Life Sciences Commons^™

Children Then, Adults Now: Long-Term Outcomes-Performance At 15, 20, And 25 Years Of Cochlear Implant Use, João Elói Moura, Jorge Humberto Martins, Marisa Alves, Graça Oliveira, Daniela Ramos, Helena Alves, Ricardo Caiado, António Teixeira, Luís Filipe Silva, Jorge Migueis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

MOTIVATION: Severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss interferes with a child's development at the cognitive, linguistic, academic, and social levels. Since the beginning of the pediatric auditory rehabilitation program through cochlear implantation in the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Service of the Coimbra Hospital and University Center (CHUC), Portugal, its mentors defended the early diagnosis of hearing loss followed by timely intervention, and this was considered the starting point to optimize (re)habilitation through this method. Three decades or so later, recently we conducted this study to evaluate the performance of patients implanted in the initial phase of the cochlear implantation …

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor In Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Its Role As A Potential Biomarker, Amir Hossein Behnoush, Amirmohammad Khalaji, Shaghayegh Khanmohammadi, Parsa Alehossein, Behrad Saeedian, Parnian Shobeiri, Antonio L Teixeira, Nima Rezaei

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a form of chronic pain disorder accompanied by several tender points, fatigue, sleeping and mood disturbances, cognitive dysfunction, and memory problems. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is also a mediator of neurotrophin for many activity-dependent processes in the brain. Despite numerous research studies investigating BDNF in FM, contradictory results have been reported. Thus, we investigated the overall effect shown by studies to find the association between peripheral BDNF concentrations and its gene polymorphisms with FM.

METHODS: A systematic search in online international databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, the Web of Science, and Scopus was performed. Relevant …

Circulating Long Non-Coding Rnas As Novel Diagnostic Biomarkers For Alzheimer’S Disease (Ad): A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Parnian Shobeiri, Sanam Alilou, Mehran Jaberinezhad, Farshad Zare, Nastaran Karimi, Saba Maleki, Antonio L Teixeira, George Perry, Nima Rezaei

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. It has also been hypothesized that plasma exosomal lncRNAs may be used as Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers. In this systematic review, we compiled all studies on the subject to evaluate the accuracy of lncRNAs in identifying AD cases through meta-analysis.

METHODS: A PRISMA-compliant systematic search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases for English publications till September 2022. We included all observational studies published which investigated the sensitivity and specificity of various lncRNAs in plasma samples of AD diagnosis. Our …

Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation For Fatigue In Post-Acute Sequelae Of Sars-Cov-2 (Pasc), Kelly Santana, Eduardo França, João Sato, Ana Silva, Maria Queiroz, Julia De Farias, Danniely Rodrigues, Iara Souza, Vanessa Ribeiro, Egas Caparelli-Dáquer, Antonio L Teixeira, Leigh Charvet, Abhishek Datta, Marom Bikson, Suellen Andrade

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: and purpose: Fatigue is among the most common persistent symptoms following post-acute sequelae of Sars-COV-2 infection (PASC). The current study investigated the potential therapeutic effects of High-Definition transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) associated with rehabilitation program for the management of PASC-related fatigue.

METHODS: Seventy patients with PASC-related fatigue were randomized to receive 3 mA or sham HD-tDCS targeting the left primary motor cortex (M1) for 30 min paired with a rehabilitation program. Each patient underwent 10 sessions (2 sessions/week) over five weeks. Fatigue was measured as the primary outcome before and after the intervention using the Modified Fatigue Impact …

The Involvement Of Kynurenine Pathway In Neurodegenerative Diseases, Lais B Martins, Ana L M Silveira, Antonio L Teixeira

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: A growing body of evidence has shown the involvement of the kynurenine pathway (KP), the primary route of tryptophan (TRP) catabolism, in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders.

OBJECTIVE: The study aims to provide a comprehensive and critical overview of the clinical evidence on the KP involvement in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), discussing therapeutic opportunities.

METHODS: We searched for studies investigating KP metabolites in human subjects with AD and/or PD.

