Life Sciences Commons^™

Site-Specific Drug Release Of Monomethyl Fumarate To Treat Oxidative Stress Disorders, Thomas D Avery, Jiahe Li, Dion J L Turner, Mohd S U Rasheed, Fisher R Cherry, Damian L Stachura, Fátima Rivera-Escalera, David M Ruiz, Michael J Lacagnina, Caitlyn M Gaffney, Clarissa Aguilar, Jingxian Yu, Yang Wang, Huan Xie, Dong Liang, Andrew J Shepherd, Andrew D Abell, Peter M Grace

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Treatment of diseases of oxidative stress through activation of the antioxidant nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is limited by systemic side effects. We chemically functionalize the NRF2 activator monomethyl fumarate to require Baeyer-Villiger oxidation for release of the active drug at sites of oxidative stress. This prodrug reverses chronic pain in mice with reduced side effects and could be applied to other disorders of oxidative stress.

A Comparative Study Of Clinically Used Fast Monte Carlo Dose Engines For Proton Therapy, Sherif M Gadoue, Narayan Sahoo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Several fast Monte Carlo (MC) codes have been implemented and used to simulate proton transport and calculate patient doses in proton therapy. The resulting dose is typically compared to full MC codes, rather than other fast MC codes.

Purpose: The primary goal of this study was to compare the gamma pass rates (GPRs) of dose calculation from different fast MC codes to evaluate the accuracy of the computation and modeling among these codes.

Methods: Two GPU codes and one CPU MC code were commissioned to model our clinical proton beamline at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The …

Spherical Wave Expansion Coefficients For Radiation From A Planar Velocity Source, Blake E Simon, Mark F Hamilton

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A general theory for obtaining spherical wave function expansion coefficients for a sound beam transmitted by a planar velocity source is presented. By neglecting evanescent wave components and thus making the proposed method only approximate in the near field, it is shown that these coefficients can be obtained for any expansion point using just the normal velocity condition in the source plane. Additionally, simplifications are presented for axisymmetric sources. Results are compared with direct numerical evaluation of the Rayleigh integral for source conditions corresponding to a circular and rectangular piston. The present theory can be used in calculations of acoustic …

Pka-Driven Spp1 Activation As A Novel Mechanism Connecting The Bone Microenvironment To Prostate Cancer Progression, Pablo Sanchis, Agustina Sabater, Julia Lechuga, Jimena Rada, Rocio Seniuk, Gaston Pascual, Mora Gatti, Juan Bizzotto, Peter D A Shepherd, Jun Yang, Javier Cotignola, Elba Vazquez, Joaquin Mateo, Pia Valacco, Estefania Labanca, Christopher Logothetis, Geraldine Gueron, Nicolas Anselmino

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Prostate cancer (PCa) bone metastasis (BM) poses a significant clinical challenge due to the heterogeneity of treatment responses and patient outcomes. In this study, we examined the role of Protein Kinase A (PKA) signaling in modulating the expression of osteopontin (SPP1/OPN), a protein associated with poor prognosis, within a subset of PCa BM patients. By integrating multi-omics results we identified a novel mechanism in which bone-derived type-I collagen (Col1a1) and fibronectin (Fn1) stimulate SPP1 expression in PCa cells through the activation of PKA signaling. This bone-induced regulation of SPP1 was confirmed both in vitro, using PCa-bone co-culture systems (PC3 or …

Childhood Trauma And Inflammatory Biomarker Effects On Cortical Thinning In Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, Samantha Narvaez, Yizhou Ma, Joshua Chiappelli, Hemalatha Sampath, Alia Warner, Peter Kochunov, Giselli Scaini, Anilkumar Pillai, L Elliot Hong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) have higher risks for early and adult life traumatic events and suffer from a heightened body response to stress and increased inflammatory activities. We hypothesize that in SSD, the effect of stress is associated with prolonged activation of the inflammatory system and causes elevation in immune markers. We examined the effects of childhood trauma and adult stressful life events on a C-reactive protein (CRP) and their combined contribution to cortical thickness thinning in 49 SSD patients and 26 healthy controls. Participants with SSD reported higher levels of childhood trauma (p = 0.015) and lifetime …

