Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Cost Analysis Of Antiarrhythmic Drug Monitoring In Patients Hospitalized With Atrial Fibrillation And Flutter, Abdul Mannan Khan Minhas, Taha Mansoor, Mohamed M Gad, Mihail G Chelu, Jalaj Garg, Dmitry Abramov

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Polyclonal Plasma Cell (Polypc) Signature As A Key Indicator For Predicting The Progression Of Mgus To Multiple Myeloma, Fumou Sun, Yan Cheng, Catherine Ma, Hongwei Xu, Clyde Bailey, David Mery, Timothy Cody Ashby, Daisy Alapat, Yong Li, Ken H Young, Samer Al Hadidi, Sharmilan Thanendrarajan, Carolina Schinke, Maurizio Zangari, Frits Van Rhee, Guido Tricot, John D Shaughnessy, Fenghuang Zhan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background

Multiple myeloma (MM) is virtually always preceded by monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Elevated serum markers are used to classify MGUS patients into clinical risk categories. Previous research has indicated that the absence of a normal plasma cell signature in MGUS is linked to early progression.

Objective

To confirm that the presence of a “polyclonal plasma cell (PolyPC) signature” serves as a robust negative predictor of MGUS progression.

Methods

374 MGUS patients were enrolled, including 334 patients with stable disease and 40 patients who progressed to MM within 10 years. An oligonucleotide microarray analysis was performed on mRNA …

All Genetic Subtypes Of B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Exhibit Increased Incidence Rates In Children With Down Syndrome, Ching-Ju Hsu, Jeremy M Schraw, Tania A Desrosiers, Amanda E Janitz, Russell S Kirby, Eirini Nestoridi, Wendy N Nembhard, Jason L Salemi, Charles Shumate, Jean Paul Tanner, Mahsa M Yazdy, Michael E Scheurer, Karen R Rabin, Philip J Lupo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Anti-Mullerian Hormone (Amh) Protects Ovarian Follicle Loss By Downregulating Granulosa Cell Function In In Vitro And In Vivo Models, Laura Detti, Michael C Mari, Michael P Diamond, Ghassan M Saed

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: AMH inhibits hormone production in luteinized granulosa cells (GCs) and stalls ovarian follicle development in vitro and in vivo. We sought to confirm AMH's mechanism of action through SMAD activation and investigate AMH inhibition of follicle development and function, in vitro and in vivo.

Methods: A primary culture of GCs isolated from follicular fluid was used, and cells were treated with recombinant AMH (rAMH) or placebo for 24 h. For the mouse model, 18-weeks old C57BL female mice were either euthanized at the beginning or treated with rAMH or normal saline for 3 weeks. Primordial (PDF), primary follicle (PRF), …

40 Years After The Discovery Of Helicobacter Pylori: Performing Optimized “Subtraction” For Clinical Eradication, Yi Hu, Ren-Chun Du, Yong-Kang Lai, Yu-Xin Hu, Yu-Chen Zhu, Yan-An Zhou, Chun-Xi Shu, Bo Zhou, Li-Xiang Ling, Xu Shu, Yong Xie, James Y W Lau, Yin Zhu, David Y Graham, Nong-Hua Lu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

It has been 40 years since the first discovery of the important human pathogen, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Eradication of the infection continues to pose significant challenges in part because of the global increase in antibiotic resistance. Generally, the “addition” strategy has failed to deliver the desired results for more than a short period and often contributed to the increase in the prevalence of resistant strains. As such, optimization of each component of the treatment strategy has become an increasingly critical focus of research. In this study, we summarized the evolution of H. pylori eradication regimens and the …

Implementing A Pre-Matriculation Program Targeting Self-Efficacy, Institutional Belongingness, And Metacognition, Steve Caloudas, Nital Appelbaum, Jesus Vallejo, Nadia Ismail, Andrea Stolar

