Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Quality Improvement Project Standardizing Simulation In Nursing Education: A Faculty Training Initiative, Andrea Reyes

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Simulation-based education is essential in nursing programs as clinical placement opportunities decline. However, inconsistent faculty preparation can compromise the quality of simulation delivery. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement and evaluate a standardized simulation faculty training initiative to determine its impact on nursing faculty's confidence in simulation facilitation. Guided by the Jeffries Simulation Framework and Lewin’s Change Theory, a quasi-experimental pre-post design was used to examine changes in faculty confidence following participation in a training program aligned with national standards and guidelines. Faculty confidence was measured using the Simulation Educator Needs Assessment Tool (SENAT) administered pre- …

Improving Diabetes Care: Staff Training On Updated Ada Guidelines, Jeffrey Wilson

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The incidence of diabetes is rising, requiring clinical staff to stay current with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Standards of Care. A lack of knowledge and outdated practices were revealed during the needs assessment at the project site. This quality improvement (QI) project sought to determine whether ADA‑centered educational training could impact staff members' knowledge of diabetes. Orem’s Self‑Care Deficit Nursing Theory and Lewin’s Change Theory served as the theoretical frameworks to promote provider competence and adherence to evidence‑based diabetes treatment. Quasi‑experimental pre–post design was used with a convenience sample of four clinical staff at a rural outpatient clinic. Study …

Quality Improvement Project: Protecting Young Kidneys: Optimizing Albuminuria Management In Youth With Diabetes, Mili Vakharia

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Diabetic nephropathy is a major microvascular complication and the leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) among individuals with diabetes. Children and adolescents with type 1 and type 2 diabetes face a higher risk of developing CKD earlier in life due to longer disease duration, poor glycemic control, and delayed CKD diagnosis. Guidelines emphasize timely detection and intervention to slow disease progression. Albuminuria is an early marker of glomerular injury and signals the need to initiate CKD treatment. Despite evidence supporting early detection and treatment, standardized management of albuminuria in pediatric diabetes care remains inconsistent. This Doctor of Nursing Practice …

Quality Improvement Project: Use Of The Behavioral Risk Assessment Tool To Enhance The Utilization Of The Behavioral Emergency Response Team, Joseph Sindhu

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Workplace violence is a global challenge, and nurses often encounter patient aggression. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to enhance the use of a behavioral assessment tool derived from the Brøset Violence Checklist and the Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT) to de-escalate workplace violence. This project aimed to improve behavioral assessment documentation and BERT use in a critical care unit by 30% within 5 weeks. Guided by the Donabedian Model theoretical framework and Lewin's Change Theory, the project employed a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design in an advanced heart failure unit with full-time nurses as participants. The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework …

Standardizing Patient-Centered And Trauma-Informed Communication Practices Among Staff In A Behavioral Health Setting, Jayla Brown

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate the effect of an evidence-based educational intervention on staff attitudes toward trauma-informed and patient-centered communication in an outpatient behavioral health clinic. Guided by Lewin’s Change Theory and Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring, the project aimed to improve staff knowledge, attitudes, and confidence in applying trauma-informed communication strategies across all clinic roles. An eight-week educational intervention based on the SAMHSA Trauma-Informed Care Toolkit was implemented for clinical and administrative staff. A quantitative pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design was used, with outcomes measured using an adapted Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care scale. All …

Estimating The Baseline Age When Longitudinal Changes In Biomarkers Accelerate: Application To An Imaging Study Of Preclinical Alzheimer Disease, Chengjie Xiong, Folasade Agboola, Jingqin Luo

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Biomarkers are routinely measured from human biospecimens and imaging scans in Alzheimer disease (AD) research. Age is a well-known risk factor for AD. Detecting the baseline age at which the longitudinal change in biomarkers starts to accelerate is important to design preventive interventions. METHODS: We analyzed longitudinal biomarker data by a random intercept and random slope model where the slope (longitudinal rate of change) was modeled as a piecewise linear and continuous function of baseline age. We proposed to estimate the baseline age at the intersection of the two linear functions by multiple methods: maximum (profile) likelihood, minimum squared …

Applying Frame-Is To Characterize Provider-Led Adaptations To A Cervical Cancer Prevention Intervention In Kenya, Harriet Fridah Adhiambo, Katherine Thomas, Megan M Coe, Lynda Oluoch, Valary Ihaji, Mary Bernadette Kerubo, Alex Kinyua, Sarah Njoroge, Kenneth Ngure, Michelle Shin, Thomas A Odeny, Bryan Weiner, Nelly Mugo, Sarah Gimbel

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Implementation strategies that are contextually refined are essential for optimizing the delivery of evidence-based interventions (EBI) to prevent cervical cancer in low-resource settings. This paper reports the application of the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications to Evidence-based Implementation Strategies (FRAME-IS) to capture and disseminate strategy adaptations made to a single-visit, screen-and-treat approach with thermal ablation (SV-SAT + TA) strategy aimed at establishing sustainable cervical cancer prevention services in Kenya.

