Medical Specialties Commons^™

Single-Nucleus Transcriptional Profiling Of The Placenta Reveals The Syncytiotrophoblast Stress Response To Covid-19, Rachel A Keuls, Scott A Ochsner, Mary B O'Neill, Diana R O'Day, Akihiko Miyauchi, Kadeshia M Campbell, Natalie Lanners, Jeffery A Goldstein, Connor Yee, Neil J Mckenna, Ronald J Parchem, Jacqueline G Parchem

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: COVID-19 in pregnancy is associated with placental immune activation, inflammation, and vascular malperfusion, but its impact on syncytiotrophoblast biology and function is unclear.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effects of maternal COVID-19 on placental syncytiotrophoblasts using single-nucleus transcriptional profiling and to compare placental stress responses in COVID-19 and preeclampsia.

Study design: For transcriptional characterization of syncytiotrophoblasts, we used the single-nucleus RNA sequencing platform, single-cell combinatorial indexing RNA sequencing (sci-RNA-seq3), to profile placental villi and fetal membranes from unvaccinated patients with symptomatic COVID-19 at birth (n = 4), gestational age-matched controls (n = 4), and a case of …

Unveiling Racial Disparities In Prostate Cancer Using An Integrative Genomic And Transcriptomic Analysis, Abdalla Elbialy, Akshay Sood, Shang-Jui Wang, Peng Wang, Ahmed Fadiel, Anil V Parwani, Steven Huang, Gennady Shvets, Nagireddy Putluri, Jenny Li, Xuefeng Liu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Prostate cancer exhibits significant racial disparities, with African American (AA) individuals showing ∼64% higher incidence and 2.3 times greater mortality rates compared to their Caucasian (CA) counterparts. Understanding the complex interplay of genetic, environmental, lifestyle, socioeconomic, and healthcare access factors is crucial for developing effective interventions to reduce this disproportionate burden.

This study aims to uncover the genetic and transcriptomic differences driving these disparities through a comprehensive analysis using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and exome sequencing of prostate cancer tissues from both Black and White patients.

Our transcriptomics analysis revealed enhanced activity in pathways linked to immune response and cellular interactions …

Playbook Workflow Builder: Interactive Construction Of Bioinformatics Workflows, Daniel J B Clarke, John Erol Evangelista, Zhuorui Xie, Giacomo B Marino, Anna I Byrd, Mano R Maurya, Sumana Srinivasan, Keyang Yu, Varduhi Petrosyan, Matthew E Roth, Miroslav Milinkov, Charles Hadley King, Jeet Kiran Vora, Jonathon Keeney, Christopher Nemarich, William Khan, Alexander Lachmann, Nasheath Ahmed, Alexandra Agris, Juncheng Pan, Srinivasan Ramachandran, Eoin Fahy, Emmanuel Esquivel, Aleksandar Mihajlovic, Bosko Jevtic, Vuk Milinovic, Sean Kim, Patrick Mcneely, Tianyi Wang, Eric Wenger, Miguel A Brown, Alexander Sickler, Yuankun Zhu, Sherry L Jenkins, Philip D Blood, Deanne M Taylor, Adam C Resnick, Raja Mazumder, Aleksandar Milosavljevic, Shankar Subramaniam, Avi Ma'ayan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The Playbook Workflow Builder (PWB) is a web-based platform to dynamically construct and execute bioinformatics workflows by utilizing a growing network of input datasets, semantically annotated API endpoints, and data visualization tools contributed by an ecosystem of collaborators. Via a user-friendly user interface, workflows can be constructed from contributed building-blocks without technical expertise. The output of each step of the workflow is added into reports containing textual descriptions, figures, tables, and references. To construct workflows, users can click on cards that represent each step in a workflow, or construct workflows via a chat interface that is assisted by a large …

Time Tracking And Comparison Of Genetic Counseling Tasks In Inpatient And Outpatient Settings, Alexandra Osborne, Emily Magness Bland, Callie Diamonstein, Kristen Fishler

