Biological Phenomena, Cell Phenomena, and Immunity Commons^™

Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy For Deep Venous Thrombosis In Cancer Patients: A Single-Center Retrospective Study, Riya M Patel, Koustav Pal, Syed Hadi Ahmed, Joshua D Kuban, Milan Patel, Ketan Shah, Peiman Habibollahi, Zeyad Metwalli, Varshana Gurusamy, Sanjay Gupta, Cristhiam M Rojas-Hernandez, Vahid Afshar-Kharghan, Michael H Kroll, Rahul A Sheth

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major contributor to the mortality of cancer patients. Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is an endovascular technique that physically removes a thrombus without thrombolytics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate safety, efficacy, and clinical outcomes following MT for lower extremity DVT in cancer patients.

METHODS: This single-center, retrospective study evaluated outcomes following MT of lower extremity DVT in cancer patients from November 2019 to May 2023. The primary outcome measure was clinical success, defined as a decrease in Villalta score by at least 2 points following the intervention. Secondary outcomes included repeat intervention-free survival …

A Phenome-Wide Association And Mendelian Randomisation Study Of Alcohol Use Variants In A Diverse Cohort Comprising Over 3 Million Individuals, Mariela V Jennings, José Jaime Martínez-Magaña, Natasia S Courchesne-Krak, Renata B Cupertino, Laura Vilar-Ribó, Sevim B Bianchi, Alexander S Hatoum, Elizabeth G Atkinson, Paola Giusti-Rodriguez, Janitza L Montalvo-Ortiz, Joel Gelernter, María Soler Artigas, Sarah L Elson, Howard J Edenberg, Pierre Fontanillas, Abraham A Palmer, Sandra Sanchez-Roige

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Alcohol consumption is associated with numerous negative social and health outcomes. These associations may be direct consequences of drinking, or they may reflect common genetic factors that influence both alcohol consumption and other outcomes.

METHODS: We performed exploratory phenome-wide association studies (PheWAS) of three of the best studied protective single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes encoding ethanol metabolising enzymes (ADH1B: rs1229984-T, rs2066702-A; ADH1C: rs698-T) using up to 1109 health outcomes across 28 phenotypic categories (e.g., substance-use, mental health, sleep, immune, cardiovascular, metabolic) from a diverse 23andMe cohort, including European (N ≤ 2,619,939), Latin American (N ≤ 446,646) and African …

Association Of Minor Electrocardiographic (Ecg) Abnormalities With Epilepsy Duration In Children: A Manifestation Of The Epileptic Heart?, Brittnie Bartlett-Lee, Leslie Dervan, Christina Miyake, R Scott Watson, See Wai Chan, Anne E Anderson, Yi-Chen Lai

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: Cardiac abnormalities resulting from chronic epilepsy ("the epileptic heart") constitute a well-recognized comorbidity. However, the association of cardiac alterations with epilepsy duration remains understudied. We sought to evaluate this association using electrocardiogram (ECG).

Methods: We prospectively enrolled children between 1 months and 18 years of age without known cardiac conditions or ion channelopathies during routine clinic visits. ECGs were categorized as abnormal if there were alterations in rhythm; PR, QRS, or corrected QT interval; QRS axis or morphology; ST segment or T wave. An independent association between ECG abnormalities and epilepsy duration was evaluated using multivariable logistic regression modeling. …

Development Of A Weight-Band Dosing Approach For Vosoritide In Children With Achondroplasia Using A Population Pharmacokinetic Model, Yulan Qi, Ming Liang Chan, Diane R Mould, Kevin Larimore, Elena Fisheleva, Anu Cherukuri, Jonathan Day, Ravi Savarirayan, Melita Irving, Carlos A Bacino, Julie Hoover-Fong, Keiichi Ozono, Klaus Mohnike, William R Wilcox, Michael B Bober, Joshua Henshaw

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Vosoritide is a recently approved therapy for achondroplasia, the most common form of disproportionate short stature, that has been shown to be well tolerated and effective in increasing linear growth. This study aimed to develop a population pharmacokinetic (PPK) model to characterize pharmacokinetics (PK) of vosoritide and establish a weight-band dosing regimen.

