Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Poloxamer 407 Induces Hypertriglyceridemia But Decreases Atherosclerosis In Ldlr -/- Mice, Xueying Peng, Zeqin Lian, Xiao-Yuan Dai Perrard, Yunjie Xiao, Jing Ni, Veronica O'Brien, Henry Dong, Henry J Pownall, Christie M Ballantyne, Huaizhu Wu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) increases the risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, but underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. Circulating monocytes play an important role in atherogenesis by infiltrating arterial walls, where they differentiate into macrophages. We tested the hypothesis that HTG is mechanistically linked to atherogenesis by altering the monocyte phenotype and infiltration into atherosclerotic lesions in a model of diet-induced atherogenesis in Ldlr−/− mice. Methods: HTG was induced in male Ldlr−/− mice, fed a Western, high-fat high-cholesterol diet, by daily injection of poloxamer 407 (P407), a lipoprotein lipase inhibitor, for seven weeks. Atherosclerosis, monocyte phenotypes, and monocyte migration into atherosclerotic lesions …

Measurement Error Affecting Web- And Paper-Based Dietary Assessment Instruments: Insights From The Multi-Cohort Eating And Activity Study For Understanding Reporting Error, Sharon I Kirkpatrick, Yikyung Park, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Few biomarker-based validation studies have examined error in online self-report dietary assessment instruments, and food records (FRs) have been considered less than food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) and 24-hour recalls (24HRs). We investigated measurement error in online and paper-based FFQs, online 24HRs, and paper-based FRs in 3 samples drawn primarily from 3 cohorts, comprising 1,393 women and 1,455 men aged 45-86 years. Data collection occurred from January 2011 to October 2013. Attenuation factors and correlation coefficients between reported and true usual intake for energy, protein, sodium, potassium, and respective densities were estimated using recovery biomarkers. Across studies, average attenuation factors for …

Early Short Course Of Neuromuscular Blocking Agents In Patients With Covid-19 Ards: A Propensity Score Analysis., Gianluigi Li Bassi, Kristen Gibbons, Jacky Y Suen, Heidi J Dalton, Nicole White, Amanda Corley, Sally Shrapnel, Samuel Hinton, Simon Forsyth, John G Laffey, Eddy Fan, Jonathon P Fanning, Mauro Panigada, Robert Bartlett, Daniel Brodie, Aidan Burrell, Davide Chiumello, Alyaa Elhazmi, Mariano Esperatti, Giacomo Grasselli, Carol Hodgson, Shingo Ichiba, Carlos Luna, Eva Marwali, Laura Merson, Srinivas Murthy, Alistair Nichol, Mark Ogino, Paolo Pelosi, Antoni Torres, Pauline Yeung Ng, John F Fraser

Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The role of neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is not fully elucidated. Therefore, we aimed to investigate in COVID-19 patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS the impact of early use of NMBAs on 90-day mortality, through propensity score (PS) matching analysis.

METHODS: We analyzed a convenience sample of patients with COVID-19 and moderate-to-severe ARDS, admitted to 244 intensive care units within the COVID-19 Critical Care Consortium, from February 1, 2020, through October 31, 2021. Patients undergoing at least 2 days and up to 3 consecutive days of NMBAs (NMBA treatment), within 48 …

Micro-Computed Tomography Assessment Of Bone Structure In Aging Mice, Junbo Shim, Chihiro Iwaya, Catherine G Ambrose, Akiko Suzuki, Junichi Iwata

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

High-resolution computed tomography (CT) is widely used to assess bone structure under physiological and pathological conditions. Although the analytic protocols and parameters for micro-CT (μCT) analyses in mice are standardized for long bones, vertebrae, and the palms in aging mice, they have not yet been established for craniofacial bones. In this study, we conducted a morphometric assessment of craniofacial bones, in comparison with long bones, in aging mice. Although age-related changes were observed in the microarchitecture of the femur, tibia, vertebra, and basisphenoid bone, and were more pronounced in females than in males, the microarchitecture of both the interparietal bone …

