Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Developing The Openflexure Microscope Towards Medical Use: Technical And Social Challenges Of Developing Globally Accessible Hardware For Healthcare, Joe Knapper, Freya Whiteford, Daniel Rosen, William Wadsworth, Julian Stirling, Catherine Mkindi, Joram Mduda, Valerian L Sanga, Paul T Nyakyi, Thomas Hervé Mboa Nkoudou, Elisée Jafsia, Stephane Fadanka, Kelsey Hummel, Sharmila Anandasabapathy, Richard Bowman

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The OpenFlexure Microscope is an accessible, three-dimensional-printed robotic microscope, with sufficient image quality to resolve diagnostic features including parasites and cancerous cells. As access to lab-grade microscopes is a major challenge in global healthcare, the OpenFlexure Microscope has been developed to be manufactured, maintained and used in remote environments, supporting point-of-care diagnosis. The steps taken in transforming the hardware and software from an academic prototype towards an accepted medical device include addressing technical and social challenges, and are key for any innovation targeting improved effectiveness in low-resource healthcare. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Open, reproducible …

Canine Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Evaluating Pgam5 And Heterobilharzia Americana, Priscilla Devora

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer in humans and domestic dogs. Despite extensive research, the mechanisms that drive HCC carcinogenesis and perpetuate cancer survival are incompletely understood in both species. The work described herein focused on finding similarities between canine and human HCC, which could be harnessed to benefit humans and dogs with cancer. The first aim was to investigate the expression of phosphoglycerate mutase 5 (PGAM5) in canine HCC. Upregulation of PGAM5 is a negative prognostic indicator in human HCC. Using archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples, we found that PGAM5 was overexpressed in canine HCC ( …

Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor B1 (Lilrb1) Protects Human Multiple Myeloma Cells From Ferroptosis By Maintaining Cholesterol Homeostasis, Miao Xian, Qiang Wang, Liuling Xiao, Ling Zhong, Wei Xiong, Lingqun Ye, Pan Su, Chuanchao Zhang, Yabo Li, Robert Z Orlowski, Fenghuang Zhan, Siddhartha Ganguly, Youli Zu, Jianfei Qian, Qing Yi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic malignancy characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of plasma cells in the bone marrow. MM patients with aggressive progression have poor survival, emphasizing the urgent need for identifying new therapeutic targets. Here, we show that the leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor B1 (LILRB1), a transmembrane receptor conducting negative immune response, is a top-ranked gene associated with poor prognosis in MM patients. LILRB1 deficiency inhibits MM progression in vivo by enhancing the ferroptosis of MM cells. Mechanistic studies reveal that LILRB1 forms a complex with the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and LDLR adapter protein 1 (LDLRAP1) to facilitate LDL/cholesterol …

Identification Of An H-Ras Nanocluster Disrupting Peptide, Candy Laura Steffen, Ganesh Babu Manoharan, Karolina Pavic, Alejandro Yeste-Vázquez, Matias Knuuttila, Neha Arora, Yong Zhou, Harri Härmä, Anthoula Gaigneaux, Tom N Grossmann, Daniel Kwaku Abankwa

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Hyperactive Ras signalling is found in most cancers. Ras proteins are only active in membrane nanoclusters, which are therefore potential drug targets. We previously showed that the nanocluster scaffold galectin-1 (Gal1) enhances H-Ras nanoclustering via direct interaction with the Ras binding domain (RBD) of Raf. Here, we establish that the B-Raf preference of Gal1 emerges from the divergence of the Raf RBDs at their proposed Gal1-binding interface. We then identify the L5UR peptide, which disrupts this interaction by binding with low micromolar affinity to the B- and C-Raf-RBDs. Its 23-mer core fragment is sufficient to interfere with H-Ras nanoclustering, modulate …

Socioeconomic Status On The Management Of Type-2 Diabetes Among African Americans (Aged 26–64) In Rural Pennsylvania, Mariejo Joyce Constant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a lack of knowledge on hardly-reached patients’ socioeconomic status (SES). This quantitative study examined the extent to which SES moderated or impacted the relationships of African American status, rural status, or insurance status with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) management outcomes (testing for elevated glucose levels, patient education, and regular doctor visits) for African American individuals of low SES living in rural areas. The theoretical foundation for this study was the ecological systems theory (EST). Secondary data were from the publicly available Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 2021 dataset. Binary and linear regression analyses showed insufficient results to …

