Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

L-Serine Reduces Reactive Oxygen Species Yield In Cisplatin Treated Zebrafish Utricles, Satya A. Moolani, Elvin Irihamye, Jerry D. Monroe, Michael E. Smith

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Cisplatin is a chemotherapy compound effective against a variety of cancers. However, it can act as an ototoxin and cause hearing loss by promoting reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in auditory tissues. The antioxidant amino acid, L-serine has been hypothesized to lower levels of cisplatin-mediated ROS. In this project, we investigated whether L-serine can reduce cisplatin-mediated ROS production in auditory tissue and potentially act as an otoprotectant during cisplatin chemotherapy. We used a zebrafish utricular tissue culture system and fluorescent ROS indicator dye to spectrophotometrically measure if L-serine could decrease reactive oxygen species levels in cisplatin-treated tissues. We found that …

Intranasal Rapamycin Ameliorates Alzheimer-Like Cognitive Decline In A Mouse Model Of Down Syndrome, Antonella Tramutola, Chiara Lanzillotta, Eugenio Barone, Andrea Arena, Ilaria Zuliani, Luciana Mosca, Carla Blarzino, D. Allan Butterfield, Marzia Perluigi, Fabio Di Domenico

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Background: Down syndrome (DS) individuals, by the age of 40s, are at increased risk to develop Alzheimer-like dementia, with deposition in brain of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Our laboratory recently demonstrated the disturbance of PI3K/AKT/mTOR axis in DS brain, prior and after the development of Alzheimer Disease (AD). The aberrant modulation of the mTOR signalling in DS and AD age-related cognitive decline affects crucial neuronal pathways, including insulin signaling and autophagy, involved in pathology onset and progression. Within this context, the therapeutic use of mTOR-inhibitors may prevent/attenuate the neurodegenerative phenomena. By our work we aimed to rescue mTOR signalling …

Orotic Aciduria, Aliah L. Fonteh

Fidei et Veritatis: The Liberty University Journal of Graduate Research

Orotic acid is an intermediate found in the pathway for pyrimidine synthesis. The mitochondrial enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) catalyzes the production of orotic acid by the conversion of the compound dihydroorotate to orotic acid. Orotic acid is commonly produced by this reaction in erythrocytes, hepatocytes, and kidney cells. Chemical modification of orotic acid in the pyrimidine pathway will generate nucleotides involved in DNA and RNA synthesis. Orotic aciduria can occur as a secondary manifestation due to a defect in an enzyme or transporter within the urea cycle, due to competitive inhibition by anti-cancer drugs such as allopurinol and 6-azauridine, or …

Human-Like Hyperplastic Prostate With Low Zip1 Induced Solely By Zn Deficiency In Rats., Louise Y. Fong, Ruiyan Jing, Karl J. Smalley, Zi-Xuan Wang, Cristian Taccioli, Sili Fan, Hongping Chen, Hansjuerg Alder, Kay Huebner, John L. Farber, Oliver Fiehn, Carlo M. Croce

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in men over 50 years of age, and there is a characteristic marked decrease in Zn content in the malignant prostate cells. The cause and consequences of this loss have thus far been unknown. We found that in middle-aged rats a Zn-deficient diet reduces prostatic Zn levels (P = 0.025), increases cellular proliferation, and induces an inflammatory phenotype with COX-2 overexpression. This hyperplastic/inflammatory prostate has a human prostate cancer-like microRNA profile, with up-regulation of the Zn-homeostasis-regulating miR-183-96-182 cluster (fold change = 1.41-2.38; P = 0.029-0.0003) and down-regulation of the Zn …

Molecular Modulation Of Osteoblasts And Osteoclasts In Type 2 Diabetes, Selvalakshmi Rathinavelu, Crissy Guidry-Elizondo, Jameela Banu

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Diabetes is a common disease affecting majority of populations worldwide. Since 1980, there has been an increase in the number of people diagnosed as prediabetic and diabetic. Diabetes is characterized by high levels of circulating glucose and leads to most microvascular and macrovascular complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, stroke, and myocardial infarction. Bone marrow vascular disruption and increased adiposity are also linked to various complications in type II diabetes mellitus. In addition to these complications, type 2 diabetic patients also have fragile bones caused by faulty mineralization mainly due to increased adiposity among diabetic patients that affects both osteoblast …

