Digital Commons Network^™

Treatment Patterns For Genitourinary Syndrome Of Menopause: A Trinetx Analysis, Anushka Ghosh, Maria D'Amico, Yash B. Shah, Whitney R. Smith, Mihir S. Shah, Costas D. Lallas, Alana M. Murphy

Department of Urology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) is a highly prevalent, underdiagnosed condition that can significantly impair quality of life (QoL). This study evaluates real-world treatment trends for GSM to better understand current management practices and highlight ongoing gaps in care. The background is in a different font than the rest of the abstract.

METHODS: We queried the TriNetX database for patients with a diagnosis of postmenopausal atrophic vaginitis (ICD N95.2) and treatment information from 2004-2024. A combination of RxNorm and International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD) codes was used to classify disease and treatment type, including topical estrogen (RxNorm 4083, 4099), …

Low Utilization Of Intracavernosal Injection And Penile Doppler Ultrasound In The Evaluation Of Erectile Dysfunction And Peyronie's Disease, Joon Yau Leong, Tyler Gaines, Zachary J. Prebay, David Ebbott, Paul H. Chung

Department of Urology Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Despite the diagnostic value of intracavernosal injections (ICI) and penile Doppler ultrasound (PDUS), there remain barriers to widespread clinical adaptation of these methods. The study aimed to evaluate the practice patterns of utilization of ICI and PDUS in the assessment of erectile dysfunction (ED) and Peyronie's disease (PD).

METHODS: Using the TriNetX database (Cambridge, MA, USA), adult (≥18 years) male patients with a diagnosis of ED on oral phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitors were identified. Current Procedural Terminology codes were utilized to identify patients who underwent further evaluation with ICI or PDUS, as well as penile prosthesis placement after PDUS. A …

Mental Health And Beliefs About Abortion Access Following Changes To Reproductive Healthcare Laws In 2022: Findings From Oklahoma, Munjireen Sifat, Laili K. Boozary, Tina N. Le, Julia Mcquoid, Brittany Zaring-Hinkle, Sarah Tonkin, Lizbeth Benson, Bingjing Mao, Motolani Ogunsanya, Ruosi Shao, Amy M. Cohn, Allyson Shortle, Darla E. Kendzor

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: A secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data was conducted to characterize beliefs about abortion access in Oklahoma, measure stress associated with the overturn of Roe vs. Wade (2022), and evaluate the potential relationship between post-Roe stress (PR stress) and mental health.

METHODS: From August through September 2022, adult Oklahomans (N = 1793) were surveyed about their sociodemographic characteristics, beliefs about abortion access, frequency of past-month stress related to the overturn of Roe vs. Wade, and mental health. Beliefs about abortion access were characterized overall and within sociodemographic groups. The relationship between PR stress and mental health was evaluated, and …

Dcpr: A Deep Learning Framework For Circadian Phase Reconstruction, Xiao Han, Xiaochen Cen, Zhijin Li, Xiaobo Zhou, Zhiwei Ji

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The circadian clock is an evolutionarily conserved system that orchestrates 24-h physiological rhythms through transcriptional and translational feedback loops. Mounting evidence suggests a bidirectional relationship between circadian rhythm alteration and disease progression, positioning the circadian clock as a potential therapeutic target. Due to the scarcity of high-resolution temporal omics data, it remains very challenging to elucidate the underlying regulatory mechanisms of the circadian system. As a practical alternative, public untimed transcriptomic datasets offer the potential to infer gene expression oscillations retrospectively. However, existing computational approaches for circadian phase estimation often suffer from limited predictive accuracy, reducing their ability to …

Chemotherapy-Induced Adipo-Lineage Cell Senescence Drives Bone Loss, Ganesh Kumar Raut, Taylor Malachowski, Anupama Melam, Renata Ramalho-Oliveira, Taylor Holt, Xianmin Luo, Zhangting Yao, Douglas V Faget, Qihao Ren, David G Denardo, Sheila A Stewart

