Digital Commons Network^™

Preliminary Analysis Of In Utero Low-Level Arsenic Exposure And Fetal Growth Using Biometric Measurements Extracted From Fetal Ultrasound Reports, Matthew A. Davis, John Higgins, Zhigang Li, Diane Gilbert-Diamond, Emily R. Baker, Amar Das, Margaret R. Karagas

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Early life exposure to arsenic is associated with decreased birth weight in highly exposed populations but little is known about effects of low-level arsenic exposure on growth in utero.

Methods: Using a sample of 272 pregnancies from New Hampshire we obtained biometric measurements directly from fetal ultrasound reports commonly found in electronic medical records. We used information extraction methods to develop and validate an automated approach for mining biometric measurements from the text of clinical reports. As a preliminary analysis, we examined associations between in utero low-level arsenic exposure (as measured by maternal urinary arsenic concentration) and fetal growth …

Effects Of Periodontal Therapy On White Blood Cell Count And Levels Of Transforming Growth Factor Beta In Serum Of Subjects With Severe Periodontitis, A. C. E. Leite, V. M. A. Carneiro, Ana Carolina Morandini, Erivan Schnaider Ramos-Junior, M. C. M. Guimarães

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

This study aimed to investigate the effects of nonsurgical periodontal therapy on white blood cell (WBC) count and levels of transforming growth factor beta (TGF—β) in serum from subjects with severe periodontitis. Serum from 28 subjects with periodontitis (mean age: 34.36±6.24; 32% men) and 27 healthy controls (mean age: 33.18±6.42; 33% men) were collected prior to therapy. Blood samples were obtained from 23 subjects who completed therapy (9—12 months). A well—controlled periodontal treatment protocol was established in three stages: mechanical periodontal therapy (scaling and root planning), reinstrumentation of dental sites, and supportive periodontal therapy. Periodontal and systemic parameters such as …

Hco3(-)-Independent Ph Regulation In Astrocytes In Situ Is Dominated By V-Atpase., Daniel Bloch Hansen, Nestor Garrido-Comas, Mike Salter, Robert Fern

More Faculty of Health Research

The mechanisms of HCO3(-)-independent intracellular pH (pHi) regulation were examined in fibrous astrocytes within isolated neonatal rat optic nerve (RON) and in cultured cortical astrocytes. In agreement with previous studies, resting pHi in cultured astrocytes was 6.82 ± 0.06 and inhibition of the V-ATPase H(+) pump by Cl(-) removal or via the selective inhibitor bafilomycin had only a small effect upon resting pHi and recovery following an acid load. In contrast, resting pHi in RON astrocytes was 7.10 ± 0.04, significantly less acidic than that in cultured cells (p < 0.001), and responded to inhibition of V-ATPase with profound acidification to the 6.3-6.5 range. Fluorescent immuno-staining and immuno-gold labeling confirmed the presence V-ATPase in the cell membrane of RON astrocyte processes and somata. Using ammonia pulse recovery, pHi recovery in RON astrocyte was achieved largely via V-ATPase with sodium-proton exchange (NHE) playing a minor role. The findings indicate that astrocytes in a whole-mount preparation such as the optic nerve rely to a greater degree upon V-ATPase for HCO3(-)-independent pHi regulation than do cultured astrocytes, with important functional consequences for the regulation of pH in the CNS.

