Neurosciences Commons^™

Defining The Full Spectrum Of Pediatric Firearm Injury And Death In The United States: It Is Even Worse Than We Think, Bindi J Naik-Mathuria, Cary M Cain, Elizabeth A Alore, Liang Chen, Lisa A Pompeii

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the full spectrum of pediatric firearm injury in the United States by describing fatal and nonfatal injury data epidemiology, vulnerable populations, and temporal trends.

BACKGROUND: Firearm injury is the leading cause of death in children and adolescents in the United States. Nonfatal injury is critical to fully define the problem, yet accurate data at the national level are lacking.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study combining national firearm injury data from the Centers for Disease Control (fatal) and the National Trauma Data Bank (nonfatal) between 2008 and 2019 for ages 0 to 17 years. Data were analyzed using descriptive …

Sox7 Deficiency Causes Ventricular Septal Defects Through Its Effects On Endocardial-To-Mesenchymal Transition And The Expression Of Wnt4 And Bmp2, Andrés Hernández-García, Katherine E Pendleton, Sangbae Kim, Yumei Li, Bum J Kim, Hitisha P Zaveri, Valerie K Jordan, Aliska M Berry, M Cecilia Ljungberg, Rui Chen, Rainer B Lanz, Daryl A Scott

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

SOX7 is a transcription factor-encoding gene located in a region on chromosome 8p23.1 that is recurrently deleted in individuals with ventricular septal defects (VSDs). We have previously shown that Sox7-/- embryos die of heart failure around E11.5. Here, we demonstrate that these embryos have hypocellular endocardial cushions with severely reduced numbers of mesenchymal cells. Ablation of Sox7 in the endocardium also resulted in hypocellular endocardial cushions, and we observed VSDs in rare E15.5 Sox7flox/-;Tie2-Cre and Sox7flox/flox;Tie2-Cre embryos that survived to E15.5. In atrioventricular explant studies, we showed that SOX7 deficiency leads to a severe reduction in endocardial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT). RNA-seq …

Dietary Sources Of Linoleic Acid (La) Differ By Race/Ethnicity In Adults Participating In The National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (Nhanes) Between 2017-2018, Shabnam R Momin, Mackenzie K Senn, Ani Manichaikul, Chaojie Yang, Rasika Mathias, Mimi Phan, Stephen S Rich, Susan Sergeant, Michael Seeds, Lindsay Reynolds, Floyd H Chilton, Alexis C Wood

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Linoleic acid (LA) is a primary n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), which is of interest to nutritional professionals as it has been associated with health outcomes. However, as some LA-rich foods offer protection against chronic diseases such as CVD (e.g., fatty fish), while others increase risk (e.g., red meat), the individual foods contributing to LA intake may be an important factor to consider. Therefore, this analysis sought to examine whether there are racial/ethnic differences in the proportion of overall LA intake accounted for by individual food groups, via a cross-sectional analysis of 3815 adults participating in the National Health …

Diet Quality Among Pre-Adolescent African American Girls In A Randomized Controlled Obesity Prevention Intervention Trial, Debbe Thompson, Yiming Mirabile, Noemi Islam, Chishinga Callender, Salma M A Musaad, Julie Miranda, Jennette P Moreno, Jayna M Dave, Tom Baranowski

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Consuming an unhealthy diet increases health risks. This study assessed the impact of a culturally adapted behaviorally innovative obesity prevention intervention (The Butterfly Girls and the Quest for Founder’s Rock) on diet quality in pre-adolescent non-Hispanic Black/African American girls. The RCT consisted of three groups (experimental, comparison, and waitlist control); block randomization allocated participants to each group. The two treatment groups varied in terms of whether or not they set goals. Data were collected at baseline (prior to receiving the intervention), post 1 (3 months post-baseline), and post 2 (6 months post-baseline). Two dietitian-assisted 24 h dietary recalls …

Effects Of Spaceflight On The Eeg Alpha Power And Functional Connectivity, Sandra Pusil, Jonathan Zegarra-Valdivia, Pablo Cuesta, Christopher Laohathai, Ana Maria Cebolla, Jens Haueisen, Patrique Fiedler, Michael Funke, Fernando Maestú, Guy Cheron

