Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Biologic Therapy For Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases On Clinical Outcomes Of Covid-19 In The Greater Houston Area: A Retrospective Chart Review, Michela Tinelli, Raphael Wittenberg, Michelle Cornes, Robert W Aldridge, Michael Clark, Richard Byng, Graham Foster, James Fuller, Andrew Hayward, Nigel Hewett, Alan Kilmister, Jill Manthorpe, Joanne Neale, Elizabeth Biswell, Martin Whiteford

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

There are long-standing concerns that people experiencing homelessness may not recover well if left unsupported after a hospital stay. This study reports on a study investigating the cost-effectiveness of three different 'in patient care coordination and discharge planning' configurations for adults experiencing homelessness who are discharged from hospitals in England. The first configuration provided a clinical and housing in-reach service during acute care and discharge coordination but with no 'step-down' care. The second configuration provided clinical and housing in-reach, discharge coordination and 'step-down' intermediate care. The third configuration consisted of housing support workers providing in-reach and discharge coordination as well …

Investigation Of Murine Host Sex As A Biological Variable In Epithelial Barrier Function And Muscle Contractility In Human Intestinal Organoids, Brooke T Beanland, Eoin P Mcneill, David J Sequeira, Hasen Xue, Noah F Shroyer, Allison L Speer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Intestinal failure (IF) occurs when intestinal surface area or function is not sufficient to support digestion and nutrient absorption. Human intestinal organoid (HIO)-derived tissue-engineered intestine is a potential cure for IF. Research to date has demonstrated successful HIO transplantation (tHIO) into mice with significant in vivo maturation. An area lacking in the literature is exploration of murine host sex as a biological variable (SABV) in tHIO function. In this study, we investigate murine host SABV in tHIO epithelial barrier function and muscle contractility. HIOs were generated in vitro and transplanted into nonobese diabetic, severe combined immunodeficiency gamma chain deficient male …

Combined Regulatory T-Lymphocyte And Il-2 Treatment Is Safe, Tolerable, And Biologically Active For 1 Year In Persons With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Jason R Thonhoff, James D Berry, Eric A Macklin, David R Beers, Patricia A Mendoza, Weihua Zhao, Aaron D Thome, Fabio Triolo, James J Moon, Sabrina Paganoni, Merit Cudkowicz, Stanley H Appel

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In a phase 1 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) study, autologous infusions of expanded regulatory T-lymphocytes (Tregs) combined with subcutaneous interleukin (IL)-2 were safe and well tolerated. Treg suppressive function increased and disease progression stabilized during the study. The present study was conducted to confirm the reliability of these results.

METHODS: Participants with ALS underwent leukapheresis, and their Tregs were isolated and expanded in a current Good Manufacturing Practice facility. Seven participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive Treg infusions (1 × 10

RESULTS: The Treg/IL-2 treatments were safe and well tolerated, and Treg suppressive …

Comparison Of Pulmonary Function Changes Between Patients Receiving Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy And Chemoradiotherapy Prior To Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy: A Randomized And Controlled Trial, Xiaosang Chen, Mingjun Du, Han Tang, Hao Wang, Yong Fang, Miao Lin, Jun Yin, Lijie Tan, Yaxing Shen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Adequate pulmonary function is important for patients undergoing surgical resection of esophageal cancer, especially those that received neoadjuvant therapy. However, it is unknown if pre-operative radiation affects pulmonary function differently compared to chemotherapy. The purpose of this study was to compare changes in pulmonary function between patients undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy.

