Diseases Commons^™

Issues In Melanoma Detection: Semisupervised Deep Learning Algorithm Development Via A Combination Of Human And Artificial Intelligence, Xinyuan Zhang, Ziqian Xie, Yang Xiang, Imran Baig, Mena Kozman, Carly Stender, Luca Giancardo, Cui Tao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Automatic skin lesion recognition has shown to be effective in increasing access to reliable dermatology evaluation; however, most existing algorithms rely solely on images. Many diagnostic rules, including the 3-point checklist, are not considered by artificial intelligence algorithms, which comprise human knowledge and reflect the diagnosis process of human experts.

OBJECTIVE: In this paper, we aimed to develop a semisupervised model that can not only integrate the dermoscopic features and scoring rule from the 3-point checklist but also automate the feature-annotation process.

METHODS: We first trained the semisupervised model on a small, annotated data set with disease and dermoscopic …

A Path To Translation: How 3d Patient Tumor Avatars Enable Next Generation Precision Oncology, Shree Bose, Margarida Barroso, Milan G Chheda, Hans Clevers, Elena Elez, Salma Kaochar, Scott E Kopetz, Xiao-Nan Li, Funda Meric-Bernstam, Clifford A Meyer, Haiwei Mou, Kristen M Naegle, Martin F Pera, Zinaida Perova, Katerina A Politi, Benjamin J Raphael, Paul Robson, Rosalie C Sears, Josep Tabernero, David A Tuveson, Alana L Welm, Bryan E Welm, Christopher D Willey, Konstantin Salnikow, Jeffrey H Chuang, Xiling Shen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

3D patient tumor avatars (3D-PTAs) hold promise for next-generation precision medicine. Here, we describe the benefits and challenges of 3D-PTA technologies and necessary future steps to realize their potential for clinical decision making. 3D-PTAs require standardization criteria and prospective trials to establish clinical benefits. Innovative trial designs that combine omics and 3D-PTA readouts may lead to more accurate clinical predictors, and an integrated platform that combines diagnostic and therapeutic development will accelerate new treatments for patients with refractory disease.

Methylprednisolone For Heart Surgery In Infants - A Randomized, Controlled Trial, Kevin D Hill, Prince J Kannankeril, Jeffrey P Jacobs, H Scott Baldwin, Marshall L Jacobs, Sean M O'Brien, David P Bichel, Eric M Graham, Brian Blasiole, Ashraf Resheidat, Adil S Husain, S Ram Kumar, Jerry L Kirchner, Dianne S Gallup, Joseph W Turek, Mark Bleiweis, Bret Mettler, Alexis Benscoter, Eric Wald, Tara Karamlou, Andrew H Van Bergen, David Overman, Pirooz Eghtesady, Ryan Butts, John S Kim, John P Scott, Brett R Anderson, Michael F Swartz, Patrick I Mcconnell, David F Vener, Jennifer S Li, Stress Network Investigators

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Although perioperative prophylactic glucocorticoids have been used for decades, whether they improve outcomes in infants after heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass is unknown.

METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, registry-based trial involving infants (age) undergoing heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass at 24 sites participating in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database. Registry data were used in the evaluation of outcomes. The infants were randomly assigned to receive prophylactic methylprednisolone (30 mg per kilogram of body weight) or placebo, which was administered into the cardiopulmonary-bypass pump-priming fluid. The primary end point was a ranked composite …

An Elf4 Hypomorphic Variant Results In Nk Cell Deficiency, Sandra Andrea Salinas, Emily M Mace, Matilde I Conte, Chun Shik Park, Yu Li, Joshua I Rosario-Sepulveda, Sanjana Mahapatra, Emily K Moore, Evelyn R Hernandez, Ivan K Chinn, Abigail E Reed, Barclay J Lee, Alexander Frumovitz, Richard A Gibbs, Jennifer E Posey, Lisa R Forbes Satter, Akaluck Thatayatikom, Eric J Allenspach, Theodore G Wensel, James R Lupski, H Daniel Lacorazza, Jordan S Orange

