Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Epithelial Abnormalities In The Small Intestine Of Zambian Children With Stunting, Chola Mulenga, Sanja Sviben, Kanta Chandwe, Beatrice Amadi, Violet Kayamba, James A J Fitzpatrick, Victor Mudenda, Paul Kelly

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Environmental enteropathy (EE) contributes to impaired linear growth (stunting), in millions of children worldwide. We have previously reported that confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) shows fluorescein leaking from blood to gut lumen

METHODS: We performed confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) in 75 children and collected intestinal biopsies for histology in 91 children. CLE videos were evaluated, employing the Watson score to determine severity of leakiness. Morphometry was carried out on well-orientated mucosa and 3 biopsies were examined by electron microscopy.

RESULTS: Confocal laser endomicroscopy demonstrated substantial leakage from circulation to gut lumen in 73 (97%) children. Histology consistently showed characteristic changes …

Plasma Neurofilament Light Chain Levels Are Elevated In Children And Young Adults With Wolfram Syndrome, Sarah A Eisenstein, Raveena S Boodram, Courtney L Sutphen, Heather M Lugar, Brian A Gordon, Bess A Marshall, Fumihiko Urano, Anne M Fagan, Tamara Hershey

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Wolfram syndrome is a rare disease caused by pathogenic variants in the

Efficacy Of Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (Litt) For Newly Diagnosed And Recurrent Idh Wild-Type Glioblastoma, John F De Groot, Albert H Kim, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Treatment options for unresectable new and recurrent glioblastoma remain limited. Laser ablation has demonstrated safety as a surgical approach to treating primary brain tumors. The LAANTERN prospective multicenter registry (NCT02392078) data were analyzed to determine clinical outcomes for patients with new and recurrent

METHODS: Demographics, intraprocedural data, adverse events, KPS, health economics, and survival data were prospectively collected and then analyzed on

RESULTS: A total of 29 new and 60 recurrent

CONCLUSIONS: Laser ablation is a viable option for patients with new and recurrent glioblastoma. Median OS for

Case Report: "Primary Immunodeficiency"-Severe Autoimmune Enteropathy In A Pediatric Heart Transplant Recipient Treated With Abatacept And Alemtuzumab, Elizaveta Kalaidina, Elizabeth C Utterson, Deepa Mokshagundam, Mai He, Shalini Shenoy, Megan A Cooper

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Disorders of immune dysregulation following heart transplantation in children have been reported; however, the management of such disorders remains uncertain and challenging. In this case report, we describe a clinical course of a child with severe autoimmune enteropathy after a heart transplant in infancy and detail a treatment approach with abatacept and alemtuzumab. A 21-month-old girl with a medical history of congenital dilated cardiomyopathy and heart transplantation at 2 months was evaluated for chronic hematochezia. The patient underwent an extensive workup, including endoscopic biopsy which showed crypt apoptosis, similar to that seen with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Results of her immune …

Leptomeningeal Disease And Tumor Dissemination In A Murine Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma Model: Implications For The Study Of The Tumor-Cerebrospinal Fluid-Ependymal Microenvironment, Shelei Pan, Dezhuang Ye, Yimei Yue, Lihua Yang, Christopher P Pacia, Dakota Defreitas, Prabagaran Esakky, Sonika Dahiya, David D Limbrick, Joshua B Rubin, Hong Chen, Jennifer M Strahle

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Leptomeningeal disease and hydrocephalus are present in up to 30% of patients with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), however there are no animal models of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dissemination. As the tumor-CSF-ependymal microenvironment may play an important role in tumor pathogenesis, we identified characteristics of the Nestin-tumor virus A (Nestin-Tva) genetically engineered mouse model that make it ideal to study the interaction of tumor cells with the CSF and its associated pathways with implications for the development of treatment approaches to address CSF dissemination in DIPG.