Enhanced Nmda Receptor-Mediated Modulation Of Excitatory Neurotransmission In The Dorsal Vagal Complex Of Streptozotocin-Treated, Chronically Hyperglycemic Mice, Eva C. Bach, Katalin Cs. Halmos, Bret N. Smith

Physiology Faculty Publications

A variety of metabolic disorders, including complications experienced by diabetic patients, have been linked to altered neural activity in the dorsal vagal complex. This study tested the hypothesis that augmentation of N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated responses in the vagal complex contributes to increased glutamate release in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve (DMV) in mice with streptozotocin-induced chronic hyperglycemia (i.e., hyperglycemic mice), a model of type 1 diabetes. Antagonism of NMDA receptors with AP-5 (100 μM) suppressed sEPSC frequency in vagal motor neurons recorded in vitro, confirming that constitutively active NMDA receptors regulate glutamate release in the DMV. There …

Kalkitoxin Inhibits Angiogenesis, Disrupts Cellular Hypoxic Signaling, And Blocks Mitochondrial Electron Transport In Tumor Cells, J B. Morgan, Yang Liu, Veena Coothankandaswamy, Fakhri Mahdi, Mika B. Jekabsons, William H. Gerwick, Frederick A. Valeriote, Yu-Dong Zhou, Dale G. Nagle

Hematology/Oncology Articles

The biologically active lipopeptide kalkitoxin was previously isolated from the marine cyanobacterium Moorea producens (Lyngbya majuscula). Kalkitoxin exhibited N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-mediated neurotoxicity and acted as an inhibitory ligand for voltage-sensitive sodium channels in cultured rat cerebellar granule neurons. Subsequent studies revealed that kalkitoxin generated a delayed form of colon tumor cell cytotoxicity in 7-day clonogenic cell survival assays. Cell line- and exposure time-dependent cytostatic/cytotoxic effects were previously observed with mitochondria-targeted inhibitors of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1). The transcription factor HIF-1 functions as a key regulator of oxygen homeostasis. Therefore, we investigated the ability of kalkitoxin to inhibit hypoxic signaling in human tumor …

Association Of Early Imaging For Back Pain With Clinical Outcomes In Older Adults, Jeffrey G. Jarvik, Laura S. Gold, Bryan A. Comstock, Patrick J. Heagerty, Sean D. Rundell, Judith A. Turner, Andrew L. Avins, Zoya Bauer, Brian W. Bresnahan, Janna L. Friedly, Kathryn James, Larry Kessler, Srdjan S. Nedeljkovic, David R. Nerenz, Xu Shi, Sean D. Sullivan, Leighton Chan, Jason M. Schwalb, Richard A. Deyo

Center for Health Policy and Health Services Research Articles

IMPORTANCE: In contrast to the recommendations for younger adults, many guidelines allow for older adults with back pain to undergo imaging without waiting 4 to 6 weeks. However, early imaging may precipitate interventions that do not improve outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To compare function and pain at the 12-month follow-up visit among older adults who received early imaging with those who did not receive early imaging after a new primary care visit for back pain without radiculopathy.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective cohort of 5239 patients 65 years or older with a new primary care visit for back pain (2011-2013) in 3 …

A Cost-Reducing Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (Ecmo) Program Model: A Single Institution Experience., Nicholas C. Cavarocchi, S Wallace, E Y. Hong, A Tropea, J Byrne, Harrsion Pitcher, Hitoshi Hirose

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The worldwide demand for ECMO support has grown. Its provision remains limited due to several factors (high cost, complicated technology, lack of expertise) that increase healthcare cost. Our goal was to assess if an intensive care unit (ICU)-run ECMO model without continuous bedside perfusionists would decrease costs while maintaining patient safety and outcomes.

METHOD: A new ECMO program was implemented in 2010, consisting of dedicated ICU multidisciplinary providers (ICU-registered nurses, mid-level providers and intensivists). In year one, we introduced an education platform, new technology and dedicated space. In year two, continuous bedside monitoring by perfusionists was removed and new …

Considering Triple Self-Portraiture In The Work Of María Izquierdo, Brooke Lashley

The Quiet Corner Interdisciplinary Journal

This paper looks to María Izquierdo’s paintings, Prisioneras (Prisoners) of 1936 and Sueño y presentimiento (Dream and Premonition) of 1947, as case studies for activating a theory of triple self-portraiture. The theory reflects how plurality arises in the singular or in single significations of the self and disrupts homogeneity in thinking about identities for the self and others within the genre of self-portraiture. In activating a theory of triple self-portraiture, I found three forms of the self in Izquierdo's works: the self as oppressed (the past); the self as oppressing (the current); and the self as an emancipator (future). Although …