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Chemotherapy-induced bone loss is a debilitating and common side effect of cancer treatment, though its underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we show that, despite the systemic administration of chemotherapy, cellular senescence is restricted to bone marrow adipo-lineage cells specifically Cxcl12-abundant reticular (CAR) cells and bone marrow adipocytes (BMAds). Induction of senescence within these populations promotes RANK ligand (RANKL)-mediated osteoclastogenesis, leading to significant bone loss. Notably, we find that inhibition of the p38MAPK-MK2 pathway suppresses the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), including RANKL production abrogating bone loss. Furthermore, treatment with the senolytic combination dasatinib and quercetin (D + Q) selectively eliminates …

Gender, Mental Health Symptoms, Loss To Clinic, And Viral Non-Suppression 6 Months After Hiv Care Initiation Among A Cohort Of People With Hiv In Cameroon, Angela M Parcesepe, Lindsey M Filiatreau, Peter Vanes Ebasone, Anastase Dzudie, Marcel Yotebieng, Kathryn Anastos, Eric Pefura-Yone, Annereke Nyenti, Denis Nash

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: People with HIV (PWH) experience high levels of mental health or substance use disorders (MSDs) which may compromise HIV treatment outcomes. Differences in the relationship between MSDs and HIV treatment outcomes by gender remain understudied.

METHODS: We conducted interviews with 426 PWH aged ≥ 21 years initiating HIV care in Cameroon between June 2019 and March 2020. Clinic data and laboratory results were used to ascertain loss to clinic and viral non-suppression six months after HIV care initiation. We used log binomial regression models to assess the relationship between symptoms of depression (PHQ-9 scores > 9), anxiety (GAD-7 scores > 9), …

Subgroup Analyses Of The Phase 3 Focus Study Of Melphalan/Hepatic Delivery System In Patients With Unresectable Metastatic Uveal Melanoma, Jonathan S. Zager, Marlana Orloff, Pier Francesco Ferrucci, Junsung Choi, David J. Eschelman, Evan S. Glazer, Aslam Ejaz, Erika Richtig, Sebastian Ochsenreither, Sunil A. Reddy, Michael C. Lowe, Georgia M. Beasley, Anja Gesierich, Martin Gschnell, Reinhard Dummer, Ana Arance, Stephen William Fenwick, Joseph J. Sacco, Johnny John, Matthew Wheater, Christian H. Ottensmeier

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: To assess efficacy and safety in subgroups of patients treated with Melphalan/Hepatic Delivery System (melphalan/HDS), a drug/device combination for liver-directed treatment of metastatic UM (mUM) patients. Previously reported FOCUS study results indicated melphalan/HDS treatment provides a clinically meaningful response rate and favorable benefit-risk ratio in patients with unresectable mUM.

METHODS: Patients with mUM received treatment with melphalan (3.0 mg/kg ideal body weight) every 6-8 weeks for up to 6 cycles. Post hoc analyses of efficacy and safety were conducted for patient subgroups based on demographic and baseline disease characteristics.

RESULTS: 102 patients with mUM were enrolled; treatment was attempted …

The Concise Guide To Pharmacology 2025/26: Catalytic Receptors, Stephen P. H. Alexander, Doriano Fabbro, Chloe J. Peach, Alasdair J. Gibb, Eamonn Kelly, Alistair A. Mathie, Emma L. Veale, Jane F. Armstrong, Elena Faccenda, Simon D. Harding, Christopher Southan, Jamie A. Davies, Annie Beuve, Peter Brouckaert, Clare Bryant, John C. Burnett, Richard W. Farndale, Andreas Friebe, John Garthwaite, Adrian J. Hobbs, Gavin E. Jarvis, Laura Kilpatrick, Doris Koesling, Michaela Kuhn, Birgit Leitinger, David Macewan, Tom P. Monie, Lincoln R. Potter, Michael Russwurm, Harald H. H. W. Schmidt, Johannes-Peter Stasch, Scott A. Waldman

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

The Concise Guide to Pharmacology 2025/26 marks the seventh edition in this series of biennial publications in the British Journal of Pharmacology. Presented in landscape format, the guide provides a comparative overview of the pharmacology of drug target families. The concise nature of the Concise Guide refers to the style of presentation, being clear, accessible, and well-structured, rather than the scope of the content, which spans approximately 500 pages. The Concise Guide summarises the key pharmacological properties of around 1900 human drug targets, and nearly 7000 interactions, involving around 4400 ligands. While the content is a substantially condensed version of …