Dysregulated Sass6 Expression Promotes Increased Ciliogenesis And Cell Invasion Phenotypes, Eleanor Hargreaves, Rebecca Collinson, Andrew D Jenks, Adina Staszewski, Athanasios Tsalikis, Raquel Bodoque, Mar Arias-Garcia, Yasmin Abdi, Abdulaziz Al-Malki, Yinyin Yuan, Rachael Natrajan, Syed Haider, Thomas Iskratsch, Won-Jing Wang, Susana Godinho, Nicolaos J Palaskas, Fernando Calvo, Igor Vivanco, Tobias Zech, Barbara E Tanos

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Centriole and/or cilium defects are characteristic of cancer cells and have been linked to cancer cell invasion. However, the mechanistic bases of this regulation remain incompletely understood. Spindle assembly abnormal protein 6 homolog (SAS-6) is essential for centriole biogenesis and cilium formation. SAS-6 levels decrease at the end of mitosis and G1, resulting from APCCdh1-targeted degradation. To examine the biological consequences of unrestrained SAS-6 expression, we used a nondegradable SAS-6 mutant (SAS-6ND). This led to an increase in ciliation and cell invasion and caused an up-regulation of the YAP/TAZ pathway. SAS-6ND expression resulted in cell morphology changes, nuclear deformation, and …

Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts As Mediators Of Tissue Microenvironment Remodeling In Cancer, Fernanda G Kugeratski, Emily J Kay, Sara Zanivan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a multifunctional cell population of solid tumors that substantially remodel the tumor microenvironment (TME). The combination of single-cell and spatial technologies with elegant mouse models and analysis of patient samples is enabling unprecedented advances in the characterization of CAF origins, heterogeneity, and functions within the TME. As such, the field is now evolving to delineate tissue-specific subpopulations of CAFs, their markers, and the biological context in which each subset presents with a tumor-promoting or a tumor-restraining function. In this timely review, we discuss recent advances in CAF biology in the context of emerging areas of interest …

Alterations In Region-Specific Gray Matter Volume Underlying Callous Unemotional Traits In Adolescents, Johannah Bashford-Largo, Ru Zhang, R James R Blair, Karina S Blair, Jaimie Elowsky, Matthew Dobbertin, Ahria J Dominguez, Melissa Hatch, Tyler Patrick, Sahil Bajaj

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Callous-unemotional (CU) traits during adolescence, for example, shallow affect or lack of remorse, have been shown to be a risk marker for antisocial behavior. Only a few studies have investigated structural brain alterations underlying CU traits, and findings are inconclusive. The study examines CU symptomatology and gray matter volume (GMV) associations.

Methods: Structural brain MRI data were collected from a sample of 578 adolescents (60% male) with a mean age of 14.85 years (SD = 2.30; range = 10-19 years). CU traits were indexed via the Inventory for Callous Unemotional Traits (ICU). Region-wise volumetric parameters were obtained following parcellation …

Chromosome 20q Gene Signature Associated With Colorectal Cancer Progression, Jennifer Carter Jones, Apurva M Hegde, Yu-Jing Huang, Ganiraju Manyam, Vibhuti Srivastava, Jee Hoo Song, Yulan Cheng, Ralf Krahe, Warapen Treekitkarnmongkol, Stephen J Meltzer, Scott Kopetz, Stanley R Hamilton, Hiroshi Katayama, Subrata Sen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Amplification of human chromosome 20q has been reported as the most frequently recurring genetic abnormality associated with large scale changes in mRNA and protein levels in sporadic colorectal carcinomas. While some studies have found 20q amplification to be consistent between primary and metastatic samples from the same patient with a role in the development of metastasis and worse patient prognosis, others have reported association with improved overall survival for a subset of these patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). To fine map the Minimal Common Regions (MCRs) of amplification on chromosome 20q and identify the candidate genes playing roles in progression …

Engagement In And Correlates Of Total Cutaneous Exams And Skin Self-Exams Among Young Melanoma Survivors And Their Family, Sharon L Manne, Deborah A Kashy, Sherry Pagoto, Susan K Peterson, Carolyn J Heckman, Joseph Gallo, Adam Berger, David B Buller, Alexandria Kulik, Sara Frederick, Morgan Pesanelli

