Digital Commons Network^™

Clinical Sensitivity And Time-To-Result Of A Cascaded Pooled Testing Approach For Assessing The Prevalence And Intensity Of Schistosoma Haematobium Infection, Abraham Degarege, Bruno Levecke, Yohannes Negash, Abebe Animut, Berhanu Erko

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: This study compared the clinical sensitivity and the time-to-result of an individual testing (IT) and a cascaded pooled testing approach (CPT; a positive test result in a pooled sample triggers examination of smaller-sized pools or individual samples) for assessing the prevalence and the intensity of Schistosoma haematobium infection. We also compared the sensitivity of the CPT in detecting S. haematobium infection when deploying urine filtration microscopy (UFM) vs. urine reagent strips (URS), and testing 10 mL vs. 15 mL of urine.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Between October 2021 and April 2022, S. haematobium eggs were counted in urine samples collected from …

A Novel Non-Rodent Animal Model Of Hydrochloric Acid-Induced Acute And Chronic Lung Injury, Pavel A. Solopov, Ruben Manuel Luciano Biancatelli, Tierney Day, Christiana Dimitropoulou, John D. Catravas

Bioelectrics Publications

Hydrochloric acid is one of the most prevalent and hazardous chemicals. Accidental spills occur in industrial plants or during transportation. Exposure to HCl can induce severe health impairment, including acute and chronic pulmonary diseases. We have previously described the molecular, structural, and functional aspects of the development of chronic lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis caused by intratracheal instillation of HCl in mice. Although mouse models of human disease have many advantages, rodents are evolutionary far from human and exhibit significant anatomical and physiological differences. Genetic and anatomic similarities between rabbits and humans are significantly higher. Rabbit models of HCl-induced lung …

Myc Overexpression In Natural Killer Cell Lymphoma: Prognostic And Therapeutic Implications, Chengfeng Bi, Yuhua Huang, Roshia Ali, Fang Wang, Xia Yang, Alyssa Bouska, Lu Xu, Xinbao Hao, Matthew A. Lunning, Wing C. Chan, Javeed Iqbal, Dennis D. Weisenburger, Julie M. Vose, Kai Fu

Journal Articles: Oncology and Hematology

The current clinical management of extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) primarily depends on conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy, underscoring the need for innovative therapeutic strategies. This study explores the clinical significance and therapeutic implication of c-MYC (MYC) in ENKTL. Initially, we identified MYC protein overexpression in approximately 75% of cases within a large cohort of 111 patients. MYC overexpression was strongly correlated with lymphoma cell proliferation and poor clinical outcomes. Intriguingly, integrating MYC expression into the prognostic index of NK cells lymphoma with Epstein-Barr virus (PINK-E) prognostic model significantly enhanced its predictive power. Subsequently, we implemented MYC knockdown in NK …

Integrating The Patient’S Voice Into The Research Agenda For Treatment Of Chemosensory Disorders, Claire Murphy, Pamela Dalton, Katie Boateng, Stephanie Hunter, Pamela Silberman, Jenifer Trachtman, Suz Schrandt, Bita Naimi, Emily Garvey, Paule Joseph, Conner Frank, Abigail Albertazzi, Gurston Nyquist, Nancy Rawson

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

World-wide some 658 million people were infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and millions suffer from chemosensory impairment associated with long COVID. Current treatments for taste and smell disorders are limited. Involving patients has the potential to catalyze the dynamic exchange and development of new ideas and approaches to facilitate biomedical research and therapeutics. We assessed patients' perceptions of the efficacy of treatments for chemosensory impairment using an online questionnaire completed by 5,815 people in the US Logistic regression determined variables predictive of reported treatment efficacy for patients aged 18 to 24, 25 to 39, 40 to 60, and 60+ …

Prediction Of Recurrent Lateral Ankle Sprain And Ankle Pain Using Applied Care Strategies And Patient-Reported Outcomes, Ryan S. Mccann, Elisabeth Ohrnberger, Kyle B. Kosik, Phillip A. Gribble

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Context

Patients with lateral ankle sprains (LASs) often have deficient patient-reported outcomes (PROs) at return to activity (RTA), potentially increasing risk for recurrent LAS and ankle pain. Additionally, applied care strategies are known to correct impairments, but their ability to mitigate risk for long-term consequences remains unknown.

Objective

To determine if applied care strategies and PRO scores at RTA and 6 months after RTA predict recurrent LAS and ankle pain 12 months after an acute LAS. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.