METHODS: Between March 2017 and March 2018, esophageal cancer patients requiring neoadjuvant therapy were prospectively enrolled and randomly assigned to receive chemotherapy (CT) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT) before MIE. All patients received pulmonary function testing before and after the neoadjuvant therapy. Changes …

Aortic Root Dissection Due To An Automated Fastener Device, Ismael A Salas De Armas, L Maximilian Buja, Manish K Patel, Jayeshkumar Patel, Mehmet H Akay, Emre Gok, Igor D Gregoric

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement through a right thoracotomy is frequently performed in patients with aortic valve disease. The Cor-Knot Device (LSI Solutions) is an automated fastener that secures valve sutures. This case report is for a patient who developed postcardiotomy shock during a minimally invasive aortic valve surgery. The patient was found to have an aortic root dissection involving 90% of the aortic root circumference, including bilateral coronary ostia. The autopsy revealed that the aortic damage could be explained by a direct aortic intimal tear from the distal tip of the device shaft. The device was most likely not …

Brain-Wide Versus Genome-Wide Vulnerability Biomarkers For Severe Mental Illnesses, Peter Kochunov, Yizhou Ma, Kathryn S Hatch, Si Gao, Neda Jahanshad, Paul M Thompson, Bhim M Adhikari, Heather Bruce, Andrew Van Der Vaart, Eric L Goldwaser, Aris Sotiras, Mark D Kvarta, Tianzhou Ma, Shuo Chen, Thomas E Nichols, L Elliot Hong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Severe mental illnesses (SMI), including major depressive (MDD), bipolar (BD), and schizophrenia spectrum (SSD) disorders have multifactorial risk factors and capturing their complex etiopathophysiology in an individual remains challenging. Regional vulnerability index (RVI) was used to measure individual's brain‐wide similarity to the expected SMI patterns derived from meta‐analytical studies. It is analogous to polygenic risk scores (PRS) that measure individual's similarity to genome‐wide patterns in SMI. We hypothesized that RVI is an intermediary phenotype between genome and symptoms and is sensitive to both genetic and environmental risks for SMI. UK Biobank sample of N = 17,053/19,265 M/F (age = 64.8 …

Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Uv-C Dose For Photoinactivation Of Sars-Cov-2 In Contaminated N95 Respirator, Surgical And Cotton Fabric Masks, Patrícia Metolina, Lilian Gomes De Oliveira, Bruno Ramos, Yan De Souza Angelo, Paola Minoprio, Antonio Carlos Silva Costa Teixeira

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

As part of efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and decrease the high transmissibility of the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, effective inactivation strategies, such as UV-C decontamination technologies, can be reliably disseminated and well-studied. The present study investigated the susceptibility of a high viral load of SARS-CoV-2 in filtering facepiece respirators (FFR) N95, surgical mask, cotton fabric mask and N95 straps under three different doses of UV-C, applying both real-time PCR (qPCR) and plaque formation assays to quantify viral load reduction and virus infectivity, respectively. The results show that more than 95% of the amount of SARS-CoV-2 RNA could be reduced …

Same Day Discharge Following Elective, Minimally Invasive, Colorectal Surgery : A Review Of Enhanced Recovery Protocols And Early Outcomes By The Sages Colorectal Surgical Committee With Recommendations Regarding Patient Selection, Remote Monitoring, And Successful Implementation, Elisabeth C Mclemore, Lawrence Lee, Traci L Hedrick, Laila Rashidi, Erik P Askenasy, Daniel Popowich, Patricia Sylla

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: As enhanced recovery programs (ERPs) have continued to evolve, the length of hospitalization (LOS) following elective minimally invasive colorectal surgery has continued to decline. Further refinements in multimodal perioperative pain management strategies have resulted in reduced opioid consumption. The interest in ambulatory colectomy has dramatically accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Severe restrictions in hospital capacity and fear of COVID transmission forced surgical teams to rethink strategies to further reduce length of inpatient stay.

METHODS: Members of the SAGES Colorectal Surgery Committee began reviewing the emergence of SDD protocols and early publications for SDD in 2019. The authors met at …

Venous Sinus Stenting For Low Pressure Gradient Stenoses In Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension, Mehmet Enes Inam, Juan Carlos Martinez-Gutierrez, Matthew J Kole, Francisco Sanchez, Elvira Lekka, Van Thi Thanh Truong, Victor Lopez-Rivera, Faheem G Sheriff, Laura A Zima, Claudia Pedroza, Rosa Tang, Ore-Ofe Adesina, Allison Engstrom, Sunil A Sheth, Peng Roc Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Medically refractory idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is frequently treated with venous sinus stenosis stenting with high success rates. Patient selection has been driven almost exclusively by identification of supraphysiological venous pressure gradients across stenotic regions based on theoretical assessment of likelihood of response.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the possibility of benefit in low venous pressure gradient patients.