Batf2 Is A Glutamine-Responsive Tumour Suppressor Required For Type-I Interferon-Dependent Anti-Tumour Immunity, Wang Gong, Hülya F Taner, Yuesong Wu, Yumin He, Xingwu Zhou, Zaiye Li, Xin Hu, Charisse Ursin, Kala Chand Debnath, Kohei Okuyama, Qiang Hu, Christopher R Donnelly, Felipe Nör, Chamila D Perera, Emily Bellile, Arash Yunesi, Zhiqian Zhai, Mei Zhao, Wanqing Cheng, Zackary R Fitzsimonds, Luke Broses, Jiaqian Li, Shadmehr Demehri, Deepak Nagrath, Gregory T Wolf, Andrew G Sikora, Yanbao Yu, Haitao Wen, Lei Wei, Steven B Chinn, Jeffrey N Myers, Shizuo Akira, Yuying Xie, James J Moon, Yu Leo Lei

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Recent evidence highlights the significance of a new type of tumour suppressors, which are not frequently mutated but inhibited by metabolic cues in cancers. Here, we identify BATF2 as a tumour suppressor whose expression is epigenetically silenced by glutamine in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas (HNSCC). BATF2 correlates with type-I interferon and Th1 signatures in human HNSCC, with correlation coefficients even stronger than those of the positive control, STING. The phosphorylation of BATF2 at serine 227 promotes the oligomerization of STING. BATF2 deficiency or high glutamine levels result in higher oxygen consumption rates and metabolic profiles unfavorable for …

Exploring Cellular Heterogeneity: Single-Cell And Spatial Transcriptomics Of Alzheimer's Disease Brains And Ipsc-Derived Microglia, Anjali Garg, Sheeny Vo, Iara D De Souza, Ayslan Castro Brant, Logan Brase, Ekaterina Aladyeva, Ricardo D 'O Albanus, Aasritha Nallapu, Hongjun Fu, Oscar Harari

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, play a pivotal role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis. These cells exhibit diverse transcriptional states in response to neuroinflammatory stimuli, and characterizing these states is essential for understanding AD mechanisms. METHODS: We integrated single-cell and spatial transcriptomic datasets from multiple cohorts and brain regions, encompassing both experimental models and human tissues. Findings were validated through immunostaining of human brain samples. RESULTS: Our comprehensive atlas revealed pronounced heterogeneity among microglial states, with disease-associated microglia (DAM) significantly enriched in AD brains compared to controls. Spatial transcriptomics and immunohistochemistry demonstrated that DAM predominantly localize to external …

A Spatiotemporal Model Of Cxcl10 As A Master Regulator Of Immune Evasion And Metastasis In Osteosarcoma, Benjamin B Gyau, Tsz-Kwong Man

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) is implicated in the progression of osteosarcoma (OS), the most aggressive pediatric bone malignancy. However, its role often presents a profound clinical paradox: although high circulating levels are strongly linked to poor prognosis, its canonical function is to recruit anti-tumor immune cells. This review unravels these contrasting roles by proposing a novel spatiotemporal model. We argue that in the early stages, immune-evading OS cells initiate the formation of a pre-metastatic niche (PMN) in the lungs, creating a localized inflammatory environment that becomes the primary source of elevated circulating CXCL10. As the disease progresses, …

Tumor Biology And Access To Care And Metastatic Breast Cancer Outcomes, Matthew R. Dunn, Sarah C. Van Alsten, Marc A. Emerson, Katherine Reeder-Hayes, Terry Hyslop, Melissa A. Troester

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: To understand how access to care influences metastatic breast cancer burden (MBC) while accounting for molecular tumor characteristics, and identify interventions to reduce metastatic disease burden.