"I Expected Little, Although I Learned A Lot": Perceived Benefits Of Participating In Hiv Risk Reduction Sessions Among Women Engaged In Sex Work In Uganda, Ozge Sensoy Bahar, Proscovia Nabunya, Josephine Nabayinda, Susan S Witte, Joshua Kiyingi, Larissa Jennings Mayo-Wilson, Prema Filippone, Lyla Sunyoung Yang, Janet Nakigudde, Yesim Tozan, Fred M Ssewamala

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The global HIV burden remains a public health concern. Women engaged in sex work (WESW) are at higher risk of acquiring HIV compared to the general adult population. Uganda reports high rates of HIV prevalence among WESW. While WESW in Uganda have long been the subject of surveillance studies, they have not been targeted by theory-informed HIV prevention intervention approaches. In this study, we explored the perceived benefits of an evidence-based HIV risk reduction intervention that was implemented as part of a combination intervention tested in a clinical trial in Uganda.

METHODS: As part of a larger randomized clinical …

Factors Associated With Covid-19 Death In The United States: Cohort Study, Uan-I Chen, Hua Xu, Trudy Millard Krause, Raymond Greenberg, Xiao Dong, Xiaoqian Jiang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Since the initial COVID-19 cases were identified in the United States in February 2020, the United States has experienced a high incidence of the disease. Understanding the risk factors for severe outcomes identifies the most vulnerable populations and helps in decision-making.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the factors associated with COVID-19-related deaths from a large, national, individual-level data set.

METHODS: A cohort study was conducted using data from the Optum de-identified COVID-19 electronic health record (EHR) data set; 1,271,033 adult participants were observed from February 1, 2020, to August 31, 2020, until their deaths due to COVID-19, deaths …

Factors Associated With Covid-19 Death In The United States: Cohort Study, Uan-I Chen, Hua Xu, Trudy Millard Krause, Raymond Greenberg, Xiao Dong, Xiaoqian Jiang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Since the initial COVID-19 cases were identified in the United States in February 2020, the United States has experienced a high incidence of the disease. Understanding the risk factors for severe outcomes identifies the most vulnerable populations and helps in decision-making.

Objective: This study aims to assess the factors associated with COVID-19-related deaths from a large, national, individual-level data set.

Methods: A cohort study was conducted using data from the Optum de-identified COVID-19 electronic health record (EHR) data set; 1,271,033 adult participants were observed from February 1, 2020, to August 31, 2020, until their deaths due to COVID-19, deaths …

Burden Of Cardiovascular Risk Factors And Disease In Five Asian Groups In Catalonia: A Disaggregated, Population-Based Analysis Of 121 000 First-Generation Asian Immigrants, Priyanka Satish, Emili Vela, Usama Bilal, Montse Cleries, Alka M Kanaya, Namratha Kandula, Salim S Virani, Nadia Islam, Javier Valero-Elizondo, Tamer Yahya, Josep Comin-Colet, Khurram Nasir, Josepa Mauri, Miguel Cainzos-Achirica

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

AIMS: To evaluate the burden of cardiovascular risk factors and disease (CVD) among five Asian groups living in Catalonia (Spain): Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Filipino, and Chinese.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Retrospective cohort study using the Catalan Health Surveillance System database including 42 488 Pakistanis, 40 745 Chinese, 21 705 Indians, 9544 Filipinos, and 6907 Bangladeshis; and 5.3 million native individuals ('locals'). We estimated the age-adjusted prevalence (as of 31 December 2019) and incidence (during 2019) of diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, obesity, tobacco use, coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure (HF). Bangladeshis had the highest prevalence of diabetes …

Extragonadal Perirectal Mature Cystic Teratoma In The Adult Male, Pranamaya Mahankali, Liam Trimble, Diana Panciera, Hui Li, Thaer Obaid

