Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Two-Year Responses Of Office And Ambulatory Blood Pressure To First Occupational Lead Exposure, Yu-Ling Yu, Wen-Yi Yang, Lutgarde Thijs, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Cai-Guo Yu, Dong-Mei Wei, Fang-Fei Wei, Tim S. Nawrot, Zhen-Yu Zhang, Jan A. Staessen

School of Medicine Publications

Lead exposure causing hypertension is the mechanism commonly assumed to set off premature death and cardiovascular complications. However, at current exposure levels in the developed world, the link between hypertension and lead remains unproven. In the Study for Promotion of Health in Recycling Lead (URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02243904), we recorded the 2-year responses of office blood pressure (average of 5 consecutive readings) and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure to first occupational lead exposure in workers newly employed at lead recycling plants. Blood lead (BL) was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (detection limit 0.5 µg/dL). Hypertension was defined …

Smoking And Covid-19: Adding Fuel To The Flame, Vivek K. Kashyap, Anupam Dhasmana, Andrew Massey, Sudhir Kotnala, Nadeem Zafar, Meena Jaggi, Murali M. Yallapu, Subhash C. Chauhan

School of Medicine Publications

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, an infection caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), has led to more than 771,000 deaths worldwide. Tobacco smoking is a major known risk factor for severe illness and even death from many respiratory infections. The effects of smoking on COVID-19 are currently controversial. Here, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on the effects of smoking on the clinical manifestations, disease progression, inflammatory responses, immunopathogenesis, racial ethnic disparities, and incidence of COVID-19. This review also documents future directions of smoking related research in COVID-19. The current epidemiological finding suggests that …

Ultra-High-Field Imaging Reveals Increased Whole Brain Connectivity Underpins Cognitive Strategies That Attenuate Pain, Enrico Schulz, Anne Stankewitz, Anderson M. Winkler, Stephanie Irving, Viktor Witkovsky, Irene Tracey

School of Medicine Publications

We investigated how the attenuation of pain with cognitive interventions affects brain connectivity using neuroimaging and a whole brain novel analysis approach. While receiving tonic cold pain, 20 healthy participants performed three different pain attenuation strategies during simultaneous collection of functional imaging data at seven tesla. Participants were asked to rate their pain after each trial. We related the trial-by-trial variability of the attenuation performance to the trial-by-trial functional connectivity strength change of brain data. Across all conditions, we found that a higher performance of pain attenuation was predominantly associated with higher functional connectivity. Of note, we observed an association …

Dynamic Incorporation Of Multiple In Silico Functional Annotations Empowers Rare Variant Association Analysis Of Large Whole-Genome Sequencing Studies At Scale, Xihao Li, Zilin Li, Hufeng Zhou, Sheila M. Gaynor, Yaowu Liu, Han Chen, John Blangero, Joanne E. Curran, Michael Mahaney, Juan M. Peralta

School of Medicine Publications

Large-scale whole-genome sequencing studies have enabled the analysis of rare variants (RVs) associated with complex phenotypes. Commonly used RV association tests have limited scope to leverage variant functions. We propose STAAR (variant-set test for association using annotation information), a scalable and powerful RV association test method that effectively incorporates both variant categories and multiple complementary annotations using a dynamic weighting scheme. For the latter, we introduce 'annotation principal components', multidimensional summaries of in silico variant annotations. STAAR accounts for population structure and relatedness and is scalable for analyzing very large cohort and biobank whole-genome sequencing studies of continuous and dichotomous …

The Effects Of An Aerobic Training Intervention On Cognition, Grey Matter Volumes And White Matter Microstructure, Claire E. Sexton, Jill F. Betts, Andrea Dennis, Aiden Doherty, Paul Leeson, Cameron Holloway, Erica Dall'armellina, Anderson M. Winkler, Naiara Demnitz, Thomas Wassenaar

