Diseases Commons^™

A Differential Diagnosis Of Unusual Gastric Ulcer, Soo-Yoon Sung, Hyun Ho Choi, Kyung Jin Seo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The endoscopic findings of diffuse large B cell lymphoma have various presentations. In our case, the patient had developed multiple elevated central ulceration lesions, and the peripheral elevated portion had a heaped-up margin. The margin had a sharp, smooth edge that was not infiltrative and could be confused with a simple gastric ulcer. Endoscopists should be aware of the possibility of multiple lymphoma ulcers with heaped-up margins. We present some unusual endoscopic features of lymphoma, which are easily misdiagnosed as gastric ulcers.

Covid-19 Newsletter (Vol. 131), Center For Disaster Medicine, New York Medical College

COVID-19 Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Spectral Library-Based Single-Cell Proteomics Resolves Cellular Heterogeneity, Lakmini Senavirathna, Cheng Ma, Ru Chen, Sheng Pan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Dissecting the proteome of cell types and states at single-cell resolution, while being highly challenging, has significant implications in basic science and biomedicine. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based single-cell proteomics represents an emerging technology for system-wide, unbiased profiling of proteins in single cells. However, significant challenges remain in analyzing an extremely small amount of proteins collected from a single cell, as a proteome-wide amplification of proteins is not currently feasible. Here, we report an integrated spectral library-based single-cell proteomics (SLB-SCP) platform that is ultrasensitive and well suited for a large-scale analysis. To overcome the low MS/MS signal intensity intrinsically associated with a …

Neither Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes Nor Cytotoxic T Cells Predict Enhanced Benefit From Chemotherapy In The Dbcg77b Phase Iii Clinical Trial, Elahe Shenasa, Elisabeth Specht Stovgaard, Maj-Britt Jensen, Karama Asleh, Nazia Riaz, Dongxia Gao, Samuel Leung, Bent Ejlertsen, Anne-Vibeke Laenkholm, Torsten O. Nielsen

Section of General Surgery

Recent studies have shown that immune infiltrates in the tumor microenvironment play a role in response to therapy, with some suggesting that patients with immunogenic tumors may receive increased benefit from chemotherapies. We evaluated this hypothesis in early breast cancer by testing the interaction between immune biomarkers and chemotherapy using materials from DBCG77B, a phase III clinical trial where high-risk premenopausal women were randomized to receive chemotherapy or no chemotherapy. Tissue microarrays were evaluated for tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) assessed morphologically on hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides, and by immunohistochemistry for CD8, FOXP3, LAG-3, PD-1 and PD-L1. Following REMARK reporting guidelines, data …

Covid-19 Newsletter (Vol. 130), Center For Disaster Medicine, New York Medical College

COVID-19 Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Identifying Differences: A Key Step In Precision Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Mahmoud Al Rifai, Salim S. Virani, Vijay Nambi

Office of the Provost

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Delayed Surgical Care On Patient Outcomes With Alimentary Tract Perforation: Insight From A Low-Middle Income Country, Hasnain Zafar, Taha Ahmad Zaka-Ur-Rehman, Muhammad Sohaib Khan, Shayan Ahmed, Amir Hafeez Shariff

Section of General Surgery

Introduction: In-patient delay is associated with increased mortality in patients with alimentary tract perforations. Access to surgical care is a glaring health issue in low-middle income countries (LMICs), where patient presentation is also delayed for a myriad of reasons, which can be broadly categorized as social/cultural, financial, and structural in their nature. The impact these delays have on surgical outcomes in low-middle income countries is not known.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent emergency laparotomy for alimentary tract perforation from July 2015 to June 2018 was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Time was …

Association Between Social Vulnerability Index And Cardiovascular Disease: A Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Study, Vardhmaan Jain, Mahmoud Al Rifai, Safi U. Khan, Safi U. Khan, Ankur Kalra, Fatima Rodriguez, Zainab Samad, Yashashwi Pokharel, Arunima Misra, Laurence S. Sperling

Section of Cardiology

Background Social and environmental factors play an important role in the rising health care burden of cardiovascular disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) from US census data as a tool for public health officials to identify communities in need of support in the setting of a hazardous event. SVI (ranging from a least vulnerable score of 0 to a most vulnerable score of 1) ranks communities on 15 social factors including unemployment, minoritized groups status, and disability, and groups them under 4 broad themes: socioeconomic status, housing and transportation, minoritized groups, and …

