Digital Commons Network^™

Alterations In Gut Microbiome Composition And Increased Inflammatory Markers In Post-Covid-19 Individuals, Tatiana Barichello, Bruno Kluwe-Schiavon, Laura A Borba, Lucas C Pedro, Flávia S Niero, Laísa N Dos Santos, Letícia M Leonardo, Zuleide M Ignácio, Rodrigo Morales, Luciane B Ceretta, Gislaine Z Reus

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Dysfunctions in the immune system and alterations in the microbiome composition following SARS-CoV-2 infection contribute to persistent neurological issues observed in long COVID-19 survivors. We hypothesize that alterations in the gut microbiome composition and peripheral inflammatory profile following COVID-19 may play pivotal roles in behavior changes among individuals experiencing long-term illness. This cross-sectional study included a sample of post-COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 subjects. We assessed the presence of psychiatric conditions utilizing standardized diagnostic criteria, Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), Biological Rhythms in Neuropsychiatry Assessment Interview (BRIAN), and Functional Assessment Short Test (FAST). Plasma samples …

Exploring Potential Ethnic Bias Among Mmpi-3 Scales In Assessing Personality Psychopathology, Nicole Shumaker, Tessa Long, Andy Torres, Alfonso Mercado, Ryan J Marek, Jaime L Anderson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This study examined statistical bias in the measurement of personality psychopathology in the Latinx population using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3). Data were extracted from two studies that yielded a composite data set of 103 White individuals and 250 Latinx individuals. All participants were administered the MMPI-2-Restructured Form-Extended Battery (MMPI-2-RF-EX) or MMPI-3 and the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 Short Form (PID-5-SF). First, we conducted correlation analyses between theoretically overlapping scales of the PID-5-SF and the MMPI-3 among White and Latinx individuals. The majority of theoretically associated scales were found to be at least moderately associated in the …

Clinical Trial Readiness In Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy R1 (Lgmdr1): A Grasp Consortium Study, Stephanie M Hunn, Amanda Clause, Conrad C Weihl, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Identifying functional measures that are both valid and reliable in the limb girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) population is critical for quantifying the level of functional impairment related to disease progression in order to establish clinical trial readiness in the context of anticipated therapeutic trials.

METHODS: Through the Genetic Resolution and Assessments Solving Phenotypes in LGMD (GRASP-LGMD) Consortium, 42 subjects with LGMDR1 were enrolled in a 12-month natural history study across 11 international sites. Each subject completed a battery of clinical outcome assessments (COA), including the North Star Assessment for Limb Girdle-Type Dystrophies (NSAD), 10-m walk/run, and Performance of the …

The Medial Antebrachial Cutaneous Nerve Is A Low-Morbidity Alternative To The Standard Sural Nerve Autograft, Stahs Pripotnev, Sai L Pinni, Suzanne Zhou, Gary Skolnick, Susan E Mackinnon

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Nerve interposition grafting is an important technique in nerve reconstructive surgery that is used when a primary repair is not feasible without significant tension. This study sought to evaluate the long-term morbidity of the medial antebrachial cutaneous (MABC) nerve as an alternative donor nerve in comparison with sural nerve harvest.

METHODS: A single surgeon and institution retrospective chart review was performed to identify all patients who underwent nerve autografting using the sural and MABC as donor nerves between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2019. Surveys assessed overall patient satisfaction with surgery, as well as donor and recipient site …

Compression Of The Ulnar Nerve By The Arcade Of Struthers: Look And You Shall Find, Shady Elmaraghi, Ruby Taylor, Isaac Tung, Megan M Patterson, Susan E Mackinnon

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The arcade of Struthers was first proposed by Kane et al in 1973. Clinical investigations of this structure have been limited to small case series, focusing on the arcade as an isolated cause of compressive ulnar neuropathy. The purpose of our study was to investigate the incidence of this structure in patients undergoing ulnar nerve transposition.

