Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Biomarkers And Bacterial Pneumonia Risk In Patients With Treated Hiv Infection: A Case-Control Study, Sonja M. Bjerk, Jason V. Baker, Sean Emery, Jacqueline Neuhaus, Brian Angus, Fred M. Gordin, Sarah L. Pett, Christoph Stephan, Ken M. Kunisaki

Medicine Faculty Publications

Background

Despite advances in HIV treatment, bacterial pneumonia continues to cause considerable morbidity and mortality in patients with HIV infection. Studies of biomarker associations with bacterial pneumonia risk in treated HIV-infected patients do not currently exist.

Methods

We performed a nested, matched, case-control study among participants randomized to continuous combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in the Strategies for Management of Antiretroviral Therapy trial. Patients who developed bacterial pneumonia (cases) and patients without bacterial pneumonia (controls) were matched 1:1 on clinical center, smoking status, age, and baseline cART use. Baseline levels of Club Cell Secretory Protein 16 (CC16), Surfactant Protein D (SP-D), …

Deficiency In P38Β Mapk Fails To Inhibit Cytokine Production Or Protect Neurons Against Inflammatory Insult In In Vitro And In Vivo Mouse Models, Bin Xing, Adam D. Bachstetter, Linda J. Van Eldik

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

The p38 MAPK pathway plays a key role in regulating the production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNFα and IL-1β, in peripheral inflammatory disorders. There are four major isoforms of p38 MAPK (p38α, β, δ, γ), with p38α and p38β the targets of most p38 MAPK inhibitor drugs. Our previous studies demonstrated that the p38α MAPK isoform is an important contributor to stressor-induced proinflammatory cytokine up-regulation and neurotoxicity in the brain. However, the potential role of the p38β MAPK isoform in CNS proinflammatory cytokine overproduction and neurotoxicity is poorly understood. In the current studies, we used primary microglia from wild …

Public Health Delivery Systems And Population Health: What We Know And Need To Learn, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Despite high overall health expenditures, the U.S. continues to fall behind other high-income countries on many measures of population health. While health care delivery systems are now studied intensively for solutions to U.S. cost and quality problems, the nation's delivery systems for public health programs and policies are only now becoming the subject of rigorous empirical study. This presentation examines recent studies of public health delivery systems and important directions for future inquiry.

Ovaries, Testicles, And Uteruses, Oh My! Regulating Reproductive Tissue Transplants, Valarie K. Blake

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

This article will explore key regulatory and ethical challenges presented by reproductive tissue transplants (RTTs) as they are currently developing, recognizing that additional issues may reveal themselves as the technologies progress. Part I of this article will begin with a discussion of the current status of the technology, including the results and status of animal and human experiments for all three types of transplants. Part II will explore the demand for RTTs—who might consider such a transplant and why RTTS might be considered by some patients as more favorable than other reproductive options. Part III will explore the different regulatory …

College Of Public Health News, Georgia Southern University

College of Public Health: News & Publications

• JPHCOPH Studies Childhood Obesity

Data Mining The Functional Characterizations Of Proteins To Predict Their Cancer-Relatedness, Peter Revesz, Christopher Assi

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

This paper considers two types of protein data. First, data about protein function described in a number of ways, such as, GO terms and PFAM families. Second, data about whether individual proteins are experimentally associated with cancer by an anomalous elevation or lowering of their expressions within cancerous cells. We combine these two types of protein data and test whether the first type of data, that is, the functional descriptors, can predict the second type of data, that is, cancer-relatedness. By using data mining and machine learning, we derive a classifier algorithm that using only GO term and PFAM family …

The Santa Clara, 2013-02-14, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

Latitudinal Variations In Seasonal Activity Of Influenza And Respiratory Syncytial Virus (Rsv): A Global Comparative Review, Kimberly Bloom-Feshbach, Wladimir J. Alonso, Vivek Charu, James Tamerius, Lone Simonsen, Mark A. Miller, Cecile Viboud

Global Health Faculty Publications

Background

There is limited information on influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) seasonal patterns in tropical areas, although there is renewed interest in understanding the seasonal drivers of respiratory viruses.