School of Medicine Publications

While there is strong evidence from observational studies that physical activity is associated with reduced risk of cognitive decline and dementia, the extent to which aerobic training interventions impact on cognitive health and brain structure remains subject to debate. In a pilot study of 46 healthy older adults (66.6 years ± 5.2 years, 63% female), we compared the effects of a twelve-week aerobic training programme to a waitlist control condition on cardiorespiratory fitness, cognition and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcomes. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed by VO max testing. Cognitive assessments spanned executive function, memory and processing speed. Structural MRI analysis …

Neuroendovascular Clinical Trials Disruptions Due To Covid-19. Potential Future Challenges And Opportunities, Ansaar T. Rai, Thabele M. Leslie-Mazwi, Kyle M. Fargen, Aditya S. Pandey, Guilherme Dabus, Ameer E. Hassan, Justin F. Fraser, Joshua A. Hirsch, Rishi Gupta, Ricardo Hanel

School of Medicine Publications

Objective: To assess the impact of COVID-19 on neurovascular research and deal with the challenges imposed by the pandemic.

Methods: A survey-based study focused on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and single-arm studies for acute ischemic stroke and cerebral aneurysms was developed by a group of senior neurointerventionalists and sent to sites identified through the clinical trials website (https:// clinicaltrials. gov/), study sponsors, and physician investigators.

Results: The survey was sent to 101 institutions, with 65 responding (64%). Stroke RCTs were being conducted at 40 (62%) sites, aneurysm RCTs at 22 (34%) sites, stroke single-arm studies at 37 (57%) sites, and …

Influence Of Processing Pipeline On Cortical Thickness Measurement, Shahrzad Kharabian Masouleh, Simon B. Eickhoff, Yashar Zeighami, Lindsay B. Lewis, Robert Dahnke, Christian Gaser, Francois Chouinard-Decorte, Claude Lepage, Lianne H. Scholtens, Felix Hoffstaedter, John Blangero

School of Medicine Publications

In recent years, replicability of neuroscientific findings, specifically those concerning correlates of morphological properties of gray matter (GM), have been subject of major scrutiny. Use of different processing pipelines and differences in their estimates of the macroscale GM may play an important role in this context. To address this issue, here, we investigated the cortical thickness estimates of three widely used pipelines. Based on analyses in two independent large-scale cohorts, we report high levels of within-pipeline reliability of the absolute cortical thickness-estimates and comparable spatial patterns of cortical thickness-estimates across all pipelines. Within each individual, absolute regional thickness differed between …

A New Era In Asthma Management: Assessment Of Asthma Control, Kevin R. Murphy, Joel Solis

School of Medicine Publications

Asthma is recognized as a chronic, heterogenous disease characterized by airway inflammation and a history of respiratory symptoms (eg, wheeze, shortness of breath, chest tightness, or cough) that vary over time and in intensity.1 Variations are often triggered by factors such as exercise, allergen or irritant exposure, change in weather, or viral respiratory tract infections. Asthma symptoms and airflow limitation may resolve spontaneously or in response to treatment. Symptoms may be absent for weeks or months, yet airway hyperresponsiveness related to chronic airway inflammation usually persists.

Pilomatrical Carcinoma In A 70-Year-Old Hispanic Female, Jeffery S. Harbold, Richard G. Wagner Jr

School of Medicine Publications

Pilomatrical carcinoma is a rare, locally aggressive malignancy of follicular matrix origin. It presents as a rapidly growing, flesh-colored, or blueish, exophytic nodule with tumor asymmetry and poor circumscription. Histological features of these tumors include dominant hyperchromatic basaloid cells with high mitotic rate and nuclear pleomorphism; along with anucleate matrical cells and central necrosis. Pilomatrical carcinomas demonstrate a high rate of recurrence and tendency to metastasize. The most described treatment is wide excision of the tumor with negative margins with or without adjuvant radiation therapy. We present the case of a 70-year-old female patient who presented to the office with …

