Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Zooming In On Justice: The Case For Virtual Bioethics Conferencing., Bruce P Blackshaw, Daniel Rodger, Daniel J Hurst

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

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No abstract available.

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Development Of A Novel Humanized Anti-Tslp Monoclonal Antibody Hz-1127 With Anti-Allergic Diseases And Cancer Potential., Xiaolei Liu, Jianzhong Han, Qian Wang, Peng Wang, Li Li, Kehe Du, Fengchao Jiang, Pei Zhang, Hongjun Liu, Jian Huang

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Faculty Scholarship

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Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is a member of the IL-2 cytokine family and has been widely recognized as a master regulator of type 2 inflammatory responses at barrier surfaces. Recent studies found dysregulation of the TSLP-TSLP receptor (TSLPR) pathway is associated with the pathogenesis of not only allergic diseases but also a wide variety of cancers including both solid tumors and hematological tumors. Thus, the blockade of TSLP represents an attractive therapeutic strategy for allergic diseases and cancer. In this study, we report the development of a novel humanized anti-TSLP monoclonal antibody (mAb) HZ-1127. Binding affinity, specificity, and ability of …

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Snack, Chat And Chill: A Virtual Nutrition, Socialization And Stress Reduction Intervention For Adults With Disabilities, Leslie Spencer, Kristen August, Dara Lobuono, Joan Perks, Megan Mason

Rita & Larry Salva School of Nursing and Health Professions Faculty Scholarship

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Objective: Create and evaluate a virtual intervention to improve dietary habits, social interaction, and stress management among persons with disabilities (PwD). Assess validity and reliability of survey instruments to measure intervention constructs.

Design: Pre- and post-intervention surveys; post-intervention focus groups.

Setting: Virtual sessions from home kitchens.

Participants: Adults ages 18 and older with intellectual and developmental disabilities (n=27) and their caregivers (n=15).

Intervention: Eight 75-minute sessions included preparing and eating a healthy snack, a nutrition game and discussion, and a guided relaxation activity.

Main Outcome Measures: PwD’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviors; and caregivers’ perceptions of PwD’s …

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Interest In An Instagram-Delivered Gestational Weight Gain Intervention Among Pregnant Women With Pre-Pregnancy Overweight Or Obesity, Molly E. Waring, Danielle Arigo, Lauren R. Rudin, Sherry L. Pogoto, Tiffany A. Moore Simas, Alexa B. Horkachuck

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

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Background: Barriers to attending in-person lifestyle interventions are common during pregnancy. The majority of young adults use Instagram, and pregnancy-related content abounds on this social media platform. The aims of this study were to assess interest in an Instagram-delivered gestational weight gain (GWG) intervention, examine characteristics associated with program interest, describe interest in specific program components, and to explore perceived advantages of and concerns about the proposed intervention. Methods: English-speaking pregnant women with pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity in the US who use Instagram completed a cross-sectional online survey (N=229). Participants reported interest in a proposed Instagram-delivered GWG intervention (very/quite a …

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Evaluation Of Vascular Aging On Measures Of Cardiac Function And Mechanical Efficiency: Insights From, Lawrence J Mulligan, Julian Thrash, Ludmil Mitrev, Douglas Folk, Alyssa Exarchakis, Daniel Ewert, Jeffrey C Hill

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Faculty Scholarship

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INTRODUCTION: This study evaluated the hypothesis that vascular aging (VA) reduces ventricular contractile function and mechanical efficiency (ME) using the left ventricular pressure-volume (PV) construct.

METHODS: A previously published in-silico computational model (CM) was modified to evaluate the hypothesis in two phases. In phase I, the CM included five settings of aortic compliance (CA) from normal to stiff, studied at a heart rate of 80 bpm, and phase II included the normal to stiff CA settings evaluated at 60, 100, and 140 bpm. The PV construct provided steady-state and transient data through a simulated vena caval occlusion (VCO). …

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Cutaneous Ulcerations As The Presenting Sign Of Acute Aortic Occlusion, Odera Ekeh, Zoe I. Smith, Justin J. Green

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Faculty Scholarship

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This is a report of a case of acute aortic occlusion (AAO) in a 46-year-old woman who presented with confluent and coalescing punched-out ulcerations on the bilateral medial buttocks and abdominal ulcerations. This case highlights how AAO, although rare, should be considered in patients with cardiovascular risk factors presenting with acute lower extremity pain and new-onset cutaneous ulcerations of the perineum and/or abdomen.

