Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Cep120 Is Essential For Kidney Stromal Progenitor Cell Growth And Differentiation, Ewa Langner, Tao Cheng, Eirini Kefaloyianni, Charles Gluck, Baolin Wang, Moe R Mahjoub

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Mutations in genes that disrupt centrosome structure or function can cause congenital kidney developmental defects and lead to fibrocystic pathologies. Yet, it is unclear how defective centrosome biogenesis impacts renal progenitor cell physiology. Here, we examined the consequences of impaired centrosome duplication on kidney stromal progenitor cell growth, differentiation, and fate. Conditional deletion of the ciliopathy gene Cep120, which is essential for centrosome duplication, in the stromal mesenchyme resulted in reduced abundance of interstitial lineages including pericytes, fibroblasts and mesangial cells. These phenotypes were caused by a combination of delayed mitosis, activation of the mitotic surveillance pathway leading to apoptosis, …

Disruption Of The Nascent Polypeptide-Associated Complex Leads To Reduced Polyglutamine Aggregation And Toxicity, Leeran B. Dublin-Ryan, Ankan K. Bhadra, Heather L. True

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The nascent polypeptide-associate complex (NAC) is a heterodimeric chaperone complex that binds near the ribosome exit tunnel and is the first point of chaperone contact for newly synthesized proteins. Deletion of the NAC induces embryonic lethality in many multi-cellular organisms. Previous work has shown that the deletion of the NAC rescues cells from prion-induced cytotoxicity. This counterintuitive result led us to hypothesize that NAC disruption would improve viability in cells expressing human misfolding proteins. Here, we show that NAC disruption improves viability in cells expressing expanded polyglutamine and also leads to delayed and reduced aggregation of expanded polyglutamine and changes …

Characterization And Individual-Level Prediction Of Cognitive State In The First Year After 'Mild' Stroke, Juan Pablo Saa, Tamara Tse, Gerald Choon-Huat Koh, Philip Yap, Carolyn M. Baum, David E. Uribe-Rivera, Saras M. Windecker, Henry Ma, Stephen M. Davis, Geoffrey A. Donnan, Leeanne M. Carey

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Mild stroke affects more than half the stroke population, yet there is limited evidence characterizing cognition over time in this population, especially with predictive approaches applicable at the individual-level. We aimed to identify patterns of recovery and the best combination of demographic, clinical, and lifestyle factors predicting individual-level cognitive state at 3- and 12-months after mild stroke.

METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was administered at 3-7 days, 3- and 12-months post-stroke. Raw changes in MoCA and impairment rates (defined as MoCA<24 points) were compared between assessment time-points. Trajectory clusters were identified using variations of ≥1 point in MoCA scores. To further compare clusters, additional assessments administered at 3- and 12-months were included. Gamma and Quantile mixed-effects regression were used to predict individual MoCA scores over time, using baseline clinical and demographic variables. Model predictions were fitted for each stroke survivor and evaluated using model cross-validation to identify the overall best predictors of cognitive recovery.

RESULTS: Participants' (n = 119) MoCA scores improved from baseline to 3-months …

Translatability Of Findings From Cynomolgus Monkey To Human Suggests A Mechanistic Role For Il-21 In Promoting Immunogenicity To An Anti-Pd-1/Il-21 Mutein Fusion Protein, Mark A Kroenke, Ramaswamy Govindan, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

AMG 256 is a bi-specific, heteroimmunoglobulin molecule with an anti-PD-1 antibody domain and a single IL-21 mutein domain on the C-terminus. Nonclinical studies in cynomolgus monkeys revealed that AMG 256 administration led to the development of immunogenicity-mediated responses and indicated that the IL-21 mutein domain of AMG 256 could enhance the anti-drug antibody response directed toward the monoclonal antibody domain. Anti-AMG 256 IgE were also observed in cynomolgus monkeys. A first-in-human (FIH) study in patients with advanced solid tumors was designed with these risks in mind. AMG 256 elicited ADA in 28 of 33 subjects (84.8%). However, ADA responses were …

Graceful Gait: Virtual Ballet Classes Improve Mobility And Reduce Falls More Than Wellness Classes For Older Women, Elinor C Harrison, Allison M Haussler, Lauren E Tueth, Sidney T Baudendistel, Gammon M Earhart

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Dance is an effective and motivating form of exercise for older women, but few studies have quantified the benefits of virtual dance classes nor, specifically, ballet. This study tested the effectiveness of virtual ballet compared to virtual wellness classes, with the goal of reaching underserved populations. It is among the first to explore the effects of virtual classical ballet on functional gait mobility, balance, and quality of life measures in older women.

