Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Adeno-Associated Virus-Mediated Silencing Of Sox4 Leads To Long-Term Amelioration Of Liver Phenotypes In Mouse Models Of Alagille Syndrome, Duncan Fox, Jun Xie, Jennifer L Burwinkel, Josh M Adams, Kashish Chetal, Marzieh Keivandarian, Yaniv Faingelernt, Sanjay Subramanian, Mario F Lopez, Anna L Peters, Nathan Salomonis, Neda Zarrin-Khameh, Guangping Gao, Stacey S Huppert, Hamed Jafar-Nejad

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background & aims: In patients with Alagille syndrome (ALGS), bile duct paucity often leads to severe cholestatic phenotypes for which liver transplantation remains the only definitive treatment. No Food and Drug Administration-approved mechanism-based strategies exist to enhance biliary development in ALGS or other diseases with bile duct paucity. We aimed to identify a therapeutic target to address this unmet need.

Methods: Preclinical ALGS mouse models lacking 1 copy of Jag1 with or without conditional deletion of 1 or both copies of Sox9 were used. Sox4 levels were reduced genetically or with adeno-associated virus 8 (AAV8) vectors driving a Sox4-silencing sequence. …

High Prevalence Of Abnormal Baseline Lung Function In Pediatric And Young Adult Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients: A Report From The Transpire Study, Jane Koo, Richard Cooper, Stephanie L Edwards, Adam Lane, Sara Katherine Loveless, Lauren Strecker, Kelly E Lake, Kasiani C Myers, Christopher Towe, Jessica Patti, Laura L Walkup, Kathryn A Wikenheiser-Brokamp, Margaret L Macmillan, Philip Lacher, Tamara Griffin, Merve Tekman, Gabriel Salinas Cisneros, Kevin Wu, Matthew S Zinter, Fernando A Urrego, K Scott Baker, Matthew F Abts, Sheri Ballard, Jason L Freedman, Alexander Caraballo, Lisa R Young, Maureen B Josephson, Julian L Allen, Devaney M Camburn, Erin E Doherty, Mashid Sababi Azamian, Martha Arredondo, Manuel Silva-Carmona, Leslie E Lehmann, Wai Wong, Jonathan M Gaffin, William Mcalpine, Mona Li, Samuel B Goldfarb, Jason C Woods, Stella M Davies

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Pulmonary complications are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in pediatric and young adult hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. The impact of preexisting lung dysfunction on posttransplant outcomes remains understudied.

Methods: In a multi-institutional prospective cohort of 444 patients (≤24 years) undergoing allogeneic HSCT at eight centers, baseline lung function was categorized as normal or abnormal using clinical history, imaging, pulmonary function tests (PFTs), and pulmonologist review. Spirometry and diffusion capacity were assessed at baseline, Day 100, 1 year, and 2 years post-HSCT.

Results: Baseline pulmonary dysfunction was present in 224 patients (50.4%), including impaired spirometry (46.4%), …

Transdiagnostic Correlates Of Family Accommodation In Anxious Youth, Whitney S Shepherd, Erika S Trent, Orri Smarason, Hannah N Sansone, Daphne M Ayton, Amanda Palo, Abigail E Candelari, Wayne K Goodman, Andrew G Guzick, Eric A Storch

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Anxiety disorders are common in children and cause significant impairment. Family accommodation, which refers to behavioral changes that family members make to temporarily alleviate a child’s anxiety, has been linked to child anxiety symptom severity. Although emotional vulnerabilities for anxiety such as emotion dysregulation, anxiety sensitivity, and distress intolerance have been associated with family accommodation, research concerning the relationship between these constructs among anxious youth is limited. We hypothesized that these variables would be uniquely and positively associated with family accommodation and would moderate the relationship between anxiety symptom severity and family accommodation. Treatment-seeking child–parent dyads (N = 90; …

Effects Of The Kcnq (Kv7) Channel Opener Ezogabine On Resting-State Functional Connectivity Of Striatal Brain Reward Regions, Depression, And Anhedonia In Major Depressive Disorder: Results From A Randomized Controlled Trial, Avijit Chowdhury, Sarah Boukezzi, Sara Costi, Sara Hameed, Yael Jacob, Ramiro Salas, Dan V Iosifescu, Ming-Hu Han, Alan Swann, Sanjay J Mathew, Laurel Morris, James W Murrough