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Electroencephalography (EEG) can detect changes in cerebral activity during spaceflight. This study evaluates the effect of spaceflight on brain networks through analysis of the Default Mode Network (DMN)'s alpha frequency band power and functional connectivity (FC), and the persistence of these changes. Five astronauts' resting state EEGs under three conditions were analyzed (pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight). DMN's alpha band power and FC were computed using eLORETA and phase-locking value. Eyes-opened (EO) and eyes-closed (EC) conditions were differentiated. We found a DMN alpha band power reduction during in-flight (EC: p < 0.001; EO: p < 0.05) and post-flight (EC: p < 0.001; EO: p < 0.01) when compared to pre-flight condition. FC strength decreased during in-flight (EC: p < 0.01; EO: p < 0.01) and post-flight (EC: ns; EO: p < 0.01) compared to pre-flight condition. The DMN alpha band power and FC strength reduction persisted until 20 days after landing. Spaceflight caused electrocerebral alterations that persisted after return to earth. Periodic assessment by EEG-derived DMN analysis has the potential to become a neurophysiologic marker of cerebral functional integrity during exploration missions to space.

Preterm Birth Alters The Feeding-Induced Activation Of Akt Signaling In The Muscle Of Neonatal Piglets, Agus Suryawan, Marko Rudar, Jane K Naberhuis, Marta L Fiorotto, Teresa A Davis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Postnatal lean mass accretion is commonly reduced in preterm infants. This study investigated mechanisms involved in the blunted feeding-induced activation of Akt in the skeletal muscle of preterm pigs that contributes to lower protein synthesis rates.

METHODS: On day 3 following cesarean section, preterm and term piglets were fasted or fed an enteral meal. Activation of Akt signaling pathways in skeletal muscle was determined.

RESULTS: Akt1 and Akt2, but not Akt3, phosphorylation were lower in the skeletal muscle of preterm than in term pigs (P < 0.05). Activation of Akt-positive regulators, PDK1 and mTORC2, but not FAK, were lower in preterm than in term (P < 0.05). The formation of Akt complexes with GAPDH and Hsp90 and the abundance of Ubl4A were lower in preterm than in term (P < 0.05). The abundance of Akt inhibitors, PHLPP and SHIP2, but not PTEN and IP6K1, were higher in preterm than in term pigs (P < 0.05). PP2A activation was inhibited by feeding in term but not in preterm pigs (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that preterm birth impairs regulatory components involved in Akt activation, …

Examination Of Parent-Reported Differences In Children’S Daily Screen Use, Sleep, And Sleep Hygiene Behaviors During The School Year And Summer And Their Association With Bmi, Jennette P Moreno, Alexis C Wood, Brooke Reichek, Hafza Dadabhoy, Tom Baranowski, Debbe Thompson, Teresia M O'Connor

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: The current study examined school-summer differences in children's sleep patterns and sleep hygiene. Cross-sectional relationships with children's sleep, sleep hygiene, and weight status were explored during the school year and summer.

METHODS: Children (5-8 years) and their parents (n = 197 dyads) were recruited from 4 schools in southeastern Texas and via Facebook. Parents reported children's school year and summer sleep, sleep hygiene, and screen media use. Children's body mass index (BMI) was objectively assessed at the beginning and end of the summer. Associations between children's sleep hygiene and screen media use, sleep duration, and weight status were explored. …

Imaging Of Pediatric Cardiac Tumors: A Cog Diagnostic Imaging Committee/Spr Oncology Committee White Paper, Cara E Morin, Lindsay M Griffin, Rebecca S Beroukhim, Pablo Caro-Domínguez, Sherwin Chan, Jason N Johnson, Juan C Infante, Christopher Z Lam, Ladonna J Malone, Elizabeth R Tang, Michael D Taylor, James C Wilkinson, Prakash M Masand

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Cardiac tumors in children are rare and the majority are benign. The most common cardiac tumor in children is rhabdomyoma, usually associated with tuberous sclerosis complex. Other benign cardiac masses include fibromas, myxomas, hemangiomas, and teratomas. Primary malignant cardiac tumors are exceedingly rare, with the most common pathology being soft tissue sarcomas. This paper provides consensus-based imaging recommendations for the evaluation of patients with cardiac tumors at diagnosis and follow-up, including during and after therapy.