Mir-205: A Potential Biomedicine For Cancer Therapy, Neeraj Chauhan, Anupam Dhasmana, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Murali M. Yallapu

School of Medicine Publications

microRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that regulate the expression of their target mRNAs post transcriptionally. miRNAs are known to regulate not just a gene but the whole gene network (signaling pathways). Accumulating evidence(s) suggests that miRNAs can work either as oncogenes or tumor suppressors, but some miRNAs have a dual nature since they can act as both. miRNA 205 (miR-205) is one such highly conserved miRNA that can act as both, oncomiRNA and tumor suppressor. However, most reports confirm its emerging role as a tumor suppressor in many cancers. This review focuses on the downregulated expression …

Part I. Sars-Cov-2 Triggered 'Panic' Attack In Severe Covid-19, Elliot M. Frohman, Nicole R. Villemarette-Pittman, Esther Melamed, Roberto A. Cruz, Reid Longmuir, Thomas C. Varkey, Lawrence Steinman, Scott S. Zamvil, Teresa C. Frohman

School of Medicine Publications

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has produced a world-wide collapse of social and economic infrastructure, as well as constrained our freedom of movement. This respiratory tract infection is nefarious in how it targets the most distal and highly vulnerable aspect of the human bronchopulmonary tree, specifically, the delicate yet irreplaceable alveoli that are responsible for the loading of oxygen upon red cell hemoglobin for use by all of the body's tissues.

In most symptomatic individuals, the disease is a mild immune-mediated syndrome, with limited damage to the lung tissues. About 20% of those affected experience a disease course characterized …

Part Ii. High-Dose Methotrexate With Leucovorin Rescue For Severe Covid-19: An Immune Stabilization Strategy For Sars-Cov-2 Induced 'Panic' Attack, Elliot M. Frohman, Nicole R. Villemarette-Pittman, Roberto A. Cruz, Reid Longmuir, Vernon Rowe, Elizabeth S. Rowe, Thomas C. Varkey, Lawrence Steinman, Scott S. Zamvil, Teresa C. Frohman

School of Medicine Publications

Here, in Part II of a duology on the characterization and potential treatment for COVID-19, we characterize the application of an innovative treatment regimen for the prevention of the transition from mild to severe COVID-19, as well as detail an intensive immunotherapy intervention hypothesis. We propose as a putative randomized controlled trial that high-dose methotrexate with leucovorin (HDMTX-LR) rescue can abolish 'PANIC', thereby 'left-shifting' severe COVID-19 patients to the group majority of those infected with SARS-CoV-2, who are designated as having mild, even asymptomatic, disease. HDMTX-LR is endowed with broadly pleiotropic properties and is a repurposed, generic, inexpensive, and widely …

The Professional And Personal Impact Of The Coronavirus Pandemic On Us Neurointerventional Practices: A Nationwide Survey, Kyle M. Fargen, Thabele M. Leslie-Mazwi, Richard P. Klucznik, Stacey Q. Wolfe, Patrick Brown, Sameer A. Ansari, Guilherme Dabus, Alejandro M. Spiotta, Maxim Mokin, Ameer E. Hassan

School of Medicine Publications

Background Little is currently known about the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on neurointerventional (NI) procedural volumes or its toll on physician wellness.

Methods A 37-question online survey was designed and distributed to physician members of three NI physician organizations.

Results A total of 151 individual survey responses were obtained. Reduced mechanical thrombectomy procedures compared with pre-pandemic were observed with 32% reporting a greater than 50% reduction in thrombectomy volumes. In concert with most (76%) reporting at least a 25% reduction in non-mechanical thrombectomy urgent NI procedures and a nearly unanimous (96%) cessation of non-urgent elective cases, 68% of …

Retinal And Renal Microvasculature In Relation To Central Hemodynamics In 11‐Year‐Old Children Born Preterm Or At Term, Fang-Fei Wei, Anke Raaijmakers, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Nicholas Cauwenberghs, Lutgarde Thijs, Zhen-Yu Zhang, Cai-Guo Yu, Elena Levtchenko, Harry A. J. Struijker‐Boudier, Wen‐Yi Yang

School of Medicine Publications

Background

Prematurity disrupts the perinatal maturation of the microvasculature and macrovasculature and confers high risk of vascular dysfunction later in life. No previous studies have investigated the crosstalk between the microvasculature and macrovasculature in childhood.

