Diseases Commons^™

Outcomes Of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding In Hospitalized Covid-19 Patients In The United States: A Propensity-Score Matched Analysis Of A Large National Database, Moon Ryu, Mohammed Quazi, Niloy Ghosh, Karthik Gangu, Amir H Sohail, Asif Farooq, Babu S Maringanti, Aman Goyal, Anupa Patel, Muhammad S Khan, Abu B Sheikh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Patients with cirrhosis that are hospitalized with COVID-19 infection have been found to have worse outcomes. No comparative study has been conducted between gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in patients with cirrhosis who are diagnosed with COVID-19. We utilized the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database to perform a retrospective analysis of 24, 050 patients diagnosed with cirrhosis and COVID-19. The identified patients were separated into variceal bleeding, nonvariceal bleeding, and no (or neither) GI bleeding groups. After performing propensity sample matching and multivariate analysis of mortality, we found no significant differences in mortality among the three groups. However, the variceal bleed group …

Canadian French Translation And Validation Of The Neck Dissection Impairment Index: A Quality Of Life Measure For The Surgical Oncology Population, Michel Khoury, William Guertin, Cameo Hao, Mikhail Saltychev, Tareck Ayad, Eric Bissada, Apostolos Christopoulos, Sami Moubayed, Marie-Jo Olivier, Douglas Chepeha, Stephen Y Lai, Anastasios Maniakas

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Neck dissections (ND) are a routine procedure in head and neck oncology. Given the postoperative functional impact that some patients experience, it is imperative to identify and track quality of life (QoL) symptomatology to tailor each patient's therapeutic needs. To date, there is no validated French-Canadian questionnaire for this patient-population. We therefore sought to translate and validate the Neck Dissection Impairment Index (NDII) in Canadian French.

METHODS: A 3-phased approach was used. Phase 1: The NDII was translated from English to Canadian French using a "forward and backward" translational technique following international guidelines. Phase 2: A cognitive debriefing session …

Activation Of Piezo1 Increases The Sensitivity Of Breast Cancer To Hyperthermia Therapy, Shao-Kang Wang, Xiao-Ting Zhang, Xuan-Yao Jiang, Bi-Jiang Geng, Tao-Lin Qing, Lei Li, Yun Chen, Jin-Feng Li, Xiao-Fang Zhang, Shuo-Gui Xu, Jiang-Bo Zhu, Yu-Ping Zhu, Mei-Tang Wang, Ji-Kuai Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Photothermal therapy (PTT) of nanomaterials is an emerging novel therapeutic strategy for breast cancer. However, there exists an urgent need for appropriate strategies to enhance the antitumor efficacy of PTT and minimize damage to surrounding normal tissues. Piezo1 might be a promising novel photothermal therapeutic target for breast cancer. This study aims to explore the potential role of Piezo1 activation in the hyperthermia therapy of breast cancer cells and investigate the underlying mechanisms. Results showed that the specific agonist of Piezo1 ion channel (Yoda1) aggravated the cell death of breast cancer cells triggered by heat stress

Ribosome Hibernation Factor Induces Antibiotic Persisters Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis In Neutrophil-Rich Lung Lesions, Jamie Corro

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the etiological agent of tuberculosis, is a prescient global health threat and the leading cause of death by an infectious agent. Treatment of Mtb infection involves administering 2-4 antibiotics for a minimum of 6 months. This extended drug regimen is required to target a subpopulation of persistent bacilli. As their name implies, these bacteria can “persist” by acquiring nonhereditary and transient antibiotic tolerance. Although the precise mechanism is unknown, it’s often attributed to slowing cellular growth and metabolic processes. During zinc deprivation, bacteria can remodel their ribosomes by replacing their zinc-binding paralogues containing the CXXC motif (C+) …

Sleep, Sedentary Time, And Physical Activity In Heart Failure Subtypes: Multi-Ethnic Study Of Atherosclerosis (Mesa), Demi M. Nott

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have examined the associations between physical activity (PA), sedentary time (ST), and sleep on the risk of heart failure (HF). The primary aim of this study was to examine PA, ST, and sleep quality (SQ) in those diagnosed with preserved ejection fraction HF (HFpEF) and reduced ejection fraction HF (HFrEF). The secondary aim of this study was to examine these relationships in those with and without HF, independent of sub-type.

