Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Using Randomization To Compare Ai And Expert-Generated Formative Assessment Questions In Medical Education, Akshat Kumar, Katie Stinson, Litao Wang, Elizabeth Nugent, Yongsu Lee, Mark Hormann, Latanya Jones Love, Toufeeq Ahmed Syed

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: AI-generated content is being used across the education spectrum and is beneficial for creating complex multiple-choice questions, such as those used in medical education. However, evaluating AI-generated content is challenging, and existing testing and evaluation methods are falling short. This study uses randomization to compare medical students' performance on and subjective evaluation of AI versus expert-generated questions. We hypothesized that there would be no difference in student performance or subjective evaluation of AI vs expert-generated questions.

Methods: We designed a single-center, randomized study where medical student participants received either one AI- or expert-generated question per day over four weeks. …

Steroid Receptor Coactivator 3-Deficient Regulatory T Cells Eradicate Multiple Solid Tumors In Syngeneic Mouse Models, Nuri Sung, Eunsu Kim, Yosef Gilad, Yuri Park, Adam M Dean, Yan Xia, Jianming Xu, Clifford C Dacso, David M Lonard, Sang Jun Han

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Steroid receptor coactivator 3 (SRC-3) is highly expressed in regulatory T cells (Tregs) and is important for their immunosuppressive activity. Recently, we demonstrated that disrupting SRC-3 expression in Tregs eliminates triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and prostate cancer in syngeneic animal models by generating an anti-tumor immune microenvironment without inducing immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Further analysis of these mice revealed that SRC-3 knockout (KO) Tregs infiltrated breast tumors and facilitated the infiltration of CD8

Ambulatory Blood Pressure Variability In Prediction Of Target Organ Injury: The Ship Ahoy Study, Coral D Hanevold, Jang Dong Seo, Stephen R Daniels, Bonita E Falkner, Michael A Ferguson, Joseph T Flynn, Julie R Ingelfinger, Philip R Khoury, Marc B Lande, Kevin E Meyers, Mark Mitsnefes, Joshua Samuels, Elaine M Urbina

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Ambulatory hypertension is associated with elevated left ventricular mass index (LVMI), cardiac dysfunction, and increased arterial stiffness in adolescents. Whether the addition of measures of BP variability improves the prediction of subclinical cardiovascular target organ damage (TOD) over mean BP measures is not known.

Methods: We assessed clinic and ambulatory BP (ABP), anthropometrics, and TOD in 397 adolescents. ABP means standard deviation (SD), BP, and heart rate (HR) dipping were calculated; coefficients of variability (CV) were calculated (SD/mean) to assess ABP variabilities. Measures of TOD included LVMI, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), LV systolic shortening, LV diastolic function (e'/a'), and …

Impact Of School Nurse Education On Factors Influencing Hpv Vaccine Communication With Parents, Jihye Choi, Efrat K Gabay, Jeanette Deason, Elizabeth Baumler, Diane Santa Maria, Daisy Mullassery, Lara S Savas, Erika Thompson, Sanghamitra M Misra, Paula M Cuccaro

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause six cancer types but can be prevented with timely vaccination in early adolescence. However, despite the wide availability of the HPV vaccine, uptake remains suboptimal among US adolescents. School nurses are invaluable resources to students and their families regarding adolescent immunization needs. As part of the All for Them vaccination program, we assessed the impact of the continued nurse education (CNE) intervention on school nurses’ HPV vaccine communication with parents. Seventy-two school nurses and nurse administrators in Texas participated in the study. Using a single-arm study design, we measured participants’ potential barriers to and self-efficacy …

In-Hospital Mortality Patterns And Readmissions In Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: An Analysis Of The Role Of Pulmonary Hypertension, Saad Afzal Khan, Trishna Parikh, Adishwar Rao, Akriti Agrawal, Aarohi Parikh, Farah Kazzaz, Sarah Shin, Harry Karmouty-Quintana, Maulin Patel, Kha Dinh, Bela Patel, Bindu Akkanti