Stem Cell Generated Β-Cells: A Possible Solution To The Growing Problem Of Type 1 Diabetes, Danielle Rae Steffen

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Type 1 diabetes is a growing problem throughout the world. At this time, there is no functional cure, only various treatment options. However, in recent years there has been a significant increase in both the quantity and quality of research into potential cures for type 1 diabetes. This has led to a variety of new possibilities, the most promising of which are β-cells generated from the patient’s own stem cells.

Cell Specific Control Of The Pallidostriatal Pathway, Shubha Verma '19

Student Publications & Research

Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disorder of the basal ganglia. The main cause for Parkinson’s Disease is the depletion of dopamine, a neurotransmitter. The basal ganglia contains four major nuclei: the substantia nigra, the subthalamic nucleus, the external globus pallidus, and the striatum. These nuclei communicate with each other by the use of neurons.

Triatomines: Trypanosomatids, Bacteria, And Viruses Potential Vectors?, Caroline Barreto Viera, Yanna Reis Praça, Kaio Luis Da Silva Bentes, Paula Beatriz Santiago, Sofia Marcelino Martins Silva, Gabriel Dos Santos Silva, Flávia Nader Motta, Izabela Marques Dourado Bastos, Jaime Martins De Santana, Carla Nunes De Araújo

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Triatominae bugs are the vectors of Chagas disease, a major concern to public health especially in Latin America, where vector-borne Chagas disease has undergone resurgence due mainly to diminished triatomine control in many endemic municipalities. Although the majority of Triatominae species occurs in the Americas, species belonging to the genus Linshcosteus occur in India, and species belonging to the Triatoma rubrofasciata complex have been also identified in Africa, the Middle East, South-East Asia, and in the Western Pacific. Not all of Triatominae species have been found to be infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, but the possibility of establishing vector transmission …

On The Verge Of Diagnosis: Detection, Reporting, And Investigation Of De Novo Variants In Novel Genes Identified By Clinical Sequencing., Isabelle Thiffault, Maxime Cadieux-Dion, Emily G. Farrow, Raymond Caylor, Neil A. Miller, Sarah E. Soden, Carol J. Saunders

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The variable evidence supporting gene-disease associations contributes to the difficulty of accurate variant reporting in a clinical setting. An evidence-based scoring system for evaluating the clinical validity of gene-disease associations, proposed by ClinGen, considers experimental as well as genetic evidence. De novo variants are heavily weighted, given the overall rarity in the genome and their contribution to human disease, however they are reported as "genes of unknown significance" in our center when there is insufficient evidence for the gene-disease assertion. We report a collection of 21 de novo variants in genes of unknown clinical significance ascertained via clinical testing, of …

Azithromycin For Early Pseudomonas Infection In Cystic Fibrosis. The Optimize Randomized Trial., Nicole Mayer-Hamblett, George Retsch-Bogart, Margaret Kloster, Frank Accurso, Margaret Rosenfeld, Gary Albers, Philip Black, Perry Brown, Annemarie Cairns, Stephanie D. Davis, Gavin R. Graff, Gwendolyn S. Kerby, David Orenstein, Rachael Buckingham, Bonnie W. Ramsey, Optimize Study Group

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

RATIONALE: New isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) is generally treated with inhaled antipseudomonal antibiotics such as tobramycin inhalation solution (TIS). A therapeutic approach that complements traditional antimicrobial therapy by reducing the risk of pulmonary exacerbation and inflammation may ultimately prolong the time to Pa recurrence.

OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that the addition of azithromycin to TIS in children with cystic fibrosis and early Pa decreases the risk of pulmonary exacerbation and prolongs the time to Pa recurrence.

