Medical Specialties Commons^™

Examining Pi3k-Signaling-Dependent Regulation Of Lens Organelle Free Zone Formation Via Immunolocalization And Immunoblotting In Chick Embryos, Rifah Gheyas, A. Sue Menko

Computational Medicine Center Faculty Papers

The elimination of lens organelles during development, required for mature lens function, is an autophagy-dependent mechanism induced through suppression of PI3K signaling. Here, we present a protocol for investigating the signaling pathways responsible for induction of the formation of this lens organelle free zone. We describe steps for preparation of lens organ culture and use of signaling pathway inhibitors. We then detail procedures for analyzing their impact using both confocal microscopy imaging of immunolabeled lens cryosections and immunoblot approaches. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Gheyas et al. (2022).

Radio-Pathomic Approaches In Pediatric Neurooncology: Opportunities And Challenges, Ariana M. Familiar, Aria Mahtabfar, Anahita Fathi Kazerooni, Mahsa Kiani, Arastoo Vossough, Angela Viaene, Philip B. Storm, Adam C. Resnick, Ali Nabavizadeh

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

With medical software platforms moving to cloud environments with scalable storage and computing, the translation of predictive artificial intelligence (AI) models to aid in clinical decision-making and facilitate personalized medicine for cancer patients is becoming a reality. Medical imaging, namely radiologic and histologic images, has immense analytical potential in neuro-oncology, and models utilizing integrated radiomic and pathomic data may yield a synergistic effect and provide a new modality for precision medicine. At the same time, the ability to harness multi-modal data is met with challenges in aggregating data across medical departments and institutions, as well as significant complexity in modeling …

Randomized Controlled Trial Of Mechanical Thrombectomy Vs Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis For Acute Hemodynamically Stable Pulmonary Embolism: Rationale And Design Of The Peerless Study, Carin F. Gonsalves, C Michael Gibson, Stefan Stortecky, Roger A Alvarez, Daren M Beam, James M Horowitz, Mitchell J Silver, Catalin Toma, John H Rundback, Stuart P Rosenberg, Craig D Markovitz, Thomas Tu, Wissam A Jaber

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The identification of hemodynamically stable pulmonary embolism (PE) patients who may benefit from advanced treatment beyond anticoagulation is unclear. However, when intervention is deemed necessary by the PE patient's care team, data to select the most advantageous interventional treatment option are lacking. Limiting factors include major bleeding risks with systemic and locally delivered thrombolytics and the overall lack of randomized controlled trial (RCT) data for interventional treatment strategies. Considering the expansion of the pulmonary embolism response team (PERT) model, corresponding rise in interventional treatment, and number of thrombolytic and nonthrombolytic catheter-directed devices coming to market, robust evidence is needed …

Biosafety And Biohazard Considerations Of Hsv-1-Based Oncolytic Viral Immunotherapy., Elizabeth Robilotti, Nathalie C Zeitouni, Marlana Orloff

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Oncolytic viral immunotherapies are agents which can directly kill tumor cells and activate an immune response. Oncolytic viruses (OVs) range from native/unmodified viruses to genetically modified, attenuated viruses with the capacity to preferentially replicate in and kill tumors, leaving normal tissue unharmed. Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is the only OV approved for patient use in the United States; however, during the last 20 years, there have been a substantial number of clinical trials using OV immunotherapies across a broad range of cancers. Like T-VEC, many OV immunotherapies in clinical development are based on the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), with …

Forensic Evaluation Of A Single Episode Of A Disorder Of Arousal In A Sleepwalking Defense: Cognitive Function Versus Prior Clinical History, Mark R. Pressman

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Introduction

The clinical diagnosis of disorders of arousal (DOA) is based primarily on a clinical history including amnesia for episodes. The presence of amnesia means the patient cannot provide direct evidence. In a forensic setting, when the defendant has been charged criminally with violent actions or sexual related assaults allegedly during sleep, a sleepwalking defense may be presented. As opposed to clinical history, the prosecution generally focuses on the single episode of alleged DOA that resulted in the criminal charges against the defendant. The prosecution will argue that this episode of complex behavior was not consistent with a DOA. A …

Perceptions Of Facilitators And Barriers To Smoking Cessation Among Patients And Providers In A Cancer Center: A Single Institution Qualitative Exploratory Study, Luke M. Shenton, Udara Perera, Amy Leader, Ann C. Klassen

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: Cancer patients who remain tobacco users have poorer outcomes, including increased mortality and decreased treatment tolerance; however, cessation post-diagnosis is challenging. Our formative research explored cessation-related perspectives among patients and staff at one National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, to inform improving cessation services within oncology care.

