Medical Sciences Commons^™

2026 Clinical Practice Guideline Update By The Infectious Diseases Society Of America And The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society On The Management Of Community-Acquired Pneumonia In Infants And Children Older Than 3 Months Of Age: The Use Of Pleural Fluid Drainage Compared To Surgical Debridement, Shawn D St Peter, Krow Ampofo, Thomas Brogan, Michael D Cabana, Claudia Espinosa, Todd A Florin, Jeffrey S Gerber, Michelle Gill, Debra L Palazzi, Mark Sawyer, Angela M Statile, Derek J Williams, Sheena Patel, Samir S Shah, Mark I Neuman

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

This paper is part of a larger clinical practice guideline on the diagnosis and management of parapneumonic effusion and empyema in children, developed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. In this paper, the panel provides recommendations on the choice of pleural fluid drainage by chest tube with fibrinolysis versus mechanical debridement. The panel's recommendations are based upon evidence derived from systematic literature reviews and adhere to a standardized methodology for rating the certainty of evidence and strength of recommendation according to the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) approach.

Lifestyle Intervention Therapy Modulates Global Dna Methylation And Adipogenic Gene Expression In Severely Obese Hypogonadal Men, Siresha Bathina, Virginia Fuenmayor Lopez, Mia Prado, Salina Biene Teo, Dennis T Villareal, Rui Chen, Clifford Qualls, Reina Armamento-Villareal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background/Objectives: Previous studies have suggested that lifestyle intervention (LSI) therapies involving diet and exercise can modulate DNA methylation; however, whether this occurs in severely obese hypogonadal men undergoing weight loss from diet and exercise remains unclear.

Methods: In this study, we investigated the effects of weight loss from diet and exercise on global DNA methylation as well as on the mRNA expression of specific demethylation enzymes, DNMT1, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B—in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and DNA methylation markers in DNA of severely obese hypogonadal men. This is a secondary analysis of samples of severely obese (body …

Clinical Practice Guideline By The Infectious Diseases Society Of America And The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society: 2026 Guideline Update On The Management Of Community-Acquired Pneumonia In Infants And Children Older Than 3 Months Of Age, Shawn D St Peter, Krow Ampofo, Thomas Brogan, Michael D Cabana, Claudia Espinosa, Todd A Florin, Jeffrey S Gerber, Michelle Gill, Debra L Palazzi, Mark Sawyer, Angela M Statile, Derek J Williams, Sheena Patel, Mark I Neuman, Samir S Shah

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

As the first part of an update to the clinical practice guideline on the management of community-acquired pneumonia in infants and children older than 3 months of age, we present six updated recommendations. The updated recommendations span the characterization and management of pneumonia with parapneumonic effusion. The panel's recommendations are based on evidence derived from systematic literature reviews and adhere to a standardized methodology for rating the certainty of evidence and strength of recommendation according to the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) approach.

Incidence Of Venous Thromboembolism In Women Receiving Transdermal Oestradiol/Testosterone With Micronised Progesterone In Accordance With Nice Guidelines, Amy Neville, Dan Reisel, John Benton, Mohit Khera, Louise Newson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Despite growing evidence supporting the long-term safety of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), concerns persist about certain adverse health outcomes, including venous thromboembolism (VTE). The aim of the study is to evaluate the risk of VTE in peri- and postmenopausal women treated with transdermal 17β-oestradiol with micronised progesterone or intrauterine progesterone (levonorgestrel) via the Mirena coil, in a real-world clinical setting.

Methods: The study included peri- and postmenopausal women attending a private menopause clinic between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023. Patients were actively undergoing treatment with transdermal oestradiol and progesterone in the form of micronised oral progesterone or …

High Dietary Fiber Is Associated With Improved Outcomes In Patients With Melanoma And Sarcoma Treated With Immunotherapy Regardless Of Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis And Social Vulnerability, Brittany C Fields, Raymond S Traweek, Kai Jiang, Russell G Witt, Ashish Damania, Yi-Ju Chiang, Nadim Ajami, Elise Nassif-Haddad, Emily Z Keung, Manoj Chelvanambi, Xiaotao Zhang, Christine B Peterson, Jennifer A Wargo, Carrie R Daniel, Christina L Roland, Ashley M Holder

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Social vulnerability, dietary fiber, and the gut microbiome have been individually implicated in clinical outcomes for melanoma and sarcoma patients. This study hypothesized that increasing social vulnerability is associated with insufficient dietary fiber intake and negatively associated with microbiome composition and clinical outcomes.