METHODS: Older women were recruited in two waves and randomized to two groups: a ballet class modified for older adults and a wellness-based control class. Both groups …

A Multisociety Delphi Consensus Statement On New Fatty Liver Disease Nomenclature, Mary E Rinella, Samuel Klein, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The principal limitations of the terms NAFLD and NASH are the reliance on exclusionary confounder terms and the use of potentially stigmatising language. This study set out to determine if content experts and patient advocates were in favor of a change in nomenclature and/or definition. A modified Delphi process was led by three large pan-national liver associations. The consensus was defined a priori as a supermajority (67%) vote. An independent committee of experts external to the nomenclature process made the final recommendation on the acronym and its diagnostic criteria. A total of 236 panelists from 56 countries participated in 4 …

The Ithildin Library For Efficient Numerical Solution Of Anisotropic Reaction-Diffusion Problems In Excitable Media, Desmond Kabus, Marie Cloet, Christian Zemlin, Olivier Bernus, Hans Dierckx

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Ithildin is an open-source library and framework for efficient parallelized simulations of excitable media, written in the C++ programming language. It uses parallelization on multiple CPU processors via the message passing interface (MPI). We demonstrate the library's versatility through a series of simulations in the context of the monodomain description of cardiac electrophysiology, including the S1S2 protocol, spiral break-up, and spiral waves in ventricular geometry. Our work demonstrates the power of Ithildin as a tool for studying complex wave patterns in cardiac tissue and its potential to inform future experimental and theoretical studies. We publish our full code with this …

Janus Kinase Inhibition In The Treatment And Prevention Of Graft-Versus-Host Disease, Elisa De Togni, Oladipo Cole, Ramzi Abboud

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). For many years, corticosteroids have been the mainstay treatment for GVHD, but cases of steroid-refractory GVHD and the severe adverse effects of high-dose corticosteroids have increased the need for preventative and therapeutic strategies for GVHD. Due to the nature of alloreactive T cells, GVHD is inherently linked to the graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect, the therapeutic driving force behind stem cell transplantation. A considerable clinical challenge is to preserve GVL while suppressing GVHD. The field of GVHD research has greatly expanded over the past …

Analyses Of Patients Who Self-Administered Diazepam Nasal Spray For Acute Treatment Of Seizure Clusters, Sunita N Misra, Michael R Sperling, Vikram R Rao, Jurriaan M Peters, Patricia Penovich, James Wheless, R Edward Hogan, Charles S Davis, Enrique Carrazana, Adrian L Rabinowicz

2020-Current year OA Pubs

For acute treatment of seizure clusters in patients with epilepsy, intranasal administration of acute seizure therapies has been shown to provide accessibility and ease of use to care partners as well as the potential for self-administration by patients. Diazepam nasal spray (Valtoco®) was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for acute treatment of intermittent, stereotypic episodes of frequent seizure activity (ie, seizure clusters, acute repetitive seizures) in patients with epilepsy aged ≥6 years. Self-administration consistent with the prescribing information is feasible and was reported by a subgroup of patients (n = 27 of 163) in a long-term phase …

Predicting Cognitive Decline: Which Is More Useful, Baseline Amyloid Levels Or Longitudinal Change?, Gengsheng Chen, Nicole S Mckay, Brian A Gordon, Jingxia Liu, Nelly Joseph-Mathurin, Suzanne E Schindler, Jason Hassenstab, Andrew J Aschenbrenner, Qing Wang, Stephanie A Schultz, Yi Su, Pamela J Lamontagne, Sarah J Keefe, Parinaz Massoumzadeh, Carlos Cruchaga, Chengjie Xiong, John C Morris, Tammie L S Benzinger

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The use of biomarkers for the early detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is crucial for developing potential therapeutic treatments. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a well-established tool used to detect β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques in the brain. Previous studies have shown that cross-sectional biomarkers can predict cognitive decline (Schindler et al.,2021). However, it is still unclear whether longitudinal Aβ-PET may have additional value for predicting time to cognitive impairment in AD. The current study aims to evaluate the ability of baseline- versus longitudinal rate of change in-

