Medical Specialties Commons^™

Stereoelectroencephalography Reveals Neural Signatures Of Multisensory Integration In The Human Superior Temporal Sulcus During Audiovisual Speech Perception, Yue Zhang, John F Magnotti, Xiang Zhang, Zhengjia Wang, Yingjia Yu, Kathryn A Davis, Sameer A Sheth, H Isaac Chen, Daniel Yoshor, Michael S Beauchamp

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Human speech perception is multisensory, integrating auditory information from the talker's voice with visual information from the talker's face. BOLD fMRI studies have implicated the superior temporal gyrus (STG) in processing auditory speech and the superior temporal sulcus (STS) in integrating auditory and visual speech, but as an indirect hemodynamic measure, fMRI is limited in its ability to track the rapid neural computations underlying speech perception. Using stereoelectroencephalography (sEEG) electrodes, we directly recorded from the STG and STS in 42 epilepsy patients (25F, 17M). Participants identified single words presented in auditory, visual, and audiovisual formats with and without added auditory …

Role Of M6a Mrna Methylation In Plant Defense, Rakesh Srivastava, Niraj Lodhi

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

N6-methyladenosine (m⁶A) is the most abundant and dynamic RNA modification in eukaryotic messenger and non-coding RNAs, playing a pivotal role in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. The coordinated actions of m⁶A writers, erasers, and readers influence transcript stability, immune activation, and pathogen suppression. Growing evidence indicates that m⁶A fine-tunes the expression of defense-related genes, modulates RNA processing events, and is frequently hijacked by pathogens and pests to promote virulence. Notably, the dual role of m⁶A in enhancing plant defense and facilitating pathogen adaptation highlights its significance in the host–pathogen arms race. …

Molecular Determinants Of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Resistance In Breast Cancer: An Analysis Of Gene Expression And Tumor Microenvironment, Hedda Michelle Guevara-Nieto, Carlos A. Orozco-Castaño, Rafael Parra-Medina, Jenny Nathaly Poveda-Garavito, Jone Garai, Jovanny Zabaleta, Liliana López-Kleine, Alba Lucia Combita

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is a critical component of breast cancer treatment, but the molecular mechanisms underlying resistance remain poorly understood. This study aimed to identify transcriptomic changes associated with NAC resistance across four breast cancer subtypes: Luminal A, Luminal B/HER2-positive, Luminal B/HER2-negative, and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). RNA-seq analysis was performed on paired pre- and post-NAC breast cancer samples from 32 nonresponders. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, and functional enrichment analyses were conducted. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed to identify hub genes. Tumor microenvironment (TME) infiltration was estimated using deconvolution algorithms. The results revealed distinct gene expression profiles …

A Social Media Campaign And Web-Based Survey About Prostate Cancer Genetics: Mixed Methods Study, Amy Leader, Stacy Loeb, Preethi Selvan, Ashley Hunter, Rebecca Hartman, Scott Keith, Veda Giri

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Germline genetic variants are important for prostate cancer (PCa) management and hereditary cancer risk assessment, but testing is underused. Furthermore, patients are often unaware of the genetic connections to PCa. Social media is increasingly serving as a source of awareness for health information and a method to gather data from a large population.

OBJECTIVE: There were three objectives: to (1) create and test social media messages related to PCa genetics and genetic testing, (2) determine which social media message was most engaging, and (3) assess knowledge of and attitudes toward PCa genetic testing through an online survey using the …

Probabilistic Data Linkage To Study The Epidemiology Of Unintentional Fatal Drowning In A Large Metropolitan Region, Rohit P Shenoi, Ned Levine, Elizabeth A Camp, Linh Nguyen, Sandra Mckay, Shaila Zaman

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: It is difficult to study the epidemiology of drowning at the regional level because of multiple data sources, many of which have a high degree of unstandardized and missing data. We aimed to link multiple datasets to identify demographics and geographic locations of unintentional fatal drowning in a metropolitan region and compare linked data with vital statistic data.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included unintentional drowning fatalities among persons of all ages in metropolitan Houston between 2016 and 2022. Probabilistic linking was used to link multiple datasets and geographical mapping to identify drowning locations. The effectiveness of data linkage was …