METHODS: Using a descriptive phenomenological approach, a purposive sample of current cancer patients (n = 13) and cancer center physicians and cessation program staff (n = 9) were recruited to complete one-on-one audio-recorded in-depth qualitative interviews, to explore experiences providing or receiving cessation support, and perspectives on patients' readiness and needs regarding cessation. …

Reduced Maternal Immunity And Vertical Transfer Of Immunity Against Sars-Cov-2 Variants Of Concern With Covid-19 Exposure Or Initial Vaccination In Pregnancy., Rupsa Boelig, Sidhartha Chaudhury, Gregory D Gromowski, Sandra Mayer, Jocelyn King, Zubair H Aghai, Elke Bergmann-Leitner

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: As the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic continues to evolve, we face new variants of concern with a concurrent decline in vaccine booster uptake. We aimed to evaluate the difference in immunity gained from the original SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine series in pregnancy versus SARS-CoV-2 exposure during pregnancy against recent variants of concern.

STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective analysis of previously collected samples from 192 patients who delivered between February 2021 and August 2021. Participants were categorized as 1) COVID vaccine: mRNA vaccine in pregnancy, 2) COVID-exposed, and 3) controls. The primary outcome was neutralizing capacity against wild-type, Delta, and Omicron-B1 between …

Hawks And Doves: Perceptions And Reality Of Faculty Evaluations, Jillian Zavodnick, Jonathan Doroshow, Sarah Rosenberg, Joshua Banks, Benjamin E. Leiby, Nina Mingioni

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: Internal medicine clerkship grades are important for residency selection, but inconsistencies between evaluator ratings threaten their ability to accurately represent student performance and perceived fairness. Clerkship grading committees are recommended as best practice, but the mechanisms by which they promote accuracy and fairness are not certain. The ability of a committee to reliably assess and account for grading stringency of individual evaluators has not been previously studied.

METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of evaluations completed by faculty considered to be stringent, lenient, or neutral graders by members of a grading committee of a single medical college. Faculty evaluations …

Fast Ripples Reflect Increased Excitability That Primes Epileptiform Spikes, Shennan A. Weiss, Itzhak Fried, Jerome Engel, Michael R. Sperling, Robert K. S. Wong, Yuval Nir, Richard J. Staba

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

The neuronal circuit disturbances that drive inter-ictal and ictal epileptiform discharges remain elusive. Using a combination of extra-operative macro-electrode and micro-electrode inter-ictal recordings in six pre-surgical patients during non-rapid eye movement sleep, we found that, exclusively in the seizure onset zone, fast ripples (200–600 Hz), but not ripples (80–200 Hz), frequently occur <300 ms before an inter-ictal intra-cranial EEG spike with a probability exceeding chance (bootstrapping, P < 1e−5). Such fast ripple events are associated with higher spectral power (P < 1e−10) and correlated with more vigorous neuronal firing than solitary fast ripple (generalized linear mixed-effects model, P < 1e−9). During the intra-cranial EEG spike that follows a fast ripple, action potential firing is lower than during an intra-cranial EEG spike alone (generalized linear mixed-effects model, P < 0.05), reflecting an inhibitory restraint of intra-cranial EEG spike initiation. In contrast, ripples do not appear to prime epileptiform spikes. We next investigated the clinical significance of pre-spike fast ripple in a separate cohort of 23 patients implanted with stereo EEG electrodes, who underwent resections. In non-rapid eye movement sleep recordings, sites containing a high proportion of fast ripple preceding intra-cranial EEG spikes correlate with brain areas where seizures begin more than solitary fast ripple (P < 1e−5). Despite this correlation, removal of these sites does not guarantee seizure freedom. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that fast ripple preceding EEG spikes reflect an increase in local excitability that primes EEG spike discharges preferentially in the seizure onset zone and that epileptogenic brain regions are necessary, but not sufficient, for initiating inter-ictal epileptiform discharges.