RESULTS: Postmortem studies showed altered levels of KP metabolites in the brain of AD and PD patients compared with controls. Cross-sectional studies have reported …

“It’S Hard To Feel A Part Of Something When You’Ve Never Met People”: Defining “Learning Community” In An Online Era, Lucy Prodgers, Elizabeth Travis, Madeleine Pownall

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Feeling part of a community of learners has been shown to foster students' engagement and sense of belonging, leading to higher retention and achievement of learning outcomes. The pivot to online teaching caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a reappraisal of all aspects of the student experience, including students' capacity and opportunity to engage in meaningful learning communities online. There has been some emergent literature which considers how to facilitate online learning communities in the emergency remote teaching context prompted by COVID-19. However, there is a notable lack of literature which considers how learning communities are defined, understood, and …

Fgf Signaling In Cranial Suture Development And Related Diseases, Xiaolei Zhao, Shannon Erhardt, Kihan Sung, Jun Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Suture mesenchymal stem cells (SMSCs) are a heterogeneous stem cell population with the ability to self-renew and differentiate into multiple cell lineages. The cranial suture provides a niche for SMSCs to maintain suture patency, allowing for cranial bone repair and regeneration. In addition, the cranial suture functions as an intramembranous bone growth site during craniofacial bone development. Defects in suture development have been implicated in various congenital diseases, such as sutural agenesis and craniosynostosis. However, it remains largely unknown how intricate signaling pathways orchestrate suture and SMSC function in craniofacial bone development, homeostasis, repair and diseases. Studies in patients with …

C4b-Binding Protein Inhibits Particulate- And Crystalline-Induced Nlrp3 Inflammasome Activation, Damien Bierschenk, Nikolina Papac-Milicevic, Ian P Bresch, Valentina Kovacic, Serena Bettoni, Mateusz Dziedzic, Rick A Wetsel, Susanne Eschenburg, Christoph J Binder, Anna M Blom, Ben C King

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Dysregulated NLRP3 inflammasome activation drives a wide variety of diseases, while endogenous inhibition of this pathway is poorly characterised. The serum protein C4b-binding protein (C4BP) is a well-established inhibitor of complement with emerging functions as an endogenously expressed inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome signalling pathway. Here, we identified that C4BP purified from human plasma is an inhibitor of crystalline- (monosodium urate, MSU) and particulate-induced (silica) NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Using a C4BP mutant panel, we identified that C4BP bound these particles

Assessing The Most Vulnerable Subgroup To Type Ii Diabetes Associated With Statin Usage: Evidence From Electronic Health Record Data, Xinzhou Guo, Waverly Wei, Molei Liu, Tianxi Cai, Chong Wu, Jingshen Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

There have been increased concerns that the use of statins, one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for treating coronary artery disease, is potentially associated with the increased risk of new-onset Type II diabetes (T2D). Nevertheless, to date, there is no robust evidence supporting as to whether and what kind of populations are indeed vulnerable for developing T2D after taking statins. In this case study, leveraging the biobank and electronic health record data in the Partner Health System, we introduce a new data analysis pipeline and a novel statistical methodology that address existing limitations by (i) designing a rigorous causal …

Predictive Digital Twin For Optimizing Patient-Specific Radiotherapy Regimens Under Uncertainty In High-Grade Gliomas, Anirban Chaudhuri, Graham Pash, David A Hormuth, Guillermo Lorenzo, Michael Kapteyn, Chengyue Wu, Ernesto A B F Lima, Thomas E Yankeelov, Karen Willcox

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We develop a methodology to create data-driven predictive digital twins for optimal risk-aware clinical decision-making. We illustrate the methodology as an enabler for an anticipatory personalized treatment that accounts for uncertainties in the underlying tumor biology in high-grade gliomas, where heterogeneity in the response to standard-of-care (SOC) radiotherapy contributes to sub-optimal patient outcomes. The digital twin is initialized through prior distributions derived from population-level clinical data in the literature for a mechanistic model's parameters. Then the digital twin is personalized using Bayesian model calibration for assimilating patient-specific magnetic resonance imaging data. The calibrated digital twin is used to propose optimal …

The Short- And Long-Term Readmission Of Four Major Categories Of Digestive System Cancers: Does Obesity Or Metabolic Disorder Matter?, Yan Li, Xiaoqin Wu, Yongfeng Song, Peipei Wang, Bofei Zhang, Bingzhou Guo, Ziwei Liu, Yafei Wu, Shanshan Shao, Yiping Cheng, Honglin Guo, Xiude Fan, Jiajun Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Patients with digestive system cancers (DSCs) are at a high risk for hospitalizations; however, the risk factors for readmission remain unknown. Here, we established a retrospective cohort study to assess the association between metabolic obesity phenotypes and readmission risks of DSC.

