Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Detection Of Anti-Cmv Tcr Cdr3s Via Recombination Reads From Rnaseq Files Is Associated With Worse Outcomes For Low-Grade Glioma, Anna Laemmle, Kashvi Chirag Shah, Joyce Zhu, George Blanck

USF-LVHN SELECT

No abstract provided.

Safer Opioid Prescribing Practices In Pediatric Surgery:A Multi-Specialty Initiative To Implement Evidence-Based Pain Management Strategies, Grace Lee, Carly Miller, Rebecca Lipscomb, Amy L. Serfas Bsn, Rn, Marybeth Browne Md

USF-LVHN SELECT

No abstract provided.

Trajectories And Predictors Of Activity Participation Among People With Parkinson Disease: A 3-Year Longitudinal Study, Moon Young Kim, Yejin Lee, Carolyn M Baum, Lisa T Connor, Chih-Hung Chang, Linda Tickle-Degnen, Erin R Foster

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: To investigate how participation changes over time among individuals with Parkinsondisease (PD) and identify factors influencing these changes, focusing on impairment level and social factors.

DESIGN: Secondary analysis of a 3-year prospective cohort study of social self-management of PD. Data were collected during 4 in-person assessments conducted at baseline and then annually thereafter. Multilevel modeling was used to analyze data from the 4 time points.

SETTING: Department of Occupational Therapy Research Laboratory and Department of Neurology Movement Disorder Clinic.

PARTICIPANTS: A total of 86 individuals (N = 86) with idiopathic PD (Hoehn & Yahr stages I-IV; mean age ± …

Reimagining Nerve Injury Care Through Digital Twins: A Conceptual Framework, Ethan Blum, Christopher J Dy

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Recent Trends In The Utilization Of Molecular Breast Imaging In The United States, Ria Dave, Lin Gu, Heather V Garrett, Debbie Bennett, Dustin Stwalley, Sydney Singer, Sherwin Chiu, Michelle V Lee

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess trends in Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) utilization among privately insured women in the United States (U.S.) from 2017 to 2022.

METHODS: The utilization of MBI among women aged 25-64 years from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2022, was obtained using the Merative MarketScan Commercial Database. MBI utilization was captured from the outpatient services file using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) or Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes for MBI.

RESULTS: During the 6-year retrospective claims analysis, 3024 study-eligible women underwent 3648 MBI exams. The overall trend in MBI utilization was …

Emerging Options And Future Strategies In Immunotherapy For Advanced Lung Squamous-Cell Carcinoma, Y Wang, R Rosell, F R Hirsch, S Lu, R Govindan, K Park, S Peters, J J Zhang

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Advanced-stage lung squamous-cell carcinoma (LUSC) remains a therapeutic challenge. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized LUSC treatment, only a small subset of LUSC patients can achieve durable clinical benefits, underscoring the need for novel strategies. Emerging immunotherapy strategies have demonstrated early evidence of promise for LUSC patients, particularly multi-specific antibodies and fusion proteins, antibody-drug conjugates, adoptive cell therapies, and cancer vaccines. Additionally, advances in multi-omics and artificial intelligence offer potential for precise immunotherapy by deciphering the complex tumor-immune microenvironment and predicting therapeutic responses. The future of LUSC treatment lies in rational multi-target and biological therapies to boost immune cytotoxicity, …

Single-Cell Multi-Omic Techniques Highlight The Diverse Composition And Intercellular Interactions Of The Vestibular Schwannoma Tumor Microenvironment, Shree S Pari, Sangami Pugazenthi, Albert H Kim, Bhuvic Patel

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Vestibular schwannomas (VS) are tumors arising from Schwann cells of the vestibulocochlear nerve, often leading to hearing loss, gait imbalance, and other neurological complications. Recently, molecular profiling of VS using bulk and single-cell transcriptional and epigenetic approaches has reshaped our understanding of VS pathogenesis and challenged the long-standing view of VS being molecularly homogeneous. These integrative, multi-omic approaches reveal significant differences within VS and highlight diverse Schwann cell subpopulations and their interactions with the tumor microenvironment. Interestingly, these analyses also uncover 2 molecularly distinct groups of VS, one containing Schwann cells with an "Injury-like" phenotype that drives VS progression through …

Finding Significant Hits In Networks: A Network-Based Tool For Analyzing Gene-Level P-Values To Identify Significant Genes Missed By Standard Methods, Sandeep Acharya, Vaha Akbary Moghaddam, Wooseok J Jung, Yu S Kang, Shu Liao, Michael A Province, Michael R Brent