Methods

We review geographic variations in seasonality of laboratory-confirmed influenza and RSV epidemics in 137 global locations based on literature review and electronic sources. We assessed peak timing and epidemic duration and explored their association with geography and study settings. We fitted time series model to weekly national data available from the WHO influenza surveillance system (FluNet) to further characterize seasonal parameters.

Results

Influenza and RSV activity consistently peaked during …

Automated Identification Of Adverbial Clauses In Child Language Samples, Brittany Cheree Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Adverbial clauses are grammatical constructions that are of relevance in both typical language development and impaired language development. In recent years, computer software has been used to assist in the automated analysis of clinical language samples. This software has attempted to accurately identify adverbial clauses with limited success. The present study investigated the accuracy of software for the automated identification of adverbial clauses. Two separate collections of language samples were used. One collection included 10 children with language impairment, with ages ranging from 7;6 to 11;1 (years;months), 10 age-matched peers,and 10 language-matched peers. A second collection contained 30 children ranging …

Influenza Forecasting With Google Flu Trends, Andrea Freyer Dugas, Mehdi Jalalpour, Yulia Gel, Scott Levin, Fred Torcaso, Takeru Igusa, Richard E. Rothman

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Background: We developed a practical influenza forecast model based on real-time, geographically focused, and easy to access data, designed to provide individual medical centers with advanced warning of the expected number of influenza cases, thus allowing for sufficient time to implement interventions. Secondly, we evaluated the effects of incorporating a real-time influenza surveillance system, Google Flu Trends, and meteorological and temporal information on forecast accuracy.

Methods: Forecast models designed to predict one week in advance were developed from weekly counts of confirmed influenza cases over seven seasons (2004–2011) divided into seven training and out-of-sample verification sets. Forecasting procedures …

The Stethoscoop, February 14, 2013, Mennonite College Of Nursing

The Stethoscoop

The Stethoscoop is the newsletter for Mennonite College of Nursing students.

Neutering Dogs: Effects On Joint Disorders And Cancers In Golden Retrievers, Gretel Torres De La Riva, Benjamin L. Hart, Thomas B. Farver, Anita M. Oberbauer, Locksley L. Mcv Messam, Neil H. Willits, Lynette A. Hart

Endocrinology Collection

In contrast to European countries, the overwhelming majority of dogs in the U.S. are neutered (including spaying), usually done before one year of age. Given the importance of gonadal hormones in growth and development, this cultural contrast invites an analysis of the multiple organ systems that may be adversely affected by neutering. Using a single breed-specific dataset, the objective was to examine the variables of gender and age at the time of neutering versus leaving dogs gonadally intact, on all diseases occurring with sufficient frequency for statistical analyses. Given its popularity and vulnerability to various cancers and joint disorders, the …

Ms171: Interview With Dorothy Otto, Dorothy Otto M.S.N., Ed.D., Anef, Houston Academy Of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library

Texas Medical Center - Women's History Project

Interview with Dorothy Otto, Associate Professor at the School of Nursing, University of Texas Houston Health Science Center. See more at Texas Medical Center-Women's History Project and its finding aid.

The Herpesvirus Vp1/2 Protein Is An Effector Of Dynein-Mediated Capsid Transport And Neuroinvasion, Sofia V. Zaichick, Kevin P. Bohannon, Ami Hughes, Patricia J. Sollars, Gary E. Pickard, Gregory A. Smith

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Microtubule transport of herpesvirus capsids from the cell periphery to the nucleus is imperative for viral replication and, in the case of many alphaherpesviruses, transmission into the nervous system. Using the neuroinvasive herpesvirus, pseudorabies virus (PRV), we show that the viral protein 1/2 (VP1/2) tegument protein associates with the dynein/dynactin microtubule motor complex and promotes retrograde microtubule transport of PRV capsids. Functional activation of VP1/2 requires binding to the capsid protein pUL25 or removal of the capsid-binding domain. A proline-rich sequence within VP1/2 is required for the efficient interaction with the dynein/ dynactin microtubule motor complex as well as for …

