Digital Commons Network^™

Field Testing Integrated Interventions For Schistosomiasis Elimination In The People's Republic Of China: Outcomes Of A Multifactorial Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial, Gail M. Williams, Yue-Sheng Li, Darren J. Gray, Zheng-Yuan Zhao, Donald A. Harn, Lisa M. Shollenberger, Sheng-Ming Li, Xinglin Yu, Zeng Feng, Jia-Gang Guo, Jie Zhou, Yu-Lan Dong, Yuan Li, Biao Guo, Patrick Driguez, Marina Harvie, Hong You, Allen G. Ross, Donald P. Mcmanus

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Despite significant progress, China faces the challenge of re-emerging schistosomiasis transmission in currently controlled areas due, in part, to the presence of a range of animal reservoirs, notably water buffalo and cattle, which can harbor Schistosoma japonicum infections. Environmental, ecological and social-demographic changes in China, shown to affect the distribution of oncomelanid snails, can also impact future schistosomiasis transmission. In light of their importance in the S. japonicum, lifecycle, vaccination has been proposed as a means to reduce the excretion of egg from cattle and buffalo, thereby interrupting transmission from these reservoir hosts to snails. A DNA-based vaccine (SjCTPI) …

Saturated Fat Intake Is Associated With Lung Function In Individuals With Airflow Obstruction: Results From Nhanes 2007⁻2012, Kasey Cornell, Morshed Alam, Elizabeth Lyden, Lisa Wood, Tricia D. Levan, Tara M. Nordgren, Kristina L. Bailey, Corrine K. Hanson

Journal Articles: Biostatistics

Nutritional status is a well-recognized prognostic indicator in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); however, very little is known about the relationship between lung function and saturated fat intake. We used data from the cross-sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) to assess the relationship between saturated fatty acid (SFA) intake and lung function in the general US adult population. Adults in NHANES (2007⁻2012) with pre-bronchodilator spirometry measurements and dietary SFA intake were included. Primary outcomes were lung function including forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁)

Time-To-Event Analysis For Sports Injury Research Part 1: Time-Varying Exposures, Rasmus Oestergaard Nielsen, Michael Lejbach Bertelsen, Daniel Ramskov, Merete Møller, Adam Hulme, Daniel Theisen, Caroline F. Finch, Lauren Victoria Fortington, Mohammad Ali Mansournia, Erik Thorlund Parner

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

BACKGROUND: ‘How much change in training load is too much before injury is sustained, among different athletes?’ is a key question in sports medicine and sports science. To address this question the investigator/practitioner must analyse exposure variables that change over time, such as change in training load. Very few studies have included time-varying exposures (eg, training load) and time-varying effect-measure modifiers (eg, previous injury, biomechanics, sleep/stress) when studying sports injury aetiology.

AIM: To discuss advanced statistical methods suitable for the complex analysis of time-varying exposures such as changes in training load and injury-related outcomes.

CONTENT: Time-varying exposures and time-varying effect-measure …

Large-Scale Genome-Wide Meta-Analysis Of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Suggests Shared Genetic Architecture For Different Diagnosis Criteria, Felix Day, Tugce Karaderi, Michelle R. Jones, Cindy Meun, Chunyan He, Alex Drong, Peter Kraft, Nan Lin, Hongyan Huang, Linda Broer, Reedik Magi, Richa Saxena, Triin Laisk, Margrit Urbanek, M. Geoffrey Hayes, Gudmar Thorleifsson, Juan Fernandez-Tajes, Anubha Mahajan, Benjamin H. Mullin, Bronwyn G. A. Stuckey, Timothy D. Spector, Scott G. Wilson, Mark O. Goodarzi, Lea Davis, Barbara Obermayer-Pietsch, André G. Uitterlinden, Verneri Anttila, Benjamin M. Neale, Marjo-Riitta Jarvelin, Bart Fauser