METHODS: Using a single-center, prospectively maintained registry of patients with IIH undergoing venous stenting, we defined treatment groups by gradient pressures of ≤4, 5 to 8, and >8 mmHg based on the most frequently previously published thresholds for stenting. Baseline demographics, clinical, and …

Outcome Prediction In Newborn Infants: Past, Present, And Future, Vivek V Shukla, Matthew A Rysavy, Abhik Das, Jon E Tyson, Edward F Bell, Namasivayam Ambalavanan, Waldemar A Carlo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The perinatal and neonatal periods are the periods of considerable organ development and maturation. Perinatal and neonatal illnesses can result in mortality and morbidities that burden families and the healthcare system. Outcome prediction is essential for informing perinatal and intensive care management, prognosis, and post-discharge interventions. The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network (NRN) research databases include hospital and neurodevelopment follow-up outcomes of infants with various underlying diseases and conditions receiving intensive care, providing a unique opportunity to assess outcome risk prediction. The NRN has developed outcome risk prediction tools for use …

Assessing Naming Errors Using An Automated Machine Learning Approach, Tatiana T Schnur, Chia-Ming Lei

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: After left hemisphere stroke, 20%-50% of people experience language deficits, including difficulties in naming. Naming errors that are semantically related to the intended target (e.g., producing "violin" for picture HARP) indicate a potential impairment in accessing knowledge of word forms and their meanings. Understanding the cause of naming impairments is crucial to better modeling of language production as well as for tailoring individualized rehabilitation. However, evaluation of naming errors is typically by subjective and laborious dichotomous classification. As a result, these evaluations do not capture the degree of semantic similarity and are susceptible to lower interrater reliability because of …

Outcomes Of Gynecologic Cancer Surgery During The Covid-19 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Prospective Covidsurg-Gynecologic Oncology Cancer Study, Christina Fotopoulou, Tabassum Khan, Juraj Bracinik, James Glasbey, Nadeem Abu-Rustum, Luis Chiva, Anna Fagotti, Keiichi Fujiwara, Rahel Ghebre, Murat Gutelkin, Thomas O Konney, Joseph Ng, Rene Pareja, Rajkumar Kottayasamy Seenivasagam, Jalid Sehouli, Shylasree T S Surappa, Aneel Bhangu, Elaine Leung, Sudha Sundar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The CovidSurg-Cancer Consortium aimed to explore the impact of COVID-19 in surgical patients and services for solid cancers at the start of the pandemic. The CovidSurg-Gynecologic Oncology Cancer subgroup was particularly concerned about the magnitude of adverse outcomes caused by the disrupted surgical gynecologic cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic, which are currently unclear.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the changes in care and short-term outcomes of surgical patients with gynecologic cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesized that the COVID-19 pandemic had led to a delay in surgical cancer care, especially in patients who required more extensive …

The Association Of Human Leukocyte Antigen Genotyping Among Sudanese Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Reference To Ethnicity, Deborah R Young, Benjamin D Hong, Kristina H Lewis, Silvia R Paz, Bhumi B Bhakta, Mayra Macias, Cecelia L Crawford, Adam Drewnowski, Ming Ji, Darren D Moore, Ernest Shen, Sameer B Murali, Karen J Coleman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the association of weight loss following bariatric surgery with self-reported sleep quality after accounting for other sleep-related factors.

