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Phytochemical Analysis Of The Ethanol Extract Of Binahong (Anredera Cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis) Leaves By Uv-Vis Spectroscopy, Rusdiana Rusdiana, Tri Widyawati, Dina Keumala Sari, Sry Suryani Widjaja

Baghdad Science Journal

Binahong (Anredera cordifolia) leaves contain chemical compounds that can be used to promote anti-obesity. This study aimed to examine the phytochemical and anti-obesity properties of the ethanol extract of binahong leaves. The binahong extract was obtained by maceration of the leaves, followed by ethanol extraction. Phytochemical analysis was performed by UV-Vis spectroscopy to identify and determine the levels of flavonoids, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, and tannins in the extract, using quercetin as a standard for calibration. Absorbance was measured at a wavelength of 430 nm. The flavonoid, glycoside, tannin, saponin, and steroid/terpenoid contents were determined, but alkaloid compounds were not found. …

Synthesis Catalyst Of Loading Nano Platinum On Graphene Nanosheets And Photodegradation Of Bromophenol Blue In Ultra-Violet Light., Sanaa Tareq, Souad A Mousa, Eman A Muhammed

Baghdad Science Journal

Nano Platinum was used as a new photocatalyst, which was loaded onto graphene for an effective photocatalyst under UV light used in dye photodegradation applications of dye as a common pollutant for water. Thus, platinum loaded on graphene (Pt/ GNS) catalyst was prepared by the sol immobilization method. The morphology of the synthetic photocatalyst has been characterized and investigated using a High-resolution Transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) attached to FESEM. By measuring the adsorption/adsorption N2 using a Micrometrics surface analyzer, the Brunauer−Emmett−Teller (BET) surface areas of the photocatalysts were determined. The photocatalyst's crystalline structure was …

Patient Reported Outcomes Amidst Isolated And Concomitant Chronic Cardiopulmonary Illnesses, Walter B. Wills

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the prevalence of many chronic cardiopulmonary illnesses are expected to rise within the United States through 2030, there is a growing emphasis on investigating the patient-reported outcomes relevant to the morbidity and social burden of these diseases. Thus, the overall aim of this dissertation is to examine these outcomes among those that live with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cardiovascular diseases (namely, heart failure). Specifically, the works in this dissertation aimed to compare how individuals report their health-related quality of life when living with and without cardiovascular disease across the spectrum of airflow limitation demonstrated within chronic obstructive pulmonary …

Blackberry Growth Monitoring And Feature Quantification With Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Uav) Remote Sensing, Akwasi Tagoe, Alexander Silva, Cengiz Koparan, Aurelie Poncet, Dongyi Wang, Donald Johnson, Margaret Worthington

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Efficiently managing agricultural systems necessitates accurate data collection from crops to examine phenotypic characteristics and improve productivity. Traditional data collection processes for specialty horticultural crops are often subjective, labor-intensive, and may not provide accurate information for precise management decisions in phenotypic studies and crop production. Reliable and standardized techniques to record and evaluate crop features using agricultural technology are essential for improving agricultural systems. The objective of the research was to develop a methodology for accurate measurement of blackberry flowers and vegetation coverage using UAV remote sensing and image analysis. The UAV captured 20,812 images in the visible spectrum, and …

Ticagrelor Increases Its Own Potency At The P2y12 Receptor By Directly Changing The Plasma Membrane Lipid Order In Platelets, Kyrylo Pyrshev, Florentin Allemand, Vahideh Rabani, Semen Yesylevskyy, Siamak Davani, Christophe Ramseyer, Jennifer Lagoutte-Renosi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and purpose: Although the amphiphilic nature of the widely used antithrombotic drug Ticagrelor is well known, it was never considered as a membranotropic agent capable of interacting with the lipid bilayer in a receptor-independent way. In this study, we investigated the influence of Ticagrelor on plasma membrane lipid order in platelets and if this modulates the potency of Ticagrelor at the P2Y12 receptor.