Association Between Social Vulnerability Index And Cardiovascular Disease: A Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Study, Vardhmaan Jain, Mahmoud Al Rifai, Safi U Khan, Ankur Kalra, Fatima Rodriguez, Zainab Samad, Yashashwi Pokharel, Arunima Misra, Laurence S Sperling, Jamal S Rana, Waqas Ullah, Ankit Medhekar, Salim S Virani

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background Social and environmental factors play an important role in the rising health care burden of cardiovascular disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) from US census data as a tool for public health officials to identify communities in need of support in the setting of a hazardous event. SVI (ranging from a least vulnerable score of 0 to a most vulnerable score of 1) ranks communities on 15 social factors including unemployment, minoritized groups status, and disability, and groups them under 4 broad themes: socioeconomic status, housing and transportation, minoritized groups, and …

Muscle And Adipose Tissue Segmentations At The Third Cervical Vertebral Level In Patients With Head And Neck Cancer, Kareem A Wahid, Brennan Olson, Rishab Jain, Aaron J Grossberg, Dina El-Habashy, Cem Dede, Vivian Salama, Moamen Abobakr, Abdallah S R Mohamed, Renjie He, Joel Jaskari, Jaakko Sahlsten, Kimmo Kaski, Clifton D Fuller, Mohamed A Naser

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The accurate determination of sarcopenia is critical for disease management in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). Quantitative determination of sarcopenia is currently dependent on manually-generated segmentations of skeletal muscle derived from computed tomography (CT) cross-sectional imaging. This has prompted the increasing utilization of machine learning models for automated sarcopenia determination. However, extant datasets currently do not provide the necessary manually-generated skeletal muscle segmentations at the C3 vertebral level needed for building these models. In this data descriptor, a set of 394 HNC patients were selected from The Cancer Imaging Archive, and their skeletal muscle and adipose tissue was …

Updated Estimates Of Sepsis Hospitalizations At United States Academic Medical Centers, Hei Kit Chan, Swapnil Khose, Summer Chavez, Bela Patel, Henry E Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: Sepsis is a major public health problem. Understanding the epidemiology of sepsis subtypes is important to quantify the magnitude of the problem and identify targets for system wide treatment strategies. We sought to describe the current national epidemiology of community-acquired (CAS), hospital-acquired (HAS) and healthcare-associated sepsis (HCAS) hospitalizations among academic medical centers in the United States using current discharge diagnosis taxonomies.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of patient discharge data from the Vizient Clinical Data Base/Resource Manager. We identified sepsis hospitalizations using four ICD-10 coding strategies: (1) "Martin" sepsis codes (21 ICD-10 codes), (2) "Angus" sepsis codes (ICD-10 infection + ICD-10 …

Social Contributors For The Rise Of Covid-19 Infections In South Asia: A Large Cross-Sectional Survey, Zouina Sarfraz, Azza Sarfraz, Muzna Sarfraz, Nishwa Azeem, Namrata Hange, Miguel Felix, Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: The ongoing global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in South Asia on 30th January 2020 in India. Ever since, certain countries have witnessed multiple waves of COVID-19, requiring attention by public health experts and strategists in the region. The objectives of this study are to assess social contributors to the recurrent waves of COVID-19 in South Asia including first demographic traits, second household characteristics and social measures, third workplace trends and personal protective equipment use, and fourth satisfaction and attitudes concerning public health measures and vaccination status. …

A Sensor-Controlled Digital Game For Heart Failure Self-Care Based On Behavioral Change Frameworks, Kavita Radhakrishnan, Atami Sagna Demain, Christine Julien, Katelyn Leggio, Matthew O'Hair, Emily T Hebért Arsers, Grace Lee, Tom Baranowski

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Self-care behaviors are critical to manage the adverse impact of heart failure disease. However, engaging in self-care behaviors such as physical activity or daily weight-monitoring can be difficult due to lack of knowledge or motivation. Digital games can serve as an alternative to traditional patient education to provide information and motivate engagement in critical self-care behaviors. In this paper, we describe a sensor-controlled digital game (SCDG) in which game play is driven by the player's real life self-care behaviors. We also present the design and development of the next iteration of the SCDG based on playtesting results and behavioral theoretical …

