Medical Specialties Commons^™

Neoadjuvant And Adjuvant Treatments For Early Stage Resectable Nsclc: Consensus Recommendations From The International Association For The Study Of Lung Cancer, Jonathan D Spicer, Tina Cascone, Murry W Wynes, Myung-Ju Ahn, Sanja Dacic, Enriqueta Felip, Patrick M Forde, Kristin A Higgins, Mark G Kris, Tetsuya Mitsudomi, Mariano Provencio, Suresh Senan, Benjamin J Solomon, Ming Sound Tsao, Masahiro Tsuboi, Heather A Wakelee, Yi-Long Wu, James Chih-Hsin Yang, Caicun Zhou, David H Harpole, Karen L Kelly

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Advances in the multidisciplinary care of early stage resectable NSCLC (rNSCLC) are emerging at an unprecedented pace. Numerous phase 3 trials produced results that have transformed patient outcomes for the better, yet these findings also require important modifications to the patient treatment journey trajectory and reorganization of care pathways. Perhaps, most notably, the need for multispecialty collaboration for this patient population has never been greater. These rapid advances have inevitably left us with important gaps in knowledge for which definitive answers will only become available in several years. To this end, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer …

Multi-Modal Segmentation With Missing Image Data For Automatic Delineation Of Gross Tumor Volumes In Head And Neck Cancers, Yao Zhao, Xin Wang, Jack Phan, Xinru Chen, Anna Lee, Cenji Yu, Kai Huang, Laurence E Court, Tinsu Pan, He Wang, Kareem Abdul Wahid, Abdalah S R Mohamed, Mohamed Naser, Clifton D Fuller, Jinzhong Yang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Head and neck (HN) gross tumor volume (GTV) auto-segmentation is challenging due to the morphological complexity and low image contrast of targets. Multi-modality images, including computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET), are used in the routine clinic to assist radiation oncologists for accurate GTV delineation. However, the availability of PET imaging may not always be guaranteed.

Purpose: To develop a deep learning segmentation framework for automated GTV delineation of HN cancers using a combination of PET/CT images, while addressing the challenge of missing PET data.

Methods: Two datasets were included for this study: Dataset I: 524 (training) …

Optical Genome Mapping Improves The Accuracy Of Classification, Risk Stratification, And Personalized Treatment Strategies For Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Sanam Loghavi, Qing Wei, Farhad Ravandi, Andres E Quesada, Mark J Routbort, Shimin Hu, Gokce A Toruner, Sa A Wang, Wei Wang, Roberto N Miranda, Shaoying Li, Jie Xu, Courtney D Dinardo, Naval Daver, Tapan M Kadia, Ghayas C Issa, Hagop M Kantarjian, L Jeffrey Medeiros, Guilin Tang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cytogenomic characterization is crucial for the classification and risk stratification of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), thereby facilitating therapeutic decision-making. We examined the clinical utility of optical genome mapping (OGM) in 159 AML patients (103 newly diagnosed and 56 refractory/relapsed), all of whom also underwent chromosomal banding analysis (CBA), fluorescence in situ hybridization, and targeted next-generation sequencing. OGM detected nearly all clinically relevant cytogenetic abnormalities that SCG identified with >99% sensitivity, provided the clonal burden was above 20%. OGM identified additional cytogenomic aberrations and/or provided information on fusion genes in 77 (48%) patients, including eight patients with normal karyotypes and four …

Molecular Landscape Of Erbb2 Alterations In 3000 Advanced Nsclc Patients, Lingzhi Hong, Sonia Patel, Leylah M Drusbosky, Yuanyuan Xiong, Rongrong Chen, Ruixuan Geng, Simon Heeke, Monique Nilsson, Jia Wu, John V Heymach, Yingyi Wang, Jianjun Zhang, Xiuning Le

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

ERBB2 (HER2) represents a newly recognized actionable oncogenic driver in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with approved targeted therapy available. Understanding the landscape of ERBB2 alterations and co-occurring mutations is essential for guiding treatment decisions. We conducted an analysis involving 3000 NSCLC patients with all types of ERBB2 alterations, drawn from two extensive retrospective cohorts: 1281 from Geneplus (Chinese) and 1719 from Guardant360 (the United States, US). The incidence of all types of ERBB2 alterations was found to be 5.6% in the Chinese group and 5.2% in the US group. In both cohorts, among oncogenic alterations of ERBB2, exon 20 …

Identification Of Molecular Signatures In Epicardial Adipose Tissue In Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction, Shan He, Lei Zhao, Jianjun Zhang, Xinchun Yang, Huagang Zhu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

AIMS: The molecular signatures in epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) that contribute to the pathogenesis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are poorly characterized. In this study, we sought to elucidate molecular signatures including genetic transcripts and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in EAT that might modulate HFpEF development.

