Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Decoding Visual Information From High-Density Diffuse Optical Tomography Neuroimaging Data, Kalyan Tripathy, Zachary E Markow, Andrew K Fishell, Arefeh Sherafati, Tracy M Burns-Yocum, Mariel L Schroeder, Alexandra M Svoboda, Adam T Eggebrecht, Mark A Anastasio, Bradley L Schlaggar, Joseph P Culver

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Neural decoding could be useful in many ways, from serving as a neuroscience research tool to providing a means of augmented communication for patients with neurological conditions. However, applications of decoding are currently constrained by the limitations of traditional neuroimaging modalities. Electrocorticography requires invasive neurosurgery, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is too cumbersome for uses like daily communication, and alternatives like functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) offer poor image quality. High-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) is an emerging modality that uses denser optode arrays than fNIRS to combine logistical advantages of optical neuroimaging with enhanced image quality. Despite the resulting promise …

Genome-Wide Meta-Analysis Of Muscle Weakness Identifies 15 Susceptibility Loci In Older Men And Women, Garan Jones, Katerina Trajanoska, Adam J Santanasto, Najada Stringa, Chia-Ling Kuo, Janice L Atkins, Joshua R Lewis, Thuyvy Duong, Shengjun Hong, Mary L Biggs, Jian'an Luan, Chloe Sarnowski, Kathryn L Lunetta, Toshiko Tanaka, Mary K Wojczynski, Ryan Cvejkus, Maria Nethander, Sahar Ghasemi, Jingyun Yang, M Carola Zillikens, Stefan Walter, Kamil Sicinski, Erika Kague, Cheryl L Ackert-Bicknell, Dan E Arking, B Gwen Windham, Eric Boerwinkle, Megan L Grove, Misa Graff, Dominik Spira, Ilja Demuth, Nathalie Van Der Velde, Lisette C P G M De Groot, Bruce M Psaty, Michelle C Odden, Alison E Fohner, Claudia Langenberg, Nicholas J Wareham, Stefania Bandinelli, Natasja M Van Schoor, Martijn Huisman, Qihua Tan, Joseph Zmuda, Dan Mellström, Magnus Karlsson, David A Bennett, Aron S Buchman, Philip L De Jager, Andre G Uitterlinden, Uwe Völker, Thomas Kocher, Alexander Teumer, Leocadio Rodriguéz-Mañas, Francisco J García, José A Carnicero, Pamela Herd, Lars Bertram, Claes Ohlsson, Joanne M Murabito, David Melzer, George A Kuchel, Luigi Ferrucci, David Karasik, Fernando Rivadeneira, Douglas P Kiel, Luke C Pilling

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Low muscle strength is an important heritable indicator of poor health linked to morbidity and mortality in older people. In a genome-wide association study meta-analysis of 256,523 Europeans aged 60 years and over from 22 cohorts we identify 15 loci associated with muscle weakness (European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People definition: n = 48,596 cases, 18.9% of total), including 12 loci not implicated in previous analyses of continuous measures of grip strength. Loci include genes reportedly involved in autoimmune disease (HLA-DQA1 p = 4 × 10

An Economic And Disease Transmission Model Of Human Papillomavirus And Oropharyngeal Cancer In Texas, Chengxue Zhong, Li Xu, Ho-Lan Peng, Samantha Tam, Li Xu, Kristina R Dahlstrom, Chi-Fang Wu, Shuangshuang Fu, Wenyaw Chan, Erich M Sturgis, Lois M Ramondetta, Libin Rong, David R Lairson, Hongyu Miao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In 2017, 46,157 and 3,127 new oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) cases were reported in the U.S. and Texas, respectively. About 70% of OPC were attributed to human papillomavirus (HPV). However, only 51% of U.S. and 43.5% of Texas adolescents have completed the HPV vaccine series. Therefore, modeling the demographic dynamics and transmission of HPV and OPC progression is needed for accurate estimation of the economic and epidemiological impacts of HPV vaccine in a geographic area. An age-structured population dynamic model was developed for the U.S. state of Texas. With Texas-specific model parameters calibrated, this model described the dynamics of HPV-associated OPC …

