Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Advancing Peptide-Based Vaccines Against Candida: A Comparative Perspective On Liposomal And Synthetic Formulations, Hong Xin

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

The growing threat of multidrug-resistant fungal pathogens, especially Candida auris, has underscored the need for effective antifungal vaccines. This commentary highlights recent advances in peptide-based vaccination using the SNAP (Spontaneous Nanoliposome Antigen Presentation) platform, focusing on the FM-SNAP vaccine, a bivalent liposomal formulation targeting the surface-expressed peptides fructose bisphosphate aldolase (Fba) and methionine synthase (Met6). Compared to earlier constructs such as MP12, FM-SNAP achieves superior immunogenicity and long-lasting protection at lower antigen doses. It elicits balanced Th1/Th2 cytokine responses and demonstrates durable efficacy in both immunocompetent and complement-deficient mouse models. The platform's compatibility with clinically approved adjuvants (MPLA and QS-21), …

A Needed Nomenclature For Nucleosomes, Michael-Christopher Keogh, Genevieve Almouzni, Andrew J Andrews, Karim-Jean Armache, Cheryl H Arrowsmith, Sung Hee Baek, Mark T Bedford, Emily Bernstein, Jacques Côté, Yael David, John M Denu, Beat Fierz, Benjamin A Garcia, Karen C Glass, Or Gozani, Kristian Helin, Steven Henikoff, Ole N Jensen, Steven Z Josefowicz, Neil L Kelleher, Tatiana G Kutateladze, Herbert H Lindner, Chao Lu, Karolin Luger, Parag Mallick, Catherine A Musselman, Tom W Muir, Ljiljana Paša-Tolić, Robert Schneider, Xiaobing Shi, Yang Shi, Simone Sidoli, Lloyd M Smith, Jessica K Tyler, Cynthia Wolberger, Jerry L Workman, Brian D Strahl, Nicolas L Young

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) are crucial to eukaryotic genome regulation, with a range of reported functions and mechanisms of action. Though often studied individually, it has long been recognized that the modifications function by combinatorial synergy or antagonism. Interplay may involve PTMs on the same histone, within the same nucleosome (containing a histone octamer), or between nucleosomes in higher-order chromatin. Given this, the field must distinguish ever greater complexity, and the context in which it is studied, with brevity and precision. The proteoform was introduced to define individual forms of a protein by sequence and PTMs, followed by the nucleoform …

The Impact Of Long-Term Exposure To Lip Cosmetics On The Fertility Of Female Drosophila Melanogaster, Neeka Oghli

Holster Scholar Projects

Are products marketed as safe to use, truly safe to use? Inspired by an article exposing the dangers of Tampax tampons, this study examines potential reproductive risks from consumer lip products marketed as natural and safe18. Drosophila melanogaster, a model organism with genetic and reproductive similarities to humans, was utilized to test the impacts of Rhode and Avène lip cosmetics. Avène’s Cicalfate + Lips Repair Lip Balm is the closest alternative to Rhode’s unscented peptide lip treatment, which was mindfully chosen to test if affordability comes at the expense of safety. Various concentrations of these products will be exposed to …

Search, The Jackson Laboratory

Search Magazine

No abstract provided.

What Do Rural Caregivers Need? Implications Of Formal Service Usage And The Role Of Cooperative Extension Systems, Naomi R. Meinertz, Jeong Eun Lee, Erin L. Martinez, Leacey Brown, Chelsey Byers, Sara Richie, Kathy Tutt

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

The well-being of caregivers in the U.S. is a public health crisis. Caregivers experience greater rates of depression, chronic disease, and social isolation; however, the context of rural and urban living experiences creates different caregiving realities. Using two representative datasets of caregivers in the North Central and Northeast regions of the U.S., this paper examined the experiences of rural and urban caregivers in using formal support services. Rurality was negatively related to formal support service usage. Results from a multiple regression revealed a positive association between formal service utilization and caregiver well-being. These findings suggested that formal services can play …

A Comprehensive Nutrition Education Program Promotes Behavior Change And Perception Of Food Access Across The Older Adult Age Span, Sarah Misyak, Camille Mcguire, Victor Olayemi, Maria Denunzio, Paige Harrigan, Elena Serrano

