Medical Sciences Commons^™

Ectopic B Lymphocyte Follicles Exacerbate Ischemic Brain Damage Via Mif-Cd74/Cxcr4 And Interferon Signaling, Sheng Yang, Hang Zhang, Lu-Lu Xu, Luo-Qi Zhou, Yun-Hui Chu, Lian Chen, Xiao-Wei Pang, Lu-Yang Zhang, Li-Fang Zhu, Ming-Hao Dong, Ke Shang, Jun Xiao, Long-Jun Wu, Wei Wang, Dai-Shi Tian, Chuan Qin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Neuroinflammation, encompassing both innate and adaptive immune responses, plays a crucial role in ischemic stroke. Although B lymphocytes are central to adaptive immunity, their contributions to ischemic stroke remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrated that B lymphocytes accumulate in ischemic lesions, forming germinal center-like structures at the later stage after stroke, which mainly depended on in situ proliferation. This accumulation correlated with worsened neuroinflammation and ischemic injury, whereas B cell depletion reduced chronic brain damage during stroke. Mechanistically, microglia recruited B cells into ischemic lesions through MIF-CD74/CXCR4 signaling during the early phase of stroke, while IFN-related pathways in B cells …

Surface Morphometrics Reveals Local Membrane Thickness Variation In Organellar Subcompartments, Michaela Medina, Ya-Ting Chang, Hamidreza Rahmani, Mark Frank, Zidan Khan, Daniel Fuentes, Frederick A Heberle, M Neal Waxham, Benjamin A Barad, Danielle A Grotjahn

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Lipid bilayers form the basis of organellar architecture, structure, and compartmentalization in the cell. Decades of biophysical, biochemical, and imaging studies on purified or in vitro-reconstituted liposomes have shown that variations in lipid composition influence the physical properties of membranes, such as thickness and curvature. However, similar studies characterizing these membrane properties within the native cellular context have remained technically challenging. Recent advancements in cellular cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) imaging enable high-resolution, three-dimensional views of native organellar membrane architecture preserved in near-native conditions. We previously developed a "Surface Morphometrics" pipeline that generates surface mesh reconstructions to model and quantify cellular membrane …

Regulating Ai In Pediatrics-Is Transparency Enough?, R Brandon Hunter, Kolaleh Eskandanian, Chester J Koh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Activin A Secretion By Muscle-Repairing Macrophages Induces Heterotopic Ossification In Mice, Wenqiang Yin, Kazuo Okamoto, Asuka Terashima, Warunee Pluemsakunthai, Takehito Ono, Taku Ito-Kureha, Shizuo Akira, Yoshinobu Hashizume, Roland Baron, Satoshi Ueha, Kouji Matsushima, Martin M Matzuk, Yuji Mishina, Hiroshi Takayanagi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The immune system is not only essential for host defense, but it is also involved in tissue maintenance and disease pathogenesis. Macrophages play a key role in tissue repair, fibrosis, and tumorigenesis, but the mechanisms underlying their multifunctionality have not been fully explored. Here, we identified Mrep (Ly6ChiCX3CR1loPDPN+CD9+) as a crucial subset of macrophages for muscle regeneration after muscle injury. Muscle regeneration required Mrep-derived activin A, which was produced via the TLR4/TIR domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-β/TANK-binding kinase 1/interferon regulatory factor 3/7 signaling pathway in response to muscle injury. Mrep exerted pathological effects by secreting activin A in a model of genetically …

Continuous Vs Intermittent Postoperative Vital Sign Monitoring: A Cluster Randomized Crossover Trial, Ashish K Khanna, Nathaniel Sean O'Connell, Amit K Saha, Megan Henley Hicks, Robert S Weller, Lynnette Harris, Bruce D Cusson, Ann Faris, Carolyn S Huffman, Scott Segal, Brian J Wells, Eric S Kirkendall, Daniel I Sessler

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Importance: Continuous postoperative monitoring on general nursing units detects vital sign abnormalities that are missed with conventional intermittent monitoring. Early recognition may prompt interventions to limit potentially harmful blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation perturbations.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that continuous unblinded monitoring of vital signs would decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation abnormalities compared with intermittent monitoring in patients recovering from noncardiac surgery.

