Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Repurposing The Fda-Approved Anthelmintic Pyrvinium Pamoate For Pancreatic Cancer Treatment: Study Protocol For A Phase I Clinical Trial In Early-Stage Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Francesca M. Ponzini, Christopher W. Schultz, Benjamin E. Leiby, Shawnna Cannaday, T. Yeo, James Posey, Wilbur B. Bowne, Charles Yeo, Jonathan R. Brody, Harish Lavu, Avinoam Nevler

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Recent reports of the utilisation of pyrvinium pamoate (PP), an FDA-approved anti-helminth, have shown that it inhibits pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell growth and proliferation in-vitro and in-vivo in preclinical models. Here, we report about an ongoing phase I open-label, single-arm, dose escalation clinical trial to determine the safety and tolerability of PP in PDAC surgical candidates.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: In a 3+3 dose design, PP is initiated 3 days prior to surgery. The first three patients will be treated with the initial dose of PP at 5 mg/kg orally for 3 days prior to surgery. Dose doubling will …

Depression By Gender And Associated Factors Among Older Adults In India: Implications For Age-Friendly Policies, Ronak Paul, T. Muhammad, Rashmi Rashmi, Palak Sharma, Shobhit Srivastava, Preeti Zanwar

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Inspite of implementing policies to control mental health problems, depression remains a severe health concern among older adults in India. We examined self-reported differences in the depression among older men and women in India and examined associated factors for gender differences in depression at the population level. We utilized nationally representative data from the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI) wave I, for years 2017-2019. Our analytical sample comprised of 30,637 older adults ages 60 years and above (14,682 men and 15,655 women). We conducted descriptive statistics and Chi-Square tests followed by binary logistic regression and multivariate decomposition analyses to …

Endogenous Renal Adiponectin Drives Gluconeogenesis Through Enhancing Pyruvate And Fatty Acid Utilization, Toshiharu Onodera, May-Yun Wang, Joseph M Rutkowski, Stanislaw Deja, Shiuhwei Chen, Michael S Balzer, Dae-Seok Kim, Xuenan Sun, Yu A An, Bianca C Field, Charlotte Lee, Ei-Ichi Matsuo, Monika Mizerska, Ina Sanjana, Naoto Fujiwara, Christine M Kusminski, Ruth Gordillo, Laurent Gautron, Denise K Marciano, Ming Chang Hu, Shawn C Burgess, Katalin Susztak, Orson W Moe, Philipp E Scherer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Adiponectin is a secretory protein, primarily produced in adipocytes. However, low but detectable expression of adiponectin can be observed in cell types beyond adipocytes, particularly in kidney tubular cells, but its local renal role is unknown. We assessed the impact of renal adiponectin by utilizing male inducible kidney tubular cell-specific adiponectin overexpression or knockout mice. Kidney-specific adiponectin overexpression induces a doubling of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase expression and enhanced pyruvate-mediated glucose production, tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates and an upregulation of fatty acid oxidation (FAO). Inhibition of FAO reduces the adiponectin-induced enhancement of glucose production, highlighting the role of FAO in the induction …

Preoperative Hematocrit Levels And Postoperative Mortality In Patients Undergoing Craniotomy For Brain Tumors, Yangchun Xiao, Xin Cheng, Lu Jia, Yixin Tian, Jialing He, Miao He, Lvlin Chen, Pengfei Hao, Tiangui Li, Weelic Chong, Yang Hai, Chao You, Liyuan Peng, Fang Fang, Yu Zhang

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Abnormal hematocrit values, including anemia and polycythemia, are common in patients undergoing craniotomy, but the extent to which preoperative anemia or polycythemia independently increases the risk of mortality is unclear. This retrospective cohort study aimed to examine the association between preoperative anemia and polycythemia and postoperative mortality in patients who underwent craniotomy for brain tumor resection.

METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from 12,170 patients diagnosed with a brain tumor who underwent cranial surgery at West China Hospital between January 2011 and March 2021. The preoperative hematocrit value was defined as the last hematocrit value within 7 days before the …

Pediatric Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (Iih), Jourdan Valkner Krause

Presentations

A case presentation on a 17 year old patient with IIH and severe papilledema unresponsive to max dose of Acetazolamide referred to neurosurgery for surgery intervention. A re-read of MRV revealed stenosed transverse sinus. A stent was placed and the patient's condition significantly improved.

