Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Recurrent Giant Cell Myocarditis After Heart Transplant: A Case Report, Eitan S. Frankel, Alexander G. Hajduczok, Indranee N. Rajapreyar, Yevgeniy Brailovsky

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Giant cell myocarditis (GCM) is a rare but well-known cause of fulminant myocarditis. Despite optimal medical therapy, many patients progress to orthotopic heart transplant (OHT). We present a case of recurrent GCM following OHT, including complex considerations in patient management and infectious sequelae.

CASE SUMMARY: A 33-year-old previously healthy male presented with 2 months of worsening shortness of breath. Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) demonstrated a left ventricular ejection fraction of 30-35%. After ruling out an ischaemic aetiology, he was discharged on guideline-directed medical therapy and later presented with productive cough, worsening dyspnoea on exertion, and diarrhoea. He was found to …

Comparative Analysis Of Co-Cultured Amniotic Cell-Conditioned Media With Cell-Free Amniotic Fluid Reveals Differential Effects On Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition And Myofibroblast Activation, Naiyou Liu, Charles M Bowen, Mohammadali M Shoja, Karen Larissa Castro De Pereira, Laxmi Priya Dongur, Antonio Saad, William K Russell, Thomas Christopher Broderick, Jeffrey H Fair, William Samuel Fagg

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Myofibroblast activation is a cellular response elicited by a variety of physiological or pathological insults whereby cells initiate a coordinated response intended to eradicate the insult and then revert back to a basal state. However, an underlying theme in various disease states is persistent myofibroblast activation that fails to resolve. Based on multiple observations, we hypothesized that the secreted factors harvested from co-culturing amniotic stem cells might mimic the anti-inflammatory state that cell-free amniotic fluid (AF) elicits. We optimized an amnion epithelial and amniotic fluid cell co-culture system, and tested this hypothesis in the context of myofibroblast activation. However, we …

Erdheim-Chester Disease With Isolated Cns Involvement: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Anam Haque, Carlos A Pérez, Thejasvi A Reddy, Rajesh K Gupta

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare, sporadic, non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis that can have various presentations and higher mortality in patients presenting with neurological symptoms. We performed a systematic review to investigate and chronicle the frequency of neurological manifestations, imaging findings, treatments, and outcomes in published ECD patients presenting with neurological symptoms. A PubMed literature search was conducted for articles (published between January 1980 and June 2021) on ECD cases presenting with neurological manifestations. We analyzed the data of 40 patients, including our patient. Cranial neuropathies and ataxia were the most frequent clinical manifestations. A total of 50% of the symptomatic …

Developing High-Affinity Decoy Receptors To Treat Multiple Myeloma And Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma, Yu Rebecca Miao, Kaushik Thakkar, Can Cenik, Dadi Jiang, Kazue Mizuno, Chenjun Jia, Caiyun Grace Li, Hongjuan Zhao, Anh Diep, Yu Xu, Xin Eric Zhang, Teddy Tat Chi Yang, Michaela Liedtke, Parveen Abidi, Wing-Sze Leung, Albert C Koong, Amato J Giaccia

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Disease relapse and treatment-induced immunotoxicity pose significant clinical challenges for patients with hematological cancers. Here, we reveal distinctive requirements for neutralizing TNF receptor ligands APRIL and BAFF and their receptor activity in MM and DLBCL, impacting protein translation and production in MM cells and modulating the translation efficiency of the ATM interactor (ATMIN/ACSIZ). Therapeutically, we investigated the use of BCMA decoy receptor (sBCMA-Fc) as an inhibitor of APRIL and BAFF. While wild-type sBCMA-Fc effectively blocked APRIL signaling in MM, it lacked activity in DLBCL due to its weak BAFF binding. To expand the therapeutic utility of sBCMA-Fc, we engineered an …

Role Of Sirtuins In Diabetes And Age-Related Processes., Nimisha Lingappa, Harvey N Mayrovitz

HPD Articles

The practice of intermittent fasting continues to grow as a widely practiced diet trend due to its feasibility and reported high success rate. By practicing intermittent fasting, levels of sirtuin proteins (SIRTs), also known as the longevity protein, rise in the body and bring numerous health benefits. Currently, seven SIRTs have been described in humans in different locations of the cell with a wide variety of corresponding functions including gene transcription, DNA repair, and protection against oxidative damage. SIRT activators, such as resveratrol found in red wine, are also commonly consumed to amplify the health benefits associated with protection against …

