Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Encapsulation Of Probiotics By Cellulose Nanocrystal-Alginate Composite Beads For Ph Stimuli-Responsive Delivery, Akrip Jati

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microencapsulation has garnered significant interest, with oral probiotics delivery systems showing enormous potential to help restore the gut microbiome. This method holds vast potential to protect and release specific microbial strains to the desired target site (i.e., colon) within the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). However, current encapsulation methodologies, utilizing either synthetic or biological materials as carriers, encounter challenges such as suboptimal encapsulation efficiency, premature probiotic release, and inadequate control over release kinetics. In this work, hydrogel microsphere (HM) composites of different cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) forms (i.e., colloidal (c), and crosslinked (x)) and alginate (ALG) were used as advanced controlled release systems …

Hemodynamic And Clinical Outcomes With Balloon-Expandable Valves Versus Self-Expanding Valves In Patients With Small Aortic Annulus Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A Meta-Analysis Of Randomized Controlled Trials And Propensity Score Matched Studies, Mushood Ahmed, Areeba Ahsan, Shehroze Tabassum, Irra Tariq, Eeshal Zulfiqar, Mahnoor Farooq Raja, Asma Mahmood, Raheel Ahmed, Farhan Shahid, Syed Khurram M Gardezi, Mahboob Alam, Rodrigo Bagur, Mamas A Mamas

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is considered more effective than surgical aortic valve implantation for patients with a small aortic annulus (SAA), however, the comparative efficacy of different transcatheter heart valves (THVs) remains uncertain. A literature search was performed across databases from their inception until June 2024 to identify eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and propensity-score matched (PSM) studies. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using a random-effects model to pool risk ratios (RRs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs). The analysis included 10 studies with 2,960 patients. BEVs were associated with a significantly smaller indexed effective orifice area (MD: -0.18, 95 …

Assessing The Temporal Role Of Mir-200 Loss In Murine Models Of Nsclc, Jared Fradette

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) making up a majority of new diagnoses. Metastasis is the big killer in NSCLC and is driven by epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and immune evasion. The microRNA 200 family is a master regulator of EMT and is implicated in immune regulation. In this study we have developed a novel genetically engineered mouse model (GEMM) and derived primary cell lines from them to explore the role of microRNA-200 in early EMT and immune changes. Our model combines conditional activation of Kras^{G12D …}

Integrated Transcriptomics And Proteomics Study Of Starvation Selected Drosophila Melanogaster, Aavash Adhikari

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Drosophila melanogaster, selected for starvation resistance exhibits phenotypic traits such as increased body size, slower development, reduced fecundity and obesity like characteristics including higher lipid reserves and cardiac dysfunction. While prior studies have explored the metabolic and biochemical changes in these flies, the underlying genetic and molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the gene expression and protein abundance in starvation-selected Drosophila through RNAseq, proteomics, and integrating both datasets using the MixOmics package in R. I found differential gene expression in the fat body at the third instar larval stage, particularly in pathways related to lipid metabolism, calcium …

From Resistance To Host Response: An Integrative Study Of C. Difficile Infections, Amber Consul

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a major healthcare challenge, causing severe gastrointestinal illness and significant mortality. Understanding the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, epidemiology, and immune response in CDI is critical for developing effective treatments and prevention strategies.

This dissertation encompasses three complementary studies. The first study investigates the genetic mechanisms underlying cephalosporin resistance in C. difficile strain 630 through differential gene expression analysis. The second study provides a descriptive epidemiological analysis of C. difficile ribotypes in a Las Vegas patient population, highlighting differences between healthcare-associated (HA-CDI) and community-associated (CA-CDI) cases. The third study integrates serum analyte profiling and transcriptomic analysis …

Characterizing Mechanisms Of Dna Repair And Genome Stability, Joshua Turner

All Dissertations

Every day our cells are bombarded with DNA lesions that threaten the stability of our genome. To help maintain genomic integrity our cells evolved to have a network of enzymes dedicated to repairing DNA lesions. Upon encountering a site of DNA damage, a cell recruits enzymes that remodel the stalled replication fork by reannealing the newly synthesized DNA together known as fork regression. Loss of fork regression activity has been shown to promote replication stress resistance after induced DNA damage. In this thesis, I discuss the role F-Box Helicase 1 (FBH1) plays in fork regression and how FBH1 promotes the …

