Digital Commons Network^™

The Fms21 (Pila)-Fms20 Locus Encoding One Of Four Distinct Pili Of Enterococcus Faecium Is Harboured On A Large Transferable Plasmid Associated With Gut Colonization And Virulence, Louis Maximilian Buja, Dwayne A Wolf, Bihong Zhao, Bindu Akkanti, Michelle Mcdonald, Laura Lelenwa, Noah Reilly, Giulia Ottaviani, M Tarek Elghetany, Daniel Ocazionez Trujillo, Gabriel M Aisenberg, Mohammad Madjid, Biswajit Kar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This paper collates the pathological findings from initial published autopsy reports on 23 patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from 5 centers in the United States of America, including 3 cases from Houston, Texas. Findings confirm that COVID-19 is a systemic disease with major involvement of the lungs and heart. Acute COVID-19 pneumonia has features of a distinctive acute interstitial pneumonia with a diffuse alveolar damage component, coupled with microvascular involvement with intra- and extravascular fibrin deposition and intravascular trapping of neutrophils, and, frequently, with formation of microthombi in arterioles. Major pulmonary thromboemboli with pulmonary infarcts and/or hemorrhage occurred in …

Paclitaxel-Coated Zilver Ptx Drug-Eluting Stent Treatment Does Not Result In Increased Long-Term All-Cause Mortality Compared To Uncoated Devices., Michael D Dake, Gary M Ansel, Marc Bosiers, Andrew Holden, Osamu Iida, Michael R Jaff, Aaron E Lottes, Erin E O'Leary, Alan T Saunders, Marc Schermerhorn, Hiroyoshi Yokoi, Thomas Zeller

Heart and Vascular Articles

PURPOSE: Patient-level data from two large studies of the Zilver PTX drug-eluting stent (DES) with long-term follow-up and concurrent non-drug comparator groups were analyzed to determine whether there was an increased mortality risk due to paclitaxel.

METHODS: Data from the Zilver PTX randomized controlled trial (RCT) and Zilver PTX and bare metal stent (BMS) Japan post-market surveillance studies were analyzed. Five-year follow-up is complete in both DES studies; follow-up for the BMS study was limited to 3 years and is complete. Kaplan-Meier analyses assessed mortality. A Cox proportional hazards model identified significant factors related to mortality.

RESULTS: In the RCT, …

Predictors Of Ceasing Or Reducing Statin Medication Following A Large Increase In The Consumer Copayment For Medications: A Retrospective Observational Study, Karla Seamon, Frank Sanfilippo, Max Bulsara, Libby Roughead, Anna Kemp-Casey, Caroline Bulsara, Gerald F. Watts, David Preen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

OBJECTIVES:

Previous Australian research has shown that following the 21% increase in patient copayments for medications on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) in 2005, the use of lipid-lowering therapy declined by 5%. This study aimed to determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of individuals who continued, reduced or ceased their use of statin medication in 2005.

STUDY TYPE:

Retrospective observational study using routinely collected administrative data.

METHOD:

We used pharmaceutical claims, hospital separations and mortality records from 2000 to 2005 for the Western Australian population. The cohort comprised stable users of statin medication in 2004. Based on changes in statin …

Investigating The Effects Of Brainstem Neuronal Adaptation On Cardiovascular Homeostasis., James H Park, Jonathan Gorky, Babatunde Ogunnaike, Rajanikanth Vadigepalli, James S Schwaber

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Central coordination of cardiovascular function is accomplished, in part, by the baroreceptor reflex, a multi-input multi-output physiological control system that regulates the activity of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems via interactions among multiple brainstem nuclei. Recent single-cell analyses within the brain revealed that individual neurons within and across brain nuclei exhibit distinct transcriptional states contributing to neuronal function. Such transcriptional heterogeneity complicates the task of understanding how neurons within and across brain nuclei organize and function to process multiple inputs and coordinate cardiovascular functions within the larger context of the baroreceptor reflex. However, prior analysis of brainstem neurons revealed …

A Remarkable Response Of Granulomatous Hypophysitis To Infliximab In A Patient With A Background Of Crohn's Disease-A Case Report, Bahar K Force, Tiphanie P Vogel, Dang M Nguyen, Kent A Heck, Sherly Sebastian, Mas Takashima, Daniel Yoshor, Susan L Samson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Associated Data