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a disorder characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction and polycystic ovarian morphology. Affected women frequently have metabolic disturbances including insulin resistance and dysregulation of glucose homeostasis. PCOS is diagnosed with two different sets of diagnostic criteria, resulting in a phenotypic spectrum of PCOS cases. The genetic similarities between cases diagnosed based on the two criteria have been largely unknown. Previous studies in Chinese and European subjects have identified 16 loci associated with risk of PCOS. We report a fixed-effect, inverse-weighted-variance meta-analysis from 10,074 PCOS cases and 103,164 controls of European ancestry and characterisation of PCOS related …

Precision Of Provider Licensure Data For Mapping Member Accessibility To Medicaid Managed Care Provider Networks, Nathaniel Bell, Ana Lòpez-Defede, Rebecca Wilkerson, Kathy Mayfield-Smith

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND:

In July 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated its Medicaid Managed Care (MMC) regulations that govern network and access standards for enrollees. There have been few published studies of whether there is accurate geographic information on primary care providers to monitor network adequacy.

METHODS:

We analyzed a sample of nurse practitioner (NP) and physician address data registered in the state labor, licensing, and regulation (LLR) boards and the National Provider Index (NPI) using employment location data contained in the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) data file. Our main outcome measures were address discordance (%) at the …

Serum Nutrient Levels And Aging Effects On Periodontitis, Jeffrey L Ebersole, Joshua Lambert, Heather Bush, Pinar Emecen Huja, Arpita Basu

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Periodontal disease damages tissues as a result of dysregulated host responses against the chronic bacterial biofilm insult and approximately 50% of US adults > 30 years old exhibit periodontitis. The association of five blood nutrients and periodontitis were evaluated due to our previous findings regarding a potential protective effect for these nutrients in periodontal disease derived from the US population sampled as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999–2004). Data from over 15,000 subjects was analyzed for blood levels of cis-β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, folate, vitamin D, and vitamin E, linked with analysis of the presence and severity of periodontitis. …

Aberrant Structural And Functional Connectivity And Neurodevelopmental Impairment In Preterm Children, Cynthia E Rogers, Rachel E Lean, Muriah D Wheelock, Christopher D Smyser

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: Despite advances in antenatal and neonatal care, preterm birth remains a leading cause of neurological disabilities in children. Infants born prematurely, particularly those delivered at the earliest gestational ages, commonly demonstrate increased rates of impairment across multiple neurodevelopmental domains. Indeed, the current literature establishes that preterm birth is a leading risk factor for cerebral palsy, is associated with executive function deficits, increases risk for impaired receptive and expressive language skills, and is linked with higher rates of co-occurring attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, and autism spectrum disorders. These same infants also demonstrate elevated rates of aberrant cerebral structural and …

Subject Level Clustering Using A Negative Binomial Model For Small Transcriptomic Studies., Qian Li, Janelle R. Noel-Macdonnell, Devin C. Koestler, Ellen L. Goode, Brooke L. Fridley

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Unsupervised clustering represents one of the most widely applied methods in analysis of high-throughput 'omics data. A variety of unsupervised model-based or parametric clustering methods and non-parametric clustering methods have been proposed for RNA-seq count data, most of which perform well for large samples, e.g. N ≥ 500. A common issue when analyzing limited samples of RNA-seq count data is that the data follows an over-dispersed distribution, and thus a Negative Binomial likelihood model is often used. Thus, we have developed a Negative Binomial model-based (NBMB) clustering approach for application to RNA-seq studies.