METHODS: A Nestin-Tva model of DIPG utilizing the 3 most common DIPG genetic …

Prospective Biomarker Study In Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma: Cyto-C Clinical Trial, Corinne E Griguer, Milan G Chheda, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma (GBM) has a 5-year survival rate of 3%-5%. GBM treatment includes maximal resection followed by radiotherapy with concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ). Cytochrome C oxidase (CcO) is a mitochondrial enzyme involved in the mechanism of resistance to TMZ. In a prior retrospective trial, CcO activity in GBMs inversely correlated with clinical outcome. The current Cyto-C study was designed to prospectively evaluate and validate the prognostic value of tumor CcO activity in patients with newly diagnosed primary GBM, and compared to the known prognostic value of

METHODS: This multi-institutional, blinded, prospective biomarker study enrolled 152 patients with newly diagnosed …

Independent And Interactive Associations Of Dietary Nitrate And Salt Intake With Blood Pressure And Cognitive Function: A Cross-Sectional Analysis In The Inchianti Study, Andrea M. Mcgrattan, Blossom C. M. Stephan, Oliver M. Shannon, Mohsen Mazidi, Mark Gilchrist, Miranda Smallwood, Paul Winyard, Nicholas Mcmahon, Lauren C. Blekkenhorst, Devi Mohan, Stefania Bandinelli, Louise Robinson, Luigi Ferrucci, Mario Siervo

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Blood pressure (BP) control is a key target for interventions to reduce cognitive decline. This cross-sectional study explored associations between objective (24-hour urine excretion) and subjective (food frequency questionnaire [FFQ]) measures of dietary sodium and nitrate intakes with cognitive function and resting BP in the InCHIANTI cohort. Baseline data from 989 participants aged >50 years were included. In fully adjusted models, participants with concurrent high nitrate and low sodium (Odds Ratio (OR)=0.49, 95%CI 0.32–0.76, p = 0.001) and high nitrate and high sodium (OR = 0.49, 95%CI 0.32–0.77, p = 0.002) 24-hour urinary concentrations had lower odds of high BP …

The Association Between An Energy-Adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index And Inflammation In Rural And Urban Black South Africans, Maylene Ferreira, H. Toinét Cronjé, Tertia Van Zyl, Nicola P. Bondonno, Marlien Pieters

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objective:

To quantify the inflammatory potential of the diet of rural and urban Black South Africans using an adapted energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (AE-DII) and to investigate its relationship with inflammatory and cardio-metabolic disease risk markers. Dietary inflammatory potential has not been investigated in African populations.

Design:

Cross-sectional investigation.

Setting:

Rural and urban sites in the North West province of South Africa.

Participants:

1,885 randomly selected, apparently healthy Black South Africans older than 30 years.

Results:

AE-DII scores ranged from -3.71 to +5.08 with a mean of +0.37. AE-DII scores were significantly higher in men (0.47±1.19) than in women (0.32±1.29), …

Urinary Metabotype Of Severe Asthma Evidences Decreased Carnitine Metabolism Independent Of Oral Corticosteroid Treatment In The U-Biopred Study, Stacey N. Reinke, Shama Naz, Romanas Chaleckis, Hector Gallart-Ayala, Johan Kolmert, Nazanin Z. Kermani, Angelica Tiotiu, David I. Broadhurst, Anders Lundqvist, Henric Olsson, Marika Strom, Asa M. Wheelock, Cristina Gómez, Magnus Ericsson, Ana R. Sousa, John H. Riley, Stewart Bates, James Scholfield, Matthew Loza, Frederic Baribaud, Per S. Bakke, Massimo Caruso, Pascal Chanez, Stephen J. Fowler, Thomas Geiser, Peter Howarth, Ildiko Horvath, Norbert Krug, Paolo Montuschi, Annelie Behndig, Florian Singer, Jacek Musial, Dominick E. Shaw, Barbro Dahlén, Sile Hu, Jessica Lasky-Su, Peter J. Sterk, Kian Fan Chung, Ratko Djukanovic, Sven Erik Dahlé, Ian M. Adcock, Craig E. Wheelock

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction: Asthma is a heterogeneous disease with poorly defined phenotypes. Severe asthmatics often receive multiple treatments including oral corticosteroids (OCS). Treatment may modify the observed metabotype, rendering it challenging to investigate underlying disease mechanisms. Here, we aimed to identify dysregulated metabolic processes in relation to asthma severity and medication. Methods: Baseline urine was collected prospectively from healthy participants (n=100), mild-to-moderate asthmatics (n=87) and severe asthmatics (n=418) in the cross-sectional U-BIOPRED cohort; 12–18-month longitudinal samples were collected from severe asthmatics (n=305). Metabolomics data were acquired using high-resolution mass spectrometry and analysed using univariate and multivariate methods. Results: Ninety metabolites were identified, …

