Medical Specialties Commons^™

Adad2 Functions In Spermiogenesis And Pirna Biogenesis In Mice, Yonggang Lu, Ippei Nagamori, Hisato Kobayashi, Kanako Kojima-Kita, Kenjiro Shirane, Hsin-Yi Chang, Toru Nishimura, Takayuki Koyano, Zhifeng Yu, Julio M Castañeda, Makoto Matsuyama, Satomi Kuramochi-Miyagawa, Martin M Matzuk, Masahito Ikawa

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Adenosine deaminase domain containing 2 (ADAD2) is a testis-specific protein composed of a double-stranded RNA binding domain and a non-catalytic adenosine deaminase domain. A recent study showed that ADAD2 is indispensable for the male reproduction in mice. However, the detailed functions of ADAD2 remain elusive.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the cause of male sterility in Adad2 mutant mice and to understand the molecular functions of ADAD2.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adad2 homozygous mutant mouse lines, Adad2

RESULTS: Adad2–/– and Adad2Δ/Δ mice exhibit male-specific sterility due to abnormal spermiogenesis. ADAD2 interacts with multiple RNA-binding proteins involved in …

Exosomes, Microvesicles, And Other Extracellular Vesicles-A Keystone Symposia Report, Jennifer Cable, Kenneth W Witwer, Robert J Coffey, Aleksandar Milosavljevic, Ariana K Von Lersner, Lizandra Jimenez, Ferdinando Pucci, Maureen M Barr, Niek Dekker, Bahnisikha Barman, Daniel Humphrys, Justin Williams, Michele De Palma, Wei Guo, Nuno Bastos, Andrew F Hill, Efrat Levy, Michael P Hantak, Clair Crewe, Elena Aikawa, Alan M Adamczyk, Tamires M Zanotto, Matias Ostrowski, Tanina Arab, Daniel C Rabe, Aadil Sheikh, Danilo Rodrigues Da Silva, Jennifer C Jones, Chioma Okeoma, Thomas Gaborski, Qin Zhang, Olesia Gololobova

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small, lipid-bilayer-bound particles released by cells that can contain important bioactive molecules, including lipids, RNAs, and proteins. Once released in the extracellular environment, EVs can act as messengers locally as well as to distant tissues to coordinate tissue homeostasis and systemic responses. There is a growing interest in not only understanding the physiology of EVs as signaling particles but also leveraging them as minimally invasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers (e.g., they can be found in biofluids) and drug-delivery vehicles. On October 30-November 2, 2022, researchers in the EV field convened for the Keystone symposium "Exosomes, Microvesicles, …

Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Prevalence And Disproportionate Cancer Burden Among Us Veterans, Smrithi Chidambaram, Su-Hsin Chang, Vlad C Sandulache, Angela L Mazul, Jose P Zevallos

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

This cross-sectional study examines the rate of HPV vaccination and the number eligible for this vaccination among younger veterans and civilians.

Genetic Susceptibility To Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease And Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: The Missing Link?, Francesca Polverino

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Vaccines And Therapeutics For Immunocompromised Patients With Covid-19, Shmuel Shoham, Carolina Batista, Yanis Ben Amor, Onder Ergonul, Mazen Hassanain, Peter Hotez, Gagandeep Kang, Jerome H Kim, Bhavna Lall, Heidi J Larson, Denise Naniche, Timothy Sheahan, Nathalie Strub-Wourgaft, Samba O Sow, Annelies Wilder-Smith, Prashant Yadav, Maria Elena Bottazzi, Lancet Commission On Covid-19 Vaccines And Therapeutics Task Force

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted immunocompromised patients. This diverse group is at increased risk for impaired vaccine responses, progression to severe disease, prolonged hospitalizations and deaths. At particular risk are people with deficiencies in lymphocyte number or function such as transplant recipients and those with hematologic malignancies. Such patients' immune responses to vaccination and infection are frequently impaired leaving them more vulnerable to prolonged high viral loads and severe complications of COVID-19. Those in turn, have implications for disease progression and persistence, development of immune escape variants and transmission of infection. Data to guide vaccination and treatment approaches in …

Effect Of Quality Of Life On Radiation Adherence For Patients With Cervical Cancer In An Urban Safety Net Health System, Alison K Yoder, Elizabeth Dong, Xiaoman Yu, Alfredo Echeverria, Shelly Sharma, Jane Montealegre, Michelle S Ludwig