Methods: Clinicopathologic data, baseline fiber intake, and gut microbiome profiles were assessed in 153 patients with melanoma or sarcoma treated with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) and prospectively followed. Patients' social vulnerability index (SVI) and fiber intake were evaluated for associations with microbiome composition, treatment response, and overall survival (OS).

Results: SVI percentile was 0.4 (interquartile ratio …

Radiation Doses To Cardiac Substructures Predict Elevation In High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T Levels In Radiation Therapy For Lung Cancer, Xinru Chen, Xiaodong Zhang, Ting Xu, Radhe Mohan, Ruitao Lin, Mei Chen, Rachel C Maguire, Yao Zhao, Efstratios Koutroumpakis, Nicolas L Palaskas, Anita Deswal, Ali Ajdari, Joshua S Niedzielski, Sanjay S Shete, Laurence E Court, Jinzhong Yang, Zhongxing Liao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Cardiotoxicity is a major concern for patients undergoing thoracic radiation therapy. This study compared the predictive power of radiation dose-volume histogram (DVH) parameters and radiomic/dosiomic features of the whole heart (WH) and cardiac substructures for elevated circulating high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), a biomarker for early detection of cardiac adverse events.

Methods and materials: A retrospective cohort of 160 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from a completed prospective trial and a prospective cohort of 57 patients with NSCLC enrolled in an ongoing trial were analyzed. The endpoint was hs-cTnT elevation, indicated by an increase of ≥5 ng/L …

Misregulated Alternative Splicing In Endometriosis: A Role For Aberrant Mrna Variants In Endometriotic Cell Growth, Venkata Naga Goutham Davuluri, Michelle Dias, Roxanna Llinas, Kamath Neha, Pooja Popli, Shannon M Hawkins, Chandrakant Tayade, Elise T Courtois, Hari Krishna Yalamanchili, Ramakrishna Kommagani

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disorder marked by the growth of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus, often leading to pelvic pain, inflammation, and infertility. Despite its global prevalence, diagnosis remains delayed, and effective non-surgical treatments are lacking. While recent transcriptomic studies have identified mRNA transcript changes in ectopic lesions, the contribution of alternative pre-mRNA splicing, a key posttranscriptional regulatory layer, remains largely unknown. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of alternative splicing (AS) events in endometriotic lesions using transcriptomic data. We uncovered distinct alterations in alternative splicing events are associated with endometriosis, highlighting a previously underappreciated layer of …

Beyond The Brain: How Does Alzheimer’S Disease Affect The Body?, Ye-Jin Park, Hongjie Li

Center on Aging Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Pimicotinib Versus Placebo For Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumour (Maneuver): An International, Randomised, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 3 Trial, Hairong Xu, Xiaohui Niu, Vinod Ravi, Javier Martin-Broto, Albiruni Abdul Razak, Ramy Saleh, Yong Zhou, Jingnan Shen, Tang Liu, Kamlesh Kumar Sankhala, César Serrano, Silvia Stacchiotti, Jing Wang, Giacomo G Baldi, Yi Feng, Yingqi Hua, Tao Li, Piotr Rutkowski, Xiaojing Zhang, Gabriel Tinoco, Qingping Zou, Boyao Shan, Xiangyu Zhu, Hans Gelderblom

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Tenosynovial giant cell tumour (TGCT) is a rare, locally aggressive neoplasm that affects otherwise healthy adults. There are few systemic treatment options, highlighting an unmet need. We report the results of part 1 of the MANEUVER trial, which aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pimicotinib, a highly selective, potent, colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor inhibitor, in patients with TGCT.

Methods: MANEUVER is a randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 study done in 40 specialised hospitals in Asia, Europe, and North America. Patients aged 18 years and older with unresectable, symptomatic TGCT (patient-reported worse stiffness or worst pain of at least 4 …

Ccr7 Immune Cell Receptor Expression In Inflammatory Breast Cancer, Jennifer H Chen, Wintana Balema, Savitri Krishnamurthy, Alison N Lawrence, Natalie W Fowlkes, Richard A Larson, Surbhi Shivhare, Caren Sanchez, Megan M Rodriguez, Jangsoon Lee, Emilly S Villodre, Bisrat G Debeb, Naoto T Ueno, Steve Van Laere, Francois Bertucci, Hyunwoo Cho, Erik P Sulman, Bora Lim, Wendy A Woodward

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Patterns Of Failure Following Stereotactic Radiosurgery Salvage For Recurrent High-Grade Glioma, Shivani Bindal, Brandon Gonzalez, Antonio Dono, Roy Riascos, Jay-Jiguang Zhu, Sigmund Hsu, Nitin Tandon, Angel Blanco, Yoshua Esquenazi, Mark Amsbaugh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and objectives: Re-irradiation with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is an increasingly used treatment for recurrent high-grade glioma (HGG). We analyzed the patterns of failure after salvage SRS to better identify which patients would most benefit.

