Medical Specialties Commons^™

Decoding Fibrosis In Nonresolvable Covid-19: A Role For Myeloid-Specific Hif1a Deletion, Kemly Philip, Hannah P Thompson, Scott D Collum, Isabella Lefebvre, Bindu Akkanti, Bihong Zhao, Rahat Hussain, Manish Patel, Michael R Blackburn, Tingting W Mills, Harry Karmouty-Quintana

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A complication of viral lung infections is the development of pulmonary fibrosis. This phenomenon is most evident in patients with COVID-19, where in its most aggressive form patients developed nonresolvable (NR) COVID-19 requiring lung transplantation. NR-COVID-19 was characterized by the presentation of a fulminant fibrotic lung injury that progressed rapidly, even in patients with limited comorbidities. However, the mechanisms that led to this rapidly progressing form of fibrosis are not fully understood. A common clinical manifestation in the most severe cases of COVID-19 was the presence of "silent" hypoxemia. Thus, we hypothesized that a dysfunctional hypoxic response may result in …

Lymphodepletion, Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes, And High Versus Low Dose Il-2 Followed By Pembrolizumab In Patients With Metastatic Melanoma, Merve Hasanov, Simin Kiany, Marie-Andrée Forget, Roland Bassett, Michael A Davies, Adi Diab, Jeffrey E Gershenwald, Isabella C Glitza, Jeffrey E Lee, Anthony Lucci, Jennifer L Mcquade, Sapna P Patel, Merrick I Ross, Hussein A Tawbi, Jennifer A Wargo, Michael K Wong, Chantale Bernatchez, Patrick Hwu, Cara Haymaker, Rodabe N Amaria

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of unengineered tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) combined with pembrolizumab and either high (HD, Arm-1) or low (LD, Arm-2) doses of IL-2 in patients with metastatic melanoma (MM). Patients were lymphodepleted with cyclophosphamide and fludarabine, followed by TIL infusion and IL-2 (Arm-1: 720,000 IU/kg IV q 8 hrs up to 15 doses; Arm-2: 2 million IU SC for 14 days). Patients received pembrolizumab 200 mg IV starting 21 days post-TIL infusion, and every 3 weeks for up to 2 years. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR) per RECIST 1.1. Blood samples were collected …

The Kiva System Versus Balloon Kyphoplasty For Vertebral Compression Fracture: A Meta-Analysis Of Randomized Control Trials, Humaid Al Farii, Nikhil Gattu, Caleb M Yeung, Christopher A Alvarez-Breckenridge, Robert Y North, Claudio E Tatsui, Laurence D Rhines, Valerae O Lewis, Justin E Bird, Shalin S Patel

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) are the most common type of vertebral body fracture. The Kiva VCF Treatment System is a relatively novel technique to manage VCFs. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of Kiva versus standard Balloon Kyphoplasty (BK) through evaluation of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Methods: This study was performed following the guidelines for PRISMA. We performed a systematic literature search using PubMed and MEDLINE in June 2023. The search keywords were "Kiva" and "Kyphoplasty" which yielded a total of 112 articles. Outcome measures included pain, measured through the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) …

The Role Of Neutrophils In Vasospasm And Delayed Cerebral Ischemia After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Is It Time For A Sah Clinical Trial Targeting Neutrophils?, William W Wroe, Hussein A Zeineddine, Spiros L Blackburn, Jaroslaw Aronowski, Devin W Mcbride

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a devastating neurological disease, and one of the primary drivers of morbidity after aneurysm rupture is the phenomenon of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI). Significant knowledge has been gained over the past two decades of the impact of neuroinflammation in DCI; and neutrophils are now believed to play a major role. There is significant human subject data showing the rise of neutrophil related inflammatory markers and neutrophil's association with poor outcome after aSAH, but as of yet no trials involving human subjects have been done specifically targeting neutrophils. There is however a growing body of evidence …