METHODS: A retrospective chart review of prospectively maintained data in a single surgeon's practice was performed. Records of patients undergoing surgery for compressive ulnar neuropathy at the cubital tunnel were evaluated for documentation of a compressive arcade of Struthers. In addition, a scoping …

Burst Steroid Therapy And Quality Of Life In Patients With Acute Heart Failure: Insights From The Cortahf Trial, Matteo Pagnesi, Douglas L Mann, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

AIMS: Patients hospitalized with acute heart failure (AHF) treated with a 7 day prednisone course in the CORTAHF pilot trial had a greater improvement in health-related quality of life (QoL) at Day 7 in both the overall population and in patients with baseline interleukin 6 > 13 pg/mL. This post-hoc analysis examines the specific QoL domains and the relationship between clinical signs of congestion and QoL.

METHODS: In the CORTAHF pilot trial, patients with AHF and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) > 20 mg/L were randomized 1:1 to once-daily oral 40 mg prednisone for 7 days plus usual care or usual care alone. …

Cysteine Depletion Triggers Adipose Tissue Thermogenesis And Weight Loss, Aileen H Lee, Irina Shchukina, Prabhakar Sairam Andhey, Maxim N Artyomov, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Caloric restriction and methionine restriction-driven enhanced lifespan and healthspan induces 'browning' of white adipose tissue, a metabolic response that increases heat production to defend core body temperature. However, how specific dietary amino acids control adipose thermogenesis is unknown. Here, we identified that weight loss induced by caloric restriction in humans reduces thiol-containing sulfur amino acid cysteine in white adipose tissue. Systemic cysteine depletion in mice causes lethal weight loss with increased fat utilization and browning of adipocytes that is rescued upon restoration of cysteine in diet. Mechanistically, cysteine-restriction-induced adipose browning and weight loss requires sympathetic nervous system-derived noradrenaline signalling via …

Fine-Scale Population Structure Of Japanese Helicobacter Pylori Provides New Anthropological And Epidemiological Insights, Kohei Tomonari, Batsaikhan Saruuljavkhlan, Ricky Indra Alfaray, Kartika Afrida Fauzia, Osamu Matsunari, Daisuke Chinda, Tadashi Shimoyama, Phawinee Subsomwong, Nagisa Kinjo, Tetsu Kinjo, Yasuo Hanamure, Masato Shinzato, Rumiko Suzuki, Fukunori Kinjo, Shigeru Takigami, Toshio Fujioka, Takeshi Matsuhisa, Junko Akada, Takashi Matsumoto, Yoshio Yamaoka

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Helicobacter pylori is considered to contribute to gastric cancer and is also used as a marker to trace human migration due to its co-evolution with humans. To understand the recently proposed tripartite model suggesting three ancestral origins for the Japanese population and address the enigma of the high incidence of gastric cancer in Northeast Hondo (Hondo is mainland Japan), we conducted a fine-scale population structure analysis using a large Japanese H. pylori dataset, including 438 strains from 9 regions based on whole-genome sequences. As a result of fineSTRUCTURE analysis, it was found that H. pylori in Northeast Hondo is genetically …

Linking Symptom Inventories Using Semantic Textual Similarity, Eamonn Kennedy, Shashank Vadlamani, Hannah M Lindsey, Kelly S Peterson, Kristen Dams O'Connor, Ronak Agarwal, Houshang H Amiri, Raeda K Andersen, Talin Babikian, David A Baron, Erin D Bigler, Karen Caeyenberghs, Lisa Delano-Wood, Seth G Disner, Ekaterina Dobryakova, Blessen C Eapen, Rachel M Edelstein, Carrie Esopenko, Helen M Genova, Elbert Geuze, Naomi J Goodrich-Hunsaker, Jordan Grafman, Asta K Håberg, Cooper B Hodges, Kristen R Hoskinson, Elizabeth S Hovenden, Andrei Irimia, Neda Jahanshad, Ruchira M Jha, Finian Keleher, Kimbra Kenney, Inga K Koerte, Spencer W Liebel, Abigail Livny, Marianne Løvstad, Sarah L Martindale, Jeffrey E Max, Andrew R Mayer, Timothy B Meier, Deleene S Menefee, Abdalla Z Mohamed, Stefania Mondello, Martin M Monti, Rajendra A Morey, Virginia Newcombe, Mary R Newsome, Alexander Olsen, Nicholas J Pastorek, Mary Jo Pugh, Adeel Razi, Jacob E Resch, Jared A Rowland, Kelly Russell, Nicholas P Ryan, Randall S Scheibel, Adam T Schmidt, Gershon Spitz, Jaclyn A Stephens, Assaf Tal, Leah D Talbert, Maria Carmela Tartaglia, Brian A Taylor, Sophia I Thomopoulos, Maya Troyanskaya, Eve M Valera, Harm Jan Van Der Horn, John D Van Horn, Ragini Verma, Benjamin S C Wade, Willian C Walker, Ashley L Ware, J Kent Werner, Keith Owen Yeates, Ross D Zafonte, Michael M Zeineh, Brandon Zielinski, Paul M Thompson, Frank G Hillary, David F Tate, Elisabeth A Wilde, Emily L Dennis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