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Deep Learning-Based Predictive Classification Of Functional Subpopulations Of Hematopoietic Stem Cells And Multipotent Progenitors., Shen Wang, Jianzhong Han, Jingru Huang, Khayrul Islam, Yuheng Shi, Yuyuan Zhou, Dongwook Kim, Jane Zhou, Zhaorui Lian, Yaling Liu, Jian Huang

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Faculty Scholarship

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BACKGROUND: Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and multipotent progenitors (MPPs) play a pivotal role in maintaining lifelong hematopoiesis. The distinction between stem cells and other progenitors, as well as the assessment of their functions, has long been a central focus in stem cell research. In recent years, deep learning has emerged as a powerful tool for cell image analysis and classification/prediction.

METHODS: In this study, we explored the feasibility of employing deep learning techniques to differentiate murine HSCs and MPPs based solely on their morphology, as observed through light microscopy (DIC) images.

RESULTS: After rigorous training and validation using extensive image …

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Ursapgx: A New R Package To Annotate Pharmacogenetic Star Alleles Using Phased Whole-Genome Sequencing Data., Gennaro Calendo, Dara Kusic, Josef Madzo, Neda Gharani, Laua Scheinfeldt

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Faculty Scholarship

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Long-read sequencing technologies offer new opportunities to generate high-confidence phased whole-genome sequencing data for robust pharmacogenetic annotation. Here, we describe a new user-friendly R package, ursaPGx, designed to accept multi-sample phased whole-genome sequencing data VCF input files and output star allele annotations for pharmacogenes annotated in PharmVar.

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Close Contacts Of Xenograft Recipients: Ethical Considerations Due To Risk Of Xenozoonosis, Daniel J Hurst, Luz Padilla, Daniel Rodger, Tamar Schiff, David K C Cooper

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

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With decades of pre-clinical studies culminating in the recent clinical application of xenotransplantation, it would appear timely to provide recommendations for operationalizing oversight of xenotransplantation clinical trials. Ethical issues with clinical xenotransplantation have been described for decades, largely centering on animal welfare, the risks posed to the recipient, and public health risks posed by potential spread of xenozoonosis. Much less attention has been given to considerations relating to potentially elevated risks faced by those who may care for or otherwise have close contact with xenograft recipients. This paper examines the ethical and logistical issues raised by the potential exposure to …

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Mental Health, Chronic And Infectious Conditions Among Pregnant Persons In Us State Prisons And Local Jails 2016-2017., Caitlin A Hendricks, Karissa M Rajagopal, Carolyn B Sufrin, Camille Kramer, Monik C Jiménez

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Faculty Scholarship

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BACKGROUND: Pregnant individuals in incarcerated settings have unique healthcare needs. Rates of mental health, infectious diseases, and chronic disease are higher among nonpregnant incarcerated women compared with those who are not, but the prevalence of these conditions among pregnant people in custody has not been documented.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to describe the prevalence of metabolic, infectious, and mental health conditions in pregnant people to identify the medical needs of high-risk pregnancies in US state prisons and local jails.

STUDY DESIGN: This was a prospective epidemiologic surveillance of a convenience sample of state prisons (n = …

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Synthesis And Photopatterning Of Synthetic Thiol-Norbornene Hydrogels, Umu S. Jalloh, Arielle Gsell, Kirstene Gultian, James Macaulay, Abigail Madden, Jillian Smith, Luke Siri, Sebastian Vega

Faculty Scholarship for the Rowan-Virtua School of Translational Biomedical Engineering & Sciences

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Hydrogels are a class of soft biomaterials and the material of choice for a myriad of biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility and highly tunable mechanical and biochemical properties. Specifically, light-mediated thiol-norbornene click reactions between norbornene-modified macromers and di-thiolated crosslinkers can be used to form base hydrogels amenable to spatial biochemical modifications via subsequent light reactions between pendant norbornenes in the hydrogel network and thiolated peptides. Macromers derived from natural sources (e.g., hyaluronic acid, gelatin, alginate) can cause off-target cell signaling, and this has motivated the use of synthetic macromers such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). In this study, commercially available …

