Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Another One Bites The Joint: A Case Of Reactive Arthritis In An Otherwise Healthy Hispanic Male, Christine E. Loftis, Emilia C. Dulgheru

School of Medicine Publications

Reactive Arthritis is a spondyloarthritis following gastrointestinal or genitourinary infections, traditionally described as a triad of conjunctivitis, urethritis, and arthritis. It is important to identify patients with reactive arthritis as certain disease features portend a poorer prognosis. We present a case of reactive arthritis in a 36-year-old gentleman after a self-limited episode of gastroenteritis.

A 36-year-old man presented to the Rheumatology clinic for a 2-week history of multiple arthralgias. The patient reported that one week before the onset of arthritis he experienced a self-limited episode of gastroenteritis. Succeeding, the patient noticed pain and swelling to right wrist, left elbow, and …

Association Of Fatal And Nonfatal Cardiovascular Outcomes With 24-Hour Mean Arterial Pressure, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Wen-Yi Yang, Lutgarde Thijs, Kei Asayama, Tine W. Hansen, Fang-Fei Wei, Masahiro Kikuya, Takayoshi Ohkubo, Eamon Dolan, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications

Major adverse cardiovascular events are closely associated with 24-hour blood pressure (BP). We determined outcome-driven thresholds for 24-hour mean arterial pressure (MAP), a BP index estimated by oscillometric devices. We assessed the association of major adverse cardiovascular events with 24-hour MAP, systolic BP (SBP), and diastolic BP (DBP) in a population-based cohort (n=11 596). Statistics included multivariable Cox regression and the generalized R2 statistic to test model fit. Baseline office and 24-hour MAP averaged 97.4 and 90.4 mm Hg. Over 13.6 years (median), 2034 major adverse cardiovascular events occurred. Twenty-four-hour MAP levels of <90 >(normotension, n=6183), 90 to <92 >(elevated MAP, n=909), …

Stroke Etiologies In Patients With Covid-19: The Svin Covid-19 Multinational Registry, María E. Ramos-Araque, James E. Siegler, Marc Ribo, Manuel Requena, Cristina López, Mercedes De Lera, Juan F. Arenillas, Isabel Hernández Pérez, Beatriz Gómez-Vicente, Ameer E. Hassan

School of Medicine Publications

Background and purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with a small but clinically significant risk of stroke, the cause of which is frequently cryptogenic. In a large multinational cohort of consecutive COVID-19 patients with stroke, we evaluated clinical predictors of cryptogenic stroke, short-term functional outcomes and inhospital mortality among patients according to stroke etiology.

Methods: We explored clinical characteristics and short-term outcomes of consecutively evaluated patients 18 years of age or older with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from 31 hospitals in 4 countries (3/1/20–6/16/20).

Results:Of the 14.483 laboratory-confirmed patients with COVID-19, 156 (1.1%) were diagnosed …

Iat-Times: Intra-Arterial Thrombectomy Transfer Metric Study In Texas, Tzu-Ching Wu, Christy Ankrom, Michele Joseph, Alyssa Trevino, Liang Zhu, Steven Warach, Roberta R. Novakovic, Mark P. Goldberg, Lee A. Birnbaum, Ameer E. Hassan

School of Medicine Publications

Objective: We aim to report intra-arterial thrombectomy transfer metrics for ischemic stroke patients that were transferred to hub hospitals for possible intra-arterial thrombectomy in multiple geographic regions throughout the state of Texas and to identify potential barriers and delays in the intra-arterial thrombectomy transfer process.

Method: We prospectively collected data from 8 participating Texas comprehensive stroke/thrombectomy capable centers from 7 major regions in the State of Texas. We collected baseline clinical and imaging data related to the pre-transfer evaluation, transfer metrics, and post-transfer clinical and imaging data.

