Digital Commons Network^™

Fine-Tuning Cardiac Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 Receptor Signaling To Promote Health And Longevity, Mahmoud Abdellatif, Tobias Pendl, Sebastian J Hofer, Moydul Islam, Abhinav Diwan, Tobias Eisenberg, Frank Madeo, Et Al

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) pathway is a key regulator of cellular metabolism and aging. Although its inhibition promotes longevity across species, the effect of attenuated IGF1 signaling on cardiac aging remains controversial.

METHODS: We performed a lifelong study to assess cardiac health and lifespan in 2 cardiomyocyte-specific transgenic mouse models with enhanced versus reduced IGF1 receptor (IGF1R) signaling. Male mice with human IGF1R overexpression or dominant negative phosphoinositide 3-kinase mutation were examined at different life stages by echocardiography, invasive hemodynamics, and treadmill coupled to indirect calorimetry. In vitro assays included cardiac histology, mitochondrial respiration, ATP synthesis, autophagic …

Cetuximab And Anemia Prevention In Head And Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy, Lucas G. Maahs, Ahmed I. Ghanem, Radhika Gutta, Amy Tang, Swarn Arya, Zaid Al-Saheli, Haythem Y. Ali, Steven S. Chang, Samantha Tam, Vivian Wu, Farzan Siddiqui, Jawad Z. Sheqwara

Hematology/Oncology Articles

BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation is associated with increased production of interleukin 6 (IL6), which is intensified by radiotherapy (RT) induced inflammatory response. Elevated IL6 levels intensifies RT-induced anemia by upregulating hepcidin causing functional iron deficiency. Cetuximab, an EGFR inhibitor, has been associated with lower rates of anemia for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We hypothesized that concomitant cetuximab could prevent RT-induced anemia.

METHODS: We queried our institutional head and neck cancers database for non-metastatic HNSCC cases that received RT with concomitant cetuximab or RT-only between 2006 and 2018. Cetuximab was administered for some …

Political Environment And Mortality Rates In The United States, 2001-19: Population Based Cross Sectional Analysis, Haider J Warraich, Pankaj Kumar, Khurram Nasir, Karen E Joynt Maddox, Rishi K Wadhera

Open Access Publications

OBJECTIVE: To assess recent trends in age adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) in the United States based on county level presidential voting patterns.

DESIGN: Cross sectional study.

SETTING: USA, 2001-19.

PARTICIPANTS: 99.8% of the US population.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: AAMR per 100 000 population and average annual percentage change (APC).

METHODS: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention WONDER database was linked to county level data on US presidential elections. County political environment was classified as either Democratic or Republican for the four years that followed a November presidential election. Additional sensitivity analyses analyzed AAMR trends for counties that voted only …

Genetic, Epigenetic, And Environmental Mechanisms Govern Allele-Specific Gene Expression, Celine L St Pierre, Juan F Macias-Velasco, Jessica P Wayhart, Li Yin, Clay F Semenkovich, Heather A Lawson

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Allele-specific expression (ASE) is a phenomenon in which one allele is preferentially expressed over the other. Genetic and epigenetic factors cause ASE by altering the final composition of a gene's product, leading to expression imbalances that can have functional consequences on phenotypes. Environmental signals also impact allele-specific expression, but how they contribute to this cross talk remains understudied. Here, we explored how genotype, parent-of-origin, tissue, sex, and dietary fat simultaneously influence ASE biases. Male and female mice from a F

Accuracy Of Chest Computed Tomography In Distinguishing Cystic Pleuropulmonary Blastoma From Benign Congenital Lung Malformations In Children, Abigail J Engwall-Gill, Jacqueline M Saito, Rebecca L Hulett Bowling, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Importance: The ability of computed tomography (CT) to distinguish between benign congenital lung malformations and malignant cystic pleuropulmonary blastomas (PPBs) is unclear.

Objective: To assess whether chest CT can detect malignant tumors among postnatally detected lung lesions in children.

Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective multicenter case-control study used a consortium database of 521 pathologically confirmed primary lung lesions from January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2015, to assess diagnostic accuracy. Preoperative CT scans of children with cystic PPB (cases) were selected and age-matched with CT scans from patients with postnatally detected congenital lung malformations (controls). Statistical analysis was performed …

Clonal Dynamics Of Haematopoiesis Across The Human Lifespan, Emily Mitchell, David H Spencer, Et Al

Open Access Publications

Age-related change in human haematopoiesis causes reduced regenerative capacity

Integrative Analysis Of Clinical And Epigenetic Biomarkers Of Mortality, Tianxiao Huan, Steve Nguyen, Elena Colicino, Carolina Ochoa-Rosales, W David Hill, Jennifer A Brody, Mette Soerensen, Yan Zhang, Antoine Baldassari, Mohamed Ahmed Elhadad, Tanaka Toshiko, Yinan Zheng, Arce Domingo-Relloso, Dong Heon Lee, Jiantao Ma, Chen Yao, Chunyu Liu, Shih-Jen Hwang, Roby Joehanes, Myriam Fornage, Jan Bressler, Joyce B J Van Meurs, Birgit Debrabant, Jonas Mengel-From, Jacob Hjelmborg, Kaare Christensen, Pantel Vokonas, Joel Schwartz, Sina A Gahrib, Nona Sotoodehnia, Colleen M Sitlani, Sonja Kunze, Christian Gieger, Annette Peters, Melanie Waldenberger, Ian J Deary, Luigi Ferrucci, Yishu Qu, Philip Greenland, Donald M Lloyd-Jones, Lifang Hou, Stefania Bandinelli, Trudy Voortman, Brenner Hermann, Andrea Baccarelli, Eric Whitsel, James S Pankow, Daniel Levy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

DNA methylation (DNAm) has been reported to be associated with many diseases and with mortality. We hypothesized that the integration of DNAm with clinical risk factors would improve mortality prediction. We performed an epigenome-wide association study of whole blood DNAm in relation to mortality in 15 cohorts (n = 15,013). During a mean follow-up of 10 years, there were 4314 deaths from all causes including 1235 cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths and 868 cancer deaths. Ancestry-stratified meta-analysis of all-cause mortality identified 163 CpGs in European ancestry (EA) and 17 in African ancestry (AA) participants at p < 1 × 10

Nexmif Pathogenic Variants In Individuals Of Korean, Vietnamese, And Mexican Descent, Elizabeth Langley, Laura S Farach, Mary K Koenig, Hope Northrup, David F Rodriguez-Buritica, Kate Mowrey

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

NEXMIF pathogenic variants have been known to produce a wide spectrum of X-linked intellectual disability (ID) in both males and females. Thus far, few individuals from diverse populations have been described with NEXMIF-related disorders. Herein, we report three individuals with NEXMIF pathogenic variants, the first two are the only males of Korean and Vietnamese descent described with this disorder to our knowledge. The last patient is a Hispanic female who harbors the same pathogenic variant as a previously described Caucasian individual, but with differing clinical presentation. These patients present with many classic symptoms of NEXMIF-related disorders including ID, epilepsy, developmental …

The Androgen Receptor Is A Therapeutic Target In Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Sarcoma, Salah-Eddine Lamhamedi-Cherradi, Mayinuer Maitituoheti, Brian A Menegaz, Sandhya Krishnan, Amelia M Vetter, Pamela Camacho, Chia-Chin Wu, Hannah C Beird, Robert W Porter, Davis R Ingram, Vandhana Ramamoorthy, Sana Mohiuddin, David Mccall, Danh D Truong, Branko Cuglievan, P Andrew Futreal, Alejandra Ruiz Velasco, Nazanin Esmaeili Anvar, Budi Utama, Mark Titus, Alexander J Lazar, Wei-Lien Wang, Cristian Rodriguez-Aguayo, Ravin Ratan, J Andrew Livingston, Kunal Rai, A Robert Macleod, Najat C Daw, Andrea Hayes-Jordan, Joseph A Ludwig

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is an aggressive, usually incurable sarcoma subtype that predominantly occurs in post-pubertal young males. Recent evidence suggests that the androgen receptor (AR) can promote tumor progression in DSRCTs. However, the mechanism of AR-induced oncogenic stimulation remains undetermined. Herein, we demonstrate that enzalutamide and AR-directed antisense oligonucleotides (AR-ASO) block 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-induced DSRCT cell proliferation and reduce xenograft tumor burden. Gene expression analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) were performed to elucidate how AR signaling regulates cellular epigenetic programs. Remarkably, ChIP-seq revealed novel DSRCT-specific AR DNA binding sites adjacent to key oncogenic regulators, including WT1 (the …

Circadian Disruption Of Hippocampus In An Early Senescence Male Mouse Model, Jennifer A Davis, Jodi R Paul, Mugdha V Mokashi, Stefani A Yates, Daniel J Mount, Hira A Munir, Lacy K Goode, Martin E Young, David B Allison, Karen L Gamble