METHODS: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) collected data from 6,814 adults from a diversified cohort who range in age from 45 to 84. Subjects were classified …

A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Of Tissue Resident Memory T Cells And Their Roles In Shaping Immune Microenvironment And Patient Prognosis In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Aidan Shen, Aliesha Garrett, Cheng-Chi Chao, Dongliang Liu, Chao Cheng, Zhaohui Wang, Chen Qian, Yangzhi Zhu, Junhua Mai, Chongming Jiang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM) are a specialized subset of long-lived memory T cells that reside in peripheral tissues. However, the impact of TRM-related immunosurveillance on the tumor-immune microenvironment (TIME) and tumor progression across various non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient populations is yet to be elucidated. Our comprehensive analysis of multiple independent single-cell and bulk RNA-seq datasets of patient NSCLC samples generated reliable, unique TRM signatures, through which we inferred the abundance of TRM in NSCLC. We discovered that TRM abundance is consistently positively correlated with CD4+ T helper 1 cells, M1 macrophages, and resting dendritic cells in the TIME. …

Advances In The Clinical Application Of High-Throughput Proteomics, Miao Cui, Fei Deng, Mary L Disis, Chao Cheng, Lanjing Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

High-throughput proteomics has become an exciting field and a potential frontier of modern medicine since the early 2000s. While significant progress has been made in the technical aspects of the field, translating proteomics to clinical applications has been challenging. This review summarizes recent advances in clinical applications of high-throughput proteomics and discusses the associated challenges, advantages, and future directions. We focus on research progress and clinical applications of high-throughput proteomics in breast cancer, bladder cancer, laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, and coronavirus disease 2019. The future application of high-throughput proteomics will face challenges such as varying protein …

Development, Implementation, And Evaluation Of Three Outreach Events To Improve Covid-19 Vaccine Uptake Among Racial And Ethnic Minority Communities In Houston, Texas, 2022, Carmin Munoz-Lavanderos, Abiodun Oluyomi, Omar Rosales, Norvin Hernandez, Nana Mensah-Bonsu, Hoda Badr

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVES: Lack of access to timely, accurate, and linguistically appropriate COVID-19 information has complicated the dissemination of evidence-based information and contributed to vaccine hesitancy among racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States. We developed community events that provided outreach, education, and access to COVID-19 vaccination to overcome vaccine hesitancy in these communities.

METHODS: Using spatial analysis techniques, we identified 3 communities with low vaccine uptake in Houston, Texas, in fall 2021; engaged 20 stakeholders from these communities via 4 focus groups to understand barriers to vaccination; and developed and implemented 3 COVID-19 vaccine education and outreach events tailored …

Gambian Mothers Lack Obstetric Danger Sign Knowledge, But Educational Intervention Shows Promise, Kara Shannon, Jocelyn Burridge, Brodus Franklin, Sheena Bhushan, Susan Hilsenbeck, Elena V Petrova, James N'Dow, Ibezimako Iwuh, Sharmila Anandasabapathy, Jeffrey P Wilkinson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: The Gambia has the 12th highest maternal mortality rate in the world, with 80% of deaths resulting from avoidable causes. Unawareness of pregnancy danger signs (DS) has been shown to be a barrier to seeking obstetric care, while app-based education intervention has shown promise.

OBJECTIVE: We aim to assess patient awareness of DS, identify barriers to awareness, and evaluate potential for implementing smartphone-based technologies for education.

