Digital Commons Network^™

Clinicopathological Features Of Colorectal Cancer In Young Patients In Comparison With Older Patients, Bahaa Al-Neama, Wasam Al-Asadi

Iraqi National Journal of Medicine

Background:  Colorectal cancer (CRC) has traditionally been considered a disease of older adults; however, recent evidence shows an increasing incidence among younger patients. Understanding the differences in clinicopathological features between young and older individuals is essential for improving early diagnosis, treatment strategies, and outcomes. Aim: The primary objective of this study is to compare the demographic profiles and clinicopathological characteristics of younger patients (aged <40 years) with those of older patients (aged ≥40 years) diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Methods: Eighty-five consecutive patients admitted to our hospital were prospectively followed for their entire hospital stay or up to 7 days, whichever came first. Each patient's blood glucose measurement was recorded according to ward protocol. Indices included total blood glucose per ward, per patient-day, or patient stay, and percentage blood glucose levels per predefined cut points to assess the incidence of hypo-, eu-, and hyperglycemia. The trial registration number at Clinicaltrials.org is NCT04800861. Results: Total data consisted of 645 blood glucose tests from 85 patients and 284 patient-day results, with an average of 2.27 tests per patient-day and 7.59 measurements per patient stay. The percentage of blood glucose in the range (80–180 mg/dL) varied by model, with patient-day showing the highest results at 48.24%, while the percentage of patients with hypoglycemia (blood glucose <60 mg/dL) was highest per patient stay at 1.18%. Conclusions: Younger colorectal cancer patients in this study presented more frequently with rectal tumors, poor differentiation, and advanced disease stages. Despite similar symptom profiles, delayed diagnosis may contribute to worse pathological features. These findings support the need for greater awareness and consideration of earlier screening in younger populations.

Do Upside-Down Jellyfish Influence Marine Macrofauna Assemblages?, Juleika Y. Vega Pérez, Natalia B. Lopez-Figueroa, Sebastian Digeronimo, Michael J. Schram, Milton Muñoz Hincapie, Elizabeth Stoner, Pamela Hallock

Making Waves REU

• Estuaries are essential ecosystems for many organisms as they serve as spawning areas and nurseries
• Macrofauna are crucial members of estuarine ecosystems
• Many estuary macrofauna are considered of commercial importance
• Jellyfish blooms can alter nutrient cycling and modify habitat
• Little is known about how other macrofauna respond to Cassiopea blooms
• This study documents composition and diversity of macrofauna associated with Cassiopea blooms in Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico

Distribution System Reliability Evaluation Considering Protection Coordination Using Petri Nets, Rani Kumari, Bhukya Krishna Naick

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Maintaining reliable and high-quality power delivery becomes increasingly complex with expanding power grids. The lack of protection coordination poses a significant threat, compromising overall system reliability. This research addresses this challenge by proposing a method for coordinating protective devices within the distribution system, specifically during network faults. The proposed approach utilizes a stochastic timed Petri net (STPN) based methodology to model protective device coordination across various fault scenarios. This technique effectively captures the dynamic behavior and interactions of protective equipment, allowing for the anticipation of potential disturbances. This proactive insight facilitates preventative measures to address prewarning situations, thereby preventing cascading …

A Programmable Genetic Platform For Engineering Noninvasive Biosensors, Asish N Chacko, Kaamini M Dhanabalan, Jinyang Wan, Roy Chien, Nolan T Anderson, Binzhi Xu, Katie Pham, Ritu Tiwari, Arnab Mukherjee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Creating genetic sensors for noninvasive visualization of biological activities in optically opaque tissues holds immense potential for basic research and the development of genetic and cell-based therapies. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) stands out among deep tissue imaging methods for its ability to generate high-resolution images without ionizing radiation. However, the adoption of MRI as a mainstream biomolecular technology has been hindered by the lack of adaptable methods to link molecular events with genetically encodable contrast. Here, we introduce modular aquaporin-based protease-activatable probes for enhanced reporting (MAPPER), a platform for the systematic creation of genetic sensors for MRI. To develop MAPPER, …