METHODS: RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs in EAT samples from patients with HFpEF (n = 5) and without HF (control, n = 5) who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting. The sequencing results were validated using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Bioinformatics analysis (Gene Ontology and …

A Simulation And Small-Group Pediatric Emergency Medicine Course For Generalist Healthcare Providers: Gastrointestinal And Nutrition Emergencies, Adeola Adekunbi Kosoko, Alicia E Genisca, Nicholas A Peoples, Connor Tompkins, Ryan Sorensen, Joy Mackey

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Audience and type of curriculum: This is a review curriculum utilizing multiple methods of education to enhance the skills of generalist healthcare providers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in the identification and stabilization of pediatric respiratory emergencies. Our audience of implementation was Belizean generalist providers (nurses and physicians).

Length of curriculum: 8-10 hours.

Introduction: Early recognition and stabilization of critical pediatric patients can improve outcomes. Compared with resource-rich systems, many low-resource settings (i.e., LMICs) rely on generalists to provide most pediatric acute care. We created a curriculum for general practitioners comprising multiple educational modules focused on identifying and stabilizing …

Interest In And Willingness To Use Prep: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Individuals With Problematic Substance Use Residing In A High Hiv Prevalence Jurisdiction, Angela M Heads, Constanza De Dios, Kaixuan An, Jin H Yoon, Robert Suchting, Adrienne Gilmore-Thomas, Joy M Schmitz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Although it is an effective HIV prevention method, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is underutilized in the Southern US. Many people who use drugs (PWUD) have increased susceptibility to HIV which could be lessened by using PrEP. Potential barriers to PrEP use include lack of awareness of PrEP, low knowledge about HIV prevention, low self-efficacy for HIV prevention, inaccurate risk perceptions, and anticipated stigma. The current study examined predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors that may predict interest in PrEP. The purpose of the current study was to explore factors associated with interest in and willingness to use daily oral and long acting …

A Protein Expression Atlas On Tissue Samples And Cell Lines From Cancer Patients Provides Insights Into Tumor Heterogeneity And Dependencies, Jun Li, Wei Liu, Kamalika Mojumdar, Hong Kim, Zhicheng Zhou, Zhenlin Ju, Shwetha V Kumar, Patrick Kwok-Shing Ng, Han Chen, Michael A Davies, Yiling Lu, Rehan Akbani, Gordon B Mills, Han Liang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) are foundational resources in cancer research, providing extensive molecular and phenotypic data. However, large-scale proteomic data across various cancer types for these cohorts remain limited. Here, we expand upon our previous work to generate high-quality protein expression data for approximately 8,000 TCGA patient samples and around 900 CCLE cell line samples, covering 447 clinically relevant proteins, using reverse-phase protein arrays. These protein expression profiles offer profound insights into intertumor heterogeneity and cancer dependency and serve as sensitive functional readouts for somatic alterations. We develop a systematic protein-centered strategy …

Tools And Recommendations For Commissioning And Quality Assurance Of Deformable Image Registration In Radiotherapy, Lando S Bosma, Mohammad Hussein, Michael G Jameson, Soban Asghar, Kristy K Brock, Jamie R Mcclelland, Sara Poeta, Johnson Yuen, Cornel Zachiu, Adam U Yeo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Multiple tools are available for commissioning and quality assurance of deformable image registration (DIR), each with their own advantages and disadvantages in the context of radiotherapy. The selection of appropriate tools should depend on the DIR application with its corresponding available input, desired output, and time requirement. Discussions were hosted by the ESTRO Physics Workshop 2021 on Commissioning and Quality Assurance for DIR in Radiotherapy. A consensus was reached on what requirements are needed for commissioning and quality assurance for different applications, and what combination of tools is associated with this. For commissioning, we recommend the target registration error of …