Pharmaceutical Integrated Stress Response Enhancement Protects Oligodendrocytes And Provides A Potential Multiple Sclerosis Therapeutic., Sharon W Way, Joseph R Podojil, Benjamin L Clayton, Anita Zaremba, Tassie L Collins, Rejani B Kunjamma, Andrew P Robinson, Pedro Brugarolas, Robert H. Miller, Stephen D Miller, Brian Popko

Anatomy and Regenerative Biology Faculty Publications

Oligodendrocyte death contributes to the pathogenesis of the inflammatory demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis (MS). Nevertheless, current MS therapies are mainly immunomodulatory and have demonstrated limited ability to inhibit MS progression. Protection of oligodendrocytes is therefore a desirable strategy for alleviating disease. Here we demonstrate that enhancement of the integrated stress response using the FDA-approved drug guanabenz increases oligodendrocyte survival in culture and prevents hypomyelination in cerebellar explants in the presence of interferon-γ, a pro-inflammatory cytokine implicated in MS pathogenesis. In vivo, guanabenz treatment protects against oligodendrocyte loss caused by CNS-specific expression of interferon-γ. In a mouse model of MS, experimental …

Unlocking The Mysteries Of Tdp-43, Keith A. Josephs, Peter T. Nelson

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Refractory Angiosarcoma Of The Breast With Vegfr2 Upregulation Successfully Treated With Sunitinib., Edibaldo Silva, Zoran Gatalica, Semir Vranic, Gargi Basu, Sandeep K. Reddy, Andreas Voss

Journal Articles: Surgery

No abstract provided.

Eradication Of Gastric Helicobacter Pylori Ameliorates Halitosis And Tongue Coating., S Zaric, B Bojic, B Popovic, J Milasin

Peninsula Dental School

BACKGROUND: The influence of gastric Helicobacter pylori infection on the development of oral pathoses remains unclear. The aim of this study is to examine the influence of gastric H. pylori infection on occurrence of halitosis and coated tongue. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-eight patients with dyspepsia were included in the study and their salivary samples and gastric biopsies were analyzed for the presence of H. pylori by Nested-PCR. Halitosis and coated tongue were assessed at the initial examination and 3 months after systemic eradication therapy against H. pylori. RESULTS: Gastric biopsies of 66 patients were positive for H. pylori. Only one …

Incidence Of Cardiovascular And Cerebrovascular Events Associated With Sirolimus Use After Liver Transplantation, Alexander Weick, Wadih Chacra, Aishwarya Kuchipudi, Mohammad Elbatta, George Divine, Charlotte Burmeister, Dilip Moonka

Gastroenterology Articles

BACKGROUND: Sirolimus (SRL) is an immunosuppressant often used in liver transplantation (LT) to mitigate renal insufficiency associated with calcineurin inhibitors. Sirolimus can cause hyperlipidemia, but its association with coronary artery disease (CAD) and cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) is unclear. The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of CAD and CVAs with the use of SRL in LT recipients.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all of our LT recipients from 2000 to 2011. Patients with multiorgan transplant, multiple liver transplants, everolimus therapy, or survival1) 134 patients who received and tolerated SRL; 2) 604 patients who never received SRL; and 3) …

Changes In Speckle Tracking Echocardiography Measures Of Ventricular Function After Percutaneous Implantation Of The Edwards Sapien Transcatheter Heart Valve In The Pulmonary Position., Shahryar M. Chowdhury, Ziyad M. Hijazi, John F. Rhodes, Saibal Kar, Raj Makkar, Michael Mullen, Qi-Ling Cao, Lazar Mandinov, Jason Buckley, Nicholas P. Pietris, Girish S. Shirali

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Patients with free pulmonary regurgitation or mixed pulmonary stenosis and regurgitation and severely dilated right ventricles (RV) show little improvement in ventricular function after pulmonary valve replacement when assessed by traditional echocardiographic markers. We evaluated changes in right and left ventricular (LV) function using speckle tracking echocardiography in patients after SAPIEN transcatheter pulmonary valve (TPV) placement.