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Finding Significant Hits in Networks (FISHNET) uses prior biological knowledge, represented as gene interaction networks and gene function annotations, to identify genes that do not meet the genome-wide significance threshold but replicate, nonetheless. Its input is gene-level P-values from any source, including omicsWAS, aggregation of genome-wide association studies P-values, CRISPR screens, or differential expression analysis. It is based on the idea that genes whose P-values are low purely by chance are distributed randomly across networks and functions, so genes with suggestive P-values that cluster in densely connected subnetworks and share common functions are less likely to reflect chance and more …

Bacterial Immune Activation Via Supramolecular Assembly With Phage Triggers, Tong Zhang, Yifei Lyu, Christina R Beck, Naseer Iqbal, Renee Barbosa, Alireza Ghanbarpour, Michael T Laub

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Bacteria use diverse mechanisms to protect themselves against phages

Accuracy And Reliability Of Artery-Vein Differentiation In Small-Field Macular Oct Angiography, Haneen Alfauri, Tugce Ilayda Turer, Cyriac Manjaly, Aditya Santoki, Senyue Hao, Marin Woronets, Chao Zhou, Rithwick Rajagopal

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: Accurate artery-vein (AV) differentiation in small-field macular optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) remains challenging due to a lack of standardized guidelines. We propose and validate criteria for

APPROACH: Small field-of-view (FOV) OCTA scans were analyzed using established AV criteria for large-field (

RESULTS: A total of 465 vessels from 20 healthy eyes were evaluated across 3 pseudo-branching orders using the criteria for OCTA. Annotators achieved high accuracy (95.1%, 92.3%) and strong intra/inter-rater reliability (

CONCLUSIONS: Accurate and reproducible AV labeling is feasible in

Bach2 Regulates T Cell Lineage State To Enhance Car T Cell Function, Tien-Ching Chang, Amanda Heard, John Lattin, John M Warrington, Amanda Barrett, Jack H Landmann, Yangdon Tenzin, Vishaal Ganesh, Bryant Thompson, Sadia Afrin, Deepesh Kumar Gupta, Ju-Fang Chang, Julie Ritchey, Mehmet Emrah Selli, Yu-Sung Hsu, A J Federico, Avery Horn, Michael P Meers, John F Dipersio, Nathan Singh, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Nearly all chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) signal in the absence of antigen, referred to as 'tonic signaling'. Tonic signaling of CARs containing 41BB domains enhances T cell fitness and function, in contrast to the exhaustion driven by CD28-containing CARs. Here we show that 41BB induces BACH2, a transcriptional regulator that directs stem and memory programs. Overexpression of BACH2 successfully prevented exhaustion but locked CAR T cells in a quiescent state. We linked BACH2 to a degradation domain to tune BACH2, enabling us to prevent exhaustion while enabling potent effector function that broadly enhanced the long-term efficacy of CAR T cells …

Cdk4/6 Inhibition Mitigates Chemotherapy-Induced Expansion Of Tp53-Mutant Clonal Hematopoiesis, Irenaeus C C Chan, Giulia Petrone, J Scott Beeler, Duc Tran, Griffen Mustion, Catrina Fronick, Carlos Cruchaga, Kelly L Bolton, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Therapy-related myeloid neoplasm (tMN) is a fatal consequence of exposure to cytotoxic therapy administered in the treatment of cancer. Individuals with pre-existing TP53 clonal hematopoiesis (CH) are at high risk of tMN, with avoidance of therapy being the only strategy to reduce tMN risk. Here, in four randomized clinical trials, we show that the CDK4/6 inhibitor trilaciclib, given in conjunction with a variety of chemotherapeutic regimens and across diverse populations of patients with cancer, mitigates chemotherapy-related expansion of CH clones with mutations in DNA damage response genes, including TP53. This finding was also observed in a syngeneic mouse model of …

Mapping Charge Interactions In Intrinsically Disordered Proteins, Michael Phillips, Andrea Holla, Magdalena Wojtas, Aritra Chowdhury, Andrea Sottini, Sebastian L B König, Natalie Mutter, Nick Lamb, Jonathan Huihui, Monika Lopko, Andrea Soranno, Daniel Nettels, Andrzej Ożyhar, Benjamin Schuler, Kingshuk Ghosh

