Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Experiences Of Mental Health Challenges In Under-Represented Young People (Aged 16–24 Years) In England: A Narrative Inquiry Protocol, Rebecca Syed Sheriff, Jason Arday, Rohit Shankar, Roisin Mooney, Louise Chandler, Helen Adams, Lili Z Nagy, Roger Farrell, Daisy Fancourt, Scott Weich, Catherine Henderson, Shaima Hassan, Joe Langley, Kamaldeep Bhui

Peninsula Medical School

Introduction Three-quarters of mental health problems start before the age of 25. However, young people are the least likely to receive mental healthcare. Some young people (such as those from ethnic minorities) are even less likely to receive mental healthcare than others. Long-term impacts of mental health problems include poorer physical health, relationships, education and employment. We aim to elicit the views, experiences and needs of diverse young people (aged 16–24 years), to better understand (1) their experiences of under-representation, mental health and coping, (2) mechanisms that shape mental health trajectories and (3) how online arts and culture might be …

Strengthening Implementation Science Research To Improve Adolescent And Young Adult Hiv-Prevention And Care In Sub-Saharan Africa: Patc3h-In, Geri R Donenberg, Ucheoma Nwaozuru, Sylvia Adebajo, Joseph D Tucker, Juliet Iwelunmor, Lisa M Kuhns, Brenda Gati Mirembe, Lisa Hightow-Weidman, Brian Zanoni, Tapiwa A Tembo, Maria Felix Lupogo, Franklin Yates

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Despite significant progress in HIV prevention and treatment, uptake of evidence-based interventions among adolescents and young adults (AYA), particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), remains low. Implementation research can optimize strategies to enhance reach, uptake, and equitable access to these innovations. The Prevention and Treatment through a Comprehensive Care Continuum for HIV-affected Adolescents in Resource-Constrained Settings Implementation Science Network (PATC

METHODS: The PATC

RESULTS: The PATC

CONCLUSIONS: The PATC

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not Applicable.

Successful Implementation Of Stroke Risk Screening For Sickle Cell Anemia In The Displace Study: Results Of A Cluster Randomized Trial, Alyssa M Schlenz, Monica L Hulbert, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Stroke risk screening using transcranial Doppler (TCD) is a critical evidence-based tool for children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) that has been poorly implemented in the United States. The Dissemination and Implementation of Stroke Prevention Looking at the Care Environment (DISPLACE) study was designed to improve rates of stroke risk screening for SCA using interventions informed by an extensive multi-level barriers and facilitators assessment. This report describes the final outcomes of a large, randomized implementation trial comparing two intervention arms: 1) an application designed to track TCD implementation, ProviderMinder™, versus 2) ProviderMinder™ plus a single coordinator intervention. All sites …

Implementation Outcomes From The Hypertension Treatment In Nigeria Program: Results From A Type 2 Hybrid Interrupted Time Series Trial, Jiancheng Ye, Erica L Jamro, Guhan Iyer, Mark D Huffman, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The Hypertension Treatment in Nigeria Program was implemented across 60 primary healthcare centers (PHCs) in Nigeria to improve hypertension treatment and control using the World Health Organization's HEARTS package. This study reports the program's implementation outcomes.

METHODS: The Hypertension Treatment in Nigeria Program used a type 2 hybrid interrupted time series design, and data were collected from January 2020 to December 2023. The RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework guided the evaluation, focusing on key metrics such as patients' and clinics' characteristics, prescription rate of fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs, medication availability, and retention.

RESULTS: Among 21,922 …

Maternal Obesogenic Diet Exposure Regulates The Offspring Gut Liver Axis And Fibroinflammatory Liver Disease, Naresh Naik Ramavath, Oğuz Özler, Holly Hinrichs, Francisco R Victorino, Vung Lian, Monica Young, Tarin M Bigley, Michael D Thompson

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Maternal obesogenic diet exposure (MODE) promotes fibroinflammatory liver disease in offspring via vertical transfer of an altered microbiome. The mechanism for how an altered offspring microbiome increases susceptibility to liver disease is not clear. A critical early life event termed the 'weaning reaction' is dependent on the early microbiome and when altered, results in worse pathologic inflammation. MODE attenuates the weaning reaction promoting worse liver disease in mice in an early microbiome-dependent manner. Using our MODE model and cross-fostering approaches we assessed the effect of MODE on neonatal gut-liver axis development. MODE shifts the bile acid (BA) profile, expression of …

