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Acute Neutrophilic Vasculitis (Leukocytoclasia) In 36 Covid-19 Autopsy Brains, Roy H. Rhodes, Gordon L. Love, Fernanda Da Silva Lameira, Maryam Sadough Shahmirzadi, Sharon E. Fox, Richard S. Vander Heide Feb 2024

Acute Neutrophilic Vasculitis (Leukocytoclasia) In 36 Covid-19 Autopsy Brains, Roy H. Rhodes, Gordon L. Love, Fernanda Da Silva Lameira, Maryam Sadough Shahmirzadi, Sharon E. Fox, Richard S. Vander Heide

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Hypercytokinemia, the renin-angiotensin system, hypoxia, immune dysregulation, and vasculopathy with evidence of immune-related damage are implicated in brain morbidity in COVID-19 along with a wide variety of genomic and environmental influences. There is relatively little evidence of direct SARS-CoV-2 brain infection in COVID-19 patients. Methods: Brain histopathology of 36 consecutive autopsies of patients who were RT-PCR positive for SARS-CoV-2 was studied along with findings from contemporary and pre-pandemic historical control groups. Immunostaining for serum and blood cell proteins and for complement components was employed. Microcirculatory wall complement deposition in the COVID-19 cohort was compared to historical control cases. Comparisons …


Effects Of Metformin On Glucose Metabolism And Mitochondrial Function In Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Pilot Randomized Trial, Elizabeth R.M. Zunica, Elizabeth C. Heintz, Wagner S. Dantas, R. Caitlin Hebert, Ma Kayla Tanksley, Robbie A. Beyl, Edward C. Mader, John P. Kirwan, Christopher L. Axelrod, Prachi Singh Feb 2024

Effects Of Metformin On Glucose Metabolism And Mitochondrial Function In Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Pilot Randomized Trial, Elizabeth R.M. Zunica, Elizabeth C. Heintz, Wagner S. Dantas, R. Caitlin Hebert, Ma Kayla Tanksley, Robbie A. Beyl, Edward C. Mader, John P. Kirwan, Christopher L. Axelrod, Prachi Singh

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with increased risk for diabetes, and standard treatment with positive airway pressure (PAP) device shows inconsistent effects on glucose metabolism. Metformin is known to treat and prevent diabetes, but its effects on skeletal muscle mitochondrial function are not completely understood. Here, we evaluate the effects of metformin on glucose metabolism and skeletal muscle mitochondrial function in patients with OSA. Sixteen adults with obesity (50.9 ± 6.7 years, BMI: 36.5 ± 2.9 kg/m2) and moderate-to-severe OSA were provided with PAP treatment and randomized to 3 months of placebo (n = 8) or metformin (n = …


Assessing Adequacy: A Meta-Analysis Of Rapid Onsite Evaluation Of Thyroid Nodules, Peter P. Issa, Christina Mccarthy, Mohammad Hussein, Aaron L. Albuck, Essam Emad, Mohamed Shama, Krzysztof Moroz, Eman Toraih, Emad Kandil Feb 2024

Assessing Adequacy: A Meta-Analysis Of Rapid Onsite Evaluation Of Thyroid Nodules, Peter P. Issa, Christina Mccarthy, Mohammad Hussein, Aaron L. Albuck, Essam Emad, Mohamed Shama, Krzysztof Moroz, Eman Toraih, Emad Kandil

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction: Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is the standard form of preoperative evaluation of thyroid nodule cytological status. A significant number FNAs are classified as inadequate for interpretation, requiring a repeat FNA which is potentially avoidable, costly, and delays treatment. To address these concerns and maximize first-time FNA adequacy, rapid onsite evaluation (ROSE) of FNA specimens was introduced. Our study aims to determine the impact of ROSE on FNA adequacy. Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for primary articles assessing the adequacy of ROSE in thyroid nodules. Results: A total of 17 studies were included for a total of …


Effects Of Extraction Methods On The Structural Characteristics And Functional Properties Of Dietary Fiber Extracted From Papaya Peel And Seed, Xiaoyu Feng, Kashif Ameer, Guihun Jiang, Karna Ramachandraiah Feb 2024

Effects Of Extraction Methods On The Structural Characteristics And Functional Properties Of Dietary Fiber Extracted From Papaya Peel And Seed, Xiaoyu Feng, Kashif Ameer, Guihun Jiang, Karna Ramachandraiah

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

This study aimed to characterize dietary fibers (DF) produced from papaya peel (PP) and seed (PS) using three different extraction methods (acidic: AC, enzymatic: EN and alkaline: AL). The scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermal and rheological properties, X-ray diffraction (XRD), monosaccharide composition were adopted for characterizing DF samples. All the DF samples showed representative infrared spectral features and crystalline structure, whereas DF derived from PP and PS extracted by AC had looser and more complicated structures. DF derived from PP and PS extracted by EN displayed greater thermal stability among DFs. DF extracted by PP-AC …


Autophagy And Cell Wall Integrity Pathways Coordinately Regulate The Development And Pathogenicity Through Moatg4 Phosphorylation In Magnaporthe Oryzae, Pusheng Guo, Yurong Wang, Jiayun Xu, Zhixiang Yang, Ziqi Zhang, Jinyi Qian, Jiexiong Hu, Ziyi Yin, Leiyun Yang, Muxing Liu, Xinyu Liu, Gang Li, Haifeng Zhang, Ryan Rumsey, Ping Wang, Zhengguang Zhang Jan 2024