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Genetic counselors (GCs) practice in critical care settings. Some GCs have full-time inpatient roles, while most GCs who see inpatients do so as needed or on a rotating schedule in addition to seeing patients in an outpatient setting. Few studies have tracked and compared the amount of time it takes GCs to perform tasks in the inpatient and outpatient settings. Genetic counselors were invited to participate in this study via the National Society of Genetic Counselors research listserv. Participants completed an online survey asking how their role is structured and what types of support are available to them while seeing …

Tardive Dyskinesia Versus Tardive Syndrome What Is In A Name?, Karen Frei, Alicia Scott, Stanley N Caroff, Joseph Jankovic, William Ondo, Leslie Citrome, Robert Hauser, Joseph H Friedman, Roongroj Bhidayasiri, Martha Sajatovic, Dennis Alters, Jonathan Meyer, Stuart Factor, E K Tan, G Remington, Ira Glick, Hubert Fernandez, Cynthia Comella, John Kane, Joseph Mcevoy, Delwyn Miller, Clement C Zai, J P Lindenmayer, Richard Trosch, Daniel D Truong

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Low-Grade Glial/Glioneuronal Tumor With Yap1::Fam118b Fusion: A Novel Molecular Finding, Fouad El-Dana, Kenneth Aldape, Zied Abdullaev, Sameer Anil Sheth, Jacob Mandel, Hsiang-Chih Lu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

A Multipronged Effort To Incorporate Professionalism Into Campuswide Programming Through A Center For Professionalism, Kyler M Godwin, Asma Ali, Larry Laufman, Ellen M Friedman

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background Professionalism, a core competency for graduate medical education accreditation, has a clear educational mandate. However, the pathway to successful incorporation of professionalism within organizational culture has not been established. Integration of professionalism within the learning environment requires intentional design and formal education. Objective To describe the integration of professionalism in the learning environment through formal education and programming and report feasibility and acceptability data.

Methods The Center for Professionalism (Center) was developed in 2013 to align with the learning and clinical environments of our academic medical center. Primary drivers of a culture of professionalism were identified through input from …

Citation Issues In The American Academy Of Pediatrics Policy Statement On Transgender And Gender-Diverse Children And Adolescents (Rafferty, 2018), Kathleen Mcdeavitt

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Endogenous Dna Damage At Sites Of Terminated Transcripts, Jingjing Liu, Jullian O Perren, Cody M Rogers, Sadeieh Nimer, Alice X Wen, Jennifer A Halliday, Devon M Fitzgerald, Qian Mei, Ralf B Nehring, Mary Crum, Stanislav G Kozmin, Jun Xia, Matthew B Cooke, Yin Zhai, David Bates, Lei Li, P J Hastings, Irina Artsimovitch, Christophe Herman, Patrick M Sung, Kyle M Miller, Susan M Rosenberg

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

DNA damage promotes mutations that fuel cancer, aging, and neurodegenerative diseases1–3, but surprisingly, the causes and types of damage remain largely unknown. There are three identified mechanisms that damage DNA during transcription: RNA polymerase (RNAP) colliding with DNA-replication machinery head-on and co-directionally4–6, and R-loop-induced DNA breakage7–10. Here, we identify DNA-damage reaction intermediates11,12 uncharacterized previously in living cells, and uncover a surprising fourth transcription-related source: endogenous DNA damage at sites of terminated transcripts. We engineered proteins to capture single-stranded (ss)DNA ends with 3'-polarity, in both bacterial …

Fruits Of The Professional Educator Appreciation And Recognition (Pear) Awards: Learning What Students Value In Their Medical Educators, Madeline Tomlinson, Kristiana Nasto, Kevin Gosselin, Ellen M Friedman, Anne Gill, Stacey Rose

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: The Professional Educator Appreciation and Recognition (PEAR) awards program was created by students at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in 2020 to recognize exemplary educators. We reviewed our 3-year experience of this initiative to identify characteristics of award-winning educators, and to assess the award's impact.