METHODS: The Carolina Breast Cancer Study is a population-based cohort with invasive breast cancer (diagnosed 2008-2013). Both de novo metastasis (stage IV at diagnosis) and distant recurrence were evaluated (12 years of follow-up. Tumor data were from medical records, pathology reports, and RNA expression data. Social variables and access to care were from participant surveys. Generalized linear models were used to estimate associations of biological and access characteristics with MBC; Cox models were …

Detection Of The Linac Jaw Face Angle Misalignment Using High Energy Electron Beam Symmetry, Song Gao, Andres Cibrian, Jared Ohrt, Peter Balter

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: To demonstrate the usage of a high energy electron beam symmetry measured at different collimator angles to detect jaws face angle misalignments on Varian TrueBeam linear accelerators (linac) during acceptance and commissioning processes.

Methods: During the linac acceptance, all beams were steered to a symmetric shape with the gantry and collimator at 0°. We noted that the symmetries of higher energies electrons (e.g., 16 MeV, 20 MeV) changed over 2% when measured with the collimator at 90° and/or 270° for two linacs commissioned within 5-months of each other. Misaligned applicators were ruled out as the cause of this issue. …

Distinct Populations Of Lung Capillary Endothelial Cells And Their Functional Significance, Joel James, Dan Yi, Zhiyu Dai, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The role of the lung's microcirculation and capillary endothelial cells in normal physiology and the pathobiology of pulmonary diseases is obviously vital. The recent discovery of molecularly distinct aerocytes and general capillary (gCaps) endothelial cells by single-cell transcriptomics (scRNAseq) advanced the field in understanding microcirculatory milieu and cellular communications. However, increasing evidence from different groups indicated the possibility of a more heterogeneous nature of lung capillaries. Therefore, we investigated enriched lung endothelial cells by scRNAseq and identified five novel populations of gCaps with distinct molecular signatures and roles. Our analysis suggests that two major populations of gCaps that express Scn7a(Na

Systemic Sclerosis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease: Improved Understanding And Advances In Management, Amit Syal, Chris T. Derk

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Interstitial lung disease (ILD), a common manifestation of systemic sclerosis (SSc), has the highest organ-specific morbidity and mortality, particularly in patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc). Recent advances in diagnostics-including artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and biomarkers such as Krebs van den Lungen (KL)-6-have enabled earlier detection and monitoring of disease progression. Therapeutically, the approval of antifibrotics like nintedanib (NINT) and immunomodulators such as tocilizumab (Toci) has significantly expanded treatment options. Updated international guidelines from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), American Thoracic Society (ATS), and European league against Rheumatism (EULAR) now …

Real-World Outcomes Of Talimogene Laherparepvec As Salvage Therapy For Advanced Melanoma, Melissa M Yamada, Smitha Chandrasekhar, Ted A Gooley, Rita E Chen, Coley Doolittle-Amieva, George Ansstas, Shailender Bhatia, Evan T Hall, Paul T Nghiem, Song Y Park, David Y Chen

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is an oncolytic herpes simplex virus therapy approved for treatment of unresectable and metastatic melanoma. However, real-world use often occurs in heavily pretreated patients, where evidence of effectiveness remains limited. This study evaluates treatment responses and clinical factors influencing T-VEC outcomes in patients with diverse treatment histories.

METHODS: We analyzed patients with metastatic melanoma treated with T-VEC between 2015 and 2024. Objective responses (OR), complete response (CR) and partial response were assessed using univariate and multivariate Cox regression models. Durability of responses, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier estimates.

RESULTS: Among …

Using A Heuristic Tool To Improve Symptom Self-Management In Adolescents And Young Adults With Cancer: Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial., Suzanne Ameringer, Grace Hodges, R K Elswick, Lauri Linder, Catherine Fiona Macpherson, Kristin Stegenga

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer experience multiple distressing symptoms during treatment, yet few developmentally relevant resources have been developed to help them self-manage their symptoms. Empowering patients to have a more active role in self-management during cancer treatment may lessen their symptom severity and distress.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to test an intervention designed to improve symptom self-management, the Computerized Symptom Capture Tool (C-SCAT), by helping AYAs understand their unique symptom experience and discuss it with their health care providers.