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Young adult melanoma survivors and their close family (first degree relatives/FDRs) are at increased risk for developing a melanoma, but little is known about engagement in and correlates of their clinical skin exam (CSE) and skin self-examination (SSE) behaviors. Five hundred and seventy-four YA survivors and their FDRs completed an online survey assessing engagement in CSE and SSE, as well as measures of background factors, cognitive and psychosocial factors, CSE and SSE planning, and family influences. Approximately 90% of YAs had a CSE and 90% performed SSE in the last year, but engagement in CSE among FDRs was lower (63.2%, …

Epigenetic Age Acceleration Mediates Treatment Effects On Cardiometabolic And Cardiovascular Risk In Childhood Cancer Survivors, Xiaoxi Meng, Tiffany Eulalio, Yoonji Kim, John Easton, Heather L Mulder, Emily Walker, Geoffrey Neale, Nan Song, Kyla Shelton, Rebecca M Howell, Mengqi Xing, Sedigheh Mirzaei, Deo Kumar Srivastava, Bonnie Ky, Stephanie B Dixon, Melissa M Hudson, Kirsten K Ness, Gregory T Armstrong, Zhaoming Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Childhood cancer survivors are at increased risk for epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) and subsequent morbidities, including cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs) and cardiovascular diseases, because of prior genotoxic treatments.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the mediating role of EAA in the relationship between cancer treatment exposures and risk for CMRFs and cardiovascular diseases.

METHODS: This study included 2,939 5-year survivors from SJLIFE (St. Jude Lifetime Cohort) who underwent DNA methylation profiling using peripheral blood mononuclear cells. EAA was calculated using 3 established epigenetic clocks: DunedinPACE, PCPhenoAge, and GrimAge2. Treatment data, including body region-specific radiotherapy (RT) and …

Mapping Cardiac Electrical Abnormalities In Rodents, Ashish Kapoor, Peter A Doris

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Natural History Of Primary Retroperitoneal Extra-Visceral Perivascular Epithelioid Cell Tumors (Pec): A Study From Transatlantic And Australasian Retroperitoneal Sarcoma Working Group (Tarpswg), Eyal Mor, Sameer Apte, Catherine Mitchell, Carolyn Nessim, Max Almond, Bruno Vincenzi, Jose Antonio Gonzalez Lopez, Lee Cranmer, Michael J Wagner, Aviram Nissan, Miguel Henriques Abreu, Markus Albertsmeier, Mathilda Knoblauch, Adam Barlow, Emily Z Keung, Giovanni Grignani, Jason L Hornick, Alessandro Gronchi, David E Gyorki

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComa) are a rare family of mesenchymal tumors that include several subtypes. There are very limited data describing the natural history of patients with extra-visceral retroperitoneal PEComas of the retroperitoneum. The aim of this study is to describe the clinical features, treatment patterns, outcomes, and diagnostic challenges of primary extra-visceral retroperitoneal or abdominopelvic PEComa over the past decade.

Patients and methods: This is a retrospective analysis of all extra-visceral, non-renal, retroperitoneal, or abdominopelvic PEComas treated at participating centers over the past 10 years.

Results: A total of 77 patients from 13 centers were included. The …

Correction: Natural History Of Primary Retroperitoneal Extra-Visceral Perivascular Epithelioid Cell Tumors (Pec): A Study From Transatlantic And Australasian Retroperitoneal Sarcoma Working Group (Tarpswg), Eyal Mor, Sameer Apte, Catherine Mitchell, Carolyn Nessim, Max Almond, Bruno Vincenzi, Jose Antonio Gonzalez Lopez, Lee Cranmer, Michael J Wagner, Aviram Nissan, Miguel Henriques Abreu, Markus Albertsmeier, Mathilda Knoblauch, Adam Barlow, Emily Z Keung, Giovanni Grignani, Jason L Hornick, Alessandro Gronchi, David E Gyorki

