Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Diabetic Retinopathy And The Role Of Vegf, Aishwarya Gatiganti, Laura Valdez, Andrew Tsin Ph.D.

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of blindness in the working-age population. It works by disrupting the neural and vascular components in the retina and leads to loss of neural interaction/function, vascular permeability, and angiogenesis. It can be classified into two general stages: non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). DR can also lead to vascular leakage and cause diabetic macular edema (DME), the most common cause of vision loss in DR (Duh, Sun et al. 2017). There are currently a wide range of therapies, but they are limited in their efficacy and side effects. None of …

Whole Genome Sequence Association Analysis Of Fasting Glucose And Fasting Insulin Levels In Diverse Cohorts From The Nhlbi Topmed Program, Daniel Dicorpo, Sheila M. Gaynor, Emily M. Russell, Kenneth E. Westerman, Laura M. Raffield, Marcio Almeida, Juan M. Peralta, John Blangero, Joanne E. Curran, Ravindranath Duggirala

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

The genetic determinants of fasting glucose (FG) and fasting insulin (FI) have been studied mostly through genome arrays, resulting in over 100 associated variants. We extended this work with high-coverage whole genome sequencing analyses from fifteen cohorts in NHLBI’s Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program. Over 23,000 non-diabetic individuals from five race-ethnicities/populations (African, Asian, European, Hispanic and Samoan) were included. Eight variants were significantly associated with FG or FI across previously identified regions MTNR1B, G6PC2, GCK, GCKR and FOXA2. We additionally characterize suggestive associations with FG or FI near previously identified SLC30A8, TCF7L2, and ADCY5 regions as well …

Differential And Shared Genetic Effects On Kidney Function Between Diabetic And Non-Diabetic Individuals, Thomas W. Winkler, Humaira Rasheed, Alexander Teumer, Mathias Gorski, Bryce X. Rowan, Kira J. Stanzick, Laurent F. Thomas, Adrienne Tin, Anselm Hoppmann, Mikko Kuokkanen

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR) can progress to kidney failure. Risk factors include genetics and diabetes mellitus (DM), but little is known about their interaction. We conducted genome-wide association meta-analyses for estimated GFR based on serum creatinine (eGFR), separately for individuals with or without DM (nDM = 178,691, nnoDM = 1,296,113). Our genome-wide searches identified (i) seven eGFR loci with significant DM/noDM-difference, (ii) four additional novel loci with suggestive difference and (iii) 28 further novel loci (including CUBN) by allowing for potential difference. GWAS on eGFR among DM individuals identified 2 known and 27 potentially responsible loci for diabetic …

Comprehensive Genetic Analysis Of The Human Lipidome Identifies Loci Associated With Lipid Homeostasis With Links To Coronary Artery Disease, Gemma Cadby, Corey Giles, Phillip E. Melton, Kevin Huynh, Natalie A. Mellett, Thy Duong, Anh Nguyen, Michelle Cinel, Alex Smith, John Blangero

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

We integrated lipidomics and genomics to unravel the genetic architecture of lipid metabolism and identify genetic variants associated with lipid species putatively in the mechanistic pathway for coronary artery disease (CAD). We quantified 596 lipid species in serum from 4,492 individuals from the Busselton Health Study. The discovery GWAS identified 3,361 independent lipid-loci associations, involving 667 genomic regions (479 previously unreported), with validation in two independent cohorts. A meta-analysis revealed an additional 70 independent genomic regions associated with lipid species. We identified 134 lipid endophenotypes for CAD associated with 186 genomic loci. Associations between independent lipid-loci with coronary atherosclerosis were …

Influence Of The Human Lipidome On Epicardial Fat Volume In Mexican American Individuals, Ana C. Leandro, Laura F. Michael, Marcio Almeida, Mikko Kuokkanen, Kevin Huynh, Corey Giles, Thy Duong, Vincent P. Diego, Ravindranath Duggirala, Geoffrey D. Clarke, John Blangero, Joanne E. Curran