Methods and Results

In a case‐control study, we enrolled 55 children aged 11 years weighing < 1000 g at birth and 71 matched controls (October 2014–November 2015). We derived central blood pressure (BP) wave by applanation tonometry and calculated the forward/backward pulse waves by an automated pressure–based wave separation algorithm. We measured the renal resistive index by pulsed wave Doppler and the central retinal arteriolar equivalent by computer‐assisted program software. Compared with controls, patients had higher central systolic BP (101.5 versus 95.2 mm Hg, P< 0.001) and backward wave amplitude (15.5 versus 14.2 mm Hg, P=0.029), and smaller central retinal arteriolar equivalent (163.2 versus 175.4 µm, P< 0.001). In multivariable analyses, central retinal arteriolar equivalent was smaller with higher values (+1 SD) of central systolic BP (−2.94 µm; 95% CI, −5.18 to −0.70 µm [P=0.011]) and forward (−2.57 µm; CI, −4.81 to −0.32 µm [P=0.026]) and backward (−3.20 µm; CI, −5.47 to −0.94 µm [P=0.006]) wave amplitudes. Greater renal resistive index was associated with higher backward wave amplitude (0.92 mm Hg, P=0.036).

Conclusions

In childhood, prematurity compared with term birth is associated with higher central systolic BP and forward/backward wave amplitudes. Higher renal resistive index likely moves reflection points closer to the heart, thereby explaining the inverse association of central retinal arteriolar equivalent with central systolic BP and backward wave amplitude. These …

Multiple Testing Correction Over Contrasts For Brain Imaging, Bianca A. Alberton, Thomas E. Nichols, Humberto R. Gamba, Anderson M. Winkler

School of Medicine Publications

The multiple testing problem arises not only when there are many voxels or vertices in an image representation of the brain, but also when multiple contrasts of parameter estimates (that represent hypotheses) are tested in the same general linear model. We argue that a correction for this multiplicity must be performed to avoid excess of false positives. Various methods for correction have been proposed in the literature, but few have been applied to brain imaging. Here we discuss and compare different methods to make such correction in different scenarios, showing that one classical and well known method is invalid, and …

Qtc Cutoff, Gender, Race And Age On Reporting Of Prolonged Qtc, Supraja Thunuguntla, Michael Machiorlatti

School of Medicine Publications

Background
The aim of the study is to evaluate the association of QTc cutoff, gender, race, and age on reporting of QTc interval prolongation.

Methods
Retrospective study of 147 patients admitted to our hospital or ER visit from January 2016 to May 2020. Simple descriptive statistics and longitudinal linear mixed model was performed on the 213 total observations from 147 patients.

Results
The average age of the patients was 65 (±17.8, 18-98) years. Females were 32% (n=47) and Hispanics 78.4% of sample. QTc prolongation was reported in 65% (n=138) of the 213 EKG’s. Calculated 90th and 99th percentile for QTC …

Vulvar Intravascular Papillary Endothelial Hyperplasia Or Masson's Tumor: A Case Report, Vania Nwokolo, Ravindra Veeramachaneni, Saul D. Rivas

School of Medicine Publications

Masson's tumor, also known as intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (IPEH), is a rare and benign vascular disease in which there is a reactive hyperplasia of intravascular endothelial cells. This tumor is most commonly found in soft tissues in the head, neck and upper extremities. We report a rare case of IPEH on the vulva. A Hispanic woman in her mid-thirties presented with a painful and pruritic left vulvar mass. On physical examination, a pedunculated mass was visualized on the left labia majora. Under pathologic examination, it was concluded the lesion was IPEH and it was surgically excised. This is a …