Autonomic Dysfunction Among Adult Survivors Of Childhood Cancer In The St Jude Lifetime Cohort Study, John D Groarke, Kirsten K Ness, Rikeenkumar Dhaduk, Juan C Plana, Jean Bernard Durand, Russell V Luepker, Vijaya M Joshi, Matthew Ehrhardt, Daniel A Mulrooney, Stephanie B Dixon, Anju Nohria, Daniel M Green, Rebecca M Howell, Deo Kumar Srivastava, John L Jefferies, Leslie L Robison, Melissa M Hudson, Gregory T Armstrong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The burden and functional significance of autonomic dysfunction among survivors of childhood cancer is unknown.

Objectives: We evaluated the prevalence, risk factors, and functional relevance of autonomic dysfunction in survivors.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional prospective evaluation of 1,041 adult survivors of childhood cancer treated with anthracyclines (31.1%), chest-directed radiation (13.5%), both (19.5%), or neither (35.9%), and 286 community control subjects enrolled in the SJLIFE (St Jude Lifetime Cohort Study). Four measures of autonomic dysfunction were evaluated: elevated resting heart rate, decreased heart rate reserve, decreased systolic blood pressure response to exercise, and delayed heart rate recovery. Logistic regression …

Development Of An Engineered Extracellular Vesicles-Based Vaccine Platform For Combined Delivery Of Mrna And Protein To Induce Functional Immunity, Xin Luo, Kathleen M Mcandrews, Kent A Arian, Sami J Morse, Viktoria Boeker, Shreyasee V Kumbhar, Yingying Hu, Krishnan K Mahadevan, Kaira A Church, Sriram Chitta, Nicolas T Ryujin, Janine Hensel, Jianli Dai, Dara P Dowlatshahi, Hikaru Sugimoto, Michelle L Kirtley, Valerie S Lebleu, Shabnam Shalapour, Joe H Simmons, Raghu Kalluri

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

mRNA incorporated in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) became a new class of vaccine modality for induction of immunity against COVID-19 and ushered in a new era in vaccine development. Here, we report a novel, easy-to-execute, and cost effective engineered extracellular vesicles (EVs)-based combined mRNA and protein vaccine platform (EVX-M+P vaccine) and explore its utility in proof-of-concept immunity studies in the settings of cancer and infectious disease. As a first example, we engineered EVs, natural nanoparticle carriers shed by all cells, to contain ovalbumin mRNA and protein (EVOvaM+P vaccine) to serve as cancer vaccine against ovalbumin-expressing melanoma tumors. EVOvaM+P administration to mice …

High Throughput And Rapid Isolation Of Extracellular Vesicles And Exosomes With Purity Using Size Exclusion Liquid Chromatography, Kshipra S Kapoor, Kristen Harris, Kent A Arian, Lihua Ma, Beatriz Schueng Zancanela, Kaira A Church, Kathleen M Mcandrews, Raghu Kalluri

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as potential biomarkers for diagnosing a range of diseases without invasive procedures. Extracellular vesicles also offer advantages compared to synthetic vesicles for delivery of various drugs; however, limitations in segregating EVs from other particles and soluble proteins have led to inconsistent EV retrieval rates with low levels of purity. Here, we report a new high-yield (88.47 %) and rapid (< 20 min) EV isolation method termed size exclusion - fast protein liquid chromatography (SE-FPLC). We show SE-FPLC can effectively isolate EVs from multiple sources including EVs derived from human and mouse cells and serum samples. The results indicate that SE-FPLC can successfully remove highly abundant protein contaminants such as albumin and lipoprotein complexes, which can represent a major hurdle in large scale isolation of EVs. The high-yield nature of SE-FPLC allows for easy industrial scaling up of EV production for various clinical utilities. SE-FPLC also enables analysis of small volumes of blood for use in point-of-care diagnostics in the clinic. Collectively, SE-FPLC offers many advantages over current EV isolation methods and offers rapid clinical translation.