METHODS: A FRAME-IS-based tracking spreadsheet was developed to document bundled site-specific implementation strategy adaptations and across 10 facilities. Data was collected during technical assistants' (TAs) site visits, phone calls, …

Ketogenic Diet Dampens Excitatory Neurotransmission By Shrinking Synaptic Vesicle Pools, Marion I Stunault, Pan-Yue Deng, Anjali Yadav, Erica M Periandri, Francisca N De Luna Vitorino, Michael B Thomsen, Jasmin Sponagel, Amelia J Barfield, Renzelle J Ponce, Layla Foroughi, Benjamin A Garcia, Gabor Egervari, Vitaly A Klyachko, Ghazaleh Ashrafi

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Ketogenic diet (KD) is used for the treatment of drug-resistant childhood epilepsy and has been proposed to improve outcomes in neurodegenerative diseases. However, the mechanisms by which KD alters brain circuitry remain unclear. Here, we investigated the impact of KD on hippocampal function through integrative analysis of gene expression and neurotransmission. We found that KD induces extensive transcriptional reprogramming, including altered expression of numerous synaptic genes. Proteomic and genomic profiling revealed significant changes in histone modifications, particularly at promoters of KD-regulated genes. Electrophysiological recordings showed that KD reduces excitatory synaptic gain and short-term plasticity at CA3-CA1 synapses, dampening the summation …

Regional Brain Age Is Decreased In Children With Sickle Cell Anemia, Amy E Mirro, Landon C Power, Jinli Wang, Paula Germino-Watnick, Heather Roberts, Yonca Cam, Kristin P Guilliams, Slim Fellah, Yasheng Chen, Hongyu An, Jin-Moo Lee, Andria L Ford, Melanie E Fields

2020-Current year OA Pubs

DeepBrainNet, a machine learning tool, uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict an individual's brain age, allowing calculation of the brain age gap (predicted chronological age) for use as a biomarker of brain health. We tested the DeepBrainNet tool in sickle cell anemia (SCA) on 210 brain MRIs from 130 children (90 with SCA; 40 healthy controls) to investigate the hypothesis that children with SCA would have a younger predicted brain age than healthy controls as an index of aberrant brain development. DeepBrainNet estimates brain age from 80 axial slices of each brain, with the median used as global brain …

Prevalence And Predictors Of Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescriptions Among Dentists In Muscat Governorate, Oman, Wajiha Abdul Majeed Al-Lawati, Manar Alsanaa Ali Alzeedi, Elham Mohammadi, Noora Alhosni

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objectives: Inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions represent a major healthcare concern, contributing to increasing antimicrobial resistance. Dentists account for up to 10% of antibiotic prescriptions, highlighting the need for rational prescribing practices. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and predictors of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions by dentists in primary health clinics in Muscat Governorate, Oman. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on dental antibiotic prescriptions issued between July and December 2024 in government and private dental care facilities across Muscat Governorate. Clinics were randomly selected and data were extracted from electronic patient records using a structured form. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests …

Quality Improvement Project: Impact Of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction On Nurse Burnout In Skilled Nursing Facilities, Chinenye Okafor

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Burnout is a persistent and critical problem in skilled nursing facilities, contributing to reduced job satisfaction, increased turnover, and compromised quality of care. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice quality improvement project was to evaluate the impact of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program on burnout among registered nurses in a skilled nursing facility. Guided by the Job Demands–Resources framework and Lewin’s Change Theory, a quantitative pretest–posttest design was implemented using the Plan–Do–Study–Act. Ten nurses consented to participate in an eight-week intervention, and four completed both pre- and post-intervention measures. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Human Services …

Quality Improvement Project: Improving Pneumococcal Vaccination Rates Through Provider Education In Primary Care, Leikasha Allen