Results: A total of 103 acute ischemic stroke patients suspected/confirmed to have …

Chromosome Xq23 Is Associated With Lower Atherogenic Lipid Concentrations And Favorable Cardiometabolic Indices, Pradeep Natarajan, Akhil Pampana, Sarah E. Graham, Sanni Ruotsalainen, Paul S. De Vries, Jai G. Broome, Juan M. Peralta, John Blangero, Joanne E. Curran, James P. Pirruccello

School of Medicine Publications

Autosomal genetic analyses of blood lipids have yielded key insights for coronary heart disease (CHD). However, X chromosome genetic variation is understudied for blood lipids in large sample sizes. We now analyze genetic and blood lipid data in a high-coverage whole X chromosome sequencing study of 65,322 multi-ancestry participants and perform replication among 456,893 European participants. Common alleles on chromosome Xq23 are strongly associated with reduced total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides (min P = 8.5 × 10-72), with similar effects for males and females. Chromosome Xq23 lipid-lowering alleles are associated with reduced odds for CHD among 42,545 cases and …

Total Plasma Homocysteine And Depressive Symptoms In Older Hispanics, Fernando Castro, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Carlos A. Chavez, Gabriel A. De Erausquin, Joseph D. Terwilliger, Joseph H. Lee, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Very few studies have investigated the association between total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) and depressive symptoms in older Hispanics.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that high tHcy associates with depressive symptoms in older Hispanics.

Methods: A total of 1,418 participants .55 years old from the Maracaibo Aging Study (MAS) underwent standardized neurological, neuropsychiatric, and cardiovascular assessments. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory Depression Subscale (NPId) was used to assess the burden of depressive symptoms. The tHcy levels and other biochemical parameters in blood samples were measured. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were applied.

Results: Participants with depressive symptoms had higher levels of …

La Vacunación En El Contexto De La Pandemia De Covid-19 [Vaccination In The Context Of The Covid-19 Pandemic], Alvaro Diaz-Badillo, Guadalupe Nayely Garibay-Nieto, Ana L. Navas-Figueroa, Adriana L. Perales-Torres, María Concepción Morales-Gómez, Juan C. Lopez-Alvarenga

School of Medicine Publications

En esta revisión se describen el historial de vacunación, los diferentes tipos de vacunas y cómo la cobertura de vacunación se ha visto afectada por la pandemia actual de COVID-19. Se analiza la efectividad de las vacunas en condiciones metabólicas del huésped, especialmente cuando las personas han perdido su inmunocompetencia, como los pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica que están en tratamiento de diálisis. Las vacunas se producen con una variedad de métodos industriales, modificando los costos. El nuevo campo de la vacunómica incluye el conjunto de respuestas inmunitarias, los niveles satisfactorios de anticuerpos neutralizantes, la producción de metabolitos y la …

Safety And Efficacy Of Balloon-Mounted Stent In The Treatment Of Symptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease: A Multicenter Experience, Mahmoud H. Mohammaden, Raul G. Nogueira, Wondwossen G. Tekle, Santiago Ortega-Gutierrez, Mudassir Farooqui, Cynthia B. Zevallos, Ricardo Hanel, Gustavo M. Cortez, Amin Aghaebrahim, Ameer E. Hassan

School of Medicine Publications

Background Randomized clinical trials have failed to prove that the safety and efficacy of endovascular treatment for symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) is better than that of medical management. A recent study using a self-expandable stent showed acceptable lower rates of periprocedural complications.

Objective To study the safety and efficacy of a balloon-mounted stent (BMS) in the treatment of symptomatic ICAD.

Methods Prospectively maintained databases from 15 neuroendovascular centers between 2010 and 2020 were reviewed. Patients were included if they had severe symptomatic intracranial stenosis in the target artery, medical management had failed, and they underwent intracranial stenting with BMS …

Effect Of Pdgf-Bb On Human Retinal Pericytes, Matthew N. Parvus, Cristian Mercado, Francisco Elisarraras, Daniela Gonzalez, Andrew Tsin

School of Medicine Publications

Background – The majority of ocular conditions seen in patients with diabetic retinopathy are a result of damage to the retinal vasculature, which leads to microaneurysms, hemorrhage, and eventually neovascularization. The first step in the pathogenesis of these conditions is derived from the loss of Human Retinal Pericytes (HRPs), or cells which are essential to the preservation of the integrity of the retinal vasculature, and PDGF-BB is the primary promotor of growth and recruitment for HRPs.