A Genetic Resource For Rapid And Comprehensive Phenotype Screening Of Nonessential Staphylococcus Aureus Genes., Paul D. Fey, Jennifer L. Endres, Vijaya Kumar Yajjala, Todd J. Widhelm, Robert J. Boissy, Jeffrey L. Bose, Kenneth W. Bayles

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

UNLABELLED: To enhance the research capabilities of investigators interested in Staphylococcus aureus, the Nebraska Center for Staphylococcal Research (CSR) has generated a sequence-defined transposon mutant library consisting of 1,952 strains, each containing a single mutation within a nonessential gene of the epidemic community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) isolate USA300. To demonstrate the utility of this library for large-scale screening of phenotypic alterations, we spotted the library on indicator plates to assess hemolytic potential, protease production, pigmentation, and mannitol utilization. As expected, we identified many genes known to function in these processes, thus validating the utility of this approach. Importantly, we …

Dr. Robert L. Bennett: Pioneer And Definer Of Modern Physiatry., John F. Ditunno, Jr, Richard E. Verville

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Faculty Papers

Few physiatrists today would appreciate Dr. Robert L. Bennett’s contributions to our specialty, since he most commonly was associated with poliomyelitis, a cured disease for over a half century. Less are aware of the pioneering fusion of physical medicine in 1941 by Krusen’s first resident with the independent living environment of the Georgia Warm Spring Foundation (GWSF) created by a USA president. Bennett recognized polio/GWSF as the workshop and laboratory for showcasing the new specialty of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR). He taught us that accurate muscle testing determined the plan of muscle reeducation, which led to functional training with …

Impairment Of Trkb-Psd-95 Signaling In Angelman Syndrome, Cong Cao, Mengia S. Rioult-Pedotti, Paolo Migani, Crystal J. Yu, Rakesh Tiwari, Keykavous Parang, Mark R. Spaller

Dartmouth Scholarship

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopment disorder characterized by severe cognitive impairment and a high rate of autism. AS is caused by disrupted neuronal expression of the maternally inherited Ube3A ubiquitin protein ligase, required for the proteasomal degradation of proteins implicated in synaptic plasticity, such as the activity-regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein (Arc/Arg3.1). Mice deficient in maternal Ube3A express elevated levels of Arc in response to synaptic activity, which coincides with severely impaired long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus and deficits in learning behaviors. In this study, we sought to test whether elevated levels of Arc interfere with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) …

Adjunctive Atypical Antipsychotic Treatment For Major Depressive Disorder: A Meta-Analysis Of Depression, Quality Of Life, And Safety Outcomes, Glen I. Spielmans, Margit I. Berman, Eftihia Linardatos, Nicholas. Z. Rosenlicht

Dartmouth Scholarship

Atypical antipsychotic medications are widely prescribed for the adjunctive treatment of depression, yet their total risk-benefit profile is not well understood. We thus conducted a systematic review of the efficacy and safety profiles of atypical antipsychotic medications used for the adjunctive treatment of depression.

Positive Allosteric Modulators Of Alpha4beta2 Neuronal Nicotinic Receptors: Synthesis And In Vitro Studies, Atul Jain

Theses and Dissertations

des-Formylflustrabromine (dFBr), isolated from the marine organism Flustra foliacea, is the first selective, positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors that potentiates the action of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh). Most agonists for this receptor population are not selective and can activate other nACh receptors. A selective PAM, which activates α4β2 nACh receptors only in the presence of ACh, might find application in the treatment of of various neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease or autism. dFBr was examined and found to produce a biphasic dose-response curve over a wide concentration range (i.e., potentiation at low concentration, but inhibition …

A Potential New Pathway For Pd-L1 Costimulation Of The Cd8-T Cell Response To Listeria Monocytogenes Infection, Daqi Xu, Han-Hsuan Fu, Joshua J. Obar, Leo Lefrançois