Soil Organic Matter Processes From The Treetops To The Clay Particle: The Role Of Climate, Minerals, And Organic Matter Chemistry In Soil Carbon Accumulation And Stability, Jessica G. Murray

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Soils store more carbon than plants and the atmosphere, yet release ten times more carbon dioxide (CO₂) to the atmosphere than human activities each year. Small shifts in the balance of soil carbon storage and soil carbon emissions could make climate change less severe, by acting as a sink for the carbon plants pull from the atmosphere, or make climate change worse, by releasing even more planet-warming greenhouse gases. The processes governing whether soils store or release carbon depend on tiny soil microorganisms which convert plant carbon to soil organic matter, releasing CO₂ in the process. In …

Investigation Of Reproductive Inhibition During Chronic Heat Stress In C. Elegans, Macy Makenna Nielander

Theses and Dissertations

Nearly all organisms experience heterogeneity in environmental conditions that can negatively impact fitness. A common adaptive strategy to reduce the impact of this stress is called facultative diapause, where development and reproduction are temporarily arrested to promote survival. Facultative diapause is characterized by three major criteria, the arrest must be (i) induced by an unfavorable environmental condition, (ii) reversible, and (iii) driven by genetically regulated mechanisms. The aim of this thesis was to determine whether chronic heat-induced inhibition of egg laying in Caenorhabditis elegans represents a novel form of facultative diapause. It was found that the inhibition of egg-laying is …

Characterization Of An Acetogenin-Carrying Nanosuspension And Its Effect On Bacteria Of Interest In The Poultry Industry, Brandon A. Lopez-Romero, Gabriela Aguilar-Hernandez, Billy M. Hargis, Maria De Lourdes Garcia-Magana, Ulises M. Lopez-Garcia, Rosa I. Ortiz-Basurto, Adalberto Zamudio-Ojeda, Juan D. Latorre, Efigenia Montalvo-Gonzalez

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This work aimed to develop a nanosuspension (NSps) as an acetogenin (ACGs) carrier, using soy lecithin (SL) and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (βCD) named NSps-βCDSL-ACGs. It was characterized by various spectroscopic techniques (DLS, FTIR, UV-vis diffuse reflectance). Moreover, the NSps morphology was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Also, the antibacterial activity of NSps-βCDSL-ACGs was evaluated against strains of interest in the poultry sector. NSps-βCDSL-ACGs presented nanometric size (207–239 nm), acceptable polydispersity index (PDI) values (0.13–0.17) and a high Z potential value (−47.17–50.36 mV), demonstrating high stability. The presence of ACGs in NSps-βCDSL-ACGs was confirmed by FTIR analysis. The nanoparticles had a spherical …

Student Comprehension Of Biochemistry In A Flipped Classroom Format, Ed Harris, Evan A. Schroder, Teryn J. Berks

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Concept-heavy courses such as Biochemistry in life and physical science curricula are challenging for many college-aged students. It is easy for students to disengage in a lecture and not learn the subject matter while in class. To improve student learning and participation, we employed a flipped format for the first half of the course and compared learning outcomes and attitudes with the traditional lecture in the second half of the course. The experimental course was an upper-level biochemistry course taken primarily by juniors (49%), seniors (40%), and some graduate students (10%) at the college level. Our results indicate that lower-performing …

Assessing The Bioactivity Of Salvia Phytochemicals Against Breast Cancers, Allison C. Portaro, Jared L. Scott, David J. Schultz

The Cardinal Edge

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers diagnosed in adults, with 2.3 million new cases worldwide in 2020. Plants have been used in traditional medicine and are a potential source of pharmaceuticals. One example is the large Lamiaceae (mint) family. The Salvia genus, commonly known as the sages, is the largest genus in Lamiaceae with almost 900 known species. Different species of salvia are found in parts of the US, and some have a history in traditional medicine to treat cancers and other ailments. Preliminary research on three salvia species (S. lyrata, S. lyrata var. Purple …

Dysfunction Of Polyamine Metabolism In Down Syndrome Related To Cellular Senescence And Β-Amyloid Production, Andres D. Sola