METHODS: The OPTIMIZE (Optimizing Treatment for Early Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection in Cystic Fibrosis) trial was a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, 18-month trial …

Triatomines: Trypanosomatids, Bacteria, And Viruses Potential Vectors? [Review], Caroline Barreto Vieira, Yanna Reis Praça, Kaio Luís Da Silva Bentes, Paula Beatriz Santiago, Sofia Marcelino Martins Silva, Gabriel Dos Santos Silva, Flávia Nader Motta, Izabela Marques Dorado Bastos, Jaime Martins De Santana, Carla Nunes De Araújo

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Triatominae bugs are the vectors of Chagas disease, a major concern to public health especially in Latin America, where vector-borne Chagas disease has undergone resurgence due mainly to diminished triatomine control in many endemic municipalities. Although the majority of Triatominae species occurs in the Americas, species belonging to the genus Linshcosteus occur in India, and species belonging to the Triatoma rubrofasciata complex have been also identified in Africa, the Middle East, South-East Asia, and in the Western Pacific. Not all of Triatominae species have been found to be infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, but the possibility of establishing vector transmission …

A Real World Experience Of The Fast-Ed Based Pre-Hospital Stroke Triage System To Detect Large Vessel Occlusions, Ned Shashoua, Amy Starosciak, Jayme Strauss, Felipe De Los Rios La Rosa

All Publications

No abstract provided.

Longitudinal Screening Detects Cognitive Stability And Behavioral Deterioration In Als Patients, Susan Woolley, Ray Goetz, Pam Factor-Litvak, Jennifer Murphy, Jonathan Hupf, Catherine Lomen-Hoerth, Howard Andrews, Daragh Heitzman, Richard Bedlack, Jonathan Katz, Richard Barohn, Eric Sorenson, Bjorn Oskarsson, Americo Fernandes Filho, Edward J. Kasarskis, Tahseen Mozaffar, Sharon Nations, Andrea Swenson, Agnes Koczon-Jaremko, Georgia Christodoulou, Hiroshi Mitsumoto

Neurology Faculty Publications

Objective. To evaluate longitudinal cognitive/behavioral change over 12 months in participants enrolled in the ALS Multicenter Cohort Study of Oxidative Stress (ALS COSMOS). Methods. We analyzed data from 294 ALS participants, 134 of whom were studied serially. Change over time was evaluated controlling for age, sex, symptom duration, education, race, and ethnicity. Using multiple regression, we evaluated associations among decline in ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) scores, forced vital capacity (FVC), and cognitive/behavioral changes. Change in cognitive/behavioral subgroups was assessed using one-way analyses of covariance. Results. Participants with follow-up data had fewer baseline behavior problems compared to patients …

Hyperhomocysteinemia As A Risk Factor For Vascular Contributions To Cognitive Impairment And Dementia, Brittani R. Price, Donna M. Wilcock, Erica M. Weekman

Physiology Faculty Publications

Behind only Alzheimer’s disease, vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) is the second most common cause of dementia, affecting roughly 10–40% of dementia patients. While there is no cure for VCID, several risk factors for VCID, such as diabetes, hypertension, and stroke, have been identified. Elevated plasma levels of homocysteine, termed hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), are a major, yet underrecognized, risk factor for VCID. B vitamin deficiency, which is the most common cause of HHcy, is common in the elderly. With B vitamin supplementation being a relatively safe and inexpensive therapeutic, the treatment of HHcy-induced VCID would seem straightforward; however, …

Examining Symptom Trajectories That Predict Worse Outcomes In Post-Cabg Patients, Ming-Fen Tsai, Shiow-Luan Tsay, Debra K. Moser, Tsuey-Yuan Huang, Feng-Chun Tsai

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Coronary artery bypass grafting is one of the most common interventional revascularisation procedures used to treat coronary artery disease worldwide. With a wide variability in postoperative cardiac symptoms, identification of symptom trajectories during the 3-month postoperative recovery period may improve clinicians’ abilities to support symptom recovery.

Aims: To identify distinct trajectories of cardiac symptoms seen over time in a cohort of patients during the 3-month post-coronary artery bypass grafting period, and determine clinical characteristics associated with different symptom trajectories postoperatively.