Setting

Online survey.

Patients or Other Participants

We enrolled 63 individuals within 1 week of sustaining an acute LAS.

Main …

Neuromuscular Polytrauma Pain Is Resolved By Macrophage Cox-2 Nanoimmunomodulation, Ibdanelo Cortez, Caitlyn M Gaffney, Riddhi Vichare, Caitlin V Crelli, Lu Liu, Eric Lee, Jules Edralin, James M Nichols, Hoang Vu Pham, Syed Mehdi, Jelena M Janjic, Andrew J Shepherd

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Soft tissue injuries often involve muscle and peripheral nerves and are qualitatively distinct from single-tissue injuries. Prior research suggests that damaged innervation compromises wound healing. To test this in a traumatic injury context, we developed a novel mouse model of nerve and lower limb polytrauma, which features greater pain hypersensitivity and more sustained macrophage infiltration than either injury in isolation. We also show that macrophages are crucial mediators of pain hypersensitivity in this model by delivering macrophage-targeted nanoemulsions laden with the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor celecoxib. This treatment was more effective in males than females, and more effective when delivered 3 …

A Novel Assessment Of Whole-Mount Gleason Grading In Prostate Cancer To Identify Candidates For Radical Prostatectomy: A Machine Learning-Based Multiomics Study, Jing Ning, Clemens P Spielvogel, David Haberl, Karolina Trachtova, Stefan Stoiber, Sazan Rasul, Vojtech Bystry, Gabriel Wasinger, Pascal Baltzer, Elisabeth Gurnhofer, Gerald Timelthaler, Michaela Schlederer, Laszlo Papp, Helga Schachner, Thomas Helbich, Markus Hartenbach, Bernhard Grubmüller, Shahrokh F Shariat, Marcus Hacker, Alexander Haug, Lukas Kenner

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: This study aims to assess whole-mount Gleason grading (GG) in prostate cancer (PCa) accurately using a multiomics machine learning (ML) model and to compare its performance with biopsy-proven GG (bxGG) assessment.

Materials and Methods: A total of 146 patients with PCa recruited in a pilot study of a prospective clinical trial (NCT02659527) were retrospectively included in the side study, all of whom underwent ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA-11 integrated positron emission tomography (PET) / magnetic resonance (MR) before radical prostatectomy (RP) between May 2014 and April 2020. To establish a multiomics ML model, we quantified PET radiomics features, pathway-level genomics …

Rare Genomic Copy Number Variants Implicate New Candidate Genes For Bicuspid Aortic Valve, Steven G Carlisle, Hasan Albasha, Hector I Michelena, Anna Sabate-Rotes, Lisa Bianco, Julie De Backer, Laura Muiño Mosquera, Anji T Yetman, Malenka M Bissell, Maria Grazia Andreassi, Ilenia Foffa, Dawn S Hui, Anthony Caffarelli, Yuli Y Kim, Dongchuan Guo, Rodolfo Citro, Margot De Marco, Justin T Tretter, Kim L Mcbride, Dianna M Milewicz, Simon C Body, Siddharth K Prakash, Ebav Investigators, Bavcon Investigators

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), the most common congenital heart defect, is a major cause of aortic valve disease requiring valve interventions and thoracic aortic aneurysms predisposing to acute aortic dissections. The spectrum of BAV ranges from early onset valve and aortic complications (EBAV) to sporadic late onset disease. Rare genomic copy number variants (CNVs) have previously been implicated in the development of BAV and thoracic aortic aneurysms. We determined the frequency and gene content of rare CNVs in EBAV probands (n = 272) using genome-wide SNP microarray analysis and three complementary CNV detection algorithms (cnvPartition, PennCNV, and QuantiSNP). Unselected control …

Age-Associated Temporal Decline In Butyrate-Producing Bacteria Plays A Key Pathogenic Role In The Onset And Progression Of Neuropathology And Memory Deficits In 3×Tg-Ad Mice, Paula M Chilton, Smita S Ghare, Benjamin T Charpentier, Scott A Myers, Aakarsha V Rao, Joseph F Petrosino, Kristi L Hoffman, John C Greenwell, Neetu Tyagi, Jyotirmaya Behera, Yali Wang, Lucy J Sloan, Jingwen Zhang, Christopher B Shields, Gregory E Cooper, Leila Gobejishvili, Scott R Whittemore, Craig J Mcclain, Shirish S Barve