METHODS: Echocardiograms were evaluated at baseline, discharge, 1 and 6 months after TPV placement in 24 patients from 4 centers. Speckle tracking measures of function included peak longitudinal strain, strain rate, and early diastolic strain rate. RV fractional area change, tricuspid annular plane …

Clinical Outcomes Of Splenectomy In Children: Report Of The Splenectomy In Congenital Hemolytic Anemia Registry., Henry E. Rice, Brian R. Englum, Jennifer Rothman, Sarah Leonard, Audra Reiter, Courtney Thornburg, Mary Brindle, Nicola Wright, Matthew M. Heeney, Charles Smithers, Rebeccah L. Brown, Theodosia Kalfa, Jacob C. Langer, Michaela Cada, Keith T. Oldham, J Paul Scott, Shawn D. St Peter, Mukta Sharma, Andrew M. Davidoff, Kerri Nottage, Kathryn Bernabe, David B. Wilson, Sanjeev Dutta, Bertil Glader, Shelley E. Crary, Melvin S. Dassinger, Levette Dunbar, Saleem Islam, Manjusha Kumar, Fred Rescorla, Steve Bruch, Andrew Campbell, Mary Austin, Robert Sidonio, Martin L Blakely, Splenectomy In Congenital Hemolytic Anemia (Sicha) Consortium

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The outcomes of children with congenital hemolytic anemia (CHA) undergoing total splenectomy (TS) or partial splenectomy (PS) remain unclear. In this study, we collected data from 100 children with CHA who underwent TS or PS from 2005 to 2013 at 16 sites in the Splenectomy in Congenital Hemolytic Anemia (SICHA) consortium using a patient registry. We analyzed demographics and baseline clinical status, operative details, and outcomes at 4, 24, and 52 weeks after surgery. Results were summarized as hematologic outcomes, short-term adverse events (AEs) (≤30 days after surgery), and long-term AEs (31-365 days after surgery). For children with hereditary spherocytosis, …

Pharmacologically Distinct Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Drive Efferent-Mediated Excitation In Calyx-Bearing Vestibular Afferents, J. Chris Holt, Kevin Kewin, Paivi M. Jordan, Peter Cameron, Marcin Klapczynski, J. Michael Mcintosh, Peter A. Crooks, Linda P. Dwoskin, Anna Lysakowski

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Electrical stimulation of vestibular efferent neurons rapidly excites the resting discharge of calyx/dimorphic (CD) afferents. In turtle, this excitation arises when acetylcholine (ACh), released from efferent terminals, directly depolarizes calyceal endings by activating nicotinic ACh receptors (nAChRs). Although molecular biological data from the peripheral vestibular system implicate most of the known nAChR subunits, specific information about those contributing to efferent-mediated excitation of CD afferents is lacking. We sought to identify the nAChR subunits that underlie the rapid excitation of CD afferents and whether they differ from α9α10 nAChRs on type II hair cells that drive efferent-mediated inhibition in adjacent bouton …

Belief About Nicotine Selectively Modulates Value And Reward Prediction Error Signals In Smokers, Xiaosi Gu, Terry Lohrenz, Ramiro Salas, Philip R. Baldwin, Alireza Soltani

Dartmouth Scholarship

Little is known about how prior beliefs impact biophysically described processes in the presence of neuroactive drugs, which presents a profound challenge to the understanding of the mechanisms and treatments of addiction. We engineered smokers' prior beliefs about the presence of nicotine in a cigarette smoked before a functional magnetic resonance imaging session where subjects carried out a sequential choice task. Using a model-based approach, we show that smokers' beliefs about nicotine specifically modulated learning signals (value and reward prediction error) defined by a computational model of mesolimbic dopamine systems. Belief of "no nicotine in cigarette" (compared with "nicotine in …

