Digital Commons Network^™

Down Syndrome Mouse Models Have An Abnormal Enteric Nervous System, Ellen M Schill, Christina M Wright, Alisha Jamil, Jonathan M Lacombe, Randall J Roper, Robert O Heuckeroth

Open Access Publications

Children with trisomy 21 (Down syndrome [DS]) have a 130-fold increased incidence of Hirschsprung Disease (HSCR), a developmental defect where the enteric nervous system (ENS) is missing from distal bowel (i.e., distal bowel is aganglionic). Treatment for HSCR is surgical resection of aganglionic bowel, but many children have bowel problems after surgery. Post-surgical problems like enterocolitis and soiling are especially common in children with DS. To determine how trisomy 21 affects ENS development, we evaluated the ENS in two DS mouse models, Ts65Dn and Tc1. These mice are trisomic for many chromosome 21 homologous genes, including Dscam and Dyrk1a, which …

Whatsapp: A Real-Time Tool To Reduce The Knowledge Gap And Share The Best Clinical Practices In Psoriasis, Luis D Mazzuoccolo, Maria Noel Esposito, Paula C Luna, Sharon Seiref, Mirtha Dominguez, Cristina M Echeverria

Project ECHO Bibliography

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects around 100 million people worldwide. The burden of disease is high, but more recent therapies show promising results. Clinicians need, however, more training in the use of such therapies.

INTRODUCTION: Project ECHO

MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred thirty-two dermatologists in Argentina were invited to participate in the WhatsApp discussion group. After 1 year of participation, a follow-up questionnaire was used to assess the effectiveness of the project.

RESULTS: Eighty dermatologists participated. All questions placed in the discussion were answered by a psoriasis specialist, 79% of which were answered within the first …

Comparison Of Nylon-Flocked Swab And Dacron Swab Cytology For Anal Hsil Detection In Transgender Women And Gay, Bisexual, And Other Men Who Have Sex With Men, Dorothy J. Wiley, Hilary K. Hsu, Martha A. Ganser, Jenny Brook, David A. Elashoff, Stephen A. Young, Nancy E. Joste, Ronald Mitsuyasu, Teresa M. Darragh, David H. Morris, Otoniel M. Martínez-Maza, Roger Detels, Jian Yu Rao, Robert K. Bolan, Eric T. Shigeno, Ernesto Rodriguez, Matthrew G. Moran

Pathology Research and Scholarship

BACKGROUND: An anal histological high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (hHSIL) is an anal cancer precursor. Experts recommend Dacron swab anal cytology as a primary screen for anal hHSILs, especially among human immunodeficiency virus-infected and -uninfected men who have sex with men (MSM). Studies have shown that Dacron cytology inaccurately predicts anal hHSILs and results in unnecessary diagnostic procedures. Nylon-flocked (NF) swabs have been shown to trap pathogens and cells well. Thus, this study compared test characteristics of anal cytology using NF and Dacron swab collection protocols to predict anal hHSILs.

METHODS: A single-visit, randomized clinical trial compared NF and Dacron swab …

Splice-Altering Variant In Col11a1 As A Cause Of Nonsyndromic Hearing Loss Dfna37., Kevin T. Booth, James W. Askew, Zohreh Talebizadeh, Patrick L M Huygen, James Eudy, Judith Kenyon, Denise Hoover, Michael S. Hildebrand, Katherine R. Smith, Melanie Bahlo, William J. Kimberling, Richard J H Smith, Hela Azaiez, Shelley D. Smith

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the genetic cause of autosomal dominant nonsyndromic hearing loss segregating in a multigenerational family.

METHODS: Clinical examination, genome-wide linkage analysis, and exome sequencing were carried out on the family.