Autophagy And Cell Wall Integrity Pathways Coordinately Regulate The Development And Pathogenicity Through Moatg4 Phosphorylation In Magnaporthe Oryzae, Pusheng Guo, Yurong Wang, Jiayun Xu, Zhixiang Yang, Ziqi Zhang, Jinyi Qian, Jiexiong Hu, Ziyi Yin, Leiyun Yang, Muxing Liu, Xinyu Liu, Gang Li, Haifeng Zhang, Ryan Rumsey, Ping Wang, Zhengguang Zhang

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Autophagy and Cell wall integrity (CWI) signaling are critical stress-responsive processes during fungal infection of host plants. In the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, autophagy-related (ATG) proteins phosphorylate CWI kinases to regulate virulence; however, how autophagy interplays with CWI signaling to coordinate such regulation remains unknown. Here, we have identified the phosphorylation of ATG protein MoAtg4 as an important process in the coordination between autophagy and CWI in M. oryzae. The ATG kinase MoAtg1 phosphorylates MoAtg4 to inhibit the deconjugation and recycling of the key ATG protein MoAtg8. At the same time, MoMkk1, a core kinase of CWI, also phosphorylates …


Ikaros Expression Drives The Aberrant Metabolic Phenotype Of Macrophages In Chronic Hiv Infection, Cecilia Vittori, Celeste Faia, Dorota Wyczechowska, Amber Trauth, Karlie Plaisance-Bonstaff, Mary Meyaski-Schluter, Krzysztof Reiss, Francesca Peruzzi Jan 2024

Ikaros Expression Drives The Aberrant Metabolic Phenotype Of Macrophages In Chronic Hiv Infection, Cecilia Vittori, Celeste Faia, Dorota Wyczechowska, Amber Trauth, Karlie Plaisance-Bonstaff, Mary Meyaski-Schluter, Krzysztof Reiss, Francesca Peruzzi

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

The increased risk for acquiring secondary illnesses in people living with HIV (PLWH) has been associated with immune dysfunction. We have previously found that circulating monocytes from PLWH display a trained phenotype. Here, we evaluated the metabolic profile of these cells and found increased mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis of monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) from PLWH. We additionally found that cART shifted the energy metabolism of MDMs from controls toward increased utilization of mitochondrial respiration. Importantly, both downregulation of IKAROS expression and inhibition of the mTOR pathway reversed the metabolic profile of MDMs from PLWH and cART-treated control-MDMs. Altogether, this study reveals …


Cd133-Dependent Activation Of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase /Akt/Mammalian Target Of Rapamycin Signaling In Melanoma Progression And Drug Resistance, Naji Kharouf, Thomas W. Flanagan, Abdulhadi A. Alamodi, Youssef Al Hmada, Sofie Yasmin Hassan, Hosam Shalaby, Simeon Santourlidis, Sarah Lilly Hassan, Youssef Haikel, Mossad Megahed, Robert T. Brodell, Mohamed Hassan Jan 2024

Cd133-Dependent Activation Of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase /Akt/Mammalian Target Of Rapamycin Signaling In Melanoma Progression And Drug Resistance, Naji Kharouf, Thomas W. Flanagan, Abdulhadi A. Alamodi, Youssef Al Hmada, Sofie Yasmin Hassan, Hosam Shalaby, Simeon Santourlidis, Sarah Lilly Hassan, Youssef Haikel, Mossad Megahed, Robert T. Brodell, Mohamed Hassan

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Melanoma frequently harbors genetic alterations in key molecules leading to the aberrant activation of PI3K and its downstream pathways. Although the role of PI3K/AKT/mTOR in melanoma progression and drug resistance is well documented, targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway showed less efficiency in clinical trials than might have been expected, since the suppression of the PI3K/mTOR signaling pathway-induced feedback loops is mostly associated with the activation of compensatory pathways such as MAPK/MEK/ERK. Consequently, the development of intrinsic and acquired resistance can occur. As a solid tumor, melanoma is notorious for its heterogeneity. This can be expressed in the form of genetically divergent …


Targeted Repression Of Topa By Crispri Reveals A Critical Function For Balanced Dna Topoisomerase I Activity In The Chlamydia Trachomatis Developmental Cycle, Li Shen, Leiqiong Gao, Abigail R. Swoboda, Scot P. Ouellette Jan 2024

Targeted Repression Of Topa By Crispri Reveals A Critical Function For Balanced Dna Topoisomerase I Activity In The Chlamydia Trachomatis Developmental Cycle, Li Shen, Leiqiong Gao, Abigail R. Swoboda, Scot P. Ouellette

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular bacterium that is responsible for the most prevalent bacterial sexually transmitted infection. Changes in DNA topology in this pathogen have been linked to its pathogenicity-associated developmental cycle. Here, evidence is provided that the balanced activity of DNA topoisomerases contributes to controlling Chlamydia developmental processes. Utilizing catalytically inactivated Cas12 (dCas12)-based clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats interference (CRISPRi) technology, we demonstrate targeted knockdown of chromosomal topA transcription in C. trachomatis without detected toxicity of dCas12. Repression of topA impaired the developmental cycle of C. trachomatis mostly through disruption of its differentiation from a replicative form …


