Digestive System Diseases Commons^™

Development Of A Follow-Up Measure To Ensure Complete Screening For Colorectal Cancer, Elizabeth L Ciemins, Jeff T Mohl, Carlos A Moreno, Francis Colangelo, Robert A Smith, Mary Barton

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: The current quality performance measure for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is limited to initial screening. Despite low rates, there is no measure for appropriate follow-up with colonoscopy after receipt of an abnormal result of a stool-based screening test (SBT) for CRC. A quality performance measure is needed.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and test a quality performance measure for follow-up colonoscopy within 6 months of an abnormal result of an SBT for CRC.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective quality improvement study examined data from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2020, with 2018 plus 6 months of follow-up as the …

Adverse Metabolic Phenotypes In Parenterally Fed Neonatal Pigs Do Not Persist Into Adolescence, Sarah K Elefson, Barbara Stoll, Teresa A Davis, Marta L Fiorotto, Samer W El-Kadi, Kenneth Genovese, Thomas Thymann, Per T Sangild, Douglas G Burrin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Nutrition during fetal and neonatal life is an important determinant for the risk of adult-onset diseases, especially type 2 diabetes and obesity.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine whether total parenteral nutrition (TPN) compared with enteral formula feeding [enteral nutrition (EN)] in term piglets during the first 2 wk after birth would increase the long-term (5-mo) development of metabolic syndrome phenotypes with adverse glucose homeostasis, fatty liver disease, and obesity.

METHODS: Neonatal female pigs were administered TPN (n = 12) or fed enterally with a liquid enteral milk-replacer formula (EN, n = 12) for 14 d. After transitioning TPN pigs …

Simultaneous Detection Of Helicobacter Pylori Infection Comparing Between White Light And Image-Enhanced Endoscopy, Boonyaorn Chatrangsun, Natsuda Aumpan, Bubpha Pornthisarn, Soonthorn Chonprasertsuk, Sith Siramolpiwat, Patommatat Bhanthumkomol, Pongjarat Nunanan, Navapan Issariyakulkarn, Varocha Mahachai, Yoshio Yamaoka, Ratha-Korn Vilaichone

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is associated with gastric cancer. Early and accurate diagnosis of H. pylori infection can reduce risk of gastric cancer. Conventional white light imaging (WLI) and image-enhanced endoscopic (IEE) techniques such as narrow-band imaging (NBI), linked color imaging (LCI) and blue laser imaging (BLI) plays pivotal role in H. pylori diagnosis. This study aimed to determine diagnostic performance of real-time endoscopy between WLI and other IEE techniques for diagnosis of H. pylori infection.

METHODS: This prospective study compared endoscopic images by gastroscopy using WLI and IEE techniques (LCI, Magnifying-BLI, and Magnifying-NBI) at Thammasat University Hospital, Thailand …

Protection Against Fibrosis By A Bacterial Consortium In Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis And The Role Of Amino Acid Metabolism, Suet-Ying Kwan, Kristyn A Gonzales, Mohamed A Jamal, Heather L Stevenson, Lin Tan, Philip L Lorenzi, P Andrew Futreal, Ernest T Hawk, Joseph B Mccormick, Susan P Fisher-Hoch, Robert R Jenq, Laura Beretta

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The gut microbiota drives progression to liver fibrosis, the main determinant of mortality in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). In this study, we aimed to identify bacterial species associated with protection against liver fibrosis in a high-risk population, and test their potential to protect against liver fibrosis in vivo. Based on stool shotgun metagenomic sequencing of 340 subjects from a population cohort disproportionally affected by MASH, we identified bacterial species from the Bacteroidales and Clostridiales orders associated with reduced risk of liver fibrosis. A bacterial consortium was subsequently tested in a mouse model of MASH, which demonstrated protective effects against …

Recent Trends In The Incidence Of Gastric Cancer In The United States, Kyle S Liu, Syed Ahsan Raza, Hashem B El-Serag, Aaron P Thrift

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer (GC) incidence rates overall in the United States have declined over recent decades and are predicted to continue declining. However, there have been mixed recent findings regarding the potential stabilization of rates and potential divergent trends by age group. We used the most recent cancer data for the United States and examined trends in GC between 1992 and 2019, overall and in important subgroups of the population.