Aim - Patients with NPDR produce lower levels of PDGF-BB than in normal conditions, which could contribute to the loss of pericytes early in …

Crispr Systems For Covid-19 Diagnosis, Hossein Rahimi, Marziyeh Salehiabar, Murat Barsbay, Mohammadreza Ghaffarlou, Taras Kavetskyy, Ali Sharafi, Soodabeh Davaran, Subhash C. Chauhan, Hossein Danafar, Murali M. Yallapu

School of Medicine Publications

The emergence of the new coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) was first seen in December 2019, which has spread rapidly and become a global pandemic. The number of cases of COVID-19 and its associated mortality have raised serious concerns worldwide. Early diagnosis of viral infection undoubtedly allows rapid intervention, disease management, and substantial control of the rapid spread of the disease. Currently, the standard approach for COVID-19 diagnosis globally is the RTqPCR test; however, the limited access to kits and associated reagents, the need for specialized lab equipment, and the need for highly skilled personnel has led to a detection slowdown. Recently, …

Neurodegeneration Difference Between The Non-Lesioned And Lesioned Hemisphere In Stroke Patient, N. Cortez, Elle Wynn, Kelsey Baker

School of Medicine Publications

Stroke is the 4th leading cause of death in Hispanics. It has generally been suggested that neurodegeneration is isolated to the lesioned hemisphere. However, recent evidence has suggested that the non-lesioned side of the brain may also undergo neurodegeneration. Here, we sought to evaluate the amount of neurodegeneration in the lesioned and non-lesioned hemisphere in chronic stroke patients and identify the impact of stroke size and location

Cellular And Molecular Mechanisms Of Neuronal Degeneration In Early Stage Diabetic Retinopathy, Sonal V. Jha, Laura Valdez, Andrew T C Tsin

School of Medicine Publications

DR is a common complication of diabetes in which every cell type in the retina is affected or damaged, resulting in irreversible vision loss. Although DR was classically considered a vascular disease, evidence now supports DR as a neurovascular disease, in which neuronal damage is present much earlier than vascular pathology or clinically observable abnormalities. The mechanisms by which neurons are damaged in early DR are linked to the effects of reactive oxygen species, apoptotic signaling by capase-dependent, caspase-independent, and Fas/FasL pathways and glial cell reactivity resulting in excitotoxicity, neurotrophin imbalance, and breakdown of neurovascular coupling. Although some features of …

The Key To Simplified Management Of An Undescended Parathyroid Adenoma [La Clave Para El Manejo Simplificado De Un Adenoma Paratiroideo No Descendido], Humberto Ruiz-Hernández, Joyce Meza-Venegas, Samuel K. Snyder

School of Medicine Publications

Undescended parathyroid adenoma is a rare cause of primary hyperparathyroidism that happens < 1% of cases. If not suspected, it can lead to a negative bilateral parathyroid exploration and extensive iatrogenic trauma. We propose that with proper imaging the correct diagnosis can be established to simplify surgical management. We describe two cases of patients who underwent a targeted neck exploration due to an undescended parathyroid adenoma diagnosed with an appropriate preoperative imaging protocol. With an appropriate imaging protocol for primary hyperparathyroidism and parathyroid hormone aspirates, an undescended parathyroid adenoma can be primarily diagnosed to guide a focused parathyroidectomy

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El adenoma paratiroideo no descendido ocasiona hiperparatiroidismo primario en <1% de los casos. Si no se sospecha, puede llevar a exploraciones negativas y trauma iatrogénico extenso. Proponemos que, con un protocolo imagenológico adecuado, se puede realizar un diagnóstico correcto, simplificando el abordaje quirúrgico. Describimos dos casos en que se realizó una exploración de cuello dirigida debido a un adenoma paratiroideo no descendido diagnosticado con un protocolo de imagen preoperatorio apropiado. Un protocolo de imagen apropiado para hiperparatiroidismo primario y aspirados de PTH pueden diagnosticar de manera inicial un adenoma paratiroideo no descendido para guiar una paratiroidectomía dirigida.