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

NK cell deficiencies (NKD) are a type of primary immune deficiency in which the major immunologic abnormality affects NK cell number, maturity, or function. Since NK cells contribute to immune defense against virally infected cells, patients with NKD experience higher susceptibility to chronic, recurrent, and fatal viral infections. An individual with recurrent viral infections and mild hypogammaglobulinemia was identified to have an X-linked damaging variant in the transcription factor gene ELF4. The variant does not decrease expression but disrupts ELF4 protein interactions and DNA binding, reducing transcriptional activation of target genes and selectively impairing ELF4 function. Corroborating previous murine models …

Trends In Esophageal Adenocarcinoma And Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Incidence In The United States From 1992 To 2019, Kyle S Liu, Syed Ahsan Raza, Hashem B El-Serag, Aaron P Thrift

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Simple Summary

The incidence of esophageal cancer overall has increased in the United States, driven by increasing rates of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). However, whether rates of EAC are still rising is unclear. We examined trends in esophageal cancer overall and within important sub-groups of the population. We found that esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) rates have been steadily declining, while EAC rates rose rapidly before stabilizing in 2000. The trend of decreasing incidence of ESCC was observed almost uniformly by age group, sex, and race/ethnicity, while trends in EAC rates varied across these sub-groups. A cohort effect for EAC was …

Lpa Disruption With Aav-Crispr Potently Lowers Plasma Apo(A) In Transgenic Mouse Model: A Proof-Of-Concept Study, Alexandria M Doerfler, So Hyun Park, Julia M Assini, Amer Youssef, Lavanya Saxena, Adam B Yaseen, Marco De Giorgi, Marcel Chuecos, Ayrea E Hurley, Ang Li, Santica M Marcovina, Gang Bao, Michael B Boffa, Marlys L Koschinsky, William R Lagor

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) represents a unique subclass of circulating lipoprotein particles and consists of an apolipoprotein(a) (apo(a)) molecule covalently bound to apolipoprotein B-100. The metabolism of Lp(a) particles is distinct from that of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and currently approved lipid-lowering drugs do not provide substantial reductions in Lp(a), a causal risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Somatic genome editing has the potential to be a one-time therapy for individuals with extremely high Lp(a). We generated an

Expression Of P-Stat3 And C-Myc Correlates With P2-Hnf4Α Expression In Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (Nafld), Mamoun Younes, Lin Zhang, Baharan Fekry, Kristin Eckel-Mahan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We studied the expression of two hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4α) isoforms, p-STAT3. and c-Myc in 49 consecutive liver biopsies with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) using immunohistochemistry. All 49 biopsies (100%) were positive for nuclear expression of P1-HNF4α. Twenty-eight (57%) cases were positive for P2-HNF4α, 6 (12%) were positive for p-STAT3 and 5 (10%) were positive for c-Myc. All 6 (100%) p-STAT3-positive cases were also positive for P2-HNF4α (p = 0.03). p-STAT3-positive cases were more likely to be positive for c-Myc (67% vs. 2%, p = 0.0003). Four cases were positive for P2-HNF4α, p-STAT3 and c-Myc. p-STAT3 …

A Unified Model Of Age-Related Cardiovascular Disease, Michael Fossel, Joe Bean, Nina Khera, Mikhail G Kolonin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Despite progress in biomedical technologies, cardiovascular disease remains the main cause of mortality. This is at least in part because current clinical interventions do not adequately take into account aging as a driver and are hence aimed at suboptimal targets. To achieve progress, consideration needs to be given to the role of cell aging in disease pathogenesis. We propose a model unifying the fundamental processes underlying most age-associated cardiovascular pathologies. According to this model, cell aging, leading to cell senescence, is responsible for tissue changes leading to age-related cardiovascular disease. This process, occurring due to telomerase inactivation and telomere attrition, …

Selective Vulnerability Of The Intermediate Retinal Capillary Plexus Precedes Retinal Ganglion Cell Loss In Ocular Hypertension, Priyamvada M Pitale, Guofu Shen, Rohini R Sigireddi, Maria Polo-Prieto, Yong H Park, Solomon E Gibson, Peter D Westenskow, Roomasa Channa, Benjamin J Frankfort

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Glaucoma, a disease of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) injury and potentially devastating vision loss, is associated with both ocular hypertension (OHT) and reduced ocular blood flow. However, the relationship between OHT and retinal capillary architecture is not well understood. In this project, we studied microvasculature damage in mice exposed to mild levels of induced OHT.