Methods: We reviewed all patients who received SRS for recurrent HGG over 12 years at our institution. Pattern of failure was defined by the distance of recurrence from the SRS isodose line. Overall-survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and local-failure-free survival (LFS) were estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods, and regression model analysis was performed to analyze clinical predictors of failure.

Results: 146 patients with HGG underwent SRS …

Creating A Culture Change Around Stroke: Integrating Process Improvement To Reduce Door-To-Needle Time, Shayna Brewer, Benedict Pereira, Rose Bisellach, Jason Greenspan

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

No abstract provided.

Gut Microbiota Modulation Via Repeated Donor Fecal Transplantation Improves Motor And Gastrointestinal Symptoms In Drug-Naïve Parkinson’S Disease: A Randomized Phase 2 Trial, Rui Zhang, Renyi Feng, Jiuqi Wang, Yongkang Chen, Han Liu, Qingyong Zhu, Haiyan Tian, Chi Qin, Junfang Teng, Beisha Tang, Min Wu, Jinsheng Zeng, Erxi Wu, Xuebing Ding, Xuejing Wang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The gut-brain axis is increasingly recognized as a critical contributor to Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis, yet the therapeutic impact of microbiota modulation remains unclear due to lack of clinical trials in drug-naïve patients. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of repeated donor fecal microbiota transplantation (dFMT) in de novo PD. FMT was administered for seven days (200 mL on days 1-3; 50 mL on days 4-7) per 4-week cycle. Seventy-two patients were randomized 1:1 to receive dFMT or autologous FMT (aFMT), and 66 completed the trial. At 35 weeks, the …

Pan-Cancer Evolution Signatures Link Clonal Expansion To Dynamic Changes In The Tumor Immune Microenvironment, Xinyu Yang, Wei Liu, Geoff Macintyre, Peter Van Loo, Florian Markowetz, Peter Bailey, Ke Yuan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cancer is an evolutionary process characterized by profound intratumor heterogeneity (ITH), which can be quantified using in silico estimates of cancer cell fractions (CCFs) of tumor-specific somatic mutations. We demonstrate a data-driven approach based on CCF distributions to identify 4 robust pan-cancer evolutionary signatures from 4,146 tumors across 17 cancer types in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). These signatures define a continuum of cancer cell fractions reflecting neutral evolution, clonal expansion, and clonal fixation. Correlating evolutionary signatures with mutational and biological programs reveals that tumors enriched for clonal expansion and fixation are associated with immune evasion and distinct changes in …

The Efficacy And Safety Of Serratus Anterior Plane Block In Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Xu-Bo Cui, Ming-Zhu Cui, Qiu-Ju Yang, Yang Liu, Meng-Qi Yi, Xiao-Yang Zhang, Yun-Tai Yao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) is a widely used fascial block that reduces postoperative pain and perioperative opioid consumption. This meta-analysis assessed the efficacy and safety of SAPB in cardiac surgery patients.

Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang databases on May 10, 2024. Pooled relative risks and mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for dichotomous and continuous outcomes, respectively. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistic, and publication bias was evaluated using Egger test. Subgroup analyses were stratified by study design (randomized controlled trials …

Uncovering Hidden Prognostic Patterns In Colorectal Cancer Histology Using Unsupervised Learning: A Computational Pathology Study, Wen-Tong Zhou, Yong Liu, Gang Yu, Kuan-Song Wang, Chao Xu, Jonathan Greenbaum, Chong Wu, Lin-Dong Jiang, Christopher J Papasian, Hong-Mei Xiao, Hong-Wen Deng