Clinical Characteristics, Racial Inequities, And Outcomes In Patients With Breast Cancer And Covid-19: A Covid-19 And Cancer Consortium (Ccc19) Cohort Study, Gayathri Nagaraj, Shaveta Vinayak, Ali Raza Khaki, Tianyi Sun, Nicole M. Kuderer, David M. Aboulafia, Jared D. Acoba, Joy Awosika, Ziad Bakouny, Nicole B. Balmaceda, Ting Bao, Babar Bashir, Stephanie Berg, Mehmet A. Bilen, Poorva Bindal, Sibel Blau, Brianne E. Bodin, Hala T. Borno, Cecilia Castellano, Horyun Choi, John Deeken, Aakash Desai, Natasha Edwin, Lawrence E. Feldman, Daniel B. Flora, Christopher R. Friese, Matthew D. Galsky, Cyndi J. Gonzalez, Petros Grivas, Shilpa Gupta, Marcy Haynam, Hannah Heilman, Dawn L. Hershman, Clara Hwang, Chinmay Jani, Sachin R. Jhawar, Monika Joshi, Virginia Kaklamani, Elizabeth J. Klein, Natalie Knox, Vadim S. Koshkin, Amit A. Kulkarni, Daniel H. Kwon, Chris Labaki, Philip E. Lammers, Kate I. Lathrop, Mark A. Lewis, Xuanyi Li, Gilbert De Lima Lopes, Gary H. Lyman, Della F. Makower, Abdul-Hai Mansoor, Merry-Jennifer Markham, Sandeep H. Mashru, Rana R. Mckay, Ian Messing, Vasil Mico, Rajani Nadkarni, Swathi Namburi, Ryan H. Nguyen, Taylor Kristian Nonato, Tracey Lynn O'Connor, Orestis A. Panagiotou, Kyu Park, Jaymin M. Patel, Kanishka Gopikabimal Patel, Jeffrey Peppercorn, Hyma Polimera, Matthew Puc, Yuan James Rao, Pedram Razavi, Sonya A. Reid, Jonathan W. Riess, Donna R. Rivera, Mark Robson, Suzanne J. Rose, Atlantis D. Russ, Lidia Schapira, Pankil K. Shah, M Kelly Shanahan, Lauren C. Shapiro, Melissa Smits, Daniel G. Stover, Mitrianna Streckfuss, Lisa Tachiki, Michael A. Thompson, Sara M. Tolaney, Lisa B. Weissmann, Grace Wilson, Michael T. Wotman, Elizabeth M. Wulff-Burchfield, Sanjay Mishra, Benjamin French, Jeremy L. Warner, Maryam B. Lustberg, Melissa K. Accordino, Dimpy P. Shah

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Limited information is available for patients with breast cancer (BC) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), especially among underrepresented racial/ethnic populations.

METHODS: This is a COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) registry-based retrospective cohort study of females with active or history of BC and laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection diagnosed between March 2020 and June 2021 in the US. Primary outcome was COVID-19 severity measured on a five-level ordinal scale, including none of the following complications, hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation, and all-cause mortality. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression model identified characteristics associated with COVID-19 severity.

RESULTS: …

Adapting An Evidence-Based Mindfulness-Based Intervention For Sheltered Youth Experiencing Homelessness, Diane Santa Maria, Paula Cuccaro, Kimberly Bender, Erica Sibinga, Natalie Guerrero, Najiba Keshwani, Jennifer Jones, Micki Fine

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objectives: Youth experiencing homelessness (YEH) face challenges that impact their physical, mental, and social wellbeing, emotion regulation, and coping. Mindfulness reduces stress and improves resilience, emotion regulation, and executive functioning. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) teach the practice of mindfulness to foster present-moment attention without judgement and enhance self-observation and self-regulation, resulting in greater awareness of thoughts and emotions and improved interpersonal relationships. One such intervention, .b, has been shown to lower stress among youth. While a pilot study of .b among sheltered youth found the intervention to be feasible, the need for modifications was identified to improve its relevance, accessibility, and …