Non-Uniformity Of Projection Distributions Attenuates Resolution In Cryo-Em, Philip R Baldwin, Dmitry Lyumkis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Virtually all single-particle cryo-EM experiments currently suffer from specimen adherence to the air-water interface, leading to a non-uniform distribution in the set of projection views. Whereas it is well accepted that uniform projection distributions can lead to high-resolution reconstructions, non-uniform (anisotropic) distributions can negatively affect map quality, elongate structural features, and in some cases, prohibit interpretation altogether. Although some consequences of non-uniform sampling have been described qualitatively, we know little about how sampling quantitatively affects resolution in cryo-EM. Here, we show how inhomogeneity in any projection distribution scheme attenuates the global Fourier Shell Correlation (FSC) in relation to the number …

The Longitudinal Parallel Process Analysis Of Biomarkers Of Oxidative Stress, Symptom Clusters, And Cognitive Function In Children With Leukemia, Mary C Hooke, Daniel Hatch, Marilyn J Hockenberry, Susan Whitman, Ida Moore, David Montgomery, Kari Marano, Pauline Mitby, Michael E Scheurer, Olga Taylor, Wei Pan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: During treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), children report co-occurring symptoms of fatigue, sleep disturbance, pain, nausea, and depression as a symptom cluster. Central nervous system–directed ALL therapies also put children at risk for cognitive impairments. Cancer therapies can cause an increase in oxidative stress, which may contribute to treatment-related symptoms. This study examined the longitudinal relationships between biomarkers of oxidative stress in the cerebrospinal fluid, the Childhood Cancer Symptom Cluster–Leukemia (CCSC-L), and cognition, in children over the first year of ALL treatment. Methods: Glutathione (GSH) biomarkers of oxidative stress were measured in cerebrospinal fluid collected during treatment lumbar …

The Vimentin Rod Domain Blocks P-Selectin-P-Selectin Glycoprotein Ligand 1 Interactions To Attenuate Leukocyte Adhesion To Inflamed Endothelium, Fong Wilson Lam, Cameron August Brown, Christian Valladolid, Dabel Cynthia Emebo, Timothy Gerald Palzkill, Miguel Angel Cruz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Acute inflammation begins with leukocyte P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) binding to P-selectin on inflamed endothelium and platelets. In pathologic conditions, this process may contribute to secondary organ damage, like sepsis-induced liver injury. Therefore, developing novel therapies to attenuate inflammation may be beneficial. We previously reported that recombinant human vimentin (rhVim) binds P-selectin to block leukocyte adhesion to endothelium and platelets. In this study, we used SPOT-peptide arrays to identify the rod domain as the active region within rhVim that interacts with P-selectin. Indeed, recombinant human rod domain of vimentin (rhRod) binds to P-selectin with high affinity, with in silico modeling …

Aromatase Inhibitors Plus Weight Loss Improves The Hormonal Profile Of Obese Hypogonadal Men Without Causing Major Side Effects, Georgia Colleluori, Rui Chen, Christie G Turin, Francesca Vigevano, Clifford Qualls, Biju Johnson, Sanjay Mediwala, Dennis T Villareal, Reina Armamento-Villareal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: In obese men, the increased expression of the aromatase enzyme in adipose tissue leads to high conversion of androgens to estrogens contributing to hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HHG). Our objective is to evaluate efficacy and safety of weight loss (WL) plus aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy in severely obese men with HHG. We hypothesize that AI+WL will be more effective as compared to WL alone in improving the hormonal profile, thus muscle strength and symptoms of HHG (primary outcomes), with no significant adverse effects on lean mass, metabolic profile, and bone mineral density (secondary outcomes).

Design: Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled pilot trial.

Methods: …

Perioperative Acute Kidney Injury, Sam D Gumbert, Felix Kork, Maisie L Jackson, Naveen Vanga, Semhar J Ghebremichael, Christy Y Wang, Holger K Eltzschig

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Perioperative organ injury is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality of surgical patients. Among different types of perioperative organ injury, acute kidney injury occurs particularly frequently and has an exceptionally detrimental effect on surgical outcomes. Currently, acute kidney injury is most commonly diagnosed by assessing increases in serum creatinine concentration or decreased urine output. Recently, novel biomarkers have become a focus of translational research for improving timely detection and prognosis for acute kidney injury. However, specificity and timing of biomarker release continue to present challenges to their integration into existing diagnostic regimens. Despite many clinical trials using various …

Metaproteomic Analysis Of Human Gut Microbiome In Digestive And Metabolic Diseases, Sheng Pan, Ru Chen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Metaproteomics, as a subfield of proteomics, has quickly emerged as a pivotal tool for global characterization of a microbiome system at a functional level. It has been increasingly applied in studying human digestive and metabolic diseases, and provides information-rich data to identify the dysbiosis of human gut microbiome related to healthy or disease states to elucidate the molecular events underlying host-microbiota interplays. While significant technical challenges still exist, this emerging technology has been demonstrated to provide essential information in interrogating functional changes in the human gut microbiome, complementary to metagenomics and metatranscriptomics. This chapter overviews the overall metaproteomic work flow …

