Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Novel Drug Candidate S2/Iapinh Improves Survival In Models Of Pancreatic And Ovarian Cancer, Takaomi Hagi, Suwanna Vangveravong, Rony Takchi, Qingqing Gong, S Peter Goedegebuure, Herve Tiriac, Brian A Van Tine, Matthew A Powell, William G Hawkins, Dirk Spitzer

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Cancer selective apoptosis remains a therapeutic challenge and off-target toxicity has limited enthusiasm for this target clinically. Sigma-2 ligands (S2) have been shown to enhance the cancer selectivity of small molecule drug candidates by improving internalization. Here, we report the synthesis of a novel drug conjugate, which was created by linking a clinically underperforming SMAC mimetic (second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases; LCL161), an inhibitor (antagonist) of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPinh) with the sigma-2 ligand SW43, resulting in the new chemical entity S2/IAPinh. Drug potency was assessed via cell viability assays across several pancreatic and ovarian cancer cell lines in …

Defining Clinical Endpoints In Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy: A Grasp-Lgmd Study, Amy Doody, Lindsay Alfano, Jordi Diaz-Manera, Linda Lowes, Tahseen Mozaffar, Katherine D Mathews, Conrad C Weihl, Matthew Wicklund, Man Hung, Jeffrey Statland, Nicholas E Johnson, Grasp-Lgmd Consortium

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophies (LGMDs) are characterized by progressive weakness of the shoulder and hip girdle muscles as a result of over 30 different genetic mutations. This study is designed to develop clinical outcome assessments across the group of disorders.

METHODS/DESIGN: The primary goal of this study is to evaluate the utility of a set of outcome measures on a wide range of LGMD phenotypes and ability levels to determine if it would be possible to use similar outcomes between individuals with different phenotypes. We will perform a multi-center, 12-month study of 188 LGMD patients within the established …

Effects Of A Liquefied Petroleum Gas Stove Intervention On Stillbirth, Congenital Anomalies And Neonatal Mortality: A Multi-Country Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial, Ashley Younger, Ashley Toenjes, Lindsay J Underhill, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Household air pollution (HAP) from cooking with solid fuels used during pregnancy has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. The Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) trial was a randomized controlled trial that assessed the impact of a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stove and fuel intervention on health in Guatemala, India, Peru, and Rwanda. Here we investigated the effects of the LPG stove and fuel intervention on stillbirth, congenital anomalies and neonatal mortality and characterized exposure-response relationships between personal exposures to fine particulate matter (PM

Simulation-Based Analysis Of Trial Design In Regional Anesthesia, Melisa Pasli, Dmitry Tumin, Ryan Guffey

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: In regional anesthesia, the efficacy of novel blocks is typically evaluated using randomized controlled trials (RCTs), the findings of which are aggregated in systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Systematic review authors frequently point out the small sample size of RCTs as limiting conclusions from this literature. We sought to determine via statistical simulation if small sample size could be an expected property of RCTs focusing on novel blocks with typical effect sizes.

METHODS: We simulated the conduct of a series of RCTs comparing a novel block versus placebo on a single continuous outcome measure. Simulation analysis inputs were obtained from …

Aav Gene Therapy In Companion Dogs With Severe Hemophilia: Real-World Long-Term Data On Immunogenicity, Efficacy, And Quality Of Life, Bhavya S Doshi, Benjamin J Samelson-Jones, Timothy C Nichols, Elizabeth P Merricks, Joshua L Siner, Robert A French, Ben J Lee, Valder R Arruda, Mary Beth Callan

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The hemophilias are the most common severe inherited bleeding disorders and are caused by deficiency of clotting factor (F) VIII (hemophilia A) or FIX (hemophilia B). The resultant bleeding predisposition significantly increases morbidity and mortality. The ability to improve the bleeding phenotype with modest increases in clotting factor levels has enabled the development and regulatory approval of adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector gene therapies for people with hemophilia A and B. The canine hemophilia model has proven to be one of the best predictors of therapeutic response in humans. Here, we report long-term follow-up of 12 companion dogs with severe hemophilia …

Gestational Testosterone Excess Early To Mid-Pregnancy Disrupts Maternal Lipid Homeostasis And Activates Biosynthesis Of Phosphoinositides And Phosphatidylethanolamines In Sheep, Nadia Saadat, Brooke Pallas, Joseph Ciarelli, Arpita Kalla Vyas, Vasantha Padmanabhan