Oculomics Analysis In Multiple Sclerosis: Current Ophthalmic Clinical And Imaging Biomarkers, Alex Suh, Gilad Hampel, Aditya Vinjamuri, Joshua Ong, Sharif Amit Kamran, Ethan Waisberg, Phani Paladugu, Nasif Zaman, Prithul Sarker, Alireza Tavakkoli, Andrew G Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by inflammation, demyelination, and axonal damage. Early recognition and treatment are important for preventing or minimizing the long-term effects of the disease. Current gold standard modalities of diagnosis (e.g., CSF and MRI) are invasive and expensive in nature, warranting alternative methods of detection and screening. Oculomics, the interdisciplinary combination of ophthalmology, genetics, and bioinformatics to study the molecular basis of eye diseases, has seen rapid development through various technologies that detect structural, functional, and visual changes in the eye. Ophthalmic biomarkers (e.g., tear composition, …

Social Determinants Of Health And Surgical Desirability Of Outcome Ranking In Older Veterans, Michael A Jacobs, Yubo Gao, Susanne Schmidt, Paula K Shireman, Michael Mader, Carly A Duncan, Leslie R M Hausmann, Karyn B Stitzenberg, Lillian S Kao, Mary Vaughan Sarrazin, Daniel E Hall

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Importance: Evaluating how social determinants of health (SDOH) influence veteran outcomes is crucial, particularly for quality improvement.

Objective: To measure associations between SDOH, care fragmentation, and surgical outcomes using a Desirability of Outcome Ranking (DOOR).

Design, setting, and participants: This was a cohort study of US veterans using data from the Veterans Affairs (VA) Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP; 2013-2019) limited to patients aged 65 years or older with inpatient stays between 2 and 30 days, merged with multiple data sources, including Medicare. Race and ethnicity data were retrieved from VASQIP, Medicare and Medicaid beneficiary summary files, the Veterans Health …

Targeting The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Pathway In Chemotherapy-Resistant Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Phase Ii Study, Clinton Yam, Miral Patel, Holly A Hill, Ryan Sun, Roland L Bassett, Elisabeth Kong, Senthil Damodaran, Kimberly B Koenig, Sausan Abouharb, Sadia Saleem, Ajit K Bisen, Rashmi K Murthy, David L Ramirez, Gaiane M Rauch, Beatriz E Adrada, Rosalind P Candelaria, Xiaoping Wang, Elizabeth A Mittendorf, Alastair M Thompson, Jason B White, Elizabeth E Ravenberg, Alyson R Clayborn, Qing-Qing Ding, Daniel J Booser, Oluchi Oke, Abenaa M Brewster, Gabriel N Hortobagyi, Nuhad K Ibrahim, Jennifer K Litton, Vicente Valero, Banu K Arun, Debu Tripathy, Jeffrey T Chang, Ken Chen, Anil Korkut, Stacy L Moulder, Lei Huo, Bora Lim, Naoto T Ueno

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway activation causes chemotherapy resistance, and inhibition of the EGFR pathway sensitizes triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells to chemotherapy in preclinical models. Given the high prevalence of EGFR overexpression in TNBC, we conducted a single-arm phase II study of panitumumab (anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody), carboplatin, and paclitaxel as the second phase of neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) in patients with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (AC)-resistant TNBC (NCT02593175).

Patients and methods: Patients with early-stage, AC-resistant TNBC, defined as disease progression or ≤80% reduction in tumor volume after four cycles of AC, were eligible for this study and …

Association Of Aortic Valve Calcium With Dementia And Stroke: The Multi-Ethnic Study Of Atherosclerosis, Natalie Marrero, Kunal Jha, Timothy M Hughes, Alexander C Razavi, Jelani K Grant, Ellen Boakye, Khalil Anchouche, Omar Dzaye, Matthew J Budoff, Jerome I Rotter, Xiuqing Guo, Jie Yao, Alexis C Wood, Roger S Blumenthal, Erin D Michos, George Thanassoulis, Wendy S Post, Michael J Blaha, Chinwe Ibeh, Seamus P Whelton

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background and aims: Calcific aortic valve disease is associated with increased thrombin formation, platelet activation, decreased fibrinolysis, and subclinical brain infarcts. We examined the long-term association of aortic valve calcification (AVC) with newly diagnosed dementia and incident stroke in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Methods: AVC was measured using non-contrast cardiac CT at Visit 1. We examined AVC as a continuous (log-transformed) and categorical variable (0, 1-99, 100-299, ≥300). Newly diagnosed dementia was adjudicated using International Classification of Disease codes. Stroke was adjudicated from medical records. We calculated absolute event rates (per 1000 person-years) and multivariable adjusted Cox proportional …

