Life Sciences Commons^™

Cleft Palate And The Coordination Of Wnt Signaling And Pax9 In Murine Palatogenesis, Landon Wyatt

Honors Theses

Cleft palate is a common craniofacial birth defect that arises when the molecular and morphogenetic events guiding secondary palate formation lose coordination during a narrow developmental window. In mice, successful palatogenesis requires the paired palatal shelves to grow vertically, elevate above the tongue, and fuse at the midline; disruption of any of these steps can result in clefting. Two important regulators of this process are canonical Wnt signaling and the transcription factor Pax9, both of which contribute to normal palatal mesenchymal growth and patterning during early development. This paper first examines whether altered Dkk1/Wnt signaling contributes to the Pax9-null palate …

Reinforcement Learning Improves Llm Accuracy And Reasoning In Disease Classification From Radiology Reports, Yishu Wei, Yi Lin, Adam Flanders, George Shih, Yifan Peng

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

Accurate disease classification from radiology reports is essential for many applications. While supervised fine-tuning (SFT) of lightweight LLMs improves accuracy, it can degrade reasoning. We propose a two-stage approach: SFT on disease labels followed by Group Relative Policy Optimization (GRPO) to refine predictions by optimizing accuracy and format without reasoning supervision. Across three radiologist-annotated datasets, SFT outperformed baselines and GRPO further improved classification and enhanced reasoning recall and comprehensiveness.

Prediction Of Antidiabetic Activity Of Swietenia Mahagoni Compounds Through Pparγ Activation: Machine Learning And Molecular Docking Analysis, Weri Veranita, Siti Nurbaya

Indonesian Journal of Medical Chemistry and Bioinformatics

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder requiring long-term therapy, yet current synthetic PPARγ agonists like thiazolidinediones are often associated with serious adverse effects. Therefore, identifying natural alternatives from sources such as Swietenia mahagoni is essential to provide effective therapy with potentially lower toxicity profiles. This study employed an in silico machine learning approach using SkelSpheres descriptors to predict the IC₅₀ values of compounds derived from the seeds of Swietenia mahagoni against PPARγ, followed by molecular docking validation using Molegro Virtual Docker (MVD). The predictive model for PPARγ agonists demonstrated acceptable validity (R²-test = 0.5308; accuracy = 84.01%). …

Geographical And Anatomical Microbiome Variation In Invasive Green Iguanas (Iguana Iguana), Amanda A. Diaz

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The common green iguana (Iguana iguana) was introduced to South Florida in 1965 and has since been an especially pernicious threat both environmentally and economically. This highly invasive species is also expanding in range and populations at an astonishing rate. Understanding how this reptile is able to adapt and thrive in novel environments is of imperative need in order to begin managing their disruptive populations. Notwithstanding their negative impacts and significance, the microbiome of wild populations has not yet been characterized. Here, using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing, this study is the first to characterize the microbiome composition …

Identification Of Sex Chromosomes In The Genus Lepidodactylus, Zuleihat Yusuf Idris

Master's Theses (2009 -)

ABSTRACT IDENTIFICATION OF SEX CHROMOSOMES IN THE GENUS LEPIDODACTYLUS Zuleihat Y. Idris, M.S Marquette University, 2026 Sex determination in vertebrates is remarkably diverse and is characterized by frequent evolutionary transitions between genetic sex determination (GSD) and environmental sex determination (ESD). Within reptiles, geckos (Gekkota) exhibit the most diverse sex determination mechanism in vertebrates. Although geckos are the target of more recent research, most lineages still lack identifiable sex-determining mechanisms. This gap in knowledge has limited the understanding of the diversity and evolution of sex determination in vertebrates. In this study, an automated pipeline (FnPiPER) and whole-genome resequencing from male and …

Apoe As A Potential Link In Glioblastoma Therapeutic Resistance, Xiwen She, Ifelayo Adefuye

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor characterized by recurrence and resistance to therapy, which are driven by interactions between glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs), tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), and the tumor microenvironment. In this study, single-cell RNA sequencing data were analyzed using QIAGEN CLC Genomics Workbench to identify genes associated with tumor–immune interactions. Following clustering, differential expression, and a multi-step prioritization strategy, we identified APOE as a top candidate gene connecting tumor and immune processes, contributing to therapeutic resistance in glioblastoma.