Suppression Of Store-Operated Calcium Entry Channels And Cytokine Release By Cannabinoids, J. Ashot Kozak

Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Potential Role For Substance P In West Nile Virus Neuropathogenesis, Shannon E Ronca, Sarah M Gunter, Rebecca Berry Kairis, Allison Lino, Jonathan Romero, Robia G Pautler, Alan Nimmo, Kristy O Murray

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Of individuals who develop West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND), ~10% will die and >40% will develop long-term complications. Current treatment recommendations solely focus on supportive care; therefore, we urgently need to identify novel and effective therapeutic options. We observed a correlation between substance P (SP), a key player in neuroinflammation, and its receptor Neurokinin-1 (NK1R). Our study in a wild-type BL6 mouse model found that SP is upregulated in the brain during infection, which correlated with neuroinvasion and damage to the blood−brain barrier. Blocking the SP/NK1R interaction beginning at disease onset modestly improved survival and prolonged time to death in …

Rolling Stones: An Instructive Case Of Neonatal Cholestasis, Paige Killelea, Shruti Sakhuja, Jose Hernandez, M John Hicks, Sanjiv Harpavat

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Jaundice within the first 1-2 weeks of a neonate's life will generally self-resolve; however, if it lasts longer than this time frame it warrants further work up. Direct or conjugated hyperbilirubinemia can suggest neonatal cholestasis, which in turn reflects marked reduction in bile secretion and flow. The differential diagnosis for neonatal cholestasis is broad. Neonatal choledocholithiasis is a rare cause of neonatal cholestasis, but should be considered on the differential diagnosis for patients presenting with elevated conjugated bilirubin.

CASE PRESENTATION: We describe an infant who presented with neonatal cholestasis. He subsequently underwent work up for biliary atresia, as this …

The Third Joint Meeting On Lung Cancer Of The Fhu Oncoage (University Côte D'Azur, Nice, France) And The University Of Texas Md Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, Tx, Usa) Understanding New Therapeutic Options And Promising Predictive Biomarkers For Lung Cancer Patients, Paul Hofman, George A Calin, Sandurai A Mani, Christophe Bontoux, Marius Ilié, Ignacio I Wistuba

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We are proud and happy to present this Special Issue, a follow-up to the third joint meeting on lung cancer of the FHU OncoAge (University Côte d’Azur, Nice, France) and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX, USA), which was held virtually on 4 October 2021. This meeting was devoted to better understanding new mechanisms of lung carcinogenesis and novel therapeutic options for lung cancer patients. Moreover, some promising biomarkers for non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) were also discussed.

Can Statins Lessen The Burden Of Virus Mediated Cancers?, Eva H Clark, Sarah T Ahmed, Elaine Chang, Elizabeth Y Chiao, Donna L White

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Background: Oncogenic viruses, including hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human papillomavirus (HPV), Epstein Barr virus (EBV), and Kaposi Sarcoma Herpes virus (KSHV) contribute to a significant proportion of the world's cancers. Given the sizeable burden of virus mediated cancers, development of strategies to prevent and/or treat these cancers is critical. While large population studies suggest that treatment with hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors, commonly known as statins, may reduce the risk of many cancer types including HBV/HCV related hepatocellular carcinoma, few studies have specifically evaluated the impact of statin use in populations at risk for other types of virus …

Cardiorespiratory Fitness And The Risk Of All-Cause, Cardiovascular And Cancer Mortality In Men With Hypercholesterolemia, Xuemei Sui M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., Mark A. Sarzynski Facsm, Nicole Gribben, Jiajia Zhang Ph.D., Carl J. Lavie

Faculty Publications

Background: Whether higher cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) confers protection against cardiovascular disease (CVD) in individuals with manifest hypercholesterolemia is poorly understood. Methods: Participants were 8920 men aged 20–82 years with hypercholesterolemia but no history of CVD and/or cancer and who received a preventive examination at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, TX, USA, during 1974–2001. CRF was quantified as maximal treadmill test duration and was grouped for analysis as low, moderate, or high based on the traditional Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study cutpoints. Using Cox regression analyses, we computed hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for risk of mortality based on CRF. Results: …

