Digital Commons Network^™

Clinical Evaluation Of Exercise Capacity In Adults With Systemic Right Ventricle, Beata Rog, Kinga Salapa, Magdalena Okolska, Natalia Dluzniewska, Piotr Werynski, Piotr Podolec, Lidia Tomkiewicz-Pajak

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

The right ventricle provides systemic circulation in individuals with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (CCTGA) and in those with complete transposition who have had an atrial switch repair (DTGA). The aim of this study was to evaluate how the systemic right ventricle adapts to increased workload and oxygen demand during exercise. From November 2005 through December 2015, 3,358 adult patients with congenital heart disease were treated at our institution; we identified 48 (26 females, 22 males; median age, 25.4 ± 8.1 yr) who met the study criteria; 37 had DTGA and atrial switch repair, and 11 had CCTGA. …

Cardiac Replacement In Our Lifetime, Jack G Copeland

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

No abstract provided.

Preventing A Catastrophe: Increasing Awareness Of Loeys-Dietz Syndrome, Bradley S Kane, Kamran Shamsa

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Loeys-Dietz syndrome is a genetic disorder that predisposes patients to aortic aneurysms. If left untreated, the natural history of the associated aortopathy often culminates in fatal aortic dissection. We describe the case of a 21-year-old man who was diagnosed with Loeys-Dietz syndrome after 2 family members died of aortic dissection. This case highlights the importance of increased physician awareness of this syndrome, which can play a crucial role in preventing premature sudden cardiac death caused by aortic catastrophe.

The Future Of Tissue Engineering In Heart Transplantation, Doris A Taylor

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

No abstract provided.

Chicken-Fried Steak Changed My Outlook On Medicine, Michael J Lehner

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

No abstract provided.

Waiting For Test Results, Herbert L Fred

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

No abstract provided.

Penetrating Atherosclerotic Ulcer Of The Ascending Aorta Found Incidentally In A 71-Year-Old Man, Antonino M Grande, Dario Di Perna, Adele Valentini, Eloisa Arbustini

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

No abstract provided.

Role Of Multimodal Cardiac Imaging In Diagnosing A Primary Intimal Sarcoma Of The Left Atrial Appendage, Kara L Raphael, Anthony P Martinez, Stephen D Clements, Ijeoma Isiadinso

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Primary cardiac tumors are rare, and most are benign. Intimal sarcomas are among the rarest of the malignant cardiac tumors; they are aggressive and associated with a poor prognosis. Whereas transesophageal echocardiography has been instrumental in evaluating cardiac masses, other imaging methods, such as cardiac magnetic resonance, have proved invaluable in accurately characterizing these masses. We present the case of a 49-year-old woman in whom we diagnosed a primary intimal sarcoma of the left atrial appendage, and we discuss the importance of multimodal imaging in the evaluation and diagnosis of cardiac masses.

A Rational Approach For Creating Peptides Mimicking Antibody Binding, Sameer Sachdeva, Hyun Joo, Jerry Tsai, Bhaskara Jasti, Xiaoling Li

School of Pharmacy Faculty Articles

This study reports a novel method to design peptides that mimic antibody binding. Using the Knob-Socket model for protein-protein interaction, the interaction surface between Cetuximab and EGFR was mapped. EGFR binding peptides were designed based on geometry and the probability of the mapped knob-sockets pairs. Designed peptides were synthesized and then characterized for binding specificity, affinity, cytotoxicity of drug-peptide conjugate and inhibition of phosphorylation. In cell culture studies, designed peptides specifically bind and internalize to EGFR overexpressing cells with three to four-fold higher uptake compared to control cells that do not overexpress EGFR. The designed peptide, Pep11, bound to EGFR …

Adgrl3 (Lphn3) Variants Predict Substance Use Disorder, Mauricio Arcos-Burgos, Jorge I. Vélez, Ariel F. Martinez, Marta Ribasés, Josep A. Ramos-Quiroga, Cristina Sánchez-Mora, Vanesa Richarte, Carlos Roncero, Bru Cormand, Noelia Fernández-Castillo, Miguel Casas, Francisco Lopera, David A. Pineda, Juan D. Palacio, Johan E. Acosta-López, Martha L. Cervantes-Henriquez, Manuel G. Sánchez-Rojas, Pedro J. Puentes-Rozo, Brooke S. G. Molina, Mta Cooperative Group, Margaret T. Boden, Deeann Wallis, Brett Lidbury, Saul Newman, Simon Easteal, James Swanson, Hardip Patel, Nora Volkow, Maria T. Acosta, Francisco X. Castellanos, Jose De Leon