Houston Hurricane Harvey Health (Houston-3h) Study: Assessment Of Allergic Symptoms And Stress After Hurricane Harvey Flooding, Abiodun O Oluyomi, Kristen Panthagani, Jesus Sotelo, Xiangjun Gu, Georgina Armstrong, Dan Na Luo, Kristi L Hoffman, Diana Rohlman, Lane Tidwell, Winifred J Hamilton, Elaine Symanski, Kimberly Anderson, Joseph F Petrosino, Cheryl Lyn Walker, Melissa Bondy

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused unprecedented flooding across the greater Houston area. Given the potential for widespread flood-related exposures, including mold and sewage, and the emotional and mental toll caused by the flooding, we sought to evaluate the short- and long-term impact of flood-related exposures on the health of Houstonians. Our objectives were to assess the association of flood-related exposures with allergic symptoms and stress among Houston-area residents at two time points: within approximately 30 days (T1) and 12 months (T2) after Hurricane Harvey's landfall.

METHODS: The Houston Hurricane Harvey Health (Houston-3H) Study enrolled a total of 347 …

The Circadian Cryptochrome, Cry1, Is A Pro-Tumorigenic Factor That Rhythmically Modulates Dna Repair., Ayesha A Shafi, Chris M Mcnair, Jennifer J Mccann, Mohammed Alshalalfa, Anton Shostak, Tesa M Severson, Yanyun Zhu, Andre Bergman, Nicolas Gordon, Amy C Mandigo, Saswati N Chand, Peter Gallagher, Emanuela Dylgjeri, Talya S Laufer, Irina A Vasilevskaya, Matthew J Schiewer, Michael Brunner, Felix Y Feng, Wilbert Zwart, Karen E Knudsen

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Mechanisms regulating DNA repair processes remain incompletely defined. Here, the circadian factor CRY1, an evolutionally conserved transcriptional coregulator, is identified as a tumor specific regulator of DNA repair. Key findings demonstrate that CRY1 expression is androgen-responsive and associates with poor outcome in prostate cancer. Functional studies and first-in-field mapping of the CRY1 cistrome and transcriptome reveal that CRY1 regulates DNA repair and the G2/M transition. DNA damage stabilizes CRY1 in cancer (in vitro, in vivo, and human tumors ex vivo), which proves critical for efficient DNA repair. Further mechanistic investigation shows that stabilized CRY1 temporally regulates expression of genes required …

Relationship Between Clinicopathologic Factors And Fdg Avidity In Radioiodine-Negative Recurrent Or Metastatic Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma, Le Ngoc Ha, Amir Iravani, Nguyen Thi Nhung, Ngo Thi Minh Hanh, Febby Hutomo, Mai Hong Son

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: In this study, we investigated the relationship between clinicopathologic factors, BRAF

METHODS: From 2015 to 2018 all patients with suspected recurrent or metastatic radioiodine-negative DTC patients who underwent FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) were retrospectively reviewed. Suspected lesions on FDG PET/CT were biopsied and underwent BRAF

RESULTS: Sixty-three consecutive patients, 55 (87.3%) female, with median age of 48 (range 17-81) were included. The majority of patients had BRAF

CONCLUSION: The majority of recurrent or metastatic RAI-negative DTC have BRAF

Molecular Characterization Of Cryptosporidium Spp. From Humans In Ethiopia, Ambachew W. Hailu, Abraham Degarege, Haileeyesus Adamu, Damien Costa, Venceslas Villier, Abdelmounaim Mouhajir, Loic Favennec, Romy Razakandrainibe, Beyene Petros

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Data on the distribution and genotype of Cryptosporidium species is limited in Ethiopia. This study examined the presence and genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium species circulating in Ethiopian human population. Stool samples collected from patients who visited rural (n = 94) and urban (n = 93) health centers in Wurgissa and Hawassa district, respectively, were examined for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. using microscopy, nested PCR and real-time PCR. To detect infection with PCR, analysis of 18S ribosomal RNA was performed. Subtyping was performed by sequencing a fragment of GP60 gene. The overall prevalence of infection was 46% (n = 86) …

