Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Comparative Analyses Define Differences Between Bhd-Associated Renal Tumour And Sporadic Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma, Ryosuke Jikuya, Todd A Johnson, Kazuhiro Maejima, Jisong An, Young-Seok Ju, Hwajin Lee, Kyungsik Ha, Woojeung Song, Youngwook Kim, Yuki Okawa, Shota Sasagawa, Yuki Kanazashi, Masashi Fujita, Seiya Imoto, Taku Mitome, Shinji Ohtake, Go Noguchi, Sachi Kawaura, Yasuhiro Iribe, Kota Aomori, Tomoyuki Tatenuma, Mitsuru Komeya, Hiroki Ito, Yusuke Ito, Kentaro Muraoka, Mitsuko Furuya, Ikuma Kato, Satoshi Fujii, Haruka Hamanoue, Tomohiko Tamura, Masaya Baba, Toshio Suda, Tatsuhiko Kodama, Kazuhide Makiyama, Masahiro Yao, Brian M Shuch, Christopher J Ricketts, Laura S Schmidt, W Marston Linehan, Hidewaki Nakagawa, Hisashi Hasumi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Birt-Hogg-Dubé (BHD) syndrome, caused by germline alteration of folliculin (FLCN) gene, develops hybrid oncocytic/chromophobe tumour (HOCT) and chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC), whereas sporadic ChRCC does not harbor FLCN alteration. To date, molecular characteristics of these similar histological types of tumours have been incompletely elucidated.

METHODS: To elucidate renal tumourigenesis of BHD-associated renal tumours and sporadic renal tumours, we conducted whole genome sequencing (WGS) and RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) of sixteen BHD-associated renal tumours from nine unrelated BHD patients, twenty-one sporadic ChRCCs and seven sporadic oncocytomas. We then compared somatic mutation profiles with FLCN variants and RNA expression profiles between BHD-associated …

The Integrative Studies On The Functional A-To-I Rna Editing Events In Human Cancers, Sijia Wu, Zhiwei Fan, Pora Kim, Liyu Huang, Xiaobo Zhou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing, constituting nearly 90% of all RNA editing events in humans, has been reported to contribute to the tumorigenesis in diverse cancers. However, the comprehensive map for functional A-to-I RNA editing events in cancers is still insufficient. To fill this gap, we systematically and intensively analyzed multiple tumorigenic mechanisms of A-to-I RNA editing events in samples across 33 cancer types from The Cancer Genome Atlas. For individual candidate among ∼ 1,500,000 quantified RNA editing events, we performed diverse types of downstream functional annotations. Finally, we identified 24,236 potentially functional A-to-I RNA editing events, including the cases …

From Bridge To Destination? Ethical Considerations Related To Withdrawal Of Ecmo Support Over The Objections Of Capacitated Patients, Andrew Childress, Trevor Bibler, Bryanna Moore, Ryan H Nelson, Joelle Robertson-Preidler, Olivia Schuman, Janet Malek

Faculty and Staff Publications

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is typically viewed as a time-limited intervention-a bridge to recovery or transplant-not a destination therapy. However, some patients with decision-making capacity request continued ECMO support despite a poor prognosis for recovery and lack of viability as a transplant candidate. In response, critical care teams have asked for guidance regarding the ethical permissibility of unilateral withdrawal over the objections of a capacitated patient. In this article, we evaluate several ethical arguments that have been made in favor of withdrawal, including distributive justice, quality of life, patients' rights, professional integrity, and the Equivalence Thesis. We find that existing …

Impact Of An Expanded Definition Of Family History On Outcomes Of Active Surveillance For Prostate Cancer, Adam C. Schneider, Thenappan Chandrasekar, Nicholas Bowler, Ryan Fogg, Joon Yau Leong, Andrew Gusev, Linda H. Rodgers, Shelley R. Mccormick, Douglas M. Dahl, Jason A. Efstathiou, Michael L. Blute, Anthony L. Zietman, Chin-Lee Wu, Matthew R. Smith, Eliezer M. Van Allen, Adam S. Feldman, Keyan Salari