Changes In Conjunctival Mononuclear Phagocytes And Suppressive Activity Of Regulatory Macrophages In Desiccation Induced Dry Eye, Jehan Alam, Ebru Yaman, Cintia S De Paiva, De-Quan Li, Gerda Cristal Villalba Silva, Zhen Zuo, Stephen C Pflugfelder

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of dry eye on conjunctival immune cell number and transcriptional profiles with attention to mononuclear phagocytes.

Methods: Expression profiling was performed by single-cell RNA sequencing on sorted conjunctival immune cells from non-stressed and C57BL/6 mice subjected to desiccating stress (DS). Monocle 3 modeled cell trajectory, scATAC-seq assessed chromatin accessibility and IPA identified canonical pathways. Inflammation and goblet cells were measured after depletion of MRC1+ MΦs with mannosylated clodronate liposomes.

Results: Mononuclear phagocytes (monocytes, MΦs, DCs) comprised 72 % of immune cells and showed the greatest changes with DS. Distinct DS induced gene expression patterns were …

Novel Genes Of The Male Reproductive System: Potential Roles In Male Reproduction And As Non-Hormonal Male Contraceptive Targets, Thomas X Garcia, Martin M Matzuk

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The development of novel non-hormonal male contraceptives represents a pivotal frontier in reproductive health, driven by the need for safe, effective, and reversible contraceptive methods. This comprehensive review explores the genetic underpinnings of male fertility, emphasizing the crucial roles of specific genes and structural variants (SVs) identified through advanced sequencing technologies such as long-read sequencing (LRS). LRS has revolutionized the detection of structural variants and complex genomic regions, offering unprecedented precision and resolution over traditional next-generation sequencing (NGS). Key genetic targets, including those implicated in spermatogenesis and sperm motility, are highlighted, showcasing their potential as non-hormonal contraceptive targets. The review …

Distinct Landscape And Clinical Implications Of Therapy-Related Clonal Hematopoiesis, Koichi Takahashi, Daisuke Nakada, Margaret Goodell

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Therapy-related clonal hematopoiesis (t-CH) is defined as clonal hematopoiesis detected in individuals previously treated with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. With the increased use of genetic analysis in oncological care, the detection of t-CH among cancer patients is becoming increasingly common. t-CH arises through the selective bottleneck imposed by chemotherapies and potentially through direct mutagenesis from chemotherapies, resulting in a distinct mutational landscape enriched with mutations in DNA damage-response pathway genes such as TP53, PPM1D, and CHEK2. Emerging evidence sheds light on the mechanisms of t-CH development and potential strategies to mitigate its emergence. Due to its unique characteristics that predominantly …

Update On Recommendations For Surveillance For Children With Predisposition To Hematopoietic Malignancy, Luke D Maese, Marcin W Wlodarski, Sun Young Kim, Alison A Bertuch, Gaelle Bougeard, Vivian Y Chang, Lucy A Godley, Payal P Khincha, Roland P Kuiper, Harry Lesmana, Rose B Mcgee, Lisa J Mcreynolds, Julia Meade, Sharon E Plon, Sharon A Savage, Sarah R Scollon, Hamish S Scott, Michael F Walsh, Kim E Nichols, Christopher C Porter

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Children harboring certain germline gene variants have an increased risk of developing myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and other hematopoietic malignancies (HM), such as leukemias and lymphomas. Recent studies have identified an expanding number of these predisposition genes, with variants most prevalent in children with MDS but also found in children with other HM. For some hematopoietic malignancy predispositions (HMP), specifically those with a high risk of MDS, early intervention through hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can favorably impact overall survival, providing a rationale for rigorous surveillance. A multidisciplinary panel of experts at the 2023 AACR Childhood Cancer Predisposition Workshop reviewed the latest …

Cerebellar Deep Brain Stimulation As A Dual-Function Therapeutic For Restoring Movement And Sleep In Dystonic Mice, Luis E Salazar Leon, Linda H Kim, Roy V Sillitoe

