Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Altered Domain Functional Network Connectivity Strength And Randomness In Schizophrenia., Victor M Vergara, Eswar Damaraju, Jessica A Turner, Godfrey Pearlson, Aysenil Belger, Daniel H Mathalon, Steven G Potkin, Adrian Preda, Jatin G Vaidya, Theo G M Van Erp, Sarah C Mcewen, Vince D Calhoun

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Functional connectivity is one of the most widely used tools for investigating brain changes due to schizophrenia. Previous studies have identified abnormal functional connectivity in schizophrenia patients at the resting state brain network level. This study tests the existence of functional connectivity effects at whole brain and domain levels. Domain level refers to the integration of data from several brain networks grouped by their functional relationship. Data integration provides more consistent and accurate information compared to an individual brain network. This work considers two domain level measures: functional connectivity strength and randomness. The first measure is simply an average of …

Implantable Biomaterials To Provide Local Immunotherapy Following Surgical Resection., Michael J Gough, Jason R Baird, R Bryan Bell

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

The Current Understanding Of Microrna's Therapeutic, Diagnostic, And Prognostic Role In Chordomas: A Review Of The Literature., Paul J Choi, Rod J Oskouian, R Shane Tubbs

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Chordomas are primary low-grade bone tumors derived from the embryonic notochord that make up less than 5% of all osseous malignancies and commonly affect the spine at its vertebral body and at its two ends i.e., skull base and the sacrum. Although histologically defined to be low-grade, chordoma is locally destructive, metastatic, and has a serious recurrence rate, which all contribute to the dismal median survival rate of six years. Its locally destructive nature places the adjacent vital neurovascular structures at risk, making an en-bloc resection a challenge. This tumor is also known to show high resistance to currently available …

Spio Enhance The Cross-Presentation And Migration Of Dcs And Anionic Spio Influence The Nanoadjuvant Effects Related To Interleukin-1Β., Hui Liu, Heng Dong, Na Zhou, Shiling Dong, Lin Chen, Yanxiang Zhu, Hong-Ming Hu, Yongbin Mou

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIO) have been synthesized and explored for use as carriers of various nanoadjuvants via loading into dendritic cells (DCs). In our study, homogeneous and superparamagnetic nanoparticles are susceptible to internalization by DCs and SPIO-pulsed DCs showed excellent biocompatibility and capacity for ovalbumin (OVA) cross-presentation. Herein, we found that SPIO-loaded DCs can promote the maturation and migration of DCs in vitro. SPIO coated with 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTS) and meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), which present positive and negative charges, respectively, were prepared. We aimed to investigate whether the surface charge of SPIO can affect the antigen cross-presentation of the DCs. …

Monitoring Postoperative Opioid Use Following Simple Arthroscopic Meniscectomy: A Performance-Improvement Strategy For Prescribing Recommendations And Community Safety., Vance Gardner, David Gazzaniga, Michael Shepard, Robert Grumet, Benjamin Rubin, Michael Dempewolf, Camille Bray, Carlos Prietto

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Background: Orthopaedic surgeons are confronted with a difficult dilemma: managing acute pain postoperatively and balancing the risk of prescription opioid use. To our knowledge, a prospective performance-improvement project providing opioid-prescription recommendations based on the actual amounts of usual and customary medication consumed following simple knee meniscectomy has not been described.

Methods: One hundred and two patients undergoing arthroscopic knee meniscectomy prospectively recorded postoperative pain medications in a pain journal. Arthroscopic procedures were performed at 2 centers by 9 fellowship-trained senior surgeons. Various usual and customary prescribing protocols were observed, and the amount of medication consumed was recorded. Prescription and over-the-counter …

Tumor Cell-Released Autophagosomes (Traps) Promote Immunosuppression Through Induction Of M2-Like Macrophages With Increased Expression Of Pd-L1., Zhi-Fa Wen, Hongxiang Liu, Rong Gao, Meng Zhou, Jie Ma, Yue Zhang, Jinjin Zhao, Yongqiang Chen, Tianyu Zhang, Fang Huang, Ning Pan, Jinping Zhang, Bernard A Fox, Hong-Ming Hu, Li-Xin Wang

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) facilitate tumor progression via establishment of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). However, it is poorly understood how tumor cells could functionally modulate TAMs. Our previous work indicated that tumor cell-released autophagosomes (TRAPs), a type of LC3-II

METHODS: TRAPs isolated from multiple murine tumor cell lines and pleural effusions or ascites of cancer patients were incubated with bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) and monocytes, respectively. Cellular phenotypes were examined by flow cytometry, ELISA and quantitative PCR. TRAPs treated BMDMs were tested for the ability to suppress T-cell proliferation in vitro, and for promotion of tumor growth in vivo. …