Why Do Parents Refuse Childhood Vaccination? Reasons Reported In Finland, Johanna Nurmi, Bronwyn Harman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Aims: This article examines the reasons for partial and complete refusal of childhood vaccination as reported by parents in Finland. It analyzes perceptions and experiences central in vaccination decisions. Methods: The analysis is based on 38 in-depth interviews with Finnish parents who have refused all or several vaccines for their children. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Three categories of reasons were identified in the analysis: 1) risks and effects of vaccination – concern about and/or experiences of possible side-effects was the most important reason for avoiding vaccines; 2) distrust – participants did not trust vaccination recommendations …

Detection Of Clinical Progression Through Plasma Ctdna In Metastatic Melanoma Patients: A Comparison To Radiological Progression, Gabriela Marsavela, Ashleigh C. Mcevoy, Michelle R. Pereira, Anna L. Reid, Zeyad Al-Ogaili, Lydia Warburton, Muhammad K. Khattak, Afaf Abed, Tarek M. Meniawy, Michael Millward, Melanie R. Ziman Dr, Leslie Calapre, Elin S. Gray

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

The validity of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) as an indicator of disease progression compared to medical imaging in patients with metastatic melanoma requires detailed evaluation.

Methods

Here, we carried out a retrospective ctDNA analysis of 108 plasma samples collected at the time of disease progression. We also analysed a validation cohort of 66 metastatic melanoma patients monitored prospectively after response to systemic therapy.

Results

ctDNA was detected in 62% of patients at the time of disease progression. For 67 patients that responded to treatment, the mean ctDNA level at progressive disease was significantly higher than at the time of …

Derivation Of A Prototype Asthma Attack Risk Scale Centred On Blood Eosinophils And Exhaled Nitric Oxide, Simon Couillard, Annette Laugerud, Maisha Jabeen, Sanjay Ramakrishnan, James Melhorn, Timothy Hinks, Ian Pavord

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Reduction of the risk of asthma attacks is a major goal of current asthma management. We propose to derive a risk scale predicting asthma attacks based on the blood eosinophil count and exhaled nitric oxide. Biomarker-stratified trial-level attack rates were extracted and pooled from the control arms of the Novel START, CAPTAIN, QUEST, Benralizumab Phase 2b, PATHWAY, STRATOS 1-2 and DREAM trials (n=3051). These were used to derive rate ratios and the predicted asthma attack rate for different patient groups. The resultant prototype risk scale shows potential to predict asthma attacks, which may be prevented by anti-inflammatory treatment.

Creating A Novel Approach To Discourse Treatment Through Coproduction With People With Aphasia And Speech And Language Therapists, M. Cruice, S. Aujla, J. Bannister, N. Botting, M. Boyle, N. Charles, V. Dhaliwal, S. Grobler, Deborah Hersh, J. Marshall, S. Morris, M. Pritchard, L. Scarth, R. Talbot, L. Dipper

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background:

Although spoken discourse is an outcome prioritised by all stakeholders in aphasia rehabilitation, assessment and treatment of discourse are not routine clinical practice. The small evidence base, varied clinical expertise, multiple barriers in the workplace, and challenges for clients in understanding their altered language abilities all contribute to this situation. These factors need serious consideration when developing a new treatment. Involving intended stakeholders as partners in the development process is recommended. This assists with future implementation by ensuring assessment and treatment are practical, feasible, and acceptable to those who will deliver and undertake it.

Aims:

This paper reports on …

Fatality Risk Management: Applying Quinlan’S Ten Pathways In Western Australia’S Mining Industry, Tanya Jenke, Jessica L. Boylan, Shelley Beatty, Martin Ralph, Andrew Chaplyn, Greg Penney, Marcus Cattani

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In ‘Ten Pathways to Death and Disaster’ Professor Michael Quinlan (2014) identified a series of ten common catastrophic incident risk factors, known as the Ten Pathways, contributing to major incidents in mining and other high hazard industries. This study applies the Quinlan methodology in two separate phases. The first phase of the study explored employee perception of employer effectiveness of fatality prevention against each of the Ten Pathways through a questionnaire of n = 2009 participants at the 2017–2019 Western Australian Government Mines Safety Roadshows. Respondents generally perceived their employer as having a relatively good understanding of the role of …

Patients’ Experiences Of A Communication Enhanced Environment Model On An Acute/Slow Stream Rehabilitation And A Rehabilitation Ward Following Stroke: A Qualitative Description Approach, Sarah D'Souza, Deborah J. Hersh, Erin Godecke, Natalie Ciccone, Heidi Janssen, Elizabeth Armstrong

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

Patients in hospital following stroke express a desire to continue therapy tasks outside of treatment activities. However, they commonly describe experiences of boredom and inactivity. An enriched environment aims to provide opportunities for physical, cognitive and social activity and informed the development of a Communication Enhanced Environment (CEE) model to promote patient engagement in language activities.