RESULTS: Affected individuals presented with early-onset progressive mild hearing impairment with a fairly flat, gently downsloping or U-shaped audiogram configuration. Detailed clinical examination excluded any additional symptoms. Linkage analysis detected an interval on chromosome 1p21 with a logarithm of the odds (LOD) score of 8.29: designated locus DFNA37. Exome sequencing identified a novel canonical acceptor splice-site variant c.652-2A>C in the COL11A1 …

Reading Between The Lines: An Intersectional Media Analysis Of Female Sex Offenders In Florida Newspapers, Toniqua C. Mikell

Theses and Dissertations

The media is one of the furthest reaching social institutions of our society. It is a source of white patriarchal ideologies and a vehicle through which they are communicated. Female sex offenders represent a nexus of prescribed social and legal violations. This dissertation examines the reinforcement of patriarchal ideas in media coverage of female sex offenders by posing the question: how are female sex offenders portrayed in the media? Specifically, how are those portrayals racialized? Using an intersectional lens, this study employs a qualitative content analysis to examine the top five circulating newspapers in Florida and their coverage of female …

Effect Of Aging And Predonation Comorbidities On The Related Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Donor Experience: Report From The Related Donor Safety Study., Michael A. Pulsipher, Brent R. Logan, Pintip Chitphakdithai, Deidre M. Kiefer, Marcie L. Riches, J Douglas Rizzo, Paolo Anderlini, Susan F. Leitman, James W. Varni, Hati Kobusingye, Raeanne M. Besser, John P. Miller, Rebecca J. Drexler, Aly Abdel-Mageed, Ibrahim A. Ahmed, Luke P. Akard, Andrew S. Artz, Edward D. Ball, Ruthee-Lu Bayer, Carolyn Bigelow, Brian J. Bolwell, E Randolph Broun, Nancy J. Bunin, David C. Delgado, Katharine Duckworth, Christopher C. Dvorak, Theresa E. Hahn, Ann E. Haight, Parameswaran N. Hari, Brandon M. Hayes-Lattin, David A. Jacobsohn, Ann A. Jakubowski, Kimberly A. Kasow, Hillard M. Lazarus, Jane L. Liesveld, Michael Linenberger, Mark R. Litzow, Walter Longo, Margarida Magalhaes-Silverman, John M. Mccarty, Joseph P. Mcguirk, Shahram Mori, Vinod K. Prasad, Scott D. Rowley, Witold B. Rybka, Indira Sahdev, Jeffrey R. Schriber, George B. Selby, Paul J. Shaughnessy, Shalini Shenoy, Thomas Spitzer, William T. Tse, Joseph P. Uberti, Madhuri Vusirikala, Edmund K. Waller, Daniel J. Weisdorf, Gregory A. Yanik, Willis H. Navarro, Mary M. Horowitz, Galen E. Switzer, Bronwen E. Shaw, Dennis L. Confer

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The development of reduced-intensity approaches for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation has resulted in growing numbers of older related donors (RDs) of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs). The effects of age on donation efficacy, toxicity, and long-term recovery in RDs are poorly understood. To address this we analyzed hematologic variables, pain, donation-related symptoms, and recovery in 1211 PBSC RDs aged 18 to 79 enrolled in the Related Donor Safety Study. RDs aged > 60 had a lower median CD34+ level before apheresis compared with younger RDs (age > 60, 59 × 106/L; age 41 to 60, 81 × 106/L; age 18 to 40, …

Cultivating Grit: Faculty Influence On Females' Academic Success In Engineering Majors, Lisa Lynn Wymer

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationships between the positive and negative factors that impact undergraduate female engineering students’ academic success in their programs. While females participate and persist in higher education at higher rates than their male counterparts, engineering is one field of study where gender disparity remains especially apparent, as males continue to outnumber females in engineering degree attainment (Ross, Kena, Rathbun, KewalRamani, Zhang, Kristapovich, & Manning, 2012, Schreuders, Mannon, & Rutherford, 2009, Tsui, 2009). The conceptual framework for this study was based on Tinto’s Longitudinal Model of Institutional Departure, which provides the theoretical foundation …

Skin Cancer Precursor Immunotherapy For Squamous Cell Carcinoma Prevention, Abby R Rosenberg, Mary Tabacchi, Kenneth H Ngo, Michael Wallendorf, Ilana S Rosman, Lynn A Cornelius, Shadmehr Demehri

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: Topical calcipotriol plus 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) combination is an effective immunotherapy against actinic keratosis (AK), which is a precursor to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). However, the long-term effectiveness of calcipotriol plus 5-FU treatment for SCC prevention is unknown.