Metabolomic And Lipidomic Atlas Of Human Hair Across Its Length., Maria Van De Lavoir, Yuanye Chi, Ting Zeng, Rani Robeyns, Maria Del Mar Delgado Povedano, Leen Jacobs, Celine Gys, Hugo Neels, Shuzhao Li, Alexander L N Van Nuijs, Adrian Covaci

Faculty Research 2025

The stable structure and growth cycle of human hair enables the accumulation of both endogenous and exogenous compounds, making hair an ideal matrix for long-term profiling. However, its exact molecular composition, shaped by root-to-tip variations, remains poorly understood. Here, we present a metabolome and lipidome atlas of human hair originating from a healthy cohort. The Human Hair Atlas maps over 1200 unique molecular species and highlights compounds prone to significant longitudinal variations. Metabolite and lipid levels vary by up to 50% along the length of the hair, underscoring the importance of accounting for segmental differences. We categorized 122 molecules as …

Turning Patients' Open-Ended Narratives Of Chronic Pain Into Quantitative Measures: Natural Language Processing Study, Raquel Norel, Jennifer Gewandter, Zhengwu Zhang, Anika Tahsin, Chadi G Abdallah, John Markman, Zhiyao Duan, Guillermo Cecchi, Paul Geha

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Subjective report of pain remains the gold standard for assessing symptoms in patients with chronic pain and their response to analgesics. This subjectivity underscores the importance of understanding patients' personal narratives, as they offer an accurate representation of the illness experience.

Objective: In this pilot study involving 20 patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP), we applied emerging tools from natural language processing (NLP) to derive quantitative measures that captured patients' pain narratives.

Methods: Patients' narratives were collected during recorded semistructured interviews in which they spoke about their lives in general and their experiences with CLBP. Given that NLP …

Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab Induce Hyper-Progression In Renal Medullary Carcinoma: Results Of A Phase Ii Trial And Preclinical Evidence, Melinda Soeung, Xinmiao Yan, Ciro Zanca, Jing Qian, Menuka Karki, Fei Duan, Hania Khan, Li Zhang, David H Peng, Mariah Williams, Rong He, Ziheng Chen, Luigi Perelli, Jianfeng Chen, Rebecca S Tidwell, Pankaj K Chauhan, Courtney N Le, Truong N A Lam, Nirjar Bhattacharya, Rutvi Shah, I-Lin Ho, Jason P Gay, Caroline C Carrillo, Ningping Feng, Kang Le, Guang Gao, Teresa L Perry, Faika Mseeh, Yongying Jiang, Quanyun A Xu, Niki Marie Zacharias, Rahul A Sheth, Tharakeswara K Bathala, Priya Rao, Najat C Daw, Durga N Tripathi, Cheryl L Walker, Mohammad M Mohammad, Jianhua Zhang, Guangchun Han, Yanshuo Chu, Ruiping Wang, Minghao Dang, Enyu Dai, Fuduan Peng, Yunhe Liu, Akshaya Jadhav, Wenhua Lang, Claudio A Arrechedera, Leticia Campos Clemente, Edwin R Parra, Hsinyi Lu, Cara L Haymaker, Ignacio I Wistuba, Andrew Futreal, Andrea Viale, Michael J Soth, Philip Jones, Joseph R Marszalek, Timothy Heffernan, Giulio F Draetta, Nizar M Tannir, Jianjun Gao, Linghua Wang, Giannicola Genovese, Pavlos Msaouel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Therapeutic options for patients with renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) are limited. Here we report the results of a phase II clinical trial (NCT03274258) of anti-PD1 nivolumab plus anti-CTLA4 ipilimumab in patients with RMC, with objective response rate as primary outcome. Enrollment was halted for futility at a prespecified interim analysis as all 10 treated patients experienced rapid disease progression. 5/10 met radiological criteria for hyperprogression and median progression-free survival (secondary outcome) was 1.38 months (95% confidence interval: 1.28, 1.60). In a post-hoc single-cell RNA sequencing analysis, data from patients with RMC before and after nivolumab plus ipilimumab treatment indicated that …