METHODS: A PPK model was developed using data from five clinical trials in children with achondroplasia (aged 0.95-15 years) who received daily per-kg doses of vosoritide. The model was used to simulate expected exposures in children with a refined weight-band dosing regimen. Simulated exposure was …

Exposure To 4,4′-Dde In Visceral Adipose Tissue And Weight Loss In Adolescents From The Teen-Labs Cohort, Bruna Rubbo, Zhenjiang Li, Phum Tachachartvanich, Brittney O Baumert, Hongxu Wang, Shudi Pan, Sarah Rock, Justin R Ryder, Todd Jenkins, Stephanie Sisley, Xiangping Lin, Scott Bartell, Thomas H Inge, Stavra Xanthakos, Brooklynn Mcneil, Anna R Robuck, Michele A La Merrill, Douglas I Walker, David V Conti, Rob Mcconnell, Sandrah P Eckel, Lida Chatzi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), an obesogen accumulating in adipose tissue, is released into circulation with weight loss, although its impact is underexplored among adolescents. We tested the association using an integrative translational approach of epidemiological analysis among adolescents with obesity and in vitro measures exploring the impact of DDE on adipogenesis via preadipocytes.

Methods: We included 63 participants from the Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) cohort. We assessed 4,4'-DDE in visceral adipose tissue at surgery and BMI and waist circumference at surgery and 0.5, 1, 3, and 5 years after. We conducted longitudinal analysis to estimate the interaction on weight …

Histone Proteoform Analysis Reveals Epigenetic Changes In Adult Mouse Brown Adipose Tissue In Response To Cold Stress, Bethany C Taylor, Loic H Steinthal, Michelle Dias, Hari Krishna Yalamanchili, Scott A Ochsner, Gladys E Zapata, Nitesh R Mehta, Neil J Mckenna, Nicolas L Young, Alli M Nuotio-Antar

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Regulation of the thermogenic response by brown adipose tissue (BAT) is an important component of energy homeostasis with implications for the treatment of obesity and diabetes. Our preliminary analyses of RNA-Seq data uncovered many nodes representing epigenetic modifiers that are altered in BAT in response to chronic thermogenic activation. Thus, we hypothesized that chronic thermogenic activation broadly alters epigenetic modifications of DNA and histones in BAT.

RESULTS: Motivated to understand how BAT function is regulated epigenetically, we developed a novel method for the first-ever unbiased top-down proteomic quantitation of histone modifications in BAT and validated our results with a …

Bi-Allelic Acbd6 Variants Lead To A Neurodevelopmental Syndrome With Progressive And Complex Movement Disorders, Rauan Kaiyrzhanov, Aboulfazl Rad, Sheng-Jia Lin, Aida Bertoli-Avella, Wouter W Kallemeijn, Annie Godwin, Maha S Zaki, Kevin Huang, Tracy Lau, Cassidy Petree, Stephanie Efthymiou, Ehsan Ghayoor Karimiani, Maja Hempel, Elizabeth A Normand, Sabine Rudnik-Schöneborn, Ulrich A Schatz, Marc P Baggelaar, Muhammad Ilyas, Tipu Sultan, Javeria Raza Alvi, Manizha Ganieva, Ben Fowler, Ruxandra Aanicai, Gulsen Akay Tayfun, Abdulaziz Al Saman, Abdulrahman Alswaid, Nafise Amiri, Nilufar Asilova, Vorasuk Shotelersuk, Patra Yeetong, Matloob Azam, Meisam Babaei, Gholamreza Bahrami Monajemi, Pouria Mohammadi, Saeed Samie, Selina Husna Banu, Jorge Pinto Basto, Fanny Kortüm, Mislen Bauer, Peter Bauer, Christian Beetz, Masoud Garshasbi, Awatif Hameed Issa, Wafaa Eyaid, Hind Ahmed, Narges Hashemi, Kazem Hassanpour, Isabella Herman, Sherozjon Ibrohimov, Ban A Abdul-Majeed, Maria Imdad, Maksudjon Isrofilov, Qassem Kaiyal, Suliman Khan, Brian Kirmse, Janet Koster, Charles Marques Lourenço, Tadahiro Mitani, Oana Moldovan, David Murphy, Maryam Najafi, Davut Pehlivan, Maria Eugenia Rocha, Vincenzo Salpietro, Miriam Schmidts, Adel Shalata, Mohammad Mahroum, Jawabreh Kassem Talbeya, Robert W Taylor, Dayana Vazquez, Annalisa Vetro, Hans R Waterham, Mashaya Zaman, Tina A Schrader, Wendy K Chung, Renzo Guerrini, James R Lupski, Joseph Gleeson, Mohnish Suri, Yalda Jamshidi, Kailash P Bhatia, Barbara Vona, Michael Schrader, Mariasavina Severino, Matthew Guille, Edward W Tate, Gaurav K Varshney, Henry Houlden, Reza Maroofian