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Alterations in the gut-microbiome-brain axis are increasingly being recognized to be involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. However, the functional consequences of enteric dysbiosis linking gut microbiota and brain pathology in AD progression remain largely undetermined. The present work investigated the causal role of age-associated temporal decline in butyrate-producing bacteria and butyrate in the etiopathogenesis of AD. Longitudinal metagenomics, neuropathological, and memory analyses were performed in the 3×Tg-AD mouse model. Metataxonomic analyses showed a significant temporal decline in the alpha diversity marked by a decrease in butyrate-producing bacterial communities and a concurrent reduction in cecal butyrate production. Inferred metagenomics analysis …

Descriptive Study Of Adult Male Acheta Domesticus Phonotaxis, Dana Husana

Master's Theses

The phonotactic behavior of male Acheta domesticus has not been described at length. The present study evaluates the phonotactic responses of male A. domesticus in relation to age. Male crickets of different ages (young and old) were exposed to calls with attractive and non-attractive syllable periods for this species. Both age groups exhibited phonotaxis but did not show a preference towards the attractive call over the non-attractive ones. No significant relationship was found between age and phonotactic response. Additionally, no significant differences were observed between age and preferred syllable period. Acoustic responses were also observed in some of the older …

Assessing The Value And Knowledge Gains From An Online Tick Identification And Tick-Borne Disease Management Course For The Southeastern United States, Catherine A. Lippi, Holly D. Gaff, Alexis L. White, Sadie J. Ryan

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Tick-borne diseases are a growing public health threat in the United States. Despite the prevalence and rising burden of tick-borne diseases, there are major gaps in baseline knowledge and surveillance efforts for tick vectors, even among vector control districts and public health agencies. To address this issue, an online tick training course (OTTC) was developed through the Southeastern Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases (SECOEVBD) to provide a comprehensive knowledge base on ticks, tick-borne diseases, and their management.

Methods

The OTTC consisted of training modules covering topics including tick biology, tick identification, tick-borne diseases, and public health, personal tick …

Citrulline And Adi-Peg20 Reduce Inflammation In A Juvenile Porcine Model Of Acute Endotoxemia, Caitlin Vonderohe, Barbara Stoll, Inka Didelija, Trung Nguyen, Mahmoud Mohammad, Yava Jones-Hall, Miguel A Cruz, Juan Marini, Douglas Burrin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Arginine is a conditionally essential amino acid that is depleted in critically ill or surgical patients. In pediatric and adult patients, sepsis results in an arginine-deficient state, and the depletion of plasma arginine is associated with greater mortality. However, direct supplementation of arginine can result in the excessive production of nitric oxide (NO), which can contribute to the hypotension and macrovascular hypo-reactivity observed in septic shock. Pegylated arginine deiminase (ADI-PEG20, pegargiminase) reduces plasma arginine and generates citrulline that can be transported intracellularly to generate local arginine and NO, without resulting in hypotension, while maintaining microvascular patency. The objective of …

Increased Resolvin E1 Production By Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells In Periodontitis Patients: Pilot Study, Lina J Suárez, Wilmer González-Duarte, Rodrigo Torrez-Velasco, Viviana Salinas, Nelly S Roa-Molina, Sindy M Muñoz, Luz-Stella Rodríguez, Roger M Arce, Jamil A Shibli, Adriana Rodríguez-Ciodaro

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This study quantified the production of the pro-resolving agent Resolvin E1 by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 20 systemically healthy volunteers with and without periodontitis after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg). Ten periodontitis patients and 10 healthy volunteers (30-50 years old), matched by age and sex, were recruited. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated and stimulated in culture plates for 24 hours with Pg LPS. Resolvin E1 levels were measured in the supernatants by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Significantly higher production of Resolvin E1 was observed in both groups when stimulated with LPS compared to baseline levels …

Variant Of The Lactase Lct Gene Explains Association Between Milk Intake And Incident Type 2 Diabetes, Kai Luo, Guo-Chong Chen, Yanbo Zhang, Jee-Young Moon, Jiaqian Xing, Brandilyn A Peters, Mykhaylo Usyk, Zheng Wang, Gang Hu, Jun Li, Elizabeth Selvin, Casey M Rebholz, Tao Wang, Carmen R Isasi, Bing Yu, Rob Knight, Eric Boerwinkle, Robert D Burk, Robert C Kaplan, Qibin Qi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cow's milk is frequently included in the human diet, but the relationship between milk intake and type 2 diabetes (T2D) remains controversial. Here, using data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, we show that in both sexes, higher milk intake is associated with lower risk of T2D in lactase non-persistent (LNP) individuals (determined by a variant of the lactase LCT gene, single nucleotide polymorphism rs4988235 ) but not in lactase persistent individuals. We validate this finding in the UK Biobank. Further analyses reveal that among LNP individuals, higher milk intake is associated with alterations in gut microbiota (for …