METHODS: Age-adjusted GC incidence rates and trends in adults 20 years or older were calculated using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 12 program. Secular trends were …

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 …

Aspirin And Nonaspirin Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drug Use And Occurrence Of Colorectal Adenoma In Black American Women, Lauren E Barber, Kimberly A Bertrand, Shanshan Sheehy, Laura F White, Hemant K Roy, Lynn Rosenberg, Julie R Palmer, Jessica L Petrick

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Evidence suggests that aspirin use reduces the occurrence of colorectal neoplasia. Few studies have investigated the association among Black Americans, who are disproportionately burdened by the disease. We assessed aspirin use in relation to colorectal adenoma among Black women. The Black Women's Health Study is a prospective cohort of self-identified Black American women established in 1995. Participants reported regular aspirin use on baseline and follow-up questionnaires. Beginning in 1999, participants reported undergoing a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy, the only procedures through which colorectal adenomas can be diagnosed. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals …

Nutrition Assessment And Mash Severity In Children Using The Healthy Eating Index, Ajay Kumar Jain, Paula Buchannan, Katherine P Yates, Patricia Belt, Jeffrey B Schwimmer, Philip Rosenthal, Karen F Murray, Jean P Molleston, Ann Scheimann, Stavra A Xanthakos, Cynthia A Behling, Paula Hertel, Jamie Nilson, Brent A Neuschwander-Tetri, James Tonascia, Miriam B Vos, Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network (Nash Crn)

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Pediatric metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a global health problem, with lifestyle modification as its major therapeutic strategy. Rigorous characterization of dietary content on MAFLD in children is lacking. We hypothesized an objectively measured healthier diet would positively modulate MAFLD.

METHODS: Diet was assessed using the Nutrition Data System for Research in children enrolled from 10 tertiary clinical centers to determine the Healthy Eating Index (HEI, 0-100) and individual food components.

RESULTS: In all, 119 children were included (13.3 ± 2.7 y), 80 (67%) male, 67 (18%) White, and 90 (76%) Hispanic, with an average body mass index …

Incidence And Outcomes Of Acute Kidney Injury Including Hepatorenal Syndrome In Hospitalized Patients With Cirrhosis In The Us, Kavish R Patidar, Justin M Belcher, Kevin R Regner, Shelsea A St Hillien, Douglas A Simonetto, Sumeet K Asrani, Javier A Neyra, Pratima Sharma, Juan Carlos Q Velez, Hani Wadei, Mitra K Nadim, Raymond T Chung, Ritu Seethapathy, Xavier Vela Parada, Tianqi Ouyang, Nneka N Ufere, Jevon E Robinson, Paige Mclean Diaz, Robert M Wilechansky, Eric M Przybyszewski, Thomas N Smith, Arzina Aziz Ali, Eric S Orman, Philipp Schulz, Salaah M Siddiqui, Rehma Shabbir, Lucas J Liu, Augusto Cama-Olivares, Alexander H Flannery, Megan L Baker, Deepthi Gunasekaran, Adeline Aswine, Rafik Issa, Jay Li, Shreya Verma, Dustin Chalmers, Vipin Varghese, Walter Lam, Muner Mohamed, Rosemary Kovacic, Anna Gaddy, Rose Mary Attieh, Pedro Cortes, Sahar Semnani, Lin Wang, Saro Khemichian, Andrew S Allegretti

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Acute kidney injury (AKI) in cirrhosis is common and associated with high morbidity, but the incidence rates of different etiologies of AKI are not well described in the US. We compared incidence rates, practice patterns, and outcomes across etiologies of AKI in cirrhosis.

METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 11 hospital networks, including consecutive adult patients admitted with AKI and cirrhosis in 2019. The etiology of AKI was adjudicated based on pre-specified clinical definitions (prerenal/hypovolemic AKI, hepatorenal syndrome [HRS-AKI], acute tubular necrosis [ATN], other).