Effectiveness Of A Messenger Rna Vaccine Booster Dose Against Coronavirus Disease 2019 Among Us Healthcare Personnel, October 2021-July 2022, Ian D. Plumb, Nicholas M. Mohr, Melissa Hagen, Ryan Wiegand, Ghinwa Dumyati, Karisa K. Harland, Anusha Krishnadasan, Jade James Gist, Glen Abedi, Katherine E Fleming-Dutra, Nora Chea, Jane Lee, Devra Barter, Monica Brackney, Scott K. Fridkin, Lucy E. Wilson, Sara A. Lovett, Valerie Ocampo, Erin C. Phipps, Tiffanie M. Marcus, Howard A. Smithline, Peter C. Hou, Lilly C. Lee, Gregory J. Moran, Elizabeth Krebs, Mark T. Steele, Stephen C. Lim, Walter A. Schrading, Brian Chinnock, David G. Beiser, Brett Faine, John P. Haran, Utsav Nandi, Anne K. Chipman, Frank Lovecchio, David A. Talan, Tamara Pilishvili

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Protection against symptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]) can limit transmission and the risk of post-COVID conditions, and is particularly important among healthcare personnel. However, lower vaccine effectiveness (VE) has been reported since predominance of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant.

METHODS: We evaluated the VE of a monovalent messenger RNA (mRNA) booster dose against COVID-19 from October 2021 to June 2022 among US healthcare personnel. After matching case-participants with COVID-19 to control-participants by 2-week period and site, we used conditional logistic regression to estimate the VE of a booster dose compared with completing …

Astrocytes In Stroke-Induced Neurodegeneration: A Timeline, Eileen Collyer, Elena Blanco-Suarez

Farber Institute for Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Stroke is a condition characterized by sudden deprivation of blood flow to a brain region and defined by different post-injury phases, which involve various molecular and cellular cascades. At an early stage during the acute phase, fast initial cell death occurs, followed by inflammation and scarring. This is followed by a sub-acute or recovery phase when endogenous plasticity mechanisms may promote spontaneous recovery, depending on various factors that are yet to be completely understood. At later time points, stroke leads to greater neurodegeneration compared to healthy controls in both clinical and preclinical studies, this is evident during the chronic phase …

Paclitaxel With Or Without Cixutumumab As Second-Line Treatment Of Metastatic Esophageal Or Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer: A Randomized Phase Ii Ecog-Acrin Trial, Shannon Stockton, Paul Catalano, Steven J. Cohen, Barbara A, Burtness, Edith P. Mitchell, Efrat Dotan, Sam J. Lubner, Pankaj Kumar, Mary F. Mulcahy, George A. Fisher, Theodore L. Crandall, Al Benson

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced esophageal cancer carry poor prognoses; limited data exist to guide second-line therapy in the metastatic setting. Paclitaxel has been used yet is associated with limited efficacy. There is preclinical evidence of synergy between paclitaxel and cixutumumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor. We conducted a randomized phase II trial of paclitaxel (arm A) versus paclitaxel plus cixutumumab (arm B) in the second-line for patients with metastatic esophageal or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancers.

METHODS: The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS); 87 patients (43 in arm A, 44 in arm B) were treated.

RESULTS: Median …

Conditional Risks Of Biochemical Failure And Prostate Cancer-Specific Death In Patients Undergoing External Beam Radiotherapy: A Secondary Analysis Of 2 Randomized Clinical Trials, Gregory S. Alexander, Rebecca F Krc, James W Assif, Kai Sun, Jason K Molitoris, Phuoc Tran, Zaker Rana, Søren M Bentzen, Mark V Mishra

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

IMPORTANCE: As patients achieve years of survival after treatment for prostate cancer, the risk of biochemical failure (BF) or prostate cancer-specific death (PCSD) may evolve over time, with clinical relevance to both patients and clinicians.