Lateral Septum As A Melanocortin Downstream Site In Obesity Development, Yuanzhong Xu, Zhiying Jiang, Hongli Li, Jing Cai, Yanyan Jiang, Joshua Otiz-Guzman, Yong Xu, Benjamin R Arenkiel, Qingchun Tong

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The melanocortin pathway is well established to be critical for body-weight regulation in both rodents and humans. Despite extensive studies focusing on this pathway, the downstream brain sites that mediate its action are not clear. Here, we found that, among the known paraventricular hypothalamic (PVH) neuron groups, those expressing melanocortin receptors 4 (PVHMc4R) preferably project to the ventral part of the lateral septum (LSv), a brain region known to be involved in emotional behaviors. Photostimulation of PVHMc4R neuron terminals in the LSv reduces feeding and causes aversion, whereas deletion of Mc4Rs or disruption of glutamate release from LSv-projecting PVH neurons …

The Metreleptin Effectiveness And Safety Registry (Measure): Concept, Design And Challenges, Morey W Haymond, David Araújo-Vilar, John Balser, James H Lewis, Ruth Louzado, Carla Musso, Julia Von Schnurbein, Martin Wabitsch

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Metreleptin, a recombinant analog of human leptin, is an approved therapy, adjunct to diet, to treat the metabolic complications of leptin deficiency in patients with lipodystrophy - a group of rare diseases characterized by a paucity of adipose tissue. MEASuRE (Metreleptin Effectiveness And Safety Registry) is a post-authorization, voluntary registry that gathers long-term safety and effectiveness data on metreleptin. Here, we present the aims and evolution of MEASuRE.

METHODS: MEASuRE was established to collect data from patients receiving commercially supplied metreleptin in the United States (US) and European Union (EU). MEASuRE aims to determine the incidence and severity of …

An Opportunity To Increase Collaborative Science In Fetal, Infant, And Toddler Neuroimaging, Marta Korom, M Catalina Camacho, Aiden Ford, Hana Taha, Dustin Scheinost, Marisa Spann, Kelly A Vaughn

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The field of fetal, infant, and toddler (FIT) neuroimaging research—including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy, among others—offers pioneering insights into early brain development and has grown in popularity over the past 2 decades. In broader neuroimaging research, multisite collaborative projects, data sharing, and open-source code have increasingly become the norm, fostering big data, consensus standards, and rapid knowledge transfer and development. Given the aforementioned benefits, along with recent initiatives from funding agencies to support multisite and multimodal FIT neuroimaging studies, the FIT field now has the opportunity to establish sustainable, collaborative, and open science …

Associations Between Avocado Intake And Lower Rates Of Incident Type 2 Diabetes In Us Adults With Hispanic/Latino Ancestry, Alexis C Wood, Mackenzie K Senn, Jerome I Rotter

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Hispanic/Latinos in the US are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D). Data suggest that avocado intake is associated with better glycemic control, but whether this translates to protection from T2D has not been studied. The goal of the current analyses was to examine whether consuming avocados at baseline is associated with lower incident T2D over a six-year period, compared to not consuming avocados at baseline.