Sars-Cov-2 Rna-Binding Protein Suppresses Extracellular Mirna Release, Hyejin Mun, Chang Hoon Shin, Qingxuan Fei, Andrea Estefania Lopez Giraldo, Kyoung-Min Choi, Ji Won Lee, Kyungmin Kim, Kyung-Won Min, Leilei Shi, Mark T Bedford, Dong-Chan Kim, Yoo Lim Chun, Seonghyun Ryu, Dongin Kim, Jeong Ho Chang, Ryan T Westrope, Michelle Shay, Edward Nguyen, Junho K Hur, Abigail Agyenda, Nam Chul Kim, Sung-Ung Kang, Woonghee Lee, Je-Hyun Yoon

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

SARS-CoV-2 is the betacoronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the SARS-CoV-2 genome and transcriptome were reported previously, the function of individual viral proteins is largely unknown. Utilizing biochemical and molecular biology methods, we identified that four SARS-CoV-2 RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) regulate the host RNA metabolism by direct interaction with mature miRNA let-7b revealed by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR). SARS-CoV-2 RBP Nsp9 primarily binds mature miRNA let-7b, a direct ligand of the Toll-like Receptor 7 (TLR7), one of the potential SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics. Nsp9 suppresses host gene expression possibly by promoting let-7b-mediated silencing of a cellular RNA polymerase, POLR2D. In addition, …

Normalization Of Temperature Effects For Quality Assurance Of Quantitative Prostate Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Imaging Across Multiple Sites, Ken-Pin Hwang, Joshua Yung, R Jason Stafford, Caroline Chung, Aradhana M Venkatesan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) as measured by diffusion weighted imaging is known to negatively correlate with prostate tumor aggressiveness. Heterogeneity in system and protocol performance causes potential variability in ADC acquired across a large scanner network, prompting a need to evaluate quantitative ADC from a prostate-specific MR diffusion protocol as part of quality assurance (QA). Due to the temperature dependence of ADC, repeatability and reproducibility assessments typically require phantoms to maintain a temperature of 0°C, imposing a considerable burden when assessing large numbers of scanners.

Purpose: To develop a QA procedure at room temperature for assessing the reproducibility of …

Addressing Controversy In Fusobacterium Nomenclature: What Exactly Does “F Nucleatum” Refer To?, Martha A Zepeda-Rivera, Floyd E Dewhirst, Susan Bullman, Christopher D Johnston

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The F. nucleatum group (sensu lato) is historically composed of four subspecies (F. nucleatum subsp. animalis, F. nucleatum subsp. nucleatum, F. nucleatum subsp. polymorphum, F. nucleatum subsp. vincentii). Although F. nucleatum sensu lato members are typically associated with oral disease, they have recently been shown to disseminate to the gastrointestinal tract and are associated with adverse health conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer (CRC). A growing debate over the nomenclature applied to Fusobacterium taxonomy has resulted in different names for these lineages, shifting them from their historic subspecies designations to …

Fusobacterium Sphaericum Sp Nov, Isolated From A Human Colon Tumor Adheres To Colonic Epithelial Cells And Induces Il-8 Secretion, Martha A Zepeda-Rivera, Yannick Eisele, Alexander Baryiames, Hanrui Wu, Claudia Mengoni, Gianmarco Piccinno, Elsa F Mcmahon, Kaitlyn D Lacourse, Dakota S Jones, Hans Hauner, Samuel S Minot, Nicola Segata, Floyd E Dewhirst, Christopher D Johnston, Susan Bullman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cancerous tissue is a largely unexplored microbial niche that provides a unique environment for the colonization and growth of specific bacterial communities, and with it, the opportunity to identify novel bacterial species. Here, we report distinct features of a novel Fusobacterium species, F. sphaericum sp. nov. (Fs), isolated from primary colon adenocarcinoma tissue. We acquire the complete closed genome and associated methylome of this organism and phylogenetically confirm its classification into the Fusobacterium genus, with F. perfoetens as its closest neighbor. Fs is phenotypically and genetically distinct, with morphological analysis revealing its coccoid shape, that while similar to …