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide, with available treatments often showing limited efficacy. Recent research suggests that targeting specific subtypes of depression and understanding the underlying brain mechanisms can improve treatment outcomes. This study investigates the potential of the potassium KCNQ (Kv7) channel opener ezogabine to modulate the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) of the brain's reward circuitry and alleviate depressive symptoms, including anhedonia, a core feature of MDD.

Methods: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial in individuals with MDD ages 18 to 65 years compared daily dosing with ezogabine (n= 19) with placebo (n …

Characterizing Measurement-Based Care In The Texas Youth Depression And Suicide Research Network (Tx-Ydsrn), Holli Slater, Yasmin Alzubi, Afsaneh Rezaeizadeh, Jennifer L Hughes, April Gorman, Taryn L Mayes, Joshua S Elmore, Eric A Storch, Sarah M Wakefield, Madhukar H Trivedi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Integration of measurement-based care (MBC) into clinical practice has shown promise in improving treatment outcomes for depression. Yet, without a gold standard measure of MBC, assessing fidelity to the MBC model across various clinical settings is difficult. A central goal of the Texas Youth Depression and Suicide Research Network (TX-YDSRN) was to characterize MBC across the state of Texas through the development of a standardized tool to assess the use of MBC strategies when assessing depression, anxiety, side effects, and treatment adherence. A chart review of clinical visits indicated standardized depression measures (71.2%) and anxiety measures (64%) were being utilized …

Associations Of High Attenuation Area-Related Proteomic Biomarkers With Fibrotic Or Subpleural Interstitial Lung Abnormalities, John S Kim, Catherine L Debban, Daniel E Guzman, Riley T Hannan, Mary Salvatore, Claire Mcgroder, David Zhang, Anna J Podolanczuk, Daniel A Duprez, Shwu-Fan Ma, Yong Huang, Jeffrey M Sturek, Stephen S Rich, Jerome I Rotter, Rajat Deo, Ruth F Dubin, Janelle Vu Pugashetti, Jennifer M Wang, Meilan K Han, Justin M Oldham, Imre Noth, Prescott G Woodruff, Victor E Ortega, Julie C Fanburg-Smith, Edward B Stelow, Christopher A Moskaluk, Eric A Hoffman, Christine Kim Garcia, Russell P Bowler, Peter Ganz, R Graham Barr, Ani Manichaikul

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Gut Complement System: A New Frontier In Microbiota-Host Communication And Intestinal Homeostasis, Xianbin Tian, Lan Zhang, Xinyang Qian, Yangqing Peng, Fengyixin Chen, Sarah Bengtson, Zhiqing Wang, Meng Wu

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining intestinal homeostasis and influencing various aspects of host physiology, including immune function. Recent advances have highlighted the emerging importance of the complement system, particularly the C3 protein, as a key player in microbiota-host interactions. Traditionally known for its role in innate immunity, the complement system is now recognized for its interactions with microbial communities within the gut, where it promotes immune tolerance and protects against enteric infections. This Review explores the gut complement system as a possibly novel frontier in microbiota-host communication and examines its role in shaping microbial diversity, modulating …

Aging And The Spectral Properties Of Brain Hemodynamics, Ki Yun Park, Abraham Z Snyder, Manu S Goyal, Timothy O Laumann, John J Lee, Babatunde Adeyemo, Nicholas Metcalf, Andrei G Vlassenko, Joshua S Shimony, Eric C Leuthardt

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Cerebral glucose metabolism (CMRGlc) systematically decreases with advancing age. We sought to identify correlates of decreased CMRGlc in the spectral properties of fMRI signals imaged in the task-free state. Lifespan resting-state fMRI data acquired in 455 healthy adults (ages 18-87 years) and cerebral metabolic data acquired in a separate cohort of 94 healthy adults (ages 25-45 years, 65-85 years) were analyzed. The spectral properties of the fMRI data were characterized in terms of the relative predominance of slow versus fast activity using the spectral slope (SS) measure. We found that the relative proportion of fast activity increases with advancing age …