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Outcomes Of Adult Patients With Newly Diagnosed Idh-Mutated Aml Treated With Intensive Chemotherapy And Venetoclax, Jennifer Croden, Wei-Ying Jen, Jennifer Marvin-Peek, Lianchun Xiao, Ian M Bouligny, Sanam Loghavi, Gautam Borthakur, Naval G Daver, Hussein A Abbas, Koichi Takahashi, Koji Sasaki, Naveen Pemmaraju, Nicholas J Short, Danielle Hammond, Elias Jabbour, Lucia Masarova, Kelly S Chien, Ghayas C Issa, Guillermo Montalban-Bravo, Musa Yilmaz, Abhishek Maiti, Yesid Alvarado-Valero, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, Farhad Ravandi, Marina Y Konopleva, Hagop M Kantarjian, Tapan M Kadia, Courtney D Dinardo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Imaging- And Tumor Biomarker-Based Multivariable Model For Early Prediction Of Pathologic Complete Response To Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Beatriz E Adrada, Mary S Guirguis, Lei Huo, Clinton Yam, Debu Tripathy, Rosalind Candelaria, Wei Yang, Miral Patel, Tanya Moseley, Gary J Whitman, Jessica W T Leung, Huong Le-Petross, Deanna L Lane, Nour Abuhadra, Jennifer Litton, Vicente Valero, Kelly K Hunt, Banu Arun, Rania Mohamed, Jia Sun, Anil Korkut, Sanaz Pashapoor, Jason White, Alastair Thompson, Peng Wei, Jingfei Ma, Stacy Moulder, Gaiane M Rauch

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: The response of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) to neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) varies widely. This study aimed to determine the performance of clinicopathologic biomarkers and volumetric changes on dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) in predicting pathologic complete response (pCR) to NAT in patients with TNBC.

Patients and methods: This study included 264 patients with stage I to III TNBC enrolled in a prospective clinical trial. These patients underwent DCE-MRI at baseline and after two and/or after four cycles of dose-dense anthracycline and cyclophosphamide. Tumor volume (TV) was calculated by measuring three tumor dimensions at each time point. Clinicopathologic markers …

Consensus Recommendations For Hyperpolarized [1- 13c]Pyruvate Mri Multi-Center Human Studies, Shonit Punwani, Peder E Z Larson, Christoffer Laustsen, Jan Vandermeulen, Jan Henrik Ardenkjær-Larsen, Adam W Autry, James A Bankson, Jenna Bernard, Robert Bok, Lotte Bonde Bertelsen, Jenny Che, Albert P Chen, Rafat Chowdhury, Arnaud Comment, Charles H Cunningham, Duy Dang, Ferdia A Gallagher, Adam Gaunt, Yangcan Gong, Jeremy W Gordon, Ashley Grimmer, James Grist, Esben Søvsø Szocska Hansen, Mathilde Hauge Lerche, Richard L Hesketh, Jan-Bernd Hoevener, Ching-Yi Hsieh, Kayvan R Keshari, Sebastian Kozerke, Titus Lanz, Dirk Mayer, Mary Mclean, Jae Mo Park, Jim Slater, Damian Tyler, Jean-Luc Vanderheyden, Cornelius Von Morze, Fulvio Zaccagna, Vlad Zaha, Duan Xu, Daniel Vigneron

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

MRI of hyperpolarized (HP) [1‐13C]pyruvate allows in vivo assessment of metabolism and has translated into human studies across diseases at 15 centers worldwide. To determine consensus on best practice for multi‐center studies for development of clinical applications. This paper presents the results of a two‐round formal consensus building exercise carried out by experts with HP [1‐13C]pyruvate human study experience. Twenty‐nine participants from 13 sites brought together expertise in pharmacy methods, MR physics, translational imaging, and data analysis with the goal of providing recommendations and best practice statements on conduct of multi‐center human studies of HP [1‐13C]pyruvate MRI. Overall, the group …

Isoform-Level Analyses Of 6 Cancers Uncover Extensive Genetic Risk Mechanisms Undetected At The Gene-Level, Yung-Han Chang, Sean T Bresnahan, S Taylor Head, Tabitha A Harrison, Yao Yu, Chad D Huff, Bogdan Pasaniuc, Sara Lindström, Arjun Bhattacharya

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Integrating genome-wide association study (GWAS) and transcriptomic datasets can identify mediators for genetic risk of cancer. Traditional methods often are insufficient as they rely on total gene expression measures and overlook alternative splicing, which generates different transcript-isoforms with potentially distinct effects.