Evidence For Minimal Cardiogenic Potential Of Stem Cell Antigen 1-Positive Cells In The Adult Mouse Heart., Lauren E Neidig, Florian Weinberger, Nathan J Palpant, John Mignone, Amy M Martinson, Daniel W Sorensen, Ingrid Bender, Natsumi Nemoto, Hans Reinecke, Lil Pabon, Jeffery D Molkentin, Charles E Murry, Jop H Van Berlo

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Rare But Recurrent Ros1 Fusions Resulting From Chromosome 6q22 Microdeletions Are Targetable Oncogenes In Glioma., Monika A Davare, Jacob J Henderson, Anupriya Agarwal, Jacob P Wagner, Sudarshan R Iyer, Nameeta Shah, Randy Woltjer, Romel Somwar, Stephen W Gilheeney, Ana Decarvalo, Tom Mikkelson, Erwin G Van Meir, Marc Ladanyi, Brian J Druker

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

PURPOSE: Gliomas, a genetically heterogeneous group of primary central nervous system tumors, continue to pose a significant clinical challenge. Discovery of chromosomal rearrangements involving kinase genes has enabled precision therapy, and improved outcomes in several malignancies.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Positing that similar benefit could be accomplished for patients with brain cancer, we evaluated The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) glioblastoma dataset. Functional validation of the oncogenic potential and inhibitory sensitivity of discovered ROS1 fusions was performed using three independent cell-based model systems, and an

RESULTS:

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight that CNS tumors should be specifically interrogated for these rare intrachromosomal 6q22 microdeletion …

Author Correction: Extracting Intercellular Signaling Network Of Cancer Tissues Using Ligand-Receptor Expression Patterns From Whole-Tumor And Single-Cell Transcriptomes., Joseph X Zhou, Roberto Taramelli, Edoardo Pedrini, Theo Knijnenburg, Sui Huang

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.

Standardized Outcome Measures For Pregnancy And Childbirth, An Ichom Proposal., Malini Anand Nijagal, Stephanie Wissig, Caleb Stowell, Elizabeth Olson, Isis Amer-Wahlin, Gouke Bonsel, Allyson Brooks, Matthew Coleman, Shamala Devi Karalasingam, James M N Duffy, Tracy Flanagan, Stefan Gebhardt, Meridith E Greene, Floris Groenendaal, J Ravichandran R Jeganathan, Tessa Kowaliw, Marije Lamain-De-Ruiter, Elliott Main, Michelle Owens, Rod Petersen, Irwin Reiss, Carol Sakala, Anna Maria Speciale, Rachel Thompson, Oluwakemi Okunade, Arie Franx

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND: Value-based health care aims to optimize the balance of patient outcomes and health care costs. To improve value in perinatal care using this strategy, standard outcomes must first be defined. The objective of this work was to define a minimum, internationally appropriate set of outcome measures for evaluating and improving perinatal care with a focus on outcomes that matter to women and their families.

METHODS: An interdisciplinary and international Working Group was assembled. Existing literature and current measurement initiatives were reviewed. Serial guided discussions and validation surveys provided consumer input. A series of nine teleconferences, incorporating a modified Delphi …

Sitc 2018 Workshop Report: Immuno-Oncology Biomarkers: State Of The Art., Lisa H Butterfield, Mary L Disis, Bernard A Fox, David R Kaufman, Samir N Khleif, Ena Wang

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Identification of biomarkers in cancer immunotherapy that predict therapeutic response and/or limit adverse events are a critical need in the field. To address recent progress and hurdles around cancer biomarker development and utilization, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) convened a workshop, "Immuno-Oncology Biomarkers: State of the Art," on May 16-17, 2018. Topics discussed included challenges in handling biospecimens, identification and validation of new biomarkers, data sharing, and collaborating across disciplines to advance biomarker development. Panel discussions followed session presentations to help foster participant conversation and discuss future projects and collaborations. The results of the Workshop include the development …

Bilateral Sternocleidomastoid Variant With Six Distinct Insertions Along The Superior Nuchal Line., Graham Dupont, Joe Iwanaga, Juan J Altafulla, Stefan Lachkar, Rod J Oskouian, R Shane Tubbs

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Anatomical variations of the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) have been observed to occupy multiple origins and insertion points and have supernumerary heads, sometimes varying in thickness. During routine dissection, a SCM was observed to have six distinct insertions that interface with the course of the superior nuchal line, ending at the midline, bilaterally. This variation was also seen to receive innervation from the accessory nerve as well as the great auricular nerve. To our knowledge, this variant of supernumerary insertions and nerve innervations has not yet been reported. These variants may pose as problematic during surgical approaches to the upper neck …