Methods: A prospective trial used the cardiac symptom survey to determine patient symptoms at baseline prior to surgery, and …

Diagnosis Of A Centronuclear Myopathy Case In Appalachia 20 Years From Symptom Onset., Christopher Burrell, Zachary Wilson, Dominika Lozowska

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Dynamin 2 (DMN2) mutations cause centronuclear myopathy (CNM) and Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT). Herein we discuss the details of a patient's case of adult onset CNM. We also highlight the unique features of this case with regards to the importance of electromyography (EMG), muscle biopsy and genetic testing in identifying CNM, as well as potential for improving outcomes by having a high index or suspicion and emphasizing better access to healthcare in underserved areas.

Impact Of A Boot Camp Translation Intervention On Self-Management Support In Primary Care, Donald E. Nease Jr., Jeanette M. Daly, L. Miriam Dickinson, Douglas H. Fernald, David L. Hahn, Barcey T. Levy, Leann C. Michaels, Matthew J. Simpson, John M. Westfall, Lyle J. Fagnan

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Self-management support (SMS) is a pillar of the well-established chronic care model and a key component of improving outcomes for patients with chronic illnesses. The Implementing Networks’ Self-management Tools Through Engaging Patients and Practices (INSTTEPP) trial sought to determine whether a boot camp translation process could assist small to medium-sized primary care practices with care managers implement SMS tools.

Methods: INSTTEPP used a stepped-wedge design across 16 practices from 4 practice-based research networks over 12 months. Each network completed a 2-month boot camp translation for creating SMS tools with 16 participants (2 patients, a clinician, and a care manager …

Patient Self-Management: Tools And Barriers, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

In his issue introduction, the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews comments on the theme of patient self-management of chronic diseases and the related articles published therein. Illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, epilepsy, arthritis, asthma, and obesity often require patients to administer their own medication daily or adhere to strict dietary restrictions. Progress is being made on the process of implementation and evaluation of patient self-management tools in primary care practices. Barriers to self-management tool implementations in clinics, as well as their use by individual patients, must be understood and addressed.

Implementing Community-Created Self-Management Support Tools In Primary Care Practices: Multimethod Analysis From The Insttepp Study, Douglas H. Fernald, Matthew J. Simpson, Donald E. Nease Jr., David L. Hahn, Amanda E. Hoffmann, Leann C. Michaels, Lyle J. Fagnan, Jeanette M. Daly, Barcey T. Levy

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: With one-half of Americans projected to be living with at least one chronic condition before 2020, enhancing patient self-management support (SMS) may improve health-related behaviors and clinical outcomes. Routine SMS implementation in primary care settings is difficult. Little is known about the practice conditions required for successful implementation of SMS tools.

Methods: Four primary care practice-based research networks (PBRNs) recruited 16 practices to participate in a boot camp translation process to adapt patient-centered SMS tools. Boot camp translation sessions were held over a 2-month period with 2 patients, a clinician, and a care manager from each practice. Qualitative case …

Problems Experienced In The Second And Third Months After Discharge From A Heart Failure-Related Hospitalization, Joan S. Grant, Lucinda J. Graven

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The purpose of this study was to identify high-priority problems experienced by individuals during the second and third month after discharge from an acute care facility for heart failure. This descriptive, exploratory study, an extension of a previous analysis that examined high-priority problems in the first month, comprised 19 participants who were assigned to an intervention group that received a randomized, 12-week-pilot coping partnership (COPE-HF) intervention. A trained research nurse provided the intervention, and participants used a standard list to identify high-priority heart failure-related problems. Quantitative and content data analysis was conducted. While the highest-priority problem continued to be managing …

How To Translate Self-Management Support Tools Into Clinical Practice, Matthew J. Simpson, Jeanette M. Daly, Douglas H. Fernald, John M. Westfall, Leann C. Michaels, Barcey T. Levy, David L. Hahn, Lyle J. Fagnan, Donald E. Nease Jr.

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Patient self-management is an inevitable part of the work of being a patient, and self-management support (SMS) has become increasingly important in chronic disease management. However, the majority of SMS resources available in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality SMS Resource Library were developed without explicit collaboration between clinicians and patients.