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The acyl-CoA-binding domain-containing protein 6 (ACBD6) is ubiquitously expressed, plays a role in the acylation of lipids and proteins and regulates the N-myristoylation of proteins via N-myristoyltransferase enzymes (NMTs). However, its precise function in cells is still unclear, as is the consequence of ACBD6 defects on human pathophysiology. Using exome sequencing and extensive international data sharing efforts, we identified 45 affected individuals from 28 unrelated families (consanguinity 93%) with bi-allelic pathogenic, predominantly loss-of-function (18/20) variants in ACBD6. We generated zebrafish and Xenopus tropicalis acbd6 knockouts by CRISPR/Cas9 and characterized the role of ACBD6 on protein N-myristoylation with myristic acid alkyne …

Gabaergic/Glycinergic And Glutamatergic Neurons Mediate Distinct Neurodevelopmental Phenotypes Of Stxbp1 Encephalopathy, Joo Hyun Kim, Wu Chen, Eugene S Chao, Armando Rivera, Heet Naresh Kaku, Kevin Jiang, Dongwon Lee, Hongmei Chen, Jaimie M Vega, Teresa V Chin, Kevin Jin, Kelly T Nguyen, Sheldon S Zou, Zain Moin, Shawn Nguyen, Mingshan Xue 薛名杉

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

An increasing number of pathogenic variants in presynaptic proteins involved in the synaptic vesicle cycle are being discovered in neurodevelopmental disorders. The clinical features of these synaptic vesicle cycle disorders are diverse, but the most prevalent phenotypes include intellectual disability, epilepsy, movement disorders, cerebral visual impairment, and psychiatric symptoms ( Verhage and Sørensen, 2020; Bonnycastle et al., 2021; John et al., 2021; Melland et al., 2021). Among this growing list of synaptic vesicle cycle disorders, the most frequent is STXBP1 encephalopathy caused by de novo heterozygous pathogenic variants in syntaxin-binding protein 1 (STXBP1, also known as …

Cranio-Cervical Abnormalities In Moderate-To-Severe Osteogenesis Imperfecta – Genotypic And Phenotypic Determinants, Juliana Marulanda, Jean-Marc Retrouvey, Brendan Lee, V Reid Sutton, Frank Rauch, Michelle Briner

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: Cranio-cervical anomalies are significant complications of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a rare bone fragility disorder that is usually caused by mutations in collagen type I encoding genes.

OBJECTIVE: To assess cranio-cervical anomalies and associated clinical findings in patients with moderate-to-severe OI using 3D cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans.

METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of CBCT scans in 52 individuals with OI (age 10-37 years; 32 females) and 40 healthy controls (age 10-32 years; 26 females). Individuals with a diagnosis of OI type III (severe, n = 11), type IV (moderate, n = 33) and non-collagen OI (n = 8) were recruited …

Bringing Proteomics To Bear On Male Fertility: Key Lessons, Rachel Parkes, Thomas X Garcia

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Male infertility is a major public health concern globally. Proteomics has revolutionized our comprehension of male fertility by identifying potential infertility biomarkers and reproductive defects. Studies comparing sperm proteome with other male reproductive tissues have the potential to refine fertility diagnostics and guide infertility treatment development.