Experimental approach: We combined fluorescent in situ, in vitro and in silico approaches to probe the interactions between the plasma membrane of platelets and Ticagrelor. The influence of Ticagrelor on the lipid order of the platelet …

Conjugative Transfer Of The Incn Plasmid Pkm101 Is Mediated By Dynamic Interactions Between The Trak Accessory Factor And Trai Relaxase, Yang Grace Li, Annika Breidenstein, Ronnie P-A Berntsson, Peter J Christie

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Conjugative dissemination of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) among bacteria is initiated by assembly of the relaxosome at the MGE’s origin-of-transfer (oriT) sequence. A critical but poorly defined step of relaxosome assembly involves recruitment of the catalytic relaxase to its DNA strand-specific nicking site within oriT. Here, we present evidence by AlphaFold modeling, affinity pulldowns, and in vivo site-directed photocrosslinking that the TraK Ribbon-Helix-Helix DNA-binding protein recruits TraI to oriT through a dynamic interaction in which TraI’s C-terminal unstructured domain (TraICTD) wraps around TraK’s C-proximal tetramerization domain. Upon relaxosome assembly, conformational changes disrupt this contact, and TraICTD instead …

Genetic Regulation Of Human Brain Proteome Reveals Proteins Implicated In Psychiatric Disorders, Jie Luo, Ling Li, Mingming Niu, Dehui Kong, Yi Jiang, Suresh Poudel, Annie W Shieh, Lijun Cheng, Gina Giase, Kay Grennan, Kevin P White, Chao Chen, Sidney H Wang, Dalila Pinto, Yue Wang, Chunyu Liu, Junmin Peng, Xusheng Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Psychiatric disorders are highly heritable yet polygenic, potentially involving hundreds of risk genes. Genome-wide association studies have identified hundreds of genomic susceptibility loci with susceptibility to psychiatric disorders; however, the contribution of these loci to the underlying psychopathology and etiology remains elusive. Here we generated deep human brain proteomics data by quantifying 11,608 proteins across 268 subjects using 11-plex tandem mass tag coupled with two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Our analysis revealed 788 cis-acting protein quantitative trait loci associated with the expression of 883 proteins at a genome-wide false discovery rate < 5%. In contrast to expression at the transcript level and complex diseases that are found to be mainly influenced by noncoding variants, we found protein expression level tends to be regulated by non-synonymous variants. We also provided evidence of 76 shared regulatory signals between gene expression and protein abundance. Mediation analysis revealed that for most (88%) of the colocalized genes, the expression levels of their corresponding proteins are regulated by cis-pQTLs via gene transcription. Using summary data-based Mendelian randomization analysis, we identified 4 proteins and 19 genes that are causally associated with schizophrenia. We further integrated multiple omics data with network analysis to prioritize candidate genes for schizophrenia risk loci. Collectively, our findings underscore the potential of proteome-wide linkage analysis in gaining mechanistic insights into the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders.

Increased Gremlin1 Expression In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Promotes A Fibrogenic Stromal Microenvironment, Rachel R Tindall, Erika Y Faraoni, Jiajing Li, Yinjie Zhang, Shun-Ming Ting, Beanna Okeugo, Xiurong Zhao, Yuying Liu, Mamoun Younes, Qiang Shen, Jennifer M Bailey-Lundberg, Yanna Cao, Tien C Ko

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) microenvironment is primarily composed of cancer-associated fibroblasts and immune cells. Gremlin1 (Grem1) is a profibrogenic factor that promotes tumorigenesis in several cancers. However, the role of Grem1 in the PDAC microenvironment is not defined.

Materials and methods: We correlated Grem1 levels with activated stroma and immune cells in human PDAC using The Cancer Genome Atlas RNA-sequencing data and characterized expression of Grem1 transcripts and isoforms in pancreatic cell lines and PDAC tissues. We assessed the role of Grem1 in the microenvironment by in vitro studies.

Results: Grem1 expression is associated with an activated stroma and …

White Matter And Latency Of Visual Evoked Potentials During Maturation: A Miniature Pig Model Of Adolescent Development, Peter Kochunov, L Elliot Hong, Ann Summerfelt, Si Gao, P Leon Brown, Matthew Terzi, Ashley Acheson, Marty G Woldorff, Els Fieremans, Ali Abdollahzadeh, Korrapati V Sathyasaikumar, Sarah M Clark, Robert Schwarcz, Paul D Shepard, Greg I Elmer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Continuous myelination of cerebral white matter (WM) during adolescence overlaps with the formation of higher cognitive skills and the onset of many neuropsychiatric disorders. We developed a miniature-pig model of adolescent brain development for neuroimaging and neurophysiological assessment during this critical period. Minipigs have gyroencephalic brains with a large cerebral WM compartment and a well-defined adolescence period.