An extensive library of symptom inventories has been developed over time to measure clinical symptoms of traumatic brain injury (TBI), but this variety has led to several long-standing issues. Most notably, results drawn from different settings and studies are not comparable. This creates a fundamental problem in TBI diagnostics and outcome prediction, namely that it is not possible to equate results drawn from distinct tools and symptom inventories. Here, we present an approach using semantic textual similarity (STS) to link symptoms and scores across previously incongruous symptom inventories by ranking item text similarities according to their conceptual likeness. We tested …

Conduction System Pacing Compared With Biventricular Pacing For Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy In Patients With Heart Failure And Mildly Reduced Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction: Results From International Collaborative Lbbap Study (I-Clas) Group, Pugazhendhi Vijayaraman, Francesco Zanon, Shunmuga Sundaram Ponnusamy, Bengt Herweg, Parikshit Sharma, Manuel Molina-Lerma, Marek Jastrzębski, Zachary Whinnett, Kevin Vernooy, Rajeev K Pathak, Roderick Tung, Gaurav Upadhyay, Karol Curila, Dipen Zalavadia, Nischay Shah, Lina Marcantoni, Mohamed Gad, Ramez Morcos, Pawel Moskal, Akriti Naraen, Mishal Mumtaz, Jamario R Skeete, Praneet S Katrapati, Jeffrey Kolominsky, Johan Van Koll, Mihail G Chelu, Kenneth A Ellenbogen, Oscar Cano

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a guideline-recommended therapy in patients with heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF, 36%-50%) and left bundle branch block or indication for ventricular pacing. Conduction system pacing (CSP) using left bundle branch area pacing or His bundle pacing has been shown to be a safe and physiologic alternative to biventricular pacing (BVP).

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes between BVP and CSP for patients with HFmrEF undergoing CRT.

Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent BVP or CSP with HFmrEF between January 2018 and June 2023 at 16 international …

Is Less More? Maximizing Outcomes By Tailoring Treatments To Patients: Oncofertility And Oncomenopause, Janice S Kwon, Marie Plante, Martha Hickey, Annabelle Huguenin, Sarah Hmaidan, Terri Lynn Woodard

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Notable advances have been made in improving survival outcomes in various cancers, but some have incurred undesirable costs and effects to patients with respect to fertility and menopause. Patients are living longer with cancer, and patient reported outcomes are influencing decision-making by individuals and their health care providers. It is essential to evaluate existing standards of care on an ongoing basis and prioritize quality of life and long-term survivorship, particularly for interventions in early-stage cancers and risk-reducing strategies that often yield long-term life expectancy.

Functional Mobility And Pain Are Improved For 6 Years After Adolescent Bariatric Surgery, Neil Thivalapill, Todd M Jenkins, Thomas H Inge, Changchun Xie, Anita P Courcoulas, Carroll M Harmon, Michael A Helmrath, Stephanie Sisley, Marc P Michalsky, Justin R Ryder, Teen‐Longitudinal Assessment Of Bariatric Surgery (Teen‐Labs) Consortium

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: The long-term durability of improvements in functional mobility and musculoskeletal pain for adolescents after metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is unknown.