Nursing Staff Education On Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Related To Nurse-Patient Pain Communication, Kathleen Ranne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Perioperative pain is a significant challenge in terms of care of surgical patients which requires effective communication by nurses to improve patient outcomes and satisfaction. The communication component of the Enhanced Recovery after Surgery protocol is a foundation for improved patient outcomes and pain management. The problem that was identified in this Doctor of Nursing Practice project was lack of staff education during the perioperative period related to nurse-patient communications regarding pain management. Using the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation model of instructional design, the purpose of this DNP project was to plan, implement, and evaluate a staff education …

Cardiovascular Disease In Adults With A History Of Out-Of-Home Care During Childhood: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Prospective Cohort Studies, G. David Batty, Mika Kivimäki, Ylva B. Almquist, Johan G. Eriksson, Mika Gissler, Emmanuel S. Gnanamanickam, Mark Hamer, Josephine Jackisch, Hee-Soon Juon, Markus Keski-Säntti, Chaiquan Li, Tuija M. Mikkola, Emily Murray, Amanda Sacker, Leonie Segal, Philipp Frank

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Background

While individuals who were separated from their biological family and placed into the care of the state during childhood (out-of-home care) are more prone to developing selected adverse health problems in adulthood, their risk of cardiovascular disease is uncertain. Our aim was to explore this association by pooling published and unpublished results from prospective cohort studies.

Methods

We used two approaches to identifying relevant data on childhood care and adult cardiovascular disease (PROSPERO registration CRD42021254665). First, to locate published studies, we searched PubMed (Medline) until November 2023. Second, with the objective of identifying unpublished studies with the potential to …

Prevalence Of Dermatological Conditions Among Patients With Diabetic Neuropathy In The Rio Grande Valley: A Retrospective Analysis, Jared Hensley, Blake Martin, Chloe C. Harris, Kelsey Baker

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Diabetic neuropathy, a common complication of diabetes, predisposes patients to various secondary health issues, including dermatological conditions. This study investigates the prevalence and types of skin conditions (ICD-10 codes L00-L99) among patients with diabetic neuropathy within a South Texas population, aiming to uncover potential correlations and their implications in patient management.

Method: This research involved a detailed retrospective review of the UT Health RGV medical database over the past five years, focusing on patients diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy (Type 1: E10.40 to E10.49, E10.610, E10.618; Type 2: E11.40 to E11.49, E11.610, E11.618) and any associated L-series skin conditions. Efforts …

The Cns Relapse In T-Cell Lymphoma Index Predicts Cns Relapse In Patients With T- And Nk-Cell Lymphomas, Rahul S Bhansali, Fredrik Ellin, Thomas Relander, Miao Cao, Wenrui Li, Qi Long, Nivetha Ganesan, Robert Stuver, Steven M Horwitz, Kitsada Wudhikarn, Steven R Hwang, N Nora Bennani, Julio Chavez, Lubomir Sokol, Hayder Saeed, Frank Duan, Pierluigi Porcu, Priyanka Pullarkat, Neha Mehta-Shah, Jasmine M Zain, Miguel Ruiz, Jonathan E Brammer, Rishab Prakash, Swaminathan P Iyer, Adam J Olszewski, Ajay Major, Peter A Riedell, Sonali M Smith, Caroline Goldin, Bradley Haverkos, Bei Hu, Tony Z Zhuang, Pamela B Allen, Wael Toama, Murali Janakiram, Taylor R Brooks, Deepa Jagadeesh, Nisha Hariharan, Aaron M Goodman, Gabrielle Hartman, Paola Ghione, Fatima Fayyaz, Joanna M Rhodes, Elise A Chong, James N Gerson, Daniel J Landsburg, Sunita D Nasta, Stephen J Schuster, Jakub Svoboda, Mats Jerkeman, Stefan K Barta