Using Latent Patient-Centered Fear Extinction Profiles To Guide Treatment In Pediatric Ocd, Katherine M Ingram, Eric A Storch, Daniel A Geller, Brent J Small, Sabine Wilhelm, Joseph F Mcguire

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: While exposure with response prevention (ERP) is the frontline treatment for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), not all patients benefit. Impairments in extinction learning are implicated in pediatric OCD's etiology and treatment, with impaired pre-treatment extinction learning associated with worse ERP outcomes. However, available methods for assessing patients' difficulties with fear extinction are costly and underdeveloped. In response, we used person-centered profiles to characterize latent fear extinction patterns among youth with OCD, and investigated the degree to which scores on common rating scales correspond to profile membership.

Methods: Youth with OCD (n=98) completed a diagnostic clinical battery followed by a …

Corneal Sensory Nerve Regulation Of Tear Production Through Stimulation Of Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin 8 (Trpm8) Channel: A Potential New Approach For Treating Dry Eye Disease, Juana Gallar, Stephen Pflugfelder, Anat Galor, Preeya K Gupta, Pedram Hamrah

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The lacrimal functional unit (LFU) tightly controls the secretion of all tear components, thus playing a critical role in maintaining ocular surface homeostasis. Forming an exquisitely sensitive neural network across the ocular surface, corneal sensory nerves detect environmental stimuli (e.g., temperature, chemicals, and mechanical pressure) through transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels. Among these, TRP melastatin 8 (TRPM8) is a key regulator of basal tear production. Stimulated by the small temperature reductions and tear film osmolarity increases that arise due to evaporative cooling, TRPM8 activates the LFU, leading to increased basal tear production. Here, we focus on reviewing the topical …

Endoglin-Directed Car T Cells Comprehensively Target Tumors In Advanced Sarcomas, Harrison R Berger, Malina Maharana, Jeneffer Mirabal, Lyazat Kurenbekova, Alberto Delaidelli, Atreyi Dasgupta, Ahmed Z Gad, Mohamed F Sheha, Sybrina S Kerr, Ada I Ozcan, Jessica S Morris, Angela M Major, M John Hicks, Mary K Mckenna, Ben K Seon, Matthew L Baker, Poul H Sorensen, Meenakshi Hegde, Jason T Yustein, Nabil Ahmed, Sujith K Joseph

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

There are limited therapeutic options for patients with advanced sarcomas, which leads to dismal outcomes for children and adults. Although chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells hold promise for treating advanced sarcomas, this approach is constrained by a paucity of effective targets. Our previous clinical study identified endoglin (ENG/CD105), a TGFβ coreceptor, as a target of the endogenous immune response in a patient with sarcoma who exhibited an exceptional response to HER2-targeted CAR T-cell therapy. ENG is expressed on various sarcomas, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and neoangiogenic vessels and therefore offers comprehensive tumor targeting. Furthermore, ENG knockout in sarcoma cells reduces their …

Fructose And Glucose From Sugary Drinks Enhance Colorectal Cancer Metastasis Via Sord, Tianshi Feng, Qin Luo, Yanlin Liu, Zeyu Jin, David Skwarchuk, Rumi Lee, Miso Nam, John M Asara, Daya R Adye, Philip L Lorenzi, Lin Tan, Guangsheng Pei, Zhongming Zhao, Neda Zarrin-Khameh, Adriana Paulucci-Holthauzen, Brian W Simons, Ju-Seog Lee, Scott Kopetz, Jihye Yun

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), which contain high levels of fructose and glucose, has been causally and mechanistically linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the effects of SSB consumption on advanced stages of disease progression, including metastasis, remain poorly understood. Here we show that exposure of CRC cells to a glucose and fructose formulation-reflecting the composition of both high-fructose corn syrup and sucrose found in SSBs-enhances cellular motility and metastatic potential compared to glucose alone. Given that CRC cells grow poorly in fructose alone, and cells in vivo are not physiologically exposed to fructose without …

