Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Magel2 Truncation Alters Select Behavioral And Physiological Outcomes In A Rat Model Of Schaaf-Yang Syndrome, Derek L Reznik, Mingxiao V Yang, Pedro Albelda De La Haza, Antrix Jain, Melanie Spanjaard, Susanne Theiss, Christian P Schaaf, Anna Malovannaya, Theresa V Strong, Surabi Veeraragavan, Rodney C Samaco

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Previous studies in mice have utilized Magel2 gene deletion models to examine the consequences of its absence. We report the generation, molecular validation and phenotypic characterization of a novel rat model with a truncating Magel2 mutation modeling variants associated with Schaaf-Yang syndrome-causing mutations. Within the hypothalamus, a brain region in which human MAGEL2 is paternally expressed, we demonstrated, at the level of transcript and peptide detection, that rat Magel2 exhibits a paternal, parent-of-origin effect. In evaluations of behavioral features across several domains, juvenile Magel2 mutant rats displayed alterations in anxiety-like behavior and sociability measures. Moreover, the analysis of peripheral organ …

A Low-Fat/Sucrose Diet Rich In Complex Carbohydrates Reverses High-Fat/Sucrose Diet-Induced Corneal Dysregulation, Prince K Akowuah, Carolina Lema, Rolando E Rumbaut, Alan R Burns

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

High-fat/sucrose diet feeding in mice causes loss of corneal nerve function and impairs corneal wound healing. While changing to a diet with a low fat/sugar composition and enrichments in complex carbohydrates mitigates the reduction in nerve function, it remains to be determined if it has an effect on corneal wound healing. In this study, 6-week-old C57BL/6 male mice were fed either a normal diet or a high-fat/sucrose diet for 20 weeks. A third group (diet reversal) was placed on a high-fat/sucrose diet for 10 weeks followed by a normal diet for an additional 10 weeks. A central corneal epithelial abrasion …

Identification Of Novel Biosynthetic Gene Clusters Encoding For Polyketide/Nrps-Producing Chemotherapeutic Compounds From Marine-Derived Streptomyces Hygroscopicus From A Marine Sanctuary, Hannah Ruth Flaherty

Honors Theses and Capstones

Nearly one out of six deaths in 2020, around ten million people, were caused by cancer, making it a leading cause of death worldwide (WHO, 2022). This major public health issue, in addition to the rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens, provides a high demand for the discovery of new pharmaceutical drugs to be used clinically to treat these conditions. The Streptomyces genus accounts to produce 39% of all microbial metabolites currently approved for human health, indicating its potential as an important species to study for antimicrobial and anticancer agents. The long linear genome of Streptomyces contains specialized sequences known as …

Characterizing Cellular Injury And Inflammation With Aldob-/-Mouse Model Of Mafld, Andy Rashid

All Master's Theses

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) affects 1 in 3 people in the US and is a healthcare burden on the order of billions of dollars. MAFLD is characterized by pathological lipid accumulation in the liver, excess production of triglycerides and cholesterol, and export of LDL particles that raise serum lipid levels. These metabolic perturbations can lead to the development of liver fibrosis, chronic inflammation, and insulin resistance. Diagnosing MAFLD prior to fibrosis is crucial for successful intervention and prevention of advanced liver disease and other metabolic complications. Fructose-1Phospahte (F1P) accumulation from fructose overconsumption can drive hepatic lipogenesis and MAFLD progression. …

Generation Of Chimeric Rhinoviruses Presenting Sars-Cov-2 Broadly Neutralizing Epitopes And Their Antigenicity Characterization, Danish Ansari

Biotechnology Theses

The global COVID pandemic is not yet fully under control as there were over 21 million new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections and over 50,000 deaths globally as of January of 2022. A heavily mutated variant of concern, Omicron is responsible for most of these cases which demands an urgency for a new vaccine. NIH reports over 180 vaccine candidates that use various strategies currently in development. However, a recurring concern with these vaccines is that the continuous viral mutations decrease the efficacy of vaccines. Therefore, we proposed to construct a human rhinovirus (HRV) based chimeric virus containing highly conserved, broadly …