Everything But The Kitchen Sink: An Analysis Of Bacterial And Chemical Contaminants Found In Syringe Residue From People Who Inject Drugs, John A Wildenthal, Drew J Schwartz, Nathanial S Nolan, Lingxia Zhao, John I Robinson, Erin Jones, Raagini Jawa, Jeffrey P Henderson, Laura R Marks

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: People who inject drugs (PWID) are at high risk of severe wounds, invasive infections, and overdoses. To date, there are few data on the bacterial and chemical contaminants PWID are exposed to when using illicitly manufactured fentanyls and stimulants.

METHODS: Previously used injection drug use equipment was recovered in St Louis, Missouri, by harm reduction organizations over a 12-month period. Syringe residue was analyzed for bacterial contaminants by routine culturing followed by whole genome sequencing of single bacterial isolates. Chemical adulterants in syringe residue were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

RESULTS: Bacteria were cultured from 58.75% of 160 syringes …

Sc2menetdrug: A Computational Tool To Uncover Inter-Cell Signaling Targets And Identify Relevant Drugs Based On Single Cell Rna-Seq Data, Jiarui Feng, S. Peter Goedegebuure, Amanda Zeng, Ye Bi, Ting Wang, Philip Payne, Li Ding, David Denardo, William Hawkins, Ryan C. Fields, Fuhai Li

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a powerful technology to investigate the transcriptional programs in stromal, immune, and disease cells, like tumor cells or neurons within the Alzheimer's Disease (AD) brain or tumor microenvironment (ME) or niche. Cell-cell communications within ME play important roles in disease progression and immunotherapy response and are novel and critical therapeutic targets. Though many tools of scRNA-seq analysis have been developed to investigate the heterogeneity and sub-populations of cells, few were designed for uncovering cell-cell communications of ME and predicting the potentially effective drugs to inhibit the communications. Moreover, the data analysis processes of discovering signaling …

Ddr2-Regulated Arginase Activity In Ovarian Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Promotes Collagen Production And Tumor Progression, Favour A Akinjiyan, Zainab Ibitoye, Peinan Zhao, Leah P Shriver, Gary J Patti, Gregory D Longmore, Katherine C Fuh

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Ovarian cancer has poor survival outcomes particularly for advanced stage, metastatic disease. Metastasis is promoted by interactions of stromal cells, such as cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME), with tumor cells. CAFs play a key role in tumor progression by remodeling the TME and extracellular matrix (ECM) to result in a more permissive environment for tumor progression. It has been shown that fibroblasts, in particular myofibroblasts, utilize metabolism to support ECM remodeling. However, the intricate mechanisms by which CAFs support collagen production and tumor progression are poorly understood. In this study, we show that the fibrillar collagen receptor, …

Patient-Reported Treatment Response In Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease, Annie Im, Iskra Pusic, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) treatment response is assessed using National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Criteria in clinical trials, and by clinician assessment in routine practice. Patient-reported treatment response is central to the experience of chronic GvHD manifestations as well as treatment benefit and toxicity, but how they correlate with clinician- or NIH-responses has not been well-studied. We aimed to characterize 6-month patientreported response, determine associated chronic GvHD baseline organ features and changes, and evaluate which patientreported quality of life and chronic GvHD symptom burden measures correlated with patient-reported response. From two nationally representative Chronic GVHD Consortium prospective observational studies, …

The Forkhead Transcription Factor Foxj1 Controls Vertebrate Olfactory Cilia Biogenesis And Sensory Neuron Differentiation, Dheeraj Rayamajhi, Steven L. Brody, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

In vertebrates, olfactory receptors localize on multiple cilia elaborated on dendritic knobs of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs). Although olfactory cilia dysfunction can cause anosmia, how their differentiation is programmed at the transcriptional level has remained largely unexplored. We discovered in zebrafish and mice that Foxj1, a forkhead domain-containing transcription factor traditionally linked with motile cilia biogenesis, is expressed in OSNs and required for olfactory epithelium (OE) formation. In keeping with the immotile nature of olfactory cilia, we observed that ciliary motility genes are repressed in zebrafish, mouse, and human OSNs. Strikingly, we also found that besides ciliogenesis, Foxj1 controls the …