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE: Outcomes for patients undergoing chemoradiation for cervical cancer are dependent on adherence to radiation therapy (RT). In other diseases, quality of life (QoL) is associated with treatment adherence, but the association between QoL and RT adherence for patients with cervical cancer remains unclear.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: This prospective study included patients undergoing RT for cervical cancer from 2017 to 2021 at an urban safety net hospital. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cervical Cancer Version 4 was used to assess QoL based on 5 subscales (physical, functional, social and emotional, and cervical-cancer specific). The survey was administered at radiation consult, …

Adapting Elements Of Cleft Care Protocols In Low- And Middle-Income Countries During And After Covid-19: A Process-Driven Review With Recommendations, Matthew Fell, Michael Goldwasser, B S Jayanth, Rui Manuel Rodrigues Pereira, Christian Tshisuz Nawej, Rachel Winer, Neeti Daftari, Hugh Brewster, Karen Goldschmied, Collaborators Fernando Almas, Mekonen Eshete, George W Galiwango, Larry H Hollier, Akhter Hussain, Lun-Jou Lo, Paul Salins, Debbie Sell, Amanuel Tafase, Ronald M Zuker

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

A consortium of global cleft professionals, predominantly from low- and middle-income countries, identified adaptations to cleft care protocols during and after COVID-19 as a priority learning area of need. A multidisciplinary international working group met on a videoconferencing platform in a multi-staged process to make consensus recommendations for adaptations to cleft protocols within resource-constrained settings. Feedback was sought from a roundtable discussion forum and global organizations involved in comprehensive cleft care. Foundational principles were agreed to enable recommendations to be globally relevant and two areas of focus within the specified topic were identified. First the safety aspects of cleft surgery …

Optimal Circulatory Arrest Temperature For Aortic Hemiarch Replacement With Antegrade Brain Perfusion, Laura Seese, Edward P Chen, Vinay Badhwar, Dylan Thibault, Robert H Habib, Jeffrey P Jacobs, Vinod Thourani, Faisal Bakaeen, Sean O'Brien, Oliver K Jawitz, Brittany Zwischenberger, Thomas G Gleason, Ibrahim Sultan, Arman Kilic, Joseph S Coselli, Lars G Svensson, Joanna Chikwe, Danny Chu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: This study sought to identify the optimal temperature for moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest in patients undergoing elective hemiarch replacement with antegrade brain perfusion.

Methods: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons adult cardiac surgery database was queried for elective hemiarch replacements using antegrade brain perfusion for aneurysmal disease (2014-2019). Generalized estimating equations and restricted cubic splines were used to determine the risk-adjusted relationships between temperature as a continuous variable and outcomes.

Results: Elective hemiarch replacement with antegrade brain perfusion occurred in 3898 patients at 374 centers with a median nadir temperature of 24.9°C (first quartile, third quartile = 22.0°C, 27.5°C) and …

Associations Between Avocado Intake And Lower Rates Of Incident Type 2 Diabetes In Us Adults With Hispanic/Latino Ancestry, Alexis C Wood, Mackenzie K Senn, Jerome I Rotter

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Hispanic/Latinos in the US are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D). Data suggest that avocado intake is associated with better glycemic control, but whether this translates to protection from T2D has not been studied. The goal of the current analyses was to examine whether consuming avocados at baseline is associated with lower incident T2D over a six-year period, compared to not consuming avocados at baseline.

SUBJECTS/METHODS: Using data from a large population of US adults with Hispanic ancestry, without known or unknown T2D at baseline (N=6,159), participants were classified as avocado consumers (N=983) or non-consumers (N=5,176) based …

Reconstructive Surgery For The Neglected Tropical Diseases: Global Gaps And Future Directions, Kala T Pham, Peter J Hotez, Kristy L Hamilton

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Several neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are highly disfiguring, particularly those in resource-poor countries that lack access to basic surgery. There has been a push to integrate surgery into treatment programs for NTDs. In this article, we provide an overview of the major disfiguring NTDs and discuss the processes and barriers that impede access to reconstructive surgical treatments or their integration into health systems.

