Digital Commons Network^™

Whole Genome Sequencing Based Analysis Of Inflammation Biomarkers In The Trans-Omics For Precision Medicine (Topmed) Consortium, Min-Zhi Jiang, Sheila M Gaynor, Xihao Li, Eric Van Buren, Adrienne Stilp, Erin Buth, Fei Fei Wang, Regina Manansala, Stephanie M Gogarten, Zilin Li, Linda M Polfus, Shabnam Salimi, Joshua C Bis, Nathan Pankratz, Lisa R Yanek, Peter Durda, Russell P Tracy, Stephen S Rich, Jerome I Rotter, Braxton D Mitchell, Joshua P Lewis, Bruce M Psaty, Katherine A Pratte, Edwin K Silverman, Robert C Kaplan, Christy Avery, Kari E North, Rasika A Mathias, Nauder Faraday, Honghuang Lin, Biqi Wang, April P Carson, Arnita F Norwood, Richard A Gibbs, Charles Kooperberg, Jessica Lundin, Ulrike Peters, Josée Dupuis, Lifang Hou, Myriam Fornage, Emelia J Benjamin, Alexander P Reiner, Russell P Bowler, Xihong Lin, Paul L Auer, Laura M Raffield, Nhlbi Trans-Omics For Precision Medicine (Topmed) Consortium, Topmed Inflammation Working Group

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Inflammation biomarkers can provide valuable insight into the role of inflammatory processes in many diseases and conditions. Sequencing based analyses of such biomarkers can also serve as an exemplar of the genetic architecture of quantitative traits. To evaluate the biological insight, which can be provided by a multi-ancestry, whole-genome based association study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of 21 inflammation biomarkers from up to 38 465 individuals with whole-genome sequencing from the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program (with varying sample size by trait, where the minimum sample size was n = 737 for MMP-1). We identified 22 distinct single-variant …

Changes In Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk Scores In A Predominantly Black Cohort With Hiv And Associated Comorbidities: A Preliminary Study, Shana A B Burrowes, Erin Zisman, Lori E Fantry, Quoc Bui, Angela Wu, John Sorkin, Michael Miller, Shashwatee Bagchi

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: People with HIV (PWH) have an increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) compared to non-PWH, but the reasons for this increased risk remain elusive. We investigated the change in ASCVD risk scores over 4 years to identify clinical factors associated with change in risk scores or high-risk scores.

METHODS: We conducted a preliminary study using retrospective analysis of PWH, between 40 and 75 years old, seen at the Evelyn Jordan Center with at least two routine HIV visits. We collected clinical and demographic data and calculated the ASCVD risk scores using the Pooled Cohort Equation. Exploratory analyses examined …

Analyzing Hiv/Aids Trends And Disparities In The Bronx: A Comparative Study With Nyc Boroughs, Caleb Adjei

CUNY Mexican Studies Institute

This study analyzes changes in reported HIV/AIDS cases over time in the Bronx, identifying the racial/ethnic groups and neighborhoods most affected by the disease. The Bronx consistently exhibits the highest rate of new HIV diagnoses among New York City’s boroughs, with Latino/Hispanic and Black populations being disproportionately impacted. Key neighborhoods like High Bridge-Morrisania, Crotona-Tremont, and Fordham-Bronx Park have the highest case concentrations. Despite advancements in healthcare and treatments like antiretroviral therapy, disparities persist. The findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to support the most affected communities and address the underlying social determinants contributing to the disparities in HIV/AIDS diagnoses.

Maturation Of Germinal Center B Cells After Influenza Virus Vaccination In Humans, Katherine M Mcintire, Wooseob Kim, Sameer Kumar Malladi, Bassem M Mohammed, Julian Q Zhou, Aaron J Schmitz, Teresa Suessen, William D Middleton, Sharlene A Teefey, Rachel M Presti, Jackson S Turner, Ali H. Ellebedy, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Germinal centers (GC) are microanatomical lymphoid structures where affinity-matured memory B cells and long-lived bone marrow plasma cells are primarily generated. It is unclear how the maturation of B cells within the GC impacts the breadth and durability of B cell responses to influenza vaccination in humans. We used fine needle aspiration of draining lymph nodes to longitudinally track antigen-specific GC B cell responses to seasonal influenza vaccination. Antigen-specific GC B cells persisted for at least 13 wk after vaccination in two out of seven individuals. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) derived from persisting GC B cell clones exhibit enhanced binding affinity …