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be complicated by pulmonary hypertension (PH). We aimed to understand the impact of PH on in-hospital mortality and quantify the 30-day readmission rate among patients with COPD. For this cross-sectional study, we used the Nationwide Readmissions Database from 2017-2020 to identify adults ≥18 years with COPD. Patients were stratified according to PH diagnosis. Baseline characteristics between groups were compared using the Pearson chi-square test and two-sample t-test. Predictors of in-hospital mortality were determined using multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for demographics and confounders. The 30-day readmission rate and prevalence of PH subgroups by baseline …

Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Complications In Neonates With Kidney Failure., Shannon Reinert, Maanasa Yarlagadda, Alexander Bondoc, Donna Claes, Stefanie Riddle, Meredith P. Schuh

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Neonates with kidney failure require placement of a peritoneal dialysis catheter (PD-C) shortly after birth. PD-C malfunction and peritonitis, both common in this population, are associated with PD failure. The aim of this study was to describe our center's PD-C-related practices and outcomes in neonates with kidney failure.

METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of neonates who required kidney replacement therapy (KRT) within the first 30 days of life from 01/2018-12/2023. We evaluated for PD-C duration, PD-C replacement or revision, and peritonitis.

RESULTS: Twenty-four neonates had PD-C placed for chronic dialysis at a median of 9.7 days and …

Clinical Presentations, Treatments, And Outcomes Of Pediatric Lupus Nephritis: A Prospective Cohort Study From The Pediatric Nephrology Research Consortium., Melonie Phillips, Mahmoud Kallash, Chloe Tang, Steve Rust, Kia Jubert-Bacon, Scott Wenderfer, Smriti Mohan, Neal Blatt, Don Batisky, Alejandro Quiroga, Tetyana L. Vasylyeva, Nilka Dejesus, Jerome C. Lane

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: There are few prospective studies of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) versus cyclophosphamide (CYC) for pediatric lupus nephritis (pLN) and none evaluating rituximab (RTX).

METHODS: The Prospective Pediatric Lupus Nephritis Registry (ProPeL-R) enrolled patients <  21 years within 4 weeks of an initial kidney biopsy diagnostic of pLN. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected prospectively at enrollment, 3 months, 6 months, and then every 6 months thereafter for up to 5 years of follow-up. For this study, we compared patients receiving initial therapy with corticosteroids (CS) and either MMF (n = 33) vs. CYC (n = 18), and those treated with CS, either MMF or CYC, with RTX (n = 20) vs. without RTX (n = 51).

RESULTS: Histology consisted of 18% class III; 35% class IV; 25% mixed class; and 22% pure class V. Eighty-two percent were female. No significant differences in response or infection rates were identified between those receiving MMF or CYC. There was a significant increase in combined complete (CR) and partial response (PR) at 24 months with RTX use. Overall CR rates at 6 and 24 months were 35% …

The Epidemiology Of Kidney And Urinary Tract Infections In Pediatric Chronic Kidney Disease: Prevalence, Risk Factors And Association With Gfr Decline In The Chronic Kidney Disease In Children Study., Derek K. Ng, Andrea R. Molino, Siyao Zhang, Emily J. Stonebrook, Craig S. Wong, Pratyush Gyawali, Kimberly J. Reidy, Susan L. Furth, Bradley A. Warady, Jeffrey J. Fadrowski, Ckid Study Investigators

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Urinary tract and kidney infections are potential complications in pediatric chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially among patients with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT). We characterized the prevalence of self-reported infections from childhood through young adulthood; evaluated risk factors; and quantified the association with CKD progression.