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Polyamines (PA) are ubiquitous in cells and highly involved in several important cellular functions and thus the dysregulation of their biosynthetic pathway is potentially associated with the progression of age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s’ disease (AD). Though there is research describing how PA content changes in organisms as they age or in those experiencing rapid aging from increased rates of senescence, as in Down syndrome (DS), it is not clear how this connection occurs and whether modulating this pathway may reveal downstream effects on related disease progression. This study examines how the modulation of the PA biosynthetic pathway by inhibition of …

Investigating The Role Of Tetherin Protein In Multivesicular Bodies Fusions In Lung Cancer Cells, Md. Rakib Miah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cells rely on the secretion of exosomes to communicate with one another and this process is potentially mediated by a protein called tetherin, which anchors exosomes to the cell surface to limit their spread. Tetherin protein has attracted a lot of attention because of its capacity to hinder the propagation of viruses by attaching virions to the surface of host cells. Treatment with interferon-alpha (IFNα) increases the production of tetherin, although it is not known how this affects tetherin localization and exosome-mediated communication. This thesis looks at how the expression of tetherin, which IFNα boosts, affects the dynamics of intercellular …

Evaluating Human Plasma Biomakers For Alzheimer's Disease; Phosphorylated-Tau 217, Phosphorylated-Tau 181, And Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein, Mason Jonah, Mayarae N. Mugosa, Bella Hou, Emma-Nikole Krilchev, Zhengshi Yang, Dietmar Cordes, Aaron Ritter, Jefferson W. Kinney

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is primarily identifiable by amyloid-beta (Aβ) neuronal plaques, neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) that form as aggregates of hyperphosphorylated tau (ptau) proteins clump together, and the presence of neuroinflammation; all of which are otherwise known as the hallmarks of AD pathology. Recent emerging research has discovered striking similarities between AD and diabetes mellitus pathology, illustrating how insulin deficiency and insulin resistance–both of which result in the chronic hyperglycemic state seen in the diabetic–are involved in an increase in the phosphorylation of tau. This leads to and intensifies the formation of intracellular NFTs serving …

Effects Of Low Dose Exposure To Radiation And Sleep Fragmentation On Discrimination In String-Pulling Behavior With Female Rats, Jonathan F. Cortez, Diana Lloyd, T. L. Garcia, A. Adhikari, N. M. Attallah, N. Moges, D. H. Rodgers, K. S. Dhede, K. D. Omengan, A. A. Blackwell

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Astronauts will face harmful stressors, such as galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) and sleep fragmentation (SF), on a three-year space flight mission to Mars and back. Astronauts perform skilled reach-to-grasp behaviors on these missions, including interacting with controls to navigate the spacecraft. Recent work has shown that GCR and SF disrupt skilled reach-to-grasp behavior in rodent models; however, the underlying nature of these deficits is unknown. To determine if tactile sensation and proprioceptive feedback contribute to these impairments, this study evaluated the effects of radiation and SF exposure on memory and sensorimotor discrimination in a rodent model. Twenty-one outbred Wistar, retired …

Phagolysosomes Break Down The Membrane Of A Non-Apoptotic Corpse Independent Of Macroautophagy, Shruti Kolli, Cassidy J. Kline, Kimya M. Rad, Ann M. Wehman

Biological Sciences: Faculty Scholarship

Cell corpses must be cleared in an efficient manner to maintain tissue homeostasis and regulate immune responses. Ubiquitin-like Atg8/LC3 family proteins promote the degradation of membranes and internal cargo during both macroautophagy and corpse clearance, raising the question how macroautophagy contributes to corpse clearance. Studying the clearance of non-apoptotic dying polar bodies in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos, we show that the LC3 ortholog LGG-2 is enriched inside the polar body phagolysosome independent of autophagosome formation. We demonstrate that ATG-16.1 and ATG-16.2, which promote membrane association of lipidated Atg8/LC3 proteins, redundantly promote polar body membrane breakdown in phagolysosomes independent of their role …

Therapeutic Potential Of Astrocyte-Derived Extracellular Vesicles In Mitigating Cytotoxicity And Transcriptome Changes In Human Brain Endothelial Cells, Ruth Juliana Stewart