Stiefel Md Anderson Oropharynx Cancer (Mda-Opc) Cohort: A Single-Institution, Prospective Longitudinal Outcomes Study, Amy Moreno, Ariana J Sahli, Faye Johnson, Xiaowen Sun, Carly Barbon, Waree Rinsurongkawong, Wenye Song, Flavie M Luciani, Han Liang, Jun Li, Wei Liu, J Jack Lee, S J Frank, Stephen Lai, Clifton Fuller, Katherine Hutcheson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: The MD Anderson Oropharynx Cancer (MDA-OPC) cohort is a unique single-institution, prospective longitudinal cancer cohort. The cohort aims to enhance the therapeutic index of OPC management by supporting data needs for independent investigators to conduct rigorous observational studies examining exposures and factors associated with acute and late toxicities, cancer progression, recurrence, new malignancies and quality of life in OPC survivors.

Participants: A total of 1811 patients with OPC with a minimum follow-up of 6 months have been consented to our prospective registry between 18 March 2015 and 29 December 2023. Clinical and treatment (Tx) data are available on all …

Cohort Profile: The Pharmacogenomics And Pharmacokinetics Study In Ghanaian Hiv Patients (Genopharm-Gh), Nicholas Ekow Thomford, Oksana Ryabinina, Joel Adu Twum, John Anyimadu, Samuel Badu Nyarko, Akwasi Anyanful, Martins Ekor, George Boateng Kyei

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The GenoPharm-GH project initiated in 2019, as a longitudinal, multi-site observational cohort study aimed at bridging gaps in understanding the influence of host genetics, pharmacokinetics and comorbidities on treatment outcome among persons living with HIV (PLWH) in Ghana.

METHODS: The study is ongoing prospective, longitudinal, multi-site cohort associated with diverse projects being conducted throughout health facilities across Ghana. So far 2044 persons living with HIV (PLWH) aged ≥ 8 years have been registered. These participants are on treatment with antiretroviral therapies (ART). Viral suppression, treatment adherence (self-reported and pill count), clinical data, genetic variations, coinfections, and comorbidities are being …

The Global Hypophosphatasia Registry: Lessons Learned From A Decade Of Real-World Data., Priya S. Kishnani, Lothar Seefried, Keiichi Ozono, Gabriel Ángel Martos-Moreno, Cheryl Rockman-Greenberg, Deborah Fowler, Luke K. Burke, William R. Mowrey, Eric T. Rush, Peter R. Ebeling, Wolfgang Högler, Agnès Linglart, Shona Fang, Anna Petryk, Kathryn M. Dahir

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

INTRODUCTION: Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is an inherited, metabolic, rare disease characterized by a high level of clinical heterogeneity. In response to this robust heterogeneity, the Global HPP Registry was formed to characterize the types of manifestations that patients may experience, as well as to compile information on genetic underpinnings of the disease, overall impact on patient quality of life, and safety and effectiveness of enzyme replacement therapy. The objective of this review was to synthesize key learnings gained from the Global HPP Registry, which is now in its tenth year of enrolling patients.

METHODS: Registry data were analyzed to provide up-to-date …

Five-Year Follow-Up Analysis Of Zuma-5: Axicabtagene Ciloleucel In Relapsed/Refractory Indolent Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Sattva S Neelapu, Julio C Chavez, Alison R Sehgal, Narendranath Epperla, Matthew L Ulrickson, Emmanuel Bachy, Pashna N Munshi, Carla Casulo, David G Maloney, Sven De Vos, Ran Reshef, Lori A Leslie, Olalekan O Oluwole, Ibrahim Yakoub-Agha, Rashmi Khanal, Joseph D Rosenblatt, Jacob Wulff, Rhine R Shen, Wangshu Zhang, Soumya Poddar, Harry Miao, Olga Nikolajeva, Caron A Jacobson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) is an autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy approved for relapsed/refractory (R/R) follicular lymphoma (FL). Here, we report updated clinical outcomes from ZUMA-5 in 159 enrolled patients with R/R indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL; 127 with FL and 31 with marginal zone lymphoma) after a median follow-up of 64.6 months. Patients underwent leukapheresis and received lymphodepleting chemotherapy and axi-cel (2 × 106 CAR T cells/kg). The overall response rate was 90% (75% complete response rate). The median duration of response was 60.4 months, and the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 62.2 months; median time to next …