A Human Stat3 Gain-Of-Function Variant Drives Local Th17 Dysregulation And Skin Inflammation In Mice, Kelsey A Toth, Erica G Schmitt, Ana Kolicheski, Zev J Greenberg, Elizabeth Levendosky, Nermina Saucier, Kelsey Trammel, Vasileios Oikonomou, Michail S Lionakis, Eynav Klechevsky, Brian S Kim, Laura G Schuettpelz, Naresha Saligrama, Megan A Cooper

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Germline gain-of-function (GOF) variants in STAT3 cause an inborn error of immunity associated with early-onset poly-autoimmunity and immune dysregulation. To study tissue-specific immune dysregulation, we used a mouse model carrying a missense variant (p.G421R) that causes human disease. We observed spontaneous and imiquimod (IMQ)-induced skin inflammation associated with cell-intrinsic local Th17 responses in STAT3 GOF mice. CD4+ T cells were sufficient to drive skin inflammation and showed increased Il22 expression in expanded clones. Certain aspects of disease, including increased epidermal thickness, also required the presence of STAT3 GOF in epithelial cells. Treatment with a JAK inhibitor improved skin disease without …

Fraksinasi Isolat Fungi Tanah Dari Biak-Papua Biomcc-F.T.7720 Berbasis Uji Aktivitas Penghambatan Enzim Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase Plasmodium Falciparum, Indra Rachmawati, Muhammad Yusuf, Evita Chrisnayanti

Chimica et Natura Acta

Enzim dihydroorotate dehydrogenase Plasmodium falciparum (PfDHODH) merupakan target menarik untuk mencari kandidat antimalaria. Enzim ini beperan penting untuk kehidupan Plasmodium karena diperlukan dalam jalur biosintesis de novo pirimidin parasit. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendapatkan fraksi aktif ekstrak fungi yang menunjukkan penghambatan terhadap aktivitas enzim PfDHODH. Pada penelitian ini telah dilakukan skrining penghambatan aktivitas enzim PfDHODH terhadap 80 ekstrak fungi yang diisolasi dari tanah. Berdasarkan hasil skrining diketahui bahwa ekstrak butanol kaldu fermentasi isolat fungi BioMCC-f.T.7720 dari Biak, Papua menunjukkan penghambatan paling tinggi terhadap aktivitas enzim PfDHODH, dengan nilai penghambatan mencapai 90% pada konsentrasi 0,5 μg/mL dan tidak menunjukkan aktivitas penghambatan …

The Niggling Bandersnatch: Tolkien’S Revisionist Tendencies And The Canon Of Middle-Earth, Janet Brennan Croft, David Bratman, John Rosegrant

Mythcon

C.S. Lewis famously said of Tolkien in a 1959 letter that “you might as well try to influence a bandersnatch.” He continued by noting that Tolkien had “only two reactions to criticism: either he begins the whole work over again from the beginning or else takes no notice at all.” It’s pretty obvious he had a similar reaction to his own self-criticism – to noticing a loose end, or something that didn’t fit a changed cosmological theory, or a new addition to the legendarium that required a revision to the back-story. His reaction would be to niggle away at a …

The Role Of Southern Red-Backed Voles, Myodes Gapperi, And Peromyscus Mice In The Enzootic Maintenance Of Lyme Disease Spirochetes In North Dakota, Usa, Michael W. Dougherty, Nathan M. Russart, Robert A. Gaultney, Emily Marie Gisi, Haley M. Cooper, Lindsey R. Kallis, Catherine A. Brissette, Jefferson A. Vaughan

Biology Faculty Publications

Lyme disease has expanded into the Great Plains of the USA. To investigate local enzootic transmission, small mammals were trapped in two forested tracts in northeastern North Dakota during 2012 and 2013. Peromyscus mice and southern red-backed voles, Myodes gapperi, comprised over 90% of all mammals captured. One site was dominated by Peromyscus (79% of 100 mammals captured). At the other site, M. gapperi (59% of 107 mammals captured) was more abundant than Peromyscus (36%). Immature stages of two tick species parasitized small mammals: Dermacentor variabilis and Ixodes scapularis. Larval I. scapularis ectoparasitism was significantly higher on Peromyscus (81% …

Inspire : Vol 7 Issue 8, Department Of Medicine

INSPIRE – Department of Medicine Archives

• Medicine at National and International Forums
• SESAM conference | Dr Faisal Ismail
• HIV Science and Community
• 34th ECCMID | Infectious Diseases Section
• Poster presentation | Cardiology
• Featured Faculty | Dr Sajid Hameed | Neurology Section
• Poem Section
• What Academics are reading this month?
• Upcoming Events

Assessment Of Tripeptides Self-Assembly & Er Stress On Cell Viability And Exosome Secretion In Mda-Mb231, Azmat Parveen

Theses and Dissertations

This study delves into the effects of tripeptides KYpF and WYpK(NBD) on MDA-MB-231 cells, uncovering KYpF's ability to reduce cell proliferation and exosome secretion in peptide treated cells. Conversely, WYpK(NBD) demonstrated significant toxicity at 10 μM. These insights pave the way for optimizing peptide-based cellular treatments for exosome secretion purposes.