Methods: We used the Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) study to determine the change in mobility and pain among adolescents who underwent MBS. From standardized 400-m walk tests, we analyzed walk time, heart rate (HR) parameters, and musculoskeletal pain.

Results: The mean walk time improved from 383 s (95% CI: 368-399) prior to surgery to 351 s (95% CI: 330-372) by 6 years. The mean resting HR was 90 beats per minute (bpm; 95% CI: 87-93) preoperatively …

Impact Of Length Of Stay On Diagnostic Yield In The Epilepsy Monitoring Unit: A Multi-Center Retrospective 12-Year Veterans Health Administration Study, Maximillian S Feygin, Autumn Smith, Sruthi Gopinath Karicheri, Khadar Haroun, Omar Khan, Maria R Lopez, Stephan Eisenschenk, John Jones, Stephanie Reeder, Alan R Towne, Christopher Ransom, Karen Medin, James Chen, Tung Tran, Nina I Garga, Noemi Rincon-Flores, Marissa Kellogg, Steven Tobochnik, Zulfi Haneef

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: Epilepsy Monitoring Units (EMUs) in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Epilepsy Centers of Excellence (ECoE) are critical for the diagnosis and management of seizure disorders. Whether a shorter length of stay (LOS) in the EMU due to scheduling impacts diagnostic yield is unclear.

Methods: Data from 7074 EMU visits across 15 VHA EMUs (2012-2024) were analyzed. Based on usual admission schedules, EMUs were divided into "fixed" (typically Monday-Friday) or "flexible" subgroups. Diagnostic outcomes were classified as epileptic seizures (ES), psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES), other non-epileptic events, and inconclusive. Diagnostic rates were compared between fixed and flexible sites using cumulative distribution …

Baseline Characteristics Of The Us Study To Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention To Reduce Risk (Us Pointer): Successful Enrollment Of A Diverse Clinical Trial Cohort At Risk For Cognitive Decline, Rachel A Whitmer, Laura D Baker, Maria C Carrillo, Heather M Snyder, Maryjo L Cleveland, Darren R Gitelman, Miia Kivipelto, Xiaoyan I Leng, Laura Lovato, Kathryn V Papp, Valory N Pavlik, Stephen P Salloway, Christy C Tangney, Sarah Tomaszewski Farias, Jeff D Williamson, Sharon Wilmoth, Nancy Woolard, Melissa Yu, Mark Andrew Espeland, U.S. Pointer Study Group

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: The U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk (U.S. POINTER) is a 2-year randomized controlled trial of two lifestyle interventions in 2111 older adults at increased risk for cognitive decline.

Methods: Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and rates of ancillary study participation were described with means and frequencies.

Results: U.S. POINTER successfully enrolled a cohort, ages 60-79 years, which was ethno-racially inclusive (>30% individuals from groups often under-represented in clinical trials with cognitive outcomes) and 18% residing in neighborhoods with moderate or high levels of socioeconomic deprivation. Enrollees were cognitively intact but at increased …

Assessment Of Frailty In Patients With Heart Failure: A New Heart Failure Frailty Score Developed By Delphi Consensus, Cristiana Vitale, Emmanuelle Berthelot, Andrew J S Coats, Hill Loreena, Nancy M Albert, Michal Tkaczyszyn, Stamatis Adamopoulos, Lisa Anderson, Markus S Anker, Stefan D Anker, Derek Bell, Tuvia Ben-Gal, Vasiliki Bistola, Biykem Bozkurt, Poppy Brooks, Miguel Camafort, Juan Jesus Carrero, Ovidiu Chioncel, Dong-Ju Choi, Wook-Jin Chung, Wolfram Doehner, Daniel Fernández-Bergés, Roberto Ferrari, Mona Fiuzat, Juan Esteban Gomez-Mesa, Finn Gustafsson, Ewa Jankowska, Seok-Min Kang, Koichiro Kinugawa, Kamlesh Khunti, F D Richard Hobbs, Christopher Lee, Yuri Lopatin, Matthew Maddocks, Giuseppe Maltese, Elena Marques-Sule, Yuya Matsue, Òscar Miró, Brenda Moura, Massimo Piepoli, Piotr Ponikowski, Giovanni Pulignano, Amina Rakisheva, Robin Ray, Angela Sciacqua, Petar Seferovic, Trinidad Sentandreu-Mañó, Shirley Sze, Alan Sinclair, Anna Strömberg, Olga Theou, Hiroyuki Tsutsui, Izabella Uchmanowicz, Maria Teresa Vidan, Maurizio Volterrani, Stephan Von Haehling, Byungsu Yoo, Jian Zhang, Yuhui Zhang, Marco Metra, Giuseppe Massimo Claudio Rosano