Characterization Of The Function And Regulation Of The Hmpv Phosphoprotein, Rachel Thompson

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a non-segmented, negative strand RNA virus (NNSV) that frequently causes respiratory tract infections in infants, the elderly, and the immunocompromised. Despite the initial identification of HMPV in 2001, there are currently no FDA approved antivirals or vaccines available. Therefore, understanding the mechanism of HMPV replication is critical for the identification of novel therapeutic targets. A key feature in the replication cycle of HMPV and other NNSVs is the formation of membrane-less, liquid-like replication and transcription centers in the cytosol termed inclusion bodies (IBs). Recent work on NNSV IBs suggests they display characteristics of biomolecular condensates formed …

The Development And Characterization Of Nanobodies Specific To Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 4a3 (Ptp4a3/Prl-3) To Dissect And Target Its Role In Cancer., Caroline Smith

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 4A3 (PTP4A3 or PRL-3) is an oncogenic dual-specificity phosphatase that drives tumor metastasis, promotes cancer cell survival, and is correlated with poor patient prognosis in a variety of solid tumors and leukemias. The mechanisms that drive PRL-3’s oncogenic functions are not well understood, in part due to a lack of research tools available to study this protein. The development of such tools has proven difficult, as the PRL family is ~80% homologous and the PRL catalytic binding pocket is shallow and hydrophobic. Currently available small molecules do not exhibit binding specificity for PRL-3 over PRL family members, …

Brain Glycogen – Beyond Energy Storage In Glycogen Storage Diseases, Kia H. Markussen

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Glycogen is a carbohydrate molecule that is traditionally viewed as a convenient and easily accessible energy storage form of glucose. However,emerging evidence supports the role of glycogen as more than a glucose storage form. During the last 20 years, glycogen has been shown to play pivotal roles in learning and memory, signaling events, viscosity, protein glycosylation, and be acritical hallmark in devastating diseases. Not only, does glycogen play a role as an energy substrate and critical metabolite during energy deprivation, glycogen is central for neurotransmitter homeostasis, tumor initiation, and ontributes to proper protein glycosylation in the brain. In this work, …

A Rare Case Of Pancreatic Actinomyces, Marguerite Poche, Kyle Liu, Codey Pham, Shilpa Jain, Robert Sealock

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Actinomyces israelii is a filamentous, gram-positive anaerobic bacterium commonly found in the upper gastrointestinal tract, colon, and female genital tract. Rarely, actinomycosis can infect the pancreas most commonly after pancreatic instrumentation, often mimicking malignancy. We describe a case of a 26-year-old woman who presented with epigastric abdominal pain and nausea without prior pancreatic instrumentation. Abdominal imaging demonstrated a mass in the pancreatic head with fine-needle biopsy revealing Actinomyces. The patient was successfully treated with long-term antibiotic therapy resulting in resolution of the mass. Our case emphasizes the importance of considering nonmalignant etiologies in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic masses.

Native Bk Polyomavirus Nephropathy In An Orthotopic Heart Transplant Patient, Zachary M Thompson, George Ajene, Prathit A Kulkarni, Nidhi Aggarwal, Savitri Fedson, Maulin K Shah

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BK polyomavirus nephropathy (BKVN) is a common cause of nephropathy in kidney transplant patients and is typically seen within the first year after transplantation. BK polyomavirus nephropathy can occur in the native kidneys of patients with nonrenal solid-organ transplants (NRSOT). However, this is rare, especially outside the early post-transplant period, and BKVN is not usually considered in the differential diagnosis for acute kidney injury in NRSOT patients. We present a case of a 75-year-old man who had undergone orthotopic heart transplant 13 years prior with stable allograft function who developed progressive renal dysfunction in the setting of recent unilateral obstructive …

Impact Of Gastrointestinal Polymerase Chain Reaction Panels On Antibiotic Utilization In Hospitalized Adult Patients, Gillean A Kelly, Roumen Iordanov, Alex Franklin, Amna Ahmed, Krithika Srinivasan, Jesica Hayon, Todd Lasco, Rosie Amini, Sabra Shay, Prathit A Kulkarni, Mayar Al Mohajer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Multiplex stool polymerase chain reaction (PCR) panels offer rapid comprehensive testing for patients with infectious diarrhea. We compared antibiotic utilization among hospitalized patients with suspected infectious diarrhea who underwent diagnostic testing with either a stool culture or stool PCR panel. No significant differences in antibiotic utilization were identified.