A Narrative Review Of The Ileal Pouch In Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease And Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, Anitta Philip, Allyson Wyatt, Jose R Rodriguez, Brad Pasternak, Lisa Mcmahon, Kalyani Patel, Richard Kellermayer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Ileal pouch-anal anastomosis is a surgical intervention in patients with medically refractory inflammatory bowel disease and familial adenomatous polyposis syndrome. Reported outcomes in children have been limited by both the retrospective nature and sample size of the investigations. In addition, there is a lack of consensus on surveillance guidelines in this patient population. Delay or lack of surveillance may increase the risk of complications (pouchitis, Crohn's disease-like inflammation, dysplasia, etc.). This narrative review aims to summarize the most recent literature (2013-2023) on short-term, long-term, and quality of life (QoL) outcomes in pediatric ileal pouch (J-pouch) patients. A proposed surveillance guidance …

Single Cell Sequencing Analysis Of Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Infected Pediatric And Adult Human Nose Organoids Reveals Age Differences, Proliferative Diversity And Identifies Novel Cellular Tropism, Anubama Rajan, Divya Nagaraj, Carolyn Bomidi, Gina M Aloisio, Ashley M Murray, Emily M Schultz, Amal Kambal, Mary K Estes, Erin Nicholson, Vasanthi Avadhanula, Sarah E Blutt, Pedro A Piedra

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of infant death across the globe. Age is a significant factor that contributes to the severity of infection in young children. RSV primarily infects the ciliated cells of the airway epithelium, induces mucus hypersecretion, and impaired mucociliary clearance. Better understanding of RSV infection at the cellular level is needed for the development of effective therapeutic interventions. To investigate the age difference and comprehensively understand gene signatures associated with RSV infection, we performed single-cell transcriptomic analysis of adult and pediatric human nose organoids (HNOs) infected with RSV. Our analysis revealed a significant difference …

Nrf2 Hyperactivation As A Driver Of Radiotherapy Resistance And Suppressed Antitumor Immunity In Head And Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Rutulkumar Patel, Kalil Saab, Lixia Luo, Yan Ma, Rashid Abdullah Osman, Nerissa T Williams, Jeffrey Everitt, Maciej J Zelazowski, Patricia Castro, William K Decker, William H Hudson, Jeffrey N Myers, Vlad C Sandulache, Mitchell J Frederick, Yvonne M Mowery, David G Kirsch

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: Alterations in the KEAP1/NFE2L2 (NRF2)/CUL3 pathway occur in ∼20% of human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) and are associated with resistance to standard-of-care therapy. However, this pathway's role in radiotherapy resistance in HNSCC has not been well studied.

Experimental design: We generated genetically engineered mouse models and developed primary murine cancer cell lines harboring mutations commonly observed in human HNSCC, including inducible activation of PIK3CA and deletion of Trp53, with or without Keap1 loss. Primary tumors were initiated via 4-hydroxytamoxifen injection ± the tobacco carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene (BAP) into the oral buccal mucosa. Tumors were analyzed by Western …

Covid-19 Booster Vaccine Messaging In Emergency Departments: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial, Melanie F Molina, Stephanie A Eucker, Kristin L Rising, Efrat R Kean, Zubaid Rafique, Heba Mesbah, David V Glidden, Mireya I Arreguin, Christopher Alvarez, Robert M Rodriguez

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Importance: Patient uptake of updated COVID-19 vaccines is crucial for reducing severe outcomes, yet national uptake remains low.

Objective: To determine if tailored messaging or simple inquiry about vaccine acceptance increases 30-day uptake of updated COVID-19 vaccines among emergency department (ED) patients.

Design, setting, and participants: This 3-arm, cluster randomized clinical trial conducted from January 29 to June 18, 2024, enrolled adult ED patients who had not received a COVID-19 vaccine in the prior 6 months across 6 EDs in San Francisco, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Houston, Texas; and Durham, North Carolina.