Ai-Enabled Decision-Support Systems In The Joint Targeting Cycle: Legal Challenges, Risks, And The Human(E) Dimension, Jessica Dorsey, Marta Bo

International Law Studies

Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as well as ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria include the reported military use of AI-enabled decision-support systems (AI-DSS) within the joint targeting cycle (JTC). These tools use AI techniques to collect and analyze data, provide information about the operational environment, and make actionable recommendations with the aim of aiding military decision-makers in evaluating factors relevant to legal compliance, such as taking precautions and ensuring proportionality in attacks. These systems are often touted as being simply a human aid and, as such, have flown largely under the radar regarding regulation as they are …

Associations Of Arsenic Exposure And Folate In Maternal Leukocyte Dna Methylation: A Case-Control Study Of Mothers With Spina-Bifida Affected Children, Amy M Inkster, Anne K Bozack, Bernardo Lemos, Tabitha Lumour-Mensah, Sudipta Kumar Mukherjee, Shekh Muhammad Ekramullah, D M Arman, Joynul Islam, Xingyan Wang, Liming Liang, Richard H Finnell, Maitreyi Mazumdar, Andres Cardenas

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Icosapent Ethyl On Risk And Duration Of Hospitalizations And Death In Reduce-It, Michael Szarek, Deepak L Bhatt, Michael Miller, Eliot A Brinton, Jean-Claude Tardif, Christie M Ballantyne, Steven B Ketchum, Mandeep R Mehra, Ph Gabriel Steg

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Aims: Among statin-treated participants with elevated triglycerides and known cardiovascular disease or with diabetes and other risk factors, icosapent ethyl reduced the risk of cardiovascular events in the REDUCE-IT study. In this post hoc analysis of REDUCE-IT, we quantified the effects of icosapent ethyl on total hospitalizations and days lost to hospitalization and death.

Methods: Randomization to treatment with 2 g twice daily of icosapent ethyl or matching placebo was performed among 8179 participants receiving statin therapy with established cardiovascular disease or age ≥50 years with diabetes and ≥1 additional risk factor, fasting triglyceride 1.69-5.63 mmol/L, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol …

Do Monetary Policy Shocks Affect Co2 Emissions? Evidence From Brazil, Luccas Assis Attílio, João Ricardo Faria, Andre V. Mollick

School of Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

This paper examines whether monetary policy shocks affect CO2 emissions over time in Brazil. We show that CO2 emissions decline persistently following contractionary monetary policy shocks. The relationship between monetary policy and CO2 emissions in Brazil is assessed through two channels: trade openness and exchange rates. The theoretical model illustrates how monetary policy affects the domestic economy through the real exchange rate. An application of a Global VAR (GVAR) to the Brazilian economy from 1996 to 2018 investigates the effects of monetary policy in Brazil (or in the U.S.) on real GDP and, subsequently, on CO2 emissions. A contractionary monetary …

Leadless Versus Transvenous Dual-Chamber Pacemakers: Real-World Evidence From Aveir Dr Coverage With Evidence Development Study., Monica Lo, Anish K Amin, Marcin Kowalski, Anne Kroman, Dilip Mathew, Valay Parikh, Stanislav Weiner, Jennifer M Joseph, Leonard Ganz, Mohammed Mortada

Heart and Vascular Articles

BACKGROUND: AVEIR DR, an industry-first dual-chamber leadless pacemaker (LP), provides continuous atrioventricular synchrony through implant-to-implant (i2i) communication between atrial and ventricular LP devices. It is important to evaluate the early real-world comparative safety of AVEIR DR LP.

OBJECTIVE: To compare complications and mortality between AVEIR DR LP and dual-chamber transvenous pacemakers (TP).

METHODS: De novo LP and TP patients were identified in Medicare Fee-for-Service claims (October 2023 and December 2024). Outcomes were 30-day and 6-month complications, reinterventions, heart failure hospitalizations, and all-cause mortality. Comparisons were adjusted for demographics, comorbidities, and hospital encounter characteristics.