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Age-related cognitive decline and disruptions in circadian rhythms are growing problems as the average human life span increases. Multiple strains of the senescence-accelerated mouse (SAM) show reduced life span, and the SAMP8 strain in particular has been well documented to show cognitive deficits in behavior as well as a bimodal pattern of circadian locomotor activity. However, little is known about circadian regulation within the hippocampus of these strains of mice. Here we test the hypothesis that in this early senescence model, disruption of the molecular circadian clock in SAMP8 animals drives disrupted behavior and physiology. We found normal rhythms in …

Prognosticators Of Visual Acuity After Indirect Traumatic Optic Neuropathy, Alex J Wright, Joanna H Queen, Emilio P Supsupin, Alice Z Chuang, John J Chen, Rod Foroozan, Ore-Ofe O Adesina

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to determine whether there are radiographic and systemic clinical characteristics that can predict final visual outcomes in patients with indirect traumatic optic neuropathy (iTON).

METHODS: This study is a retrospective, multicenter case series of adult patients with iTON treated initially at large, urban, and/or academic trauma centers with follow-up at an affiliated ophthalmology clinic. In addition to detailed cranial computed tomography characteristics, demographics, systemic comorbidities, coinjuries, blood products administered, and intracranial pressure, along with other factors, were gathered. LogMAR visual acuity (VA) at the initial presentation to the hospital and up to 12 …

Measurement Error Affecting Web- And Paper-Based Dietary Assessment Instruments: Insights From The Multi-Cohort Eating And Activity Study For Understanding Reporting Error, Sharon I Kirkpatrick, Yikyung Park, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Few biomarker-based validation studies have examined error in online self-report dietary assessment instruments, and food records (FRs) have been considered less than food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) and 24-hour recalls (24HRs). We investigated measurement error in online and paper-based FFQs, online 24HRs, and paper-based FRs in 3 samples drawn primarily from 3 cohorts, comprising 1,393 women and 1,455 men aged 45-86 years. Data collection occurred from January 2011 to October 2013. Attenuation factors and correlation coefficients between reported and true usual intake for energy, protein, sodium, potassium, and respective densities were estimated using recovery biomarkers. Across studies, average attenuation factors for …

Early Short Course Of Neuromuscular Blocking Agents In Patients With Covid-19 Ards: A Propensity Score Analysis., Gianluigi Li Bassi, Kristen Gibbons, Jacky Y Suen, Heidi J Dalton, Nicole White, Amanda Corley, Sally Shrapnel, Samuel Hinton, Simon Forsyth, John G Laffey, Eddy Fan, Jonathon P Fanning, Mauro Panigada, Robert Bartlett, Daniel Brodie, Aidan Burrell, Davide Chiumello, Alyaa Elhazmi, Mariano Esperatti, Giacomo Grasselli, Carol Hodgson, Shingo Ichiba, Carlos Luna, Eva Marwali, Laura Merson, Srinivas Murthy, Alistair Nichol, Mark Ogino, Paolo Pelosi, Antoni Torres, Pauline Yeung Ng, John F Fraser

Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The role of neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is not fully elucidated. Therefore, we aimed to investigate in COVID-19 patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS the impact of early use of NMBAs on 90-day mortality, through propensity score (PS) matching analysis.

METHODS: We analyzed a convenience sample of patients with COVID-19 and moderate-to-severe ARDS, admitted to 244 intensive care units within the COVID-19 Critical Care Consortium, from February 1, 2020, through October 31, 2021. Patients undergoing at least 2 days and up to 3 consecutive days of NMBAs (NMBA treatment), within 48 …

Micro-Computed Tomography Assessment Of Bone Structure In Aging Mice, Junbo Shim, Chihiro Iwaya, Catherine G Ambrose, Akiko Suzuki, Junichi Iwata

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

High-resolution computed tomography (CT) is widely used to assess bone structure under physiological and pathological conditions. Although the analytic protocols and parameters for micro-CT (μCT) analyses in mice are standardized for long bones, vertebrae, and the palms in aging mice, they have not yet been established for craniofacial bones. In this study, we conducted a morphometric assessment of craniofacial bones, in comparison with long bones, in aging mice. Although age-related changes were observed in the microarchitecture of the femur, tibia, vertebra, and basisphenoid bone, and were more pronounced in females than in males, the microarchitecture of both the interparietal bone …

Factors Associated With Covid-19 Death In The United States: Cohort Study, Uan-I Chen, Hua Xu, Trudy Millard Krause, Raymond Greenberg, Xiao Dong, Xiaoqian Jiang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Since the initial COVID-19 cases were identified in the United States in February 2020, the United States has experienced a high incidence of the disease. Understanding the risk factors for severe outcomes identifies the most vulnerable populations and helps in decision-making.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the factors associated with COVID-19-related deaths from a large, national, individual-level data set.