Sub-Saharan African Women’S Views And Experiences Of Risk Factors For Obstetric Fistula: A Qualitative Systematic Review, Lydia Babatunde Bulndi, Deborah Ireson, Esther Adama, Sara Bayes

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Obstetric fistula used as synonymous with VVF in this study, is an abnormal communication/hole between the urinary tract and the genital tract or the gastrointestinal tract and the genital tract, resulting from prolonged obstructed labour. VVF may cause sufferers to experience chronic urinary/faecal incontinence, and the stigma of continuing foul odour. VVF is primarily caused by prolonged obstructed labour, which is brought about by a range of causes. Recently, it has been proposed that women’s groups and fistula survivors should suggest interventions to reduce or prevent the incidence of obstetric fistula. Objective: The objective of this review was to …

Isc10, An Inhibitor Of The Smk1 Mapk, Prevents Activation Loop Autophosphorylation And Substrate Phosphorylation Through Separate Mechanisms, Abhimannyu Rimal, Thomas M Swayne, Zeal P Kamdar, Madison A Tewey, Edward Winter

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Many eukaryotic protein kinases are activated by the intramolecular autophosphorylation of activation loop residues. Smk1 is a meiosis-specific mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in yeast that autophosphorylates its activation loop tyrosine and thereby upregulates catalytic output. This reaction is controlled by an inhibitor, Isc10, that binds the MAPK during meiosis I and an activator, Ssp2, that binds Smk1/Isc10 during meiosis II. Upon completion of the meiotic divisions, Isc10 is degraded, and Smk1 undergoes autophosphorylation to generate the high activity form of the MAPK that controls spore formation. How Isc10 inhibits Smk1 is not clear. Here, we use a bacterial coexpression/reconstitution system …

Prolactin Expression In The Baboon (Papio Hamadryas) Eye, María Lourdes Garza-Rodríguez, Iram Pablo Rodriguez-Sanchez, Rafael Gonzalez-Alvarez, Maricela Luna, Carlos H. Burciaga-Flores, Fernando Alcorta-Nuñez, Orlando Solis-Coronado, Victor Manuel Bautista De Lucio, Genaro A. Ramírez-Correa, Oscar Vidal-Gutierrez, Diana Cristina Perez-Ibave

School of Medicine Publications

Simple Summary

A New Statistical Model For Longitudinal Ecological Momentary Assessment Data On Dual Use Of Electronic And Combustible Cigarettes, James Yang, Jacky Kuo, Wei-Chung Su, Douglas E Jorenby, Megan E Piper, Anne Buu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

The Tfeb-Tgif1 Axis Regulates Emt In Mouse Epicardial Cells, Elena Astanina, Gabriella Doronzo, Davide Corà, Francesco Neri, Salvatore Oliviero, Tullio Genova, Federico Mussano, Emanuele Middonti, Edoardo Vallariello, Chiara Cencioni, Donatella Valdembri, Guido Serini, Federica Limana, Eleonora Foglio, Andrea Ballabio, Federico Bussolino

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a complex and pivotal process involved in organogenesis and is related to several pathological processes, including cancer and fibrosis. During heart development, EMT mediates the conversion of epicardial cells into vascular smooth muscle cells and cardiac interstitial fibroblasts. Here, we show that the oncogenic transcription factor EB (TFEB) is a key regulator of EMT in epicardial cells and that its genetic overexpression in mouse epicardium is lethal due to heart defects linked to impaired EMT. TFEB specifically orchestrates the EMT-promoting function of transforming growth factor (TGF) β, and this effect results from activated transcription of thymine-guanine-interacting …

Motherhood Together: Effects Of An Adapted Prenatal Curriculum On Mother And Infant Outcomes, Rebecca Lovan, Clare Brown, Keneshia Bryant-Moore, Leslie Mccormack, Nicole Ward, Shannon Kalkwarf, Beverly English, Elizabeth Riley

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: Research shows that pregnant women experiencing housing insecurity are more likely to face barriers to prenatal care that can lead to negative health outcomes for both mother and infant. Previous studies have also shown that prenatal education programs provide pregnant mothers with the knowledge and resources that increase the likelihood of positive health outcomes. An interprofessional healthcare team in Central Arkansas modified an existing prenatal education program to create Motherhood Together, a program specifically tailored for pregnant women facing house insecurity.