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are often rich in charged residues, and electrostatic interactions have a pronounced effect on their conformational distributions, interactions and functions. However, attaining quantitative understanding of electrostatics is challenging because of the sequence-specific arrangement of charges in the chain, the long-range nature of electrostatic interactions, charge screening, and the condensation of counterions-effects that all need to be taken into account self-consistently. Here, analytically tractable quantitative models are developed to predict ensemble average distances between any pair of residues in IDPs as a function of sequence and salt concentration, explicitly considering charge patterning. These models are tested systematically …

Durability Of Efficacy, Safety, And Quality Of Life 5 Years After Valoctocogene Roxaparvovec Gene Transfer For Severe Hemophilia A: Final Phase 3 Gener8-1 Trial Results, Andrew D Leavitt, Elaine Majerus, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Valoctocogene roxaparvovec, a gene therapy for severe hemophilia A, enables endogenous factor VIII (FVIII) expression and confers bleed control.

OBJECTIVES: To present the final 5-year efficacy and safety results from the phase 3 GENEr8-1 trial.

METHODS: Adult men (

RESULTS: Median follow-up was 261.1 weeks; 128 of 134 participants completed the study. For the 112 participants who enrolled from a previous noninterventional study (rollover population), mean ABR for treated bleeds declined by 83.3% (

CONCLUSION: Valoctocogene roxaparvovec provides durable hemostatic efficacy, FVIII activity, and improved health-related quality of life for ≥5 years, with no new safety signals.

Signal Peptidase Complex Mediates Rotavirus Vp7 Processing And Virion Assembly, Xuejiao Zhu, Enkai Li, Liliana Sanchez-Tacuba, Wandy Beatty, Bin Li, Siyuan Ding

2020-Current year OA Pubs

For viruses that replicate in the proximity of or bud at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) associated membranes, proper processing of their glycoproteins is critical for successful infection. Rotavirus outer capsid protein VP7 is an ER-resident protein. However, its N-terminal signal peptide is removed by an unknown proteolytic mechanism. In this study, we leveraged tandem affinity purification followed by high-resolution mass spectrometry to profile host proteins that interact with VP7. We identified members of the signal peptidase complex (SPC) family as important host factors that facilitate rotavirus infection. CRISPR knockout or siRNA knockdown of distinct SPC subunits resulted in significant decrease …

Himmelfarb Library Liaison Letter - March 2026, The George Washington University, Himmelfarb Health Science Library

Himmelfarb Library Liaison Letters

No abstract provided.

Synovial Fibroblast Responses To Different Types Of Injury Resulting In Cartilage Repair Or Osteoarthritis, Fraser L Collins, Alexander J Knights, Tristan Maerz, Anke J Roelofs, Cosimo De Bari

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) has advanced our understanding of the heterogeneity of synovial fibroblasts and their roles in tissue repair and osteoarthritis. Here, we compared the fibroblast responses to different types and duration of joint injury in mice.

DESIGN: Published scRNA-seq data of synovial fibroblasts from a model of joint surface injury (JSI, day 6) and two post-traumatic osteoarthritis models, destabilisation of the medial meniscus (DMM, day 7 and 2 months) and anterior cruciate ligament rupture (ACLR, day 7 and day 28), were integrated and analysed using clustering, DEG, gene-set enrichment, regulon, pseudotime trajectory and cell-cycle analyses.

RESULTS: The response …

Clinical Insights Into The Management Of Sleep Disturbances Within Cancer Care: A Qualitative Analysis, Sam Adams, Timothy D. Clay, Mitchell Turner, Christopher Kueh, Kelly Moes, Travis Cruickshank

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: The present study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of how oncology healthcare professionals’ (HCPs) manage sleep disturbances. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 oncology HCPs (medical oncologists, oncology nurse practitioners, clinical nurse consultants) working in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to understand oncology HCPs’ perspectives on treating sleep disturbances, explore challenges and barriers to their management, as well as opportunities for improvement. Results: Four main themes were developed: (1) sleep disturbances are underreported and underassessed, (2) poor sleep can be difficult to manage, (3) limited capacity to address sleep issues, and (4) opportunities …

Optimizing Agility Training In Team Sport Players—The Role Of Perception-Action Coupling: A Systematic Review With Multi-Level Meta-Analysis, Zhiwei Zhao, Yuhang Liu, Kai Xu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Agility, characterized by rapid whole-body movement in response to external stimuli, is a key performance determinant in team sports owing to its reliance on perception-action coupling. Despite its importance, existing evidence on training effects is disproportionately focused on change-of-direction ability, overlooking the perceptual-cognitive demands of true agility. This systematic review therefore sought to quantify the effects of agility-specific training, examine moderators and establish dose-response model in team-sport players, while accounting for perception-action coupling. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, systematic searches were conducted in Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed for peer-reviewed English-language studies. Risk of bias was appraised using a modified …