Methods: Mild OHT was induced with the microbead model for 2 weeks. At this time point, some retinas were immunostained with CD31 (endothelium), Collagen IV (basement membrane), and RBPMS (RGCs) for z-stack confocal microscopy. We processed these confocal images to distinguish the three retinal …

How I Approach Leishmaniasis: Diagnosis And Treatment In The United States, Tara E Ness, Rachel Martin-Blais, Jill E Weatherhead

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease caused by over 20 species of obligate intracellular protozoa belonging to the genus Leishmania. Leishmaniasis has a global distribution, including in the United States, and can cause a spectrum of clinical syndromes, including cutaneous, mucosal, and visceral diseases depending on host factors and the infecting Leishmania spp. Accurate diagnosis, including Leishmania species identification, is an important step to guide the most appropriate therapeutic intervention. Antileishmanial therapy is dependent on the Leishmania spp. identified, the clinical syndrome, and the child's immune system. However, many treatment regimens for children have been extrapolated from adult clinical trials, which …

A Cross-Sectional Study Of The Prevalence Of Anal Dysplasia Among Women With High-Grade Cervical, Vaginal, And Vulvar Dysplasia Or Cancer: The Panda Study, Samantha Batman, Craig A Messick, Andrea Milbourne, Ming Guo, Mark F Munsell, Joel Fokom-Domgue, Mila Salcedo, Ashish Deshmukh, Kristina R Dahlstrom, Mallory Ogburn, Anthony Price, Nicole D Fleming, Jolyn Taylor, Aaron Shafer, Lauren Cobb, Keith Sigel, Erich M Sturgis, Elizabeth Y Chiao, Kathleen M Schmeler

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection is a risk factor for anal cancer, yet no anal cancer screening guidelines exist for women with lower genital tract HPV-related disease. We sought to describe the prevalence of anal HR-HPV or cytologic abnormalities in such women.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed between October 2018 and December 2021. Inclusion criteria were ≥21 years of age and a prior diagnosis of high-grade dysplasia/cancer of the cervix, vagina, or vulva. Participants underwent anal cytology and anal/cervicovaginal HR-HPV testing. Women with abnormal anal cytology were referred for high-resolution anoscopy (HRA).

RESULTS: 324 evaluable women were enrolled. …

Coronary Artery Calcium Score On Standard Of Care Oncologic Ct Scans For The Prediction Of Adverse Cardiovascular Events In Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy, Efstratios Koutroumpakis, Ting Xu, Juan Lopez-Mattei, Tinsu Pan, Yang Lu, Jorge A Irizarry-Caro, Radhe Mohan, Xiaodong Zhang, Qing H Meng, Ruitao Lin, Tianlin Xu, Anita Deswal, Zhongxing Liao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) has been associated with increased incidence of cardiovascular (CV) adverse events (CVAE). Coronary artery calcium scoring (CAC) has shown to predict coronary events beyond the traditional CV risk factors. This study examines whether CAC, measured on standard of care, non-contrast chest CT (NCCT) imaging, predicts the development of CVAE in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with CRT.

METHODS: Patients with NSCLC treated with CRT at MD Anderson Cancer Center from 7/2009 until 4/2014 and who had at least one NCCT scan within 6 months from their first CRT were identified. CAC scoring was performed …

Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection Is Infrequent In Individuals With Heritable Thoracic Aortic Disease Despite Partially Shared Genetic Susceptibility, Regina Husman, Akiko Tanaka, S Keisin Wang, Kourosh Keyhani, Arash Keyhani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Spontaneous isolated celiac artery dissection (SICAD) is a rare condition, defined as dissection of the celiac artery without aortic involvement. Because of its low prevalence, most studies have been limited to case reports and case series. We have described the case of a 44-year-old woman who had presented with symptomatic SICAD that had resulted in compromised flow to the hepatic arteries and was successfully treated with balloon angioplasty. Angioplasty alone might be effective for cases of extensive false lumen thrombosis in SICAD for immediate flow restoration to the true lumen, expediting positive remodeling.