Methods: The purpose of this initial evaluation of the Motherhood Together program was to identify the feasibility of …

Birthing While Black: The Maternal Health Experiences In Kansas, Joi Wickliffe, Alicia O’Neal, Kyla Morris, Todd Moore, Michelle L. Redmond, Sharla Smith

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The state of maternal health and infant mortality in the United States is far worse than 33 developed countries (CDCP NCHS, 2018). Black mothers and infants die at twice the rate in comparison to mothers and infants of other races (CDC, 2020). Infant mortality is the death of a child before the age of one. The Sisters and Brothers for Healthy Infants Initiative focuses on education, community engagement, elevating the voices of Black mothers and fathers, and a community birthday party to celebrate Black infants first birthday. This signature event is known as Celebrate Day 366, a day to share …

Attitudes Toward Influenza, Pertussis, And Covid-19 Vaccines Among Economically Underserved Black Women/Birthing People: A Mixed-Methods Approach, Jasmine Cooper, Hanna Lebuhn, James D. Campbell, Stacey Stephens, Wendy G. Lane, Keerthana Kumar, Kathleen M. Neuzil

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Vaccination during pregnancy is critical to the health of birthing persons and infants. Yet, persistent racial disparities in vaccination threaten health outcomes in the U.S. (Lu et al., 2015). Vaccination coverage remains low among non-Hispanic Blacks and other racial minorities – a situation magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic (Freimuth, Jamison, An, Hancock, & Quinn, 2017; Stokes et al., 2020). Consequently, understanding vaccine attitudes for systemically disadvantaged groups is paramount to promoting public health. Illuminating barriers to vaccine uptake creates space for new strategies to reduce hesitancy.

To investigate Black women’s/birthing people attitudes toward influenza and pertussis vaccination during pregnancy, we …

A Cut Above The Rest: A Qualitative Study To Evaluate The Feasibility Of Implementing Early Childhood Mental Health Interventions Into Boston Black/African American Barbershops And Beauty Salons, Lauren Ansong-Depass

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Objective: This qualitative research aimed to fill a gap in literature by determining the feasibility of implementing early childhood mental health tools into Black/African American barbershops and beauty salons in three Boston neighborhoods: Dorchester, Mattapan, or Roxbury.

Methods: Qualitative data collection included key informant interviews with two African American pediatric mental health clinicians who worked with children and families that lived in Mattapan, Dorchester, and/or Roxbury neighborhoods (n=2), a barber who worked in Mattapan (n=1), and a focus group of an active parent council hosted by the city of Boston (n=9). Data was analyzed using descriptive and simultaneous coding methods …

Eliminating Covid-19 Related Birth Disparities Through Telehealth, Thometta Cozart, Jennie Joseph, Uzoamaka Nwafor, Shambria Davis, Kendra Ippel, Deanna Wathington

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Out of 36 developed countries, the U.S. ranks 33 for infant mortality. In the U.S, the infant mortality rates occur at higher rates among African Americans. Black infants have a higher likelihood to die from low birth weights or other birth-related complications compared to White infants. Furthermore, some of these women reside in unsafe pregnancy areas also known as “materno toxic” zones which are characterized by the presence of crime, food insecurity etc. Though Black mothers are 2.3 times more likely to receive late or no prenatal care compared to White mothers, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these issues by making …

When Keeping It Real Is Required: Challenging The Pandemic Of Racism In Lactation Land, Tameka Jackson-Dyer

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Human milk is the optimal source of nutrition for infants, but few are able to provide their milk to their babies for the minimum twelve months recommended by health experts. This is especially true for Black women. Due to structural racism embedded in medical care, implicit bias of healthcare providers and generational traumas that began during American chattel slavery, Black women are less likely than every other ethnic group to initiate breastfeeding. Those that do are often sabotaged by unsupportive systems and lack of access to clinically-skilled, culturally respectful lactation consultants. Calling out the racism that exists in Lactation Land …

Editors’ Notes, Nekeshia Jones, Sharla Smith, Melva Thompson-Robinson

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

No abstract provided.