Using Focus Groups To Explore Older Black Men's Perception Of Dietary Interventions., Ashley R Shaw, Eric D Vidoni, Mickeal N Key, Brandon A Yates, Roland Thorpe

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Older Black men are underrepresented in research despite being disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors related to AD compared with non-Hispanic Whites. Although dietary interventions have shown promise to reduce modifiable CV risk factors related to AD, Black Americans have lower adherence likely due to lack of cultural considerations. Using a noninterventional convergent parallel mixed-methods approach, this study examined the cultural contexts that inform perceptions of dietary interventions among older Midwestern Black men. All participants completed an online demographic and dietary habit survey prior to focus group discussions. Two focus group discussion sessions were conducted …

Does Varicocele Repair Improve Conventional Semen Parameters? A Meta-Analytic Study Of Before-After Data, Rossella Cannarella, Rupin Shah, Taha Abo-Almagd Abdel-Meguid Hamoda, Florence Boitrelle, Ramadan Saleh, Murat Gul, Amarnath Rambhatla, Parviz Kavoussi, Tuncay Toprak, Ahmed M Harraz, Edmund Ko, Gökhan Çeker, Damayanthi Durairajanayagam, Noora Alkahidi, Shinnosuke Kuroda, Andrea Crafa, Ralf Henkel, Gianmaria Salvio, Berk Hazir, Mahsa Darbandi, Marion Bendayan, Sara Darbandi, Marco Falcone, Nicolas Garrido, Raghavender Kosgi, Raneen Sawaid Kaiyal, Keshab Karna, Nguyen Ho Vinh Phuoc, Ponco Birowo, Giovanni M Colpi, Jean De La Rosette, Germar-Michael Pinggera, Quang Nguyen, Armand Zini, Wael Zohdy, Rajender Singh, Pallavi Saini, Sidney Glina, Haocheng Lin, Taymour Mostafa, Cesar Rojas-Cruz, Mohamed Arafa, Aldo E Calogero, Fotios Dimitriadis, Priyank Kothari, Vilvapathy Senguttuvan Karthikeyan, Keisuke Okada, Koji Chiba, Ates Kadıoglu, Baris Altay, Tahsin Turunc, Birute Zilaitiene, Fatih Gokalp, Aram Adamyan, Darren Katz, Eric Chung, Tiago Cesar Mierzwa, Daniel Suslik Zylbersztejn, Gustavo Marquesine Paul, Nikolaos Sofikitis, Ioannis Sokolakis, Vineet Malhotra, Sakti Ronggowardhana Brodjonegoro, Ricky Adriansjah, Akira Tsujimura, Toshiyasu Amano, Giancarlo Balercia, Imad Ziouziou, Isaac Ardianson Deswanto, Marlon Martinez, Hyun Jun Park, Mustafa Emre Bakırcıoglu, Erman Ceyhan, Kaan Aydos, Jonathan Ramsay, Suks Minhas, Manaf Al Hashimi, Ramy Abou Ghayda, Nicholas Tadros, Puneet Sindhwani, Christopher C K Ho, Rinaldo Indra Rachman, Marcelo Rodriguez Pena, Ahmad Motawi, Arun Karthik Ponnusamy, Satish Dipankar, Azwar Amir, Saleh Binsaleh, Ege Can Serefoglu, Ravi Banthia, Kareim Khalafalla, Ari Basukarno, Nguyen Hoai Bac, Karun Singla, Rafael F Ambar, Konstantinos Makarounis, Shivam Priyadarshi, Gede Wirya Kusuma Duarsa, Widi Atmoko, Sunil Jindal, Eko Arianto, Hamed Akhavizadegan, Haitham El Bardisi, Ohad Shoshany, Gian Maria Busetto, Mohamad Moussa, Mounir Jamali, Mohamed S Al-Marhoon, Mikhail Ruzaev, Hasan M A Farsi, Shingai Mutambirwa, Dong Sup Lee, Deniz Kulaksiz, Yu-Sheng Cheng, Abderrazak Bouzouita, Selcuk Sarikaya, Hussein Kandil, Georgios Tsampoukas, Ala'a Farkouh, Kasonde Bowa, Missy Savira, Nasser Mogharabian, Tan V Le, Maruto Harjanggi, Dang Tuan Anh, Tran Quang Tien Long, Mohammad Ayodhia Soebadi, Lukman Hakim, Marko Tanic, Umut Cagin Ari, Firuza R Parikh, Gokhan Calik, Vinod Kv, Gyem Dorji, Andri Rezano, Osvaldo Rajmil, Dung Mai Ba Tien, Yiming Yuan, Juan Francisco Lizarraga-Salas, Balantine Eze, Kay Seong Ngoo, Joe Lee, Umut Arslan, Ashok Agarwal, Global Andrology Forum