OBJECTIVE: To determine conditional BF-free survival, PSCD, and overall survival estimates for patients with low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer enrolled in the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0126 and RTOG 0415 clinical trials. A secondary objective was to determine whether prognostic factors at diagnosis remain relevant at later points in follow-up.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A pooled secondary analysis of patients treated with external-beam radiotherapy …

Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheostomy In A Cardiac Surgical Intensive Care Unit: A Single-Center Experience, Vignesh Vudatha, Yahya Alwatari, George Ibrahim, Tayler Jacobs, Kyle Alexander, Carlos Puig-Gilbert, Walker Julliard, Rachit Dilip Shah

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: A significant proportion of cardiac surgery intensive care unit (CSICU) patients require long-term ventilation, necessitating tracheostomy placement. The goal of this study was to evaluate the long-term postoperative outcomes and complications associated with percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) in CSICU patients.

METHODS: All patients undergoing PDT after cardiac, thoracic, or vascular operations in the CSICU between January 1, 2013 and January 1, 2021 were identified. They were evaluated for mortality, decannulation time, and complications including bleeding, infection, and need for surgical intervention. Multivariable regression models were used to identify predictors of early decannulation and the complication rate.

RESULTS: Ninety-three patients …

Objectivity, Practicality, And Significance Of Practice Guidelines For The Practicing Neurologists: What We Learnt From Consensus Criteria In Cidp, Myasthenia Gravis And Inflammatory Myopathies, Marinos C. Dalakas

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

The value of practice guidelines in the three most common autoimmune neuromuscular disorders, namely Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP), Myasthenia Gravis (MG) and Autoimmune Inflammatory Myopathies (AIM), has been extensively debated regarding their usefulness in clinical practice, objectivity and universal value considering that guidelines are also established regionally in certain countries. This commentary highlights common concerns on how guidelines are presently generated, pointing out: (a) non-sufficient diversity among Task-Force members to identify and address not only routine clinical and electrophysiology issues but also immunology, imaging, pathology, biomarkers, epidemiology or treatment economics; (b) Task-Force being often comprised by the same or …

From The Lung To The Finger: An Unusual Presentation Of Adenosquamous Cell Carcinoma, Preeti Badve, Md, Sussy Obando Lara, Md, Elisenda Valdez Pena, Md, Myriah Magaris, Do, Zunaira Naeem, Md, Charalambos Solomides, Md, Avnish Bhatia

Department of Medical Oncology Posters

Learning Objective

To recognize unusual presentations of metastatic lung disease.

A Recommended Preclinical Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Model For Neurological Outcomes: A Scoping Review, Jin Kook Kang, Andrew Kalra, Syed A. Ahmad, Arjun K. Menta, Hannah J. Rando, Ifeanyi Chinedozi, Marcus Spann, Steven P. Keller, Glenn J.R. Whitman, Sung-Min Cho

Rothman Institute Papers

Background: Despite the high prevalence of neurological complications and mortality associated with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR), neurologically-focused animal models are scarce. Our objective is to review current ECPR models investigating neurological outcomes and identify key elements for a recommended model.

Methods: We searched PubMed and four other engines for animal ECPR studies examining neurological outcomes. Inclusion criteria were: animals experiencing cardiac arrest, ECPR/ECMO interventions, comparisons of short versus long cardiac arrest times, and neurological outcomes.

Results: Among 20 identified ECPR animal studies (n = 442), 13 pigs, 4 dogs, and 3 rats were used. Only 10% (2/20) included both sexes. …

The Role Of Exercise In The Alleviation Of Neuropathic Pain Following Traumatic Spinal Cord Injuries: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Amirmohammad Toloui, Hamzah Adel Ramawad, Pantea Gharin, Alexander Vaccaro, Hamed Zarei, Mostafa Hosseini, Mahmoud Yousefifard, Vafa Rahimi-Movaghar

Rothman Institute Papers

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of exercise in neuropathic pain following traumatic spinal cord injuries.

METHODS: The search was conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science by the end of 2022. Two independent researchers included the articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A standardized mean difference was calculated for each data and they were pooled to calculate an overall effect size. To assess the heterogeneity between studies, I2 and chi-square tests were utilized. In the case of heterogeneity, meta-regression was performed to identify the potential source.