Integrated Multi-Omic Characterization Of Congenital Heart Disease, Matthew C Hill, Zachary A Kadow, Hali Long, Yuka Morikawa, Thomas J Martin, Emma J Birks, Kenneth S Campbell, Jeanne Nerbonne, Kory Lavine, Lalita Wadhwa, Jun Wang, Diwakar Turaga, Iki Adachi, James F Martin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The heart, the first organ to develop in the embryo, undergoes complex morphogenesis that when defective results in congenital heart disease (CHD). With current therapies, more than 90% of patients with CHD survive into adulthood, but many suffer premature death from heart failure and non-cardiac causes1. Here, to gain insight into this disease progression, we performed single-nucleus RNA sequencing on 157,273 nuclei from control hearts and hearts from patients with CHD, including those with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and tetralogy of Fallot, two common forms of cyanotic CHD lesions, as well as dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathies. We …

Immune Phenotype Of The Cd4+ T Cells In The Aged Lymphoid Organs And Lacrimal Glands, Claudia M Trujillo-Vargas, Kelsey E Mauk, Humberto Hernandez, Rodrigo G De Souza, Zhiyuan Yu, Jeremias G Galletti, Jana Dietrich, Friedrich Paulsen, Cintia S De Paiva

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Aging is associated with a massive infiltration of T lymphocytes in the lacrimal gland. Here, we aimed to characterize the immune phenotype of aged CD4+ T cells in this tissue as compared with lymphoid organs. To perform this, we sorted regulatory T cells (Tregs, CD4+CD25+GITR+) and non-Tregs (CD4+CD25negGITRneg) in lymphoid organs from female C57BL/6J mice and subjected these cells to an immunology NanoString® panel. These results were confirmed by flow cytometry, live imaging, and tissue immunostaining in the lacrimal gland. Importantly, effector T helper 1 (Th1) genes were highly upregulated on aged Tregs, including the master regulator Tbx21. Among …

Identifying Factors Associated With Detection Of Sessile Gastric Polyps In Patients With Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, Gautam N Mankaney, Michael Cruise, Shashank Sarvepalli, Amit Bhatt, David Liska, Carol A Burke

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background and study aims  Gastric cancer (GC) is increasingly reported and a leading cause of death in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Identifying features in patients with FAP who harbor sessile gastric polyps, likely precursors to GC, may lead to alterations in endoscopic surveillance in those patients and allow endoscopic intervention to decrease the risk of GC. The aim of this study was to identify demographic and clinical factors in patients with FAP who harbor sessile gastric polyps.

Patients and methods  We retrospectively compared demographic, clinical, and endoscopic features in consecutive adult patients with FAP who presented for a …

Reconstructive Outcomes Of Multilayered Closure Of Large Skull Base Dural Defects Following Open Anterior Craniofacial Resection, Justin Shi, Tokunbo Ayeni, Kathleen Kelly Gallagher, Akash J Patel, Ali Jalali, David J Hernandez, Angela D Haskins, Vlad C Sandulache, Erich M Sturgis, Andrew T Huang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction  Standardized reconstruction protocols for large open anterior skull base defects with dural resection are not well described. Here we report the outcomes and technique of a multilayered reconstructive algorithm utilizing local tissue, dural graft matrix, and microvascular free tissue transfer (MVFTT) for reconstruction of these deformities.

Design  This study is a retrospective review.

Results  Eleven patients (82% males) met inclusion criteria, with five (45%) having concurrent orbital exenteration and eight (73%) requiring maxillectomy. All patients required dural resection with or without intracranial tumor resection, with the average dural defect being 36.0 ± 25.9 cm ² . Dural graft matrices …

Oropharyngeal Cancer Outcomes Correlate With P16 Status, Multinucleation And Immune Infiltration, David C Wilde, Patricia D Castro, Kaustav Bera, Syeling Lai, Anant Madabhushi, German Corredor, Can Koyuncu, James S Lewis, Cheng Lu, Mitchell J Frederick, Allan M Frederick, Avery E Haugen, Jose P Zevallos, Erich M Sturgis, Justin Shi, Andrew T Huang, David J Hernandez, Heath D Skinner, Jan O Kemnade, Wendong Yu, Andrew G Sikora, Vlad C Sandulache

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), largely fueled by the human papillomavirus (HPV), has a complex biological and immunologic phenotype. Although HPV/p16 status can be used to stratify OPSCC patients as a function of survival, it remains unclear what drives an improved treatment response in HPV-associated OPSCC and whether targetable biomarkers exist that can inform a precision oncology approach. We analyzed OPSCC patients treated between 2000 and 2016 and correlated locoregional control (LRC), disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) with conventional clinical parameters, risk parameters generated using deep-learning algorithms trained to quantify tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) (OP-TIL) and multinucleated tumor cells …

A Novel Approach To The Removal Of A Silastic Band Via The Peroral Endoscopic Tunneling-Silastic Bandectomy Technique, Wasif M Abidi, Salmaan Jawaid

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The peroral endoscopic tunneling-silastic bandectomy technique to remove a silastic band causing a vertical banded gastroplasty stenosis. This method is a viable alternative to surgical removal of foreign bodies outside the gastrointestinal lumen.