Carfilzomib-Induced Cardiotoxicity: An Analysis Of The Fda Adverse Event Reporting System (Faers), Benjamin Buck, Eric Kellett, Daniel Addison, Ajay Vallakati

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Background: Carfilzomib and other proteasome inhibitors (PIs) have revolutionized treatment of multiple myeloma (MM). PIs have proven to be highly effective, but are associated with significant cardiovascular adverse events (AEs). No prior study has compared the cardiotoxicity of carfilzomib against other PI’s and all other classes of medications. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to characterize the cardiotoxicity of carfilzomib with respect to other PIs and all classes of medications using the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS) database and to define the observed cardiotoxicity profile. Methods: The FAERS database was queried between years 2017 …

Inspire Yourself: Volunteer!, Judith Sullivan

Journal of Transformative Touch

Doing volunteer short Zero Balancing sessions once a month for 13 years for staff, volunteers and sometimes "guests" at The Haven, a a multi-resource day shelter in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia supports the community in many ways.

2022-09-02_Michiganoverview_Covidbedppe, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Hospital Data

Contains the tables Statewide Hospital Capacity Report for COVID-19, COVID-19 Metrics, Statewide Hospital Available PPE Tracking for COVID-19, as well as the tables PPE Days On Hand and Patient Census.

Evaluation Of Steam Supply Performance: Steamer Vs. Bubbler, Yongliang Zhang, Nansheng Xu, Qiming Tang, William Gibbons, Kevin Huang

Faculty Publications

Water/steam electrolysis is a key enabling technology for clean, low-carbon and sustainable production of hydrogen and will play a crucial role in future hydrogen economy. For high temperature solid oxide electrolytic cells, steam is the chemical feedstock. A stable and accurate supply of steam to solid oxide electrolytic cells is of vital importance to smooth production of hydrogen. In this study, we compare steam supply performance of two commonly used steam generators: steamer and bubbler. Our results show that bubbler with proper volume and fritted inlet gas tubing can provide more stable and accurate steam supply than steamer for laboratory …

Pre-Exposure To Mrna-Lnp Inhibits Adaptive Immune Responses And Alters Innate Immune Fitness In An Inheritable Fashion, Zhen Qin, Aurélie Bouteau, Christopher Herbst, Botond Z. Igyártó

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

Hundreds of millions of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-LNP vaccine doses have already been administered to humans. However, we lack a comprehensive understanding of the immune effects of this platform. The mRNA-LNP-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is highly inflammatory, and its synthetic ionizable lipid component responsible for the induction of inflammation has a long in vivo half-life. Since chronic inflammation can lead to immune exhaustion and non-responsiveness, we sought to determine the effects of pre-exposure to the mRNA-LNP on adaptive immune responses and innate immune fitness. We found that pre-exposure to mRNA-LNPs or LNP alone led to long-term inhibition of the adaptive immune response, which …

Emerging Lessons From The Covid-19 Pandemic About The Decisive Competencies Needed For The Public Health Workforce: A Qualitative Study, Osnat Bashkin, Robert Otok, Lore Leighton, Kasia Czabanowska, Paul Barach, Nadav Davidovitch, Keren Dopelt, Mariusz Duplaga, Leah Okenwa Emegwa, Fiona Macleod, Yehuda Neumark, Maya Peled Raz, Theodore Tulchinsky, Zohar Mor

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

The global COVID-19 crisis exposed the critical need for a highly qualified public health workforce. This qualitative research aimed to examine public health workforce competencies needed to face COVID-19 challenges and identify the gaps between training programs and the competency demands of real-world disasters and pandemics. Through a sample of thirty-one participant qualitative interviews, we examined the perspectives of diverse stakeholders from lead public health organizations in Israel. Grounded Theory was used to analyze the data. Six themes emerged from the content analysis: public health workforce's low professional status and the uncertain future of the public health workforce; links between …

Bone Health Management In The Continuum Of Prostate Cancer Disease, Ettickan Boopathi, Ruth Birbe, Sunday A. Shoyele, Robert B. Den, Thangavel Chellappagounder

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men. PCa cells require androgen receptor (AR) signaling for their growth and survival. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the preferred treatment for patients with locally advanced and metastatic PCa disease. Despite their initial response to androgen blockade, most patients eventually will develop metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Bone metastases are common in men with mCRPC, occurring in 30% of patients within 2 years of castration resistance and in >90% of patients over the course of the disease. Patients with mCRPC-induced bone metastasis develop lesions throughout their skeleton; the 5-year …