Methods: Eight Sinclair™ minipigs (Sus scrofa domestica) were evaluated four times during weeks 14-28 (40, 28 and 28 days apart) of adolescence using monocular visual stimulation (1 Hz)-evoked potentials and diffusion MRI (dMRI) of WM. The latency for the pre-positive 30 ms …

Increased White Blood Cell In Young Adults With Family Histories Of Alcohol And Other Substance Use Disorders, Mustafa N Mithaiwala, Nikki S Phillips, Dylan H Nguyen, Melanie S Beehler, Harrison S Ballard, Andrea S Vincent, William R Lovallo, Peter Kochunov, L Elliot Hong, Jason C O'Connor, Steve Cole, Ashley Acheson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Individuals with a family history of alcohol or other substance use disorders (FH+) are at increased risk for developing alcohol and other substance use disorders (AUD/SUD) compared to individuals with no such family histories (FH-). FH+ young adults have blunted stress reactivity, lower cognitive performance and altered frontal white matter microstructure compared to FH- controls. We hypothesized that family history of AUD/SUD disrupts neuroendocrine regulation of the immune system in FH+ individuals, resulting in altered blood immune cell composition, inflammation and neurocognitive alterations that, ultimately, increases risk for AUD/SUD and associated psychopathology. We examined white blood cell (WBC) parameters derived …

Diaphragmatic Myopathy Associated With Dual Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors In A Patient With Renal Cell Carcinoma, Jeremy R Walder, Saadia A Faiz, Sudhakar Tummala, Shiao-Pei Weathers, Nicolas L Palaskas, Maryam Buni, Ajay Sheshadri, Lara Bashoura

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) have become increasingly prevalent with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) cancer treatment. We present a 79-year-old man with metastatic renal cell carcinoma who developed shortness of breath and hypercapnic respiratory insufficiency after his first cycle of nivolumab and ipilimumab. Laboratory data showed elevated creatinine kinase, troponins, and transaminases. Computed tomography of the chest demonstrated bilateral lower lobe atelectasis. Heart catheterization and endomyocardial biopsy were unremarkable. Electromyogram (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCS) of the limb muscles revealed mild diffuse myopathy, normal sensory nerve conductions, and low-amplitude motor responses. Subsequent diaphragmatic EMG and NCS demonstrated severe myopathy. ICI-mediated …

A Putative Camp-Binding Protein In Trypanosoma Brucei Cooperates With Flam3 To Promote Flagellar Connection And Cell Morphogenesis, Qing Zhou, Phu Van Nguyen, Ziyin Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Trypanosoma brucei is a flagellated parasitic protozoan, and within the insect vector the parasite transitions from the trypomastigote form to the epimastigote form by repositioning its mitochondrial genome and relocating the flagellum. The mechanisms underlying such morphology changes are still poorly understood, but several flagellum-localized proteins are involved in this process by modulating the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ) that adheres the flagellum to the cell membrane. We report here a putative cAMP-binding protein named cAMP-BP1, which promotes flagellar connection and morphology transition. cAMP-BP1 contains two cyclic nucleotide-binding domains and five calcium-binding C2 domains and localizes to the flagella connector and …

Discovery, Characterization, And Structure Of A Cofactor-Independent Histidine Racemase From The Oral Pathogen Fusobacterium Nucleatum, Tess Lamer, Pu Chen, Marie J Venter, Marco J Van Belkum, Anjalee Wijewardane, Chenggang Wu, M Joanne Lemieux, John C Vederas