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Strategies to promote healthy behaviors among older adults are needed to mitigate vulnerabilities to negative health outcomes, especially for those with low income. Healthy Eating and Staying Active as We Age (HESA), a nine-lesson educational series for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-eligible older adults, was created to promote health among aging audiences. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the behavior change of older adults following participation in HESA, which covers food resource management, nutrition, food safety, and physical activity behaviors, as well as perceived food affordability and accessibility, and to determine if HESA is appropriate across the age span …

Intergenerational Creative Movement Program: A Social Connection Intervention To Foster Health And Well-Being, Claire M. Reardon, Mohammad Khalilian, Amy F. Kostelic, Susan Thiel, Anthony R. Bardo

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

A sense of connection and belonging is widely recognized to be essential for mental health. Yet, since the COVID-19 pandemic, loneliness, social isolation, and mental health problems have remained elevated across America. Transitions into young adulthood and older age, while distinct, similarly challenge social connectedness, especially among women. Our multi-lesson education program connected first-generation female college students with college-educated forty-plus women to foster belonging and improve mental health. The program integrated dance as a creative physical activity, promoted intergenerational engagement through a humanistic focus on generativity, and used a social network approach to gauge the development of connections among participants …

Empowering Public Employees For Retirement Security: Evidence From A Pre-Retirement Financial Education Program, Suzanne Bartholomae, Mengya Wang

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

The United States is facing a retirement crisis, with eight in ten older adult households experiencing or at risk of financial insecurity (Tavares et al., 2024). National data shows 60% of Americans regularly contribute to retirement accounts, and just 40% have estimated their retirement savings needs (Lin et al., 2022). With approximately 5,900 Baby Boomers retiring daily (Fry, 2019), there is considerable interest in identifying effective strategies and policies to address retirement preparedness. This paper presents evaluation findings from a retirement planning financial education program delivered to 750 public employees by Iowa’s public employee retirement system and Cooperative Extension educators. …

You’Re Only Old Once: And Other Truths About The Extension Work We Do In Aging, James S. Bates, Erin L. Martinez

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

No abstract provided.

Growing South Dakota (Fall 2025), College Of Agriculture, Food And Environmental Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

[Page] 2 Mesonet at SDState: A benefit to every South Dakotan
[Page] 6 Governor’s Ag Ambassador — Glenn Muller
[Page] 8 Precision agriculture cooperative agreement signed with University of Debrecen
[Page] 10 Students experience international agriculture, culture in Vietnam, New Zealand
[Page] 12 Legen-dairy! SDSU students claim national judging awards
[Page] 13 SDSU Rodeo Team continues storied rodeo tradition at nationals
[Page] 14 SDSU wheat breeders helping feed the world
[Page] 20 SDSU drone holds promise for soil, leaf sampling
[Page] 22 Don't be a fish out of water
[Page] 24 A passion for academic advising
[Page] 25 One takeaway …

Adipose Tissue Estrogen Receptor-Alpha Overexpression Ameliorates High-Fat Diet–Induced Adipose Tissue Inflammation, Marion C. Hope, Christian A. Unger, M. Chase Kettering, Cassidy E. Socia, Ahmed K. Aladhami, Barton C. Rice, Darya S. Niamira, Ben P. Wiznitzer, Diego Altomare Ph.D., William E. Cotham, Reilly T. Enos

Faculty Publications

Context

We created an innovative mouse model that enables inducible overexpression of estrogen receptor-alpha (ERα), specifically in adipose tissue (Adipo-ERα↑). Objective

We aimed to investigate how elevated Adipo-ERα↑ influences the development of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity in both male and female mice. Methods

Male and female Adipo-ERα↑ mice and littermate controls were fed a low-fat diet (LFD) or HFD for 13 weeks. Adipo-ERα↑ was induced at the initiation of dietary treatment. Body morphology and composition, hepatic lipid accumulation, glucose tolerance, fasting insulin concentrations, and adipose tissue mRNA profiling were assessed. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry was used to determine circulating and adipose …

Propelling Aging-Related Initiatives In A Next-Gen Cooperative Extension System: Editors’ Introduction To The Jhse Special Issue On Aging, Erin L. Martinez, James S. Bates

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Volume 13, Number 2, James S. Bates, Donna J. Peterson Dr., Scott Cummings, Erin L. Martinez

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

No abstract provided.

