Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Crucial Role Of Machine Learning Models In Predicting Current Childhood Asthma: Model Comparison, Calibration, And Shap-Based Interpretation, Aditya Chakraborty, A. K.M. Raquibul Bashar

Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Asthma is one of the most prominent chronic diseases in children and one of the most challenging ailments to diagnose in infants and preschoolers in the United States. Predictive models can be instrumental in improving early diagnosis, personalized treatment strategies, and disease progression. By utilizing nationalized data, this study focuses on building and comparing high-performing analytical predictive models based on the relevant risk factors and identifying the most influential predictors.

Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional BRFSS Asthma Call-Back Survey data (2011-2020; N = 9,813) and randomly split participants into training and testing sets. An XGBoost model (hyperparameters tuned via grid …

Exploring Management Strategies To Reduce Workplace Violence: Perceptions Of Illinois Healthcare Professionals, Mary Mack

All Student Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined how managers of nonprofit healthcare facilities in the Chicago metropolitan area implement strategies to reduce workplace violence, what these strategies are and how they are carried out, and what organizational factors facilitate or impede their implementation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven healthcare professionals in management or safety-oriented roles across seven facilities, purposefully sampled through the researcher's professional network. Findings revealed four recurring patterns across the sample. Prevention infrastructure was installed reactively, following specific triggering incidents rather than anticipating documented risk. Facilities consistently favored lower-cost mitigation measures over more resource-intensive prevention strategies. Reliance on short-tenure contract …

Intratracheal Interleukin-10 Administration Reduces Acute Lung Injury Induced By Sulfur Dioxide Exposure In Mice, Amy J. Nelson, Todd A. Wyatt, Bradley W. Richmond, Belinda Diaz, Angela Gleason, Michael J. Duryee, Geoffrey M. Thiele, Ted R. Mikuls, Jill A. Poole

Journal Articles: Environmental, Agricultural & Occupational Health

Therapies capable of reducing acute high-consequence airborne chemical exposure-induced lung disease are lacking. This study seeks to determine the therapeutic potential of interleukin (IL)-10 administered following acute sulfur dioxide (SO₂) exposure in mice. C57BL/6 male and female mice were exposed to SO₂ gas at 125 ppm for 4 h and subsequently treated 2-3 h later with IL-10 (1 μg) or vehicle control by intratracheal instillation for a total of 3 doses over 2 days with comparisons to sham-treated mice (N = 20 mice/group). IL-10 treatment reduced SO₂-induced weight loss with corresponding reductions in SO_{2 …}

Place Matters: Investigating The Social And Environmental Drivers Of Hypertension In Nashville, Marquinta Harvey, Michael D. Oliver, Tatum Brown, Deya Rassul, Thomas Strickler, Jarod Parrish, Catherine Bass

Funded Scholarship

Hypertension disparities persist across communities, driven by interactions between social determinants of health (SDOH) and behavioral factors. This study examines geographic and demographic patterns of hypertension in Nashville, Tennessee, to assess how socioeconomic, environmental, and behavioral factors contribute to inequities in prevalence, treatment, and control. Granular ZIP code-level analyses highlight community-specific drivers and the need for policy reforms to advance health equity.

Non-Instrumented Dva: Assessment Of Performance And Clinical Feasibility In Children Ages 2 Through 13 Years, Cathey P. Norton, Nancy S. Darr, Mary Katherine Beshears, Katherine Catalano, Tyra Dillard, Mahayla J.K. Gamble, Magdalene Olerich, Sadie Rodell Rupp

Funded Scholarship

Background/Objectives: Vestibular disorders can have functional consequences for children, including balance and gross motor delays, academic difficulties and behavioral manifestations; however, they are frequently undiagnosed in children. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the feasibility and clinical utility of performing a non-instrumented dynamic visual acuity (DVA) test as a primary screening tool for children and to examine typical performance on this non-instrumented DVA test in a large sample of children ages 2 through 13 years.