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide and is the leading cause of death in the US. Lipid dysregulation is a well-known precursor to metabolic diseases, including CVD. There is a growing body of literature that suggests MRI-derived epicardial fat volume, or epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volume, is linked to the development of coronary artery disease. Interestingly, epicardial fat is also actively involved in lipid and energy homeostasis, with epicardial adipose tissue having a greater capacity for release and uptake of free fatty acids. However, there is a scarcity of knowledge on the influence of plasma …

Open-Angle Glaucomatous Optic Neuropathy Is Related To Dips Rather Than Increases In The Mean Arterial Pressure Over 24-H, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Jan V. Eijgen, Gladys E. Maestre, Lama A. Al-Aswad, Lutgarde Thijs, Luis J. Mena, Joseph D. Terwilliger, Michele Petitto, Carlos A. Chavez, Miguel Brito

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Background

Mean arterial pressure (MAP) drives ocular perfusion. Excessive 24-h MAP variability relates to glaucoma, however, whether this is due to dips or increases in the blood pressure (BP) is undocumented. We investigated the association of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) in relation to the five largest MAP dips/increases over 24-h, henceforth called dips/blips.

Methods

In the Maracaibo Aging Study (MAS), 93 participants aged ≥40y (women, 87.1%; mean age, 61.9y) underwent baseline ophthalmological and 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring assessments. OAG was the presence of optic nerve damage and visual field defects. Statistical methods included logistic regression and the generalized R2 statistic. …

Dose-Intensified Stereotactic Ablative Radiation For Localized Prostate Cancer, Lily Chen, Bhavani S. Gannavarapu, University Of Texas Southwestern Medical Center At Dallas, Michael R. Folkert, Michael Dohopolski, Ang Gao, Chul Ahn, Jeffrey Cadeddu, Aditya Bagrodia

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Purpose: Stereotactic ablative radiation (SAbR) has been increasingly used in prostate cancer (PCa) given its convenience and cost efficacy. Optimal doses remain poorly defined with limited prospective comparative trials and long-term safety/efficacy data at higher dose levels. We analyzed toxicity and outcomes for SAbR in men with localized PCa at escalated 45 Gy in 5 fractions.

Methods and Materials: This study retrospectively analyzed men from 2015 to 2019 with PCa who received linear-accelerator-based SAbR to 45 Gy in 5 fractions, along with perirectal hydrogel spacer, fiducial placement, and MRI-based planning. Disease control outcomes were calculated from end of treatment. Minimally …

Risk Association Of Tox3 And Mmp7 Gene Polymorphisms With Sporadic Breast Cancer In Mexican Women, Orlando Solis-Coronado, Mónica Patricia Villarreal-Vela, Hazyadee Frecia Rodríguez-Gutiérrez, Juan Francisco González-Guerrero, Ricardo M. Cerda-Flores, Fernando Alcorta-Núñez, Karen Paola Camarillo-Cárdenas, Diana Cristina Pérez-Ibave, Oscar Vidal-Gutiérrez, Genaro A. Ramírez-Correa, María Lourdes Garza-Rodríguez

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Breast cancer (BC) has one of the highest incidences and mortality worldwide. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TOX3 rs3803662 and MMP7 rs1943779 have been associated with susceptibility to BC. In this case-control study, we evaluated the association of rs3803662 (TOX3)/rs1943779 (MMP7) SNPs with clinical features, immunohistochemical reactivity, and risk association with BC in women from northeastern Mexico. We compared 212 BC cases and 212 controls. DNA was isolated from peripheral blood to perform the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay. We calculated genotype frequencies, odds ratios, and 95% confidence intervals. We found that CT …

Steviol Represses Glucose Metabolism And Translation Initiation In Pancreatic Cancer Cells, Sonam Kumari, Mohammed Sikander, Shabnam Malik, Manish Tripathi, Bilal B. Hafeez, Murali M. Yallapu, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan, Meena Jaggi