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Aims: The Heart Failure Frailty Score (HFFS) is a novel, multidimensional tool to assess frailty in patients with heart failure (HF). It has been developed to overcome limitations of existing frailty assessment tools while being practical for clinical use. The HFFS reflects the concept of frailty as a multidimensional, dynamic and potentially reversible state, which increases vulnerability to stressors and risk of poor outcomes in patients with HF.

Methods and results: The HFFS was developed through a Delphi consensus process involving 54 international experts. This approach involved iterative rounds of questionnaires and interviews, where a panel of experts provided their …

Perceptions Of Smoking Stigma Among African Americans: A Qualitative Study, Denine R. Crittendon, Alison C. Brecher, Samantha Okere, Richard Hass, Rosemary Frasso, Rickie Brawer, Mph, Phd, Charnita Zeigler-Johnson

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: African Americans/Blacks (AAB) are at increased risk for morbidity and mortality from smoking-related diseases including lung cancer (LC). Smoking stigma is believed to be a primary barrier to health care-seeking for people who smoke. Previous studies illustrate that perceptions of smoking vary across populations. However, little is known about the prevalence of smoking stigmas among AAB. The purpose of this study was to increase understanding of the perception of cigarette smoking by AAB.

AIMS AND METHODS: We conducted free-listing interviews in which individuals listed all-thoughts and feelings regarding smoking and health-related questions with a convenience sample of eligible AAB …

Fetal Body Composition In Twins And Singletons, Jessica L Gleason, Wesley Lee, Zhen Chen, Kathryn A Wagner, Dian He, William A Grobman, Roger B Newman, Seth Sherman, Robert Gore-Langton, Edward Chien, Luis Goncalves, Katherine L Grantz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Importance: An emerging paradigm attributes third-trimester fetal growth deceleration in uncomplicated twin pregnancies to an evolutionary adaptive process. Evaluating longitudinal fetal soft-tissue development may provide important insights into differential fetal growth trajectories between twins and singletons.

Objective: To compare twin vs singleton lean and fat tissue growth across pregnancy.

Design, setting, and participants: Prospective cohort study of dichorionic twins and singletons with serial ultrasound scans to chart fetal growth (2009-2013) and collect fetal volume data to measure fat and lean tissue (2015-2019) in 12 US clinical centers. Participants were individuals with singleton (n = 2802 enrolled) and twin (n = …

Postoperative Caregiver Decision Regret Following Velopharyngeal Dysfunction Surgery., Rohit Nallani, Nathan Farrokhian, Meghan Tracy, Kevin J. Sykes, Jill M. Arganbright

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Decision regret (DR) is a powerful factor in medical decision-making, particularly for surgical decisions which carry multiple risks, impact quality of life (QOL), and have uncertain outcomes. While prior studies have investigated caregiver DR after tonsillectomy and otologic surgery, there is a paucity of data assessing DR following pediatric otolaryngology procedures. The aim of this study is to measure DR following velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD) surgery.

METHODS: A cross-sectional survey study with chart review was performed of caregivers of children who had VPD surgery performed by a single surgeon at a tertiary children's hospital. Demographic, medical, and surgical history were …

Validity And Reliability Of The Tampa Scale For Kinesiophobia For Adolescents With Heart Disease., David A. White, William R. Black, Emily Cramer, Lindsey Malloy-Walton, Mollie Walton, Laura Martis, Brandy Enneking, Kelli M. Teson, Jessica S. Watson, Jami Gross-Toalson

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

PURPOSE: To assess the validity and reliability of a newly adapted Tampa Scale for KP for adolescents with HD (TSK-Heart-A).