METHODS: A review of the literature was conducted using the online database PubMed, from 2008 to 2021 with the specific diseases listed as NTDs either on the World Health Organization or the

RESULT: Success in the …

Using Natural Language Processing To Automatically Identify Dysplasia In Pathology Reports For Patients With Barrett's Esophagus, Theresa Nguyen Wenker, Yamini Natarajan, Kadon Caskey, Francisco Novoa, Nabil Mansour, Huy Anh Pham, Jason K Hou, Hashem B El-Serag, Aaron P Thrift

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Identifying dysplasia of Barrett's esophagus (BE) in the electronic medical record (EMR) requires manual abstraction of unstructured data. Natural language processing (NLP) creates structure to unstructured free text. We aimed to develop and validate an NLP algorithm to identify dysplasia in BE patients on histopathology reports with varying report formats in a large integrated EMR system.

METHODS: We randomly selected 600 pathology reports for NLP development and 400 reports for validation from patients with suspected BE in the national Veterans Affairs databases. BE and dysplasia were verified by manual review of the pathology reports. We used NLP …

The Impact Of Initial Specimen Diversion Systems On Blood Culture Contamination, Mayar Al Mohajer, Todd Lasco

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Blood culture contamination is associated with increased antimicrobial use, length of stay, and hospital cost. To address this problem, blood culture diversion has been developed as an additional measure to reduce contamination to targeted goals. Three different versions were proposed, including an open technique and 2 commercially available devices. This study aims to review the existing literature and analyze evidence for these 3 techniques.

Endogenous Interleukin-10 Contributes To Wound Healing And Regulates Tissue Repair, Walker D Short, Meredith Rae, Thomas Lu, Benjamin Padon, Tanuj J Prajapati, Fayiz Faruk, Oluyinka O Olutoye, Ling Yu, Paul Bollyky, Sundeep G Keswani, Swathi Balaji

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is essential in fetal regenerative wound healing and likewise promotes a regenerative phenotype in adult dermal wounds. However, the role of endogenous IL-10 in postnatal dermal wound healing is not well-established. We sought to determine the function of endogenous IL-10 in murine full thickness excisional wounds that are splinted to prevent contracture and mimic human patterns of wound closure.

METHODS: Full-thickness excisional wounds were made in wildtype (WT) and IL-10

RESULTS: We observed no difference in wound healing rate between WT and IL-10

CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that endogenous IL-10 expression does not alter closure of full …

Spinal Cord Stimulator Migration And Malfunction In The Setting Of Upper Extremity Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Case Report, Mohammed Miniato, Krishna Shah

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Common long-term complications for neuromodulation include lead migration, loss of efficacy of therapy, and lead malfunction. The following case describes pitfalls of lead migration and preventative steps to decrease risk of this complication.

Case report: This is an independent case study following the outcome of one patient diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome that had failed conservative therapy. She underwent implantation of a spinal cord stimulator (SCS) with > 90% relief. Loss of relief was described on follow-up. On reimaging, the SCS had migrated cephalad and this was likely the cause of the malfunction.

Conclusions: Lead migration can occur at …

Cervical Myelomalacia Diagnosed Via Magnetic Resonance Imaging In A Patient With A Spinal Cord Stimulator For Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Case Report, Mashfee Khan, Krishna Shah

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Neuromodulation is used to treat chronic pain, especially failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) and complex regional pain syndrome (CPRS) type 1 and type 2. Until recently, neuromodulation had significant restrictions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) usage (4). Our patient provided Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) compliant consent for the inclusion of his clinical information in this report.

Case report: A 43-year-old man developed CPRS of his right upper extremity that was treated with an MRI-compatible high frequency spinal cord stimulator (SCS). Two years later, he presented with worsening neck and right upper extremity neuropathic pain. …

Variant-Specific Therapy For Long Qt Syndrome Type 3, Oliver M Moore, Lauren E Dorn, Xander H T Wehrens

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Hemato-Vascular Specification Requires Arnt1 And Arnt2 Genes In Zebrafish Embryos, Hailey E Edwards, Mary Jane Elizalde, Jaclyn P Souder, Daniel A Gorelick

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

During embryonic development, a subset of cells in the mesoderm germ layer are specified as hemato-vascular progenitor cells, which then differentiate into endothelial cells and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. In zebrafish, the transcription factor npas4l (cloche) is required for the specification of hemato-vascular progenitor cells. However, it is unclear whether npas4l is the sole factor at the top of the hemato-vascular specification cascade. Here, we show that arnt1 and arnt2 genes are required for hemato-vascular specification. We found that arnt1;arnt2 double mutant zebrafish embryos, but not arnt1 or arnt2 single mutants, lack blood cells and most endothelial cells. arnt1/2 …