METHODS: We are conducting a multisite, 2-group randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effects …

Phospholipid Scramblase 1 (Plscr1) Regulates Interferon-Lambda Receptor 1 (Ifn-Λr1) And Ifn-Λ Signaling In Influenza A Virus (Iav) Infection, Alina Xiaoyu Yang, Lisa Ramos-Rodriguez, Parand Sorkhdini, Dongqin Yang, Carmelissa Norbrun, Sonoor Majid, Sanghyun Lee, Yong Zhang, Michael Holtzman, David F Boyd, Yang Zhou

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Phospholipid scramblase 1 (PLSCR1) is an interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) that has several known anti-influenza functions. However, the mechanisms in relation to its expression compartment and enzymatic activity have not been completely explored. Moreover, only limited animal models have been studied to delineate its role at the tissue level in influenza infections. Our results showed that influenza A virus (IAV)-infected

Stimulant Medications Affect Arousal And Reward, Not Attention Networks, Benjamin P Kay, Muriah D Wheelock, Ryan V Raut, Roselyne J Chauvin, Athanasia Metoki, Aishwarya Rajesh, Andrew Eck, Jim Pollaro, Anxu Wang, Vahdeta Suljic, Babatunde Adeyemo, Noah J Baden, Kristen M Scheidter, Julia S Monk, Forrest I Whiting, Nadeshka Ramirez-Perez, Samuel R Krimmel, Anita Randolph, Jarod L Roland, Ginger E Nicol, Timothy O Laumann, Scott Marek, Evan M Gordon, Marcus E Raichle, Deanna M Barch, Nico U F Dosenbach, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Prescription stimulants (e.g., methylphenidate) are thought to improve attention, but evidence from prior fMRI studies is conflicted. We utilized resting-state fMRI data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (n = 11,875; 8-11 years old) and validated the functional connectivity findings in a precision imaging drug trial with highly sampled (n = 5, 165-210 min each) healthy adults (methylphenidate 40 mg). Stimulant-related connectivity differences in sensorimotor regions matched fMRI patterns of daytime arousal, sleeping longer at night, and norepinephrine transporter expression. Taking stimulants reversed the effects of sleep deprivation on connectivity and school grades. Connectivity was also changed in salience …

Micu2 Controls Mitochondrial Calcium Signaling And Migration In Neurons During Development, Elena Berezhnaya, Benjamín Cartes-Saavedra, Raghavendra Singh, Macarena Rodríguez-Prados, Orly Reiner, Fowzan S Alkuraya, György Hajnóczky

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Neurological disorders are linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and calcium overload. Mitochondrial calcium uptake is mediated by the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (mtCU), regulated by MICU1, which can be either homodimerized or heterodimerized with MICU2 or MICU3. Though MICU2 is scarce in the adult brain, MICU2 loss in patients leads to a neurodevelopmental disorder. We hypothesized that MICU2 is required for developmental calcium signaling and neuronal migration. MICU2 is present in the developing mouse brain but disappears by maturation, contrasting with other mtCU subunits that increase. MICU2 loss in mice does not affect cytoplasmic calcium but augments the mitochondrial matrix calcium rise …

Sox11 Modulates Bcr Signaling Through The Pax5/Cd19 Axis For Therapeutic Targeting In Btk-Resistant Mantle Cell Lymphoma, Rudra Prasad Dutta, Heng-Huan Lee, Violetta V Leshchenko, Ravi Prakash Shukla, Fangfang Yan, Yang Liu, H Ümit Kaniskan, Xing Qiu, Jian Jin, Lapo Alinari, Michael Wang, Samir Parekh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an incurable subtype of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Despite multiple approved Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKis), resistance to BTKi continues to pose a major clinical challenge. The transcription factor sex determining region Y-box 11 (SOX11) is expressed in most patients with MCL and is associated with poor outcomes. We have previously demonstrated SOX11-dependent B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling in transgenic models of MCL. Here, we report that SOX11 drives BCR signaling via the transcriptional activation of the PAX5/CD19 axis. The translational potential of these results is significant as single-cell RNA sequencing data show that SOX11 is overexpressed …

Perspectives On The Future Of The Profession Of Microbiology, Todd L Kelson, Heidi B Kaplan, Michelle Dziejman, Shilpa Gadwal, Irene Hulede, Jennifer Bennett, Roger Greenwell, Shelley Payne, Kyle Maclea, Eric Miller, Diana L Vullo, Rebecca Sparks-Thissen, Astral Bertolio, Jorge Cervantes