Areas covered: This review encapsulates literature using proteomic approaches to progress male reproductive biology. Our search methodology included systematic searches of databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for articles up to 2023. Keywords used included 'male fertility proteomics,' 'spermatozoa proteome,' 'testis proteomics,' 'epididymal proteomics,' and 'non-hormonal male contraception.' Inclusion criteria …

Hippo Cooperates With P53 To Maintain Foregut Homeostasis And Suppress The Malignant Transformation Of Foregut Basal Progenitor Cells, Yu Jiang, Haidi Huang, Jiangying Liu, Dan Luo, Rongzi Mu, Jianghong Yuan, Jihong Lin, Qiyue Chen, Wufan Tao, Ling Yang, Man Zhang, Pingping Zhang, Fengqin Fang, Jianming Xu, Qingqiu Gong, Zhiping Xie, Yongchun Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Basal progenitor cells serve as a stem cell pool to maintain the homeostasis of the epithelium of the foregut, including the esophagus and the forestomach. Aberrant genetic regulation in these cells can lead to carcinogenesis, such as squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). However, the underlying molecular mechanisms regulating the function of basal progenitor cells remain largely unknown. Here, we use mouse models to reveal that Hippo signaling is required for maintaining the homeostasis of the foregut epithelium and cooperates with p53 to repress the initiation of foregut SCC. Deletion of

Congenital Tooth Agenesis And Risk Of Early-Onset Cancer, Saga Elise Eiset, Jeremy Schraw, Gitte Vrelits Sørensen, Pernille Axél Gregersen, Sonja A Rasmussen, Cecilia H Ramlau-Hansen, Philip J Lupo, Henrik Hasle

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: There is some evidence that tooth agenesis (congenital absence of 1 or more teeth) is associated with cancer risk, especially carcinomas of the colon and ovaries, but results of previous studies are conflicting, and associations have not yet been evaluated in a population-based setting.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between tooth agenesis and specific cancer types before 40 years of age.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This population-based cohort study used linking data from nationwide registries in Denmark to assess all Danish live-born singletons born from January 1, 1977, to December 31, 2018, and followed up for up to 40 …

Adipose Triglyceride Lipase Is A Therapeutic Target In Advanced Prostate Cancer That Promotes Metabolic Plasticity, Dominik Awad, Pham Hong Anh Cao, Thomas L Pulliam, Meredith Spradlin, Elavarasan Subramani, Tristen V Tellman, Caroline F Ribeiro, Riccardo Muzzioli, Brittany E Jewell, Hubert Pakula, Jeffrey J Ackroyd, Mollianne M Murray, Jenny J Han, Mei Leng, Antrix Jain, Badrajee Piyarathna, Jingjing Liu, Xingzhi Song, Jianhua Zhang, Albert R Klekers, Justin M Drake, Michael M Ittmann, Cristian Coarfa, David Piwnica-Worms, Mary C Farach-Carson, Massimo Loda, Livia S Eberlin, Daniel E Frigo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

UNLABELLED: Lipid metabolism plays a central role in prostate cancer. To date, the major focus has centered on de novo lipogenesis and lipid uptake in prostate cancer, but inhibitors of these processes have not benefited patients. A better understanding of how cancer cells access lipids once they are created or taken up and stored could uncover more effective strategies to perturb lipid metabolism and treat patients. Here, we identified that expression of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), an enzyme that controls lipid droplet homeostasis and a previously suspected tumor suppressor, correlates with worse overall survival in men with advanced, castration-resistant prostate …

Expanded Clinical Phenotype And Untargeted Metabolomics Analysis In Rars2-Related Mitochondrial Disorder: A Case Report, Ameya S Walimbe, Keren Machol, Stephen F Kralik, Elizabeth A Mizerik, Yoel Gofin, Mir Reza Bekheirnia, Charul Gijavanekar, Sarah H Elsea, Lisa T Emrick, Fernando Scaglia

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background

RARS2-related mitochondrial disorder is an autosomal recessive mitochondrial encephalopathy caused by biallelic pathogenic variants in the gene encoding the mitochondrial arginyl-transfer RNA synthetase 2 (RARS2, MIM *611524, NM_020320.5). RARS2 catalyzes the transfer of L-arginine to its cognate tRNA during the translation of mitochondrially-encoded proteins. The classical presentation of RARS2-related mitochondrial disorder includes pontocerebellar hypoplasia (PCH), progressive microcephaly, profound developmental delay, feeding difficulties, and hypotonia. Most patients also develop severe epilepsy by three months of age, which consists of focal or generalized seizures that frequently become pharmacoresistant and lead to developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE). …