Psychiatry Faculty Publications

Genetic factors are strongly implicated in the susceptibility to develop externalizing syndromes such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and substance use disorder (SUD). Variants in the ADGRL3 (LPHN3) gene predispose to ADHD and predict ADHD severity, disruptive behaviors comorbidity, long-term outcome, and response to treatment. In this study, we investigated whether variants within ADGRL3 are associated with SUD, a disorder that is frequently co-morbid with ADHD. Using family-based, case-control, and longitudinal samples from disparate regions of the world (n = 2698), recruited either for clinical, genetic epidemiological or pharmacogenomic studies of ADHD, we …

Multiancestry Genome-Wide Association Study Of Lipid Levels Incorporating Gene-Alcohol Interactions, Paul S. De Vries, Yun J. Sung, Karen Schwander, Aldi T. Kraja, Mary F. Feitosa, Lisa De Las Fuentes, Renee De Mutsert, C Charles Gu, Yize Li, Treva K. Rice, Lihua Wang, Christine Williams, Mary K. Wojczynski, Michael A. Province, Dabeeru C. Rao, Et Al

Open Access Publications

A person's lipid profile is influenced by genetic variants and alcohol consumption, but the contribution of interactions between these exposures has not been studied. We therefore incorporated gene-alcohol interactions into a multiancestry genome-wide association study of levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides. We included 45 studies in stage 1 (genome-wide discovery) and 66 studies in stage 2 (focused follow-up), for a total of 394,584 individuals from 5 ancestry groups. Analyses covered the period July 2014-November 2017. Genetic main effects and interaction effects were jointly assessed by means of a 2-degrees-of-freedom (df) test, and a 1-df test …

Immunization Of Alpacas (Lama Pacos) With Protein Antigens And Production Of Antigen-Specific Single Domain Antibodies, K. Martin Chow, Sidney W. Whiteheart, Jeffrey R. Smiley, Savita Sharma, Kathy Boaz, Meggie J. Coleman, Alvina Maynard, Louis B. Hersh, Craig W. Vander Kooi

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

In this manuscript, a method for the immunization of alpaca and the use of molecular biology methods to produce antigen-specific single domain antibodies is described and demonstrated. Camelids, such as alpacas and llamas, have become a valuable resource for biomedical research since they produce a novel type of heavy chain-only antibody which can be used to produce single domain antibodies. Because the immune system is highly flexible, single domain antibodies can be made to many different protein antigens, and even different conformations of the antigen, with a very high degree of specificity. These features, among others, make single domain antibodies …

Assessing The Effect Of Patient To Provider Language Discordance On Depression Screening Utilizing The Patient Health Questionnaire: An Epidemiology Study., Luis A. Murillo, Georgi Alex Grekoff, John C. Sheffield

Reading Hospital Family Medicine Residency

Background: As depression screening becomes a standard in primary care, the question remains of how effective and equitable screening can be implemented to avoid cultural and language-related disparities.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, rates of depression screening were compared for 3626 adult patients at a family medicine residency-based health centre in Pennsylvania, USA. The PHQ-2/PHQ-9 modality was verbally administered by nursing staff at the time of patient intake as part of a universal screening initiative. Chi-square analysis was used to determine the univariate associations of performed depression screening with variables of language, ethnicity, gender and number of office visits. …