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Dystonia arises with cerebellar dysfunction, which plays a key role in the emergence of multiple pathophysiological deficits that range from abnormal movements and postures to disrupted sleep. Current therapeutic interventions typically do not simultaneously address both the motor and non-motor symptoms of dystonia, underscoring the necessity for a multi-functional therapeutic strategy. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is effectively used to reduce motor symptoms in dystonia, with existing parallel evidence arguing for its potential to correct sleep disturbances. However, the simultaneous efficacy of DBS for improving sleep and motor dysfunction, specifically by targeting the cerebellum, remains underexplored. Here, we test the effect …

Piezo Ion Channels: Force Sensors Of The Interoceptive Nervous System, Yasmeen M F Hamed, Britya Ghosh, Kara L Marshall

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Many organs are designed to move: the heart pumps each second, the gastrointestinal tract squeezes and churns to digest food, and we contract and relax skeletal muscles to move our bodies. Sensory neurons of the peripheral nervous system detect signals from bodily tissues, including the forces generated by these movements, to control physiology. The processing of these internal signals is called interoception, but this is a broad term that includes a wide variety of both chemical and mechanical sensory processes. Mechanical senses are understudied, but rapid progress has been made in the last decade, thanks in part to the discovery …

Tau Is Required For Glial Lipid Droplet Formation And Resistance To Neuronal Oxidative Stress, Lindsey D Goodman, Isha Ralhan, Xin Li, Shenzhao Lu, Matthew J Moulton, Ye-Jin Park, Pinghan Zhao, Oguz Kanca, Ziyaneh S Ghaderpour Taleghani, Julie Jacquemyn, Joshua M Shulman, Kanae Ando, Kai Sun, Maria S Ioannou, Hugo J Bellen

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

The accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a common feature of tauopathies, defined by Tau accumulations in neurons and glia. High ROS in neurons causes lipid production and the export of toxic peroxidated lipids (LPOs). Glia uptake these LPOs and incorporate them into lipid droplets (LDs) for storage and catabolism. We found that overexpressing Tau in glia disrupts LDs in flies and rat neuron-astrocyte co-cultures, sensitizing the glia to toxic, neuronal LPOs. Using a new fly tau loss-of-function allele and RNA-mediated interference, we found that endogenous Tau is required for glial LD formation and protection against neuronal LPOs. Similarly, …

Human Embryonic Genetic Mosaicism And Its Effects On Development And Disease, Sarah M Waldvogel, Jennifer E Posey, Margaret A Goodell

Center on Aging Staff Publications

Nearly every mammalian cell division is accompanied by a mutational event that becomes fixed in a daughter cell. When carried forward to additional cell progeny, a clone of variant cells can emerge. As a result, mammals are complex mosaics of clones that are genetically distinct from one another. Recent high-throughput sequencing studies have revealed that mosaicism is common, clone sizes often increase with age and specific variants can affect tissue function and disease development. Variants that are acquired during early embryogenesis are shared by multiple cell types and can affect numerous tissues. Within tissues, variant clones compete, which can result …

Dna Vaccines Against Gprc5d Synergize With Pd-1 Blockade To Treat Multiple Myeloma, Praveen Neeli, Perry Ayn Mayson A Maza, Dafei Chai, Dan Zhao, Xen Ping Hoi, Keith Syson Chan, Ken H Young, Yong Li

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Multiple myeloma (MM), a hematological malignancy of the bone marrow, remains largely incurable. The orphan G protein-coupled receptor, GPRC5D, which is uniquely expressed in plasma cells and highly expressed in MM, is a compelling candidate for immunotherapy. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of a combination of DNA vaccine encoding mouse GPRC5D and PD-1 blockade in preventing and treating MM using the 5TGM1 murine model of MM. The mouse vaccine alone was effective in preventing myeloma growth but required PD-1 antibodies to inhibit established MM tumors. We next evaluated the prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy of a nanoplasmid vector encoding …

Dna Methylation-Derived Immune Cell Proportions And Cancer Risk In Black Participants, Christopher S Semancik, Naisi Zhao, Devin C Koestler, Eric Boerwinkle, Jan Bressler, Rachel J Buchsbaum, Karl T Kelsey, Elizabeth A Platz, Dominique S Michaud