Germline Genetic Testing And Survival Outcomes Among Children With Rhabdomyosarcoma: A Report From The Children's Oncology Group, Bailey A Martin-Giacalone, He Li, Michael E Scheurer, Dana L Casey, Shannon Dugan-Perez, Deborah A Marquez-Do, Donna Muzny, Richard A Gibbs, Donald A Barkauskas, David Hall, Douglas R Stewart, Joshua D Schiffman, Matthew T Mcevoy, Javed Khan, David Malkin, Corinne M Linardic, Brian D Crompton, Jack F Shern, Stephen X Skapek, Rajkumar Venkatramani, Douglas S Hawkins, Aniko Sabo, Sharon E Plon, Philip J Lupo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: Determining the impact of germline cancer-predisposition variants (CPVs) on outcomes could inform novel approaches to testing and treating children with rhabdomyosarcoma.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether CPVs are associated with outcome among children with rhabdomyosarcoma.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this cohort study, data were obtained for individuals, aged 0.01-23.23 years, newly diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma who were treated across 171 Children's Oncology Group sites from March 15, 1999, to December 8, 2017. Data analysis was performed from June 16, 2021, to May 15, 2023.

EXPOSURE: The presence of a CPV in 24 rhabdomyosarcoma-associated cancer-predisposition genes (CPGs) or an expanded set …

Role Of Non-Chromosomal Birth Defects On The Risk Of Developing Childhood Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Children’S Oncology Group Study, Erin C Peckham-Gregory, Lucas Maschietto Boff, Jeremy M Schraw, Logan G Spector, Amy M Linabery, Erik B Erhardt, Karina B Ribeiro, Carl E Allen, Michael E Scheurer, Philip J Lupo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Non-chromosomal birth defects are an important risk factor for several childhood cancers. However, these associations are less clear for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Therefore, we sought to more fully elucidate the association between non-chromosomal birth defects and HL risk.

Procedure: Information on cases (n = 517) diagnosed with HL (ages of 0-14) at Children's Oncology Group Institutions for the period of 1989-2003 was obtained. Control children without a history of cancer (n = 784) were identified using random digit dialing and individually matched to cases on sex, race/ethnicity, age, and geographic location. Parents completed comprehensive interviews and answered questions including …

Complex Adhd Challenging Case: When Simple Becomes Complex: Managing Clinician Bias And Navigating Challenging Family Dynamics In A 6-Year-Old Girl With Adhd And Developmental Delays, Jennifer Cervantes, Jenna Wallace, Annie Kennelly Helms, Elizabeth A Diekroger, Jason Fogler

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Layla is a 6.7-year-old girl diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-predominantly hyperactive/impulsive type-delayed adaptive skills, enuresis, unspecified malnutrition, and feeding difficulties. She presented to developmental-behavioral pediatrics (DBP) in January 2022 due to caregiver concerns for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).Layla lives in a polyamorous family with her biological mother and father, mother's partner whom Layla refers to as her uncle, and her 2 half-siblings. There is a maternal history of special education services, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, multiple sclerosis, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, and ADHD. Layla's father is a veteran diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Layla's siblings, aged 5 and 9 years, have established …

Cub Domains Are Not Required For Ovch2 Function In Sperm Maturation In The Mouse Epididymis, Katarzyna Kent, Kaori Nozawa, Courtney Sutton, Frey Daniel, Masahito Ikawa, Thomas X Garcia, Martin M Matzuk

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Ovochymase 2 (Ovch2) is an epididymis-specific gene that is required for male fertility. While a multitude of reproductive tract-specific genes required for male fertility have been identified, OVCH2 is thus far the first protein required for male fertility that contains Complement C1r/C1s, Uegf, Bmp1 (CUB) domains located in tandem in the C-terminus of the protein. Identifying the functional significance of this unique domain has implications in better understanding fertility and infertility and as a potential contraceptive target.

