Digital Commons Network^™

Technical Pitfalls And Initial Clinical Experience Using Femoral Staggered Multibranch Thoracoabdominal Aneurysm Repair Technique, Jong Hun Park, Giuliano Giova Volpiani, Alvaro Razuk, Leonardo Ferber, Lucas Ruiter Kanamori, Bruno Pagnin Schmid, Steven Maximus, Gustavo S Oderich

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Total transfemoral approach may be challenging in patients with narrow aortic lumens. We describe a novel total femoral staggered multibranch thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair technique (FEM-SMART) to facilitate target vessel catheterization in this population. FEM-SMART is performed using a standard off-the-shelf multibranch stent graft via a total transfemoral approach. The endograft is partially deployed to the level of the celiac axis directional branch, which is selectively catheterized via contralateral femoral access using a steerable sheath. Subsequently, staggered endograft deployment, sequential catheterization of directional branches, and target vessel stenting are performed, starting with the superior mesenteric artery, followed by the renal …

Modeling Reemergence Of Vaccine-Eliminated Infectious Diseases Under Declining Vaccination In The United States, Mathew V Kiang, Kate M Bubar, Yvonne Maldonado, Peter J Hotez, Nathan C Lo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

(Abstracted from JAMA 2025;333(24):2176-2187) The development of childhood vaccine protocols has led to the elimination of many infectious diseases from the United States, including measles, rubella, diphtheria, and polio, by maintaining herd immunity. In recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination rates have declined due to policy changes, misinformation, distrust, and broader societal shifts.

Where, How, And How Much? A Multicenter Cohort Study Of The Relationship Across Lupus Decision-Aid Modality, Place Of Administration, Interruption And Viewing Completeness, And Patient-Reported Outcomes, Jasvinder A Singh, Mark Beasley, Larry R Hearld

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: We assessed whether shared decision-making (SDM) and patient acceptability, feasibility, and overall satisfaction with a computerized patient decision aid (PtDA) for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) differs by PtDA setting, modality, and the viewing experience.

Methods: Patients with SLE were invited to view a self-administered computerized SLE PtDA during regular clinic visits at 15 rheumatology clinics in an implementation trial. Patients completed a survey that included SDM measures including the decision conflict scale (DCS), Preparation for Decision Making (PDM) scale, and CollaboRATE scale, and we measured perceived patient acceptability, feasibility, and satisfaction. Patients viewed the SLE PtDA in …

A Deep Generative Model For Deciphering Cellular Dynamics And In Silico Drug Discovery In Complex Diseases, Yumin Zheng, Jonas C Schupp, Taylor Adams, Geremy Clair, Aurelien Justet, Farida Ahangari, Xiting Yan, Paul Hansen, Marianne Carlon, Emanuela Cortesi, Marie Vermant, Robin Vos, Laurens J De Sadeleer, Ivan O Rosas, Ricardo Pineda, John Sembrat, Melanie Königshoff, John E Mcdonough, Bart M Vanaudenaerde, Wim A Wuyts, Naftali Kaminski, Jun Ding

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Human diseases are characterized by intricate cellular dynamics. Single-cell transcriptomics provides critical insights, yet a persistent gap remains in computational tools for detailed disease progression analysis and targeted in silico drug interventions. Here we introduce UNAGI, a deep generative neural network tailored to analyse time-series single-cell transcriptomic data. This tool captures the complex cellular dynamics underlying disease progression, enhancing drug perturbation modelling and screening. When applied to a dataset from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, UNAGI learns disease-informed cell embeddings that sharpen our understanding of disease progression, leading to the identification of potential therapeutic drug candidates. Validation using proteomics reveals …

Group Concept Mapping To Develop A Salon-Based Hpv Self-Collection Intervention, Kelly N B Palmer, Namoonga M Mantina, Adebola Adegboyega, Itunu O Sokale, Kathleen Pryor, Azaria Suero-Davis, Trevon Brooks, Jennifer Hatcher

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Black women in the US face higher cervical cancer mortality rates due to delayed diagnoses linked to lower screening rates. Contributing factors include provider bias, costs, and limited access, particularly affecting women aged 40-64. While innovative approaches like clinical and home-based HPV self-collection exist, equitable dissemination remains challenging. Distributing HPV self-collection kits in unconventional sites like hair salons may offer a solution. Using concept mapping, we gathered community insights to design a salon-based cervical cancer screening intervention.