Oral Gauze For Bleeding Control In Perioral And Perinasal Dermatologic Surgery, Riyad N H Seervai, Jose A Cervantes, Ikue Shimizu, Ida F Orengo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The use of oral gauze is a quick, cheap, and effective method of preventing bleeding into the patient's mouth during dermatologic surgery. We recommend this technique combined with appropriate positioning for lesions in the perioral and perinasal regions. Similar approaches may be applied for the prevention of bleeding into the ear canal during facial/periauricular surgery.

Heat Shock Protein 90 (Hsp90) System In Health And Disease., Daniella Munezero

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cells rely on heat shock proteins (HSP) to facilitate and regulate the folding of the substrate proteins into their native state, and degradation if misfolding cannot be prevented. HSP90, a member of the HSP family, is a potential target for treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Unfortunately, several clinical trials for cancer treatment have been discontinued due to cell toxicity accompanying HSP90 inhibition. HSP90 has four distinct but structurally similar paralogs. HSP90 inhibitors target all the paralogs despite increasing proof of functional differences among the paralogs. Understanding the in vivo function of HSP90 and the role played by each paralog …

Gestational Vulnerability To Ozone Air Pollution - A Placental Story, Vishnupriya Alavala, Sarah Brent, Russell Hunter, Matthew J. Campen, Andrew Ottens

Undergraduate Research Posters

About 99% of the global population resides in areas with air pollution surpassing World Health Organization standards. Air pollution is associated with adverse neonatal health outcomes such as low fetal birth weight and an increased risk for maternal pre-eclampsia. A particularly reactive air pollutant is ozone, which forms reactive oxygen species that induce cellular damage. Research exists on the dispersion of reactive oxygen species through the bloodstream leading to fetal vulnerability during pregnancy, specifically via the placenta. Yet, placental and fetal development is a temporal process with varied susceptibility to negative gestational outcomes.

To addressing this gap, our laboratory utilized …

Development Of A Chemical Biology Approach To Uncover The Influence Of Sequence Variations On Ces1 Activity In Live Cells, Samuel James Knebel

Masters Theses

Drug metabolism is the biochemical process of modifying drugs to detoxify and remove them through enzymatic transformations. These biotransformation’s occur primarily in the liver and are critical to understanding how pharmaceutical compounds are chemically altered inside the human body. Human carboxylesterases (CESs) catalyze the hydrolysis of esters, amides, thioesters, and carbamates. CES-mediated hydrolysis plays an important role in the metabolism of many drugs including the first FDA approved antiviral treatment for COVID-19, remdesivir (Veklury), the seizure control medication rufinamide (Banzel), and the flu antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu). CES activity is known to be influenced by a variety of factors including …

Neprilysin Inhibitors In Heart Failure: The Science, Mechanism Of Action, Clinical Studies, And Unanswered Questions, Biykem Bozkurt, Ajith P Nair, Arunima Misra, Claire Z Scott, Jamal H Mahar, Savitri Fedson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

This article provides a contemporary review and a new perspective on the role of neprilysin inhibition in heart failure (HF) in the context of recent clinical trials and addresses potential mechanisms and unanswered questions in certain HF patient populations. Neprilysin is an endopeptidase that cleaves a variety of peptides such as natriuretic peptides, bradykinin, adrenomedullin, substance P, angiotensin I and II, and endothelin. It has a broad role in cardiovascular, renal, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and neurologic functions. The combined angiotensin receptor and neprilysin inhibitor (ARNi) has been developed with an intent to increase vasodilatory natriuretic peptides and prevent counterregulatory activation …