Sex-Specific Negative Affect-Like Behaviour And Parabrachial Nucleus Activation Induced By Bnst Stimulation In Adult Mice With Adolescent Alcohol History, Lucas Albrechet-Souza, Chelsea R. Kasten, Natalia B. Bertagna, Tiffany A. Wills Jan 2024

Sex-Specific Negative Affect-Like Behaviour And Parabrachial Nucleus Activation Induced By Bnst Stimulation In Adult Mice With Adolescent Alcohol History, Lucas Albrechet-Souza, Chelsea R. Kasten, Natalia B. Bertagna, Tiffany A. Wills

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Adolescent alcohol use is a strong predictor for the subsequent development of alcohol use disorders later in life. Additionally, adolescence is a critical period for the onset of affective disorders, which can contribute to problematic drinking behaviours and relapse, particularly in females. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that exposure to adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) vapour alters glutamatergic transmission in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and, when combined with adult stress, elicits sex-specific changes in glutamatergic plasticity and negative affect-like behaviours in mice. Building on these findings, the current work investigated whether BNST stimulation could substitute …


Mechanisms Of Melanoma Progression And Treatment Resistance: Role Of Cancer Stem-Like Cells, Youssef Al Hmada, Robert T. Brodell, Naji Kharouf, Thomas W. Flanagan, Abdulhadi A. Alamodi, Sofie Yasmin Hassan, Hosam Shalaby, Sarah Lilly Hassan, Youssef Haikel, Mosaad Megahed, Simeon Santourlidis, Mohamed Hassan Jan 2024

Mechanisms Of Melanoma Progression And Treatment Resistance: Role Of Cancer Stem-Like Cells, Youssef Al Hmada, Robert T. Brodell, Naji Kharouf, Thomas W. Flanagan, Abdulhadi A. Alamodi, Sofie Yasmin Hassan, Hosam Shalaby, Sarah Lilly Hassan, Youssef Haikel, Mosaad Megahed, Simeon Santourlidis, Mohamed Hassan

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Melanoma is the third most common type of skin cancer, characterized by its heterogeneity and propensity to metastasize to distant organs. Melanoma is a heterogeneous tumor, composed of genetically divergent subpopulations, including a small fraction of melanoma-initiating cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) and many non-cancer stem cells (non-CSCs). CSCs are characterized by their unique surface proteins associated with aberrant signaling pathways with a causal or consequential relationship with tumor progression, drug resistance, and recurrence. Melanomas also harbor significant alterations in functional genes (BRAF, CDKN2A, NRAS, TP53, and NF1). Of these, the most common are the BRAF and NRAS oncogenes, with 50% …


Interplay Between Acetylation And Ubiquitination Of Imitation Switch Chromatin Remodeler Isw1 Confers Multidrug Resistance In Cryptococcus Neoformans, Yang Meng, Yue Ni, Zhuoran Li, Tianhang Jiang, Tianshu Sun, Yanjian Li, Xindi Gao, Hailong Li, Chenhao Suo, Chao Li, Sheng Yang, Tian Lan, Guojian Liao, Tongbao Liu, Ping Wang, Chen Ding Jan 2024

Interplay Between Acetylation And Ubiquitination Of Imitation Switch Chromatin Remodeler Isw1 Confers Multidrug Resistance In Cryptococcus Neoformans, Yang Meng, Yue Ni, Zhuoran Li, Tianhang Jiang, Tianshu Sun, Yanjian Li, Xindi Gao, Hailong Li, Chenhao Suo, Chao Li, Sheng Yang, Tian Lan, Guojian Liao, Tongbao Liu, Ping Wang, Chen Ding

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Cryptococcus neoformans poses a threat to human health, but anticryptococcal therapy is hampered by the emergence of drug resistance, whose underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Herein, we discovered that Isw1, an imitation switch chromatin remodeling ATPase, functions as a master modulator of genes responsible for in vivo and in vitro multidrug resistance in C. neoformans. Cells with the disrupted ISW1 gene exhibited profound resistance to multiple antifungal drugs. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that Isw1 is both acetylated and ubiquitinated, suggesting that an interplay between these two modification events exists to govern Isw1 function. Mutagenesis studies of acetylation and ubiquitination sites …


Regulation Of Tissue Factor Activity By Interaction With The First Pdz Domain Of Magi1, Mohammad A. Mohammad, Sophie Featherby, Camille Ettelaie Jan 2024

Regulation Of Tissue Factor Activity By Interaction With The First Pdz Domain Of Magi1, Mohammad A. Mohammad, Sophie Featherby, Camille Ettelaie

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background; Tissue factor (TF) activity is stringently regulated through processes termed encryption. Post-translational modification of TF and its interactions with various protein and lipid moieties allows for a multi-step de-encryption of TF and procoagulant activation. Membrane-associated guanylate kinase-with inverted configuration (MAGI) proteins are known to regulate the localisation and activity of a number of proteins including cell-surface receptors. Methods; The interaction of TF with MAGI1 protein was examined as a means of regulating TF activity. MDA-MB-231 cell line was used which express TF and MAGI1, and respond well to protease activated receptor (PAR)2 activation. Proximity ligation assay (PLA), co-immunoprecipitation and …