Large Sinus Of Valsalva Aneurysm Complicated By Thrombus Formation, Milan Ravishankar, Ali Ghergherehchi, Jing Liu, Ernesto Jimenez, Umair Khalid

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (SOVA) is an unusual cardiac anomaly that is potentially fatal with rupture. It is often asymptomatic but has various presentations. We describe a case of a 67-year-old male who presented with atypical chest pain. Transthoracic echocardiogram and cardiac computed tomography scan confirmed a large SOVA complicated by thrombus formation and compression of the left atrium and left ventricular outflow tract. The patient successfully underwent a Bentall procedure-surgical aortic aneurysm repair with mechanical aortic valve conduit. We discuss several clinical decision-making branch points to highlight the complexity of managing this condition. Even in asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic …

Hypogonadism, Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus, And Bone Health: A Narrative Review, Vittoria Russo, Rui Chen, Reina Armamento-Villareal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

One of the complications from chronic hyperglycemia and insulin resistance due to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in men is the high prevalence of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH). Both T2DM and hypogonadism are associated with impaired bone health and increased fracture risk but whether the combination results in even worse bone disease than either one alone is not well-studied. It is possible that having both conditions predisposes men to an even greater risk for fracture than either one alone. Given the common occurrence of HH or hypogonadism in general in T2DM, a significant number of men could …

Prevalence Of Chronic Hepatitis B In Oro Province, Papua New Guinea, Alice Unah Lee, Luke Mair, Bob Kevin, Lily Gandi, Olive Tarumuri, Caroline Lee, Sue Huntley, David Carl Hilmers

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) affects over 250 million people worldwide. In Papua New Guinea, the prevalence of CHB has been estimated to be over 8%, and it is a leading cause of death. To address this problem, an alliance was formed between the government of Oro Province, a large private employer and an Australian nongovernmental organization, which established a CHB test and treatment programme. Between 2014 and 2019, rapid hepatitis B surface antigen testing was performed on 4068 individuals in Oro Province. The crude prevalence rate was 12.98% and was significantly higher in males (15.26%) than females (10.94%) (P < 0.001). The rate was 4.72% among children aged 10 years and under, 12.81% among women of childbearing age (19–35 years) and 18.48% among health-care workers. These results indicate that the rates of vaccination at birth and later among women of childbearing age and health-care workers must be improved to prevent transmission of CHB.

Metaphorical Cities - Behind The Cover Art, Elana Melissa Hill

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This is a reflection on how cities function like organisms. An artist's interpretation of the spaces surrounding them.

Metaphorical Cities, Elana Melissa Hill

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This is a reflection on how cities function like organisms. An artist's interpretation of the spaces surrounding them.

What Is A City?, Sara Kapadia

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

A short reflection on the question, 'what is a city?'

Incidence Of Initial Renal Replacement Therapy Over The Course Of Kidney Disease In Children., Derek K. Ng, Matthew B. Matheson, Bradley A. Warady, Susan R. Mendley, Susan L. Furth, Alvaro Muñoz

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The Chronic Kidney Disease in Children Study, a prospective cohort study with data collected from 2003 to 2018, provided the first opportunity to characterize the incidence of renal replacement therapy (RRT) initiation over the life course of pediatric kidney diseases. In the current analysis, parametric generalized gamma models were fitted and extrapolated for RRT overall and by specific treatment modality (dialysis or preemptive kidney transplant). Children were stratified by type of diagnosis: nonglomerular (mostly congenital; n = 650), glomerular-hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS; n = 49), or glomerular-non-HUS (heterogeneous childhood onset; n = 216). Estimated durations of time to RRT after …

Intervention For Cognitive Reserve Enhancement In Delaying The Onset Of Alzheimer's Symptomatic Expression (Increase), A Randomized Controlled Trial: Rationale, Study Design, And Protocol, Daniela C. Moga, Brooke F. Beech, Erin L. Abner, Frederick A. Schmitt, Riham H. El Khouli, Ashley I. Martinez, Lynne Eckmann, Mark Huffmyer, Rosmy George, Gregory A. Jicha