Sofosbuvir, Velpatasvir, And Voxilaprevir For Treatment Of Recurrent Hepatitis C Virus Infection After Liver Transplantation., Maria G Cardona-Gonzalez, Jason D Goldman, Lawrence Narayan, Diana M Brainard, Kris V Kowdley

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

There are limited data on direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment options for previously treated patients with recurrent genotype 3 (GT3) hepatitis C virus (HCV) after liver transplantation. Sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir (SOF/VEL/VOX) is currently approved for treatment of HCV in patients with prior treatment with DAAs. We report the first published experience using SOF/VEL/VOX after liver transplantation for a DAA-experienced patient with severe hepatitis due to early recurrent GT3 HCV. The patient was treated with SOF/VEL/VOX that was extended to a total duration of 16 weeks and was intensified with ribavirin (RBV) starting at week 8 due to persistent viremia during treatment. Sustained virologic …

The Ratio Of Observed To Expected: How Much Of It Is Unexpected?, Jens R Chapman, Karsten Wiechert, Jeffrey C Wang

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Cost-Utility Of Revisions For Cervical Deformity Correction Warrants Minimization Of Reoperations., Samantha R Horn, Peter G Passias, Aaron Hockley, Renaud Lafage, Virginie Lafage, Hamid Hassanzadeh, Jason A Horowitz, Cole A Bortz, Frank A Segreto, Avery E Brown, Justin S Smith, Daniel M Sciubba, Gregory M Mundis, Michael P Kelley, Alan H Daniels, Douglas C Burton, Robert A Hart, Frank J Schwab, Shay Bess, Christopher I Shaffrey, Richard A Hostin, Christopher P Ames

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Background: Cervical deformity (CD) surgery has become increasingly more common and complex, which has also led to reoperations for complications such as distal junctional kyphosis (DJK). Cost-utility analysis has yet to be used to analyze CD revision surgery in relation to the cost-utility of primary CD surgeries. The aim of this study was to determine the cost-utility of revision surgery for CD correction.

Methods: Retrospective review of a multicenter prospective CD database. CD was defined as at least one of the following: C2-C7 Cobb >10°, cervical lordosis (CL) >10°, cervical sagittal vertical axis (cSVA) >4 cm, chin-brow vertical angle (CBVA) …

The Sin Of Missing Data: Is All Forgiven By Way Of Imputation?, Joseph R Dettori, Daniel C Norvell, Jens R Chapman

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Wound Closure After Posterior Multi-Level Lumbar Spine Surgery: An Anatomical Cadaver Study And Technical Note., Emre Yilmaz, Tamir Tawfik, Thomas M O'Lynnger, Joe Iwanaga, Ronen Blecher, Amir Abdul-Jabbar, R Shane Tubbs, Cameron K Schmidt, Rod J Oskouian, Jens R Chapman

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Meticulous attention to wound closure in posterior lumbar spine surgery is an important principle in reducing surgical site infections. We detail standardized wound closure used for posterior lumbar spine surgery at a tertiary care referral center and illustrate this as a step-by-step cadaveric dissection. The lumbar spine of a cadaveric specimen (male, 73 years at death) was used for dissection. Standardizing wound closure in posterior lumbar spine surgery may help limit wound complications and infection. Some key points of our technique, as demonstrated on a cadaveric specimen, include separating fascial compartments, avoiding suture abscesses, and creating a tension-free wound.

Epigenetic Profiling For The Molecular Classification Of Metastatic Brain Tumors., Javier I Orozco, Theo A Knijnenburg, Ayla O Manughian-Peter, Matthew P Salomon, Garni Barkhoudarian, John R Jalas, James S Wilmott, Parvinder Hothi, Xiaowen Wang, Yuki Takasumi, Michael E Buckland, John F Thompson, Georgina V Long, Charles S Cobbs, Ilya Shmulevich, Daniel F Kelly, Richard A Scolyer, Dave S B Hoon, Diego M Marzese

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Optimal treatment of brain metastases is often hindered by limitations in diagnostic capabilities. To meet this challenge, here we profile DNA methylomes of the three most frequent types of brain metastases: melanoma, breast, and lung cancers (n = 96). Using supervised machine learning and integration of DNA methylomes from normal, primary, and metastatic tumor specimens (n = 1860), we unravel epigenetic signatures specific to each type of metastatic brain tumor and constructed a three-step DNA methylation-based classifier (BrainMETH) that categorizes brain metastases according to the tissue of origin and therapeutically relevant subtypes. BrainMETH predictions are supported by routine histopathologic evaluation. …