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

A teratoma is a mass that originates from the germ cells of the three primitive embryonic layers and commonly arises from the ovaries or testicles, thereby characterized as gonadal in origin. These masses comprise different types of tissues such as fat, hair, muscle, and bone. Extragonadal teratomas are uncommon and arise from anatomical locations other than the gonads, such as the pineal gland, anterior mediastinum, retroperitoneum, and sacrococcygeal regions. The most common is the presacral region, as it contains tissue derived from all germ layers. Tumors in this specific location are far more common in neonates, infants, and children rather …

Spontaneous Extraperitoneal Hematoma: An Unexpected Case Of Dysuria And Urinary Retention In A 77-Year-Old Male, Monica Diep, James Lee, James Espinosa, Joseph Pagano, Alan Lucerna

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Urinary problems are common complaints in the Emergency Department and can present with any combination of lower urinary tract symptoms such as dysuria, hematuria, urgency, frequency, incontinence, or retention. We describe the case of a 77-year-old male who presented to the Emergency Department for five days of worsening dysuria. Two days prior, the patient was seen and evaluated for the same chief complaint, where he received intravenous antibiotics and was admitted to the hospital overnight for observation. The following day, the patient’s urinalysis and cultures were not consistent with a urinary tract infection (UTI) and was subsequently discharged without antibiotics. …

The Impact Of Racial Disparities And Outcomes On Urinary Anastomotic Leak In Radical Prostatectomy, Young Son, Benjamin A. Fink, Lance Earnshaw, Brian Thomas, Fred Okoye, Ryan Moriarty, Kathryn Goettle, Thomas Mueller

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Prostate cancer is the leading malignancy and third most common cause of cancer death among men. In the United States, racial disparities exist in prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates. According to the National Cancer Institute, African American (AA) men have a significantly increased incidence of prostate cancer compared to Caucasians or Asians. Urinary leak at the urethrovesical anastomosis has been cited as a complication of radical prostatectomy (RP), with incidence rates as high as 23%. Urinary anastomotic leak is associated with increased rates of ileus, prolonged hospitalization rates, and longer time to achieve continence. The etiology of risk factors …

Mortality In Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension In The Modern Era: Early Insights From The Pulmonary Hypertension Association Registry, Kevin Y Chang, Sue Duval, David B Badesch, Todd M Bull, Murali M Chakinala, Teresa De Marco, Robert P Frantz, Anna Hemnes, Stephen C Mathai, Erika Berman Rosenzweig, John J Ryan, Thenappan Thenappan, Phar Investigators

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Background Current mortality data for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in the United States are based on registries that enrolled patients prior to 2010. We sought to determine mortality in PAH in the modern era using the PHAR (Pulmonary Hypertension Association Registry). Methods and Results We identified all adult patients with PAH enrolled in the PHAR between September 2015 and September 2020 (N=935). We used Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards models to assess mortality at 1, 2, and 3 years. Patients were stratified based on disease severity by 3 validated risk scores. In treatment-naïve patients, we compared survival based …

Racial And Ethnic Differences In Rural-Urban Trends In 5-Year Survival Of Patients With Lung, Prostate, Breast, And Colorectal Cancers: 1975-2011 Surveillance, Epidemiology, And End Results (Seer), Marquita W Lewis-Thames, Marvin E Langston, Saira Khan, Yunan Han, Lindsay Fuzzell, Shuai Xu, Justin Xavier Moore

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Importance: Considering reported rural-urban cancer incidence and mortality trends, rural-urban cancer survival trends are important for providing a comprehensive description of cancer burden. Furthermore, little is known about rural-urban differences in survival trends by racial and ethnic groups.

Objective: To examine national rural-urban trends in 5-year cancer-specific survival probabilities for lung, prostate, breast, and colorectal cancers in a diverse sample of racial and ethnic groups.

Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study used an epidemiologic assessment with 1975 to 2016 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data to analyze patients diagnosed no later than 2011. Patients were classified as living …

Diagnostic Accuracy Of Macular Thickness Map And Texture En Face Images For Detecting Glaucoma In Eyes With Axial High Myopia, Christopher Bowd, Akram Belghith, Jasmin Rezapour, Mark Christopher, Leslie Hyman, Jost B Jonas, Robert N Weinreb, Linda M Zangwill

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a novel optical coherence tomography texture-based en face image analysis (SALSA-Texture) that requires segmentation of only 1 retinal layer for glaucoma detection in eyes with axial high myopia, and to compare SALSA-Texture with standard macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness, macular retinal nerve fiber layer (mRNFL) thickness, and ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness maps.

Design: Comparison of diagnostic approaches.

Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 92 eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and 44 healthy control eyes with axial high myopia (axial length >26 mm). Optical coherence tomography texture en face images, …

Comparative Effectiveness Associated With Buprenorphine And Naltrexone In Opioid Use Disorder And Cooccurring Polysubstance Use, Kevin Y Xu, Carrie M Mintz, Ned Presnall, Laura J Bierut, Richard A Grucza

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Importance: Despite prevalent polysubstance use, treatment patterns and outcomes for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) and cooccurring substance use disorders (SUD) are understudied.

Objective: To evaluate the distribution of buprenorphine and naltrexone initiation among individuals with OUD with vs without cooccurring SUD and to assess the comparative effectiveness associated with buprenorphine and naltrexone against drug-related poisonings.

Design, Setting, and Participants: This observational comparative effectiveness study used insurance claims from 2011 to 2016 from the US IBM MarketScan databases to study initiation of medications for OUD (MOUD) among treatment-seeking individuals aged 12 to 64 years with a primary diagnosis of …

Analysis Of Stimulant Prescriptions And Drug-Related Poisoning Risk Among Persons Receiving Buprenorphine Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder, Carrie M Mintz, Kevin Y Xu, Ned J Presnall, Sarah M Hartz, Frances R Levin, Jeffrey F Scherrer, Laura J Bierut, Richard A Grucza

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Importance: Stimulant medication use is common among individuals receiving buprenorphine for opioid use disorder (OUD). Associations between prescription stimulant use and treatment outcomes in this population have been understudied.

Objectives: To investigate whether use of prescription stimulants was associated with (1) drug-related poisoning and (2) buprenorphine treatment retention.

Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective, recurrent-event cohort study with a case-crossover design used a secondary analysis of administrative claims data from IBM MarketScan Commercial and Multi-State Medicaid databases from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2016. Primary analyses were conducted from March 1 through August 31, 2021. Individuals aged 12 to …

Comparison Of Collaborative Goal Setting With Enhanced Education For Managing Diabetes-Associated Distress And Hemoglobin A1c Levels: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Lechauncy Woodard, Amber B Amspoker, Natalie E Hundt, Howard S Gordon, Brian Hertz, Edward Odom, Anne Utech, Javad Razjouyan, Suja S Rajan, Nipa Kamdar, Jasmin Lindo, Lea Kiefer, Praveen Mehta, Aanand D Naik

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: Type 2 diabetes is a prevalent and morbid condition. Poor engagement with self-management can contribute to diabetes-associated distress and hinder diabetes control.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of Empowering Patients in Chronic Care (EPICC), an evidence-based intervention to improve diabetes-associated distress and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels after the intervention and after 6-month maintenance.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This hybrid (implementation-effectiveness) randomized clinical trial was performed in Veterans Affairs clinics across Illinois, Indiana, and Texas from July 1, 2015, to June 30, 2017. Participants included adults with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (HbA1c level >8.0%) who received primary care …

Factors Associated With Endowed Chair Allocation In Medical Oncology In The United States, Lena Jia, Michael Kevin Rooney, Clare E Jacobson, Kent A Griffith, Christina Mangurian, Reshma Jagsi, Merry Jennifer Markham