METHODS: Participants were from the Bariatric Experience Long Term (BELONG) study. Participants completed a survey up to 6 months before surgery and approximately 1 year after surgery. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to measure sleep quality. One-year percentage total weight loss (%TWL) was determined from electronic medical records. Covariates included demographics, Charlson Comorbidity Index, geocoded variables to assess neighborhood quality, and physical activity. The authors assessed the association between %TWL at 1 year and PSQI …

Brain Structure In Acutely Underweight And Partially Weight-Restored Individuals With Anorexia Nervosa: A Coordinated Analysis By The Enigma Eating Disorders Working Group, Esther Walton, Fabio Bernardoni, Victoria-Luise Batury, Klaas Bahnsen, Sara Larivière, Giovanni Abbate-Daga, Susana Andres-Perpiña, Lasse Bang, Amanda Bischoff-Grethe, Samantha J Brooks, Iain C Campbell, Giammarco Cascino, Josefina Castro-Fornieles, Enrico Collantoni, Federico D'Agata, Brigitte Dahmen, Unna N Danner, Angela Favaro, Jamie D Feusner, Guido K W Frank, Hans-Christoph Friederich, John L Graner, Beate Herpertz-Dahlmann, Andreas Hess, Stefanie Horndasch, Allan S Kaplan, Lisa-Katrin Kaufmann, Walter H Kaye, Sahib S Khalsa, Kevin S Labar, Luca Lavagnino, Luisa Lazaro, Renzo Manara, Amy E Miles, Gabriella F Milos, Alessio Maria Monteleone, Palmiero Monteleone, Benson Mwangi, Owen O'Daly, Jose Pariente, Julie Roesch, Ulrike H Schmidt, Jochen Seitz, Megan E Shott, Joe J Simon, Paul A M Smeets, Christian K Tamnes, Elena Tenconi, Sophia I Thomopoulos, Annemarie A Van Elburg, Aristotle N Voineskos, Georg G Von Polier, Christina E Wierenga, Nancy L Zucker, Neda Jahanshad, Joseph A King, Paul M Thompson, Laura A Berner, Stefan Ehrlich

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The pattern of structural brain abnormalities in anorexia nervosa (AN) is still not well understood. While several studies report substantial deficits in gray matter volume and cortical thickness in acutely underweight patients, others find no differences, or even increases in patients compared with healthy control subjects. Recent weight regain before scanning may explain some of this heterogeneity. To clarify the extent, magnitude, and dependencies of gray matter changes in AN, we conducted a prospective, coordinated meta-analysis of multicenter neuroimaging data.

Methods: We analyzed T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging scans assessed with standardized methods from 685 female patients with AN …

Meaningful Improvement In General Health Outcomes With Guselkumab Treatment For Psoriatic Arthritis: Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-29 Results From A Phase 3 Study, Ana-Maria Orbai, Laura C Coates, Atul Deodhar, Philip S Helliwell, Christopher T Ritchlin, Evan Leibowitz, Alexa P Kollmeier, Elizabeth C Hsia, Xie L Xu, Shihong Sheng, Yusang Jiang, Yan Liu, Chenglong Han

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: The Phase 3 DISCOVER-1 study of guselkumab is the first randomized controlled trial to use Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) measures to assess the effects of treatment on general health outcomes in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

METHODS: Patients (N = 381) with active PsA were randomized 1:1:1 to guselkumab 100 mg every 4 weeks (Q4W); guselkumab 100 mg at Week 0, Week 4, then every 8 weeks (Q8W); or placebo with Week 24 crossover to guselkumab Q4W. The PROMIS-29 Profile contains four items for each of seven domains (anxiety, depression, fatigue, pain interference, physical function, sleep disturbance, …

Speech-Language Disorder Severity, Academic Success, And Socioemotional Functioning Among Multilingual And English Children In The United States: The National Survey Of Children’S Health, Martin L Blakely, Matthew A Rysavy, Kevin P Lally, Barry Eggleston, Claudia Pedroza, Jon E Tyson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are challenging, but are the studies most likely to change practice and benefit patients. RCTs investigating neonatal surgical therapies are rare. The Necrotizing Enterocolitis Surgery Trial (NEST) was the first surgical RCT conducted by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Neonatal Research Network (NRN), and multiple lessons were learned. NEST was conducted over a 7.25-year enrollment period and the primary outcome was death or neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) at 18-22 months corrected age. Surgical investigators designing clinical trials involving neonatal surgical treatments have many considerations to include, including how to …