Doctoral Dissertations

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a major role in cell-to-cell communication via the horizontal transfer of RNA, DNA, proteins, and lipids that affect the physiological response of the recipient cells. Astrocytes are a type of glial cell that exerts a protective effect on neurons and brain endothelial cells. The astrocytes and the endothelial cells form the blood-brain barrier. Due to their nano-size and non-complex structure, EVs can efficiently cross the blood-brain barrier. This study investigated and assessed the impact of EVs on reducing oxidative DNA damage in human brain endothelial cells (HBECs). The protective potential of astrocyte-derived EVs was determined by …

Reduced K+ Build-Up In T-Tubules Contributes To Resistance Of The Diaphragm To Myotonia, Jessica H. Myers, Kirsten Denman, Chris Dupont, Brent D. Foy, Mark M. Rich

Physics Faculty Publications

Patients with myotonia congenita suffer from slowed muscle relaxation caused by hyperexcitability. The diaphragm is only mildly affected in myotonia congenita; discovery of the mechanism underlying its resistance to myotonia could identify novel therapeutic targets. Intracellular recordings from two mouse models of myotonia congenita revealed the diaphragm had less myotonia than either the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) or the soleus muscles. A mechanism contributing to resistance of the diaphragm to myotonia was reduced depolarization of the interspike membrane potential during repetitive firing of action potentials, a process driven by build-up of K+ in small invaginations of muscle membrane known as …

Going Against The Family: Perturbation Of A Greenbeard Pathway Leads To Falsebeard Cheating, Peter Lehmann, Mariko Katoh-Kurasawa, Peter Kundert, Gad Shaulsky

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Greenbeards facilitate cooperation by encoding a perceptible signal, the ability to detect it, and a tendency to help others that display it. Falsebeards are hypothetical cheaters that display the signal without being altruistic. Despite many examples of greenbeards, evidence for falsebeards is scarce. The Dictyostelium discoideum tgrB1-tgrC1 allorecognition pathway encodes a greenbeard. It allows development, which yields fruiting bodies with altruistic stalks that increase spore dispersal. Here we show that cells lacking rapgapB, a tgrB1-tgrC1 signaling element, cheat by avoiding the stalk fate and generating more spores in chimeras than in pure populations. rapgapB– cells cheat only on …

Impact Of Chytrid Fungal Infection On Muscle Structure In Amphibians, Esther Hassan, Chisom Ukachukwu

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Many fungal infections affect a wide variety of ecosystems. They cause numerous negative consequences, one in particular being the disruption of biodiversity. disrupting biodiversity and leading to numerous negative consequences. A previous study in the Kinsey lab focused on a chytrid fungal disease, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a species of chytrid fungus. This disease poses a major threat to amphibian populations worldwide. The Bd zoospores infect the epidermis impacting essential systems. This leads to electrolyte transport that is conducted through the epidermis from the environment has now become disrupted and the ions required for daily functions are diminished. Eventually, these lack …

Genome-Guided Isolation Of The Hyperthermophilic Aerobe Fervidibacter Sacchari Reveals Conserved Polysaccharide Metabolism In The Armatimonadota, Nancy O. Nou, Jonathan K. Covington, Dengxun Lai, Xavier Mayali, Cale O. Seymour, Juliet Johnston, Jian-Yu Jiao, Steffen Buessecker, Damon Mosier, Alise R. Muok, Nicole Torosian, Allison M. Cook, Ariane Briegel, Tanja Woyke, Emiley Eloe-Fadrosh, Nicole Shapiro, Scott G. Bryan, Savannah Sleezer, Joshua Dimapilis, Cristina Gonzalez, Lizett Gonzalez, Marlene Noriega, Matthias Hess, Ross P. Carlson, Lan Liu, Meng-Meng Li, Zheng-Han Lian, Siqii Zhu, Fan Liu, Xian Sun, Beile Gao, Ritesh Mewalal, Miranda Harmon-Smith, Ian K. Blaby, Jan-Fang Cheng, Peter K. Weber, Gabriela Grigorean, Wen-Jun Li, Anne E. Dekas, Jennifer E. Pett-Ridge, Jeremy A. Dodsworth, Marike Palmer, Brian P. Hedlund