A Review Of Engraftment Assessments Following Fecal Microbiota Transplant, Chloe Herman, Bridget M Barker, Thais F Bartelli, Vidhi Chandra, Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, Mary Jewell, Le Li, Chen Liao, Florencia Mcallister, Khemlal Nirmalkar, Joao B Xavier, J Gregory Caporaso

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) is a treatment for recurrent Clostridium difficile infections and is being explored for other clinical applications, from alleviating digestive and neurological disorders, to restoring microbiomes impacted by cancer treatment. Quantifying the extent of engraftment following an FMT is important in understanding a recipient's response to treatment. Engraftment and clinical response need to be investigated independently to evaluate an FMT's role (or lack thereof) in achieving a clinical response. Standardized bioinformatics methodologies for quantifying engraftment extent would not only improve assessment and understanding of FMT outcomes, but also facilitate comparison of FMT results and protocols across studies. …

Secretory Iga Dysfunction Underlies Poor Prognosis In Fusobacterium-Infected Colorectal Cancer, Ilseok Choi, Kyung-A Kim, Sang Cheol Kim, Donghwan Park, Ki Taek Nam, Jun Hyung Cha, Seungbyn Baek, Junha Cha, Hye-Yeong Jo, Minsun Jung, Melody Y Zeng, Irina Matei, Susan Bullman, Joong Bae Ahn, Yoon Dae Han, Han Sang Kim, Insuk Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) is commonly enriched in colorectal cancer (CRC) and associated with poor outcomes, though its mechanisms remain unclear. Our study investigated how Fn affects the tumor microenvironment through single-cell transcriptomic analyses of 42 CRC patient tissues, comparing Fn-positive and Fn-negative tumors. We discovered that Fn impairs IgA plasma cell development and secretory IgA (sIgA) production by disrupting communication with tumor-associated macrophages. Additional experiments in germ-free mice, together with our re-analysis of a publicly available single-cell RNA-seq data set from a CRC mouse model with an intact gut microbiome–both models having been orally gavaged with Fn–jointly validated the causal …

Smags-Lasso: A Novel Feature Selection Method For Sensitivity Maximization In Early Cancer Detection, Hamid Khoshfekr Rudsari, Sara Khorami-Sarvestani, Johannes F Fahrmann, James P Long, Samir Hanash, Kim-Anh Do, Ehsan Irajizad

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Sensitivity and specificity are foundational metrics for cancer detection tools. However, most machine learning algorithms prioritize overall accuracy during optimization, which fails to align with clinical priorities of early detection. We aim to develop a feature selection machine learning algorithm while maximizing sensitivity at a given specificity.

Methods: We developed SMAGS-LASSO, a machine learning algorithm that combines our developed Sensitivity Maximization at a Given Specificity (SMAGS) framework with L1 regularization for feature selection. This approach simultaneously optimizes sensitivity at user-defined specificity thresholds while performing feature selection. SMAGS-LASSO utilizes a custom loss function with L1 regularization and multiple parallel optimization …

Breakwater Phase Iii: Results For Encorafenib And Cetuximab Plus Mfolfox6 In First-Line Braf V600e-Mutant Metastatic Colorectal Cancer, Scott Kopetz, Josep Tabernero, Elena Élez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The BREAKWATER Phase III study investigated encorafenib and cetuximab plus mFOLFOX6 versus chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab for the treatment of patients with previously untreated BRAF V600E – mutant metastatic colorectal cancer. The study showed significantly improved objective response rate by blinded independent central review, and significantly longer progression-free survival by blinded independent central review and overall survival in patients treated with first-line encorafenib and cetuximab plus mFOLFOX6 compared with chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab. The safety profiles were consistent with those known for each agent. These results led to the approval of encorafenib and cetuximab plus mFOLFOX6 for the …

Benzodioxane-Benzamides Targeting Bacterial Cell Division Protein Ftsz Potentially Disrupt Slma-Mediated Nucleoid Occlusion And Reversible Biomolecular Condensation, Marta Sobrinos-Sanguino, Inés Barros-Medina, Lorenzo Suigo, Alessia Lanzini, Ermanno Valoti, William Margolin, Valentina Straniero, Begoña Monterroso, Silvia Zorrilla