Methods: Translation of SMS tools derived from the library into primary care practices occurred utilizing boot camp translation in four different practice-based research networks (PBRNs). The typical model of boot camp translation was adapted for the purpose of the Implementing Networks’ Self-management Tools Through Engaging Patients and …

Adapting Boot Camp Translation Methods To Engage Clinician/Patient Research Teams Within Practice-Based Research Networks, Lyle J. Fagnan, Matthew J. Simpson, Jeanette M. Daly, Leann C. Michaels, David L. Hahn, Barcey T. Levy, Douglas H. Fernald, John M. Westfall, Donald E. Nease Jr.

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Boot camp translation is a proven process to engage community members and health professionals in translating and disseminating evidence-based “best practices” models for health prevention and chronic illness care. Primary care practice improvement studies, particularly involving patient-driven change, as seen with self-management support (SMS), require engaged practice teams that include patients. Models of engagement such as boot camp translation may be effective.

Methods: Four geographically dispersed practice-based research networks (PBRNs) from the Meta-LARC consortium engaged 16 practices to form SMS implementation teams involving a clinician, care manager, and 2 patients in each team. Our study adapted the boot camp …

Conference Proceedings: Aurora Scientific Day 2018

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

This journal supplement includes selected abstracts from among the more than 50 presented at the 44th annual Aurora Scientific Day research symposium. Held May 25, 2018, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Aurora Scientific Day provides a forum for original research conducted by faculty, fellows, residents, and other allied health professionals affiliated with Aurora Health Care, an integrated health system with hospitals and clinics in Wisconsin and Illinois.

Hidden Cost Of Disease In A Free-Ranging Ungulate: Brucellosis Reduces Mid-Winter Pregnancy In Elk, Gavin C. Cotterill, Paul C. Cross, Arthur D. Middleton, Jared D. Rogerson, Brandon M. Scurlock, Johan T. Du Toit

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Demonstrating disease impacts on the vital rates of free‐ranging mammalian hosts typically requires intensive, long‐term study. Evidence for chronic pathogens affecting reproduction but not survival is rare, but has the potential for wide‐ranging effects. Accurately quantifying disease‐associated reductions in fecundity is important for advancing theory, generating accurate predictive models, and achieving effective management. We investigated the impacts of brucellosis (Brucella abortus) on elk (Cervus canadensis) productivity using serological data from over 6,000 captures since 1990 in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, USA. Over 1,000 of these records included known age and pregnancy status. Using Bayesian multilevel models, …

The Assassin Bug, Lola Alao '20, Harsha Nalam '19, Dwanne Colobong '19, Trisha Sudhakar '19

Human Diseases Graphic Novels

No abstract provided.

Diseases At Work, Alice Liu '19, Nicholas Opiola '19, Gunnar Bergmann '19, Femi Durodola '20, Suraj Sunkara '19

Human Diseases Graphic Novels

No abstract provided.

In The Office, Theo Heilman '19, Nathan Lee '19, Prachi Patil '19, Katie Si '19

Human Diseases Graphic Novels

No abstract provided.

Kidney Stones, Bopo Taiwo '20, Ishanpepe Jagusah '20

Human Diseases Graphic Novels

No abstract provided.

The Blue Baby, Lola Alao, Harsha Nalam '19, Dwanne Colobong '19, Trisha Sudhakar '19

Human Diseases Graphic Novels

No abstract provided.

Myocardial Ischemia Reperfusion Injury: Apoptotic, Inflammatory And Oxidative Stress Role Of Galectin-3, Suhail Al-Salam, Satwat Hashmi

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background/aims: Myocardial reperfusion has the potential to salvage the ischemic myocardium after a period of coronary occlusion. Reperfusion, however, can cause a wide spectrum of deleterious effects. Galectin-3 (GAL-3), a beta galactoside binding lectin, is closely associated with myocardial infarction (MI), myocardial fibrosis and heart failure. In our study, we investigated its role in ischemia-reperfusion injuries (IR) as this phenomenon is extremely relevant to the early intervention after acute MI.
Methods: C57B6/J wild type (WT) mice and GAL-3 knockout (KO) mice were used for murine model of IR injury in the heart where a period of 30 minutes ischemia was …