Department of Urology Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: Despite family history being an established risk factor for prostate cancer, the role of a broader definition of family history inclusive of not just prostate cancer but other genetically related malignancies has not been investigated in the active surveillance population. Here, we evaluate the impact of an expanded definition of family history on active surveillance outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients undergoing active surveillance for prostate cancer at Massachusetts General Hospital from 1997-2019 with detailed data available on family cancer history were identified. Primary outcome was biopsy progression-free survival, and secondary outcomes were treatment-free survival, adverse pathological features at prostatectomy, …

Reviewing Internal Medicine Clerkship Grading Through A Proequity Lens: Results Of A National Survey, Cindy J Lai, Irene Alexandraki, Nadia Ismail, Diane Levine, Chavon Onumah, Amber T Pincavage, Jackcy Jacob, Melissa Osborn Jenkins, Amulya Nagarur, Michael Kisielewski, Nora Y Osman

Faculty and Staff Publications

Purpose: Equity in assessment and grading has become imperative across medical education. Although strategies to promote equity exist, there may be variable penetrance across institutions. The objectives of this study were to identify strategies internal medicine (IM) clerkship directors (CDs) use to reduce inequities in assessment and grading and explore IM CDs' perceptions of factors that impede or facilitate the implementation of these strategies.

Method: From October to December 2021, the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine of the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine conducted its annual survey of IM core CDs at 137 U.S. and U.S. territory-based medical schools. This …

Expanding Narrative Medicine Through The Collaborative Construction And Compelling Performance Of Stories, Woods Nash, Mgbechi Erondu, Andrew Childress

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

This essay proposes an expansion of the concept of narrative competence, beyond close reading, to include two more skills: the collaborative construction and compelling performance of stories. To show how this enhanced form of narrative competence can be attained, the essay describes Off Script, a cocurricular medical storytelling program with three phases: 1) creative writing workshop, 2) dress rehearsal, and 3) public performance of stories. In these phases, Off Script combines literary studies, creative writing, reflective practice, collegial feedback, and drama. With increased narrative competence, Off Script participants are likely better equipped to engage in more impactful health advocacy and …

Divergent Clinical Presentations And Outcomes Among Children And Adolescents With Kaposi Sarcoma In Malawi And Tanzania, Liane R Campbell, Allison Silverstein, Erin Peckham-Gregory, William Kamiyango, Jimmy Villiera, Casey L Mcatee, Jason M Bacha, Carrie L Kovarik, Parth S Mehta, Toni Chanroo, Asulwisye Kapesa, Beatrice Malingoti, Rizine Mzikamanda, Nmazuo W Ozuah, Carl E Allen, Michael E Scheurer, Nader K El-Mallawany

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Objectives: The Kaposi sarcoma (KS) T0 versus T1 staging classification does not address the unique clinical features of paediatric KS in human gammaherpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) endemic regions of Africa. This study seeks to define patterns of childhood KS using a paediatric-specific approach.

Methods: The Lilongwe paediatric KS staging classification categorizes disease based on clinical phenotype: stage 1 = mild/moderate KS limited to cutaneous/oral involvement, stage 2 = primarily lymphadenopathic disease, stage 3 = woody edema KS, stage 4 = visceral and/or severe/disseminated mucocutaneous disease. Characteristics and outcomes were evaluated from paediatric referral centres in Lilongwe, Malawi, and Mbeya, Tanzania.

Results: …

Evolution Of Cisplatin Resistance Through Coordinated Metabolic Reprogramming Of The Cellular Reductive State, Wangie Yu, Yunyun Chen, Nagireddy Putluri, Abdullah Osman, Cristian Coarfa, Vasanta Putluri, Abu H M Kamal, Jennifer Kay Asmussen, Panagiotis Katsonis, Jeffrey N Myers, Stephen Y Lai, Wuhao Lu, Clifford C Stephan, Reid T Powell, Faye M Johnson, Heath D Skinner, Jawad Kazi, Kazi Mokim Ahmed, Linghao Hu, Addison Threet, Matthew D Meyer, James A Bankson, Tony Wang, Jack Davis, Kirby R Parker, Madison A Harris, Mokryun L Baek, Gloria V Echeverria, Xiaoli Qi, Jin Wang, Andy I Frederick, Alex J Walsh, Olivier Lichtarge, Mitchell J Frederick, Vlad C Sandulache

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Cisplatin (CDDP) is a mainstay treatment for advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) despite a high frequency of innate and acquired resistance. We hypothesised that tumours acquire CDDP resistance through an enhanced reductive state dependent on metabolic rewiring.

