Anatomy Commons^™

Mutational And Biophysical Robustness In A Prestabilized Monobody, Peter G. Chandler, Li Lynn Tan, Benjamin T. Porebski, James S. Green, Blake T. Riley, Sebastian S. Broendum, David E. Hoke, Robert J. Falconer, Trent P. Munro, Malcolm Buckle, Colin J. Jackson, Ashley M. Buckle

Advanced Science Research Center

The fibronectin type III (FN3) monobody domain is a promising non-antibody scaffold, which features a less complex architecture than an antibody while maintaining analogous binding loops. We previously developed FN3Con, a hyperstable monobody derivative with diagnostic and therapeutic potential. Prestabilization of the scaffold mitigates the stability–function trade-off commonly associated with evolving a protein domain toward biological activity. Here, we aimed to examine if the FN3Con monobody could take on antibody-like binding to therapeutic targets, while retaining its extreme stability. We targeted the first of the Adnectin derivative of monobodies to reach clinical trials, which was engineered by directed evolution for …

Use Of Umbilical Cord Mesencymal Stem Cells In The Treatment Of Severe Covid-19 Pneumonia, Michelle Joy De Vera, Marc Joseph Buensalido, Jan Jorge Francisco, Jia An Bello, Alan Olavere, Alma Calavera, Josephine Ramos, Norma Ona, Eyreka Escalambre, Marvin Delos Santos, Samuel Bernal, Vasiliki E. Kalodimou

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

A proposed mechanism of severe Corona virus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a deregulated innate immune response to an infection with SARS-CoV-2 resulting in cytokine release syndrome (CRS). Mesencymal stem cells (MSC) have been shown to have immunomodulatory effects and may attenuate the CRS. We present 11 cases of severe COVID-19 pneumonia treated with umbilical cord-derived, non-HLA matched MSC administered as four separate intravenous doses, 5×105 cells/kg. Clinical symptoms, measurements of inflammatory mediators and cytokines (IL6, IL10, IFN-γ, TNF-α), and radiological results were recorded for each patient. Although there were large variations in baseline cytokine pattern elevation, all cytokine levels decreased in …

Gold In Practice: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Treatment And Management In The Primary Care Setting, Barbara P. Yawn, Matthew L. Mintz, Dennis E. Doherty

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Early detection and appropriate treatment and management of COPD can lower morbidity and perhaps mortality. Clinicians in the primary care setting provide the majority of COPD care and are pivotal in the diagnosis and management of COPD. In this review, we provide an overview of the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2020 report, with a focus on the management of COPD in the primary care setting. We discuss the pathophysiology of COPD; describe COPD risk factors, signs, and symptoms that may facilitate earlier diagnosis …

A Bisphosphonate With A Low Hydroxyapatite Binding Affinity Prevents Bone Loss In Mice After Ovariectomy And Reverses Rapidly With Treatment Cessation, Abigail A. Coffman, Jelena Basta-Pljakic, Rosa M. Guerra, Frank H. Ebetino, Mark W. Lundy, Robert J. Majeska, Mitchell B. Schaffler

Publications and Research

Bisphosphonates (BPs) are a mainstay of osteoporosis treatment; however, concerns about bone health based on oversuppression of remodeling remain. Long-term bone remodeling suppression adversely affects bone material properties with microdamage accumulation and reduced fracture toughness in animals and increases in matrix mineralization and atypical femur fractures in patients. Although a “drug holiday” from BPs to restore remodeling and improve bone quality seems reasonable, clinical BPs have long functional half-lives because of their high hydroxyapatite (HAP) binding affinities. This places a practical limit on the reversibility and effectiveness of a drug holiday. BPs with low HAP affinity and strong osteoclast inhibition …

Successful Pregnancy With Centrifugal Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device: A Case Report And Review Of The Literature, Seyed Hamed Hosseini Dehkordi, Matthew R. Lippmann, Travis Abicht, Andrew J. Sauer, Nicholas A. Haglund, Marc R. Parrish, Jared Staab, Bhanu Gupta

