Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Locus Coeruleus And Hippocampal Tyrosine Hydroxylase Levels In A Pressure-Overload Model Of Heart Disease, Luke A. Johnson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Studies have indicated that approximately 30% of people with heart disease experience major depressive disorder (MDD). Despite strong clinical evidence of a link between the two diseases, the neurobiological processes involved in the relationship are poorly understood. A growing number of studies are revealing similar neuroanatomical and neurochemical abnormalities resulting from both depression and heart disease. The locus coeruleus (LC) is a group of neurons in the pons that synthesize and release norepinephrine, and that is known to play a significant role in depression pathobiology. For example, there is evidence that tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is elevated in the LC in …

Nitric Oxide And Its Metabolites In The Critical Phase Of Illness: Rapid Biomarkers In The Making, Asad Mian, Mayank Aranke, Nathan S. Bryan

Department of Emergency Medicine

The potential of nitric oxide (NO) as a rapid assay biomarker, one that could provide a quantum leap in acute care, remains largely untapped. NO plays a crucial role as bronchodilator, vasodilator and inflammatory mediator. The main objective of this review is to demonstrate how NO is a molecule of heavy interest in various acute disease states along the emergency department and critical care spectrum: respiratory infections, central nervous system infections, asthma, acute kidney injury, sepsis, septic shock, and myocardial ischemia, to name just a few. We discuss how NO and its oxidative metabolites, nitrite and nitrate, are readily detectable …

The Effect Of Statins On Testosterone In Men And Women, A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Randomized Controlled Trials, Mary Schooling, Shiu Lun Au Yeung, Guy Freeman, Benjamin J. Cowling

Publications and Research

Background
Statins are extensively used for cardiovascular disease prevention. Statins reduce mortality rates morethan other lipid-modulating drugs, although evidence from randomized controlled trials also suggests that statinsunexpectedly increase the risk of diabetes and improve immune function. Physiologically, statins would beexpected to lower androgens because statins inhibit production of the substrate for the local synthesis of androgens and statins’ pleiotropic effects are somewhat similar to the physiological effects of lowering testosterone, so we hypothesized that statins lower testosterone.

Methods
A meta-analysis of placebo-controlled randomized trials of statins to test the a priori hypothesis that statins lower testosterone. We searched the PubMed, …

The Return Of The Huntington’S Whirlwind, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Icad Deficiency In Human Colon Cancer And Predisposition To Colon Tumorigenesis: Linkage To Apoptosis Resistance And Genomic Instability, Youssef Errami, Hassan Brim, Karine Oumouna-Benachour, Mustapha Oumouna, Amarjit S. Naura, Hogyoung Kim, Jihang Ju, Christian J. Davis, Jong G. Kim, Hassan Ashktorab, Kenneth Fallon, Ming Xu, Jianhua Zhang, Luis Del Valle, A Hamid Boulares

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

We previously showed that DNA fragmentation factor, which comprises a caspase-3-activated DNase (CAD) and its inhibitor (ICAD), may influence the rate of cell death by generating PARP-1-activating DNA breaks. Here we tested the hypothesis that ICAD-deficient colon epithelial cells exhibiting resistance to death stimuli may accumulate additional genetic modifications, leading to a tumorigenic phenotype. We show that ICAD deficiency may be associated with colon malignancy in humans. Indeed, an examination of ICAD expression using immunohistochemistry in an array of both colon cancer and normal tissues revealed that ICAD expression levels were severely compromised in the cancerous tissues. Upon DNA damage …

Diagnosis And Evaluation Of Peripheral Neuropathies, Jay D. Varrato Do

Neurology Update for the Non-Neurologist

No abstract provided.

Diagnosis And Treatment Options For Multiple Sclerosis, Gary Clauser Md

Neurology Update for the Non-Neurologist

No abstract provided.

Current Standards For Treatment Of Stroke: Management Of Acute Ischemic Stroke, John E. Castaldo Md

Neurology Update for the Non-Neurologist

No abstract provided.

Diagnosis, Evaluation And Treatments For Dementia, John W. Margraf Md

Neurology Update for the Non-Neurologist

No abstract provided.

Jsph Online Cme Collaboration With Johns Hopkins University

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Acute Aortic Valve Rupture From Infective Endocarditis After Transrectal Prostate Biopsy: A Call To Revise The Aha Guidelines For Prevention Of Infective Endocarditis, Julia Ansari, Gurkaran Singh Garcha, Henry Huang, Faisal G. Bakaeen, Salim S. Virani, Hani Jneid

Office of the Provost

We describe the case of a 63-year-old man with a known murmur who presented with a 4-month history of intermittent fever and a progressive reduction in energy level after a transrectal prostate biopsy (TRPB). He subsequently presented with acute heart failure secondary to aortic valve cusp rupture caused by endocarditis and underwent urgent aortic valve surgery. The 2008 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guideline update on infective endocarditis has narrowed the use of antibiotic prophylaxis before most accepted dental procedures and continues to recommend against prophylaxis before genitourinary or gastrointestinal procedures. In contrast, the American Urological Association recommends the …

Treatment Options For Seizures: Practical Points In Epilepsy Management, Soraya E. Jiménez Md

Neurology Update for the Non-Neurologist

No abstract provided.