METHODS: A cohort study was conducted using data from the Optum de-identified COVID-19 electronic health record (EHR) data set; 1,271,033 adult participants were observed from February 1, 2020, to August 31, 2020, until their deaths due to COVID-19, deaths …

Factors Associated With Covid-19 Death In The United States: Cohort Study, Uan-I Chen, Hua Xu, Trudy Millard Krause, Raymond Greenberg, Xiao Dong, Xiaoqian Jiang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Since the initial COVID-19 cases were identified in the United States in February 2020, the United States has experienced a high incidence of the disease. Understanding the risk factors for severe outcomes identifies the most vulnerable populations and helps in decision-making.

Objective: This study aims to assess the factors associated with COVID-19-related deaths from a large, national, individual-level data set.

Methods: A cohort study was conducted using data from the Optum de-identified COVID-19 electronic health record (EHR) data set; 1,271,033 adult participants were observed from February 1, 2020, to August 31, 2020, until their deaths due to COVID-19, deaths …

Diagnostic Accuracy Of Macular Thickness Map And Texture En Face Images For Detecting Glaucoma In Eyes With Axial High Myopia, Christopher Bowd, Akram Belghith, Jasmin Rezapour, Mark Christopher, Leslie Hyman, Jost B Jonas, Robert N Weinreb, Linda M Zangwill

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a novel optical coherence tomography texture-based en face image analysis (SALSA-Texture) that requires segmentation of only 1 retinal layer for glaucoma detection in eyes with axial high myopia, and to compare SALSA-Texture with standard macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness, macular retinal nerve fiber layer (mRNFL) thickness, and ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness maps.

Design: Comparison of diagnostic approaches.

Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 92 eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and 44 healthy control eyes with axial high myopia (axial length >26 mm). Optical coherence tomography texture en face images, …

Association Of Inappropriate Outpatient Pediatric Antibiotic Prescriptions With Adverse Drug Events And Health Care Expenditures, Anne M Butler, Derek S Brown, Michael J Durkin, John M Sahrmann, Katelin B Nickel, Caroline A O'Neil, Margaret A Olsen, David Y Hyun, Rachel M Zetts, Jason G Newland

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Importance: Nonguideline antibiotic prescribing for the treatment of pediatric infections is common, but the consequences of inappropriate antibiotics are not well described.

Objective: To evaluate the comparative safety and health care expenditures of inappropriate vs appropriate oral antibiotic prescriptions for common outpatient pediatric infections.

Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study included children aged 6 months to 17 years diagnosed with a bacterial infection (suppurative otitis media [OM], pharyngitis, sinusitis) or viral infection (influenza, viral upper respiratory infection [URI], bronchiolitis, bronchitis, nonsuppurative OM) as an outpatient from April 1, 2016, to September 30, 2018, in the IBM MarketScan Commercial Database. …

Comparative Effectiveness Associated With Buprenorphine And Naltrexone In Opioid Use Disorder And Cooccurring Polysubstance Use, Kevin Y Xu, Carrie M Mintz, Ned Presnall, Laura J Bierut, Richard A Grucza

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Importance: Despite prevalent polysubstance use, treatment patterns and outcomes for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) and cooccurring substance use disorders (SUD) are understudied.

Objective: To evaluate the distribution of buprenorphine and naltrexone initiation among individuals with OUD with vs without cooccurring SUD and to assess the comparative effectiveness associated with buprenorphine and naltrexone against drug-related poisonings.

Design, Setting, and Participants: This observational comparative effectiveness study used insurance claims from 2011 to 2016 from the US IBM MarketScan databases to study initiation of medications for OUD (MOUD) among treatment-seeking individuals aged 12 to 64 years with a primary diagnosis of …

Racial And Ethnic Differences In Rural-Urban Trends In 5-Year Survival Of Patients With Lung, Prostate, Breast, And Colorectal Cancers: 1975-2011 Surveillance, Epidemiology, And End Results (Seer), Marquita W Lewis-Thames, Marvin E Langston, Saira Khan, Yunan Han, Lindsay Fuzzell, Shuai Xu, Justin Xavier Moore

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Importance: Considering reported rural-urban cancer incidence and mortality trends, rural-urban cancer survival trends are important for providing a comprehensive description of cancer burden. Furthermore, little is known about rural-urban differences in survival trends by racial and ethnic groups.