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Association Of Risk Factors And Comorbidities With Chronic Pain In The Elderly Population., Neil Mookerjee, Nicole Schmalbach, Gianna Antinori, Subhadra Thampi, Dylan Windle-Puente, Amy Gilligan, Ha Huy, Megha Andrews, Angela Sun, Roshni Gandhi, William Benedict, Austin Chang, Ben Sanders, Justin Nguyen, Maanika Reddy Keesara, Janet Aliev, Aneri Patel, Isaiah Hughes, Ian Millstein, Krystal Hunter, Satyajeet Roy

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Faculty Scholarship

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INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVE: Chronic pain disorders affect about 20% of adults in the United States, and it disproportionately affects individuals living in the neighborhoods of extreme socioeconomic disadvantage. In many instances, chronic pain has been noted to arise from an aggregation of multiple risk factors and events. Therefore, it is of importance to recognize the modifiable risk factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the comorbid medical conditions and risk factors associated with chronic pain disorders in patients aged 65 years and older.

METHODS: Our team retrospectively reviewed medical records of elderly patients (65 years and older) who were evaluated …

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Combined Effects Of Exercise And Immuno-Chemotherapy Treatments On Tumor Growth In Mc38 Colorectal Cancer-Bearing Mice., Manon Gouez, Amélie Rébillard, Amandine Thomas, Sabine Beaumel, Eva-Laure Matera, Etienne Gouraud, Luz Orfila, Brice Martin, Olivia Pérol, Cédric Chaveroux, Erica N. Chirico, Charles Dumontet, Béatrice Fervers, Vincent Pialoux

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Faculty Scholarship

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Acute exercise induces transient modifications in the tumor microenvironment and has been linked to reduced tumor growth along with increased infiltration of immune cells within the tumor in mouse models. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of acute exercise before treatment administration on tumor growth in a mice model of MC38 colorectal cancer receiving an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) and chemotherapy. Six-week-old mice injected with colorectal cancer cells (MC38) were randomized in 4 groups: control (CTRL), immuno-chemotherapy (TRT), exercise (EXE) and combined intervention (TRT/EXE). Both TRT and TRT-EXE received ICI: anti-PD1-1 (1 injection/week) and capecitabine + oxaliplatin …

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A Survey Of Barriers And Facilitators To The Adoption Of Buprenorphine Prescribing After Implementation Of A New Jersey-Wide Incentivized Data-2000 Waiver Training Program., Amesika N Nyaku, Erin A Zerbo, Clement Chen, Nicole Milano, Barbara Johnston, Randall Chadwick, Stephanie Marcello, Kaitlan Baston, Rachel Haroz, Stephen Crystal

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Faculty Scholarship

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BACKGROUND: Opioid-involved overdose deaths continue to rise in the US, despite availability of highly effective treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD), in part due to the insufficient number of treatment providers. Barriers include the need for providers to gain expertise and confidence in providing MOUD to their patients who need these treatments. To mitigate this barrier, New Jersey sponsored a buprenorphine training program with financial incentives for participation, which met the then existing requirement for the DATA-2000 waiver. In a 2019 follow-up survey, participants reported on barriers and facilitators to subsequent buprenorphine prescribing.

METHODS: Participants in the training program completed …

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Strategies For Treating Acute Pain In Patients With Opioid Dependence: A Scoping Review Protocol., Sarah Levine, Megha Andrews, Benjamin H. Saracco, Matthew Salzman

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Faculty Scholarship

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INTRODUCTION: People who are dependent on opioids experience acute pain similar to other individuals. However, treating acute pain in these patients renders unique challenges such as opioid-induced hyperalgesia, opioid tolerance, withdrawal and stigma from healthcare providers. Thus, it is crucial to identify effective strategies for treating acute pain in this population and to highlight gaps in knowledge to create a high standard of care. The main objective of the proposed scoping review is to identify current strategies for treating the acute pain in individuals with opioid dependence or use disorder.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: MEDLINE via the PubMed interface, Embase and …