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Gestational hyperandrogenism is a risk factor for adverse maternal and offspring outcomes with effects likely mediated in part via disruptions in maternal lipid homeostasis. Using a translationally relevant sheep model of gestational testosterone (T) excess that manifests maternal hyperinsulinemia, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and adverse offspring cardiometabolic outcomes, we tested if gestational T excess disrupts maternal lipidome. Dimensionality reduction models following shotgun lipidomics of gestational day 127.1 ± 5.3 (term 147 days) plasma revealed clear differences between control and T-treated sheep. Lipid signatures of gestational T-treated sheep included higher phosphoinositides (PI 36:2, 39:4) and lower acylcarnitines (CAR 16:0, 18:0, 18:1), …

The Identification Of Small Molecule Inhibitors With Anthelmintic Activities That Target Conserved Proteins Among Ruminant Gastrointestinal Nematodes, Hyeim Jung, Dante Zarlenga, John C Martin, Peter Geldhof, Kymberlie Hallsworth-Pepin, Makedonka Mitreva

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections are a major concern for the ruminant industry worldwide and result in significant production losses. Naturally occurring polyparasitism and increasing drug resistance that potentiate disease outcomes are observed among the most prevalent GINs of veterinary importance. Within the five major taxonomic clades, clade Va represents a group of GINs that predominantly affect the abomasum or small intestine of ruminants. However, the development of effective broad-spectrum anthelmintics against ruminant clade Va GINs has been challenged by a lack of comprehensive druggable genome resources. Here, we first assembled draft genomes for three clade Va species (

Border-Associated Macrophages In The Central Nervous System, Rui Sun, Haowu Jiang

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Tissue-resident macrophages play an important role in the local maintenance of homeostasis and immune surveillance. In the central nervous system (CNS), brain macrophages are anatomically divided into parenchymal microglia and non-parenchymal border-associated macrophages (BAMs). Among these immune cell populations, microglia have been well-studied for their roles during development as well as in health and disease. BAMs, mostly located in the choroid plexus, meningeal and perivascular spaces, are now gaining increased attention due to advancements in multi-omics technologies and genetic methodologies. Research on BAMs over the past decade has focused on their ontogeny, immunophenotypes, involvement in various CNS diseases, and potential …

Calpain-2 Mediates Sars-Cov-2 Entry Via Regulating Ace2 Levels, Qiru Zeng, Avan Antia, Luis Alberto Casorla-Perez, Maritza Puray-Chavez, Sebla B Kutluay, Matthew A Ciorba, Siyuan Ding

2020-Current year OA Pubs

UNLABELLED: Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, much effort has been dedicated to identifying effective antivirals against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A number of calpain inhibitors show excellent antiviral activities against SARS-CoV-2 by targeting the viral main protease (M

IMPORTANCE: Many efforts in small-molecule screens have been made to counter SARS-CoV-2 infection by targeting the viral main protease, the major element that processes viral proteins after translation. Here, we discovered that calpain inhibitors further block SARS-CoV-2 infection in a main protease-independent manner. We identified the host cysteine protease calpain-2 as an important positive …

Genomic Surveillance Of Clostridioides Difficile Transmission And Virulence In A Healthcare Setting, Erin P Newcomer, Skye R S Fishbein, Kailun Zhang, Tiffany Hink, Kimberly A Reske, Candice Cass, Zainab H Iqbal, Emily L Struttmann, Carey-Ann D Burnham, Erik R Dubberke, Gautam Dantas

2020-Current year OA Pubs

UNLABELLED:

IMPORTANCE:

A Phase I Trial Of Pevonedistat In Combination With Ruxolitinib For The Treatment Of Myelofibrosis, Tim Kong, Nicole Gaudin, Karyn Gordon, Maggie J Cox, Amy W Zhou, Stephen T Oh

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) inhibitors such as ruxolitinib have become standard-of-care therapy for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs); however, activation of alternate oncogenic pathways including nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NFκB) has limited durable response as single-agent therapy. With the rationale of targeting both pathways, we conducted a phase I dose escalation trial of pevonedistat in combination with ruxolitinib for the treatment of patients with myelofibrosis (NCT03386214). The primary objective was to assess the safety and tolerability of combination therapy with additional objectives of treatment efficacy and alterations of biomarkers. There were no dose-limiting toxicities observed with most …

Inducing Vulnerability To Inha Inhibition Restores Isoniazid Susceptibility In Drug-Resistant Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Gregory A Harrison, Erin R Wang, Kevin Cho, Yassin Mreyoud, Souvik Sarkar, Fredrik Almqvist, Gary J Patti, Christina L Stallings