Assessing The Usability Of A Novel Toolkit For Creating Visual Key Information Pages For Informed Consent For Research: Mixed Methods Usability Study, Eliana Charlotte Goldstein, Zoe Troubh, Krista E Cooksey, Molly Volkmar, Victor Catalan Gallegos, Kimberly A Kaphingst, Clara N Lee, Ashley J Housten, Jessica Mozersky, Mary C Politi

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Key information pages for informed consent require a concise summary of information to improve participant understanding but have not widely incorporated health literacy best practices.

OBJECTIVE: We previously developed a visual key information template to improve informed consent. In this study, we conducted usability testing of this customizable one-page key information template.

METHODS: We used the Designing for Accelerated Translation framework to plan for actionable, efficient usability testing. Participants (N=15) were asked to spend about 20 minutes using the visual key information template and engaging in a think-aloud protocol. They then responded to qualitative debrief questions about the template …

Nirsevimab Effectiveness Against Intensive Care Unit Admission For Respiratory Syncytial Virus In Infants - 24 States, December 2024-April 2025., Laura D. Zambrano, Regina M. Simeone, Margaret M. Newhams, Amanda B. Payne, Natasha B. Halasa, Amber O. Orzel-Lockwood, Jemima M. Calixte, Satoshi Kamidani, Hillary Crandall, Melissa A. Cameron, Jennifer E. Schuster, Aline B. Maddux, Kathleen Chiotos, Katherine Irby, Steven L. Shein, Mary Allen Staat, Lora M. Martin, Samina S. Bhumbra, Ryan A. Nofziger, Jigar C. Chauhan, Danielle M. Zerr, Shira J. Gertz, Judith A. Guzman-Cottrill, Michele Kong, Janet R. Hume, Bria M. Coates, Kelly N. Michelson, Emily R. Levy, Tamara T. Bradford, Stephanie P. Schwartz, Tracie C. Walker, Melissa S. Stockwell, Austin Biggs, Alexander H. Hogan, Katherine Lindsey, Angela P. Campbell, Adrienne G. Randolph, Overcoming Rsv Investigators

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and respiratory failure among infants (children aged < 1 year) in the United States. In August 2023, CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended nirsevimab, a long-acting monoclonal antibody, to protect against RSV-associated lower respiratory tract infection among all infants aged < 8 months born during or entering their first RSV season. Following licensure, nirsevimab effectiveness has been demonstrated against RSV-associated infant hospitalization, but evidence regarding effectiveness against RSV-associated critical illness is limited. In a 27-hospital case-control investigation, nirsevimab effectiveness against both RSV-associated infant ICU admission and acute respiratory failure (illness requiring continuous positive airway pressure, bilevel positive airway pressure, or invasive mechanical ventilation) after hospital admission was evaluated during December 1, 2024-April 15, 2025. Among 457 case-patients who received a positive RSV test result and 302 control patients who received a negative RSV test result admitted to an ICU with respiratory symptoms, 14% and 45%, respectively, had received nirsevimab ≥7 days before symptom onset. Nirsevimab was 80% effective (95% CI = 70%-86%) against RSV-associated ICU admission and 83% effective (95% CI = 74%-90%) against acute respiratory failure when received a median of 52 days (IQR = 32-89 days) and 50 days (IQR = 32-86 days) before onset for each respective endpoint. These estimates support the recommendation for use of nirsevimab as a prevention strategy to protect infants against severe outcomes from RSV infection.

Modulation Of Dorsal Hippocampal Sk2 Channels Regulates Morphine-Enhanced Neuronal Oscillations And Morphine-Induced Contextual Memory Encoding And Retrieval, Khairunisa Mohamad Ibrahim, Dominika J Burek, Azra Zec, Olayinka Idowu, Will W Post, Alice Zheng, Basma Daham, Justin D Meyer, Sidney Williams, Nicolas Massaly, Jose A Morón