Methods: A clinical DVA test was administered to a convenience sample of 208 children aged 2–13 years. Static visual acuity was assessed using …

Failure Rates And Patient-Reported Outcomes Are Similar Across 5 Arthroscopic, Suprapectoral Biceps Tenodesis Fixation Techniques, Senah E. Stephens, Samantha M. Strohm, Rachael M. Shaughnessy, Katherine S. Worcester, Kevin F. Bonner

Department Surgery Faculty Publications

Purpose

To compare failure rates and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) across 5 arthroscopic, suprapectoral biceps tenodesis fixation techniques: tenodesis screw, tenodesis anchor, expanding tenodesis anchor, onlay with single all-suture anchor, and soft tissue tenodesis in the bicipital groove with suture.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study approved by the Institutional Review Board, including patients age 18 years or older who underwent arthroscopic, suprapectoral biceps tenodesis between 2014 and 2024 with a minimum of 6 months of clinical follow-up. Exclusion criteria included cervical pathology, chronic pain syndromes, revisions, and workers' compensation cases. Patients completed PROMs including pain Visual Analog Scale …

Correlates Of Recovery Capital Among Women In Jails: Leveraging A Dimensional Recovery Framework, Amanda Fallin-Bennett, Martha Tillson, Jaxin Annett, Hartley Feld, Michele Staton

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Recovery capital encompasses internal and external factors that support recovery from substance use disorder, such as employment, social support, and physical and mental health. There is a need for more research on recovery capital among women who are incarcerated, who often face complex barriers to recovery, such as poverty, unemployment, and histories of trauma.

Methods: Women (N ¼ 900) were recruited from Kentucky jails as part of the broader NIDA-funded Kentucky Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN) cooperative project. Measures from baseline interviews (during incarceration) were selected in alignment with the Substance Abuse Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA)’s four …

“Being Treated As The Expert:” A Blueprint For A Community Advisory Board Approach To Elevate The Voice Of People With Living Experience With Substance Use In Academic Research, Trevor Moffitt, Survivors Union Of The Bluegrass, Bryson Henson, April M. Young, Sharon L. Walsh, Rachel Vickers-Smith, Junior Cruz, Jeremy Byard, Brook West, Amanda Fallin-Bennett

Nursing Faculty Publications

Introduction: Researchers have traditionally engaged Community Advisory Boards (CABs) to meaningfully involve community members in the research process. However, CABs are often formed only after a grant is funded, leading to criticisms of functioning merely as “ethical approvers.” For substance use researchers, the inclusion of people with living experience (PWLE; current experience with drug use) across all stages of research is especially important as they have historically been the experts in the needs of their community.   Methods: In response to this need for community engagement in research, the University of Kentucky, in partnership with a local recovery community center (RCC; …

Coalition Building And Citizen Science For Radon Risk Reduction, Stacy Stanifer, Kathy Rademacher, Whitney Sedio, Naomi Cheek, David Gross, Caitlyn Curtis, Amanda Thaxton-Wiggins, Mary Kay Rayens, Ellen J. Hahn

Nursing Faculty Publications

We evaluated the implementation of local coalitions led in partnership with citizen scientists, community-based organizations, and public libraries in four rural communities to lower exposure to radon in the home. The objectives were to (1) describe the Reach-Effectiveness-Adoption-Implementation-Maintenance (RE-AIM) of four radon coalitions, and (2) compare RE-AIM factors among citizen scientists who participated in the coalitions and those who did not. A larger community-engaged research project embedded coalition building using a citizen science approach. Three of the four coalitions focused on health and wellness more broadly (18–34 members); one focused solely on radon (10 members). Coalition membership and activities varied …

Evaluation Of A Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program Targeted To Behavioral Health Professionals, Chizimuzo T. C. Okoli, Sarret Seng, Bassema Abu Farsakh, Emily Koyagi, Heather Beck, Audrey Darville

Nursing Faculty Publications

Tobacco use remains disproportionately high among adults living with mental illnesses (MIs), contributing to excess morbidity and mortality, particularly in high-burden states such as Kentucky. Behavioral healthcare providers are well-positioned to address this disparity but often lack formal training in evidence-based tobacco treatment. Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) training provides healthcare providers with skills to deliver evidence-based tobacco treatment; however, traditional TTS training models often rely on synchronous, in-person or live virtual formats, which may limit accessibility for some healthcare workforces. Asynchronous, web-based delivery models may reduce these barriers. This study evaluates a targeted, asynchronous TTS training program designed for providers …

Micrornas Regulated By Pregnancy Target Antiviral And Cancer Immunity Overlapping With The Hiv Interactome, Paula F. T. Cezar-De-Mello, Jonathan M. Dreyfuss, Pai-Lien Chen, Hidemi Yamamoto, Xiaoming Gao, Hui Pan, Charles Morrison, Gustavo F. Doncel, Robert L. Barbieri, Raina N. Fichorova