Transcription Factor Interactions Explain The Context-Dependent Activity Of Crx Binding Sites, Kaiser J. Loell, Ryan Z. Friedman, Connie A. Myers, Joseph C. Corbo, Barak A. Cohen, Michael A. White

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The effects of transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) on the activity of a cis-regulatory element (CRE) depend on the local sequence context. In rod photoreceptors, binding sites for the transcription factor (TF) Cone-rod homeobox (CRX) occur in both enhancers and silencers, but the sequence context that determines whether CRX binding sites contribute to activation or repression of transcription is not understood. To investigate the context-dependent activity of CRX sites, we fit neural network-based models to the activities of synthetic CREs composed of photoreceptor TFBSs. The models revealed that CRX binding sites consistently make positive, independent contributions to CRE activity, while …

Control Intervention Design For Preclinical And Clinical Trials: Consensus-Based Core Recommendations From The Third Stroke Recovery And Rehabilitation Roundtable, Kathryn S Hayward, Emily J Dalton, Jessica Barth, Marian Brady, Leora R Cherney, Leonid Churilov, Andrew N Clarkson, Jesse Dawson, Sean P Dukelow, Peter Feys, Maree Hackett, Steve R Zeiler, Catherine E Lang

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Control comparator selection is a critical trial design issue. Preclinical and clinical investigators who are doing trials of stroke recovery and rehabilitation interventions must carefully consider the appropriateness and relevance of their chosen control comparator as the benefit of an experimental intervention is established relative to a comparator. Establishing a strong rationale for a selected comparator improves the integrity of the trial and validity of its findings. This Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Roundtable (SRRR) taskforce used a graph theory voting system to rank the importance and ease of addressing challenges during control comparator design. "Identifying appropriate type of control" was …

Assets For Integrating Task-Sharing Strategies For Hypertension Within Hiv Clinics: Stakeholder's Perspectives Using The Pen-3 Cultural Model, Juliet Iwelunmor, Daphne Lew, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Access to antiretroviral therapy has increased life expectancy and survival among people living with HIV (PLWH) in African countries like Nigeria. Unfortunately, non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases are on the rise as important drivers of morbidity and mortality rates among this group. The aim of this study was to explore the perspectives of key stakeholders in Nigeria on the integration of evidence-based task-sharing strategies for hypertension care (TASSH) within existing HIV clinics in Nigeria.

METHODS: Stakeholders representing PLWH, patient advocates, health care professionals (i.e. community health nurses, physicians and chief medical officers), as well as policymakers, completed in-depth …

Examining Associations Between Genetic And Neural Risk For Externalizing Behaviors In Adolescence And Early Adulthood, Sarah J Brislin, Andrey P Anokhin, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Researchers have identified genetic and neural risk factors for externalizing behaviors. However, it has not yet been determined if genetic liability is conferred in part through associations with more proximal neurophysiological risk markers.

METHODS: Participants from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism, a large, family-based study of alcohol use disorders were genotyped and polygenic scores for externalizing (EXT PGS) were calculated. Associations with target P3 amplitude from a visual oddball task (P3) and broad endorsement of externalizing behaviors (indexed via self-report of alcohol and cannabis use, and antisocial behavior) were assessed in participants of European (EA;

RESULTS: …

A Feasibility Trial Of Skin Surface Motion-Gated Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy For Treatment Of Upper Abdominal Or Lower Thoracic Targets Using A Novel O-Ring Gantry, Kendall Kiser, Joshua Schiff, Eric Laugeman, Taeho Kim, Olga Green, Casey Hatscher, Hyun Kim, Shahed Badiyan, Matthew Spraker, Pamela Samson, Clifford Robinson, Alex Price, Lauren Henke

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A novel O-ring gantry can deliver stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) with artificial intelligence-facilitated, CT-guided online plan adaptation. It gates mobile targets by optically monitoring skin surface motion. However, this gating solution has not been clinically validated. We conducted a trial to evaluate the feasibility of optical skin surface-guided gating for patients with mobile upper abdominal or lower thoracic malignancies treated with SBRT on this platform (NCT05030454).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten patients who were prescribed SBRT to a thoracic or abdominal target and were capable of breath-hold for at least 17 s enrolled. They received SBRT in …