Faculty and Staff Publications

Students come to medical school with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Accordingly, many schools have developed pre-matriculation programs to support students' transition into medical education, especially for those whose educational path may not have offered the same breath of opportunities as their incoming counterparts. Baylor College of Medicine established a pre-matriculation program for students from early assurance programs and non-traditional pathways to address gaps in student support and normalize help-seeking behavior. This program took place over 2 weeks and was developed with leadership and student partners. Participants included 21 students who completed baseline and post-program surveys. Results indicated that a focus …

Externally Validated Digital Decision Support Tool For Time-To-Osteoradionecrosis Risk-Stratification Using Right-Censored Multi-Institutional Observational Cohorts, Laia Humbert-Vidan, Serageldin Kamel, Andrew Wentzel, Zaphanlene Kaffey, Moamen Abdelaal, Kyle B Spier, Natalie A West, G Elisabeta Marai, Guadalupe Canahuate, Xinhua Zhang, Melissa M Chen, Kareem A Wahid, Jillian Rigert, Seyedmohammadhossein Hosseinian, Andrew J Schaefer, Kristy K Brock, Mark Chambers, Adegbenga O Otun, Ruth Aponte-Wesson, Vinod Patel, Andrew Hope, Jack Phan, Adam S Garden, Steven J Frank, William H Morrison, Michael T Spiotto, David Rosenthal, Anna Lee, Renjie He, Mohamed A Naser, Erin Watson, Katherine A Hutcheson, Abdallah S R Mohamed, Vlad C Sandulache, Lisanne V Van Dijk, Amy C Moreno, Teresa Guerrero Urbano, Clifton D Fuller, Stephen Y Lai

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Existing studies on osteoradionecrosis of the jaw (ORNJ) have primarily used cross-sectional data, assessing risk factors at a single time point. Determining the time-to-event profile of ORNJ has important implications to monitor oral health in head and neck cancer (HNC) long-term survivors.

Methods: Data were retrospectively obtained for a clinical observational cohort of 1129 patients (198 ORNJ cases) with HNC treated with radiotherapy (RT) at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. A Weibull Accelerated Failure Time model was trained on previously identified dosimetric, clinical and demographic predictors. External validation was performed using an independent cohort of 265 …

Nf2 Loss-Of-Function And Hypoxia Drive Radiation Resistance In Grade 2 Meningiomas, Bhuvic Patel, Sangami Pugazenthi, Collin W English, Vijay Nitturi, Shree S Pari, Tatenda Mahlokozera, William A Leidig, Hsiang-Chih Lu, Alicia Yang, Kaleigh Roberts, Patrick Desouza, Kyle P Mcgeehan, Diane D Mao, Namita Sinha, Joseph E Ippolito, Sonika Dahiya, Allegra Petti, Hiroko Yano, Tiemo J Klisch, Akdes S Harmanci, Akash J Patel, Albert H Kim

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: World Health Organization Grade 2 meningiomas (G2Ms) often recur and resist therapies. Grade 2 meningiomas with histopathological necrosis have been associated with worse local control (LC) after radiation therapy, but the drivers and biomarkers of radiation resistance in G2Ms remain unknown.

Methods: We performed genetic sequencing and histopathological analysis of 113 G2Ms and investigated the role of genetic and microenvironmental factors on clonogenic survival after ionizing radiation. We performed transcriptional profiling of our in vitro model and 18 human G2M tumors by bulk RNA sequencing as well as 8 G2Ms by single nuclei RNA sequencing.

Results: NF2 loss-of-function (LOF) …

A Multi-Site Study Of Clinician Perspectives In The Lifecycle Of An Algorithmic Risk Prediction Tool, Rita Dexter, Kristin Kostick-Quenet, Jennifer Blumenthal-Barby

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Recent advancements in the performative capacities of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and algorithmic-based tools open up numerous applications in modern medicine. There are, however, few studies that track the whole lifecycle of a digital healthcare tool as it evolves from conception, to design, and deployment in real world settings-especially with a focus on the social dynamics amongst the end-users of the tool: clinicians. In this paper, we present data from a multi-site, 5-year study focused on the development and deployment of an algorithmic risk calculator (HeartMate 3 Risk Score) into a validated and efficacy tested clinical decision support …