Medication Complexity Among Older Adults With Hf: How Can We Assess Better?, Min Ji Kwak, Monica Cheng, Parag Goyal, Dae Hyun Kim, Scott L Hummel, Abhijeet Dhoble, Ashish Deshmukh, Rajender Aparasu, Holly M Holmes

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Medical management of heart failure (HF) has evolved and has achieved significant survival benefits, resulting in highly complex medication regimens. Complex medication regimens create challenges for older adults, including nonadherence and increased adverse drug events, especially associated with cognitive impairment, physical limitations, or lack of social support. However, the association between medication complexity and patients' health outcomes among older adults with HF is unclear. The purpose of this review is to address how the complexity of HF medications has been assessed in the literature and what clinical outcomes are associated with medication regimen complexity in HF. Further, we aimed to …

Ten-Year Review Of Antihypertensive Prescribing Practices After Stroke And The Associated Disparities From The Florida Stroke Registry, Amanda J Taylor, Jung Hwan Kim, David Ress

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The hemodynamic response function (HRF) measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging is generated by vascular and metabolic responses evoked by brief (<4 s) stimuli. It is known that the human HRF varies across cortex, between subjects, with stimulus paradigms, and even between different measurements in the same cortical location. However, our results demonstrate that strong HRFs are remarkably repeatable across sessions separated by time intervals up to 3 months. In this study, a multisensory stimulus was used to activate and measure the HRF across the majority of cortex (>70%, with lesser reliability observed in some areas of prefrontal cortex). HRFs were measured with high spatial resolution (2‐mm voxels) in central gray matter to minimize variations caused by partial‐volume effects. HRF amplitudes and temporal dynamics were highly repeatable across four sessions in 20 subjects. Positive and negative HRFs were consistently observed across sessions and subjects. Negative HRFs were generally weaker and, thus, more variable than positive HRFs. Statistical measurements showed that across‐session variability is highly correlated to …

The Reading Profiles Of Late Elementary English Learners With And Without Dyslexia, Pia Tohme, Rudy Abi-Habib, Elma Nassar, Nouran Hamed, Gaël Abou-Ghannam, Gihad E Chalouhi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 stress and anxiety on prenatal attachment during the second trimester of gestation. Pregnancy is an important stage for mothers-to-be in creating representations of themselves as a "mother", with the developing attachment relationship to the unborn child considered as a milestone in the future parent's developmental trajectory. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the national health measures installed can hence have consequences on these representations and on prenatal attachment. Our sample consisted of 95 mothers that were recruited from a prenatal ultrasound screening center. Results suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic …

Dexterity Of The Less Affected Hand In Children With Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy, Matthew B Burn, Gloria R Gogola

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: To determine if the "unaffected" hand in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP) is truly unaffected.

METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of manual dexterity as measured by the Functional Dexterity Test (FDT) in 66 children (39 boys, 27 girls, mean age: 11 years 4 months) with hemiplegic CP. Data were stratified by Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) level, birth weight, and gestational age at birth, and compared with previously published normative values.

RESULTS: The FDT speed of the less affected hand is significantly lower than typically developing (TD) children (

CONCLUSIONS: Both dexterity and rate of fine motor …

Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Primary Cesarean Birth And Adverse Outcomes Among Low-Risk Nulliparous People, Michal Fishel Bartal, Han-Yang Chen, Hector Mendez-Figueroa, Stephen M Wagner, Suneet S P Chauhan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: To compare trend of primary cesarean delivery rate and composite neonatal and maternal adverse outcomes in low-risk pregnancies among racial and ethnic groups: non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic.