RESULTS: A total of 2,063 patients were included (median age 62 …

Risk Stratification Model For Hepatocellular Cancer In Patients With Cirrhosis, Fasiha Kanwal, Saira Khaderi, Amit G Singal, Jorge A Marrero, Sumeet K Asrani, Christopher I Amos, Aaron P Thrift, Jennifer R Kramer, Xian Yu, Yumei Cao, Michelle Luster, Abeer Al-Sarraj, Jing Ning, Hashem B El-Serag

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The available risk stratification indices for hepatocellular cancer (HCC) have limited applicability. We developed and externally validated an HCC risk stratification index in U.S. cohorts of patients with cirrhosis.

METHODS: We used data from 2 prospective U.S. cohorts to develop the risk index. Patients with cirrhosis were enrolled from 8 centers and followed until development of HCC, death, or December 31, 2021. We identified an optimal set of predictors with the highest discriminatory ability (C-index) for HCC. The predictors were refit using competing risk regression and its predictive performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver-operating …

Exposure To Agent Orange And Hepatocellular Carcinoma Among Us Military Personnel, Jihane N Benhammou, Mei Leng, Shailja C Shah, George Cholankeril, Tien S Dong, Arpan A Patel, Myron J Tong

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its mortality are on the rise. Viral hepatitis and alcohol are leading risk factors; however, other risk factors among veterans are less defined, including Agent Orange (AO), an herbicide linked to several cancers.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association of AO exposure and HCC in a national cohort of Vietnam veterans.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective cohort study included Vietnam veterans who served between 1966 and 1975, were male, were older than 18 years at the time of deployment, and had established follow-up in the Veterans Affairs (VA) between 2000 and 2019. Veterans with AO …

The Role Of Vitamin D In Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treated With Vedolizumab, Bincy P Abraham, Christopher Fan, Theresa Thurston, Joshua Moskow, Hoda M Malaty

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Many clinical factors can contribute to the efficacy of medical therapy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). We assessed their effects on the efficacy of vedolizumab therapy in a cohort of patients with IBD.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study on patients between 18 and 80 years of age with ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD) who were seen in the IBD program at Houston Methodist in Houston, TX and treated with vedolizumab for at least 6 months from 2018 to 2022. We investigated factors prior to the initiation of therapy that best predicted treatment response, with an emphasis …

Bioimpedance Analysis Predicts The Etiology Of Cirrhosis In A Prospective Cohort Study, Hashem B El-Serag, Ghida Akhdar, Aaron P Thrift, Michelle Luster, Saira Khaderi, Abeer Alsarraj, Hao Duong, Fasiha Kanwal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing cirrhosis. However, body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) may not be indicative of body composition parameters that predispose to cirrhosis. Bioimpedance analysis (BIA) is a noninvasive cost-efficient method for more detailed estimation of body composition.

METHODS: We examined patients with cirrhosis who underwent BIA as part of enrollment into a prospective cohort study. We examined the correlation between BIA variables, BMI, and WHR. We performed sex-adjusted and race-adjusted and race-specific multivariable logistic regression analyses to examine the association between anthropometric variables and risk factors [NAFLD, alcohol-associated liver disease …

Tgfβ Signaling Links Early Life Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Exposure To Suppression Of Nucleotide Excision Repair In Rat Myometrial Stem Cells, Maria Victoria Bariani, Yan-Hong Cui, Mohamed Ali, Tao Bai, Sandra L Grimm, Cristian Coarfa, Cheryl L Walker, Yu-Ying He, Qiwei Yang, Ayman Al-Hendy

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Environmental exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is linked to the development of uterine fibroids (UFs) in women. UFs, non-cancerous tumors, are thought to originate from abnormal myometrial stem cells (MMSCs). Defective DNA repair capacity may contribute to the emergence of mutations that promote tumor growth. The multifunctional cytokine TGFβ1 is associated with UF progression and DNA damage repair pathways. To investigate the impact of EDC exposure on TGFβ1 and nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathways, we isolated MMSCs from 5-month-old Eker rats exposed neonatally to diethylstilbestrol (DES), an EDC, or to vehicle (VEH). EDC-MMSCs exhibited overactivated TGFβ1 signaling and reduced mRNA …