Genome-Wide Analyses Identify 30 Loci Associated With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Nora I Strom, Zachary F Gerring, Marco Galimberti, Dongmei Yu, Matthew W Halvorsen, Abdel Abdellaoui, Cristina Rodriguez-Fontenla, Julia M Sealock, Tim Bigdeli, Jonathan R Coleman, Behrang Mahjani, Jackson G Thorp, Katharina Bey, Christie L Burton, Jurjen J Luykx, Gwyneth Zai, Silvia Alemany, Christine Andre, Kathleen D Askland, Julia Bäckman, Nerisa Banaj, Cristina Barlassina, Judith Becker Nissen, O Joseph Bienvenu, Donald Black, Michael H Bloch, Sigrid Børte, Rosa Bosch, Michael Breen, Brian P Brennan, Helena Brentani, Joseph D Buxbaum, Jonas Bybjerg-Grauholm, Enda M Byrne, Judit Cabana-Dominguez, Beatriz Camarena, Adrian Camarena, Carolina Cappi, Angel Carracedo, Miguel Casas, Maria Cristina Cavallini, Valentina Ciullo, Edwin H Cook, Jesse Crosby, Bernadette A Cullen, Elles J De Schipper, Richard Delorme, Srdjan Djurovic, Jason A Elias, Xavier Estivill, Martha J Falkenstein, Bengt T Fundin, Lauryn Garner, Christina Gironda, Fernando S Goes, Marco A Grados, Jakob Grove, Wei Guo, Jan Haavik, Kristen Hagen, Kelly Harrington, Alexandra Havdahl, Kira D Höffler, Ana G Hounie, Donald Hucks, Christina Hultman, Magdalena Janecka, Eric Jenike, Elinor K Karlsson, Kara Kelley, Julia Klawohn, Janice E Krasnow, Kristi Krebs, Christoph Lange, Nuria Lanzagorta, Daniel Levey, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Fabio Macciardi, Brion Maher, Brittany Mathes, Evonne Mcarthur, Nathaniel Mcgregor, Nicole C Mclaughlin, Sandra Meier, Euripedes C Miguel, Maureen Mulhern, Paul S Nestadt, Erika L Nurmi, Kevin S O'Connell, Lisa Osiecki, Olga Therese Ousdal, Teemu Palviainen, Nancy L Pedersen, Fabrizio Piras, Federica Piras, Sriramya Potluri, Raquel Rabionet, Alfredo Ramirez, Scott Rauch, Abraham Reichenberg, Mark A Riddle, Stephan Ripke, Maria C Rosário, Aline S Sampaio, Miriam A Schiele, Anne Heidi Skogholt, Laura G Sloofman, Jan Smit, María Soler Artigas, Laurent F Thomas, Eric Tifft, Homero Vallada, Nathanial Van Kirk, Jeremy Veenstra-Vanderweele, Nienke N Vulink, Christopher P Walker, Ying Wang, Jens R Wendland, Bendik S Winsvold, Yin Yao, Hang Zhou, Estonian Biobank, 23andme Inc, Arpana Agrawal, Pino Alonso, Götz Berberich, Kathleen K Bucholz, Cynthia M Bulik, Danielle Cath, Damiaan Denys, Valsamma Eapen, Howard Edenberg, Peter Falkai, Thomas V Fernandez, Abby J Fyer, J M Gaziano, Dan A Geller, Hans J Grabe, Benjamin D Greenberg, Gregory L Hanna, Ian B Hickie, David M Hougaard, Norbert Kathmann, James Kennedy, Dongbing Lai, Mikael Landén, Stéphanie Le Hellard, Marion Leboyer, Christine Lochner, James T Mccracken, Sarah E Medland, Preben B Mortensen, Benjamin M Neale, Humberto Nicolini, Merete Nordentoft, Michele Pato, Carlos Pato, David L Pauls, John Piacentini, Christopher Pittenger, Danielle Posthuma, Josep Antoni Ramos-Quiroga, Steven A Rasmussen, Margaret A Richter, David R Rosenberg, Stephan Ruhrmann, Jack F Samuels, Sven Sandin, Paul Sandor, Gianfranco Spalletta, Dan J Stein, S Evelyn Stewart, Eric A Storch, Barbara E Stranger, Maurizio Turiel, Thomas Werge, Ole A Andreassen, Anders D Børglum, Susanne Walitza, Kristian Hveem, Bjarne K Hansen, Christian Rück, Nicholas G Martin, Lili Milani, Ole Mors, Ted Reichborn-Kjennerud, Marta Ribasés, Gerd Kvale, David Mataix-Cols, Katharina Domschke, Edna Grünblatt, Michael Wagner, John-Anker Zwart, Gerome Breen, Gerald Nestadt, Jaakko Kaprio, Paul D Arnold, Dorothy E Grice, James A Knowles, Helga Ask, Karin J Verweij, Lea K Davis, Dirk J Smit, James J Crowley, Jeremiah M Scharf, Murray B Stein, Joel Gelernter, Carol A Mathews, Eske M Derks, Manuel Mattheisen