Purpose

Explore patient perceptions of a CEE model, and barriers and facilitators to engagement in the model.

Methods

A qualitative description study from a larger project that implemented a CEE model into acute and rehabilitation private hospital wards in Western Australia. Semi-structured interviews …

Combination Fixed-Dose Β Agonist And Steroid Inhaler As Required For Adults Or Children With Mild Asthma: A Cochrane Systematic Review, Iain Crossingham, Sally Turner, Sanjay Ramakrishnan, Anastasia Fries, Matthew Gowell, Farhat Yasmin, Rebekah Richardson, Philip Webb, Emily O'Boyle, Timothy S. C. Hinks

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background:

In people with mild asthma poor adherence to regular therapy is common and increases the risk of exacerbations, morbidity and mortality. The use of fixed-dose combination inhalers containing an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and a fast-acting β2-agonist (FABA) is established in moderate asthma, but they may also have potential utility in mild asthma.

Objectives:

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of single combined FABA/ICS inhaler only used as needed in people with mild asthma. Design and setting: Cochrane meta-analysis of available trial data.

Participants:

Children aged 12+ and adults with mild asthma. Search methods: We searched the Cochrane Airways Trials …

Exploring Factors That Predict Marketing Of E-Cigarette Products On Twitter: Infodemiology Approach Using Time Series, Nnamdi C. Ezike, Allison Ames Boykin, Page D. Dobbs, Huy Mai, Brian A. Primack

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background:

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (known as electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes) increase risk for adverse health outcomes among naïve tobacco users, particularly youth and young adults. This vulnerable population is also at risk for exposed brand marketing and advertisement of e-cigarettes on social media. Understanding predictors of how e-cigarette manufacturers conduct social media advertising and marketing could benefit public health approaches to addressing e-cigarette use.

Objective:

This study documents factors that predict changes in daily frequency of commercial tweets about e-cigarettes using time series modeling techniques.

Methods:

We analyzed data on the daily frequency of commercial tweets about e-cigarettes collected …

Utilizing The K18-Hace2 Mouse Model To Develop Protective Covid-19 Vaccines, Ting Y. Wong

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by the respiratory virus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Similar to other respiratory viruses, SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted through inhalation of respiratory droplets and aerosols from infected individuals. Once inhaled, SARS-CoV-2 utilizes the receptor binding domain (RBD) on the spike protein to bind to human Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (hACE2) receptor to gain entrance into host cells to begin viral replication. SARS-CoV-2 infection can result in mild to severe cases of COVID-19 ranging from asymptomatic infections, cold or flu like symptoms to respiratory failure. The onset of the pandemic in …

The Effect Of A Standardized Handoff Tool On Communication, Interunit Transitions, And Wait Time: A Quality Improvement Project, Silvia N. Myndresku

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This project sought not only to improve the communication and interunit transitions of care between emergency department providers (EDPs) and inpatient providers (IPs) using a standardized handoff tool, but also to reduce the Emergency Room (ED) wait time for patients admitted to the community hospital. The project employed a quantitative quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design to explore provider satisfaction with an evidence-based standardized handoff tools and wait time. Forty-eight providers completed the survey before the I-PASS implementation, and 43 providers completed the survey post I-PASS implementation. Though not statistically significant, data indicates that wait time increased for the post-implementation months of December, …

Examining The Pulmonary Response To Repeated Vishniacozyma Victoriae Exposure And Its Association With Allergic Airway Disease, Rachael Erin Rush

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Allergic airway diseases such as asthma continue to increase in incidence in industrialized nations like the United States. These diseases are complex inflammatory processes involving numerous cells and mediators and are strongly influenced by fungal exposures. Recent developments in fungal detection methods have highlighted the contribution of Basidiomycota yeast species in indoor environments such as Vishniacozyma (syn. Cryptococcus) victoriae. However, despite the high levels of this yeast detected in indoor environments, very little is known about it or its role in respiratory morbidity. V. victoriae is phylogenetically similar to pathogenic Cryptococcus neoformans but lacks a capsule and is …

Targeting Vulnerabilities In Cell State And Calcium Signaling For The Treatment Of Lung Cancer, Clark Jones