Interventions: Intervention M involved tailored messaging about updated COVID-19 …

Timing Of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Following Stable Medical Therapy In Patients With Heart Failure, Alessandro Villaschi, Christian Basile, Lina Benson, Paolo Gatti, William T Abraham, Michael Böhm, Biykem Bozkurt, Javed Butler, Gianluigi Condorelli, Cecilia Linde, Marco Metra, Wilfried Mullens, Peter Mol, Shelley Zieroth, Raffaele Scorza, Lars H Lund, Fredrik Gadler, Gianluigi Savarese

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Guidelines' recommendations for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) implantation in selected patients with heart failure (HF) exist. However, data on the best timing for CRT implantation after the achievement of stable medical therapy (SMT) and its association with outcomes are currently lacking.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the timing of CRT implantation after the achievement of SMT, associated patient profiles, and clinical outcomes in a real-world HF population.

Methods: Patients with HF treated with SMT derived from the Swedish ICD and Pacemaker Registry who received CRT between 2007 and 2020 were included in the study. Patient …

Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex: Prevalence And Associations With Self-Reported Mental Health History, Megan Howard, Alison N Goulding, Anitha Muddana, Terri L Fletcher, Nicole Cirino, Alison M Stuebe

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

This study sought to determine prevalence of Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex (D-MER) and mental health correlates in a cohort of patients from a breastfeeding medicine clinic. We determined prevalence of D-MER symptoms and performed bivariate analyses to explore associations between D-MER symptoms, demographics, and self-reported mental health history. Among 271 patients, 42 (15.5%) reported D-MER. Women with D-MER symptoms were more likely to report a history of panic attacks (28.6 vs. 12.2%, OR 2.87, 95% CI 1.23-6.25).

Phosphorylation At Serine 214 Correlates With Tau Seeding Activity In An Age-Dependent Manner In Two Mouse Models For Tauopathies And Is Required For Tau Transsynaptic Propagation, Pablo Martinez, Nur Jury-Garfe, Henika Patel, Yanwen You, Abigail Perkins, Yingjian You, Audrey Lee-Gosselin, Ruben Vidal, Cristian A Lasagna-Reeves

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background

Tau aggregation and propagation are hallmark features of Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies. The molecular identity and post-translational modifications that contribute to tau seeding activity remain incompletely understood.

Objective

To characterize the temporal dynamics of tau seeding activity and identify specific phosphorylated tau species associated with tau propagation in vivo.

Methods

We profiled tau seeding activity using a FRET-based biosensor cell line and correlated it with the abundance of phospho- and conformational tau species in two transgenic mouse models of tauopathy (P301S-1N4R and P301S-0N4R). Immunohistochemistry and subcellular fractionation were used to examine the spatial distribution of tau species. Functional …

Systematic Targeting Of Gd2-Positive Neuroblastoma Tumors With A Photooncolytic Phage Nanovector Platform, Suleman Khan Zadran, Nicola Facchinello, Piergiuseppe De Rosa, Roberto Saporetti, Paolo Emidio Costantini, Luca Ulfo, Michela Nigro, Annapaola Petrosino, Lucia Pappagallo, Sara Aloisi, Giorgio Milazzo, Zainul Abe Din, Alberto Rigamonti, Leonardo Flora, Martina Santulli, Leonardo Cimadom, Giampaolo Zuccheri, Mattia Zangoli, Manuele Di Sante, Matteo Di Giosia, Francesca Di Maria, Roberto Bernardoni, Eveline Barbieri, Matteo Calvaresi, Alberto Danielli, Giovanni Perini

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Disialoganglioside-GD2 is a key molecular target for Neuroblastoma (NB) immunotherapy based on the employment of GD2-targeting antibodies. However, about 50% of treated patients can experience tumor relapse due to limited immune-mediated cytotoxicity and poor antibody penetration into tumors. To address this problem, a tumor-penetrating photo-oncolytic phage nanovector platform is genetically and chemically developed that selectively targets GD2-expressing NB cells. The phage bioconjugates, functionalized with different photosensitizers, result in specific and selective oncolysis of GD2-positive NB cells upon light irradiation, without affecting GD2-negative ones. The photo-oncolytic phage vectors are shown to deeply penetrate into GD2-positive tumor spheroids in vitro, and to …