RESULTS: We have developed a Negative …

Functional Brain Activation Changes Associated With Practice In Delaying Smoking Among Moderate To Heavy Smokers: Study Protocol And Rationale Of A Randomized Trial (Cope)., Andrew T. Fox, Delwyn Catley, Kimber P. Richter, Edward F. Ellerbeck, Morgan G. Brucks, Vlad B. Papa, Laura E. Martin

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Most smokers struggle to overcome tobacco addiction. Neuroscientific models of addiction emphasize the importance of brain regions associated with cognitive control and reward to understand the cycle of addiction and relapse. During an attempt at abstinence, the cognitive control system appears to be underpowered to override the heightened reward system of the addicted brain. Thus, one neural target for treatment is to strengthen the cognitive control system. It may be possible to improve the functioning of the cognitive control system via deliberate practice.

METHODS/DESIGN: This study will determine the effects of practicing delaying smoking on brain and behavioral measures …

Effects Of A Community Population Health Initiative On Blood Pressure Control In Latinos, James R Langabeer, Timothy D Henry, Carlos Perez Aldana, Larissa Deluna, Nora Silva, Tiffany Champagne-Langabeer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background Hypertension remains one of the most important, modifiable cardiovascular risk factors. Yet, the largest minority ethnic group (Hispanics/Latinos) often have different health outcomes and behavior, making hypertension management more difficult. We explored the effects of an American Heart Association-sponsored population health intervention aimed at modifying behavior of Latinos living in Texas. Methods and Results We enrolled 8071 patients, and 5714 (65.7%) completed the 90-day program (58.5 years ±11.7; 59% female) from July 2016 to June 2018. Navigators identified patients with risk factors; initial and final blood pressure ( BP ) readings were performed in the physician's office; and interim …

Safety, Tolerability, And Pharmacokinetics Of Long-Acting Injectable Cabotegravir In Low-Risk Hiv-Uninfected Individuals: Hptn 077, A Phase 2a Randomized Controlled Trial., Raphael J Landovitz, Sue Li, Beatriz Grinsztejn, Halima Dawood, Albert Y Liu, Manya Magnus, Mina C Hosseinipour, Ravindre Panchia, Leslie Cottle, Gordon Chau, Paul Richardson, Mark A Marzinke, Craig W Hendrix, Susan H Eshleman, Yinfeng Zhang, Elizabeth Tolley, Jeremy Sugarman, Ryan Kofron, Adeola Adeyeye, David Burns, Alex R Rinehart, David Margolis, William R Spreen, Myron S Cohen, Marybeth Mccauley, Joseph J Eron

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Cabotegravir (CAB) is a novel strand-transfer integrase inhibitor being developed for HIV treatment and prevention. CAB is formulated both as an immediate-release oral tablet for daily administration and as a long-acting injectable suspension (long-acting CAB [CAB LA]) for intramuscular (IM) administration, which delivers prolonged plasma exposure to the drug after IM injection. HIV Prevention Trials Network study 077 (HPTN 077) evaluated the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of CAB LA in HIV-uninfected males and females at 8 sites in Brazil, Malawi, South Africa, and the United States.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: HPTN 077 was a double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2a trial. Healthy …

Trends In Obesity And Multimorbidity In Canada., Michael Lebenbaum, Gregory S Zaric, Amardeep Thind, Sisira Sarma

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

Very few studies have examined trends in multimorbidity over time and even fewer have examined trends over time across different body mass index (BMI) groups. Given a general decline in death rates but increased cardiovascular risk factors among individuals with obesity, the trend in the association between obesity and multimorbidity is hypothesized to be increasing over time. The data for our study came from the 1996-97 National Population Health Survey and the 2005 and 2012-13 Canadian Community Health Surveys (N = 277,366 across all 3 surveys). We examined trends in the association between BMI groups and multimorbidity using a logistic …

Blood Transfusions In Preterm Infants: Changes On Perfusion Index And Intermittent Hypoxemia, Katrina T. Ibonia, Henrietta S. Bada, Philip M. Westgate, Enrique Gomez Pomar, Prasad Bhandary, Abhijit R. Patwardhan, Elie G. Abu Jawdeh