The Gastrointestinal-Brain-Microbiota Axis: A Promising Therapeutic Target For Ischemic Stroke, Yan-Hao Wei, Ren-Tang Bi, Yan-Mei Qiu, Chun-Lin Zhang, Jian-Zhuang Li, Ya-Nan Li, Bo Hu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Ischemic stroke is a highly complex systemic disease characterized by intricate interactions between the brain and gastrointestinal tract. While our current understanding of these interactions primarily stems from experimental models, their relevance to human stroke outcomes is of considerable interest. After stroke, bidirectional communication between the brain and gastrointestinal tract initiates changes in the gastrointestinal microenvironment. These changes involve the activation of gastrointestinal immunity, disruption of the gastrointestinal barrier, and alterations in gastrointestinal microbiota. Importantly, experimental evidence suggests that these alterations facilitate the migration of gastrointestinal immune cells and cytokines across the damaged blood-brain barrier, ultimately infiltrating the ischemic brain. …

Tcga Expression Analyses Of 10 Carcinoma Types Reveal Clinically Significant Racial Differences, Brian Lei, Xinyin Jiang, Anjana Saxena

Publications and Research

Epidemiological studies reveal disparities in cancer incidence and outcome rates between racial groups in the United States. In our study, we investigated molecular differences between racial groups in 10 carcinoma types. We used publicly available data from The Cancer Genome Atlas to identify patterns of differential gene expression in tumor samples obtained from 4112 White, Black/African American, and Asian patients. We identified race-dependent expression of numerous genes whose mRNA transcript levels were significantly correlated with patients’ survival. Only a small subset of these genes was differentially expressed in multiple carcinomas, including genes involved in cell cycle progression such as CCNB1 …

An Elf4 Hypomorphic Variant Results In Nk Cell Deficiency, Sandra Andrea Salinas, Emily M Mace, Matilde I Conte, Chun Shik Park, Yu Li, Joshua I Rosario-Sepulveda, Sanjana Mahapatra, Emily K Moore, Evelyn R Hernandez, Ivan K Chinn, Abigail E Reed, Barclay J Lee, Alexander Frumovitz, Richard A Gibbs, Jennifer E Posey, Lisa R Forbes Satter, Akaluck Thatayatikom, Eric J Allenspach, Theodore G Wensel, James R Lupski, H Daniel Lacorazza, Jordan S Orange

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

NK cell deficiencies (NKD) are a type of primary immune deficiency in which the major immunologic abnormality affects NK cell number, maturity, or function. Since NK cells contribute to immune defense against virally infected cells, patients with NKD experience higher susceptibility to chronic, recurrent, and fatal viral infections. An individual with recurrent viral infections and mild hypogammaglobulinemia was identified to have an X-linked damaging variant in the transcription factor gene ELF4. The variant does not decrease expression but disrupts ELF4 protein interactions and DNA binding, reducing transcriptional activation of target genes and selectively impairing ELF4 function. Corroborating previous murine models …

Distinctive Kidney Function Trajectories Following Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation, Carl P Walther, Julia S Benoit, Harveen K Lamba, Andrew B Civitello, Kevin F Erickson, Nandan K Mondal, Kenneth K Liao, Sankar D Navaneethan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess for distinct kidney function trajectories following left ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement. Cohort studies of LVAD recipients demonstrate that kidney function tends to increase early after LVAD placement, followed by decline and limited sustained improvement. Inter-individual differences in kidney function response may be obscured.

METHODS: We identified continuous flow LVAD implantations in US adults (2016-2017) from INTERMACS (Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support). Primary outcomes were estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) trajectories pre-implantation to ∼12 months. Latent class mixed models were applied to primary and validation samples. Clinical differences among …

Patient And Clinician Perceptions Of Precision Cardiology Care: Findings From The Heartcare Study, Hadley Stevens Smith, Clarissa E Sanchez, Ronald Maag, Alexandria Buentello, David R Murdock, Ginger A Metcalf, Trevor D Hadley, Daniel L Riconda, Eric Boerwinkle, Xander H T Wehrens, Christie M Ballantyne, Richard A Gibbs, Amy L Mcguire, Stacey Pereira

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Routine genome-wide screening for cardiovascular disease risk may inform clinical decision-making. However, little is known about whether clinicians and patients would find such testing useful or acceptable within the context of a genomics-enabled learning health system.