Design, setting, and participants: This multiple crossover randomized cluster trial in 2 postoperative hospital wards included patients recovering from noncardiac surgery and was conducted from October 7, 2020, to October 7, 2021. …

Dna Methylation Is Associated With Von Willebrand Factor And Coagulation Factor Viii Plasma Levels: The Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities Study, Julie Hahn, Jan Bressler, Myriam Fornage, Eric Boerwinkle, Nicholas L Smith, Alanna C Morrison, Paul S De Vries

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Limited information is available on how DNA methylation of cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites across the genome regulate circulating von Willebrand Factor (VWF) and factor VIII (FVIII) levels.

Methods: We performed an epigenome-wide association study to examine the association of leukocyte DNA methylation levels at 483,735 CpG sites with VWF antigen plasma levels and FVIII activity in 2,597 Black and 1,011 White participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. VWF antigen levels and FVIII activity were measured at the baseline exam, while DNA methylation was measured with the Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip array at visit 2 or 3. Discovery analysis …

Poly(Adp-Ribose) Glycohydrolase Enforces P21 Degradation Via Deparylation To Promote Gastric Cancer Progression, Yangchan Hu, Qimei Bao, Yixing Huang, Yan Wang, Xin Zhao, Junjun Nan, Yuxin Meng, Mingcong Deng, Yuancong Li, Zirui Zhuang, Hanyi He, Dan Zu, Yuke Zhong, Chunkai Zhang, Bing Wang, Ran Li, Yanhua He, Qihan Wang, Min Liu, John A Tainer, Yin Shi, Xiangdong Cheng, Ji Jing, Zu Ye

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Dysregulation of cell cycle checkpoints is a cancer hallmark, with ubiquitination-controlled protein stability playing a pivotal role. Although p21, a key cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, is tightly regulated by ubiquitin-mediated degradation, the key upstream modulators of its ubiquitination remain incompletely defined. Here, we identify poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) as a regulator of p21 stability in gastric cancer (GC) cells. We show that PARG expression is markedly upregulated in GC tissues and correlates with poor patient prognosis. Functional assays revealed that genetic depletion of PARG triggers G2/M phase arrest and impairs GC cell proliferation. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that PARG loss enhances p21 PARylation, …

The Impact Of Human Myoblasts On Macrophage Polarization In A Coculture Model, Elisabeth Ann Stodola

Biomedical Engineering

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is characterized by the buildup of atherosclerotic plaque in the lower extremities that occludes blood flow, and affects over 200 million people worldwide. Without effective treatment, PAD can lead to claudication, ischemia, ulcers, and gangrene. PAD causes more amputations in the United States than any other condition, and for severe cases that require revascularization, procedures benefit fewer than 50% of patients. This demonstrates a clear need for alternative therapies. Potential therapies for PAD target expansion of collateral blood vessels around the area of occlusion – a process called arteriogenesis to compensate for loss of blood flow …

Clinical Validation Of Targeted Somatic Structural Variant Detection In Pediatric Cancer Via Long-Read Sequencing, Aravindh Nagarajan, Byunggil Yoo, Emily Farrow, John Herriges, Lei Zhang, Elena Repnikova, Tomi Pastinen, Carol J. Saunders, Midhat Farooqi, Lisa Lansdon

Posters

Introduction: Structural variants (SVs) leading to gene fusions are one of the most common classes of driver mutations in pediatric cancer. Clinical SV detection relies on a combination of techniques including karyotyping, FISH, microarray and RNA fusion testing, and, more recently, optical genome mapping. SV detection via long-read genome sequencing (lr-GS) offers the advantage of breakpoint and complex event resolution; however, its implementation has been limited by the lack of an optimized somatic SV caller, among other factors. Here we describe the clinical validation of lr-GS for targeted somatic SV detection in pediatric cancer using Severus, a newly available somatic …

Lessons Learned: Targeted Rna Sequencing As A Tool For Resolving Variants Of Uncertain Significance, Allison Kalinousky, Vitoria Paolillo, Florencia Del Viso, Elena Repnikova, Ana S A Cohen, Joseph Alaimo, Emily Farrow, Carol J. Saunders, Isabelle Thiffault

Posters

Our study demonstrated the utility of RNA studies in providing sufficient evidence to reinterpret VUS in a small cohort of clinically diverse pediatric patients who received ES/GS-based testing. Fifteen patients (68%) received an updated clinical report. Notably, in 59% the RNAseq data resulted in a molecular diagnosis. Moreover, ~47% of our positive variants were not located at splicing junctions, and therefore, would most likely not be flagged as a likely candidate in ES/GS analysis pipelines. While most variants with low TPM in blood failed, two positive variants had TPM less than 0.1, indicating that while TPM values can help narrow …

An Artificial Intelligence Model For Electrocardiogram Detection Of Occlusion Myocardial Infarction: A Retrospective Study To Reduce False-Positive Cath Lab Activations, Benjamin L Cooper, Evan A Genova, Carrie A Bakunas, Catherine E Reynolds, Benjamin Karfunkle, Nils P Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Aims: Existing ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) alert pathways that rely on traditional STEMI criteria perform suboptimally. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of an artificial intelligence (AI) model to detect acute occlusion myocardial infarction (OMI) from the routine 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) and, specifically, its potential to reduce false-positive activations.