Materials and methods: We reviewed the title, department, and clinical affiliation of award winners. Using ChatGPT, we qualitatively analyzed de-identified nomination narratives to identify themes of educator characteristics most valued by students. Following refinement by the study team, each award was then assigned one or more themes. Unsolicited thank-you emails were reviewed to consider …

Postvaccination Immunogenicity Among Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant Recipients, Amy G Feldman, Brenda L Beaty, Jose A Ferrolino, Gabriela Maron, Saira A Ali, Leandra Bitterfeld, Adam Blatt, Mary Alice Boulware, Kathleen M Campbell, Emily Carr, Benhur Cetin, Shelley Chapman, Yeh-Chung Chang, Ryan Cunningham, Ronald H Dallas, Keerti L Dantuluri, Bryanna N Domenick, Noelle H Ebel, Scott Elisofon, Rima Fawaz, Marc Foca, Hayley A Gans, Vani V Gopalareddy, Nitika A Gupta, Katherine Harmann, Jessica Hollenbeck, Anna R Huppler, Catalina Jaramillo, Nagraj Kasi, Nanda Kerkar, Stacee Lerret, Steven J Lobritto, M James Lopez, Alisha Mavis, Sonia Mehra, Sindhu Mohandas, Flor M Munoz, Krupa R Mysore, Nadia Ovchinsky, Kerrigan Perkins, Stacy Postma, Lauren Pratscher, Elizabeth B Rand, Regina K Rowe, Daniel Ruderfer, Danielle Schultz, Katherine Sear, Megan L Sell, Tanvi S Sharma, Janis Stoll, Jerry Turner, Kristen G Valencia Deray, Dominique Villarin, Carly Weaver, Phoebe Wood, Olivia Woodford-Berry, George Yanni, Lara A Danziger-Isakov

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

This cohort study assesses the protection provided by live attenuated viral vaccines among a pediatric population of solid organ transplant recipients 1 year after vaccination.

Oral Decitabine Cedazuridine With And Without Venetoclax In Higher-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes Or Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia: A Propensity Score-Matched Study, Alex Bataller, Koji Sasaki, Samuel Urrutia, Guillermo Montalban-Bravo, Alexandre Bazinet, Kelly Chien, Danielle Hammond, Ian M Bouligny, Mahesh Swaminathan, Ghayas Issa, Nicholas Short, Naval Daver, Courtney D Dinardo, Tapan Kadia, Elias Jabbour, Farhad Ravandi, Gail J Roboz, Michael Savona, Elizabeth A Griffiths, James Mccloskey, Olatoyosi Odenike, Aram Oganesian, Harold N Keer, Mohammad Azab, Hagop Kantarjian, Guillermo Garcia-Manero

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Hypomethylating agents (HMA) are indicated in the treatment of higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). The combination of hypomethylating agents with venetoclax (Ven) has demonstrated promising results in these diseases, although randomized clinical trials are needed for validation. In this retrospective study, we compared two matched cohorts of patients with MDS or CMML: one receiving oral decitabine-cedazuridine (DEC-C, n = 73) and one receiving DEC-C and Ven (DEC-C-Ven, n = 51), in three contemporary clinical trials. The aim is to determine the impact of the addition of Ven to HMA in MDS and CMML. Individuals were matched …

Galectin-1 Inhibition As A Strategy For Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Treatment, Hsiao-Chi Wang, Keila E Torres, Roger Xia, Marcio H Malogolowkin, Ssu-Wei Hsu, Ching-Hsien Chen, Tsung-Chieh Shih

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an inherited disorder that predisposes individuals to malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs), a highly aggressive sarcoma with limited treatment options and poor prognosis. This study explores the potential of targeting the interaction between Galectin-1 and Ras as a novel therapeutic strategy for MPNSTs. Through molecular docking, we identified critical residues involved in the Galectin-1 and H-Ras interaction. We developed LLS30, a compound designed to target this Ras-binding pocket on Galectin-1, and tested its efficacy. LLS30 effectively disrupted the Galectin-1/Ras interaction, causing Ras delocalization from the plasma membrane and inhibiting Ras signaling. In vitro experiments …