METHODS: Infections in the past year were self-reported at annual Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) study visits. Age-specific infection prevalences were stratified by sex and CKD diagnoses (glomerular, non-glomerular non-CAKUT, CAKUT low-risk for infections, and three CAKUT high-risk categories: reflux nephropathy, obstructive uropathy, and other high-risk). Repeated measures logistic …

Closing Gaps In Urban Trauma Systems: Outcomes Of An Inner-City Community Emergency Department Multidisciplinary Trauma Protocol, Kory S. London, Alan Cherney, Sulabh Neupane, H. Alex Tomlinson, Joseph Cervone, Elaine Qian, Casey Fishman, Jennifer Davis, Sean Mcgann, Varsha Goswami, George Koenig, Frederick Randolph

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Non-trauma center (NTC) emergency departments (EDs) play regular but underappreciated roles in the management of severely injured patients, yet many lack formal protocols to guide care. We describe the implementation and outcomes of a structured trauma evaluation and transfer protocol at an urban NTC emergency department.

METHODS: A multidisciplinary trauma protocol was implemented on April 1, 2023, at an urban NTC, supported by a Level I trauma center, 2.5 miles apart. The study period ran from January 1, 2019, to June 30, 2025. Using pre-post study design, 62 patients treated prior to implementation were compared with 49 post-intervention patients. …

Cerebellar Atrophy In Pediatric-Onset Opsoclonus-Myoclonus-Ataxia Syndrome: A Large International Cohort Study, Rebecca Macrae, Kierstin Hederstedt, Christopher Cortina, Kumaran Deiva, Andrea Klein, Ming Lim, Thomas Rossor, Elizabeth A Sokol, Yasmin Khakoo, Nikita Malani Shukla, Timothy E Lotze, Wendy G Mitchell, Sarah Hopkins, Bo Zhang, Mark P Gorman

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background and objectives: Pediatric-onset opsoclonus-myoclonus-ataxia syndrome (POOMAS) is a rare, neuroinflammatory syndrome that targets the cerebellum and can cause irreversible cerebellar structural changes, namely cerebellar atrophy. We investigated the frequency of cerebellar atrophy, as well as associated risk factors and functional outcome measures, using the largest active POOMAS registry.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of participants with POOMAS with disease onset from 1995 to 2025 using data from the multinational, multicenter POOMAS registry. Variables were compared between the cerebellar atrophy subgroups using the Fisher exact test or Wilcoxon rank-sum test.

Results: Of participants with follow-up imaging, cerebellar atrophy …

Lidocaine Combined With Low-Dose Esketamine For Movement-Evoked Pain After Hepatectomy: A Double-Blind Randomised Controlled Trial, Yan Xu, Li Zhou, Qianqian Tang, Feng Yu, Jingwen Wu, Siyu Yan, Min Cai, Jialu Wan, Yi Kang, Lajing Luowu, Mengmeng Zhou, Lulong Bo, Daniel I Sessler, Chunling Jiang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Pain following hepatectomy may delay recovery and increase opioid use. We tested the primary hypothesis that combining lidocaine and low-dose esketamine would reduce movement-evoked pain 24 h after hepatic resection. We also evaluated whether this approach reduced opioid consumption and improved quality of recovery.

Methods: Patients having elective hepatic resections were allocated randomly to receive lidocaine-esketamine or placebo from induction of anaesthesia until the end of surgery. After surgery, patients allocated to lidocaine-esketamine were given a continuous infusion of lidocaine with esketamine for 72 h. All patients received transversus abdominis plane blocks with ropivacaine 2 mg.kg-1 after induction of …

Association Between Estimated Time With Low Glomerular Filtration Rate And Access To Transplant Among Youth With Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease., Elaine Ku, Timothy Copeland, Charles E. Mcculloch, Jonathan D. Savant, Bradley A. Warady, Susan L. Furth, Sarah Kizilbash, Daniel I. Feig, Roshan P. George, Joseph T. Flynn, Judith Jerry-Fluker, Matthew B. Matheson, Sandra Amaral, Ckid Investigators

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Slower chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression allows more time for transplant preparation. Whether differences in CKD progression by race/ethnicity associate with preemptive or living donor transplantation in youth has not been well studied.