Methods and results: Consecutive adults managed via the STEMI pathway were included from a tertiary academic medical centre between January 2022 and December 2023. Cases without an available ECG for review, death prior to catheterization, or alternative reasons for activation (i.e. electrical instability or urgent interventions) were excluded. Pre-coronary …

Severe Renal Phenotype Across A Multigenerational Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (Tsc) Family, Elena Tuller, Joshua A Samuels, Hope Northrup, Kate Richardson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder characterized by the formation of hamartomas in the brain, kidney, and heart, along with other complex clinical manifestations, including TSC-associated neuropsychiatric disorder (TAND). Development of genotype-phenotype correlations within TSC can aid clinicians in providing prognostic data and improve clinical management. We present here a multigenerational family who has a pathogenic variant in TSC2 displaying a severe renal phenotype.

Methods: A 23-year-old Caucasian male (Patient 1) was determined to have a molecularly confirmed diagnosis of TSC at approximately 2 months of age. The nonsense pathogenic variant (c.1372C>T (p.Arg458*)) in …

Consolidation Enfortumab Vedotin And Pembrolizumab After Cisplatin Induction In Metastatic Urothelial Cancer: Outcomes Of Complete Response And Bladder Preservation, Kok Hoe Chan, Putao Cen, Tung Shu, Steven Canfield, Hui Zhao, Anneliese Gonzalez, Julie Rowe, Varaha Tammisetti, Hajar Ayoub, Angel Blanco, Mark Amsbaugh, Nizar Tannir

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Bladder preservation remains a highly desirable therapeutic goal in urothelial carcinoma, particularly when durable survival can be achieved. Radical cystectomy is the standard treatment for muscle-invasive disease; however, it results in irreversible bladder loss and significant morbidity. Among patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma, recurrence rates after standard therapy remain high. Consolidation therapy with enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab following cisplatin-based induction chemotherapy has demonstrated promising efficacy, with substantial complete response rates and improved bladder preservation. This single-center retrospective analysis evaluated the efficacy and safety of enfortumab vedotin plus pembrolizumab as consolidation therapy in 11 patients with metastatic urothelial …

[Factors Associated With Adhd Medication Adherence And Treatment Outcomes, Hali Temkin, Kerri L Daniel, Diana Martinez, Julia C Bennett, Paris A Nix, Linh Nguyen, Yen-Chi Le, Bruno Kluwe-Schiavon, Cesar A Soutullo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 5 to 8% of youth and 2.5 to 4% of adults. Pharmacological treatments are among the most effective when treating ADHD, yet adherence to medication is still sub-optimal. We reviewed the literature on clinical and socio demographic factors that may influence adherence and compared it to our clinical data.

Methods: We conducted a targeted literature review on factors associated with ADHD medication adherence. These factors were compared within our sample of patients aged 3-18 with ADHD at the Child and Adolescent Mood Disorders Program (ChAMP) at (UT Health) - Houston. …

Perceptions And Use Of Behaviour Change Interventions For Physical Activity In Chronic Respiratory Disease In The Republic Of Ireland, Ciara Hanrahan, Joseph G Mcveigh, Terence M O'Connor, Thierry Troosters, Julie Broderick

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Objectives: Behaviour change interventions may support physical activity behaviour in people with chronic respiratory disease. The most effective interventions for long-term physical activity behaviour change in this cohort remains unclear. This aim of this study was to explore the use and perceptions of behaviour change interventions by both providers of physical activity programmes for people with chronic respiratory disease and by people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in The Republic of Ireland.

Design: Two anonymous online and paper-copy cross-sectional surveys, piloted and mapped to the COM-B model of behaviour change, were distributed via social media and relevant gate-keepers …

Varicella Zoster Encephalitis In An Immunocompetent Middle-Aged Female With Benign Neurological Presentation, Kopalle Bhanu Sriram, Swathi B.S, Bernice Roberts

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) is a neurotropic human herpesvirus that typically presents as herpes zoster following reactivation of latent infection. Central nervous system involvement such as encephalitis is uncommon and is more frequently described in immunocompromised individuals. Increasing use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnostics has enabled improved recognition of VZV-related neurological disease in immunocompetent hosts.