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading cause of cancer mortality globally, yet current histopathological diagnostics capture only limited features. This study aimed to discover subtle, prognostically significant histomorphological patterns in CRC tissues using unsupervised deep learning. We developed a framework integrating convolutional neural networks with deep clustering, trained on 23,341 image patches from 493 patients. We identified 30 distinct histomorphological clusters from CRC tissue images. Through univariate and multivariate survival analyses, three clusters (Cluster13, Cluster19, and Cluster24) were consistently associated with patient prognosis. These clusters were integrated with clinical factors (T stage, N stage, and differentiation degree) to construct a …

Telemedicine As A Gateway To Early-Phase Oncology Trials: Lessons From 14,000 Patients And Future Directions For Global Access And Equity, Carlos Torrado, Clark R Andersen, Lei Kang, Amanda L Brink, Taiwo Adesoye, Hung Le, Clover J Patterson, Anna Poullard, Jessica A Osburn, Harold N Tan, Mohamed A Gouda, Sheena Charles, Gabriele E Urschel, Tin-Yun Tang, David S Hong, Stephane Champiat, Aung Naing, Apostolia M Tsimberidou, Ecaterina E Dumbrava, Sarina A Piha-Paul, Jordi Rodon, Timothy A Yap, Paula R Pohlmann, Funda Meric-Bernstam, Siqing Fu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Telemedicine expanded rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, but its role in early-phase oncology trials remains uncertain. We evaluated its impact on recruitment, enrollment, equity, and access in a large phase I program.

Patients and methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients seen for first consultation in the MD Anderson Phase I Program (2016-2023). Recruitment (consent) and enrollment (treatment initiation) were compared by visit type, race/ethnicity, and geography across pre-pandemic (2016-2019), pandemic (2020-March 11, 2023), and post-public health emergency (PHE; March-December 2023) periods. A chart review of 400 patients validated findings.

Results: Of 14,085 patients, 7,247 were evaluated post-pandemic, with 36% (n …

Soluble Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator Receptor (Supar) As A Biomarker Of Neurodysfunction, Victoria Linden De Rezende, Khiany Mathias, Lucineia Gainski Danielski, Tatiana Barichello, Fabricia Petronilho

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The inflammatory response is essential for host defense, but its persistence can lead to chronic systemic inflammation (CSI). Soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) has emerged as a reliable biomarker of CSI because elevated levels consistently indicate the presence and progression of chronic disease as well as increased mortality risk. There is growing evidence that CSI influences neurovascular regulation, including changes in blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity, which suggests that suPAR may also be relevant to central nervous system (CNS) processes. This narrative review summarizes current findings on suPAR in CSI and examines its emerging implications for CNS. Higher suPAR concentrations …

In Vivo Hsc Gene Therapy Enables Sustained Ecd4-Ig Expression For Siv Prevention, Chang Li, Anna K Anderson, Anne-Sophie Kuhlmann, Veronica Nelson, Audrey Germond, Hongjie Wang, Aphrodite Georgakopoulou, Sucheol Gil, Jasmin Martinez-Reyes, Andrew Riker, Shruthi Shankar Raman, Jiho Kim, Philip Ng, Donna Palmer, Michael D Alpert, Nickolas Skamangas, Charles Bailey, Tianling Ou, Christine M Fennessey, Michael Farzan, Keith R Jerome, Brandon F Keele, Hans-Peter Kiem, André Lieber, John K Bui

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

We aim to develop an in vivo hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy approach for the prevention and control of HIV-1 infection. Toward this goal, we engineered helper-dependent adenovirus (HDAd) 6/3+ vectors to directly transduce HSCs in vivo, enabling progeny cells to secrete eCD4-Ig, a decoy protein that broadly neutralizes HIV/simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) isolates by mimicking the primary viral receptor CD4 and coreceptors such as CCR5. In rhesus macaques, the HDAd 6/3+ platform achieved long-term expression of an enhanced eCD4-Ig variant (“eCD4-Ig-Emm06”) that retained potent neutralization efficacy in vivo. Transduced HSCs differentiated into lymphoid and myeloid lineages …

Pkmζ-Kibra Interactions, Molecular Turnover, And Memory, Changchi Hsieh, David A Cano, Panayiotis Tsokas, James E Cottrell, André Antonio Fenton, Harel Shouval, Todd Charlton Sacktor

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

How can the molecules that strengthen synaptic connections maintain memory in the face of molecular turnover? Our previous work showed that persistent interaction between the postsynaptic scaffolding protein, KIBRA, and the autonomously active PKC isoform, PKMζ, is crucial for maintaining synaptic long-term potentiation (LTP) and memory lasting at least a month. This duration is longer than the lifespans of individual KIBRA and PKMζ molecules. Biophysical modeling of the interaction suggests oligomers of KIBRA-PKMζ dimers, but not individual dimers or monomers, can overcome molecular turnover by continuously incorporating newly synthesized KIBRA and PKMζ, replacing those that have degraded. Here we used …