Methods: We employed groupwisdom™ and REDCap platforms for community-based participatory intervention development. Participants included members of the Black Community Advisory Council of …

Transoral Robotic-Assisted Removal Of A Submucosal Pyriform Sinus Foreign Body, Elisabeth Wenneker, Rebecca Doctor, Ari Schuman, Adam Szymanowski, Ray Wang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Submucosal foreign bodies of the medial pyriform sinus represent a challenge given limited visualization and difficult retraction with endoscopic approaches, and risk of injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve with open approaches. Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) offers improved visualization and multiple working arms to facilitate retraction. We present a novel case utilizing the Da Vinci SP system for removal of an embedded fishbone of the medial pyriform sinus.

Results: An 84-year-old woman presented with five days of odynophagia and globus sensation after swallowing a fish bone. Non-contrast computed tomography scan revealed a 3.0 cm submucosal object within the post-cricoid …

Screening For Diabetes After Solid Organ Transplantation: A 10-Year Retrospective Study, Ridwan B Ibrahim, Sneha Kumar, Sahil Malik, Joseph A Spinner, Daniel H Leung, Sridevi Devaraj

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Post-transplantation diabetes mellitus (PTDM) is a common and important complication after solid organ transplantation, affecting long-term outcomes. Graft rejection, decreased patient survival, infections and increased cardiovascular risk are associated with PTDM and may arise from both transplant-related and traditional risk factors. Early screening for PTDM is crucial for early detection and management. Despite clinical guidelines recommending regular screening for PTDM, screening rates remain suboptimal. This retrospective study analyzes PTDM screening rates between January 2014-January 2024 among pediatric kidney, liver, heart and lung transplant recipients at a large quaternary academic pediatric transplant center. PTDM screening rates vary by organ type, with …

Plasma Metabolomic And Proteomic Signatures Of Blood Pressure Management After Bariatric Surgery Among Adolescents, Shudi Pan, Zhenjiang Li, Juan Pablo Lewinger, Jesse A Goodrich, Hongxu Wang, Sarah Rock, Carmen Chen, Todd M Jenkins, Stephanie Sisley, Stephen R Daniels, Douglas I Walker, Max T Aung, Erika Garcia, Rob Mcconnell, Sandrah P Eckel, Michele A La Merrill, Tanya L Alderete, Zhuanghua Chen, Frank D Gilliland, Thomas H Inge, David V Conti, Justin R Ryder, Lida Chatzi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Emerging omics approaches, including metabolomics and proteomics, can be integrated into obesity treatment for better blood pressure management. We tested whether preoperative metabolomic and proteomic profiles predict long-term elevated blood pressure (EBP) changes better than known risk factors in adolescents undergoing bariatric surgery.

Methods: We included 108 participants from the Teen-LABS (Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery). Plasma untargeted metabolomics (via liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry) and Olink proteomics were assessed pre surgery. An elastic net model with stability selection was used to identify features predictive of EBP reductions 5 years post surgery. Models including identified metabolites, proteins, and …

Vaccine Hesitancy At Nine Community Sites Across The United States, Early In Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout, Aneeka Ratnayake, Julie H Hernandez, Jessica Justman, Jason E Farley, Yael Hirsch-Moverman, Ken Ho, Stockton Mayer, Abiodun Oluyomi, Magdalena E Sobieszczyk, Shobha Swaminathan, Timothy Skalland, Jean De Dieu Tapsoba, Patricia J Kissinger

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Vaccine hesitancy has been a significant concern throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy can be attributed to lack of confidence in vaccines, complacency about the health threat, or lack of convenience of vaccination. To date, few studies have used methods designed to include populations underrepresented in research when identifying factors associated with vaccine hesitancy.