Brain Metastasis Dna Methylomes, A Novel Resource For The Identification Of Biological And Clinical Features., Matthew P Salomon, Javier I J Orozco, James S Wilmott, Parvinder Hothi, Ayla O Manughian-Peter, C Cobbs, Richard A Scolyer, Dave S B Hoon, Diego M Marzese

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Brain metastases (BM) are one the most lethal and poorly managed clinical complications in cancer patients. These secondary tumors represent the most common intracranial neoplasm in adults, most frequently originating from lung cancer, breast cancer, and cutaneous melanoma. In primary brain tumors, such as gliomas, recent advances in DNA methylation profiling have allowed for a comprehensive molecular classification. Such data provide prognostic information, in addition to helping predict patient response to specific systemic therapies. However, epigenetic alterations of metastatic brain tumors with specific biological and translational relevance still require much further exploration. Using the widely employed Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation 450K …

A Randomized Control Trial Of Anti-Inflammatory Regional Hypothermia On Urinary Continence During Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy., Linda M Huynh, Douglas Skarecky, James R Porter, Christian Wagner, Jorn Witt, Timothy Wilson, Clayton Lau, Thomas E Ahlering

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

The present study seeks to present a single-blind, randomized control trial of a hypothermic anti-inflammatory device, the endorectal cooling balloon (ECB), to assess whether regional hypothermia could improve 90-day and time to pad-free continence following robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Five high-volume surgeons at three institutions had patients randomized (1:1) to regional hypothermia with ECB versus control. Patients were blinded to device use, as it was inserted and removed intraoperatively. Knowledge of device use was restricted to the operating room personnel only; recovery room and ward nursing staff were not informed of device use and instructed to indicate such if a …

Basic Considerations For The Use Of Monoclonal Antibodies In Migraine., Morris Levin, Stephen D Silberstein, Robert Gilbert, Sylvia Lucas, Leanne Munsie, Alyssa Garrelts, Kate Kennedy, Nicole Everman, Eric Pearlman

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND: Migraine impacts more than 36 million people in the United States and 1 billion people worldwide. Despite the increasing availability of acute and preventive therapies, there is still tremendous unmet need. Potential treatments in development include monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Appropriate use of these “biologic” treatments will necessitate an understanding of the aspects that distinguish them from traditional medications.

AIM: Many drug classes are prescribed for migraine treatment, but all have limitations. Recently, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) activity has shown a significant promise as a target for preventive therapy. In this review, we provide an overview of the potential role …

Differences Between Stance And Foot Preference Evident In Osprey (Pandion Haliaetus) Fish Holding During Movement., Laura L Allen, Katie L Morrison, Wesley A E Scott, Steve Shinn, Alan M Haltiner, Michael J Doherty

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND: Skateboarders, snowboarders, and surfers all show stance preferences for which foot is forward while moving. We are unaware of other animals than humans with a stance preference, perhaps excepting Osprey, who fly their caught fish beneath them in a foot-forward stance. We hypothesize there should be no difference between left foot forward, right foot back (conventional) versus right foot forward left foot back (goofy) stances or for fish holding with unilateral left or right foot. Online, publicly available, convenience images of Osprey catching fish were accessed and assessed by five independent reviewers using different Internet search engines or online …

Predominance Of Triple Wild-Type And Igf2r Mutations In Mucosal Melanomas., Yuuki Iida, Matthew P Salomon, Keisuke Hata, Kevin Tran, Shuichi Ohe, Chester Griffiths, Sandy C Hsu, Nellie Nelson, Dave S B Hoon

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND: Primary mucosal melanoma (MM) is a rare subtype of melanoma that arises from melanocytes in the mucosa. MM has not been well profiled for mutations and its etiology is not well understood, rendering current treatment strategies unsuccessful. Hence, we investigated mutational landscape for MM to understand its etiology and to clarify mutations that are potentially relevant for MM treatment.

METHODS: Forty one MM and 48 cutaneous melanoma (CM) tissues were profiled for mutations using targeted deep next-generation sequencing (NGS) for 89 cancer-related genes. A total of 997 mutations within exons were analyzed for their mutational spectrum and prevalence of …

Economical Effect Of Lumen Apposing Metal Stents For Treating Benign Foregut Strictures., Alexander Hallac, Wichit Srikureja, Eashen Liu, Parag Dhumal, Ashish Thatte, Nishant Puri

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

AIM: To evaluate the clinical and economical efficacy of lumen apposing metal stent (LAMS) in the treatment of benign foregut strictures.