SUBJECTS/METHODS: Using data from a large population of US adults with Hispanic ancestry, without known or unknown T2D at baseline (N=6,159), participants were classified as avocado consumers (N=983) or non-consumers (N=5,176) based …

Identification Of A Gabaergic Neural Circuit Governing Leptin Signaling Deficiency-Induced Obesity, Yong Han, Yang He, Lauren Harris, Yong Xu, Qi Wu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The hormone leptin is known to robustly suppress food intake by acting upon the leptin receptor (LepR) signaling system residing within the agouti-related protein (AgRP) neurons of the hypothalamus. However, clinical studies indicate that leptin is undesirable as a therapeutic regiment for obesity, which is at least partly attributed to the poorly understood complex secondary structure and key signaling mechanism of the leptin-responsive neural circuit. Here, we show that the LepR-expressing portal neurons send GABAergic projections to a cohort of α3-GABAA receptor expressing neurons within the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus (DMH) for the control of leptin-mediated obesity phenotype. We identified the …

Large-Scale Analysis Of Structural Brain Asymmetries In Schizophrenia Via The Enigma Consortium, Dick Schijven, Merel C Postema, Masaki Fukunaga, Junya Matsumoto, Kenichiro Miura, Sonja M C De Zwarte, Neeltje E M Van Haren, Wiepke Cahn, Hilleke E Hulshoff Pol, René S Kahn, Rosa Ayesa-Arriola, Víctor Ortiz-García De La Foz, Diana Tordesillas-Gutierrez, Javier Vázquez-Bourgon, Benedicto Crespo-Facorro, Dag Alnæs, Andreas Dahl, Lars T Westlye, Ingrid Agartz, Ole A Andreassen, Erik G Jönsson, Peter Kochunov, Jason M Bruggemann, Stanley V Catts, Patricia T Michie, Bryan J Mowry, Yann Quidé, Paul E Rasser, Ulrich Schall, Rodney J Scott, Vaughan J Carr, Melissa J Green, Frans A Henskens, Carmel M Loughland, Christos Pantelis, Cynthia Shannon Weickert, Thomas W Weickert, Lieuwe De Haan, Katharina Brosch, Julia-Katharina Pfarr, Kai G Ringwald, Frederike Stein, Andreas Jansen, Tilo T J Kircher, Igor Nenadić, Bernd Krämer, Oliver Gruber, Theodore D Satterthwaite, Juan Bustillo, Daniel H Mathalon, Adrian Preda, Vince D Calhoun, Judith M Ford, Steven G Potkin, Jingxu Chen, Yunlong Tan, Zhiren Wang, Hong Xiang, Fengmei Fan, Fabio Bernardoni, Stefan Ehrlich, Paola Fuentes-Claramonte, Maria Angeles Garcia-Leon, Amalia Guerrero-Pedraza, Raymond Salvador, Salvador Sarró, Edith Pomarol-Clotet, Valentina Ciullo, Fabrizio Piras, Daniela Vecchio, Nerisa Banaj, Gianfranco Spalletta, Stijn Michielse, Therese Van Amelsvoort, Erin W Dickie, Aristotle N Voineskos, Kang Sim, Simone Ciufolini, Paola Dazzan, Robin M Murray, Woo-Sung Kim, Young-Chul Chung, Christina Andreou, André Schmidt, Stefan Borgwardt, Andrew M Mcintosh, Heather C Whalley, Stephen M Lawrie, Stefan Du Plessis, Hilmar K Luckhoff, Freda Scheffler, Robin Emsley, Dominik Grotegerd, Rebekka Lencer, Udo Dannlowski, Jesse T Edmond, Kelly Rootes-Murdy, Julia M Stephen, Andrew R Mayer, Linda A Antonucci, Leonardo Fazio, Giulio Pergola, Alessandro Bertolino, Covadonga M Díaz-Caneja, Joost Janssen, Noemi G Lois, Celso Arango, Alexander S Tomyshev, Irina Lebedeva, Simon Cervenka, Carl M Sellgren, Foivos Georgiadis, Matthias Kirschner, Stefan Kaiser, Tomas Hajek, Antonin Skoch, Filip Spaniel, Minah Kim, Yoo Bin Kwak, Sanghoon Oh, Jun Soo Kwon, Anthony James, Geor Bakker, Christian Knöchel, Michael Stäblein, Viola Oertel, Anne Uhlmann, Fleur M Howells, Dan J Stein, Henk S Temmingh, Ana M Diaz-Zuluaga, Julian A Pineda-Zapata, Carlos López-Jaramillo, Stephanie Homan, Ellen Ji, Werner Surbeck, Philipp Homan, Simon E Fisher, Barbara Franke, David C Glahn, Ruben C Gur, Ryota Hashimoto, Neda Jahanshad, Eileen Luders, Sarah E Medland, Paul M Thompson, Jessica A Turner, Theo G M Van Erp, Clyde Francks

