Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Unraveling Sorafenib Resistance In Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Exploring Key Facets, Dennis Kwabiah, Kyle Doxtater, Yamile Abuchard, Sophia Leslie, Ricardo Pequeno Bracho, Shaibir Hussain, Manish K. Tripathi

Research Symposium

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) stands as the prevalent form of primary liver cancer worldwide, diagnosing over half a million new cases annually. Surgical interventions like hepatectomy and liver transplantation offer a potential cure for early-stage HCC. However, the prognosis for advanced stages remains grim due to drug resistance, particularly with high refractoriness rates. Sorafenib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is an approved treatment for advanced HCC. Despite its use, the overall survival extension for these patients remains limited due to the drug's ineffectiveness, and the mechanism behind advanced HCC's resistance to sorafenib remains elusive. TCGA analysis of HCC patient cohorts reveals elevated …

Spontaneous Tumor Lysis Syndrome In A Patient With Recent Diagnosis Of Multiple Myeloma — An Unusual Presentation, Taha Al Hassan, Olga G. Cantu-Rodriguez, Eunbee Cho, Edgar G. Dorsey Trevino

Research Symposium

Background: Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is an oncologic emergency that surfaces as a constellation of metabolic imbalances due to the rapid destruction of cancer cells and subsequent dissemination of their contents. However, a markedly rare subtype of TLS, known as spontaneous TLS (STLS), occurs without an evident trigger, such as cytotoxic therapy, and carries a similar mortality risk. It is paramount to recognize high-risk cases early and implement therapeutic measures to prevent complications of STLS.

Case Presentation: We present the case of a 74-year-old gentleman with a recent diagnosis of Kappa-restricted multiple myeloma who presented with worsening weakness, tremors, ataxia, …

Ongoing Study Of The Association Of Apoe Gene Polymorphisms With Cognitive Impairment In The Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Population, Jaime Miguel L. Saveron, Daniela Gamez, Chun Xu

Research Symposium

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD), a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder, exhibits a significant genetic component. In addition, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a key risk factor for AD. While certain demographic factors and genetic variants associated with AD and cognitive impairment have been identified in non-Hispanic populations, limited research exists on this subject within the Hispanic population, particularly in the Rio Grande Valley. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the APOE gene, specifically its ε4 allele, and cognitive impairment in the Hispanic population of the Rio Grande Valley.

Methods: A total of 269 Hispanic subjects, aged 60 and above, with …

Lncrna Impact On Regorafenib Resistance In Colorectal Cancer, Ricardo Pequeno Bracho, Kyle Doxtater, Dennis Kwabiah, Yamile Abuchard Anaya, Sophia Leslie, Mohammad Shabir Hussain, Manish Tripathi

Research Symposium

Cancer metastasis is one of the deadliest aspects of the disease, with about 90% of all cancer-related deaths due to its development at different sites within the body. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States, with 40-50% of all patients developing metastasis at some point during their fight with the disease. With the approval of Regorafenib for treating metastatic colorectal cancer, steps have been taken to combat metastasis in colorectal cancer. A vital aspect of the development of metastasis is the development of resistance to first-line chemotherapy. Regorafenib is an oral small-molecule …

Gene By Environment Interaction: The Social Determinants Of Health And Depression, Sowmya Duddu, Eron Manusov, Vincent Diego, Marcio Almeida, Sandra Laston, John Blangero, Sarah Williams-Blangero

Research Symposium

Background: Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) influence health through psychological, social, environmental, and cultural domains according to the psychosocial-cultural model of health. This report provides evidence of the intricate relationship between genetics, depression, and the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH). We applied a joint interaction model to account for G×Sex and G×SDoH interaction in the face of depression to establish if both types of interactions are important and independent of one another in the setting of depression. We estimated the corresponding genetic effect and extracted envophenotypes using Best Linear Unbiased Prediction to remove the influence of genetic variation on expression. …

Exploring Neuroplasticity Changes In Neurotoxin-Induced Parkinson’S Disease: A Preliminary Analysis Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Tomas Gomez Jr., Daniel Salinas, Kelsey Potter-Baker, Nawaz Hack, Ramu Vadukapuram

Research Symposium

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative condition that affects movement, cognition, gait, and significantly impacts one's quality of life. Studies have suggested that neurotoxin pre-exposure is related to PD pathology and progressive motor/non-motor deficits, though it remains unclear how neurotoxin exposure affects neuroplasticity. The present study aimed to examine neurotoxin–induced PD-associated neuroplasticity changes in relationship to mental acuity and PD motor functionalities.