METHODS: A single center retrospective database of patients who underwent endoscopic treatment of benign foregut strictures between January 2014 and May 2017 was analyzed. A control group of non-stented patients who underwent three endoscopic dilations was compared to patients who underwent LAMS placement. Statistical tests performed included independent

RESULTS: Nine hundred and ninety-eight foregut endoscopic dilations were performed between January 2014 and May 2017. 15 patients underwent endoscopic LAMS placement for treatment of benign foregut stricture. Thirty-six patients with …

Enhanced Detection Of Neoantigen-Reactive T Cells Targeting Unique And Shared Oncogenes For Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy., Rami Yossef, Eric Tran, Drew C Deniger, Alena Gros, Anna Pasetto, Maria R Parkhurst, Jared J Gartner, Todd D Prickett, Gal Cafri, Paul F Robbins, Steven A Rosenberg

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) targeting neoantigens can mediate tumor regression in selected patients with metastatic epithelial cancer. However, effectively identifying and harnessing neoantigen-reactive T cells for patient treatment remains a challenge and it is unknown whether current methods to detect neoantigen-reactive T cells are missing potentially clinically relevant neoantigen reactivities. We thus investigated whether the detection of neoantigen-reactive TILs could be enhanced by enriching T cells that express PD-1 and/or T cell activation markers followed by microwell culturing to avoid overgrowth of nonreactive T cells. In 6 patients with metastatic epithelial cancer, this method led to …

Bringing The Nicu Rn To The Family, Gale Price, David Hicks, Terry Zeilinger

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

After reviewing the current literature on perinatal hospice and meeting with the established team at St. Joseph Hospital, St. Jude Medical Center decided to form a team and provide training to all of the Maternal Newborn division on how to care for these families

The Global Dilemma: Standardization Of Nonoperative Treatment., Karsten Wiechert, Jeffrey C Wang, Jens R Chapman

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Aligning Systems Science And Community-Based Participatory Research: A Case Example Of The Community Health Advocacy And Research Alliance (Chara)., Melinda M Davis, Paul Lindberg, Suzanne Cross, Susan Lowe, Rose Gunn, Kristen Dillon

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Partnered research may help bridge the gap between research and practice. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) supports collaboration between scientific researchers and community members that is designed to improve capacity, enhance trust, and address health disparities. Systems science aims to understand the complex ways human-ecological coupled systems interact and apply knowledge to management practices. Although CBPR and systems science display complementary principles, only a few articles describe synergies between these 2 approaches. In this article, we explore opportunities to utilize concepts from systems science to understand the development, evolution, and sustainability of 1 CBPR partnership: The Community Health Advocacy and Research …

Evaluating The Potential Benefit Of Reduced Planning Target Volume Margins For Low And Intermediate Risk Patients With Prostate Cancer Using Real-Time Electromagnetic Tracking., Avinash R Chaurasia, Kelly J Sun, Christopher Premo, Timothy Brand, Brent Tinnel, Stacie Barczak, John Halligan, Michael Brown, Dusten Macdonald

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Purpose: The aim of this study is to quantify and describe the feasibility, clinical outcomes, and patient-reported outcomes of reduced planning target volume (PTV) margins for prostate cancer treatment using real-time, continuous, intrafraction monitoring with implanted radiation frequency transponder beacons.

Methods and materials: For this prospective, nonrandomized trial, the Calypso localization system was used for intrafraction target localization in 31 patients with a PTV margin reduced to 2 mm in all directions. A total of 1333 fractions were analyzed with respect to movement of the prostate, pauses and interruptions, and dosimetric data. Pre- and posttreatment quality-of-life scores were tracked at …

A Real-World Comparison Of Relapse Rates, Healthcare Costs And Resource Use Among Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Newly Initiating Subcutaneous Interferon Beta-1a Versus Oral Disease-Modifying Drugs., James D Bowen, Chris M Kozma, Megan M Grosso, Amy L Phillips

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Background: Administrative-claims data enable comparative effectiveness assessment using large numbers of patients treated in real-world settings.

Objective: To evaluate real-world relapses, healthcare costs and resource use in patients with MS newly initiating subcutaneous interferon beta-1a (sc IFNβ-1a) v. oral disease-modifying drugs (DMDs: dimethyl fumarate, fingolimod, teriflunomide).

Methods: Patients from an administrative claims database (1 Jan 2012-31 Dec 2015) were selected if they: were 18-63 years old; had an MS diagnosis; had newly initiated sc IFNβ-1a, dimethyl fumarate, fingolimod, or teriflunomide (first claim = index); had no evidence of DMD 12-months pre-index; and had 12-month eligibility pre- and post-index. Relapse was …