Spetzler-Martin Grade Iv Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations In Adult Patients: A Propensity-Score Matched Analysis Of Resection And Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Salem M Tos, Mahmoud Osama, Georgios Mantziaris, Bardia Hajikarimloo, Nimer Adeeb, Sandeep Kandregula, Hamza Adel Salim, Basel Musmar, Christopher S Ogilvy, Douglas Kondziolka, Adam A Dmytriw, Kareem El Naamani, Ahmed Abdelsalam, Deepak Kumbhare, Sanjeev Gummadi, Cagdas Ataoglu, Muhammed Amir Essibayi, Ufuk Erginoglu, Abdullah Keles, Sandeep Muram, Daniel Sconzo, Howard Riina, Arwin Rezai, Johannes Pöppe, Rajeev D Sen, Louis J Kim, Omar Alwakaa, Christoph J Griessenauer, Pascal Jabbour, Stavropoula I Tjoumakaris, Jan-Karl Burkhardt, Robert M Starke, Mustafa K Baskaya, Laligam N Sekhar, Michael R Levitt, David J Altschul, Neil Haranhalli, Malia Mcavoy, Abdallah Abushehab, Assala Aslan, Christian Swaid, Adib Abla, Christopher Stapleton, Matthew Koch, Visish M Srinivasan, Peng R Chen, Spiros Blackburn, Omar Choudhri, Bryan Pukenas, Darren Orbach, Edward Smith, Markus Möhlenbruch, Ali Alaraj, Ali Aziz-Sultan, Aman B Patel, Amey Savardekar, Hugo H Cuellar, Kathleen Dlouhy, Tarek El Ahmadieh, Michael Lawton, Adnan Siddiqui, Jacques Morcos, Bharat Guthikonda, Jason Sheehan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Spetzler-Martin Grade IV arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are challenging due to high risks associated with both treatment and natural progression. This study compares the outcomes of microsurgical resection and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in high-grade AVMs, analyzing obliteration rates, complications, and functional outcomes. A retrospective cohort of 96 patients treated with either microsurgical resection (33 patients) or SRS (63 patients) was analyzed. Propensity-score matching was employed to account for baseline variables such as AVM size (cm), preoperative embolization and rupture status. Primary endpoints included AVM obliteration, complication rates, and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores. After matching, 31 patients per group were analyzed. …

Walking Interventions And Cognitive Health In Older Adults: A Systematic Review Of Randomized Controlled Trials, Jongwon Lee, Delia West, Christine Pellegrini, Jingkai Wei, Sara Wilcox, Jean Neils-Strunjas, A Caroline Rudisill, Daniela B Friedman, David X Marquez, Jenna Dzwierzynski, Joyce Balls-Berry, Rachelle Gajadhar, Chih-Hsiang Yang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

ObjectiveThis systematic review summarizes the effectiveness and the dose of walking interventions on specific cognition domains in older adults, including executive function, memory, attention, processing speed, and global cognition.Data sourcePublished randomized controlled trials in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science until 10 May 2023.Study Inclusion and Exclusion CriteriaStudies include older adults without Alzheimer's or related dementias, involving a walking intervention and performance-based neuropsychological assessments for executive function, memory, processing speed, attention, or global cognition.Data ExtractionTwo independent research assistants reviewed 8424 studies and included 17 studies.Data SynthesisParticipant demographics, intervention features (type, intensity, time, frequency, duration, format, and context), cognitive assessment tools, …