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Lung cancer remains the deadliest of all cancers due to the high mutational burden associated with the disease. Combating mutational drivers and drug resistance proves to be essential in the development of novel therapies to improve patient outcomes. A first-in-class cyclic peptide known as MTI-101 has been shown to induce necrotic cell death in a caspase independent manner. MTI-101 was derived from the linear peptide known as HYD1 that was found in a high throughput screen to block cell adhesion with the extracellular matrix. The compound was further optimized and cyclized to the currently used MTI-101 that was found to …

Prevalence And Risk Factors Of Preterm Birth Among Pregnant Women Admitted At The Labor Ward Of The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Ghana, Enoch Odame Anto, Wina Ivy Ofori Boadu, Stephen Opoku, Ebenzer Senu, Valentine Christian Kodzo Tsatsu Tamakloe, Augustine Tawiah, Frank Ankobea, Emmanuel Acheampong, Agartha Odame Anto, Michael Appiah, Yaw Amo Wiafe, Max Efui Annani-Akollor, Christian Obirikorang, Otchere Addai-Mensah

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Preterm birth is a global epidemic and a leading cause of neonatal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa. We evaluated the prevalence and risk factors of preterm birth among women attending the labor ward for delivery at a tertiary hospital in Ghana. This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among a cohort of 209 pregnant women admitted to the labor ward of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH). Pregnant women who delivered between 28 and 36 completed weeks of gestation were classified as preterm delivery whereas those who delivered after 37–42 completed weeks were described as term. Sociodemographic, clinical, and obstetric data were …

Exploring Moderators Of The Effect Of High Vs. Low-To-Moderate Intensity Exercise On Cardiorespiratory Fitness During Breast Cancer Treatment – Analyses Of A Subsample From The Phys-Can Rct, Ann Christin Helgesen Bjørke, Laurien M. Buffart, Truls Raastad, Ingrid Demmelmaier, Andreas Stenling, Karin Nordin, Sveinung Berntsen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction

The results from the physical training and cancer randomized controlled trial (Phys-Can RCT) indicate that high intensity (HI) strength and endurance training during (neo-)adjuvant cancer treatment is more beneficial for cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF, measured as peak oxygen uptake [VO₂peak]) than low-to-moderate intensity (LMI) exercise. Adherence to the exercise intervention and demographic or clinical characteristics of patients with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant treatment may moderate the exercise intervention effect on VO₂peak. In this study, the objective was to investigate whether baseline values of VO2peak, body mass index (BMI), time spent in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity …

Identification Of Leukocyte Surface P2x7 As A Biomarker Associated With Alzheimer's Disease, Yihan Li, Xin Huang, Christopher Fowler, Yen Y. Lim, Simon M. Laws, Noel Faux, James D. Doecke, Brett Trounson, Kelly Pertile, Rebecca Rumble, Vincent Doré, Victor L. Villemagne, Christopher C. Rowe, James S. Wiley, Paul Maruff, Colin L. Masters, Ben J. Gu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Alzheimer's disease (AD) has shown altered immune responses in the periphery. We studied P2X7 (a proinflammatory receptor and a scavenger receptor) and two integrins, CD11b and CD11c, on the surface of circulating leukocytes and analysed their associations with Aβ-PET, brain atrophy, neuropsychological assessments, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers. Total 287 age-matched, sex-balanced participants were recruited in a discovery cohort and two validation cohorts through the AIBL study and studied using tri-colour flow cytometry. Our results demonstrated reduced expressions of P2X7, CD11b, and CD11c on leukocytes, particularly monocytes, in Aβ +ve cases compared with Aβ -ve controls. P2X7 and integrin downregulation …

Limbal Bcam Expression Identifies A Proliferative Progenitor Population Capable Of Holoclone Formation And Corneal Differentiation, Yuzuru Sasamoto, Catherine A. A. Lee, Brian J. Wilson, Florian Buerger, Gabrielle Martin, Ananda Mishra, Shoko Kiritoshi, Johnathan Tran, Gabriel Gonzalez, Friedhelm Hildebrandt, Vickie Y. Jo, Christine G. Lian, George F. Murphy, Bruce R. Ksander, Markus H. Frank, Natasha Y. Frank

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The corneal epithelium is renowned for high regenerative potential, which is dependent on the coordinated function of its diverse progenitor subpopulations. However, the molecular pathways governing corneal epithelial progenitor differentiation are incompletely understood. Here, we identify a highly proliferative limbal epithelial progenitor subpopulation characterized by expression of basal cell adhesion molecule (BCAM) that is capable of holocone formation and corneal epithelial sheet generation. BCAM-positive cells can be found among ABCB5-positive limbal stem cells (LSCs) as well as among ABCB5-negative limbal epithelial cell populations. Mechanistically, we show that BCAM is functionally required for cellular migration and differentiation and that its expression …