METHODS: To validate this model and understand how an adaptive metabolic programme might be imprinted, we performed an integrated analysis of CDDP-resistant HNSCC clones from multiple genomic backgrounds by whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, mass spectrometry, steady state and flux metabolomics.

RESULTS: Inactivating KEAP1 mutations or reductions in KEAP1 RNA correlated with Nrf2 activation in CDDP-resistant cells, which functionally contributed to …

Association Of Diet Quality With Metabolic (Dysfunction) Associated Fatty Liver Disease In Veterans In Primary Care, Natalia I Heredia, Aaron P Thrift, David J Ramsey, Rohit Loomba, Hashem B El-Serag

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Diet is associated with metabolic (dysfunction)-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), but the dietary composition associated with MAFLD risk has not been well-examined.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to assess the association of two healthy eating indices with the presence and severity of MAFLD in a sample of Veterans in a primary care setting.

METHODS: This was a single center cross-sectional study using a random stratified sample of Veterans enrolled in primary care. Participants underwent a Fibroscan and completed an interviewer-administered Diet History Questionnaire II from which we calculated the Healthy Eating Index-2015 and Alternate Mediterranean Diet Score. …

Ensuring Adequate Power: The Importance Of Statistically Significant Results In Osteopathic Research., Amanda Disabato

Medical Education Articles

No abstract provided.

Longitudinal Analysis Of Change In Mammographic Density In Each Breast And Its Association With Breast Cancer Risk, Shu Jiang, Debbie L Bennett, Bernard A Rosner, Graham A Colditz

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: Although breast density is an established risk factor for breast cancer, longitudinal changes in breast density have not been extensively studied to determine whether this factor is associated with breast cancer risk.

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively evaluate the association between change in mammographic density in each breast over time and risk of subsequent breast cancer.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This nested case-control cohort study was sampled from the Joanne Knight Breast Health Cohort of 10 481 women free from cancer at entry and observed from November 3, 2008, to October 31, 2020, with routine screening mammograms every 1 to 2 …

Acinetobacter Baumannii Atcc 17978 Encodes A Microcin System With Antimicrobial Properties For Contact-Independent Competition, Fabiana Bisaro, Howard A Shuman, Mario F Feldman, Michael J Gebhardt, Stefan Pukatzki

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Tarlatamab, A First-In-Class Dll3-Targeted Bispecific T-Cell Engager, In Recurrent Small-Cell Lung Cancer: An Open-Label, Phase I Study, Luis Paz-Ares, Ramaswamy Govindan, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy with limited treatments. Delta-like ligand 3 (DLL3) is aberrantly expressed in most SCLC. Tarlatamab (AMG 757), a bispecific T-cell engager molecule, binds both DLL3 and CD3 leading to T-cellb-mediated tumor lysis. Herein, we report phase I results of tarlatamab in patients with SCLC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study evaluated tarlatamab in patients with relapsed/refractory SCLC. The primary end point was safety. Secondary end points included antitumor activity by modified RECIST 1.1, overall survival, and pharmacokinetics.

RESULTS: By July 19, 2022, 107 patients received tarlatamab in dose exploration (0.003 to 100 mg; …

Associations Between Socioeconomic Status, Obesity, Cognition, And White Matter Microstructure In Children, Zhaolong Adrian Li, Yuqi Cai, Rita L Taylor, Sarah A Eisenstein, Deanna M Barch, Scott Marek, Tamara Hershey

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: Lower neighborhood and household socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with negative health outcomes and altered brain structure in children. It is unclear whether such findings extend to white matter and via what mechanisms.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether and how neighborhood and household SES are independently associated with children's white matter microstructure and examine whether obesity and cognitive performance (reflecting environmental cognitive and sensory stimulation) are plausible mediators.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional study used baseline data from participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Data were collected at 21 US sites, and school-based recruitment was used …

