Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

What It’S Like To Study The Brain: A Creative Exploration, T. J. Cahanap, Katherine Hubbard, Ma

Phase 1

Introduction: In recent years, medicine and the humanities have evolved to be adopted synergistically in dual practice. Employing principles of narrative medicine, this multimodal piece explores the experience of hunger to draw parallels between creativity in art and creativity in medicine. By stimulating reading, writing, listening, and seeing, this account aims to represent these faculties as necessary to both art and medicine and to exemplify synergy between the two.

Methods: As codified by the field of narrative medicine, methods consisted of a repetitive practice of close reading, writing, and reflecting. In viewing medicine as interconnected provider-patient narrative, scholars of narrative …

The Clicker Study, Alex Brady, Daniel Mirsch, Do, Xiao C. Zhang, Md, Ms, Rishi Kalwani, Md, Phd, Zachary Risler, Md, Mph, Mark Magee, Md, Kelly Goodsell, Md, Resa E. Lewiss, Md, Arthur Au, Md, Dimitrios Papanagnou, Md

Phase 1

Purpose: A recent study in orthopedics showed that clicker-based learning was more effective than traditional feedback when teaching procedures. We sought to determine whether this principle is applicable to ultrasound skills.

Methods: Our prospective randomized control trial used a population of new ultrasound learners. Exclusion criteria included previous ultrasound experience of more than one hour. Students were shown an instructional video on the Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) exam and randomized to receive clicker or scripted feedback. Each student performed the FAST exam once without feedback, then with either scripted or clicker-based feedback. They were timed and scored …

“Trauma To The Eye” – A Low Fidelity Module For Identifying Retrobulbar Hematoma And Practicing Lateral Canthotomy & Cantholysis, Jared Raikin, Dimitrios Papanagnou, Md, Ronald Hall, Md

Phase 1

Purpose: A retrobulbar hematoma (RH) can cause preventable blindness due to damage of the optic nerve. Due to its relative infrequency in the emergency department, Emergency Medecine (EM) residents have limited experience in recognizing and treating a RH. This paper outlines a simulated scenario that was developed to improve EM residents knowledge in diagnosing a RH and performing an emergent lateral canthotomy and cantholysis (LCC).

Methods: This module used a low fidelity task trainer and case vignette created for EM residents to practice recognizing a RH and perfroming a LCC. Participants took an assessment questionnaire before and after the teaching …

Perceptions Of Centering Pregnancy At Jefferson’S Maternal Addiction Treatment, Education & Research (Mater) Program, Lindsay Caldarone, Ms, Vanessa Short, Phd, Mph

Phase 1

Introduction: Opioid use and misuse, including during pregnancy, is prevalent across the United States. Many women with opioid use disorder (OUD) face multiple barriers to care, including prenatal care. Group prenatal care, as compared to individual prenatal care, may lead to beneficial outcomes such as reduced odds of preterm birth.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the perceptions of Centering Pregnancy (CP), a group prenatal care program, among women in treatment for OUD.

Methods: The target population included women who participated in the CP program at MATER. Participants (N=6) completed a survey after the last CP session. Survey questions assessed …

A Comparison Of Homemade Phantoms For Ultrasound Guided Peripheral Intravenous Catheter Insertion, Saami Zakaria, Liam Hughes, Lauren Selame, Kelly Kehm, Resa E. Lewiss, Arthur Au, Zachary Risler

Phase 1

Purpose: U/S guided peripheral intravenous catheter (PIV) placement is implemented in many clinical settings. Commercially available U/S phantoms are expensive and difficult to alter from stock. Non-commercial phantoms have been described in published literature without data showing which type is more efficacious. The primary objective of this study was to determine efficacy of various non-commercial phantoms for U/S guided PIV placement, while secondary objectives were to characterize the cost and ease of production.