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Left-right asymmetry is an important organizing feature of the healthy brain that may be altered in schizophrenia, but most studies have used relatively small samples and heterogeneous approaches, resulting in equivocal findings. We carried out the largest case-control study of structural brain asymmetries in schizophrenia, with MRI data from 5,080 affected individuals and 6,015 controls across 46 datasets, using a single image analysis protocol. Asymmetry indexes were calculated for global and regional cortical thickness, surface area, and subcortical volume measures. Differences of asymmetry were calculated between affected individuals and controls per dataset, and effect sizes were meta-analyzed across datasets. Small …

Fit24, A Digital Health Intervention To Reduce Type 2 Diabetes Risk Among Hispanic Youth: Protocol For A Feasibility Pilot Study, Erica G Soltero, Callie Lopez, Salma M Musaad, Teresia M O'Connor, Debbe Thompson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Poor physical activity (PA) and sleep behaviors in Hispanic adolescents contributes to increased risk for type 2 diabetes. Commonly owned digital devices and services like smartphones and text-messaging are highly used among adolescents and are promising intervention tools for reaching this age group. Personal activity trackers assess activity and sleep, making them ideal tools for addressing these behaviors. We propose to examine the feasibility of a 12-week intervention that uses theoretically grounded text messages and a Fitbit device to improve PA and sleep among Hispanic adolescents with obesity, as compared to a wait-list control group with a Fitbit device …

Soybean Gmsaul1, A Bona Fide U-Box E3 Ligase, Negatively Regulates Immunity Likely Through Repressing The Activation Of Gmmpk3, Jun-Mei Li, Mei-Yan Ye, Chaofeng Wang, Xiao-Han Ma, Ni-Ni Wu, Chen-Li Zhong, Yanjun Zhang, Ninghui Cheng, Paul A Nakata, Lirong Zeng, Jian-Zhong Liu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

E3 ubiquitin ligases play important roles in plant immunity, but their role in soybean has not been investigated previously. Here, we used Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV)-mediated virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) to investigate the function of GmSAUL1 (Senescence-Associated E3 Ubiquitin Ligase 1) homologs in soybean. When two closely related SAUL1 homologs were silenced simultaneously, the soybean plants displayed autoimmune phenotypes, which were significantly alleviated by high temperature, suggesting that GmSAUL1a/1b might be guarded by an R protein. Interestingly, silencing GmSAUL1a/1b resulted in the decreased activation of GmMPK6, but increased activation of GmMPK3 in response to flg22, …

A Comprehensive And Integrative Approach To Mecp2 Disease Transcriptomics, Alexander J Trostle, Lucian Li, Seon-Young Kim, Jiasheng Wang, Rami Al-Ouran, Hari Krishna Yalamanchili, Zhandong Liu, Ying-Wooi Wan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Mutations in MeCP2 result in a crippling neurological disease, but we lack a lucid picture of MeCP2's molecular role. Individual transcriptomic studies yield inconsistent differentially expressed genes. To overcome these issues, we demonstrate a methodology to analyze all modern public data. We obtained relevant raw public transcriptomic data from GEO and ENA, then homogeneously processed it (QC, alignment to reference, differential expression analysis). We present a web portal to interactively access the mouse data, and we discovered a commonly perturbed core set of genes that transcends the limitations of any individual study. We then found functionally distinct, consistently up- and …

Child Weight Status: The Role Of Feeding Styles And Highly Motivated Eating In Children, Maria A Papaioannou, Thomas G Power, Teresia M O'Connor, Jennifer O Fisher, Nilda E Micheli, Sheryl O Hughes