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects ~1% of children and adults and is partly caused by genetic factors. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis combining 53,660 OCD cases and 2,044,417 controls and identified 30 independent genome-wide significant loci. Gene-based approaches identified 249 potential effector genes for OCD, with 25 of these classified as the most likely causal candidates, including WDR6, DALRD3 and CTNND1 and multiple genes in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region. We estimated that ~11,500 genetic variants explained 90% of OCD genetic heritability. OCD genetic risk was associated with excitatory neurons in the hippocampus and the cortex, along …

Enhancing Medication Adherence In The Older Adult By Implementing A Medication Program, Cathylee Nair

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

PURPOSE The medication adherence program was a collaborative effort to develop, implement, and evaluate a medication adherence program that aims to reduce health utilization and disease exacerbation by improving medication adherence in older adults. The primary goal was to improve medication adherence by 10% within eight weeks.

BACKGROUND The medication adherence program was based out of a home health agency in Katy, Texas. Medicare utilizes home health agencies as patient support programs for providing services like medication management to reduce older adult’s health utilization and improve health outcomes at home.

METHODOLOGY The Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) model for improvement …

Evidence Based Pilot Project To Reduce Nurse Documentation Time In The Electronic Health Record, Herbert Rolito C. Ortiz

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was the reduction of electronic health record (EHR) documentation time and improve nurse satisfaction in an Intermediate Care Unit (IMU).

Introduction: Nursing documentation supports patient safety, interdisciplinary communication, and regulatory compliance. However, excessive documentation requirements may reduce the time nurses spend with patients, increase the risk of errors, and contribute to job dissatisfaction and burnout. At a large, academic hospital, nurses in the target unit were averaging 155 minutes of documentation per 12-hour shift, ranking in the 90th percentile for documentation time among peer institutions.

Methodology: The project, conducted between March 1 …

Comparison Of Propofol Microbial Contamination Following Treatment With Drug Disposal Devices, Ransome Van Der Hoeven, Alan L Myers

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Pharmaceutical waste represents a major burden to the health care system and environment. Proper drug waste disposal devices are vitally needed, especially for propofol solutions that inherently carry a high risk of microbial contamination.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to compare the capabilities of 2 drug disposal systems for decontamination of propofol solutions inoculated with medical pathogens and assess chemical degradation of propofol after treatment with Fenton reagents.

Methods: Standard microbiological assays were used to assess survival and growth of Escherichia coli and Candida albicans inoculated into propofol solutions. Both a prototype instrument and a commercially marketed …

Development Of A Novel Biomarker Platform For Profiling Key Protein-Protein Interactions To Predict The Efficacy Of Bh3-Mimetic Drugs, Andrew J Kinloch, Faiyaz Rahman, Bahriye Karakas, Muhammad Shahid, Bora Lim, Stephanie J Bouley, James A Walker, Erinna F Lee, Walter D Fairlie, Kevin R Kelly, Michael H Cardone

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

One of the hallmarks of cancer cells is their failure to respond to the cellular mechanism of apoptosis. The B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) family of proteins regulate apoptosis. Their ability to do so can be measured using several methods that in turn anticipate the fate of the cancer cell in response to apoptosis-inducing treatment. These assays ultimately identify the readiness of the cancer cell to undergo apoptosis, which is referred to as the mitochondrial priming state. These metrics, however, have been challenging to implement in the clinic.