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this meta-analysis is to study the impact of varicocele repair in the largest cohort of infertile males with clinical varicocele by including all available studies, with no language restrictions, comparing intra-person conventional semen parameters before and after the repair of varicoceles.

Materials and methods: The meta-analysis was performed according to PRISMA-P and MOOSE guidelines. A systematic search was performed in Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases. Eligible studies were selected according to the PICOS model (Population: infertile male patients with clinical varicocele; Intervention: varicocele repair; Comparison: intra-person before-after varicocele repair; Outcome: conventional semen parameters; Study type: …

Technical Aspects And Clinical Limitations Of Sperm Dna Fragmentation Testing In Male Infertility: A Global Survey, Current Guidelines, And Expert Recommendations, Ashok Agarwal, Ala'a Farkouh, Ramadan Saleh, Taha Abo-Almagd Abdel-Meguid Hamoda, Gianmaria Salvio, Florence Boitrelle, Ahmed M Harraz, Ramy Abou Ghayda, Parviz Kavoussi, Murat Gül, Tuncay Toprak, Giorgio Ivan Russo, Damayanthi Durairajanayagam, Amarnath Rambhatla, Ponco Birowo, Rossella Cannarella, Nguyen Ho Vinh Phuoc, Armand Zini, Mohamed Arafa, Christine Wyns, Kelton Tremellen, Selçuk Sarıkaya, Sheena Lewis, Donald P Evenson, Edmund Ko, Aldo E Calogero, Fahmi Bahar, Marlon Martínez, Rafael F Ambar, Giovanni M Colpi, Mustafa Emre Bakircioglu, Ralf Henkel, Hussein Kandil, Ege Can Serefoglu, Abdullah Alfakhri, Akira Tsujimura, Alireza Kheradmand, Angelo Marino, Aram Adamyan, Birute Zilaitiene, Cevahir Ozer, Edoardo Pescatori, Paraskevi Vogiatzi, Gian Maria Busetto, Giancarlo Balercia, Haitham Elbardisi, Hamed Akhavizadegan, Hesamoddin Sajadi, Hisanori Taniguchi, Hyun Jun Park, Israel Maldonado Rosas, Mohamed Al-Marhoon, Mohammad Ali Sadighi Gilani, Naif Alhathal, Nguyen Quang, Germar-Michael Pinggera, Priyank Kothari, Sava Micic, Sheryl Homa, Tran Quang Tien Long, Wael Zohdy, Widi Atmoko, Wael Ibrahim, Marjan Sabbaghian, Saad Mohammed Abumelha, Eric Chung, Muhammet Rasit Ugur, Mehmet Serkan Ozkent, Osama Selim, Mahsa Darbandi, Shinichiro Fukuhara, Mounir Jamali, Jean De La Rosette, Shinnosuke Kuroda, Ryan P Smith, Aykut Baser, Arif Kalkanli, Nicholas N Tadros, Kaan Aydos, Tiago Cesar Mierzwa, Kareim Khalafalla, Vineet Malhotra, Mohamad Moussa, Federica Finocchi, Rinaldo Indra Rachman, Carlo Giulioni, Tomer Avidor-Reiss, Oguzhan Kahraman, Gökhan Çeker, Cătălina Zenoaga-Barbăroșie, Trenton L Barrett, Mehmet Yilmaz, Ates Kadioglu, Sunil Jindal, Huda Omran, Kadir Bocu, Vilvapathy Senguttuvan Karthikeyan, Giorgio Franco, Jesús Fernando Solorzano, Ranjit B Vishwakarma, Eko Arianto, Nicolas Garrido, Divyanu Jain, Nazim Gherabi, Ioannis Sokolakis, Ayad Palani, Gokhan Calik, Deniz Kulaksiz, Vaida Simanaviciene, Mara Simopoulou, Nur Dokuzeylül Güngör, Gideon Blecher, Marco Falcone, Davor Jezek, Mirko Preto, Edouard Amar, Tan V Le, Sun Tae Ahn, Andri Rezano, Keerti Singh, Lucia Rocco, Missy Savira, Osvaldo Rajmil, Sara Darbandi, Emrullah Sogutdelen, Luca Boeri, Guadalupe Hernández, Lukman Hakim, Yoshiharu Morimoto, Andrian Japari, Nikolaos Sofikitis, Baris Altay, Asli Metin Mahmutoglu, Manaf Al Hashimi, Imad Ziouziou, Christina Anagnostopoulou, Haocheng Lin, Rupin Shah