Methods: This population-based cohort study used U.S. vital statistics data (2015-2019) to evaluate low-risk, nulliparous patients with nonanomalous singletons who labored and delivered at 37-41 weeks of gestation. The primary outcome was the primary cesarean delivery rate. Secondary outcomes included composite neonatal adverse outcome (Apgar score less than 5 at 5 minutes, assisted ventilation for more than 6 hours, seizure, or death), and composite maternal adverse outcome (intensive care unit …

Hip Osteoarthritis: A Novel Network Analysis Of Subchondral Trabecular Bone Structures, Mohsen Dorraki, Dzenita Muratovic, Anahita Fouladzadeh, Johan W Verjans, Andrew Allison, David M Findlay, Derek Abbott

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Hip osteoarthritis (HOA) is a degenerative joint disease that leads to the progressive destruction of subchondral bone and cartilage at the hip joint. Development of effective treatments for HOA remains an open problem, primarily due to the lack of knowledge of its pathogenesis and a typically late-stage diagnosis. We describe a novel network analysis methodology for microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) images of human trabecular bone. We explored differences between the trabecular bone microstructure of femoral heads with and without HOA. Large-scale automated extraction of the network formed by trabecular bone revealed significant network properties not previously reported for bone. Profound differences …

Global Changes In Chromatin Accessibility And Transcription In Growth Hormone-Secreting Pituitary Adenoma, Meng Wang, Chenxing Ji, Yichao Zhang, Zhiqiang Zhang, Yu Zhang, Huiping Guo, Nidan Qiao, Xiang Zhou, Xiaoyun Cao, Zhen Ye, Yifei Yu, Vladimir Melnikov, Wei Gong, Min He, Zhaoyun Zhang, Yao Zhao, Xuelong Wang, Gang Wei, Zhao Ye

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma (GHPA) is an insidious disease with persistent hypersecretion of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1, causing increased morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have investigated the transcription of GHPA. However, the gene regulatory landscape has not been fully characterized. The objective of our study was to unravel the changes in chromatin accessibility and transcription in GHPA.

METHODS: Six patients diagnosed with GHPA in the Department of Neurosurgery at Huashan Hospital were enrolled in our study. Primary pituitary adenoma tissues and adjacent normal pituitary specimens with no morphologic abnormalities from these six patients were obtained at …

Mucins Muc5ac And Muc5b Are Variably Packaged In The Same And In Separate Secretory Granules, Oanh N Hoang, Anna Ermund, Ana M Jaramillo, Dalia Fakih, Cory B French, Jose R Flores, Harry Karmouty-Quintana, Jesper M Magnusson, Giorgio Fois, Michael Fauler, Manfred Frick, Peter Braubach, Joshua B Hales, Richard C Kurten, Reynold Panettieri, Leoncio Vergara, Camille Ehre, Roberto Adachi, Michael J Tuvim, Gunnar C Hansson, Burton F Dickey

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Acute Depletion Of Human Core Nucleoporin Reveals Direct Roles In Transcription Control But Dispensability For 3d Genome Organization, Xiaoyu Zhu, Chuangye Qi, Ruoyu Wang, Joo-Hyung Lee, Jiaofang Shao, Lanxin Bei, Feng Xiong, Phuoc T Nguyen, Guojie Li, Joanna Krakowiak, Su-Pin Koh, Lukas M Simon, Leng Han, Travis I Moore, Wenbo Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The nuclear pore complex (NPC) comprises more than 30 nucleoporins (NUPs) and is a hallmark of eukaryotes. NUPs have been suggested to be important in regulating gene transcription and 3D genome organization. However, evidence in support of their direct roles remains limited. Here, by Cut&Run, we find that core NUPs display broad but also cell-type-specific association with active promoters and enhancers in human cells. Auxin-mediated rapid depletion of two NUPs demonstrates that NUP93, but not NUP35, directly and specifically controls gene transcription. NUP93 directly activates genes with high levels of RNA polymerase II loading and transcriptional elongation by facilitating full …

Acr Appropriateness Criteria® Lower Extremity Arterial Claudication-Imaging Assessment For Revascularization: 2022 Update, Expert Panel On Vascular Imaging, Ezana M Azene, Michael L Steigner, Ayaz Aghayev, Sarah Ahmad, Rachel E Clough, Maros Ferencik, Sandeep S Hedgire, Caitlin W Hicks, David S Kirsch, Yoo Jin Lee, Lee A Myers, Prashant Nagpal, Nicholas Osborne, Anil K Pillai, Beth Ripley, Nimarta Singh, Richard Thomas, Sanjeeva P Kalva