METHODS: We performed a blinded prospective cohort study on participants of a randomized double-blind clinical trial in which a 4-day course of topical calcipotriol plus 5-FU combination was compared to Vaseline plus 5-FU (control) for AK treatment. SCC and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) incidences were assessed at 1, 2, and 3 years after trial. Tissues were analyzed for calcipotriol plus 5-FU-induced T …

Factors Associated With Condom Use With Non-Commercial Partners Among Sexually-Active Transgender Women In Cambodia: Findings From A National Survey Using Respondent-Driven Sampling., Siyan Yi, Amelia Plant, Sovannary Tuot, Phalkun Mun, Srean Chhim, Navy Chann, Pheak Chhoun, Carinne M. Brody

BACKGROUND: Globally, the prevalence of HIV among transgender women is much higher than that of the general adult population. This can be explained by the persistently low rate of consistent condom use among this population. This study was therefore conducted to explore factors associated with consistent condom use among sexually-active transgender women in Cambodia, specifically with their non-commercial partners.

METHODS: Data used for this study were collected as part of the National Integrated Biological and Behavioral Survey 2016. Participants were recruited from the capital city of Phnom Penh and 12 other provinces with high burden of HIV using the Respondent-Driven …

Buparlisib In Patients With Recurrent Glioblastoma Harboring Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Pathway Activation: An Open-Label, Multicenter, Multi-Arm, Phase Ii Trial., Patrick Y Wen, Mehdi Touat, Brian M Alexander, Ingo K Mellinghoff, Shakti Ramkissoon, Christine S Mccluskey, Kristine Pelton, Sam Haidar, Sankha S Basu, Sarah C Gaffey, Loreal E Brown, Juan Emmanuel Martinez-Ledesma, Shaofang Wu, Jungwoo Kim, Wei Wei, Mi-Ae Park, Jason T Huse, John G Kuhn, Mikael L Rinne, Howard Colman, Nathalie Y R Agar, Antonio M Omuro, Lisa M Deangelis, Mark R Gilbert, John F De Groot, Timothy F Cloughesy, Andrew S Chi, Thomas M Roberts, Jean J Zhao, Eudocia Q Lee, Lakshmi Nayak, James R Heath, Laura L Horky, Tracy T Batchelor, Rameen Beroukhim, Susan M Chang, Azra H Ligon, Ian F Dunn, Dimpy Koul, Geoffrey S Young, Michael D Prados, David A Reardon, W K Alfred Yung, Keith L Ligon

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

PURPOSE: Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling is highly active in glioblastomas. We assessed pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and efficacy of the pan-PI3K inhibitor buparlisib in patients with recurrent glioblastoma with PI3K pathway activation.

METHODS: This study was a multicenter, open-label, multi-arm, phase II trial in patients with PI3K pathway-activated glioblastoma at first or second recurrence. In cohort 1, patients scheduled for re-operation after progression received buparlisib for 7 to 13 days before surgery to evaluate brain penetration and modulation of the PI3K pathway in resected tumor tissue. In cohort 2, patients not eligible for re-operation received buparlisib until progression or unacceptable toxicity. Once …

A Novel Pathogenic Variant In Osbpl2 Linked To Hereditary Late-Onset Deafness In A Mongolian Family, Ningjin Wu, Husile Husile, Liqing Yang, Yaning Cao, Xing Li, Wenyan Huo, Haihua Bai, Yangjian Liu, Qizhu Wu

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: To investigate the clinical features and the underlying causal gene of a family with hereditary late-onset deafness in Inner Mongolia of China, and to provide evidence for the early genetic screening and diagnosis of this disease.