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND

Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion decreases intermittent hypoxemia (IH) events beyond the first week of life. This benefit may be related to improved perfusion to the respiratory control network. Perfusion index (PI) is a perfusion measure provided by the pulse oximeter. We hypothesized that the benefit in IH after RBC transfusion is associated with an increase in PI. In addition, we assessed the value of PI and clinical measures in predicting the effect of RBC transfusion on IH.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

We prospectively enrolled infants less than 30 weeks' gestation age. PI and oxygen saturation (SpO₂) …

Uncovering The Complex Genetics Of Human Character, Igor Zwir, Dragan M Svrakic, Sandor Rozsa, Maribel Martinez, C Robert Cloninger, Et Al

Open Access Publications

Human personality is 30-60% heritable according to twin and adoption studies. Hundreds of genetic variants are expected to influence its complex development, but few have been identified. We used a machine learning method for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to uncover complex genotypic-phenotypic networks and environmental interactions. The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) measured the self-regulatory components of personality critical for health (i.e., the character traits of self-directedness, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence). In a discovery sample of 2149 healthy Finns, we identified sets of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that cluster within particular individuals (i.e., SNP sets) regardless of phenotype. Second, we identified five …

Uncovering The Complex Genetics Of Human Temperament, Igor Zwir, Javier Arnedo, Dragan M Svrakic, Sandor Rozsa, Maribel Martinez, C Robert Cloninger, Et Al

Open Access Publications

Experimental studies of learning suggest that human temperament may depend on the molecular mechanisms for associative conditioning, which are highly conserved in animals. The main genetic pathways for associative conditioning are known in experimental animals, but have not been identified in prior genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of human temperament. We used a data-driven machine learning method for GWAS to uncover the complex genotypic-phenotypic networks and environmental interactions related to human temperament. In a discovery sample of 2149 healthy Finns, we identified sets of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that cluster within particular individuals (i.e., SNP sets) regardless of phenotype. Second, we identified …

Family Physician Remuneration Schemes And Specialist Referrals: Quasi-Experimental Evidence From Ontario, Canada., Sisira Sarma, Nirav Mehta, Rose Anne Devlin, Koffi Ahoto Kpelitse, Lihua Li

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

Understanding how family physicians respond to incentives from remuneration schemes is a central theme in the literature. One understudied aspect is referrals to specialists. Although the theoretical literature has suggested that capitation increases referrals to specialists, the empirical evidence is mixed. We push forward the empirical research on this question by studying family physicians who switched from blended fee-for-service to blended capitation in Ontario, Canada. Using several health administrative databases from 2005 to 2013, we rely on inverse probability weighting with fixed-effects regression models to account for observed and unobserved differences between the switchers and nonswitchers. Switching from blended fee-for-service …

Systemic Immunosuppression And Risk Of Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Harpal S. Sandhu, Joshua Lambert, Yan Xu, Henry J. Kaplan

Applied Statistics Laboratory Faculty Publications

A local immune response has been implicated in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but it is unclear if systemic immunosuppressive/immunomodulatory therapy (IMT) protects against the onset and/or progression of AMD. We performed a retrospective cohort study using a Cox proportional hazards model of two cohorts. Cohort 1 included patients with stage V chronic kidney disease (CKD) status post kidney transplantation, on at least one IMT agent, and older than 50. Cohort 2 included patients with stage IV or V CKD who had not undergone kidney transplantation, were not on IMT, and were older than 50. The main outcomes …

A Programme For Risk Assessment And Minimisation Of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy Developed For Vedolizumab Clinical Trials, Asit Parikh, Kristin Stephens, Eugene Major, Irving Fox, Catherine Milch, Serap Sankoh, Michael H. Lev, James M. Provenzale, Jesse Shick, Mark Patti, Megan Mcauliffe, Joseph R. Berger, David B. Clifford