Methods: Between January and July 2021, potential participants were recruited from community venues selected through time-location sampling in 15 defined communities in the United States. Study staff administered a questionnaire on demographics, COVID-19 behaviors and attitudes, and vaccination status or intention to consenting individuals. Vaccine …

Sleep-Disordered Breathing Subtypes And Future Diet Quality In The Multi-Ethnic Study Of Atherosclerosis, Kaitlin S Potts, Cecilia Castro-Diehl, Tianyi Huang, Alexis C Wood, Jerome I Rotter, Stephen S Rich, Tamar Sofer, Susan Redline, Heming Wang

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Objectives: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and diet quality impact cardiometabolic disease, but few studies have examined if SDB influences diet quality. This study estimated the association between SDB subtypes (with and without sleepiness) and future diet quality in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Methods: Probable SDB was characterized by self-reported physician-diagnosed sleep apnea (PDSA) or habitual snoring and subtyped by presence or absence of sleepiness. A food frequency questionnaire measured diet 1.6 years before, and 7.8 years after SDB assessment. Diet quality was measured with the Alternate Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI). Mean differences in AHEI at follow-up by SDB subtypes were …

From Bladder To Brain: How You Know When It’S Time To Go, Anne M J Verstegen, Kara L Marshall

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

The decision to urinate relies on assessing bladder fullness and context to determine an appropriate time and place to go. Any disruption in this interoceptive process results in frequent and sometimes debilitating consequences in daily life. Recent work has uncovered key pathways and brain regions that contribute to the sense of bladder stretch and the control of urinary reflexes, but many open questions remain. Here, we review the known mechanisms that convey sensory information from the bladder to the brain and back down again, and we highlight the knowledge gaps and opportunities for better understanding this system, which will be …

Association Of Area Deprivation Index With Perinatal And Covid-19 Outcomes During The Early Pandemic: A Secondary Analysis Of A Prospective Cohort Study, Abigail Bell, Megan Foeller, Candice Woolfolk, Emily Diveley, Fan Zhang, Amy Scheffer, Ruizhi Huang, Daniel Jackson, Nandini Raghuraman, Ebony Carter, Indira U Mysorekar, Jeannie C Kelly

Center on Aging Staff Publications

Objective: We sought to evaluate the relationship between neighborhood-level deprivation and perinatal outcomes, particularly preterm birth, as well as COVID-19 outcomes among pregnant patients during the early pandemic.

Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of a prospective longitudinal cohort study that investigated the impact of prenatal COVID-19 exposure on perinatal outcomes. Pregnant patients were recruited 12/23/20-7/18/22 and serially assessed for COVID-19 exposure during pregnancy, with serum antibody testing, electronic medical record review, and patient report. For this secondary analysis, address at the time of delivery was used to categorize patients into low ADI (≤50th percentile Area Deprivation Index, indicating low …

Cropcapsnet: Enhanced Capsule Network For Crop Disease Classification, Juan Qin, Linfan Deng, Cong Li, Junjie He, Haibo Pen, Zhaoxia Wang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The prevention and treatment of crop diseases are crucial for the development of smart agriculture. The classification of crop diseases based on deep learning for early disease monitoring and control has become the mainstream direction of research. This paper proposes a novel deep learning model called ”CropCapsNet”, which combines Squeeze-and-Excitation Inception (SE-Inception) module and has improved capsule structure for crop disease classification. The network first extracts shallow features of input samples through double-layer convolution, then uses SE-Inception to achieve deep multi-scale feature acquisition, and finally outputs classification results through an improved capsule structure. SE-Inception adds Squeeze-and-Excitation(SE) attention after each multi-scale …

Rethinking Singer: Toward A Valid Argument For Helping The Global Poor, Joshua Luczak

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

For more than 50 years, Peter Singer has argued that we are required to donate to aid agencies. While many commentators have rejected one or more of his premises, no one appears to have challenged the argument’s validity, and it is often assumed to be valid even by critics. This article demonstrates that Singer’s common-sense morality arguments for donating to aid agencies are invalid. It then reconstructs a valid version of the argument consistent with Singer’s broader work, but shows that this version carries significant costs. The paper concludes that although we have a moral obligation to help those less …

Novice Instructors Can Make Satisfying Video Lectures By Using Familiar Techniques: A Repeated-Measures Test Of Video Lecture Formats And Learner Satisfaction Theory, Sonny Rosenthal, Stuart Braiman, Dawn Z. Y. Poh

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Research has shown that composite video lectures lead to higher learner satisfaction than other video lecture formats, but this finding has not been replicated among novice instructors. In this study, six PhD students created two video lectures on different topics. One used the picture-in-picture (PiP) format, while the other used the video composite format. Undergraduate student participants (N = 185) watched both video lectures by a single instructor and rated them on several variables. Contradicting prior research, the participants rated the composite video as having lower content quality (Cohen’s d = -0.35) and instructor-content interaction (Cohen’s d = -0.17) than …