Stable, Neuron-Specific Gene Expression In The Mouse Brain, Osama Ahmed, Kingsley M. Ekumi, Francesco V. Nardi, Gulimiheranmu Maisumu, Khaled Moussawi, Eric D. Lazartigues, Bo Liang, Abraam M. Yakoub Jan 2024

Stable, Neuron-Specific Gene Expression In The Mouse Brain, Osama Ahmed, Kingsley M. Ekumi, Francesco V. Nardi, Gulimiheranmu Maisumu, Khaled Moussawi, Eric D. Lazartigues, Bo Liang, Abraam M. Yakoub

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Gene delivery to, and expression in, the mouse brain is important for understanding gene functions in brain development and disease, or testing gene therapies. Here, we describe an approach to express a transgene in the mouse brain in a cell-type-specific manner. We use stereotaxic injection of a transgene-expressing adeno-associated virus into the mouse brain via the intracerebroventricular route. We demonstrate stable and sustained expression of the transgene in neurons of adult mouse brain, using a reporter gene driven by a neuron-specific promoter. This approach represents a rapid, simple, and cost-effective method for global gene expression in the mouse brain, in …


Impact Of Genetic And Non-Genetic Factors On Phenotypic Diversity In Nbas-Associated Disease, Nicole Hammann, Dominic Lenz, Ivo Baric, Ellen Crushell, Carlo Dionisi Vici, Felix Distelmaier, Francois Feillet, Peter Freisinger, Maja Hempel, Anna L. Khoreva, Martin W. Laass, Yves Lacassie, Elke Lainka, Catherine Larson-Nath, Zhongdie Li, Patryk Lipiński, Eberhard Lurz, André Mégarbané, Susana Nobre, Giorgia Olivieri, Bianca Peters, Paolo Prontera, Lea D. Schlieben, Christine M. Seroogy, Cristina Sobacchi, Shigeru Suzuki, Christel Tran, Jerry Vockley Jan 2024

Impact Of Genetic And Non-Genetic Factors On Phenotypic Diversity In Nbas-Associated Disease, Nicole Hammann, Dominic Lenz, Ivo Baric, Ellen Crushell, Carlo Dionisi Vici, Felix Distelmaier, Francois Feillet, Peter Freisinger, Maja Hempel, Anna L. Khoreva, Martin W. Laass, Yves Lacassie, Elke Lainka, Catherine Larson-Nath, Zhongdie Li, Patryk Lipiński, Eberhard Lurz, André Mégarbané, Susana Nobre, Giorgia Olivieri, Bianca Peters, Paolo Prontera, Lea D. Schlieben, Christine M. Seroogy, Cristina Sobacchi, Shigeru Suzuki, Christel Tran, Jerry Vockley

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Biallelic pathogenic variants in neuroblastoma-amplified sequence (NBAS) cause a pleiotropic multisystem disorder. Three clinical subgroups have been defined correlating with the localisation of pathogenic variants in the NBAS gene; variants affecting the C-terminal region of NBAS result in SOPH syndrome (short stature, optic atrophy, Pelger-Huët anomaly), variants affecting the Sec 39 domain are associated with infantile liver failure syndrome type 2 (ILFS2) and variants affecting the ß-propeller domain give rise to a combined phenotype. However, there is still unexplained phenotypic diversity across the three subgroups, challenging the current concept of genotype-phenotype correlations in NBAS-associated disease. Therefore, besides examining the genetic …


Development Of A Novel Covalently Bonded Conjugate Of Caprylic Acid Tripeptide (Isoleucine–Leucine–Aspartic Acid) For Wound-Compatible And Injectable Hydrogel To Accelerate Healing, Sachin B. Baravkar, Yan Lu, Abdul Razak Masoud, Qi Zhao, Jibao He, Song Hong Jan 2024

Development Of A Novel Covalently Bonded Conjugate Of Caprylic Acid Tripeptide (Isoleucine–Leucine–Aspartic Acid) For Wound-Compatible And Injectable Hydrogel To Accelerate Healing, Sachin B. Baravkar, Yan Lu, Abdul Razak Masoud, Qi Zhao, Jibao He, Song Hong

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Third-degree burn injuries pose a significant health threat. Safer, easier-to-use, and more effective techniques are urgently needed for their treatment. We hypothesized that covalently bonded conjugates of fatty acids and tripeptides can form wound-compatible hydrogels that can accelerate healing. We first designed conjugated structures as fatty acid–aminoacid1–amonoacid2–aspartate amphiphiles (Cn acid–AA1–AA2–D), which were potentially capable of self-assembling into hydrogels according to the structure and properties of each moiety. We then generated 14 novel conjugates based on this design by using two Fmoc/tBu solid-phase peptide synthesis techniques; we verified their structures and purities through liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry and nuclear …


The Effects Of Physical Activity On Experimental Models Of Vascular Dementia; A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Ifechukwude J. Biose, Wesley H. Chastain, Rebecca J. Solch-Ottaiano, Viktoriya S. Grayson, Hanyun Wang, Somdeb Banerjee, Gregory J. Bix Jan 2024

The Effects Of Physical Activity On Experimental Models Of Vascular Dementia; A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Ifechukwude J. Biose, Wesley H. Chastain, Rebecca J. Solch-Ottaiano, Viktoriya S. Grayson, Hanyun Wang, Somdeb Banerjee, Gregory J. Bix