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

New strategies are urgently needed against antimicrobial resistance, a major health threat, and the different mechanisms regulating the bacterial cell division machinery offer multiple opportunities for developing novel therapeutics. FtsZ, an essential protein of this process, is targeted by multiple small molecules, and benzodioxane-benzamides (BDOBs) are among the most potent inhibitors in several bacterial species. BDOBs mechanisms are however poorly understood, particularly their impact on FtsZ's interplay with partners and ability to assemble phase-separated biomolecular condensates potentially involved in stress sensing. We show that certain BDOBs shielded FtsZ against depolymerization induced by the nucleoprotein complexes of SlmA, which inhibit Z-ring …

Molecular And Immunological Features Associated With Long-Term Benefits In Metastatic Nsclc Patients Undergoing Immune Checkpoint Blockade, Pedro Rocha, Rafael Bach, Laura Masfarré, Sharia Hernandez, Nil Navarro-Gorro, Adrià Rossell, Xavier Villanueva, Mario Giner, Ignacio Sanchéz, Miguel Galindo, Raúl Del Rey-Vergara, Albert Iñañez, Beatriz Sanchéz-Espiridion, Wei Lu, Ariadna Acedo-Terrades, Pau Berenguer-Molins, Albert Sánchez-Font, Roberto Chalela, Victor Curull, Álvaro Taus, Max Hardy-Werbin, Mark Sausen, Andrew Georgiadis, James White, Jennifer B Jackson, Laura Moliner, Sergi Clavé, Beatriz Bellosillo, Ana Rovira, Ignacio Wistuba, Luisa M Solis Soto, Júlia Perera-Bel, Edurne Arriola

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Immunotherapy is firmly established as a treatment regimen in various solid tumors, driven by its exceptional benefits in a selected group of patients. Despite widespread adoption of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) across diverse solid tumors, the quest for a clinically informative biomarker for long-term benefit remains unmet.

Methods: A total of 49 patients with metastatic NSCLC treated with ICB were included. Long-term (LTR) and short-term responders (STR) were defined as those with a response to ICB lasting more than 24 months or less than 6 months, respectively. Longitudinal blood specimens were collected before ICB treatment initiation and early-on treatment. …

Caspase 3-Specific Cleavage Of Ubiquitin-Specific Peptidase 48 Enhances Drug-Induced Apoptosis In Aml, Zhanglin Zhang, Xiang Lin, Yaling Yang, Xuemei Wang, Yi Wang, Xianbao Huang, Miao Hong, Wei Gao, Hua He, M James You, Yi Yang, Guangyao Kong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Dysfunction or dysregulation of deubiquitination is closely related to the initiation and development of multiple cancers. Targeted regulation of deubiquitination has been recognized as an important strategy in tumor therapy. However, the mechanism by which drugs regulate deubiquitinase is not clear. Here, we identified ubiquitin-specific peptidase 48 (USP48), a member of the ubiquitin-specific protease family highly expressed in various tumors, as a specific substrate for the activated caspase-3. During drug induced apoptosis of AML cells, activated caspase-3 cleaves USP48 through recognizing the conservative motif DEQD located at 611-614 sites of human USP48. Subsequent analysis showed that the cleavage USP48 N-terminal …

Impact Of Peripheral Circadian Misalignment And Alcohol On The Resiliency Of Intestinal Barrier And Microbiota, Laura Tran, Maliha Shaikh, Phillip A Engen, Ankur Naqib, Dulce M Frausto, Vivian Ramirez, Malia Gasteier, Zlata Bogin, Kristi Lawrence, Lijuan Zhang, Shiwen Song, Stefan J Green, Faraz Bishehsari, Christopher B Forsyth, Ali Keshavarzian, Garth R Swanson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Circadian organization is involved in many gastrointestinal tract (GIT) functions such as the maintenance of intestinal barrier integrity. There is compelling evidence that perturbation of the circadian clock decreases intestinal epithelial cells' resiliency to alcohol-induced injury. One of the most common causes of circadian misalignment is wrong-time eating (largest meal at dinner) in modern societies. Yet, few studies have examined the importance of peripheral circadian rhythms of the GIT to alcohol consumption. Eating patterns during physiologic rest time, defined as wrong-time eating (WTE), misalign the peripheral circadian clock of the GIT and the body's central clock. This study aims to …