Methods: We integrate multi-tissue isoform expression data from the Genotype Tissue-Expression Project with GWAS summary statistics (all N > ~20,000 cases) to identify isoform- and gene-level associations with six cancers (breast, endometrial, colorectal, lung, ovarian, prostate) and six related cancer subtype classifications (N = 12 total).

Results: Directly modeling isoforms using transcriptome-wide association studies (isoTWAS) significantly improves discovery of …

Performance Characteristics For Physiological Measures Of Progressive Pulmonary Fibrosis, Chad A Newton, Ashwatha Thenappan, Gabrielle Y Liu, Leda Yazbeck, Cathryn T Lee, Janelle Vu Pugashetti, Jennifer M Wang, Ethan White, Kevin R Flaherty, Elizabeth A Belloli, Jamie S Sheth, Nisha Mohan, Nazanin Nazemi, Andrew R Yu, Sahand Ghodrati, Kerri A Johannson, Veronica Marcoux, Jolene H Fisher, Deborah Assayag, Helene Manganas, Nasreen Khalil, Martin Kolb, Julie Morisset, Christine Kim Garcia, Felix Chua, Mary E Strek, Yet H Khor, Ayodeji Adegunsoye, Christopher J Ryerson, Philip L Molyneaux, Justin M Oldham

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Rationale: Clinical measures of progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) have been proposed, but their clinical utility remains unclear.

Objectives: To determine performance characteristics of lung function-based PPF measures, including new guideline criteria for discriminating clinically relevant outcomes.

Methods: A multicenter retrospective cohort analysis was performed to assess the performance characteristics of eight categorical measures of FVC and DlCO decline, together with PPF guideline criteria (requiring two of the following: worsening respiratory symptoms, absolute decline in FVC ⩾5% or DlCO ⩾15%, or radiological progression) for discriminating 2-year death or lung transplant among patients fibrotic interstitial lung disease from the United States, United …

Associations Of High Attenuation Area-Related Proteomic Biomarkers With Fibrotic Or Subpleural Interstitial Lung Abnormalities, John S Kim, Catherine L Debban, Daniel E Guzman, Riley T Hannan, Mary Salvatore, Claire Mcgroder, David Zhang, Anna J Podolanczuk, Daniel A Duprez, Shwu-Fan Ma, Yong Huang, Jeffrey M Sturek, Stephen S Rich, Jerome I Rotter, Rajat Deo, Ruth F Dubin, Janelle Vu Pugashetti, Jennifer M Wang, Meilan K Han, Justin M Oldham, Imre Noth, Prescott G Woodruff, Victor E Ortega, Julie C Fanburg-Smith, Edward B Stelow, Christopher A Moskaluk, Eric A Hoffman, Christine Kim Garcia, Russell P Bowler, Peter Ganz, R Graham Barr, Ani Manichaikul

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Engaging Chinese And Korean American Communities In Dementia Research: A Journey Of Inclusivity And Partnership, Jing Wang, Xiang Qi, Mary S Mittelman, Eunjung Ko, Yaolin Pei, I Tek Leong, Sungji Park, Katherine Wang, Weiyu Mao, Cynthia Epstein, Bei Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: The New York University Caregiver Intervention plus Enhanced Support Project is a randomized controlled trial of a family-based psychosocial intervention to enhance social support and reduce cardiometabolic risk for Chinese and Korean American dementia caregivers, using culturally tailored recruitment strategies.

Methods: We reviewed reflections from research staff, weekly meeting minutes, debriefing sessions, and progress reports, to identify key challenges and approaches to engaging participants.