2020-Current year OA Pubs

To explore persisting gender disparities across leadership roles in medicine, we examined factors associated with holding endowed chairs in US oncology divisions. In 2019, we identified 95 academic oncology divisions, using the Oncology Division Chiefs and Department Chairs listing in the American Society of Clinical Oncology myConnection forum. We collected public information on gender, degree, total National Institutes of Health funding as principal investigator, H-indices, publication and citation numbers, and graduation year and constructed a multivariable logistic regression model. All statistical tests were 2-sided. We identified 1087 oncology full professors. Of these, 287 (26.4%) held endowed chairs: 60 of 269 …

Demographic And Clinical Characteristics Associated With The Failure Of Nonoperative Management Of Uncomplicated Appendicitis In Children: Secondary Analysis Of A Nonrandomized Clinical Trial, Peter C Minneci, Jacqueline M Saito, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Importance: The factors associated with the failure of nonoperative management of appendicitis and the differences in patient-reported outcomes between successful and unsuccessful nonoperative management remain unknown.

Objectives: To investigate factors associated with the failure of nonoperative management of appendicitis and compare patient-reported outcomes between patients whose treatment succeeded and those whose treatment failed.

Design, Setting, and Participants: This study was a planned subgroup secondary analysis conducted in 10 children's hospitals that included 370 children aged 7 to 17 years with uncomplicated appendicitis enrolled in a prospective, nonrandomized clinical trial between May 1, 2015, and October 31, 2018, with 1-year follow-up …

Association Of Inappropriate Outpatient Pediatric Antibiotic Prescriptions With Adverse Drug Events And Health Care Expenditures, Anne M Butler, Derek S Brown, Michael J Durkin, John M Sahrmann, Katelin B Nickel, Caroline A O'Neil, Margaret A Olsen, David Y Hyun, Rachel M Zetts, Jason G Newland

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Importance: Nonguideline antibiotic prescribing for the treatment of pediatric infections is common, but the consequences of inappropriate antibiotics are not well described.

Objective: To evaluate the comparative safety and health care expenditures of inappropriate vs appropriate oral antibiotic prescriptions for common outpatient pediatric infections.

Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study included children aged 6 months to 17 years diagnosed with a bacterial infection (suppurative otitis media [OM], pharyngitis, sinusitis) or viral infection (influenza, viral upper respiratory infection [URI], bronchiolitis, bronchitis, nonsuppurative OM) as an outpatient from April 1, 2016, to September 30, 2018, in the IBM MarketScan Commercial Database. …

Genome-Wide Transcript And Protein Analysis Highlights The Role Of Protein Homeostasis In The Aging Mouse Heart., Isabela Gerdes Gyuricza, Joel M Chick, Gregory R Keele, Andrew Deighan, Steven C. Munger, Ron Korstanje, Steven P Gygi, Gary Churchill

Faculty Research 2022

Investigation of the molecular mechanisms of aging in the human heart is challenging because of confounding factors, such as diet and medications, as well as limited access to tissues from healthy aging individuals. The laboratory mouse provides an ideal model to study aging in healthy individuals in a controlled environment. However, previous mouse studies have examined only a narrow range of the genetic variation that shapes individual differences during aging. Here, we analyze transcriptome and proteome data from 185 genetically diverse male and female mice at ages 6, 12, and 18 mo to characterize molecular changes that occur in the …

Peripheral Neuropathy Evaluations Of Patients With Prolonged Long Covid., Anne Louise Oaklander, Alexander J Mills, Mary Kelley, Lisa S Toran, Bryan Smith, Marinos Dalakas, Avindra Nath

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Background and objectives: Recovery from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection appears exponential, leaving a tail of patients reporting various long COVID symptoms including unexplained fatigue/exertional intolerance and dysautonomic and sensory concerns. Indirect evidence links long COVID to incident polyneuropathy affecting the small-fiber (sensory/autonomic) axons.

Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional and longitudinal data from patients with World Health Organization (WHO)-defined long COVID without prior neuropathy history or risks who were referred for peripheral neuropathy evaluations. We captured standardized symptoms, examinations, objective neurodiagnostic test results, and outcomes, tracking participants for 1.4 years on average.

Results: Among 17 patients (mean age …

Organ Fat In Latino Youth At Risk For Type 2 Diabetes, Janiel L Pimentel, Kiley B Vander Wyst, Erica G Soltero, Armando Peña, Houchun H Hu, Smita S Bailey, Amber Pokorney, Stephanie L Ayers, Ana Martinez Valencia, Micah L Olson, Gabriel Q Shaibi

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Purpose: Obesity in youth increases the risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D) and elevated abdominal adipose tissue and organ fat may be particularly deleterious. The purpose of this study was to examine associations among measures of adiposity including total, visceral, and organ fat (hepatic and pancreatic) and whether these measures were independently associated with glycemia in Latino youth at risk for diabetes.

Methods: Latino adolescents (47 boys and 32 girls, 13.7 ± 1.4 years) with obesity (BMIz 2.3 ± 0.3) were assessed for total fat by DXA and visceral and organ fat by 3 T magnetic resonance imaging. Glycemic indicators …

Skeletal Muscle Mass Recovery Early After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation In Patients With Advanced Systolic Heart Failure, Amanda R Vest, William W Wong, Joronia Chery, Alex Coston, Laura Telfer, Matthew Lawrence, Didjana Celkupa, Michael S Kiernan, Gregory Couper, Masashi Kawabori, Edward Saltzman

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Patients with advanced systolic heart failure are at risk of unintentional weight loss and muscle wasting. It has been observed that left ventricular assist device (LVAD) recipients gain weight after device implantation, although it is unknown whether this represents skeletal muscle mass gains. We aimed to determine whether skeletal muscle mass increases early during LVAD support.

Methods: We prospectively recruited 30 adults with systolic heart failure ±21 days from LVAD implantation. Participants underwent whole-body dual X-ray absorptiometry to measure fat free mass, appendicular lean mass (ALM, lean mass in the arms and legs) and fat mass. Dual X-ray absorptiometry …

Definitive Radiotherapy For Extracranial Oligoprogressive Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma As A Strategy To Defer Systemic Therapy Escalation, Brian De, Aradhana M Venkatesan, Pavlos Msaouel, Amol J Ghia, Jing Li, Debra N Yeboa, Quynh-Nhu Nguyen, Andrew J Bishop, Eric Jonasch, Amishi Y Shah, Matthew T Campbell, Jennifer Wang, Amado J Zurita-Saavedra, Jose A Karam, Christopher G Wood, Surena F Matin, Nizar M Tannir, Chad Tang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: To study whether delivering definitive radiotherapy (RT) to sites of oligoprogression in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) enabled deferral of systemic therapy (ST) changes without compromising disease control or survival.

Patients and methods: We identified patients with mRCC who received RT to three or fewer sites of extracranial progressive disease between 2014 and 2019 at a large tertiary cancer centre. Inclusion criteria were: (1) controlled disease for ≥3 months before oligoprogression, (2) all oligoprogression sites treated with a biologically effective dose of ≥100 Gy, and (3) availability of follow-up imaging. Time-to-event end-points were calculated from the start of RT. …

Venetoclax Combined With Induction Chemotherapy In Patients With Newly Diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukaemia: A Post-Hoc, Propensity Score-Matched, Cohort Study, Curtis A Lachowiez, Patrick K Reville, Hagop Kantarjian, Elias Jabbour, Gautam Borthakur, Naval Daver, Sanam Loghavi, Ken Furudate, Lianchun Xiao, Sherry Pierce, Nicholas J Short, Abhishek Maiti, Musa Yilmaz, Koji Sasaki, Koichi Takahashi, Marina Konopleva, Naveen Pemmaraju, Uday Popat, Elizabeth Shpall, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, Farhad Ravandi, Courtney D Dinardo, Tapan M Kadia

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Venetoclax combined with intensive chemotherapy has been shown to be safe with promising activity in fit patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukaemia. The aim of this study was to compare the activity of venetoclax plus intensive chemotherapy with intensive chemotherapy alone.