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Implementation Of Rapid Genomic Sequencing In Safety-Net Neonatal Intensive Care Units: Protocol For The Virtual Genome Center (Vigor) Proof-Of-Concept Study., Alissa M D'Gama, Sonia Hills, Jessica Douglas, Vanessa Young, Casie A Genetti, Monica H Wojcik, Henry A Feldman, Timothy W Yu, Margaret G Parker, Pankaj B Agrawal, T. Allcroft, Vineet Bhandari, L. Cantu, D. Honrubia, A. Kritzer, Q. Li, L. Rhein, R. Rothstein, O. Salinas, A. Santana, K. Schmitz-Abe, A. Serna, F. Shapiro, A. B. Shenoy, L. Simoncini, B. Sinha, A. S. Verran, A. Sousa, M. T. Newsam

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Faculty Scholarship

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INTRODUCTION: Rapid genomic sequencing (rGS) in critically ill infants with suspected genetic disorders has high diagnostic and clinical utility. However, rGS has primarily been available at large referral centres with the resources and expertise to offer state-of-the-art genomic care. Critically ill infants from racial and ethnic minority and/or low-income populations disproportionately receive care in safety-net and/or community settings lacking access to state-of-the-art genomic care, contributing to unacceptable health equity gaps. VIrtual GenOme CenteR is a 'proof-of-concept' implementation science study of an innovative delivery model for genomic care in safety-net neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We developed a …

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Computational Study Of Binding Of Oseltamivir To Neuraminidase Mutants Of Influenza A Virus, Muhammad Arba, Sri Wahyuli, Setyanto Tri Wahyudi, Amir Karton, Chun Wu

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

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Oseltamivir (OTV), which targets the neuraminidase (NA) of Influenza A virus (IAV), has been reported to develop resistance. Here, we performed a computational study on the binding modes of OTV in the wild-type and popular mutants of IAV NA (E119A, E119D, E119G, H274Y, I117T, I117V, I117V-E119A, K150N, N294S, R292K, V116A, and Y252H). The Arg118, Glu119, Asp151, Arg152, Glu276, Arg292, and Arg371 were identified as crucial interacting residues with the drug. The energy decomposition analysis showed that with few exceptions, the dispersion interaction is the dominant interaction, followed by the charge-transfer and polarization interactions. The affinities for OTV were greatly reduced …

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Utilizing Primary Human Airway Mucociliary Tissue Cultures To Model Ramifications Of Chronic E-Cigarette Usage., Vincent J Manna, Shannon Dwyer, Vanessa Pizutelli, Salvatore J Caradonna

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

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Electronic cigarettes are battery powered devices that use a vape-liquid to produce a vapor that is inhaled. A consequence of the rise in e-cigarette usage was the 2019 emergence of a vaping-induced respiratory disease denoted as 'e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury' (EVALI). One of the suspected causes of EVALI is Vitamin E Acetate (VEA), which was found to be a diluent in certain illicit vape-pens, whereas nicotine is commonly diluted in equal parts propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin (PG:VG). The prevalent use of e-cigarettes and the emergence of a novel illness has made understanding how e-cigarette vapors affect our …

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Ksp1 Is An Autophagic Receptor Protein For The Snx4-Assisted Autophagy Of Ssn2/Med13, Sara E Hanley, Stephen D Willis, Steven J Doyle, Randy Strich, Katrina F Cooper

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

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Ksp1 is a casein II-like kinase whose activity prevents aberrant macroautophagy/autophagy induction in nutrient-rich conditions in yeast. Here, we describe a kinase-independent role of Ksp1 as a novel autophagic receptor protein for Ssn2/Med13, a known cargo of Snx4-assisted autophagy of transcription factors. In this pathway, a subset of conserved transcriptional regulators, Ssn2/Med13, Rim15, and Msn2, are selectively targeted for vacuolar proteolysis following nitrogen starvation, assisted by the sorting nexin heterodimer Snx4-Atg20. Here we show that phagophores also engulf Ksp1 alongside its cargo for vacuolar proteolysis. Ksp1 directly associates with Atg8 following nitrogen starvation at the interface of an Atg8-family interacting …

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Visual Field Deficits In Albinism In Comparison To Idiopathic Infantile Nystagmus., Viral Sheth, Rebecca J Mclean, Zhanhan Tu, Sarim Ather, Irene Gottlob, Frank A Proudlock

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Faculty Scholarship

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PURPOSE: This is the first systematic comparison of visual field (VF) deficits in people with albinism (PwA) and idiopathic infantile nystagmus (PwIIN) using static perimetry. We also compare best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography measures of the fovea, parafovea, and circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer in PwA.