Med12 Is A Critical Regulator Of Neural Crest Lineage And Nervous System Myelination, Fatma Betul Aksoy Yasar

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The Mediator complex (MED) is a multi-subunit protein complex integral to the eukaryotic transcription machinery. MED12 is a Cdk8- regulatory kinase module subunit directly implicated in human disease and is genetically altered in neurological disease and cancer. Numerous attempts at generating an in vivo system to study the role of Med12 failed due to embryonic lethality associated with germline or developmental disruption of Med12 gene. To understand the cellular and molecular processes associated with its role in disease, we generated multiple mouse models with targeted depletion of MED12 in distinct cellular lineages. Our genetically engineered models with induced and conditional …

Quantification Of Manipulation Forces Needed For Robot-Assisted Reduction Of The Ankle Syndesmosis: An Initial Cadaveric Study, Mikias Gebremeskel, Babar Shafiq, Ali Uneri, Niral Sheth, Corey Simmerer, Wojciech Zbijewski, Jeffrey H Siewerdsen, Kevin Cleary, Gang Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Manual surgical manipulation of the tibia and fibula is necessary to properly align and reduce the space in ankle fractures involving sprain of the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis. However, manual reduction is highly variable and can result in malreduction in about half of the cases. Therefore, we are developing an image-guided robotic assistant to improve reduction accuracy. The purpose of this study is to quantify the forces associated with reduction of the ankle syndesmosis to define the requirements for our robot design.

METHODS: Using a cadaveric specimen, we designed a fixture jig to fix the tibia securely on the operating …

Tilsotolimod Exploits The Tlr9 Pathway To Promote Antigen Presentation And Type 1 Ifn Signaling In Solid Tumors: A Multicenter International Phase I/Ii Trial (Illuminate-101), Hani Babiker, Erkut Borazanci, Vivek Subbiah, Sanjiv Agarwala, Alain Algazi, Jacob Schachter, Michael Lotem, Corinne Maurice-Dror, Daniel Hendler, Shah Rahimian, Hans Minderman, Cara Haymaker, Daruka Mahadevan, Chantale Bernatchez, Ravi Murthy, Rolf Hultsch, Nadia Kaplan, Gregory Woodhead, Charles Hennemeyer, Srinivas Chunduru, Peter M Anderson, Adi Diab, Igor Puzanov

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Tilsotolimod is an investigational synthetic Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist that has demonstrated antitumor activity in preclinical models. The ILLUMINATE-101 phase I study explored the safety, dose, efficacy, and immune effects of intratumoral (it) tilsotolimod monotherapy in multiple solid tumors.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with a diagnosis of refractory cancer not amenable to curative therapies received tilsotolimod in doses escalating from 8 to 32 mg into a single lesion at weeks 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, and 11. Additional patients with advanced malignant melanoma were enrolled into an expansion cohort at the 8 mg dose. Objectives included characterizing the …

An Outbreak Of A Novel Recombinant Coxsackievirus A4 In A Kindergarten, Shandong Province, China, 2021, Juan Li, Nan Ni, Yanan Cui, Shuai Zong, Xue Yao, Tao Hu, Mengyuan Cao, Yong Zhang, Peiqiang Hou, Michael J Carr, Weijia Xing, Hong Zhou, Weifeng Shi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In 2021, twenty children exhibiting influenza-like illnesses were reported from a kindergarten in Shandong Province, China. Eleven genomes of Coxsackievirus A4 (CV-A4) were obtained from the pediatric cases, sharing <93% genome sequence identities with known CV-A4 strains. Further analyses suggested potential genetic recombination in the P3 region of the novel strains.