Polygenic Resilience Scores Capture Protective Genetic Effects For Alzheimer’S Disease, Jiahui Hou, Jonathan L. Hess, Nicola Armstrong, Joshua C. Bis, Benjamin Grenier-Boley, Ida K. Karlsson, Ganna Leonenko, Katya Numbers, Eleanor K. O’Brien, Alexey Shadrin, Anbupalam Thalamuthu, Qiong Yang, Ole A. Andreassen, Henry Brodaty, Margaret Gatz, Nicole A. Kochan, Jean Charles Lambert, Simon M. Laws, Colin L. Masters, Karen A. Mather, Nancy L. Pedersen, Danielle Posthuma, Perminder S. Sachdev, Julie Williams, Alzheimer’S Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, Chun Chieh Fan, Stephen V. Faraone, Christine Fennema-Notestine, Shu-Ju Lin, Valentina Escott-Price, Peter Holmans, Sudha Seshadri, Ming T. Tsuang, William S. Kremen, Stephen J. Glatt

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) can boost risk prediction in late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) beyond apolipoprotein E (APOE) but have not been leveraged to identify genetic resilience factors. Here, we sought to identify resilience-conferring common genetic variants in (1) unaffected individuals having high PRSs for LOAD, and (2) unaffected APOE-ε4 carriers also having high PRSs for LOAD. We used genome-wide association study (GWAS) to contrast “resilient” unaffected individuals at the highest genetic risk for LOAD with LOAD cases at comparable risk. From GWAS results, we constructed polygenic resilience scores to aggregate the addictive contributions of risk-orthogonal common variants that promote resilience …

Stem Cell Therapy For Insulin-Dependent Diabetes: Are We Still On The Road?, Lu Yang, Zhu-Meng Hu, Fang-Xu Jiang, Wei Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In insulin-dependent diabetes, the islet β cells do not produce enough insulin and the patients must receive exogenous insulin to control blood sugar. However, there are still many deficiencies in exogenous insulin supplementation. Therefore, the replacement of destroyed functional β cells with insulin-secreting cells derived from functional stem cells is a good idea as a new therapeutic idea. This review introduces the development schedule of mouse and human embryonic islets. The differences between mouse and human pancreas embryo development were also listed. Accordingly to the different sources of stem cells, the important research achievements on the differentiation of insulin-secreting β …

Why Do Men With Prostate Cancer Discontinue Active Surveillance For Definitive Treatment? A Mixed Methods Investigation, Megan Mcintosh, Melissa J. Opozda, Michael O’Callaghan, Andrew D. Vincent, Daniel A. Galvão, Camille E. Short

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objectives: To explore the personal and/or medical reasons patients on active surveillance (AS) have, or consider having, further definitive treatment for their prostate cancer. Research suggests up to 50% of patients on AS will discontinue within 5 years, though reasons for discontinuation from the patient's perspective is under-explored. Methods: Prostate cancer patients who were or had been on AS for at least 6 months were recruited. A questionnaire assessed reasons for receiving/considering definitive treatment and the extent to which reasons were personal or medical. Clinical information was extracted from a state-level population registry. A subset of participants were interviewed to …

A Scoping Review Of Non-Pharmacological Health Education Provided To Families Of Children With Idiopathic Childhood Constipation Within Primary Health Care, Davina Houghton, Diana Arabiat, Deborah Ireson, Evalotte Mörelius

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objectives: Idiopathic childhood constipation is a prevalent condition that initially brings the child under the care of the primary health care team. Although it is acknowledged that health education is crucial to reducing chronicity, the range of evidenced-based non-pharmacological health education provided to families has not previously been reviewed. For this scoping review, 4 research questions sought to identify papers that provide information on the utilization of guidelines, the range of health education, who provides it, and whether any gaps exist. Methods: Following a registered protocol and using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping …

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation To Assess Motor Neurophysiology After Acute Stroke In The United States: Feasibility, Lessons Learned, And Values For Future Research, Yi-Ling Kuo, David J. Lin, Isha Vora, Julie A. Dicarlo, Dylan J. Edwards, Teresa J. Kimberley

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been widely applied in both basic and clinical neuroscience since its introduction in 1985 . . .