Community Partnerships To Address Social Determinants Of Health Among Older Adults, Cory Bolkan, Raven Weaver, Cheryl Eschbach, Erik Geissal, Breanne Wise-Swanson

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Focusing on social determinants of health (SDOH) among older adults is key to addressing health disparities, maintaining independence in their homes/communities, improving health outcomes, and avoiding high-cost institutional care. While primary care settings are equipped to meet older adults’ physical health needs, the network of Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) is designed to meet social needs (e.g., transportation, nutrition, caregiver support). Yet, cross-sector community partnerships between AAAs and primary care are rare. This article shares an evaluation of one such partnership, where SDOH screenings were routinely implemented in primary care, yielding social prescribing and direct referral to AAA’s support services. …

Scalable Long-Read Nanopore Hpv16 Amplicon-Based Whole-Genome Sequencing, Maina Titus, David Giesbrecht, Cliff Oduor, Kapten Muthoka, Karamoko Niaré, Rebecca Crudale, Abebe Fola, Sin Hui, Isaac Kim Jr., Elkanah Orang'o

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) drives precursor cervical lesions that often progress to cervical cancer (CC). Variation within the HPV16 genome has been associated with CC risk. Here, we developed an affordable and portable amplicon-based long-read whole genome sequencing (WGS) approach using Oxford Nanopore Technologies to investigate HPV16 genetic diversity among women in sub-Saharan African countries. Applied to a control CaSki cell line and clinical samples (n = 12), our method generated complete HPV16 genomes at high coverage (median read coverage: 5,899–15,279 ×). Benchmarking our HPV16 controls showed high accuracy for two variant calling pipelines (Clair3 and PEPPER-Margin DeepVariant). Phylogenetic analysis …

Use Of Modified Z-Domain Peptides To Specifically Label The Constant Region Of Immunoglobulin G And Vegf, Madeline Allen

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Antibodies are increasingly being used in medicinal therapies due to their ability to specifically bind to a target antigen. This fundamental behavior of antibodies has been used as a key component in drug development to address common problems with traditional drug molecules such as off-targeting, fast drug clearance, and low efficacy. This thesis provides some background into how antibodies can be used as potential treatments for a few diseases. Chapter 1 begins with an overview of the human immune system, and the role antibodies play within it. Then, the variety of ways in which antibodies can be used as medicinal …

Persistent Chemicals In Particulate Matter (Pm) Near A Hazardous Waste Thermal Treatment Facility, Chuqi Guo, Martine E. Mathieu-Campbell, Thomas Blanchard, Lavrent Khachatryan, Md Abdullah Al-Mamun, Qingzhao Yu, Myron Lard, Oluwafeyikemi Ogunmusi, Brenda Vallee, Wilma Subra, Iriel Edwards, David Malone, Slawo Lomnicki, Stephania A. Cormier, Jennifer Richmond-Bryant

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

Colfax, an overburdened community in central Louisiana, hosts the last commercially-operated open-burn/open-detonation (OB/OD) hazardous waste thermal treatment facility in the United States. Until December 2023 when their permit disallowed OB/OD, the facility processed military waste, fireworks, propellants, soils excavated from Superfund sites, and other hazardous materials. This community-engaged study measured ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5), environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), and metals using two high-volume PM2.5 samplers deployed 1.2 mi and 9.0 mi from the facility from April, 2022 through February, 2023. Elevated PM2.5 concentrations were recorded at both sites during spring and summer 2022. …

Associations Among Human Milk Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids And Infant Sleep Patterns: A Cross-Sectional Study, Ana M Palacios, Dominick J Lemas, Bridget E Young, Erik Parker, Stephanie Dickinson, Nandi Marshall, Kelly L Sullivan, Haley Wilt, Michelle I Cardel, David B Allison

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Infant sleep is critical for cognitive, emotional, and long-term health outcomes. Although diet-sleep relationships are established, limited research has explored how polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in human milk (HM) relate to infant sleep.