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Fusobacterium nucleatum is an oral commensal bacterium that can act as an opportunistic pathogen and is implicated in diseases such as periodontitis, adverse pregnancy outcomes, colorectal cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. F. nucleatum synthesizes lanthionine for its peptidoglycan, rather than meso-2,6-diaminopimelic acid (DAP) used by most Gram-negative bacteria. Despite lacking the biosynthetic pathway for DAP, the genome of F. nucleatum ATCC 25586 encodes a predicted DAP epimerase. A recent study hypothesized that this enzyme may act as a lanthionine epimerase, but the authors found a very low turnover rate, suggesting that this enzyme likely has another more favored substrate. Here, we …

Axial Imaging In Spondyloarthritis, Vishnu Mohan, Mark C Hwang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Imaging plays a crucial role in diagnosing and forecasting treatment outcomes in axial spondyloarthritis. Conventional radiography may overlook patients in the initial stages of the disease, while MRI is sensitive in identifying inflammation early on. Computed tomography reliably detects structural abnormalities. Practicing rheumatologists must possess a fundamental understanding of interpreting both active inflammatory and structural lesions in axial spondyloarthritis.

Lithicone-Protected Lithium Metal Anodes For Lithium Metal Batteries With Nickel-Rich Cathode Materials, Ridwan A. Ahmed, Kevin V. Carballo, Krishna P. Koirala, Qian Zhao, Peiyuan Gao, Ju-Myung Kim, Cassidy S. Anderson, Xiangbo Meng, Chongmin Wang, Ji-Guang Zhang, Wu Xu

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The high energy density advantage of lithium (Li) metal batteries (LMBs) makes them increasingly desirable; however, problems such as strong reactivity and dendrite growth of Li metal anode limit their practical uses. In this work, a novel Li-containing glycerol (LiGL) or lithicone protection layer on a 50 μm thick Li metal anode is employed for improving the performance of LMBs. This LiGL layer was accurately deposited via a molecular layer deposition (MLD) process at 150°C, using lithium tert-butoxide and glycerol as precursors. The as-formed LiGL coating layer is highly tunable in its thickness by simply adjusting MLD cycles and shows …

Perceptions Of Substance Use Among The Latino Community In Massachusetts: A Qualitative Analysis, Fabián Torres-Ardila, Mariana Beu Rae, Germán Chiriboga, Kathryn G. Bateman, Daniela Bravo, Astha Lama, Leandra Vallejo

Gastón Institute Publications

The Mauricio Gastón Institute is a part of the Collaborative of Asian American, Native American, and Latino and African American Institutes (CANALA), linking institutes at the University of Massachusetts Boston that are dedicated to serving communities of color.1 In collaboration with CANALA, the Gastón Institute took part in a project that aims to help the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS) better understand how Latino, Black, and Asian American communities in Massachusetts perceive and experience the opioid crisis. The Gastón Institute’s study focused on the Latino community and aimed to answer the following questions: 1. To what extent, and …

Building Lasting Connections In A Temporary Setting: First-Year Residential Students' Experiences At A Primarily Nonresidential Institution, Pamela Ghigliotti Mihalik

Theses & Dissertations

Living on campus during college offers students a unique opportunity to adjust to their new environment. As they navigate this transitional phase, first-year students encounter both new opportunities and challenges that help them forge connections within their community. The type of institution, including the number of students residing on campus, can significantly influence their overall college experience and expectations. This phenomenological study examined the experiences of seven first-year students residing at a primarily nonresidential institution. Through semi-structured interviews and photo journals, the research aimed to understand how these residential students connected with their campus and what factors influenced their experiences. …

Dispositional Optimism, Sleep, And Trait Affective Mediators: A Latent Variable Approach, Nicole Ruiying Chen, Nadyanna Binte Mohamed Majeed, Adalia Yin Hui Goh, Paye Shin Koh, Jonathan Louis Jie Sheng Chia, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Dispositional optimism has been shown to be associated with better sleep. However, most existing studies rely on subjective assessments of sleep, which may not align with objective assessments of sleep. Additionally, research investigating the mechanisms underlying the association between optimism and sleep is lacking. Moreover, the confounding role of possible content overlap in measures relevant to the constructs of interest has been neglected. To address these gaps, we utilised latent variable analysis and investigated the mediating role of depression and trait anxiety across two large-scale studies (total N = 2312), with objective sleep measures included in Study 2. In Study …