Editorial: Implementation Mapping For Selecting, Adapting And Developing Implementation Strategies, Maria E Fernandez, Byron J Powell, Gill A Ten Hoor

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Impairment Of Serine Transport Across The Blood-Brain Barrier By Deletion Of Slc38a5 Causes Developmental Delay And Motor Dysfunction, Inna Radzishevsky, Maali Odeh, Oded Bodner, Salman Zubedat, Lihi Shaulov, Maxim Litvak, Kayoko Esaki, Takeo Yoshikawa, Bella Agranovich, Wen-Hong Li, Alex Radzishevsky, Eyal Gottlieb, Avi Avital, Herman Wolosker

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Brain L-serine is critical for neurodevelopment and is thought to be synthesized solely from glucose. In contrast, we found that the influx of L-serine across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is essential for brain development. We identified the endothelial Slc38a5, previously thought to be a glutamine transporter, as an L-serine transporter expressed at the BBB in early postnatal life. Young Slc38a5 knockout (KO) mice exhibit developmental alterations and a decrease in brain L-serine and D-serine, without changes in serum or liver amino acids. Slc38a5-KO brains exhibit accumulation of neurotoxic deoxysphingolipids, synaptic and mitochondrial abnormalities, and decreased neurogenesis at the dentate gyrus. …

Oncolytic Virus M1 Functions As A Bifunctional Checkpoint Inhibitor To Enhance The Antitumor Activity Of Dc Vaccine, Jia Dan, Jing Cai, Yingqian Zhong, Chaoqun Wang, Shanyu Huang, Ying Zeng, Zhen Fan, Cuiying Xu, Linyi Hu, Jiayu Zhang, Jun Hu, Ying Liu, Xingwen Su, Wenbo Zhu, Guangmei Yan, Jiankai Liang, Yuan Lin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Although promising, dendritic cell (DC) vaccines still provide limited clinical benefits, mainly due to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) and the lack of tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). Oncolytic virus therapy is an ideal strategy to overcome immunosuppression and expose TAAs; therefore, they may work synergistically with DC vaccines. In this study, we demonstrate that oncolytic virus M1 (OVM) can enhance the antitumor effects of DC vaccines across diverse syngeneic mouse tumor models by increasing the infiltration of CD8+ effector T cells in the TME. Mechanically, we show that tumor cells counteract DC vaccines through the SIRPα-CD47 immune checkpoint, while OVM can …

Emotional Barriers And Facilitators Of Deprescribing For Older Adults With Cancer And Polypharmacy: A Qualitative Study, Erika Ramsdale, Arul Malhotra, Holly M Holmes, Lisa Zubkoff, Jinjiao Wang, Supriya Mohile, Sally A Norton, Paul R Duberstein

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: To describe emotional barriers and facilitators to deprescribing (the planned reduction or discontinuation of medications) in older adults with cancer and polypharmacy.

Methods: Virtual focus groups were conducted over Zoom with 5 key informant groups: oncologists, oncology nurses, primary care physicians, pharmacists, and patients. All groups were video- and audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Focus group transcripts were analyzed using inductive content analysis, and open coding was performed by two coders. A codebook was generated based on the initial round of open coding and updated throughout the analytic process. Codes and themes were discussed for each transcript until consensus was …

Author Correction: Global Proteomic Identifies Multiple Cancer-Related Signaling Pathways Altered By A Gut Pathobiont Associated With Colorectal Cancer, Ewa Pasquereau-Kotula, Giulia Nigro, Florent Dingli, Damarys Loew, Patrick Poullet, Yi Xu, Scott Kopetz, Jennifer Davis, Lucie Peduto, Catherine Robbe-Masselot, Philippe Sansonetti, Patrick Trieu-Cuot, Shaynoor Dramsi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Isospectral Intermediates In The Photochemical Reaction Cycle Of Anion Channelrhodopsin Gtacr1, Pamela Schleissner, Istvan Szundi, Eefei Chen, Hai Li, John L Spudich, David S Kliger