Methods: 7 voluntary participants experiencing early-stage PD symptoms with self-reported neurotoxin pre-exposure were enrolled in the longitudinal, repeated-measures clinical study; 2 sex-matched, age-matched, and occupation-matched healthy subjects were recruited for controlled comparative analysis (n=9). UTRGV’s Institute …

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (Gaba) Neurons And Perineuronal Nets (Pnn) In The Monodelphis Domestica And Relevance To Psychiatric Disorders, Jatziry Z. Luna Escobedo, Mariela Garcia, John L. Vandeberg, Mario Gil

Research Symposium

Background/ Purpose: Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an amino acid that serves as the central nervous system’s (CNS) main inhibitory neurotransmitter. By inhibiting nerve transmission, it works to lower neuronal excitability. Altered GABA levels have been associated with a variety of psychiatric disorders, for example Epilepsies, Parkinson’s Disease, and Schizophrenia. Perineuronal nets (PNN) are extracellular molecules that are released by neurons and glial cells that modulate many neuronal and glial functions by encapsulating the inhibitory cells and neurites. Altered PNN levels serve as a potential trigger to synaptic imbalance. The purpose of this study is to quantify and analyze the presence, …

Development Of Solitary Keratoacanthoma From A Cutaneous Wart, Joshua M. Ninan, Veronica Salazar

Research Symposium

Background: Common cutaneous warts, referred to in medicine as verrucae vulgaris, are proliferative lesions caused by human papillomavirus. These lesions are mostly benign and usually resolve without incident, except in the case of the patient mentioned in this report. Our patient developed a solitary keratoacanthoma, currently accepted as a clinical variant of squamous cell carcinoma, as a result of several risk factors and traumatic exposure. The current literature does not have an established association of HPV with solitary keratoacanthomas. This case report explores the presentation and pathogenesis of solitary keratoacanthomas within the setting of HPV.

Case Presentation: 48-year-old Caucasian female …

Contribution Of 24-H Blood Pressure Variability To Dementia-Related Disorders In Hispanics, Nura Salhadar, Kristina Vatcheva, Silvia Mejia-Arango, Luis J. Mena, Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, Carlos A. Chavez, Ciro A. Goana, Egle Silva, Gustavo Calmon, Rosa P. Mavarez, Joseph H. Lee, Joseph D. Terwilliger, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Gladys E. Maestre

Research Symposium

Introduction: As the number of people living with dementia is increasing at alarming rates worldwide, there is an urgent need to understand the physiopathology of dementia syndromes. Among the most important preventable risk factors, treatment of vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure (BP) decreases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). Recent evidence suggests that examining BP variability provides additional physiopathological and predictive information above the mean BP level. However, studies examining the relationship between 24-h BP variability and ADRD are limited, and evidence of the association with dementia has not been documented yet. Therefore, we …

Characterization Of Anti-Cancer Properties Of Fungal Metabolite Ophiobolin A, Asma Syed, Rozena Shirvani, Maximiliano Arath Morales, Shizue Mito, Alexander Kornienko, Xiaoqian Fang

Research Symposium

Background: Ophiobolin A (Oph A) is a secondary metabolite and a phytotoxin produced by the pathogenic fungi Cochliobolus heterostrophus that causes “southern corn leaf blight” disease in maize via modulation of the calcium binding protein calmodulin. Numerous studies have found antiproliferative effects of Ophiobolin A against a variety of cells including bacteria and various cancers including melanoma, glioma and leukemia. Recent studies have shown that OphA induces paraptosis-like cell death in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells via vacuolization of the cytoplasm and enlargement of the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. Notably, unlike apoptosis, paraptosis cell death lacks DNA fragmentation and activation …

