Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons^™

A Novel, Minimally Invasive, Paper-Based Biomarker Assay For Molecular Diagnosis Of Preeclampsia, Tomi Taiwo

Harrisburg University Research Symposium: Highlighting Research, Innovation, & Creativity

Preeclampsia is a severe pregnancy condition marked by high blood pressure and proteinuria that can strike at any point throughout pregnancy or immediately after birth. Although the exact cause of this disease is unknown, there are several symptoms associated. The goal of this study is focused on the evaluation of biomarker-based assays for molecular diagnosis of the condition in a sensitive and timely manner. This project involved the use of an immunoassay, fabricated serum samples, and a paper-based assay to assess the strength of the presence of the placental growth factor (PlGF). This was done to facilitate a proof-of-concept mechanism …

Left Pulmonary Artery Occlusion Following Device Closure Of Patent Ductus Arteriosus In Premature Infants, Jesus C. Jaile, Ernest Siwik, Sergio Bartakian

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Device closure of a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is rapidly evolving, with the Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder (Abbott) receiving US Food and Drug Administration approval and becoming the first device approved for PDA closure in patients ≥700 g. We report on the first known cases of complete left pulmonary artery (LPA) occlusion following Piccolo closure of a PDA in premature infants. Methods: Retrospective chart analysis of PDA closures. Results: We have performed over 50 cases of Piccolo device closure of the PDA in preterm neonates in the past 2 years, with these 2 cases representing our only complications (4%). This …

Tolfenamic Acid Derivatives: A New Class Of Transcriptional Modulators With Potential Therapeutic Applications For Alzheimer’S Disease And Related Disorders, Juanetta Hill, Karim E. Shalaby, Syed W. Bihaqi, Bothaina H. Alansi, Benjamin Barlock, Keykavous Parang, Richard Thompson, Khalid Ourarhni, Nasser H. Zawia

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

The field of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has witnessed recent breakthroughs in the development of disease-modifying biologics and diagnostic markers. While immunotherapeutic interventions have provided much-awaited solutions, nucleic acid-based tools represent other avenues of intervention; however, these approaches are costly and invasive, and they have serious side effects. Previously, we have shown in AD animal models that tolfenamic acid (TA) can lower the expression of AD-related genes and their products and subsequently reduce pathological burden and improve cognition. Using TA as a scaffold and the zinc finger domain of SP1 as a pharmacophore, we developed safer and more potent brain-penetrating analogs …

Editorial For "Automated Breast Density Assessment In Mri Using Deep Learning And Radiomics: Strategies For Reducing Inter-Observer Variability"., Pegah Khosravi

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Undescended Superior Parathyroid: A Case Report, Elliott M. Sina, Chihun J. Han, Elizabeth E. Cottrill

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

Aberrant migration of parathyroid glands from their embryologic origin may result in undescended parathyroid glands. We present a case of an ectopic parathyroid adenoma at the level of the pyriform sinus. A 41-year-old female was evaluated for primary hyperparathyroidism. Following non-localizing ultrasound and planar sestamibi imaging, the patient underwent SPECT/CT and 4-D computed tomography demonstrating evidence of an ectopic parathyroid adenoma. The surgical approach was modified based on the location. Following extirpation, PTH fell from 80 to 16 pg/mL, and the 15-min post-excision level remained stable at 14pg/mL, indicating a biochemical cure. While rare, undescended parathyroid adenoma should be considered …

A Portable And Reliable Tool For On-Site Physical Reaction Time (Rt) Measurement, Brent Harper, Michael Shiraishi, Rahul Soangra

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

The drop-stick test system (DTS) invention has the capability to measure reaction accurately for sideline mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) assessment. The reaction time (RT) measurements showed moderate to good inter-instrument reliability with an overall ICC of 0.82 (95 % CI 0.78–0.85). RT is a useful biomarker of mTBI or concussion, but existing technologies in controlled laboratory environments are not feasible for assessments in the field. With wearable technologies and wireless connection with smartphones, it is now easier to conduct RT assessments on the field. The purpose was to develop a portable DTS involving wearable inertial sensors translatable from the …

Improving Pharmacist-Led Pediatric Patient Education On Oral Chemotherapy At Home, Anika Patel, Christopher M. Nguyen, Kristin Willins, Elsabella Y. Wang, Grace Magedman, Sun Yang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Oral chemotherapy (OC) has been increasingly used in pediatric patients diagnosed with cancer, which is primarily managed in the outpatient setting. Different from adults, pediatric patients face unique challenges in administering these hazardous medications at home. Because of the complexity of pediatric pharmaceutical care and the hazardous nature of chemotherapy agents, comprehensive patient education is imperative to mitigate the potential safety risks associated with OC administration at home. Pharmacists play a vital role in patient education and medication consultations. However, the lack of practice guidelines and limited resources supporting OC counseling are noted. Additional barriers include insufficient knowledge and training …