Landscape And Clinicopathologic Features Of Ras Pathway Mutations In Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia, Guillermo Montalban-Bravo, Sanam Loghavi, Ziyi Li, Kelly Chien, Rashmi Kanagal-Shamanna, Alex Bataller, Anuya Natu, Mark Gurney, Alexandre Bazinet, Danielle Hammond, Koji Sasaki, Gautam Borthakur, Mahesh Swaminathan, Courtney Dinardo, Tapan Kadia, Farhad Ravandi, Naval Daver, Nicholas Short, Naveen Pemmaraju, Ghayas Issa, Terra L Lasho, Christy M Finke, Aref Al-Kali, Clifford Csizmar, Hassan Alkhateeb, Naseema Gangat, Abhishek A Mangaonkar, Carlos Bueso-Ramos, Ayalew Tefferi, Hagop Kantarjian, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, Mrinal M Patnaik

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

RAS pathway (RASp) mutations induce proliferative features, and promote transformation in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). However, the unique clonal landscape and hierarchy of distinct RASp mutations remain unexplored. To characterize the landscape, architecture, and implications of unique RASp mutations in CMML, we evaluated a cohort of 814 patients with CMML. We identified 461 RASp mutations among 342 patients (42%). N/KRAS and CBL mutations were the most common, frequently involved the P-loop or RING domains, respectively, and frequently appeared as dominant events (63% and 65%, respectively). BRAF, NF1, and PTPN11 mutations spanned throughout the gene structure, and frequently appeared as subclonal …

Optimizing Genetic Ancestry Adjustment In Dna Methylation Studies: A Comparative Analysis Of Approaches, Kira D Höffler, Seyma Katrinli, Matthew W Halvorsen, Anne-Kristin Stavrum, Kevin S O'Connell, Alexey Shadrin, Srdjan Djurovic, Ole A Andreassen, James J Crowley, Jan Haavik, Kristen Hagen, Gerd Kvale, Kerry Ressler, Bjarne Hansen, Jair C Soares, Gabriel R Fries, Alicia K Smith, Stéphanie Le Hellard

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Genetic ancestry is an important factor to account for in DNA methylation studies because genetic variation influences DNA methylation patterns. One approach uses principal components (PCs) calculated from CpG sites that overlap with common SNPs to adjust for ancestry when genotyping data is not available. However, this method does not remove technical and biological variations, such as sex and age, prior to calculating the PCs. The first PC is therefore often associated with factors other than ancestry.

Methods: We developed and adapted the adapted EpiAnceR+ approach, which includes (1) residualizing the CpG data overlapping with common SNPs for control …

Yx0798 Is A Highly Potent, Selective, And Orally Effective Cdk9 Inhibitor For Treating Aggressive Lymphoma, Vivian Jiang, Yu Xue, Hong Kim, Qingsong Cai, Tianci Zhang, Lei Nie, Joseph Mcintosh, Yang Liu, Haiying Chen, Jia Zhou, Michael Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Nongenetic transcription evolution has been increasingly explored and recognized to drive tumor cell progression and therapeutic resistance. As the regulation hub of transcription machinery, cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) is the gatekeeper of RNA polymerase II transcription, and CDK9 dysfunction results in transcriptomic reprogramming and tumor cell progression. We recently reported that the heat shock protein 90 (HSP90)-MYC-CDK9 network drives therapeutic resistance in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) through transcriptomic reprogramming. We also showed that targeting CDK9 by AZD4573 and enitociclib is a safe and effective treatment in preclinical Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) models, supporting CDK9 as a valid therapeutic target for …

Generative Modeling For Interpretable Anomaly Detection In Medical Imaging: Applications In Failure Detection And Data Curation, Mckell E Woodland, Mais Altaie, Caleb S O'Connor, Austin H Castelo, Olubunmi C Lebimoyo, Aashish C Gupta, Joshua P Yung, Paul E Kinahan, Clifton D Fuller, Eugene J Koay, Bruno C Odisio, Ankit B Patel, Kristy K Brock

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

This work aims to leverage generative modeling-based anomaly detection to enhance interpretability in AI failure detection systems and to aid data curation for large repositories. For failure detection interpretability, this retrospective study utilized 3339 CT scans (525 patients), divided patient-wise into training, baseline test, and anomaly (having failure-causing attributes—e.g., needles, ascites) test datasets. For data curation, 112,120 ChestX-ray14 radiographs were used for training and 2036 radiographs from the Medical Imaging and Data Resource Center for testing, categorized as baseline or anomalous based on attribute alignment with ChestX-ray14. StyleGAN2 networks modeled the training distributions. Test images were reconstructed with backpropagation and …