Framerate Sensitivity And Cinemagoing Explain The Soap Opera Effect Of Films: A Preregistered Study Of Undergraduate Students In Singapore., Sonny Rosenthal, Benjamin J. Li

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

The soap opera effect is an unsettling feeling that some individuals experience while watching films at a high framerate. It has received little scholarly attention, and most explanations of it are speculative or anecdotal. Drawing on the mere exposure effect, this preregistered laboratory experiment provides new evidence of framerate sensitivity and cinemagoing as explanatory factors of the soap opera effect. Undergraduate students (N = 270) reported their cinemagoing and completed a novel task to measure their framerate sensitivity. They also completed a task indicating their framerate preferences. Those with a higher framerate sensitivity and more regular cinemagoing preferred the standard …

Public Views Towards Lifespan, Healthspan, And Healthy Longevity Medicine In Singapore: A Qualitative Study From The Healthy Longevity (Helo) Initiatives, Belinda Wang, Anna Szucs, Elena Sandalova, Zhi Meng Lim, E. J. Horberg, Paul A. O’Keefe, Louis Island, Sonny Rosenthal, Andrea B. Maier

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Introduction: Healthy Longevity Medicine (HLM) offers a strategy to reduce the healthspan-lifespan gap, yet public perspectives remain unclear. This study refines the Healthy Longevity (HELO) framework through a qualitative exploration of public views towards lifespan, healthspan, and HLM.Methods: Individuals living in Singapore participated in semi-structured group or individual discussions to explore (a) their understanding of lifespan and healthspan, (b) motivational factors for health behaviours, and (c) their awareness of HLM. Sampling maximised variation across age, sex, and ethnicity. Data obtained through 13 discussions were analysed with a mixed, inductive-deductive approach employing the HELO framework.Results: Thirty-six participants (mean age = 49.4 …

Assembling Diasporic Faith Amidst China’S Rise: (De)Territorialization And The Multi-Scalar Production Of The Guangze Zunwang Cult In The Chinese Diaspora, Ningning Chen, Orlando Woods

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Faith in the Chinese diaspora has become increasingly vibrant in the context of China’s rise as a global power. Drawing on multi-sited ethnographic research exploring the temple networks of the Guangze Zunwang cult, this paper advances an assemblage approach to understanding diasporic faith and investigating its multi-scalar becoming by exploring three areas of inquiry. The first investigates the evolving development of the Guangze Zunwang cult and its formation into a faith assemblage based on temple alliances, which bring people, deities, institutions, places and material objects together across (national) borders. The second explores the multi-scalar becoming in which faith assemblages are …

Privately Owned Companies Dominate Renewable Energy Generation Ownership Around The World, Dyaran Bansraj, Theodor Florian Cojoianu, Xi Hu, Khaladdin Rzayev, Francisco Urzua

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Global sustainable finance policies are premised on publicly listed companies driving decarbonization through transparency, investor pressure, and capital market access. Analysing c. 20,000 corporate owners of renewable and fossil-fuel assets worldwide, we show the opposite: private firms own approximately 75% of global renewable generation capacity. This private dominance holds across all major technologies and regions, with listed ownership of renewable assets being the majority only in the oil & gas and technology sectors. The Paris Agreement did not alter this balance. Instead, ownership of the energy transition reflects countries' financial structures, with similar patterns observed across manufacturing, construction, and financial …

The Pluralistic Natural Capital Values Of A Tropical City, Adrienne Gret-Regamey, Et Al.