We describe a middle-aged immunocompetent female who presented with a 15-day history of persistent headache associated with vomiting and low-grade fever. Examination revealed vesicular eruptions in the T8–T9 dermatomes, while neurological examination and neuroimaging were normal. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis demonstrated lymphocytic pleocytosis, elevated …

Prevalence And Risk Factors For Non-Hacek Gram-Negative Bacillus Endocarditis: A Retrospective Analysis, Jason H Park, Edwin Chen, Divyia E Joseph, Audrey Wanger, J Alex Viehman, Simi Padival

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) caused by non-HACEK gram-negative bacilli (GNB) is challenging to diagnose and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. There is growing literature highlighting the differences in IE prevalence amongst various GNB; therefore, there is an impetus to characterize these traditionally "atypical" organisms to accurately risk stratify this complex infectious diagnosis.

Methods: This investigation was a retrospective cohort study conducted at 2 health care institutions in the USA. All hospitalized adult patients with bloodstream infection with a prespecified GNB (Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella aerogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Serratia marcescens) between January 1, …

Disposition At Equipoise: A Qualitative Study Of Emergency Physicians' Decision-Making About Hospitalizing People With Dementia, Anita N Chary, Annika R Bhananker, Rebecca Franks, Jason Bowman, Adrian D Haimovich, Victoria Martell, Elizabeth M Schoenfeld, Cameron J Gettel, Shan W Liu, Kei Ouchi, Maura Kennedy, Aanand Naik, Manish N Shah

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: People with dementia are often hospitalized from the emergency department (ED) for conditions that could potentially be treated in the outpatient setting. In scenarios of clinical equipoise-where either admission or discharge may be appropriate-little is known about how emergency physicians make disposition decisions.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative study with attending emergency physicians at a single academic medical center. Interviews included open-ended questions about disposition decision-making in general as well as structured case scenarios using a think-aloud protocol. We used an inductive approach to code interview data and elucidate themes about the factors emergency physicians consider in disposition decisions …

Physical And Occupational Therapist Evaluations For Fall Prevention In The Emergency Department: A Geriatric Ed Guidelines 2.0 Systematic Review, Lauren T Southerland, Pedro K Curiati, Richard D Shih, Alexander X Lo, Kristie Harper, Ian Tarnovsky, Alexis Brengartner, Luna Ragsdale, Neha Raukar, Suzanne Ryer, Katherine M Hunold, Fabrice Mowbray, Charles L Maddow, Christopher R Carpenter, Shan W Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Older adults are at high risk for severe injuries and death from falls. Physical therapist (PT) and occupational therapist (OT) evaluations have been introduced into Emergency Department (ED) care to assist with fall risk evaluation and fall prevention care. An evaluation of current evidence was undertaken to inform the Geriatric ED Guidelines 2.0.

Methods: Systematic review of physical and/or occupational therapy evaluation for fall prevention in the ED. The intervention was evaluation by a rehabilitation therapist (PT, OT, or both) for fall prevention, fall assessment, or mitigation of fall risk factors. Studies that did not perform the evaluation during …

Urinary Cotinine Cut-Offs For Tobacco Smoke Exposure In Pregnancy And Associations With Child Intelligence Quotient: A Multi-Cohort Analysis, Yu Ni, Logan C Dearborn, Adam A Szpiro, Christine T Loftus, Qi Zhao, Nicole R Bush, Kaja Z Lewinn, Marnie F Hazlehurst, Thomas F Northrup, Penelope J E Quintana, Eunha Hoh, Georg Matt, Catherine J Karr

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke may impair neurodevelopment in children. However, accurately characterizing this exposure remains challenging.

Methods: We pursued two objectives in this large population study. First, in 1708 pregnant women from the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) cohort, we constructed Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves to determine urinary cotinine cut-offs to classify firsthand (FHS), environmental (ETS), and no exposure, and further distinguished secondhand (SHS) from thirdhand smoke (THS) exposure within ETS. Second, among 1593 participants in three pregnancy cohorts nested in ECHO, we fit multivariable linear regressions to examine the association between the newly defined …

Selective Deletion Of Fgfr1 In Agrp Neurons Impairs Energy Homeostasis Under High-Fat Diet In Mice, Daniel Shookster, Shea O'Connell, Patel Darshan, Taylor Landry, Wyatt Bunner, Zhiying Jiang, Qingchun Tong, Hu Huang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The global obesity crisis and the limited success of current treatments underscore the need to identify novel regulatory pathways. While central administration of α-Klotho exerts anti-obesity effects in rodents through AgRP neurons, the intracellular signaling mechanisms that mediate this process remain undefined.