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Little is known about risk factors for central nervous system (CNS) relapse in mature T-cell and natural killer cell neoplasms (MTNKNs). We aimed to describe the clinical epidemiology of CNS relapse in patients with MTNKN and developed the CNS relapse In T-cell lymphoma Index (CITI) to predict patients at the highest risk of CNS relapse. We reviewed data from 135 patients with MTNKN and CNS relapse from 19 North American institutions. After exclusion of leukemic and most cutaneous forms of MTNKNs, patients were pooled with non-CNS relapse control patients from a single institution to create a CNS relapse-enriched training set. …

Utilizing Biosimilars To Help Increase Patients Access And Minimize The Financial Burden Of Health Care System In Egypt, Doaa M. Abd-El-Rady, Iman A. El-Baraky, Samar F. Farid

Bulletin of Faculty of Pharmacy Cairo University

Background: Biologics have provided enhanced clinical advantages, but at expense of enormous expenditures. The exorbitant expense of biologics was somewhat mitigated by the development of biosimilars. But biosimilars market access is still recessed in many countries including Egypt. To achieve biosimilars market sustainability, countries need to evaluate the health economic barriers that biosimilars face in gaining market access.

Methods: A retrospective budget impact analysis was conducted to compare the cost of biosimilars to that of their reference biologics from Egyptian regulatory perspective over a five-year period (2018-2022). Time series forecasting analysis was conducted to predict the cost savings …

Thai Americans: A Poem Collection Featuring "Bilingual หมา Standard Poodle" And "Last Name กู Too Long", Simon Boonsripaisal, Ravadee Boonsripaisal

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

This is a co-authored poem collection focusing on Thai American life. In Bilingual หมา Standard Poodle, interactions and observations are made between a Thai American family and their supportive standard poodle named Pumpkin. This poem interjects on the disaggregated Southeast Asian American experience with inclusion of a pet companion. In Last Name กู Too Long, a Thai American graduate student discusses with their mother the challenges of gaining employment. This poem brings attention to hiring bias in the screening and interview process.

Epicardial Pacemaker Causing Cardiac Strangulation, ​​Ian Scott ​ Kendall​, ​​Rihab ​ ​​Agouba​, Andrew Sands, ​​Frank ​ ​​Casey ​, Lars ​ Nolke ​

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Cardiac strangulation is a rare but potentially lethal complication of epicardial pacemaker insertion. We present the case of a 9-year-old girl who was identified as having cardiac strangulation on routine follow-up for an epicardial pacemaker inserted on day 1 of life for congenital complete heart block (CCHB). The clinical presentations and risk factors for pacemaker strangulation is then discussed

Ada News - 07/08/2024, American Dental Association, Publishing Division

ADA News

Established in 1970 as the official newspaper of the American Dental Association, the ADA News serves practicing dentists and others allied to the dental profession in the U.S. and internationally. It is the No. 1 source of news and information about the many benefits and services the ADA delivers to members daily as well as timely information on scientific, social, political and economic developments affecting dentistry and health care.

Mental Health Hospitalizations In Canadian Children, Adolescents, And Young Adults Over The Covid-19 Pandemic, Saptharishi Lalgudi Ganesan

Data and Test Instruments

ImportanceThe COVID-19 pandemic resulted in multiple socially restrictive public health measures and reported negative mental health impacts in youths. Few studies have evaluated incidence rates by sex, region, and social determinants across an entire population.ObjectiveTo estimate the incidence of hospitalizations for mental health conditions, stratified by sex, region, and social determinants, in children and adolescents (hereinafter referred to asyouths) and young adults comparing the prepandemic and pandemic-prevalent periods.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis Canadian population-based repeated ecological cross-sectional study used health administrative data, extending from April 1, 2016, to March 31, 2023. All youths and young adults from 6 to 20 years …

Pandemic Stringency Measures And Hospital Admissions For Eating Disorders, Saptharishi Lalgudi Ganesan