A Multidomain Peptide Hydrogel-Liposome Composite For Controlled Release Of A Cyclic Dinucleotide In Oral Cancer, Joseph W R Swain, Andrea H Molina, Gemalene M Sunga, Danielle Chew-Martinez, Neeraja Dharmaraj, Alejandra Cobos Perez, Arghadip Dey, Ephraim J Vázquez-Rosado, Simon Young, Jeffrey D Hartgerink

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

While immunotherapy is a promising treatment strategy for cancer, the majority of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients treated with single-agent immunotherapy do not respond. Therefore, researchers are investigating combination treatments with immunostimulatory molecules that can maximize anti-tumor responses. Cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs) are STING agonists that hold promise in combination approaches, but they require frequent intratumoral administration when used in both preclinical models of HNSCC and clinical trials. To reduce administration frequency, we have created a peptide hydrogel–liposome composite system, K2-Lip(CDN), for local and prolonged availability of CDN. We investigated the loading limits of cationic liposomes in both …

Intermediates Or Intermedius? An Examination Of Lotic Sternotherus In Baldwin And Mobile Counties, Al, Peyton A. Wilson

Theses

The Southeastern United States is a biodiversity hotspot, and turtles are no exception to the rule. This is particularly true for the genus Sternotherus. Alabama is the only state home to all six species of Sternotherus, including the recently described Intermediate Musk Turtle (Sternotherus intermedius). It was thought that the Perdido River was the western boundary of Sternotherus intermedius; however, surveys in recent years produced questionable individuals in several small watersheds feeding into the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, bringing the species true range into question, as well as the question of if this species has hybridized with its congener, …

Detecting Cancer Genes Using Graph Neural Networks, Marvin Masabo Nkaka

Posters - 2026

• Cancer survival prediction is challenging due to the complexity of genomic data and limited samples especially for rarer cancer types. • To address this challenge, we developed an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model for survival analysis using RNA-sequencing gene expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). • Moreover, a key concept we investigate was how transfer learning enhanced our model’s performance especially for rarer cancer types difficult to perform accurate survival analysis due to their limited samples.

Tumor Flare Reaction With Brentuximab-Vedotin In Mycosis Fungoides, Rishabh Lohray, Seda Purnak, Samruddhi Arkatkar, Madeleine Duvic, Victor Prieto, Carlos Torres-Cabala, Auris Huen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Identifying Sorafenib Benefit Among Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Transcriptomic And Genomic Approach, Sun Young Yim, Hayeon Kim, Tae Hyung Kim, Sang-Hee Kang, Youngwoo Lee, Eunho Choi, Yang Jae Yoo, Seong Hee Kang, Young-Sun Lee, Young Kul Jung, Yeon Seok Seo, Hyung Joon Yim, Jong Eun Yeon, Kyung Suk Yang, Yitao Tang, Bowha Sohn, Yun Seong Jeong, Hyewon Park, Han Liang, Ju-Seog Lee, Ji Hoon Kim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background & aims: Sorafenib has been a cornerstone of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) therapy; however, its efficacy is limited, and identifying patients who will benefit from sorafenib is challenging. We aimed to identify predictive biomarkers of sorafenib benefit in patients with HCC.

Methods: Gene expression data from 33 HCC tumors treated with sorafenib were analyzed to construct a prediction model aimed at identifying patients with greater benefit from sorafenib treatment. The robustness of the predictor was validated using gene expression data from two phase III clinical trials, IMbrave150 and STORM.

Results: The analysis of transcriptome data revealed a 50-gene signature, the …

Axillary Management After Neoadjuvant Endocrine Therapy (Net), Laura Leonard, Min Yi, Emma Wingate, Puneet Singh, Abigail Caudle, Rosa F Hwang, Isabelle Bedrosian, Vicente Valero, Jennifer Litton, Nuhad Ibrahim, Kelly K Hunt

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: In patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of patients with clinical stage I-III, HR

RESULTS: A total of 230 patients were included; 120 (52.2%) were clinically node-negative (cN0), while 110 (47.8%) were clinically node-positive (cN+). In the cN+ group, 7.3% (8/110) had a nodal pathologic complete response (pCR). In total, 76.4% (84/110) in the cN+ group underwent axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) as the initial axillary procedure, and 90.9% (100/110) underwent ALND overall. In total, 98.3% (118/120) with cN0 disease underwent sentinel lymph node dissection (SLND), and 28 (23.7%) had positive nodes. …