Complete Genome Sequence Of The Widely Used Coaggregation Fusobacterial Strain Pk1594, Bibek G C, Shiqi Xu, Chenggang Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We report the complete genome sequence of the fusobacterial strain PK1594, widely used to study coaggregation between Fusobacterium nucleatum and oral bacteria. The assembly comprises a 2,357,192-bp chromosome and a 20,441-bp contig representing a duplicated 10,221-bp plasmid. znpA analysis indicates that PK1594 is Fusobacterium hwasookii rather than F. nucleatum.

Investigating Corollaries Between Streptococcus Gallolyticus Subsp. Gallolyticus Virulence And Colorectal Cancer, Tyler G. Myers

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus (Sgg) is a gram-positive, non-beta-hemolytic bacterium that belongs to the Lancefield group D of streptococcal pathogens. For the past several decades, associations between Sgg bacteremia and colorectal cancer (CRC) have been apparent, with gastroenterologists routinely recommending colonoscopies for positive cases of Sgg in either blood or stool samples. However, current research has not wholly established whether Sgg acts as a causative agent of CRC or if pre-existing cancers make the lumen of the colon more hospitable to its colonization. Regardless, Sgg has been implicated in the modulation of host inflammatory pathways and subsequent remodeling …

Adolescent And Parent Dyad Perceptions On The Utility And Implementation Ability To Use Cellphone-Based Technology To Reduce Distracted Driving In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Usa, Kevin Rix, Rachel Solomon, Mallory Lacy, M Kit Delgado, Jeffrey P Ebert, Douglas J Wiebe, Catherine Claire Mcdonald

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Losing focus while driving, including cellphone-based distractions (phone calls, text messages, other apps), is a prominent problem for adolescent drivers. Internal cellphone-based technologies designed to reduce distractions are prominent, but little is known about how parents and their children feel about their ability to successfully reduce distracted driving. This study interviews parents and adolescents to understand the utility and what is needed for implementation of these technologies.

Methods: Twenty (20) adolescent-parent dyads participated in semistructured qualitative interviews. Participants reflected adolescent drivers and their parents who previously had been documented as ranging from 'very low' risk drivers to 'very high' …

Quality Of Life In Patients With P16+ Oropharyngeal Cancer Receiving Accelerated Radiation Therapy With Either Cisplatin Or Cetuximab In The Nrg/Rtog 1016 Randomized Controlled Trial, Jolie Ringash, Pedro A Torres-Saavedra, Maura L Gillison, Jimmy J Caudell, David J Adelstein, Paul M Harari, Erich M Sturgis, Ethan Basch, Shlomo A Koyfman, Greg A Krempl, Dukagjin M Blakaj, James Edward Bates, Thomas J Galloway, Christopher U Jones, Beth M Beadle, Jonathan Harris, Quynh-Thu Le, Sue S Yom, Benjamin Movsas

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: NRG/RTOG 1016 was a phase III randomized noninferiority de-escalation trial comparing cetuximab versus cisplatin, concurrent with accelerated radiation 70 Gy/6 weeks, in p16+ oropharyngeal cancer. Quality of life (QOL) was a secondary endpoint.

Methods and materials: Eligible/consenting patients among the first 400 entered completed the EORTC QLQ-C30/H&N35 at baseline, end of treatment, 3, 6, and 12 months posttreatment, to provide 90% power to detect an effect size of 0.5 in the between-arm change in QOL scores from baseline to 6 months. We report completion, responsiveness, and patterns over time across domains between arms, considering a difference of >10 points …

Cilostazol Conduction Effects: A Possible Adjunctive Therapy Option?, Justin Haloot, Yochai Birnbaum

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Inverse Associations Of Serum Total Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids And Linoleic Acid With Biomarkers Of Inflammation: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Kevin C Maki, Xiwei Chen, Meredith L Wilcox, Carol F Kirkpatrick, Liana L Guarneiri, Orsolya M Palacios, Erika T Beidelman, Anna Lm Macagno, David B Allison

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Observational evidence supports associations between higher consumption of omega-6 (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) with reduced risks for cardiometabolic diseases. However, some have hypothesized that higher n-6 PUFA intake may be proinflammatory.