Data and Test Instruments

IMPORTANCE Hospitalizations for eating disorders rose dramatically during the COVID-19pandemic. Public health restrictions, or stringency, are believed to have played a role inexacerbating eating disorders. Few studies of eating disorders during the pandemic haveextended to the period when public health stringency restrictions were lifted.OBJECTIVE To assess the association between hospitalization rates for eating disorders andpublic health stringency during the COVID-19 pandemic and after the easing of public healthrestrictions.DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This Canadian population-based cross-sectional studywas performed from April 1, 2016, to March 31, 2023, and was divided into pre–COVID-19 andCOVID-19–prevalent periods. Data were provided by the Canadian Institute for …

A Sequential, Multiple Assignment, Randomized Trial Design With A Tailoring Function, Holly Hartman

Faculty Scholarship

We present a trial design for sequential multiple assignment randomized trials (SMARTs) that use a tailoring function instead of a binary tailoring variable allowing for simultaneous development of the tailoring variable and estimation of dynamic treatment regimens (DTRs). We apply methods for developing DTRs from observational data: tree-based regression learning and Q-learning. We compare this to a balanced randomized SMART with equal re-randomization probabilities and a typical SMART design where re-randomization depends on a binary tailoring variable and DTRs are analyzed with weighted and replicated regression. This project addresses a gap in clinical trial methodology by presenting SMARTs where second …

The Role Of Placental Kisspeptin In Trophoblast Invasion And Migration: An Assessment In Kiss1r Knockout Mice, Bewo Cell Lines And Human Term Placenta, E. N. Panting, J. H. Weight, J. A. Sartori, D. A. Coall, J. T. Smith

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Context: There is mounting evidence implicating kisspeptin signalling in placental development and function. Aims: This study aimed to elucidate kisspeptin's role in trophoblast invasion and migration using three experimental models. Methods: First, we examined the mouse fetus and placenta in a kisspeptin receptor (Kiss1r) knockout (KO) model. Fetal/placental weights and gene expression (quantitative polymerase chain reaction) were assessed. Second, we determined kisspeptin effects on a human trophoblast (BeWo) cell line in vitro. Third, we examined KISS1 and KISS1R gene expression in human placenta from term and pre-Term pregnancies. Key results: No difference was found in fetal or placental weight between …

Multi-Scale Signaling And Tumor Evolution In High-Grade Gliomas, Jingxian Liu, Song Cao, Yize Li, Ilya Strunilin, Andrew Shinkle, Nataly Naser Al Deen, Wagma Caravan, Andrew Houston, Faria Anjum Simin, Matthew A Wyczalkowski, Liang-Bo Wang, Erik Storrs, Siqi Chen, Ritvik Illindala, Yuping D Li, Reyka G Jayasinghe, Austin N Southard-Smith, Yang E Li, Rita Jui-Hsien Lu, Feng Chen, Milan G Chheda, Li Ding, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Although genomic anomalies in glioblastoma (GBM) have been well studied for over a decade, its 5-year survival rate remains lower than 5%. We seek to expand the molecular landscape of high-grade glioma, composed of IDH-wildtype GBM and IDH-mutant grade 4 astrocytoma, by integrating proteomic, metabolomic, lipidomic, and post-translational modifications (PTMs) with genomic and transcriptomic measurements to uncover multi-scale regulatory interactions governing tumor development and evolution. Applying 14 proteogenomic and metabolomic platforms to 228 tumors (212 GBM and 16 grade 4 IDH-mutant astrocytoma), including 28 at recurrence, plus 18 normal brain samples and 14 brain metastases as comparators, reveals heterogeneous upstream …

Epigenetic Regulation By Tet1 In Gene-Environmental Interactions Influencing Susceptibility To Congenital Malformations, Bernard K Van Der Veer, Lehua Chen, Spyridon Champeris Tsaniras, Wannes Brangers, Qiuying Chen, Mariana Schroiff, Colin Custers, Harm H M Kwak, Rita Khoueiry, Robert Cabrera, Steven S Gross, Richard H Finnell, Yunping Lei, Kian Peng Koh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The etiology of neural tube defects (NTDs) involves complex gene-environmental interactions. Folic acid (FA) prevents NTDs, but the mechanisms remain poorly understood and at least 30% of human NTDs resist the beneficial effects of FA supplementation. Here, we identify the DNA demethylase TET1 as a nexus of folate-dependent one-carbon metabolism and genetic risk factors post-neural tube closure. We determine that cranial NTDs in Tet1−/− embryos occur at two to three times higher penetrance in genetically heterogeneous than in homogeneous genetic backgrounds, suggesting a strong impact of genetic modifiers on phenotypic expression. Quantitative trait locus mapping identified a strong NTD …