METHODS: We examined the association between time spent with low eGFR (between 10-30 mL/min/1.73 m²) and odds of preemptive or living donor transplantation among youth with CKD. eGFR was estimated using the bedside Schwartz (if < 18 years) and CKD-EPI 2021 equations (if ≥ 18 years) and the CKiD U25 equation in sensitivity analysis. Time spent with low eGFR was compared by race/ethnicity.

RESULTS: Among 333 youth with CKD (median age 11 years [IQR 7,14]), median time spent with low eGFR was 28.8 months. 77% were preemptively waitlisted, and 45% received preemptive …

Redo-Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement With Self-Expanding Valves: A U.S. Registry Analysis., Toby Rogers, Vinayak N Bapat, Stanley J Chetcuti, Harold L Dauerman, John K Forrest, Sachin S Goel, Kendra J Grubb, Wah Wah Htun, Rishi Puri, Michael J Reardon, Gilbert H L Tang, Amit N Vora, Steven J Yakubov, Ruth Eisenberg, Guilherme F Attizzani

Heart and Vascular Articles

BACKGROUND: Redo-transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for failed transcatheter heart valves is expected to increase, but data on outcomes with self-expanding valves remain limited.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to evaluate procedural, clinical, and quality-of-life outcomes following redo-TAVR using self-expanding Evolut valves and to compare these outcomes with those among a contemporary native TAVR cohort.

METHODS: Outcomes after redo-TAVR with Evolut R, Evolut PRO, and Evolut PRO+ valves in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology TVT (Transcatheter Valve Therapy) Registry were analyzed and compared with outcomes after native-valve TAVR using the same valve platform during the …

Race And Ethnicity And Overall Survival In Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Daniel J. Zheng, Long Khuong, Catherine Aftandilian, Kira Bona, Emi H. Caywood, Caitlin W. Elgarten, Brian T. Fisher, Cody-Aaron L. Gathers, Taumoha Ghosh, M. Monica Gramatges, Gary Hettinger, Meret R. Henry, Yuan-Shung V Huang, Yimei Li, Kelly Maloney, Amir Mian, Tamara P Miller, Arunkumar Modi, Rajen Mody, Regina M. Myers, Haley Newman, Jose Ortiz, Alix E. Seif, Caroline Smith, Jamie Stokke, Naomi Winick, Jennifer J. Wilkes, Victor Wong, Richard Aplenc, Kelly D. Getz

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

IMPORTANCE: Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black (hereafter, Black) children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have historically experienced worse survival outcomes compared with non-Hispanic White (hereafter, White) children. Understanding specific intermediate pathways underlying these outcome disparities is a critical step to directing interventional efforts and resources.

OBJECTIVE: To compare survival outcomes by race and ethnicity in a large contemporary cohort of pediatric patients with AML and to examine presentation acuity, frontline organ toxic effects, and relapse as potential mediators of any observed outcome disparities.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective cohort study was analyzed from April 2025 to January 2026 and included …

Telomere-To-Telomere Genome Assembly And A Pangenome For The Rat, Kai Li, Julia L Ciosek, Sergey Koren, Adam M Phillippy, Yaming Zhu, William A Lauer, Shelise Y Brooks, Gerard G Bouffard, Brandon D Pickett, Beth L Dumont, Melissa L Smith, Theodore S Kalbfleisch, Peter A Doris

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

We report a complete rodent telomere-to-telomere genome assembly from the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus. Annotation was enriched with multi-tissue long-read RNA sequencing and uncovered numerous novel genes. Assembly of both sex chromosomes reveals the absence of gene coding in the presumed pseudo-autosomal regions and the presence of centromeric satellite repeats on distal chromosome Y (chrY). We provide evidence of meiotic conjunction between Xp and Yq. The genome assembly reveals several expanded autosomal regions enriched for testis-expressed genes. Finally, we have generated a pangenome from recent high-quality assemblies of 8 distinct inbred rat strain genomes. This allows the strain-specific distribution of …