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Nature in cities is essential for human well-being. Quantifying and valuing the goods and services provided by nature to city dwellers is missing in tropical contexts. Yet, as cities worldwide face similar challenges, understanding the services provided by tropical urban ecosystems becomes imperative for effective management. Here, we present the first Natural Capital Assessment of a tropical city, unveiling three critical insights. Firstly, we demonstrate the vital reliance of a developed tropical city on nature, particularly for climate change mitigation through regulating services. Secondly, we identify intact natural areas as Singapore’s most valuable assets, stressing the significance of the quality …

Life Cycle Assessment Comparing Electric And Petrol-Powered Rigid Inflatable Boats For Recreational And Harbour-Master Applications, Amir Bordbar, Badr Moutik, Adam Kyte, Simon Ussher, Keri Collins, Marcin Roszkowski, Tony Wilson, Sarah Fear

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

This study presents the first cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA), focusing exclusively on environmental impacts, comparing electric and petrol-powered rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) under low-usage recreational and high-usage harbour-master scenarios. The study follows ISO-compliant LCA methodology and emphasizes transparency in data and assumptions. Ten environmental impact categories were analysed, including global warming potential (GWP), particulate matter formation, acidification, eutrophication, ecotoxicity, and resource scarcity. Results show that switching to electric RIBs reduces GWP by 34 % for recreational and 52 % for harbour-master scenarios, despite higher production-phase impacts across all categories. The electric RIB delivers notable operational benefits in GWP and …

Impact Of Silencing Automated Penicillin Cross-Reactivity Alerts On Perioperative Antibiotic Prescribing And Surgical Site Infection Rates, Michael J Durkin, Joshua Nordman, Alice Bewley, Andrew Atkinson, Jonas Marschall, Helen Newland, Kimberly G Blumenthal

2020-Current year OA Pubs

We evaluated the impact of silencing penicillin cross-reactivity alerts on perioperative antibiotic prescribing and surgical site infections (SSIs) in 6 hospitals using an interrupted time series analysis. Silencing the alerts minimally increased cefazolin prescribing among penicillin allergy labeled patients (sensitivity analysis only;

Phenotypic Variability And Paternal Inheritance Of A Chd8 Variant Causing Intellectual Developmental Disorder With Autism And Macrocephaly Confirmed By Epigenetic And Structural Analyses, Yutaka Furuta, Jonathan H Sheehan, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Intellectual developmental disorder with autism and macrocephaly (IDDAM, OMIM #615032) is an autosomal dominant neurodevelopmental disorder characterized primarily by intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, macrocephaly, tall stature, gastrointestinal symptoms, and variable neurological manifestations. Most cases result from de novo pathogenic variants in CHD8.

METHODS: We conducted genome sequencing through the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) in a female proband harboring a CHD8 variant of uncertain significance (VUS), whose clinical presentation was consistent with IDDAM but included atypical features such as ptosis and hearing loss. Variant pathogenicity was further evaluated using EpiSign DNA methylation analysis and structural biology modeling.

RESULTS: Genome …

Assessment Of Knowledge And Attitudes Of Undergraduate Students On Trichomoniasis In Ghana, Christopher Yaw Dumevi, Ezekiel Kofi Vicar, Lorie Christla Quansah, Rhoda Oklu, Smith Joshua, Joyce Junior Asiamah, James-Paul Kretchy, George Boateng Kyei, Patience B Tetteh-Quarcoo, Nicholas T K D Dayie, Irene Ayi, Patrick F Ayeh-Kumi

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Trichomoniasis is a non-viral neglected sexually transmitted disease of public health importance. Undergraduate students, often experiencing newfound freedom from family oversight, may engage in risky sexual behaviors, predisposing them to trichomoniasis and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards trichomoniasis and associated factors among the Central University students in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.

METHODS: An institutional cross-sectional study was conducted between March and July 2024, involving 387 undergraduate students from Central University who were selected using a simple random sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured researcher-led …

A Roadmap To Scale Up Person-Centred Care In The Hiv Response: Recommendations From A Global Consensus-Building Process, Lina Golob, Elvin H Geng, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: World Health Organization global normative guidance recommends person-centred care (PCC) approaches to reduce HIV-related mortality and morbidity and to improve health-related quality of life (HrQoL). However, consensus on the priority PCC elements and guidance on how different stakeholders can realize PCC principles at the health systems, service delivery and individual client-healthcare worker (HCW) levels are lacking. We conducted a global consensus-building process to define core PCC elements and develop recommendations for implementation at scale.