Multiparametric Mri To Predict Response To Irreversible Electroporation Plus Anti-Pd-1 Immunotherapy In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Qizhen Cao, Mark D Pagel, Charles V Kingsley, Jingfei Ma, James P Long, Xiaoxia Wen, Seth T Gammon, Jorge Delacerda, Sanaz Javadi, Chun Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: To investigate contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MRI and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) for early prediction of tumor response to combined irreversible electroporation (IRE) and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.

Methods: Murine pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells KRAS* were inoculated into the pancreas of C57BL/6 mice. IRE was performed when tumors became palpable. After IRE, mice received six intraperitoneal injections of anti-PD-1 over 2 weeks. T2-weighted MRI, T1-weighted MRI with macromolecular contrast agent poly(L-glutamic acid)-conjugated gadolinium (PG-Gd), and DWI were performed before and after IRE. Survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves. Mice surviving at least 100 days without recurrence after IRE were considered complete …

Unraveling The Nexus: Tumor Mutational Burden, Pd-L1 Expression, And Oncogenic Alterations In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cytology Specimens, Min Dai, Francis Anthony San Lucas, Hector Alvarez, Leomar Ballester, Hui Chen, Keyur P Patel, Asif Rashid, Shun Rao, Mark J Routbort, Gloria Sura, Keith Sweeney, Gokce Toruner, Peng Wei, Richard Yang, Hyvan Dang, Rajyalakshmi Luthra, Sinchita Roy-Chowdhuri

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: PD-L1 expression and tumor mutational burden (TMB) are biomarkers for immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, patients harboring oncogenic alterations have limited benefit from ICIs. The impact of oncogenic alterations on TMB and PD-L1 tumor proportion score in lung cytology specimens is poorly understood. Herein, the association between oncogenic alterations, TMB, and PD-L1 in NSCLC cytology specimens is explored.

Methods: Next-generation sequencing results from 312 NSCLC cytology specimens were retrospectively reviewed that interrogate 610 genes and select immuno-oncology signatures. TMB and PD-L1 immunohistochemical expression across oncogenic alterations were analyzed to explore associations.

Results: …

Baseline Parp-1 Pet Imaging In Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors With Dna Damage Response Mutations, Tarek Daoud, Jiansong Chen, Peng Wei, Franklin Wong, Timothy A Yap, Lilie L Lin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), an enzyme with numerous roles in DNA damage response signaling, represent a class of anti-cancer drugs approved for treating solid tumors with defects in the DNA damage response. However, additional methods for identifying patients who would benefit from the use of PARP inhibitors are urgently needed. We evaluated a novel radiotracer, 18F-FluorThanatrace ([18F]-FTT), to noninvasively assess PARP activity with PET/CT before treatment and determine associations between uptake, tumor mutation status, and prior receipt of therapy including PARP inhibitors.

Methods: Fifty-two patients with solid tumors underwent whole-body (skull base to thigh) [18F]-FTT PET/CT scans before …

Neutrophil-Microglia Interaction Drives Motor Dysfunction In A Neuromyelitis Optica Model Induced By Subarachnoid Aqp4-Igg, Fangfang Qi, Vanda A Lennon, Shunyi Zhao, Yong Guo, Husheng Ding, Caiyun Liu, Whitney M Bartley, Tingjun Chen, Claudia F Lucchinetti, Long-Jun Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) contribute to early neuromyelitis optica (NMO) histopathology initiated by IgG targeting astrocytic aquaporin-4 (AQP4) water channels. Yet, the mechanisms underlying neutrophil recruitment and their pathogenic roles in disease progression remain unclear. To investigate molecular-cellular events preceding classical complement cascade activation in a mouse NMO model, we continuously infused, via spinal subarachnoid route, a non-complement-activating mouse monoclonal AQP4-IgG. Parenchymal infiltration of netting neutrophils containing C5a ensued with microglial activation and motor impairment but no blood-brain barrier leakage. Motor impairment and neuronal dysfunction both reversed when AQP4-IgG infusion stopped. Two-photon microscopy and electron microscopy-based reconstructions revealed …