CONRAD Publications

Innate immunity predictors of HIV-1 risk and pathogenesis vary with reproductive hormones, pregnancy, and lactation, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We hypothesized that pregnancy-associated physiological adaptations alter systemic microRNA (miRNA) expression, thereby regulating immunity, pathogenesis and susceptibility to infection. We analyzed 174 serum samples from 88 participants in a longitudinal cohort from Uganda and Zimbabwe across pre-pregnancy (PP), pregnancy (P), and postpartum breastfeeding (BF). Cell-free peripheral blood miRNAs (n = 2083) were profiled using HTG EdgeSeq. Pregnancy-specific miRNAs were identified by intersecting differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs from P vs. PP and P vs. BF comparisons. miRNA targets and pathways …

Artificial Intelligence And Mental Health: Promise, Pitfalls And Ethical Priorities, Maharaj Singh

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Mental health conditions are prevalent across the lifespan, yet workforce shortages, long waiting times, and fragmented systems mean many people never receive timely, evidence‑based care. Artificial intelligence (AI), including machine‑learning classifiers and large language models (LLMs), is being explored to support earlier detection, closer symptom monitoring and scalable psychoeducation. Early studies suggest AI can surface risk signals from language, sleep/activity traces and clinical notes; summarise complex records for clinicians; and deliver structured self‑help at scale. At the same time, safety, bias, privacy and accountability concerns remain salient.

Tick Lipocalin Triggers Mammalian Igfbp-3-Mediated Apoptosis In Macrophages And Keratinocytes, Krittika Nandy, P. P. Mahesh, Lichao Liu, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Hameeda Sultana, Girish Neelakanta

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ticks secrete several molecules, including lipocalins, in their saliva during blood feeding on a vertebrate host. In this study, we provide novel evidence on the role of Ornithodoros turicata americanus tick lipocalin (Otlip) in modulating cytokine expression and in triggering apoptosis in mammalian macrophages and keratinocytes. The cytokine array analysis revealed significantly increased secretion of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) from murine macrophage cell line upon treatment with recombinant Otlip protein (rGST-Otlip) when compared to the secretion noted from cells treated with a control protein (rGST). Similar observation with cytokine protein array analysis was noted when murine macrophages were …

Microarray Analysis Of Human Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm With Emphasis On Cardiovascular Genes Revealed Differentially Expressed Genes, Song Lu, Li Ping Li, John V. White, Xiaoying Zhang, Ifeyinwa Nwaneshiudu, Adaobi Nwaneshiudu, Nectaria Ntaoula, John Gaughan, Dimitri S. Monos, Wan-Lu Lin, Charalambos C. Solomides, Emilia L. Oleszak, Chris D. Platsoucas

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background/Aim: We examined gene expression profiles in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) lesions vs. normal aortas by cDNA microarray and real-time quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

Materials and Methods: Phosphorus (32P)-labeled cDNA from AAA specimens (mean AAA size 6.65 cm) and normal aortas were hybridized with a 588-gene microarray primarily of the cardiovascular system. The results were validated by qRT-PCR.

Results: A total of 35 out of the 588 genes were differentially expressed, with either log2 ratio of AAAs/controls ≥1 (upregulated; 20 genes) or ≤−1 (downregulated; 15 genes) in AAA lesions vs. normal aorta, and 25 of these were significantly …

Two Strategies To Improve Stability In A Precision-Based Task: Insights From The Badminton Short Serve, Yochi Iino, Jodie Cochrane Wilkie, Senshi Fukashiro, Shinsuke Yoshioka, Shayne Vial

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The badminton short serve is a highly precise task requiring accurate control of racquet face orientation, which directly influences shuttlecock trajectory and limits an opponent's ability to attack. Previous studies on motor redundancy have emphasized covariation among elemental variables as the primary mechanism for stabilizing performance. However, when the sensitivities of elemental variables differ, performance can also be stabilized by unevenly distributing individual variances without altering correlation — an approach that has received limited attention. This study investigated whether elite players use both the correlation strategy and the uneven variance strategy to stabilize racquet face angles during the short serve. …