METHODS: Family data were collected to draw a pedigree. Audiological testing and physical examination of the family members were conducted following questionnaire. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood of 5 family members (3 patients and 2 normal control) and subjected to whole genome sequencing for identifying deafness casual genes. The pathogenic variant in the deafness gene was further confirmed by Sanger sequencing. …

H3k27m Induces Defective Chromatin Spread Of Prc2-Mediated Repressive H3k27me2/Me3 And Is Essential For Glioma Tumorigenesis., Ashot S. Harutyunyan, Brian Krug, Haifen Chen, Simon Papillon-Cavanagh, Michele Zeinieh, Nicolas De Jay, Shriya Deshmukh, Carol C L Chen, Jad Belle, Leonie G. Mikael, Dylan M. Marchione, Rui Li, Hamid Nikbakht, Bo Hu, Gael Cagnone, Warren A. Cheung, Abdulshakour Mohammadnia, Denise Bechet, Damien Faury, Melissa K. Mcconechy, Manav Pathania, Siddhant U. Jain, Benjamin Ellezam, Alexander G. Weil, Alexandre Montpetit, Paolo Salomoni, Tomi Pastinen, Chao Lu, Peter W. Lewis, Benjamin A. Garcia, Claudia L. Kleinman, Nada Jabado, Jacek Majewski

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Lys-27-Met mutations in histone 3 genes (H3K27M) characterize a subgroup of deadly gliomas and decrease genome-wide H3K27 trimethylation. Here we use primary H3K27M tumor lines and isogenic CRISPR-edited controls to assess H3K27M effects in vitro and in vivo. We find that whereas H3K27me3 and H3K27me2 are normally deposited by PRC2 across broad regions, their deposition is severely reduced in H3.3K27M cells. H3K27me3 is unable to spread from large unmethylated CpG islands, while H3K27me2 can be deposited outside these PRC2 high-affinity sites but to levels corresponding to H3K27me3 deposition in wild-type cells. Our findings indicate that PRC2 recruitment and propagation on …

Dissecting Features Of Epigenetic Variants Underlying Cardiometabolic Risk Using Full-Resolution Epigenome Profiling In Regulatory Elements., Fiona Allum, Åsa K. Hedman, Xiaojian Shao, Warren A. Cheung, Jinchu Vijay, Frédéric Guénard, Tony Kwan, Marie-Michelle Simon, Bing Ge, Cristiano Moura, Elodie Boulier, Lars Rönnblom, Sasha Bernatsky, Mark Lathrop, Mark I. Mccarthy, Panos Deloukas, André Tchernof, T Pastinen, Marie-Claude Vohl, Elin Grundberg

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Sparse profiling of CpG methylation in blood by microarrays has identified epigenetic links to common diseases. Here we apply methylC-capture sequencing (MCC-Seq) in a clinical population of ~200 adipose tissue and matched blood samples (Ntotal~400), providing high-resolution methylation profiling (>1.3 M CpGs) at regulatory elements. We link methylation to cardiometabolic risk through associations to circulating plasma lipid levels and identify lipid-associated CpGs with unique localization patterns in regulatory elements. We show distinct features of tissue-specific versus tissue-independent lipid-linked regulatory regions by contrasting with parallel assessments in ~800 independent adipose tissue and blood samples from the general population. We follow-up …

Follicular Lymphoma Patients With Kir2dl2 And Kir3dl1 And Their Ligands (Hla-C1 And Hla-Bw4) Show Improved Outcome When Receiving Rituximab, Amy K Erbe, Wei Wang, Lakeesha Carmichael, Anna Hoefges, Bartosz Grzywacz, Patrick K Reville, Erik A Ranheim, Jacquelyn A Hank, Kyungmann Kim, Songwon Seo, Eneida A Mendonca, Yiqiang Song, Vaishalee P Kenkre, Fangxin Hong, Randy D Gascoyne, Elisabeth Paietta, Sandra J Horning, Jeffrey S Miller, Brad Kahl, Paul M Sondel

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: The ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group evaluated rituximab treatment schedules for patients with newly-diagnosed low-tumor-burden follicular-lymphoma (FL). All patients received 4-weekly rituximab treatments as induction therapy. Clinically-responding patients were randomized to receive rituximab every 13 weeks ("maintenance") vs. no additional rituximab until progression ("non-maintenance"). Based on "time-to-rituximab-failure (TTRF)", the study-committee reported there was no overall-benefit for maintenance rituximab in this setting. Tumor-reactive mAbs, like rituximab, trigger natural killer (NK) cells. NK-cell responses are regulated, in part, by interactions between killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) on NK cells and their interactions with KIR-ligands. In a separate study of children with neuroblastoma treated …