Anti-Viral Cd8 Central Memory Veto Cells As A New Platform For Car T Cell Therapy, Wei-Hsin Liu, Anat Globerson Levin, Assaf Lask, Galit Horn, Tova Waks, Bar Nathansohn Levi, Irit Milman Krentsis, Einav Shoshan, Xiaohua Su, Maksim Mamonkin, Richard E Champlin, Yair Reisner, Esther Bachar Lustig

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Central memory CD8 T cells exhibit marked veto activity enhancing engraftment in several mouse models of T cell-depleted bone marrow (TDBM) allografting. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) can be prevented by stimulation of mouse or human memory CD8 T cells against their cognate antigens under cytokine deprivation, in the early phase of culture followed by further expansion with IL21, IL15, and IL7. Thus, human anti-viral CD8 central memory veto T cells generated from CMV and EBV-positive donors are currently evaluated in a clinical trial at MD Anderson Cancer Centre (MDACC). Results in 15 patients indicate a low risk of GVHD. Considering that …

Multicenter Evaluation Of A New Strip-Based Blood Glucose System For Point-Of-Care Testing In Critical And Non-Critical Care Settings, Michael Goodman, Sven Bercker, Nancy Breitenbeck, Cristina Canada-Vilalta, Daisy D Canepa, William A Clarke, Christopher W Farnsworth, Edward O Ganser, Nienke Geerts, Barbara Goldsmith, Gary Headden, Debra Hoppensteadt, Birgit Klapperich, Ryan Matika, Gabrielle Miles, Sagori Mukhopadhyay, James H Nichols, Rebecca M O'Dell, Zubaid Rafique, Andre Schuetzenmeister, Robbert Slingerland, Ann F Stankiewicz, Jonathan R Swanson, Nam K Tran, Alan H B Wu, Brad S Karon

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Evaluation of the performance of Cobas® Pulse (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany), a new blood glucose (BG) monitoring system (BGMS; referred to here as BGMSA) intended for point-of-care testing using samples from patients in diverse clinical settings by intended point-of-care test operators.

Methods: Arterial, capillary, venous, or heel stick whole blood (WB) samples from patients in non-critical and critical care settings were collected and analyzed using BGMSA and the Nova StatStrip® BGMS (Nova Biomedical, Waltham, MA; referred to here as BGMSB), and a hexokinase comparator (Cobas 6000 Analyzer Series; Roche Diagnostics GmbH). The blood glucose measurement accuracy was assessed …

The Tweak/Fn14 Signaling Mediates Skeletal Muscle Wasting During Cancer Cachexia, Meiricris Tomaz Da Silva, Anirban Roy, Anh Tuan Vuong, Aniket S Joshi, Cristeena Josphien, Meghana V Trivedi, Sajedah M Hindi, Vihang A Narkar, Ashok Kumar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cancer cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome characterized by progressive skeletal muscle wasting. The TWEAK-Fn14 system regulates muscle mass in diverse conditions. However, its role in the regulation of muscle mass during cancer cachexia remains less understood. Here, we demonstrate that the levels of Fn14 are induced in skeletal muscle of multiple mouse models of cancer cachexia. Muscle-specific deletion of Fn14 reduces myofiber atrophy in mouse models of pancreatic and lung cancer cachexia. Silencing of Fn14 in KPC pancreatic cancer cells prior to their implantation in mice attenuates tumor growth without affecting myofiber size. Muscle-specific deletion of Fn14 reduces the gene …

Secreted Phosphoprotein 1 In Lung Diseases, Hongli Liu, Cristian Coarfa, Arzoo N Charania, Jennifer L Larson-Casey, Ivan O Rosas, Chao He