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) is a functional sperm abnormality that can impact reproductive potential, for which four assays have been described in the recently published sixth edition of the WHO laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen. The purpose of this study was to examine the global practices related to the use of SDF assays and investigate the barriers and limitations that clinicians face in incorporating these tests into their practice.

Materials and methods: Clinicians managing male infertility were invited to complete an online survey on practices related to SDF diagnostic and treatment approaches. Their responses …

Transcriptomics Analysis Reveals Potential Mechanisms Underlying Mitochondrial Dysfunction And T Cell Exhaustion In Astronauts’ Blood Cells In Space, Maria Moreno-Villanueva, Luis E Jimenez-Chavez, Stephanie Krieger, Liang-Hao Ding, Ye Zhang, Adriana Babiak-Vazquez, Mark Berres, Sandra Splinter, Kristen E Pauken, Brian C Schaefer, Brian E Crucian, Honglu Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: The impact of spaceflight on the immune system and mitochondria has been investigated for decades. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying spaceflight-induced immune dysregulations are still unclear.

Methods: In this study, blood from eleven crewmembers was collected before and during International Space Station (ISS) missions. Transcriptomic analysis was performed in isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using RNA-sequencing. Differentially expresses genes (DEG) in space were determined by comparing of the inflight to the preflight samples. Pathways and statistical analyses of these DEG were performed using the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) tool.

Results: In comparison to pre-flight, a total of 2030 …

Failure To Mate Enhances Investment In Behaviors That May Promote Mating Reward And Impairs The Ability To Cope With Stressors Via A Subpopulation Of Neuropeptide F Receptor Neurons, Julia Ryvkin, Liora Omesi, Yong-Kyu Kim, Mali Levi, Hadar Pozeilov, Lital Barak-Buchris, Bella Agranovich, Ifat Abramovich, Eyal Gottlieb, Avi Jacob, Dick R Nässel, Ulrike Heberlein, Galit Shohat-Ophir

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Living in dynamic environments such as the social domain, where interaction with others determines the reproductive success of individuals, requires the ability to recognize opportunities to obtain natural rewards and cope with challenges that are associated with achieving them. As such, actions that promote survival and reproduction are reinforced by the brain reward system, whereas coping with the challenges associated with obtaining these rewards is mediated by stress-response pathways, the activation of which can impair health and shorten lifespan. While much research has been devoted to understanding mechanisms underlying the way by which natural rewards are processed by the reward …

Nlrp3 Activation Contributes To Memory Impairment In An Experimental Model Of Pneumococcal Meningitis, Jaqueline S Generoso, Cristiano Julio Faller, Allan Collodel, Carlos Henrique Rocha Catalão, Diogo Dominguini, Fabricia Petronilho, Tatiana Barichello, Vijayasree V Giridharan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Bacterial meningitis is considered a life-threatening condition with high mortality rates. In response to the infection, signaling cascades, producing pro-inflammatory mediators trigger an exacerbated host immune response. Another inflammatory pathway occurs through the activation of inflammasomes. Studies highlight the role of the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) in central nervous system disorders commonly involved in neuroinflammation. We aimed to investigate the role of NLRP3 and its inhibitor MCC950 on neurochemical, immunological, and behavioral parameters in the early and late stages of experimental pneumococcal meningitis. For this, adult male Wistar rats received an intracisternal injection of Streptococcus pneumoniae or …