Oral Decitabine Cedazuridine With And Without Venetoclax In Higher-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes Or Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia: A Propensity Score-Matched Study, Alex Bataller, Koji Sasaki, Samuel Urrutia, Guillermo Montalban-Bravo, Alexandre Bazinet, Kelly Chien, Danielle Hammond, Ian M Bouligny, Mahesh Swaminathan, Ghayas Issa, Nicholas Short, Naval Daver, Courtney D Dinardo, Tapan Kadia, Elias Jabbour, Farhad Ravandi, Gail J Roboz, Michael Savona, Elizabeth A Griffiths, James Mccloskey, Olatoyosi Odenike, Aram Oganesian, Harold N Keer, Mohammad Azab, Hagop Kantarjian, Guillermo Garcia-Manero

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Hypomethylating agents (HMA) are indicated in the treatment of higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). The combination of hypomethylating agents with venetoclax (Ven) has demonstrated promising results in these diseases, although randomized clinical trials are needed for validation. In this retrospective study, we compared two matched cohorts of patients with MDS or CMML: one receiving oral decitabine-cedazuridine (DEC-C, n = 73) and one receiving DEC-C and Ven (DEC-C-Ven, n = 51), in three contemporary clinical trials. The aim is to determine the impact of the addition of Ven to HMA in MDS and CMML. Individuals were matched …

Limosilactobacillus Reuteri Promotes The Expression And Secretion Of Enteroendocrine- And Enterocyte-Derived Hormones, Sara C Di Rienzi, Heather A Danhof, Micah D Forshee, Ari Roberts, Robert A Britton

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Intestinal microbes can beneficially impact host physiology, prompting investigations into the therapeutic usage of such microbes in a range of diseases. For example, human intestinal microbe Limosilactobacillus reuteri strains ATCC PTA 6475 and DSM 17938 are being considered for use for intestinal ailments, including colic, infection, and inflammation, as well as for non-intestinal ailments, including osteoporosis, wound healing, and autism spectrum disorder. While many of their beneficial properties are attributed to suppressing inflammatory responses, we postulated that L. reuteri may also regulate intestinal hormones to affect physiology within and outside of the gut. To determine if L. reuteri secreted factors …

The Current State Of Redo Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (Tavr) And Limitations: Why Tavr Explant Is Important As The Valve Reintervention Strategy, Grace S Lee, Gilbert Tang, Syed Zaid, Derrick Y Tam

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The rise of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) over the past two decades has substantially changed the lifetime management of patients with aortic valve disease. As the indications for TAVR expand to include younger and lower-risk patients, the proportion of patients who subsequently require reintervention for failed transcatheter heart valves (THVs) will increase. The two primary options for reintervention are redo TAVR and TAVR explant followed by surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). The indications for redo TAVR in the short term include emergency “bailout” procedures due to malpositioning, embolization, or long-term device failure due to paravalvular leak (PVL) or valvular …

Histone Acetylation Modulators In Breast Cancer, Xueying Yuan, Jeffrey M Rosen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women worldwide. Aberrant epigenetic reprogramming such as dysregulation of histone acetylation has been associated with the development of breast cancer. Histone acetylation modulators have been targeted as potential treatments for breast cancer. This review comprehensively discusses the roles of these modulators and the effects of their inhibitors on breast cancer. In addition, epigenetic reprogramming not only affects breast cancer cells but also the immunosuppressive myeloid cells, which can facilitate breast cancer progression. Therefore, the review also highlights the roles of these immunosuppressive myeloid cells and summarizes how histone acetylation modulators affect their …

Uterine Pgrmc2 Deficiency Attenuates Endometrial Hyperplasia And Cancer And Prolongs Lifespan In A Pten Loss-Of-Function-Induced Cancer Model, Nicole C Kelp, Cindy A Pru, Sandeep Paudel, John P Lydon, J Julie Kim, John J Peluso, James K Pru

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The expression of members of the progesterone receptor membrane component (PGRMC) family, particularly PGRMC1, is elevated in diverse types of cancers, particularly those of the female reproductive system. While xenograft tumor studies using human transformed cell lines in immunocompromised mice have suggested that PGRMC1 enhances tumor growth and chemoresistance, the exact role of members of the PGRMC family in cancer development in vivo remains unclear. In this study, we examined the effect of deleting Pgrmc2 on the development of endometrial hyperplasia and cancer using a murine phosphatase and tensin homologue (Pten) conditional loss-of-function model. We previously established that …