RESULTS: …

United We Might Stand, Divided We Will Certainly Fall!, Simon Maltais, T Sloane Guy, John M. Stulak, Lucman A. Anwer, Louis P. Perrault

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Are Patients With An International Classification Of Diseases, 10th Edition Discharge Diagnosis Code For Sepsis Different In Regard To Demographics And Outcome Variables When Comparing Those With Sepsis Only To Those Also Diagnosed With Covid-19 Or Those With A Covid-19 Diagnosis Alone?, David F. Gaieski, Jumpei Tsukuda, Parker Maddox, Michael Li

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: We analyzed whether patients with the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition (ICD-10) discharge diagnosis code for sepsis are different in regard to demographics and outcome variables when comparing those with sepsis only to those also diagnosed with COVID-19 or those with a COVID-19 diagnosis alone.

DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING: Nine hospitals in an academic health system.

PATIENTS: Patients with a final ICD-10 discharge diagnostic code for sepsis only, a diagnosis of COVID-19-only, or a final sepsis ICD-10 discharge code + a diagnosis of COVID-19 admitted to the hospital were analyzed for demographic and outcome differences between the …

Uveal Melanoma Causing Iridodialysis: Tip Of The Iceberg, Deepthi E. Kurian, Konica Singla, Carol L. Shields

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

No abstract provided.

Neutrophilic Panniculitis Associated With Myelodysplastic Syndrome/Myeloproliferative Neoplasm: A Case Report And Literature Review, Alexa J. Cohen, Laura K. Gleason, Safiyyah A. Bhatti, Neda Nikbakht

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Neutrophilic panniculitis (NP) is a rare subtype of neutrophilic dermatosis, a group of neutrophil-rich inflammatory skin disorders that can present in association with myeloid neoplasms. NP is defined by the presence of a neutrophilic infiltrate in the fat lobules of the subcutis in the absence of either infection or vasculitis. We herein describe a 65-year-old woman with a recent diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome/myeloproliferative neoplasm overlap syndrome (MDS/MPN) who abruptly developed painful, pruritic nodules consistent with NP.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 65-year-old woman with MDS/MPN presented for evaluation of painful and pruritic nodules on her upper and lower extremities. A biopsy …

A Shorter Door-In-Door-Out Time Is Associated With Improved Outcome In Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke., Adam Sigal, Derek L Isenberg, Chadd K Kraus, Daniel Ackerman, Joseph Herres, Ethan S Brandler, Alexander Kuc, Jason T Nomura, Derek R Cooney, Michael T Mullen, Huaqing Zhao, Nina T Gentile

Einstein Health Papers

Introduction: Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) significantly improves outcomes in large vessel occlusion stroke (LVOS). When a patient with a LVOS arrives at a hospital that does not perform EVT, emergent transfer to an endovascular stroke center (ESC) is required. Our objective was to determine the association between door-in-door-out time (DIDO) and 90-day outcomes in patients undergoing EVT. Methods: We conducted an analysis of the Optimizing Prehospital Stroke Systems of Care-Reacting to Changing Paradigms (OPUS-REACH) registry of 2,400 LVOS patients treated at nine ESCs in the United States. We examined the association between DIDO times and 90-day outcomes as measured by the …

The Two-Step Approach To Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Sikemi Ibikunle, Dolores Grosso, Usama Gergis

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) provides the only potentially curative option for multiple hematological conditions. However, allogeneic HSCT outcomes rely on an optimal balance of effective immune recovery, minimal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and lasting control of disease. The quest to attain this balance has proven challenging over the past few decades. The two-step approach to HSCT was conceptualized and pioneered at Thomas Jefferson University in 2005 and remains the main platform for allografting at our institution. Following administration of the transplant conditioning regimen, patients receive a fixed dose of donor CD3+ cells (HSCT step one-DLI) as the lymphoid portion …

Maximizing Wound Coverage In Full-Thickness Skin Defects: A Randomized-Controlled Trial Of Autologous Skin Cell Suspension And Widely Meshed Autograft Versus Standard Autografting, Sharon Henry, Steven Mapula, Mark Grevious, Kevin N. Foster, Herbert Phelan, Jeffrey Shupp, Rodney Chan, David Harrington, Neil Mashruwala, David A. Brown, Haaris Mir, George Singer, Alfredo Cordova, Lisa Rae, Theresa Chin, Lourdes Castanon, Derek Bell, William Hughes, Joseph A. Molnar