The VAD Journal

Successful deliveries from patients supported by axial flow left ventricular devices have been previously reported. We present the first case of a successful pregnancy and birth in a patient with a centrifugal-flow left ventricular assist device. A 24-year-old female with methamphetamine-induced cardiomyopathy and end-stage congestive heart failure supported by a HeartWare™ ventricular assist device (Medtronic) presented two years after device implantation with an unplanned pregnancy at 11-weeks of gestation. Following a multidisciplinary evaluation by experts in advanced heart failure, maternal fetal medicine, cardiothoracic surgery, anesthesia, ethics, psychiatry, and palliative care, an advanced plan of care was established. An elective induction …

Measuring Mitochondrial Respiration In Vivo: From Mouse To Human, Arthur Orchanian, Brennan Schilling, Bruce Berkowitz Phd

Medical Student Research Symposium

Introduction: The mitochondrial energy ecosystem can be non-invasively interrogated in photoreceptors by combing a clinical tool, optical coherence tomography (OCT), with a mitochondrial protonophore (2,4 dinitrophenol, DNP). It remains unclear if only supra-clinical doses of DNP will be useful for mouse studies or if lower but clinically relevant doses of DNP would facilitate translation from mice to humans.

Methods: The experiment was a paired longitudinal design that took place over 2 days. On day 1, C57BL/6J mice were overnight dark adapted, then light-adapted for 5 h before OCT examination before regaining consciousness; a similar procedure was followed on day 2 …

Resident Heart Rate Variability During Cataract Surgery, Ahmad Baiyasi, Shibandri Das, Ferris Bayasi, Faisal Ridha Al-Timimi

Medical Student Research Symposium

Purpose: To evaluate ophthalmology resident anxiousness and cardiovascular response by tracking resident heart rate (HR) when performing cataract surgery during their last year of residency.

Methods: A prospective analysis of 31 cataract cases, completed by three residents (two females and one male), at the Kresge Eye Institute in August and September 2020 was performed. Inclusion criteria for cases included all cataract cases performed by PGY-4 residents at the Kresge Eye Institute who downloaded the Heart Graph app supported by iOS. Residents with android mobile devices were excluded from the study. Informed consent was obtained from all residents who utilized the …

Summary Of 2019 Brano Heart Failure Forum Presentations, Rajko Radovancevic, Bojan Vrtovec, Igor D. Gregoric

The VAD Journal

The Branislav “Brano” Radovancevic Heart Failure Forum (BHFF) was established in 2008. Each year, experts in the field of heart failure gather to learn, discuss and debate the recent advances and theories related to diagnostics and therapeutics. The 12th Annual BHFF was held September 18-21, 2019, in Belgrade, Serbia, and was attended by over 350 participants from 15 countries. Over four days, seventeen separate sessions focused on challenges and solutions related to mechanical circulatory support and heart transplantation. For the first time, a summary of selected presentations was organized and presented herein.

Utilizing Plastinated Head And Neck Dissections For Doctorate Of Dental Medicine (Dmd) Anatomy Laboratories : Observations From The Den 7109 “Guinea Pig” Course, Jessica Immonen

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

This poster documents use of digital dissection tutorials in place of in-person laboratory time for a gross anatomy course in a dental medicine doctorate (DMD) program. Tutorials were developed with a standard digital camera and Camtasia video editing software. Plastinated head and neck specimens prepared by the Von Hagens company in Germany were used in place of standard, embalmed cadaveric donors. Initial student feedback (N=40) indicated that the tutorials were helpful/very helpful (100%), clinically relevant/very clinically relevant (97.5%), were impactful on content retention (100%) and were appropriate/very appropriate with respect to length (3-8 min; 97.5%). After these initial findings were …

Age And Sex Differences In Load-Induced Tibial Cortical Bone Surface Strain Maps, Alessandra Carriero, Behzad Javaheri, Neda Bassir Kazeruni, Andrew A. Pitsillides, Sandra J. Shefelbine