The Influence Of Tobacco Use, Hazardous Drinking, And Other Risk Factors On Hpv-Associated Oropharyngeal Cancer Risk And Screening Perceptions Among Gay And Bisexual Men: A Cross-Sectional Study, I Niles Zoschke, Sarah L Bennis, Yi Tang, J Michael Wilkerson, Cynthia L Stull, Alan G Nyitray, Samir S Khariwala, C Mark Nichols, B R Simon Rosser, Charlene A Flash, Michael W Ross

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Oropharyngeal cancer is the eighth most common cancer among US men and its incidence is sharply rising. Oropharyngeal cancer manifests in two major ways: the classic form is prevalent among people who use alcohol and tobacco heavily, while a growing subset of incident cases is associated with human papillomavirus-16 (HPV) and transmitted via oral sex. Gay and bisexual men appear at higher risk for each etiologic subset of oropharyngeal cancer than heterosexual men. We conducted a cross-sectional study to learn how tobacco use, hazardous drinking, and other key risk factors affect gay and bisexual men's perceptions of oropharyngeal cancer …

Video Discharge Instructions Increase Patient Understanding For Office-Based Procedures: A Randomized Controlled Study, Jenna Bates Maffei, Jeffrey J Song, Gal Saffati, Mohit Khera

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Health literacy significantly influences healthcare outcomes, with poor literacy leading to worse quality of life, increased mortality, and higher readmission rates. Recent efforts to improve post-encounter education include structured teach-back methods, patient preference assessments, and standardized discharge instructions. Studies in emergency departments have shown that incorporating video discharge instructions enhances patient understanding and retention of care information. To address the gap in urology, this study aims to evaluate patient comprehension and satisfaction with video discharge instructions following clinic-based vasectomy procedures.

Methods: We performed an Institutional Review Board approved (#H-51614) unblinded randomized controlled study with written consent from each participant. …

Dissemination And Implementation Approach To Increasing Access To Local Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Prep) Resources With Black Cisgender Women: Intervention Study With Vlogs Shared On Social Media, Mandy J Hill, Laurenia Mangum, Sandra J Coker, Tristen Sutton, Diane M Santa Maria

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Black cisgender women account for only 2% of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)-eligible people in the United States who use PrEP to prevent HIV. Owing to the low PrEP use, Black cisgender women continue to contract HIV more frequently than women from every other racial group. Intervention efforts that can bridge the link between knowing that PrEP prevents HIV and support with access to PrEP are necessary for Black cisgender women.

Objective: The purposes of the vlogs through the campaign were to share information about ways to prevent HIV using PrEP and fact-based education and provide access to PrEP resources with …

Systemic Antitumor Immune Response Of Doped Yttria Nanoscintillators Under Low-Dose X-Ray Irradiation, Onur Sahin, Yuri Mackeyev, Geraldine V Vijay, Soumyabrata Roy, Ashokkumar Meiyazhagan, Yasmin Zahra, Okan Tezcan, Valeria Gonzalez, Belal Abousaida, Holden R Wagner, Pearl Fernandes, Riaz Mowzoon-Mogharrabi, Bhanu P Venkatesulu, Cheng-En Hsieh, Joseph B K Kim, Subhiksha Raghuram, Xiang Zhang, Kristen A Miller, Guanhui Gao, Pankaj K Singh, Sang Hyun Cho, Rao V L Papineni, Pulickel M Ajayan, Sunil Krishnan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Inadequate light penetration in tissues restricts photodynamic therapy to treating only superficial tumors. To enable x-ray-excited photodynamic therapy (XPDT) that targets deep-seated tumors, we synthesized a nanoscintillator-photosensitizer complex containing 5% Eu-doped Y2O3 fluorescing at 611 nanometers and decorated with SiO2 containing the scintillation-coupled photosensitizer methylene blue and a polyethylene glycol coating [PEGylated Y2O3:Eu@SiO2-methylene blue (pYSM)]. When irradiated, pYSMs generate singlet oxygen species in vitro, causing cytotoxicity with hallmarks of immunogenic cell death (calreticulin translocation to the cell membrane). Intravenously administered pYSMs home passively to pancreatic tumor xenografts and, upon 10 gray irradiation, cause significant tumor regression (P < 0.01). On combining XPDT with anti-PD1 immunotherapy, a distant nonirradiated tumor also regresses via an increase in intratumoral activated CD8+ cytotoxic T cells. Collectively, we advance a systemically delivered XPDT strategy that mediates an antitumor effect in both irradiated and nonirradiated (abscopal) tumors when coupled with immunotherapy, converting an immunologically "cold" tumor to an immunologically "hot" tumor.