Objective: To examine national rural-urban trends in 5-year cancer-specific survival probabilities for lung, prostate, breast, and colorectal cancers in a diverse sample of racial and ethnic groups.

Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study used an epidemiologic assessment with 1975 to 2016 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data to analyze patients diagnosed no later than 2011. Patients were classified as living …

Genome-Wide Transcript And Protein Analysis Highlights The Role Of Protein Homeostasis In The Aging Mouse Heart., Isabela Gerdes Gyuricza, Joel M Chick, Gregory R Keele, Andrew Deighan, Steven C. Munger, Ron Korstanje, Steven P Gygi, Gary Churchill

Faculty Research 2022

Investigation of the molecular mechanisms of aging in the human heart is challenging because of confounding factors, such as diet and medications, as well as limited access to tissues from healthy aging individuals. The laboratory mouse provides an ideal model to study aging in healthy individuals in a controlled environment. However, previous mouse studies have examined only a narrow range of the genetic variation that shapes individual differences during aging. Here, we analyze transcriptome and proteome data from 185 genetically diverse male and female mice at ages 6, 12, and 18 mo to characterize molecular changes that occur in the …

Perifollicular Hypopigmentation In Systemic Sclerosis: Associations With Clinical Features And Internal Organ Involvement, Melody P Chung, Christopher A Mecoli, Jamie Perin, Carrie Richardson, Zsuzsanna H Mcmahan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether perifollicular hypopigmentation in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is associated with demographics, distinct clinical features, and autoantibody profiles.

METHODS: Patients with SSc were prospectively enrolled, with a standardized data form used to collect anatomic distribution of perifollicular hypopigmentation. Associations between hypopigmentation and features of SSc were assessed.

RESULTS: Of 179 adult patients with SSc, 36 (20%) patients had perifollicular hypopigmentation. Of these 36 patients, 94% (n = 34) were female and 33% (n = 12) had limited cutaneous SSc. In univariable logistic regression, Black race (odds ratio [OR] 15.63, 95% CI 6.6-37.20,

CONCLUSION: Perifollicular hypopigmentation is observed in …

Molecular, Histological, And Clinical Characteristics Of Oligodendrogliomas: A Multi-Institutional Retrospective Study, Antonio Dono, Kristin Alfaro-Munoz, Yuanqing Yan, Carlos A Lopez-Garcia, Zaid Soomro, Garret Williford, Takeshi Takayasu, Lindsay Robell, Nazanin K Majd, John De Groot, Yoshua Esquenazi, Carlos Kamiya-Matsuoka, Leomar Y Ballester

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Reports suggest that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway alterations confer increased risk of progression and poor prognosis in oligodendroglioma, IDH-mutant, and 1p/19q-codeleted molecular oligodendrogliomas (mODG). However, factors that affect prognosis in mODG have not been thoroughly studied. In addition, the benefits of adjuvant radiation and temozolomide (TMZ) in mODGs remain to be determined.

Objective: To evaluate the role of PIK3CA mutations in mODGs.

Methods: One hundred seven mODGs (2008-2019) diagnosed at 2 institutions were included. A retrospective review of clinical characteristics, molecular alterations, treatments, and outcomes was performed.

Results: The median age was 37 years, and 61 patients (57%) were male. …

Free Cholesterol Bioavailability And Atherosclerosis, Rei J Abe, Jun-Ichi Abe, Minh T H Nguyen, Elizabeth A Olmsted-Davis, Abrar Mamun, Priyanka Banerjee, John P Cooke, Longhou Fang, Henry Pownall, Nhat-Tu Le

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose of review: As both a cholesterol acceptor and carrier in the reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) pathway, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is putatively atheroprotective. However, current pharmacological therapies to increase plasma HDL cholesterol (HDL-c) concentration have paradoxically failed to prevent or reduce atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Given that free cholesterol (FC) transfer between surfaces of lipoproteins and cells is reversible, excess plasma FC can be transferred to the cells of peripheral tissue sites resulting in atherosclerosis. Here, we summarize potential mechanisms contributing to this paradox and highlight the role of excess free cholesterol (FC) bioavailability in atherosclerosis vs. atheroprotection.