Objectives: The purpose of this cross-sectional analysis using baseline data from the Aegis cohort was to examine associations of serum total n-6 PUFA and linoleic acid concentrations with biomarkers of inflammation.

Methods: Serum concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), glycoprotein acetyls, serum amyloid A (SAA), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) were assessed as biomarkers of inflammation. Univariate Pearson correlation coefficients …

Schistosome Esophageal Gland Factor Meg-82 Drives Host Cell Lysis And Interacts With Host Immune Proteins, Pallavi Yadav, Sabona B Simbassa, Ryan Sloan, Phillip A Newmark, Jayhun Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Schistosomes are blood flukes that ingest large amounts of host blood during their intra-mammalian stage. The ingested blood contains leukocytes that can be harmful, yet the parasites survive inside the host for decades, reflecting superb immune evasion mechanisms that remain poorly understood. Our previous work discovered that FoxA, a forkhead transcription factor, drives the production of the esophageal gland, an anterior digestive organ essential for degrading ingested leukocytes and for in vivo survival. However, a comprehensive molecular makeup of the esophageal gland remains unclear. Importantly, the esophageal gland factors responsible for degrading ingested leukocytes, their mechanisms of action, and how …

Brain-Engrafted Monocyte-Derived Macrophages From Blood And Skull-Bone Marrow Exhibit Distinct Properties, Siling Du, Feiya Ou, Antoine Drieu, Eric Z Xu, Yumeng Cheng, Steffen E Storck, Tornike Mamuladze, Jay Cao, Nora Abduljawad, Bishan Bhattarai, Justin Rustenhoven, Niall Mortimer, Simone Brioschi, Khai Nguyen, Patrick Fernandes Rodrigues, Igor Smirnov, Daniel Gibson, J Michael White, Wandy Beatty, David Denardo, Qingyun Li, Michael Meers, Claudia Z Han, Na Sun, Florent Ginhoux, Marina Cella, Marco Colonna, Jonathan Kipnis

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Microglia arise from yolk sac progenitors and are thought to persist throughout life with minimal input from adult hematopoiesis. However, whether brain-engrafted monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) exist at homeostasis and during turnover and how they function relative to yolk-sac-derived microglia (YSMs) remain unsettled. Here, we combine lineage tracing, pharmacological microglia depletion, and multi-omics profiling to define the ontogeny, identity, and function of brain parenchymal macrophages. Despite sharing the parenchymal milieu, MDMs display transcriptional and epigenetic landscapes distinct from YSMs. Fate-mapping reveals that brain-engrafted MDMs transiently express CD206, echoing a developmental stage of microglial precursors. MDM engraftment and polarization are modulated by …

Challenges Of Electronic Medical Record Implementation From The Perspective Of Hospital Leaders In Riyadh, Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia's Public Hospitals: A Mixed-Methods Study, Atheer A. Alghamdi, Samiha H. Sayed

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To assesses the challenges of implementing electronic medical records (EMR) from the leaders' perspective in public hospitals in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and explores their suggestions for improvement. Methods: A concurrent mixed research approach using a purposive sample of all hospital leaders (61) involved in EMR in 5 randomly selected public hospitals utilizing EMR in Riyadh. The researchers deployed a semi-structured interview schedule to collect the data. They used descriptive statistics and ordinal regression analysis for quantitative data, and thematic analysis for qualitative data. Results: Indicate that 80.3% of the hospital leaders had a good perception of …

The Use And Utility Of Wearable Devices For Tracking Sleep And Activity In Inpatient Mental Health Settings: Protocol For A Rapid Review, Gillian Strudwick, Hwayeon Danielle Shin, Iman Kassam, Karishini Ramamoorthi, Benjamin Rosen, Michelle A Patriquin, Justin Baker, Nicholas Neufeld

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Wearable devices offer an opportunity to objectively monitor and capture sleep and activity in psychiatric inpatient settings, where traditional approaches often rely on subjective reporting or staff observation, both of which have inherent flaws. Technologies such as Fitbit, Garmin, Oura Ring, GENEActiv, Empatica, and WHOOP (among others) have been used to passively collect physiological data that may inform care planning and clinical decision-making. Despite growing interest, the extent to which these wearables are feasible, acceptable, and useful in inpatient mental health settings remains unclear. Synthesizing this evidence is essential to inform their potential integration into psychiatric care.

Objective: This …