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Traumatic insults, infection, and surgical procedures can leave skin defects that are not amenable to primary closure. Split-thickness skin grafting (STSG) is frequently used to achieve closure of these wounds. Although effective, STSG can be associated with donor site morbidity, compounding the burden of illness in patients undergoing soft tissue reconstruction procedures. With an expansion ratio of 1:80, autologous skin cell suspension (ASCS) has been demonstrated to significantly decrease donor skin requirements compared with traditional STSG in burn injuries. We hypothesized that the clinical performance of ASCS would be similar for soft tissue reconstruction of nonburn wounds.

METHODS: A …

Efficacy Of Scalp-Sparing Volumetric-Modulated Arc Therapy Approach In Reducing Scalp Radiation Dose For Patients With Glioblastoma: A Cross-Sectional Study, Muneeb Khan Niazi, Olga Russial, Louis Cappelli, Ryan Miller, Yingxuan Chen, Yelena Vakhnenko, Haisong Lui, Wenyin Shi

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Radiation is integral to the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM). However, radiation-induced scalp toxicity can negatively impact patients' quality of life. Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) optimizes the dose to organs at risk (OARs). We hypothesize that a scalp-sparing VMAT (SSV) approach can significantly reduce undesirable doses to the scalp without compromising the target dose.

METHODS: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study of GBM patients who originally received radiation with non-SSV. We contoured the scalp as a 5 mm rind-like structure beneath the skin above the level of the foramen magnum. We replanned our patients using SSV techniques. We compared …

Corneal Wound Healing In The Presence Of Antifibrotic Antibody Targeting Collagen Fibrillogenesis: A Pilot Study, Zeba A. Syed, Tatyana Milman, Jolanta Fertala, Andrzej Steplewski, Andrzej Fertala

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

Highly organized collagen fibrils interlacing with proteoglycans form the crucial architecture of the cornea and facilitate its transparency. Corneal scarring from accidental injury, surgery, or infection alters this highly organized tissue, causing severe consequences, including blindness. There are no pharmacological or surgical methods to effectively and safely treat excessive corneal scarring. Thus, we tested the anticorneal scarring utility of a rationally designed anticollagen antibody (ACA) whose antifibrotic effects have already been demonstrated in nonocular models. Utilizing a rabbit model with an incisional corneal wound, we analyzed ACA’s effects on forming collagen and proteoglycan-rich extracellular matrices in scar neotissue. We used …

Educational Case: Endometrial Ectopia In Endometriosis And Adenomyosis, Carolyn G. Chen, Joanna S.Y. Chan

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Treatment Of Skin: Penetration Into Hair Follicles, Kseniia Konina, Theresa A. Freeman, Mark J. Kushner

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

Sterilization of skin prior to surgery is challenged by the reservoir of bacteria that resides in hair follicles. Atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs) have been proposed as a method to treat and deactivate these bacteria as atmospheric plasmas are able to penetrate into structures and crevices with dimensions similar to those found in hair follicles. In this paper, we discuss results from a computational investigation of an APPJ sustained in helium flowing into ambient air, and incident onto a layered dielectric similar to human skin in which there are idealized hair follicles. We found that, depending on the location of …

Inducing Accelerated Lung Toxicity In Mice Using A Partial Arc Sbrt Technique, Andrew Gerry, Charita Kunta, Noelle Francois, Tiziana Deangelis, Anuradha Shastri, Nicole Simone, Reza Taleei

Department of Radiation Oncology Posters

Background

• Radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis (RIPF) is a frequent outcome of thoracic radiation therapy, constraining safe tumor radiation dosage. Various animal models, such as mice, rats, and pigs, have been devised to study RIPF
• Current methods for inducing lung fibrosis in mice involve whole lung irradiation with doses between 2-20 Gy. These methods used fixed anterior and posterior (AP/PA) x-ray beams at 0º and 180º with analysis typically commencing 24 to 52 weeks post-radiation
• Current methods are unrepresentative of modern radiation therapy techniques and are limited by the associated long latency of RIPF