METHODS: We conducted surveys with patients and their clinicians who were participating in the HeartCare Study, a precision cardiology care project that returned results from a next-generation sequencing panel of 158 genes associated with cardiovascular disease risk. Six weeks after return of results, we assessed patients' and clinicians' perceived utility and disutility of HeartCare, the effect of the test on clinical recommendations, and …

Ankyrin Dependent Mitochondrial Function And Bioenergetics In The Heart, Janani Subramaniam, Janani Subramaniam

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

ANK2 mutations in patients are associated with numerous arrhythmias, cardiomyopathies, and other heart defects. In the heart, AnkB, the protein encoded by ANK2, clusters relevant ion channels and cell adhesion molecules in several important domains; however, its role at Mitochondria Associated ER/SR Membranes (MAMs) has yet to be investigated. MAMs are crucial to mitochondrial function and metabolism and are signaling hubs implicated in various cardiac pathologies. Among several functions, these sites mediate the direct transfer of calcium from the ER/SR to the mitochondria to modulate ATP synthesis. Given that mitochondrial function and energy production are paramount to cardiovascular heath, …

Participation In A Longitudinal Seminar Series Increases Medical Student Engagement With The Covid-19 Pandemic, Katherine M Naeger, Kaelyn C Cummins, Prathit A Kulkarni

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic required a multifaceted response by healthcare professionals. Medical students played only a limited role in the early response, resulting in feelings of disengagement. The authors developed a discussion-based elective course reviewing the COVID-19 response to address this gap in medical student education.

METHODS: Preclinical medical students enrolled in this elective participated in weekly virtual interactive seminars led by expert faculty members. Students completed a final survey quantifying their understanding of the overall COVID-19 response, knowledge of its individual facets, and their feelings of personal engagement on a Likert scale from 1 to 5, …

Genetic Inhibition Of Nuclear Factor Of Activated T-Cell C2 Prevents Atrial Fibrillation In Crem Transgenic Mice, Li Ni, Satadru K Lahiri, Jiali Nie, Xiaolu Pan, Issam Abu-Taha, Julia O Reynolds, Hannah M Campbell, Haihao Wang, Markus Kamler, Wilhelm Schmitz, Frank Ulrich Müller, Na Li, Xiang Wei, Dao Wen Wang, Dobromir Dobrev, Xander H T Wehrens

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

AIMS: Abnormal intracellular calcium (Ca2+) handling contributes to the progressive nature of atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia. Evidence in mouse models suggests that activation of the nuclear factor of activated T-cell (NFAT) signalling pathway contributes to atrial remodelling. Our aim was to determine the role of NFATc2 in AF in humans and mouse models.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Expression levels of NFATc1-c4 isoforms were assessed by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in right atrial appendages from patients with chronic AF (cAF). NFATc1 and NFATc2 mRNA levels were elevated in cAF patients compared with those in normal sinus …

A Potential Role For Substance P In West Nile Virus Neuropathogenesis, Shannon E Ronca, Sarah M Gunter, Rebecca Berry Kairis, Allison Lino, Jonathan Romero, Robia G Pautler, Alan Nimmo, Kristy O Murray

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Of individuals who develop West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND), ~10% will die and >40% will develop long-term complications. Current treatment recommendations solely focus on supportive care; therefore, we urgently need to identify novel and effective therapeutic options. We observed a correlation between substance P (SP), a key player in neuroinflammation, and its receptor Neurokinin-1 (NK1R). Our study in a wild-type BL6 mouse model found that SP is upregulated in the brain during infection, which correlated with neuroinvasion and damage to the blood−brain barrier. Blocking the SP/NK1R interaction beginning at disease onset modestly improved survival and prolonged time to death in …