Revitalizing Alzheimer's Community Engagement In The Rgv Post-Pandemic: Insights From The First Two Alzheimer's Forums, Karla D. Lopez Lorenzo, Maxine Vieyra, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Gladys E. Maestre

Research Symposium

Background: The Rio Grande Valley (RGV), with a population predominantly composed of Hispanic/Latinos (93%), faces a higher risk of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) compared to other groups. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the lack of education and awareness surrounding AD and related dementias in our community. To address these challenges, we partnered with the Alzheimer's Association to organize the first two Community Forums after the pandemic. Our goal is to raise awareness, provide resources, and support those affected by AD and related conditions in the RGV.

Methods: Through a proactive partnership, our objective was to meet the growing demand for education, …

Chronic Cannabis Use Is Associated With Decreased Treatment Response In Major Depression, Ihsan Salloum

Research Symposium

Background: Cannabis is the most frequently used federally illegal drug among the population and those receiving psychiatric treatment, including patients with major depression or alcohol use disorder. There is limited information on the impact of chronic cannabis use on treatment response. The aim of this study was to examine the rate of depression remission among patients with MDD and comorbid alcoholism who reported chronic cannabis abuse.

Methods: Sixty-four subjects with comorbid major depressive disorder and alcohol dependence (PRISM/DSM-IV), and a chronic (=>10 years) history of cannabis use (n=26) were compared to those who reported occasional or no cannabis …

Targeted Treatment For Kras12d For Pdac Treatment, Ana Bulnes, Orlando Garcia, Poornima Devi Shaji, Melissa Elizondo, Swathi Holla, Nirnoy Dan, Anupam Dhasmana, Shabnam Malik, Murali Yallapu, Stephen Behrman

Research Symposium

Introduction: Cellular stress is known to function in synergistic cooperation with oncogenic mutations during tumorigenesis to drive cancer progression. Oncogenic RAS is a strong inducer of a variety of pro-tumorigenic cellular stresses, and also enhances the ability of cells to tolerate these stresses through multiple mechanisms that leads to resistance to chemotherapy and to therapies that target the RAS pathway. Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients exhibit extremely poor prognosis. KRAS mutation on codon-12 is present in 70–95% of PDAC cases and it drives stress-adaptive mechanisms, PDAC growth and progression. Galectin-1 (Gal-1) is present in both PDAC and stromal cells, being …

Studying The Molecular Mechanism Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Shabnam Malik, Mohammed Sikander, S. Mishra, Daniel Zubieta, S. K. Jain, Deepshikha Pande Katare, Meena Jaggi, Subhash Chauhan

Research Symposium

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a poor prognosis due to ineffective therapeutic modality and lack of early diagnostic marker. Accumulating studies have shown that elevated expression of mucin 13 as potential oncogene and predictive biomarker for various cancer. However, very little is known about its expression and function for development and progression of HCC.

Objective: To investigate mucin 13 expression in chemically induced hepatocellular carcinoma model.

Methodology: Diethyl nitrosamine (DEN) and 2-Acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) induced method was employed for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in Male Wistar rats. Serum and tissues were collected at regular intervals of time and routinely validated …

Anticancer Drug Screening Using Invitro Cell Proliferation Assay, Kristopher L. Ezell, Kyle Doxtater, Samantha Lopez, Sophia M. Leslie, Justin Wendel, Kamaldeep Paul, Vijay Lauxmi, Manish Tripathi

Research Colloquium

Introduction: In this presentation cell proliferation methods and how they are related to screening for effective chemotherapy drugs will be reviewed. Cancer in its most basic form is the unchecked mass dividing of cells while normal apoptosis is not undertaken for various reasons, some of which that have yet to be discovered. By these means’ tumors form that inhibit the functions of the organs it is residing in and the effected cells may metastasize and spread throughout the body. For this reason, chemotherapy drugs must be assessed through introduction into working strains of cultured cancer cells that are then screened …

Femoral Neck Fracture Management In The Young Patient: A Case Review, Luis Berrios, Kevin J. Orellana, Michael Lago, Frank Gerold