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background; Physical activity is associated with improved brain health and cognition in humans. However, the validity, range, and quality of evidence for the beneficial outcomes linked to exercise in experimental models of vascular dementia (VaD) have not been evaluated. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that assessed the effect of exercise intervention on models of VaD to provide an unbiased and comprehensive determination of the cognitive function and brain morphology benefits of exercise. Summary; A systematic search in three databases as well as study design characteristics and experimental data extraction were completed in December 2021. We investigated …


Common Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction Animal Models Yield Disparate Myofibril Mechanics, Axel J. Fenwick, Vivek P. Jani, D. Brian Foster, Thomas E. Sharp, Traci T. Goodchild, Kyle Lapenna, Jake E. Doiron, David J. Lefer, Joseph A. Hill, David A. Kass, Anthony Cammarato Jan 2024

Common Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction Animal Models Yield Disparate Myofibril Mechanics, Axel J. Fenwick, Vivek P. Jani, D. Brian Foster, Thomas E. Sharp, Traci T. Goodchild, Kyle Lapenna, Jake E. Doiron, David J. Lefer, Joseph A. Hill, David A. Kass, Anthony Cammarato

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Blood And Mri Biomarkers Of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury In Non-Concussed Collegiate Football Players, Eunhan Cho, Joshua Granger, Bailey Theall, Nathan Lemoine, Derek Calvert, Jack Marucci, Shelly Mullenix, Hollis O’Neal, Tomas Jacome, Brian A. Irving, Neil M. Johannsen, Owen Carmichael, Guillaume Spielmann Jan 2024

Blood And Mri Biomarkers Of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury In Non-Concussed Collegiate Football Players, Eunhan Cho, Joshua Granger, Bailey Theall, Nathan Lemoine, Derek Calvert, Jack Marucci, Shelly Mullenix, Hollis O’Neal, Tomas Jacome, Brian A. Irving, Neil M. Johannsen, Owen Carmichael, Guillaume Spielmann

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Football has one of the highest incidence rates of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) among contact sports; however, the effects of repeated sub-concussive head impacts on brain structure and function remain under-studied. We assessed the association between biomarkers of mTBI and structural and functional MRI scans over an entire season among non-concussed NCAA Division I linemen and non-linemen. Concentrations of S100B, GFAP, BDNF, NFL, and NSE were assessed in 48 collegiate football players (32 linemen; 16 non-linemen) before the start of pre-season training (pre-camp), at the end of pre-season training (pre-season), and at the end of the competitive season (post-season). …


Maternal Western Diet Programs Cardiometabolic Dysfunction And Hypothalamic Inflammation Via Epigenetic Mechanisms Predominantly In The Male Offspring, Mona Elgazzaz, Clara Berdasco, Jone Garai, Melody Baddoo, Shiping Lu, Hisham Daoud, Jovanny Zabaleta, Franck Mauvais-Jarvis, Eric Lazartigues Dec 2023

Maternal Western Diet Programs Cardiometabolic Dysfunction And Hypothalamic Inflammation Via Epigenetic Mechanisms Predominantly In The Male Offspring, Mona Elgazzaz, Clara Berdasco, Jone Garai, Melody Baddoo, Shiping Lu, Hisham Daoud, Jovanny Zabaleta, Franck Mauvais-Jarvis, Eric Lazartigues

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Objective; Maternal exposure during pregnancy is a strong determinant of offspring health outcomes. Such exposure induces changes in the offspring epigenome resulting in gene expression and functional changes. In this study, we investigated the effect of maternal Western hypercaloric diet (HCD) programming during the perinatal period on neuronal plasticity and cardiometabolic health in adult offspring. Methods; C57BL/6J dams were fed HCD for 1 month prior to mating with regular diet (RD) sires and kept on the same diet throughout pregnancy and lactation. At weaning, offspring were maintained on either HCD or RD for 3 months resulting in 4 treatment groups …


Genital Tract Infections, The Vaginal Microbiome And Gestational Age At Birth Among Pregnant Women In South Africa: A Cohort Study Protocol, Ranjana M.S. Gigi, Mandisa M. Mdingi, Hyunsul Jung, Shantelle Claassen-Weitz, Lukas Bütikofer, Jeffrey D. Klausner, Christina A. Muzny, Christopher M. Taylor, Janneke H.H.M. Van De Wijgert, Remco P.H. Peters, Nicola Low Dec 2023

Genital Tract Infections, The Vaginal Microbiome And Gestational Age At Birth Among Pregnant Women In South Africa: A Cohort Study Protocol, Ranjana M.S. Gigi, Mandisa M. Mdingi, Hyunsul Jung, Shantelle Claassen-Weitz, Lukas Bütikofer, Jeffrey D. Klausner, Christina A. Muzny, Christopher M. Taylor, Janneke H.H.M. Van De Wijgert, Remco P.H. Peters, Nicola Low

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction Preterm birth complications are the most common cause of death in children under 5 years. The presence of multiple microorganisms and genital tract inflammation could be the common mechanism driving early onset of labour. South Africa has high levels of preterm birth, genital tract infections and HIV infection among pregnant women. We plan to investigate associations between the presence of multiple lower genital tract microorganisms in pregnancy and gestational age at birth. Methods and analysis This cohort study enrols around 600 pregnant women at one public healthcare facility in East London, South Africa. Eligible women are ≥18 years and …