Knowledge Mapping And Visualized Analysis Of Research Progress In Onconephrology: A Bibliometric Analysis, Yiwei Wang, Shuling Fan, Wei Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objectives: Onconephrology is an expanding subspecialty focused on the management of cancer patients with renal injury. This study used a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to emphasize the need for cooperation between oncologists and nephrologists, exploring current trends and future research areas in onconephrology.

Methods: Relevant literature on onconephrology published between 1 January 2000 and 27 April 2024 was retrieved from the Science Citation Index Expanded of the Web of Science Core Collection, followed by manual screening. Bibliometric analyses were performed using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Bibliometrix software.

Results: A total of 1,853 publications, including 1,647 articles and 206 reviews, by 11,606 authors …

Statistical Innovations In Clinical Trial Design With A Focus On Drug Combinations, Factorials, And Other Multiple Therapy Issues, Donald A Berry

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Statistical methods in clinical research tend to become entrenched. Innovations threaten the status quo. The "right way" becomes frozen in lore. This is so even when the "right way" is not best. "Statistical significance" and the associated requirement of "high power" is an example. This attitude is an impediment to efficient design. Willingness to address some design issues with moderate power enables building highly informative and highly efficient clinical trials. This article considers several types of clinical trials, including dose-finding, combinations, and factorial designs. Bayesian adaptive methods are used to show that trials can be made more efficient and more …

Meniscal Repair In The Setting Of Revision Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: 6-Year Follow-Up Results From The Mars Cohort, Jake A Fox, Laura J Huston, Amanda K Haas, Jacquelyn S Pennings, Christina R Allen, Daniel E Cooper, Thomas M Deberardino, Warren R Dunn, Brett Brick A Lantz, Kurt P Spindler, Michael J Stuart, Annunziato Ned Amendola, Christopher C Annunziata, Robert A Arciero, Bernard R Bach, Champ L Baker, Arthur R Bartolozzi, Keith M Baumgarten, Jeffrey H Berg, Geoffrey A Bernas, Stephen F Brockmeier, Robert H Brophy, Charles A Bush-Joseph, J Brad Butler V, James L Carey, James E Carpenter, Brian J Cole, Jonathan M Cooper, Charles L Cox, R Alexander Creighton, Tal S David, David C Flanigan, Robert W Frederick, Theodore J Ganley, Charles J Gatt, Steven R Gecha, James Robert Giffin, Sharon L Hame, Jo A Hannafin, Christopher D Harner, Norman Lindsay Harris, Keith S Hechtman, Elliott B Hershman, Rudolf G Hoellrich, David C Johnson, Timothy S Johnson, Morgan H Jones, Christopher C Kaeding, Ganesh V Kamath, Thomas E Klootwyk, Bruce A Levy, C Benjamin Ma, G Peter Maiers, Robert G Marx, Matthew J Matava, Gregory M Mathien, David R Mcallister, Eric C Mccarty, Robert G Mccormack, Bruce S Miller, Carl W Nissen, Daniel F O'Neill, Brett D Owens, Richard D Parker, Mark L Purnell, Arun J Ramappa, Michael A Rauh, Arthur C Rettig, Jon K Sekiya, Kevin G Shea, Orrin H Sherman, James R Slauterbeck, Matthew V Smith, Jeffrey T Spang, Col Ret Steven J Svoboda, Timothy N Taft, Joachim J Tenuta, Edwin M Tingstad, Armando F Vidal, Darius G Viskontas, Richard A White, James S Williams, Michelle L Wolcott, Brian R Wolf, James J York, Rick W Wright

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Meniscal preservation has been demonstrated to contribute to long-term knee health and has been a successful intervention in isolation and in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). The long-term results of meniscal repair in the setting of revision ACLR have yet to be documented.