Recent …

Strategies To Encourage Continued Choral Participation Among Adolescent Male Students, Joseph Michael Lewis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This project overviewed a mixed methods research study, which examined the ways in which choral participation among adolescent male students could be encouraged by choral directors. The paper examined the history of male choral participation, common theories regarding male voice classification, as well as how choral participation among adolescent male students could be encouraged by the education of a voice change process. A vocal study of one hundred and seventeen biological male singers at Westside Middle School Academy in Danbury, Connecticut was used to study the validity of numerous male voice change theories. This study documented the transformation of the …

Characteristics, Treatment, And Control Of Hypertension In Public Primary Healthcare Centers In Nigeria: Baseline Results From The Hypertension Treatment In Nigeria Program, Dike B Ojji, Mark D Huffman, Et Al

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: There are limited data on large-scale, multilevel implementation research studies to improve hypertension diagnosis, treatment, and control rates at the primary healthcare (PHC) level in Africa. We describe the characteristics, treatment, and control rates of patients with hypertension in public PHC centers in the Hypertension Treatment in Nigeria Program.

METHODS: Data were collected from adults at least 18 years at 60 public PHC centers between January 2020 and November 2020. Hypertension treatment rates were calculated at registration and upon completion of the initial visit. Hypertension control rates were calculated based on SBP and DBPs less than 140/90 mmHg. Regression …

Skeletal Muscle Mass Recovery Early After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation In Patients With Advanced Systolic Heart Failure, Amanda R Vest, William W Wong, Joronia Chery, Alex Coston, Laura Telfer, Matthew Lawrence, Didjana Celkupa, Michael S Kiernan, Gregory Couper, Masashi Kawabori, Edward Saltzman

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Patients with advanced systolic heart failure are at risk of unintentional weight loss and muscle wasting. It has been observed that left ventricular assist device (LVAD) recipients gain weight after device implantation, although it is unknown whether this represents skeletal muscle mass gains. We aimed to determine whether skeletal muscle mass increases early during LVAD support.

Methods: We prospectively recruited 30 adults with systolic heart failure ±21 days from LVAD implantation. Participants underwent whole-body dual X-ray absorptiometry to measure fat free mass, appendicular lean mass (ALM, lean mass in the arms and legs) and fat mass. Dual X-ray absorptiometry …

Recurrent Parotid Adenocarcinoma Presenting As Diffuse Myocardial Metastatic Disease, Edward A El-Am, Upasana Jarori, Sara J Grethlein, Ronald Mastouri, Abhishek Khemka

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

A 64-year-old man who had undergone treatment for left parotid adenocarcinoma presented with progressive exertional shortness of breath. Evaluation revealed metastatic invasion of the myocardium as a rare presentation of recurrent parotid adenocarcinoma. This case highlights the importance of using multimodal imaging methods in diagnostic evaluation and a collaborative multidisciplinary approach in managing patient care.

Analyzing Relationships Between Economic And Neighborhood-Related Social Determinants Of Health And Intensive Care Unit Length Of Stay For Critically Ill Children With Medical Complexity Presenting With Severe Sepsis, Hunter Hamilton, Alina N West, Nariman Ammar, Lokesh Chinthala, Fatma Gunturkun, Tamekia Jones, Arash Shaban-Nejad, Samir H Shah

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: Of the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH), we evaluated socioeconomic and neighborhood-related factors which may affect children with medical complexity (CMC) admitted to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in Shelby County, Tennessee with severe sepsis and their association with PICU length of stay (LOS). We hypothesized that census tract-level socioeconomic and neighborhood factors were associated with prolonged PICU LOS in CMC admitted with severe sepsis in the underserved community.

METHODS: This single-center retrospective observational study included CMC living in Shelby County, Tennessee admitted to the ICU with severe sepsis over an 18-month period. Severe sepsis CMC patients were …

Bilateral, Full-Thickness Macular Holes While Undergoing Chemotherapy, Sarah Dieter Od, Brett Garee Od Ms, Susan Zacatelco Od, Julie Henry Od

Optometric Clinical Practice

Background: Bilateral, full-thickness macular holes are a rare condition that can substantially affect quality of life. Macular hole diagnosis and treatment is key for these patients.

Case Report: A 71 year old Caucasian male presented with a chief complaint of distance blur in both eyes, worsening over the past 1-2 weeks. He had no diagnosis of diabetes. He added that his prostate cancer had spread and that his last treatment ended 9 days ago. He was ultimately diagnosed with bilateral, full-thickness macular holes. Referral to a retinal specialist for surgical management yielded good results.

Conclusion: This is …