Pathological Implication Of Protein Post-Translational Modifications In Cancer, Sheng Pan, Ru Chen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) profoundly influence protein functions and play crucial roles in essentially all cell biological processes. The diverse realm of PTMs and their crosstalk is linked to many critical signaling events involved in neoplastic transformation, carcinogenesis and metastasis. The pathological roles of various PTMs are implicated in all aspects of cancer hallmark functions, cancer metabolism and regulation of tumor microenvironment. Study of PTMs has become an important area in cancer research to understand cancer biology and discover novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. With a limited scope, this review attempts to discuss some PTMs of high frequency with recognized …

Proteomes Of Extracellular Vesicles From Pancreatic Cancer Cells And Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts, Sharon Pan, Lisa A Lai, Diane M Simeone, David W Dawson, Yuanqing Yan, Tatjana Crnogorac-Jurcevic, Ru Chen, Teresa A Brentnall

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVES: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are lipid bound vesicles secreted by cells into the extracellular environment. Studies have implicated EVs in cell proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, metastasis, angiogenesis, and mediating the interaction of tumor cells and microenvironment. A systematic characterization of EVs from pancreatic cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) would be valuable for studying the roles of EV proteins in pancreatic tumorigenesis.

METHODS: Proteomic and functional analyses were applied to characterize the proteomes of EVs released from 5 pancreatic cancer lines, 2 CAF cell lines, and a normal pancreatic epithelial cell line (HPDE).

RESULTS: More than 1400 nonredundant proteins were identified …

Cell Plasticity In Regeneration In The Stomach And Beyond, Mahliyah Adkins-Threats, Jason C Mills

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Recent studies using cell lineage-tracing techniques, organoids, and single-cell RNA sequencing analyses have revealed: 1) adult organs use cell plasticity programs to recruit progenitor cells to regenerate tissues after injury, and 2) plasticity is far more common than previously thought, even in homeostasis. Here, we focus on the complex interplay of normal stem cell differentiation and plasticity in homeostasis and after injury, using the gastric epithelium as a touchstone. We also examine common features of regenerative programs and discuss the evolutionarily conserved, stepwise process of paligenosis which reprograms mature cells into progenitors that can repair damaged tissue. Finally, we discuss …

Exome Sequencing Identifies Genetic Variants In Anophthalmia And Microphthalmia, Jingjing Li, Wei Yang, Yuejun Jessie Wang, Chen Ma, Cynthia J Curry, Daniel Mcgoldrick, Deborah A Nickerson, Jessica X Chong, Elizabeth E Blue, James C Mullikin, Jennita Reefhuis, Wendy N Nembhard, Paul A Romitti, Martha M Werler, Marilyn L Browne, Andrew F Olshan, Richard H Finnell, Marcia L Feldkamp, Faith Pangilinan, Lynn M Almli, Mike J Bamshad, Lawrence C Brody, Mary M Jenkins, Gary M Shaw, University Of Washington Center For Mendelian Genomics, Nisc Comparative Sequencing Program, National Birth Defects Prevention Study

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Anophthalmia and microphthalmia (A/M) are rare birth defects affecting up to 2 per 10,000 live births. These conditions are manifested by the absence of an eye or reduced eye volumes within the orbit leading to vision loss. Although clinical case series suggest a strong genetic component in A/M, few systematic investigations have been conducted on potential genetic contributions owing to low population prevalence. To overcome this challenge, we utilized DNA samples and data collected as part of the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS). The NBDPS employed multi-center ascertainment of infants affected by A/M. We performed exome sequencing on 67 …

Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Kinase 2 Regulates Hepatic Fuel Metabolism, Brittany A Stork, Adam Dean, Andrea R Ortiz, Pradip Saha, Nagireddy Putluri, Maricarmen D Planas-Silva, Iqbal Mahmud, Kimal Rajapakshe, Cristian Coarfa, Stefan Knapp, Philip L Lorenzi, Bruce E Kemp, Benjamin E Turk, John W Scott, Anthony R Means, Brian York

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: The liver is the primary internal metabolic organ that coordinates whole body energy homeostasis in response to feeding and fasting. Genetic ablation or pharmacological inhibition of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2 (CaMKK2) has been shown to significantly improve hepatic health and peripheral insulin sensitivity upon overnutrition with high fat diet. However, the precise molecular underpinnings that explain this metabolic protection have remained largely undefined.