METHODS: A cross-sectional semi-structured survey was administered to Gambian women (n = 100) across five hospitals/health centers. Data and informed consent were collected via an online survey portal. Analysis included bivariate analysis and …

Stroke Survivors’ Telemedicine Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Investigation, Barbara Kimmel, Annette Walder, Anette Ovalle, Chethan P Venkatasubba Rao, Sean I Savitz, Mark Goldberg, Steven Warach, Salvador Cruz-Flores, Daiwai M Olson, Jane A Anderson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: This study aimed to describe stroke survivors' experiences receiving telemedicine visits at the Lone Star Stroke Consortium during the COVID-19 pandemic.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A qualitative descriptive phenomenological design was applied to gather patients' telemedicine experiences through in-depth interviews, using a study guide. Audio-recorded interviews were conducted via ZOOM and transcribed verbatim. Two independent reviewers used the Giorgi descriptive method to analyze the data and search for the essence of stroke survivors' follow-up telemedicine experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESULTS: Fifteen underserved patients were recruited: mean age, 51.8 (15.7), and 9 (60%) females. Three themes emerged: (1) vivid memory …

Changes In Patterns Of Referral For Inpatient Rehabilitation Cancer Patients Due To Covid-19: A Retrospective Study, Ekta Gupta, Amy H Ng, Aline Rozman De Moraes, Jack B Fu, Jegy M Tennison, Maaheen Ahmed, Bryan M Fellman, Eduardo Bruera

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

There is a paucity of literature on the effect of COVID-19 on hospital processes. We hypothesized that COVID-19 was associated with decreased cancer physiatry referrals in 2020. This is a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients from April to July 2019 and 2020 admitted at an academic quaternary cancer center. The main outcomes were number of hospital admissions, rate, and characteristics of inpatient rehabilitation admissions and change in percentage of physiatry referrals as the primary endpoint. Results showed that in 2019, there were 387 referrals from 10,274 inpatient admissions (3.8%; 95% confidence interval, 2.4-4.2), compared with 337 referrals from 7051 …

Understanding Primary Care Physician Perspectives On The Diagnosis And Management Of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Qualitative Study, Natalia I Heredia, Jemima C John, Sonia Singh, Jessica P Hwang, Larkin L Strong, Maya Balakrishnan, Lorna H Mcneill

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Primary care physicians (PCPs) are well suited to manage patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but the limited, existing research suggests inadequate knowledge about the natural history, diagnostic methods, and management of NAFLD. The purpose of this qualitative study is to further understand the knowledge and practices for the diagnosis and management of NAFLD among PCPs. We conducted in-depth interviews with PCPs in the Greater Houston area, addressing current clinical practices used for diagnosing and managing NAFLD, as well as the perceptions of the PCPs regarding the burden of NAFLD on patients. We recorded interviews, transcribed them, coded transcripts, …

The Impact Of The Filmarray Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel On Empiric Antibiotic Prescriptions In Patients With Suspected Community-Acquired Meningitis, Aaron Pathak, Caitlynn Pham, Sabra Shay, Todd Lasco, Mayar Al Mohajer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The BioFire® FilmArray® meningitis/encephalitis (FA/ME) panel provides rapid testing for common cerebrospinal fluid pathogens. We compared empiric antibiotic utilization between patients with suspected community-acquired meningitis with and without an FA/ME panel ordered. No significant differences in antibiotic use were found.

Improving Patient Self-Advocacy And Communication With Providers Through Diabetes Self-Management Education: Analyses From A Randomized Controlled Trial, Brenna Owens Kirk

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: West Virginia (WV), a rural state in Appalachia, has the highest type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) prevalence in the United States. Open communication in the patient-provider relationship is an integral part of comprehensive chronic disease management. This is especially true for patients living with T2DM, a disease that requires many complex, daily self-management activities and is associated with increased emotional distress. However, patients living with T2DM are often reluctant to openly share their concerns regarding self-care with their provider. This study aimed to test the effectiveness of the Diabetes and Hypertension Self-Management Program (DHSMP), a 12-week group lifestyle …

Artificial Intelligence-Powered Discovery Of Small Molecules Inhibiting Ctla-4 In Cancer, Navid Sobhani, Dana Rae Tardiel-Cyril, Dafei Chai, Daniele Generali, Jian-Rong Li, Jonathan Vazquez-Perez, Jing Ming Lim, Rachel Morris, Zaniqua N Bullock, Aram Davtyan, Chao Cheng, William K Decker, Yong Li

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Checkpoint inhibitors, which generate durable responses in many cancer patients, have revolutionized cancer immunotherapy. However, their therapeutic efficacy is limited, and immune-related adverse events are severe, especially for monoclonal antibody treatment directed against cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), which plays a pivotal role in preventing autoimmunity and fostering anticancer immunity by interacting with the B7 proteins CD80 and CD86. Small molecules impairing the CTLA-4/CD80 interaction have been developed; however, they directly target CD80, not CTLA-4.