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1), also known as osteopontin (OPN) or early T lymphocyte activation protein 1 (ETA-1), is a multifunctional protein involved in numerous biological processes, including immune modulation, stress response, and tissue remodeling. The role of SPP1 in interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) has become an area of increasing interest, given its elevated expression in various ILDs such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), connective tissue disease-associated ILD (CTD-ILD), and pneumoconiosis, especially with recent data derived from single-cell RNA sequencing. In addition to ILDs, SPP1 has been implicated in infectious granulomatous lung diseases, lung and pleural malignancies, airway diseases, and COVID-19. …

Development Of An Age-Appropriate Household Dysfunction Measure And Its Concurrent Validity With Multiple Outcomes Among Middle School Adolescents In Southeast Texas, Sumaita Choudhury, Timothy J Walker, Emily T Hébert, Christine M Markham, Ross Shegog, Robert C Addy, Melissa F Peskin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Existing adverse childhood experience (ACE) measures include a limited number of household dysfunction (HD) items and the use of adult-oriented language that is not always appropriate for middle schoolers. We developed an age-appropriate 10-item HD measure informed by previously validated ACE measures and tested its concurrent validity with dating violence (DV) perpetration, lifetime substance use, and mental health outcomes among middle schoolers in Southeast Texas. This cross-sectional study used the baseline data from a DV prevention intervention program for sixth graders (N = 126), Me & You Tech. Baseline data were collected from March 2023 to April 2023. To …

Runx2 Is Essential For Maintaining Synchondrosis Chondrocytes And Cranial Base Growth, Shawn A Hallett, Ashley Dixon, Isabella Marrale, Lena Batoon, José Brenes, Annabelle Zhou, Ariel Arbiv, Vesa Kaartinen, Benjamin Allen, Wanida Ono, Renny T Franceschi, Noriaki Ono

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The cranial base synchondroses, comprised of opposite-facing bidirectional chondrocyte layers, drive anteroposterior cranial base growth. In humans, RUNX2 haploinsufficiency causes cleidocranial dysplasia associated with deficient midfacial growth. However, how RUNX2 regulates chondrocytes in the cranial base synchondroses remains unknown. To address this, we inactivated Runx2 in postnatal synchondrosis chondrocytes using a tamoxifen-inducible Fgfr3-creER (Fgfr3-Runx2cKO) mouse model. Fgfr3-Runx2cKO mice displayed skeletal dwarfism and reduced anteroposterior cranial base growth associated with premature synchondrosis ossification due to impaired chondrocyte proliferation, accelerated hypertrophy, apoptosis, and osteoclast-mediated cartilage resorption. Lineage tracing reveals that Runx2-deficient Fgfr3+ cells failed to differentiate into osteoblasts. Notably, Runx2-deficient chondrocytes showed …

Biallelic Loss-Of-Function Variant In Minpp1 Causes Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia With Characteristic Severe Neurodevelopmental Disorder, Aljazi Al-Maraghi, Rulan Shaath, Katherine Ford, Waleed Aamer, Jehan Alrayahi, Sura Hussein, Elbay Aliyev, Nourhen Agrebi, Muhammad Kohailan, Satanay Z Hubrack, Sasirekha Palaniswamy, Adam D Kennedy, Karen L Debalsi, Sarah H Elsea, Ruba Benini, Tawfeg Ben-Omran, Bernice Lo, Ammira S A Akil, Khalid A Fakhro

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Pontocerebellar hypoplasia (PCH) encompasses a group of autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorders marked by cerebellar and pontine atrophy. Multiple subtypes of PCH have been identified, among which the rare subtype PCH type 16 is caused by MINPP1 genetic variants. MINPPI encodes an enzyme essential for inositol polyphosphate dephosphorylation, regulating calcium and iron homeostasis. We conducted genome sequencing on a proband from the consanguineous family, who presented with a severe neurodegenerative disorder, to identify the underlying cause of disease. A comprehensive clinical assessment in addition to neuroradiological findings are described. We performed the functional validation of the identified variant and conducted untargeted …