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Few aerobic hyperthermophilic microorganisms degrade polysaccharides. Here, we describe the genome-enabled enrichment and optical tweezer-based isolation of an aerobic polysaccharide-degrading hyperthermophile, Fervidibacter sacchari, previously ascribed to candidate phylum Fervidibacteria. F. sacchari uses polysaccharides and monosaccharides for growth at 65–87.5 °C and expresses 191 carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) according to RNA-Seq and proteomics, including 31 with unusual glycoside hydrolase domains (GH109, GH177, GH179). Fluorescence in-situ hybridization and nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry confirmed rapid assimilation of 13C-starch in spring sediments. Purified GHs were optimally active at 80–100 °C on ten different polysaccharides. Finally, we propose reassigning Fervidibacteria as a class …

Viral Genome Delivery Across Bacterial Cell Surfaces, Stephano M. Iglesias, Fenglin Li, Federica Briani, Gino Cingolani

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

In 1952, Hershey and Chase used bacteriophage T2 genome delivery inside Escherichia coli to demonstrate that DNA, not protein, is the genetic material. Over 70 years later, our understanding of bacteriophage structure has grown dramatically, mainly thanks to the cryogenic electron microscopy revolution. In stark contrast, phage genome delivery in prokaryotes remains poorly understood, mainly due to the inherent challenge of studying such a transient and complex process. Here, we review the current literature on viral genome delivery across bacterial cell surfaces. We focus on icosahedral bacterial viruses that we arbitrarily sort into three groups based on the presence and …

Repeated Shifts In Sociality Are Associated With Fine-Tuning Of Highly Conserved And Lineage-Specific Enhancers In A Socially Flexible Bee, Beryl M. Jones, Andrew E. Webb, Scott M. Geib, Sheina Sim, Rena M. Schweizer, Michael G. Branstetter, Jay D. Evans, Sarah D. Kocher

Entomology Faculty Publications

Comparative genomic studies of social insects suggest that changes in gene regulation are associated with evolutionary transitions in social behavior, but the activity of predicted regulatory regions has not been tested empirically. We used self-transcribing active regulatory region sequencing, a high-throughput enhancer discovery tool, to identify and measure the activity of enhancers in the socially variable sweat bee, Lasioglossum albipes. We identified over 36,000 enhancers in the L. albipes genome from 3 social and 3 solitary populations. Many enhancers were identified in only a subset of L. albipes populations, revealing rapid divergence in regulatory regions within this species. Population-specific enhancers …

Engineering The Coherent Phonon Transport In Polar Ferromagnetic Oxide Superlattices, In Hyeok Choi, Seung Gyo Jeong, Do-Gyeom Jeong, Ambrose Seo, Woo Seok Choi, Jong Seok Lee

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Artificial superlattices composed of perovskite oxides serves as an essential platform for engineering coherent phonon transport by redefining the lattice periodicity, which strongly influences the lattice-coupled phase transitions in charge and spin degrees of freedom. However, previous methods of manipulating phonons have been limited to controlling the periodicity of superlattice, rather than utilizing complex mutual interactions that are prominent in transition metal oxides. In this study on oxide superlattices composed of ferromagnetic metallic SrRuO3 and quantum paraelectric SrTiO3 , phonon modulation by controlling the geometry of superlattice in atomic-scale precision is realized, demonstrating the coherent phonon engineering using structural and …

National Liver Cancer Screening Trial (Tracer) Study Protocol, Amit G Singal, Neehar D Parikh, Fasiha Kanwal, Jorge A Marrero, Sneha Deodhar, Stephanie Page-Lester, Camden Lopez, Ziding Feng, Nabihah Tayob

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Professional guidelines recommend HCC screening in at-risk patients using semi-annual ultrasound with or without alpha-fetoprotein (AFP); however, this strategy has limited effectiveness due to low adherence and sensitivity. Increasing data support the potential role of blood-based biomarker panels, which could improve both aspects. The biomarker panel GALAD, comprised of sex, age, and 3 blood biomarkers (AFP, AFP-L3, and des-carboxy prothrombin des-carboxy prothrombin), has shown high sensitivity and specificity in biomarker phase II (case-control) and phase III (retrospective cohort) validation studies. However, prospective validation in a large phase IV biomarker clinical utility trial is necessary before its adoption in practice. …