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The Profession of Microbiology (POM) embodies the bulk of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) members and represents the career preparation arm of the ASM for academia, industry, and clinical lab professions. The ASM Council on Microbial Sciences hosted a virtual retreat in 2025 to identify the future of the POM. The retreat presentations centered on workforce development, professional development, innovations in technology, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Various aspects were identified, such as the need to prepare for careers in industry, as an important goal of future training. It was also clear that scientists, in all walks of life, need professional …

Pepquerymhc: Rapid And Comprehensive Tumor Antigen Prioritization From Immunopeptidomics Data, Seunghyuk Choi, Bing Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Determining tumor-specificity of MHC-bound peptides is crucial for cancer immunotherapy development, yet current methods struggle with class II peptides and non-reference sequences. We introduce PepQueryMHC, an ultra-fast tool that integrates MHC-bound peptide sequences with translated RNA-seq reads for efficient tumor antigen prioritization. We demonstrate its versatility in prioritizing class I and II tumor antigens, mapping the cellular origins of presented peptides, and resolving uncertainties surrounding the prevalence of proteasome-spliced peptides.

Eif3d And Eif3e Mediate Selective Translational Control Of Hypoxia That Can Be Inhibited By Small Molecules, Stephen C Purdy, Kate Matlin, Christopher Alderman, Amber Baldwin, Natasha Shrivastava, Goksu Sarioglu, Somnath Dutta, Kristofor J Webb, Arthur Wolin, Dillon P Boulton, Annika Gustafson, Jyoti Kapali, John D Landua, Michael T Lewis, M Cecilia Caino, James C Costello, William Old, Xiang Wang, Rui Zhao, Heide L Ford, Neelanjan Mukherjee

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Exposure to hypoxia is linked to increased cellular plasticity and enhanced metastasis, effects that are primarily attributed to the transcriptional activation of large gene programs downstream of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs). However, translational effects in hypoxia, which likely precede transcriptional effects, have remained largely unexplored. Using ribosome profiling, we uncovered a selective translational response in acute hypoxia that is eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF)3d/eIF3e dependent and controls downstream hypoxic responses, including HIF1α accumulation and cellular invasion. We further demonstrated that eIF3e copy number and eIF3e and eIF3d expression signatures are associated with worsened outcomes for patients with breast cancer. Finally, we identified …

Liberal Or Restrictive Postoperative Transfusion In Patients At High Cardiac Risk: The Top Randomized Clinical Trial, Panos Kougias, Sherene E Sharath, Min Zhan, Jeffrey L Carson, L Erin Norman, Zhibao Mi, Rupsi Pal, Hasan Dosluoglu, J Gregory Modrall, George A Sarosi, Peter Nelson, Shipra Arya, Alexandra Scrymgeour, Jade Ollison, Lawrence A Calais, Vijay Nambi, L Parker Gregg, Shuaib M Abdullah, Shirling Tsai, Natasha Becker, Justin C Choi, Louisa Chiu, Salvatore Scali, Neal R Barshes, Samir Awad, Mohammed Moursi, Matthew C Koopmann, Mitchell Sally, Daniel Ihnat, Archana Ramaswamy, Warren Gasper, Edith Tzeng, Mark A Wilson, Gale Tang, Grant Huang, Kousick Biswas

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Importance: Postoperative red blood cell transfusion guidelines recommend transfusion for hemoglobin levels less than 7 g/dL. However, the safety of this strategy in patients at high risk of cardiac events undergoing major operations remains unclear.

Objective: To evaluate the risk of death or major ischemic events within 90 days after a liberal transfusion strategy compared with a restrictive transfusion strategy in patients at high risk of cardiac events who had undergone major vascular or general surgery operations and developed postoperative anemia.