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Prior cohort studies assessing cancer risk based on immune cell subtype profiles have predominantly focused on White populations. This limitation obscures vital insights into how cancer risk varies across race. Immune cell subtype proportions were estimated using deconvolution based on leukocyte DNA methylation markers from blood samples collected at baseline on participants without cancer in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. During a mean of 17.5 years of follow-up, 668 incident cancers were diagnosed in 2,467 Black participants. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine immune cell subtype proportions and overall cancer incidence and site-specific incidence (lung, breast, and …

Oligodendroglial Fatty Acid Metabolism As A Central Nervous System Energy Reserve, Ebrahim Asadollahi, Andrea Trevisiol, Aiman S Saab, Zoe J Looser, Payam Dibaj, Reyhane Ebrahimi, Kathrin Kusch, Torben Ruhwedel, Wiebke Möbius, Olaf Jahn, Jun Yup Lee, Anthony S Don, Michelle-Amirah Khalil, Karsten Hiller, Myriam Baes, Bruno Weber, E Dale Abel, Andrea Ballabio, Brian Popko, Celia M Kassmann, Hannelore Ehrenreich, Johannes Hirrlinger, Klaus-Armin Nave

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Brain function requires a constant supply of glucose. However, the brain has no known energy stores, except for glycogen granules in astrocytes. In the present study, we report that continuous oligodendroglial lipid metabolism provides an energy reserve in white matter tracts. In the isolated optic nerve from young adult mice of both sexes, oligodendrocytes survive glucose deprivation better than astrocytes. Under low glucose, both axonal ATP levels and action potentials become dependent on fatty acid β-oxidation. Importantly, ongoing oligodendroglial lipid degradation feeds rapidly into white matter energy metabolism. Although not supporting high-frequency spiking, fatty acid β-oxidation in mitochondria and oligodendroglial …

Does Glial Lipid Dysregulation Alter Sleep In Alzheimer’S And Parkinson’S Disease?, Lindsey D Goodman, Matthew J Moulton, Guang Lin, Hugo J Bellen

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

In this opinion article, we discuss potential connections between sleep disturbances observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) and the dysregulation of lipids in the brain. Research using Drosophila has highlighted the role of glial-mediated lipid metabolism in sleep and diurnal rhythms. Relevant to AD, the formation of lipid droplets in glia, which occurs in response to elevated neuronal reactive oxygen species (ROS), is required for sleep. In disease models, this process is disrupted, arguing a connection to sleep dysregulation. Relevant to PD, the degradation of neuronally synthesized glucosylceramides by glia requires glucocerebrosidase (GBA, a PD-associated risk factor) …

Author Correction: Oligodendroglial Fatty Acid Metabolism As A Central Nervous System Energy Reserve, Ebrahim Asadollahi, Andrea Trevisiol, Aiman S Saab, Zoe J Looser, Payam Dibaj, Reyhane Ebrahimi, Kathrin Kusch, Torben Ruhwedel, Wiebke Möbius, Olaf Jahn, Jun Yup Lee, Anthony S Don, Michelle-Amirah Khalil, Karsten Hiller, Myriam Baes, Bruno Weber, E Dale Abel, Andrea Ballabio, Brian Popko, Celia M Kassmann, Hannelore Ehrenreich, Johannes Hirrlinger, Klaus-Armin Nave

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Burden Of Mortality From Hepatocellular Carcinoma And Biliary Tract Cancers By Race And Ethnicity And Sex In Us, 2018–2023, Donghee Kim, Richie Manikat, Karn Wijarnpreecha, George Cholankeril, Aijaz Ahmed

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: The trends in mortality of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and biliary tract cancers stratified by sex and race/ethnicity in the US continue to evolve. We estimated the sex- and race/ethnicity-based trends in HCC and biliary tract cancers-related mortality in US adults with a focus on disease burden.

METHODS: We performed a population-based analysis using the US national mortality records from 2018 to 2023. We identified HCC and biliary tract cancer using appropriate ICD-10 codes. Temporal trends in mortality were calculated by joinpoint analysis with annual percentage change (APC).

RESULTS: Annual age-standardized mortality from HCC decreased steadily with an APC of …