Methods: To define the role of FGFR1 within the α-Klotho signaling pathway in AgRP neurons, we performed a targeted deletion of the receptor in adult mice using an AAV-mediated CRISPR/Cas9 system alongside transgenic models.

Results: Deletion of FGFR1 in AgRP neurons disrupted energy homeostasis, promoting weight gain induced by a high-fat diet. Electrophysiological recordings revealed that FGFR1 …

A Patient-Derived Organ-On-Chip Platform For Modeling The Tumor Microenvironment And Drug Responses In Pancreatic Cancer, Darbaz Adnan, Natan Roberto De Barros, Luca S Santovito, Xuhong Cheng, Kristi M Lawrence, Mariah K Barnett, Martine D Boetto, Neal Mehta, Ajaypal Singh, Lin Cheng, Xiangsheng Huang, Faraz Bishehsari

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a fatal malignancy. Current conventional chemotherapeutics are inadequate in controlling the disease; hence, there is an urgent need for precision medicine. Ex vivo models that replicate the tumor and its microenvironment can advance precision medicine in PDAC. Patient‐derived organoids (PDOs) offer a promising solution by retaining the functional features of the tumor, allowing for individualized study of cancer biology and drug response. However, PDOs fall short in replicating the tumor microenvironment (TME), which includes various stromal and immune cells influencing tumor growth and chemoresistance. We hypothesize that combining PDO technology with organ‐on‐a‐chip (OoC) systems can …

Morphea With Seronegative Inflammatory Arthritis And Normal Acute Phase Reactants: A Case Report, Balakrishnan Navaneethakrishnan, Mahabaleshwar Mamadapur

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Localised scleroderma, also known as morphea, is an immune-mediated fibrosing disorder that primarily affects the skin and subcutaneous tissues. While traditionally considered purely a cutaneous disease, extracutaneous manifestations (especially inflammatory arthritis) are increasingly being appreciated. The combined presence of morphea and inflammatory arthritis is rare and can be difficult to diagnose, particularly when inflammatory markers and serological testing are non-contributory.

Case Summary : We describe a 41-year-old woman with long-standing biopsy-proven morphea who over 2 years developed chronic, asymmetric inflammatory arthritis of the left wrist and hand small joints. On examination, she had active synovitis with restricted movements of her …

The Relationships Between Social Network Size, Loneliness And Personality In Individuals Living With A Neurological Condition: An Exploratory Study, Isabella Branson, Kate Turner, Mitchell Turner, Manja Laws, Leah Dempsey, Simon Laws, Mandy Stanley, Johnny Lo, Travis Cruickshank

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: People living with a neurological condition often report having smaller social networks and less frequent social contact, leading to greater loneliness and worse quality of life. This study explored the relationships between personality traits, social network size (SNS) and perceived loneliness in this population. Methods: Sixty-eight individuals diagnosed with a neurological condition participated in this study. Perceived loneliness was assessed using the UCLA Loneliness Scale – Version 3, SNS was evaluated by the Social Network Index and personality traits were examined using the NEO Factor Five Inventory. Path analysis was conducted to determine if loneliness was negatively associated with …

Results From Jail-Based Substance Use Treatment In Tooele County, Matthew Huntington, Shianne Anderson

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

This article describes the development and outcomes of a jail-based substance use treatment program in Tooele County, Utah. The program addresses the elevated overdose risk among individuals leaving incarceration through education, peer support, and coordinated reentry planning. Program outcomes include reduced recidivism and improved connection to recovery supports.

Application Of A Natural Language Processing Algorithm To Early Asthma Ascertainment For Adults In The Era Of Electronic Health Records, Chung-Il Wi, Thanai Pongdee, Hee Yun Seol, Sunghwan Sohn, Elham Sagheb, Bhavani Singh Agnikula Kshatriya, Shauna M Overgaard, Deepak K Sharma, Sungrim Moon, Elizabeth A Krusemark, Dave Watson, Sergio E Chiarella, Miguel A Park, Jason D Greenwood, Randy M Foss, Zhandong Liu, Meera Gupta, Carla M Davis, Wade Schulz, Hongfang Liu, Young J Juhn

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: The natural language processing (NLP) algorithm for predetermined asthma criteria (NLP-PAC) was successfully developed and validated for automatically ascertaining pediatric asthma from electronic health record (EHRs) systems. A scalable, efficient, and automated tool for ascertaining adult asthma status from EHRs remains nonexistent.