Methods: This was a post-hoc propensity score matched analysis of prospective clinical trials (NCT03214562, NCT02115295, and NCT01289457) in patients at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas, USA between March 29, 2010, and June 15, 2021. Eligible patients were aged 18 years and older, and had newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukaemia …

Molecular, Histological, And Clinical Characteristics Of Oligodendrogliomas: A Multi-Institutional Retrospective Study, Antonio Dono, Kristin Alfaro-Munoz, Yuanqing Yan, Carlos A Lopez-Garcia, Zaid Soomro, Garret Williford, Takeshi Takayasu, Lindsay Robell, Nazanin K Majd, John De Groot, Yoshua Esquenazi, Carlos Kamiya-Matsuoka, Leomar Y Ballester

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Reports suggest that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway alterations confer increased risk of progression and poor prognosis in oligodendroglioma, IDH-mutant, and 1p/19q-codeleted molecular oligodendrogliomas (mODG). However, factors that affect prognosis in mODG have not been thoroughly studied. In addition, the benefits of adjuvant radiation and temozolomide (TMZ) in mODGs remain to be determined.

Objective: To evaluate the role of PIK3CA mutations in mODGs.

Methods: One hundred seven mODGs (2008-2019) diagnosed at 2 institutions were included. A retrospective review of clinical characteristics, molecular alterations, treatments, and outcomes was performed.

Results: The median age was 37 years, and 61 patients (57%) were male. …

Free Cholesterol Bioavailability And Atherosclerosis, Rei J Abe, Jun-Ichi Abe, Minh T H Nguyen, Elizabeth A Olmsted-Davis, Abrar Mamun, Priyanka Banerjee, John P Cooke, Longhou Fang, Henry Pownall, Nhat-Tu Le

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose of review: As both a cholesterol acceptor and carrier in the reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) pathway, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is putatively atheroprotective. However, current pharmacological therapies to increase plasma HDL cholesterol (HDL-c) concentration have paradoxically failed to prevent or reduce atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Given that free cholesterol (FC) transfer between surfaces of lipoproteins and cells is reversible, excess plasma FC can be transferred to the cells of peripheral tissue sites resulting in atherosclerosis. Here, we summarize potential mechanisms contributing to this paradox and highlight the role of excess free cholesterol (FC) bioavailability in atherosclerosis vs. atheroprotection.

Recent …

Perifollicular Hypopigmentation In Systemic Sclerosis: Associations With Clinical Features And Internal Organ Involvement, Melody P Chung, Christopher A Mecoli, Jamie Perin, Carrie Richardson, Zsuzsanna H Mcmahan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether perifollicular hypopigmentation in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is associated with demographics, distinct clinical features, and autoantibody profiles.

METHODS: Patients with SSc were prospectively enrolled, with a standardized data form used to collect anatomic distribution of perifollicular hypopigmentation. Associations between hypopigmentation and features of SSc were assessed.

RESULTS: Of 179 adult patients with SSc, 36 (20%) patients had perifollicular hypopigmentation. Of these 36 patients, 94% (n = 34) were female and 33% (n = 12) had limited cutaneous SSc. In univariable logistic regression, Black race (odds ratio [OR] 15.63, 95% CI 6.6-37.20,

CONCLUSION: Perifollicular hypopigmentation is observed in …

Abnormal Electrocardiogram In A Man Presenting With Dyspnea And Chest Pain, Daniel W Nelson, Ryley Mcpeters, Atul Singla

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

No abstract provided.