METHODS: VF testing was performed on 62 PwA and 36 PwIIN using a Humphrey Field Analyzer (SITA FAST 24-2). Mean detection thresholds for each eye were calculated, along with quadrants and central measures. Retinal layers were manually segmented in the macular region.

RESULTS: Mean detection thresholds were significantly lower than normative …

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Phenotypic Features Determining Visual Acuity In Albinism And The Role Of Amblyogenic Factors., Frank A Proudlock, Rebecca J Mclean, Viral Sheth, Sarim Ather, Irene Gottlob

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Faculty Scholarship

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Albinism is a spectrum disorder causing foveal hypoplasia, nystagmus, and hypopigmentation of the iris and fundus along with other visual deficits, which can all impact vision. Albinism is also associated with amblyogenic factors which could affect monocular visual acuity. The foveal appearance in albinism can range from mild foveal hypoplasia to that which is indistinguishable from the peripheral retina. The appearance can be quickly and easily graded using the Leicester Grading System in the clinic. However, interquartile ranges of 0.3 logMAR for the grades associated with albinism limit the accuracy of the grading system in predicting vision. Here, we discuss …

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Improved Network Integrity And Patient Follow-Up After In-Office Needle Arthroscopy Compared To Outpatient Advanced Diagnostic Imaging For Intra-Articular Pathology, Elizabeth Ford, Rachel Frank, Manuel C. Pontes, Sean Mcmillan

Rohrer College of Business Faculty Scholarship

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Purpose

To evaluate network integrity for diagnostic testing and patient follow-up comparing in-office needle arthroscopy and outpatient advanced diagnostic imaging for intra-articular pathology.

Methods

A retrospective chart review was performed to identify patients who were indicated for either in-office needle arthroscopy (IONA) or outpatient advanced diagnostic imaging (OADI). Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes 29870 and 29805 with place of service modifier 11 were used to identify patients who underwent IONA of the knee and shoulder, respectively, between January 2020 and March 2023. CPT codes 73721-3 and 73221-3 were utilized to identify patients indicated for outpatient advanced magnetic resonance …

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Women’S Comfort With Mobile Applications For Menstrual Cycle Self-Monitoring Following The Overturning Of Roe V. Wade, Gabrielle M. Salvatore, Iris Bercovitz, Danielle Arigo

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

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Background: The overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 has many implications for American women of reproductive age, as well as for researchers focused on women’s health in the United States (U.S.). Personal reproductive health data, such as information collected by menstrual cycle (MC) tracking applications (apps), can now be bought, sold, or accessed by law enforcement to enforce limits on abortion. American women have grown concerned about data privacy and have even deleted MC tracking apps following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. This concern is problematic as these apps may advance our understanding of women’s MC experiences …

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Star Allele Search: A Pharmacogenetic Annotation Database And User-Friendly Search Tool Of Publicly Available 1000 Genomes Project Biospecimens., N Gharani, G Calendo, D Kusic, Josef Madzo, Laua Scheinfeldt

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Faculty Scholarship

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Here we describe a new public pharmacogenetic (PGx) annotation database of a large (n = 3,202) and diverse biospecimen collection of 1000 Genomes Project cell lines and DNAs. The database is searchable with a user friendly, web-based tool ( www.coriell.org/StarAllele/Search ). This resource leverages existing whole genome sequencing data and PharmVar annotations to characterize *alleles for each biospecimen in the collection. This new tool is designed to facilitate in vitro functional characterization of *allele haplotypes and diplotypes as well as support clinical PGx assay development, validation, and implementation.

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