Homozygous Frameshift Mutations In Fat1 Cause A Syndrome Characterized By Colobomatous-Microphthalmia, Ptosis, Nephropathy And Syndactyly., Najim Lahrouchi, Aman George, Ilham Ratbi, Ronen Schneider, Siham C Elalaoui, Shahida Moosa, Sanita Bharti, Ruchi Sharma, Mones Abu-Asab, Felix Onojafe, Najlae Adadi, Elisabeth M Lodder, Fatima-Zahra Laarabi, Yassine Lamsyah, Hamza Elorch, Imane Chebbar, Alex V Postma, Vassilios Lougaris, Alessandro Plebani, Janine Altmueller, Henriette Kyrieleis, Vardiella Meiner, Helen Mcneill, Kapil Bharti, Stanislas Lyonnet, Bernd Wollnik, Alexandra Henrion-Caude, Amina Berraho, Friedhelm Hildebrandt, Connie R Bezzina, Brian P Brooks, Abdelaziz Sefiani

Open Access Publications

A failure in optic fissure fusion during development can lead to blinding malformations of the eye. Here, we report a syndrome characterized by facial dysmorphism, colobomatous microphthalmia, ptosis and syndactyly with or without nephropathy, associated with homozygous frameshift mutations in FAT1. We show that Fat1 knockout mice and zebrafish embryos homozygous for truncating fat1a mutations exhibit completely penetrant coloboma, recapitulating the most consistent developmental defect observed in affected individuals. In human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, the primary site for the fusion of optic fissure margins, FAT1 is localized at earliest cell-cell junctions, consistent with a role in facilitating optic …

Cognition And The Brain Of Brood Parasitic Cowbirds., David F Sherry, Mélanie F Guigueno

Psychology Publications

Cowbirds are brood parasites. Females lay their eggs in the nests of other species, which then incubate the cowbird eggs and raise the young cowbirds. Finding and returning to heterospecific nests presents cowbirds with several cognitive challenges. In some species, such as brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater), females but not males search for and remember the locations of potential host nests. We describe recent research on sex differences in cognition and the hippocampus associated with this sex difference in search for host nests. Female brown-headed cowbirds perform better than males on some, but not all, tests of spatial memory and females …

Association Of The Infant Gut Microbiome With Early Childhood Neurodevelopmental Outcomes: An Ancillary Study To The Vdaart Randomized Clinical Trial, Joanne E. Sordillo, Susan Korrick, Nancy Laranjo, Vincent Carey, George M. Weinstock, Diane R. Gold, George O'Connor, Megan Sandel, Leonard B. Bacharier, Avraham Beigelman, Robert Zeiger, Augusto A. Litonjua, Scott T. Weiss

Open Access Publications

Importance: In animal models, the early life gut microbiome influences later neurodevelopment. Corresponding data in human populations are lacking.

Objective: To study associations between the gut microbiome in infants and development at preschool age measured by the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, third edition (ASQ-3).

Design, Setting, and Participants: This ancillary cohort study of the Vitamin D Antenatal Asthma Reduction Trial (VDAART) used data from 715 participants who had development assessed at 3 years of age by the ASQ-3, which included scores in 5 domains (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem solving, communication, and personal and social skills). A total …

Heart Failure Symptom Biology In Response To Ventricular Assist Device Implantation., Christopher S Lee, James O Mudd, Karen S Lyons, Quin E Denfeld, Corrine Y Jurgens, Bradley E Aouizerat, Jill M Gelow, Christopher V Chien, Emily Aarons, Kathleen L Grady

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND: We have a limited understanding of the biological underpinnings of symptoms in heart failure (HF), particularly in response to left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to quantify the degree to which symptoms and biomarkers change in parallel from before implantation through the first 6 months after LVAD implantation in advanced HF.

METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study of 101 patients receiving an LVAD for the management of advanced HF. Data on symptoms (dyspnea, early and subtle symptoms [HF Somatic Perception Scale], pain severity [Brief Pain Inventory], wake disturbance [Epworth Sleepiness Scale], …

Neoantigen Screening Identifies Broad Tp53 Mutant Immunogenicity In Patients With Epithelial Cancers., Parisa Malekzadeh, Anna Pasetto, Paul F Robbins, Maria R Parkhurst, Biman C Paria, Li Jia, Jared J Gartner, Victoria Hill, Zhiya Yu, Nicholas P Restifo, Abraham Sachs, Eric Tran, Winifred Lo, Robert Pt Somerville, Steven A Rosenberg, Drew C Deniger

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Stress-Induced Epinephrine Enhances Lactate Dehydrogenase A And Promotes Breast Cancer Stem-Like Cells, Bai Cui, Yuanyuan Luo, Pengfei Tian, Fei Peng, Jinxin Lu, Yongliang Yang, Qitong Su, Bing Liu, Jiachuan Yu, Xi Luo, Liu Yin, Wei Cheng, Fan An, Bin He, Dapeng Liang, Sijin Wu, Peng Chu, Luyao Song, Xinyu Liu, Huandong Luo, Binhua P. Zhou

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Chronic stress triggers activation of the sympathetic nervous system and drives malignancy. Using an immunodeficient murine system, we showed that chronic stress–induced epinephrine promoted breast cancer stem-like properties via lactate dehydrogenase A–dependent (LDHA-dependent) metabolic rewiring. Chronic stress–induced epinephrine activated LDHA to generate lactate, and the adjusted pH directed USP28-mediated deubiquitination and stabilization of MYC. The SLUG promoter was then activated by MYC, which promoted development of breast cancer stem-like traits. Using a drug screen that targeted LDHA, we found that a chronic stress–induced cancer stem-like phenotype could be reversed by vitamin C. These findings demonstrated the critical importance of psychological …

Effect Of Conditioning Regimen Dose Reduction In Obese Patients Undergoing Autologous Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation., Claudio G. Brunstein, Marcelo C. Pasquini, Soyoung Kim, Mingwei Fei, Kehinde Adekola, Ibrahim A. Ahmed, Mahmoud Aljurf, Vaibhav Agrawal, Jeffrey J. Auletta, Minoo Battiwalla, Nelli Bejanyan, Joseph Bubalo, Jan Cerny, Lynette Chee, Stefan O. Ciurea, Cesar Freytes, Shahinaz M. Gadalla, Robert Peter Gale, Siddhartha Ganguly, Shahrukh K. Hashmi, Peiman Hematti, Gerhard Hildebrandt, Leona A. Holmberg, Oscar B. Lahoud, Heather Landau, Hillard M. Lazarus, Marcos De Lima, Vikram Mathews, Richard Maziarz, Taiga Nishihori, Maxim Norkin, Richard Olsson, Ran Reshef, Seth Rotz, Bipin Savani, Harry C. Schouten, Sachiko Seo, Baldeep M. Wirk, Jean Yared, Shin Mineishi, John Rogosheske, Miguel-Angel Perales

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Data are limited on whether to adjust high-dose chemotherapy before autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (autoHCT) in obese patients. This study explores the effects of dose adjustment on the outcomes of obese patients, defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2. Dose adjustment was defined as a reduction in standard dosing ≥20%, based on ideal, reported dosing and actual weights. We included 2 groups of US patients who had received autoHCT between 2008 and 2014. Specifically, we included patients with multiple myeloma (MM, n = 1696) treated with high-dose melphalan and patients with Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphomas (n = 781) …

Saturated Fatty Acid Activates T Cell Inflammation Through A Nicotinamide Nucleotide Transhydrogenase (Nnt)-Dependent Mechanism, Grace Mccambridge, Madhur Agrawal, Alanna Keady, Philip A. Kern, Hatice Hasturk, Barbara S. Nikolajczyk, Leena P. Bharath

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Circulating fatty acids (FAs) increase with obesity and can drive mitochondrial damage and inflammation. Nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT) is a mitochondrial protein that positively regulates nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), a key mediator of energy transduction and redox homeostasis. The role that NNT-regulated bioenergetics play in the inflammatory response of immune cells in obesity is untested. Our objective was to determine how free fatty acids (FFAs) regulate inflammation through impacts on mitochondria and redox homeostasis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). PBMCs from lean subjects were activated with a T cell-specific stimulus in the presence or absence of generally pro-inflammatory …