RESULTS: Compared to TP (N = 77 …

Differential Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability Driven By Asymmetric Hypoperfusion In A Vascular Dementia Model, Mengjun Dai, Kuizhi Qu, Ying Jiang, Song Gao, Yan-Ning Rui, Zhen Xu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction has been associated with vascular dementia (VaD). However, the underlying mechanisms causing BBB dysfunction remain unclear, especially regarding cerebral hypoperfusion. This study aimed to investigate the effects of asymmetric hypoperfusion on BBB permeability using a mouse model of VaD.

Methods: Asymmetric bilateral common carotid artery stenosis (ACAS) was induced using ligature rings. BBB integrity was assessed on 3 days post-surgery using Evans blue, IgG, and albumin extravasation. A modified tissue processing protocol optimized endogenous marker detection. Regional and sex-based differences in BBB permeability were analyzed.

Results: Increased BBB permeability was observed in both corpus callosum …

Cold Atmospheric Plasma For Prostate Cancer Therapy—Potential For Clinical Translation, Shengxin Zhang, Janith Wanigasekara, Daniela Boehm, James F. Curtin, Paula Bourke, Tao Zhang, Gemma K. Kinsella

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has potential as a new cancer treatment tool due to its room temperature biocompatibility and possible cancer cell selectivity with low side effects. This review examines the current research stage of CAP therapy for Prostate Cancer (PCa) treatment with a focus on CAP device standardization and CAP therapy clinical translation. The current CAP preclinical data is explored through the lens of PCa cellular response, PCa cells selectivity, CAP treatment type and CAP combination therapies. Finally, building on the current preclinical data, this review proposes the potential clinical application methods of CAP at different PCa stages to …

Loss Of Payload Sensitivity And Other Mechanisms Of Resistance To T-Dxd In Her2-Mutant Nsclc: Implications For Subsequent Responsiveness To Her2 Tkis, Monique B Nilsson, Xiuning Le, Alissa Poteete, Xiaoxing Yu, Junqin He, Qian Huang, Yuji Shibata, Ximeng Liu, Cesar Moran, Ash A Alizadeh, Maximilian Diehn, Heather Wakelee, Diego Almanza, Scott Soltys, Takeshi Sugio, Jurik Mutter, Xiaoman Kang, Rui Wang, Soyeong Jun, Mohammad Shahrokh Esfahani, Hai Tran, Yuanxin Xi, Lingzhi Hong, Xiaofang Huo, Ashwani Kumar, Xiaoyang Ren, Kei Oguchi, Kazuhisa Minamiguchi, Caroline M Weipert, Jing Wang, Ralf Kittler, John V Heymach

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Effective therapies are needed for patients with NSCLC with HER2-mutant tumors who progress on the HER2 antibody-drug conjugate trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd), a standard-of-care treatment. A greater understanding of mechanisms mediating acquired T-DXd resistance and whether these tumors could benefit from HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is needed.

Methods: Using preclinical models of acquired T-DXd resistance, LentiMutate scanning mutagenesis, and clinical analyses, we investigated mechanisms mediating acquired resistance to T-DXd and assessed the impact of each of these resistance mechanisms on cross-resistance to alternative HER2-targeting approaches.

Results: We determined that acquired resistance to T-DXd could occur through multiple mechanisms including …

Opioid Use After Screw Fixation Of Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis., Jonathan R. Warren, Stephanie Coupal, Colleen M. Moreland, Mckenna C. Noe, George E. Quaye, Lisa Berglund, Caleb W. Grote

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is a common pediatric hip disorder primarily managed with transphyseal screw fixation. Opioid pain medication is often used postoperatively, but there is little evidence to guide prescribing practices. The purpose of this study was to describe opioid utilization and prescribing practices for patients after screw fixation of SCFE.