The Clingen Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease Variant Curation Expert Panel: Specifications For Classification Of Variants In Ada, Dclre1c, Il2rg, Il7r, Jak3, Rag1, And Rag2, Vanessa C Jacovas, Michelle Zelnick, Shannon Mcnulty, Justyne E Ross, Namrata Khurana, Xueyang Pan, Alejandro Nieto, Shiloh Martin, Benjamin Mclean, Marwa A Elnagheeb, Morton J Cowan, Jennifer M Puck, Mike S Hershfield, James Verbsky, Jolan Walter, Eric J Allenspach, Alice Y Chan, Nicolai S C Van Oers, Rajarshi Ghosh, Megan Piazza, Bo Yuan, Luigi D Notarangelo, Britt A Johnson, Ivan K Chinn, Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Variant Curation Expert Panel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: This collaborative study, led by the Clinical Genome Resource Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease Variant Curation Expert Panel (ClinGen SCID-VCEP), implemented and adapted the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics/Association for Molecular Pathology (ACMG/AMP) guidelines for interpreting germline variants in genes with established relationships to SCID. The effort focused on the 7 most common SCID-related genes identified by SCID newborn screening in North America: ADA, DCLRE1C, IL2RG, IL7R, JAK3, RAG1, and RAG2.

Methods: The SCID-VCEP conducted a rigorous review of variants that involved database analyses, literature review, and expert feedback to derive gene-specific modifications to the ACMG/AMP guidelines. These …

Utility Of True Cut Biopsy Tcb In Triple Diagnosis Of Breast Cancer, Ahmed Abdallah Esawy

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

objective : The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of breast true cut biopsy (TCB) in the diagnosis of breast Cancer and benign mimics of malignant lesions. True cut biopsy improves the classification of BI-RADS System (upgrade or downgrade, BI-RADS score).TCB decreases follow-up examinations. TCB allows definite rapid breast cancer diagnosis and management. Methods: An observational retrograde study was performed of all TCB reports of a suspicious mass or lesion observed in patients admitted between January 2022 and December 2022, at Al-Sahel Teaching Hospital Conclusion : True cut biopsy is accurate, fast method in diagnosis of breast …

Cervical Premalignant Lesions Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial Of Cryotherapy Versus Loop Excision, Fatma A. Dawood, Tarek M. Elhawari, Rafik I. Barakat, Naglaa A. Hussien

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

It was discovered that cryotherapy was just as effective as the loop electrosurgical excision process (LEEP) for removing the cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2+) lesion. In the majority of high-income nations, LEEP is now the accepted course of therapy. This study's objective was to examine the two methods for treating cervical premalignant lesions: cryotherapy versus loop electrosurgical excision as regard safety, efficacy and cost of the two approaches and assess their application. 90 female patients with cervical premalignant lesions, ages 30 to 55, participated in this prospective comparative randomized controlled research. Two equal groups of patients were created: group I received …

Calcium Sensitizers Improve Short Term Outcome After Surgical Repair Of Pediatric Cardiac Patients With Severely Impaired Left Ventricle, Rania Aboshokka, Hanan Mohammed Hassan, Khaled S. Ahmed, Rasha Hosny, Ahmed Algebaly

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Introduction: Delayed diagnosis and management of congenital cardiac defects with high LV afterload and infants with impaired coronary perfusion can lead to severe impairment of LV function. The surgical repair of these patients carries a high perioperative risk. Introduction of Inodilators in the medical management of these cases has greatly improved postoperative outcome. Aim of the work: To evaluate the effect of calcium sensitizers on short-term outcome of surgical repair of cardiac defects in pediatric cardiac patients with severely impaired left ventricle. Methods and results A retrospective study was conducted at our institute in 2024 to evaluate the effect of …

Evaluation Of The Serum Levels Of Il6 And Magnesium In Chronic Kidney Disease Patients (Ckd), And Ckd Patients With Different Comorbidities, Naglaa F. Al-Mihy, Nesreen M. Zakaria, Dina A. Ibrahim

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global health concern that causes a substantial increase in morbidity and mortality rates among adults. CKD is accompanied with several complications including cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death. We aimed to study the relation of level of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the serum and magnesium (Mg) in CKD and CKD patients with various comorbidities. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 100 CKD adult pre-dialysis patients, they were subdivided into 4 groups; the 1st group included 21 patients with CKD only, the 2nd group included 29 patients with CKD and diabetes mellitus (CKD+DM), the 3rd group included …