Genome-Wide Analysis Of Structural Variants In Parkinson Disease, Kimberley J Billingsley, Jinhui Ding, Pilar Alvarez Jerez, Anastasia Illarionova, Kristin Levine, Francis P Grenn, Mary B Makarious, Anni Moore, Daniel Vitale, Xylena Reed, Dena Hernandez, Ali Torkamani, Mina Ryten, John Hardy, Uk Brain Expression Consortium (Ukbec), Ruth Chia, Sonja W Scholz, Bryan J Traynor, Clifton L Dalgard, Debra J Ehrlich, Toshiko Tanaka, Luigi Ferrucci, Thomas G Beach, Geidy E Serrano, John P Quinn, Vivien J Bubb, Ryan L Collins, Xuefang Zhao, Mark Walker, Emma Pierce-Hoffman, Harrison Brand, Michael E Talkowski, Bradford Casey, Mark R Cookson, Androo Markham, Mike A Nalls, Medhat Mahmoud, Fritz J Sedlazeck, Cornelis Blauwendraat, J Raphael Gibbs, Andrew B Singleton

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: Identification of genetic risk factors for Parkinson disease (PD) has to date been primarily limited to the study of single nucleotide variants, which only represent a small fraction of the genetic variation in the human genome. Consequently, causal variants for most PD risk are not known. Here we focused on structural variants (SVs), which represent a major source of genetic variation in the human genome. We aimed to discover SVs associated with PD risk by performing the first large-scale characterization of SVs in PD.

METHODS: We leveraged a recently developed computational pipeline to detect and genotype SVs from 7,772 …

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Modulates Clinical Outcomes Post-Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Large Longitudinal Veterans’ Dataset Report, Ritwick Agrawal, Amir Sharafkhaneh, Vijay Nambi, Ahmed Bahammam, Javad Razjouyan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: While the longer-term Obstructive Sleep apnea (OSA)-related intermittent hypoxia (IH) leads to various comorbidities, it has become increasingly evident that OSA confers protective advantages during and after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We hypothesized in patients who were admitted with acute MI, the presence of OSA is associated with lower in-hospital mortality compared to those without a prior diagnosis of OSA.

METHODS: In this nationwide retrospective study utilizing Veterans Health Administration records, we included patients hospitalized for MI with a history of sleep disorders from 1999 to 2020. We divided patients into two cohorts: those with OSA and those without …

Managing Interruptions To Improve Diagnostic Decision-Making: Strategies And Recommended Research Agenda, Jennifer F Sloane, Chris Donkin, Ben R Newell, Hardeep Singh, Ashley N D Meyer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Interruptions are an inevitable occurrence in health care. Interruptions in diagnostic decision-making are no exception and can have negative consequences on both the decision-making process and well-being of the decision-maker. This may result in inaccurate or delayed diagnoses. To date, research specific to interruptions on diagnostic decision-making has been limited, but strategies to help manage the negative impacts of interruptions need to be developed and implemented. In this perspective, we first present a modified model of interruptions to visualize the interruption process and illustrate where potential interventions can be implemented. We then consider several empirically tested strategies from the fields …

The Ratio Of Intratumour To Stromal Infiltrating Lymphocytes Better Predicts Prognosis In Breast Cancer, Baoyi Zhang, Xiang Wang, Chao Cheng

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Risk Factors For Head And Neck Cancer In More And Less Developed Countries: Analysis From The Inhance Consortium, Neerav Goyal, Max Hennessy, Erik Lehman, Wenxue Lin, Antonio Agudo, Wolfgang Ahrens, Stefania Boccia, Paul Brennan, Hermann Brenner, Gabriella Cadoni, Cristina Canova, Chu Chen, David Conway, Maria Paula Curado, Luigino Dal Maso, Alexander W Daudt, Valeria Edefonti, Eleonora Fabianova, Leticia Fernandez, Silvia Franceschi, Werner Garavello, Maura Gillison, Richard B Hayes, Claire Healy, Rolando Herrero, Ivana Holcatova, Jossy L Kanda, Karl Kelsey, Bo T Hansen, Rosalina Koifman, Pagona Lagiou, Carlo La Vecchia, Fabio Levi, Guojun Li, Jolanta Lissowska, Rossana Mendoza López, Danièle Luce, Gary Macfarlane, Dana Mates, Keitaro Matsuo, Michael Mcclean, Ana Menezes, Gwenn Menvielle, Hal Morgenstern, Kirsten Moysich, Eva Negri, Andrew F Olshan, Tamas Pandics, Jerry Polesel, Mark Purdue, Loredana Radoi, Heribert Ramroth, Lorenzo Richiardi, Stimson Schantz, Stephen M Schwartz, Diego Serraino, Oxana Shangina, Elaine Smith, Erich M Sturgis, Beata Świątkowska, Peter Thomson, Thomas L Vaughan, Marta Vilensky, Deborah M Winn, Victor Wunsch-Filho, Guo-Pei Yu, Jose P Zevallos, Zuo-Feng Zhang, Tongzhang Zheng, Ariana Znaor, Paolo Boffetta, Mia Hashibe, Yuan-Chin A Lee, Joshua E Muscat