Combining Neuroimaging And Brain Stimulation To Test Alternative Causal Pathways For Nicotine Addiction In Schizophrenia, Xiaoming Du, Fow-Sen Choa, Joshua Chiappelli, Heather Bruce, Mark Kvarta, Ann Summerfelt, Yizhou Ma, William T Regenold, Kevin Walton, George F Wittenberg, Stephanie Hare, Si Gao, Andrew Van Der Vaart, Zhiwei Zhao, Shuo Chen, Peter Kochunov, L Elliot Hong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The smoking rate is high in patients with schizophrenia. Brain stimulation targeting conventional brain circuits associated with nicotine addiction has also yielded mixed results. We aimed to identify alternative circuitries associated with nicotine addiction in both the general population and schizophrenia, and then test whether modulation of such circuitries may alter nicotine addiction behaviors in schizophrenia. In Study I of 40 schizophrenia smokers and 51 non-psychiatric smokers, cross-sectional neuroimaging analysis identified resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) between the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and multiple extended amygdala regions to be most robustly associated with nicotine addiction severity in healthy controls and …

Hormone Regulation Of Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Receptor 1 In The Female Mouse Brain, Rose M De Guzman, Jason S Jacobskind, Zachary J Rosinger, Krystyna A Rybka, Katherine E Parra, Aya L Caballero, Massoud S Sharif, Nicholas J Justice, Damian G Zuloaga

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 (CRFR1) is a key regulator of neuroendocrine and behavioral stress responses. Previous studies have demonstrated that CRFR1 in certain hypothalamic and preoptic brain areas is modified by chronic stress and during the postpartum period in female mice, although the potential hormonal contributors to these changes are unknown.

Methods: This study focused on determining the contributions of hormones associated with stress and the maternal period (glucocorticoids, prolactin, estradiol/progesterone) on CRFR1 levels using a CRFR1-GFP reporter mouse line and immunohistochemistry.

Results: Administration of dexamethasone, an agonist of the glucocorticoid receptor, elevated CRFR1 in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus …

Generation Of A Wt1 Conditional Deletion, Nuclear Red Fluorescent Protein Reporter Allele In The Mouse, Jace A Aloway, E Cristy Ruteshouser, Vicki Huff, Richard R Behringer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A Wt1 conditional deletion, nuclear red fluorescent protein (RFP) reporter allele was generated in the mouse by gene targeting in embryonic stem cells. Upon Cre-mediated recombination, a deletion allele is generated that expresses RFP in a Wt1-specific pattern. RFP expression was detected in embryonic and adult tissues known to express Wt1, including the kidney, mesonephros, and testis. In addition, RFP expression and WT1 co-localization was detected in the adult uterine stroma and myometrium, suggesting a role in uterine function. Crosses with Wnt7a-Cre transgenic mice that express Cre in the Müllerian duct epithelium activate Wt1-directed RFP expression in the epithelium of …

Chronic Adolescent Stress Alters Gr-Fkbp5 Interactions In The Hippocampus Of Adult Female Rats, Sydney Rowson, Mandakh Bekhbat, Sean Kelly, Molly M Hyer, Samya Dyer, David Weinshenker, Gretchen Neigh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Chronic stress exposure during development can have lasting behavioral consequences that differ in males and females. More specifically, increased depressive behaviors in females, but not males, are observed in both humans and rodent models of chronic stress. Despite these known stress-induced outcomes, the molecular consequences of chronic adolescent stress in the adult brain are less clear. The stress hormone corticosterone activates the glucocorticoid receptor, and activity of the receptor is regulated through interactions with co-chaperones-such as the immunophilin FK506 binding proteins 5 (FKBP5). Previously, it has been reported that the adult stress response is modified by a history of chronic …

Willingness To Accept Monkeypox Vaccine And Its Correlates Among Men Who Have Sex With Men In Southern China: A Web-Based Online Cross-Sectional Study, Xinju Huang, Zhifeng Lin, Jiao Qin, Dee Yu, Fei Zhang, Ganggang Fang, Xi Chen, Jinfeng He, Ping Cen, Mu Li, Rongjing Zhang, Tong Luo, Junjun Jiang, Sanqi An, Hao Liang, Li Ye, Bingyu Liang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The May 2022 global outbreak of monkeypox (MPX) poses a threat to the health of men who have sex with men. However, there is limited data on the willingness of MSM to receive monkeypox vaccination in Southern China. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of MPX, concerns regarding MPX, and willingness to receive monkeypox vaccination, as well as their correlates, among MSM in China.