SUBJECTS/METHODS: In this study, we performed artificial intelligence (AI)-powered virtual screening of approximately ten million compounds to identify those targeting CTLA-4. We validated the …

Dna Mismatch Repair Defect And Intratumor Heterogeneous Deficiency Differently Impact Immune Responses In Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, Zijun Y Xu-Monette, Cancan Luo, Li Yu, Yong Li, Govind Bhagat, Alexandar Tzankov, Carlo Visco, Xiangshan Fan, Karen Dybkaer, Ali Sakhdari, Nicholas T Wang, Alyssa F Yuan, April Chiu, Wayne Tam, Youli Zu, Eric D Hsi, Anamarija M Perry, Wenting Song, Dennis O'Malley, Qingyan Au, Harry Nunns, Heounjeong Go, Michael B Møller, Benjamin M Parsons, Santiago Montes-Moreno, Maurilio Ponzoni, Andrés J M Ferreri, Aliyah R Sohani, Jeremy S Abramson, Bing Xu, Ken H Young

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Deficient (d) DNA mismatch repair (MMR) is a biomarker predictive of better response to PD-1 blockade immunotherapy in solid tumors. dMMR can be caused by mutations in MMR genes or by protein inactivation, which can be detected by sequencing and immunohistochemistry, respectively. To investigate the role of dMMR in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), MMR gene mutations and expression of MSH6, MSH2, MLH1, and PMS2 proteins were evaluated by targeted next-generation sequencing and immunohistochemistry in a large cohort of DLBCL patients treated with standard chemoimmunotherapy, and correlated with the tumor immune microenvironment characteristics quantified by fluorescent multiplex immunohistochemistry and gene-expression …

The Next-Generation Dna Vaccine Platforms And Delivery Systems: Advances, Challenges And Prospects, Bowen Lu, Jing Ming Lim, Boyue Yu, Siyuan Song, Praveen Neeli, Navid Sobhani, Pavithra K, Srinivasa Reddy Bonam, Rajendra Kurapati, Junnian Zheng, Dafei Chai

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Vaccines have proven effective in the treatment and prevention of numerous diseases. However, traditional attenuated and inactivated vaccines suffer from certain drawbacks such as complex preparation, limited efficacy, potential risks and others. These limitations restrict their widespread use, especially in the face of an increasingly diverse range of diseases. With the ongoing advancements in genetic engineering vaccines, DNA vaccines have emerged as a highly promising approach in the treatment of both genetic diseases and acquired diseases. While several DNA vaccines have demonstrated substantial success in animal models of diseases, certain challenges need to be addressed before application in human subjects. …

Creating A Plasma Coordination Center To Support Covid-19 Outpatient Trials Across A National Network Of Hospital Blood Banks, Anusha Yarava, Christi Marshall, David E Reichert, Aaron Ye, Preeti Khanal, Sanford H Robbins, Bruce S Sachais, David Oh, Ryan A Metcalf, Kathleen Conry-Cantilena, Karen King, Meredith Reyes, Jill Adamski, Marisa B Marques, Minh-Ha Tran, Elizabeth S Allen, Daniel Pach, Neil Blumberg, Rhonda Hobbs, Tammon Nash, Aarthi G Shenoy, Giselle S Mosnaim, Yuriko Fukuta, Bela Patel, Sonya L Heath, Adam C Levine, Barry R Meisenberg, Shweta Anjan, Moises A Huaman, Janis E Blair, Judith S Currier, James H Paxton, William Rausch, Kevin Oei, Matthew Abinante, Donald N Forthal, Martin S Zand, Seble G Kassaye, Edward R Cachay, Kelly A Gebo, Shmuel Shoham, Arturo Casadevall, Nichol A Mcbee, Daniel Amirault, Ying Wang, Erica Hopkins, David M Shade, Oliver Layendecker, Sabra L Klein, Han-Sol Park, John S Lee, Patrizio Caturegli, Jay S Raval, Daniel Cruser, Alyssa F Ziman, Jonathan Gerber, Thomas J Gniadek, Evan M Bloch, Aaron A R Tobian, Daniel F Hanley, David J Sullivan, Karen Lane