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The most effective tested optogenetic tools available for neuronal silencing are the light-gated anion channel proteins found in the cryptophyte alga Guillardia theta (GtACRs). Molecular mechanisms of GtACRs, including the photointermediates responsible for the open channel state, are of great interest for understanding their exceptional conductance. In this study, the photoreactions of GtACR1 and its D234N, A75E, and S97E mutants were investigated using multichannel time-resolved absorption spectroscopy. For each of the proteins, the analysis showed two early microsecond transitions between K-like and L-like forms and two late millisecond recovery steps. Spectral forms associated with potential molecular intermediates of the proteins …

Neuroprotective Activity Of Enantiomers Of Salsolinol And N-Methyl-(R)-Salsolinol: In Vitro And In Silico Studies, Magdalena Kurnik-Łucka, Gniewomir Latacz, Adam Bucki, Mario Rivera-Meza, Nadia Khan, Jahnobi Konwar, Kamil Skowron, Marcin Kołaczkowski, Krzysztof Gil

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Salsolinol (1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-6,7-diol) is a close structural analogue of dopamine with an asymmetric center at the C1 position, and its presence in vivo, both in humans and rodents, has already been proven. Yet, given the fact that salsolinol colocalizes with dopamine-rich regions and was first detected in the urine of Parkinson's disease patients, its direct role in the process of neurodegeneration has been proposed. Here, we report that

Preantral Follicle Morphometry And Ultrastructure Of Antral Follicles In Anatolian Water Buffalo, Duygu Baki̇ Acar, Muhammed Kürşad Bi̇rdane, Çi̇ğdem Tokyol, Nermi̇n Nüket Göçmen Karabeki̇r, Hati̇ce Mürvet Hayran, Erhan Özenç, Fatma Aktepe, Ebubeki̇r Yazici, İlknur Pi̇r Yağci, Mehmet Uçar

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

This study aimed to evaluate quantitative and morphometric analyses of preantral follicles and the ultrastructural characteristics of antral follicles in different oestrous cycle stages in Anatolian water buffaloes. Twenty-four ovaries collected from twelve slaughtered Anatolian water buffaloes were classified macroscopically as luteal or follicular stages. The ovaries were prepared for histological examination (Hematoxylin-eosin staining), and primordial, primary, and secondary follicle numbers were calculated, and the diameters of oocytes, follicles, and nuclei were measured under a light microscope with a micrometre. The theca and granulosa cells of antral follicles were observed under a transmission electron microscope. The mean number of preantral …

Radiographic Pelvimetry In Scottish Fold Cats: Sex-Related Differences, Osman Yilmaz, Davut Koca, Talha Avcilar

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

This study was carried out to obtain osteometric measurements of the pelvis of Scottish Fold cats using X-ray images and reveal the biometric differences of these measurement values in terms of sexual dimorphism. Radiographic images of the pelvis in the laterolateral and ventrodorsal direction were used in male and female Scottish Fold cats aged 2-4 years with dystocia and eutocia. The measurements of 18 osteometric parameters and 36 parameters, such as the height/width ratio of the cat pelvis, were taken, and statistical analysis of the measurements was initiated. When the pelvimetric data were examined, it was observed that all of …

Determining The Protective Effect Of A Boron Adjuvanted Vaccine With An Experimental Infection Model In Mice, Zafer Sayin, Ali̇ Uslu, Özgür Özdemi̇r, Abdullah Başoğlu, Asli Balevi̇, Uçkun Sai̇t Uçan, Zeki̇ Aras, Osman Ergani̇ş

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Boron is a required trace element for plants, humans, and animals and it has significant influence over biological functions and the immune system. Vaccines have aided humans in the control of many contagious diseases around the world. The success of global immunization campaigns may be possible with the development of effective and low-cost vaccines and adjuvants. For this reason, the present study aimed to determine the adjuvant activity of easily accessible boron compounds. In this study, six different vaccines were prepared, including inactive Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, boric acid, aluminum hydroxide, montanide ISA 50, and ISA 206, ISA 50 + boric …

