality and morbidity in children, but no specific vaccine exists. This trial tested an oral, inactivated, enterotoxigenic E coli vaccine (ETVAX), which has been previously shown to be safe and highly immuongenic in Swedish and Bangladeshi adults. We tested the safety and immunogenicity of ETVAX, consisting of four E coli strains overexpressing the most prevalent colonisation factors (CFA/I, CS3, CS5, and CS6) and a toxoid (LCTBA) administered with or without a double-mutant heat-labile enterotoxin (dmLT) as an adjuvant, in Bangladeshi children.

Methods: We did a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation, age-descending, phase …

Age Of Acquisition Impacts The Brain Differently Depending On Neuroanatomical Metric, Hannah Claussenius-Kalman, Kelly A Vaughn, Pilar Archila-Suerte, Arturo E Hernandez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Although researchers generally agree that a certain set of brain areas underlie bilingual language processing, there is discrepancy regarding what effect timing of language acquisition has on these regions. We aimed to investigate the neuroanatomical correlates of age of acquisition (AoA), which has been examined previously, but with inconsistent results, likely influenced by methodological differences across studies. We analyzed gray matter density, volume, and thickness using whole-brain linear models in 334 bilinguals and monolinguals. Neuroanatomical correlates of AoA differed depending on gray matter metric. Relative to early bilinguals, late bilinguals had thicker cortex in language processing and cognitive control regions, …

Diagnostic Accuracy Of Ceus Li-Rads For The Characterization Of Liver Nodules 20 Mm Or Smaller In Patients At Risk For Hepatocellular Carcinoma., Jia-Yan Huang, Jia-Wu Li, Qiang Lu, Yan Luo, Ling Lin, Yu-Jun Shi, Tao Li, Ji-Bin Liu, Andrej Lyshchik

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

Background: American College of Radiology contrast agent–enhanced US Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (CEUS LI-RADS) was developed to improve the accuracy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosis at contrast agent2enhanced US. However, to the knowledge of the authors, the diagnostic accuracy of the system in characterization of liver nodules 20 mm or smaller has not been fully evaluated.

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CEUS LI-RADS in diagnosing HCC in liver nodules 20 mm or smaller in patients at risk for HCC.

Materials and Methods: Between January 2015 and February 2018, consecutive patients at risk for HCC presenting with …

Parental Deployment And Distress, And Adolescent Disordered Eating In Prevention-Seeking Military Dependents, M K Higgins Neyland, Denise E Wilfley, Et Al

Open Access Publications

OBJECTIVE: Parental military deployment can lead to stress in the family system due to concerns about the deployed service-member's safety and increased responsibilities for those not deployed. Parent-related stress can impact adolescent disordered eating. Given the important role that stress plays in disordered eating and obesity, it is crucial to understand the impacts of unique stressors to which vulnerable populations are exposed.

METHOD: We studied 126 adolescent (14.3 ± 1.6 years; 59.5% girls; 44.4% non-Hispanic White; BMI-z, 1.91 ± .39) military dependents prior to entering an obesity and binge-eating disorder prevention trial. The Eating Disorder Examination was used to assess …

Everolimus-Induced Pneumonitis: A Diagnostic Challenge, Andrew Gulde, Elshad Hasanov, Kayla Krug, Gus W Krucke

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Assessing Lymphatic Route Of Csf Outflow And Peripheral Lymphatic Contractile Activity During Head-Down Tilt Using Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging, John C Rasmussen, Sunkuk Kwon, Amanda Pinal, Alexander Bareis, Fred C Velasquez, Christopher F Janssen, John R Morrow, Caroline E Fife, Ron J Karni, Eva M Sevick-Muraca

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the lymphatics play a critical role in the clearance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the cranial space. Impairment of CSF outflow into the lymphatics is associated with a number of pathological conditions including spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS), a problem that limits long-duration spaceflight. We used near-infrared fluorescence lymphatic imaging (NIRFLI) to dynamically visualize the deep lymphatic drainage pathways shared by CSF outflow and disrupted during head-down tilt (HDT), a method used to mimic the cephalad fluid shift that occurs in microgravity. After validating CSF clearance into the lymph nodes of the neck in swine, a pilot …

Diagnostic Criteria For Detection Of Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer Thickness And Neuroretinal Rim Width Abnormalities In Glaucoma, Feihui Zheng, Marco Yu, Christopher Kai-Shun Leung

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although measurements of the Bruch's membrane opening minimum rim width (BMO-MRW) and retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (RNFLT) with optical coherence tomography (OCT) have been widely adopted in the diagnostic evaluation of glaucoma, there is no consensus on the diagnostic criteria to define BMO-MRW and RNFLT abnormalities. This study investigated the sensitivities and specificities of different diagnostic criteria based on the OCT classification reports for detection of glaucoma.