Neurology Faculty Publications

Introduction Over the past decade, the potential for drug-associated progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) has become an increasingly important consideration in certain drug development programmes, particularly those of immunomodulatory biologics. Whether the risk of PML with an investigational agent is proven (e.g. extrapolated from relevant experience, such as a class effect) or merely theoretical, the serious consequences of acquiring PML require careful risk minimisation and assessment. No single standard for such risk minimisation exists. Vedolizumab is a recently developed monoclonal antibody to α4β7 integrin. Its clinical development necessitated a dedicated PML risk minimisation assessment as part of a global preapproval regulatory …

Antimalarial Proteasome Inhibitor Reveals Collateral Sensitivity From Intersubunit Interactions And Fitness Cost Of Resistance., Laura A. Kirkman, Wenhu Zhan, Joseph Visone, Alexis Dziedziech, Pradeep K. Singh, Hao Fan, Xinran Tong, Igor Bruzual, Ryoma Hara, Masanori Kawasaki, Toshihiro Imaeda, Rei Okamoto, Kenjiro Sato, Mayako Michino, Elena Fernandez Alvaro, Liselle F. Guiang, Laura M. Sanz, Daniel J. Mota, Kavitha Govindasamy, Rong Wang, Yan Ling, Patrick K. Tumwebaze, George Sukenick, Lei Shi, Jeremie Vendome, Purnima Bhanot, Philip J. Rosenthal, Kazuyoshi Aso, Michael A. Foley, Roland A. Cooper, Bjorn Kafsack, J Stone Doggett, Carl F. Nathan, Gang Lin

Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Faculty Scholarship

We describe noncovalent, reversible asparagine ethylenediamine (AsnEDA) inhibitors of the Plasmodium falciparum proteasome (Pf20S) β5 subunit that spare all active subunits of human constitutive and immuno-proteasomes. The compounds are active against erythrocytic, sexual, and liver-stage parasites, against parasites resistant to current antimalarials, and against P. falciparum strains from patients in Africa. The β5 inhibitors synergize with a β2 inhibitor in vitro and in mice and with artemisinin. P. falciparum selected for resistance to an AsnEDA β5 inhibitor surprisingly harbored a point mutation in the noncatalytic β6 subunit. The β6 mutant was resistant to the species-selective Pf20S β5 inhibitor but remained …

Absolute Configuration Of 2,2',3,3',6-Pentachlorinatedbiphenyl (Pcb 84) Atropisomers, Xueshu Li, Sean R. Parkin, Hans-Joachim Lehmler

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Nineteen polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, such as 2,2′,3,3′,6-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB 84), display axial chirality because they form stable rotational isomers, or atropisomers, that are non-superimposable mirror images of each other. Although chiral PCBs undergo atropselective biotransformation and atropselectively alter biological processes, the absolute structure of only a few PCB atropisomers has been determined experimentally. To help close this knowledge gap, pure PCB 84 atropisomers were obtained by semi-preparative liquid chromatography with two serially connected Nucleodex β-PM columns. The absolute configuration of both atropisomers was determined by X-ray single-crystal diffraction. The PCB 84 atropisomer eluting first and second on the Nucleodex β-PM …

Decreasing Recurrent Bowel Obstructions, Improving Quality Of Life With Physiotherapy: Controlled Study, Amanda D Rice, Kimberley Patterson, Evette D Reed, Belinda F Wurn, Kristen Robles, Bernhard Klingenberg, Leonard B Weinstock, Janey S. A. Pratt, C. Richard King Iii, Lawrence J Wurn

Open Access Publications

AIM: To compare (1) quality of life and (2) rate of recurrent small bowel obstructions (SBO) for patients treated with novel manual physiotherapy

METHODS: One hundred and three subjects (age 19-89) with a history of recurrent adhesive SBO were treated with a manual physiotherapy called the Clear Passage Approach (CPA) which focused on decreasing adhesive crosslinking in abdominopelvic viscera. Pre- and post-therapy data measured recurring obstructions and quality of life, using a validated test sent 90 d after therapy. Results were compared to 136 untreated control subjects who underwent the same measurements for subjects who did not receive any therapy, …