Association Between Whole Blood-Derived Mitochondrial Dna Copy Number, Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol, And Cardiovascular Disease Risk, Xue Liu, Xianbang Sun, Yuankai Zhang, Wenqing Jiang, Meng Lai, Kerri L Wiggins, Laura M Raffield, Lawrence F Bielak, Wei Zhao, Achilleas Pitsillides, Jeffrey Haessler, Yinan Zheng, Thomas W Blackwell, Jie Yao, Xiuqing Guo, Yong Qian, Bharat Thyagarajan, Nathan Pankratz, Stephen S Rich, Kent D Taylor, Patricia A Peyser, Susan R Heckbert, Sudha Seshadri, Eric Boerwinkle, Megan L Grove, Nicholas B Larson, Jennifer A Smith, Ramachandran S Vasan, Annette L Fitzpatrick, Myriam Fornage, Jun Ding, April P Carson, Goncalo Abecasis, Josée Dupuis, Alexander Reiner, Charles Kooperberg, Lifang Hou, Bruce M Psaty, James G Wilson, Daniel Levy, Jerome I Rotter, Joshua C Bis, Claudia L Satizabal, Dan E Arking, Chunyu Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background The relationship between mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA CN) and cardiovascular disease remains elusive. Methods and Results We performed cross-sectional and prospective association analyses of blood-derived mtDNA CN and cardiovascular disease outcomes in 27 316 participants in 8 cohorts of multiple racial and ethnic groups with whole-genome sequencing. We also performed Mendelian randomization to explore causal relationships of mtDNA CN with coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiometabolic risk factors (obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia).

Orthostatic Hypotension, Hypertension Treatment, And Cardiovascular Disease: An Individual Participant Meta-Analysis, Stephen P Juraschek, Jiun-Ruey Hu, Jennifer L Cluett, Anthony M Ishak, Carol Mita, Lewis A Lipsitz, Lawrence J Appel, Nigel S Beckett, Ruth L Coleman, William C Cushman, Barry R Davis, Greg Grandits, Rury R Holman, Edgar R Miller, Ruth Peters, Jan A Staessen, Addison A Taylor, Lutgarde Thijs, Jackson T Wright, Kenneth J Mukamal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: There are ongoing concerns about the benefits of intensive vs standard blood pressure (BP) treatment among adults with orthostatic hypotension or standing hypotension.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of a lower BP treatment goal or active therapy vs a standard BP treatment goal or placebo on cardiovascular disease (CVD) or all-cause mortality in strata of baseline orthostatic hypotension or baseline standing hypotension.

DATA SOURCES: Individual participant data meta-analysis based on a systematic review of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases through May 13, 2022.

STUDY SELECTION: Randomized trials of BP pharmacologic treatment (more intensive BP goal or active agent) with …

Hippo Pathway Knockdown Gene Therapy In The Heart, Todd R Heallen, James F Martin

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

No abstract provided.

International Consensus On Differential Diagnosis And Management Of Patients With Danon Disease: Jacc State-Of-The-Art Review, Kimberly N Hong, Emily A Eshraghian, Michael Arad, Alessia Argirò, Michela Brambatti, Quan Bui, Oren Caspi, Fernando De Frutos, Barry Greenberg, Carolyn Y Ho, Juan Pablo Kaski, Iacopo Olivotto, Matthew R G Taylor, Abigail Yesso, Pablo Garcia-Pavia, Eric D Adler

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Danon disease is a rare X-linked autophagic vacuolar cardioskeletal myopathy associated with severe heart failure that can be accompanied with extracardiac neurologic, skeletal, and ophthalmologic manifestations. It is caused by loss of function variants in the LAMP2 gene and is among the most severe and penetrant of the genetic cardiomyopathies. Most patients with Danon disease will experience symptomatic heart failure. Male individuals generally present earlier than women and die of either heart failure or arrhythmia or receive a heart transplant by the third decade of life. Herein, the authors review the differential diagnosis of Danon disease, diagnostic criteria, natural history, …