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Of the approximately 10 million cases of

Use Of Lcp-Tacrolimus (Lcpt) In Kidney Transplantation: A Delphi Consensus Survey Of Expert Clinicians, Alexander Wiseman, Tarek Alhamad, Rita R Alloway, Beatrice P Concepcion, Matthew Cooper, Richard Formica, Christina L Klein, Vineeta Kumar, Nicolae Leca, Fuad Shihab, David J Taber, Sarah Mulnick, Donald M Bushnell, Monica Hadi, Suphamai Bunnapradist

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND LCPT (Envarsus XR®) is a common once-daily, extended-release oral tacrolimus formulation used in kidney transplantation. However, there are minimal evidence-based recommendations regarding optimal dosing and treatment in the de novo and conversion settings. MATERIAL AND METHODS Using Delphi methodology, 12 kidney transplantation experts with LCPT experience reviewed available data to determine potential consensus topics. Key statements regarding LCPT use were generated and disseminated to the panel in an online Delphi survey. Statements were either accepted, revised, or rejected based on the level of consensus, perceived strength of evidence, and alignment with clinical practice. Consensus was defined a priori as …

Als-Related P97 R155h Mutation Disrupts Lysophagy In Ipsc-Derived Motor Neurons, Jacob A Klickstein, Michelle A Johnson, Pantelis Antonoudiou, Jamie Maguire, Joao A Paulo, Steve P Gygi, Chris Weihl, Malavika Raman

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Mutations in the AAA+ ATPase p97 cause multisystem proteinopathy 1, which includes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; however, the pathogenic mechanisms that contribute to motor neuron loss remain obscure. Here, we use two induced pluripotent stem cell models differentiated into spinal motor neurons to investigate how p97 mutations perturb the motor neuron proteome. Using quantitative proteomics, we find that motor neurons harboring the p97 R155H mutation have deficits in the selective autophagy of lysosomes (lysophagy). p97 R155H motor neurons are unable to clear damaged lysosomes and have reduced viability. Lysosomes in mutant motor neurons have increased pH compared with wild-type cells. The …

Durable Immunity To Ebv After Rituximab And Third-Party Lmp-Specific T Cells: A Children's Oncology Group Study, Birte Wistinghausen, Robert J Hayashi, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) in pediatric solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients is characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of Epstein-Barr virus-infected (EBV+) B cells due to decreased immune function. This study evaluated the feasibility, safety, clinical and immunobiological outcomes in pediatric SOT recipients with PTLD treated with rituximab and third-party latent membrane protein-specific T cells (LMP-TCs). Newly diagnosed (ND) patients without complete response to rituximab and all patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) disease received LMP-TCs. Suitable LMP-TC products were available for all eligible subjects. Thirteen of 15 patients who received LMP-TCs were treated within the prescribed 14-day time frame. LMP-TC therapy was generally …

Germline Knockout Of Nr2e3 Protects Photoreceptors In Three Distinct Mouse Models Of Retinal Degeneration, Alexander V Kolesnikov, Daniel P Murphy, Joseph C Corbo, Vladimir J Kefalov

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a common form of retinal dystrophy that can be caused by mutations in any one of dozens of rod photoreceptor genes. The genetic heterogeneity of RP represents a significant challenge for the development of effective therapies. Here, we present evidence for a potential gene-independent therapeutic strategy based on targeting

Comprehensive Proteomics Of Csf, Plasma, And Urine Identify Ddc And Other Biomarkers Of Early Parkinson's Disease., Jarod Rutledge, Dan Western, Priyanka Gorijala, Carlos Cruchaga, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Parkinson's disease (PD) starts at the molecular and cellular level long before motor symptoms appear, yet there are no early-stage molecular biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis prediction, or monitoring therapeutic response. This lack of biomarkers greatly impedes patient care and translational research-L-DOPA remains the standard of care more than 50 years after its introduction. Here, we performed a large-scale, multi-tissue, and multi-platform proteomics study to identify new biomarkers for early diagnosis and disease monitoring in PD. We analyzed 4877 cerebrospinal fluid, blood plasma, and urine samples from participants across seven cohorts using three orthogonal proteomics methods: Olink proximity extension assay, SomaScan …

Guiding Principles For Adolescent Web-Based Portal Access Policies: Interviews With Informatics Administrators, Bryan Sisk, Alison L Antes, Christine Bereitschaft, Madi Enloe, Fabienne Bourgeois, James Dubois

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Web-based patient portals are tools that could support adolescents in managing their health and developing autonomy. However, informatics administrators must navigate competing interests when developing portal access policies for adolescents and their parents.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the perspectives of informatics administrators on guiding principles for the development of web-based health care portal access policies in adolescent health care.