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Pneumococcal disease remains a major cause of illness and mortality among adults aged 65 years and older, leading to severe pneumonia, bacteremia, and meningitis, particularly in vulnerable populations. Although effective vaccines and clear Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Advisory Committee Immunization Practice (ACIP) guidelines, vaccination in this age group remains inadequate. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement project aimed to determine the impact of pneumococcal vaccination compliance through evaluating provider knowledge, confidence, and adherence to evidence-based guidelines through targeted education. Guided by Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation Theory and the Health Belief Model, a 20-minute evidence‑based educational session …

Implementation Of A Mentoring Toolkit: A Quality Improvement Project, Joshlyn Neu

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Nursing faculty mentorship is an essential component of professional development, job satisfaction and faculty retention. However, many schools lack a structured approach to preparing their faculty members to act as mentors. This quality improvement project set out to determine whether the implementation of a formal mentoring toolkit would improve nursing faculty members perceived competency to act as mentors. Guided by Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), Lewin’s Change Theory, and the latest evidence-based research, this project sought to answer the following question: In full-time nursing faculty members teaching in a BSN program at a small, private college (P), how does the …

Challenges, Stressors, And Resilience Resources Experienced By Older Black Women In Rural South Carolina Throughout The Covid-19 Pandemic, Arielle N'Diaye, Camryn Garrett, Sarah Wilcox Phd, Bankole Olatosi Ph.D., Xiaoming Li Ph.D., Shan Qiao Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Background

Resilience has been established as a protective factor against mental health challenges (e.g., anxiety, depression). From an intersectional perspective, the stressors experienced by Black women living in rural communities are likely to have been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to identify the challenges and stressors experienced and the resilience resources available to and relied upon by rural, Black women, during the pandemic.

Methods

Individual, in-depth, structured interviews (n = 24) were conducted among Black women living in rural South Carolina, recruited by local community health workers, from January to April of 2024. All interviews were recorded, …

Staff Education To Improve Psychiatric Nurses’ Use Of Evidence-Based Strategies For Supporting Medication Adherence In Outpatient Settings, Lilian Ndifon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Psychiatric medication nonadherence remains a persistent barrier to effective outpatient mental health care and contributes to relapse, rehospitalization, and disrupted continuity of care. In outpatient psychiatric settings, nurses are often responsible for patient education and follow-up, yet many lack formal training in evidence-based strategies to support medication adherence. This staff education project was implemented at an outpatient psychiatric facility to address this practice gap. The practice-focused question asked whether a structured staff education intervention would improve outpatient psychiatric nurses’ knowledge of evidence-based medication adherence strategies. Twelve outpatient psychiatric nurses participated in a one-hour educational session focused on motivational interviewing, psychoeducation, …

Feasibility, Acceptability And Implementation Of A Whole-Family Mental Health Intervention For Displaced Adolescent Girls In Colombia: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Ilana Seff, Arturo Harker Roa, Byron Powell, Natalia Cordoba, Carolina Rodriguez, Julianne Deitch, Elvia Tamaity Ariza Pena, Feven Gebrekidan, Lindsay Stark

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Adolescent girls affected by displacement face substantial mental-health risks. The Sibling Support for Adolescent Girls in Emergencies (SSAGE) is a 12-week, gender-transformative, family-based program designed to improve adolescent girls' mental health in humanitarian settings. This mixed-methods pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) assessed SSAGE's feasibility, acceptability and potential effects among 186 Venezuelan migrant and Colombian returnee families in Colombia. Adolescent girls aged 13-19 years, their male siblings and caregivers participated in parallel sessions on gender dynamics, communication and relationships. Implementation outcomes drew on the Mental Health Implementation Science Tools (acceptability and feasibility subscales), attendance records and qualitative interviews. Analyses followed an …

Benefit Of Rituximab Maintenance After First-Line Bendamustine-Rituximab In Patients With Mantle Cell Lymphoma, Yucai Wang, Imran A Nizamuddin, Brad S Kahl, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The benefit of rituximab maintenance after first-line (1L) bendamustine-rituximab (BR) in patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) remains uncertain, with inconsistent results from the phase 2 MAINTAIN trial and several retrospective studies. We conducted a large retrospective study at 27 US and Canadian academic centers to examine the benefit of rituximab maintenance after BR. A total of 911 patients received 1L BR between 2010 and 2020, and 703 had an objective response and no evidence of disease progression at the 3-month post-BR landmark. Among those, 394 (56%) received rituximab maintenance and 309 (44%) did not, with largely similar baseline patient …

Hybrid Vision Transformer–Cnn Framework For Alzheimer’S Disease Cell Type Classification: A Comparative Study With Vision–Language Models, Md Easin Hasan, Md Tahmid Hasan Fuad, Omar Sharif, Amy Wagler