A Case Report Of Myocardial Infarction Complicated With Blood Pressure Fluctuations Caused By Pheochromocytoma, Huiping Li, Wei Yang, Yu Feng, You Zhang, Gan-Xin Yan, Chuanyu Gao

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Pheochromocytoma typically presents with sustained or paroxysmal hypertension, but initial manifestation as acute non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) is rare. Peri-procedural hemodynamic fluctuations are often dramatic, making diagnosis and management challenging. We report a 51-year-old male admitted with chest tightness for 17 days. Elevated troponin and coronary angiography showing multivessel disease with total occlusion of the mid-left anterior descending artery (LAD) led to a preliminary diagnosis of NSTEMI. During percutaneous coronary intervention, blood pressure surged to 240/130 mmHg; intravenous nitroprusside caused an instantaneous drop to 95/55 mmHg, with rapid rebound to >200 mmHg upon withdrawal, showing no clear temporal relationship …

A Distinct Form Of Fat Fibrosis Is Linked To Insulin Resistance In People With Hiv, Diana L Alba, Alaa Abdellatif, Moon Kyung Choi, Stephen M Brown Mayfield, Thuy An T Pham, David I Berrios, Antonio E Rodriguez, Marin Ewing, Tony R Figueroa, Judy Gonzalez-Vargas, Ningyan Zhang, Zhiqiang An, Dawei Bu, Steven G Deeks, Philipp E Scherer, Peter W Hunt, Suneil K Koliwad

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

BACKGROUND

Despite antiretroviral therapy (ART), people with HIV (PWH) are at heightened risk for insulin resistance (IR) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) fibrosis contributes to metabolic disease, but its role in IR among PWH is unknown. We investigated the relationship between SAT fibrosis and IR in PWH, along with transcriptional signatures to distinguish it from SAT fibrosis due to obesity.

METHODS

We analyzed body composition and SAT fibrosis (hydroxyproline) in 46 PWH and 74 people without HIV (PWoH), excluding individuals with T2D. We examined fibrosis-related gene transcription in the SAT using a targeted panel and measured …

Surgical Outcomes Of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Excision: Factors Impacting Wound Healing Time, Christina Huang, Scott H. Koeneman, Sherry Yang, Sami Tannour

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) can be treated surgically to excise recurrent and recalcitrant regions of disease activity. However, surgical outcomes are highly variable depending on closure method, concomitant medical management and area of excision. In this study, we aim to characterise the healing courses from HS excision in a case series. To reduce operator variability, we opted to conduct a case series from a single surgeon. Surgeries conducted from June 2024-December 2025 by surgeon S.T. were included, and the postoperative course was followed until February 2026. Surgical details and postoperative course for 34 sites of HS across 20 patients were analysed. …

Long-Term Poverty, Rurality, And Geographic Disparities In Colorectal Cancer: A Spatial Analysis In Texas, Ryan Ramphul, Tracey Farrigan, Yixiao Chen, Yanchen Liu, Jooyeon Lee, Ruth Rechis, Karen Basen-Engquist, Lorna Mcneill

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading cause of cancer morbidity and mortality in the United States and shows substantial geographic variation. Socioeconomically disadvantaged communities experience elevated CRC incidence, yet few studies have analyzed multi-decade poverty measures for long-term structural disadvantage.

Methods: We analyzed CRC incidence from 2017 to 2021 across Texas using Texas Cancer Registry data. Age-sex-race/ethnicity standardized cases were incorporated as offsets in Bayesian spatial models to generate tract-level posterior mean relative risks. We evaluated four tract-level poverty measures (high poverty in 2021; persistent poverty since 1990; enduring poverty since 1980 and 1970), Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) classifications, …

Young-Onset Stroke In The Uae: A Single-Centre Retrospective Analysis Of Risk Factors And Outcomes, Sobia Siddiq, Saryia Adra, Kamel A. Samara, Batool Aldaher, Mohamad Emad Aldeen Mahfouz, Nour Sakan, Fathima Musfira, Roomiyah Riyaz Assadi, Ahlam Mohamed Almarzooqi, Hiba Jawdat Barqawi, Eman Abu-Gharbieh

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

BACKGROUND: Young-onset stroke represents a growing public health concern, yet data from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) remain limited. This study aimed to examine the risk factors and clinical outcomes associated with young-onset stroke in the UAE.

METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted on 419 patients aged below 50 years who were admitted at Al Qassimi Hospital, Sharjah, UAE, with a diagnosis of stroke between 2016 and 2022. Data on demographics, comorbidities, stroke subtype, management, and outcomes were collected and analyzed using Python-based statistical libraries.

RESULTS: The study population comprised predominantly of male individuals (78.28%), with most patients originating …

Staphylococcus Aureus Urease Is Controlled By A Complex Regulatory Network To Promote Dissemination During Cauti, Jana Gomez, Jesus Duran-Ramirez, Maristhela Alvarez, Shane Cristy, Jennifer N Walker

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are one of the most common hospital-associated infections in the United States, accounting for >1 million cases annually. One CAUTI pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus, is commonly found persisting asymptomatically in the bladder of catheterized individuals, increasing these individuals' risk of developing infection. Importantly, S. aureus is not only associated with severe symptoms during CAUTI, including bacteremia and septic shock, but it also produces a common uropathogen-associated virulence factor, urease. Despite its importance, urease has only been well-studied in another uropathogen, Proteus mirabilis. While previous studies identified three S. aureus urease regulators, including CodY, …

An Online Epilepsy Self-Management Tool For Patients With Epilepsy: A Formative Usability Study, Katarzyna Czerniak, Ross Shegog, Refugio Sepulveda, Robert Addy, Youngran Kim, Sahiti Myneni, Alejandra Garcia-Quintana, Kimberly Martin, David M Labiner

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Epilepsy is a serious chronic neurological condition with no permanent cure. Continual self-management is important to mitigate seizure frequency and optimize quality of life in people with epilepsy who have greater disparities in accessing epilepsy care. The Management Information & Decision Support Epilepsy Tool (MINDSET [UTHealth, University of Arizona, and Radiant Digital]) was developed to enhance accessibility to epilepsy self-management (ESM) assessment and treatment. The purpose of this formative usability pilot study was to assess the user experience and functionality of MINDSET 2.0, an enhanced cross-platform online version of MINDSET, among a sample of patients with epilepsy prior to …

Larotrectinib In Trk Fusion Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: Updated Trial Data, Steven Waguespack, Marcia Brose, Jessica J Lin, Ray Mcdermott, Mohammed Almubarak, Jessica Bauman, Michela Casanova, Shivaani Kummar, Se-Hoon Lee, Damian Rieke, Do-Youn Oh, Changsong Qi, Natascha Neu, Domnita-Ileana Burcoveanu, Chiara Mussi, Alexander Drilon, David Hong, Maria Cabanillas

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Larotrectinib is a first-in-class, highly selective, central nervous system-active tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) inhibitor approved for tumour-agnostic use in TRK fusion cancer. It has previously demonstrated rapid and durable disease control and favourable safety in patients with advanced TRK fusion thyroid carcinoma (TC). After an additional 4 years of follow-up with the inclusion of two additional patients, and utilising an independent review committee (IRC) to assess overall response rate (ORR), we report updated pooled analyses from three phase 1-2 larotrectinib clinical trials, focusing only on patients with TRK fusion differentiated TC (DTC). The primary endpoint was the IRC-determined ORR per …

Reduced Lower Extremity Strength, Altered Muscle Activation, And Unchanged Kinetics During Single-Leg Squatting In Males With Patellofemoral Pain Versus Pain-Free Males: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Lisa T. Hoglund, Amy H. Amabile, Thomas Alexander Hulcher, Victoria K. Polansky, Erin L. Dopke

Department of Physical Therapy Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Patellofemoral pain is frequently a cause of reduced quality of life in physically active males. The cause of patellofemoral pain is theorized to include aberrant biomechanics during weight-bearing activities. Altered biomechanics of females with patellofemoral pain have been reported, but there is a dearth of research for males with this condition. This study aimed to compare males with and without patellofemoral pain for hip and knee joint moments and muscle activation during single-leg-squatting and proximal muscle strength.