Investigation Of A Sars-Cov-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Variant Cluster - Nebraska, November-December 2021, Lauren Jansen, Bryan Tegomoh, Kate Lange, Kimberly Showalter, Jon Figliomeni, Baha Abdalhamid, Peter C. Iwen, Joseph R. Fauver, Bryan Buss, Matthew Donahue

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

The B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) was first detected in specimens collected on November 11, 2021, in Botswana and on November 14 in South Africa;* the first confirmed case of Omicron in the United States was identified in California on December 1, 2021 (1). On November 29, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services was notified of six probable cases^† of COVID-19 in one household, including one case in a man aged 48 years (the index patient) who had recently returned from Nigeria. Given the patient's travel history, Omicron infection was suspected. Specimens …

Latent Traits Of Lung Tissue Patterns In Former Smokers Derived By Dual Channel Deep Learning In Computed Tomography Images, Frank Li, Jiwoong Choi, Chunrui Zou, John D. Newell, Alejandro P. Comellas, Chang Hyun Lee, Hongseok Ko, R. Graham Barr, Eugene R. Bleecker, Christopher B. Cooper, Fereidoun Abtin, Igor Barjaktarevic, David Couper, Meilan Han, Nadia N. Hansel, Richard E. Kanner, Robert Paine, Ella A. Kazerooni, Fernando J. Martinez, Wanda O'Neal, Stephen I. Rennard, Benjamin M. Smith, Prescott G. Woodruff, Eric A. Hoffman, Ching-Long Lin

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disease and the traditional variables extracted from computed tomography (CT) images may not be sufficient to describe all the topological features of lung tissues in COPD patients. We employed an unsupervised three-dimensional (3D) convolutional autoencoder (CAE)-feature constructor (FC) deep learning network to learn from CT data and derive tissue pattern-clusters jointly. We then applied exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to discover the unobserved latent traits (factors) among pattern-clusters. CT images at total lung capacity (TLC) and residual volume (RV) of 541 former smokers and 59 healthy non-smokers from the cohort of the SubPopulations …

Lying In Wait: The Resurgence Of Dengue Virus After The Zika Epidemic In Brazil, Anderson Fernandes Brito, Lais Ceschini Machado, Rachel J. Oidtman, Márcio Junio Lima Siconelli, Quan Minh Tran, Joseph R. Fauver, Rodrigo Dias De Oliveira Carvalho, Filipe Zimmer Dezordi, Mylena Ribeiro Pereira, Luiza Antunes De Castro-Jorge, Elaine Cristina Manini Minto, Luzia Márcia Romanholi Passos, Chaney C. Kalinich, Mary E. Petrone, Emma Allen, Guido Camargo España, Angkana T. Huang, Derek A. T. Cummings, Guy Baele, Rafael Freitas Oliveira Franca, Benedito Antônio Lopes Da Fonseca, T. Alex Perkins, Gabriel Luz Wallau, Nathan D. Grubaugh

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

After the Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic in the Americas in 2016, both Zika and dengue incidence declined to record lows in many countries in 2017-2018, but in 2019 dengue resurged in Brazil, causing ~2.1 million cases. In this study we use epidemiological, climatological and genomic data to investigate dengue dynamics in recent years in Brazil. First, we estimate dengue virus force of infection (FOI) and model mosquito-borne transmission suitability since the early 2000s. Our estimates reveal that DENV transmission was low in 2017-2018, despite conditions being suitable for viral spread. Our study also shows a marked decline in dengue susceptibility …

Utility Of Repeat Testing For Covid-19: Laboratory Stewardship When The Stakes Are High, Lindsey M. Rearigh, Angela L. Hewlett, Paul D. Fey, M. Jana Broadhurst, David Brett-Major, Mark Rupp, Trevor Van Schooneveld

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to circulate, testing strategies are of the utmost importance. Given national shortages of testing supplies, personal protective equipment, and other hospital resources, diagnostic stewardship is necessary to aid in resource management. We report the low utility of serial testing in a low-prevalence setting.