Sitc Strategic Vision: Prevention, Premalignant Immunity, Host And Environmental Factors, Sasha E Stanton, Kristin G Anderson, Tullia C Bruno, Christian M Capitini, Mary L Disis, Jennifer Mcquade, Laszlo Radvanyi, Claire Vanpouille-Box, Jennifer Wargo, Kelly J Baines, Megan M Y Hong, Adnan Rajeh, Raymond H Kim, Phillip Awadalla, Lauren K Hughes, Saman Maleki Vareki

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cancer immunotherapy has improved the survival of a subset of patients by harnessing the power of the immune system to find and destroy malignant cells. The immune system also protects the host by destroying developing premalignant and malignant tumors. Advancing our knowledge of premalignant immunity and immune changes seen in lesions that develop into invasive cancer versus those that regress offers an exciting opportunity to leverage the immune system for immune prevention and immune interception of premalignancy. Understanding the immune environment of premalignant lesions and how chronic inflammation plays a central role in the evolution of premalignancy is essential for …

Cigarette Smoke Induces Angiogenic Activation In The Cancer Field Through Dysregulation Of An Endothelial Microrna, Asawari Korde, Anuradha Ramaswamy, Seth Anderson, Lei Jin, Jian-Ge Zhang, Buqu Hu, Walter V Velasco, Lixia Diao, Jing Wang, Margaret A Pisani, Maor Sauler, Daniel J Boffa, Jonathan T Puchalski, Xiting Yan, Seyed Javad Moghaddam, Shervin S Takyar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cigarette smoke (CS) creates a "cancer field" in the lung that promotes malignant transformation. The molecular changes within this field are not fully characterized. We examined the significance of microRNA-1 (miR-1) downregulation as one of these changes. We found that tumor miR-1 levels in three non-small cell lung cancer cohorts show inverse correlations with the smoking burden. Lung MiR-1 levels follow a spatial gradient, have prognostic significance, and correlate inversely with the molecular markers of injury. In CS-exposed lungs, miR-1 is specifically downregulated in the endothelium. Exposure to CS induces angiogenesis by selectively degrading mature miR-1 via a vascular endothelial …

Effects Of Prebiotic Phytocompound Administration In Gestational Diabetic Dams And Its Influence On Offspring Cognitive Outcomes, Gayathri Jagadeesan, Tushar K Das, Jennifer M Mendoza, Ghalya Alrousan, Maria P Blasco-Conesa, Parimelazhagan Thangaraj, Bhanu Priya Ganesh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GD)-induced gut dysbiosis in pregnant mothers may increase the risk of cognitive impairment and neurological disorders in both the mother and offspring as they age. Restoring gut balance could improve cognitive outcomes for both. Despite advancements in GD treatment, side effects have increased, and long-term neurocognitive impacts on offspring born to GD mothers remain underexplored. This study uses a GD mouse model, inducing pancreatic dysfunction in 3-month-old pregnant C57BL/6J mice with Streptozotocin. The efficacy and mechanism of the prebiotic phytocompound green leaf extract (