Fall Prevention Strategies And Fall-Related Outcome Measures Used For Inpatients In Mental Health Settings: A Scoping Review, Min Zhang, Gideon Di Ji, Irene Ngune, Khairul Dzakirin Bin Rusli, Maggie Zgambo, Rosemary Saunders, Seng Giap Marcus Ang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction Patients in mental health settings are at risk of falling and sustaining injury due to the unique risk factors related to their mental illness and its accompanied treatment. Objective To examine the literature on the fall prevention strategies used, and fall-related outcome measures reported for inpatients in mental health settings. Methods A literature search was conducted using Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus and sources from the Grey Literatures. Peer-reviewed research studies that examined fall prevention strategies for inpatients in mental health settings were included. The fall prevention strategies and fall-related outcome measures were extracted and grouped using …

Sustainable Healthcare In Action: Six Practice Changes That Make A Difference, Christine Catling, Carol Crevacore, Melisa Young, Wayne Varndell, Jack Cornish, Sue Sheppard-Law, Elaine Correia Moll

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Problem: Planetary health, linking the well-being of human populations with the stability of Earth's natural systems, is increasingly recognised as essential for all organisations. Healthcare is a major contributor to environmental harm, responsible for an estimated 4.4% of global net emissions. As a result, healthcare workers have an important role in driving sustainable, low-waste practices within clinical settings. Aim: This paper outlines six practical, evidence-informed changes that can be introduced within healthcare organisations: adopting reusable tourniquets, reducing unnecessary glove use, recycling medication blister packs, promoting reusable nappies, using reusable or compostable blueys, and reintroducing stainless steel holloware. Discussion: These examples …

Efficacy And Safety Of Tai Chi For Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Shun Chen, Weiting Liu, Qinwei Fu, Mingyu Huang, Weilan Lin, Yanting Ding, Ming Li

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objectives: Tai Chi, a form of complementary intervention emphasizing breathing and mind-body connection, is increasingly recognized for its potential in pain management. This review aims to synthesize current evidence on the efficacy and safety of Tai Chi for chronic musculoskeletal pain management in adults. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources: AMED, EMBASE, MEDLINE, WoS, CBM, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang Databases, CENTRAL, and WHO ICTRP were searched from database inception through May 2025, with an additional supplementary search conducted in January 2026. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing Tai Chi with other interventions for chronic …

Cerebellar Motor And Non-Motor Contributions To Dystonia Pathophysiology And Treatment, Linda H Kim, Cheryl Brandenburg, Roy V Sillitoe

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Dystonia is a complex neurological disorder characterized by sustained or intermittent abnormal movements and/or postures. However, dystonia's non-motor symptoms, particularly the sleep disturbances, are critical yet underexplored concerns that affect all ages. Here, we synthesize current knowledge on the motor and non-motor domains of dystonia, emphasizing the functional interconnections and plasticity within cerebellar motor, cognitive, and sleep-associated circuits to motivate more comprehensive and effective treatments that improve overall quality of life.

A Collaborative Communities-Of-Practice Methodology For Environmental Design Research: A Case Study Application In Palliative Care, Emil E. Jonescu, Benjamin Farrell, Chamil Erik Ramanayaka, Lori Delaney, Edward Litton, Talia J. Uylaki, Gareth Watts, Bella Brigham, Frances Bellemore, Davinia Seah

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Environmental design in palliative care settings receives increasing attention, yet methodologies for studying such environments often lack interdisciplinary integration. Traditional research designs may overlook the lived expertise of clinicians and designers. Objectives: This article describes a collaborative, cross-disciplinary communities-of-practice model developed as a methodological framework to enable effective environmental evaluation and design processes in healthcare settings. Its application is illustrated through a case study in a palliative care unit. Methods: A co-designed, multi-methods approach was developed by a team of clinicians, facility managers, and academic researchers. The methodology included a scoping review, site-specific environmental data logging (sound, temperature, lighting), and …

Neuromotor Function Following Lower-Limb Muscle Or Tendon Injury: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Jack Andringa-Bate, Moath Almusallam, Molly Coventry, Myles C. Murphy, Ebonie Rio, Tania Pizzari

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: Alterations in neuromotor function occur following lower-limb injuries and might be a factor in recurrent injury. We evaluated if adults with previous lower-limb muscle or tendon injury demonstrate differences in neuromotor function compared with uninjured or control limbs. Methods: A systematic search of health databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus was conducted from inception until the end of April 2024. Studies evaluating neuromotor function of adults with a history of lower-limb muscle or tendon injury compared to an uninjured contralateral or control limb were included. Inverse variance, random effects meta-analyses were used to generate effect estimates for neuromotor outcomes. …