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Accurate identification of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-related cellular characteristics from microscopy images is essential for understanding neurodegenerative mechanisms at the cellular level. While most computational approaches focus on macroscopic neuroimaging modalities, cell type classification from microscopy remains relatively underexplored. In this study, we propose a hybrid vision transformer–convolutional neural network (ViT–CNN) framework that integrates DeiT-Small and EfficientNet-B7 to classify three AD-related cell types—astrocytes, cortical neurons, and SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells—from phase-contrast microscopy images. We perform a comparative evaluation against conventional CNN architectures (DenseNet, ResNet, InceptionNet, and MobileNet) and prompt-based multimodal vision–language models (GPT-5, GPT-4o, and Gemini 2.5-Flash) using zero-shot, few-shot, and chain-of-thought …

The Path Forward For T Cell Engagers In Patients With Prostate Cancer, Sumit K. Subudhi, Bilal A. Siddiqui, Kevin K. Zarrabi, William K. Kelly, Charles G. Drake

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

T cell engagers (TCEs) recruit T cells to the tumor microenvironment (TME) to induce antitumor immune responses. TCEs have demonstrated promising clinical responses in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and have advanced into phase 3 clinical trials. Here we provide an overview of the mechanisms of action of TCEs, including both CD3-targeted and CD28-targeted agents, and review the clinical development of these agents for prostate cancer. We propose a path forward for TCEs in prostate cancer, in which innovative clinical trials will facilitate a biological understanding of mechanisms of efficacy and toxicity to inform: (1) development of predictive biomarkers …

Musculoskeletal Infection Reporting And Data System (Mski-Rads): Reviewed And Explained, Angela He, Flavio Duarte Silva, Mina Guirguis, Erin F. Alaia, William B Morrison, Avneesh Chhabra

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

A standardized guideline and scoring system are recommended for the imaging evaluation of musculoskeletal infections on MR imaging. The Musculoskeletal Infection Reporting and Data System (MSKI-RADS) is a recently developed and validated classification system using MR imaging that can be used to classify the severity and extent of musculoskeletal infections, improve radiology-pathology concordance, and outline the corresponding management recommendations. This review article explains MSKI-RADS and discusses the different elements of this system in detail with a review of pertinent literature so that the readers can apply it in their practices. The work outlines the technical considerations for optimal MR imaging …

Concordance Analysis Of Dna And Rna Profiling: The Md Anderson Impact2 Study In Precision Oncology, Stephanie T Schmidt, Mehmet A Baysal, Siqing Fu, David S Hong, Sarina A Piha-Paul, Aung Naing, Jordi Rodon Ahnert, Timothy A Yap, Ecaterina Elena Dumbrava, Jennifer Beck, Funda Meric-Bernstam, Apostolia Maria Tsimberidou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

DNA profiling is an established method for cancer treatment selection, while RNA profiling remains investigational. We explored associations between DNA and RNA alterations and between the number of genes with altered expression and overall survival (OS) using patient data from IMPACT2 (NCT02152254), a randomized study evaluating molecular profiling for guiding cancer therapy across tumor types. Molecular profiling, including DNA next-generation sequencing, was performed on all 829 patients in the IMPACT2 study. RNA profiling was performed by Tempus for 253 of 829 patients. We evaluated the concordance between DNA and RNA profiling, analyzed OS in 217 treated patients with …

Risk Stratification Of Low-Dose Cytarabine And Venetoclax In Patients With Aml Ineligible For Intensive Chemotherapy, Andrew H Wei, Panayiotis Panayiotidis, Pau Montesinos, Kamel Laribi, Vladimir Ivanov, Inho Kim, Jan Novak, Rebecca Champion, Walter Fiedler, Maria Pagoni, Julie Bergeron, Stephen B Ting, Jing-Zhou Hou, Takahiro Yamauchi, Jianxiang Wang, Stephen A Strickland, Michael R Savona, Tara L Lin, Anoop Enjeti, Ing Soo Tiong, Sangmin Lee, Gail J Roboz, Relja Popovic, Qi Jiang, Zihuan Liu, Yan Sun, Wellington Mendes, Brenda Chyla, Courtney D Dinardo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Prognostic risk categorization aids treatment selection for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Although the European LeukemiaNet (ELN) classifications (2017 and 2022) for AML have been used to stratify outcomes for patients receiving intensive chemotherapy, their application to patients receiving less intensive therapy, such as azacitidine plus venetoclax, has been less satisfactory. In response, a 4-gene classifier that stratifies older patients with AML unfit for intensive chemotherapy into those with higher benefit (wild type), intermediate benefit (FLT3-internal tandem duplication [ITD] or NRAS/KRAS mutation), or lower benefit (TP53 mutation) after azacitidine plus venetoclax treatment was developed. We hypothesized that this 4-gene …