METHODS: This was a prospective observational study of patients with SCFE who underwent transphyseal screw fixation. Patients and guardians were contacted on postoperative days 1, 3, and 5 for data collection. Postdischarge analgesic use, pain severity using a parental proxy, and pain control satisfaction were recorded. …

The Effectiveness Of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prophylaxis Programme Using Palivizumab In Preterm Infants: A Single Institute Retrospective Study, Hilal Al Mandhari, Saif Al Kendi, Noura Al-Balushi, Aqeela Bintaqi, Abdulrahman Al Saadi, Mohamed Abdellatif

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an established respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prophylaxis programme by assessing RSV-related hospitalisations (RSVH) and identify associated risk factors among preterm infants born at <32 weeks’ gestation. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman. Eligible participants were preterm infants <32 weeks’ gestation, born between January 2015 and December 2020, who received RSV prophylaxis. Data were extracted from electronic medical records and analysed. Results: A total of 282 infants were included. The mean gestational age was 28.56 ± 2.03 weeks and the mean birth weight was 1.23 ± 0.35 kg. A total of 5 infants (1.8%) experienced RSV-related hospitalisation while receiving palivizumab prophylaxis. Infants with RSVH were significantly more likely to be …

Prevalence And Factors Associated With Regular Fast-Food Consumption Among The Adult Population In Qatar: Cross-Sectional Analysis From Qatar Biobank Cohort, Alaa Zuhair Massarweh, Lynne Alexandra Kennedy, Asayel Saleh, Aljazi Al-Thani, Ala Al Rajabi

All Works

Background The Eastern Mediterranean Region has undergone a rapid nutrition transition over the last three decades, with healthier traditional table diets displaced by energy-dense convenience foods. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first large cohort-based estimate of regular fast-food consumption (RFFC >= 1 time/week) and its correlates among the adult population in Qatar using Qatar Biobank, a volunteer prospective cohort of Qataris and long-term residents.Methods A cross-sectional study using a simple randomized sample of 2,000 adult participants from the Qatar Biobank (QBB) longitudinal cohort. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food-frequency questionnaire. RFFC was modeled as …

Extra-Axial Cerebrospinal Fluid Volumes From 6 To 24 Months Of Age Are Associated With Poorer Executive Function At School-Age In Children With And Without Autism, Yichi Zhang, Robert C Mckinstry, Natasha Marrus, John R Pruett Jr., Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Abnormally increased extra-axial cerebrospinal fluid (EA-CSF) volume is present as early as 6 months in infants later diagnosed with autism and is associated with symptom severity at the age of diagnosis, but it is unknown whether early EA-CSF enlargement has long-term impacts on other clinical domains. Executive function (EF) deficits are frequently observed in children with autism and are linked with worse academic outcomes, higher anxiety, and lower adaptive functioning. The current study examines the association between EA-CSF volume at infancy and EF at school age in a longitudinally phenotyped cohort of children with either high (HL) or low …

The Itrail Making Test (Itmt): An Evaluation Of Novel Testing Paradigms, Hidden Indices Of Measurement, And Diagnostic Accuracy In Parkinson’S Disease, Donnchadh Murphy, Jonathan Scott, Craig Newman, Rupert Noad

Peninsula Medical School

Introduction: The Trail Making Test (TMT) is an important test when assessing for cognitive difficulties in people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). However, the pencil-and-paper format can be susceptible to administration and scoring errors and may disproportionately reflect motor impairments rather than cognitive performance. The current study sought to evaluate the reliability and diagnostic accuracy of two novel computerized versions of the TMT: iTMT-Tap and iTMT-Drag. Method: This study used a quasi-experimental diagnostic accuracy design, and included 34 healthy controls, 28 people with Parkinson’s disease with normal cognition (PD-NC), and 31 people with Parkinson’s disease mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI). Participants were …

Considerations When Venturing Into Community Engagement With Those Who Struggle To Access Advice Or Care, Ruth Potterton, Abigail Nelder, Karen Burn

Peninsula Dental School

No abstract provided.