Intratumoral Immune Triads Are Required For Immunotherapy-Mediated Elimination Of Solid Tumors, Gabriel Espinosa-Carrasco, Edison Chiu, Aurora Scrivo, Paul Zumbo, Asim Dave, Doron Betel, Sung Wook Kang, Hee-Jin Jang, Matthew D Hellmann, Bryan M Burt, Hyun-Sung Lee, Andrea Schietinger

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Tumor-specific CD8+ T cells are frequently dysfunctional and unable to halt tumor growth. We investigated whether tumor-specific CD4+ T cells can be enlisted to overcome CD8+ T cell dysfunction within tumors. We find that the spatial positioning and interactions of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, but not their numbers, dictate anti-tumor responses in the context of adoptive T cell therapy as well as immune checkpoint blockade (ICB): CD4+ T cells must engage with CD8+ T cells on the same dendritic cell during the effector phase, forming a three-cell-type cluster (triad) to license CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity and cancer cell elimination. …

Multi-Scale Signaling And Tumor Evolution In High-Grade Gliomas, Jingxian Liu, Song Cao, Kathleen J Imbach, Marina A Gritsenko, Tung-Shing M Lih, Jennifer E Kyle, Tomer M Yaron-Barir, Zev A Binder, Yize Li, Ilya Strunilin, Yi-Ting Wang, Chia-Feng Tsai, Weiping Ma, Lijun Chen, Natalie M Clark, Andrew Shinkle, Nataly Naser Al Deen, Wagma Caravan, Andrew Houston, Faria Anjum Simin, Matthew A Wyczalkowski, Liang-Bo Wang, Erik Storrs, Siqi Chen, Ritvik Illindala, Yuping D Li, Reyka G Jayasinghe, Dmitry Rykunov, Sandra L Cottingham, Rosalie K Chu, Karl K Weitz, Ronald J Moore, Tyler Sagendorf, Vladislav A Petyuk, Michael Nestor, Lisa M Bramer, Kelly G Stratton, Athena A Schepmoes, Sneha P Couvillion, Josie Eder, Young-Mo Kim, Yuqian Gao, Thomas L Fillmore, Rui Zhao, Matthew E Monroe, Austin N Southard-Smith, Yang E Li, Rita Jui-Hsien Lu, Jared L Johnson, Maciej Wiznerowicz, Galen Hostetter, Chelsea J Newton, Karen A Ketchum, Ratna R Thangudu, Jill S Barnholtz-Sloan, Pei Wang, David Fenyö, Eunkyung An, Mathangi Thiagarajan, Ana I Robles, D R Mani, Richard D Smith, Eduard Porta-Pardo, Lewis C Cantley, Antonio Iavarone, Feng Chen, Mehdi Mesri, Maclean P Nasrallah, Hui Zhang, Adam C Resnick, Milan G Chheda, Karin D Rodland, Tao Liu, Li Ding, Philadelphia Coalition For A Cure, Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Although genomic anomalies in glioblastoma (GBM) have been well studied for over a decade, its 5-year survival rate remains lower than 5%. We seek to expand the molecular landscape of high-grade glioma, composed of IDH-wildtype GBM and IDH-mutant grade 4 astrocytoma, by integrating proteomic, metabolomic, lipidomic, and post-translational modifications (PTMs) with genomic and transcriptomic measurements to uncover multi-scale regulatory interactions governing tumor development and evolution. Applying 14 proteogenomic and metabolomic platforms to 228 tumors (212 GBM and 16 grade 4 IDH-mutant astrocytoma), including 28 at recurrence, plus 18 normal brain samples and 14 brain metastases as comparators, reveals heterogeneous upstream …

Ai-Assisted Segmentation Tool For Brain Tumor Mr Image Analysis, Myungeun Lee, Jong Hyo Kim, Wookjin Choi, Ki Hong Lee