Objectives: This study aims to examine associations between PUFAs in HM and sleep patterns in 2-mo-old infants exclusively fed with HM.

Methods: This cross-sectional secondary analysis used data from a lactation cookie trial involving 131 parents of healthy, term infants. Participants provided a fasting HM sample and completed sociodemographic and Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire surveys. Multivariate linear models were adjusted for infant sex assigned at birth, …

All-Cause And Cause-Specific Mortality Among Patients With Narcolepsy., Chih-Wei Hsu, Yen-Shan Yang, Yang-Chieh Brian Chen, Liang-Jen Wang, Mu-Hong Chen, Yao-Hsu Yang, Chih-Sung Liang, Edward Chia-Cheng Lai

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Importance: Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder potentially affecting mortality, yet evidence on this association remains sparse.

Objective: To examine whether narcolepsy is associated with an increased risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

Design, setting, and participants: This retrospective cohort study used data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) from 2001 to 2021, with patients followed up until death or December 31, 2022. Patients were aged 6 years or older with 2 or more narcolepsy diagnoses from psychiatrists or neurologists. Controls were selected from the NHIRD as a population-based sample. Controls without narcolepsy were matched in a 1:4 …

Menopause Factors And Alterations In Gut Microbiota And Insulin Homeostasis: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of The Microbiome And Insulin Longitudinal Evaluation Study (Miles), Vincent J Maffei, Alain G Bertoni, Alexis C Wood, Jerome I Rotter, Osa Crago, Yii-Der I Chen, Joseph F Petrosino, Kristi L Hoffman, Mark O Goodarzi, Elizabeth T Jensen

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Aim: To assess the risk for impaired insulin homeostasis as a function of menopause-related factors and gut microbiota dysbiosis in non-diabetic, post-menopausal women.

Materials and methods: Baseline data (n = 175 women) from the Microbiome and Insulin Longitudinal Evaluation Study (MILES) were used, including insulin and dysglycaemia indices calculated from a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test, untargeted peripheral metabolomics, targeted peripheral short chain fatty-acid levels and faecal bacterial microbiota surveyed by whole-metagenomic sequencing.

Results: After adjustment for covariates, menopause age < 50 years and use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) were associated with lower Matsuda et al. insulin sensitivity index levels (β = -0.232, confidence interval (CI) = [-0.450, -0.014] and β = -0.275, CI = [-0.444, -0.107], respectively) but not pre-menopausal gynaecologic surgery. Pre-menopausal gynaecologic surgery was significantly associated with faecal microbiota beta diversity driven by a relative increase in diabetogenic Ruminococcus gnavus and Clostridium species and a decrease in protective Alistipes species and Akkermansia muciniphila relative abundances. A reduction in two glycerophospholipids in the plasmalogen class significantly statistically mediated an inverse association between gynaecologic surgery before menopause and insulin sensitivity.

Conclusions: Menopause age and history of HRT are more strongly associated with insulin resistance than gynaecologic surgery before menopause. However, …

The Science Of Sound: Studying The Cognitive, Emotional, And Physiological Effects Of Frequency, Genre, And Music, Jett Yarborough

Senior Honors Theses

Music influences emotion, physiology, and cognition, yet little is known about how the frequency it is tuned to affects these influences. Prior research has shown that music tuned to 432 Hz can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and improve sleep. My colleagues and I conducted two studies to investigate this. Our research found that music tuned to 432 Hz promotes a significant increase in memory retention and induces a state of focus and relaxation. These results suggest that shifting from the standard tuning frequency of 440 Hz to 432 Hz could have a profoundly positive impact on our daily lives. …

Genome Wide Association Study Of Psychosis Identifies African Enriched Variants In Ptprd And Tmem150c, Lerato Majara, Toni Boltz, Dickens Akena, Solomon Teferra, Symon Kariuki, Charles Newton, Dan Stein, Lukoye Atwoli, Zukiswa Zingela, Bizu Gelaye

Internal Medicine, East Africa

No abstract provided.