Diagnosis, Assessment And Evaluation For Seizures, John W. Margraf Md

Neurology Update for the Non-Neurologist

No abstract provided.

Special Populations And Considerations In Migraine Therapy, Gary Clauser Md

Neurology Update for the Non-Neurologist

No abstract provided.

Migraine Diagnosis And Treatment, Vitaliy Koss Md

Neurology Update for the Non-Neurologist

No abstract provided.

Defining The Need For Specific Neurological Studies, John E. Castaldo Md

Neurology Update for the Non-Neurologist

No abstract provided.

Pope Benedict Xvi’S Resignation: A Witness To Aging, A Signal For A New Bioethics, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Data Mining The Functional Characterizations Of Proteins To Predict Their Cancer-Relatedness, Peter Revesz, Christopher Assi

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

This paper considers two types of protein data. First, data about protein function described in a number of ways, such as, GO terms and PFAM families. Second, data about whether individual proteins are experimentally associated with cancer by an anomalous elevation or lowering of their expressions within cancerous cells. We combine these two types of protein data and test whether the first type of data, that is, the functional descriptors, can predict the second type of data, that is, cancer-relatedness. By using data mining and machine learning, we derive a classifier algorithm that using only GO term and PFAM family …

Influenza Forecasting With Google Flu Trends, Andrea Freyer Dugas, Mehdi Jalalpour, Yulia Gel, Scott Levin, Fred Torcaso, Takeru Igusa, Richard E. Rothman

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Background: We developed a practical influenza forecast model based on real-time, geographically focused, and easy to access data, designed to provide individual medical centers with advanced warning of the expected number of influenza cases, thus allowing for sufficient time to implement interventions. Secondly, we evaluated the effects of incorporating a real-time influenza surveillance system, Google Flu Trends, and meteorological and temporal information on forecast accuracy.

Methods: Forecast models designed to predict one week in advance were developed from weekly counts of confirmed influenza cases over seven seasons (2004–2011) divided into seven training and out-of-sample verification sets. Forecasting procedures …

‘No Marine Deserted On The Battlefield’: Two Surviving Spouses Join Forces To Speed The Defeat Of Huntington's Disease, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Environmental And Occupational Interventions For Primary Prevention Of Cancer: A Cross-Sectorial Policy Framework, Carolina Espina, Miquel Porta, Joachim Schüz, Ildefonso Hernández Aguado, Robert V. Percival, Carlos Dora, Terry Slevin, Julietta Rodriguez Guzman, Tim Meredith, Philip J. Landrigan, Maria Neira

Faculty Scholarship

Nearly 13 million new cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths occur worldwide each year; 63% of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries. A substantial portion of all cancers are attributable to carcinogenic exposures in the environment and the workplace.

The objective of this study was to develop an evidence-based global vision and strategy for the primary prevention of environmental and occupational cancer.

The study concluded that opportunities exist to revitalize comprehensive global cancer control policies by incorporating primary interventions against environmental and occupational carcinogens.

Development Of A Diagnostic Test Set To Assess Agreement In Breast Pathology: Practical Application Of The Guidelines For Reporting Reliability And Agreement Studies (Grras), Natalia V. Oster, Patricia A. Carney, Kimberly H. Allison, Donald L. Weaver, Lisa Reisch, Gary Longton, Tracy Onega

Dartmouth Scholarship

Diagnostic test sets are a valuable research tool that contributes importantly to the validity and reliability of studies that assess agreement in breast pathology. In order to fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of any agreement and reliability study, however, the methods should be fully reported. In this paper we provide a step-by-step description of the methods used to create four complex test sets for a study of diagnostic agreement among pathologists interpreting breast biopsy specimens. We use the newly developed Guidelines for Reporting Reliability and Agreement Studies (GRRAS) as a basis to report these methods.

When I Walk, Jeanette Reedy Solano

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of When I Walk (2013) directed by Jason DaSilva.