Measuring Cancer Equity Globally: Harmonising International Rural-Urban Classifications For Exploring Cancer Outcomes, Charlene Wright, Sharina Riva, Megan Crichton, Helena Rodi, Hannah Jongebloed, Lucy Leigh, Elizabeth A. Johnston, Rebecca J. Bergin, Anna Chapman, Laura Alston, Fiona Crawford–Williams, Nicolas H. Hart, Joel Rhee, Lan Gao, Kate Gunn, Harry Gasper, Anna Ugalde, Skye Marshall

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Geographic disparities in cancer outcomes represent a critical health equity challenge, with rural populations consistently experiencing poorer outcomes than urban populations. The lack of harmonised rurality measures creates substantial barriers to evidence synthesis and has precluded meta-analyses. This perspectives paper discusses concepts of rurality, identifies rurality classification systems used by cancer researchers in OECD countries that can be harmonised with the OECD Extended Typology, and develops recommendations for consistent rural-urban coding. Targeted searches of grey and published literature on cancer policy and rurality classification systems were conducted. The secondary analysis examined studies identified through systematic database searching of OVID Medline, …

Optimal Control Analysis Of Malaria Transmission In The Presence Of Insecticide Resistance And Climate Variability In Kenya, Lorna Chepkemoi, Titus Okello Orwa, Samuel Mwalili, Rachel Waema Mbogo, Steeven Belvinos Affognon, Daisy Salifu, Henri E.Z. Tonnang

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Malaria remains a major public health concern in Kenya, where changing climatic conditions, insecticide resistance, and mosquito behavioral adaptations continue to challenge control efforts. This study develops and analyzes a climate-sensitive malaria transmission model that incorporates mosquito behavior, insecticide resistance, and vector–human ecological dynamics to identify optimal control strategies for the Kenyan context. The model’s well-posedness was established, the basic reproduction number (R0) computed using the next-generation matrix method, and the stability of equilibrium points assessed. Spatial analysis of R0 was performed using temperature and rainfall raster data to map transmission risk across Kenya under varying insecticide use scenarios. Results …

Changing The Narrative: Resilience Of Women In Stem In Sub-Saharan Africa And Institutional Innovations To Advance Equity, Monica Fisher, Violet Nyabaro, Ruth Mendum, Sujata Ganguly, Moses Osiru

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Gender disparities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) remain pronounced in many African countries, particularly at the postgraduate level. This study explores the experiences of African women in STEM postgraduate education by integrating data from an online survey of 163 female PhD alumni from 40 African universities in 17 countries and seven focus group discussions (FGDs) with 39 current postgraduate students across three countries. Through a mixed-methods approach, we examine both the challenges women face and the factors that enable their persistence and success. Over 60% of respondents reported financial stress during their PhD, and more than half felt …

Pathways, Outputs And Impact Of Nih-Supported Bioinformatics And Genomics Graduate Trainees In Africa, Daudi Jjingo, Andrew Walakira, Suhaila Hashim, Cisse Cheickna, Ronald Galiwango, Caleb Kibet, Florence N. Kivunike, Gerald Mboowa, Fredrick Elishama Kakembo, Babajide Ayodele, Jean Baka Domelevo Entfellner, Santie De Villiers, Karen Wambui, Segun Fatumo, Tinashe Chikowore, John Mukisa, Alfred Ssekagiri, Nicholas Bbosa, Julius Mulindwa, Samuel Kyobe, Mike Nsubuga, Grace Kebirungi, Eric Katagirya, Savannah Mwesigwa, Ibra Lujumba, Rogers Kamulegeya, Samuel Kirimunda, Stephen Kanyerezi, Shahiid Kiyaga, Ivan Sserwadda, Davis Kiberu, Daniel Masiga

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Global biomedical and health research is increasingly relying on genomic and computational approaches, largely driven by the increasing volumes of nucleic acid sequencing. Concurrently, epidemiological studies and clinical records are generating enormous amounts of data amenable to disease modeling, machine learning, and artificial intelligence techniques. Bioinformatics and data science expertise is therefore essential for improved population health. Accordingly, in 2012, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) in partnership with the Wellcome Trust, and with support from the African Society for Human Genetics, initiated the H3Africa (Human Heredity and Health in Africa) consortium. One of its key goals was to …

The Association Between Social Vulnerability And Racial Disparities In Preterm Birth, Anita Pershad, Gabby Adams, Lindsay Robbins, George Saade, Tetsuya Kawakita

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Objective

To evaluate the association between county-level social vulnerability and preterm birth and assess whether racial disparities vary across levels of vulnerability.