Identification Of A Novel Large Multigene Deletion And A Frameshift Indel In Pde6b As The Underlying Cause Of Early-Onset Recessive Rod-Cone Degeneration, Riccardo Sangermano, Pooja Biswas, Lori S Sullivan, Emily M Place, Shyamanga Borooah, Juerg Straubhaar, Eric A Pierce, Stephen P Daiger, Kinga M Bujakowska, Radha Ayaggari

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A family, with two affected identical twins with early-onset recessive inherited retinal degeneration, was analyzed to determine the underlying genetic cause of pathology. Exome sequencing revealed a rare and previously reported causative variant (c.1923_1969delinsTCTGGG; p.Asn643Glyfs*29) in the

Infrastructure Development For Personalized Risk Prediction To Reduce Cardiovascular Disease In Childhood Cancer Survivors, Suman Shrestha

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Although childhood cancer survivors have lengthy life expectancies, they run the risk of experiencing long-term health issues as a result of their treatment. The most frequent non-cancerous cause of morbidity and mortality for these survivors is cardiac disease. Radiation therapy (RT) has been linked in numerous cohort studies to a higher chance of developing a late cardiac disease in these survivors, and this risk rises with higher mean heart doses and increased RT exposure to larger cardiac volumes. Since, the heart is a heterogeneous organ made up of several distinct substructures, RT dose received by the entire heart does not …

Risk-Factor Induced Changes In The Breast Microenvironment Facilitate Inflammatory Breast Cancer Progression And Lymphovascular Invasion, Wintana Balema, Wintana Balema

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rapidly progressing, rare and highly lethal form of breast cancer. IBC is a clinical diagnosis, requiring >1/3 involvement on the affected breast and/or skin by erythema, and disease onset of < 6 months. The clinical symptoms of IBC vary in severity and presentation, these include redness, warmth, skin thickening and bruised or pink/purple discoloration appearance and skin changes such as peau d’orange. These skin symptoms are not attributed to inflammation, rather IBC is characterized by florid lymphovascular tumor emboli clogging dermal lymphatics. This leads to “classic” symptoms of breast swelling and skin edema or discoloration. To date, unique genomic drivers which differentiate IBC from non-IBC invasive breast cancers have not been identified highlighting a role for the microenvironment. Several epidemiological studies have unveiled subtype-specific risk factors associated with IBC that are known to alter the microenvironment. Obesity is an established risk factor for all subtypes of IBC. Never-breastfeeding increases risk for developing the most aggressive, triple-negative IBC. Further, never breastfeeding is associated with later clinical stage and worse outcomes. We worked to model these overlapping risk factors to understand microenvironment changes that may lead to the lymphatic change’s indicative of IBC.

First, we investigated the association of a “classic” triad of clinical IBC signs with overall survival among patients to demonstrate the most overt clinical findings of lymphatic involvement were impacting prognosis. We evaluated a triad of IBC signs, including swollen involved breast, nipple change, and diffuse skin change, using breast medical photographs from patients enrolled on a prospective IBC registry. We reported that the …

Ankyrin Dependent Mitochondrial Function And Bioenergetics In The Heart, Janani Subramaniam, Janani Subramaniam

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

ANK2 mutations in patients are associated with numerous arrhythmias, cardiomyopathies, and other heart defects. In the heart, AnkB, the protein encoded by ANK2, clusters relevant ion channels and cell adhesion molecules in several important domains; however, its role at Mitochondria Associated ER/SR Membranes (MAMs) has yet to be investigated. MAMs are crucial to mitochondrial function and metabolism and are signaling hubs implicated in various cardiac pathologies. Among several functions, these sites mediate the direct transfer of calcium from the ER/SR to the mitochondria to modulate ATP synthesis. Given that mitochondrial function and energy production are paramount to cardiovascular heath, …

A Qualitative Investigation Of The Barriers And Facilitators To Hepatitis C Virus (Hcv) Screening Among Individuals Experiencing Homelessness In Houston, Texas, Alane Celeste-Villalvir, J Michael Wilkerson, Christine Markham, Lourdes Rodriguez, Vanessa Schick

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Individuals experiencing homelessness may be at a higher risk for hepatitis C infection because many are vulnerable to risk factors related to HCV. Screening is the very first step in the HCV care continuum, but it remains unclear how to improve HCV screening among this hard-to-reach population. Thus, the present study investigated the barriers and facilitators to HCV screening from the perspective of individuals experiencing homelessness within a non-residential social service setting.