Systematic And Other Reviews: Criteria And Complexities, Robert T. Sataloff, Matthew L. Bush, Rakesh Chandra, Douglas Chepeha, Brian Rotenberg, Edward W. Fisher, David Goldenberg, Ehab Y. Hanna, Joseph E. Kerschner, John H. Krouse

School of Medicine Publications

Review articles can be extremely valuable. They synthesize information for readers, often provide clarity and valuable insights into a topic; and good review articles tend to be cited frequently. Review articles do not require Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval if the data reviewed are public (including private and government databases) and if the articles reviewed have received IRB approval previously. However, some institutions require IRB review and exemption for review articles. So, authors should be familiar with their institution's policy. In assessing and interpreting review articles, it is important to understand the article's methodology, scholarly purpose and credibility. Many readers, …

Involvement Of Tgfβ Signaling Pathway In Oxidative Stress And Diabetic Retinopathy, Reanna Rodriguez, Kristine L. Lowe, Megan Keniry, Andrew Tsin

School of Medicine Publications

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of blindness in the U.S. However, not much is known of underlying molecular mechanism and how oxidative stress contributes to its development. In the present study, we investigated the involvement of TGFβ signaling pathway on the effect of oxidative stress on VEGF secretion and viability of retinal cells. VEGF is the hallmark that exacerbates DR progression in prolonged diabetes. Some major concerns that have arisen are the underlying effects of antioxidants in elevating VEGF secretion in diabetes. In this study, we evaluated how hypoxia (or low oxygen) impacts viability and VEGF secretion using …

A Randomized, Controlled Study On The Safety And Efficacy Of Maraviroc And/Or Favipiravir Vs Currently Used Therapy In Severe Covid-19 Adults. “Comvivir” Trial., Adolfo Pérez-García, Alma Villalobos-Osnaya, Maria Luisa Hernández-Medel, Lucia Monserrat Perez-Navarro, Elba O. Medina-Hernandez, Diana Soa Cabrera-Orejuela, Ana Maria Espinoza-Garcia, Mireya Leon-Hernandez, Juan Carlos Lopez Alvarenga, Srinivas Mummidi

School of Medicine Publications

Multiple studies have established that hyperinflammatory response induced by SARS CoV-2 is a main cause of complications and death in infected subjects. Such dysfunctional immune response has been described as a dysregulated and exacerbated production of cytokines and chemokines that attracts and activates inflammatory cells, which start and sustain pulmonary and systemic damage, thus causing complications that lead to multi organ failure and death. Therefore, we suggest that blocking key inflammation receptors could help to reduce migration and activation of T cells, monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils, thus mitigating the cytokine dysregulation and averting severe complications and death. Importantly, the optimum treatment …

Octadecyl Chain-Bearing Pegylated Poly(Propyleneimine)-Based Dendrimersomes : Physicochemical Studies, Redox-Responsiveness, Dna Condensation, Cytotoxicity And Gene Delivery To Cancer Cells, Partha Laskar, Sukrut Somani, Margaret Mullin, Rothwelle J. Tate, Monika Warzecha, Deborah Bowering, Patricia Keating, Craig Irving, Hing Y. Leung, Christine Dufès

School of Medicine Publications

Stimuli-responsive nanocarriers have become increasingly important for nucleic acid and drug delivery in cancer therapy. Here, we report the synthesis, characterization and evaluation of disulphide-linked, octadecyl (C18 alkyl) chain-bearing PEGylated generation 3-diaminobutyric polypropylenimine dendrimer-based vesicles (or dendrimersomes) for gene delivery. The lipid-bearing PEGylated dendrimer was successfully synthesized through in situ two-step reaction. It was able to spontaneously self-assemble into stable, cationic, nanosized vesicles, with low critical aggregation concentration value, and also showed redox-responsiveness in presence of a glutathione concentration similar to that of the cytosolic reducing environment. In addition, it was able to condense more than 70% of DNA at …