Telemedicine For Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus In A Publicly Funded Hospital System: Retrospective Study, Sebastian Bruera, Kristen Andrews Staggers, Maria Eugenia Suarez-Almazor, Sandeep Krishna Agarwal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that requires frequent clinic and laboratory visits. However, patients with SLE, particularly those who are underresourced, have unacceptably high rates of no-shows.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine no-show rates associated with telemedicine visits during the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison to no-show rates associated with contemporaneous and historic in-person visits.

METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study in a publicly funded county hospital system in Houston, Texas. We identified a cohort of established patients with SLE by the International Classification of Diseases codes that were independently confirmed as SLE by …

Economic And Humanistic Burden Of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results From The Us National Survey Data 2018-2020, Yinan Huang, Jieni Li, Sandeep Krishna Agarwal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to estimate the economic and humanistic burden among US adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODS: This study analyzed results from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from 2018 to 2020. Adults (aged ≥18 years) self-reporting with RA or with the presence of the International Classification of Disease, 10th Revision clinical modification codes were identified. Healthcare expenditures (inpatient care, outpatient care, emergency department, office visits, prescription medications, home health, and others) were measured. The Short Form 12 Health Survey physical component summary (PCS), mental component summary (MCS), activities of daily living (ADL), and instrumental ADL (IADL) were measured. …

Vital Exhaustion And Biomarkers Associated With Cardiovascular Risk: The Aric Study, Matthew R Deshotels, Mahmoud Al Rifai, Caroline Sun, Ali Agha, Elizabeth Selvin, B Gwen Windham, Viola Vaccarino, Erin D Michos, Hani Jneid, Glenn N Levine, Christopher Fagundes, Salim S Virani, Christie M Ballantyne, Vijay Nambi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Vital exhaustion, defined as excessive fatigue, demoralization, and irritability due to chronic stress, is independently associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD).

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the association of vital exhaustion with biomarkers associated with CVD risk in the ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities) study.

METHODS: We examined the cross-sectional association of vital exhaustion (assessed using the Maastricht Vital Exhaustion Questionnaire [MVEQ]) with cardiac biomarker (high-sensitivity troponin T [hs-TnT], N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide [NT-proBNP]) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels in 11,542 ARIC study participants without CVD at ARIC visit 2 using multivariable logistic and linear …

Conservative Approach Versus Percutaneous Coronary Intervention In Patients With Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection From A National Population-Based Cohort Study, Chayakrit Krittanawong, Beatriz Castillo Rodriguez, Song Peng Ang, Yusuf Kamran Qadeer, Zhen Wang, Mahboob Alam, Samin Sharma, Hani Jneid

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare and often underdiagnosed cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), predominantly affecting younger women without traditional cardiovascular risk factors. The management of SCAD remains a subject of debate, likely secondary to inconclusive evidence. This study aims to compare the clinical outcomes of SCAD patients treated with optimal medical therapy (OMT) versus those who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using a national population-based cohort.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2016 to 2020. The study included patients identified with SCAD using the ICD-10-CM (the International …

Trends And Disparities In Coronary Artery Disease And Obesity-Related Mortality In The United States From 1999-2022, Mushood Ahmed, Hira Javaid, Aimen Shafiq, Zain Ali Nadeem, Areeba Ahsan, Abdullah Nofal, Raheel Ahmed, Mahboob Alam, Marat Fudim, Gregg C Fonarow, Mamas A Mamas

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Almost half of the US adult population has obesity, which predisposes to atherosclerosis and can lead to poor prognosis in coronary artery disease (CAD). We aim to identify CAD and obesity-related mortality trends among adults in the United States stratified by age, sex, race and geographical location.

METHODS: The CDC-WONDER database was used to extract death certificate data for adults aged ≥ 25 years. Crude mortality rates (CMR) and age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 100,000 persons were calculated, and temporal trends were described by calculating annual percent change (APC) and the average APC (AAPC) in the rates using Joinpoint …