Reimagining Peer-Led Support In Doctoral Nursing And Midwifery Education: A Collaborative Autoethnographic Case Study, Gideon U. Johnson, Sachini Thennakoon, Mayumi Kumarage, Emy Toutountzis, Lisa Whitehead

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aim: To explore how peer-led initiatives can enhance connection, belonging and sustainability within higher degree by research (HDR) nursing and midwifery programmes. Background: HDR study can be an isolating experience, often characterised by fragmented support and limited opportunities for structured peer learning. While institutions provide formal mechanisms for supervision and progress, less attention has been given to student-led approaches that cultivate inclusive scholarly communities and sustained peer engagement. Design: Collaborative autoethnographic case study. Methods: HDR student representatives and academic staff at Edith Cowan University, Australia (2022–2024), reflected collaboratively on the design, implementation and impact of peer-led initiatives, including monthly hybrid …

Work Challenges And Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment: Level Of Education Accounts For Unmet Needs Beyond Cognitive Impairment Severity, Darren Haywood, Susan L. Rossell, Ashley Henneghan, Frank D. Baughman, Jennifer Haywood, Evan Dauer, Annika Hegde, Ahmed A. Moustafa, Nicolas H. Hart

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) can impact cancer survivors’ return to work and occupational functioning for many years following the completion of cancer treatment. Understanding the characteristics of CRCI-related occupational difficulties and unmet supportive care needs is critical for the development of effective interventions. Within occupational roles, a higher level of education is typically associated with greater cognitive load and different demands. The objective of this study was to examine whether the level of education accounted for CRCI-related (a) occupational difficulties and (b) occupational unmet supportive care needs, beyond the contributions of perceived cognitive functioning and employment level. Methods: A …

Assessing Liver And Iron Markers In Steady State Pediatric Scd Patients To Ascertain The Hepatic Consequences Of Hemotransfusion: A Case-Control Study In Ghana, John Agyemang Sah, Stephen Twumasi, Allwell Adofo Ayirebi, Benedict Sackey, Enoch Odame Anto, Richard Vikpebah Duneeh, Ebenezer Senu, Veronica Barnor, David Boakye, Daniel Nii Martey Antonio, Wina Ivy Ofori Boadu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background and Aims: Between 200,000 and 300,000 children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are born in Africa every year, with 75%–80% of these children living in sub-Saharan Africa. In newborns with SCD, significant iron accumulations may develop because of their increased risk of requiring multiple blood transfusions. This study aimed to assess the hepatic effects of hemotransfusion in pediatric SCD patients in steady state by measuring liver and iron markers. Methods: This case-control research enrolled 120 children with SCD and 60 children without SCD from the Asokwa Children's Hospital Sickle Cell Clinic and Child Welfare Clinic. Participants’ sociodemographic information, history …

Assessment Of Rotator Cuff External Rotation: Isometric Vs. Isotonic Testing Modes, Luca Maestroni, Filippo Beretta, Fabio Civera, Paolo Artina, Marco Cuniberti, Francesco Bettariga, Anthony Turner

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objectives: To assess intra-session reliability of isometric and isotonic shoulder external rotation (ER) strength tests and to compare their outcomes. Methods: Thirty-eight healthy subjects (19 females; 19 males; 25.7 ± 6.0 years; 175 ± 9 cm; 70.3 ± 11.4 kg) completed a shoulder ER strength assessment including Prone and Standing ER Isometric tests and Seated 5 repetition maximum (RM) ER tests. Normality was checked with the Shapiro–Wilk test. Reliability was assessed using the CV and ICC (3, k, 95% CI). Linear mixed models examined sex and dominance effects. Correlations and multiple regression tested associations between tests (p < 0.05). Results: All tests performed displayed “excellent” reliability scores (CV from 1.9 to 3.1% and ICC from 0.970 to 0.994). No significant effect of dominance was observed in any strength test. Males showed significantly higher values than females in both Prone (3.8% higher, p < 0.001) and Standing (2.7% higher, p = 0.003) isometric ER strength tests. Prone and Standing isometric tests were moderately correlated (r = 0.62, 95% CI [0.46, 0.74], p < 0.001). A regression model explained 52.4% of the variance in Seated 5 RM ER strength (R² = 0.524, …