METHODS: We interviewed informatics administrators from US hospitals with ≥50 dedicated pediatric beds. We performed a thematic analysis of guiding principles for developing and implementing adolescent portal access policies.

RESULTS: We interviewed 65 informatics leaders who represented 63 pediatric …

Serum Soluble Alpha-Klotho Klotho And Cognitive Functioning In Older Adults Aged 60 And 79: An Analysis Of Cross-Sectional Data Of The National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey 2011 To 2014, Song Ge, Fanghong Dong, Chong Tian, Chih-Hsiang Yang, Minhui Liu, Jingkai Wei

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVES: Klotho, consisting of membrane klotho and soluble alpha-klotho, is found to be associated with better cognitive outcomes in small samples of the aged population. We aimed to examine the association of serum soluble alpha-klotho with cognitive functioning among older adults using a nationally representative sample of U.S. older adults.

METHOD: A total of 2,173 U.S. older adults aged 60-79 years in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2011 to 2014 were included in this cross-sectional analysis. Serum soluble alpha-klotho was measured in the laboratory and analyzed with an ELISA kit. Cognitive function was measured using the Consortium …

Dark Adaptometry And Optical Coherence Tomography-Angiography In Huntington Disease, Aaditya Shah, Spencer Fuller, Susan Criswell, Rajendra S. Apte

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Graduate Medical Education Well-Being Directors In The United States: Who Are They, And What Does The Role Entail?, Larissa R Thomas, Jonathan A Ripp, Jennifer G Duncan

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Institutional Graduate Medical Education (GME) Well-being Director (WBD) roles have recently emerged in the United States to support resident and fellow well-being. However, with a standard position description lacking, the current scope and responsibilities of such roles is unknown. This study describes the scope of work, salary support, and opportunities for role definition for those holding institutional leadership positions for GME well-being.

METHODS: In November 2021, 43 members of a national network of GME WBDs in the United States were invited to complete a cross-sectional survey that included questions about job responsibilities, percent effort, and dedicated budget, and a …

An Mhealth Intervention To Address Depression And Improve Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among Youths Living With Hiv In Uganda: Protocol For A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Proscovia Nabunya, Patricia Cavazos-Rehg, James Mugisha, Erin Kasson, Olive Imelda Namuyaba, Claire Najjuuko, Edward Nsubuga, Lindsey M Filiatreau, Abel Mwebembezi, Fred M Ssewamala

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: People living with HIV often struggle with mental health comorbidities that lower their antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. There is growing evidence that depression treatment may improve ART adherence and result in improved HIV outcomes. Given that mental health services are severely underequipped in low-resource settings, including in Uganda, new solutions to increase access to mental health care and close the treatment gap are urgently needed. This protocol paper presents the Suubi-Mhealth study, which proposed to develop a mobile health (mHealth) intervention for use among Ugandan youths (14-17 years) with comorbid HIV and depression, taking into account their unique contextual, …

Activator Protein Transcription Factors Coordinate Human Il-33 Expression From Noncanonical Promoters In Chronic Airway Disease, Heather E. Raphael, Ghandi F. Hassan, Omar A. Osorio, Lucy S. Cohen, Morgan D. Payne, Ella Katz-Kiriakos, Ishana Tata, Jamie Hicks, Derek E. Byers, Bo Zhang, Jen Alexander-Brett

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IL-33 is a cytokine central to type 2 immune pathology in chronic airway disease. This cytokine is abundantly expressed in the respiratory epithelium and increased in disease, but how expression is regulated is undefined. Here we show that increased IL33 expression occurs from multiple noncanonical promoters in human chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and it facilitates production of alternatively spliced isoforms in airway cells. We found that phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) can activate IL33 promoters through protein kinase C in primary airway cells and lines. Transcription factor (TF) binding arrays combined with RNA interference identified activator protein (AP) TFs as …

Successful Suture-Free Repair Of Left Ventricular Rupture Using The Evarrest Patch, Paighton C Miller, Linda J Schulte, Kunal Kotkar

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Left ventricular free wall rupture is a lethal complication of myocardial infarction. Although emergent surgical repair is the treatment of choice, the method of repair remains highly individualized. This report presents a case of spontaneous coronary artery dissection in a patient with Turner syndrome that led to left ventricular free wall rupture and was successfully repaired on cardiopulmonary bypass using a suture-free technique with the EVARREST Fibrin Sealant Patch.