From Sustainable Agriculture To Sustainable Agrifood Systems: A Comparative Review Of Alternative Models, Qian Forrest Zhang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This paper reviews, compares, and critically evaluates two broad groups of sustainable agriculture models: “sustainable agriculture” and “sustainable agrifood systems”. The “sustainable agriculture” models—comprising organic farming, regenerative agriculture, climate-smart agriculture, carbon-capture agriculture, and nature-based solutions—focus primarily on improving ecological sustainability through farm-level practices. These models emphasize reducing external, industrial inputs, enhancing biodiversity, and promoting climate resilience, relying on technological and market-based solutions to address environmental concerns. On the other hand, the “sustainable agrifood systems” models—agroecology, alternative food networks, and permaculture—offer more ambitious visions of systemic transformation. These approaches not only seek to implement environmentally sound practices but also aim to …

A Dynamic Urban Digital Twin Integrating Longitudinal Thermal Imagery For Microclimate Studies, Vasantha Ramani, Marcel Ignatius, Joie Lim, Filip Biljecki, Clayton Miller

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Recently, the concept of a digital twin for the built environment has received significant attention due to its potential benefits to urban planners, engineers, and designers. The development of tools that aid in integrating real-world physical systems with digital capabilities is essential for advancing digital twin technology. In this work, we present one such digital twin tool that integrates the longitudinal thermal envelope data of buildings on the campus of the National University of Singapore with a virtual 3D model. Thermal images of the buildings were captured using a neighborhood-scale infrared observatory for a few months. The temperature profile of …

Hu8f4-Car T Cells With Mutated Fc Spacer Segment Improve Target Specificity And Mediate Anti-Leukemia Activity In Vivo, Hong He, Rolando A Vedia, Sijie Lu, Qiaochuan Li, Kathryn R Cox, Lisa St John, Anna Sergeeva, Karen Clise-Dwyer, Gheath Alatrash, Elizabeth J Shpall, Qing Ma, Jeffrey J Molldrem

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background aims: Hu8F4 is a T-cell receptor-like antibody with high affinity for the leukemia-associated antigen PR1/HLA-A2 epitope. Adapted into a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) format, Hu8F4-CAR is composed of the Hu8F4 single-chain variable fragment, the human IgG1 CH2CH3 extracellular spacer domain, a human CD28 costimulatory domain and the human CD3ζ signaling domain. We have demonstrated high efficacy of Hu8F4-CAR-T cells against PR1/HLA-A2-expressing cell lines and leukemic blasts from patients with acute myeloid leukemia in vitro. Previous studies have shown that modification of the Fc domains of IgG4 CH2CH3 spacer regions can eliminate activation-induced cell death and off-target killing mediated by …

Uterine-Conserving Treatment Options For Atypical Endometrial Hyperplasia And Early Endometrial Cancer, Naomi N Adjei, Mikayla Borthwick Bowen, Roni Nitecki Wilke, Melinda S Yates, Shannon N Westin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose of review: This review aims to synthesize available literature on uterine-conserving treatment options for atypical endometrial hyperplasia and grade 1 endometrial carcinoma while highlighting remaining unanswered questions.

Recent findings: The need for uterine-conserving treatment options for atypical endometrial hyperplasia and grade 1 endometrial carcinoma is growing with the increasing number of cases in younger patients or those who cannot undergo surgery. We reviewed the oncological and reproductive outcomes associated with endocrine therapies used for atypical endometrial hyperplasia and grade 1 endometrial carcinoma. The rising prevalence of delayed childbearing, obesity, and diabetes in reproductive-age individuals and of medical comorbidities associated …

A Novel Statistical Framework For Meta-Analysis Of Total Mediation Effect With High-Dimensional Omics Mediators In Large-Scale Genomic Consortia, Zhichao Xu, Peng Wei

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Meta-analysis is used to aggregate the effects of interest across multiple studies, while its methodology is largely underexplored in mediation analysis, particularly in estimating the total mediation effect of high-dimensional omics mediators. Large-scale genomic consortia, such as the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program, comprise multiple cohorts with diverse technologies to elucidate the genetic architecture and biological mechanisms underlying complex human traits and diseases. Leveraging the recent established asymptotic standard error of the R-squared (R2)-based mediation effect estimation for high-dimensional omics mediators, we have developed a novel meta-analysis framework requiring only summary statistics and allowing inter-study heterogeneity. Whereas the proposed …