Digital Pain Assessment: Patient And Family Perspectives, Rosemary Saunders, Kate Crookes, Kaoru Nosaka, Olivia Gallagher, Jeff Hughes, Caroline Bulsara, Max K. Bulsara, Seng Giap Marcus Ang, Beverley Ewens, Sue Haydon, Karla Seaman, Renée Graham, Debra Scaini, Karen Gullick, Michelle Gay, Christopher Etherton-Beer, Renée Graham

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background/Objectives: Pain is a common symptom for hospitalised older adults. Pain is not always adequately assessed, which can lead to inadequate pain management and adverse patient outcomes. Thus, new technology-driven pain assessment tools have been developed; however, little is known about patients’ and families’ experiences of nurses using them in acute care. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of older adult inpatients and their families’ regarding nurses’ use of the digital technology-driven pain assessment application PainChek^® Universal. Methods: A survey was undertaken as part of a stakeholder evaluation of a randomised control trial exploring the effectiveness of nurse-led …

Effect Of A 6-Week Structured Exercise Intervention On Tnf-Α During The Chronic Recovery Phase Of A Burn Injury Compared To Regular Daily Activities: A Pilot Randomised Cross-Over Trial, Tyler Jerome Osborne, Grant Rowe, Dale W. Edgar, Mark Fear, Fiona M. Wood, Timothy Fairchild, Brook Galna, Pippa Kenworthy, Brad Wall

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Burn injury induces a prolonged inflammatory response that may contribute to long-term metabolic dysfunction. Exercise is known to reduce inflammation in various clinical populations; however, its effect on chronic post-burn inflammation remains unclear. This crossover trial investigated the impact of a 6-week exercise intervention on tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in adults with non-severe burns sustained more than one year prior. Methods: Twenty-one participants were randomised to complete either a 6-week exercise program or a control period first, separated by a 4-week washout. The exercise program comprised three supervised sessions per week of combined resistance and cardiovascular training. Primary (TNF-α) …

Trends In Health-Based Drinking Water Violations For Coliform Bacteria In The United States, Amber Lyon-Colbert, Kshipra Sharma

Public Health Faculty Publications

This research seeks to determine whether health-based drinking water violations for total coliforms have increased since the Revised Total Coliform Bacteria Rule established in 2013 and fully implemented in 2016 by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Safe Drinking Water Act; as well as determine the geographic regions, states and territories in the United States with the highest number of health-based Total Coliform Rule and Revised Total Coliform Rule violations. We obtained data for drinking water violations involving total coliform bacteria from the Safe Drinking Water Information System for 2000-2019 and trend analysis was completed by state, region, water source, …

Examining Rural Population Characteristics And Access To Care In 2022: A Study Of Health Professional Shortage Areas (Hpsas) And Medically Underserved Areas (Muas), Craig Holden, Shena Popat, Rachel Van Vleet, Shalanda Henderson, Carina Hoyer, Alana Knudson

ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center Policy Briefs

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of All-Payer Inpatient Rural Hospital Bypass, Craig D. Holden, Shena Popat, Alana Knudson, Marilyn G. Klug

ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center Policy Briefs

No abstract provided.

Improving Vaccination In People With Ckd: Report From A National Kidney Foundation Working Group, Susan F. Massengill, Kenneth A. Andreoni, Keith A. Bellovich, Cheryl Courtlandt, Vimal K. Derebail, David L. Feldman, Gia J. Oh, John W. Sleasman, Kristina A. Bryant, Improving Vaccination In Ckd Working Group

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

People with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are particularly vulnerable to vaccine-preventable infections. Therefore, the National Kidney Foundation organized a multidisciplinary working group, including people with CKD and family care partners, to develop recommendations to improve vaccination rates, vaccination effectiveness, and health care for the CKD population. A modified Delphi process was used to achieve consensus on the recommendations. Recommendations on vaccination in CKD patients were organized into these categories: (1) patient preferences; (2) assessing the vaccination status of patients with CKD; (3) assessing vaccine response in patients with CKD; (4) vaccination of immunocompromised patients; (5) vaccination in posttransplant patients; (6) …

The Social And Biological Frontiers Of Polio: Comparing Global Eradication Strategies, Srisai A. Turangi

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This paper provides a comparative analysis of the divergent global strategies for poliomyelitis (polio) eradication, examining the historical and structural contexts of developed nations – the United States and United Kingdom – alongside the enduring challenges in endemic regions such as Nigeria and Pakistan. Biomedical innovations like the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) and Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) have helped bring the world to a state of almost complete global eradication, but progress is still uneven due to variations in funding, healthcare infrastructure, and the legacy of colonialism. Studies reveal how a framework where global health inequalities remained, allowed for resource-rich …