Methods: This prospective observational study trialed six unique phantom models: 1) Amini ballistics gel model, 2) Morrow ballistics gel model, 3) University of California San Diego (UCSD) …

The Bulletin: Sidney Kimmel Medical College At Thomas Jefferson University, Volume 69, Issue 1, Winter 2020

The Bulletin (formerly the Jefferson Medical College Alumni Bulletin)

This issue includes:

• Dean's Column - An Acquired Taste
• On Campus - Sidney and Caroline Kimmel Fund New Biomedical Research Building
• A Message from Elizabeth A. Dale - Generosity Goes Both Ways
• Discovery - It Takes a Village
• Solving the Puzzle - Shaping Jefferson's Neuroscience Department
• Faculty Profile - Kristin Rising, MD
• Alumni Profile - Neal Flomenberg, MD
• Student Profile - Hannah Garrigan
• Class Notes - 2019 Alumni Weekend
• Class Agent
• In Memoriam
• By the Numbers - The Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience

Management Of Patients With Hematologic Malignancies During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Practical Considerations And Lessons To Be Learned, Alessandro Isidori, Laurence De Leval, Usama Gergis, Pellegrino Musto, Pierluigi Porcu

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented hurdles to the delivery of care to patients with cancer. Patients with hematologic malignancies appear to have a greater risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe disease due to myelosuppression and lymphopenia. The first challenge, therefore, is how to continue to deliver effective, curative therapy to vulnerable patients and at the same time avoid exposing them, and their health care teams (HCT), to SARS-CoV-2. An additional challenge is the timely completion of the diagnostic and staging studies required to formulate appropriate treatment plans. Deferred procedures and avoidance of multiple trips to the surgical, diagnostic, and …

Dynamic Prostatic And Laser-Ablated Lesion Volume Change After Transperineal Laser Ablation In Canine: Preliminary Observation And Its Clinical Significance., Rui-Qing Liu, Ji-Bin Liu, Shao-Bo Duan, Si-Guo Cheng, Zhi-Yang Chang, Hui-Cun Cao, Guang-Shao Cao, Ya-Qiong Li, Na Li, Lian-Zhong Zhang

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

AIM: The purpose of this study is to observe the volume change of prostate and laser-ablated lesions in the canine and to explore the mechanism and clinical significance through histopathology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Transperineal laser ablation (TPLA) was performed under the guidance of transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) in eight canines. Two canines were sacrificed 1 day and 1 week after TPLA, respectively. The remaining six canines were sacrificed after finishing transrectal contrast-enhanced ultrasound (TR-CEUS) at three phases.

RESULTS: The prostatic volumes immediately following TPLA and 1 week later were larger than before TPLA (20.1 ± 3.9 vs 17.1 ± 3.8 ml; …

An Outcome Assessment Of A Single Institution's Longitudinal Experience With Uveal Melanoma Patients With Liver Metastasis., Rino S. Seedor, David J. Eschelman, Carin F. Gonsalves, Robert D. Adamo, Marlana Orloff, Anjum Amjad, Erin Sharpe-Mills, Inna Chervoneva, Carol L. Shields, Jerry A. Shields, Michael Mastrangelo, Takami Sato

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

There is no FDA-approved treatment for metastatic uveal melanoma (UM) and overall outcomes are generally poor for those who develop liver metastasis. We performed a retrospective single-institution chart review on consecutive series of UM patients with liver metastasis who were treated at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital between 1971–1993 (Cohort 1, n = 80), 1998–2007 (Cohort 2, n = 198), and 2008–2017 (Cohort 3, n = 452). In total, 70% of patients in Cohort 1 received only systemic therapies as their treatment modality for liver metastasis, while 98% of patients in Cohort 2 and Cohort 3 received liver-directed treatment either alone …

Individual And Joint Effects Of Metformin And Statins On Mortality Among Patients With High-Risk Prostate Cancer., Xiang-Lin Tan, Jian-Yu E, Yong Lin, Timothy R Rebbeck, Shou-En Lu, Mingyi Shang, William K Kelly, Anthony D'Amico, Mark N Stein, Lanjing Zhang, Thomas L Jang, Isaac Yi Kim, Kitaw Demissie, Anna Ferrari, Grace Lu-Yao

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Pre-clinical studies suggest that metformin and statins may delay prostate cancer (PCa) metastases; however, data in humans are limited. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first human study aimed to quantify the individual and joint effects of statin and metformin use among patients with high-risk PCa.