Winner's Curse Free Robust Mendelian Randomization With Summary Data, Zhongming Xie, Wanheng Zhang, Jingshen Wang, Chong Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In the past decade, the increased availability of genome-wide association studies summary data has popularized Mendelian Randomization (MR) for conducting causal inference. MR analyses, incorporating genetic variants as instrumental variables, are known for their robustness against reverse causation bias and unmeasured confounders. Nevertheless, classical MR analyses using summary data may still produce biased causal effect estimates due to the winner’s curse and pleiotropy issues. To address these two issues and establish valid causal conclusions, we propose a unified robust Mendelian Randomization framework with summary data, which systematically removes the winner’s curse and screens out invalid genetic instruments with pleiotropic effects. …

Safety And Feasibility During Early Implementation Of Robotic-Assisted Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, Dung Thuong Ho, Manh Cuong Nguyen, Tran Tran Nguyen, Long Tran, Huy Nguyen, Dil Mai, Tuong Mien Ngo, Duc Chinh Nguyen, Chi Cuong Tran, Khiem D. Ngo

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Robotic-assisted Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (R-PCI) is an advanced technique offering potential advantages for both patients and interventional cardiology practices. In 2023, Can Tho S.I.S General Hospital implemented its first robotic system for PCI procedures. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and clinical outcomes during the early learning curve of R-PCI.

Methods: This prospective study included all patients undergoing R-PCI with the CorPath GRX Vascular Robotic System at Can Tho S.I.S General Hospital from April to September 2023. Baseline patient characteristics, procedural details, and six-month follow-up data were collected. Primary outcomes included Clinical Success, defined as < 30% residual diameter stenosis in the target vessel without major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) during hospitalization (e.g., death, myocardial infarction, target-vessel revascularization, stroke), and robotic success, defined as achieving clinical success with partial manual support or no manual support.

Results: Thirty-one patients …

Celf1 Is A Non-Canonical Eif4e Binding Protein That Promotes Translation Of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Effector Mrnas, Arindam Chaudhury, Natee Kongchan, Shebna A Massey, Rajesh Sharma, Rituraj Pal, Na Zhao, Phoebe Tsoi, Yingmin Zhu, Emuejevoke Olokpa, Sufeng Mao, Sonia Del Rincon, Lucas C Reineke, Richard E Lloyd, Marco Sardiello, Jeffrey M Rosen, Choel Kim, Josephine C Ferreon, Joel R Neilson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Mounting evidence is revealing an increasing complexity of gene regulation at the level of messenger RNA (mRNA) translation. Within mammalian cells, canonical cap-dependent mRNA translation depends on the eIF4F complex, consisting of the m7G mRNA cap-binding protein eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), the helicase eIF4A (eIF4A), and the eIF4G (eIF4G1) scaffolding protein. eIF4G1 additionally binds poly(A) binding protein (PABPC1) to facilitate mRNA circularization and nucleates pre-translation initiation complex assembly to initiate ribosomal scanning. In breast epithelial cells, the CELF1 RNA-binding protein specifically promotes the translation of select epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) effector mRNAs by binding GU-rich elements (GREs) within their 3' …

Novel Csf Biomarkers For Facilitating Diagnosis Of Cns-Hlh From Other Neuroinflammatory Disorders, Sharat Chandra, Kenneth D Greis, Somchai Chutipongtanate, Nathan Luebbering, Aaron Webster, Kelsey E Poisson, Kristen S Fisher, Kristi Smiley, Rebecca A Marsh, Michael B Jordan, Stella M Davies