Macrocephaly And Developmental Delay Caused By Missense Variants In Rab5c, Klaas Koop, Weimin Yuan, Federico Tessadori, Wilmer R Rodriguez-Polanco, Jeremy Grubbs, Bo Zhang, Matt Osmond, Gail Graham, Sarah Sawyer, Erin Conboy, Francesco Vetrini, Kayla Treat, Rafal Płoski, Victor Murcia Pienkowski, Anna Kłosowska, Elizabeth Fieg, Joel Krier, Coralie Mallebranche, Ziegler Alban, Kimberly A Aldinger, Deborah Ritter, Ellen Macnamara, Bonnie Sullivan, John Herriges, Joseph T Alaimo, Catherine Helbig, Colin A Ellis, Clare Van Eyk, Jozef Gecz, Daniel Farrugia, Ikeoluwa Osei-Owusu, Lesley Adès, Marie-Jose Van Den Boogaard, Sabine Fuchs, Jeroen Bakker, Karen Duran, Zachary D Dawson, Anika Lindsey, Huiyan Huang, Dustin Baldridge, Gary A Silverman, Barth D Grant, David Raizen, Undiagnosed Diseases Network, Gijs Van Haaften, Stephen C Pak, Holger Rehmann, Tim Schedl, Peter Van Hasselt

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Rab GTPases are important regulators of intracellular vesicular trafficking. RAB5C is a member of the Rab GTPase family that plays an important role in the endocytic pathway, membrane protein recycling and signaling. Here we report on 12 individuals with nine different heterozygous de novo variants in RAB5C. All but one patient with missense variants (n = 9) exhibited macrocephaly, combined with mild-to-moderate developmental delay. Patients with loss of function variants (n = 2) had an apparently more severe clinical phenotype with refractory epilepsy and intellectual disability but a normal head circumference. Four missense variants were investigated experimentally. In vitro biochemical …

Regulation Of Postnatal Cardiomyocyte Maturation By An Rna Splicing Regulator Rbfox1, Jijun Huang, Josh Z Lee, Christoph D Rau, Arash Pezhouman, Tomohiro Yokota, Hiromi Miwa, Matthew Feldman, Tsz Kin Kong, Ziyue Yang, Woan Ting Tay, Ivan Pushkarsky, Kyungsoo Kim, Shan S Parikh, Shreya Udani, Boon Seng Soh, Chen Gao, Linsey Stiles, Orian S Shirihai, Bjorn C Knollmann, Reza Ardehali, Dino Di Carlo, Yibin Wang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Molecular And Sequencing Study And Identification Of Novel Sem-Type In Beta-Hemolytic Streptococci Involving The Upper Respiratory Tract In Iran, Sina Moghaddam, Samad Lotfollahzadeh, Taghi Zahraei Salehi, Ali Hassanpour, Hamid Tavanaei Manesh, Iraj Ashrafi Tamai

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Beta-hemolytic streptococci involving the upper respiratory tract cause strangles and strangles-like diseases in horses and cause severe economic damage to the equestrian club each year. Therefore, careful epidemiological study of these bacteria, evaluation of phylogenetic connections and SeM-typing can be useful to determine the source and epidemiological characteristics of the disease outbreak. Isolates were analyzed using molecular and phylogenetic methods and to determine antibiotic resistance pattern in Iranian isolates. Molecular and phylogenetic methods were used to evaluate Iranian streptococcal isolates, and the similarity of the Iranian SeM-97 sequence with other alleles was assessed using the Neighbor-joining method with the …

Prostate Cancer Immunotherapy: Improving Clinical Outcomes With A Multi-Pronged Approach, Dhivya Sridaran, Elliot Bradshaw, Carl Deselm, Russell Pachynski, Kiran Mahajan, Nupam P Mahajan

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Cancer immunotherapy has gained traction in recent years owing to remarkable tumor clearance in some patients. Despite the notable success of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in multiple malignancies, engagement of the immune system for targeted prostate cancer (PCa) therapy is still in its infancy. Multiple factors contribute to limited response, including the heterogeneity of PCa, the cold tumor microenvironment, and a low number of neoantigens. Significant effort is being invested in improving immune-based PCa therapies. This review is a summary of the status of immunotherapy in treating PCa, with a discussion of multiple immune modalities, including vaccines, adoptively transferred T …