Pharmacy Practice and Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The course of Alzheimer's disease (AD) includes a 10-20-year preclinical period with progressive accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the absence of symptomatic cognitive or functional decline. The duration of this preclinical stage in part depends on the rate of pathologic progression, which is offset by compensatory mechanisms, referred to as cognitive reserve (CR). Comorbid medical conditions, psychosocial stressors, and inappropriate medication use may lower CR, hastening the onset of symptomatic AD. Here, we describe a randomized controlled trial (RCT) designed to test the efficacy of a medication therapy management (MTM) intervention to reduce inappropriate …

Interactions With Humans Shape Coyote Responses To Hazing, Julie K. Young, Edd Hammill, Stewart W. Breck

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Medium and large carnivores coexist with people in urban areas globally, occasionally resulting in negative interactions that prompt questions about how to reduce human-wildlife conflict. Hazing, i.e., scaring wildlife, is frequently promoted as an important non-lethal means for urbanites to reduce conflict but there is limited scientific evidence for its efficacy. We used a population of captive coyotes (Canis latrans) to simulate urban human-coyote interactions and subsequent effects of hazing on coyote behavior. Past experiences with humans significantly affected the number of times a coyote approached a human to necessitate hazing. Coyotes that had been hand fed by …

Patient Safety Escape Room: A Graduate Medical Education Simulation For Event Reporting., Gretchen Diemer, Rebecca Jaffe, Dimitrios Papanagnou, Xiao Chi Zhang, Jillian Zavodnick

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

Introduction: Although residents are on the front lines of patient care, they enter few formal patient safety reports on the adverse events and near misses they witness. Demonstrating the rationale and mechanics of reporting may improve this.

Methods: We designed and implemented an escape room patient safety simulation to incorporate active learning, gamification, and adult learning theory into intern patient safety onboarding. Interns from all sponsoring institution programs participated, identifying, mitigating, and reporting a range of patient safety hazards. Props and faculty time were the major resources required.

Results: One hundred twenty interns participated in this simulation in June 2018. …

Protein And Polysaccharide-Based Magnetic Composite Materials For Medical Applications., Elizabeth J Bealer, Kyril Kavetsky, Sierra Dutko, Samuel Lofland, Xiao Hu

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

The combination of protein and polysaccharides with magnetic materials has been implemented in biomedical applications for decades. Proteins such as silk, collagen, and elastin and polysaccharides such as chitosan, cellulose, and alginate have been heavily used in composite biomaterials. The wide diversity in the structure of the materials including their primary monomer/amino acid sequences allow for tunable properties. Various types of these composites are highly regarded due to their biocompatible, thermal, and mechanical properties while retaining their biological characteristics. This review provides information on protein and polysaccharide materials combined with magnetic elements in the biomedical space showcasing the materials used, …

Safety Of Paclitaxel-Coated Balloon Angioplasty For Femoropopliteal Peripheral Artery Disease, Kenneth Ouriel, Mark A. Adelman, Kenneth Rosenfield, Dierk Scheinert, Marianne Brodmann, Constantino Peña, Patrick Geraghty, Arthur Lee, Roseann White, Daniel G. Clair

2010-2019 OA Pubs

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess safety outcomes of femoropopliteal drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty using patient-level data from the Lutonix clinical program.

BACKGROUND: A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of heterogenous trials and summary-level data identified increased long-term mortality in patients treated with paclitaxel-coated balloons and stents.

METHODS: We evaluated DCB angioplasty (n = 1,093) and uncoated balloon angioplasty (percutaneous transluminal angioplasty [PTA]) (n = 250) outcomes in LEVANT 1 (The Lutonix Paclitaxel-Coated Balloon for the Prevention of Femoropopliteal Restenosis), LEVANT 2 (Moxy Drug Coated Balloon vs. Standard Balloon Angioplasty for the Treatment of Femoropopliteal Arteries), and …

Anticipation, Accompaniment, And A Good Death In Perinatal Care., Bryanna S. Moore, Brian S. Carter, Bryan Beaven, Katie House, Joel House

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The ethics of perinatal care, and the experiences of families who receive such care, remains a nascent area of inquiry. It can be hard to see how existing "good death" constructs apply to the experiences of fetal patients and their families. In this paper, we explore two themes raised by a case at our fetal health center: anticipation and accompaniment. In this case, a mother presented to our fetal health center; her unborn son, our fetal patient, was diagnosed with life-threatening hypoplastic left heart syndrome and endocardial fibroelastosis. The parents were told that their son's life expectancy, upon birth, was …

Immunomodulatory Activity Of Humanized Anti-Il-7r Monoclonal Antibody Rn168 In Subjects With Type 1 Diabetes, Kevan C Herold, Jing Hughes, Janet B Mcgill, Et Al

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: The cytokine IL-7 is critical for T cell development and function. We performed a Phase Ib study in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) to evaluate how blockade of IL-7 would affect immune cells and relevant clinical responses.