Research Colloquium

Introduction:The optimal management of femoral neck fractures in the young patient remains controversial. Although there are universally accepted principles, there remains some variability in the optimal timing of surgery and method of fixation. In general, surgery should be performed on an urgent or emergent basis when feasible to decrease peri-operative complications, length of stay, and most importantly the ultimate likelihood of avascular necrosis. However, it is important to note that the preference toward a specific method of fixation remains heterogeneous among orthopedic surgeons.(1)

The purpose of this study is to present our preferred technique for treatment of displaced femoral …

Rare Case Of Prosthetic Joint Infection Caused By Salmonella Enterica - A Case Report, Carlos Ramos, Shyama Appareddy, Peter J. Gonzalez

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Collectively, over 1 million total knee arthroplasties (TKA) and total hip arthroplasties (THA) are performed in the United States each year. In 2010 it was estimated that 1.58% of the United States general population has received a TKA. Prosthetic joint infections (PJI) are the most common indication for a TKA revision1 . In total, S. aureus is responsible for about 50% of all prosthetic joint infections, and about 15% are caused by gram negative pathogens2 .

Objective: This is a case report which describes the presentation and clinical course of a 59-yearold female with Salmonella enterica septic arthritis of …

Novel Therapy Targeting Mutant-Krasg12d And Galectin-1 In Pancreatic Cancer, Ana I. Martinez Bulnes, Nirnoy Dan, Poornima Devi Shaji, Swathi Holla, Murali M. Yallapu, Sheema Khan

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Although, surgical resection and chemotherapy are the gold standard for treating Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC), low patient survival rate remains the problem. The activating point mutation of the KRAS on codon-12 is present in 70–95% of PDAC cases and so far, no success has been achieved to inhibit KRAS. KRASG12D regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis. Recent preliminary and published studies show high Galectin-1 (Gal-1) levels in both pancreatic cancer and stromal cells, which modulate tumor microenvironment and metastasis. Additionally, genetic deletion of gal1 inhibits metastasis and improves survival in KRAS mouse model of PDAC (1). Therefore, our objective is …

A Preliminary Timeline Of The Midbrain Development In The Monodelphis Domestica Animal Model, Ismael Perez, John L. Vandeberg, Mario Gil

Research Colloquium

Introduction: The Brazilian short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis Domestica) is an understudied animal model compared to the Mus musculus that has been identified as a perfect candidate to study neurodevelopment (Baggott, L. & Moore, H., 1990). What makes the Monodelphis Domestica a perfect specimen for neurodevelopment is that the embryo develops outside the pouch of the mother providing easy noninvasive access to track changes across different developmental stages (Mate et al., 1994).

Objective: The objective of the study is to compare the area and volume in the development of the Monodelphis’s midbrain across three different developmental stages. Our research is beneficial because …

Functional Characterization Of The Ipsc Generated Hepatocytes Using Genome-Wide Transcriptomic Analysis, Ashley Ikwuezunma, Erica De Leon, Ana C. Leandro, Joanne E. Curran, John Blangero, Satish Kumar

Research Colloquium

Advances in iPSC technologies now allow us to consider non-invasive large-scale in-vitro disease modeling experiments on disease appropriate cell types in human subjects to better understand human disease pathophysiology, disease genetics and to develop better diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. We performed differential gene expression and functional annotation analysis using genome wide mRNA sequencing data to evaluate the functional and disease modeling potential of iPSC generated hepatocytes. Following the criteria moderated t statistics FDR corrected p-value ≤ 0.05 and fold change-absolute ≥ 2.0, 7,246 genes/transcripts were significantly differentially expressed iPSCs and hepatocytes. The 3,791 of these DE genes/transcripts were significantly …

Pneumocystis Jirovecii Pneumonia In A Newly Diagnosed Aids Geriatric Patient, Ashley Sareen, Nathan Tanner, James Fahey

Research Colloquium

Background: Approximately 40% of new HIV infections originate from people who are unaware of their diagnosis. Median time from infection to diagnosis was 3 years in 2015. Cases of newly diagnosed HIV in the geriatric population are rare.