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Arterial claudication is a common manifestation of peripheral artery disease. This document focuses on necessary imaging before revascularization for claudication. Appropriate use of ultrasound, invasive arteriography, MR angiography, and CT angiography are discussed. The ACR Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision process support the systematic analysis of the medical literature from peer reviewed journals. Established methodology principles such as Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE are adapted to evaluate the evidence. The RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method User Manual provides the methodology …

Evaluating The Clinical Impact Of A Novel Pediatric Emergency Medicine Curriculum On Asthma Outcomes In Belize, Adeola A Kosoko, Amelia A Khoei, Swapnil Khose, Alicia E Genisca, Joy M Mackey

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Respiratory-related complaints prompt most pediatric visits to Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority's (KHMHA) Emergency Department (ED) in Belize. We developed and taught a novel pediatric respiratory emergencies module for generalist practitioners there. We assessed the curriculum's clinical impact on pediatric asthma emergency management.

OBJECTIVE: This study assesses the clinical impact of a pediatric emergency medicine curriculum on management of pediatric asthma emergencies at KHMHA in Belize City, Belize.

METHODS: We conducted a randomized chart review of pediatric (aged 2-16 y) visits for asthma-related diagnosis at the KHMHA ED between 2015 and 2018 to assess the training module's clinical impact. …

Does Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Increase The Risk Of Minor Blunt Head Trauma In Children?, Murat Pakyurek, Mohamed Badawy, Irma T Ugalde, Paul Ishimine, Pradip P Chaudhari, Kevan Mccarten-Gibbs, Ozra Nobari, Nathan Kuppermann, James F Holmes

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PROBLEM: It is unclear if attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increases the risk of head trauma in children.

METHODS: We conducted a multicenter prospective observational study of children with minor blunt head trauma. Guardians were queried, and medical records were reviewed as to whether the patient had previously been diagnosed with ADHD. Enrolled patients were categorized based on their mechanism of injury, with a comparison of those with motor vehicle collision (MVC) versus non-MVC mechanisms.

FINDINGS: A total of 3410 (84%) enrolled children had ADHD status available, and 274 (8.0%; 95% confidence interval, CI: 7.1, 9.0%) had been diagnosed with ADHD. …

Optical Molecular Imaging And Theranostics In Neurological Diseases Based On Aggregation-Induced Emission Luminogens, Peili Cen, Youyou Zhou, Chunyi Cui, Yen Wei, Zhen Cheng, Shuizhu Wu, Hong Zhang, Mei Tian

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Optical molecular imaging and image-guided theranostics benefit from special and specific imaging agents, for which aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) have been regarded as good candidates in many biomedical applications. They display a large Stokes shift, high quantum yield, good biocompatibility, and resistance to photobleaching. Neurological diseases are becoming a substantial burden on individuals and society that affect over 50 million people worldwide. It is urgently needed to explore in more detail the brain structure and function, learn more about pathological processes of neurological diseases, and develop more efficient approaches for theranostics. Many AIEgens have been successfully designed, synthesized, and further …

Risk Factors For The Development Of Retinopathy In Prediabetes And Type 2 Diabetes: The Diabetes Prevention Program Experience, Neil H White, Qing Pan, William C Knowler, Emily B Schroeder, Dana Dabelea, Emily Y Chew, Barbara Blodi, Ronald B Goldberg, Xavier Pi-Sunyer, Christine Darwin, Mathias Schlögl, David M Nathan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: To determine glycemic and nonglycemic risk factors that contribute to the presence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) before and after the onset of type 2 diabetes (T2D).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: During the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) and DPP Outcome Study (DPPOS), we performed fundus photography over time in adults at high risk for developing T2D, including after they developed diabetes. Fundus photographs were graded using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) grading system, with DR defined as typical lesions of DR (microaneurysms, exudates, hemorrhage, or worse) in either eye.

RESULTS: By DPPOS year 16 (∼20 years after random …