Raman Spectral Cytopathology For Cancer Diagnostic Applications, Fiona Lyng, Damian Traynor, Isha Behl, Declan O'Dea, Hugh Byrne

Books/Book Chapters

Histopathology is currently regarded as the “gold standard” patient sampling technique for cancer diagnostics. It involves extraction of a tissue sample, or biopsy, which is then sectioned and stained for evaluation by a pathologist [1]. Cytopathology, on the other hand, is the field of disease diagnosis at the cellular level [2], necessitating only the microscopic evaluation of samples of cells which can be harvested by less invasive methods such as exfoliative brushing, needle probes or from biofluids. Based on the identification of abnormalities in cellular appearance, cytopathology is currently widely used to aid in the screening of cancer, as well …

Specialized Late Cingulo-Opercular Network Activation Elucidates The Mechanisms Underlying Decisions About Ambiguity, Jordan E. Pierce, Nathan M. Petro, Elizabeth Clancy, Caterina Gratton, Steven E. Petersen, Maital Neta

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Cortical task control networks, including the cingulo-opercular (CO) network play a key role in decision-making across a variety of functional domains. In particular, the CO network functions in a performance reporting capacity that supports successful task performance, especially in response to errors and ambiguity. In two studies testing the contribution of the CO network to ambiguity processing, we presented a valence bias task in which masked clearly and ambiguously valenced emotional expressions were slowly revealed over several seconds. This slow reveal task design provides a window into the decision-making mechanisms as they unfold over the course of a trial. In …

Validation Of Macro Button Toolbar System For Radiology Report Composition, Brennan L. Chow

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

The macro button toolbar system was developed to enhance radiologist report composition and improve group productivity in response to a rise in imaging volume and an impending radiologist workforce shortage. This research aims to validate the proposed benefits of the macro button toolbar system using an analysis of a time study and the radiology group’s historical wRVU productivity data. The study found that radiologists using this system achieved significantly higher productivity compared to national averages, with high toolbar users experiencing a 29% increase in wRVU productivity and a 52.6% reduction in report completion time for X-ray exams. The reduced report …

Perbedaan Kadar Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Dan Tumor Necrosis Factor-Α Serum Pada Berbagai Derajat Sarkopenia Pasien Lanjut Usia: Studi Potong Lintang, Auliangi Tamayo, Roza Mulyana, Rose Dinda Martini

Jurnal Penyakit Dalam Indonesia

Introduction. Sarcopenia is a phenomenon of progressive decline in muscle function that occurs due to the aging process. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) have an important role in the occurrence of sarcopenia as a positive and negative regulator of muscle mass. Research shows differences in IGF-1 and TNF-α levels between sarcopenia and non-sarcopenia groups, but research on differences in severity of sarcopenia remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the difference in levels of IGF-1 and TNF-α in various degrees of sarcopenia in elderly patients.

Methods. This was an analytical observational …

Thermal Dose Inactivation Of Escherichia Coli By Magnetic Induced Hyperthermia, Silverio A. Lopez, Carlos Trevino De Leo, Ivan Davila, Karen S. Martirosyan

Research Symposium

Background: Apoptosis of mutated cells via magnetic hyperthermia has gained advocacy as technology capable of being used in lieu of chemotherapy for targeting cancer tumors. Progress of nanotechnology offers effective remote heating of magnetic fluid via hyperthermia. The heating and specific power absorption of these nanoparticles use in the magnetic fluid are dependent on particle properties and treatment locations.

Methods: Nanoparticles were fabricated using microfluidic system by interaction of two solutions containing 2Fe(NO3)3+FeSO4 and NaOH+2%Dextran to create nanostructured media with a biocompatible dextran coating and a Fe3O4 core. The nanoparticles, of a concentration of 5mg/ml, were placed in a vile …

Racial Differences In The Effect Of Apoe-Ε4 Genotypes On Trail Making Test Part B In Alzheimer’S Disease, Kaysie N. Ozuna, Annu Katithara, Chun Xu

Research Symposium

The trail making test part B (TMT-B) is used to evaluate executive functions in order to better understand the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The objective of this study is to better understand the association of apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 (APOE-ε4) genotypes on the TMT-B scores in those with Alzheimer’s disease, specifically in the Hispanic population. This study used data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). In total there were 482 participants with AD, 503 with cognitive normal (CN), 1,293 with MCI at baseline and a follow-up after four years. In this study the longitudinal effect of …