Assessing Cancer Therapeutic Efficacy In Vivo Using [2h7]Glucose Deuterium Metabolic Imaging, Mario C Chang, Vinay R Malut, Rohit Mahar, Anna Rushin, Marc A Mcleod, Geraldine L Pierre, Indu R Malut, Stephen J Staklinski, Max E Glanz, Mukundan Ragavan, Gaurav Sharma, Manoj Madheswaran, Arshee Badar, Aparna D Rao, Brian K Law, Michael S Kilberg, James H P Collins, Vikram D Kodibagkar, James A Bankson, Ralph J Deberardinis, Matthew E Merritt

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Metabolic imaging produces powerful visual assessments of organ function in vivo. Current techniques can be improved by safely increasing metabolic contrast. The gold standard, 2-[18F]fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) imaging, is limited by radioactive exposure and sparse assessment of metabolism beyond glucose uptake and retention. Deuterium magnetic resonance imaging (DMRI) with [6,6-2H2]glucose is nonradioactive, achieves tumor metabolic contrast, but can be improved by enriched contrast from deuterated water (HDO) based imaging. Here, we developed a DMRI protocol employing [2H7]glucose. Imaging 2H-signal and measuring HDO production in tumor-bearing mice detected differential glucose utilization across baseline tumors, tumors treated with vehicle control or …

The Diagnostic Role Of Pharmacological Provocation Testing In Cardiac Electrophysiology: A Clinical Consensus Statement Of The European Heart Rhythm Association And The European Association Of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (Eapci) Of The Esc, The Esc Working Group On Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy, The Association Of European Paediatric And Congenital Cardiology (Aepc), The Paediatric & Congenital Electrophysiology Society (Paces), The Heart Rhythm Society (Hrs), The Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (Aphrs), And The Latin American Heart Rhythm Society (Lahrs), Elijah R Behr, Bo Gregers Winkel, Bode Ensam, Alberto Alfie, Elena Arbelo, Colin Berry, Marina Cerrone, Giulio Conte, Lia Crotti, Cecilia M Gonzalez Corcia, Juan Carlos Kaski, Koonlawee Nademanee, Pieter G Postema, Silvia Priori, Vincent Probst, Georgia Sarquella-Brugada, Eric Schulze-Bahr, Rafik Tadros, Arthur Wilde, Jacob Tfelt-Hansen, Christian Wolpert, Alejandro Cuesta, Peter Damman, Dobromir Dobrev, Fabrizio Drago, Kristina Haugaa, Andrew Krahn, Ulrich Krause, Pier D Lambiase, Carlo Napolitano, Katja E Odening, Wataru Shimizu, Christian Veltmann

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The pharmacological provocation test is a pivotal tool in cardiac electrophysiology for the diagnosis of potential causes of sudden cardiac death, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), arrhythmias, symptoms, or ECG abnormalities. The 2022 European Society of Cardiology Guidelines for the Treatment of Ventricular Arrhythmias and Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death offered guidance on provocation testing but did not describe the indications and requirements in depth. This clinical consensus statement, led by the European Heart Rhythm Association and approved by major international stakeholders, aims to advise the general cardiologist and the arrhythmia expert who to test and when, where, and how to …

Amniotic Fluid-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells As A Therapeutic Tool Against Cytokine Storm: A Comparison With Umbilical Cord Counterparts, Salvatore Vaiasicca, David W James, Gianmarco Melone, Omar Saeed, Lewis W Francis, Bruna Corradetti

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Several immunosuppressive therapies have been proposed as key treatment options for critically ill patients since the first appearance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from different sources have been considered for their potential to attenuate the cytokine storm associated to COVID-19 and the consequent multi-organ failure, providing evidence for safe and efficacious treatments. Among them, administration of umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UC-MSCs) has demonstrated a significant increase in survival rates, largely due to their potent immunosuppressive properties.

Methods: We applied next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis to compare the transcriptomic profiles of MSCs isolated from two gestational …