METHODS: The TSK-Heart-A survey consists of 17 Likert scale items, producing a summary score (SS) ranging from 17 (low KP) to 68 (high KP). Following content and face validity, adolescents (age 12-18 yr) with arrhythmia disorders or Fontan palliation were recruited. The PROMIS pediatric anxiety and depression short forms, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) generic core and cardiac module, and a PA questionnaire for adolescents (PAQ-A) were used for criterion validity. The TSK-Heart-A was completed twice (20.4 ± 6.3 …

A Sumo-Interacting Motif In The Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor Epac1 Is Required For Subcellular Targeting And Function, Wenli Yang, Fang Mei, Wei Lin, Jason E Lee, Si Nie, Christopher J Bley, André Hoelz, Xiaodong Cheng

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (EPAC1), a multifunctional intracellular cAMP receptor, dynamically localizes to various cellular loci, engaging with diverse molecular partners to maintain cellular homeostasis. The study investigates the role of the SUMO-interacting motif (SIM) in the subcellular targeting and cellular functions of EPAC1. It reveals that the SIM is a critical structural element for EPAC1's association with RanBP2/nucleoporin 358, a nucleoporin of the cytoplasmic filament component of the nuclear pore complex. Mutational disruption of EPAC1 SIM interferes with EPAC1's ability to activate its canonical effectors, small GTPases, Rap1 and Rap2, and noncanonical functions, such as the formation …

Externally Validated Digital Decision Support Tool For Time-To-Osteoradionecrosis Risk-Stratification Using Right-Censored Multi-Institutional Observational Cohorts, Laia Humbert-Vidan, Serageldin Kamel, Andrew Wentzel, Zaphanlene Kaffey, Moamen Abdelaal, Kyle B Spier, Natalie A West, G Elisabeta Marai, Guadalupe Canahuate, Xinhua Zhang, Melissa M Chen, Kareem A Wahid, Jillian Rigert, Seyedmohammadhossein Hosseinian, Andrew J Schaefer, Kristy K Brock, Mark Chambers, Adegbenga O Otun, Ruth Aponte-Wesson, Vinod Patel, Andrew Hope, Jack Phan, Adam S Garden, Steven J Frank, William H Morrison, Michael T Spiotto, David Rosenthal, Anna Lee, Renjie He, Mohamed A Naser, Erin Watson, Katherine A Hutcheson, Abdallah S R Mohamed, Vlad C Sandulache, Lisanne V Van Dijk, Amy C Moreno, Teresa Guerrero Urbano, Clifton D Fuller, Stephen Y Lai

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Existing studies on osteoradionecrosis of the jaw (ORNJ) have primarily used cross-sectional data, assessing risk factors at a single time point. Determining the time-to-event profile of ORNJ has important implications to monitor oral health in head and neck cancer (HNC) long-term survivors.

Methods: Data were retrospectively obtained for a clinical observational cohort of 1129 patients (198 ORNJ cases) with HNC treated with radiotherapy (RT) at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. A Weibull Accelerated Failure Time model was trained on previously identified dosimetric, clinical and demographic predictors. External validation was performed using an independent cohort of 265 …

Polyclonal Plasma Cell (Polypc) Signature As A Key Indicator For Predicting The Progression Of Mgus To Multiple Myeloma, Fumou Sun, Yan Cheng, Catherine Ma, Hongwei Xu, Clyde Bailey, David Mery, Timothy Cody Ashby, Daisy Alapat, Yong Li, Ken H Young, Samer Al Hadidi, Sharmilan Thanendrarajan, Carolina Schinke, Maurizio Zangari, Frits Van Rhee, Guido Tricot, John D Shaughnessy, Fenghuang Zhan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background

Multiple myeloma (MM) is virtually always preceded by monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Elevated serum markers are used to classify MGUS patients into clinical risk categories. Previous research has indicated that the absence of a normal plasma cell signature in MGUS is linked to early progression.