Leg Lean Mass Adaptations Following Short-Term Barbell Training In Women, Jacob A. Mota, Matt S. Stock, Kendra D. Olinghouse, Alexander S. Drusch, Brennan J. Thompson

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

Participation in a resistance training program results in both neural adaptations and increases in lean body mass, the latter of which is considered a slow process. The majority of previous investigations that have examined the time course associated with muscular adaptations have utilized exercise machines or single-joint movements. Furthermore, the adaptations associated with resistance training in women are not as well understood as those for men. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of a four week resistance training intervention on changes in leg lean mass in untrained, college-aged women. Thirty-five women (mean ± SD age = …

Scoliosis Related Information On The Internet In China: Can Patients Benefit From This Information?, Hongda Bao, Feng Zhu, Fei Wang, Zhen Liu, Mike H. Bao, Shouyu He, Zezhang Zhu, Yong Qiu

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: There has been an increasing popularity of searching health related information online in recent years. Despite that considerable amount of scoliosis patients have shown interest in obtaining scoliosis information through Internet, previous studies have demonstrated poor quality of online information. However, this conclusion may vary depending on region and culture. Since China has a restricted Internet access outside of its borders, the aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of scoliosis information available online using recognized scoring systems and to analyze the Internet as a source of health information in China.

Methods: A survey-based questionnaire was distributed …

Amyloid Precursor-Like Protein 2 (Aplp2) Affects The Actin Cytoskeleton And Increases Pancreatic Cancer Growth And Metastasis., Poomy Pandey, Satyanarayana Rachagani, Srustidhar Das, Parthasarathy Seshacharyulu, Yuri Sheinin, Naava Naslavsky, Zenggang Pan, Brittney L. Smith, Haley L. Peters, Prakash Radhakrishnan, Nicole R. Mckenna, Sai Srinivas Panapakkam Giridharan, Dhanya Haridas, Sukhwinder Kaur, Michael A. Hollingsworth, Richard G. Macdonald, Jane L. Meza, Steve Caplan, Surinder K. Batra, Joyce C. Solheim

Journal Articles: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Amyloid precursor-like protein 2 (APLP2) is aberrantly expressed in pancreatic cancer. Here we showed that APLP2 is increased in pancreatic cancer metastases, particularly in metastatic lesions found in the diaphragm and intestine. Examination of matched human primary tumor-liver metastasis pairs showed that 38.1% of the patients had positive APLP2 expression in both the primary tumor and the corresponding liver metastasis. Stable knock-down of APLP2 expression (with inducible shRNA) in pancreatic cancer cells reduced the ability of these cells to migrate and invade. Loss of APLP2 decreased cortical actin and increased intracellular actin filaments in pancreatic cancer cells. Down-regulation of APLP2 …

Shbg Gene Polymorphism (Rs1799941) Associates With Metabolic Syndrome In Children And Adolescents, Marquitta J. White, Fatih Eren, Deniz Agirbasli, Scott M. Williams, Mehmet Agirbasli

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex disorder characterized by coexistence of several cardiometabolic (CM) factors, i.e. hyperlipidemia, obesity, high blood pressure and insulin resistance. The presence of MetS is strongly associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The syndrome was originally defined as an adult disorder, but MetS has become increasingly recognized in children and adolescents.