How Does Weight Gain Since The Age Of 18 Years Affect Breast Cancer Risk In Later Life? A Meta-Analysis, Yunan Han, Ebunoluwa E Otegbeye, Carrie Stoll, Angela Hardi, Graham A Colditz, Adetunji T Toriola

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Early life factors are important risk factors for breast cancer. The association between weight gain after age 18 and breast cancer risk is inconsistent across previous epidemiologic studies. To evaluate this association, we conducted a meta-analysis according to PRISMA guidelines and the established inclusion criteria. We performed a comprehensive literature search using Medline (Ovid), Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov to identify relevant studies published before June 3, 2022. Two reviewers independently reviewed the articles for final inclusion. Seventeen out of 4,725 unique studies met the selection criteria. The quality of studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), and …

Radiological Outcomes Of Magnetically Controlled Growing Rods For The Treatment Of Children With Various Etiologies Of Early-Onset Scoliosis-A Multicenter Study, Pawel Grabala, Munish C Gupta, Daniel E Pereira, Michal Latalski, Anna Danielewicz, Pawel Glowka, Michal Grabala

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Social Determinants Of Health And Treatment Center Affiliation: Analysis From The Sickle Cell Disease Implementation Consortium Registry, Gustavo G Mendez, Oladipo Cole, Allison A King, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) suffer early mortality and high morbidity. Many are not affiliated with SCD centers, defined as no ambulatory visit with a SCD specialist in 2 years. Negative social determinants of health (SDOH) can impair access to care.

HYPOTHESIS: Negative SDOH are more likely to be experienced by unaffiliated adults than adults who regularly receive expert SCD care.

METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of the SCD Implementation Consortium (SCDIC) Registry, a convenience sample at 8 academic SCD centers in 2017-2019. A Distressed Communities Index (DCI) score was assigned to each registry member's zip code. Insurance status and …

The Importance Of Community Resources For Breastfeeding, Jennifer Locasale-Crouch, Margaret Kathleen Wallace, Timothy Heeren, Stephen Kerr, Yitong Yue, Genevieve Deeken, Khara Turnbull, Brianna Jaworski, Mayaris Cubides Mateus, Rachel Moon, Fern Robin Hauck, Ann Kellams, Eve Colson, Michael Jay Corwin

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Breastfeeding has long-lasting effects on children's cognition, behavioral, mental and physical health. Previous research shows parental characteristics (e.g., education, race/ethnicity, income level) are associated with breastfeeding initiation and duration. Further, research shows significant variation in access to community resources by race/ethnicity. It is unclear how community resources may impact breastfeeding practices and how this might intersect with maternal race/ethnicity.

METHODS: This study combined nationally-representative data from the Study of Attitudes and Factors Effecting Infant Care (SAFE), which surveyed US mothers immediately after the infant's birth and at two to six months of infant age, with the Child Opportunity Index …

Dynamic Contrast Optical Coherence Tomography (Dyc-Oct) For Label-Free Live Cell Imaging, Chao Ren, Senyue Hao, Fei Wang, Abigail Matt, Marcello Magri Amaral, Daniel Yang, Leyao Wang, Chao Zhou

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Dynamic contrast optical coherence tomography (DyC-OCT), an emerging imaging method, utilizes fluctuation patterns in OCT signals to enhance contrast, thereby enabling non-invasive label-free volumetric live cell imaging. In this mini review, we explain the core concepts behind DyC-OCT image formation and its system configurations, serving as practical guidance for future DyC-OCT users. Subsequently, we explore its applications in delivering high-quality, contrast-enhanced images of cellular morphology, as well as in monitoring changes in cellular activity/viability assay experiments.

Differences In The Link Between Social Trait Judgment And Socio-Emotional Experience In Neurotypical And Autistic Individuals, Shangcheng Zhao, Runnan Cao, Chujun Lin, Shuo Wang, Hongbo Yu

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Neurotypical (NT) individuals and individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) make different judgments of social traits from others' faces; they also exhibit different social emotional responses in social interactions. A common hypothesis is that the differences in face perception in ASD compared with NT is related to distinct social behaviors. To test this hypothesis, we combined a face trait judgment task with a novel interpersonal transgression task that induces measures social emotions and behaviors. ASD and neurotypical participants viewed a large set of naturalistic facial stimuli while judging them on a comprehensive set of social traits (e.g., warm, charismatic, critical). …