Objective

To confirm that the presence of a “polyclonal plasma cell (PolyPC) signature” serves as a robust negative predictor of MGUS progression.

Methods

374 MGUS patients were enrolled, including 334 patients with stable disease and 40 patients who progressed to MM within 10 years. An oligonucleotide microarray analysis was performed on mRNA …

Claustrum Volume Is Reduced In Multiple Sclerosis And Predicts Disability, Nicole Shelley, Bradley Judge, Dmitriy A Yablonskiy, Robert T Naismith, Matthew R Brier, Anne H Cross

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: The claustrum is a small, thin structure of predominantly gray matter with broad connectivity and enigmatic function. Little is known regarding the impact of claustrum pathology in multiple sclerosis (MS).

METHODS: This study assessed whether claustrum volume was reduced in MS and whether reductions were associated with specific disability domains. We compared the impact of claustrum volume reductions on neurological disability versus the well-studied thalamus. Data from the 15,793 participants in the MS PATHS study were used for primary analyses. A second cohort of 71 people with MS and healthy controls from our center was used for validation.

RESULTS: …

Large-Scale Network Analysis Of The Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteome Identifies Molecular Signatures Of Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration, Rowan Saloner, Nupur Ghoshal, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The pathophysiological mechanisms driving disease progression of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and corresponding biomarkers are not fully understood. Here we leveraged aptamer-based proteomics (>4,000 proteins) to identify dysregulated communities of co-expressed cerebrospinal fluid proteins in 116 adults carrying autosomal dominant FTLD mutations (C9orf72, GRN and MAPT) compared with 39 non-carrier controls. Network analysis identified 31 protein co-expression modules. Proteomic signatures of genetic FTLD clinical severity included increased abundance of RNA splicing (particularly in C9orf72 and GRN) and extracellular matrix (particularly in MAPT) modules, as well as decreased abundance of synaptic/neuronal and autophagy modules. The generalizability of genetic FTLD proteomic …

Nf2 Loss-Of-Function And Hypoxia Drive Radiation Resistance In Grade 2 Meningiomas, Bhuvic Patel, Sangami Pugazenthi, Shree S Pari, Tatenda Mahlokozera, William A Leidig, Hsiang-Chih Lu, Alicia Yang, Kaleigh Roberts, Patrick Desouza, Kyle P Mcgeehan, Diane D Mao, Namita Sinha, Joseph E Ippolito, Sonika Dahiya, Hiroko Yano, Albert H Kim, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: World Health Organization Grade 2 meningiomas (G2Ms) often recur and resist therapies. Grade 2 meningiomas with histopathological necrosis have been associated with worse local control (LC) after radiation therapy, but the drivers and biomarkers of radiation resistance in G2Ms remain unknown.

METHODS: We performed genetic sequencing and histopathological analysis of 113 G2Ms and investigated the role of genetic and microenvironmental factors on clonogenic survival after ionizing radiation. We performed transcriptional profiling of our in vitro model and 18 human G2M tumors by bulk RNA sequencing as well as 8 G2Ms by single nuclei RNA sequencing.

RESULTS: NF2 loss-of-function (LOF) …

Plasma Mtbr-Tau243 Biomarker Identifies Tau Tangle Pathology In Alzheimer's Disease, Kanta Horie, Rama K Koppisetti, Nicolas R Barthélemy, Yingxin He, Chihiro Sato, Brian A Gordon, Hong Jiang, Tammie L S Benzinger, David M Holtzman, John C Morris, Suzanne E Schindler, Randall J Bateman, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Insoluble tau aggregates within neurofibrillary tangles are a defining neuropathological feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and closely correlate with clinical symptoms. Although tau pathology can be assessed using tau positron emission tomography, a more accessible biomarker is needed for diagnosis, prognosis and tracking treatment effects. Here we present a new plasma tau species, the endogenously cleaved, microtubule-binding region containing residue 243 (eMTBR-tau243), which specifically reflects tau tangle pathology. Across the AD spectrum in three different cohorts (n = 108, 55 and 739), plasma eMTBR-tau243 levels were significantly elevated at the mild cognitive impairment stage and increased further in dementia. Plasma …