Case Presentation: 71 year old Hispanic man with history of diabetes and anemia presenting to the hospital with generalized weakness, presyncopal episodes, shortness of breath, loose stools, and falls for past two weeks. He is a poor historian so wife contacted to provide detailed history. Patient with 100 pound weight loss in 6 months. Intravenous drug use 30 years ago, and blood …

Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections: Patient Characteristics, Treatment, And Clinical Outcomes In One South Texas Acute Care Hospital, Kimberly A. Ambrosini, Jose Campo Maldonado

Research Colloquium

Background: Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CA-UTIs) account for 40 percent of nosocomial infections worldwide. Their elimination is at the forefront of quality improvement in one South Texas acute care hospital.

Methods: Over a period of 6 months, five CA-UTIs occurred in one South Texas acute care hospital. These cases were identified via regular surveillance by Infection Prevention staff and the Laboratory Department of the hospital. This research reviews patient age, sex, length of stay, bacteria contracted, appropriate antibiotic use, patient characteristics, and overall outcomes.

Results: Between the months of July and December 2021, 5 CAUTIs were contracted. Patients ranged in …

Gene By Environment Interaction And Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease In Mexican American Patients With Depression, Khalid Sheikh, Vincent P. Diego, Sandra L. Laston, Eron G. Manusov, Sarah Williams-Blangero, John Blangero

Research Colloquium

Knowledge of genetic and environmental (G x E) interaction effects on metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of G x E interaction effects on MAFLD in Mexican Americans in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV). The environment examined was depression as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). We examined potential G x E interaction in the phenotypic expression of MAFLD, including hepatic steatosis and hepatic fibrosis, using variance component models and likelihood-based statistical inference. Significant G x E interactions were identified for hepatic fibrosis x BDI-II. These findings provide …

Unraveling The Mechanisms By Which Smoking And Alcohol Alter Pancreatic Cancer Pathogenesis, Poornima Devi Shaji, Ana Martinez Bulnes, Vincent P. Diego, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan

Research Symposium

Pancreatic cancer is the 3^rd leading cause of cancer in United States with a 5-to-7-year relative survival rate. This can be attributed to the late onset of symptoms and diagnosis of the disease, which makes it unmanageable at its later stage. Ethnic differences in pancreatic cancer incidence have been reported, especially regarding higher incidence in African Americans. African Americans are more likely than Asian, Hispanic, or whites’ people to develop pancreatic cancer. They have highest incidence rate between 28% and 59% higher than other racial groups. The mortality rate for Blacks is 13.3 per 100,000 people, while for Whites …

Thermal Dose Inactivation Of Escherichia Coli By Magnetic Induced Hyperthermia, Silverio A. Lopez, Carlos Trevino De Leo, Ivan Davila, Karen S. Martirosyan

Research Symposium

Background: Apoptosis of mutated cells via magnetic hyperthermia has gained advocacy as technology capable of being used in lieu of chemotherapy for targeting cancer tumors. Progress of nanotechnology offers effective remote heating of magnetic fluid via hyperthermia. The heating and specific power absorption of these nanoparticles use in the magnetic fluid are dependent on particle properties and treatment locations.

Methods: Nanoparticles were fabricated using microfluidic system by interaction of two solutions containing 2Fe(NO3)3+FeSO4 and NaOH+2%Dextran to create nanostructured media with a biocompatible dextran coating and a Fe3O4 core. The nanoparticles, of a concentration of 5mg/ml, were placed in a vile …

The Role Of Zinc In Psd-95 Palmitoyl Modification, Luis F. Acosta, Lili Guerra, Safiya Syed, Ivonn Ruvalcaba, Yonghong Zhang, Xiaoqian Fang