Age Differences In Core Symptoms And Symptom Relationships In Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Network Analysis, Pei-Lin Yang, Kendra J Kamp, Robert L Burr, Hsin-Yi Jean Tang, Adrian Dobra, Robert J Shulman, Margaret M Heitkemper

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder of gut-brain interaction, characterized by symptoms of abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits. It often co-occurs with extraintestinal somatic and psychological symptoms. However, the nature of the interrelationships among these symptoms is unclear. Although previous studies have noted age differences in IBS prevalence and specific symptom severity, it remains unknown whether specific symptoms and symptom relationships may differ by age.

METHODS: Symptom data were collected in 355 adults with IBS (mean age 41.4 years, 86.2% female). Network analysis was used to examine the interrelationships among 28 symptoms and to identify …

Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Pathogenesis And Treatment, Josep M Llovet, Catherine E Willoughby, Amit G Singal, Tim F Greten, Mathias Heikenwälder, Hashem B El-Serag, Richard S Finn, Scott L Friedman

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), including its more severe manifestation, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), has a global prevalence of 20-25% and is a major public health problem. Its incidence is increasing in parallel to the rise in obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Progression from NASH to NASH-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (~2% of cases per year) is influenced by many factors, including the tissue and immune microenvironment, germline mutations in PNPLA3, and the microbiome. NASH-HCC has unique molecular and immune traits compared with other aetiologies of HCC and is equally prevalent in men and women. Comorbidities associated with NASH, such as obesity …

Patient-Reported Bowel Function And Bowel-Related Quality Of Life After Pelvic Radiation For Rectal Adenocarcinoma: The Impact Of Radiation Fractionation And Surgical Resection, Michael K Rooney, Brian De, Kelsey Corrigan, Grace L Smith, Cullen Taniguchi, Bruce D Minsky, Ethan B Ludmir, Eugene J Koay, Prajnan Das, Albert C Koong, Oliver Peacock, George Chang, Y Nancy You, Van K Morris, Graciela Nogueras-González, Emma B Holliday

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Multimodality treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) can include long-course radiotherapy (LCRT) or short course radiotherapy (SCRT). Nonoperative management is increasingly pursued for those achieving a complete clinical response. Data regarding long-term function and quality-of-life (QOL) are limited.

METHODS: Patients with LARC treated with radiotherapy from 2016 to 2020 completed the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy- General (FACT-G7), the Low Anterior Resection Syndrome Score (LARS) and the Fecal Incontinence QOL Scale (FIQOL). Univariate and multivariable linear regression analyses identified associations between clinical variables including radiation fractionation and the use of surgery versus non-operative management.

RESULTS: Of 204 patients …

The Prevalence And Determinants Of Nafld And Mafld And Their Severity In The Va Primary Care Setting, Aaron P Thrift, Theresa H Nguyen, Codey Pham, Maya Balakrishnan, Fasiha Kanwal, Rohit Loomba, Hao T Duong, David Ramsey, Hashem B El-Serag

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND & AIMS: A recent panel of international experts proposed the disease acronym metabolic (dysfunction)-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) in lieu of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We aimed to estimate the burden of and risk factors for NAFLD and MAFLD, and to examine the concordance between definitions in a Veterans population.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study among randomly selected patients within primary care at the Houston Veterans Affairs (VA) facility. Participants completed a survey, provided blood, and underwent Fibroscan. In the absence of heavy alcohol, hepatitis C virus and hepatitis B virus, a controlled attenuation parameter median ≥290 …

Barriers To Colonoscopy In Uk Colorectal Cancer Screening Programmes: Qualitative Interviews With Ethnic Minority Groups, Robert S Kerrison, Natalie Gil, Elizabeth Travis, Robyn Jones, Katriina L Whitaker, Colin Rees, Stephen Duffy, Christian Von Wagner

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: People from ethnic minority backgrounds are less likely to attend colonoscopy, following faecal immunochemical test screening, and are more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer at an advanced stage as a result. The aim of this research was to explore the barriers and facilitators to attending colonoscopy, perceived by ethnic minority groups living in the United Kingdom.