METHODS: Twenty males with patellofemoral pain and 20 pain-free males aged 20-39 years performed single-leg-squatting while motion, ground reaction force, and proximal …

Assessing The Feasibility Of A Self-Management Intervention For Individuals With Advanced Prostate Cancer And Comorbid Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus, Amy L. Shaver, Christina Steinbock-Malfer, William Tester, Patrick Mille, William K. Kelly, Kevin K. Zarrabi, Costas D. Lallas, Mihir M. Shah, Rose Dimarco, Emily Brand, Shawntel Brown, Swapnil Sharma, Nikita Nikita, Cindy Cogen, Scott W. Keith, Grace Lu-Yao

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Many older adults with cancer have at least one comorbidity. Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a common comorbidity among patients with prostate cancer (PC) and represents an important consideration in this population. Comorbid T2DM can negatively impact cancer-specific outcomes for patients, suggesting the need for better glycemic management, especially for patients on active cancer treatment. The goal of this modified Diabetes Self-Management Education Services (mDSMES) pilot study was to provide patients with the opportunity to learn methods of diabetes self-management, including how to manage their glucose levels, improve their understanding and utilization of medication to promote improvements in …

De Novo Complex Genomic Rearrangement Spanning 2q31.1 In A Proband With Congenital Malformations: Genotype-Phenotype Correlation And Development Of A Cgr Detection Pipeline, Katherine Helle, Jesse D Bengtsson, Mira Gandhi, Christopher M Grochowski, Ming Yin Lun, Neha Sudhir, Shalini N Jhangiani, Fritz J Sedlazeck, Seema R Lalani, Neil A Hanchard, Claudia M B Carvalho

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The 2q31 region is commonly associated with pathogenic alleles of the HOXD cluster leading to various clinical phenotypes related to skeletal development. We present a proband with tetralogy of Fallot and multiple congenital anomalies. Genomic variant screening including an in-house CGR detection pipeline pairing genome sequencing (GS) structural variant calls with read-depth data revealed a de novo complex genomic rearrangement (CGR) spanning 2.7 Mb across 2q31 characterized by a series of duplications and triplications including the HOXD gene cluster. The genomic structure was assembled by applying combined methodologies including short-read and long-read GS, and optical genome mapping (OGM). This in-house …

Dupilumab Versus Placebo In Adults And Adolescents With Eosinophilic Gastritis (Degas): A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 2, Multicentre, Randomised Controlled Trial, Nirmala P Gonsalves, Evan S Dellon, Kara L Kliewer, Tetsuo Shoda, Regina Yearout, Seema S Aceves, Nicoleta C Arva, John A Besse, Julie M Caldwell, Mirna Chehade, Amaziah Coleman, Margaret H Collins, Sara Anvari, Gary W Falk, Sandeep K Gupta, Girish Hiremath, David A Katzka, Paneez Khoury, John Leung, Calies Menard-Katcher, Paul Menard-Katcher, Kathryn A Peterson, Maria A Pletneva, Amanda K Rudman Spergel, Jonathan M Spergel, Tatyana Vaysman, Joshua B Wechsler, Benjamin L Wright, Guang-Yu Yang, Xue Zhang, Meijian Zhou, Ashish Bansal, Bram P Raphael, Amr Radwan, Jennifer Maloney, Antonio Martin, Yamo Deniz, Glenn T Furuta, Lisa J Martin, Marc E Rothenberg

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Eosinophilic gastritis currently has no approved treatments and is postulated to be driven by type 2 inflammation. Dupilumab blocks type 2 cytokines IL-4 and IL-13 and has efficacy in multiple diseases characterised by type 2 inflammation, including eosinophilic oesophagitis. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of dupilumab in patients with eosinophilic gastritis.