Calcineurin Inhibition Enhances Caenorhabditis Elegans Lifespan By Defecation Defects-Mediated Calorie Restriction And Nuclear Hormone Signaling, Priyanka Das, Alejandro Aballay, Jogender Singh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Calcineurin is a highly conserved calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine/threonine protein phosphatase with diverse functions. Inhibition of calcineurin is known to enhance the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans through multiple signaling pathways. Aiming to study the role of calcineurin in regulating innate immunity, we discover that calcineurin is required for the rhythmic defecation motor program (DMP) in C. elegans. Calcineurin inhibition leads to defects in the DMP, resulting in intestinal bloating, rapid colonization of the gut by bacteria, and increased susceptibility to bacterial infection. We demonstrate that intestinal bloating caused by calcineurin inhibition mimics the effects of calorie restriction, resulting in enhanced lifespan. …

Surgical Predictors Of Clinical Outcome 6 Years After Revision Acl Reconstruction, Rick W Wright, Laura J Huston, Amanda K Haas, Jacquelyn S Pennings, Christina R Allen, Daniel E Cooper, Thomas M Deberardino, Warren R Dunn, Brett Brick A Lantz, Kurt P Spindler, Michael J Stuart, Annunziato Ned Amendola, Christopher C Annunziata, Robert A Arciero, Bernard R Bach, Champ L Baker, Arthur R Bartolozzi, Keith M Baumgarten, Jeffrey H Berg, Geoffrey A Bernas, Stephen F Brockmeier, Robert H Brophy, Charles A Bush-Joseph, J Brad Butler, James L Carey, James E Carpenter, Brian J Cole, Jonathan M Cooper, Charles L Cox, R Alexander Creighton, Tal S David, David C Flanigan, Robert W Frederick, Theodore J Ganley, Charles J Gatt, Steven R Gecha, James Robert Giffin, Sharon L Hame, Jo A Hannafin, Christopher D Harner, Norman Lindsay Harris, Keith S Hechtman, Elliott B Hershman, Rudolf G Hoellrich, David C Johnson, Timothy S Johnson, Morgan H Jones, Christopher C Kaeding, Ganesh V Kamath, Thomas E Klootwyk, Bruce A Levy, C Benjamin Ma, G Peter Maiers, Robert G Marx, Matthew J Matava, Gregory M Mathien, David R Mcallister, Eric C Mccarty, Robert G Mccormack, Bruce S Miller, Carl W Nissen, Daniel F O'Neill, Brett D Owens, Richard D Parker, Mark L Purnell, Arun J Ramappa, Michael A Rauh, Arthur C Rettig, Jon K Sekiya, Kevin G Shea, Orrin H Sherman, James R Slauterbeck, Matthew V Smith, Jeffrey T Spang, Steven J Svoboda, Timothy N Taft, Joachim J Tenuta, Edwin M Tingstad, Armando F Vidal, Darius G Viskontas, Richard A White, James S Williams, Michelle L Wolcott, Brian R Wolf, James J York

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Revision anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction has been documented to have inferior outcomes compared with primary ACL reconstruction. The reasons why remain unknown.

Purpose: To determine whether surgical factors performed at the time of revision ACL reconstruction can influence a patient's outcome at 6-year follow-up.

Study design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods: Patients who underwent revision ACL reconstruction were identified and prospectively enrolled between 2006 and 2011. Data collected included baseline patient characteristics, surgical technique and pathology, and a series of validated patient-reported outcome instruments: Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) …

Therapeutic Targeting Of Hypoxia Inducible Factor In Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Thu T Tran, Holger K Eltzschig, Xiaoyi Yuan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by bilateral chest infiltration and acute hypoxic respiratory failure. ARDS carries significant morbidity and mortality despite advancements in medical management, calling for the development of novel therapeutic targets. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is a heterodimeric protein involved in various essential pathways, including metabolic reprogramming, immune modulation, angiogenesis and cell cycle regulation. HIF is routinely degraded in homeostasis conditions via the prolyl hydroxylase domain/von Hippel-Lindau protein pathway. However, HIF is stabilized in ARDS via various mechanisms (oxygen-dependent and independent) as an endogenous protective pathway and plays multifaceted roles in different cell populations. This review focuses …