Publications and Research

Bone adapts its architecture to the applied load; however, it is still unclear how bone mechano-adaptation is coordinated and why potential for adaptation adjusts during the life course. Previous animal models have suggested strain as the mechanical stimulus for bone adaptation, but yet it is unknown how mouse cortical bone load-related strains vary with age and sex. In this study, full-field strain maps (at 1 N increments up to 12 N) on the bone surface were measured in young, adult, and old (aged 10, 22 weeks, and 20 months, respectively), male and female C57BL/6J mice with load applied using a …

Decreased Inr On Lvad Support: To Bridge Or Not To Bridge?, Maya Guglin

The VAD Journal

In volume 6, issue 2 of The VAD Journal, we published a paper by Rainess et al. who reported their experience with managing subtherapeutic INRs, mostly in patients with HeartMate II (Thoratec, Pleasanton, CA). Although, the cohort did include some HeartMate 3-supported patients. In their program (Wake Forest University), pharmacists manage anticoagulation according to the institutional protocol, which allows bridging with low molecular weight heparin when INR decreases to less than 1.8. The study is unique because the patients did NOT require interruption of anticoagulation for any purpose. In all instances, the INR decreased because of dietary variations, recent …

Comprehensive Echocardiographic Findings In Critically Ill Covid-19 Patients With Or Without Prior Cardiac Disease, Renuka Jain, Pedro D. Salinas, Stacie Kroboth, Abigail Kaminski, Sarah Roemer, Ana Cristina Perez Moreno, Bijoy K Khandheria

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents with a spectrum of disease severity, the most serious cases requiring intensive care. Echocardiography is a front-line tool in evaluating cardiovascular complications of COVID-19 in the intensive care unit (ICU); we analyzed transthoracic echocardiograms obtained from this patient population with state-of-the-art ultrasound technology.

Methods: All patients with COVID-19 requiring ICU admission on whom a transthoracic echocardiogram was obtained were included in the study. Focused transthoracic protocols were performed by experienced sonographers. Echocardiographic variables, including speckle-tracking echocardiography, were collected and analyzed. Clinical information was obtained from the electronic medical record. Patients were followed until discharge. …

Advantages Of Bridging To Durable Left Ventricular Assist Device With The Impella 5.0, Manish K. Patel

The VAD Journal

The mainstay therapy for patients in critical cardiogenic shock (CS) is temporary mechanical circulatory support. Although there is a trend toward use of durable left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) in patients that are less ill, we present our experience with using the Impella 5.0 (Abiomed) to illustrate the potential benefits of supporting patients with critical CS before durable LVAD implantation. Since 2012, our use of the Impella has increased from 5 to 38 per year. Mortality is highest early after LVAD implantation, but our long-term survival is better than data reported to the INTERMACS registry. Use of an Impella 5.0 …

Resting Cerebral Oxygen Metabolism Exhibits Archetypal Network Features, Nicholas A. Hubbard, Monroe P. Turner, Kevin R. Sitek, Kathryn L. West, Jakub R. Kaczmarzyk, Lyndahl Himes, Binu P. Thomas, Hanzhang Lu, Bart Rypma

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Standard magnetic resonance imaging approaches offer high-resolution but indirect measures of neural activity, limiting understanding of the physiological processes associated with imaging findings. Here, we used calibrated functional magnetic resonance imaging during the resting state to recover low-frequency fluctuations of the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2). We tested whether functional connections derived from these fluctuations exhibited organization properties similar to those established by previous standard functional and anatomical connectivity studies. Seventeen participants underwent 20 min of resting imaging during dual-echo, pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling, and blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal acquisition. Participants also underwent a 10 min normocapnic and hypercapnic …

A "Blinking" Left Ventricular Assist Device, Maya Guglin, Roopa Rao

The VAD Journal

A 61-year-old male with history of coronary artery disease and end stage ischemic cardiomyopathy underwent a successful implantation of a HeartMate 3 device with an uneventful recovery. However, after 6 months, he complained of increased fatigue, intermittent dizziness, and weakness after minor exertion. The pulsatility index was increased to 8, but the left ventricular assist device (LVAD) was otherwise functioning properly. No major changes in either medications or laboratory results were noted. The patient started getting low flow alarms seven months after the procedure and the dizziness increased. On the controller, a continuously changing (“blinking”) speed was noted (Supplemental Video …