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Although parental feeding plays an important role in child eating and weight status, high food motivation among children may also be a factor shaping how feeding impacts child weight. This study explored whether individual differences in preschool children’s food motivation interacted with mothers’ feeding styles in predicting subsequent child weight status. Participants included 129 Hispanic Head Start mother/child dyads. Data were collected at ages 4–5 years (Time 1) and 7–9 (Time 3). Staff measured heights/weights and observed children in an eating in the absence of hunger task. Mothers reported on feeding styles/practices and children’s eating behaviors. A principal components analysis …

Properties Of A Combined Measure Of Reading And Writing: The Assessment Of Writing, Self-Monitoring And Reading (Awsm Reader), Anthony R Gioia, Yusra Ahmed, Steven P Woods, Paul T Cirino

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

There is significant overlap between reading and writing, but no known standardized measure assesses these jointly. The goal of the present study is to evaluate the properties of a novel measure, the Assessment of Writing, Self-Monitoring, and Reading (AWSM Reader), that simultaneously evaluates both reading comprehension and writing. In doing so, we evaluate reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) and various aspects of construct-related validity, including separate criterion measures of reading and writing, and the AWSM Reader’s relations with other variables, including language and executive function (EF), both of which are implicated for both reading and writing. Participants were 377 3rd, 4th, and …

Tubers Affecting The Fusiform Face Area Are Associated With Autism Diagnosis, Alexander L Cohen, Mallory R Kroeck, Juliana Wall, Peter Mcmanus, Arina Ovchinnikova, Mustafa Sahin, Darcy A Krueger, E Martina Bebin, Hope Northrup, Joyce Y Wu, Simon K Warfield, Jurriaan M Peters, Michael D Fox, Acern Study Group

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is associated with focal brain "tubers" and a high incidence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The location of brain tubers associated with autism may provide insight into the neuroanatomical substrate of ASD symptoms.

METHODS: We delineated tuber locations for 115 TSC participants with ASD (n = 31) and without ASD (n = 84) from the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Autism Center of Excellence Research Network. We tested for associations between ASD diagnosis and tuber burden within the whole brain, specific lobes, and at 8 regions of interest derived from the ASD neuroimaging literature, including the anterior …

Covid-19 Induced Environments, Health-Related Quality Of Life Outcomes And Problematic Behaviors: Evidence From Children With Syndromic Autism Spectrum Disorders, Corneliu Bolbocean, Kayla B Rhidenour, Maria Mccormack, Bernhard Suter, J Lloyd Holder

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Between July 2020 and January 2021, 230 principal caregivers completed a questionnaire to measure proxy-assessed health-related quality of life outcomes (HRQoL), behavioral outcomes in children with syndromic autism spectrum disorders and COVID-19 induced changes to lifestyle and environments. HRQoL and behavioral outcomes reported earlier during the pandemic were generally worse compared to those reported later. COVID-19 induced reduction to a caregiver's mental health appointments, and hours spent watching TV were associated with decreases in HRQoL and increased the likelihood of problematic behaviors. Increasing time outdoors and time away from digital devices were positively associated with HRQoL and behaviors and might …

Pediatric Consultation-Liaison Psychology: Insights And Lessons Learned During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Nicole M Schneider, Dara M Steinberg, Andrea M Garcia, Jessy Guler, Emily Mudd, A Monica Agoston, Katherine N Schwartzkopf, Kristin A Kullgren, Laura Judd-Glossy

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

COVID-19 has presented a variety of challenges to the provision of psychology services. In the first month of the pandemic, pediatric consultation-liaison (CL) psychologists reported significant changes in methodology of service delivery (Steinberg et al. in Clin Pract Pediatr Psychol 9:1, 2020). To better understand how and if these changes persisted, as well as other emerging trends, a follow-up study examined changes and challenges six months into the pandemic. An anonymous questionnaire assessed topics related to pediatric CL psychology including practice changes, perception of changes, and institutional support. The questionnaire was sent to the APA Society of Pediatric Society's special …