Purpose: To report the incidence of meniscal repair failures at the 6-year follow-up in a cohort of patients who underwent concurrent revision ACLR and primary meniscal repair.

Study design: Prospective cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods: All revision ACLRs with concomitant primary meniscal repair cases from a multicenter group between 2006 and 2011 …

Tubulin Regulates Stability And Localization Of Stmn2 By Binding Preferentially To Its Soluble Form, Xiang Deng, Gary A Bradshaw, Marian Kalocsay, Timothy Mitchison

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The small, tubulin-binding protein STMN2 is highly expressed in neurons and is implicated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. STMN2 degrades rapidly and accumulates at axotomy sites, suggesting fast turnover is crucial for its neuroprotective function. We show that STMN2 was primarily degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Its membrane-targeting N-terminal domain promoted fast turnover, whereas its tubulin-binding domain promoted stabilization. Proximity labeling and imaging showed that tubulin binding reduced STMN2 targeting to trans-Golgi network membranes. Pull-down assays showed that tubulin binds preferentially to soluble over membrane-bound STMN2. Our observations suggest that STMN2 interconverts between a soluble, tubulin-bound form and a membrane-bound, tubulin-free …

Frequency, Duration, And Cost Of Pulmonary Exacerbations Among Patients With Bronchiectasis, Maitreyee Mohanty, Claudia Leiras, Haiyan Sun, Reina Rau, John Fastenau, Joseph Feliciano, Sunjay R Devarajan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: In administrative claims database studies of bronchiectasis, pulmonary exacerbations are usually defined using a fixed period for their start and end, which prevents assessment of exacerbation duration and thereby limits assessment of exacerbation characteristics. Here, we applied a novel cost-based algorithm to characterize exacerbations.

Methods: This cohort study used the Merative MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database, 1-Jan-2016 to 31-Dec-2022. Patients ≥18 years with bronchiectasis (≥2 outpatient or ≥1 inpatient claim with bronchiectasis; no cystic fibrosis) had 12 months of continuous enrollment before (baseline) and ≥12 months after (follow-up) index (first bronchiectasis claim). Cost-based exacerbations were identified by compound …

Health-Related Quality Of Life After Neonatal Treatment Of Symptomatic Tetralogy Of Fallot: Insights From The Congenital Cardiac Research Collaborative, George T Nicholson, Jeffrey D Zampi, Andrew C Glatz, Bryan H Goldstein, Christopher J Petit, Yun Zhang, Courtney E Mccracken, Athar M Qureshi, Caren S Goldberg, Jennifer C Romano, Mark A Law, Jeffery J Meadows, Shabana Shahanavaz, Sarosh P Batlivala, Shiraz A Maskatia, Asaad Beshish, Michael L O'Byrne, R Allen Ligon, Kathryn O Stack, Hala Q Khan, Shalin Parekh, Dawn L Ilardi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

To evaluate the association between initial management strategy of neonatal symptomatic Tetralogy of Fallot (sTOF) and later health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes. We performed a multicenter, cross-sectional evaluation of a previously assembled cohort of infants with sTOF who underwent initial intervention at ≤ 30 days of age, between 2005 and 2017. Eligible patients’ parents/guardians completed an age-appropriate Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, a Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Cardiac Module Heart Disease Symptoms Scale, and a parental survey. The association between treatment strategy and HRQOL was evaluated, and the entire sTOF cohort was compared to published values for the …

The Association Between Condom Use Self-Efficacy And Condom-Decision Abdication Among College Students, Mikaela Gjoka, Madison K Firkey, Alan Z Sheinfil, Sarah E Woolf-King

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: Condomless sex and its related consequences are a persistent problem on college campuses in the United States. This study aimed to examine the association between condom use self-efficacy and condom-decision abdication among college students, and whether this association was moderated by gender.

Participants & methods: Undergraduate college students (N = 212; 50.5% female) were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk as part of a larger online study that examined normative feedback for condom use.