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Pancreatic cancer has the worst prognosis and lowest survival rate among all cancers. Pancreatic cancer cells are highly metabolically active and typically reprogrammed for aberrant glucose metabolism; thus they respond poorly to therapeutic modalities. It is highly imperative to understand mechanisms that are responsible for high glucose metabolism and identify natural/synthetic agents that can repress glucose metabolic machinery in pancreatic cancer cells, to improve the therapeutic outcomes/management of pancreatic cancer patients. We have identified a glycoside, steviol that effectively represses glucose consumption in pancreatic cancer cells via the inhibition of the translation initiation machinery of the molecular components. Herein, we …

Diabetes Mellitus Correlates With Increased Biological Age As Indicated By Clinical Biomarkers, Nadine Bahour, Briana Cortez, Hui Pan, Hetal Shah, Alessandro Doria, Cristina Aguayo‑Mazzucato

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Chronological age (CA) is determined by time of birth, whereas biological age (BA) is based on changes on a cellular level and strongly correlates with morbidity, mortality, and longevity. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) associates with increased morbidity and mortality; thus, we hypothesized that BA would be increased and calculated it from biomarkers collected at routine clinical visits. Deidentified data was obtained from three cohorts of patients (20-80 years old)-T2D, type 1 diabetes (T1D), and prediabetes-and compared to gender- and age-matched non-diabetics. Eight clinical biomarkers that correlated with CA in people without diabetes were used to calculate BA using the Klemera …

Looking For Crumbs In The Obesity Forest: Anti-Obesity Interventions And Obesity-Associated Cardiometabolic Traits In The Mexican Population. History And Systematic Review With Meta-Analyses, Esperanza M. Garcia-Oropesa, Yoscelina E. Martinez-Lopez, Sonia María Ruiz-Cejudo, José Darío Martínez-Ezquerro, Alvaro Diaz-Badillo, Carlos Ramirez-Pfeiffer, Alejandra Bustamante-Fuentes, Elena B. Lopez-Sosa, Oscar O. Moctezuma-Chavez, Edna J. Nava-Gonzalez, Adriana L. Perales-Torres, Lucia M. Perez-Navarro, Marisol Rosas-Diaz, Kathleen V. Carter, Beatriz Tapia, Juan C. Lopez-Alvarenga

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Mexicans and Mexican Americans share culture, genetic background, and predisposition for chronic complications associated with obesity and diabetes making imperative efficacious treatments and prevention. Obesity has been treated for centuries focused-on weight loss while other treatments on associated conditions like gout, diabetes (T2D), and hypertriglyceridemia. To date, there is no systematic review that synthesizes the origin of obesity clinics in Mexico and the efforts to investigate treatments for obesity tested by randomized clinical trials (RCT). We conducted systematic searches in Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science to retrieve anti-obesity RCT through 2019 and without an inferior temporal limit. The systematic …

Isolated Diastolic Hypertension In The Idaco Study: An Age-Stratified Analysis Using 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Measurements, John W. Mcevoy, Wen-Yi Yang, Lutgarde Thijs, Zhen-Yu Zhang, Jesus D. Melgarejo, José Boggia, Tine W. Hansen, Kei Asayama, Takayoshi Ohkubo, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

The prognostic implications of isolated diastolic hypertension (IDH), as defined by 2017 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines, have not been tested using ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitor thresholds (ie, 24-hour mean systolic BP ≥75 mm Hg). We analyzed data from 11 135 participants in the IDACO (International Database on Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Relation to Cardiovascular Outcomes). Using 24-hour mean ambulatory BP monitor values, we performed Cox regression testing independent associations of IDH with death or cardiovascular events. Analyses were conducted in the cohort overall, as well as after age stratification (≥50 years). The median age …

Frontotemporal Dementias In Latin America: History, Epidemiology, Genetics, And Clinical Research, Jorge J. Llibre-Guerra, Maria Isabel Behrens, Mirna Lie Hosogi, Lucia Montero, Teresa Torralva, Nilton Custodio, Erika Mariana Longoria-Ibarrola, Margarita Giraldo-Chica, David Aguillón, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Introduction: The historical development, frequency, and impact of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are less clear in Latin America than in high-income countries. Although there is a growing number of dementia studies in Latin America, little is known collectively about FTD prevalence studies by country, clinical heterogeneity, risk factors, and genetics in Latin American countries.