Shared Heritability And Functional Enrichment Across Six Solid Cancers., Xia Jiang, Hilary K Finucane, Fredrick R Schumacher, Stephanie L Schmit, Jonathan P Tyrer, Younghun Han, Kyriaki Michailidou, Corina Lesseur, Karoline B Kuchenbaecker, Joe Dennis, David V Conti, Graham Casey, Mia M Gaudet, Jeroen R Huyghe, Demetrius Albanes, Melinda C Aldrich, Angeline S Andrew, Irene L Andrulis, Hoda Anton-Culver, Antonis C Antoniou, Natalia N Antonenkova, Susanne M Arnold, Kristan J Aronson, Banu K Arun, Elisa V Bandera, Rosa B Barkardottir, Daniel R Barnes, Jyotsna Batra, Matthias W Beckmann, Javier Benitez, Sara Benlloch, Andrew Berchuck, Sonja I Berndt, Heike Bickeböller, Stephanie A Bien, Carl Blomqvist, Stefania Boccia, Natalia V Bogdanova, Stig E Bojesen, Manjeet K Bolla, Hiltrud Brauch, Hermann Brenner, James D Brenton, Mark N Brook, Joan Brunet, Hans Brunnström, Daniel D Buchanan, Barbara Burwinkel, Ralf Butzow, Gabriella Cadoni, Trinidad Caldés, Maria A Caligo, Ian Campbell, Peter T Campbell, Géraldine Cancel-Tassin, Lisa Cannon-Albright, Daniele Campa, Neil Caporaso, André L Carvalho, Andrew T Chan, Jenny Chang-Claude, Stephen J Chanock, Chu Chen, David C Christiani, Kathleen B M Claes, Frank Claessens, Judith Clements, J Margriet Collée, Marcia Cruz Correa, Fergus J Couch, Angela Cox, Julie M Cunningham, Cezary Cybulski, Kamila Czene, Mary B Daly, Anna Defazio, Peter Devilee, Orland Diez, Manuela Gago-Dominguez, Jenny L Donovan, Thilo Dörk, Eric J Duell, Alison M Dunning, Miriam Dwek, Diana M Eccles, Christopher K Edlund, Digna R Velez Edwards, Carolina Ellberg, D Gareth Evans, Peter A Fasching, Robert L Ferris, Triantafillos Liloglou, Jane C Figueiredo, Olivia Fletcher, Renée T Fortner, Florentia Fostira, Silvia Franceschi, Eitan Friedman, Steven J Gallinger, Patricia A Ganz, Judy Garber, José A García-Sáenz, Simon A Gayther, Graham G Giles, Andrew K Godwin, Mark S Goldberg, David E Goldgar, Ellen L Goode, Marc T Goodman, Gary E Goodman, Kjell Grankvist, Mark H Greene, Henrik Gronberg, Jacek Gronwald, Pascal Guénel, Niclas Håkansson, Per Hall, Ute Hamann, Freddie C Hamdy, Robert J Hamilton, Jochen Hampe, Aage Haugen, Florian Heitz, Rolando Herrero, Peter Hillemanns, Michael Hoffmeister, Estrid Høgdall, Yun-Chul Hong, John L Hopper, Richard Houlston, Peter J Hulick, David J Hunter, David G Huntsman, Gregory Idos, Evgeny N Imyanitov, Sue Ann Ingles, Claudine Isaacs, Anna Jakubowska, Paul James, Mark A Jenkins, Mattias Johansson, Mikael Johansson, Esther M John, Amit D Joshi, Radka Kaneva, Beth Y Karlan, Linda E Kelemen, Tabea Kühl, Kay-Tee Khaw, Elza Khusnutdinova, Adam S Kibel, Lambertus A Kiemeney, Jeri Kim, Susanne K Kjaer, Julia A Knight, Manolis Kogevinas, Zsofia Kote-Jarai, Stella Koutros, Vessela N Kristensen, Jolanta Kupryjanczyk, Martin Lacko, Stephan Lam, Diether Lambrechts, Maria Teresa Landi, Philip Lazarus, Nhu D Le, Eunjung Lee, Flavio Lejbkowicz, Heinz-Josef Lenz, Goska Leslie, Davor Lessel, Jenny Lester, Douglas A Levine, Li Li, Christopher I Li, Annika Lindblom, Noralane M Lindor, Geoffrey Liu, Fotios Loupakis, Jan Lubiński, Lovise Maehle, Christiane Maier, Arto Mannermaa, Loic Le Marchand, Sara Margolin, Taymaa May, Lesley Mcguffog, Alfons Meindl, Pooja Middha, Austin Miller, Roger L Milne, Robert J Macinnis, Francesmary Modugno, Marco Montagna, Victor Moreno, Kirsten B Moysich, Lorelei Mucci, Kenneth Muir, Anna Marie Mulligan, Katherine L Nathanson, David E Neal, Andrew R Ness, Susan L Neuhausen, Heli Nevanlinna, Polly A Newcomb, Lisa F Newcomb, Finn Cilius Nielsen, Liene Nikitina-Zake, Børge G Nordestgaard, Robert L Nussbaum, Kenneth Offit, Edith Olah, Ali Amin Al Olama, Olufunmilayo I Olopade, Andrew F Olshan, Håkan Olsson, Ana Osorio, Hardev Pandha, Jong Y Park, Nora Pashayan, Michael T Parsons, Tanja Pejovic, Kathryn L Penney, Wilbert H M Peters, Catherine M Phelan, Amanda I Phipps, Dijana Plaseska-Karanfilska, Miranda Pring, Darya Prokofyeva, Paolo Radice, Kari Stefansson, Susan J Ramus, Leon Raskin, Gad Rennert, Hedy S Rennert, Elizabeth J Van Rensburg, Marjorie J Riggan, Harvey A Risch, Angela Risch, Monique J Roobol, Barry S Rosenstein, Mary Anne Rossing, Kim De Ruyck, Emmanouil Saloustros, Dale P Sandler, Elinor J Sawyer, Matthew B Schabath, Johanna Schleutker, Marjanka K Schmidt, V Wendy Setiawan, Hongbing Shen, Erin M Siegel, Weiva Sieh, Christian F Singer, Martha L Slattery, Karina Dalsgaard Sorensen, Melissa C Southey, Amanda B Spurdle, Janet L Stanford, Victoria L Stevens, Sebastian Stintzing, Jennifer Stone, Karin Sundfeldt, Rebecca Sutphen, Anthony J Swerdlow, Eloiza H Tajara, Catherine M Tangen, Adonina Tardon, Jack A Taylor, M Dawn Teare, Manuel R Teixeira, Mary Beth Terry, Kathryn L Terry, Stephen N Thibodeau, Mads Thomassen, Line Bjørge, Marc Tischkowitz, Amanda E Toland, Diana Torres, Paul A Townsend, Ruth C Travis, Nadine Tung, Shelley S Tworoger, Cornelia M Ulrich, Nawaid Usmani, Celine M Vachon, Els Van Nieuwenhuysen, Ana Vega, Miguel Elías Aguado-Barrera, Qin Wang, Penelope M Webb, Clarice R Weinberg, Stephanie Weinstein, Mark C Weissler, Jeffrey N Weitzel, Catharine M L West, Emily White, Alice S Whittemore, H-Erich Wichmann, Fredrik Wiklund, Robert Winqvist, Alicja Wolk, Penella Woll, Michael Woods, Anna H Wu, Xifeng Wu, Drakoulis Yannoukakos, Wei Zheng, Shanbeh Zienolddiny, Argyrios Ziogas, Kristin K Zorn, Jacqueline M Lane, Richa Saxena, Duncan Thomas, Rayjean J Hung, Brenda Diergaarde, James Mckay, Ulrike Peters, Li Hsu, Montserrat García-Closas, Rosalind A Eeles, Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Paul J Brennan, Christopher A Haiman, Jacques Simard, Douglas F Easton, Stephen B Gruber, Paul D P Pharoah, Alkes L Price, Bogdan Pasaniuc, Christopher I Amos, Peter Kraft, Sara Lindström