Teens Implementing A Childhood Obesity Prevention Program In The Community: Feasibility And Perceptions Of A Partnership With Hsta And Icook 4-H., Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Jade A. White, Lisa Franzen-Castle, Sarah E. Colby, Kendra Kattelmann, Adrienne A. White, Melissa D. Olfert

Health and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

High school student researchers and teen leaders from the Health Science Technology Academy (HSTA), under the supervision of HSTA teachers, led a childhood obesity prevention (COP) program (iCook 4-H). The objective was to evaluate the feasibility and perceptions of having teen leaders implement a COP program for dyads of youth (9⁻10 years old) and their primary adult food preparer. Behavior change and perceptions were assessed through surveys and open-ended interviews. Across eight HSTA organizations, 43 teen leaders participated in teaching the iCook 4-H program to 24 dyads. Increased frequency of culinary skills, physical activity and mealtime behavior were reported by …

Digitizing Omics Profiles By Divergence From A Baseline., Wikum Dinalankara, Qian Ke, Yiran Xu, Lanlan Ji, Nicole Pagane, Anching Lien, Tejasvi Matam, Elana J Fertig, Nathan D Price, Laurent Younes, Luigi Marchionni, Donald Geman

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Data collected from omics technologies have revealed pervasive heterogeneity and stochasticity of molecular states within and between phenotypes. A prominent example of such heterogeneity occurs between genome-wide mRNA, microRNA, and methylation profiles from one individual tumor to another, even within a cancer subtype. However, current methods in bioinformatics, such as detecting differentially expressed genes or CpG sites, are population-based and therefore do not effectively model intersample diversity. Here we introduce a unified theory to quantify sample-level heterogeneity that is applicable to a single omics profile. Specifically, we simplify an omics profile to a digital representation based on the omics profiles …

Opportunities And Obstacles For Deep Learning In Biology And Medicine, Travers Ching, S Joshua Swamidass, Et Al

2010-2019 OA Pubs

Deep learning describes a class of machine learning algorithms that are capable of combining raw inputs into layers of intermediate features. These algorithms have recently shown impressive results across a variety of domains. Biology and medicine are data-rich disciplines, but the data are complex and often ill-understood. Hence, deep learning techniques may be particularly well suited to solve problems of these fields. We examine applications of deep learning to a variety of biomedical problems-patient classification, fundamental biological processes and treatment of patients-and discuss whether deep learning will be able to transform these tasks or if the biomedical sphere poses unique …

High Sodium Continuous Veno-Venous Hemodialysis With Regional Citrate Anticoagulation And Online Dialysate Generation In Patients With Acute Liver Failure And Cerebral Edema, Tamim Hamdi, Lenar Yessayan, Jerry Yee, Balazs Szamosfalvi

Nephrology Articles

INTRODUCTION: Acute liver failure is associated with a high mortality rate. Induction of plasma hypertonicity with mannitol or hypertonic saline remains the cornerstone in the management of resultant cerebral edema. Significant disadvantages of this approach include poor or unpredictable control of serum sodium concentration and volume expansion, among others.

METHODS: We used high sodium continuous veno-venous hemodialysis with regional citrate anticoagulation and online dialysate generation to accurately control the serum sodium in eleven patients with acute liver failure, renal failure, and cerebral edema. We used a Fresenius 2008 K/K2 machine in hemodialysis mode to deliver a blood flow of 60 …

Motivators For Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Trial Participation, Shoshana H. Bardach, Sarah D. Holmes, Gregory A. Jicha

Graduate Center for Gerontology Faculty Publications

Background

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research progress is impeded due to participant recruitment challenges. This study seeks to better understand, from the perspective of individuals engaged in clinical trials (CTs), research motivations.