Loss-Of-Function Genomic Variants Highlight Potential Therapeutic Targets For Cardiovascular Disease, Jonas B. Nielsen, Oren Rom, Ida Surakka, Sarah E. Graham, Wei Zhou, Tanmoy Roychowdhury, Lars G. Fritsche, John Blangero, Joanne E. Curran, Juan M. Peralta

School of Medicine Publications

Pharmaceutical drugs targeting dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease (CVD) may increase the risk of fatty liver disease and other metabolic disorders. To identify potential novel CVD drug targets without these adverse effects, we perform genome-wide analyses of participants in the HUNT Study in Norway (n = 69,479) to search for protein-altering variants with beneficial impact on quantitative blood traits related to cardiovascular disease, but without detrimental impact on liver function. We identify 76 (11 previously unreported) presumed causal protein-altering variants associated with one or more CVD- or liver-related blood traits. Nine of the variants are predicted to result in loss-of-function of …

Treating Ms After Surviving Pml: Discrete Strategies For Rescue, Remission, And Recovery Patient 1: From The National Multiple Sclerosis Society Case Conference Proceedings, Nidhiben Anadani, Megan Hyland, Roberto A. Cruz, Robert Lisak, Kathleen Costello, Eugene O. Major, Yasir Jassam, Ethan Meltzer, Thomas C. Varkey, Matthew S. Parsons

School of Medicine Publications

A 38-year-old woman with MS receiving natalizumab presented to the neurology clinic with the complaint of a new neurologic symptom.

Treating Ms After Surviving Pml: Discrete Strategies For Rescue, Remission, And Recovery Patient 2: From The National Multiple Sclerosis Society Case Conference Proceedings, Roberto A. Cruz, Nick Hogan, Jayne Sconzert, Megan Sconzert, Eugene O. Major, Robert P. Lisak, Esther Melamed, Thomas C. Varkey, Ethan Meltzer, Andrew Goodman

School of Medicine Publications

No abstract provided.

Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis In A Pediatric Male, Florentino Saenz Rios, Sandhya Devaraj, Giri Movva, Hari Movva, Quan D. Nguyen

School of Medicine Publications

Significant eosinophilia is a prominent feature in Churg-Strauss syndrome but has not been described in granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) in a pediatric patient. We present a biopsy case that confirmed granulomatosis with polyangiitis with significant eosinophilia > 30% on the initial presentation. Etiologies that could account for eosinophilia were excluded during workup. The patient's presentation of pulmonary alveolar hemorrhage, conjunctivitis arthritis, high-titer cytoplasmic antineutrophil, PR3-ANCA antibodies, and cytoplasmic antibodies (cANCA) was consistent with a clinical picture of atypical GPA in a pediatric patient. This case presents a rare opportunity not only due to GPA’s low incidence in the pediatric population but …

Role Of Nutraceuticals In Covid-19 Mediated Liver Dysfunction, Mohammed Sikander, Shabnam Malik, Anyssa Rodriguez, Murali M. Yallapu, Acharan S. Narula, Sanjaya K. Satapathy, Vijian Dhevan, Subhash C. Chauhan, Meena Jaggi

School of Medicine Publications

COVID-19 is known as one of the deadliest pandemics of the century. The rapid spread of this deadly virus at incredible speed has stunned the planet and poses a challenge to global scientific and medical communities. Patients with COVID-19 are at an increased risk of co-morbidities associated with liver dysfunction and injury. Moreover, hepatotoxicity induced by antiviral therapy is gaining importance and is an area of great concern. Currently, alternatives therapies are being sought to mitigate hepatic damage, and there has been growing interest in the research on bioactive phytochemical agents (nutraceuticals) due to their versatility in health benefits reported …

Current Available Computer-Aided Detection Catches Cancer But Requires A Human Operator, Florentino Saenz Rios, Giri Movva, Hari Movva, Quan D. Nguyen

School of Medicine Publications

Introduction: This study intends to show that the current widely used computer-aided detection (CAD) may be helpful, but it is not an adequate replacement for the human input required to interpret mammograms accurately. However, this is not to discredit CAD’s ability but to further encourage the adoption of artificial intelligence-based algorithms into the toolset of radiologists.