Objective: We validated NLP-PAC enabling ascertainment and early identification of adult asthma status in their EHRs.

Methods: We applied the validated NLP-PAC to EHRs of a convenient sample (adult cohorts who participated in our previous population-based studies) in which a reference standard (ie, asthma status defined by manual chart review) is available. The performance of NLP-PAC was …

A Study Of Awareness Of Antiseptics And Disinfectant Use Among Allied Health Sciences Students And Interns Of A Tertiary Care Hospital, Pooja M, Puneeth A, Sharmi Nm

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Background:

Antiseptics and disinfectants are among the most vital tools in infection prevention and control (IPC), especially in healthcare settings where the risk of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) remains a significant concern. This study aims to assess the awareness and knowledge of antiseptics and disinfectants among Allied Health Sciences (AHS) students and interns, identify knowledge gaps at different stages of training, and recommend educational interventions.

Methods:

This was a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study conducted among 1st to 3rd-year AHS students and interns at a tertiary care hospital. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire via a Google form after obtaining approval from …

Cd44v9 As A Therapeutic Target For Antibody-Drug Conjugate In Advanced Breast Cancer, Dileep R Reddy, Mckenna E Flynn, Yasuaki Anami, Zhaoxuan Yang, Jayden Aleman, Minji Seo, Kyoji Tsuchikama, Jennifer A Maynard, Naoto T Ueno, Jangsoon Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have revolutionized breast cancer therapy. HER2 is the only validated biomarker guiding ADC therapy in breast cancer. However, their clinical benefit remains confined to HER2- and TROP2-targeted therapies. Tumor heterogeneity and acquired resistance often limit durable responses, underscoring the need for novel, tumor-specific ADC targets. CD44 variant isoform 9 (CD44v9), a splice variant of the CD44 family, is largely absent in normal tissues but enriched in aggressive breast cancers, where it contributes to stemness, redox regulation, and therapy resistance. In this study, we developed a chimeric monoclonal antibody against CD44v9 (clone SUM24.1, IgG1) and conjugated it to …

Rab4 Spatially And Functionally Converges With Rab7 In The Degradative Endolysosomal Network, Stephen M Farmer, Shiyu Xu, Yue Yu, Xin Ye, Haoyi Yang, Jing Cai, Beatriz Rios, Wen-Wen Lin, Daniela Covarrubias, Vicky Chuong, Lili Ye, German Zylberberg, Charissa Wang, Erin Furr-Stimming, Qingchun Tong, Oguz Kanca, Hugo J Bellen, Travis I Moore, Sheng Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Rab GTPases are key regulators of endosomal trafficking in eukaryotes. In mammalian cells, Rab4 and Rab7 were shown to localize to distinct compartments, with Rab4 on early endosomes for fast recycling and Rab7 on late endosomes for degradation. Here, we show that in Drosophila, endogenous Rab4 and Rab7 extensively colocalize across tissues and developmental stages. Recruited to the same compartments through mechanisms that do not require the activity of the other, they have opposing effects on endolysosomal size: Rab4 overexpression or Rab7 impairment leads to enlarged endolysosomes, whereas Rab4 loss or constitutively active Rab7 reduces their sizes. Rab4 deficiency suppresses …

Curriculum Innovation: Training The Front Line: A Neurologic Emergencies Curriculum Pilot For First Responders, Tamia V Garrett, Shivika Chandra, Sushanth Aroor, Cristy Autry, Varsha Muddasani, Mahan Shahrivari, Brandy Davis, Mark Martyn, Dana M Woodward, Amanda L Jagolino-Cole

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and objectives: Emergency medical services (EMS) clinicians play a critical role in early identification and management of neurologic emergencies yet may encounter sparse neurology-specific education. With interprofessional collaboration, we developed a multimodal, active-learning, and experiential curriculum for teaching prehospital care in a neurologically underserved setting. We evaluated curriculum feasibility and impact on prehospital neurologic assessment. The objectives of this study were to (1) recognize signs and symptoms of neurologic emergencies, aiding in the formulation of a prehospital differential diagnosis; (2) appraise patient encounter data for incorporation into prehospital medical decision making and facilitation of interprofessional communication and continuity of …