Assessment Of A Program For Sars-Cov-2 Screening And Environmental Monitoring In An Urban Public School District, John Crowe, Andy T. Schnaubelt, Scott Schmidtbonne, Kathleen Angell, Julia Bai, Teresa Eske, Molly Nicklin, Catherine Pratt, Bailey White, Brodie Crotts-Hannibal, Nicholas Staffend, Vicki L. Herrera, Jeramie Cobb, Jennifer Conner, Julie Carstens, Jonell Tempero, Lori Bouda, Matthew Ray, James V. Lawler, Walter S. Campbell, John-Martin Lowe, Joshua L. Santarpia, Shannon Bartelt-Hunt, Michael R. Wiley, David Brett-Major, Cheryl Logan, M. Jana Broadhurst

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Importance: Scalable programs for school-based SARS-CoV-2 testing and surveillance are needed to guide in-person learning practices and inform risk assessments in kindergarten through 12th grade settings.

Objectives: To characterize SARS-CoV-2 infections in staff and students in an urban public school setting and evaluate test-based strategies to support ongoing risk assessment and mitigation for kindergarten through 12th grade in-person learning.

Design, Setting, and Participants: This pilot quality improvement program engaged 3 schools in Omaha, Nebraska, for weekly saliva polymerase chain reaction testing of staff and students participating in in-person learning over a 5-week period from November 9 to December 11, 2020. …

Evaluation Of Albumin Use In A Community Hospital Setting: A Retrospective Study Looking At Appropriate Use And Prescribing Patterns., Timothy Coyle, Samuel John

PCOM Scholarly Works

PURPOSE: Albumin has been shown to be safe and effective in clinical practice for a wide variety of indications. The purpose of this medication use evaluation is to quantify the use of albumin in the community hospital setting based on indication and prescribing department.

METHODS: This study is a retrospective, single-center, chart review over a 6-month period of 186 patients aged 18 and older who were treated with IV human albumin 5% or 25% at a single 202-bed community hospital setting from February 1, 2020, to August 1, 2020. A chart review was completed for each patient and the data …

Maternal Health Literacy On Mother And Child Health Care: A Community Cluster Survey In Two Southern Provinces In Laos, Sysavanh Phommachanh, Dirk R. Essink, Pamela J. Wright Phd, Ms, Med, Rn, Cen, Jacqueline E. Broerse, Mayfong Mayxay

Publications

RATIONAL:

Increased maternal health literacy (MHL) has contributed considerably to maternal and child health outcomes in many countries. Malnutrition, and low coverage of child vaccination and breastfeeding are major health concerns in Laos, but there is little insight into mothers' literacy on these issues. The aim of this study was to identify the level of MHL of Lao mothers and to explore factors influencing it, in order to provide evidence that can inform policies and planning of health services.

METHODS:

A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a questionnaire on health literacy (ability to access, understand, appraise and apply health-related information) …

Women Have A Lower Risk Of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease But A Higher Risk Of Progression Vs Men: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Maya Balakrishnan, Parth Patel, Sydney Dunn-Valadez, Cecilia Dao, Vinshi Khan, Hiba Ali, Laith El-Serag, Ruben Hernaez, Amy Sisson, Aaron P Thrift, Yan Liu, Hashem B El-Serag, Fasiha Kanwal

Library Staff Publications

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its progression may differ between men and women. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the relationship between sex and NAFLD, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and advanced NAFLD fibrosis.

METHODS: Studies reporting sex-stratified NAFLD prevalence among population-based samples and either NASH or advanced fibrosis among patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD were identified from MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases through December 2017. We calculated pooled relative risk ratios comparing women vs men for each outcome.

RESULTS: Our final analysis comprised 54 studies. Samples sizes were 62,239 for the NAFLD …

On The Joint Role Of Non-Hispanic Black Race/Ethnicity And Weight Status In Predicting Postmenopausal Weight Gain, Christopher N Ford, Shine Chang, Alexis C Wood, Joann E Manson, David O Garcia, Helena Laroche, Chloe E Bird, Mara Z Vitolins

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Objectives: To determine how baseline weight status contributes to differences in postmenopausal weight gain among non-Hispanic Blacks (NHBs) and non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs).