Anti-Viral Cd8 Central Memory Veto Cells As A New Platform For Car T Cell Therapy, Wei-Hsin Liu, Anat Globerson Levin, Assaf Lask, Galit Horn, Tova Waks, Bar Nathansohn Levi, Irit Milman Krentsis, Einav Shoshan, Xiaohua Su, Maksim Mamonkin, Richard E Champlin, Yair Reisner, Esther Bachar Lustig

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Central memory CD8 T cells exhibit marked veto activity enhancing engraftment in several mouse models of T cell-depleted bone marrow (TDBM) allografting. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) can be prevented by stimulation of mouse or human memory CD8 T cells against their cognate antigens under cytokine deprivation, in the early phase of culture followed by further expansion with IL21, IL15, and IL7. Thus, human anti-viral CD8 central memory veto T cells generated from CMV and EBV-positive donors are currently evaluated in a clinical trial at MD Anderson Cancer Centre (MDACC). Results in 15 patients indicate a low risk of GVHD. Considering that …

Artificial Intelligence Use In Medical Education: Best Practices And Future Directions, Rasheed A. M. Thompson, Yash B. Shah, Francisco Aguirre, Courtney Stewart, Costas D. Lallas, Mihir S. Shah

Department of Urology Faculty Papers

PURPOSEOF REVIEW: This review examines the various ways artificial intelligence (AI) has been utilized in medical education (MedEd)and presents ideas that will ethically and effectively leverage AI in enhancing the learning experience of medical trainees.

RECENT FINDINGS: AI has improved accessibility to learning material in a manner that engages the wider population. It has utility as a reference tool and can assist academic writing by generating outlines, summaries and identifying relevant reference articles. As AI is increasingly integrated into MedEd and practice, its regulation should become a priority to prevent drawbacks to the education of trainees. By involving physicians in …

Stathmin-2 Enhances Motor Axon Regeneration After Injury Independent Of Its Binding To Tubulin., Melinda S Beccari, Olatz Arnold-Garcia, Michael W Baughn, Jonathan W Artates, Melissa Mcalonis-Downes, Jaisen Lim, Dulce Fernanda Leyva-Cázares, Hugo Isaac Rubio-Lara, Andrea Ramirez-Rodriguez, Carol N Bernal-Buenrostro, Brian Murgia-Bay, Carolina K Rangel, Dong Hyun Kim, Ze'ev Melamed, Cathleen Lutz, Clotilde Lagier-Tourenne, Kevin D Corbett, Jone López-Erauskin, Don W Cleveland

Faculty Research 2025

Stathmin-2 (also known as SCG10) is encoded by the STMN2 gene, whose mRNA is one of the most abundantly expressed in human motor neurons. In almost all instances of ALS and other TDP-43 proteinopathies, stathmin-2 encoding mRNAs are cryptically spliced and polyadenylated in motor neurons, a pathogenic consequence of nuclear loss of function of the RNA binding protein TDP-43. While stathmin-2 has been shown to enhance regeneration after axonal injury to axons of cultured motor neurons, here, we show that after crush injury within the adult murine nervous system of wild-type or stathmin-2-null mice, the presence of stathmin-2 reduces …

Candidate Interventions For Integrating Hypertension And Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Care In Primary Health Settings: Hearts 2.0 Phase 1, Andres Rosende, Mark D Huffman, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: HEARTS in the Americas is the regional adaptation of the WHO Global HEARTS Initiative, aimed at helping countries enhance hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk management in primary care settings. Its core implementation tool, the HEARTS Clinical Pathway, has been adopted by 28 countries. To improve the care of hypertension, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease (CKD), HEARTS 2.0 was developed as a three-phase process to integrate evidence-based interventions into a unified care pathway, ensuring consistency across fragmented guidelines. This paper focuses on Phase 1, highlighting targeted interventions to improve and update the HEARTS Clinical Pathway.

METHODS: First, the coordinating …