Folate Deficiency Modifies The Risk Of Cin3+ Associated With Dna Methylation Levels: A Nested Case–Control Study From The Ascus-Col Trial, María C. Agudelo, Samuel Agudelo, Attila Lorincz, Arianis Tatiana Ramírez, Kelly Melisa Castañeda, Isabel Garcés-Palacio, Arnold H. Zea, Chandrika Piyathilake, Gloria Ines Sanchez Dec 2023

Folate Deficiency Modifies The Risk Of Cin3+ Associated With Dna Methylation Levels: A Nested Case–Control Study From The Ascus-Col Trial, María C. Agudelo, Samuel Agudelo, Attila Lorincz, Arianis Tatiana Ramírez, Kelly Melisa Castañeda, Isabel Garcés-Palacio, Arnold H. Zea, Chandrika Piyathilake, Gloria Ines Sanchez

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Purpose: To our knowledge, there are very few studies evaluating if the levels of folate modify the risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 and higher (CIN2+ and CIN3+) associated with the levels of HPV genome methylation, two cofactors related to single carbon metabolism and independently associated with cervical cancer in previous studies. We conducted a case–control study nested in a three-arm randomized clinical pragmatic trial (ASCUS-COL trial) to evaluate the risk of CIN3+ associated with methylation levels according to serum folate concentrations. Methods: Cases (n = 155) were women with histologically confirmed CIN2+ (113 CIN2, 38 CIN3, and 4 …


Myod-Skp2 Axis Boosts Tumorigenesis In Fusion Negative Rhabdomyosarcoma By Preventing Differentiation Through P57kip2 Targeting, Silvia Pomella, Matteo Cassandri, Lucrezia D’Archivio, Antonella Porrazzo, Cristina Cossetti, Doris Phelps, Clara Perrone, Michele Pezzella, Antonella Cardinale, Marco Wachtel, Sara Aloisi, David Milewski, Marta Colletti, Prethish Sreenivas, Zoë S. Walters, Giovanni Barillari, Angela Di Giannatale, Giuseppe Maria Milano, Cristiano De Stefanis, Rita Alaggio, Sonia Rodriguez-Rodriguez, Nadia Carlesso, Christopher R. Vakoc, Enrico Velardi, Beat W. Schafer, Ernesto Guccione, Susanne A. Gatz, Lucio Miele Dec 2023

Myod-Skp2 Axis Boosts Tumorigenesis In Fusion Negative Rhabdomyosarcoma By Preventing Differentiation Through P57kip2 Targeting, Silvia Pomella, Matteo Cassandri, Lucrezia D’Archivio, Antonella Porrazzo, Cristina Cossetti, Doris Phelps, Clara Perrone, Michele Pezzella, Antonella Cardinale, Marco Wachtel, Sara Aloisi, David Milewski, Marta Colletti, Prethish Sreenivas, Zoë S. Walters, Giovanni Barillari, Angela Di Giannatale, Giuseppe Maria Milano, Cristiano De Stefanis, Rita Alaggio, Sonia Rodriguez-Rodriguez, Nadia Carlesso, Christopher R. Vakoc, Enrico Velardi, Beat W. Schafer, Ernesto Guccione, Susanne A. Gatz, Lucio Miele

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) are pediatric mesenchymal-derived malignancies encompassing PAX3/7-FOXO1 Fusion Positive (FP)-RMS, and Fusion Negative (FN)-RMS with frequent RAS pathway mutations. RMS express the master myogenic transcription factor MYOD that, whilst essential for survival, cannot support differentiation. Here we discover SKP2, an oncogenic E3-ubiquitin ligase, as a critical pro-tumorigenic driver in FN-RMS. We show that SKP2 is overexpressed in RMS through the binding of MYOD to an intronic enhancer. SKP2 in FN-RMS promotes cell cycle progression and prevents differentiation by directly targeting p27Kip1 and p57Kip2, respectively. SKP2 depletion unlocks a partly MYOD-dependent myogenic transcriptional program and strongly affects stemness and tumorigenic …


Exosome Shedding Is Concordant With Objective Treatment Response Rate And Stratifies Time To Progression In Treatment Naïve, Non-Resectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Kelley G. Núñez, Dorota Wyczechowska, Mina Hibino, Tyler Sandow, Juan Gimenez, Ali R. Koksal, Yucel Aydin, Srikanta Dash, Ari J. Cohen, Paul T. Thevenot Dec 2023

Exosome Shedding Is Concordant With Objective Treatment Response Rate And Stratifies Time To Progression In Treatment Naïve, Non-Resectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Kelley G. Núñez, Dorota Wyczechowska, Mina Hibino, Tyler Sandow, Juan Gimenez, Ali R. Koksal, Yucel Aydin, Srikanta Dash, Ari J. Cohen, Paul T. Thevenot

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Translational strategies to characterize and monitor extracellular vesicles such as exosome (EX) shedding and the clinical impact of this data within hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. In this study, EX shedding was assessed in early-stage HCC and evaluated as a stratification factor for time to progression (TTP) following first-cycle liver-directed therapy (LDT). Plasma EXs were isolated from HCC patients undergoing LDT using ultracentrifugation. Purified EXs were stained using markers CD9 and CD63 and quantified using an ImageStreamX flow cytometer. Circulating EXs expressing CD9 were isolated at 10-fold higher levels compared to CD63. The intensity of CD9+ EX shedding following LDT …


Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes (Tils) Are A Prognosis Biomarker In Colombian Patients With Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Carlos A. Huertas-Caro, Mayra A. Ramírez, Laura Rey-Vargas, Lina María Bejarano-Rivera, Diego Felipe Ballen, Marcela Nuñez, Juan Carlos Mejía, Luz Fernanda Sua-Villegas, Alicia Cock-Rada, Jovanny Zabaleta, Laura Fejerman, María Carolina Sanabria-Salas, Silvia J. Serrano-Gomez Dec 2023

Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes (Tils) Are A Prognosis Biomarker In Colombian Patients With Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Carlos A. Huertas-Caro, Mayra A. Ramírez, Laura Rey-Vargas, Lina María Bejarano-Rivera, Diego Felipe Ballen, Marcela Nuñez, Juan Carlos Mejía, Luz Fernanda Sua-Villegas, Alicia Cock-Rada, Jovanny Zabaleta, Laura Fejerman, María Carolina Sanabria-Salas, Silvia J. Serrano-Gomez

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is highly immunogenic and high levels of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have been associated with a better prognosis and higher probability to achieve pathological complete response. Here, we explore the potential role of stromal TILs level and composition as a prognostic and predictive biomarker in TNBC. 195 Tumor biospecimens from patients diagnosed with TNBC were included. Stromal TILs (sTILs), positive CD4/CD8 cells were evaluated. Differences in clinic-pathological characteristics according to immune infiltration were assessed. The predictive and prognostic value of immune infiltration was analyzed by multivariate models. Higher immune infiltration was observed in patients with …


Dha Shortage Causes The Early Degeneration Of Photoreceptors And Rpe In Mice With Peroxisomal Β-Oxidation Deficiency, Daniëlle Swinkels, Sai Kocherlakota, Yannick Das, Adriaan D. Dane, Eric J.M. Wever, Frédéric M. Vaz, Nicolas G. Bazan, Paul P. Van Veldhoven, Myriam Baes Nov 2023

Dha Shortage Causes The Early Degeneration Of Photoreceptors And Rpe In Mice With Peroxisomal Β-Oxidation Deficiency, Daniëlle Swinkels, Sai Kocherlakota, Yannick Das, Adriaan D. Dane, Eric J.M. Wever, Frédéric M. Vaz, Nicolas G. Bazan, Paul P. Van Veldhoven, Myriam Baes

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

PURPOSE. Patients deficient in peroxisomal β-oxidation, which is essential for the synthesis of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6n-3) and breakdown of very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs), both important components of photoreceptor outer segments, develop retinopathy present with retinopathy. The representative mouse model lacking the central enzyme of this pathway, multifunctional protein 2 (Mfp2−/−), also show early-onset retinal decay and cell-autonomous retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) degeneration, accompanied by reduced plasma and retinal DHA levels. In this study, we investigated whether DHA supplementation can rescue the retinal degeneration of Mfp2−/− mice. METHODS. Mfp2+/− breeding pairs and their offspring were fed a 0.12% DHA …


Tumor-Resident Lactobacillus Iners Confer Chemoradiation Resistance Through Lactate-Induced Metabolic Rewiring, Lauren E. Colbert, Molly B. El Alam, Rui Wang, Tatiana Karpinets, David Lo, Erica J. Lynn, Timothy A. Harris, Jacob H. Elnaggar, Kyoko Yoshida-Court, Katarina Tomasic, Julianna K. Bronk, Julie Sammouri, Ananta V. Yanamandra, Adilene V. Olvera, Lily G. Carlin, Travis Sims, Andrea Y. Delgado Medrano, Tatiana Cisneros Napravnik, Madison O'Hara, Daniel Lin, Chike O. Abana, Hannah X. Li, Patricia J. Eifel, Anuja Jhingran, Melissa Joyner, Lilie Lin, Lois M. Ramondetta, Andrew M. Futreal Oct 2023

Tumor-Resident Lactobacillus Iners Confer Chemoradiation Resistance Through Lactate-Induced Metabolic Rewiring, Lauren E. Colbert, Molly B. El Alam, Rui Wang, Tatiana Karpinets, David Lo, Erica J. Lynn, Timothy A. Harris, Jacob H. Elnaggar, Kyoko Yoshida-Court, Katarina Tomasic, Julianna K. Bronk, Julie Sammouri, Ananta V. Yanamandra, Adilene V. Olvera, Lily G. Carlin, Travis Sims, Andrea Y. Delgado Medrano, Tatiana Cisneros Napravnik, Madison O'Hara, Daniel Lin, Chike O. Abana, Hannah X. Li, Patricia J. Eifel, Anuja Jhingran, Melissa Joyner, Lilie Lin, Lois M. Ramondetta, Andrew M. Futreal