METHODS: This population-based retrospective cohort study identified patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database. Exposure to metformin and statins was ascertained from Medicare Prescription Drug Event files. The association with all-cause and PCa mortality were evaluated using Cox proportional hazard model with competing causes of death, …

Treating Hematologic Malignancies During A Pandemic: Utilizing Telehealth And Digital Technology To Optimize Care., Adam F Binder, Nathan R Handley, Lindsay Wilde, Neil Palmisiano, Ana Maria Lopez

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

In late January 2020, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS CoV-2) was reported as an outbreak in Wuhan, China. Within 2 months it became a global pandemic. Patients with cancer are at highest risk for both contracting and suffering complications of its resultant disease, Coronavirus 19 (COVID-19). Healthcare systems across the world had to adapt quickly to mitigate this risk, while continuing to provide potentially lifesaving treatment to patients. Bringing care to the home through the use of telehealth, home based chemotherapy, and remote patient monitoring technologies can help minimize risk to the patient and healthcare workers without sacrificing quality …

Quetiapine And Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, Michael Chen, Hassaan Gomaa, Alonso Cortez-Resendiz, Christopher Martin, Andrew Francis, Alfredo Bellon

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

Quetiapine is occasionally associated with cardiovascular adverse effects such as QTc prolongation. QTc prolongation is a side effect that requires monitoring in order to avoid more serious cardiac complications. One particular understudied area is the potential for antipsychotics to elicit electroconduction abnormalities in patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) Syndrome. In the present report, we describe a case of quetiapine overdose in a patient with WPW.

Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type-9 (Pcsk-9) Inhibitors Induced Liver Injury - A Retrospective Analysis., Yousuf Zafar, Yasar Sattar, Waqas Ullah, Sohaib Roomi, Mamoon-Ur- Rashid, Muhammad Shayan Khan, Laura Schmidt

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Background: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/Kexin type 9 (PCSK-9) inhibitors induced liver dysfunction in patients with or without previous liver injury, and this is not well discussed in the previous literature.

Methods: A total sample of 202 patients were retrospectively reviewed at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, from the year 2015 to 2018 based on predefined selection criteria. Inclusion criteria involved patients with dyslipidemia, with or without PCSK-9 inhibitors, liver function tests and lipid profile at baseline and at a mean of 6-month follow-up. The variables, including age, gender, and confounding factors like other medications (statin, oral antidiabetic, and antihypertensive) induced, …

A Crucial Role For The Protein Quality Control System In Motor Neuron Diseases., Riccardo Cristofani, Valeria Crippa, Maria Elena Cicardi, Barbara Tedesco, Veronica Ferrari, Marta Chierichetti, Elena Casarotto, Margherita Piccolella, Elio Messi, Mariarita Galbiati, Paola Rusmini, Angelo Poletti

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Motor neuron diseases (MNDs) are fatal diseases characterized by loss of motor neurons in the brain cortex, in the bulbar region, and/or in the anterior horns of the spinal cord. While generally sporadic, inherited forms linked to mutant genes encoding altered RNA/protein products have also been described. Several different mechanisms have been found altered or dysfunctional in MNDs, like the protein quality control (PQC) system. In this review, we will discuss how the PQC system is affected in two MNDs-spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-and how this affects the clearance of aberrantly folded proteins, which …

Obesity And Obstructive Airways Disease: Clinical Correlates And Therapeutic Considerations, John Magagna, Cali Loblundo, Raymond B. Penn, Deepak A. Deshpande, Ajay P. Nayak

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Obese patients are more likely to suffer from severe asthma symptoms and less likely to be able to control them. In obese patients, there is evidence that shows decreased efficacy of inhaled corticosteroids and beta-2 adrenergic agonists, the core treatment options for achieving and maintaining asthma control. This may be due to mechanical reasons like decreased ventilation and medication delivery, but there are many more pathologies of obesity that interact with pathways of both asthma pathology and asthma control. This review explores the epidemiological significance of obesity, many physiological changes in patients with obesity, the physiological interactions of asthma and …

Covid-19, Serendipity, And Strange Interlude: Gloria In Absurdicum With An Apology To Ovid, Lawrence Charles Parish, W Clark Lambert

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

The absurd edicts initially issued by several governors, including those of Michigan and New York, prohibiting physicians from ordering hydroxychloroquine for patients suspected of or diagnosed with COV-19 are reprehensible. Their reasoning is beyond the pale.