METHODS: Individuals experiencing homelessness (aged 18+) were approached while they were seeking services at two community-based organizations in Houston, Texas, during August 2020. Participants (

RESULTS: Participants …

Clinical And Molecular Profiling Of Aml Patients With Chromosome 7 Or 7q Deletions In The Context Of Tp53 Alterations And Venetoclax Treatment, Hussein A Abbas, Edward Ayoub, Hanxiao Sun, Rashmi Kanagal-Shamanna, Nicholas J Short, Ghayas Issa, Musa Yilmaz, Sherry Pierce, Daniel Rivera, Brent Cham, Shane Wing, Ziyi Li, Danielle Hammond, Elias Jabbour, Gautam Borthakur, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, Michael Andreeff, Naval Daver, Tapan Kadia, Marina Konopleva, Courtney Dinardo, Farhad Ravandi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Deletions in chromosome 7 (del(7)) or its long arm (del(7q)) constitute the most common adverse cytogenetic events in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We retrospectively analyzed 243 treatment-naive patients with AML and del(7) (168/243; 69%) or del(7q) (75/243; 31%) who did not receive any myeloid-directed therapy prior to AML diagnosis. This is the largest comprehensive clinical and molecular analysis of AML patients with del(7) and del(7q). Our results show that relapse-free survival was significantly longer for AML patients with del(7q) compared to del(7), but the overall survival and remission duration were similar. TP53 mutations and del5/5q were the most frequent co-occurring …

Small Molecule Targeting Nav17 Via Inhibition Of The Crmp2-Ubc9 Interaction Reduces Pain In Chronic Constriction Injury (Cci) Rats, Jiahe Li, Harrison J Stratton, Sabina A Lorca, Peter M Grace, Rajesh Khanna

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The voltage-gated sodium channel isoform NaV1.7 is a critical player in the transmission of nociceptive information. This channel has been heavily implicated in human genetic pain disorders and is a validated pain target. However, targeting this channel directly has failed, and an indirect approach - disruption of interactions with accessory protein partners - has emerged as a viable alternative strategy. We recently reported that a small-molecule inhibitor of CRMP2 SUMOylation, compound

A Phase Ii Randomized Double Blinded Trial Evaluating The Efficacy Of Curcumin With Pre-Operative Chemoradiation For Rectal Cancer, Jillian R Gunther, Awalpreet S Chadha, Sushovan Guha, Gottumukkala S Raju, Dipen M Maru, Mark F Munsell, Yan Jiang, Peiying Yang, Edd Felix, Marilyn Clemons, Geena George Mathew, Pankaj K Singh, John M Skibber, Miguel A Rodriguez-Bigas, George J Chang, Cathy Eng, Marc E Delclos, Christopher H Crane, Prajnan Das, Sunil Krishnan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background

In vivo studies demonstrate that curcumin increases radioresponse of colorectal cancers. To demonstrate efficacy in humans, we performed a randomized double-blind study of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients receiving pre-operative chemoradiation therapy (CRT) ± curcumin. We used pathologic complete response (pCR) rate as a surrogate for clinical outcome.

Methods

From 2008–2010, LARC patients were randomized to placebo/curcumin in a 1:2 ratio. Patients received CRT [50.4 gray in 28 fractions; capecitabine (825 mg/m² twice daily)] followed by surgery. Curcumin (4 grams orally, twice daily) or placebo was given throughout CRT and 6 weeks afterward. Toxicity was monitored weekly. …

Evaluation Of Murine Host Sex As A Biological Variable In Transplanted Human Intestinal Organoid Development, Eoin P Mcneill, Vikas S Gupta, David J Sequeira, Noah F Shroyer, Allison L Speer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Human intestinal organoids (HIOs), when transplanted into immunocompromised mice (tHIOs), demonstrate significant growth and maturation. While both male and female mice are reported to be viable hosts for these experiments, a direct comparison of sex-related differences in tHIO structure and development has not been performed.