OBJECTIVE: The goals of these studies were to understand the influence and requirement of OVCH2 CUB domains in the localization and functional …

Uchl1 Is A Potential Molecular Indicator And Therapeutic Target For Neuroendocrine Carcinomas, Shiqin Liu, Timothy Chai, Fernando Garcia-Marques, Qingqing Yin, En-Chi Hsu, Michelle Shen, Angus Martin Shaw Toland, Abel Bermudez, Alifiani B Hartono, Christopher F Massey, Chung S Lee, Liwei Zheng, Maya Baron, Caden J Denning, Merve Aslan, Holly M Nguyen, Rosalie Nolley, Amina Zoubeidi, Millie Das, Christian A Kunder, Brooke E Howitt, H Tom Soh, Irving L Weissman, Michael A Liss, Arnold I Chin, James D Brooks, Eva Corey, Sharon J Pitteri, Jiaoti Huang, Tanya Stoyanova

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Neuroendocrine carcinomas, such as neuroendocrine prostate cancer and small-cell lung cancer, commonly have a poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. We report that ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1), a deubiquitinating enzyme, is elevated in tissues and plasma from patients with neuroendocrine carcinomas. Loss of UCHL1 decreases tumor growth and inhibits metastasis of these malignancies. UCHL1 maintains neuroendocrine differentiation and promotes cancer progression by regulating nucleoporin, POM121, and p53. UCHL1 binds, deubiquitinates, and stabilizes POM121 to regulate POM121-associated nuclear transport of E2F1 and c-MYC. Treatment with the UCHL1 inhibitor LDN-57444 slows tumor growth and metastasis across neuroendocrine carcinomas. The combination of …

Delineating The Mechanism Of Fragility At Bcl6 Breakpoint Region Associated With Translocations In Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma, Vidya Gopalakrishnan, Urbi Roy, Shikha Srivastava, Khyati M Kariya, Shivangi Sharma, Saniya M Javedakar, Bibha Choudhary, Sathees C Raghavan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BCL6 translocation is one of the most common chromosomal translocations in cancer and results in its enhanced expression in germinal center B cells. It involves the fusion of BCL6 with any of its twenty-six Ig and non-Ig translocation partners associated with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Despite being discovered long back, the mechanism of BCL6 fragility is largely unknown. Analysis of the translocation breakpoints in 5' UTR of BCL6 reveals the clustering of most of the breakpoints around a region termed Cluster II. In silico analysis of the breakpoint cluster sequence identified sequence motifs that could potentially fold into …

Variants In The Wdr44 Wd40-Repeat Domain Cause A Spectrum Of Ciliopathy By Impairing Ciliogenesis Initiation, Andrea Accogli, Saurabh Shakya, Taewoo Yang, Christine Insinna, Soo Yeon Kim, David Bell, Kirill R Butov, Mariasavina Severino, Marcello Niceta, Marcello Scala, Hyun Sik Lee, Taekyeong Yoo, Jimmy Stauffer, Huijie Zhao, Chiara Fiorillo, Marina Pedemonte, Maria C Diana, Simona Baldassari, Viktoria Zakharova, Anna Shcherbina, Yulia Rodina, Christina Fagerberg, Laura Sønderberg Roos, Jolanta Wierzba, Artur Dobosz, Amanda Gerard, Lorraine Potocki, Jill A Rosenfeld, Seema R Lalani, Tiana M Scott, Daryl Scott, Mahshid S Azamian, Raymond Louie, Hannah W Moore, Neena L Champaigne, Grace Hollingsworth, Annalaura Torella, Vincenzo Nigro, Rafal Ploski, Vincenzo Salpietro, Federico Zara, Simone Pizzi, Giovanni Chillemi, Marzia Ognibene, Erin Cooney, Jenny Do, Anders Linnemann, Martin J Larsen, Suzanne Specht, Kylie J Walters, Hee-Jung Choi, Murim Choi, Marco Tartaglia, Phillippe Youkharibache, Jong-Hee Chae, Valeria Capra, Sung-Gyoo Park, Christopher J Westlake