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we rapidly implemented a plasma coordination center, within two months, to support transfusion for two outpatient randomized controlled trials. The center design was based on an investigational drug services model and a Food and Drug Administration-compliant database to manage blood product inventory and trial safety.

METHODS: A core investigational team adapted a cloud-based platform to randomize patient assignments and track inventory distribution of control plasma and high-titer COVID-19 convalescent plasma of different blood groups from 29 donor collection centers directly to blood banks serving 26 transfusion sites.

RESULTS: We performed 1,351 transfusions in …

How Individuals’ Opinions Influence Society’S Resistance To Epidemics: An Agent-Based Model Approach, Geonsik Yu, Michael J. Garee, Mario Ventresca, Yuehwern Yih

Faculty Publications

Background: Protecting public health from infectious diseases often relies on the cooperation of citizens, especially when self-care interventions are the only viable tools for disease mitigation. Accordingly, social aspects related to public opinion have been studied in the context of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. However, a comprehensive understanding of the effects of opinion-related factors on disease spread still requires further exploration. Methods: We propose an agent-based simulation framework incorporating opinion dynamics within an epidemic model based on the assumption that mass media channels play a leading role in opinion dynamics. The model simulates how opinions about preventive interventions change over …

Delays In Hepatitis A Vaccination In People With Hiv In Houston, Texas Between 2010 And 2018, Emily T Ciocca, Kristen A Staggers, Jennifer Carey, Antone R Opekun, F Blaine Hollinger, Wendy A Keitel, Robert L Atmar, Hana M El Sahly, Jennifer A Whitaker

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Studies have demonstrated low hepatitis A virus (HAV) vaccination rates among persons with HIV (PWH).

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of persons entering HIV care at two clinics in Houston, Texas between 2010 and 2018. We defined those eligible for HAV vaccination as those who had no history of HAV vaccination and had a negative anti-HAV IgG at entry to care. Kaplan-Meier curves summarized time to receipt of HAV vaccines. The proportions of patients who received 1 and 2 HAV vaccines at 6, 12, and 24 months were estimated. Cox proportional hazards regression evaluated associations between patient characteristics …

Prevalence Of Congenital Anomalies According To Maternal Race And Ethnicity, Texas, 1999–2018, Jeremy M Schraw, Elwin Jaime, Charles J Shumate, Mark A Canfield, Philip J Lupo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Few studies of congenital anomalies provide prevalence estimates stratified by maternal race/ethnicity. We sought to determine whether the prevalence of a broad spectrum of anomalies varies among offspring of women from different race/ethnic groups.

METHODS: We obtained information on cases with anomalies from the population-based Texas Birth Defects Registry, and denominator data on livebirths among Texas residents during 1999-2018 from the Texas Center for Health Statistics. We estimated the prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of N = 145 anomalies among offspring of Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black relative to non-Hispanic White women using Poisson regression, adjusting for …

Item Generation In The Development Of A Questionnaire For Predicting Multidrug Therapy Compliance In Leprosy, Yulia Siskawati, Sali Rahadi Asih, Aria Kekalih, Sri Linuwih Menaldi, Herqutanto Herqutanto, Kusmarinah Bramono

Journal of General - Procedural Dermatology and Venereology Indonesia

Background: Lengthy therapeutic regimens in leprosy are prone to defaults, contributing to more antibiotic-resistant Mycobacterium. Intervening patients’ medical habits midway would be more complicated than understanding their perception of undergoing such regimens in advance. We study the factors considered relevant to leprosy patients’ compliance to construct a novel self-reporting questionnaire that can predict the patients’ adherence before initiating multidrug therapy.