Aims: We sought to identify host sex-related differences in tHIO engraftment, morphology, and epithelial and mesenchymal development.

Methods: HIOs were generated in vitro and transplanted beneath the kidney capsule of NSG male and female mice. tHIOs were harvested at 8-9 weeks. Anthropometric measurements were captured. tHIOs were divided in half and histology or RT-qPCR …

Effects Of Gabapentin And Pregabalin On Calcium Homeostasis: Implications For Physical Rehabilitation Of Musculoskeletal Tissues, Perla C Reyes Fernandez, Christian S Wright, Stuart J Warden, Julia Hum, Mary C Farach-Carson, William R Thompson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose of review: In this review, we discuss the mechanism of action of gabapentinoids and the potential consequences of long-term treatment with these drugs on the musculoskeletal system.

Recent findings: Gabapentinoids, such as gabapentin (GBP) and pregabalin (PGB) were designed as antiepileptic reagents and are now commonly used as first-line treatment for neuropathic pain and increasingly prescribed off-label for other pain disorders such as migraines and back pain. GBP and PGB exert their analgesic actions by selectively binding the α2δ1 auxiliary subunit of voltage-sensitive calcium channels, thereby inhibiting channel function. Numerous tissues express the α2δ1 subunit where GBP and PGB …

Association Of Initial Sars-Cov-2 Test Positivity With Patient-Reported Well-Being 3 Months After A Symptomatic Illness, Lauren E Wisk, Michael A Gottlieb, Erica S Spatz, Huihui Yu, Ralph C Wang, Benjamin H Slovis, Sharon Saydah, Ian D Plumb, Kelli N O'Laughlin, Juan Carlos C Montoy, Samuel A Mcdonald, Zhenqiu Lin, Jin-Mann S Lin, Katherine Koo, Ahamed H Idris, Ryan M Huebinger, Mandy J Hill, Nicole L Gentile, Anna Marie Chang, Jill Anderson, Bala Hota, Arjun K Venkatesh, Robert A Weinstein, Joann G Elmore, Graham Nichol, Inspire Group

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: Long-term sequelae after symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection may impact well-being, yet existing data primarily focus on discrete symptoms and/or health care use.

OBJECTIVE: To compare patient-reported outcomes of physical, mental, and social well-being among adults with symptomatic illness who received a positive vs negative test result for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study was a planned interim analysis of an ongoing multicenter prospective longitudinal registry study (the Innovative Support for Patients With SARS-CoV-2 Infections Registry [INSPIRE]). Participants were enrolled from December 11, 2020, to September 10, 2021, and comprised adults (aged ≥18 years) with acute symptoms suggestive …

Endovascular Repair Of Intercostal Patch Aneurysms In A Patient With Loyes-Dietz Syndrome, Guilherme B Lima, Laura Ocasio, Marina Dias-Neto, Emanuel R Tenorio, Thanila A Macedo, Gustavo S Oderich

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Synergic Effect Of Cai And Lii On Ionic Conductivity Of Solution-Based Synthesized Li7p3s11 Solid Electrolyte, Binoy Yohannan, Allen C Omo-Ogboi, Varaha S Tammisetti, Adan Rios

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a rare immune-mediated disease predominantly seen in women and triggered by various environmental factors. Rarely, AIH can be triggered by an underlying malignancy. We report a woman in her 60s who presented with markedly abnormal liver biochemical tests. Serology was positive for anti-smooth muscle antibodies and a liver biopsy confirmed AIH. During the hospital course, she developed sepsis and acute renal failure requiring dialysis support. Serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) showed a monoclonal IgG kappa protein of 1.92 g/dL and a bone marrow biopsy revealed 7% clonal plasma cells. She had lytic lesions on skeletal survey confirming …