Cardiovascular End Points And Mortality Are Not Closer Associated With Central Than Peripheral Pulsatile Blood Pressure Components, Qi-Fang Huang, Lucas S. Aparicio, Lutgarde Thijs, Fang-Fei Wei, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Yi-Bang Cheng, Chang-Sheng Sheng, Wen-Yi Yang, Natasza Gilis-Malinowska, José Boggia

School of Medicine Publications

Pulsatile blood pressure (BP) confers cardiovascular risk. Whether associations of cardiovascular end points are tighter for central systolic BP (cSBP) than peripheral systolic BP (pSBP) or central pulse pressure (cPP) than peripheral pulse pressure (pPP) is uncertain. Among 5608 participants (54.1% women; mean age, 54.2 years) enrolled in nine studies, median follow-up was 4.1 years. cSBP and cPP, estimated tonometrically from the radial waveform, averaged 123.7 and 42.5 mm Hg, and pSBP and pPP 134.1 and 53.9 mm Hg. The primary composite cardiovascular end point occurred in 255 participants (4.5%). Across fourths of the cPP distribution, rates increased exponentially (4.1, …

Development Of Thrombocytopenia Is Associated With Improved Survival In Patients Treated With Immunotherapy, Hussein A. Assi

School of Medicine Publications

Background:

Immune-related adverse events are associated with efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). We hypothesize that immune-mediated thrombocytopenia could be a biomarker for response to ICIs.

Materials & methods:

This retrospective study included 215 patients with metastatic malignancies treated with ICIs. Patients were stratified by nadir platelet count. Outcomes of interest were progression-free survival and overall survival.

Results:

On multivariate analysis, grade 1 thrombocytopenia was positively associated with overall survival compared with patients who did not develop thrombocytopenia (hazard ratio [HR]= 0.28 [95% CI: 0.13–0.60]; p = 0.001), while grade 2–4 thrombocytopenia was not (HR= 0.36 [95% CI: 0.13–1.04]; p …

Estimating The Heritability Of Experiencing Child Maltreatment In An Extended Family Design, Katharina Pittner, Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg, Lenneke R. A. Alink, Renate S. M. Buisman, Lisa J. M. Van Den Bergo, Laura H. C. G. C. Compier-De Block, Alexandra Voorthuis, Bernet M. Elzinga, Jolanda Lindenberg, Marieke S. Tollenaar, Marielle Linting, Vincent P. Diego, Marinus H. Van Ijzendoorn

School of Medicine Publications

Child-driven genetic factors can contribute to negative parenting and may increase the risk of being maltreated. Experiencing childhood maltreatment may be partly heritable, but results of twin studies are mixed. In the current study, we used a cross-sectional extended family design to estimate genetic and environmental effects on experiencing child maltreatment. The sample consisted of 395 individuals (225 women; M _age = 38.85 years, range_age = 7–88 years) from 63 families with two or three participating generations. Participants were oversampled for experienced maltreatment. Self-reported experienced child maltreatment was measured using a questionnaire assessing physical and emotional abuse, and physical …

Diagnostic Tests For Covid-19 Detection: A Hybrid Methodology. Pruebas De Diagnóstico Para Detectar La Covid-19: Una Metodología Híbrida., Alvaro Diaz-Badillo, María De Lourdes Muñoz, María Concepción Morales-Gómez, José D. Martínez-Ezquerro, Rosa María Quispe-Siccha, Juan Carlos Lopez Alvarenga

School of Medicine Publications

No abstract provided.