Bradykinin Receptor Expression And Bradykinin-Mediated Sensitization Of Human Sensory Neurons, Jiwon Yi, Zachariah Bertels, John Smith Del Rosario, Allie J. Widman, Richard A. Slivicki, Maria Payne, Henry M. Susser, Bryan A. Copits, Robert W. Gereau 4th

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Bradykinin is a peptide implicated in inflammatory pain in both humans and rodents. In rodent sensory neurons, activation of B1 and B2 bradykinin receptors induces neuronal hyperexcitability. Recent evidence suggests that human and rodent dorsal root ganglia (DRG), which contain the cell bodies of sensory neurons, differ in the expression and function of key GPCRs and ion channels; whether bradykinin receptor expression and function are conserved across species has not been studied in depth. In this study, we used human DRG tissue from organ donors to provide a detailed characterization of bradykinin receptor expression and bradykinin-induced changes in the excitability …

Multiple Genes Core To Erad, Macroautophagy And Lysosomal Degradation Pathways Participate In The Proteostasis Response In Α1-Antitrypsin Deficiency, Jie Li, Tunda Hidvegi, Sanja Sviben, James A J Fitzpatrick, Hemalatha Sundaramoorthi, Stephen C Pak, Gary A Silverman, David H Perlmutter, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND & AIMS: In the classic form of α1-antitrypsin deficiency (ATD), the misfolded α1-antitrypsin Z (ATZ) variant accumulates in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of liver cells. A gain-of-function proteotoxic mechanism is responsible for chronic liver disease in a subgroup of homozygotes. Proteostatic response pathways, including conventional endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation and autophagy, have been proposed as the mechanisms that allow cellular adaptation and presumably protection from the liver disease phenotype. Recent studies have concluded that a distinct lysosomal pathway called endoplasmic reticulum-to-lysosome completely supplants the role of the conventional macroautophagy pathway in degradation of ATZ. Here, we used several state-of-the-art approaches …

Microstructural Analysis Does Not Support Altered Interhemispheric Wiring Of The Human Anterior Commissure In Corpus Callosum Dysgenesis, Timothy J Edwards, Ryan J Dean, Gail A Robinson, Jacquelyn Knight, Simone A Mandelstam, Linda J Richards

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Individuals with corpus callosum dysgenesis (CCD) lack the clear disconnection syndrome that is characteristic of individuals in whom the corpus callosum has been surgically severed. One potential explanation for this paradox is that the anterior commissure undergoes neuroplastic remodeling in CCD to improve interhemispheric communication between the brain hemispheres.

METHODS: A cohort of sixteen individuals with CCD (and sixteen sex and age-matched neurotypical controls) underwent multi-shell diffusion magnetic resonance high-field imaging (dMRI) at 7-Tesla to assess the anatomy of the anterior commissure for evidence of neuroplasticity.

RESULTS: No significant group-wise differences in midsagittal anterior commissure volumes were detected between …

Efficacy And Safety Of Bempedoic Acid In Patients With Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Analysis Of Pooled Patient-Level Data From Phase 3 Clinical Trials, P Barton Duell, Maciej Banach, Alberico L Catapano, Ulrich Laufs, G B John Mancini, Kausik K Ray, Christine Broestl, Yang Zhang, Lei Lei, Anne C Goldberg

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) often cannot reach guideline-recommended low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goals despite multidrug therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of bempedoic acid as an add-on therapy for lowering LDL-C in patients with HeFH.

METHODS: Pooled data from two 52-week phase 3 clinical trials of patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and/or HeFH receiving maximally tolerated statin therapy (randomized 2:1 to bempedoic acid or placebo) were analyzed by HeFH status. Endpoints included changes from baseline to week 12 (and up to week 52) in LDL-C and other lipid parameters, achievement of LDL-C goals, and safety. …

Lung Infection With Classical Klebsiella Pneumoniae Strains Establishes Robust Macrophage-Dependent Protection Against Heterologous Reinfection, Joseph J Mackel, Casey L G Mick, Emily Guo, David A Rosen