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Central nervous system (CNS)-hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) can mimic other neuroinflammatory disorders (ONID), often leading to misdiagnosis. Current diagnostic studies do not reliably distinguish CNS-HLH from ONID. We hypothesized that novel cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers identified using unbiased proteomic analysis can facilitate diagnosis of CNS-HLH from ONID. Banked CSF samples were categorized into 3 groups, CNS-HLH, ONID, and controls without CNS inflammation. Proteomic analysis was performed on 25 samples per group (total N = 75). Proteins demonstrating significant changes (>1.5-fold higher and P< .05) in the CNS-HLH compared with ONID and associated with HLH pathophysiology were selected as candidate biomarkers. Cross-platform validation of candidate biomarkers, along with known biomarkers CXCL9 and osteopontin, was performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). One hundred twenty-two proteins were identified on CSF proteomic analysis at 99% confidence. Of these, 10 proteins demonstrated a >1.5-fold change with a P< .05 in CNS-HLH compared with ONID. SerpinG1, lysozyme, and CD14 were selected as candidate biomarkers. ELISA confirmed significant elevation of all 5 biomarkers in CNS-HLH relative to ONID. Median SerpinG1 levels were1242.9 ng/mL in CNS-HLH vs 292.2 ng/mL in ONID (P ≤ .001), lysozyme 222.2 ng/mL vs 65.6 ng/mL (P = .001), and CD14 180.3 ng/mL vs 64.5 ng/mL (P ≤ .001). Median CXCL9 levels were 223.7 ng/mL in CNS-HLH vs 15.5 ng/mL in ONID (P ≤ .001), and osteopontin levels were 356.5 ng/mL vs 92.9 ng/mL (P = .001). These findings demonstrate that novel CSF biomarkers SerpinG1, lysozyme, CD14, and CXCL9 can facilitate diagnosis of CNS-HLH from ONID.

"The Only Place I Feel Understood": A Mixed Methods Survey Of Adolescent And Caregiver Perspectives On Social Media And Parental Controls, Melanie Watt Ramos, Constance M Wiemann, Lauren A Bretz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose

Methods

Results

Eepd1 Evolved A Unique Dna Clamping Dimer Protecting Reversed Replication Forks, Runze Shen, Altaf H Sarker, Yue Chen, Min Liu, Sunetra Roy, Andrew S Arvai, Albino Bacolla, Zamal Ahmed, Panagiotis Katsonis, Michal Hammel, Isao Kuraoka, Miaw-Sheue Tsai, Corydon Irie, Lukas Webb, Olivier Lichtarge, Chi-Lin Tsai, Susan E Tsutakawa, Katharina Schlacher, John A Tainer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Exonuclease/endonuclease/phosphatase (EEP)-fold hydrolases are canonically monomeric phosphodiesterases exemplified by APE1, DNase I, and TDP2 nucleases. While EEP family domain containing protein 1 (EEPD1) acts in DNA stress responses, its proposed nuclease activities are enigmatic. Here, we integrate hybrid structural methods, evolution, biochemistry, cancer genomics, plus molecular and cell biology to define EEPD1 structure, assembly, and function at stalled DNA replication forks. Results imply EEPD1 surprisingly requires both unique EEP domain dimer and distinctive tandem Helix-hairpin-Helix [(HhH)2] domains to clamp double-stranded (ds) DNA at reversed DNA replication forks for fork protection. Small-angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS), crystal, and cryo-EM structures unveil an …

Increasing Ketamine Administration In Children's Hospitals For Youth With Sickle Cell Disease., Ashley M. Jenkins, Erin Hendry, Alexandra Power-Hays, Marin Valentino, Matthew Hall, Kathyrn Kyler, James W. Antoon, Sonya Tang Girdwood, Jennifer Goldman, Armand N. Morel, Timothy J. Savage, Lucas E. Orth, Natasha M. Archer

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Ketamine is recommended as an opioid-sparing adjunct for sickle cell disease (SCD)-related pain management. Little is known regarding its use in hospitalized youth with SCD. We aimed to describe trends in ketamine administration and examine associations between ketamine administration and outcomes in hospitalized youth with SCD. We conducted a cross-sectional, multicenter study examining hospital admissions for youth with SCD from 44 children's hospitals in the United States from 2016 to 2023. Youth aged ≥6 months with SCD were identified using International Classification of Diseases tenth revision codes. Exposures included age, sex, race, payor, childhood opportunity index, hydroxyurea administration, and concomitant …

Predicting And Managing Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence After Liver Transplant: A Single-Center Experience 2012-2024, Jesse Civan, Madison Force, Ali Raza Shaikh, Adam Bodzin, Daniel Lin

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of mortality in the United States, but it can be cured with orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) in selected patients. Despite curative intent, post-OLT recurrence can occur in up to 15% of patients. The need for a program of post-OLT surveillance is widely accepted but the specifics of an optimal program have not been established. There is interest in identifying lower-risk cohorts of patients in whom an abbreviated strategy of surveillance may prove adequate, utilizing tools such as the RETREAT score. Unique challenges are posed in the post-transplant population regarding safety and …