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Persistent maladaptive drug-context associations are a key component of relapse vulnerability and pose a major obstacle in treating opioid use disorder. Although the dorsal hippocampus (dHPC) is critical for contextual memory formation, the synaptic mechanisms by which opioids alter hippocampal circuits to sustain these associations remain unclear. We previously found that repeated context-paired morphine exposure impairs dHPC long-term potentiation (LTP) through enhanced activity of small-conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK2) channels. Here, we investigated the role of SK2 channels in morphine-context associative learning and memory by combining in vivo electrophysiology, molecular analyses, and behavioral pharmacology with the morphine-conditioned place preference (MorCPP) paradigm …

Infection And Nonunion Rates In Open Fractures, Roman M. Natoli, Lucas S. Marchand, Sofia Bzovsky, Jennifer E. Hagen, Mark J. Gage, Christina A. Stennett, Nathan N. O’Hara, Kyle J. Jeray, Brad Petrisor, Sheila Sprague, Gerard P. Slobogean, Jeffrey Wells, Mohit Bhandari, Anthony D. Harris, C. Daniel Mullins, Lehana Thabane, Amber Wood, Gregory J. Della Rocca, Joan Hebden, Lyndsay M. O’Hara, Robert Zura, Christopher Lee, Joseph Patterson, Michael J. Gardner, Jenna Blasman, Jonah Davies, Stephen Liang, Monica Taljaard, The Flow Investigators, The Prep-It Investigators

Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Publications

Background: Infection and nonunion are common sequelae of open fractures. Studies have shown infection and nonunion rates ranging from 2% to 52% and 12% to 17%, respectively. The present article describes the rates of surgical site infection (SSI) and delayed union/nonunion following open fractures in a large contemporary series of patients from prospective clinical trials with adjudicated outcomes. Methods: A descriptive analysis was performed with use of patient data from the FLOW, Aqueous-PREP, and PREPARE-Open studies. These studies, published within the past 10 years, included multiple international trauma centers and shared definitions for SSI and delayed union/nonunion. SSI and delayed …

Infection And Nonunion Rates In Open Fractures: Description Of 6,042 Fractures From The Flow And Prep-It Trials, Roman M Natoli, Lucas S Marchand, Sofia Bzovsky, Jennifer E Hagen, Mark J Gage, Christina A Stennett, Nathan N O'Hara, Kyle J Jeray, Brad Petrisor, Sheila Sprague, Gerard P Slobogean

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Infection and nonunion are common sequelae of open fractures. Studies have shown infection and nonunion rates ranging from 2% to 52% and 12% to 17%, respectively. The present article describes the rates of surgical site infection (SSI) and delayed union/nonunion following open fractures in a large contemporary series of patients from prospective clinical trials with adjudicated outcomes.

Methods: A descriptive analysis was performed with use of patient data from the FLOW, Aqueous-PREP, and PREPARE-Open studies. These studies, published within the past 10 years, included multiple international trauma centers and shared definitions for SSI and delayed union/nonunion. SSI and delayed …

Ultra-Low-Field Portable Magnetic Resonance Imaging Feasibility And Safety In Pediatric And Neonatal Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Single-Center Year-Long Experience., Jessica S. Wallisch, Asdis Finnsdottir Wagner, John M. Daniel Iv, Allison Taber, Maura Sien, Sarah Foster, Nathan S. Artz, Timothy Zinkus, Hung-Wen Yeh, Jose A. Pineda, Patrick M. Kochanek, Sherwin S. Chan

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Despite improving outcomes, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) remains associated with high rates of acute brain injury, impacting survival and outcomes. Clinical imaging modalities, including computed tomography and standard-field magnetic resonance imaging (≥1.5 Tesla), have either limited early detection of ischemic-type injuries or are incompatible with ECMO, causing diagnostic delays. A Food and Drug Administration-cleared ultra-low-field portable magnetic resonance imaging (pMRI; 0.064 Tesla) has shown promise in acute brain injury detection and use with MRI-unsafe equipment, but pediatric ECMO data are limited.