Dosimetric Study For Mastectomy Carcinoma Left Breast Cases With Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (Vmat), Jyoti Bisht, Meenu Gupta, Ravi Kant, Vipul Nautiyal, Viney Kumar, Rishabh Dobhal, Mushtaq Ahmad, Sunil Saini

Research Symposium

Background: Radiation therapy for breast cancer has evolved from conventional to 3-dimentional radiation therapy (3-DCRT) and through more precise IMRT and VMAT. 3-DCRT is preferred for ca breast treatment as it reduces low dose area in contra lateral lung but with the advances in radiotherapy image guided techniques can deliver precise and lower doses to OARs with better coverage. This study is aimed to evaluate the doses of PTV, heart and ipsi-lateral lung with contra lateral lung doses delivered by VMAT technique.

Method and material: Total 10 patients of carcinoma left breast with mastectomy were selected for VMAT planning with …

Developing An Assay For Easy And Rapid Detection Of Als Biomarker(S): A Hypothesis, Swati Dhasmana, Anupam Dhasmana, Meena Jaggi, Murali M. Yallapu, Subhash C. Chauhan

Research Symposium

Background: Death of motor neurons is the key pathology underlying neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Biomarkers are chemical changes in the biological fluids. Biomarkers serving as a diagnostic tool should be specific to the concerned disease. Biomarkers indicating disease progression should be very sensitive to demonstrate changes during the disease process as well as therapeutics development. Biomarkers proposed for ALS include poly (GP) repeats in C9orf72, neurofilaments, miRNAs, glutathione and 4HNE in CSF, SOD1/TDP43 protein, poly (GP) repeats in C9orf72, neurofilaments, T regulatory cells, CRP, chitotriosidase, creatinine, creatinine kinase, miRNAs, glutamate, albumin, uric acid, glutathione, ferritin, …

Unusual Inflammatory Presentation For Locally Advanced Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma, Ana I. Vargas, Samuel K. Snyder

Research Symposium

Background: Thyroid cancer usually presents as a thyroid nodule. If the history implies rapid growth of the nodule, new onset hoarseness or presence of ipsilateral cervical lymphadenopathy then it should raise concern for malignancy. Deep neck infection/inflammation has rarely been reported as initial presentation and these patients are potentially misdiagnosed.

Case Presentation: We present a 56-year-old male who comes to clinic for evaluation of left neck nodule. He started two weeks prior with sudden neck swelling associated with erythema and pain in his lower neck that caused choking sensation and swallowing discomfort, he was prescribed Bactrim and prednisone with improvement …

Using Cartesian Coordinate Systems To Create, Classify, And Retrieve Biomedical Time-Series: Applications To 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring, Antonio Garcia, Gladys E. Maestre, John Blangero, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Julio Facelli

Research Symposium

Background: Ambulatory Blood Pressure Measurement (ABPM) allows physicians to monitor blood pressure variability under everyday living conditions and predicts clinical outcomes better than conventional blood-pressure measurement. ABPM can demonstrate mean arterial pressure (MAP) behavior over 24 hours relevant to clinical practice, such as nocturnal hypertension or increased blood pressure variability. We hypothesized that individuals with the same cardiovascular health status would have the same MAP signal (MAPs) waveform.

Methods: This study reutilizes a data subset from the IDACO Consortium to create 24-hour MAPs. We assigned all the MAPs to data matrix X, performed principal components analysis (PCA) to X, and …

Pca-Clf: A Classifier Of Prostate Cancer Patients Into Patients With Indolent And Aggressive Tumors Using Machine Learning, Yashwanth Karthik Kumar Mamidi, Tarun Karthik Kumar Mamidi, Md Wasi Ul Kabir, Jiande Wu, Md Tamjidul Hoque, Chindo Hicks

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

A critical unmet medical need in prostate cancer (PCa) clinical management centers around distinguishing indolent from aggressive tumors. Traditionally, Gleason grading has been utilized for this purpose. However, tumor classification using Gleason Grade 7 is often ambiguous, as the clinical behavior of these tumors follows a variable clinical course. This study aimed to investigate the application of machine learning techniques (ML) to classify patients into indolent and aggressive PCas. We used gene expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and compared gene expression levels between indolent and aggressive tumors to identify features for developing and validating a range of ML …