Hydroxychloroquine was first approved by the FDA in 1955 and has a remarkable safety record in its use as a preventative for malaria and in the treatment of several immunologic and/or light induced diseases. Its use came about serendipitously, and its mechanism of action is unclear, but the fact remains that it seems to work.

Mirna- And Cytokine-Associated Extracellular Vesicles Mediate Squamous Cell Carcinomas, Joseph P. Flemming, Brianna L. Hill, Mohammed W. Haque, Jessica Raad, Claudine S. Bonder, Larry A. Harshyne, Ulrich Rodeck, Adam J. Luginbuhl, James K. Wall, Iii, Kenneth Y. Tsai, Peter J Wermuth, Andrew M. Overmiller, Mỹ G. Mahoney

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Minimizing Blood Loss In Spine Surgery., Christopher Mikhail, Zach Pennington, Paul M Arnold, Darrel S Brodke, Jens R Chapman, Norman Chutkan, Michael D Daubs, John G Devine, Michael G Fehlings, Daniel E Gelb, George M Ghobrial, James S Harrop, Christian Hoelscher, Fan Jiang, John J Knightly, Brian K Kwon, Thomas E Mroz, Ahmad Nassr, K Daniel Riew, Lali H Sekhon, Justin S Smith, Vincent C Traynelis, Jeffrey C Wang, Michael H Weber, Jefferson R Wilson, Christopher D Witiw, Daniel M Sciubba, Samuel K Cho

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Study Design: Broad narrative review.

Objective: To review and summarize the current literature on guidelines, outcomes, techniques and indications surrounding multiple modalities of minimizing blood loss in spine surgery.

Methods: A thorough review of peer-reviewed literature was performed on the guidelines, outcomes, techniques, and indications for multiple modalities of minimizing blood loss in spine surgery.

Results: There is a large body of literature that provides a consensus on guidelines regarding the appropriate timing of discontinuation of anticoagulation, aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and herbal supplements prior to surgery. Additionally, there is a more heterogenous discussion the utility of preoperative autologous …

Quality Improvement And Spine Surgery., James Harrop

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

AO Spine North American (AOSNA) is honored to have the ability to present this focused issue on improving quality health care for spine patients. This issue is dedicated to improvements in quality for patient benefits.

Investigating The Effects Of Brainstem Neuronal Adaptation On Cardiovascular Homeostasis., James H Park, Jonathan Gorky, Babatunde Ogunnaike, Rajanikanth Vadigepalli, James S Schwaber

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Central coordination of cardiovascular function is accomplished, in part, by the baroreceptor reflex, a multi-input multi-output physiological control system that regulates the activity of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems via interactions among multiple brainstem nuclei. Recent single-cell analyses within the brain revealed that individual neurons within and across brain nuclei exhibit distinct transcriptional states contributing to neuronal function. Such transcriptional heterogeneity complicates the task of understanding how neurons within and across brain nuclei organize and function to process multiple inputs and coordinate cardiovascular functions within the larger context of the baroreceptor reflex. However, prior analysis of brainstem neurons revealed …

Recanalization Of The Chronically Occluded Internal Carotid Artery: Review Of The Literature., Mario Zanaty, Jorge A. Roa, Pascal Jabbour, Edgar A. Samaniego, David M. Hasan

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Introduction: We reviewed the literature on interventions for patients with medically refractory chronically occluded internal carotid artery (COICA) to assess the risks and/or benefits after recanalization via an endovascular technique (ET) or hybrid surgery (HS, i.e., ET plus carotid endarterectomy).

Methods: A systematic search of the electronic databases was performed. Patients with COICA were classified into 4 different categories according to Hasan et al classification.