METHODS: 340 eyes of 137 patients with glaucoma and 87 healthy individuals, all with axial length ≤26mm, had global and sectoral BMO-MRW and RNFLT measured with Spectralis OCT (Heidelberg Engineering). Six …

Final Two-Year Outcomes For The Sentry Bioconvertible Inferior Vena Cava Filter In Patients Requiring Temporary Protection From Pulmonary Embolism., Michael D Dake, Timothy P Murphy, Albrecht H Krämer, Michael D Darcy, Luke E Sewall, Michael A Curi, Matthew S Johnson, Frank Arena, James L Swischuk, Gary M Ansel, Mitchell J Silver, Souheil Saddekni, Jayson S Brower, Robert Mendes, Sentry Trial Investigators

Heart and Vascular Articles

PURPOSE: To report final 2-year outcomes with the Sentry bioconvertible inferior vena cava (IVC) filter in patients requiring temporary protection against pulmonary embolism (PE).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a prospective multicenter trial, the Sentry filter was implanted in 129 patients with documented deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or PE (67.5%) or who were at temporary risk of developing DVT/PE (32.6%). Patients were monitored and bioconversion status ascertained by radiography, computed tomography (CT), and CT venography through 2 years.

RESULTS: The composite primary 6-month endpoint of clinical success was achieved in 97.4% (111/114) of patients. The rate of new symptomatic PE was …

Hypothalamic Orexin And Mechanistic Target Of Rapamycin Activation Mediate Sleep Dysfunction In A Mouse Model Of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, Bo Zhang, Dongjun Guo, Lirong Han, Nicholas Rensing, Akiko Satoh, Michael Wong

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic disease related to hyperactivation of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and manifested by neurological symptoms, such as epilepsy and sleep disorders. The pathophysiology of sleep dysfunction is poorly understood and is likely multifactorial, but may involve intrinsic biological regulators in the brain. Here, we characterized a mouse model of sleep disorders in TSC and investigated mechanisms of sleep dysfunction in this conditional knockout model involving inactivation of the Tsc1 gene in neurons and astrocytes (Tsc1

Treatment Of Atopic Dermatitis With Ruxolitinib Cream (Jak1/Jak2 Inhibitor) Or Triamcinolone Cream, Brian S Kim, Michael D Howell, Kang Sun, Kim Papp, Adnan Nasir, Michael E Kuligowski, Incb 18424-206 Study Investigators

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a highly pruritic chronic inflammatory skin disorder. Ruxolitinib, a selective inhibitor of Janus kinase 1 and Janus kinase 2, potently suppresses cytokine signaling involved in AD pathogenesis.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ruxolitinib (RUX) cream in adults with AD.

METHODS: In this phase 2 study (NCT03011892), 307 adult patients with AD, an Investigator's Global Assessment score of 2 or 3 (mild or moderate), and 3% to 20% affected body surface area were equally randomized for 8 weeks of double-blind treatment to RUX (1.5% twice daily [BID], 1.5% once daily [QD], …

Negative Pressure Wound Therapy With Instillation: International Consensus Guidelines Update., Paul J Kim, Christopher E Attinger, Thomas Constantine, Brett D Crist, Elizabeth Faust, Christoph R Hirche, Lawrence A Lavery, Valerie J Messina, Norihiko Ohura, Laurie J Punch, Garrett A Wirth, Ibby Younis, Luc Téot

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The use of negative pressure wound therapy with instillation and dwell time (NPWTi-d) has gained wider adoption and interest due in part to the increasing complexity of wounds and patient conditions. Best practices for the use of NPWTi-d have shifted in recent years based on a growing body of evidence and expanded worldwide experience with the technology. To better guide the use of NPWTi-d with all dressing and setting configurations, as well as solutions, there is a need to publish updated international consensus guidelines, which were last produced over 6 years ago. An international, multidisciplinary expert panel of clinicians was …