Distribution Of Variations In Anatomy Of The Circle Of Willis: Results Of A Cadaveric Study Of The Malawian Population And Review Of Literature, Charles Nyasa, Anthony Mwakikunga, Lackson Temb, Charles Dzamalala, Amadi O. Ihunwo

Brain and Mind Institute

Introduction

the circle of Willis is an anatomical structure of clinical importance particularly in the evaluation of neurovascular diseases. Individuals show considerable variations in the anatomical configuration of the circle of Willis. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the distribution of morphological variations of the circle of Willis in Malawians and compare with other ethnic groups.

Methods

brains were collected from twenty-four recently deceased black Malawians during autopsy at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, a referral teaching hospital in Blantyre, Malawi and fixed in 10% buffered formalin. Digital images of the interpeduncular region (exposing the circle of Willis) were taken …

Effectiveness Of Physical Therapy Interventions For Women With Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review, Emily Hammond, Abigail Applegate, Emma Caldwell, Hayley Witmer, Amy Tremback-Ball

Student Research Poster Presentations 2021

Background and aims: Primary dysmenorrhea, or painful menstruation, is common in menstruating females. However, in some, it can cause intense pain, disrupt activities of daily living, and impact quality of life. The treatment of dysmenorrhea does not traditionally include physical therapy. A systematic review was conducted to explore the role of physical therapy in treating dysmenorrhea. Methods: A search was performed in August 2020 and January 2021 using EBSCOhost, Academic Search Ultimate, CINAHL Complete, and MEDLINE. Search terms included exercise or physical activity or fitness AND dysmenorrhea or menstrual pain or painful menstruation. Inclusion criteria were articles that were peer-reviewed, …

Impact Of Heavy Metals In Ambient Air In Insulin Resistance Of Shipyard Welders In Northern Taiwan, Ting-Yao Su, Hueiwang Anna Jeng, Yuan-Ting Hsu, Ching-Huang Lai, Chih-Hong Pan

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Exposure to metals poses potential health risks, including insulin resistance (IR), to those exposed to them in excess. Limited studies have examined such risks in occupational workers, including welders, and these have yielded inconsistent results. Thus, we examined the associations between exposure to welding metals and IR in welders. We recruited 78 welders and 75 administrative staff from a shipyard located in northern Taiwan. Personal exposure to heavy metals, including chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and cadmium (Cd), was monitored through particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm (PM …

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (Tavr), Emily Wentzel

Student Research Poster Presentations 2021

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)

Emily Wentzel

Lynn Blazaskie

Abstract

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, or TAVR, is a procedure that is performed when a patient is in need of a new aortic valve. This is a procedure done to relieve symptoms of aortic stenosis. TAVR first began in France in 2002 and came to the United States in 2005. Cardiac Catheterization is the modality that is utilized in order to perform this procedure along with a cardiac catheterization team. The team includes cardiac catheterization technologists, doctors, nurses, cardiovascular surgeons, and ultrasound technologists. Cardiac Catheterization is a minor surgical procedure that …

Characterization Of Inhbb, Heatr5a, & Cyp2s1 Expression In Dorsal Root Ganglia By In-Situ Hybridization, Joshua D. Krech

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Multiple studies have shown that gene expression changes occur in sensory neurons after peripheral nerve injury (PNI). These expression changes include many genes that are turned on specifically in response to injury, but much less is know about expression changes in stable genetic markers of particular sensory neuron populations. This study characterized the expression of three markers of proprioceptive neurons Inhbb, Heatr5a, Cyp2s1 in lumbar dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in intact animals and after PNI. To perform these experiments, we subcloned segments of the coding sequences of these genes and generated DIG-labeled riboprobes. Control experiments demonstrated the validity of …

Somatosensory Dysfunction Is Masked By Variable Cognitive Deficits Across Patients On The Alzheimer’S Disease Spectrum, Alex I. Wiesman, Victoria M. Mundorf, Chloe C. Casagrande, Sara L. Wolfson, Craig M. Johnson, Pamela E. May, Daniel L. Murman, Tony W. Wilson