METHODS: Semi-structured online and telephone interviews were conducted with thirty men and women of Black-African (n = 5), Black-Caribbean (n = 5), South Asian (n = 10) and White British (n = 10) descent. Participants were eligible for screening, but had …

Exploration Of Associations Among Dietary Tryptophan, Microbiome Composition And Function, And Symptom Severity In Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Anna M Plantinga, Kendra J Kamp, Qinglong Wu, Li Chen, Linda Yoo, Robert L Burr, Kevin C Cain, Daniel Raftery, Fausto Carnevale Neto, Shyam Badu, Sik Yu So, Tor Savidge, Robert J Shulman, Margaret M Heitkemper

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Imbalance of the tryptophan (TRP) pathway may influence symptoms among patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This study explored relationships among different components that contribute to TRP metabolism (dietary intake, stool metabolite levels, predicted microbiome metabolic capability) in females with IBS and healthy controls (HCs). Within the IBS group, we also investigated relationships between TRP metabolic determinants, Bifidobacterium abundance, and symptoms of IBS.

METHODS: Participants with IBS (Rome III) and HCs completed a 28-day diary of gastrointestinal symptoms and a 3-day food record for TRP intake. They provided a stool sample for shotgun metagenomics, 16 S rRNA analyses, and …

Knowledge, Attitudes, And Beliefs About Colorectal Cancer Screening In Puerto Rico, Vivian Colón-López, Ileska M Valencia-Torres, Elsa I Ríos, Josheili Llavona, Camille Vélez-Álamo, María E Fernández

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The purpose of this study was to describe the psychosocial factors influencing participation in colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) among Puerto Rican men and women. We conducted seven focus groups in metropolitan and rural areas of Puerto Rico (PR) with men and women (using gender specific groups) aged 50 to 80 years (n = 51) who were non-adherent to CRC guidelines. The focus group guide included questions related to colorectal cancer (CRC) and CRC screening knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs. We analyzed data using a modified grounded theory approach to identify emergent themes. Focus groups revealed seven major themes that represented barriers …

Dietary Intake Of Total, Heme And Non-Heme Iron And The Risk Of Colorectal Cancer In A European Prospective Cohort Study, Elom K Aglago, Amanda J Cross, Elio Riboli, Veronika Fedirko, David J Hughes, Agnes Fournier, Paula Jakszyn, Heinz Freisling, Marc J Gunter, Christina C Dahm, Kim Overvad, Anne Tjønneland, Cecilie Kyrø, Marie-Christine Boutron-Ruault, Joseph A Rothwell, Gianluca Severi, Verena Katzke, Bernard Srour, Matthias B Schulze, Clemens Wittenbecher, Domenico Palli, Sabina Sieri, Fabrizio Pasanisi, Rosario Tumino, Fulvio Ricceri, Bas Bueno-De-Mesquita, Jeroen W G Derksen, Guri Skeie, Torill Enget Jensen, Marko Lukic, Maria-Jose Sánchez, Pilar Amiano, Sandra Colorado-Yohar, Aurelio Barricarte, Ulrika Ericson, Bethany Van Guelpen, Keren Papier, Anika Knuppel, Corinne Casagrande, Inge Huybrechts, Alicia K Heath, Konstantinos K Tsilidis, Mazda Jenab

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Iron is an essential micronutrient with differing intake patterns and metabolism between men and women. Epidemiologic evidence on the association of dietary iron and its heme and non-heme components with colorectal cancer (CRC) development is inconclusive.

METHODS: We examined baseline dietary questionnaire-assessed intakes of total, heme, and non-heme iron and CRC risk in the EPIC cohort. Sex-specific multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed using Cox regression. We modelled substitution of a 1 mg/day of heme iron intake with non-heme iron using the leave one-out method.