Temperament & Character Account For Brain Functional Connectivity At Rest: A Diathesis-Stress Model Of Functional Dysregulation In Psychosis, Igor Zwir, Javier Arnedo, Alberto Mesa, Coral Del Val, Gabriel A De Erausquin, C Robert Cloninger

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The human brain's resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) provides stable trait-like measures of differences in the perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social functioning of individuals. The rsFC of the prefrontal cortex is hypothesized to mediate a person's rational self-government, as is also measured by personality, so we tested whether its connectivity networks account for vulnerability to psychosis and related personality configurations. Young adults were recruited as outpatients or controls from the same communities around psychiatric clinics. Healthy controls (n = 30) and clinically stable outpatients with bipolar disorder (n = 35) or schizophrenia (n = 27) were diagnosed by structured interviews, and …

Patients With Stricturing Or Penetrating Crohn's Disease Phenotypes Report High Disease Burden And Treatment Needs, Yanni Fan, Ling Zhang, Negar Omidakhsh, Rhonda L Bohn, Jennifer S Thompson, Kimberly G Brodovicz, Parakkal Deepak

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which inflammation can progress to complications of stricturing and/or penetrating disease. Real-world data on burden of complicated CD phenotypes are limited.

METHODS: We analyzed cross-sectional data from the SPARC IBD (Study of a Prospective Adult Research Cohort with Inflammatory Bowel Disease) registry from 2016 to 2020. Four mutually exclusive phenotype cohorts were created: inflammatory CD (CD-I), complicated CD (stricturing CD, penetrating CD, and stricturing and penetrating CD [CD-SP]). Statistical analyses were performed using CD-I as the reference.

RESULTS: A total of 1557 patients were identified: CD-I (n = 674, 43.3%), …

Biological Rhythms In Covid-19 Vaccine Effectiveness In An Observational Cohort Study Of 1.5 Million Patients, Guy Hazan, Or A. Duek, Hillel Alapi, Huram Mok, Alex Ganninger, Elaine Ostendorf, Carrie Gierasch, Gabriel Chodick, David Greenberg, Jeffrey A. Haspel

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUNDCircadian rhythms are evident in basic immune processes, but it is unclear if rhythms exist in clinical endpoints like vaccine protection. Here, we examined associations between COVID-19 vaccination timing and effectiveness.METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed a large Israeli cohort with timestamped COVID-19 vaccinations (n = 1,515,754 patients over 12 years old, 99.2% receiving BNT162b2). Endpoints included COVID-19 breakthrough infection and COVID-19-associated emergency department visits and hospitalizations. Our main comparison was among patients vaccinated during morning (800-1159 hours), afternoon (1200-1559 hours), or evening hours (1600-1959 hours). We employed Cox regression to adjust for differences in age, sex, and comorbidities.RESULTSBreakthrough infections differed based on …

American Academy Of Orthopaedic Surgeons Clinical Practice Guideline Summary: Management Of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries, Robert H. Brophy, Kent Jason Lowry

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Management of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries : Evidence-based Clinical Practice Guideline is based on a systematic review of published studies for the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament injurie in both skeletally mature and immature patients. This guideline contains eight recommendations and seven options to assist orthopaedic surgeons and all qualified physicians managing patients with ACL injuries based on the best current available evidence. It is also intended to serve as an information resource for professional healthcare practitioners and developers of practice guidelines and recommendations. In addition to providing pragmatic practice recommendations, this guideline also highlights gaps in the literature and …

Autophagy Prevents Early Proinflammatory Responses And Neutrophil Recruitment During Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection Without Affecting Pathogen Burden In Macrophages, Rachel L. Kinsella, Jacqueline M. Kimmey, Asya Smirnov, Reilly Woodson, Margaret R. Gaggioli, Sthefany M. Chavez, Darren Kreamalmeyer, Christina L. Stallings

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection determines tuberculosis disease outcomes, yet we have an incomplete understanding of what immune factors contribute to a protective immune response. Neutrophilic inflammation has been associated with poor disease prognosis in humans and in animal models during M. tuberculosis infection and, therefore, must be tightly regulated. ATG5 is an essential autophagy protein that is required in innate immune cells to control neutrophil-dominated inflammation and promote survival during M. tuberculosis infection; however, the mechanistic basis for how ATG5 regulates neutrophil recruitment is unknown. To interrogate what innate immune cells require ATG5 to control neutrophil recruitment …