Results: Eighteen studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. Only 6 studies involved an HS procedure. We identified 389 patients with COICA who underwent ET or HS; 91% were males. The overall perioperative complication rate was 10.1% …

Comparison Of Outcomes In Level I Vs Level Ii Trauma Centers In Patients Undergoing Craniotomy Or Craniectomy For Severe Traumatic Brain Injury., Nohra Chalouhi, Nikolaos Mouchtouris, Fadi Al Saiegh, Robert M Starke, Thana Theofanis, Somnath Das, Jack Jallo

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) carries a devastatingly high rate of morbidity and mortality.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether patients undergoing craniotomy/craniectomy for severe TBI fare better at level I than level II trauma centers in a mature trauma system.

METHODS: The data were extracted from the Pennsylvania Trauma Outcome Study database. Inclusion criteria were patients > 18 yr with severe TBI (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] score less than 9) undergoing craniotomy or craniectomy in the state of Pennsylvania from January 1, 2002 through September 30, 2017.

RESULTS: Of 3980 patients, 2568 (64.5%) were treated at level I trauma centers and 1412 …

Implementation Of A Spine-Centered Care Pathway At A Regional Academic Spine Center., George M Ghobrial, Jefferson Wilson, Daniel Franco, Kristen Vogl, Alexander R Vaccaro, James S Harrop

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Objective: To describe the early implementation of an inpatient spinal surgery unit and measure the impact on cost and length of stay (LOS).

Methods: A retrospective case review was performed for frequent spine-related diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) cared for by a dedicated multidisciplinary team: combined anterior/posterior (AP) spinal fusion with major complicating or comorbid condition (MCC), combined (AP) spinal fusion with CC, combined (AP) spinal fusion without complicating or comorbid (CC)/MCC, cervical spinal fusion with MCC, cervical spinal fusion with CC, and cervical spinal fusion without CC/MCC. Four time periods were compared: historical control, initial pathway …

Point-Of-Care Versus Central Testing Of Hemoglobin During Large Volume Blood Transfusion., Justin Herman, Brian Park, Bharat K. Awsare, Frances Mae West, Denine Crittendon, Lilah Evans, Mary Harach, Julie Karp, Alexis R. Peedin, Marianna Lanoue, Barbara Goldsmith, Eugene P. Warnick, Michael Baram

Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Point-of-care (POC) hemoglobin testing has the potential to revolutionize massive transfusion strategies. No prior studies have compared POC and central laboratory testing of hemoglobin in patients undergoing massive transfusions.

METHODS: We retrospectively compared the results of our point-of-care hemoglobin test (EPOC®) to our core laboratory complete blood count (CBC) hemoglobin test (Sysmex XE-5000™) in patients undergoing massive transfusion protocols (MTP) for hemorrhage. One hundred seventy paired samples from 90 patients for whom MTP was activated were collected at a single, tertiary care hospital between 10/2011 and 10/2017. Patients had both an EPOC® and CBC hemoglobin performed within 30 min …

Comparison Of Three Different Techniques Of Inverted Internal Limiting Membrane Flap In Treatment Of Large Idiopathic Full-Thickness Macular Hole., Fariba Ghassemi, Hassan Khojasteh, Alireza Khodabande, Lauren A. Dalvin, Mehdi Mazloumi, Hamid Riazi-Esfahani, Masoud Mirghorbani

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

Purpose: To evaluate and compare three different techniques of inverted internal limiting membrane (ILM) flap in the treatment of large idiopathic full-thickness macular hole.

Methods: In a comparative interventional case series, 72 eyes from 72 patients with large (> 400 µm) full-thickness macular hole were randomly enrolled into three different groups: group A - hemicircular ILM peel with temporally hinged inverted flap; group B - circular ILM peel with temporally hinged inverted flap; and group C - circular ILM peel with superior inverted flap. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), anatomical closure rate, and ellipsoid zone (EZ) or external limiting membrane (ELM) …

Patient Safety Escape Room: A Graduate Medical Education Simulation For Event Reporting., Gretchen Diemer, Rebecca Jaffe, Dimitrios Papanagnou, Xiao Chi Zhang, Jillian Zavodnick

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

Introduction: Although residents are on the front lines of patient care, they enter few formal patient safety reports on the adverse events and near misses they witness. Demonstrating the rationale and mechanics of reporting may improve this.