Hungry Minds: Analyzing The Impact Of Food Insecurity And Food Assistance Programs On Neurocognitive Development And Childhood Mental Health, Kayla A. Davenport

Senior Theses

Introduction: Food insecurity affects millions of children in the United States and is increasingly recognized as a significant risk factor for poor nutritional intake and adverse health outcomes. However, less is known about how the experience of food insecurity disrupts healthy development and well-being, particularly among American youth. This thesis had two aims: (1) to examine the relationship between household food insecurity and children’s neurocognitive and mental health outcomes and (2) to evaluate how major food assistance programs address, or fail to address, these developmental risks.

Methods: This thesis uses a mixed-methods approach, integrating a narrative literature review, a cross-sectional …

Consensus Recommendations For Hyperpolarized [1- 13c]Pyruvate Mri Multi-Center Human Studies, Shonit Punwani, Peder E Z Larson, Christoffer Laustsen, Jan Vandermeulen, Jan Henrik Ardenkjær-Larsen, Adam W Autry, James A Bankson, Jenna Bernard, Robert Bok, Lotte Bonde Bertelsen, Jenny Che, Albert P Chen, Rafat Chowdhury, Arnaud Comment, Charles H Cunningham, Duy Dang, Ferdia A Gallagher, Adam Gaunt, Yangcan Gong, Jeremy W Gordon, Ashley Grimmer, James Grist, Esben Søvsø Szocska Hansen, Mathilde Hauge Lerche, Richard L Hesketh, Jan-Bernd Hoevener, Ching-Yi Hsieh, Kayvan R Keshari, Sebastian Kozerke, Titus Lanz, Dirk Mayer, Mary Mclean, Jae Mo Park, Jim Slater, Damian Tyler, Jean-Luc Vanderheyden, Cornelius Von Morze, Fulvio Zaccagna, Vlad Zaha, Duan Xu, Daniel Vigneron

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

MRI of hyperpolarized (HP) [1‐13C]pyruvate allows in vivo assessment of metabolism and has translated into human studies across diseases at 15 centers worldwide. To determine consensus on best practice for multi‐center studies for development of clinical applications. This paper presents the results of a two‐round formal consensus building exercise carried out by experts with HP [1‐13C]pyruvate human study experience. Twenty‐nine participants from 13 sites brought together expertise in pharmacy methods, MR physics, translational imaging, and data analysis with the goal of providing recommendations and best practice statements on conduct of multi‐center human studies of HP [1‐13C]pyruvate MRI. Overall, the group …

Isoform-Level Analyses Of 6 Cancers Uncover Extensive Genetic Risk Mechanisms Undetected At The Gene-Level, Yung-Han Chang, Sean T Bresnahan, S Taylor Head, Tabitha A Harrison, Yao Yu, Chad D Huff, Bogdan Pasaniuc, Sara Lindström, Arjun Bhattacharya

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Integrating genome-wide association study (GWAS) and transcriptomic datasets can identify mediators for genetic risk of cancer. Traditional methods often are insufficient as they rely on total gene expression measures and overlook alternative splicing, which generates different transcript-isoforms with potentially distinct effects.

Methods: We integrate multi-tissue isoform expression data from the Genotype Tissue-Expression Project with GWAS summary statistics (all N > ~20,000 cases) to identify isoform- and gene-level associations with six cancers (breast, endometrial, colorectal, lung, ovarian, prostate) and six related cancer subtype classifications (N = 12 total).

Results: Directly modeling isoforms using transcriptome-wide association studies (isoTWAS) significantly improves discovery of …

Ideate-Lung02: A Phase 3 Study Of Second-Line Ifinatamab Deruxtecan In Patients With Relapsed Small Cell Lung Cancer, Taofeek K Owonikoko, Lauren Byers, Ying Cheng, Hidetoshi Hayashi, Luis Paz-Ares, Maurice Pérol, Haichuan Hu, Meng Qian, Cecilio Roi Garcia, Juliette Godard, Mei Tang, Charles M Rudin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) have poor prognosis and limited treatment options beyond first-line therapy. B7 homolog 3 (B7-H3) is minimally expressed in normal tissues but highly expressed in SCLC. Ifinatamab deruxtecan (I-DXd), a B7-H3-directed antibody-drug conjugate, has demonstrated promising efficacy and a manageable safety profile in various tumours, including SCLC. IDeate-Lung02 is a global, randomized, open-label Phase 3 study of ~540 patients with relapsed SCLC. Adults with one prior line of platinum-based systemic therapy, ECOG performance status 0-1, and ≥1 measurable lesion (per RECIST 1.1) are eligible for study participation. Patients with asymptomatic untreated or previously treated …