UCHC Articles - Research

Programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) is an important negative regulator of T cell immune responses via interactions with PD-1 and CD80. However, PD-L1 can also act as a positive costimulator, but the relevant counterreceptor is not known. We analyzed the role of PD-L1 in CD8-T cell responses to infection with Listeria monocytogenes (LM) or vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). PD-L1 blockade impaired antigen-specific CD8 effector T cell expansion in response to LM, but not to VSV infection, particularly limiting short-lived effector cell differentiation. Simultaneous CD4-T cell depletion and anti-PD-L1 blockade revealed that PD-L1 provided costimulation even in the absence of CD4-T cells. …

Ocular Tolerability And Efficacy Of Intravitreal And Subconjunctival Injections Of Sirolimus In Patients With Non-Infectious Uveitis: Primary 6-Month Results Of The Save Study., Quan Dong Nguyen, Mohamed A. Ibrahim, Anthony Watters, Millena Bittencourt, Jithin Yohannan, Yasir J. Sepah, James P. Dunn, Joel Naor, Naveed Shams, Ovais Shaikh, Henry Alexander Leder, Diana V. Do

Journal Articles: Ophthalmology

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the ocular tolerability and efficacy of sirolimus administered as subconjunctival or intravitreal injections in patients with non-infectious uveitis. Sirolimus as a Therapeutic Approach for Uveitis (SAVE) is a prospective, randomized, open-label, interventional study. Thirty patients were enrolled and randomized in 1:1 ratio to receive either intravitreal injections of 352 μg sirolimus or subconjunctival injections of 1,320 μg at days 0, 60, and 120, with primary endpoint at month 6.

RESULTS: At month 6, all subjects with active uveitis at baseline showed reduction in vitreous haze of one or more steps. Forty …

Stallion Sperm Transcriptome Comprises Functionally Coherent Coding And Regulatory Rnas As Revealed By Microarray Analysis And Rna-Seq., Pranab J. Das, Fiona M. Mccarthy, Monika Vishnoi, Nandina Paria, Cathy Gresham, Gang Li, Priyanka Kachroo, A. Kendrick Sudderth, Sheila Teague, Charles C. Love, Dickson D. Varner, Bhanu P. Chowdhary, Terje Raudsepp

CVM Publications

Mature mammalian sperm contain a complex population of RNAs some of which might regulate spermatogenesis while others probably play a role in fertilization and early development. Due to this limited knowledge, the biological functions of sperm RNAs remain enigmatic. Here we report the first characterization of the global transcriptome of the sperm of fertile stallions. The findings improved understanding of the biological significance of sperm RNAs which in turn will allow the discovery of sperm-based biomarkers for stallion fertility. The stallion sperm transcriptome was interrogated by analyzing sperm and testes RNA on a 21,000-element equine whole-genome oligoarray and by RNA-seq. …

Muc4 Overexpression Augments Cell Migration And Metastasis Through Egfr Family Proteins In Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells., Partha Mukhopadhyay, Imayavaramban Lakshmanan, Moorthy P. Ponnusamy, Subhankar Chakraborty, Maneesh Jain, Priya Pai, Lynette M. Smith, Subodh M. Lele, Surinder K. Batra

Journal Articles: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

INTRODUCTION: Current studies indicate that triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive breast cancer subtype, is associated with poor prognosis and an early pattern of metastasis. Emerging evidence suggests that MUC4 mucin is associated with metastasis of various cancers, including breast cancer. However, the functional role of MUC4 remains unclear in breast cancers, especially in TNBCs.