Isolation Of A Novel Swine Influenza Virus From Oklahoma In 2011 Which Is Distantly Related To Human Influenza C Viruses, Ben Hause, Mariette Ducatez, Emily A. Collin, Zhiguang Ran, Runxia Liu, Zizhang Sheng, Anibal Armien, Bryan Kaplan, Suvobrata Chakravarty, Adam D. Hoppe, Richard J. Webby, Randy R. Simonson, Feng Li

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Of the Orthomyxoviridae family of viruses, only influenza A viruses are thought to exist as multiple subtypes and has nonhuman maintenance hosts. In April 2011, nasal swabs were collected for virus isolation from pigs exhibiting influenza-like illness. Subsequent electron microscopic, biochemical, and genetic studies identified an orthomyxovirus with seven RNA segments exhibiting approximately 50% overall amino acid identity to human influenza C virus. Based on its genetic organizational similarities to influenza C viruses this virus has been provisionally designated C/Oklahoma/1334/2011 (C/OK). Phylogenetic analysis of the predicted viral proteins found that the divergence between C/OK and human influenza C viruses was …

Low Rate Of Recurrence Of Helicobacter Pylori Infection In Spite Of High Clarithromycin Resistance In Pakistan, Javed Yakoob, Shahab Abid, Wasim Jafri, Zaigham Abbas, Khalid Mumtaz, Saeed Hamid, Rashida Ahmed

Section of Gastroenterology

Background

The aim was to investigate the reinfection rate of H. pylori during a follow-up period of 12 months in adults who had undergone eradication therapy.

Methods

One hundred-twenty patients; 116 with gastritis, 3 with duodenal ulcer and 1 gastric ulcer, were studied. Their mean age was 41 ± 13 years (range 18–77) and male: female ratio of 2:1. H. pylori were cultured and antibiotic sensitivity was determined by Epsilometer test (E-test) for clarithromycin (CLR) and amoxicillin (AMX). Primers of urease C gene of H. pylori and Sau-3 and Hha I restriction enzymes were used for polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment …

Changes In Bacterial Growth Rate Govern Expression Of The Borrelia Burgdorferi Ospc And Erp Infection-Associated Surface Proteins, Brandon L. Jutras, Alicia M. Chenail, Brian Stevenson

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

The Lyme disease spirochete controls production of its OspC and Erp outer surface proteins, repressing protein synthesis during colonization of vector ticks but increasing expression when those ticks feed on vertebrate hosts. Early studies found that the synthesis of OspC and Erps can be stimulated in culture by shifting the temperature from 23°C to 34°C, leading to a hypothesis that Borrelia burgdorferi senses environmental temperature to determine its location in the tick-mammal infectious cycle. However, borreliae cultured at 34°C divide several times faster than do those cultured at 23°C. We developed methods that disassociate bacterial growth rate and temperature, allowing …

Association Of Impaired Linear Growth And Worse Neurodevelopmental Outcome In Infants With Single Ventricle Physiology: A Report From The Pediatric Heart Network Infant Single Ventricle Trial., Chitra Ravishankar, Victor Zak, Ismee A. Williams, David C. Bellinger, J William Gaynor, Nancy S. Ghanayem, Catherine D. Krawczeski, Daniel J. Licht, Lynn Mahony, Jane W. Newburger, Victoria L. Pemberton, Richard V. Williams, Renee Sananes, Amanda L. Cook, Teresa Atz, Svetlana Khaikin, Daphne T. Hsu, Pediatric Heart Network Investigators, Girish S. Shirali

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVES: To describe neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants with single ventricle (SV) physiology and determine factors associated with worse outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN: Neurodevelopmental outcomes for infants with SV enrolled in a multicenter drug trial were assessed at 14 months of age using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II. Multivariable regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with worse outcomes.

RESULTS: Neurodevelopmental testing was performed at 14 ± 1 months in 170/185 subjects in the trial. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome was present in 59% and 75% had undergone the Norwood operation. Mean Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI) and mental developmental index (MDI) …

Junior Seau, Super Sunday, And Our Most Important Natural Resource, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Automated Point-Of-Care Image Processing Methodology For The Diagnosis Of Malaria, Michael B. Jorgensen

Master's Theses

Malaria has profoundly influenced human history for over four thousand years and despite numerous attempts at eradication, the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of malaria have been largely ineffective. More than five hundred million people are affected by malaria every year resulting in over one million deaths. Drug resistance development by the parasite has diminished the effectiveness of numerous treatment options due, in part, to overtreatment of negative patients based on insufficient clinical algorithms and diagnostic methods. The goal of this research was to develop an image analysis algorithm to diagnose malaria with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity in …

Scanning In Situ Spectroscopy Pplatform For Imaging Surgical Breast Tissue Specimens, Venkataramanan Krishnaswamy, Ashley M. Laughney, Wendy A. Wells, Keith D. Paulsen, Brian W. Pogue

Dartmouth Scholarship

A non-contact localized spectroscopic imaging platform has been developed and optimized to scan 1 x 1 cm² square regions of surgically resected breast tissue specimens with ~150-micron resolution. A color corrected, image-space telecentric scanning design maintained a consistent sampling geometry and uniform spot size across the entire imaging field. Theoretical modeling in ZEMAX allowed estimation of the spot size, which is equal at both the center and extreme positions of the field with ~5% variation across the designed waveband, indicating excellent color correction. The spot sizes at the center and an extreme field position were also measured experimentally using the …