Mid-Term Results Of Tricuspid Valve Repair For Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation: Ring And Modified Band Annuloplasty, Ismail R Barrada, Ahmed S Ali, Mahmoud M Abdou

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Background: The concurrent repair of functional tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is typically recommended during left-sided heart valve surgery. Several surgical techniques are available, each targeting long-term effectiveness and clinical success. Objective: This study sought to assess the mid-term outcomes of two widely used tricuspid valve repair (TVr) methods: flexible band annuloplasty (FA) and rigid ring annuloplasty (RA). Methods: This retrospective study involved 85 patients who underwent TVr along with left-sided valve surgery. Of these, 53 patients were assigned to the FA group (Group A), and 32 patients to the RA group (Group B). Transthoracic echocardiography was performed at hospital discharge and …

Efficacy And Safety Of Different Treatment Strategies In Pediatric Fecal Incontinence: A Systematic Review, Seham M. Abd El-Moghny, Wessam A. Al-Kholy, Mohamed I. Elsepaee, Ahmed M. Elgamal, Rabab S. Mohamed

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Background Fecal incontinence (FI) in children is a challenging condition with significant impacts on quality of life (QoL). Multiple therapeutic approaches, including neuromodulation techniques such as sacral nerve stimulation (SNS), biofeedback therapy, botulinum toxin (Botox) injections, and transcutaneous functional electrical stimulation (TFES), have been explored. This systematic review evaluates the efficacy and safety of these interventions in pediatric patients. Methods A thorough investigation was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library databases up to February 2025. Studies assessing the effectiveness and safety of SNS, biofeedback, Botox injections, and other interventions in pediatric FI were included. Risk …

Early Outcomes Of Y-Incision Vs. Conventional Techniques For Aortic Root Dilatation, Ahmed Shafeek Ali, Mahmoud Maher Abdou Ibrahim, Haitham Alshahat Ramadan

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Background The y-incision method for expanding the aortic annulus has proven its effectiveness and safety in the short term. We aim to compare the early results of this method with those of the conventional annular dilatation techniques. Methods From March 2022 to April 2024, Eighty consecutive patients at the National Heart Institute in Cairo, Egypt, received aortic valve replacement (AVR) combined with aortic root dilatation (ARD) Utilizing either conventional annular dilatation techniques (group 1, n=40), including Manouguian [12.5% (10/80)], Nicks [35% (28/80)], and others [2.5% (2/80)], or method of Y-incision (group 2, n=40) [ 50% (40/80)]. Preoperative, intraoperative, and early …

Early Outcomes Of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Versus Percutaneous Coronary Intervention For Patients With Intermediate Syntax Ii Score, Ahmed A Faragalla, Ahmed M Elshiemy, Ahmed K. Hassan, Sherif M. Elboghdady, Wael S. Nekhila

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Background Navigating the treatment landscape for those whose SYNTAX II scores reside in the transitional band of 23 to 32 (the intermediate score zone) continues to present a formidable clinical dilemma, with the therapeutic arsenal offering divergent paths: the surgical undertaking of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), the catheter-based strategy of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or the non-interventional realm of medical therapy. Aim To evaluate the frequency of major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events (MACCE) during the in-hospital period following re-vascularization procedures in participants graded as intermediate SYNTAX II scores. Methods A retrospective study was conducted at the National Heart …

Acute Kidney Injury After Open Heart Surgery: The Diagnostic And Predictive Value Of The New Biomarkers, Ahmed A Faragalla, Ahmed M Elshiemy, Sherif A. Elhendawy

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Background Post-operative acute kidney injury (AKI) following cardiac surgery represents a significant clinical challenge, associated with heightened mortality and an increased propensity for chronic kidney disease. Ischemia-reperfusion injury, a primary pathophysiological mechanism, induces renal tubular damage, releasing biomarkers such as Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and hemojuvelin (HJV) into the urine. The quantification of these urinary biomarkers offers a means for early AKI detection and risk stratification, with the potential to improve patient prognosis. Aim This investigation tested new urinary biomarkers to detect AKI within the first 24 hours, to enable prompt intervention and enhance patient care. Patients and Method Sixty-three …

Temperamental Traits For Infants And Toddlers With Rickets, Rabab Salah Eldin Mohamed