METHOD: In the present study, we investigated the functional and mechanistic roles of MUC4 in potentiating pathogenic signals including EGFR family proteins to promote TNBC aggressiveness using in vitro and in vivo studies. Further, we studied the expression of MUC4 in invasive TNBC tissue …

Ultra-Wide-Field Retinal Imaging In The Management Of Non-Infectious Retinal Vasculitis., Henry A. Leder, John P. Campbell, Yasir J. Sepah, Theresa Gan, James P. Dunn, Elham Hatef, Brian Cho, Mohamed Ibrahim, Millena Bittencourt, Roomasa Channa, Diana V. Do, Quan Dong Nguyen

Journal Articles: Ophthalmology

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to describe and quantify the benefit of ultra-wide-field imaging and fluorescein angiography (FA) in the management of non-infectious retinal vasculitis. In this prospective observational cohort series, patients with non-infectious retinal vasculitis were evaluated and enrolled by four investigators from the Divisions of Retina and Ocular Immunology at the Wilmer Eye Institute. In each patient, disease activity and the need for management changes were assessed, based on clinical examination with or without standard (60°) imaging and then with the addition of ultra-wide-field pseudo-color scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) images and FA using the Optos ultra-wide-field …

‘No Marine Deserted On The Battlefield’: Two Surviving Spouses Join Forces To Speed The Defeat Of Huntington's Disease, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - February 10, 2013, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the February 10, 2013 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's newsletter - Watercooler

Contents Include

• USA Gold Humanism Honor Society Members Participate in 'Focus on Compassion' Week

• USA Physician Weighs in on Medicaid Expansion

• Feb. 21st Distinguished Scientist Seminar to Feature Dr. Thomas Vondriska

• RSVP Today - 2013 Oncology Outlook

• Regional Stroke Support Group Meeting to Feature Biomedical Librarian Geneva Staggs

Age-Related Accumulation Of T Cells With Markers Of Relatively Stronger Autoreactivity Leads To Functional Erosion Of T Cells., Zohreh Tatari-Calderone, Milica Stojakovic, Ramita Dewan, Gama L. Bouder, Dragana Jankovic, Stanislav Vukmanovic

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Background

Thymic involution is a prominent characteristic of an aging immune system. When thymic function is reduced/absent, the peripheral T cell pool is subject to the laws of peripheral T cell homeostasis that favor survival/expansion of T cell receptors with relatively higher functional avidity for self-peptide/MHC complexes. Due to difficulties in assessing the TCR avidity in polyclonal population of T cells, it is currently not known whether high avidity T cells preferentially survive in aging individuals, and what impact this might have on the function of the immune system and development of autoimmune diseases.

Results

The phenotype of T cells …

Ms171: Interview With Anna Steinberger, Anna Steinberger Ph.D., Houston Academy Of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library

Texas Medical Center - Women's History Project

An oral interview with Dr. Anna Steinberger, who taught and conducted basic research in Reproductive Biology and served as Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs at UT Medical School-Houston. Her research yielded over 250 scientific articles, books, and book chapters for which she received numerous awards and recognitions in the USA and abroad. See more at Texas Medical Center-Women's History Project and its finding aid.

Management Of Upper Aerodigestive Tract Bleeding On Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation., Hitoshi Hirose, Md, Phd

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

Introduction: Bleeding complications on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are often encountered. In a review of our own series, it was found that upper aero digestive tract bleeding was common and management was often difficult. We propose an algorithm to help manage upper aero digestive tract bleeding in the anticoagulated, ECMO patient.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed of the patients who underwent veno-venous or veno-arterial ECMO at our institution between July 2010 and July 2012. The patients that had upper aero digestive tract bleeding that required an otolaryngology consultation were identified. They were further investigated to determine location …

Service Learning In Guatemala: Using Qualitative Content Analysis To Explore An Interdisciplinary Learning Experience Among Students In Health Care Professional Programs, Kathleen S. Fries, Donna M. Bowers, Margo Gross, Lenore Frost

Nursing Faculty Publications

What is the experience of interprofessional collaboration as a nursing, occupational, or physical therapy health care student taking part in a weeklong service-learning experience? Interprofessional collaboration among health care professionals yields improved patient outcomes, yet many students in health care programs have limited exposure to interprofessional collaboration in the classroom and in clinical and service-learning experiences. This practice gap implies that students enter their professions without valuing interprofessional collaboration and the impact it has on promoting positive patient outcomes.

The aim of this study was to describe the interprofessional experiences of students in health care professional programs as they collaborated …