Results: Key challenges included reluctance to involve family members, dementia stigma, and resistance to involving family. In response, we engaged online communities, partnered with local organizations, participated in events, and adapted recruitment messages to cultural …

Precemtabart Tocentecan, An Anti-Ceacam5 Antibody-Drug Conjugate, In Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Phase 1 Trial, Scott Kopetz, Valentina Boni, Ken Kato, Kanwal P S Raghav, Maria Vieito, Athanasios Pallis, Christina Habermehl, Abdul Siddiqui, Perrine Courlet, Willem Sloot, Sabine Raab-Westphal, Felix Hart, Ildefonso Rodriguez-Rivera

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

CEACAM5, a cell surface protein, is overexpressed in colorectal cancer (CRC). Precemtabart tocentecan (Precem-TcT, previously M9140) is an anti-CEACAM5 antibody–drug conjugate with the topoisomerase 1 inhibitor exatecan as payload. Precem-TcT demonstrated strong antitumor activity and potent bystander activity in preclinical models. Its toxicity profile in cynomolgus monkeys was consistent with that of exatecan. In the dose-escalation stage of the phase 1 trial of Precem-TcT (PROCEADE-CRC-01), 40 heavily pretreated patients with irinotecan-refractory metastatic CRC received Precem-TcT every 3 weeks across seven dose levels (DLs, 0.6–3.2 mg kg−1). Primary endpoints were dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs), adverse events and preliminary clinical activity to establish …

Lesion Absorbed Dose-Response Relationship In Patients With Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Undergoing [177lu]Lu-Psma-617 Radiopharmaceutical Therapy, Milan Grkovski, Simone S Krebs, Joseph A O'Donoghue, Jonathan Kuten, Audrey Mauguen, Parnian Shobeiri, Daniel Lafontaine, Maria Thor, Finn Augensen, Josef J Fox, Neeta Pandit-Taskar, Mark P Dunphy, Lisa Bodei, John L Humm, Heiko Schöder

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The relationship between lesion absorbed dose (AD) and response in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer undergoing [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) remains poorly understood. The objective of this work was to investigate the AD-response relationship at both the patient and lesion levels.

Methods: Sixty-five patients underwent serial SPECT/CT imaging after receiving 7.31 ± 0.27 GBq of [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617. Single-time-point (STP) (Hänscheid approximation at 72 h) and multiple-time-point voxelwise dosimetry were performed. Patient response was evaluated by changes in serum prostate-specific antigen level before and after cycle 1 of RPT. The response of individual lesions was evaluated by the change in the …

Updated Estimates Of Patients With Oropharyngeal Cancer In The Us, Caineng Cao, Anna Lee, Jung Julie Kang, Irini Yacoub, Kaveh Zakeri, Edward Christopher Dee, Nadeem Riaz, Achraf Shamseddine, Yao Yu, Jennifer Ma, Teeradon Treechairusame, Marc A Cohen, Jennifer R Cracchiolo, Richard J Wong, Winston Wong, Lara A Dunn, Eric J Sherman, Nancy Y Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Importance: Updated estimates of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) in the US are needed.

Objective: To calculate the most recent epidemiologic estimates of OPC in the US and provide projections for future trends up to 2040.

Design, setting, and participants: This cross-sectional epidemiological analysis used data from the recent National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. The SEER-22 (excluding Illinois and Massachusetts) database provided data for incidence, prevalence, survival, and initial treatment by OPC stage. Patients with OPC diagnosed according to International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, Third Edition morphology codes were included. The analysis was conducted from September …

Three-Dimensional Noise Characteristics Of Clinical Photon Counting Detector Ct, Humberto Monsivais, Xinming Liu, Frank Dong, Megan C Jacobsen, John Rong, Corey T Jensen, Ke Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Since the introduction of whole-body photon-counting detector CT (PCD-CT) into clinical practice, extensive physics assessments have been conducted to elucidate its image quality advantages over energy-integrating detector CT (EID-CT) and to support its clinical adoption. However, evaluations of its three-dimensional (3D) noise power spectrum (NPS), which simultaneously quantifies in-plane and through-plane noise texture and magnitude, remain limited.

Purpose: To experimentally evaluate the 3D NPS of an NAEOTOM Alpha PCD-CT system and its dependence on scan mode, reconstruction image type, quantum iterative reconstruction (QIR) strength, mono-energy (keV) level, spiral pitch, and radiation dose.