A Parent-Led Intervention To Promote Recovery Following Pediatric Injury: Study Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial, Meghan L. Marsac, Ginny Sprang, Leila Guller, Kristen L. Kohser, John M. Draus Jr., Nancy Kassam-Adams

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Background: Injury is one of the most prevalent potentially emotionally traumatic events that children experience and can lead to persistent impaired physical and emotional health. There is a need for interventions that promote full physical and emotional recovery and that can be easily accessed by all injured children. Based on research evidence regarding post-injury recovery, we created the Cellie Coping Kit for Children with Injury intervention to target key mechanisms of action and refined the intervention based on feedback from children, families, and experts in the field. The Cellie Coping Kit intervention is parent-guided and includes a toy (for engagement), …

Ilc2s Are The Predominant Source Of Intestinal Ilc-Derived Il-10, Jennifer K Bando, Susan Gilfillan, Blanda Di Luccia, José L Fachi, Cristiane Sécca, Marina Cella, Marco Colonna

Open Access Publications

Although innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) functionally analogous to T helper type 1 (Th1), Th2, and Th17 cells are well characterized, an ILC subset strictly equivalent to IL-10-secreting regulatory T cells has only recently been proposed. Here, we report the absence of an intestinal regulatory ILC population distinct from group 1 ILCs (ILC1s), ILC2s, and ILC3s in (1) mice bred in our animal facility; (2) mice from The Jackson Laboratory, Taconic Biosciences, and Charles River Laboratories; and (3) mice subjected to intestinal inflammation. Instead, a low percentage of intestinal ILC2s produced IL-10 at steady state. A screen for putative IL-10 elicitors …

Gen-1 Immunotherapy For The Treatment Of Ovarian Cancer, Premal H Thaker, Nicholas Borys, Jason Fewell, Khursheed Anwer

2010-2019 OA Pubs

GEN-1 is a gene-based immunotherapy, comprising a human IL-12 gene expression plasmid and a synthetic plasmid delivery system, delivered intraperitoneally (ip.) to produce local and persistent levels of a pleiotropic immunocytokine, IL-12, at the tumor site in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. The goal of local and persistent IL-12 delivery is to remodel the highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment to favor immune stimulation while avoiding serious systemic toxicities, a major limitation of recombinant IL-12 therapy. Safe and sustained local production of IL-12 and related immunocytokines at the tumor site could produce potentially more favorable immunological changes in the tumor microenvironment and …

Dynamic Light Scattering Optical Coherence Tomography To Probe Motion Of Subcellular Scatterers., Nico J J Arezza, Marjan Razani, Michael C Kolios

Medical Biophysics Publications

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is used to provide anatomical information of biological systems but can also provide functional information by characterizing the motion of intracellular structures. Dynamic light scattering OCT was performed on intact, control MCF-7 breast cancer cells and cells either treated with paclitaxel to induce apoptosis or deprived of nutrients to induce oncosis. Autocorrelations (ACs) of the temporal fluctuations of OCT intensity signals demonstrate a significant decrease in decorrelation time after 24 h in both the paclitaxel-treated and nutrient-deprived cell groups but no significant differences between the two groups. The acquired ACs were then used as input for …

Genetic Associations Of Hemoglobin In Children With Chronic Kidney Disease In The Pedigfr Consortium, Meredith A Atkinson, Rui Xiao, Anna Köttgen, Elke Wühl, Craig S Wong, Matthias Wuttke, Aysun K Bayazit, Salim Çalişkan, Bradley A Warady, Franz Schaefer, Susan L Furth

Pediatrics Research and Scholarship

BACKGROUND: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in healthy populations have identified variants associated with erythrocyte traits, but genetic causes of hemoglobin variation in children with CKD are incompletely understood.