Diroximel Fumarate Demonstrates An Improved Gastrointestinal Tolerability Profile Compared With Dimethyl Fumarate In Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: Results From The Randomized, Double-Blind, Phase Iii Evolve-Ms-2 Study, Robert T Naismith, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Diroximel fumarate (DRF) is a novel oral fumarate approved in the USA for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. DRF is converted to monomethyl fumarate, the pharmacologically active metabolite of dimethyl fumarate (DMF). DRF 462 mg and DMF 240 mg produce bioequivalent exposure of monomethyl fumarate and are therefore expected to have similar efficacy/safety profiles; the distinct chemical structure of DRF may contribute to its tolerability profile.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to compare the gastrointestinal tolerability of DRF and DMF over 5 weeks in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

METHODS: EVOLVE-MS-2 was a phase III, randomized, double-blind, …

Benefit Of Contact Force-Guided Catheter Ablation For Treating Premature Ventricular Contractions, Ziming Zhao, Xiaowei Liu, Lianjun Gao, Yutao Xi, Qi Chen, Dong Chang, Xianjie Xiao, Jie Cheng, Yanzong Yang, Yunlong Xia, Xiaomeng Yin

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

We evaluated whether an irrigated contact force–sensing catheter would improve the safety and effectiveness of radiofrequency ablation of premature ventricular contractions originating from the right ventricular outflow tract.

We retrospectively reviewed the charts of patients with symptomatic premature ventricular contractions who underwent ablation with a contact force–sensing catheter (56 patients, SmartTouch) or conventional catheter (59 patients, ThermoCool) at our hospital from August 2013 through December 2015. During a mean follow-up of 16 ± 5 months, 3 patients in the conventional group had recurrences, compared with none in the contact force group. Complications occurred only in the conventional group (one steam …

Obstruction Of 2 Coronary Arteries From Different Causes Immediately After Transapical Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, Umihiko Kaneko, Ryuji Koshima, Hirosato Doi, Tsutomu Fujita

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Coronary obstruction, a rare complication of transcatheter aortic valve replacement, can be fatal. Few data exist on this phenomenon, and, to date, authors have reported only single coronary lesions. We present a case in which 2 coronary arteries obstructed immediately after transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement. The patient was an 81-year-old woman with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis who underwent transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Immediately after an Edwards Sapien XT valve was deployed, she experienced sudden cardiogenic shock resulting from obstruction of the left main coronary artery ostium and the distal left anterior descending coronary artery. The left main obstruction …

Losartan Rescues Inflammation-Related Mucociliary Dysfunction In Relevant Models Of Cystic Fibrosis, Michael D Kim, Nathalie Baumlin, Makoto Yoshida, Deepika Polineni, Sebastian F Salathe, Joseph K David, Charles A Peloquin, Adam Wanner, John S Dennis, Juliette Sailland, Philip Whitney, Frank T Horrigan, Juan R Sabater, William M Abraham, Matthias Salathe

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Rationale: Despite therapeutic progress in treating cystic fibrosis (CF) airway disease, airway inflammation with associated mucociliary dysfunction remains largely unaddressed. Inflammation reduces the activity of apically expressed large-conductance Ca²⁺-activated and voltage-dependent K⁺ (BK) channels, critical for mucociliary function in the absence of CFTR (CF transmembrane conductance regulator).

Objectives: To test losartan as an antiinflammatory therapy in CF using CF human bronchial epithelial cells and an ovine model of CF-like airway disease.

Methods: Losartan’s antiinflammatory effectiveness to rescue BK activity and thus mucociliary function was tested in vitro using primary, fully redifferentiated human airway epithelial cells homozygous for …

A Retrospective Matched-Cohort Study Of 3994 Lower Extremity Wounds Of Multiple Etiologies Across 644 Institutions Comparing A Bioactive Human Skin Allograft, Theraskin, Plus Standard Of Care, To Standard Of Care Alone, Geoff C Gurtner, Aimee D Garcia, Katie Bakewell, Jason B Alarcon

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Most chronic wounds are related to comorbidities, for which no clinical trials are performed. This retrospective propensity matched-cohort study examined data from 2 074 000 lower extremity wounds across 644 institutions to determine the effectiveness of TheraSkin plus standard of care (SOC; n = 1997) versus SOC alone (n = 1997). Multivariate modelling comparing outcomes such as healing rates, percent area reductions (PARs), amputations, recidivism, treatment completion, and medical transfers were evaluated. A higher proportion of wounds in the treatment group compared with the controls were more likely to close (68.3% versus 60.3%), particularly wounds with exposed structures (64% versus …

Whole Exome Sequencing Of Highly Aggregated Lung Cancer Families Reveals Linked Loci For Increased Cancer Risk On Chromosomes 12q, 7p, And 4q, Anthony M Musolf, Bilal A Moiz, Haiming Sun, Claudio W Pikielny, Yohan Bossé, Diptasri Mandal, Mariza De Andrade, Colette Gaba, Ping Yang, Yafang Li, Ming You, Ramaswamy Govindan, Richard K Wilson, Elena Y Kupert, Marshall W Anderson, Ann G Schwartz, Susan M Pinney, Christopher I Amos, Joan E Bailey-Wilson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer kills more people than any other cancer in the United States. In addition to environmental factors, lung cancer has genetic risk factors as well, though the genetic etiology is still not well understood. We have performed whole exome sequencing on 262 individuals from 28 extended families with a family history of lung cancer.