Methods: Genetic variants influence biological components common to the CM factors that comprise MetS. We investigated single locus associations between six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), previously shown to modulate lipid or sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) levels, with MetS in a Turkish …

Efficacy Of Transoral Fundoplication Vs Omeprazole For Treatment Of Regurgitation In A Randomized Controlled Trial., John G. Hunter, Peter J. Kahrilas, Reginald C.W. Bell, Erik B. Wilson, Karim S. Trad, James P. Dolan, Kyle A. Perry, Brant K. Oelschlager, Nathaniel J. Soper, Brad E. Snyder, Miguel A. Burch, William Scott Melvin, Kevin M. Reavis, Daniel G. Turgeon, Eric S. Hungness, Brian S. Diggs

Surgery Faculty Publications

Background

The aim of this randomized, crossover study was to determine if transoral fundoplication (TF) could further improve clinical outcomes in partial responders to high-dose (HD) proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy and to evaluate durability of TF.

Methods

In seven United States centers, patients with hiatal hernia ≤2 cm and abnormal esophageal acid exposure (EAE) were randomized to TF (n = 40) or HD PPIs (n = 23) group. At 6-month follow-up, PPI patients underwent crossover. We assessed clinical outcomes 6-month post TF in crossover patients (COP), as compared to 6-month of HD PPI therapy, and 12-month outcomes in patients initially …

Cytometric Characterization Of Circulating Tumor Cells Captured By Microfiltration And Their Correlation To The Cellsearch(®) Ctc Test., Daniel L Adams, Steingrimur Stefansson, Christian Haudenschild, Stuart S Martin, Monica Charpentier, Saranya Chumsri, Massimo Cristofanilli, Cha-Mei Tang, R Katherine Alpaugh

Pathology Faculty Publications

Recent studies reporting hundreds, to thousands, of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood of cancer patients have raised questions regarding the prevalence of CTCs, as enumerated by the CellSearch(®) CTC Test. Although CellSearch has been shown to consistently detect clinically relevant CTCs; the ability to only capture EpCAM positive cells has led to speculation that it captures limited subsets of CTCs. In contrast, alternative approaches to CTC isolation are often cited as capturing large numbers of CTCs from patient blood. Not surprisingly the number of cells isolated by alternative approaches show poor correlations when compared to CellSearch, even when …

Transmission Of Infection To Liver Transplant Recipients From Donors With Infective Endocarditis: Lessons Learned, M. H. Miceli, M. Gonulalan, Mary Perri, Linoj Samuel, M. A. Al Fares, Kimberly Brown, D. A. Bruno, Marcus J. Zervos, Mayur Ramesh, George Alangaden

Infectious Diseases Articles

Donors not meeting standard criteria, such as those with bacteremia, are now being used in response to the increasing need for organs for transplantation. Recommended strategies to prevent the occurrence of donor-derived bacteremia include the use of directed antibiotic prophylaxis. However, this approach does not eliminate the risk of infection transmission. Similarly, the management of organ recipients from donors with infective endocarditis (IE) remains uncharacterized. We report 2 cases of donor-derived bacterial infections in liver transplant recipients despite pathogen-specific antibiotic prophylaxis. In both instances, the donors had documented IE treated with appropriate antimicrobial therapy and clearance of bacteremia. Recipients had …

Early Detection Of A Cavopulmonary Tumor Embolus With The Use Of Transesophageal Echocardiography, Magdy M El-Sayed Ahmed, Raed M Al-Najjar, Muhammad Aftab, James M Anton, John S Colen, Ross M Reul

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Pulmonary tumor embolization from renal cell carcinoma is associated with severe cardiopulmonary morbidity and high perioperative mortality rates. We report the case of a 71-year-old woman who presented with right-sided abdominal pain. Magnetic resonance images revealed a mass originating from the upper pole of the right kidney and extending into the infrahepatic portion of the inferior vena cava. Transesophageal echocardiography was continuously used to monitor the mass during intended radical nephrectomy and tumor resection. When the right kidney was mobilized, intracaval thrombus detached and migrated to the patient's right atrium, causing severe hemodynamic instability. After emergent sternotomy and during the …

Echocardiographic Versus Histologic Findings In Marfan Syndrome, Xiaoyan Gu, Yihua He, Zhian Li, Jiancheng Han, Jian Chen, J V Ian Nixon

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

This retrospective study attempted to establish the prevalence of multiple-valve involvement in Marfan syndrome and to compare echocardiographic with histopathologic findings in Marfan patients undergoing valvular or aortic surgery.