Methods: According to the Delphi methods, we conducted three rounds of interviews with twenty-three respondents from various backgrounds, including dermatologists, government officials, healthcare workers, and patients with leprosy, to infer the associated factors of the included items. Each …

Predictive Metabolites For Incident Myocardial Infarction: A Two-Step Meta-Analysis Of Individual Patient Data From Six Cohorts Comprising 7897 Individuals From The Consortium Of Metabolomics Studies, Ana Nogal, Taryn Alkis, Yura Lee, Domagoj Kifer, Jie Hu, Rachel A Murphy, Zhe Huang, Rui Wang-Sattler, Gabi Kastenmüler, Birgit Linkohr, Clara Barrios, Marta Crespo, Christian Gieger, Annette Peters, Jackie Price, Kathryn M Rexrode, Bing Yu, Cristina Menni

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

AIMS: Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Most metabolomics studies investigating metabolites predicting MI are limited by the participant number and/or the demographic diversity. We sought to identify biomarkers of incident MI in the COnsortium of METabolomics Studies.

METHODS AND RESULTS: We included 7897 individuals aged on average 66 years from six intercontinental cohorts with blood metabolomic profiling (n = 1428 metabolites, of which 168 were present in at least three cohorts with over 80% prevalence) and MI information (1373 cases). We performed a two-stage individual patient data meta-analysis. We first assessed the associations …

Assessment Of Deficits In Specific Cognitive Domains In Older Adults Living With Hiv., Andrea Reyes-Vega, Harideep Samanapally, Rishikesh Rijal, Stephen P. Furmanek, Christopher B. Shields, Brandon C. Dennis, Smita Ghare, Shirish Barve

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

A significant proportion of people living with HIV (PLWH) have cognitive impairment. Moreover, approximately 70% of PLWH in the United States will be ≥50 years old by 2030, raising concerns of a higher incidence of dementia as they age. Accordingly, there is a clinical need to monitor their cognitive status. The aim of this study was to delineate specific cognition areas impacted in OALWH with a clinical diagnosis of neurocognitive impairment. We used a comprehensive set of tests (paper and NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery), to assess different cognitive domains in a total of 25 OALWH ≥ 50 years. 64% were …

Towards A Mode Of Action For The Anti-Schistosomal Aryl Hydantoins, Thomas Schulze

Theses & Dissertations

Schistosomiasis is a significant human disease caused by the helminth parasite Schistosoma mansoni. Praziquantel remains the only clinically used treatment, yet it is rapidly metabolized and only effective against the adult stage worm infection. Ro 13-3978 (AR02) is a potent antischistosomal compound with activity against multiple S. mansoni life stages; however, it manifests anti-androgenic activity. Additionally, the mechanism of action for worm clearance remains unknown. The structure of Ro 13-3979 was used to generate optimized derivatives, including AR102, that show increased potency towards worms, reduced off-target anti-androgen effects, and extended half-life thereby increasing the feasibility for a single-dose curative treatment. …

Timigp: An R Package To Depict The Tumor Microenvironment From Bulk Transcriptomics, Chenyang Li, Jianjun Zhang, Chao Cheng

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Exploring the clinical relevance of diverse immune cell types within the tumor microenvironment is pivotal for unraveling cancer intricacies and developing treatments. Here, we present a protocol for using tumor immune microenvironment illustration based on gene pairs, an R package to deduce cell-cell interactions, unveiling the association between immune cell relative abundance and patient prognoses from bulk gene expression and survival data. We describe steps for harnessing cell-type markers derived from single-cell RNA sequencing data to map the tumor immune microenvironment across a spectrum of cancer types. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer …

Metformin Plus Insulin For Preexisting Diabetes Or Gestational Diabetes In Early Pregnancy: The Mompod Randomized Clinical Trial, Kim A Boggess, Arielle Valint, Jerrie S Refuerzo, Noelia Zork, Ashley N Battarbee, Kacey Eichelberger, Gladys A Ramos, Gayle Olson, Celeste Durnwald, Mark B Landon, Kjersti M Aagaard, Kedra Wallace, Christina Scifres, Todd Rosen, Wadia Mulla, Amy Valent, Sherri Longo, Laura Young, M Alison Marquis, Sonia Thomas, Ashley Britt, Diane Berry