Characterization Of Turbo, A Tlr Ligand-Based Adjuvant For Glycoconjugate Vaccines, Kishore R. Alugupalli

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

Many bacterial polysaccharide vaccines, including the typhoid Vi polysaccharide (ViPS) and tetravalent meningococcal polysaccharide conjugate (MCV4) vaccines, do not incorporate adjuvants and are not highly immunogenic, particularly in infants. I found that endotoxin, a TLR4 ligand in ViPS, contributes to the immunogenicity of typhoid vaccines. Because endotoxin is pyrogenic, and its levels are highly variable in vaccines, I developed monophosphoryl lipid A, a nontoxic TLR4 ligand-based adjuvant named Turbo. Admixing Turbo with ViPS and MCV4 vaccines improved their immunogenicity across all ages and eliminated booster requirement. To understand the characteristics of this adjuvanticity, I compared Turbo with alum. Unlike alum, …

Evaluating Attitudes On Health-Seeking Behavior Among A Network Of People Who Inject Drugs, Ayako Shimada, Ashley Buchanan, Natallia Katenka, Benjamin Skov, Gabrielle Lemire, Stephen Kogut, Samuel Friedman

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

People who inject drugs (PWID) are often members of HIV/AIDS risk networks, where individuals engage in sexual and injection risk behavior. Engagement in HIV care is important for this population. Low socioeconomic status, stigmatization, and lack of access to medical care often complicate successful engagement in the HIV cascade of care for PWID. This study investigates how individual’s attitudes about how much control they have over HIV/AIDS risk in their life (i.e., locus of control and self-blame) affect health-seeking behavior in PWID participants and their community members. We applied causal inference methodology to PWID HIV risk networks ascertained from the …

Poultry Exhibitor's Self Certification Of Animal Health, Christine Whiting

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Dihydrothiazolo Ring-Fused 2-Pyridone Antimicrobial Compounds Streptococcus Pyogenes Skin And Soft Tissue Infection, Zongsen Zou, Pardeep Singh, Jerome S Pinkner, Chloe L P Obernuefemann, Wei Xu, Taylor M Nye, Karen W Dodson, Fredrik Almqvist, Scott J Hultgren, Michael G Caparon

2020-Current year OA Pubs

We have developed GmPcides from a peptidomimetic dihydrothiazolo ring-fused 2-pyridone scaffold that has antimicrobial activities against a broad spectrum of Gram-positive pathogens. Here, we examine the treatment efficacy of GmPcides using skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI) and biofilm formation models by

Nymc Synapse Issue 44, School Of Medicine Student Senate, New York Medical College

The Synapse

No abstract provided.

Pharmacy Matters - August 2024, Umiversity Of Mississippi School Of Pharmacy

Pharmacy Matters Newsletters

Featured stories: "School of Pharmacy Named Community Pharmacy Center of Excellence", "UM Pharmacy Among Top 20 in Research Funding", "Sixth Annual Rebel Camp Introduces High School Students to Pharmacy", "Wells Receives Lifetime Achievement Award", "Professor Lends Expertise to Local Cancer Clinic", "Ramachandran Selected for Health Policy Fellowship; Will Spend One Year in Washington, D.C.", "Pharmacy Preceptors Herrington, McIntosh Honored for Patient Care Efforts", "1908 Society: Stengel Supports Students, Honors Grandparents with Scholarship", "Build the Legacy ... Coat By Coat".

Legalization Of Physician Assisted Suicide, Emilia Clemons

Kentucky English Bulletin

No abstract provided.