Methods: We designed and implemented an escape room patient safety simulation to incorporate active learning, gamification, and adult learning theory into intern patient safety onboarding. Interns from all sponsoring institution programs participated, identifying, mitigating, and reporting a range of patient safety hazards. Props and faculty time were the major resources required.

Results: One hundred twenty interns participated in this simulation in June 2018. …

Resistance To Ectromelia Virus Infection Requires Cgas In Bone Marrow-Derived Cells Which Can Be Bypassed With Cgamp Therapy., Eric B. Wong, Brian Montoya, Maria Ferez, Colby Stotesbury, Luis J. Sigal

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

Cells sensing infection produce Type I interferons (IFN-I) to stimulate Interferon Stimulated Genes (ISGs) that confer resistance to viruses. During lympho-hematogenous spread of the mouse pathogen ectromelia virus (ECTV), the adaptor STING and the transcription factor IRF7 are required for IFN-I and ISG induction and resistance to ECTV. However, it is unknown which cells sense ECTV and which pathogen recognition receptor (PRR) upstream of STING is required for IFN-I and ISG induction. We found that cyclic-GMP-AMP (cGAMP) synthase (cGAS), a DNA-sensing PRR, is required in bone marrow-derived (BMD) but not in other cells for IFN-I and ISG induction and for …

A Drive To Driven Model Of Mapping Intraspecific Interaction Networks., Libo Jiang, Jian Xu, Mengmeng Sang, Yan Zhang, Meixia Ye, Hanyuan Zhang, Biyin Wu, Youxiu Zhu, Peng Xu, Ruyu Tai, Zixia Zhao, Yanliang Jiang, Chuanju Dong, Lidan Sun, Christopher H. Griffin, Claudia Gragnoli, Rongling Wu

Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases Faculty Papers

Community ecology theory suggests that an individual's phenotype is determined by the phenotypes of its coexisting members to the extent at which this process can shape community evolution. Here, we develop a mapping theory to identify interaction quantitative trait loci (QTL) governing inter-individual dependence. We mathematically formulate the decision-making strategy of interacting individuals. We integrate these mathematical descriptors into a statistical procedure, enabling the joint characterization of how QTL drive the strengths of ecological interactions and how the genetic architecture of QTL is driven by ecological networks. In three fish full-sib mapping experiments, we identify a set of genome-wide QTL …

The Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Tubacin Mitigates Endothelial Dysfunction By Up-Regulating The Expression Of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase., Jihui Chen, Jian Zhang, Noor F. Shaik, Bing Yi, Xin Wei, Xiao-Feng Yang, Ulhas P. Naik, Ross Summer, Guijun Yan, Xinyun Xu, Jianxin Sun

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

Endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS) plays a critical role in the maintenance of blood vessel homeostasis. Recent findings suggest that cytoskeletal dynamics play an essential role in regulating eNOS expression and activation. Here, we sought to test whether modulation of cytoskeletal dynamics through pharmacological regulation of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6)-mediated tubulin deacetylation affects eNOS expression and endothelial function in vitro and in vivo.Wefound that tubulin acetylation inducer (tubacin), a compound that appears to selectively inhibit HDAC6 activity, dramatically increased eNOS expression in several different endothelial cell lines, as determined by both immunoblotting and NO production assays. Mechanistically, we found …

Gasdermins In Apoptosis: New Players In An Old Game., Corey Rogers, Emad S. Alnemri

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death (PCD) that plays critical physiological roles in removing superfluous or dangerous cell populations that are unneeded or threatening to the health of the host organism. Although the molecular pathways leading to activation of the apoptotic program have been extensively studied and characterized starting in the 1970s, new evidence suggests that members of the gasdermin superfamily are novel pore-forming proteins that augment apoptosis by permeabilizing the mitochondria and participate in the final stages of the apoptotic program by inducing secondary necrosis/pyroptosis. These findings may explain outstanding questions in the field such as why …