Methods: A systematic review was completed, aimed at identifying the frequency, clinical heterogeneity, and genetics studies of FTD in Latin American populations. The search strategies used a combination of standardized terms for FTD and related disorders. In addition, at least one author per Latin American country summarized …

Urinary Proteomics Combined With Home Blood Pressure Telemonitoring For Health Care Reform Trial: Rational And Protocol, Lutgarde Thijs, Kei Asayama, Gladys E. Maestre, Tine W. Hansen, Luk Buyse, Dong-Mei Wei, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Jana Brguljan-Hitij, Hao-Min Cheng, Fabio De Souza

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Background: Hypertension and diabetes cause chronic kidney disease (CKD) and diastolic left ventricular dysfunction (DVD) as forerunners of disability and death. Home blood pressure telemonitoring (HTM) and urinary peptidomic profiling (UPP) are technologies enabling prevention.

Methods: UPRIGHT-HTM (Urinary Proteomics Combined with Home Blood Pressure Telemonitoring for Health Care Reform [NCT04299529]) is an investigator-initiated 5-year clinical trial with patient-centred design, which will randomise 1148 patients to be recruited in Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and South America. During the whole study, HTM data will be collected and freely accessible for patients and caregivers. The UPP, measured at enrolment only, will be …

Phenotypic And Functional Signatures Of Peripheral Blood And Spleen Compartments Of Cynomolgus Macaques Infected With T. Cruzi: Associations With Cardiac Histopathological Characteristics, Renato Sathler-Avelar, Danielle Marquete Vitelli-Avelar, Armanda Moreira Mattoso-Barbosa, Marcelo Antônio Pascoal-Xavier, Silvana Maria Elói-Santos, Ismael Artur Da Costa-Rocha, Andréa Teixeira-Carvalho, Edward J. Dick Jr, Jane F. Vandeberg, John L. Vandeberg, Olindo Assis Martins-Filho

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

We performed a detailed analysis of immunophenotypic features of circulating leukocytes and spleen cells from cynomolgus macaques that had been naturally infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, identifying their unique and shared characteristics in relation to cardiac histopathological lesion status. T. cruzi-infected macaques were categorized into three groups: asymptomatic [CCC(-)], with mild chronic chagasic cardiopathy [CCC(+)], or with moderate chronic chagasic cardiopathy [CCC(++)]. Our findings demonstrated significant differences in innate and adaptive immunity cells of the peripheral blood and spleen compartments, by comparison with non-infected controls. CCC(+) and CCC(++) hosts exhibited decreased frequencies of monocytes, NK and NKT-cell subsets in …

Association Of Hiv-1 Infection And Antiretroviral Therapy With Type 2 Diabetes In The Hispanic Population Of The Rio Grande Valley, Texas, Usa, Juan Carlos Lopez Alvarenga, Dora A. Martinez, Alvaro Diaz-Badillo, Liza D. Morales, Rector Arya, Christopher Jenkinson, Joanne E. Curran, John Blangero, Ravi Duggirala, Srinivas Mummidi, Ruben D. Martinez

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) in South Texas has one of the highest prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the United States (US). We report for the first time the T2D prevalence in persons with HIV (PWH) in the RGV and the interrelationship between T2D, cardiometabolic risk factors, HIV-related indices, and antiretroviral therapies (ART). The PWH in this study received medical care at Valley AIDS Council (VAC) clinic sites located in Harlingen and McAllen, Texas. Henceforth, this cohort will be referred to as Valley AIDS Council Cohort (VACC). Cross-sectional analyses were conducted using retrospective data obtained from …

Endothelial Senescence And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, A Covid-19 Based Hypothesis, Adonis Sfera, Carolina Osorio, Carlos M. Zapata Martín Del Campo, Shaniah Pereida, Jose Campo Maldonado, Zisis Kozlakidis