RESULTS: Of 450,105 participants (318,680 women) followed for 14.2 …

Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Supplementation Promotes Brain Maturation In Preterm Pigs, Line I Christiansen, Bo Holmqvist, Xiaoyu Pan, Kristine Holgersen, Sandy E H Lindholm, Nicole L Henriksen, Douglas G Burrin, David Ley, Thomas Thymann, Per Torp Sangild, Stanislava Pankratova

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Very preterm infants show low levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which is associated with postnatal growth restriction and poor neurologic outcomes. It remains unknown whether supplemental IGF-1 may stimulate neurodevelopment in preterm neonates. Using cesarean-delivered preterm pigs as a model of preterm infants, we investigated the effects of supplemental IGF-1 on motor function and on regional and cellular brain development. Pigs were treated with 2.25 mg/kg/d recombinant human IGF-1/IGF binding protein-3 complex from birth until day 5 or 9 before the collection of brain samples for quantitative immunohistochemistry (IHC), RNA sequencing, and quantitative PCR analyses. Brain protein synthesis was …

Admixture Mapping In African Americans Identifies New Risk Loci For Hcv-Related Cirrhosis, Hyun-Seok Kim, Priya B Shetty, Spiridon Tsavachidis, Jing Dong, Christopher I Amos, Hashem B El-Serag, Aaron P Thrift

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Cirrhosis is the main predisposing condition for hepatocellular carcinoma. Host genetic risk factors have been reported for cirrhosis; however, whether there is a genetic contribution to racial disparities in cirrhosis requires further investigation.

METHODS: We used an affected-only mapping by admixture linkage disequilibrium analysis to characterize the genetic risk of cirrhosis in 227 African American patients with cirrhosis genotyped at 19,804 ancestry-informative marker single nucleotide polymorphisms. We additionally performed analyses stratified by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection status. To replicate our findings, we conducted a case-control analysis in an external study population (452 cases and 196 controls). …

Risk Factors For Hcc In Contemporary Cohorts Of Patients With Cirrhosis, Fasiha Kanwal, Saira Khaderi, Amit G Singal, Jorge A Marrero, Nicole Loo, Sumeet K Asrani, Christopher I Amos, Aaron P Thrift, Xiangjun Gu, Michelle Luster, Abeer Al-Sarraj, Jing Ning, Hashem B El-Serag

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Etiological risk factors for cirrhosis have changed in the last decade. It remains unclear to what extent these trends in cirrhosis risk factors have changed HCC risk.

APPROACH AND RESULTS: We used data from two contemporary, prospective multiethnic cohorts of patients with cirrhosis: the Texas Hepatocellular Carcinoma Consortium Cohort and the Houston Veterans Administration Cirrhosis Surveillance Cohort. Patients with cirrhosis were enrolled from seven US centers and followed until HCC diagnosis, transplant, death, or June 30, 2021. We calculated the annual incidence rates for HCC and examined the effects of etiology, demographic, clinical, and lifestyle factors on …

Regulation Of Skeletal Muscle Protein Synthesis In The Preterm Pig By Intermittent Leucine Pulses During Continuous Parenteral Feeding, Marko Rudar, Agus Suryawan, Hanh V Nguyen, Shaji K Chacko, Caitlin Vonderohe, Barbara Stoll, Douglas G Burrin, Marta L Fiorotto, Teresa A Davis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Extrauterine growth restriction is a common complication of preterm birth. Leucine (Leu) is an agonist for the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling pathway that regulates translation initiation and protein synthesis in skeletal muscle. Previously, we showed that intermittent intravenous pulses of Leu to neonatal pigs born at term receiving continuous enteral nutrition increases muscle protein synthesis and lean mass accretion. Our objective was to determine the impact of intermittent intravenous pulses of Leu on muscle protein anabolism in preterm neonatal pigs administered continuous parenteral nutrition.