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is generally thought to spare primary sensory function; however, such interpretations have drawn from a literature that has rarely taken into account the variable cognitive declines seen in patients with AD. As these cognitive domains are now known to modulate cortical somato-sensory processing, it remains possible that abnormalities in somatosensory function in patients with AD have been suppressed by neuropsychological variability in previous research. Methods: In this study, we combine magnetoencephalographic (MEG) brain imaging during a paired-pulse somatosensory gating task with an extensive battery of neuropsychological tests to investigate the influence of cognitive variability on estimated …

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 …

Small Airway Determinants Of Airflow Limitation In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Vasiliy V. Polosukhin, Sergey S. Gutor, Rui-Hong Du, Bradley W. Richmond, Pierre P. Massion, Pingsheng Wu, Justin M. Cates, Kim L. Sandler, Stephen I. Rennard, Timothy S. Blackwell

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: Although a variety of pathological changes have been described in small airways of patients with COPD, the critical anatomic features determining airflow limitation remain incompletely characterised.

METHODS: We examined lung tissue specimens from 18 non-smokers without chronic lung disease and 55 former smokers with COPD for pathological features of small airways that could contribute to airflow limitation. Morphometric evaluation was performed for epithelial and subepithelial tissue thickness, collagen and elastin content, luminal mucus and radial alveolar attachments. Immune/inflammatory cells were enumerated in airway walls. Quantitative emphysema scoring was performed on chest CT scans.

RESULTS: Small airways from patients with …

A Systematic Review Of Brainstem Contributions To Autism Spectrum Disorder, Ala Seif, Carly Shea, Susanne Schmid, Ryan A Stevenson

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects one in 66 children in Canada. The contributions of changes in the cortex and cerebellum to autism have been studied for decades. However, our understanding of brainstem contributions has only started to emerge more recently. Disruptions of sensory processing, startle response, sensory filtering, sensorimotor gating, multisensory integration and sleep are all features of ASD and are processes in which the brainstem is involved. In addition, preliminary research into brainstem contribution emphasizes the importance of the developmental timeline rather than just the mature brainstem. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review …

Gabab Receptor Agonist R-Baclofen Reverses Altered Auditory Reactivity And Filtering In The Cntnap2 Knock-Out Rat, Dorit Möhrle, Wenxuan Wang, Shawn N Whitehead, Susanne Schmid

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

Altered sensory information processing, and auditory processing, in particular, is a common impairment in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One prominent hypothesis for the etiology of ASD is an imbalance between neuronal excitation and inhibition. The selective GABA_B receptor agonist R-Baclofen has been shown previously to improve social deficits and repetitive behaviors in several mouse models for neurodevelopmental disorders including ASD, and its formulation Arbaclofen has been shown to ameliorate social avoidance symptoms in some individuals with ASD. The present study investigated whether R-Baclofen can remediate ASD-related altered sensory processing reliant on excitation/inhibition imbalance in the auditory brainstem. …

Micro-Ct Of The Human Ossicular Chain: Statistical Shape Modeling And Implications For Otologic Surgery, Western University, London Health Sciences Centre

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

The ossicular chain is a middle ear structure consisting of the small incus, malleus and stapes bones, which transmit tympanic membrane vibrations caused by sound to the inner ear. Despite being shown to be highly variable in shape, there are very few morphological studies of the ossicles. The objective of this study was to use a large sample of cadaveric ossicles to create a set of three-dimensional models and study their statistical variance. Thirty-three cadaveric temporal bone samples were scanned using micro-computed tomography (μCT) and segmented. Statistical shape models (SSMs) were then made for each ossicle to demonstrate the divergence …

Open Neuroscience Initiative, Austin Lim

College of Science and Health Full Text Publications

The Open Neuroscience Initiative is a free-to-use textbook

This project began as a means to overcoming the financial burden that face undergraduate neuroscience students when buying textbooks. By compiling and writing a completely free-to-access textbook that covers the foundations of a typical college introduction to neuroscience course, students would have one less obstacle to overcome in their educational career, allowing them to focus their valuable time and attention on learning rather than finances. To make this project a reality, I began with a humble tweet in May 2019 that managed to gain a tiny bit of traction among the neuroscience …