Replicative Acinetobacter Baumannii Strains Interfere With Phagosomal Maturation By Modulating The Vacuolar Ph, Jesus S. Distel, Gisela Di Venanzio, Joseph J. Mackel, David A. Rosen, Mario F. Feldman

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Bacterial pneumonia is a common infection of the lower respiratory tract that can afflict patients of all ages. Multidrug-resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii are increasingly responsible for causing nosocomial pneumonias, thus posing an urgent threat. Alveolar macrophages play a critical role in overcoming respiratory infections caused by this pathogen. Recently, we and others have shown that new clinical isolates of A. baumannii, but not the common lab strain ATCC 19606 (19606), can persist and replicate in macrophages within spacious vacuoles that we called Acinetobacter Containing Vacuoles (ACV). In this work, we demonstrate that the modern A. baumannii clinical isolate 398, …

Igg4 Antibodies To The Recombinant Filarial Antigen Wb-Bhp-1 Decrease Dramatically Following Treatment Of Lymphatic Filariasis, Sarah E. Greene, Yuefang Huang, Kurt C. Curtis, Christopher L. King, Peter U. Fischer, Gary J. Weil

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a neglected tropical disease and a major cause of chronic disability. Improved diagnostic tests are needed because of long-term persistence of anti-filarial antibodies or circulating filarial antigenemia after treatments that clear microfilaremia. Here, we assess changes in levels of antibodies to the recombinant filarial antigens Wb-Bhp-1, Wb123, and Bm14 after anti-filarial treatment.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: IgG4 antibodies to recombinant filarial antigens were assessed by ELISA. We tested serial plasma samples from a clinical trial in Papua New Guinea. Before treatment, 90%, 71% and 99% of participants had antibodies to Wb-Bhp-1, Wb123, and Bm14, respectively. Antibodies to …

Improvements In Physical Function And Pain Interference And Changes In Mental Health Among Patients Seeking Musculoskeletal Care, Wei Zhang, Som P Singh, Amdiel Clement, Ryan P Calfee, Janine D Bijsterbosch, Abby L Cheng

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: Among patients seeking care for musculoskeletal conditions, there is mixed evidence regarding whether traditional, structure-based care is associated with improvement in patients' mental health.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether improvements in physical function and pain interference are associated with meaningful improvements in anxiety and depression symptoms among patients seeking musculoskeletal care.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study included adult patients treated by an orthopedic department of a tertiary care US academic medical center from June 22, 2015, to February 9, 2022. Eligible participants presented between 4 and 6 times during the study period for 1 or more musculoskeletal conditions …

Terrorist Attacks Against Sports Venues: Emerging Trends And Characteristics Spanning 50 Years, Grace R Rahman, Gregory N Jasani, Stephen Y Liang

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Sports venues foster community and support local economies. Due to their capacity to host hundreds to thousands of spectators, sports venues are vulnerable to becoming targets of terrorism. Types of venues targeted, regional trends, and methods of attack employed world-wide have not been well-described.

METHODS: A search of the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) was conducted from 1970 through the end of 2019. Pre-coded variables for target type "business" and target subtype "entertainment/cultural/stadium/casino" were used to identify attacks involving venues where sports events might be viewed by spectators as part of an audience. Sports venues were specifically identified using the …

Genomic Approaches To Cancer And Minimal Residual Disease Detection Using Circulating Tumor Dna, Nicholas P. Semenkovich, Jeffrey J. Szymanski, Noah Earland, Pradeep S. Chauhan, Bruna Pellini, Aadel A. Chaudhuri

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Liquid biopsies using cell-free circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) are being used frequently in both research and clinical settings. ctDNA can be used to identify actionable mutations to personalize systemic therapy, detect post-treatment minimal residual disease (MRD), and predict responses to immunotherapy. ctDNA can also be isolated from a range of different biofluids, with the possibility of detecting locoregional MRD with increased sensitivity if sampling more proximally than blood plasma. However, ctDNA detection remains challenging in early-stage and post-treatment MRD settings where ctDNA levels are minuscule giving a high risk for false negative results, which is balanced with the risk of …