METHODS: Thirty-seven subjects with T1D received s.c. RN168, a monoclonal antibody that blocks the IL -7 receptor α (IL7Rα) in a dose-escalating study.

RESULTS: Between 90% and 100% IL-7R occupancy and near-complete inhibition of pSTAT5 was observed at doses of RN168 1 mg/kg every other week (Q2wk) and greater. There was a significant decline in CD4+ and CD8+ effector and central …

Impact Of Motor Therapy With Dynamic Body-Weight Support On Functional Independence Measures In Traumatic Brain Injury: An Exploratory Study, Emily F. Anggelis, Elizabeth Salmon Powell, Philip M. Westgate, Amanda C. Glueck, Lumy Sawaki

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Contemporary goals of rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury (TBI) aim to improve cognitive and motor function by applying concepts of neuroplasticity. This can be challenging to carry out in TBI patients with motor, balance, and cognitive impairments.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether use of dynamic body-weight support (DBWS) would allow safe administration of intensive motor therapy during inpatient rehabilitation and whether its use would yield greater improvement in functional recovery than standard-of-care (SOC) therapy in adults with TBI.

METHODS: Data in this retrospective cohort study was collected from patients with TBI who receive inpatient rehabilitation incorporating DBWS (n = …

Single-Nuclei Rna-Seq On Human Retinal Tissue Provides Improved Transcriptome Profiling, Qingnan Liang, Rachayata Dharmat, Leah Owen, Akbar Shakoor, Yumei Li, Sangbae Kim, Albert Vitale, Ivana Kim, Denise Morgan, Shaoheng Liang, Nathaniel Wu, Ken Chen, Margaret M Deangelis, Rui Chen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Single-cell RNA-seq is a powerful tool in decoding the heterogeneity in complex tissues by generating transcriptomic profiles of the individual cell. Here, we report a single-nuclei RNA-seq (snRNA-seq) transcriptomic study on human retinal tissue, which is composed of multiple cell types with distinct functions. Six samples from three healthy donors are profiled and high-quality RNA-seq data is obtained for 5873 single nuclei. All major retinal cell types are observed and marker genes for each cell type are identified. The gene expression of the macular and peripheral retina is compared to each other at cell-type level. Furthermore, our dataset shows an …

Genetic Variations In The Dopamine Reward System Influence Exercise Reinforcement And Tolerance For Exercise Intensity, Kyle D. Flack, Christopher Pankey, Kelsey Elise Ufholz, Luann Johnson, James N. Roemmich

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

Background: Exercise is a reinforcing behavior and finding exercise highly reinforcing is characteristic of habitual exercisers. Genotypes related to dopamine metabolism moderate the reinforcing value of behaviors, but genetic moderators of exercise reinforcement have not been established.

Purpose: Determine whether singular nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that moderate central reward pathways and pain neurotransmission are associated with exercise reinforcement, tolerance for exercise intensity, and usual physical activity.

Methods: Adults (n = 178) were measured for the reinforcing value of exercise relative to sedentary activities (RRV_exercise), minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and completed the Preference for and Tolerance …

Treatment Of Dental Complications In Sickle Cell Disease., Priti Mulimani, Samir K. Ballas, Adinegara Bl Abas, Laxminarayan Karanth

Cardeza Foundation for Hematologic Research

BACKGROUND: Sickle cell disease is the most common single gene disorder and the commonest haemoglobinopathy found with high prevalence in many populations across the world. Management of dental complications in people with sickle cell disease requires special consideration for three main reasons. Firstly, dental and oral tissues are affected by the blood disorder resulting in several oro-facial abnormalities. Secondly, living with a haemoglobinopathy and coping with its associated serious consequences may result in individuals neglecting their oral health care. Finally, the treatment of these oral complications must be adapted to the systemic condition and special needs of these individuals, in …

The Role Of Glia In Epilepsy, Intellectual Disability, And Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders In Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, Michael Wong

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic disorder characterized by severe neurological manifestations, including epilepsy, intellectual disability, autism, and a range of other behavioral and psychiatric symptoms, collectively referred to as TSC-associated neuropsychiatric disorders (TAND). Various tumors and hamartomas affecting different organs are the pathological hallmarks of the disease, especially cortical tubers of the brain, but specific cellular and molecular abnormalities, such as involving the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, have been identified that also cause or contribute to neurological manifestations of TSC independent of gross structural lesions. In particular, while neurons are immediate mediators of neurological symptoms, …