METHODS: This institutional review board-approved, single-center study was conducted at a quaternary children's hospital. Neonatal and pediatric patients …

Estimated Impact Of 2022–2023 Influenza Vaccines On Annual Hospital Burden In The United States, Kaiming Bi, Shraddha Ramdas Bandekar, Anass Bouchnita, Annalise Cramer, Spencer J Fox, Rebecca K Borchering, Matthew Biggerstaff, Lauren Ancel Meyers

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

During the COVID-19 pandemic early years, infection prevention measures suppressed transmission of seasonal influenza and other respiratory viruses. The early onset and moderate severity of the US 2022-2023 influenza season may have resulted from reduced use of nonpharmaceutical interventions or lower population immunity after 2 y of limited influenza virus circulation. We used a mathematical model of influenza virus transmission that incorporates vaccine-derived protection against both infection and severe disease to estimate the impact of influenza vaccines on healthcare burden. Assuming reported levels of past vaccine effectiveness (VE) against infection and hospitalization, we estimate that influenza vaccines prevented 69,886 (95% …

Sex Differences In Atherosclerotic Coronary Artery Disease Patterns, Kazumasa Ikeda, Daniel Munhoz, Sofie Brouwers, Jeroen Sonck, Hitoshi Matsuo, Toshiro Shinke, Hirohiko Ando, Brian Ko, Simone Biscaglia, Fernando Rivero, Thomas Engstrøm, Ketina Arslani, Antonio Maria Leone, Domenico Galante, Lokien X Van Nunen, William F Fearon, Evald Høj Christiansen, Stephane Fournier, Liyew Desta, Andy Yong, Julien Adjedj, Javier Escaned, Masafumi Nakayama, Ashkan Eftekhari, Frederik M Zimmermann, Koshiro Sakai, Tatyana Storozhenko, Bruno R Da Costa, Gianluca Campo, Colin Berry, Damien Collison, Thomas Johnson, Tetsuya Amano, Divaka Perera, Allen Jeremias, Ziad Ali, Bernard De Bruyne, Frederic Bouisset, Takashi Kubo, Nobuhiro Tanaka, Kazuhiro Satomi, Nils P Johnson, Carlos Collet, Takuya Mizukami

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Sex differences in coronary artery disease (CAD) have been increasingly recognized, as women present with distinct clinical characteristics and outcomes compared with men. This study investigated the impact of sex on pathophysiological CAD patterns (focal versus diffuse) in stable patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI).

Methods: We conducted a subanalysis of the PPG Global (Pullback Pressure Gradient Global Registry) study, a multicenter, prospective trial including 993 patients (236 [23.8%] women and 757 [76.2%] men) with hemodynamically significant CAD, defined as fractional flow reserve ≤0.80. The pullback pressure gradient metric categorized CAD patterns as focal or diffuse. Patient-reported outcomes were …

Prognosis And Treatment Response Stratification According To Loss Of Proofreading (Lop), Giulia Maddalena, Fadl A Zeineddine, Saikat Chowdhury, Mohammad A Zeineddine, Abdelrahman M Yousef, Francesca Bergamo, Sara Lonardi, Timothy A Yap, Michael Geoffrey White, Michael J Overman, Scott Kopetz, John Paul Shen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Only a subset of polymerase epsilon (POLE) mutations is associated with hypermutant phenotype; we hypothesized that only loss-of-proofreading (LOP) POLE mutations are associated with favorable immunotherapy response.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included a pan-cancer cohort of 69,223 patients from cBioPortal and a cohort of patients with 41 POLE mutant metastatic colorectal (CRC) treated with immunotherapy at the MD Anderson Cancer Center between January 2017 and May 2023. We evaluated prognosis according to POLE mutation functionality.

Results: In the pan-cancer cBioPortal cohort (n=69,223) POLE was mutated in 2.8% (1,965) of tumors; of these, only 7.5% (n=148) had …

Improved Technical Outcomes With Converting Thrombectomy Techniques After Failed First Pass Recanalization, Hidetoshi Matsukawa, Charles Matouk, Kazutaka Uchida, Sami Al Kasab, Mohammad-Mahdi Sowlat, Sameh Samir Elawady, Ilko Maier, Pascal Jabbour, Joon-Tae Kim, Stacey Q Wolfe, Ansaar T Rai, Robert M Starke, Marios-Nikos Psychogios, Edgar A Samaniego, Adam S Arthur, Hugo Cuellar, Brain M Howard, Daniele G Romano, Omar Tanweer, Justin R Mascitelli, Isabel Fragata, Adam Polifka, Joshua W Osbun, Roberto Javier Crosa, Min S Park, Michael R Levitt, Waleed Brinjikji, Mark Moss, Richard Williamson, Pedro Navia, Peter Kan, Reade Andrew De Leacy, Shakeel A Chowdhry, Mohamad Ezzeldin, Alejandro M Spiotta, Shinichi Yoshimura, Ali M Alawieh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: A higher number of recanalization attempts reduces the efficacy of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke secondary to large vessel occlusion (LVO). We assessed the impact of switching EVT techniques after a failed first pass on procedural and clinical outcomes.