Gompertz Growth With A Shared Carrying Capacity Optimally Simulates Primary And Metastatic Tumor Growth Dynamics, Pirmin Schlicke, Preethi Korangath, Xiaoxi Pan, Caner Ercan, Kathleen Gabrielson, Lyndsey Werhane, Yinyin Yuan, Sébastien Benzekry, Robert Ivkov, Heiko Enderling

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Cancer is a systemic disease with most deaths attributed to metastatic burden. Primary and metastatic tumors, albeit at different anatomic locations, are interconnected through multiple biological processes. Pre-clinical and clinical observations of growth acceleration of metastases after surgery, or abscopal effects outside the radiation field are widely reported, yet reliably triggering favorable and avoiding unfavorable systemic responses remains an unmet clinical need. Understanding local and systemic tumor interaction dynamics will help guide future treatments.

Methods: We analyze the data of multiple in vivo tumor models. We formalize the systemic interplay of tumors as mathematical differential equation and calibrate parameters …

Structural-Functional Analyses Of The Huntingtin/Hap40 Complex In Drosophila And Humans, Stephen M Farmer, Amanda Solbach, Shiyu Xu, Beatriz Rios, Xin Ye, Amy Gao, Daniela Covarrubias, Yue Yu, Lili Ye, Vicky Chuong, Erin Furr Stimming, Haiqing Zhao, Sheng Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by an abnormal CAG expansion in the Huntingtin (HTT) gene. Given its simple genetic cause but complex pathogenic mechanisms, interest in targeting HTT for HD treatment is growing, necessitating a clear understanding of HTT regulation. HTT protein primarily exists in a core complex with HAP40, forming a highly ordered structure with two large globular domains connected by a bridge. We previously demonstrated that HAP40 is conserved in

Dissecting The Etiology Of Alcohol Use Disorder By An Integrative Heritable Component Approach, Ivy Garrenton

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a pervasive condition characterized by complex interplay among genetic, phenotypic, and environmental factors. Although previous studies have identi fied genetic loci associated with alcohol consumption, these efforts have not captured the genetic heterogeneity and gene-environment interactions underlying AUD pathogenesis. To address this critical gap, we developed a novel statistical methodology that integrates phenotypic, genotypic, and environmental data through an environmentally modified Genetic Relationship Matrix (GRM) to derive AUD-related traits with enhanced heritability.

This approach demonstrated superior performance in both simulated and real-world datasets. Traits derived using the environmentally modified GRM exhibited significantly higher estimated heritability …

(Giga)Time For The Era Of Ai: Virtual Multiplex Immunofluorescence From Routine H&E For Large Populations, Shao-Ping Yang, Dihua Yu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

An Atlas Of Genetic Effects On The Monocyte Methylome Across European And African Populations, Wanheng Zhang, Chuan Qiu, Xiao Zhang, Zichen Zhang, Kuan-Jui Su, Zhe Luo, Minghui Liu, Bingxin Zhao, Lang Wu, Qing Tian, Hui Shen, Chong Wu, Hong-Wen Deng

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Monitoring Relapse In Post-Transplant Acute Myeloid Leukemia Requires Integrated Assessment, With Flow Cytometry Showing The Highest Efficacy, Wei J Wang, Sa A Wang, Hong Fang, Qing Wei, Shimin Hu, Sanam Loghavi, Gheath Al-Atrash, Chenxuan Zang, Peng Wei, Jeffrey L Medeiros, Wei Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Supplemental Data For Gulf Coast Walleye Edna Survey, Kevin W. Jones

Research Data

This file contains the full eDNA collection and amplification dataset for:

Jones, K.W. (2026). Development and application of an eDNA protocol for the detection of Gulf Coast Walleye (Sander vitreus) in Mississippi [Thesis submitted for publication]. Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University.