Natriuretic Peptide Cut Points For Heart Failure Classification In Individuals With And Without Obesity, Mandana Chitsazan, Juhi K Parekh, Leah B Kosyakovsky, Sophie M Nemeth, Emily S Lau, James L Januzzi, Thomas J Wang, Daniel Levy, Chiadi E Ndumele, Elizabeth Selvin, Christie M Ballantyne, Bruce M Psaty, John S Gottdiener, Jorge R Kizer, Christopher R Defilippi, Norrina B Allen, Rudolf A De Boer, Sanjiv J Shah, Jennifer E Ho

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: The 2022 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology/Heart Failure Society of America guidelines introduced elevated natriuretic peptide (NP) levels as a criterion for defining stage B heart failure (HF), or pre-HF, to identify individuals at greatest risk for future HF. Given the known NP deficiency in obesity, we aimed to assess whether a single NP cut point would disproportionately up-classify individuals with versus without obesity to stage B HF.

Methods: Participants free of HF from 5 community-based cohorts were included. We examined the reclassification of individuals to stage B HF using the 2022 versus 2013 guidelines, stratified by obesity …

Lp(A) Testing For The Primary Prevention Of Cardiovascular Disease In High-Income Countries: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, Jedidiah I Morton, Florian Kronenberg, Magdalena Daccord, Nicola Bedlington, Marius Geanta, Tobias Silberzahn, Zhenyue Chen, Jean-Luc Eisele, Bogi Eliasen, Mariko Harada-Shiba, Marc Rijken, Albert Wiegman, George Thanassoulis, Pia R Kamstrup, Iñaki Gutierrez-Ibarluzea, Pablo Coral, Raul D Santos, Erik Stroes, Michal Vrablik, Gerald F Watts, Christie M Ballantyne, Samia Mora, Børge G Nordestgaard, Kausik K Ray, Stephen J Nicholls, Zanfina Ademi, Lp(A) International Taskforce (Itf) Initiative

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background and aims: Cost-effectiveness of Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] testing is not established. We aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of Lp(a) testing in the cardiovascular disease (CVD) primary prevention population from healthcare and societal perspectives.

Methods: We constructed and validated a multi-state microsimulation Markov model for a population of 10,000 individuals aged between 40 and 69 years without CVD, selected randomly from the UK Biobank. The model evaluated Lp(a) testing in individuals not initially classified as high-risk based on age, diabetes status, or the SCORE-2 algorithm. Those with an Lp(a) level ≥105 nmol/L (50 mg/dL) were treated as high risk (initiation of …

Pfas Exposure And Postoperative Weight Regain In Adolescents After Bariatric Surgery: Findings From The Teen-Labs Study, Brittney O Baumert, Elizabeth Costello, Zhenjiang Li, Justin R Ryder, Thomas Inge, Todd Jenkins, Stephanie Sisley, Stavra A Xanthakos, Douglas I Walker, Nikos Stratakis, Damaskini Valvi, Scott M Bartell, Angela L Slitt, Rohit Kohli, Sarah Rock, Michele A La Merrill, Sandrah P Eckel, Max T Aung, Rob Mcconnell, David V Conti, Lida Chatzi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: Weight regain following bariatric surgery remains a clinical challenge, with limited understanding of contributing environmental factors. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), persistent chemicals linked to metabolic dysfunction, may influence long-term weight trajectories. This study aimed to evaluate associations between PFAS exposure and changes in BMI, percent weight loss, and waist circumference among adolescents after bariatric surgery.