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Quantifying the genetic correlation between cancers can provide important insights into the mechanisms driving cancer etiology. Using genome-wide association study summary statistics across six cancer types based on a total of 296,215 cases and 301,319 controls of European ancestry, here we estimate the pair-wise genetic correlations between breast, colorectal, head/neck, lung, ovary and prostate cancer, and between cancers and 38 other diseases. We observed statistically significant genetic correlations between lung and head/neck cancer (r

Biosynthetic And Synthetic Strategies For Assembling Capuramycin-Type Antituberculosis Antibiotics, Ashley L. Biecker, Xiaodong Liu, Jon S. Thorson, Zhaoyong Yang, Steven G. Van Lanen

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) has recently surpassed HIV/AIDS as the leading cause of death by a single infectious agent. The standard therapeutic regimen against tuberculosis (TB) remains a long, expensive process involving a multidrug regimen, and the prominence of multidrug-resistant (MDR), extensively drug-resistant (XDR), and totally drug-resistant (TDR) strains continues to impede treatment success. An underexplored class of natural products—the capuramycin-type nucleoside antibiotics—have been shown to have potent anti-TB activity by inhibiting bacterial translocase I, a ubiquitous and essential enzyme that functions in peptidoglycan biosynthesis. The present review discusses current literature concerning the biosynthesis and chemical synthesis of capuramycin …