METHODS: Parametric genetic linkage analysis was performed on these samples using two distinct analyses-the lung cancer only (LCO) analysis, where only patients with lung cancer were coded as affected, and the all aggregated cancers (AAC) analysis, where other cancers seen in the pedigree were …

Prognostic Value Of 6-Minute Walk Distance In Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Veterans Affairs Prospective Study, Tarun W Dasari, Bhavin Patel, Siddharth A Wayangankar, David Alexander, Yan D Zhao, Joann Schlegel, Cheuk Leung, Pedro Lozano, Faisal Latif, Udho Thadani

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

The 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) test is a useful prognostic tool in chronic heart failure. Its usefulness after percutaneous coronary intervention is unknown.

In a prospective observational study, patients underwent a 6MWD test within 2 weeks after percutaneous coronary intervention. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (death, acute coronary syndrome, and heart failure admission) at one year. Receiver operating characteristic curves and area under the curve were used to determine the 6MWD test's predictive power, and the Youden index was used to measure its effectiveness.

A total of 212 patients were enrolled (98% men; mean age, 65 …

Modified Pull-Through Technique For Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Upgrades In Patients With Occluded Access Veins, Guram Imnadze, Khaled Awad, Wolfgang Kranig, Irakli Giorgberidze

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

The number of procedures for upgrading implantable devices for cardiac resynchronization therapy has increased considerably during the last decade. A major challenge that operators face in these circumstances is occlusion of the access vein. We have modified a pull-through method to overcome this obstacle. Six consecutive patients with occluded access veins and well-developed collateral networks underwent a procedure in which the occluded vein was recanalized by snaring the existing atrial lead via transfemoral access. Upgrading the device was successful in all patients; none had intraprocedural complications. Our experience shows that our modified pull-through technique may be a feasible alternative for …

Law School News: 'Injustice Dehumanizes Everyone It Touches' 1-31-2020, Michael M. Bowden

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Grit And Selected Personality Measures In Medical Students, Gerald A. Isenberg, Andrew Brown, Jennifer Desantis, Jon Veloski, Mohammadreza Hojat

CRMEHC Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that scores on a Grit scale are positively associated with personality measures that are conducive to relationship building (Empathy, Self-Esteem, Activity, and Sociability), but inversely associated with personality measures that are detrimental to interpersonal relationships (Neuroticism-Anxiety, Aggression-Hostility, Impulsive Sensation Seeking, and Loneliness).

METHODS: Convenient sampling was used that included 241 medical students at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University who participated in this ex post facto research. Validated instruments were used to measure Grit, Empathy, Self-Esteem, Activity, Sociability, Neuroticism-Anxiety, Aggression-Hostility, Impulsive Sensation Seeking, and Loneliness. Bivariate correlations and multivariate regression were used to …

Short-Chain Fatty Acids Improve Poststroke Recovery Via Immunological Mechanisms, Rebecca Sadler, Julia V. Cramer, Steffanie Heindl, Sarantos Kostidis, Dene Betz, Kielen R. Zuurbier, Bernd H. Northoff, Marieke Heijink, Mark P. Goldberg, Erik J. Plautz, Stefan Roth, Rainer Malik, Martin Dichgans, Lesca M. Holdt, Corinne Benakis, Martin Giera, Ann M. Stowe, Arthur Liesz

Neurology Faculty Publications

Recovery after stroke is a multicellular process encompassing neurons, resident immune cells, and brain-invading cells. Stroke alters the gut microbiome, which in turn has considerable impact on stroke outcome. However, the mechanisms underlying gut–brain interaction and implications for long-term recovery are largely elusive. Here, we tested the hypothesis that short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), key bioactive microbial metabolites, are the missing link along the gut–brain axis and might be able to modulate recovery after experimental stroke. SCFA supplementation in the drinking water of male mice significantly improved recovery of affected limb motor function. Using in vivo wide-field calcium imaging, we observed …