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

WDR44 prevents ciliogenesis initiation by regulating RAB11-dependent vesicle trafficking. Here, we describe male patients with missense and nonsense variants within the WD40 repeats (WDR) of WDR44, an X-linked gene product, who display ciliopathy-related developmental phenotypes that we can model in zebrafish. The patient phenotypic spectrum includes developmental delay/intellectual disability, hypotonia, distinct craniofacial features and variable presence of brain, renal, cardiac and musculoskeletal abnormalities. We demonstrate that WDR44 variants associated with more severe disease impair ciliogenesis initiation and ciliary signaling. Because WDR44 negatively regulates ciliogenesis, it was surprising that pathogenic missense variants showed reduced abundance, which we link to misfolding of …

Parkinson's Disease And Other Alzheimer's Disease And Related Dementia Pathologies And The Progression Of Parkinsonism In Older Adults, Aron S Buchman, Lei Yu, Shahram Oveisgharan, Andrea R Zammit, Tianhao Wang, Joshua M Shulman, Veronique Vanderhorst, Sukrit Nag, David A Bennett

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: The interrelationship of parkinsonism, Parkinson's disease (PD) and other Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) pathologies is unclear.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the progression of parkinsonian signs in adults with and without parkinsonism, and their underlying brain pathologies.

METHODS: Annual parkinsonian signs were based on a modified Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. We used linear mixed effects models to compare the progression of parkinsonian signs in 3 groups categorized based on all available clinical evaluations: Group1 (never parkinsonism or clinical PD), Group2 (ever parkinsonism, but never clinical PD), Group3 (ever clinical PD). In decedents, we examined …

Fluoxetine And Sertraline Inhibit Height Growth And Growth Hormone Signaling During Puberty, Chadi Calarge, Chima Amushie, Stephanie Dinh, James A Mills, Sridevi Devaraj, Griselda Barba-Villalobos, Jacqueline Nguyen, Jose M Garcia, Stephanie Sisley, Fida Bacha, Babette Zemel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of fluoxetine and sertraline on height growth and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) during puberty.

Methods: In this 6-month cohort study, electronic medical records were used to identify 8- to 15-year-old participants, within 1 month of starting fluoxetine (n = 39) or sertraline (n = 27), and sexual maturation stages 2 to 4 were confirmed. Conditions that interfere with height growth led to exclusion. Participants underwent anthropometric assessments and phlebotomy. Healthy, unmedicated children (n = 36) also provided anthropometric data.

Results: After the baseline height Z-score, sex, Tanner stage, daily …

Genetic Variation Between Small Bowel And Colon-Predominant Crohn's Disease, Halee Patel, R Alan Harris, Justin H Qian, Numan Oezguen, Ashleigh Watson, Reka G Szigeti, Stanley Cho, Wenly Ruan, Savini Britto, Antone Opekun, Geoffrey Preidis, Richard Kellermayer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Prospective Associations Of Psychedelic Treatment For Co-Occurring Alcohol Misuse And Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Among United States Special Operations Forces Veterans, Stacey B Armstrong, Yitong Xin, Nathan D Sepeda, Martín Polanco, Lynnette A Averill, Alan K Davis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

This study evaluated prospective associations of ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT treatment for risky alcohol use and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among United States (US) Special Operations Forces Veterans (SOFV). Data were collected during standard clinical operations at pre-treatment and 1-month (1 m), 3-months (3 m), and 6-months (6 m) post-treatment in an ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT treatment program in Mexico. Of the 86 SOFV that completed treatment, 45 met criteria for risky alcohol use at pre-treatment (mean age = 44; male = 100%; White = 91%). There was a significant reduction in alcohol use from pre-treatment (M = 7.2, SD = …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of Neuroblastoma Incidence, Survival, And Racial And Ethnic Disparities From 2001 To 2019, Kevin Campbell, David A Siegel, Puja J Umaretiya, Shifan Dai, Andras Heczey, Philip J Lupo, Jeremy M Schraw, Trevor D Thompson, Michael E Scheurer, Jennifer H Foster

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: We characterize the incidence and 5-year survival of children and adolescents with neuroblastoma stratified by demographic and clinical factors based on the comprehensive data from United States Cancer Statistics (USCS) and the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR).