“Tomorrow Never Dies”: Recent Advances In Diagnosis, Treatment, And Prevention Modalities Against Coronavirus (Covid-19) Amid Controversies, Partha Laskar, Murali M. Yallapu, Subhash C. Chauhan

School of Medicine Publications

The outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (2019-nCoV or COVID-19) is responsible for severe health emergency throughout the world. The attack of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is found to be responsible for COVID-19. The World Health Organization has declared the ongoing global public health emergency as a pandemic. The whole world fights against this invincible enemy in various capacities to restore economy, lifestyle, and safe life. Enormous amount of scientific research work(s), administrative strategies, and economic measurements are in place to create a successful step against COVID-19. Furthermore, differences in opinion, facts, and implementation methods laid additional layers …

The Mexican Cognitive Aging Ancillary Study (Mex-Cog): Study Design And Methods, Silvia Mejia-Arango, Rene Nevarez, Alejandra Michaels-Obregon, Belem Trejo-Valdivia, Laura Rosario Mendoza-Alvarado, Ana Luisa Sosa-Ortiz, Adrian Martinez-Ruiz, Rebeca Wong

School of Medicine Publications

Objective: Describe the protocol sample and instruments of the Cognitive Aging Ancillary Study in Mexico (Mex-Cog). The study performs an in-depth cognitive assessment in a subsample of older adults of the ongoing Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS). The Mex-Cog is part of the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP) design to facilitate cross-national comparisons of the prevalence and trends of dementia in aging populations around the world, funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA).

Methods: The study protocol consists of a cognitive assessment instrument for the target subject and an informant questionnaire. All cognitive measures were selected and adapted …

Topological And System‑Level Protein Interaction Network (Pin) Analyses To Deduce Molecular Mechanism Of Curcumin, Anupam Dhasmana, Swati Uniyal, Anukriti -, Vivek Kumar Kashyap, Pallavi Somvanshi, Meenu Gupta, Uma Bhardwaj, Meena Jaggi, Murali M. Yallapu, Shafiul Haque, Subhash C. Chauhan

School of Medicine Publications

Curcumin is an important bioactive component of turmeric and also one of the important natural products, which has been investigated extensively. The precise mode of action of curcumin and its impact on system level protein networks are still not well studied. To identify the curcumin governed regulatory action on protein interaction network (PIN), an interectome was created based on 788 key proteins, extracted from PubMed literatures, and constructed by using STRING and Cytoscape programs. The PIN rewired by curcumin was a scale-free, extremely linked biological system. MCODE plug-in was used for sub-modulization analysis, wherein we identified 25 modules; ClueGo plug-in …

The Genetics Of The Mood Disorder Spectrum: Genome-Wide Association Analyses Of More Than 185,000 Cases And 439,000 Controls, Jonathan R. I. Coleman, Héléna A. Gaspar, Julien Bryois, Enda M. Byrne, Ney Alliey Rodriguez

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Mood disorders (including major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder) affect 10% to 20% of the population. They range from brief, mild episodes to severe, incapacitating conditions that markedly impact lives. Multiple approaches have shown considerable sharing of risk factors across mood disorders despite their diagnostic distinction.

Methods: To clarify the shared molecular genetic basis of major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder and to highlight disorder-specific associations, we meta-analyzed data from the latest Psychiatric Genomics Consortium genome-wide association studies of major depression (including data from 23andMe) and bipolar disorder, and an additional major depressive disorder cohort from UK Biobank (total: …

An Unusual Case Of Campylobacter Jejuni Gastroenteritis Presenting With Acute Reversible Encephalopathy In An Immunocompetent Host, Irma Huayanay, Leonardo Pozo, Salman Bangash, Denisse Ramirez, Luis Rosas, Renzo Arauco Brown