Cervical And Tumor-Associated Microbiomes In Botswana Women With And Without Hiv With Carcinoma Of The Cervix Before And After Definitive Chemoradiation, Travis T Sims, Kyoko Yoshida-Court, Molly B El Alam, Pleasure Ramatlho, Rebecca Ketlametswe, Matthew S Ning, Erle S Robertson, Kathleen M Schmeler, Lauren E Colbert, Ann H Klopp, Surbhi Grover

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Cervical cancer remains a significant public health concern globally and particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where high rates of HIV infection exacerbate cervical cancer incidence. Understanding the cervical microbiome and its role in cancer progression is essential, especially in regions where both cervical cancer incidence and HIV prevalence are high. This study aimed to characterize the cervical microbiome in women living with HIV (WLWH) and HIV-negative women with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix in Botswana, compare the microbiome between before and after chemoradiation therapy (CRT) in WLWH, and assess the prognostic value of specific microbial taxa for overall survival …

Multiomic Random Forest Toxicity Modeling Of Radiation Esophagitis, Saurabh S Nair, Ramon M Salazar, Ting Xu, Alexandra O Leone, Zhongxing Liao, Laurence E Court, Joshua S Niedzielski

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and purpose: Radiation esophagitis (RE) is a major dose-limiting toxicity resulting from radiotherapy for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Multiomic features may provide additional predictive value for high-grade RE compared to traditionally used clinical and dose-volume histogram (DVH) parameters. We aimed to investigate the utility of multiomic features in improving RE toxicity prediction models.

Materials and methods: Of the 179 NSCLC patients considered, 27 patients (15.08 %) were found to have toxicity ≥grade 3 RE per CTCAE v5.0. A total of 343 CT- and PET- based radiomic and dosiomic features were extracted. Four toxicity prediction models were created using clinical …

Multiplexed Imaging Mass Cytometry Reveals Tumor-Immune Microenvironment-Dependent Hormone Receptor Expression In Adult-Type Ovarian Granulosa Cell Tumors, Eleonora Y Khlebus, Veena K Vuttaradhi, Sammy Ferri-Borgogno, Allison L Brodsky, Barrett C Lawson, Samuel C Mok, R Tyler Hillman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Adult-type granulosa cell tumors (AGCT) are rare ovarian tumors with few effective treatments for recurrent disease. To elucidate spatial features and cellular interactions within the AGCT tumor microenvironment, we applied imaging mass cytometry using a 34-marker panel on 130 regions from 24 AGCT samples, profiling more than 900,000 single cells. Analysis confirmed the immune “cold” phenotype of AGCTs and showed higher macrophage abundance in recurrent compared with primary tumors. We observed substantial heterogeneity in tissue architecture across samples, including variable presence of FOXL2+ cells embedded in collagen-rich regions (FOXL2+COL1A1+ cells). Based on tumor microenvironment composition, we defined two AGCT subtypes: …

Evaluating Dimensionality Reduction For Patient-Reported Outcome-Based Survival Modeling In Patients With Head And Neck Cancer, Eric Ababio Anyimadu, Yaohua Wang, Amy C Moreno, Clifton David Fuller, Xinhua Zhang, G Elisabeta Marai, Guadalupe M Canahuate

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: This study aims to improve survival modeling in head and neck cancer (HNC) by integrating patient-reported outcomes (PROs) using dimensionality reduction techniques. PROs capture symptom severity across the treatment timeline and offer key insights for personalized care. However, their high dimensionality poses challenges such as overfitting and computational complexity. This work focuses on transforming and incorporating PRO data to enhance model performance in HNC.

Materials and methods: We analyzed retrospective data of 923 patients with HNC treated at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center between 2010 and 2021. Baseline clinical data including demographic, treatment, and disease characteristics …