Methods: This study will use Hologic (Marlborough, MA, USA) and General Electric (Boston, MA, USA) CAD read images provided by patients found to be Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) 6 from 2019 to 2020. In addition, patient information will be pulled …

Protein Kinase D1 Regulates Metabolic Switch In Pancreatic Cancer Via Modulation Of Mtorc1, Sonam Kumari, Sheema Khan, Radhiki Sekhri, Hassan Mandil, Stephen Behrman, Murali M. Yallapu, Subhash C. Chauhan, Meena Jaggi

School of Medicine Publications

BACKGROUND: Protein kinase D1 (PKD1) is a serine–threonine kinase that regulates various functions within the cell. Herein, we report the significance of PKD1 expression in glucose metabolism resulting in pancreatic cancer (PanCa) progression and chemo-resistance.

METHODS: PKD1 expression in PanCa was investigated by using immunohistochemistry. Functional and metabolic assays were utilised to analyse the effect of PKD1 expression/knockdown on associated cellular/molecular changes.

RESULTS: PKD1 expression was detected in human pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia lesions (MCS=12.9; P < 0.0001) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma samples (MCS=15, P < 0.0001) as compared with faint or no expression in normal pancreatic tissues (MCS= 1.54; P < 0.0001). Our results determine that PKD1 enhances glucose metabolism in PanCa cells, by triggering enhanced tumorigenesis and chemo-resistance. We demonstrate that mTORC1 activation by PKD1 regulates metabolic alterations in PanCa cells. siRNA knockdown of Raptor or treatment with rapamycin inhibited PKD1-accelerated lactate production as well as glucose consumption in cells, which confirms the association of mTORC1 with PKD1-induced metabolic alterations.

CONCLUSION: This study suggests a novel role of PKD1 as a key modulator of the glucose metabolism in PanCa cells accelerating tumorigenesis …

Consenso Experto En Tiempos De Covid-19: Aplicaciones Del Método Delphi En Materia De Salud [Expert Consensus In Times Of Covid-19: Health Applications Of The Delphi Method], José D. Martínez-Ezquerro, Sonia Maria Ruiz-Cejudo, Alejandra Bustamante-Fuentes, Alvaro Diaz-Badillo, Esperanza M. García-Oropesa, Elena B. López-Sosa, Yoscelina E. Martínez-López, Óscar O. Moctezuma-Chávez, Edna J. Nava-González, Juan Carlos Lopez Alvarenga

School of Medicine Publications

La epidemia de COVID-19 ha modificado la cultura de la comunicación. La solución para los problemas de salud puede ser asertiva cuando es consensuada. El método Delphi es una herramienta de consenso que emplea rondas de listas de preguntas para recopilar información del conocimiento de un panel de expertos que analizan planteamientos y posibles soluciones a problemas. Se basa en la premisa de que, con la libertad del anonimato, la inteligencia combinada mejora el juicio individual y captura la opinión colectiva experta. El proceso del método es muy flexible, pues las rondas de preguntas pueden realizarse de manera presencial o …

Gambogic Acid Potentiates Gemcitabine Induced Anticancer Activity In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Elham Hatami, Prashanth K. B. Nagesh, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Murali M. Yallapu

School of Medicine Publications

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most frequent type of lung cancer accounting up to 80-85% of all lung cancer (LC) cases. Gemcitabine (Gem), a pyrimidine nucleoside antimetabolite, is widely used chemotherapy offering several months survival benefit in patients with NSCLC. The emergence of Gem resistance is a main clinical concern in cancer treatment and thus a continuous demand for development of new therapeutic strategies to improve its antitumor activity. Hence, we report an adjuvant therapeutic regimen based on natural compound, gambogic acid (GA) which has been shown to enhanced Gem induced inhibition of cancer cell growth, arrest cell …