Methods: We included 186 adolescents (mean age: 17.1 years; 76.3% female; 72.0% White) from the Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) cohort who underwent surgery between 2007 and 2012. Anthropometric measurements were collected at baseline and 6, 12, 36, and 60 months post …

Alternative Polyadenylation Contributes To Fibroblast Senescence In Pulmonary Fibrosis, Jingjing Huang, Maria Jose Gacha-Garay, Yu Wang, Scott D Collum, Rene A Girard, Hydia Puente, Seung-Hee Yoo, Rahat Hussain, Jayeshkumar Patel, Manish Patel, Eric J Wagner, Hari Krishnayalamanchili, Harry Karmouty-Quintana, Zheng Chen, Tingting Mills

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a prevalent and deadly age-related disease characterized by chronic, progressive, and irreversible fibrosis. A key effector cell population in the fibroproliferative response is the fibroblasts. Fibroblast cell senescence gradually worsens during aging, and the acquisition of a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) turns senescent fibroblasts into pro-inflammatory cells. However, the mechanism promoting senescence in IPF, especially at the post-transcriptional level, is poorly understood. We recently discovered that Nudix Hydrolase 21 (NUDT21, also named CFIm25), an RNA-binding protein, plays a critical role in regulating the expression of SASP factors through alternative polyadenylation (APA). APA allows adding poly(A) …

Post-Deployment Monitoring Of Ai Performance In Intracranial Hemorrhage Detection By Chatgpt, Eric Rohren, Mohadese Ahmadzade, Sofia Colella, Nina Kottler, Sriyesh Krishnan, Jason Poff, Neelesh Rastogi, Walter Wiggins, Joyce Yee, Carlos Zuluaga, Phil Ramis, Mohammad Ghasemi-Rad

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Rationale and objectives: To evaluate the post-deployment performance of an artificial intelligence (AI) system (Aidoc) for intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) detection and assess the utility of ChatGPT-4 Turbo for automated AI monitoring.

Materials and methods: This retrospective study evaluated 332,809 head CT examinations from 37 radiology practices across the United States (December 2023-May 2024). Of these, 13,569 cases were flagged as positive for ICH by the Aidoc AI system. A HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) -compliant version of ChatGPT-4 Turbo was used to extract data from radiology reports. Ground truth was established through radiologists' review of 200 randomly selected …

Item Selection For The Development And Validation Of A Revised Classification Criteria For Adult And Juvenile Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies: Myoroc Project, Didem Saygin, Rachel Zeng, Stefanie Glaubitz, Matteo Bottai, Anthony A Amato, Lorenzo Cavagna, Sonye K Danoff, Marianne De Visser, Mazen M Dimachkie, Manabu Fujimoto, Masataka Kuwana, Pedro M Machado, Merrilee Needham, Clarissa Pilkington, Liza Rajasekhar, Lisa G Rider, Yasser Salem, Samuel Katsuyuki Shinjo, Jasvinder A Singh, Mohammed Tikly, Guochun Wang, Victoria P Werth, Rohit Aggarwal, Ingrid E Lundberg

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: A revision of the 2017 EULAR-ACR myositis classification criteria, namely EULAR-ACR funded Myositis Revision of Classification (MyoROC) project, is currently underway involving a large international group of experts. In the first phase of this project, we identified additional items to be tested in the criteria.

Methods: We distributed an electronic survey to International Myositis Assessment and Clinical Studies (IMACS) members to identify new items. The identified items were discussed within the Steering Committee and a multi-step Delphi consensus process consisting of an open discussion and three rounds of e-voting were conducted to reach the final item list.

Results: The …

Hydrogen Sulfide Inhibits Recruitment Of Monocyte-Derived Tumor Associated Macrophages In Glioblastoma By Downregulating Cxcl12, Joseph Camarano, Morgan Roque, Gabrielle Gahn, Stephen Garrett Whipple, Danielle Terrell, Charles Ronkon, Jamie Toms, Anthony Sin, Bharat Guthikonda, Khatri Latha, Yuhui Yang, Xinggui Shen, Christopher G Kevil, Ganesh Rao, Sungho Lee

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) directly contribute to the dismal prognosis of glioblastoma by preventing anti-tumor immunity and promoting tumor invasion and angiogenesis. Inhibiting TAM infiltration is a potential therapeutic strategy in glioblastoma, with several chemokine antagonists in early clinical development. Hydrogen sulfide, a gasotransmitter that regulates microglial accumulation in a wide range of CNS diseases, may be a novel therapeutic target to prevent TAM recruitment in glioblastoma. In this study, hydrogen sulfide concentrations were directly measured from 14 isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-wildtype glioblastoma surgical samples and compared against overall survival as well as expression of TAM markers and chemokines. Effects of …

Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibition Sensitizes Group 3 Medulloblastoma To Radiotherapy, Cory M Richman, Alexandra Rasnitsyn, Borja L Holgado, Maria Vladoiu, Namal Abeysundara, Sandra Majo, Sara Chabi, Lucie J Taunay, Hiromichi Suzuki, Ichiyo Shibahara, Joonas Haapasalo, Jonelle G Pallotta, Tajana Douglas, Kaitlin Kharas, Kyle Juraschka, Oliver Ocsenas, Sachin A Kumar, Kristiina Nordfors, Ana Guerreiro Stücklin, Raul A Suarez, Jiao Zhang, Xiaochong Wu, Craig Daniels, Livia Garzia, Jüri Reimand, Olivier Saulnier, Thomas E Merchant, Celio Pouponnot, David R Raleigh, Michael D Taylor, Pasqualino De Antonellis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Group 3 (G3) medulloblastoma constitutes the most aggressive molecular subgroup, and nearly all patients present with metastases upon recurrence. Treatment for newly diagnosed medulloblastoma relies on a combination of maximal safe surgical resection, followed by chemotherapy and ionizing radiation, and no therapies have been shown to confer a survival benefit at the time of recurrence. Given the limited therapeutic options available for patients with medulloblastoma, especially at recurrence, and the incomplete understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying resistance to treatment, we sought to uncover actionable targets and biomarkers that could help refine patient selection and treatment of newly diagnosed medulloblastoma …

Analyzing The Learning Curve Of Vnotes Sacrocolpopexy By The Cumulative Summation Test: A Cohort Study, Wenyu Liu, Nannan Sun, Yuejiao Zhang, Yuyan Li, Weihao Lai, Youjun Zhou, Xiaoming Guan, Juan Liu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: The learning curve of transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic sacrocolpopexy (vNOTES-SC) in the treat of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is critical yet underexplored. Our objective is to describe the learning curve and surgical complications of vNOTES-SC, taking into account the factors that affect operative time and evaluate the long-term follow-up outcomes of this surgery.

Methods: We conducted a hospital-based cohort study involving patients who underwent vNOTES-SC from June 2017 to May 2024. All surgeries were performed by a single surgeon with over 20 years of surgical experience. This study employed cumulative summation test (CUSUM) analysis to quantify the learning …

Treatment-Related Adverse Events And Associated Outcomes In Patients With Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma Treated With Enfortumab Vedotin: Analysis Of The Unite Study, Amanda Nizam, Charles B Nguyen, Jinju Li, Emily C Zabor, Pavlos Msaouel, Cindy Y Jiang, Omar Alhalabi, Eugene Oh, Matthew P Davidsohn, Ilana B Epstein, Dimitra Rafailia Bakaloudi, Rafee Talukder, Tanya Jindal, Amy K Taylor, Michael J Glover, Ali Raza Khaki, Emily Lemke, Hannah Mabey, Bashar Abuqayas, Albert Jang, Jason R Brown, Sean T Evans, Cameron Pywell, Arnab Basu, Mehmet A Bilen, Pedro C Barata, Yousef Zakharia, Matthew I Milowsky, Deepak Kilari, Christopher J Hoimes, Sumit A Shah, Hamid Emamekhoo, Nancy B Davis, Shilpa Gupta, Petros Grivas, Joaquim Bellmunt, Matthew T Campbell, Ajjai S Alva, Vadim S Koshkin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Enfortumab vedotin-ejfv (EV), an antibody-drug conjugate approved for advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC), has limited real-world safety data and no validated predictive biomarkers. Retrospective studies suggest higher objective response rates (ORR) among patients developing EV-related dermatologic toxicities, but survival implications remain unclear. This analysis assessed the safety of EV monotherapy and the impact of dermatologic and neurologic toxicities on efficacy outcomes in a multi-institutional cohort.

Materials and methods: UNITE is a multicenter, retrospective study across 16 US sites of patients with aUC treated with targeted agents, including EV. Primary endpoints were the incidence of EV treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs, any …