Retinoic Acid Receptor Activation Reduces Metastatic Prostate Cancer Bone Lesions By Blocking The Endothelial-To-Osteoblast Transition, Guoyu Yu, Paul G Corn, Pengfei Shen, Jian H Song, Yu-Chen Lee, Song-Chang Lin, Jing Pan, Sandeep K Agarwal, Theocharis Panaretakis, Maurizio Pacifici, Christopher J Logothetis, Li-Yuan Yu-Lee, Sue-Hwa Lin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) in the bone induces bone-forming lesions that contribute to progression and therapy resistance. PCa-induced bone originates from endothelial cells (EC) that have undergone endothelial-to-osteoblast (EC-to-OSB) transition in response to tumor-secreted BMP4. Current strategies targeting PCa-induced bone formation are lacking. Here, we show that activation of retinoic acid receptor (RAR) inhibits EC-to-OSB transition and reduces PCa-induced bone formation. Treatment with palovarotene, an RARγ agonist being tested for heterotopic ossification in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, inhibited EC-to-OSB transition and osteoblast mineralization in vitro and decreased tumor-induced bone formation and tumor growth in several osteogenic PCa models, and similar effects …

Prenatal Choline Supplementation During Maternal Obesity Alters Offspring Response To Western Diets, Hunter W. Korsmo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Maternal obesity has led to an increase in adverse offspring developmental outcomes and a greater risk for long-term metabolic diseases. Choline, a semi-essential nutrient, can be incorporated into phosphatidylcholine (PC) as well as sphingomyelin (SM) and donate its labile methyl group for the remethylation of homocysteine after choline is oxidized to betaine. Prenatal choline insufficiency has been related to maternal obesity and metabolic diseases, such as metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). Choline may interact with maternal obesity to influence the programming offspring.

Chapter 1 presents an introduction of choline and the various clinical outcomes associated with choline supplementation during …

Generation Of Mycobacterium Smegmatis Model Systems For Testing Inhibitors Of The Mycobactin Siderophore Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Gabrielle A. Germain

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the pathogenic bacterium causative of tuberculosis. According to the 2021 World Health Organization (WHO) Global Tuberculosis (TB) Report, there were approximately 5.8 million TB cases in 2020, and 1.3 million TB deaths among HIV negative people in that year. The rise of multi-drug resistant Mtb strains has increased the need for more potent microbials against this pathogen. Biosynthesis of iron scavenging molecules, known as siderophores (e.g., mycobactin and carboxymycobactin), has been identified as a potential drug target candidate since iron acquisition has been directly linked to the survival and virulence of Mtb. Salicyl-AMS (Sal-AMS) is …

Limited Utility Of Structural Mri To Identify The Epileptogenic Zone In Young Children With Tuberous Sclerosis, Maaike Nijman, Edward Yang, Camilo Jaimes, Anna K Prohl, Mustafa Sahin, Darcy A Krueger, Joyce Y Wu, Hope Northrup, Scellig S D Stone, Joseph R Madsen, Aria Fallah, Jeffrey P Blount, Howard L Weiner, Leslie Grayson, E Martina Bebin, Brenda E Porter, Simon K Warfield, Sanjay P Prabhu, Jurriaan M Peters, Tacern Study Group

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The success of epilepsy surgery in children with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) hinges on identification of the epileptogenic zone (EZ). We studied structural MRI markers of epileptogenic lesions in young children with TSC.

METHODS: We included 26 children with TSC who underwent epilepsy surgery before the age of 3 years at five sites, with 12 months or more follow-up. Two neuroradiologists, blinded to surgical outcome data, reviewed 10 candidate lesions on preoperative MRI for characteristics of the tuber (large affected area, calcification, cyst-like properties) and of focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) features (cortical malformation, gray-white matter junction blurring, …

Lifestyle Intervention Strategy To Treat Diabetes In Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Alessandra Celli, Yoann Barnouin, Bryan Jiang, Dean Blevins, Georgia Colleluori, Sanjay Mediwala, Reina Armamento-Villareal, Clifford Qualls, Dennis T Villareal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: Lifestyle intervention is recommended as first-line treatment of diabetes at all ages; however, little is known about the efficacy of lifestyle intervention in older adults with diabetes. We aimed to determine whether lifestyle intervention would improve glycemic control and age-relevant outcomes in older adults with diabetes and comorbidities.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 100 older adults with diabetes were randomly assigned to 1-year intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) (diet and exercise at a facility transitioned into community-fitness centers and homes) or healthy lifestyle (HL) group. The primary outcome was change in HbA1c. Secondary outcomes included glucoregulation, body composition, …