School of Medicine Publications

Campylobacter jejuni gastroenteritis is the most frequent organism associated with acute infectious diarrhea worldwide. (e clinical presentation involves fever, diarrhea, rigors, and myalgias. Other extraintestinal symptoms that have been described involve delirium and other neurological complications, and the most well-known is Guillain-Barr´e, where there is cross-reactivity between the gastrointestinal tract and the brain. Despite previously described multiple neurological complications, there is a lack of clinical data on the association of Campylobacter-related gastroenteritis with acute encephalopathy in immunocompetent patients. (e type of population, immunocompetent stage, and unfamiliarity with the clinical presentation makes this a challenging diagnosis for clinicians. We report a …

Nighttime Blood Pressure Interacts With Apoe Genotype To Increase The Risk Of Incident Dementia Of The Alzheimer’S Type In Hispanics, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Daniel C. Aguirre-Acevedo, Ciro Gaona, Carlos A. Chavez, Gustavo E. Calmon, Egle R. Silva, Gabriel A. De Erausquin, Mario Gil, Luis J. Mena, Joseph D. Terwilliger, Humberto Arboleda, Nikolaos Scarmeas, Joseph H. Lee, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Dementia of the Alzheimer’s type (DAT) impacts Hispanics disproportionately, with almost a twofold elevated risk of developing DAT, as well as earlier onset of the disease, than in non-Hispanic Whites. However, the role of main risk factors for DAT, such as APOE ɛ4 and blood pressure (BP) levels, remains uncertain among Hispanics.

Objective: To investigate the association of APOE ɛ4 and BP levels, measures with 24 h ambulatory BP monitoring, with incidence of DAT in an elderly cohort of Hispanics.

Methods:1,320 participants from the Maracaibo Aging Study, free of dementia at the baseline, and with ambulatory BP …

Disparity In Outcomes Of Melanoma Adjuvant Immunotherapy By Demographic Profile, Alexandra Ikeguchi, Michael Machiorlatti, Sara K. Vesely

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Randomized comparisons have demonstrated survival benefit of adjuvant immunotherapy in node-positivemelanoma patients but have limited power to determine if this benefit persists across various demographic factors.

Materials & methods: We assessed the impact of demographic factors on the survival benefit of adjuvant immunotherapy in a database of 38,189 node-positive melanoma patients using the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models.

Results: All assessed demographic factors other than race significantly impacted survival of node-positive melanoma patients in univariate analysis. In multivariable analysis, only the age group interacted with immunotherapy.

Conclusion: Analysis of this large database of unselected node-positive melanoma patients …

Emerging Agents For The Treatment Of Chagas Disease: What Is In The Preclinical And Clinical Development Pipeline?, Nieves Martínez-Peinado, Nuria Cortes-Serra, Irene Losada-Galvan, Julio A. Urbina, Ana Rodríguez, John L. Vandeberg, Maria-Jesus Pinazo, Joaquim Gascon, Julio Alonso-Padilla

School of Medicine Publications

Introduction: Chagas disease treatment relies on the lengthy administration of benznidazole and/or nifurtimox, which have frequent toxicity associated. The disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is mostly diagnosed at its chronic phase when life-threatening symptomatology manifest in approximately 30% of those infected. Considering that both available drugs have variable efficacy by then, and there are over 6 million people infected, there is a pressing need to find safer, more efficacious drugs.

Areas covered: We provide an updated view of the path to achieve the aforementioned goal. From state-of-the-art in vitro and in vivo assays based on genetically engineered …

Giant Cell Tumor Of The Talus: A Case Report, Dana Galvan, Carola Mullins, Ellen Dudrey, Lisa Kafchinski, Shaked Laks

School of Medicine Publications

Giant cell tumor is a benign primary bone neoplasm which most often occurs in a periarticular location. Involvement of the bones of the foot and ankle is rare, and there have been a limited number of previous case reports involving the talus. Here we report a case of giant cell tumor of the talus, which was initially radiographically occult in a 43-year-old female, with emphasis on MRI imaging characteristics. The patient underwent surgical excision and curettage. Histological examination revealed the presence of spindle cells admixed with giant cells, confirming GCT. We further provide an overview of the radiological findings of …