Genetic Variation In Genes Regulating Skeletal Muscle Regeneration And Tissue Remodelling Associated With Weight Loss In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Preeti Lakshman Kumar, Ava C. Wilson, Alison Rocco, Michael H. Cho, Emily Wan, Brian D. Hobbs, George R. Washko, Victor E. Ortega, Stephanie A. Christenson, Xingnan Li, J. Michael Wells, Surya P. Bhatt, Dawn L. Demeo, Sharon M. Lutz, Harry Rossiter, Richard Casaburi, Stephen I. Rennard, David A. Lomas, Wassim W. Labaki, Ruth Tal-Singer, Russel P. Bowler, Craig P. Hersh, Hemant K. Tiwari, Mark Dransfield, Anna Thalacker-Mercer, Deborah A. Meyers, Edwin K. Silverman, Merry-Lynn N. Mcdonald, Copdgene, Eclipse And Spiromics Investigators

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death globally. COPD patients with cachexia or weight loss have increased risk of death independent of body mass index (BMI) and lung function. We tested the hypothesis genetic variation is associated with weight loss in COPD using a genome-wide association study approach.

METHODS: Participants with COPD (N = 4308) from three studies (COPDGene, ECLIPSE, and SPIROMICS) were analysed. Discovery analyses were performed in COPDGene with replication in SPIROMICS and ECLIPSE. In COPDGene, weight loss was defined as self-reported unintentional weight loss > 5% in the past year or low …

The Effect Of Long-Acting Dual Bronchodilator Therapy On Exercise Tolerance, Dynamic Hyperinflation, And Dead Space During Constant Work Rate Exercise In Copd, William W. Stringer, Janos Porszasz, Min Cao, Harry B. Rossiter, Shahid Siddiqui, Stephen I. Rennard, Richard Casaburi

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

We investigated whether dual bronchodilator therapy (glycopyrrolate/formoterol fumarate; GFF; Bevespi Aerosphere) would increase exercise tolerance during a high-intensity constant work rate exercise test (CWRET) and the relative contributions of dead space ventilation (V_D/V_T) and dynamic hyperinflation (change in inspiratory capacity) to exercise limitation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In all, 48 patients with COPD (62.9 ± 7.6 yrs; 33 male; GOLD spirometry stage 1/2/3/4, n = 2/35/11/0) performed a randomized, double blind, placebo (PL) controlled, two-period crossover, single-center trial. Gas exchange and inspiratory capacity (IC) were assessed during cycle ergometry at 80% incremental exercise peak …

Longitudinal Imaging-Based Clusters In Former Smokers Of The Copd Cohort Associate With Clinical Characteristics: The Subpopulations And Intermediate Outcome Measures In Copd Study (Spiromics), Chunrui Zou, Frank Li, Jiwoong Choi, Babak Haghighi, Sanghun Choi, Prathish K. Rajaraman, Alejandro P. Comellas, John D. Newell, Chang Hyun Lee, R. Graham Barr, Eugene Bleecker, Christopher B. Cooper, David Couper, Meilan Han, Nadia N. Hansel, Richard E. Kanner, Ella A. Kazerooni, Eric C. Kleerup, Fernando J. Martinez, Wanda O'Neal, Robert Paine, Stephen I. Rennard, Benjamin M. Smith, Prescott G. Woodruff, Eric A. Hoffman, Ching-Long Lin

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

PURPOSE: Quantitative computed tomography (qCT) imaging-based cluster analysis identified clinically meaningful COPD former-smoker subgroups (clusters) based on cross-sectional data. We aimed to identify progression clusters for former smokers using longitudinal data.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We selected 472 former smokers from SPIROMICS with a baseline visit and a one-year follow-up visit. A total of 150 qCT imaging-based variables, comprising 75 variables at baseline and their corresponding progression rates, were derived from the respective inspiration and expiration scans of the two visits. The COPD progression clusters identified were then associated with subject demography, clinical variables and biomarkers.

RESULTS: COPD severities at baseline …