METHODS: We analyzed the incidence of neuroblastoma from USCS (2003-2019) and survival data from NPCR (2001-2018) for patients less than 20 years old. Incidence trends were calculated by average annual percent change (AAPC) using joinpoint regression. Differences in relative survival were estimated comparing non-overlapping confidence intervals (CI).

RESULTS: We identified 11,543 primary neuroblastoma cases in USCS. Age-adjusted incidence was 8.3 per …

Siglec15, Negatively Correlated With Pd-L1 In Hcc, Could Induce Cd8+ T Cell Apoptosis To Promote Immune Evasion, Zheng Chen, Mincheng Yu, Bo Zhang, Lei Jin, Qiang Yu, Shuang Liu, Binghai Zhou, Jiuliang Yan, Wentao Zhang, Xiaoqiang Li, Yongfeng Xu, Yongsheng Xiao, Jian Zhou, Jia Fan, Mien-Chie Hung, Qinghai Ye, Hui Li, Lei Guo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Functional roles of SIGLEC15 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were not clear, which was recently found to be an immune inhibitor with similar structure of inhibitory B7 family members. SIGLEC15 expression in HCC was explored in public databases and further examined by PCR analysis. SIGLEC15 and PD-L1 expression patterns were examined in HCC samples through immunohistochemistry. SIGLEC15 expression was knocked-down or over-expressed in HCC cell lines, and CCK8 tests were used to examine cell proliferative ability in vitro. Influences of SIGLEC15 expression on tumor growth were examined in immune deficient and immunocompetent mice respectively. Co-culture system of HCC cell lines and …

The Application Of Simultaneous Mainstem Bronchus Dilation With Pulmonary Artery Stenting In The Context Of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, Sylwia Hasterok, Thomas G Scott, Devin G Roller, Adam Spencer, Arun B Dutta, Kizhakke M Sathyan, Daniel E Frigo, Michael J Guertin, Daniel Gioeli

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The clinical success of combined androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and radiotherapy (RT) in prostate cancer created interest in understanding the mechanistic links between androgen receptor (AR) signaling and the DNA damage response (DDR). Convergent data have led to a model where AR both regulates, and is regulated by, the DDR. Integral to this model is that the AR regulates the transcription of DDR genes both at a steady state and in response to ionizing radiation (IR). In this study, we sought to determine which immediate transcriptional changes are induced by IR in an AR-dependent manner. Using PRO-seq to quantify changes …

Genomic Profiles And Clinical Outcomes Of Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma With Elevated Tumor Mutational Burden, Andrea Necchi, Philippe E Spiess, Tiago Costa De Padua, Roger Li, Petros Grivas, Richard S P Huang, Douglas I Lin, Natalie Danziger, Jeffrey S Ross, Joseph M Jacob, Rebecca A Sager, Alina Basnet, Gerald Li, Ryon P Graf, Dean C Pavlick, Gennady Bratslavsky

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: Tumor mutational burden (TMB) is a putative biomarker of efficacy for immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapies of solid tumors, but not specifically for penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC).

OBJECTIVE: To characterize biomarker features and ICI therapy outcomes associated with high TMB in PSCC in the routine clinical practice setting.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this cohort study, 397 PSCC cases were analyzed to identify genomic alterations in more than 300 cancer-associated genes and genomic signatures, including TMB, using a hybrid capture-based comprehensive genomic profiling assay. Tumor mutational burden was categorized as low ([mut/Mb]), high (10-19 mut/Mb), or very high …

Molecular Basis Of Retinal Remodeling In A Zebrafish Model Of Retinitis Pigmentosa, Abirami Santhanam, Eyad Shihabeddin, Haichao Wei, Jiaqian Wu, John O'Brien

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A hallmark of inherited retinal degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is progressive structural and functional remodeling of the remaining retinal cells as photoreceptors degenerate. Extensive remodeling of the retina stands as a barrier for the successful implementation of strategies to restore vision. To understand the molecular basis of remodeling, we performed analyses of single-cell transcriptome data from adult zebrafish retina of wild type AB strain (WT) and a P23H mutant rhodopsin transgenic model of RP with continuous degeneration and regeneration. Retinas from both female and male fish were pooled to generate each library, combining data from both sexes. …