Methods: Repeated scans of a 20 cm …

Lifelong Aortic Risk In Turner Syndrome: Unexpected Aortic Events In Asymptomatic Patients, Milan Jaiswal, Sara Mansoorshahi, Sharon Zachariah, Thanila Macedo, Alana C Cecchi, Akiko Tanaka, Anthony L Estrera, Rana O Afifi, Gustavo S Oderich, Dianna M Milewicz, Siddharth K Prakash

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Individuals with Turner syndrome (TS) face a high relative risk of acute aortic dissection compared with the general population. Dissection risk is greatest in those who have congenital heart disease, thoracic aortic aneurysms, or hypertension. This case report features two adult patients with TS who presented with asymptomatic thoracic aortic pathologies that were identified on routine surveillance imaging. Both patients were active and denied cardiovascular symptoms, even as they developed high-risk aortic lesions that evolved rapidly on initial serial images. These two cases illustrate how lifelong cardiovascular surveillance of TS patients can save lives.

Antibiotic Resistance Trends In Coliform Bacteria Of Kittitas County Waters, Kaitlyn Holbrook, Bella Blasingim, Cruz Veronica Guillen Mejia, Holly Pinkart

Journal of the Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression

Project Mentor(s): Holly Pinkart, PhD

Since the mid-1900s, antibiotics have been developed to help fight against bacterial pathogens. However, bacteria can evolve rapidly and have evolved resistance to many types of antibiotics. Using coliform bacteria collected from waters around Kittitas County, BIOL 323 students at Central Washington University have identified a variety of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Kittitas County streams and canals. Antibiotic resistance was measured from 2014-2019 and compared to data collected in 2024. This study focuses on three antibiotics, ampicillin, kanamycin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. In the past (2014-2019) we saw no change in the trend of antibiotic resistance in collected …

Effect Of Coniferous Trees And Water Availability On Soil Acidification, Jessica A. Cheever

Journal of the Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression

Project Mentor(s): Mary Poulson, PhD

Water availability and coniferous tree species can cause acidification and a change in soil fertility. Previous research in European forests found that rainfall, soil acidity, and conifer prevalence influenced soil quality and biodiversity. However, not much is known about these effects in the Pacific Northwest’s forests. Three forests were chosen based on a gradient of annual precipitation. The Hoh Rain Forest, the Tiger Mountain State Forest, and the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest were used for wet, mesic, and dry conditions, respectively. Each location had a three-by-six grid spaced 50 meters between each plot. The location was …

Characteristics Contributing To The Risk Of Diabulimia In Adults Living In The United States, Danielle Van Hout, Nicole Stendell-Hollis, Tafere Gebreegziabher Belay, Kelly Pritchett

Journal of the Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression

Project Mentor(s): Nicole Stendell-Hollis, PhD, RDN; Tafere G Belay, PhD; Kelly Pritchett, PhD, RDN, CSSD

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors that contribute to the risk of diabulimia by using the validated Diabetes Eating Problem Survey-Revised (DEPS-R)¹ screening tool in adults living in the U.S., as well as to examine differences in individuals at-risk and not-at-risk for diabulimia. This observational study included a 30-question Qualtrics survey containing the DEPS-R distributed via various social media outlets and flyers on the CWU Ellensburg campus. Participants were required to be 18 years or older, diagnosed with …

Focus Group Interview: Perspectives Of Virtual Dietary Counseling Method’S Post Covid-19 Pandemic, Maria Mendoza

Journal of the Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression

Project Mentor(s): Nicole Stendell-Hollis, PhD; Tafere Belay, PhD; Katy Williams; Jessica Tyrrell

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions related to different delivery methods of dietary counseling. This qualitative research study will examine the perceptions related to different methods of dietary counseling (telephone calls, video calls, or face-to-face visits). Focus group one contained provider participants (N = 7), which were all RDNs and focus group two hosted patient participants (N = 6). Semi structured interviews were performed asking subjects about any personal experiences related to receiving or providing nutrition education, positive or negative, as they participated in …