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome is a serious illness of unknown etiology, characterized by debilitating exhaustion, memory impairment, pain and sleep abnormalities. Viral infections are believed to initiate the pathogenesis of this syndrome although the definite proof remains elusive. With the unfolding of COVID-19 pandemic, the interest in this condition has resurfaced as excessive tiredness, a major complaint of patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, often lingers for a long time, resulting in disability, and poor life quality. In a previous article, we hypothesized that COVID-19-upregulated angiotensin II triggered premature endothelial cell senescence, disrupting the intestinal and blood brain barriers. Here, …

Neuropsychiatric Symptoms Among Hispanics: Results Of The Maracaibo Aging Study, Mario Gil, Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, Juan Carlos Lopez Alvarenga, Vincent P. Diego, Ciro Gaona, Ledys Mata, Rosa V. Pirela, Carlos A. Chavez, Gabriel A. De Erausquin, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Background:

Neuropsychiatric symptoms play an important role in diagnosing and clinical follow-up of cognitive impairment and dementia.

Objective:

We investigated the relationship between neuropsychiatric symptoms, cognitive impairment, and dementia in Hispanics.

Methods:

We included 529 participants (age ≥40 years) from the Maracaibo Aging Study with standardized neuropsychiatric assessments, including the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Based on the Clinical Dementia Rating and the Mini-Mental State Examination scores, participants’ cognitive status was categorized into normal cognition, mild/moderate, and severe cognitive impairment. Diagnosis of dementia was established in a consensus conference. Statistical analyses included multivariable logistic regression models and area under the curve (AUC). …

4-1bbl As A Mediator Of Cross-Talk Between Innate, Adaptive, And Regulatory Immunity Against Cancer, Alejandra G. Martinez-Perez, Jose J. Perez-Trujillo, Rodolfo Garza-Morales, Maria J. Loera-Arias, Odila Saucedo-Cardenas, Aracely Garcia-Garcia, Humberto Rodriguez-Rocha, Roberto Montes-De-Oca-Luna

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

The ability of tumor cells to evade the immune system is one of the main challenges we confront in the fight against cancer. Multiple strategies have been developed to counteract this situation, including the use of immunostimulant molecules that play a key role in the anti-tumor immune response. Such a response needs to be tumor-specific to cause as little damage as possible to healthy cells and also to track and eliminate disseminated tumor cells. Therefore, the combination of immunostimulant molecules and tumor-associated antigens has been implemented as an antitumor therapy strategy to eliminate the main obstacles confronted in conventional therapies. …

Development And Validation Of A Predictive Model For Childhood Mortality After A Traumatic Brain Injury: Analysis Of The National Trauma Data Bank, Jooby Joy, Axel Moreira, Kevin Chorath, Karthik Rajasekaran, Alvaro Moreira

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Introduction: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in children. While most TBI-related admissions are mild, identifying early predictors of poor outcome may assist clinicians with timely medical decisions and effective triage utilization.

Objective: We sought to develop and validate a clinical tool for predicting in-hospital death in children after a traumatic brain injury.

Methods: Data was collected for children (≤18 years) from the National Trauma Data Bank between the years of 2007 to 2015. We included children who sustained any TBI, defined as: (i) open and closed skull fractures, (ii) cerebellar, cortical, or brain …

Regulation Of Apoptosis During Environmental Skin Tumor Initiation, Bilal B. Hafeez, Eunmi Park, Kyung-Soo Chun, Yong-Yeon Cho, Dae Joon Kim

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Skin cancer is more prevalent than any other cancer in the United States. Nonmelanoma skin cancers are the more common forms of skin cancer that affect individuals. The development of squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common type of skin cancer, can be stimulated by exposure of environmental carcinogens, such as chemical toxicants or UVB. It is developed by three distinct stages: initiation, promotion, and progression. During the initiation, the fate of DNA-damaged skin cells is determined by the homeostatic regulation of pro-apoptotic and antiapoptotic signaling pathways. The imbalance or disruption of either signaling will lead to the survival of …