Two-Year Neurocognitive Responses To First Occupational Lead Exposure, Yu-Ling Yu, Lutgarde Thijs, Nelly Saenen, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Dong-Mei Wei, Wen-Yi Yang, Cai-Guo Yu, Harry A. Roels, Tim S. Nawrot, Gladys E. Maestre, Jan A. Staessen, Zhen-Yu Zhang

School of Medicine Publications

Objectives Lead exposure causes neurocognitive dysfunction in children, but its association with neurocognition in adults at current occupational exposure levels is uncertain mainly due to the lack of longitudinal studies. In the Study for Promotion of Health in Recycling Lead (NCT02243904), we assessed the two-year responses of neurocognitive function among workers without previous known occupational exposure newly hired at lead recycling plants.

Methods Workers completed the digit-symbol test (DST) and Stroop test (ST) at baseline and annual follow-up visits. Blood lead (BL) was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (detection limit 0.5 μg/ dL). Statistical methods included multivariable-adjusted mixed …

Polygenic Risk For Anxiety Influences Anxiety Comorbidity And Suicidal Behavior In Bipolar Disorder, Fabiana L. Lopes, Kevin Zhu, Kirstin L. Purves, Christopher Song, Ney Alliey Rodriguez

School of Medicine Publications

Bipolar disorder is often comorbid with anxiety, which is itself associated with poorer clinical outcomes, including suicide. A better etiologic understanding of this comorbidity could inform diagnosis and treatment. The present study aims to test whether comorbid anxiety in bipolar disorder reflects shared genetic risk factors. We also sought to assess the contribution of genetic risk for anxiety to suicide attempts in bipolar disorder. Polygenic risk scores (PRS) were calculated from published genome-wide association studies of samples of controls and cases with anxiety (n = 83,566) or bipolar disorder (n = 51,710), then scored in independent target samples (total n …

Health And Social Correlates Of Dementia In Oldest-Old Mexican-Origin Populations, Silvia Mejia-Arango, Emma Aguila, Mariana López-Ortega, Luis Miguel Gutiérrez-Robledo, William A. Vega, Flavia C. Drumond Andrade, Sunshine Rote, Stephanie M. Grasso, Kyriakos S. Markides, Jacqueline L. Angel

School of Medicine Publications

Introduction: Substantial gaps in research remain across oldest-old ethnic populations while the burden of dementia increases exponentially with age among Mexican and Mexican American older adults.

Methods: Prevalence and correlates of dementia among individuals ≥82 years of age were examined using two population-based cohort studies: The Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS, n = 1078, 2012) and the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (HEPESE, n = 735, 2012-2013). The analytic MHAS and HEPESE samples had an average age of 86.4 and 88.0 years, 1.2 and 1.8 women to men, and 2.7 and 5.1 average years …

Discovery, Validation And Sequencing Of Urinary Peptides For Diagnosis Of Liver Fibrosis—A Multicentre Study, Ayman S. Bannaga, Jochen Metzger, Ioannis Kyrou, Torsten Voigtländer, Thorsten Book, Jesus Melgarejo, Agnieszka Latosinska, Martin Pejchinovski, Jan A. Staessen, Harald Mischak

School of Medicine Publications

Background

Liver fibrosis is a consequence of chronic inflammation and is associated with protein changes within the hepatocytes structure. In this study, we aimed to investigate if this is reflected by the urinary proteome and can be explored to diagnose liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease.

Methods

In a multicentre combined cross-sectional and prospective diagnostic test validation study, 129 patients with varying degrees of liver fibrosis and 223 controls without liver fibrosis were recruited. Additionally, 41 patients with no liver, but kidney fibrosis were included to evaluate interference with expressions of kidney fibrosis. Urinary low molecular weight …