2020-Current year OA Pubs

At present, there is no approved vaccine for prevention of infection by the opportunistic bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp); success in treating these infections is increasingly challenged by the spread of antibiotic resistance. Preclinical investigation of adaptive immunity elicited by lung infection with live classical Kp may reveal host mechanisms of protection against this pathogen. Here, we utilize multiple virulent classical Kp strains to demonstrate that following lung infection, surviving wild-type mice develop protective immunity against both homologous and heterologous (heterotypic) reinfection. For Kp strains with low capacity to disseminate from the lung, this immunity is B-cell-independent. We further demonstrate that …

Evolution Of Proton Radiation Therapy Brainstem Constraints On The Pediatric Proton/Photon Consortium Registry, Dora Correia, Stephanie M Perkins, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: Increasing concern that brainstem toxicity incidence after proton radiation therapy might be higher than with photons led to a 2014 University of Florida (UF) landmark paper identifying its risk factors and proposing more conservative dose constraints. We evaluated how practice patterns changed among the Pediatric Proton/Photon Consortium Registry (PPCR).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective multicenter cohort study gathered data from patients under the age of 22 years enrolled on the PPCR, treated between 2002 and 2019 for primary posterior fossa brain tumors. After standardizing brainstem contours, we garnered dosimetry data and correlated those meeting the 2014 proton-specific brainstem constraint …

A Search For Bacteria Identified From Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunt Infections In Previous Surgical Events, Paul Hodor, Christopher E. Pope, Kathryn B. Whitlock, Patrick J. Mcdonald, Jason Hauptman, Lucas R. Hoffman, David D. Limbrick Jr., Tamara D. Simon, Cerebrospinal Fluid Microbiota In Shunts (Climb) Study Group

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Shunt infections are a common complication when treating hydrocephalus by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt placement. The source of infecting pathogens is not well understood. One hypothesis, which we explored here, is that microorganisms persist chronically in the host long before a symptomatic infection occurs and may be detectable in surgical events preceding infection. A cohort of 13 patients was selected, for which CSF samples were available from an infection episode and from a previous surgery event, which was either an initial shunt placement or a revision. Microbiota were analyzed both directly from CSF and from isolates cultured from CSF on …

Disentangling Socioeconomic Status And Race In Infant Brain, Birth Weight, And Gestational Age At Birth: A Neural Network Analysis, Kathryn Sarullo, Deanna M Barch, Christopher D Smyser, Cynthia Rogers, Barbara B Warner, J Philip Miller, Sarah K England, Joan Luby, S Joshua Swamidass

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Race is commonly used as a proxy for multiple features including socioeconomic status. It is critical to dissociate these factors, to identify mechanisms that affect infant outcomes, such as birth weight, gestational age, and brain development, and to direct appropriate interventions and shape public policy.

METHODS: Demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical variables were used to model infant outcomes. There were 351 participants included in the analysis for birth weight and gestational age. For the analysis using brain volumes, 280 participants were included after removing participants with missing magnetic resonance imaging scans and those matching our exclusion criteria. We modeled these …

An Internet Mantram Repetition Program To Promote Well-Being In Breast Cancer Survivors: A Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial, Jennifer M Hulett, An-Lin Cheng, Jill E Bormann, Allison B Anbari, Jane M Armer, Brooke M Hartman, B Ann Bettencourt, Leeanne B Sherwin, Edie L Sperling, Natsayakarn Narkthong, Carol Reinero, Hans Rindt, Kathy Schreiber, Lindsay L Peterson, Emily Albright

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Age-Related Alterations In Gray Matter Microstructure In Older People With Remitted Major Depression At Risk For Dementia, John A E Anderson, Neda Rashidi-Ranjbar, Arash Nazeri, Jordan A Chad, Peter Zhukovsky, Benoit H Mulsant, Nathan Herrmann, Linda Mah, Alastair J Flint, Corinne E Fischer, Bruce G Pollock, Tarek K Rajji, Aristotle N Voineskos, Pact-Md Study Group

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) in late life is a risk factor for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease. However, studies of gray matter changes have produced varied estimates of which structures are implicated in MDD and dementia. Changes in gray matter volume and cortical thickness are macrostructural measures for the microstructural processes of free water accumulation and dendritic spine loss.

METHODS: We conducted multishell diffusion imaging to assess gray matter microstructure in 244 older adults with remitted MDD (

RESULTS: Results showed that increasing age was correlated with an increase in isotropic volume fraction and a decrease in …