Design, setting, and participants: This parallel, single-blind, randomized clinical superiority trial included 1428 veterans (≥18 y) at high cardiac …

Soluble Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor And Acute Kidney Injury In Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Bhavna Bhasin-Chhabra, Tao Wang, John E Levine, Shalini Shenoy, Miguel-Angel Perales, Asad Bashey, Hershel Raff, Wael Saber

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Acute kidney injury (AKI) frequently follows hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is a biomarker of AKI in the general population. We evaluated suPAR and its association with AKI requiring dialysis (AKI-D) in patients undergoing allogeneic HCT (alloHCT). Performance of suPAR was compared with serum creatinine (sCr) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL). Data were obtained from the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network 1202 cohort, an observational study of 1709 alloHCT recipients. Adults aged ≥18 years with AKI-D after HCT were included. Adults who did not develop AKI were included as controls and matched 1:1. …

Predictive Modeling Of Hematoma Expansion From Non-Contrast Computed Tomography In Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage Patients, Natasha Ironside, Shinjini Kundu, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Hematoma expansion is a consistent predictor of poor neurological outcome and mortality after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). An incomplete understanding of its biophysiology has limited early preventative intervention. Transport-based morphometry (TBM) is a mathematical modeling technique that uses a physically meaningful metric to quantify and visualize discriminating image features that are not readily perceptible to the human eye. We hypothesized that TBM could discover relationships between hematoma morphology on initial Non-Contrast Computed Tomography (NCCT) and hematoma expansion. 170 spontaneous ICH patients enrolled in the multi-center international Virtual International Trials of Stroke Archive (VISTA-ICH) with time-series NCCT data were used for …

Association Of Shock Index And Variants With Mortality In Acute Pulmonary Embolism, Cameron P Upchurch, Kristen Sanfilippo, Daphne Lew, Maanasi Samant, Rachel Mcdonald

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is common with potential for morbidity and mortality. Several PE risk-stratification tools exist; however, more granular and patient-specific indicators of potential decompensation or short-term mortality that can be easily obtained are needed for the bedside clinician to further sub-stratify risk and inform management decisions. We sought to determine the association of early emergency department (ED) measurement of the shock index (SI) and SI variants (modified SI, SI to peripheral oxygen saturation ratio, age-adjusted SI, respiratory-adjusted SI, and double product) and mortality among patients with acute PE.

METHODS: This was an observational case-control study of adult patients …

Ribosomal Protein Control Of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transformation Through Regulation Of Metabolism, Bryan Harris, Stephen Sykes, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

We report here that expression of the ribosomal protein RPL22 is frequently reduced in human myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), and reduced RPL22 expression is associated with worse outcomes. Mice null for Rpl22 display characteristics of an MDS-like syndrome and develop leukemia at an accelerated rate. Rpl22-deficient mice also display enhanced hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal and obstructed differentiation potential, which arises not from reduced protein synthesis but from altered metabolism, including increased fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and a striking induction of the stemness factor Lin28b in the resulting leukemia. Lin28b promotes a substantial increase in lipid …

Simultaneous Initiation Of Finerenone And Empagliflozin Across The Spectrum Of Kidney Risk In The Confidence Trial, Muthiah Vaduganathan, Jennifer B Green, Hiddo J L Heerspink, Sung Gyun Kim, Johannes F E Mann, Janet B Mcgill, Amy Mottl, Masaomi Nangaku, Julio Rosenstock, Peter Rossing, Li Li, Na Li, Katja Rohwedder, Charlie Scott, Rajiv Agarwal

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The CONFIDENCE (COmbinatioN effect of FInerenone anD EmpaglifloziN in participants with CKD and type 2 diabetes using a UACR Endpoint) trial investigated the safety and efficacy of simultaneously initiating finerenone and empagliflozin for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and type 2 diabetes. This prespecified analysis aimed to determine if the predicted risk of kidney disease progression, based on KDIGO risk categories, influenced the benefits and safety of this combination therapy.

METHODS: The double-blind, double-dummy trial randomized 818 adults with CKD and type 2 diabetes [urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) ≥100 to < 5000 mg/g] to receive once-daily finerenone plus empagliflozin, finerenone alone or empagliflozin alone, all in addition to a renin-angiotensin system inhibitor. The relative change in UACR from baseline to day 180 (primary endpoint) and a >30% reduction in UACR (secondary endpoint) across KDIGO …