Surgical Stabilization Of Multiple Rib Fractures In An Asian Population: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Weiwei He, Yi Yang, Raymark Salonga, Ledford Powell, Patrick Greiffenstein, Jonne T.H. Prins, Stephen Patrick Abella

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: There is no consensus on the effectiveness of surgical stabilization in multiple rib fractures in Asia, especially among patients with a non-flail rib fracture pattern. We aim to synthesize the evidence on the effectiveness of surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF) in an Asian population with multiple nonflail rib fractures. Methods: The MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched in this systematic literature review and meta-analysis to identify studies conducted in Asia that included patients with multiple non-flail rib fractures in at least one of their treatment groups. The …

Ciliochoroidal Melanoma Masquerading As A Conjunctival Nevus, Samantha Pastore, Konica Singla, Carol L. Shields

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

No abstract provided.

A Causal Inference Study: The Impact Of The Combined Administration Of Donepezil And Memantine On Decreasing Hospital And Emergency Department Visits Of Alzheimer’S Disease Patients, Ehsan Yaghmaei, Albert Pierce, Hongxia Lu, Yesha M. Patel, Louis Ehwerhemuepha, Ahmad Rezaie, Seyed Ahmad Sajjadi, Cyril Rakovski

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia that currently affects over 6.5 million people in the U.S. Currently there is no cure and the existing drug therapies attempt to delay the mental decline and improve cognitive abilities. Two of the most commonly prescribed such drugs are Donepezil and Memantine. We formally tested and confirmed the presence of a beneficial drug-drug interaction of Donepezil and Memantine using a causal inference analysis. We applied doubly robust estimators to one of the largest and high-quality medical databases to estimate the effect of two commonly prescribed Alzheimer’s disease (AD) medications, Donepezil and …

Anti-Inflammatory And Antioxidant Effects Of Sea Urchin Spine Extract, Dina Magdy El Gamal

The Undergraduate Research Journal

Diadema savignyi spine extract in an experimental setup using L929 cell line in vitro. The cell metabolic activity of L929 cells is tested through an MTT assay. The sea urchin spine extract is applied to the cells in two concentrations: 100 μg/ml (136% viability) and 200 μg/ml (95% viability). The bioactive components of the sea urchin spine are identified via GC-MS, and the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities are evaluated using catalase assay (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and nitric oxide (NO) tests. Results show that the GC-MS identified bioactive components including the anti-inflammatory and anti-irritant bisabolol oxide and the pro-inflammatory oleic acid. …

The Role Of Molecular Thyroseq V3 Testing For Diagnosis And Management Of Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules., Ruth Delahunty

International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences

Worldwide, thyroid cancer is the 8^th most common malignancy (3^rd most common in women) and in recent years, there has been increased incidence of thyroid cancer worldwide. There is currently said to be a of thyroid nodules as of 2022. When it comes to the management of indeterminate thyroid nodules, clinical decision making can be challenging.

Thyroseq V3 testing may be used to determine the percentage probability of a thyroid nodule of being either malignant or benign, through a complex algorithm with next generation sequencing techniques, currently testing is done in the University of Pittsburgh and therefore is …

Adapting Shift Work Schedules For Sleep Quality, Sleep Duration, And Sleepiness In Shift Workers., Gerben Hulsegge, Pieter Coenen, Gregg M Gascon, Manisha Pahwa, Birgit Greiner, Ciarán Bohane, Imelda S Wong, Juha Liira, Rachel Riera, Daniela V Pachito

Ambulatory and Primary Care Articles

BACKGROUND: Shift work is associated with insufficient sleep, which can compromise worker alertness with ultimate effects on occupational health and safety. Adapting shift work schedules may reduce adverse occupational outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of shift schedule adaptation on sleep quality, sleep duration, and sleepiness among shift workers.

SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL, PubMed, Embase, and eight other databases on 13 December 2020, and again on 20 April 2022, applying no language restrictions.

SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs, including controlled before-after (CBA) trials, interrupted time series, and cross-over trials. Eligible trials evaluated any of …

Peripheral Arterial Disease And Complications Of Total Knee Arthroplasty: Indications For Advanced Vascular Imaging And Minimally Invasive Soft Tissue Coverage Procedures, Kristopher Katira, Antony Martin, Anna Garbuzov, James Ferrer, Brian Chuong, Ross Parkerson, George Chimento