Results: The association between condom use self-efficacy and condom-decision abdication was significantly moderated by gender (B = -0.07, p < .001), such that condom use self-efficacy was associated with condom-decision abdication in college women (B = -0.05, p < .005) but not in college men (B = .02, p = .18).

Conclusion: Findings from this study suggest that …

Reconstruction Of Traumatic Carotidcavernous Fistula Using A Covered Stent, Julio Calderon, Ravi Shastri, Guhanand Venkataraman, Mohadese Ahmadzade, Mohammad Ghasemi-Rad

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

A traumatic carotid-cavernous fistula (CCF) is a significant neurovascular condition characterized by an abnormal connection between the carotid artery and the cavernous sinus, often resulting from head trauma. This condition can lead to serious complications, necessitating effective management strategies. Endovascular treatment is the preferred approach for managing this condition. We present a case of a 23-year-old male with persistent left eye pain and redness seven months post-motor vehicle collision. Cerebral angiography confirmed a high-flow CCF with compromised intracranial flow, successfully treated with a 5 mm PK Papyrus covered stent using a novel tri-axial delivery system. This case highlights the efficacy …

Evaluating Covid-19 Severity Prediction And Immune Dynamics With Nulisaseq: Insights From The Impacc Study, Koji Abe, Tyson H Holmes, Tran T Nguyen, Seunghee Kim-Schulze, Ofer Levy, Lindsey R Baden, Esther Melamed, Lauren I R Ehrlich, Grace A Mccomsey, Rafick P Sekaly, Charles B Cairns, Elias K Haddad, Albert C Shaw, David A Hafler, Ruth R Montgomery, David B Corry, Farrah Kheradmand, Mark A Atkinson, Scott C Brakenridge, Nelson I Agudelo Higuita, Jordan P Metcalf, Catherine L Hough, William B Messer, Bali Pulendran, Kari C Nadeau, Mark M Davis, Ana Fernandez-Sesma, Viviana Simon, Monica Kraft, Chris Bime, Carolyn S Calfee, David J Erle, Joanna Schaenman, Elaine F Reed, Al Ozonoff, Bjoern Peters, Steven H Kleinstein, Alison D Augustine, Joann Diray-Arce, Patrice M Becker, Nadine Rouphael, Holden T Maecker

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The National Institutes of Health-funded IMPACC (IMmunoPhenotyping Assessment in a COVID-19 Cohort) evaluated longitudinal clinical and immunological features of human patients hospitalized for COVID-19. This study focuses on comparing the novel NULISAseq assay with the Olink platform using a subset of participants to assess their efficacy in predicting COVID-19 severity and understanding immune response dynamics. Our findings reveal that NULISAseq could provide superior detectability and dynamic range across various targets. Elastic net analysis demonstrated that specific proteins, including amphiregulin, effectively predict COVID-19 severity from sera at admission (samples drawn within 96 h of admission), with a test area under the …

Administration Of A Novel Reprogramming Formula Improves Cardiac Function And Decreases Cardiac Fibrosis In A Myocardial Infarction Model, Megumi Mathison, Saliha S Pathan, Aliya Lackan, Jianchang Yang, Tamer M A Mohamed, Todd K Rosengart

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: The reprogramming of fibroblasts into (induced) cardiomyocytes offers a direct myocardial regeneration strategy for improving postinfarction myocardial function. Compared to lower-order species, human cells are relatively resistant to such reprogramming. We previously found that p63-transactivation inhibitory domain (TID; the portion of p63 that physical interacts and interferes with its activation of the epigenetic repressor HDAC1) combined with the cardio-differentiation factors Hand2 and Myocardin (HM) enhanced rat and human cell transdifferentiation. The present study sought to determine the in vivo effects of this reprogramming strategy in a rat myocardial infarction model.

Methods: Adult male and female rats underwent left anterior …

The State Of Educational Research In Cardiothoracic Surgery: A Review Of The Literature, Amirtha Shekar, Victoria Hart, John Treffalls, Travis J Miles, Todd K Rosengart, Marc R Moon, Joseph S Coselli, Lauren M Barron, Shawn S Groth, Shanda H Blackmon, Ravi K Ghanta, Dawn S Hui, Subhasis Chatterjee

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: Evolving training paradigms in cardiothoracic surgery (CTS) are changing the educational needs of integrated residents and traditional fellows. Educational research is important for evaluating specialty training. This study assessed CTS education articles to analyze their prevalence, content, and reach.