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Background Rickets is a deficiency in the mineralization of developing bone. Infant temperament comprises a collection of qualities that define individual behavior. The objective of this work was to determine if there were variations in temperamental qualities between ricketic and normal babies and toddlers, and whether such differences varied by sex. Methods This cross-sectional work had been conducted on 100 children aged from 6 to 24 months both sexes, with rickets (Group 1), and 100 normal sex- and age-matched children as a control group (Group 2). All patients underwent evaluation of temperamental traits. The assessment of psychological aspects for both …

Study Of Awareness, Knowledge, Attitude And Practice Of Pediatric Healthcare Practitioners Towards Wilson Disease., Hanaa Ahmed Elaraby, Magdy Anwar Saber, Sally Waheed Elkhadry, Salwa Gamal Attia, Gihan Ahmed Sobhy

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Background; Wilson disease (WD) is a rare genetic disease that occurs secondary to an excess of copper building up in our body, especially in the liver and brain. Diagnosis of WD is challenging. Since it is a curable illness, raising awareness about it among medical professionals is essential. Aim of the work; to assess the awareness, knowledge, attitude and practice of pediatric practitioners towards WD providing useful alerts about this disease and augmenting their knowledge. Participants and Methods ; Five hundred and one (501) pediatric practitioners with varying academic degrees from several Egyptian governmental hospitals participated in this cross-sectional study …

A Recent Insight On Prevalence Of Atopic Diseases In Children With Type 1 Diabetes, Randa Mohamed Darwish, Ayat Ibrahim Ghanem

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Background Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and atopic diseases are both prevalent immunemediated conditions in children. Although traditionally viewed as immunologically opposing disorders—T1DM being Th1-mediated and atopy Th2-mediated—recent studies suggest possible overlap in genetic susceptibility and environmental triggers. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and association of various atopic conditions in pediatric T1DM patients. Aim of the study To investigate the prevalence of atopic diseases—including atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, bronchial asthma, food allergy, and anaphylaxis—among children with T1DM compared to healthy age- and sex-matched controls, and to analyze contributing risk factors. Methods A retrospective cohort study was …

Imaging Characterization Of Central Nervous System Affection In Hematological Malignancies Patients, Eman Nasr Said, Samia Yehia Abdelrazek Heikal, Ayda A. Youssef, Marwa Romeih, Mary Rabea Mahrous

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Background Central nervous system (CNS) complications in patients with hematological malignancies pose significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with its various sequences, plays a pivotal role in early diagnosis, characterization, and differentiation of these conditions to guide management and improve outcomes. Objective This research aimed to assess the diagnostic performance and utility of different MRI sequences (conventional, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) mapping) in detecting and differentiating CNS complications in patients with hematological malignancies presenting with neurological manifestations. Methods A retrospective cohort of 130 patients (age range 2–81 years; 60% male and 40% female) …

Understanding The Nutrition Ecology And Related Distal And Proximal Research Gaps Impacting School-Aged Children's And Adolescents' Functioning-A Report From The "Biomarkers Of Nutrition For Development: Knowledge Indicating Dietary Sufficiency (Bond-Kids)" Project Working Group 2., Maureen M Black, Meg M Bruening, Amy Carroll-Scott, Jayna M Dave, Kristie L Ebi, Lora L Iannotti, Susan L Johnson, Lorrene D Ritchie, Elizabeth Y Jimenez, Alison L Steiber, Daniel J Raiten

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Nutrition is critical to the health, development, and well-being of children and adolescents, operating through nutrients and the social and physical influences of dietary behaviors. Child and adolescent growth and development depend on complex biological systems interacting with the nutrition ecology. In this review, we focus on bidirectional interactions with the multilevel nutrition ecology, including distal systems (climate, geopolitical, and food systems) and proximal systems (community food options; health, social, and food services; and school policies and programs), all mediated by the family. Thus, the impact of nutrition on children's and adolescents' functional outcomes is dependent on understanding the multilevel …

Advancements In Prenatal Genetic Screening And Testing: Emerging Technologies And Evolving Applications, Mona M Makhamreh, Mei Ling Chong, Ignatia B Van Den Veyver

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Advancements in genomic technologies have transformed prenatal genetic testing, offering more accurate, comprehensive, and noninvasive approaches to reproductive care. This review provides an in-depth overview of current methodologies and emerging innovations, including expanded carrier screening (ECS), cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing, chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA), and sequencing-based diagnostics. We highlight how next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have revolutionized carrier screening and fetal genome analysis, enabling detection of a broad spectrum of genetic conditions. The clinical implementation of cfDNA has expanded from common aneuploidies to include copy number variants (CNVs), and single-gene disorders. Diagnostic testing has similarly evolved, with genome sequencing outperforming traditional …