METHODS: To characterize the role of CaMKK2 in hepatic metabolism, we developed and challenged liver-specific CaMKK2 knockout (CaMKK2

RESULTS: Consistent with previous findings, we show that hepatic CaMKK2 ablation significantly improves indices of peripheral insulin …

A Large-Scale Genome-Wide Gene-Gene Interaction Study Of Lung Cancer Susceptibility In Europeans With A Trans-Ethnic Validation In Asians, Ruyang Zhang, Sipeng Shen, Yongyue Wei, Ying Zhu, Yi Li, Jiajin Chen, Jinxing Guan, Zoucheng Pan, Yuzhuo Wang, Meng Zhu, Junxing Xie, Xiangjun Xiao, Dakai Zhu, Yafang Li, Demetrios Albanes, Maria Teresa Landi, Neil E Caporaso, Stephen Lam, Adonina Tardon, Chu Chen, Stig E Bojesen, Mattias Johansson, Angela Risch, Heike Bickeböller, H-Erich Wichmann, Gadi Rennert, Susanne Arnold, Paul Brennan, James D Mckay, John K Field, Sanjay S Shete, Loic Le Marchand, Geoffrey Liu, Angeline S Andrew, Lambertus A Kiemeney, Shan Zienolddiny-Narui, Annelie Behndig, Mikael Johansson, Angela Cox, Philip Lazarus, Matthew B Schabath, Melinda C Aldrich, Juncheng Dai, Hongxia Ma, Yang Zhao, Zhibin Hu, Rayjean J Hung, Christopher I Amos, Hongbing Shen, Feng Chen, David C Christiani

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: Although genome-wide association studies have been conducted to investigate genetic variation of lung tumorigenesis, little is known about gene-gene (G × G) interactions that may influence the risk of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS: Leveraging a total of 445,221 European-descent participants from the International Lung Cancer Consortium OncoArray project, Transdisciplinary Research in Cancer of the Lung and UK Biobank, we performed a large-scale genome-wide G × G interaction study on European NSCLC risk by a series of analyses. First, we used BiForce to evaluate and rank more than 58 billion G × G interactions from 340,958 single-nucleotide polymorphisms …

Cross-Ancestry Genome-Wide Meta-Analysis Of 61,047 Cases And 947,237 Controls Identifies New Susceptibility Loci Contributing To Lung Cancer, Jinyoung Byun, Younghun Han, Yafang Li, Jun Xia, Erping Long, Jiyeon Choi, Xiangjun Xiao, Meng Zhu, Wen Zhou, Ryan Sun, Yohan Bossé, Zhuoyi Song, Ann Schwartz, Christine Lusk, Thorunn Rafnar, Kari Stefansson, Tongwu Zhang, Wei Zhao, Rowland W Pettit, Yanhong Liu, Xihao Li, Hufeng Zhou, Kyle M Walsh, Ivan Gorlov, Olga Gorlova, Dakai Zhu, Susan M Rosenberg, Susan Pinney, Joan E Bailey-Wilson, Diptasri Mandal, Mariza De Andrade, Colette Gaba, James C Willey, Ming You, Marshall Anderson, John K Wiencke, Demetrius Albanes, Stephan Lam, Adonina Tardon, Chu Chen, Gary Goodman, Stig Bojeson, Hermann Brenner, Maria Teresa Landi, Stephen J Chanock, Mattias Johansson, Thomas Muley, Angela Risch, H-Erich Wichmann, Heike Bickeböller, David C Christiani, Gad Rennert, Susanne Arnold, John K Field, Sanjay Shete, Loic Le Marchand, Olle Melander, Hans Brunnstrom, Geoffrey Liu, Angeline S Andrew, Lambertus A Kiemeney, Hongbing Shen, Shanbeh Zienolddiny, Kjell Grankvist, Mikael Johansson, Neil Caporaso, Angela Cox, Yun-Chul Hong, Jian-Min Yuan, Philip Lazarus, Matthew B Schabath, Melinda C Aldrich, Alpa Patel, Qing Lan, Nathaniel Rothman, Fiona Taylor, Linda Kachuri, John S Witte, Lori C Sakoda, Margaret Spitz, Paul Brennan, Xihong Lin, James Mckay, Rayjean J Hung, Christopher I Amos