Fecal Carbohydrate-Degrading Bacteria Are Associated With Reduced Incidence Of Lower Gastrointestinal Gvhd, Christopher Fan, Tomo Hayase, Chia-Chi Chang, Israel K Glover, Ivonne I Flores, Lauren K Mcdaniel, Miriam R Ortega, Christopher A Sanchez, Rawan K El-Himri, Alexandria N Brown, Jennifer L Karmouch, Mohamed A Jamal, Saira S Ahmed, Taylor M Halsey, Yimei Jin, Wen-Bin Tsai, Rishika Prasad, Altai Enkhbayar, Aqsa Mohammed, Maren Schmiester, Ashish Damania, Nadim J Ajami, Jennifer A Wargo, Christine B Peterson, Gabriela Rondon, Taha Al-Juhaishi, Amin M Alousi, Jeffrey J Molldrem, Richard E Champlin, Elizabeth J Shpall, Eric Martens, Cesar A Arias, Robert R Jenq, Eiko Hayase

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Lower gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease (LGI-GVHD) carries morbidity and mortality for patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), with critical contributions from the intestinal microbiome. In a retrospective cohort of metagenomic sequencing of stool from patients with allo-HSCT (N = 90), we found that a reduction in specific Parabacteroides and Bacteroides species around the time of engraftment contributes to LGI-GVHD risk. Given the known diverse carbohydrate-degrading functionality of these bacteria, we investigated gene abundances for carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) and found that Parabacteroides merdae, P distasonis, and Bacteroides ovatus abundances were significantly correlated with CAZymes in patients who did not develop …

Genome-Wide Crispr Screen Identifies A Cytokine-Enhancer Circuit Driving Hif-2Α Activation In Renal Cancer, Jun Fang, Jeremy M Simon, Tao Wang, Yunpeng Gao, Xianju Bi, Lianxin Hu, Chengheng Liao, Cheng Zhang, Yayoi Adachi, Jin Zhou, Hongyi Liu, Qian Liang, James A Nathan, Ram Mani, James Brugarolas, Qing Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Resistance to HIF-2α inhibitors such as Belzutifan underscores the need to better understand how HIF-2α is transcriptionally regulated in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Here, we uncover a cytokine-driven enhancer mechanism that sustains HIF-2α expression through the JAK1-STAT3 signaling pathway. Using a genome-wide CRISPR screen in VHL-deficient ccRCC cells, we identified SOCS3 as a key negative regulator of HIF-2α. Mechanistically, loss of SOCS3 activates JAK1-STAT3 signaling, leading to the recruitment of STAT3 to distal enhancers upstream of EPAS1 that physically loop to its promoter to drive HIF-2α transcription. This cytokine-enhancer circuit was recapitulated in ccRCC patient samples and functionally …

A Retrospective Analysis Of Taxane-Based Chemotherapy In Small Bowel Adenocarcinoma, Mir Lim, Nikhil Grandhi, Preksha Shah, Kanwal Raghav, Victoria Serpas, Maria Pia Morelli, Katrina Pedersen, Aparna Kalyan, Mohamed Salem, Ryan Huey, John Paul Shen, Huamin Wang, Hua Wang, Anjali Vinocha, Jane Thomas, Robert Wolff, Michael J Overman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) is molecularly distinct from colorectal and gastric cancers, yet treatment typically parallels colorectal cancer. We evaluated the activity of taxane-based therapy in the largest SBA cohort to date.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed SBA patients treated with taxane-based chemotherapy at MD Anderson Cancer Center from 1994-2024. Eligible patients had pathologic confirmation, received >1 treatment cycle, and had tumor response evaluation. Survival analyses were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard models.

Results: Seventy patients were identified. Median age was 57, and 59% were male. Primary sites were duodenum (44%), jejunum (34%), and Ileum (16%). Metastatic sites …

Evaluating Eight Smoking Metrics For Modelling Survival In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Andrew Cl Lam, Yao Li, M Catherine Brown, Yangqing Deng, Katrina Hueniken, Natasha B Leighl, Frances A Shepherd, Kiera Murison, Zhichao Wang, Jui Kothari, Angela S Wenzlaff, Haoran Liu, Takashi Kohno, Angela Cecilia Pesatori, Curtis Harris, Hongxia Ma, Juncheng Dai, Matthew J Barnett, Ryan Diver, Leticia Ferro Leal, Guillermo Fernandez-Tardon, Mónica Pérez-Ríos, Michael Pa Davies, Bernd Holleczek, Paul Brennan, David Zaridze, Ivana Holcatova, Jolanta Lissowska, Beata Świątkowska, Dana Mates, Milan Savic, Hermann Brenner, Angeline S Andrew, Fiona Taylor, John K Field, Alberto Ruano-Ravina, Sanjay S Shete, Adonina Tardon, Ying Wang, Loic Le Marchand, Rui Manuel Reis, Matthew B Schabath, Marian L Neuhouser, Hongbing Shen, Maria Teresa Landi, Kouya Shiraishi, Jie Zhang, Ann G Schwartz, Ming S Tsao, David C Christiani, Ping Yang, Rayjean J Hung, Wei Xu, Geoffrey Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Smoking is a strong modifiable prognostic factor for lung cancer survival. We compared eight smoking metrics to determine which metric best models the relationship between smoking exposure with overall survival (OS) and lung cancer-specific survival (LCSS). These metrics included cigarettes-per-day, smoking duration, pack-years, square-root pack-years, logcig-years, the comprehensive smoking index, age-of-initiation, and years-since-quit.