Characterization Of Suspicious Prostate Lesions At Multiparametric Mri With Dynamic 68 Ga-Gozetotide Pet/Ct, Daniel Parrott, Qing Yuan, Daniella Pinho, Yin Xi, Daniel N Costa, Alberto Diaz De Leon, Marianna Dakanali, Xiankai Sun, Orhan K Oz, Spencer Bowen, Neil M Rofsky, Dana Mathews, Ivan Pedrosa

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) will affect approximately 12% of US men in their lifetime and remains the 2nd most common cause of cancer-specific death. However, there is a broad spectrum of severity of PCa; some require aggressive treatment and others can "watch-and-wait". Distinction of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) from indolent PCA with current imaging methods remains challenging.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate dynamic prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography (PET/CT) in the characterization of suspicious prostate lesions identified on multiparametric MRI (mpMRI).

Methods: Prospective study of biopsy-naïve patients with at least one Prostate Imaging and Reporting …

Inhibition Of Osteosarcoma Lung Metastases By Β-Glucan And Cd40 Agonist Is Mediated By Activation Of Macrophages And Nk Cells, Pradeep Shrestha, Rejeena Shrestha, Eugenie S Kleinerman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Osteosarcoma (OS) lung metastases remain a significant therapeutic challenge. Innate immune activation is a promising therapeutic approach. Innate immune agonists can modulate the tumor immune microenvironment and improve therapeutic response.

Methods: Using an experimental syngeneic OS lung metastasis BALB/c mouse model with K7M3-luc OS cells, we evaluated the antitumor effects of yeast-derived particulate β-glucan in prevention and therapeutic settings. We then assessed whether the CD40 agonist (CD40a) in combination with β-glucan increased therapeutic response in two different immune-competent mouse models of OS lung tumor burden.

Results: In the pretreatment settings, mice treated with β-glucan prior to OS cell infusion …

Intracranial Neural Biomarkers Of Psychiatric Symptoms And Their Utility For Guiding Neuromodulation Therapy: A Systematic Review, Katherine E Kabotyanski, Nicole R Provenza, Sameer A Sheth

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The quest to develop and improve neuromodulatory therapies for treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders has been fueled by the discovery of intracranial neural biomarkers of symptom dimensions. These neural correlates shed light on the underlying neurophysiology of the disorder and may even be useful in guiding therapy delivery. This systematic review summarizes recent efforts in this field relating neural activity to behavior and symptomatology. For years, the majority of these neurobehavioral relationships had been studied in the hospital or clinic environment. Recent technological advances in implanted neuromodulation devices that permit not only stimulation, but also intracranial neural recording have enabled this research …

Risk Factors And Clinical Significance Of Urologic Injury In Cesarean Hysterectomy For Placenta Accreta Spectrum, J Connor Mulhall, Kayla E Ireland, John J Byrne, Patrick S Ramsey, Georgia A Mccann, Jessian L Munoz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background/Objectives: Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) is an obstetric condition with placental adherence to the underling myometrium characterized by significant surgical morbidity at time of delivery. PAS delivery is most commonly performed by cesarean hysterectomy. The most common morbidities associated with PAS cesarean hysterectomy are blood transfusion, intensive care unit admission and urinary tract injuries. This requires interdisciplinary team management including obstetricians and urologists. Our objective was to identify pre- and intra-operative risk factors for urologic injury in this high-risk condition.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed at a single tertiary center with the Center for the Management …

A Safety-Ii Approach To Learn From Practice Variation In The Diagnostic Process In The Emergency Department: An Action Research Study, Rick Roos, Laura Zwaan, Myrthe Maranus, Iwan A Meynaar, Vanessa J Valk, Cees Van Nieuwkoop, Gert-Jan Kamps, Hardeep Singh, Maarten O Van Aken

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objectives: The focus on improving patient safety has mainly been by learning from errors and near misses (Safety-I). We applied a novel Safety-II approach to identify and learn from practice variations in the diagnostic process in the emergency department (ED), and subsequently design and implement practice changes.

Methods: In this single-center study, we used action research (cycles of micro-experiments to study and improve processes with active stakeholder involvement) in the diagnostic process. We used three subsequent observation cycles of the following six steps: observations, gathering of follow-up data, analyses, a co-creation session with involved stakeholders, sharing of best practices, and …