Starting Antihypertensive Drug Treatment With Combination Therapy: Controversies In Hypertension - Con Side Of The Argument, Zhen-Yu Zhang, Yu-Ling Yu, Kei Asayama, Tine W. Hansen, Gladys E. Maestre, Jan A. Staessen

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

The 2018 European Society of Cardiology/European Society of Hypertension1 and the 2020 International Society of Hypertension2 guidelines for the management of hypertension proposed that initial combination therapy with 2 antihypertensive agents in a single-pill combination (SPC) is preferred in most patients in need of blood pressure (BP) lowering treatment and should replace the long-standing concept of starting treatment with a single agent, rotating through antihypertensive drug classes, and next moving towards combining drug classes. By moving SPCs forward as the initial BP-lowering strategy, the European1 and International2 Societies of Hypertension Guideline Committees overlooked several principles in …

Further Evidence Supporting A Potential Role For Adh1b In Obesity, Liza D. Morales, Douglas T. Cromack, Devjit Tripathy, Marcel Fourcaudot, Satish Kumar, Joanne E. Curran, Melanie A. Carless, Harald H. H. Goring, Shirley L. Hu, Juan C. Lopez-Alvarenga, Päivi Pajukanta, Kerrin S. Small, Rector Arya, Srinivas Mummidi, John Blangero, Ravindranath Duggirala, Christopher P. Jenkinson

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Insulin is an essential hormone that regulates glucose homeostasis and metabolism. Insulin resistance (IR) arises when tissues fail to respond to insulin, and it leads to serious health problems including Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). Obesity is a major contributor to the development of IR and T2D. We previously showed that gene expression of alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B) was inversely correlated with obesity and IR in subcutaneous adipose tissue of Mexican Americans. In the current study, a meta-analysis of the relationship between ADH1B expression and BMI in Mexican Americans, African Americans, Europeans, and Pima Indians verified that BMI was increased with …

Serum Carotenoids And Pediatric Metabolic Index Predict Insulin Sensitivity In Mexican American Children, Srinivas Mummidi, Vidya S. Farook, Lavanya Reddivari, Joselin Hernandez-Ruiz, Alvaro Diaz-Badillo, Sharon P. Fowler, Roy G. Resendez, Feroz Akhtar, Donna M. Lehman, Christopher P. Jenkinson, Rector Arya, Jane L. Lynch, Jose A. Canas, Ralph A. Defronzo, Daniel E. Hale, John Blangero, Juan C. Lopez-Alvarenga, Ravindranath Duggirala, Jairam K. P. Vanamala

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

High concentrations of carotenoids are protective against cardiometabolic risk traits (CMTs) in adults and children. We recently showed in non-diabetic Mexican American (MA) children that serum α-carotene and β-carotene are inversely correlated with obesity measures and triglycerides and positively with HDL cholesterol and that they were under strong genetic influences. Additionally, we previously described a Pediatric Metabolic Index (PMI) that helps in the identification of children who are at risk for cardiometabolic diseases. Here, we quantified serum lycopene and β-cryptoxanthin concentrations in approximately 580 children from MA families using an ultraperformance liquid chromatography-photodiode array and determined their heritabilities and correlations …

Another One Bites The Joint: A Case Of Reactive Arthritis In An Otherwise Healthy Hispanic Male, Christine E. Loftis, Emilia C. Dulgheru

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Reactive Arthritis is a spondyloarthritis following gastrointestinal or genitourinary infections, traditionally described as a triad of conjunctivitis, urethritis, and arthritis. It is important to identify patients with reactive arthritis as certain disease features portend a poorer prognosis. We present a case of reactive arthritis in a 36-year-old gentleman after a self-limited episode of gastroenteritis.