Methods: DEGAS was a proof-of-concept, phase 2, multicentre, randomised controlled trial consisting of a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled period, followed by a 24-week open-label extension period. Patients aged 12-70 years from 11 hospitals in the USA with histologically active eosinophilic gastritis (≥30 eosinophils per high-power field …

Indications, Techniques, And Safety Of Cryotherapy And Cryobiopsy Via Flexible Bronchoscopy In Pediatric Patients, Alex J Katz, Haley Haskett, Kubra M Bozkanat, Aoife Corcoran, Lauren M C Grant, Antoinette Wannes Daou, Sin Tran, Esra Caylan, Alfin Vicencio, Dan T Benscoter, Cherie A Torres-Silva, Sara M Zak, Gregory Burg, Lisa R Young, Pelton Phinizy, Shailendra Das, Richard Paul Boesch, Erik B Hysinger, Joseph Piccione

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Rationale: Cryotherapy and its diagnostic analogue, cryobiopsy, are emerging techniques via bronchoscopy with a wide range of clinical applications. While the use of cryotherapy and cryobiopsy has been established in adult pulmonary medicine, pediatric data describing the indications, procedural specifics, outcomes, and complications are limited.

Objective: To describe the indications, procedural specifics, outcomes, and complications of cryotherapy and cryobiopsy use in pediatric bronchoscopy.

Methods: A multicenter retrospective observational study was conducted at 5 pediatric hospitals in the United States. Patients aged 0 to 21 years who underwent cryotherapy or cryobiopsy via bronchoscopy between January 2017 and January 2025 were included. …

Proteomic Signatures Of 3-Year Progression From Impaired Fasting Glucose To Diabetes: The Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities (Aric) Study, Mary R Rooney, Justin B Echouffo Tcheugui, Jingsha Chen, Keenan A Walker, Christie M Ballantyne, Eric Boerwinkle, Tanika N Kelly, Chiadi E Ndumele, James S Pankow, Morgan E Grams, Wendy S Post, Peter J Ganz, Alexis C Wood, Jerome I Rotter, Elizabeth Selvin, Josef Coresh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: To identify proteomic signatures underlying 3-year progression from impaired fasting glucose (IFG) to diabetes.

Research design and methods: We examined IFG progression in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study from visit 2 (1990-1992) to visit 3 (1993-1995). We tested associations of 4,955 plasma proteins (SomaScan version 4.0) with ∼3-year progression from IFG (FG 100-125 mg/dL without diabetes) to diabetes (diagnosis, medication, or FG ≥126 mg/dL) using logistic regression models adjusted for demographics, cardiometabolic risk factors, and baseline glucose with Bonferroni correction (P < 10-5). We explored biological pathways enriched among the top proteins and calculated improvements in prediction (ΔAUC and net reclassification using 3-year risk thresholds of 6% and 15% in 80% training and 20% internal validation subsamples). We validated results in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) cohort.

Results: There were 3,786 ARIC participants with IFG (mean [SD] age 57 [6] years, 52% female, …

Multi-Level Disparities In Survival Among Patients Diagnosed With Oral Cavity Cancer In Texas Between 1995 And 2020, Guillermo A Tortolero, Erich M Sturgis, Jose-Miguel Yamal, Melissa F Peskin, Cici Bauer, Caitlin C Murphy

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Multi-level factors, including demographic and neighborhood social conditions, related to disparities in oral cavity cancer (OCC) are not fully understood. We examined the association between these factors and survival outcomes among patients diagnosed with OCC.

Methods: We identified 14,416 patients diagnosed with OCC from 1995 to 2020 using population-based data from the Texas Cancer Registry. Neighborhood-level social vulnerability was measured using the 2010 US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Neighborhood Social Vulnerability Index (CDC-SVI). We examined race and ethnicity, CDC-SVI (as sample-based quintiles), and their joint effects with survival outcomes.

Results: Five-year survival probability was 38.6% (95% CI: …