Analyzing The Message Complexity, Signal Words, And Readability Of Medical Tourism Warning Messages, Alicia Mason, Sakshi Bhati

Faculty Submissions

Medical tourists are deemed to be a vulnerable patient population because they often have limited knowledge of the specialized health care treatment and services they seek. They are also frequently unfamiliar with the medical tourism physicians, providers, and facilitators with whom they interact. As a result, travel, biomedical, and procedural risks are often difficult to define and estimate. This analysis uses computer-automated technology to analyze the risk and warning messages distributed by government and private medical associations to medical tourists. Results show these messages are often complex and highly textual with little visual graphic elements. The messages frequently lack key …

Implementation Of An Evidence-Based Intervention To Improve Human Papillomavirus (Hpv) Vaccination Rates Of Children Newly Admitted To A Residential Facility., Krista Danielle Fitzgerald

Doctor of Nursing Practice Papers

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 42 million Americans are presently infected with the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). The nurse practitioner (NP), who provided primary care to children at the residential facility, reported that only 60-70% of children were consented for HPV vaccination.

Purpose: The purpose of this evidence-based intervention was to have 90% of newly admitted children consented and vaccinated for HPV. The specific aims of this project were to (1) increase staff HPV/HPV vaccine knowledge, (2) implement an updated evidence-based consent form, and (3) increase the HPV consent and vaccination rates.

Methods: …

Comprehensive Climate Vulnerability Assessment Of A Regional Karst Landscape For Hazard Mitigation Planning, Kara Brunot

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Climate change is the global phenomena affecting all sectors of society by creating conditions more conducive for the occurrence of extreme weather events. It is projected that the intensity and frequency of events will increase. Flooding, in particular, is projected to increase in frequency due to more intense precipitation events. Karst landscapes are especially vulnerable to climate change impacts because of their unique hydrology and geology. Karst flooding is most likely to occur from prolonged or intense rain events, which climate change will likely make more feasible. Areas are disproportionately affected by climate change due to population demographics and environmental …

Application Of Agent-Based Simulation And Game Theory In Evaluating Implementation Of Whole Genome Sequencing In Treating Lung Cancer, Fateme Ghalenoei

Master's Theses

Cancer, particularly lung cancer, presents significant diagnostic and economic challenges globally. Timely diagnosis and cost management play pivotal roles in treatment success. A biomarker is any measurable molecule in blood, bodily fluids, or tissues, indicating the potential presence of an abnormal bodily process, condition, or disease. Biomarker testing is a laboratory test in oncology that is used in the selection of targeted cancer treatments and to help avoid ineffective treatments. Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), is a biomarker test which while more comprehensive, comes at a higher cost. This study proposes an agent-based simulation model within a game-theoretic framework to examine …

Covid-19 Prevention Behaviors And Dietary Habits Among Undergraduate Students: A Health Belief Model Approach, Doreen Liou

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Scholarship and Creative Works

Physical and social disruptions resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting young adults in higher education. The purpose of this survey research is to unveil COVID-19 related beliefs using the Health Belief Model, and COVID-19 prevention behaviors, including self-reported fruit and vegetable consumption among university students. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 304 male and female undergraduate students from diverse ethnic backgrounds and majors at a New Jersey state university using convenience sampling. Variables measured included frequency of COVID-19 prevention behaviors (e.g.: wearing indoor mask, handwashing), and consumption of fruit and vegetables (dark green and orange vegetables) over the previous week. …

No. 26: Pandemic Precarities And Remittance Narratives In The Global South, Jonathan Crush, Sujata Ramachandran

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The COVID-19 pandemic has been referred to as a great disruptor of global migration leading to a crisis of immobility caused by public health lockdowns, closed borders, and the suspension of visa processing. Layoffs and retrenchments of migrant workers led to widespread hardship and an intensification of pre-pandemic precarity, as well as disrupted remittance channels and flows. Against this backdrop, the paper provides an overview of current debates about the relationship between COVID-19 and international migration in the context of South-South migration. We assess how pre-pandemic South-South migration flows were disrupted by the pandemic and the evidence for a crisis …

Diseases Of Cannabis Sativa And The Epidemiology And Molecular Diversity Of Neofusicoccum Parvum, Hannah V. Zima

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cannabis sativa has been an underutilized agricultural resource in the United States, largely due to federal regulations distinguishing marijuana from hemp. In 2018, Congress passed a Farm Bill, which defined hemp as C. sativa containing a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) level of no more than 0.3%. As a result, commercial hemp production began in most states in 2019, including Arkansas, and was accompanied by numerous challenges like diseases and pests. The research on the epidemiology of diseases affecting C. sativa is limited, and understanding the pathogens is in its early stages in the U.S. For this study, an initial disease survey was …

Interactive Effects Between Bluetongue Virus Infection And Insecticide Exposures In Culicoides Sonorensis, Parker Mullins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Culicoides biting midges are common pests around the world of humans, livestock, and wildlife. In addition to nuisance blood feeding, they are also able to transmit pathogens to their hosts like bluetongue virus (BTV) and African horse sickness virus, which can be damaging in terms of both production economics and animal welfare. In order to protect humans and livestock from biting pests like Culicoides, a wide array of interventions is recommended, but chemical insecticides and repellent use are ubiquitous. For a multitude of reasons ranging from natural weathering of applied insecticides to the increase in resistance-associated mutations and behaviors in …