Content Analysis Of American Network News Coverage Of Prevention Strategies During The Initial Wave Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Cary M Cain, Nipa Kamdar, Rachael Veldman, Shahereez Budhwani, Patrick O'Mahen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Broadcast media is a method to communicate health information to the general public and has previously been used in prior public health emergencies. Despite the current ubiquity of social media, traditional news programming retains relatively large audiences, which increased during the COVID-19 pandemic's early days. Viewership of broadcast media networks' evening news skews toward older groups (age 65 and up) which were vulnerable to health complications related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: The current study explored the trends in American broadcast network news media coverage of prevention during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

DESIGN: Quantitative content analysis …

Child Abuse Pediatrics Research Network: The Capnet Core Data Project, Joanne N Wood, Kristine A Campbell, James D Anderst, Angela N Bachim, Rachel P Berger, Kent P Hymel, Nancy S Harper, Megan M Letson, John D Melville, Oluwatimilehin Okunowo, Daniel M Lindberg

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: Examine the epidemiology of subspecialty physical abuse evaluations within CAPNET, a multicenter child abuse pediatrics research network.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of children(in-person or remote) by a child abuse pediatrician (CAP) due to concerns for physical abuse at ten CAPNET hospital systems from February 2021 through December 2021.

RESULTS: Among 3667 patients with 3721 encounters, 69.4% wereold; 44.3%old, 59.1% male; 27.1% Black; 57.8% White, 17.0% Hispanic; and 71.0 % had public insurance. The highest level of care was outpatient/emergency department in 60.7%, inpatient unit in 28.0% and intensive care in 11.4%. CAPs performed 79.1% in-person consultations and …

Asprosin Promotes Feeding Through Sk Channel-Dependent Activation Of Agrp Neurons, Bing Feng, Hesong Liu, Ila Mishra, Clemens Duerrschmid, Peiyu Gao, Pingwen Xu, Chunmei Wang, Yanlin He

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Asprosin, a recently identified adipokine, activates agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARH) via binding to protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor δ (Ptprd) to increase food intake. However, the intracellular mechanisms responsible for asprosin/Ptprd-mediated activation of AgRPARH neurons remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the small-conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) channel is required for the stimulatory effects of asprosin/Ptprd on AgRPARH neurons. Specifically, we found that deficiency or elevation of circulating asprosin increased or decreased the SK current in AgRPARH neurons, respectively. AgRPARH-specific deletion of SK3 (an SK channel subtype highly expressed in AgRPARH neurons) blocked asprosin-induced …

Evaluation Of Bnt162b2 Covid-19 Vaccine In Children Younger Than 5 Years Of Age, Flor M Muñoz, Lawrence D Sher, Charu Sabharwal, Alejandra Gurtman, Xia Xu, Nicholas Kitchin, Stephen Lockhart, Robert Riesenberg, Joanna M Sexter, Hanna Czajka, Grant C Paulsen, Yvonne Maldonado, Emmanuel B Walter, Kawsar R Talaat, Janet A Englund, Uzma N Sarwar, Caitlin Hansen, Martha Iwamoto, Chris Webber, Luke Cunliffe, Benita Ukkonen, Silvina N Martínez, Barbara A Pahud, Iona Munjal, Joseph B Domachowske, Kena A Swanson, Hua Ma, Kenneth Koury, Susan Mather, Claire Lu, Jing Zou, Xuping Xie, Pei-Yong Shi, David Cooper, Özlem Türeci, Uğur Şahin, Kathrin U Jansen, William C Gruber

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Safe and effective vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) are urgently needed in young children.

METHODS: We conducted a phase 1 dose-finding study and are conducting an ongoing phase 2-3 safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy trial of the BNT162b2 vaccine in healthy children 6 months to 11 years of age. We present results for children 6 months to less than 2 years of age and those 2 to 4 years of age through the data-cutoff dates (April 29, 2022, for safety and immunogenicity and June 17, 2022, for efficacy). In the phase 2-3 trial, participants were randomly assigned (in a …