Assessment Of Brain Magnetic Resonance And Spectroscopy Imaging Findings And Outcomes After Pediatric Cardiac Arrest, Ericka L Fink, Stuart Friess, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: Morbidity and mortality after pediatric cardiac arrest are chiefly due to hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. Brain features seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) after arrest may identify injury and aid in outcome assessments.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association of brain lesions seen on T2-weighted MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging and N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and lactate concentrations seen on MRS with 1-year outcomes after pediatric cardiac arrest.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This multicenter cohort study took place in pediatric intensive care units at 14 US hospitals between May 16, 2017, and August 19, 2020. Children aged 48 hours …

Uridine-Derived Ribose Fuels Glucose-Restricted Pancreatic Cancer, Zeribe C Nwosu, Matthew H Ward, Leah P Shriver, Gary J Patti, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a lethal disease notoriously resistant to therapy

Safety And Efficacy Of Vanzacaftor-Tezacaftor-Deutivacaftor In Adults With Cystic Fibrosis: Randomised, Double-Blind, Controlled, Phase 2 Trials, Ahmet Z Uluer, Ronald C Rubenstein, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor has been shown to be safe and efficacious in people with cystic fibrosis and at least one F508del allele. Our aim was to identify a novel cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator combination capable of further increasing CFTR-mediated chloride transport, with the potential for once-daily dosing.

METHODS: We conducted two phase 2 clinical trials to assess the safety and efficacy of a once-daily combination of vanzacaftor-tezacaftor-deutivacaftor in participants with cystic fibrosis who were aged 18 years or older. A phase 2 randomised, double-blind, active-controlled study (VX18-561-101; April 17, 2019, to Aug 20, 2020) was carried out to …

A Functional Genomics Pipeline To Identify High-Value Asthma And Allergy Cpgs In The Human Methylome, Andréanne Morin, Katherine Rivera-Spoljaric, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: DNA methylation of cytosines at cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) dinucleotides (CpGs) is a widespread epigenetic mark, but genome-wide variation has been relatively unexplored due to the limited representation of variable CpGs on commercial high-throughput arrays.

OBJECTIVES: To explore this hidden portion of the epigenome, this study combined whole-genome bisulfite sequencing with in silico evidence of gene regulatory regions to design a custom array of high-value CpGs. This study focused on airway epithelial cells from children with and without allergic asthma because these cells mediate the effects of inhaled microbes, pollution, and allergens on asthma and allergic disease risk.

METHODS: This study …

Involucrin Modulates Vitamin D Receptor Activity In The Epidermis, Alina D Schmidt, Charlene Miciano, Qi Zheng, Mary Elizabeth Mathyer, Elizabeth A Grice, Cristina De Guzman Strong

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Terminally differentiated keratinocytes are critical for epidermal function and are surrounded by involucrin (IVL). Increased IVL expression is associated with a near-selective sweep in European populations compared with those in Africa. This positive selection for increased IVL in the epidermis identifies human adaptation outside of Africa. The functional significance is unclear. We hypothesize that IVL modulates the environmentally sensitive vitamin D receptor (VDR) in the epidermis. We investigated VDR activity in Ivl

Comparison Between Gradients And Parcellations For Functional Connectivity Prediction Of Behavior, Ru Kong, Yan Rui Tan, Naren Wulan, Leon Qi Rong Ooi, Seyedeh-Rezvan Farahibozorg, Samuel Harrison, Janine D Bijsterbosch, Boris C Bernhardt, Simon Eickhoff, B T Thomas Yeo

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) is widely used to predict behavioral measures. To predict behavioral measures, representing RSFC with parcellations and gradients are the two most popular approaches. Here, we compare parcellation and gradient approaches for RSFC-based prediction of a broad range of behavioral measures in the Human Connectome Project (HCP) and Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) datasets. Among the parcellation approaches, we consider group-average "hard" parcellations (Schaefer et al., 2018), individual-specific "hard" parcellations (Kong et al., 2021a), and an individual-specific "soft" parcellation (spatial independent component analysis with dual regression; Beckmann et al., 2009). For gradient approaches, we consider the well-known …