Methods: Data were included from 70,750 NHW and NHB postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study (WHI OS). Body Mass Index (BMI) at baseline was used to classify women as having normal weight, overweight, obese class I, obese class II or obese class III. Cox proportional hazards was used to estimate the hazard of a 10% or more increase in weight from baseline.

Results: In both crude and adjusted models, NHBs were more likely to experience …

Long-Term Assessment Of The Effects Of Covid-19 And Isolation Care On Survivor Disability And Anxiety, David Brett-Major, David S. Cates, James V. Lawler, Chad Vokoun, Angela L. Hewlett, Daniel W. Johnson, Elizabeth R. Schnaubelt, Michael C. Wadman, Christopher J. Kratochvil, M. Jana Broadhurst

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

We conducted an assessment of disability, anxiety, and other life impacts of COVID-19 and isolation care in a unique cohort of individuals. These included both community admissions to a university hospital as well as some of the earliest international aeromedical evacuees. Among an initial 16 COVID-19 survivors that were interviewed 6-12 months following their admission into isolation care, perception of their isolation care experience was related to their reporting of long-term consequences. However, anxiety and disability assessed with standard scores had no relationship with each other. Both capture of the isolation care experience and caution relying on single scoring systems …

Risk Factors For Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Regional United States Case-Control Study., Angeline S Andrew, Walter G Bradley, Daniel Peipert, Tanya Butt, Kwadwo Amoako, Erik P Pioro, Rup Tandan, John Novak, Adam Quick, K Doug Pugar, Komal Sawlani, Bashar Katirji, Todd A Hayes, Pamela Cazzolli, Jiang Gui, Paul Mehta, D Kevin Horton, Elijah W Stommel

Ambulatory and Primary Care Articles

Most amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases are considered sporadic, without a known genetic basis, and environmental exposures are thought to play a causal role. To learn more about sporadic ALS etiology, we recruited n = 188 ALS patients from northern New England and Ohio and matched controls 2:1 from the general population of the same regions. Questionnaires evaluated the association between a variety of lifestyle, behavioral (ie, hobbies and activities), and occupational factors and the risk of ALS, including the duration of time between exposure and ALS onset, and exposure frequency. Head trauma was associated with increased ALS risk (adjusted …

Annual Cost Burden By Level Of Relapse Severity In Patients With Multiple Sclerosis., Jacqueline Nicholas, Huanxue Zhou, Chinmay Deshpande

Ambulatory and Primary Care Articles

INTRODUCTION: The severity of relapses varies in multiple sclerosis (MS) and may lead to a differential cost burden. This study aimed to characterize the direct healthcare costs associated with relapses in patients with MS by the level of relapse severity.

METHODS: This retrospective analysis used claims data extracted from the MarketScan

RESULTS: In total, 8775 patients with MS were analyzed: 6341 (72%) in the NR cohort, 1929 (22%) in the MMR cohort, and 505 (6%) in the SR cohort. Overall, patients were mostly female (76%), mean age was 50 years, and 25% were on a disease-modifying therapy. Mean (standard deviation …

Routine Outpatient Electrocardiogram: What Is The Diagnosis?, Muzamil Khawaja, Vincent R J Siebert, John Allison, Yochai Birnbaum

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

No abstract provided.

Single-Dose Del Nido Cardioplegia Compared With Standard Cardioplegia During Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting At A Veterans Affairs Hospital, Michael R Reidy, Ernesto Jimenez, Shuab Omer, Lorraine D Cornwell, Sabrina X Runbeck, Ourania Preventza, Gabriel Loor, Todd K Rosengart, Joseph S Coselli

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Del Nido cardioplegic solution (DNC), used chiefly in pediatric patients, rapidly induces prolonged cardiac arrest during cardiac surgery. To determine whether surgical outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting in a United States military veteran population differed when DNC was used instead of our standard Plegisol cardioplegia, we retrospectively reviewed 155 consecutive operations performed from July 2016 through June 2017. Del Nido cardioplegia was used to induce cardiac arrest in 70 patients, and Plegisol in 85. Compared with the Plegisol group, the DNC group had a shorter mean cardiopulmonary bypass time (96.8 vs 117 min; P48 hours, atrial fibrillation, tracheostomy, reintubation, …