METHODS: Following preterm delivery (on day 105 of 115 gestation), …

Characterizing Mechanism-Based Pain Phenotypes In Patients With Chronic Pancreatitis: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of The Prospective Evaluation Of Chronic Pancreatitis For Epidemiologic And Translational Studies, Jami L Saloman, Darwin L Conwell, Evan Fogel, Santhi Swaroop Vege, Liang Li, Shuang Li, Dana K Andersen, William E Fisher, Christopher E Forsmark, Phil A Hart, Stephen J Pandol, Walter G Park, Anna Evans Phillips, Mark Topazian, Stephen K Van Den Eeden, Jose Serrano, Dhiraj Yadav

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Pain is common in chronic pancreatitis (CP) and profoundly reduces quality of life (QoL). Multiple underlying mechanisms contribute to a heterogenous pain experience and reduce efficacy of pain management. This study was designed to characterize the distribution of mechanism-based pain phenotypes in painful CP. The data analyzed were collected as part of the PROspective Evaluation of Chronic Pancreatitis for EpidEmiologic and Translational StuDies, an NCI/NIDDK-funded longitudinal study of the natural history of CP. The PROspective Evaluation of Chronic pancreatitis for EpidEmiologic and translational stuDies includes patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures of pain, medication use, global health, and QoL. Of subjects (N …

Lnc-Uc147 Is Associated With Disease Stage Of Liver, Gastric, And Renal Cancer, Ana Carolina Rodrigues, Erika Pereira Zambalde, Daniel De Lima Bellan, Edvaldo Da Silva Trindade, Enilze Maria De Souza Fonseca Ribeiro, George Calin, Daniela Fiori Gradia, Jaqueline Carvalho De Oliveira

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Lnc-uc.147, a long non-coding RNA derived from a transcribed ultraconserved region (T-UCR), was previously evidenced in breast cancer. However, the role of this region in other tumor types was not previously investigated. The present study aimed to investigate lnc-uc.147 in different types of cancer, as well as to suggest lnc-uc.147 functional and regulation aspects. From solid tumor datasets analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), deregulated lnc-uc.147 expression was associated with the histologic grade of hepatocellular carcinoma, and with the tumor stage of clear cell renal and gastric adenocarcinoma. Considering the epidemiologic relevance of liver cancer, silencing lnc-uc.147 reduced the …

Impact Of The Covid Pandemic On Mental Health And Training Opportunities Of Public Health Residents From 4 European Countries: A Cross-Sectional Study, Giovanna Failla, Marta Caminiti, José Chen-Xu, Giuseppina Lo Moro, Nausicaa Berselli, Madalena Cabral Ferreira, Filipa Malcata, David Peyre-Costa, Roberto Croci, Giorgia Soldà, Angelo Capodici, Caterina Morcavallo, Francesco Traglia, Fabrizio Cedrone, Ilaria Storti, Alfonso Alonso Jaquete, Martina Antinozzi, Anca Vasiliu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVES: There is little evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Public Health Residents' (PHR) mental health (MH). This study aims at assessing prevalence and risk factors for depression, anxiety and stress in European PHR during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS: Between March and April 2021, an online survey was administered to PHR from France, Italy, Portugal and Spain. The survey assessed COVID-19 related changes in working conditions, training opportunities and evaluated MH outcomes using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21. Multivariable logistic regressions were applied to identify risk factors.

RESULTS: Among the 443 respondents, many showed symptoms of depression …

Chronic Liver Disease-Related Mortality In Diabetes Before And During The Covid-19 In The United States, Donghee Kim, Omar Alshuwaykh, Brittany B Dennis, George Cholankeril, Joshua W Knowles, Aijaz Ahmed

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Global pandemic of COVID-19 represents an unprecedented challenge. COVID-19 has predominantly targeted vulnerable populations with pre-existing chronic medical diseases, such as diabetes and chronic liver disease.

AIMS: We estimated chronic liver disease-related mortality trends among individuals with diabetes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS: Utilizing the US national mortality database and Census, we determined the quarterly age-standardized chronic liver disease-related mortality and quarterly percentage change (QPC) among individuals with diabetes.

RESULTS: The quarterly age-standardized mortality for chronic liver disease and/or cirrhosis among individuals with diabetes remained stable before the COVID-19 pandemic and sharply increased during the COIVD-19 pandemic …