Research Symposium

Postsynaptic density-95 (PSD-95) is a membrane-associated guanylate kinase that mediates localization of receptors in the excitatory postsynaptic density. It has been reported that PSD-95 mediates postsynaptic localization of NMDA receptors and anchors postsynaptic AMPAR receptors mainly through its postsynaptic membrane targeting by its N-terminal palmitoylation. Recent studies have shown that Ca2+/calmodulin blocks palmitoylation of PSD-95 by binding at the N-terminus of PSD-95, which promotes dissociation of PSD-95 from the postsynaptic membrane and causes loss of surface AMPARs in cultured neurons. Another metal ion zinc is found in various areas of the brain. As an endogenous neuromodulator, zinc plays a role …

Natural Remedies To Combat Aberrant Hallmark Signatures Including Altered Glycosylation In Oral Carcinoma, Kruti A. Mehta, Jayendra B. Patel, Prabhudas S. Patel

Research Symposium

Background: Tobacco associated oral cancers remain a major concern in India with higher incidence and mortality making it an Indian-centric burning issue. To combat this dreadful disease, we investigated effects of certain natural compounds on the hallmark signatures including glycosylation transcripts levels in oral carcinoma.

Methods: The tongue carcinoma cells- SAS cells were treated with tobacco compounds, natural compounds and Cisplatin. RNA was isolated from the cells and converted to cDNA. RT-qPCR was performed to evaluate expression levels of various genes.

Results: The treatment of tobacco compounds resulted in similar pattern of altered makers (ST3GAL1, NEU3, FUT5, FUT6, MMP2, BCL2) …

Fornix Volumetric Increase During Aging Associates To Microglia Activation Leading To Defective Cognitive Performance, Marcela Cárdenas Tueme, Luis Ángel Trujillo-Villarreal, Victor Ramírez-Amaya, Eduardo Garza-Villarreal, Alberto Camacho-Morales, Diana Reséndez-Pérez

Research Symposium

Background: Ageing displays a low-grade pro-inflammatory profile in blood and brain. It has been documented proinflammatory cytokines accumulation leading to neuroinflammation during aging. Aged brains integrate pro inflammatory cytokines accumulation, active microglia and volumetric changes which correlates with defective cognitive performance and neurodegeneration.

Methods: Mice from 2-,12- and 20-months-old of age were submitted to different memory tests: Y-maze, Barnes maze, object location test and object location test. Afterwards, we performed structural MRI to evaluate macrostructural changes related to memory and learning regions. Following this, we also evaluated in peripheral blood and in brain tissue the presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines …

Diverse Tregs Population And Effects Of Their Inhibition On Growth Of Oral Cancer Cells, Sadhna Aggarwal, Satya N. Das, Suresh C. Sharma

Research Symposium

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the major cancers affecting in Asian countries. The main causative factor has been tobacco habit. It has been reported that immune dysfunction in these patients is one of the major factors for tumor growth and dissemination that affects disease free survival of the patients.

We assessed the phenotypic and functional characteristics of Regulatory T (Treg) CD4+CD25+FoxP3+subsets in patients with OSCC by multicoloured flow cytometry. Subsequently we investigated the effects their inhibition via TDG on growth of OSCC cell lines in vitro.

An increased (p

Hence, it seems reasonable to assume that modulation …

Variant Of Fii Gene Plays A Critical Role In Coagulation Potential In Mexican-Americans, Hoang Anh T. Nguyen, Shuchita Vijay Jhaveri, Marcio A. Almeida, Vincent P. Diego, Satish Kumar, Juan M. Peralta, Joanne E. Curran, Bernadette W. Luu, Donna M. Lehman, Ralph A. Defronzo, Laura Almasy, Sarah Williams-Blangero, Ravi Duggirala, John Blangero, Tom Howard

Research Symposium

Background: Disruption in the balance between coagulation and bleeding can result in varying phenotypes such as hypercoagulability and can lead to the development of cardiovascular disease. In our study utilizing extended families of Mexican-Americans from South Texas, we performed a search for protein-altering variants influencing coagulation potential.

Methods: Mexican-Americans in the study were genotyped using Illumina-(human)-exome-24 chip to screen for protein-altering variants. Variants were analyzed for their association with FII activity, aPTT, and PT. Linear-mixed-model analysis was performed to estimate trait heritabilities and to interrogate single nucleotide variations (SNV) for evidence of genetic association. To control for multiple testing, associations …