We reviewed echocardiograms of 73 Marfan patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery from January 2004 through October 2009. Tissue histology was available for comparison in 29 patients.

Among the 73 patients, 66 underwent aortic valve replacement or the Bentall procedure. Histologic findings were available in 29 patients, all of whom had myxomatous degeneration. Of 63 patients with moderate or severe aortic regurgitation as determined by echocardiography, 4 had thickened aortic valves. The …

Impact And Predictors Of Noncircular Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Shapes On Estimating Aortic Stenosis Severity By Means Of Continuity Equations, Nirmanmoh Bhatia, Buddhadeb Dawn, Tariq S Siddiqui, Marcus F Stoddard

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Determining aortic stenosis (AS) severity is clinically important. Calculating aortic valve (AV) area by means of the continuity equation assumes a circular left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT). The full impact of this assumption in calculating AV area is unknown. Predictors of noncircular LVOT shape in patients with AS are undefined.

In 109 adult patients with AS who underwent multiplanar transesophageal echocardiography, we calculated AV area by means of the standard continuity method and by a modified method involving planimetric LVOT area.

We found 54 circular, 37 horizontal-oval, 8 vertical-oval, and 10 irregular LVOTs. Area derived by direct planimetry correlated better …

Acknowledging Individual Responsibility While Emphasizing Social Determinants In Narratives To Promote Obesity-Reducing Public Policy: A Randomized Experiment, Jeff Niederdeppe, Sungjong Roh, Michael A. Shapiro

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study tests whether policy narratives designed to increase support for obesity-reducing public policies should explicitly acknowledge individual responsibility while emphasizing social, physical, and economic (social) determinants of obesity. We use a web-based, randomized experiment with a nationally representative sample of American adults (n = 718) to test hypotheses derived from theory and research on narrative persuasion. Respondents exposed to narratives that acknowledged individual responsibility while emphasizing obesity’s social determinants were less likely to engage in counterargument and felt more empathy for the story’s main character than those exposed to a message that did not acknowledge individual responsibility. Counterarguing and …

Underlying Construct Of Empathy, Optimism, And Burnout In Medical Students., Mohammadreza Hojat, Michael Vergare, Gerald A. Isenberg, Mitchell Cohen, John Spandorfer

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to explore the underlying construct of measures of empathy, optimism, and burnout in medical students.

METHODS: Three instruments for measuring empathy (Jefferson Scale of Empathy, JSE); Optimism (the Life Orientation Test-Revised, LOT-R); and burnout (the Maslach Burnout Inventory, MBI, which includes three scales of Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Personal Accomplishment) were administered to 265 third-year students at Sidney Kimmel (formerly Jefferson) Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. Data were subjected to factor analysis to examine relationships among measures of empathy, optimism, and burnout in a multivariate statistical model.

RESULTS: Factor analysis (principal component with oblique …

Dysregulation Of Kv3.4 Channels In Dorsal Root Ganglia Following Spinal Cord Injury., David Ritter, Benjamin M Zemel, Tamara J Hala, Michael E O'Leary, Angelo C Lepore, Manuel Covarrubias

Farber Institute for Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Spinal cord injury (SCI) patients develop chronic pain involving poorly understood central and peripheral mechanisms. Because dysregulation of the voltage-gated Kv3.4 channel has been implicated in the hyperexcitable state of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons following direct injury of sensory nerves, we asked whether such a dysregulation also plays a role in SCI. Kv3.4 channels are expressed in DRG neurons, where they help regulate action potential (AP) repolarization in a manner that depends on the modulation of inactivation by protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent phosphorylation of the channel's inactivation domain. Here, we report that, 2 weeks after cervical hemicontusion SCI, injured …