Rare Heterozygous De Novo Variants In Rapgef2 Are Associated With A Neurodevelopmental Disorder, Ali H Bereshneh, Kirkland A Wilson, Xueyang Pan, Shabab B Hannan, Megan A Cooper, Jullianne Diaz, Eyby Leon, Tiana M Moses, Mahshid S Azamian, Daryl A Scott, Ping Yee Billie Au, Juan Pablo Appendino, Ingrid E Scheffer, Antony Kaspi, Melanie Bahlo, Michael S Hildebrand, Angela T Morgan, Ekanem Ekure, Joshua M Shulman, Friedhelm Hildebrandt, Jennifer E Posey, Paul Kruszka, Eric Vilain, Shinya Yamamoto, Oguz Kanca, Seth Berger, Hugo J Bellen

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Purpose: RAPGEF2 encodes a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) that activates small GTPases and has not been linked to a Mendelian disorder. RAPGEF2 is highly intolerant to loss-of-function variants. We report 5 de novo heterozygous variants in RAPGEF2 in unrelated individuals with developmental delay, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, epilepsy, dysmorphic features, or other manifestations. We used a Drosophila model to assess the functional impact of the identified human variants.

Methods: We generated a Kozak-GAL4 null allele of the Drosophila ortholog of RAPGEF2, PDZ-GEF, and used the allele to determine the gene expression pattern as well as the loss-of-function phenotypes. We …

Ai Derivation And Exploration Of Antibiotic Class Spaces, Adam Bess, Sean Rowland, Chris Alvin, Supratik Mukhopadhyay

Open Access Fund Publications

Purpose The rapid evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria poses an urgent global health crisis. A key gap in current antibiotic discovery approaches is the absence of automated chemical synthesis methods designed to systematically generate and evaluate compounds within specific antibiotic classes. We address this gap through fragment-based computational experiments that systematically explore antibiotic chemical spaces.

Methods Our computational methodology consists of three steps: fragmentation of known compounds (eMolFrag), generating new molecular structures by recombining fragments (eSynth), and filtering of candidates based on desired properties (eFilter). eFilter combines structural analysis, pathway information, and protein targets …

Open Access After Graduation, Wendy Walker, Megan Stark, Kate Zoellner, Karli Cotton

Navigating the Future Together: Student Success Symposium

Academic libraries have, for too long, built relationships with students around a single dimension: temporary access to paywalled scholarly materials. We believe this dimension is too narrow and short-term to honor the complexity of our students’ future goals and their lives beyond graduation.

Open Access (OA) scholarship helps us reimagine relationships with our students far longer than their institutional login credentials, and to empower them as lifelong information-literate individuals. Freely available to readers, OA research extends the benefits of scholarly knowledge beyond the academy and removes economic barriers to accessing information. OA invites us to engage the multiple, evolving, and …

Student Success And Well-Being: Library Resources For The Whole Student, Kimberly Shotick

Navigating the Future Together: Student Success Symposium

This poster will outline the rationale and methods for developing and maximizing library collections designed to foster student success. While academic library collections generally support the academic curriculum, students’ needs extend far beyond coursework. At Northern Illinois University, the Student Success and Well-being Collection was created to foster positive emotions, promote self-care, and enhance academic achievement. Alongside practical titles on topics such as time management, the collection also features identity-based works that strengthen belonging for diverse student groups. Usage data shows that the collection circulates at significantly higher rates than the general collection, demonstrating its relevancy and potential impact. The …

Fostering Neurodivergent Student Success: A Participatory Action Research Approach To Inclusive Library Instruction, Mercedes Rutherford-Patten, Luna Nombrano Larsen

Navigating the Future Together: Student Success Symposium

Neurodivergent students represent 20–30% of college populations, yet many face barriers to academic success, including inaccessible instruction, lack of tailored support, and stigma. Academic libraries, as key sites of student learning and belonging, have the potential to reduce these barriers and foster more equitable outcomes. This poster presents Fostering Neurodivergent Student Success: Using a Participatory Action Research (PAR) Approach to Engage Students in the Development of More Inclusive, Accessible, and Engaging Library Instruction and Services, a grant-funded participatory action research project at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. This research approach engages neurodivergent students as co-researchers and co-designers in …

Developing A Student Success And Engagement Framework For Wvu Libraries, Kelly Diamond, Amy Melnyk

Navigating the Future Together: Student Success Symposium

Defining student success in higher education is both complex and daunting, as the term overlaps with persistence, belonging, achievement, and wellbeing. The phrase itself is often unwieldy, making it difficult for academic libraries to determine how their work fits into broader institutional efforts. To address this challenge, the Student Success and Instruction Unit at West Virginia University Libraries sought a clear framework to define Student Success to guide planning, clarify scope, strengthen collaborations, and make library contributions visible and high impact.