Experimental design: A total of 142,753 and 74,566 patients at index hospitalization were ultimately selected from the Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD) 2018 to establish the 30-day and 180-day readmission cohorts, respectively. The study population was classified into four groups: metabolically healthy non-obese (MHNO), metabolically healthy obese (MHO), metabolically unhealthy non-obese (MUNO), and metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO). Multivariate Cox …

Receptor-Interacting Protein 1 And 3 Kinase Activity Are Required For High-Fat Diet Induced Liver Injury In Mice, Xiaoqin Wu, Rakesh K Arya, Emily Huang, Megan R Mcmullen, Laura E Nagy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The RIP1-RIP3-MLKL-mediated cell death pathway is associated with progression of non-alcohol-associated fatty liver/steatohepatitis (NAFL/NASH). Previous work identified a critical role for MLKL, the key effector regulating necroptosis, but not RIP3, in mediating high fat diet-induced liver injury in mice. RIP1 and RIP3 have active N-terminus kinase domains essential for activation of MLKL and subsequent necroptosis. However, little is known regarding domain-specific roles of RIP1/RIP3 kinase in liver diseases. Here, we hypothesized that RIP1/RIP3 kinase activity are required for the development of high fat diet-induced liver injury.

METHODS:Rip1K45A/K45A and Rip3K51A/K51A kinase-dead mice on a C57BL/6J background and their littermate …

Integrated Clinical Genotype-Phenotype Characteristics Of Early T-Cell Precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Matthew T Ye, Yi Wang, Zhuang Zuo, Steliana Calin, Hua He, Zhenya Tang, Elias J Jabbour, Gautam Borthakur, Yizhuo Zhang, Yaling Yang, M James You

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ETP-ALL) is a distinct subtype of T-ALL with a unique immunophenotype and high treatment failure rate. The molecular genetic abnormalities and their prognostic impact in ETP-ALL patients are poorly understood.

Methods: The authors performed systematic analyses of the clinicopathologic features with an emphasis on molecular genetic aspects of 32 patients with ETP-ALL.

Results: The median age was 43 years (range, 16-71). The blasts were positive for cytoplasmic CD3 and CD7 and negative for CD1a and CD8. Other markers expressed included CD34 (88%), CD33 (72%), CD117 (68%), CD13 (58%), CD5 (partial, 56%), CD2 (38%), …

Revolutionizing Bone Regeneration: Advanced Biomaterials For Healing Compromised Bone Defects, Kamal Awad, Neelam Ahuja, Ahmed S Yacoub, Leticia Brotto, Simon Young, Antonios Mikos, Pranesh Aswath, Venu Varanasi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In this review, we explore the application of novel biomaterial-based therapies specifically targeted towards craniofacial bone defects. The repair and regeneration of critical sized bone defects in the craniofacial region requires the use of bioactive materials to stabilize and expedite the healing process. However, the existing clinical approaches face challenges in effectively treating complex craniofacial bone defects, including issues such as oxidative stress, inflammation, and soft tissue loss. Given that a significant portion of individuals affected by traumatic bone defects in the craniofacial area belong to the aging population, there is an urgent need for innovative biomaterials to address the …

Ribonuclease 1 Enhances Antitumor Immunity Against Breast Cancer By Boosting T Cell Activation, Ying-Nai Wang, Heng-Huan Lee, Zhou Jiang, Li-Chuan Chan, Gabriel N Hortobagyi, Dihua Yu, Mien-Chie Hung

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The secretory enzyme human ribonuclease 1 (RNase1) is involved in innate immunity and anti-inflammation, achieving host defense and anti-cancer effects; however, whether RNase1 contributes to adaptive immune response in the tumor microenvironment (TME) remains unclear. Here, we established a syngeneic immunocompetent mouse model in breast cancer and demonstrated that ectopic RNase1 expression significantly inhibited tumor progression. Overall changes in immunological profiles in the mouse tumors were analyzed by mass cytometry and showed that the RNase1-expressing tumor cells significantly induced CD4+ Th1 and Th17 cells and natural killer cells and reduced granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells, supporting that RNase1 favors an antitumor …