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Soft tissue coverage of knee wounds can be challenging, in particular in the setting of peripheral arterial disease and knee arthroplasty complications. Options for soft-tissue coverage range from conservative wound care to invasive pedicled and free flaps. Unlike traditional wound coverage problems in plastic surgery patients, arthroplasty coverage decisions oblige surgeons to take into account the possibility of secondary orthopedic procedures. The two cases presented in this manuscript demonstrate the importance of vascular imaging, in particular angiography. In both cases, the workhorse medial gastrocnemius flap harvest could have resulted in critical limb ischemia. When secondary orthopedic revision is required at …

Automatic Cardiac Mri Image Segmentation And Mesh Generation, Ziyuan Li

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Segmenting and reconstructing cardiac anatomical structures from magnetic resonance (MR) images is essential for the quantitative measurement and automatic diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases [1]. However, manual evaluation of the time-series cardiac MRI (CMRI) obtained during routine clinical care are laborious, inefficient, and tends to produce biased and non-reproducible results [2]. This thesis proposes an end-to-end pipeline for automatically segmenting short-axis (SAX) CMRI images and generating high-quality 2D and 3D meshes suitable for finite element analysis. The main advantage of our approach is that it can not only work as a stand-alone pipeline for the automatic CMR image segmentation and mesh …

Astrocytes In Stroke-Induced Neurodegeneration: A Timeline, Eileen Collyer, Elena Blanco-Suarez

Farber Institute for Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Stroke is a condition characterized by sudden deprivation of blood flow to a brain region and defined by different post-injury phases, which involve various molecular and cellular cascades. At an early stage during the acute phase, fast initial cell death occurs, followed by inflammation and scarring. This is followed by a sub-acute or recovery phase when endogenous plasticity mechanisms may promote spontaneous recovery, depending on various factors that are yet to be completely understood. At later time points, stroke leads to greater neurodegeneration compared to healthy controls in both clinical and preclinical studies, this is evident during the chronic phase …

Submental Intubation In Oral Maxillofacial Surgery: A Case Report And Review Of Indications And Complications, Ed W. Alvarado, Jennifer Inofomoh, Mark Lavering, Diego Aleman

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

Background: Submental intubation has emerged as a crucial alternative airway management technique within the realm of oral maxillofacial surgery, addressing scenarios where conventional intraoral or nasal intubation proves infeasible or hazardous. The landscape of oral maxillofacial surgeries is characterized by intricate fractures, extensive soft tissue damage, and anatomical deviations that render traditional intubation methods untenable. This innovative technique involves the insertion of a modified oral endotracheal tube through a submental incision, subsequently threading it into the oropharynx. This procedure ensures secure airway access while safeguarding the integrity of oral and nasal passages. This modality reaps manifold benefits, spanning augmented …

Rod-Specific Downregulation Of Omega-3 Very-Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Pathway In Age-Related Macular Degeneration, William C. Gordon, Marie Audrey I. Kautzmann, Bokkyoo Jun, Megan L. Cothern, Zhide Fang, Nicolas G. Bazan

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6) plays a key role in vision and is the precursor for very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs). The release of 32- and 34-carbon VLC-PUFAs and DHA from sn-1 and sn-2 of phosphatidylcholine (PC) leads to the synthesis of cell-survival mediators, the elovanoids (ELVs) and neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1), respectively. Macula and periphery from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) donor retinas were assessed for the availability of DHA-related lipids by LC-MS/MS-based lipidomic analysis and MALDI-molecular imaging. We found reduced retina DHA and VLC-PUFA pathways to synthesize omega-3 ELVs from precursors that likely resulted in altered disks and photoreceptor loss. Additionally, …

Maximizing Wound Coverage In Full-Thickness Skin Defects: A Randomized-Controlled Trial Of Autologous Skin Cell Suspension And Widely Meshed Autograft Versus Standard Autografting, Sharon Henry, Steven Mapula, Mark Grevious, Kevin N. Foster, Herbert Phelan, Jeffrey Shupp, Rodney Chan, David Harrington, Neil Mashruwala, David A. Brown, Haaris Mir, George Singer, Alfredo Cordova, Lisa Rae, Theresa Chin, Lourdes Castanon, Derek Bell, William Hughes, Joseph A. Molnar

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND Traumatic insults, infection, and surgical procedures can leave skin defects that are not amenable to primary closure. Split-thickness skin grafting (STSG) is frequently used to achieve closure of these wounds. Although effective, STSG can be associated with donor site morbidity, compounding the burden of illness in patients undergoing soft tissue reconstruction procedures. With an expansion ratio of 1:80, autologous skin cell suspension (ASCS) has been demonstrated to significantly decrease donor skin requirements compared with traditional STSG in burn injuries. We hypothesized that the clinical performance of ASCS would be similar for soft tissue reconstruction of nonburn wounds. METHODS A …