Benign Metastasizing Leiomyoma In The Heart Of A 45-Year-Old Woman, Mohamad Karnib, Isaac Rhea, Robin Elliott, Saneka Chakravarty, Sadeer G Al-Kindi

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

We report a rare case of benign metastasizing leiomyoma in the heart of a 45-year-old woman 2 years after a uterine leiomyoma had been discovered during hysterectomy. Computed tomograms at presentation showed a large mixed cystic mass in the pelvis and bilateral lung nodules suggestive of metastatic disease. A large cardiac mass, attached to the chordae of the tricuspid valve and later shown to be histopathologically consistent with uterine leiomyoma, was successfully resected through a right atriotomy. This case suggests that benign metastasizing leiomyoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of right-sided cardiac tumors.

The Impact Of The Th17:Treg Axis On The Iga-Biome Across The Glycemic Spectrum, Heather T Essigmann, Kristi L Hoffman, Joseph F Petrosino, Goo Jun, David Aguilar, Craig L Hanis, Herbert L Dupont, Eric L Brown

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Secretory IgA (SIgA) is released into mucosal surfaces where its function extends beyond that of host defense to include the shaping of resident microbial communities by mediating exclusion/inclusion of respective microbes and regulating bacterial gene expression. In this capacity, SIgA acts as the fulcrum on which host immunity and the health of the microbiota are balanced. We recently completed an analysis of the gut and salivary IgA-Biomes (16S rDNA sequencing of SIgA-coated/uncoated bacteria) in Mexican-American adults that identified IgA-Biome differences across the glycemic spectrum. As Th17:Treg ratio imbalances are associated with gut microbiome dysbiosis and chronic inflammatory conditions such as …

The Association Between Short-Term Emotion Dynamics And Cigarette Dependence: A Comprehensive Examination Of Dynamic Measures, Anne Buu, Zhanrui Cai, Runze Li, Su-Wei Wong, Hsien-Chang Lin, Wei-Chung Su, Douglas E Jorenby, Megan E Piper

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The association between short-term emotion dynamics and long-term psychopathology has been well established in the psychology literature. Yet, dynamic measures for inertia and instability of negative and positive affect have not been studied in terms of their association with cigarette dependence. This study builds an important bridge between the psychology and substance use literatures by introducing these novel measures and conducting a comprehensive examination of such association with intervention implications.

METHODS: This study conducted secondary analysis on the data from a community sample of 136 dual users (e-cigarette + cigarette) and 101 exclusive smokers who completed both the two-week …

Utilization Of Target Lesion Heterogeneity For Treatment Efficacy Assessment In Late Stage Lung Cancer, Dung-Tsa Chen, Wenyaw Chan, Zachary J Thompson, Ram Thapa, Amer A Beg, Andreas N Saltos, Alberto A Chiappori, Jhanelle E Gray, Eric B Haura, Trevor A Rose, Ben Creelan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

RATIONALE: Recent studies have discovered several unique tumor response subgroups outside of response classification by Response Evaluation Criteria for Solid Tumors (RECIST), such as mixed response and oligometastasis. These subtypes have a distinctive property, lesion heterogeneity defined as diversity of tumor growth profiles in RECIST target lesions. Furthermore, many cancer clinical trials have been activated to evaluate various treatment options for heterogeneity-related subgroups (e.g., 29 trials so far listed in clinicaltrials.gov for cancer patients with oligometastasis). Some of the trials have shown survival benefit by tailored treatment strategies. This evidence presents the unmet need to incorporate lesion heterogeneity to improve …

Subgingival Microbiome And Specialized Pro-Resolving Lipid Mediator Pathway Profiles Are Correlated In Periodontal Inflammation, Chun-Teh Lee, Ruoxing Li, Lisha Zhu, Gena D Tribble, W Jim Zheng, Brittney Ferguson, Krishna Rao Maddipati, Nikola Angelov, Thomas E Van Dyke