Tavr In Older Adults With Cardiogenic Shock: Current Practice And Future Direction, Min Ji Kwak, Jorge A Irizarry-Caro, Paola Rodriguez Martinez, James Going, Jessica Lee, Dana Giza, Nuzah Amjad, Ana Leech, Rachel Jantea, Renee Flores, Nahid Rianon, Abhijeet Dhoble

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Aortic stenosis (AS) is one of the most common types of valvular heart disease in older adults, with age being significantly associated with the development of AS. The transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure, since it was first performed in 2002, has emerged as a preferred treatment option for patients who are at intermediate to high surgical risk due to advanced age or medical comorbidities. Older adults with severe AS may present with acute decompensated heart failure leading to cardiogenic shock (CS). Among patients 65 years and older with AS presenting for TAVR, 4.1% were reportedly in acute CS. Regardless …

Methylation Risk Score Of C-Reactive Protein Associates Sleep Health With Related Health Outcomes, Ziqing Wang, Danielle A Wallace, Brian W Spitzer, Tianyi Huang, Kent D Taylor, Jerome I Rotter, Stephen S Rich, Peter Y Liu, Martha L Daviglus, Lifang Hou, Alberto R Ramos, Sonya Kaur, J Peter Durda, Hector M González, Myriam Fornage, Susan Redline, Carmen R Isasi, Tamar Sofer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

C-reactive protein (CRP) reflects inflammation status and is linked to poor sleep, metabolic and cardiovascular health. Methylation (MRS) and polygenic risk scores (PRS) reflect long-term systemic inflammation, and genetically-determined CRP, respectively. To refine understanding of inflammation-linked sleep and health outcomes, we construct PRS-CRPs using GWAS summary statistics and a previously-developed MRS-CRP in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. Via survey-weighted linear regression, we estimate associations between blood-, PRS-, and MRS-CRP, with multiple sleep and health outcomes (n = 2217). MRS-CRP and PRS-CRPs are associated with increasing blood-CRP level by 43% and 23% per standard deviation. MRS-CRP is associated with …

Circulating Tumor Dna Monitoring And Blood Tumor Mutational Burden In Patients With Metastatic Solid Tumors Treated With Atezolizumab, Charles Swanton, Russell W Madison, Candice Francheska B Tambaoan, Funda Meric-Bernstam, Christopher J Sweeney, Razelle Kurzrock, Howard A Burris, David R Spigel, Hanna Tukachinsky, Jason Hughes, Julia Malato, Bongin Yoo, Tania Szado, Cheryl Schwab, Lincoln W Pasquina, Amaya Gasco, Katja Schulze, Claire F Friedman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are important for treatment across tumor types but are not universally effective in controlling disease. Early understanding of tumor response, or lack thereof, can inform treatment decisions. This study evaluates changes in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and blood tumor mutational burden (bTMB) for associations with response to programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) blockade. We sequenced cell-free DNA collected at the start of therapy, on treatment, and at the end of therapy for 153 patients treated with atezolizumab as part of the pan-tumor MyPathway study (NCT02091141). ctDNA tumor fraction (TF) and bTMB were assessed …

Comparison Of Thrombectomy Alone Versus Bridging Thrombolysis In A Us Population Using Regression Discontinuity Analysis, Youngran Kim, Sergio Salazar-Marioni, Rania Abdelkhaleq, Ananya Iyyangar, Diogo Haussen, Jonathan Grossberg, Jaydevsinh Dolia, Aqueel Pabaney, Mahmoud Mohammaden, Ameer Hassan, Wondwossen Tekle, Hamzah Saei, Mohamad Abdalkader, Piers Klein, Taha Nisar, Adeel Saleemi, Shahram Majidi, Johanna Fifi, Gabrielle Valestin, Guillermo Linares, Kara Christopher, David S Liebeskind, Mouhammad Jumaa, Syed Zaidi, Raul Nogueira, Brijesh Mehta, Joy Sessa, Juan Vivanco-Suarez, Aaron Rodriguez-Calienes, Milagros Galecio-Castillo, Santiago Ortega-Gutierrez, James Siegler, Mary Penckofer, Italo Linfante, Sunil A Sheth, Svin Registry Consortium