Cancer-Associated Pyroptosis: A New License To Kill Tumor, Qing Kong, Zhibin Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pyroptosis is a programmed necrotic cell death mediated by pore-forming Gasdermin (GSDM) proteins. After being unleashed from the C-terminal auto-inhibitory domains by proteolytic cleavage, the N-terminal domains of GSDMs oligomerize and perforate on the plasma membrane to induce cytolytic pyroptosis, releasing immune mediators and alarming the immune system. Upon infection or danger signal perception, GSDMD that functions downstream of the inflammasome, a supramolecular complex for inflammatory caspase activation, is cleaved and activated by inflammasome-activated caspase-1/4/5/11 in immune cells and epithelial cells to trigger pyroptosis and exert anti-infection protection. Unlike this inflammasome-activated pyroptosis (IAP), recent studies also suggest an emerging role …

Machine Learning-Driven Exploration Of Drug Therapies For Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treatment, Aman Chandra Kaushik, Zhongming Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women among all cancer types. It is highly heterogeneous in nature, which means that the tumors have different morphologies and there is heterogeneity even among people who have the same type of tumor. Several staging and classifying systems have been developed due to the variability of different types of breast cancer. Due to high heterogeneity, personalized treatment has become a new strategy. Out of all breast cancer subtypes, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) comprises ∼10%-15%. TNBC refers to the subtype of breast cancer where cells do not express estrogen receptors, …

Applying Ht-Saxs To Chemical Ligand Screening, Chris A Brosey, Runze Shen, Davide Moiani, Darin E Jones, Kathryn Burnett, Greg L Hura, John A Tainer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Chemical probes are invaluable tools for investigating essential biological processes. Understanding how small-molecule probes engage biomolecular conformations is critical to developing their functional selectivity. High-throughput solution X-ray scattering is well-positioned to profile target-ligand complexes during probe development, bringing conformational insight and selection to traditional ligand binding assays. Access to high-quality synchrotron SAXS datasets and high-throughput data analysis now allows routine academic users to incorporate conformational information into small-molecule development pipelines. Here we describe a general approach for benchmarking and preparing HT-SAXS chemical screens from small fragment libraries. Using the allosteric oxidoreductase Apoptosis-Inducing Factor (AIF) as an exemplary system, we illustrate …

Combining Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (Saxs) With Protein Structure Predictions To Characterize Conformations In Solution, Naga Babu Chinnam, Aleem Syed, Greg L Hura, Michal Hammel, John A Tainer, Susan E Tsutakawa

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Accurate protein structure predictions, enabled by recent advances in machine learning algorithms, provide an entry point to probing structural mechanisms and to integrating and querying many types of biochemical and biophysical results. Limitations in such protein structure predictions can be reduced and addressed through comparison to experimental Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) data that provides protein structural information in solution. SAXS data can not only validate computational predictions, but can improve conformational and assembly prediction to produce atomic models that are consistent with solution data and biologically relevant states. Here, we describe how to obtain protein structure predictions, compare them …

Pathologic And Molecular Insights In Nodal T-Follicular Helper Cell Lymphomas, Mario L Marques-Piubelli, Catalina Amador, Francisco Vega

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

T-follicular helper (TFH) cells are one of the T-cell subsets with a critical role in the regulation of germinal center (GC) reactions. TFH cells contribute to the positive selection of GC B-cells and promote plasma cell differentiation and antibody production. TFH cells express a unique phenotype characterized by PD-1hi, ICOShi, CD40Lhi, CD95hi, CTLAhi, CCR7lo, and CXCR5hi . Three main subtypes of nodal TFH lymphomas have been described: 1) angioimmunoblastic-type, 2) follicular-type, and 3) not otherwise specified (NOS). The diagnosis of these neoplasms can be challenging, and it is rendered based on a combination of clinical, laboratory, histopathologic, immunophenotypic, and molecular …

When Guilt Works: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Of Guilt Appeals, Wei Peng, Qian Huang, Bingjing Mao, Di Lun, Ekaterina Malova, Jazmyne V Simmons, Nick Carcioppolo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Guilt appeals are widely used as a persuasive approach in various areas of practice. However, the strength and direction of the persuasive effects of guilt appeals are mixed, which could be influenced by theoretical and methodological factors.