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Failure of resolution pathways in periodontitis is reflected in levels of specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs) and SPM pathway markers but their relationship with the subgingival microbiome is unclear. This study aimed to analyze and integrate lipid mediator level, SPM receptor gene expression and subgingival microbiome data in subjects with periodontitis vs. healthy controls. The study included 13 periodontally healthy and 15 periodontitis subjects that were evaluated prior to or after non-surgical periodontal therapy. Samples of gingival tissue and subgingival plaque were collected prior to and 8 weeks after non-surgical treatment; only once in the healthy group. Metabololipidomic analysis was …

Mir-9-1 Suppresses Cell Proliferation And Promotes Apoptosis By Targeting Uhrf1 In Lung Cancer, Cheng-You Jia, Wei Xiang, Ji-Bin Liu, Geng-Xi Jiang, Feng Sun, Jian-Jun Wu, Xiao-Li Yang, Rui Xin, Yi Shi, Dan-Dan Zhang, Wen Li, Zavuga Zuberi, Jie Zhang, Gai-Xia Lu, Hui-Min Wang, Pei-Yao Wang, Fei Yu, Zhong-Wei Lv, Yu-Shui Ma, Da Fu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Lung cancer is listed as the most common reason for cancer-related death all over the world despite diagnostic improvements and the development of chemotherapy and targeted therapies. MicroRNAs control both physiological and pathological processes including development and cancer. A microRNA-9 to 1 (miR-9 to 1) overexpression model in lung cancer cell lines was established and miR-9 to 1 was found to significantly suppress the proliferation rate in lung cancer cell lines, colony formation in vitro, and tumorigenicity in nude mice of A549 cells. Ubiquitin-like containing PHD and RING finger domains 1 (UHRF1) was then identified to direct target of miR-9 …

Meld-Na Is More Strongly Associated With Risk Of Infection And Outcomes Than Other Characteristics Of Patients With Cirrhosis, Zachary P Fricker, V V Pavan Kedar Mukthinuthalapati, Samuel Akinyeye, Naga Chalasani, Bashar M Attar, Maya Balakrishnan, Marwan Ghabril, Michelle T Long

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The nature and outcomes of infection among patients with cirrhosis in safety-net hospitals are not well described. We aimed to characterize the rate of and risk factors for infection, both present on admission and nosocomial, in this unique population. We hypothesized that infections would be associated with adverse outcomes such as short-term mortality.

METHODS: We used descriptive statistics to characterize infections within a retrospective cohort characterized previously. We used multivariable logistic regression models to assess potential risk factors for infection and associations with key outcomes such as short-term mortality and length of stay.

RESULTS: The study cohort …

Prevalence And Factors Associated With Nafld Detected By Vibration Controlled Transient Elastography Among Us Adults: Results From Nhanes 2017–2018, Xiaotao Zhang, Natalia I Heredia, Maya Balakrishnan, Aaron P Thrift

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasingly common in the adult population. In the United States, the overall burden of NAFLD is unknown due to challenges with population-level NAFLD detection. The purpose of this study was to estimate prevalence of NAFLD and significant NAFLD fibrosis and identify factors associated with them in the U.S.

METHODS: Data came from the 2017-2018 cycle of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We defined NAFLD by controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) scores of ≥248 dB/m in absence of excessive alcohol use and viral hepatitis. We defined significant fibrosis as Vibration controlled transient elastography (VCTE) …

Mitral Valve Repair Complicated By Left Circumflex Coronary Artery Occlusion: The Vital Role Of The Anesthesiologist, Andres Bacigalupo Landa, Jason Hoyos, Jayanand D'Mello

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The anatomical relationship between the mitral valve and the left circumflex coronary artery places this vessel at risk for occlusion during mitral valve repair or replacement. In view of the potential high morbidity and mortality of this complication, the anesthesiologist has a vital role in its prompt diagnosis. We present the case of a 47-year-old man who underwent a minimally invasive mitral valve repair, which was complicated by left circumflex coronary artery occlusion.