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

TumorPrism3D software was developed to segment brain tumors with a straightforward and user-friendly graphical interface applied to two- and three-dimensional brain magnetic resonance (MR) images. The MR images of 185 patients (103 males, 82 females) with glioblastoma multiforme were downloaded from The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA) to test the tumor segmentation performance of this software. Regions of interest (ROIs) corresponding to contrast-enhancing lesions, necrotic portions, and non-enhancing T2 high signal intensity components were segmented for each tumor. TumorPrism3D demonstrated high accuracy in segmenting all three tumor components in cases of glioblastoma multiforme. They achieved a better Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) …

Cell And Molecular Mechanisms Of Plasticity And Injury Associated With Spreading Depolarization, Jordan E. Weisend

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Spreading depolarization (SD) is now established as a critical event contributing to the expansion of acute brain injuries. In areas with insufficient access to metabolites, SD results in episodic glutamate accumulation and NMDA receptor over-activation. Intriguingly, in areas with sufficient access to metabolites SD can result in synaptic strengthening, together suggesting SD consequences may vary widely based on metabolic context. Utilizing acute murine brain slices, this dissertation sought to interrogate the cell and molecular mechanisms of SD induced detriment and revitalization. We describe evidence that the primary NMDAR subtype involved in SD is GluN2A-containing NMDARs, and when targeted during SD …

The Prevalence Of Candida Albicans And Malassezia Globosa In Preschool Children With Severe Early Childhood Caries: A Case-Control Study, Vanessa C.W. Man, Prasanna Neelakantan, Cynthia K.Y. Yiu

Pacific Faculty Work

Background: This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the prevalence of Candida albicans and Malassezia globosa in children with severe early childhood caries and caries-free children in Hong Kong. Methods: This study first recruited a total of 80 children aged between 48 and 72 months old, 40 children with severe early childhood caries, and 40 caries-free children. The children were then further divided into four groups, with 20 children in each group: Group 1: Severe early childhood caries—C. albicans, Group 2: Severe early childhood caries—M. globosa, Group 3: Caries-free—C. albicans and Group 4: Caries-free—M. globosa. Saliva, plaque, and caries lesion samples …

Spinal Movement Disorders In Nmosd, Mogad, And Idiopathic Transverse Myelitis: A Prospective Observational Study, Hesham Abboud, Rongyi Sun, Nikhil Modak, Mohamed Elkasaby, Alexander Wang

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Retrospective studies suggest that spinal movement disorders, especially tonic spasms, are prevalent in NMOSD. However, there have been no prospective studies evaluating spinal movement disorders in NMOSD, MOGAD, and idiopathic transverse myelitis (ITM). Methods: Patients referred to a tertiary neuroimmunology clinic for spinal cord demyelination (excluding MS) were evaluated. All patients answered a movement disorders survey and underwent a movement disorder-focused exam. Movement disorders were compared among patients with NMOSD with and without AQP4-IgG, MOGAD, and ITM. Patients with and without involuntary movements were also compared to identify predictors of spinal movement disorders. Results: Sixty-three patients were evaluated from …

Contributions Of Brain Microstructures And Metabolism To Visual Field Loss Patterns In Glaucoma Using Archetypal And Information Gain Analyses, Yueyin Pang, Ji Won Bang, Anisha Kasi, Jeremy Li, Carlos Parra, Els Fieremans, Gadi Wollstein, Joel S. Schuman, Mengyu Wang, Kevin C Chan

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

PURPOSE: To investigate the contributions of the microstructural and metabolic brain environment to glaucoma and their association with visual field (VF) loss patterns by using advanced diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI), proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and clinical ophthalmic measures.

METHODS: Sixty-nine glaucoma and healthy subjects underwent dMRI and/or MRS at 3 Tesla. Ophthalmic data were collected from VF perimetry and optical coherence tomography. dMRI parameters of microstructural integrity in the optic radiation and MRS-derived neurochemical levels in the visual cortex were compared among early glaucoma, advanced glaucoma, and healthy controls. Multivariate regression was used to correlate neuroimaging metrics with …

Rna 2′-O-Methylation Promotes Persistent R-Loop Formation And Aid-Mediated Igh Class Switch Recombination, Muzaffer Ahmad Kassab, Yibin Chen, Xin Wang, Bo He, Eric J Brown, Xiaochun Yu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: RNA-DNA hybrids or R-loops are associated with deleterious genomic instability and protective immunoglobulin class switch recombination (CSR). However, the underlying phenomenon regulating the two contrasting functions of R-loops is unknown. Notably, the underlying mechanism that protects R-loops from classic RNase H-mediated digestion thereby promoting persistence of CSR-associated R-loops during CSR remains elusive.