METHODS: The Pediatric Investigation of Genetic Factors Linked with Renal Progression (PediGFR) Consortium comprises three pediatric CKD cohorts: Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD), Effect of Strict Blood Pressure Control and ACE Inhibition on the Progression of CRF in Pediatric Patients (ESCAPE), and Cardiovascular Comorbidity in Children with CKD (4C). We performed cross-sectional and longitudinal association studies of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 1125 patients.

RESULTS: Children of European (n = 725) or …

Characteristics Of Late Fatal Infections After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation., Maxim Norkin, Bronwen E. Shaw, Ruta Brazauskas, Heather R. Tecca, Helen L. Leather, Juan Gea-Banacloche, Rammurti T. Kamble, Zachariah Defilipp, David A. Jacobsohn, Olle Ringden, Yoshihiro Inamoto, Kimberly A. Kasow, David Buchbinder, Peter Shaw, Peiman Hematti, Raquel Schears, Sherif M. Badawy, Hillard M. Lazarus, Neel Bhatt, Biljana Horn, Saurabh Chhabra, Kristin M. Page, Betty Hamilton, Gerhard C. Hildebrandt, Jean A. Yared, Vaibhav Agrawal, Amer M. Beitinjaneh, Navneet Majhail, Tamila Kindwall-Keller, Richard F. Olsson, Helene Schoemans, Robert Peter Gale, Siddhartha Ganguly, Ibrahim A. Ahmed, Harry C. Schouten, Jane L. Liesveld, Nandita Khera, Amir Steinberg, Ami J. Shah, Melhem Solh, David I. Marks, Witold Rybka, Mahmoud Aljurf, Andrew C. Dietz, Usama Gergis, Biju George, Sachiko Seo, Mary E D Flowers, Minoo Battiwalla, Bipin N. Savani, Marcie L. Riches, John R. Wingard

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

We analyzed late fatal infections (LFIs) in allogeneic stem cell transplantation (HCT) recipients reported to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research. We analyzed the incidence, infection types, and risk factors contributing to LFI in 10,336 adult and 5088 pediatric subjects surviving for ≥2 years after first HCT without relapse. Among 2245 adult and 377 pediatric patients who died, infections were a primary or contributory cause of death in 687 (31%) and 110 (29%), respectively. At 12 years post-HCT, the cumulative incidence of LFIs was 6.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.8% to 7.0%) in adults, compared with 1.8% …

Sleeping Through Anything: The Effects Of Unpredictable Disruptions On Mouse Sleep, Healing, And Affect, Amy Robinson-Junker, Bruce O'Hara, Abigail Durkes, Brianna Gaskill

Biology Faculty Publications

Many aspects of the laboratory environment are not tailored to the needs of rodents, which may cause stress. Unpredictable stressors can cause ulcers, prolonged pituitary-adrenal activation, and anhedonia. Similarly, pain has been demonstrated to slow wound healing, and mice experiencing pain exhibit altered behavior. However it is unknown how husbandry, which occurs when the mice are inactive, and lack of analgesia, specifically in a punch biopsy procedure, effects animal physiology, behavior, and welfare, particularly as it relates to sleep fragmentation. We hypothesized that sleep fragmentation, induced by unpredictable husbandry and lack of pain management will slow wound healing. Two main …

Multiancestry Genome-Wide Association Study Of Lipid Levels Incorporating Gene-Alcohol Interactions, Paul S. De Vries, Yun J. Sung, Karen Schwander, Aldi T. Kraja, Mary F. Feitosa, Lisa De Las Fuentes, Renee De Mutsert, C Charles Gu, Yize Li, Treva K. Rice, Lihua Wang, Christine Williams, Mary K. Wojczynski, Michael A. Province, Dabeeru C. Rao, Et Al

Open Access Publications

A person's lipid profile is influenced by genetic variants and alcohol consumption, but the contribution of interactions between these exposures has not been studied. We therefore incorporated gene-alcohol interactions into a multiancestry genome-wide association study of levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides. We included 45 studies in stage 1 (genome-wide discovery) and 66 studies in stage 2 (focused follow-up), for a total of 394,584 individuals from 5 ancestry groups. Analyses covered the period July 2014-November 2017. Genetic main effects and interaction effects were jointly assessed by means of a 2-degrees-of-freedom (df) test, and a 1-df test …