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

To identify new susceptibility loci to lung cancer among diverse populations, we performed cross-ancestry genome-wide association studies in European, East Asian and African populations and discovered five loci that have not been previously reported. We replicated 26 signals and identified 10 new lead associations from previously reported loci. Rare-variant associations tended to be specific to populations, but even common-variant associations influencing smoking behavior, such as those with CHRNA5 and CYP2A6, showed population specificity. Fine-mapping and expression quantitative trait locus colocalization nominated several candidate variants and susceptibility genes such as IRF4 and FUBP1. DNA damage assays of prioritized genes in lung …

Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial Of Losartan For Pediatric Nafld, Miriam B Vos, Mark L Van Natta, Niviann M Blondet, Srinivasan Dasarathy, Mark Fishbein, Paula Hertel, Ajay K Jain, Saul J Karpen, Joel E Lavine, Saeed Mohammad, Laura A Miriel, Jean P Molleston, Marialena Mouzaki, Arun Sanyal, Emily P Sharkey, Jeffrey B Schwimmer, James Tonascia, Laura A Wilson, Stavra A Xanthakos, Nash Clinical Research Network

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To date, no pharmacotherapy exists for pediatric NAFLD. Losartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker, has been proposed as a treatment due to its antifibrotic effects.

APPROACH AND RESULTS: The Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network conducted a multicenter, double-masked, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial in children with histologically confirmed NAFLD at 10 sites (September 2018 to April 2020). Inclusion criteria were age 8-17 years, histologic NAFLD activity score ≥ 3, and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≥ 50 U/l. Children received 100 mg of losartan or placebo orally once daily for 24 weeks. The primary outcome was change in ALT …

Aspirin Use Is Associated With Decreased Inpatient Mortality In Patients With Covid-19: A Meta-Analysis, Aswin Srinivasan, Jonathan Brown, Pavitra Parimala Krishnamani, Brendon Cornett, Ramesh Babu Kesavan, Siva T Sarva, Syed Arman Raza, Waleed Tallat Kayani

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Thromboembolism is a major cause of death in patients who suffer from COVID-19. Studies examining the effects of aspirin (ASA) on mortality relating to this phenomenon have showed conflicting results with varying degrees and certainties of evidence. We performed an aggregate data meta-analysis of fourteen studies encompassing 164,539 COVID-19 patients, which showed a reduced risk of in-hospital mortality associated with ASA use in eight studies that reported risk ratios (RR 0.90; 95 % CI 0.82–0.98; I2 = 27.33 %, P = 0.01), six studies that reported hazard ratios (HR 0.56; 95 % CI 0.41–0.76, P ≤ 0.01; I2 = 85.92 …

Barriers To Care For Poststroke Visual Deficits In Alberta, Canada, Kiran Pohar Manhas, Karim F. Damji, Katelyn Brehon, Jennis Jiang, Peter Faris, Fiona Costello

Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences

Poststroke visual impairment (VI) negatively affects rehabilitation potential and quality of life for stroke survivors. In this cross-sectional observational study, stroke survivors and providers were surveyed to quantify perspectives regarding care for poststroke VI in Alberta, Canada (n = 46 survivors; n = 87 providers). Few patients (35%) felt prepared to cope with VI at the time of discharge from acute stroke and inpatient rehabilitation settings. Less than 25% of stroke survivors, and <16% of providers, felt referral processes were adequate. 95.2% of providers and 82% of stroke survivors advocated for a provincial clinical pathway to improve care quality for poststroke VI.

Ribonucleotide Reductase Subunit Switching In Hepatoblastoma Drug Response And Relapse, Anthony Brown

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Hepatoblastoma is the most common primary liver cancer in infants and young children. Despite being a very rare cancer that accounts for only 0.5-2% if all childhood cancer cases, HB has the largest increase in incidence among childhood cancers in the United States and worldwide. The five-year survival rate of children with the aggressive forms of HB, including those that have developed metastatic or recurrent diseases, is less than 40% due to the lack of effective treatment. We aim to identify targetable mechanisms underlying the progression and drug resistance of high-risk HB. Our recent work on HB mouse and organoid …