Quality Assurance Guidelines For Interstitial Hyperthermia., H. Dobšíček Trefná, M. Schmidt, G. C. Van Rhoon, H. P. Kok, S. S. Gordeyev, U. Lamprecht, D. Marder, J. Nadobny, P. Ghadjar, S Abdel-Rahman, A. M. Kukiełka, V. Strnad, M. D. Hurwitz, Z. Vujaskovic, C. J. Diederich, P. R. Stauffer, J. Crezee

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

Quality assurance (QA) guidelines are essential to provide uniform execution of clinical hyperthermia treatments and trials. This document outlines the clinical and technical consequences of the specific properties of interstitial heat delivery and specifies recommendations for hyperthermia administration with interstitial techniques. Interstitial hyperthermia aims at tumor temperatures in the 40-44 °C range as an adjunct to radiation or chemotherapy. The clinical part of this document imparts specific clinical experience of interstitial heat delivery to various tumor sites as well as recommended interstitial hyperthermia workflow and procedures. The second part describes technical requirements for quality assurance of current interstitial heating equipment …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Seattle-Pap For The Respiratory Support Of Premature Neonates: Study Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial., Carl H Backes, Jennifer L Notestine, Jane M Lamp, Jeanne C Balough, Allison M Notestine, Crystal M Alfred, Juli M Kern, Michael R Stenger, Brian K Rivera, Mohannad Moallem, Randy R Miller, Apurwa Naik, Jennifer N Cooper, Christopher R Howard, Stephen E Welty, Noah H Hillman, John A F Zupancic, Larissa I Stanberry, Thomas N Hansen, Charles V Smith

OhioHealth Research Institute Articles

BACKGROUND: At birth, the majority of neonates born at < 30 weeks of gestation require respiratory support to facilitate transition and ensure adequate gas exchange. Although the optimal approach to the initial respiratory management is uncertain, the American Academy of Pediatrics endorses noninvasive respiratory support with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) for premature neonates with respiratory insufficiency. Despite evidence for its use, nCPAP failure, requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation, is common. Recently, investigators have described a novel method to deliver bubble nCPAP, termed Seattle-PAP. While preclinical and pilot studies are encouraging regarding the potential value of Seattle-PAP, a large trial is needed to compare Seattle-PAP directly with the current standard of care for bubble nCPAP (Fisher & Paykel CPAP or FP-CPAP).

METHODS/DESIGN: We designed a multicenter, non-blinded, randomized controlled trial that will enroll 230 premature infants (22

DISCUSSION: This trial will assess whether Seattle-PAP is more efficacious and cost-effective than FP-CPAP in real-world practice among premature neonates.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03085329 . Registered on 21 March 2017.

Developing And Assessing The Feasibility Of A Home-Based Preexposure Prophylaxis Monitoring And Support Program, Aaron J Siegler, Kenneth H Mayer, Albert Y Liu, Rupa R Patel, Lauren M Ahlschlager, Colleen S Kraft, Rossi Fish, Sarah E Wiatrek, Patrick S Sullivan

2010-2019 OA Pubs

We piloted PrEP@Home, a preexposure prophylaxis system of remote laboratory and behavioral monitoring designed to replace routine quarterly follow-up visits with home care to reduce the patient and provider burden. The system was highly acceptable and in-demand for future use, and more than one-third of participants reported greater likelihood of persisting in care if available.

Cancer Screening For Transgender Patients: An Online Case-Based Module, Devin Oller

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction: Guidelines recommend that primary care providers complete organ-based routine cancer screening for all transgender patients. Training on critical transgender health topics like cancer screening, as well as residents' confidence in addressing issues their transgender patients may face, remains limited among graduate medical education (GME) programs. Online case-based modules are an effective tool for skills improvement in GME, but their application to transgender health topics has not been assessed.

Methods: I developed a brief online module on cancer screening for transgender patients using Google Forms and offered it to first-year internal medicine residents. The module was optional and asynchronous with …

Sustainability Of Public Health Interventions: Where Are The Gaps?, David Roger Walugembe, Shannon Sibbald, Marlene Janzen Le Ber, Anita Kothari

Health Studies Publications

The current scholarly focus on implementation science is meant to ensure that public health interventions are effectively embedded in their settings. Part of this conversation includes understanding how to support the sustainability of beneficial interventions so that limited resources are maximised, long-term public health outcomes are realised, community support is not lost, and ethical research standards are maintained. However, the concept of sustainability is confusing because of variations in terminology and a lack of agreed upon measurement frameworks, as well as methodological challenges. This commentary explores the challenges around the sustainability of public health interventions, with particular attention to definitions …