RESULTS: Here, we report that during CSR, R-loops formed at the immunoglobulin heavy (IgH) chain are modified by ribose 2'-O-methylation (2'-OMe). Moreover, we find that 2'-O-methyltransferase fibrillarin (FBL) interacts with activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) associated snoRNA aSNORD1C to facilitate the 2'-OMe. Moreover, deleting AID C-terminal tail impairs …

Computational Insights Into Sars-Cov-2 Main Protease Mutations And Nirmatrelvir Efficacy: The Effects Of P132h And P132h-A173v, Yuan-Ling Xia, Wen-Wen Du, Yong-Ping Li, Yan Tao, Zhi-Bi Zhang, Song-Ming Liu, Yun-Xin Fu, Ke-Qin Zhang, Shu-Qun Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Nirmatrelvir, a pivotal component of the oral antiviral Paxlovid for COVID-19, targets the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) as a covalent inhibitor. Here, we employed combined computational methods to explore how the prevalent Omicron variant mutation P132H, alone and in combination with A173V (P132H-A173V), affects nirmatrelvir’s efficacy. Our findings suggest that P132H enhances the noncovalent binding affinity of Mpro for nirmatrelvir, whereas P132H-A173V diminishes it. Although both mutants catalyze the rate-limiting step more efficiently than the wild-type (WT) Mpro, P132H slows the overall rate of covalent bond formation, whereas P132H-A173V accelerates it. Comprehensive analysis of noncovalent and covalent contributions to the …

Daratumumab In Transplant-Eligible Patients With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma: Final Analysis Of Clinically Relevant Subgroups In Griffin, Ajai Chari, Jonathan L Kaufman, Jacob Laubach, Douglas W Sborov, Brandi Reeves, Cesar Rodriguez, Rebecca Silbermann, Luciano J Costa, Larry D Anderson, Nitya Nathwani, Nina Shah, Naresh Bumma, Sarah A Holstein, Caitlin Costello, Andrzej Jakubowiak, Tanya M Wildes, Robert Z Orlowski, Kenneth H Shain, Andrew J Cowan, Huiling Pei, Annelore Cortoos, Sharmila Patel, Thomas S Lin, Peter M Voorhees, Saad Z Usmani, Paul G Richardson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The randomized, phase 2 GRIFFIN study (NCT02874742) evaluated daratumumab plus lenalidomide/bortezomib/dexamethasone (D-RVd) in transplant-eligible newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM). We present final post hoc analyses (median follow-up, 49.6 months) of clinically relevant subgroups, including patients with high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities (HRCAs) per revised definition (del[17p], t[4;14], t[14;16], t[14;20], and/or gain/amp[1q21]). Patients received 4 induction cycles (D-RVd/RVd), high-dose therapy/transplant, 2 consolidation cycles (D-RVd/RVd), and lenalidomide±daratumumab maintenance (≤ 2 years). Minimal residual disease–negativity (10−5) rates were higher for D-RVd versus RVd in patients ≥ 65 years (67.9% vs 17.9%), with HRCAs (54.8% vs 32.4%), and with gain/amp(1q21) (61.8% vs 28.6%). D-RVd showed a …

Intouch Week Of July 8, 2024, New York Medical College

InTouch

• The 2024 Issue of Chironian is Available
• Founder's Dinner 2024
• NYMC Receives $900,000 HECap Award
• NYMC and TU Hosts “Ninety Minutes: The Medical Magazine of the Web”
• Student Spotlight: Medical Student and Aspiring Entrepreneur: Nadia Ambarsom Pursues Dual Dreams
• Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Williamson Transforms Health Care as Nurse and Public Health Advocate