Methods

Participants, or their caregivers, from AD treatment and prevention CTs were surveyed about research motivators.

Results

The 87 respondents had a mean age of 72.2, were predominantly Caucasian, 55.2% were male, and 56.3% had cognitive impairment. An overwhelming majority rated the potential to help themselves or a loved one and the potential to help others in the future as important motivators. Relatively few respondents were motivated by free …

Auditing Snomed Ct Hierarchical Relations Based On Lexical Features Of Concepts In Non-Lattice Subgraphs, Licong Cui, Olivier Bodenreider, Jay Shi, Guo-Qiang Zhang

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Objective—We introduce a structural-lexical approach for auditing SNOMED CT using a combination of non-lattice subgraphs of the underlying hierarchical relations and enriched lexical attributes of fully specified concept names. Our goal is to develop a scalable and effective approach that automatically identifies missing hierarchical IS-A relations.

Methods—Our approach involves 3 stages. In stage 1, all non-lattice subgraphs of SNOMED CT’s IS-A hierarchical relations are extracted. In stage 2, lexical attributes of fully-specified concept names in such non-lattice subgraphs are extracted. For each concept in a non-lattice subgraph, we enrich its set of attributes with attributes from its ancestor …

Neurotensin Receptor 3/Sortilin Contributes To Tumorigenesis Of Neuroendocrine Tumors Through Augmentation Of Cell Adhesion And Migration, Ji Tae Kim, Dana L. Napier, Heidi L. Weiss, Eun Y. Lee, Courtney M. Townsend, B. Mark Evers

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Neurotensin (NTS), a 13–amino acid peptide which is distributed predominantly along gastrointestinal tract, has multiple physiologic and pathologic functions, and its effects are mediated by three distinct NTS receptors (NTSRs). Overexpression and activation of NTS signaling components, especially NTS and/or NTSR1, are closely linked with cancer progression and metastasis in various types of cancers including neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Although deregulation of NTSR3/sortilin has been implicated in a variety of human diseases, the expression and role of NTSR3/sortilin in NETs have not been elucidated. In this study, we investigated the expression and oncogenic effect of NTSR3/sortilin in NETs. Increased protein levels …

Systematic Review Of Smartphone-Based Passive Sensing For Health And Wellbeing., Victor P. Cornet Ms, Richard J. Holden

Health Services and Informatics Research

OBJECTIVE: To review published empirical literature on the use of smartphone-based passive sensing for health and wellbeing.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic review of the English language literature was performed following PRISMA guidelines. Papers indexed in computing, technology, and medical databases were included if they were empirical, focused on health and/or wellbeing, involved the collection of data via smartphones, and described the utilized technology as passive or requiring minimal user interaction.

RESULTS: Thirty-five papers were included in the review. Studies were performed around the world, with samples of up to 171 (median n = 15) representing individuals with bipolar disorder, …

Microrna Expression Patterns In Human Anterior Cingulate And Motor Cortex: A Study Of Dementia With Lewy Bodies Cases And Controls, Peter T. Nelson, Wang-Xia Wang, Sarah A. Janse, Katherine L. Thompson

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Overview

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here, we evaluated the expression of miRNAs in anterior cingulate (AC; Brodmann area [BA] 24) and primary motor (MO; BA 4) cortical tissue from aged human brains in the University of Kentucky AD Center autopsy cohort, with a focus on dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

Methods

RNA was isolated from gray matter of brain samples with pathology-defined DLB, AD, AD+DLB, and low-pathology controls, with n=52 cases initially included (n=23 with DLB), all with low (<4hrs) postmortem intervals. RNA was profiled using Exiqon miRNA microarrays. Quantitative PCR for post-hoc replication was performed on separate cases (n=6 controls) and included RNA isolated from gray matter of MO, AC, primary somatosensory (BA 3), and dorsolateral prefrontal (BA 9) cortical regions.

Results

The miRNA expression patterns differed substantially according to …