Instability Of The Mitochondrial Alanyl-Trna Synthetase Underlies Fatal Infantile-Onset Cardiomyopathy., Ewen W. Sommerville, Xiao-Long Zhou, Monika Oláhová, Janda L. Jenkins, Liliya Euro, Svetlana Konovalova, Taru Hilander, Angela Pyle, Langping He, Sultan Habeebu, Carol J. Saunders, Anna Kelsey, Andrew A M Morris, Robert Mcfarland, Anu Suomalainen, Gráinne S. Gorman, En-Duo Wang, Isabelle Thiffault, Henna Tyynismaa, Robert W. Taylor

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Recessively inherited variants in AARS2 (NM_020745.2) encoding mitochondrial alanyl-tRNA synthetase (mt-AlaRS) were first described in patients presenting with fatal infantile cardiomyopathy and multiple oxidative phosphorylation defects. To date, all described patients with AARS2-related fatal infantile cardiomyopathy are united by either a homozygous or compound heterozygous c.1774C>T (p.Arg592Trp) missense founder mutation that is absent in patients with other AARS2-related phenotypes. We describe the clinical, biochemical and molecular investigations of two unrelated boys presenting with fatal infantile cardiomyopathy, lactic acidosis and respiratory failure. Oxidative histochemistry showed cytochrome c oxidase-deficient fibres in skeletal and cardiac muscle. Biochemical studies showed markedly decreased activities …

Antisense Oligonucleotides Targeting Angiotensinogen: Insights From Animal Studies, Chia-Hua Wu, Ya Wang, Murong Ma, Adam E. Mullick, Rosanne M. Crooke, Mark J. Graham, Alan Daugherty, Hong S. Lu

Saha Cardiovascular Research Center Faculty Publications

Angiotensinogen (AGT) is the unique substrate of all angiotensin peptides. We review the recent preclinical research of AGT antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), a rapidly evolving therapeutic approach. The scope of the research findings not only opens doors for potentially new therapeutics of hypertension and many other diseases, but also provides insights into understanding critical physiological and pathophysiological roles mediated by AGT.

Developing A Biased Unmatched Bivalent Ligand (Bumbl) Design Strategy To Target The Gpcr Homodimer Allosteric Signaling (Camp Over Β-Arrestin 2 Recruitment) Within The Melanocortin Receptors., Cody J Lensing, Katie T Freeman, Sathya M Schnell, Robert Charles Speth, Adam T Zarth, Carrie Haskell-Luevano

Faculty Articles

Understanding the functional relevance of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) homodimerization has been limited by the insufficient tools to assess asymmetric signaling occurring within dimers comprised of the same receptor type. We present unmatched bivalent ligands (UmBLs) to study the asymmetric function of melanocortin homodimers. UmBLs contain one agonist and one antagonist pharmacophore designed to target a melanocortin homodimer such that one receptor is occupied by an agonist and the other receptor by an antagonist pharmacophore. First-in-class biased UmBLs (BUmBLs) targeting the human melanocortin-4 receptor (hMC4R) were discovered. The BUmBLs displayed biased agonism by potently stimulating cAMP signaling (EC

Oscillometry And Pulmonary Magnetic Resonance Imaging In Asthma And Copd, Rachel L Eddy, Andrew Westcott, Geoffrey N Maksym, Grace Parraga, Ronald J Dandurand

Medical Biophysics Publications

Developed over six decades ago, pulmonary oscillometry has re-emerged as a noninvasive and effort-independent method for evaluating respiratory-system impedance in patients with obstructive lung disease. Here, we evaluated the relationships between hyperpolarized

Csf Inflammatory Markers Differ In Gram-Positive Versus Gram-Negative Shunt Infections., Gwenn L. Skar, David C. Synhorst, Matthew Beaver, Jessica N. Snowden

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Background: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt placement is frequently complicated by bacterial infection. Shunt infection diagnosis relies on bacterial culture of CSF which can often produce false-negative results. Negative cultures present a conundrum for physicians as they are left to rely on other CSF indices, which can be unremarkable. New methods are needed to swiftly and accurately diagnose shunt infections. CSF chemokines and cytokines may prove useful as diagnostic biomarkers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of systemic and CSF biomarkers for identification of CSF shunt infection.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of children with …

A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial Of Fidaxomicin For Prophylaxis Of Clostridium Difficile-Associated Diarrhea In Adults Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Kathleen M. Mullane, Erik R. Dubberke, Et Al

Open Access Publications

Background: Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) is common during hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. We evaluated fidaxomicin for prevention of CDAD in HSCT patients.