METHODS: We conducted a Web-based online survey of MSM in Southern China from August to September 2022. Data were collected on the socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, worries, concerns regarding MPX and willingness to receive monkeypox …

Protection Against Fibrosis By A Bacterial Consortium In Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis And The Role Of Amino Acid Metabolism, Suet-Ying Kwan, Kristyn A Gonzales, Mohamed A Jamal, Heather L Stevenson, Lin Tan, Philip L Lorenzi, P Andrew Futreal, Ernest T Hawk, Joseph B Mccormick, Susan P Fisher-Hoch, Robert R Jenq, Laura Beretta

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The gut microbiota drives progression to liver fibrosis, the main determinant of mortality in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). In this study, we aimed to identify bacterial species associated with protection against liver fibrosis in a high-risk population, and test their potential to protect against liver fibrosis in vivo. Based on stool shotgun metagenomic sequencing of 340 subjects from a population cohort disproportionally affected by MASH, we identified bacterial species from the Bacteroidales and Clostridiales orders associated with reduced risk of liver fibrosis. A bacterial consortium was subsequently tested in a mouse model of MASH, which demonstrated protective effects against …

Interleukin-1beta And Inflammasome Expression In Spinal Cord Following Chronic Constriction Injury In Male And Female Rats, Suzanne M Green-Fulgham, Jayson B Ball, Andrew J Kwilasz, Michael E Harland, Matthew G Frank, Joseph M Dragavon, Peter M Grace, Linda R Watkins

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Females represent a majority of chronic pain patients and show greater inflammatory immune responses in human chronic pain patient populations as well as in animal models of neuropathic pain. Recent discoveries in chronic pain research have revealed sex differences in inflammatory signaling, a key component of sensory pathology in chronic neuropathic pain, inviting more research into the nuances of these sex differences. Here we use the chronic constriction injury (CCI) model to explore similarities and differences in expression and production of Inflammatory cytokine IL-1beta in the lumbar spinal cord, as well as its role in chronic pain. We have discovered …

From Mitochondria To Tumor Suppression: Acat1’S Crucial Role In Gastric Cancer, Wei He, Yanfang Li, Song-Bai Liu, Ying Chang, Shiyuan Han, Xingyu Han, Zixin Ma, Hesham M Amin, Yao-Hua Song, Jin Zhou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Acetyl CoA acetyltransferase 1 (ACAT1), a mitochondrial enzyme, is mainly involved in the formation and decomposition of ketones, isoleucine, and fatty acids. Previous clinical studies showed that mutations in the ACAT1 gene lead to ketoacidosis, Notably the role of ACAT1 in human cancer' pathogenesis varies depending on cancer type, and its specific role in gastric cancer remains largely unknown. In the current study, we found that the expression of ACAT1 in primary late-stage gastric cancer tumor tissues was significantly lower than in early-stage tumors. This observation was further confirmed in high-grade gastric cancer cell line MKN45. The expression of CD44 …

Profound First-Degree Atrioventricular Block In A High-Level Basketball Athlete., Justin D Stumph, William K Cornwell, Michael A Rosenberg, Morteza Khodaee

Heart and Vascular Articles

First-degree atrioventricular (AV) block (PR interval >200 ms) is commonly observed among screening electrocardiogram (ECG) in athletes. Profound first-degree AV block (PR interval >400 ms) and Mobitz type I (Wenckebach) second-degree AV block are generally uncommon and often require further workup on a case-by-case basis, particularly when there is concern for a structural cardiac abnormality. In this case, we present an example of an asymptomatic profound first-degree AV block with Mobitz type I (Wenckebach) second-degree AV block. Transthoracic echocardiogram and stress echocardiogram were unremarkable and the patient was cleared to participate in sports without any restriction. Physicians managing athletes should …

A Prdm16-Driven Signal Regulates Body Composition In Testosterone-Treated Hypogonadal Men, Siresha Bathina, Georgia Colleluori, Dennis T Villareal, Lina Aguirre, Rui Chen, Reina Armamento-Villareal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Testosterone (T) therapy increases lean mass and reduces total body and truncal fat mass in hypogonadal men. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms for the reciprocal changes in fat and lean mass in humans are not entirely clear.

METHODS: Secondary analysis of specimens obtained from a single-arm, open-label clinical trial on pharmacogenetics of response to T therapy in men with late-onset hypogonadism, conducted between 2011 and 2016 involving 105 men (40-74 years old), who were given intramuscular T cypionate 200 mg every 2 weeks for 18 months. Subcutaneous fat (SCF), peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and serum were obtained from …