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: We analyzed the pooled case-control data from the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) consortium to compare cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption risk factors for head and neck cancer between less developed and more developed countries.

Subjects and methods: The location of each study was categorized as either a less developed or more developed country. We compared the risk of overall head and neck cancer and cancer of specific anatomic subsites associated with cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption. Additionally, age and sex distribution between categories was compared.

Results: The odds ratios for head and neck cancer sites associated …

Beyond Information Design: Designing Health Care Dashboards For Evidence-Driven Decision-Making, Sylvia J Hysong, Christine Yang, Janine Wong, Melissa K Knox, Patrick O'Mahen, Laura A Petersen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Inhibitory Input Directs Astrocyte Morphogenesis Through Glial Gababr, Yi-Ting Cheng, Estefania Luna-Figueroa, Junsung Woo, Hsiao-Chi Chen, Zhung-Fu Lee, Akdes Serin Harmanci, Benjamin Deneen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Communication between neurons and glia plays an important role in establishing and maintaining higher order brain function1. Astrocytes are endowed with complex morphologies which places their peripheral processes in close proximity to neuronal synapses and directly contributes to their regulation of brain circuits2–4. Recent studies have shown that excitatory neuronal activity promotes oligodendrocyte differentiation5–7; whether inhibitory neurotransmission regulates astrocyte morphogenesis during development is unknown. Here we show that inhibitory neuron activity is necessary and sufficient for astrocyte morphogenesis. We found that input from inhibitory neurons functions through astrocytic GABABR and …

Effect Of P2y12 Inhibitors On Organ Support-Free Survival In Critically Ill Patients Hospitalized For Covid-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Jeffrey S Berger, Matthew D Neal, Lucy Z Kornblith, Michelle N Gong, Harmony R Reynolds, Mary Cushman, Andrew D Althouse, Patrick R Lawler, Bryan J Mcverry, Keri S Kim, Lisa Baumann Kreuziger, Scott D Solomon, Mikhail N Kosiborod, Scott M Berry, Grant V Bochicchio, Marco Contoli, Michael E Farkouh, Joshua D Froess, Sheetal Gandotra, Yonatan Greenstein, Erinn M Hade, Nicholas Hanna, Kristin Hudock, Robert C Hyzy, Fátima Ibáñez Estéllez, Nicole Iovine, Ashish K Khanna, Pooja Khatri, Bridget-Anne Kirwan, Matthew E Kutcher, Eric Leifer, George Lim, Renato D Lopes, Jose L Lopez-Sendon, James F Luther, Lilia Nigro Maia, John G Quigley, Lana Wahid, Jennifer G Wilson, Ryan Zarychanski, Andrei Kindzelski, Mark W Geraci, Judith S Hochman, Activ-4a Investigators

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: Platelet activation is a potential therapeutic target in patients with COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of P2Y12 inhibition among critically ill patients hospitalized for COVID-19.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This international, open-label, adaptive platform, 1:1 randomized clinical trial included critically ill (requiring intensive care-level support) patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Patients were enrolled between February 26, 2021, through June 22, 2022. Enrollment was discontinued on June 22, 2022, by the trial leadership in coordination with the study sponsor given a marked slowing of the enrollment rate of critically ill patients.

INTERVENTION: Participants were randomly assigned to receive a P2Y12 …

Leveraging The Electronic Health Record To Implement Emergency Department Delirium Screening, Anita N Chary, Elise Brickhouse, Beatrice Torres, Ilianna Santangelo, Christopher R Carpenter, Shan W Liu, Kyler M Godwin, Aanand D Naik, Hardeep Singh, Maura Kennedy

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to understand how emergency departments (EDs) use health information technology (HIT), and specifically the electronic health record (EHR), to support implementation of delirium screening.

METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 23 ED clinician-administrators, representing 20 EDs, about how they used HIT resources to implement delirium screening. Interviews focused on challenges participants experienced when implementing ED delirium screening and EHR-based strategies they used to overcome them. We coded interview transcripts using dimensions from the Singh and Sittig sociotechnical model, which addresses use of HIT in complex adaptive health care systems. Subsequently, we analyzed data …

Evaluation Of Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer Thickness As A Possible Measure Of Diabetic Retinal Neurodegeneration In The Epic-Norfolk Eye Study, Sidra Zafar, Kristen A Staggers, Jie Gao, Yao Liu, Praveen J Patel, Paul J Foster, Benjamin J Frankfort, Michael Abramoff, Charles G Minard, Alasdair Warwick, Anthony P Khawaja, Roomasa Channa

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Markers to clinically evaluate structural changes from diabetic retinal neurodegeneration (DRN) have not yet been established. To study the potential role of peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (pRNFL) thickness as a marker for DRN, we evaluated the relationship between diabetes, as well as glycaemic control irrespective of diabetes status and pRNFL thickness.

METHODS: Leveraging data from a population-based cohort, we used general linear mixed models (GLMMs) with a random intercept for patient and eye to assess the association between pRNFL thickness (measured using GDx) and demographic, systemic and ocular parameters after adjusting for typical scan score. GLMMs were also …

Comparison Of Neurocognitive And Quality-Of-Life Outcomes In Pediatric Craniopharyngioma Patients Treated With Partial Resection And Radiotherapy Versus Gross-Total Resection Only, Guillermo Aldave, M Fatih Okcu, Murali Chintagumpala, Lucia Ruggieri, Charles G Minard, Fatema Malbari, Lisa E Mash, Arnold C Paulino, Susan Mcgovern, Uma Ramaswamy, William Whitehead, Lisa S Kahalley

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: The optimal management of pediatric craniopharyngioma patients remains controversial, shifting from radical resection (gross-total resection [GTR]) to a more conservative approach with partial resection/biopsy followed by radiotherapy (PR+RT). To the authors' knowledge, no previous studies have compared neurocognitive and quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes between the two main treatments. In this study, the authors compared changes in intellectual, adaptive, and QOL scores in children treated for craniopharyngioma with GTR and those treated with PR+RT.

METHODS: Patients underwent annual neurocognitive and QOL evaluations for up to 10 years posttreatment, including the Full-Scale IQ, Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI), Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI), Working …

Bladder Mucosal Cystitis Cystica Lesions Are Tertiary Lymphoid Tissues That Correlate With Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection Frequency In Postmenopausal Women, Marianne M Ligon, Brooke Liang, Stacy M Lenger, Priyanka Parameswaran, Siobhan Sutcliffe, Jerry L Lowder, Indira U Mysorekar

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE: We identify correlates and clinical outcomes of cystitis cystica, a poorly understood chronic inflammatory bladder change, in women with recurrent urinary tract infections.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective, observational cohort of women with recurrent urinary tract infections who underwent cystoscopy (n=138) from 2015 to 2018 were identified using electronic medical records. Cystitis cystica status was abstracted from cystoscopy reports and correlations were identified by logistic regression. Urinary tract infection-free survival time associated with cystitis cystica was evaluated by Cox proportional hazards regression. Exact logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with changes to cystitis cystica lesions on repeat …

Qt-Prolonging Antibiotics, Serum-To-Dialysate Potassium Gradient, And Risk Of Sudden Cardiac Death Among Patients Receiving Maintenance Hemodialysis, Patrick H Pun, Magdalene M Assimon, Lily Wang, Sana M Al-Khatib, M Alan Brookhart, David J Weber, Wolfgang C Winkelmayer, Jennifer E Flythe

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Treatment with certain QT interval-prolonging antibiotics is associated with a higher risk of sudden cardiac death among individuals with hemodialysis-dependent kidney failure. Concurrent exposure to large serum-to-dialysate potassium gradients, which promote large potassium shifts, may augment the proarrhythmic effects of these medications. The primary objective of this study was to examine whether the serum-to-dialysate gradient modifies the cardiac safety of azithromycin, and separately, levofloxacin/moxifloxacin.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective observational cohort study using a new-user study design.

SETTING & POPULATION: Adult in-center hemodialysis patients with Medicare coverage in the US Renal Data System (2007-2017).

EXPOSURE: Initiation of azithromycin (or …