METHODS: We used a multi-phase process to build consensus and prioritize recommendations, consisting of a literature review, five stakeholder consultations (34-43 participants each) between July …

Bilateral Breast Treatment In A Single Arc Using Rapidarc Dynamic: A Planning Comparison With Conventional Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy, Taoran Li, Luca Cozzi, Lesley Rosa, Ryan Clark, Priyanka Agarwal, Yin Gao, Yun Yang, Boon-Keng Kevin Teo, Anthony Magliari, Himank Kalra, Francisco Reynoso, Patrick Kupelian, Sushil Beriwal

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: Synchronous bilateral breast cancer (SBBC) presents significant radiotherapy planning challenges due to complex target volumes near critical organs. This study evaluated RapidArc Dynamic (RAD), a novel technique integrating dynamic arcs with static angle modulated ports (STAMPs) via simultaneous GPU-accelerated optimization, against conventional volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) for SBBC treatment planning and delivery efficiency.

METHODS: Ten retrospective SBBC cases involving comprehensive nodal irradiation were planned using both multi-arc VMAT (six arcs) and RAD (one arc plus six STAMPs) in Eclipse (v18.1) with AcurosXB. A prescription dose of 40.05 Gy in 15 fractions was normalized to PTV D95% = 95%. …

Brain Functional Connectivity, But Not Neuroanatomy, Captures The Interrelationship Between Sex And Gender In Preadolescents, Athanasia Metoki, Roselyne J Chauvin, Evan M Gordon, Timothy O Laumann, Benjamin P Kay, Babatunde Adeyemo, Samuel R Krimmel, Scott Marek, Anxu Wang, Andrew N Van, Noah J Baden, Vahdeta Suljic, Kristen M Scheidter, Julia Monk, Forrest I Whiting, Nadeshka J Ramirez-Perez, Deanna M Barch, Aristeidis Sotiras, Nico U F Dosenbach

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Understanding sex differences in the adolescent brain is crucial, as they relate to sex-specific neurological and psychiatric conditions. Predicting sex from adolescent brain data may reveal how these differences influence neurodevelopment. Recently, attention has shifted toward socially-identified gender (distinct from sex assigned at birth) recognizing its explanatory power. This study evaluates whether resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC), cortical thickness, or cortical volume better predicts sex and sex/gender alignment (congruence between sex and gender) in preadolescents. Using Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study data and machine learning, rsFC predicted sex more accurately (85 %) than cortical thickness (76 %) and cortical volume …

Current Practices And Trends In Surgical Decision-Making For Children With Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Survey By The Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium, Michelle Y Chiu, Renée A Shellhaas, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to characterize contemporary surgical management practices and factors influencing surgical decision-making in the management of Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) across pediatric epilepsy centers in the United States.

METHODS: A 45-item cross-sectional survey was developed and distributed to Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium centers. Domains included institutional demographics, surgical evaluation timing and goals, presurgical workup, procedural utilization and outcomes, and barriers to surgery. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were performed.

RESULTS: Thirty-two pediatric epilepsy centers participated (38% response), the majority comprising pediatric epileptologists at Level 4 National Association of Epilepsy Centers. Most centers (66%) considered surgery …

Muc15 Ectodomain Architecture Regulates Integrin Clustering To Control Cancer Metastasis, Simei Zhang, Guy M Genin, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Cancer metastasis is governed by physical cues at the cell-matrix interface, with matrix stiffness, ligand density, and topography established as key determinants. Here, a fourth critical factor in cancer metastasis, the architecture of the cell-surface glycocalyx is identified. Using MUC15 as a representative small glycoprotein, mathematical modeling and domain truncation experiments are combined to show that glycoprotein size distribution governs integrin adhesion states and metastatic outcomes. MUC15 localizes to focal adhesions and interact with integrins, while larger glycoproteins such as MUC1 are sterically excluded. These physical effects, rather than intracellular signaling, dictate adhesion state transitions: removing MUC15's ectodomain eliminated its …

Renal Replacement Therapy In Lupus Nephritis-Related End-Stage Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Hassan Kawtharany, Jessica N Williams, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of renal replacement therapy in people with lupus nephritis (LN)-associated end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and support the development of the 2024 American College of Rheumatology LN treatment guidelines.

METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to address three Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome (PICO) questions related to renal replacement therapy for ESKD due to LN, including comparisons of kidney transplant versus dialysis, hemodialysis versus peritoneal dialysis, and preemptive kidney transplant versus no preemptive kidney transplant. Outcomes of interest included mortality, cardiovascular (CV) events, infections, lupus flares, disease-related damage, graft failure, and quality of …