Methods: In a cross-sectional observational study of education articles published on North American CTS programs from January 2013 through December 2023, articles were identified by querying PubMed, other databases, and journals. Articles that passed an initial abstract review underwent full-text review. Articles were organized by content into 9 categories: curriculum, simulation, trainee assessment, program evaluation, wellness/burnout, diversity/inclusion, mentorship/career, outcomes, and …

Technical Pitfalls And Initial Clinical Experience Using Femoral Staggered Multibranch Thoracoabdominal Aneurysm Repair Technique, Jong Hun Park, Giuliano Giova Volpiani, Alvaro Razuk, Leonardo Ferber, Lucas Ruiter Kanamori, Bruno Pagnin Schmid, Steven Maximus, Gustavo S Oderich

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Total transfemoral approach may be challenging in patients with narrow aortic lumens. We describe a novel total femoral staggered multibranch thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair technique (FEM-SMART) to facilitate target vessel catheterization in this population. FEM-SMART is performed using a standard off-the-shelf multibranch stent graft via a total transfemoral approach. The endograft is partially deployed to the level of the celiac axis directional branch, which is selectively catheterized via contralateral femoral access using a steerable sheath. Subsequently, staggered endograft deployment, sequential catheterization of directional branches, and target vessel stenting are performed, starting with the superior mesenteric artery, followed by the renal …

Gene Therapy Cm-Yapon Protects The Mouse Heart From Myocardial Infarction, Fansen Meng, Jeffrey D Steimle, Elizabeth Straight, Rich G Li, Yuka Morikawa, Zohaib Iqbal, Bing Xie, Jun Wang, Wyatt G Paltzer, Yi Zhao, Chang-Ru Tsai, Lin Liu, Maggie Lim, Rita A Schack, Daniel Ramirez, Katherine Carlson, Vaibhav Deshmukh, Jason M Karch, Robia G Pautler, Xiao Li, James F Martin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Myocardial infarction (MI) affects millions of people worldwide, causing irreversible injury to the heart and impairing cardiac function1. In both mouse and pig MI models, activating YAP in cardiomyocytes (CMs) stimulates regenerative repair2,3. Here we developed an adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9)-based therapy, termed CM-YAPon, which enables transient expression of an active YAP variant (YAP5SA) in CMs following exposure to the small molecule LMI070. A single LMI070 dose in mice triggers YAP5SA expression, CM cell cycle re-entry, and reprogramming of the cardiac microenvironment. YAP5SA induction after MI rapidly improves cardiac function while pre-MI induction confers …

Part Ii Common Questions And Misconceptions About Creatine Supplementation: What Does The Scientific Evidence Really Show?, Jose Antonio, Ann F Brown, Darren G Candow, Philip D Chilibeck, Stacey J Ellery, Scott C Forbes, Bruno Gualano, Andrew R Jagim, Chad Kerksick, Richard B Kreider, Sergej M Ostojic, Eric S Rawson, Michael D Roberts, Hamilton Roschel, Abbie E Smith-Ryan, Jeffrey R Stout, Mark A Tarnopolsky, Trisha A Vandusseldorp, Darryn S Willoughby, Tim N Ziegenfuss

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Creatine monohydrate supplementation (CrM) is a safe and effective intervention for improving certain aspects of sport, exercise performance, and health across the lifespan. Despite its evidence-based pedigree, several questions and misconceptions about CrM remain. To initially address some of these concerns, our group published a narrative review in 2021 discussing the scientific evidence as to whether CrM leads to water retention and fat accumulation, is a steroid, causes hair loss, dehydration or muscle cramping, adversely affects renal and liver function, and if CrM is safe and/or effective for children, adolescents, biological females, and older adults. As a follow-up, the purpose …