The Liquid Biopsy Consortium: Challenges And Opportunities For Early Cancer Detection And Monitoring, Syeda Maheen Batool, Mark Watson, Rebecca Aft, Siddarth Rawal, Richard J Cote, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The emerging field of liquid biopsy stands at the forefront of novel diagnostic strategies for cancer and other diseases. Liquid biopsy allows minimally invasive molecular characterization of cancers for diagnosis, patient stratification to therapy, and longitudinal monitoring. Liquid biopsy strategies include detection and monitoring of circulating tumor cells, cell-free DNA, and extracellular vesicles. In this review, we address the current understanding and the role of existing liquid-biopsy-based modalities in cancer diagnostics and monitoring. We specifically focus on the technical and clinical challenges associated with liquid biopsy and biomarker development being addressed by the Liquid Biopsy Consortium, established through the National …

Focused Ultrasound-Mediated Delivery Of Anti-Programmed Cell Death-Ligand 1 Antibody To The Brain Of A Porcine Model, Siaka Fadera, Chinwendu Chukwu, Andrew H Stark, Yimei Yue, Lu Xu, Chih-Yen Chien, Jinyun Yuan, Hong Chen

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy has revolutionized cancer treatment by leveraging the body's immune system to combat cancer cells. However, its effectiveness in brain cancer is hindered by the blood-brain barrier (BBB), impeding the delivery of ICIs to brain tumor cells. This study aimed to assess the safety and feasibility of using focused ultrasound combined with microbubble-mediated BBB opening (FUS-BBBO) to facilitate trans-BBB delivery of an ICI, anti-programmed cell death-ligand 1 antibody (aPD-L1) to the brain of a large animal model. In a porcine model, FUS sonication of targeted brain regions was performed after intravenous microbubble injection, which was followed …

Telling Stories In Noise: The Impact Of Background Noises On Spoken Language For People With Aphasia, Tyson G. Harmon, Brenna Scadden Nelson, Christopher Dromey, Kirsten Dixon Clawson

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Determine how different background noise conditions affect the spoken language of participants with aphasia during a story retell task.

Method: Participants included 11 adults with mild to moderate aphasia and 11 age- and gender-matched controls. Participants retold stories in a silent baseline and five background noise conditions (conversation, monologue, phone call, cocktail, pink noise). Dependent measures of speech acoustics (fundamental frequency, mean intensity), speech fluency (speech rate, disfluent words), and language production (correct information units, lexical errors, lexical diversity, and cohesive utterances) were compared between groups and across conditions.

Results: Background noise resulted in higher fundamental frequency (F_{0 …}

Physiological Arousal, Attentiveness, Emotion, And Word Retrieval In Aphasia: Effects And Relationships, Tyson G. Harmon, Angela Johnson, Vivian Ward, Shawn Nissen

Faculty Publications

Purpose: To (a) compare physiological arousal and attentiveness during a confrontational naming task between participants with aphasia and a control group across four conditions that varied according to emotionality of presented stimuli and (b) explore relationships among physiological arousal, attentiveness, perceived arousal, and naming performance. We hypothesized that participants with aphasia would show lower levels of arousal and attentiveness than control participants and that emotional conditions would lead to increased physiological arousal and attentiveness.

Method: Eight participants with aphasia and 15 control participants completed a confrontational naming task under positive, negative, and neutral conditions and rated their perceived arousal after …

The Prevalence Of Covid-19 Misinformation Among High School Students And Its Influence On National Public Health Perception, Isha Patel

International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

The global COVID-19 pandemic brought attention to national public health perception and the detriments of medical misinformation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the extent to which susceptibility to common COVID-19 virus and vaccine misconceptions correlate with the high school students’ perception of public health. A survey was distributed to 61 high school students, and it was found that there is a weak negative correlation between acceptance of COVID-19 virus and vaccine misconceptions and national public health perception. The results, however, indicated a prevalence of misconceptions surrounding COVID-19 among participants. Overall, 52.5% of participants rate public health as …