Lactoferrin And Lysozyme To Promote Nutritional, Clinical And Enteric Recovery: A Protocol For A Factorial, Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Randomised Trial Among Children With Diarrhoea And Malnutrition (The Boresha Afya Trial), Ruchi Tiwari, Kirkby Tickell, Emily Yoshioka, Joyce Otieno, Adeel Shah, Barbra Richardson, Lucia Keter, Maureen Okello, Churchil Nyabinda, Indi Trehan

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Introduction: Children with moderate or severe wasting are at particularly high risk of recurrent or persistent diarrhoea, nutritional deterioration and death following a diarrhoeal episode. Lactoferrin and lysozyme are nutritional supplements that may reduce the risk of recurrent diarrhoeal episodes and accelerate nutritional recovery by treating or preventing underlying enteric infections and/or improving enteric function.

Methods and analysis: In this factorial, blinded, placebo-controlled randomised trial, we aim to determine the efficacy of lactoferrin and lysozyme supplementation in decreasing diarrhoea incidence and improving nutritional recovery in Kenyan children convalescing from comorbid diarrhoea and wasting. Six hundred children aged 6–24 months with …

Uncovering The Hidden Diversity Of Antibody Heavy Chains And Their Implications For Autoantibody Mediated Disease., Easton Earl Ford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the diversity of antibody (IG) molecules at the DNA and RNA level is imperative for understanding immunological processes and disease. Much of the work to uncover IG diversity has been focused on diversity in the variable region of the IG molecule which is crucial for antigen binding. However, the diversity of the constant region responsible for the functions of IG has largely been ignored in the field of immunogenetics. The work presented in this thesis challenges the dogma that the constant region is invariant in terms of genetic diversity. In this thesis we present the development of a long-read …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Exercise-Stimulated Resolution Of Inflammation And Its Dietary Dependence., Ernesto H. Pena Calderin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diet-induced obesity and adipose tissue (AT) inflammation that ensues sets the stage for systemic metabolic inflammation, disrupted insulin signaling, and eventual type 2 diabetes (T2D) development. At the center of this pathology lies a disruption in endogenous inflammation resolution pathways characterized by an imbalance in lipid mediator production (greater abundance of pro-inflammatory to pro-resolving lipids). Additionally, obese states are characterized by adrenergic deficiency, especially in response to physical activity. Inflammatory processes have been experimentally mitigated by either the pharmacological inhibition of pro-inflammatory signals (i.e., Leukotriene B₄ (LTB₄) and its receptor BLT1, which establishes a potent chemotactic stimulus …

Safety And Feasibility Of Third-Party Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes For High-Risk Patients With Covid-19, Dolores Grosso, John L. Wagner, Allyson O'Connor, Kaitlyn Keck, Yanping Huang, Zi-Xuan Wang, Hilary Mehler, Benjamin Leiby, Phyllis Flomenberg, Usama Gergis, Neda Nikbakht, Michael Morris, Julie Karp, Alexis R. Peedin, Neal Flomenberg

COVID-19 Papers, Posters, and Presentations

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) destroy virally infected cells and are critical for the elimination of viral infections such as those caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Delayed and dysfunctional adaptive immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 are associated with poor outcomes. Treatment with allogeneic SARS-CoV-2-specific CTLs may enhance cellular immunity in high-risk patients providing a safe, direct mechanism of treatment. Thirty high-risk ambulatory patients with COVID-19 were enrolled in a phase 1 trial assessing the safety of third party, SARS-CoV-2-specific CTLs. Twelve interventional patients, 6 of whom were immunocompromised, matched the HLA-A∗02:01 restriction of the CTLs and received …

Characterizing Oxylipins In Human Milk Extracellular Vesicles, Priscila Herrera

Food Science (MS) Theses

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are non-replicating lipid bilayer membrane-bound particle formed by a parent cell and secreted into the extracellular environment. EVs in human milk are bioavailable and influence physiologic pathways that may contribute to newborn growth and development. There is interest in the oxylipin content of EVs that may contribute to the bioavailability of EVs. This research aims to characterize the oxylipin content of human milk EVs. Centrifugation and precipitation were used to isolate EVs from human milk (n = 20). The Folch method was used to extract lipids, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC– MS) was used to qualify and …