The unit developed The Student Success and Engagement Framework (drawing on Bond & Bedenlier, 2019; Zhu et al., 2025) …

Using Kolb’S Experiential Learning Framework To Create Student-Centered Library Instruction, Kari Darby

Navigating the Future Together: Student Success Symposium

Description: Advocates of student-centered instruction advise instructors to act as facilitators to active learning. I will discuss how I used a modified version Kolb’s Experiential Learning Framework to develop workshops that guide students to reflect, explore, and apply their knowledge, leaving the instructor in a guiding role.

Abstract: While the CSULB Library has library instruction integrated in many courses, students receive varying levels of library instruction based on their individual paths. To address these gaps, I developed a series of workshops that break down the steps of academic research and provide a session for each step. The titles of the …

Cite Right: How A Pop-Up Help Desk Addresses Service Gaps, Nicholas D'Andrea, Amy Windham, Mia Mcgee

Navigating the Future Together: Student Success Symposium

During the middle of the 2025 spring semester, we noticed two intertwined problems that required addressing: students were unaware of the full range of our services, and our lack of a reference desk reduced organic interactions with students. This lack of understanding and excess of physical distance, combined with other issues such as an individual's hesitation in approaching a librarian for help, presented us with obstacles to providing high-touch service. To overcome these obstacles, we launched a citation help desk the week before final exams. This alternative reference model created an approachable format where students could receive citation assistance and …

Comity, Act Of State, And Interpretation Of Foreign Law: The Eleventh Circuit Missteps In Mcnab V. United States, Paul S. Vicary

Florida Journal of International Law

This Note will examine the conflict the Eleventh Circuit has created with other federal courts with regard to the degree of deference U.S. courts are to give to foreign countries’ interpretations of their own laws. Part II reviews the Lacey Act as well as the facts and decision in McNab v. United States. Part III reviews the act of state doctrine as well as the doctrine of international comity as the contexts for judicial deference. Part IV will analyze how courts have construed the degree of deference that is to given to other countries’ interpretations of their own laws. …

The Role Of International Law In The Abolition Of The Juvenile Death Penalty In The United States, Carly Baetz-Stangel

Florida Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

The "Helping Hand" In Trade Agreements: An Analysis Of And Proposal For Labor Provisions In U.S. Free Trade Agreements, Marisa Anne Pagnattaro

Florida Journal of International Law

The purpose of this Article is not to argue in favor of protectionism or to shield domestic manufacturers and workers from foreign competition. Rather, it is to illustrate that the promotion of fundamental labor rights allows for fair competition for American workers and supports the right of international workers to enjoy the most basic threshold of workplace standards. U.S. workers and companies should not be pitted against foreign competitors who take advantage of their nation’s lack of or failure to enforce labor and employment laws—exploiting workers’ lack of bargaining power is not legitimate competition. If workers are not able to …

The Palestinian Constitution And The Geneva Accord: The Prospects For Palestinian Constitutionalism, Zaha Hassan

Florida Journal of International Law

The aim of this Article is to examine whether the provisions of the Geneva Accord, which for all practical purposes will likely determine the face and many of the structures and institutions of the State of Palestine, promotes the efforts at Palestinian constitutionalism, and by doing so, the cause of a just and lasting peace. In Part II, I will give a brief overview of the Palestine-Israel conflict in order to provide some context to the Palestinian draft constitution and the Geneva Accord. In Part III, I will analyze the provisions of the Gevena Accord that may impact upon Palestinian …