A 36-year-old man presented to the Rheumatology clinic for a 2-week history of multiple arthralgias. The patient reported that one week before the onset of arthritis he experienced a self-limited episode of gastroenteritis. Succeeding, the patient noticed pain and swelling to right wrist, left elbow, and …

Association Of Fatal And Nonfatal Cardiovascular Outcomes With 24-Hour Mean Arterial Pressure, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Wen-Yi Yang, Lutgarde Thijs, Kei Asayama, Tine W. Hansen, Fang-Fei Wei, Masahiro Kikuya, Takayoshi Ohkubo, Eamon Dolan, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Major adverse cardiovascular events are closely associated with 24-hour blood pressure (BP). We determined outcome-driven thresholds for 24-hour mean arterial pressure (MAP), a BP index estimated by oscillometric devices. We assessed the association of major adverse cardiovascular events with 24-hour MAP, systolic BP (SBP), and diastolic BP (DBP) in a population-based cohort (n=11 596). Statistics included multivariable Cox regression and the generalized R2 statistic to test model fit. Baseline office and 24-hour MAP averaged 97.4 and 90.4 mm Hg. Over 13.6 years (median), 2034 major adverse cardiovascular events occurred. Twenty-four-hour MAP levels of <90 >(normotension, n=6183), 90 to <92 >(elevated MAP, n=909), …

A White Matter Connection Of Schizophrenia And Alzheimer’S Disease, Peter Kochunov, Artemis Zavaliangos-Petropulu, Neda Jahanshad, Paul M. Thompson, Meghann C. Ryan, Joshua Chiappelli, Shuo Chen, Xiaoming Du, Kathryn Hatch, Bhim Adhikari, Joanne E. Curran, John Blangero

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a severe psychiatric illness associated with an elevated risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Both SZ and AD have white matter abnormalities and cognitive deficits as core disease features. We hypothesized that aging in SZ patients may be associated with the development of cerebral white matter deficit patterns similar to those observed in AD. We identified and replicated aging-related increases in the similarity between white matter deficit patterns in patients with SZ and AD. The white matter “regional vulnerability index” (RVI) for AD was significantly higher in SZ patients compared with healthy controls in both the independent …

Current Available Computer-Aided Detection Catches Cancer But Requires A Human Operator, Florentino Saenz Rios, Giri Movva, Hari Movva, Quan D. Nguyen

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Introduction: This study intends to show that the current widely used computer-aided detection (CAD) may be helpful, but it is not an adequate replacement for the human input required to interpret mammograms accurately. However, this is not to discredit CAD’s ability but to further encourage the adoption of artificial intelligence-based algorithms into the toolset of radiologists.

Methods: This study will use Hologic (Marlborough, MA, USA) and General Electric (Boston, MA, USA) CAD read images provided by patients found to be Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) 6 from 2019 to 2020. In addition, patient information will be pulled …

Addressing Neurocognitive Disorders, Dementias, And Alzheimer’S Disease In Colonias Of The Lower Rio Grande Valley: Establishing A Research Foundation Using Promotores, Noe Garza, Marucela Uscamayta-Ayvar, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Several Texas communities along the Mexican border, including the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV), are home to low-income Hispanic populations, many of whom live in underserved communities known as colonias. These areas have high incidences of neurocognitive disorders, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease (AD); health care strategies that are culturally and linguistically appropriate for the area are needed. We aim to build capacity to reduce risk, facilitate treatment, and provide caregiver support for affected individuals. However, gaining trust of communities and presenting information about research studies in a way that is culturally appropriate is critical for engagement of underserved communities.

This …

Tobacco Smoke Carcinogens Induce Dna Repair Machinery Function Loss: Protection By Carbon Nanotubes, Anukriti Dhasmana, Anupam Dhasmana, Hobani Yahya H, Abdullah Farasani, Mahmoud Habibullah, Freah L. Alshammary, Saif Khan, Shafiul Haque, Mohtashim Lohani

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Purpose: DNA damage is a continuous process occurring within the cells caused by intrinsic and extrinsic factors, but it gets repaired regularly. If the DNA repair process is faulty, the incidences of damages/mutations can accumulate in cells resulting in cell transformation. It is hypothesized that the negative variations in DNA repair pathways in even at one point viz. genetic, translational or posttranslational stage may fairly be crucial for the beginning and development of carcinogenesis. Therefore, we investigated the potential of tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNs) related carcinogens to interact with the enzymes involved in DNA repair mechanisms in the current study. …