Methods: This multicenter international study, conducted between January 2013 and December 2022, included patients undergoing EVT for anterior circulation LVO (internal carotid artery or M1 segments) with failed first pass recanalization. Propensity score matching identified a 1:1 matched cohort of patients in whom EVT technique was changed after a failed first pass and those with the same technique …

Unveiling Humility In Emergency Medicine Chief Residents: A Thematic Exploration Of Standard Letters Of Evaluation, Abagayle Bierowski, Ridhima Ghei, Casey Morrone, Xiao C. Zhang, Dimitrios Papanagnou

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Although humility is a key leadership trait linked to collaboration and trust, current residency application processes lack methods to identify it. By examining whether themes of humility appear in the Standardized Letters of Evaluation (SLOE) of medical students who later became emergency medicine (EM) chief residents, we sought to determine the presence of humility-related traits in SLOEs and explore their potential to inform the identification of applicants with leadership potential during residency selection.

METHODS: Two independent reviewers examined 104 SLOEs (52 chief, 52 non-chief) from 2015-2021, representing 43 students (21 who later assumed chief resident positions and 22 who …

Cordmilk: Umbilical Cord Milking Versus Early Cord Clamping On Short-And Long-Term Outcomes In Neonates Who Are Non-Vigorous At Birth-Study Protocol Of A Multi-Center, Cluster-Randomized, Crossover-Controlled Trial, S. Yogeshkumar, Sunil S. Vernekar, Sangappa M. Dhaded, Kiran Talekar, Benjamin E Leiby, Rebecca Hartman, Yvonne Vaucher, Nitin Chouthai, Meenakshi Girish, Manish Jain, Shuchi Jain, Seema Parvekar, Vinita Jain, Alka Patankar, Milind Suryawanshi, Manish Tiwari, Manjushri Waikar, Nidhi Nashine, Deepali Ambike, Mahesh Asalkar, Rajesh Kulkarni, Sandhya Haribhaktha, Hemraj Narkhede, Sudha Chaudhari, Milind Kamble, Deepti Shrirame, Balchandra Falke, Seema Mehta, Asha Verma, Sunil Gothwal, Shivaprasad S. Goudar, Richard Derman, Anup Katheria, Zubair H. Aghai

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Facilitating placental transfusion-the transfer of blood from the placenta to the newborn-via delayed cord clamping (DCC) or umbilical cord milking (UCM) at birth has been shown to improve iron stores in healthy term infants and may positively impact long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. Infants who are non-vigorous at birth and at risk of developing hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) are particularly likely to benefit from placental transfusion. This process may offer neuroprotection by enhancing cardiopulmonary transition, supporting cardiac preload, improving systemic and cerebral perfusion, delivering stem cells and neurotrophic factors, and preventing iron deficiency. While DCC is not currently recommended for non-vigorous term …

Dietary Sources Of Sodium Intake In Nigerian Adults: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study, Clementina E Okoro, Erica L Jamro, Guhan Iyer, Mark D Huffman, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Nigeria seeks to address the growing burden of hypertension and related diseases by reducing excessive dietary sodium through national dietary policymaking. This study aims to describe the levels and sources of dietary sodium intake among Nigerian adults to inform these policies. From June 2023 to July 2023, adults aged 18 to 69 years old were recruited from the Federal Capital Territory, Kano, and Ogun states to participate in a population-based, cross-sectional demographic health survey. Data were also collected to assess levels and dietary sources of sodium through four 24-h dietary recalls by trained study personnel. The primary analyses included the …