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The role of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in combination with endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for the treatment of large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke has been evaluated exclusively outside the US, in randomized clinical trials which failed to demonstrate non-inferiority of skipping IVT. Because practice patterns and IVT dosing differ within the US, and prior observational US-based cohorts suggested improved clinical outcomes in patients who received IVT before EVT, a US-based evaluation is needed. This is a quasi-experimental study of a large US cohort using a regression discontinuity design (RDD) that enables the estimation of causal effects when randomization is not feasible. …

Advanced Age Worsens Phenotypes Of Ocular Hypertension In Mice, Priyamvada M Pitale, Solomon E Gibson, Caroline C Keehn, Arman T Yazdian, Guofu Shen, Benjamin J Frankfort

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disorder of the optic nerve and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and a major cause of blindness. The two most important risk factors for glaucoma are ocular hypertension (OHT) and advanced age. In this study, we explored the combined impact of aging and OHT on retinal neuronal and microvasculature health. We induced OHT using the bead-injection model in 12 week old (young) and 1.5 year old (old) mice and monitored intraocular pressure (IOP) for 2 weeks. We then explored vascular phenotypes, blood retinal barrier components, RGC counts, and electroretinogram (ERG) changes. Aged mice displayed reduced retinal microvasculature …

Optogenetic Activation Of Cortical Microglia Promotes Neuronal Activity And Pain Hypersensitivity, Min-Hee Yi, Yi Liu, Yong U Liu, Jinkyung Lee, Priyanka Hanumaihgari, Sebastian Parusel, Dale B Bosco, Lingxiao Wang, Jiaying Zheng, Wu Shi, Lattawat Eauchai, Supin Chompoopong, Christine L Hunt, Long-Jun Wu

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Chronic pain following peripheral nerve injury is accompanied by increased neuronal activity in the somatosensory cortex. However, whether and how cortical microglia contribute to these changes is less understood. To this end, we applied an optogenetic strategy to specifically target cortical microglia and investigate their function in behavioral pain sensitization. We found that optogenetic activation of microglia in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) via red-activated channelrhodopsin (ReaChR) triggered pain hypersensitivity and affective-motivational responses in mice. Remarkably, S1-targeted optogenetic stimulation increased microglial landscape changes and ATP release. In addition, optogenetic stimulation altered the microglial proteomic profile, upregulated neuronal c-Fos expression, and …

Initial Crisis Leadership During Covid-19 Higher Education: A Systematic Review, Joseph Crawford, Kerryn Butler-Henderson, Karima Lalani, Jürgen Rudolph, Sabu K.M.

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The effect of the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) on the higher education sector is profound. The scholarly research on COVID-19 effects in higher education have largely focused on presenting intra-period facts, often with poor contextualisation to the broader evidence base. This manuscript draws on the first comprehensive systematic literature reviw database comprising 138 publications, the COVID-19 in Higher Education Database, to provide a first glance at six months of COVID-19 crisis leadership responses in the higher education sector. This systematic review aims to consolidate learning and teaching literature between 1 January 2020 and 30 June 2020 to share timely educational …

Ai Solutions To The Radiology Workforce Shortage, Andrew B Jing, Naveen Garg, Jiajie Zhang, Jeffrey J Brown

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The growing demand for imaging services in the U.S., driven by an aging population and the rise in chronic diseases, has contributed to a significant radiology workforce shortage. Simultaneously, supply-side constraints, including limited radiology residency positions and substantial retirements, have exacerbated this gap. These imbalances increase patient wait times, risk diagnostic delays, and contribute to radiologist burnout. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers potential solutions by addressing three primary areas: demand management, workflow efficiency, and capacity building. First, to manage demand, AI tools can leverage predictive analytics and decision-support systems to reduce unnecessary imaging and prioritize high-value imaging examinations. Next, AI can …

Cytogenetic Annotation Automation In Myelodysplastic Syndrome Research Databases, Samuel Urrutia, Kelly S Chien, Ziyi Li, Alexandre Bazinet, Guilin Tang, Guillermo Garcia-Manero

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.