Methods

This cross-sectional study utilized restricted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention natality data from 2023. We included Black or White births with singleton pregnancies across 3123 US counties from 50 US states and the District of Columbia. Participants were grouped into quartiles based on the county-level Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), with quartile 4 representing the most socially vulnerable populations. The primary outcome was preterm birth, defined as delivery before 37 weeks. Secondary outcomes included small for gestational …

Ai-Powered Immune Cell Knowledge Graph (Ickg) With Granular Immune Contexts Enables Immune Program Interpretation, Shan He, Yukun Tan, Qing Ye, Matthew M Gubin, Merve Dede, Hind Rafei, Weiyi Peng, Katayoun Rezvani, Vakul Mohanty, Ken Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The widespread application of single-cell and spatial omics to models and patient samples has transformed immune cell profiling across physiological conditions. However, knowledge of immune cell states, functions, and gene regulation remains fragmented across publications, limiting our ability to synthesize insights and derive mechanistic understanding from the literature. To address this gap and facilitate literature integration, we constructed Immune Cell Knowledge Graphs (ICKGs)-four cell type-specific graphs derived from over 24,000 cancer immunotherapy-focused PubMed abstracts using large language models (LLMs) with "human verifiable" validation. Unlike conventional databases, which provide context-agnostic pathways, ICKGs capture directed, literature-supported relationships among genes, pathways and immune …

Outcomes Of Patients With Melanoma Brain Metastases Treated With Ipilimumab And Nivolumab With Or Without Upfront Comprehensive Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Troy J Kleber, Denái R Milton, Subhiksha Srinivasan, Bikash Panthi, Warren Floyd, Eric A Goethe, Michael A Davies, Hussein A Tawbi, Isabella C Glitza Oliva, Diana Kaya, Jing Li, Todd A Swanson, Subha Perni, Martin C Tom, Chenyang Wang, Sujit Prabhu, Jeffrey S Weinberg, Ian E Mccutcheon, Caroline Chung, Sherise D Ferguson, Thomas H Beckham

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The efficacy of ipilimumab and nivolumab (ipi/nivo) for melanoma brain metastases (MBMs) has been previously reported, leading to uncertainty regarding the optimal role of comprehensive stereotactic radiosurgery (cSRS). We therefore conducted a single-institution retrospective study to compare outcomes of upfront versus deferred cSRS for MBM treated with ipi/nivo.

Methods: We identified patients who started ipi/nivo for newly diagnosed MBMs between 2018 and 2023, with or without upfront cSRS. Patients with >15 MBMs, leptomeningeal disease, or whole-brain radiotherapy at baseline were excluded. Outcomes were compared using multivariable regression and reported as adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) with 95% CIs.

Results: Of …

Reply To: Late Nonrelapse Mortality: A Hidden Risk In Triplet Therapy For Idh-Mutated Aml?, Jennifer Marvin-Peek, Courtney D Dinardo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Test-Retest Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Reproducibility In Head And Neck Cancer Using A 15-T Mr-Linac, Brigid A Mcdonald, Dina El-Habashy, Renjie He, Sam Mulder, Sarah Mirbahaeddin, Abdallah S R Mohamed, Sara Ahmed, Yao Ding, Jihong Wang, Stephen Y Lai, Alex Dresner, John Christodouleas, Clifton D Fuller

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose

To evaluate the reproducibility of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) using a 1.5-T MR-linac (MRI-guided linear accelerator) system.

Materials and Methods

In this retrospective study, conducted between February 2021 and January 2024, patients with HNSCC lesions underwent echo-planar imaging diffusion-weighted MRI on a 1.5-T MR-linac system at two time points before the start of radiation therapy. Mean and median ADC values and volumes were measured for each lesion. Absolute and percent reproducibility coefficients (RCs) were calculated. Linear regression analyses and F tests were performed to determine whether the lesion volume or …