High-Sensitivity Plasma Proteomics Reveals Disease-Specific Signatures And Predictive Biomarkers Of Alzheimer's Disease Phenotypes In A Large Mixed-Dementia Cohort, Katherine Gong, Jigyasha Timsina, Muhammad Ali, Yike Chen, Menghan Liu, Ciyang Wang, Cyril Pottier, Geoffrey K Feld, Gyujin Heo, Tammie L S Benzinger, Cyrus A Raji, Beau Ances, Brian A Gordon, Julie K Wisch, Suzanne E Schindler, John C Morris, David M Holtzman, Laura Ibanez, Carlos Cruchaga

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Novel plasma assays enabled accurate blood-based biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases with minimally invasive options for clinical use. Large-scale studies encompassing multiple neurodegenerative diseases using novel multiplex platforms are essential to uncover disease-specific biomarkers and pathways. We generated and analyzed plasma biomarker data using the NULISAseq™ CNS Panel from 3,232 participants with Alzheimer disease (AD), Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), Parkinson disease (PD) and cognitively unimpaired individuals, from the Charles F. and Joanne Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center. We identified proteins associated with disease status and AD-related phenotypes (Clinical Dementia Rating®, CSF Aβ42/Aβ40, Amyloid-PET, and Tau-PET). These proteins …

Ptbp1 Variants Displaying Altered Nucleocytoplasmic Distribution Are Responsible For A Neurodevelopmental Disorder With Skeletal Dysplasia, Aymeric Masson, Catherine Gooch, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Polypyrimidine tract-binding protein 1 (PTBP1) is a heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein primarily known for its alternative splicing activity. It shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm via partially overlapping N-terminal nuclear localization (NLS) and export (NES) signals. Despite its fundamental role in cell growth and differentiation, its involvement in human disease remains poorly understood. We identified 27 individuals from 25 families harboring de novo or inherited pathogenic variants - predominantly start-loss (89%) and, to a lesser extent, missense (11%) - affecting NES/NLS motifs. Affected individuals presented with a syndromic neurodevelopmental disorder and variable skeletal dysplasia with disproportionate short stature with short limbs. …

The Effects Of Marital Status, Partner Drinking, And Sex Differences On The Likelihood Of Remission From Alcohol Use Disorder, Christina Garasky, Alexis Duncan, Fanghong Dong, Jared Balbona, Andrey Anokhin, Emma Johnson, Arpana Agrawal, Kathleen Bucholz, Vivia Mccutcheon, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Marriage is associated with improved health and alcohol outcomes, yet prior research has often combined diverse non-marital relationships, obscuring whether benefits are unique to marriage or a result of strong interpersonal relationships. This study examines whether marriage, compared to cohabitation, exclusive dating, or being single, is associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD) remission and whether this varies by sex and partner drinking.

METHOD: Participants were adults from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism Lifespan Study (n = 1494; 54.4% female) who met criteria for lifetime DSM-5 AUD. Multivariate logistic regression models examined the association between marital status …

Effects Of Residual Pah Exposure From Firefighters’ Skin And Turnout Gear On Biospecimen Microrna Expression, Jooyeon Hwang, Jenny R Gipson, Chao Xu, Timothy Vanwagoner, Xin Xu, Robert J Agnew, Willard M Freeman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Firefighters are routinely exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during fire suppression activities, molecular biomarkers reflecting such exposure remain underexplored. Thus, we explored an integrated exposure assessment framework linking PAH contamination on turnout gear and skin to changes in microRNA (miRNA) expression in skin and blood biospecimens. Our goals are to evaluate the relationship between fire-related PAH exposure and miRNA expression profiles in firefighters, and to identify candidate miRNA biomarkers of occupational exposure. This prospective study enrolled 25 firefighters. PAHs on turnout gear and skin were quantified post-fire using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Concurrently, skin tape strips and blood were collected …

Fetal Microchimerism Of The Eye Lens, Jamie Moubarak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Fetal microchimerism (FMc) is the presence of a small fetal cell population in the mother, sometimes exhibiting stem cell–like properties. FMc has been observed within many placental mammal organs, except the eye. We used Yspecific PCR on genomic mouse DNA to test the hypothesis that fetal microchimerism can also be found in the lens. Of the parous females tested, we detected an Ssty2-specific amplicon in 83% (5/6) of samples and an Sry-specific amplicon in 2/4 samples. 100% (5/5) of non-age-matched parous females were positive for both primers. These results provide evidence that cells of fetal or placental origin …