Method: The present study is a comprehensive meta-analysis of 26 studies using a random-effects model to assess the persuasive effects of guilt appeals. In total, 127 effect sizes from seven types of persuasive outcomes (i.e., guilt, attitude, behavior, behavioral intention, non-guilt emotions, motivation, and cognition) were calculated based on 7,512 participants.

Results: The analysis showed a small effect size of guilt appeals …

Impact Of Region-Of-Interest Size On Immune Profiling Using Multiplex Immunofluorescence Tyramide Signal Amplification For Paraffin-Embedded Tumor Tissues, Baohua Sun, Caddie Laberiano-Fernández, Ruth Salazar-Alejo, Jiexin Zhang, Jose Luis Solorzano Rendon, Jack Lee, Luisa Maren Solis Soto, Ignacio Ivan Wistuba, Edwin Roger Parra

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Representative regions of interest (ROIs) analysis from the whole slide images (WSI) are currently being used to study immune markers by multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) and single immunohistochemistry (IHC). However, the amount of area needed to be analyzed to be representative of the entire tumor in a WSI has not been defined.

Methods: We labeled tumor-associated immune cells by mIF and single IHC in separate cohorts of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) samples and we analyzed them as whole tumor area as well as using different number of ROIs to know how much area will be need to represent the …

Exploration Of Cancer Associated Fibroblasts Phenotypes In The Tumor Microenvironment Of Classical And Pleomorphic Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, Harsh Batra, Qingqing Ding, Renganayaki Pandurengan, Heladio Ibarguen, Neus Bota Rabassedas, Aysegul Sahin, Ignacio Wistuba, Edwin Roger Parra, Maria Gabriela Raso

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

UNLABELLED: As the second most common subtype of breast carcinoma, Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) microenvironment features have not been thoroughly explored. ILC has different histological subtypes and elucidating differences in their microenvironments could lead to a comprehensive development of cancer therapies. We designed a custom-made cancer associated fibroblast (CAFs) panel and used multiplex immunofluorescence to identify the differences in tumor microenvironment between Classic ILC and Pleomorphic ILC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Multiplex immunofluorescence were performed on formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissues using Opal-7 color kit. The antibodies used for phenotyping CAFs were Pan CK (AE1/AE3), CD45, A-SMA, FAP, S100, Thy-1 with …

Performance Benchmark Metrics And Clinicopathologic Outcomes Of Mri-Guided Breast Biopsies: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Berat Bersu Özcan, Justin Yan, Yin Xi, Serine Baydoun, Marion E Scoggins, Başak E Doğan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: To determine key performance metrics of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided breast biopsies (MRGB) to help identify reference benchmarks.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified studies reporting MRGB results up to 04.01.2021 in the Embase database, Ovid Medline (R) Process, Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid Medline (R) and completed a PRISMA checklist and sources of bias (QUADAS-2). The inclusion criteria were English language, available histopathological outcomes, or at least one imaging follow-up after biopsy. A random intercept logistic regression model was used to pool rates. Between-study heterogeneity was quantified by the I2 statistic.

RESULTS: A total of 11,215 lesions in 50 articles …

Effect Of Nodule Size And Stiffness On Phonation Threshold And Collision Pressures In A Synthetic Hemilaryngeal Vocal Fold Model, Mohsen Motie-Shirazi, Matías Zañartu, Sean D Peterson, Daryush D Mehta, Robert E Hillman, Byron D Erath

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Synthetic vocal fold (VF) replicas were used to explore the role of nodule size and stiffness on kinematic, aerodynamic, and acoustic measures of voiced speech production. Emphasis was placed on determining how changes in collision pressure may contribute to the development of phonotrauma. This was performed by adding spherical beads with different sizes and moduli of elasticity at the middle of the medial surface of synthetic silicone VF models, representing nodules of varying size and stiffness. The VF models were incorporated into a hemilaryngeal flow facility. For each case, self-sustained oscillations were investigated at the phonation threshold pressure. It was …