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Tumor microbiota can produce active metabolites that affect cancer and immune cell signaling, metabolism, and proliferation. Here, we explore tumor and gut microbiome features that affect chemoradiation response in patients with cervical cancer using a combined approach of deep microbiome sequencing, targeted bacterial culture, and in vitro assays. We identify that an obligate L-lactate-producing lactic acid bacterium found in tumors, Lactobacillus iners, is associated with decreased survival in patients, induces chemotherapy and radiation resistance in cervical cancer cells, and leads to metabolic rewiring, or alterations in multiple metabolic pathways, in tumors. Genomically similar L-lactate-producing lactic acid bacteria commensal to other …


Ca2+-Regulated Expression Of High Affinity Methylaminoisobutryic Acid Transport In Hippocampal Neurons Inhibited By Riluzole And Novel Neuroprotective Aminothiazoles, Jeffrey D. Erickson, Thomas Kyllo, Heike Wulff Oct 2023

Ca2+-Regulated Expression Of High Affinity Methylaminoisobutryic Acid Transport In Hippocampal Neurons Inhibited By Riluzole And Novel Neuroprotective Aminothiazoles, Jeffrey D. Erickson, Thomas Kyllo, Heike Wulff

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

High affinity methylaminoisobutyric acid(MeAIB)/glutamine(Gln) transport activity regulated by neuronal firing occurs at the plasma membrane in mature rat hippocampal neuron-enriched cultures. Spontaneous Ca2+-regulated transport activity was similarly inhibited by riluzole, a benzothiazole anticonvulsant agent, and by novel naphthalenyl substituted aminothiazole derivatives such as SKA-378. Here, we report that spontaneous transport activity is stimulated by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) and that phorbol-myristate acetate (PMA) increases high K+ stimulated transport activity that is inhibited by staurosporine. 4-AP-stimulated spontaneous and PMA-stimulated high K+-induced transport is not present at 7 days in vitro (DIV) and is maximal by DIV∼21. The relative affinity for MeAIB is similar …


Wrist Motion Is Distinct Between Touch Screen And Manual Or Digital Devices, Mandi J. Lopez, Catherine Takawira, Mary P. Fox, Pengju Wang, Evan Boatwright, Thomas Lucak, Chin Chi Liu, Bryce Fugarino Oct 2023

Wrist Motion Is Distinct Between Touch Screen And Manual Or Digital Devices, Mandi J. Lopez, Catherine Takawira, Mary P. Fox, Pengju Wang, Evan Boatwright, Thomas Lucak, Chin Chi Liu, Bryce Fugarino

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background Restricted motion during touch screen device use may contribute to wrist overuse injuries. Wrist radioulnar deviation and extension while using touch screen devices and digital or manual counterparts in male and female medical professional dominant and non-dominant hands were quantified to test the hypothesis that mobile touch screen device use reduces wrist motion. Methods An active motion detection system was used to record wrist motion of 12 participants while: tablet swiping and turning book pages; raising a cell and traditional phone to the ear; texting and typing; and entering numbers on a cell phone and manual calculator. Medial and …


Cocaine Use Disorder Effects On Blood Oxytocin Levels And Oxtr Dna Methylation, Manassés Soares Souza, Breno Sanvicente-Vieira, Aline Zaparte, Talita Baptista, Maria Aparecida Nagai, Flávia Rotea Mangone, Ana Carolina Pavanelli, Thiago Wendt Viola, Rodrigo Grassi-Oliveira Sep 2023

Cocaine Use Disorder Effects On Blood Oxytocin Levels And Oxtr Dna Methylation, Manassés Soares Souza, Breno Sanvicente-Vieira, Aline Zaparte, Talita Baptista, Maria Aparecida Nagai, Flávia Rotea Mangone, Ana Carolina Pavanelli, Thiago Wendt Viola, Rodrigo Grassi-Oliveira

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Substance use disorders have been associated with alterations in the oxytocinergic system, but few studies have investigated both the peptide and epigenetic mechanisms potentially implicated in the regulation of oxytocin receptor. In this study, we compared plasma oxytocin and blood DNA methylation in the OXTR gene between people with and without cocaine use disorder (CUD). We measured the oxytocin levels of 51 people with CUD during acute abstinence and of 30 healthy controls using an enzyme immunoassay. The levels of DNA methylation in four CpG sites at exon III of the OXTR gene were evaluated in a subsample using pyrosequencing. …


Pca-Clf: A Classifier Of Prostate Cancer Patients Into Patients With Indolent And Aggressive Tumors Using Machine Learning, Yashwanth Karthik Kumar Mamidi, Tarun Karthik Kumar Mamidi, Md Wasi Ul Kabir, Jiande Wu, Md Tamjidul Hoque, Chindo Hicks Sep 2023

Pca-Clf: A Classifier Of Prostate Cancer Patients Into Patients With Indolent And Aggressive Tumors Using Machine Learning, Yashwanth Karthik Kumar Mamidi, Tarun Karthik Kumar Mamidi, Md Wasi Ul Kabir, Jiande Wu, Md Tamjidul Hoque, Chindo Hicks

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

A critical unmet medical need in prostate cancer (PCa) clinical management centers around distinguishing indolent from aggressive tumors. Traditionally, Gleason grading has been utilized for this purpose. However, tumor classification using Gleason Grade 7 is often ambiguous, as the clinical behavior of these tumors follows a variable clinical course. This study aimed to investigate the application of machine learning techniques (ML) to classify patients into indolent and aggressive PCas. We used gene expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and compared gene expression levels between indolent and aggressive tumors to identify features for developing and validating a range of ML …