Localized Intratumoral Delivery Of Immunomodulators For Oral Cancer And Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders, Nourhan I Hussein, Andrea H Molina, Gemalene M Sunga, Moran Amit, Yu Leo Lei, Xiao Zhao, Jeffrey D Hartgerink, Andrew G Sikora, Simon Young

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Immunotherapy has developed into an important modality of modern cancer treatment. Unfortunately, checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapies are currently delivered systemically and require frequent administration, which can result in toxicity and severe, sometimes fatal, adverse events. Localized delivery of immunomodulators for oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorders offers the promise of maximum therapeutic potential and reduced systemic adverse effects. This review will discuss the limitations of current standard-of-care systemic therapies and highlight research advances in localized, intratumoral delivery platforms for immunotherapy for oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorders.

Association Analysis Of Mitochondrial Dna Heteroplasmic Variants: Methods And Application, Xianbang Sun, Katia Bulekova, Jian Yang, Meng Lai, Achilleas N Pitsillides, Xue Liu, Yuankai Zhang, Xiuqing Guo, Qian Yong, Laura M Raffield, Jerome I Rotter, Stephen S Rich, Goncalo Abecasis, April P Carson, Ramachandran S Vasan, Joshua C Bis, Bruce M Psaty, Eric Boerwinkle, Annette L Fitzpatrick, Claudia L Satizabal, Dan E Arking, Jun Ding, Daniel Levy, Chunyu Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We rigorously assessed a comprehensive association testing framework for heteroplasmy, employing both simulated and real-world data. This framework employed a variant allele fraction (VAF) threshold and harnessed multiple gene-based tests for robust identification and association testing of heteroplasmy. Our simulation studies demonstrated that gene-based tests maintained an appropriate type I error rate at α = 0.001. Notably, when 5 % or more heteroplasmic variants within a target region were linked to an outcome, burden-extension tests (including the adaptive burden test, variable threshold burden test, and z-score weighting burden test) outperformed the sequence kernel association test (SKAT) and the original burden …

Infiltration Of Immune Cells And Lipid Nanoparticle-Mediated Drug Delivery In A Skin Cancer Model, Aynur Sanem Yilmaz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is notorious for its rapid mutation rate and high potential for metastasis, making effective treatment particularly challenging. Immunotherapy has emerged as a significant advancement in melanoma therapy, leveraging the immune system to target and eliminate cancer cells. These achievements have motivated further investigation into immune system-based strategies for this aggressive cancer. Cell-based drug delivery has been primarily achieved by either using immune cells as direct carriers for therapeutics or by employing active molecules through drug delivery systems, most often nanoparticles. While immune cells exhibit innate tumor-homing abilities, they face challenges such as limited …

Contrasting Association Pattern Of Plasma Low-Density Lipoprotein With White Matter Integrity In Apoe4 Carriers Versus Non-Carriers, Zhenyao Ye, Yezhi Pan, Rozalina G Mccoy, Chuan Bi, Chen Mo, Li Feng, Jiaao Yu, Tong Lu, Song Liu, J Carson Smith, Minxi Duan, Si Gao, Yizhou Ma, Chixiang Chen, Braxton D Mitchell, Paul M Thompson, L Elliot Hong, Peter Kochunov, Tianzhou Ma, Shuo Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE4) is a strong genetic risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease and metabolic dysfunction. However, whether APOE4 and markers of metabolic dysfunction synergistically impact the deterioration of white matter (WM) integrity in older adults remains unknown.

In the UK Biobank data, we conducted a multivariate analysis to investigate the interactions between APOE4 and 249 plasma metabolites (measured using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy) with whole-brain WM integrity (measured by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging) in a cohort of 1,917 older adults (aged 65.0–81.0 years; 52.4% female).

Although no main association was observed between either APOE4 or metabolites with …