Methods: In this double-blind study, subjects undergoing HSCT with fluoroquinolone prophylaxis stratified by transplant type (autologous/allogeneic) were randomized to once-daily oral fidaxomicin (200 mg) or a matching placebo. Dosing began within 2 days of starting conditioning or fluoroquinolone prophylaxis and continued until 7 days after neutrophil engraftment or completion of fluoroquinolone prophylaxis/clinically-indicated antimicrobials for up to 40 days. The primary endpoint was CDAD incidence through 30 days after study medication. …

Star-Related Lipid Transfer Protein 10 (Stard10): A Novel Key Player In Alcohol-Induced Breast Cancer Progression, Andrea Floris, Jia Luo, Jacqueline A. Frank, Jennifer Zhou, Sandro Orrù, Michela Biancolella, Sabina Pucci, Augusto Orlandi, Paolo Campagna, Antonella Balzano, Komal Ramani, Maria Lauda Tomasi

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Ethanol abuse promotes breast cancer development, metastasis and recurrence stimulating mammary tumorigenesis by mechanisms that remain unclear. Normally, 35% of breast cancer is Erb-B2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinase 2 (ERBB2)-positive that predisposes to poor prognosis and relapse, while ethanol drinking leads to invasion of their ERBB2 positive cells triggering the phosphorylation status of mitogen-activated protein kinase. StAR-related lipid transfer protein 10 (STARD10) is a lipid transporter of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE); changes on membrane composition of PC and PE occur before the morphological tumorigenic events. Interestingly, STARD10 has been described to be highly expressed in 35–40% of ERBB2-positive breast …

Reward Improves Response Inhibition By Enhancing Attentional Capture, Yanqing Wang, Todd S Braver, Shouhang Yin, Xueping Hu, Xiangpeng Wang, Antao Chen

2010-2019 OA Pubs

Reward plays a crucial role in enhancing response inhibition. While it is generally assumed that the process of response inhibition involves attentional capture and the stopping of action, it is unclear whether this reflects a direct impact of reward on response inhibition or rather an indirect mediation via attentional capture. Here, we employed a revised stop-signal task (SST) that separated these two cognitive elements, by including a continue signal that required the same motor response as in go trials, but also attention to a cue, as in stop trials. We first confirmed the engagement of the right inferior frontal gyrus …

Association Between 5-Year Clinical Outcome In Patients With Nonmedically Evacuated Mild Blast Traumatic Brain Injury And Clinical Measures Collected Within 7 Days Postinjury In Combat, Christine L. Mac Donald, Jason Barber, Jana Patterson, Ann M. Johnson, Sureyya Dikmen, Jesse R. Fann, Nancy Temkin

Open Access Publications

Importance: Although previous work has examined clinical outcomes in combat-deployed veterans, questions remain regarding how symptoms evolve or resolve following mild blast traumatic brain injury (TBI) treated in theater and their association with long-term outcomes.

Objective: To characterize 5-year outcome in patients with nonmedically evacuated blast concussion compared with combat-deployed controls and understand what clinical measures collected acutely in theater are associated with 5-year outcome.

Design, Setting, and Participants: A prospective, longitudinal cohort study including 45 service members with mild blast TBI within 7 days of injury (mean 4 days) and 45 combat deployed nonconcussed controls was carried out. Enrollment …

Bronchial Thermoplasty: A Decade Of Experience: State Of The Art, Laren D Tan, Ken Y Yoneda, Samuel Louie, D Kyle Hogarth, Mario Castro

Open Access Publications

Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) delivers targeted radiofrequency energy to bronchial airway walls and results in the partial ablation of the airway smooth muscle that is responsible for bronchoconstriction. It is approved for the treatment of severe persistent asthma. Multiple, large clinical trials including a recent "real-world" study demonstrate significant improvements in asthma-related quality of life, reduction in asthma exacerbations, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations after BT that is sustained out to 5 years. In this article, we review the state of the art of BT treatment in severe persistent asthma and share a decade of BT research and clinical experience. We …