Disruption Of The Atxn1-Cic Complex Reveals The Role Of Additional Nuclear Atxn1 Interactors In Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1, Stephanie L Coffin, Mark A Durham, Larissa Nitschke, Eder Xhako, Amanda M Brown, Jean-Pierre Revelli, Esmeralda Villavicencio Gonzalez, Tao Lin, Hillary P Handler, Yanwan Dai, Alexander J Trostle, Ying-Wooi Wan, Zhandong Liu, Roy V Sillitoe, Harry T Orr, Huda Y Zoghbi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) is a paradigmatic neurodegenerative disease in that it is caused by a mutation in a broadly expressed protein, ATXN1; however, only select populations of cells degenerate. The interaction of polyglutamine-expanded ATXN1 with the transcriptional repressor CIC drives cerebellar Purkinje cell pathogenesis; however, the importance of this interaction in other vulnerable cells remains unknown. Here, we mutated the 154Q knockin allele of Atxn1154Q/2Q mice to prevent the ATXN1-CIC interaction globally. This normalized genome-wide CIC binding; however, it only partially corrected transcriptional and behavioral phenotypes, suggesting the involvement of additional factors in disease pathogenesis. Using unbiased …

Decreasing Mutant Atxn1 Nuclear Localization Improves A Spectrum Of Sca1-Like Phenotypes And Brain Region Transcriptomic Profiles, Hillary P Handler, Lisa Duvick, Jason S Mitchell, Marija Cvetanovic, Molly Reighard, Alyssa Soles, Kathleen B Mather, Orion Rainwater, Shannah Serres, Tessa Nichols-Meade, Stephanie L Coffin, Yun You, Brian L Ruis, Brennon O'Callaghan, Christine Henzler, Huda Y Zoghbi, Harry T Orr

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) is a dominant trinucleotide repeat neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor dysfunction, cognitive impairment, and premature death. Degeneration of cerebellar Purkinje cells is a frequent and prominent pathological feature of SCA1. We previously showed that transport of ATXN1 to Purkinje cell nuclei is required for pathology, where mutant ATXN1 alters transcription. To examine the role of ATXN1 nuclear localization broadly in SCA1-like disease pathogenesis, CRISPR-Cas9 was used to develop a mouse with an amino acid alteration (K772T) in the nuclear localization sequence of the expanded ATXN1 protein. Characterization of these mice indicates that proper nuclear localization …

Response Assessment In Pediatric Craniopharyngioma: Recommendations From The Response Assessment In Pediatric Neuro-Oncology (Rapno) Working Group, Lindsey M Hoffman, Camilo Jaimes, Kshitij Mankad, David M Mirsky, Benita Tamrazi, Christopher L Tinkle, Cassie Kline, Aparna Ramasubramanian, Fatema Malbari, Ross Mangum, Holly Lindsay, Vincent Horne, David J Daniels, Sameer Keole, David R Grosshans, Tina Young Poussaint, Roger Packer, Sergio Cavalheiro, Brigitte Bison, Todd C Hankinson, Hermann L Müller, Ute Bartels, Katherine E Warren, Murali Chintagumpala

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Craniopharyngioma is a histologically benign tumor of the suprasellar region for which survival is excellent but quality of life is often poor secondary to functional deficits from tumor and treatment. Standard therapy consists of maximal safe resection with or without radiation therapy. Few prospective trials have been performed, and response assessment has not been standardized.

METHODS: The Response Assessment in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology (RAPNO) committee devised consensus guidelines to assess craniopharyngioma response prospectively.

RESULTS: Magnetic resonance imaging is the recommended radiologic modality for baseline and follow-up assessments. Radiologic response is defined by 2-dimensional measurements of both solid and cystic tumor …

Micrornas And Gene Regulatory Networks Related To Cleft Lip And Palate, Chihiro Iwaya, Akiko Suzuki, Junichi Iwata

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cleft lip and palate is one of the most common congenital birth defects and has a complex etiology. Either genetic or environmental factors, or both, are involved at various degrees, and the type and severity of clefts vary. One of the longstanding questions is how environmental factors lead to craniofacial developmental anomalies. Recent studies highlight non-coding RNAs as potential epigenetic regulators in cleft lip and palate. In this review, we will discuss microRNAs, a type of small non-coding RNAs that can simultaneously regulate expression of many downstream target genes, as a causative mechanism of cleft lip and palate in humans …