Materials/methods: This retrospective, pooled analysis included 25 International Lung Cancer Consortium studies between June 1, 1983-December 31, 2019. The performance of smoking metrics for modelling OS was compared based on 1) strength and significance in adjusted Cox-proportional hazard models and 2) linearity based on the goodness-of-fit …

Visdb 20: A Manually Curated Resource Of Viral Integration Sites And Their Regulatory Maps In Human Diseases, Citu Citu, Ajeet Singh, Xinyi Liu, Mounika Ashannagari, Rinki Ratnapriya, Zhongming Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The integration of viral sequence into the human genome plays critical role in the onset of various diseases, especially cancers. To facilitate systematic analysis of these events, we present VISDB 2.0, an expanded and updated database of human viral integration sites (VISs). The current release contains more than 270,000 manually curated VISs derived from 209 peer-reviewed publications, covering 11 viruses, including four retroviruses and seven DNA viruses. This represents a 3.5-fold increase in VIS entries compared with the previous version. Each VIS record includes standardized genomic coordinates and annotations describing local genomic context, CpG islands, repetitive elements, chromosomal fragile sites, …

High Dietary Fiber Is Associated With Improved Outcomes In Patients With Melanoma And Sarcoma Treated With Immunotherapy Regardless Of Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis And Social Vulnerability, Brittany C Fields, Raymond S Traweek, Kai Jiang, Russell G Witt, Ashish Damania, Yi-Ju Chiang, Nadim Ajami, Elise Nassif-Haddad, Emily Z Keung, Manoj Chelvanambi, Xiaotao Zhang, Christine B Peterson, Jennifer A Wargo, Carrie R Daniel, Christina L Roland, Ashley M Holder

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Social vulnerability, dietary fiber, and the gut microbiome have been individually implicated in clinical outcomes for melanoma and sarcoma patients. This study hypothesized that increasing social vulnerability is associated with insufficient dietary fiber intake and negatively associated with microbiome composition and clinical outcomes.

Methods: Clinicopathologic data, baseline fiber intake, and gut microbiome profiles were assessed in 153 patients with melanoma or sarcoma treated with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) and prospectively followed. Patients' social vulnerability index (SVI) and fiber intake were evaluated for associations with microbiome composition, treatment response, and overall survival (OS).

Results: SVI percentile was 0.4 (interquartile ratio …

Radiation Doses To Cardiac Substructures Predict Elevation In High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T Levels In Radiation Therapy For Lung Cancer, Xinru Chen, Xiaodong Zhang, Ting Xu, Radhe Mohan, Ruitao Lin, Mei Chen, Rachel C Maguire, Yao Zhao, Efstratios Koutroumpakis, Nicolas L Palaskas, Anita Deswal, Ali Ajdari, Joshua S Niedzielski, Sanjay S Shete, Laurence E Court, Jinzhong Yang, Zhongxing Liao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Cardiotoxicity is a major concern for patients undergoing thoracic radiation therapy. This study compared the predictive power of radiation dose-volume histogram (DVH) parameters and radiomic/dosiomic features of the whole heart (WH) and cardiac substructures for elevated circulating high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), a biomarker for early detection of cardiac adverse events.

Methods and materials: A retrospective cohort of 160 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from a completed prospective trial and a prospective cohort of 57 patients with NSCLC enrolled in an ongoing trial were analyzed. The endpoint was hs-cTnT elevation, indicated by an increase of ≥5 ng/L …