Review Article: New Treatments For Advanced Differentiated Thyroid Cancers And Potential Mechanisms Of Drug Resistance, Sarah Hamidi, Marie-Claude Hofmann, Priyanka C Iyer, Maria E Cabanillas, Mimi I Hu, Naifa L Busaidy, Ramona Dadu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The treatment of advanced, radioiodine refractory, differentiated thyroid cancers (RR-DTCs) has undergone major advancements in the last decade, causing a paradigm shift in the management and prognosis of these patients. Better understanding of the molecular drivers of tumorigenesis and access to next generation sequencing of tumors have led to the development and Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approval of numerous targeted therapies for RR-DTCs, including antiangiogenic multikinase inhibitors, and more recently, fusion-specific kinase inhibitors such as RET inhibitors and NTRK inhibitors. BRAF + MEK inhibitors have also been approved for BRAF-mutated solid tumors and are routinely used in RR-DTCs in …

Understanding Fertility Behavior Of The Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals In Bangladesh: A Qualitative Study, Md Anwer Hossain, Mohammad Bellal Hossain

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INTRODUCTION: Rohingya- the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMN)- are largely characterized by a high total fertility rate (TFR) and a low contraceptive prevalence rate. This study aimed to explore the reasons behind their high fertility behavior by utilizing the Theory of Planned Behavior.

DATA AND METHOD: We adopted a cross-sectional qualitative research approach. Fifteen semi-structured, face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with the Rohingya husbands, wives, and community leaders (Majhi and Imam/Khatib) living in Camps 1 and 2 of Ukhiya Refugee Camp, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. We analyzed the qualitative data using the thematic analysis approach.

RESULTS: The Muslim-majority FDMN predominantly constructed …

Trends And Correlates Of Low Hiv Knowledge Among Ever-Married Women Of Reproductive Age: Evidence From Cross-Sectional Bangladesh Demographic And Health Survey 1996–2014, Md Tariqujjaman, Md Mehedi Hasan, Mohammad Abdullah Heel Kafi, Md Alamgir Hossain, Saad A Khan, Nadia Sultana, Rashidul Azad, Md Arif Hossain, Mahfuzur Rahman, Mohammad Bellal Hossain

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) burden has frequently been changing over time due to epidemiological and demographic transitions. To safeguard people, particularly women of reproductive age, who can be exposed to transmitting this burden to the next generation, knowledge regarding this life-threatening virus needs to be increased. This research intends to identify the trends and associated correlates of "low" HIV knowledge among ever-married women of reproductive age in Bangladesh from 1996 to 2014.

METHODS: We analyzed data derived from six surveys of Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 1996, 1999, 2004, 2007, 2011, and 2014. Analyses were primarily …

Trem-1, Trem-2 And Their Association With Disease Severity In Patients With Covid-19, Ruyue Fan, Zuowang Cheng, Zhisheng Huang, Ying Yang, Na Sun, Bin Hu, Peibin Hou, Bo Liu, Chuanjun Huang, Shuai Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Delayed diagnosis and inadequate treatment caused by limited biomarkers are associated with the outcomes of COVID-19 patients. It is necessary to identify other promising biomarkers and candidate targets for defining dysregulated inflammatory states.

METHODS: The triggering receptors expressed on myeloid cell (TREM)-1 and TREM-2 expression from hospitalized COVID-19 patients were characterized using ELISA and flow cytometry, respectively. Their correlation with disease severity and contrast with the main clinical indicators were evaluated.

RESULTS: Increased expression of soluble TREM-1 and TREM-2 in the plasma of COVID-19 patients was found compared to the control group. Moreover, membrane-bound TREM-1 and TREM-2 expression was …

Using Rna-Based Therapies To Target The Kidney In Cardiovascular Disease, Trecia C Palmer, Robert W Hunter

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RNA-based therapies are currently used for immunisation against infections and to treat metabolic diseases. They can modulate gene expression in immune cells and hepatocytes, but their use in other cell types has been limited by an inability to selectively target specific tissues. Potential solutions to this targeting problem involve packaging therapeutic RNA molecules into delivery vehicles that are preferentially delivered to cells of interest. In this review, we consider why the kidney is a desirable target for RNA-based therapies in cardiovascular disease and discuss how such therapy could be delivered. Because the kidney plays a central role in maintaining cardiovascular …