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: Insulin is recommended for pregnant persons with preexisting type 2 diabetes or diabetes diagnosed early in pregnancy. The addition of metformin to insulin may improve neonatal outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effect of metformin added to insulin for preexisting type 2 or diabetes diagnosed early in pregnancy on a composite adverse neonatal outcome.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This randomized clinical trial in 17 US centers enrolled pregnant adults aged 18 to 45 years with preexisting type 2 diabetes or diabetes diagnosed prior to 23 weeks' gestation between April 2019 and November 2021. Each participant was treated with insulin and …

Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention Perspectives In Black Men Who Have Sex With Men Taking Preexposure Prophylaxis In New Orleans, Meredith E. Clement, Jeremy Beckford, Aish Lovett, Julia Siren, Marie Adorno, Sara Legrand, Marsha Bennett, Jamilah Taylor, Emily Hanlen-Rosado, Brian Perry, Amy Corneli

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Profound sexual health disparities exist for Black men who have sex with men (MSM) in the US South, including a high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Sexually transmitted infection prevention strategies beyond condoms are needed for Black MSM taking preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). METHODS: We conducted in-depth interviews with Black MSM taking PrEP in New Orleans, Louisiana. Informed by the Health Belief Model, we asked about participants' perceived susceptibility, severity, and concerns regarding STIs, and perceived benefits of STI prevention. We also asked about willingness to use various STI prevention strategies, including antibiotic prophylaxis. Interviews were audio-recorded and analyzed …

The Importance Of Triple Panel Testing For Hepatitis B And The Burden Of Isolated Anti-Hepatitis B Core Antibodies Within A Community Sample, Catherine Freeland, Vivek Sreepathi, Richard Hass, Jonathan Fenkel, Jessie Torgersen, Kenneth Rothstein, Chari Cohen, Robert Gish

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Within the United States (US), 2.4 million individuals are living with chronic hepatitis B, but less than 20% are diagnosed. Isolated anti-hepatitis B core (iAHBc) antibodies indicate serology in an individual that is positive for anti-HBc antibodies, while negative for surface antigen (HBsAg) and surface antibodies (anti-HBs). A result of iAHBc could indicate a chronic occult bloodstream infection, necessitating further testing. This study assesses the prevalence and risk factors associated with anti-HBc and iAHBc within community high-risk screening in Greater Philadelphia. Participants (n = 177) were screened for HBsAg, anti-HBs, and anti-HBc during community screening events in 2022. Chi-square tables …

The Dna Glycosylase Neil2 Is Protective During Sars-Cov-2 Infection, Nisha Tapryal, Anirban Chakraborty, Kaushik Saha, Azharul Islam, Lang Pan, Koa Hosoki, Ibrahim M Sayed, Jason M Duran, Joshua Alcantara, Vanessa Castillo, Courtney Tindle, Altaf H Sarker, Maki Wakamiya, Victor J Cardenas, Gulshan Sharma, Laura E Crotty Alexander, Sanjiv Sur, Debashis Sahoo, Gourisankar Ghosh, Soumita Das, Pradipta Ghosh, Istvan Boldogh, Tapas K Hazra

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

SARS-CoV-2 infection-induced aggravation of host innate immune response not only causes tissue damage and multiorgan failure in COVID-19 patients but also induces host genome damage and activates DNA damage response pathways. To test whether the compromised DNA repair capacity of individuals modulates the severity of COVID-19 infection, we analyze DNA repair gene expression in publicly available patient datasets and observe a lower level of the DNA glycosylase NEIL2 in the lungs of severely infected COVID-19 patients. This observation of lower NEIL2 levels is further validated in infected patients, hamsters and ACE2 receptor-expressing human A549 (A549-ACE2) cells. Furthermore, delivery of recombinant …