Medical Specialties Commons^™

Semmes Weinstein Sensory Testing At The Fingertip: Should 2.83 Be The Norm?, Emily Moore, Ogochukwu Nwagbologu, Samantha Specht, Rebecca A. Dutton, Patricia Siegel

2020 Pediatric Research Forum Session

Category: In-Progress Research

The Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test (SWM) is an objective test of sensation that is commonly used to identify sensory impairments in the hand.

Objective:

To determine if male and female subjects aged 25 and older with no history of sensory symptoms or known neurologic conditions would feel the 2.83 (normal) Semmes Weinstein monofilament, and if a relationship between the detected monofilament and grip strength exists.

Outcome Measures:

Ability to detect the 2.83 (normal) monofilament at the fingertip. Participants were dichotomized into two groups: the 2.83 “normal” (ability to detect the 2.83 monofilament in three or …

Ocho Pasos: A Quality Improvement Pilot To Improve Outpatient Clinic Breastfeeding Support, Julia M. Martinez, Timothy J. Ozechowski, Rachel A. Sebastian, Emilie A. Sebesta, Mary M. Ramos

2020 Pediatric Research Forum Session

Purpose of Study:

Only a third of US mothers achieve three months of exclusive breastfeeding (BF) despite the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendation to exclusively BF for six months. National experts have recently published evidence-based guidelines for outpatient clinics to support longer durations of BF. Our pilot study sought to evaluate the feasibility of an intervention to improve support for BF in outpatient primary care clinics.

Methods Used:

We compared evidence-based BF-friendly guidelines from the AAP, Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, California’s 9 Steps, and Washington’s 10 Steps to create Ocho Pasos (Eight Steps),guidelines tailored to the New Mexico population. …

Improving Support Of Breastfeeding At A Baby-Friendly™ Designated Hospital In Albuquerque, New Mexico, Troy Hatfield, Connie Peceny, Julia M. Martinez, Priscilla Mendoza, Timothy J. Ozechowski, Rachel A. Sebastian, Emilie A. Sebesta, Mary M. Ramos

2020 Pediatric Research Forum Session

Purpose:

Breastfeeding has conclusively proven to be the healthiest feeding option for infants. Baby-Friendly™designated hospitals and birthing centers follow the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, which are considered to be the gold standard for supporting mothers who wish to breastfeed. However, even a Baby-Friendly™designated hospital may have room for improvement. The University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) is an urban hospital serving a predominantly Hispanic and Native American population, and the majority of pediatric patients are covered by Medicaid. Despite its Baby-Friendly™ designation, UNMH had low rates of physician documentation of discussing the health impacts of breastfeeding in the postpartum …

Erlotinib Therapy For Recurrent Respiratory Paillomatosis And Extralaryngeal Spread In Pediatrics, Shirley Abraham, John Kuttesch, Erica Bennett

2020 Pediatric Research Forum Session

Background:

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) can be a potentially life-threatening condition and a treatment challenge. Local therapies are associated with significant scarring and detrimental effects on voice and respiratory status. EGFR inhibitors have been reported to be an effective adjunctive therapy in patients with RRP.

Objective:

To report our institutional experience with Erlotinib in two pediatric patients with severe RRP.

Method:

Retrospective chart review of 2 pediatric patients with severe RRP.

Results:

Patient 1 is a 19y/o female who was referred to us at the age of 11. Patient was diagnosed with respiratory papillomatosis at birth. Since age 1.5yrs, she …

Food And Housing Insecurity Screening Practices Among Unmh Pediatric Providers, Crystal Avila-Schroeder, Kyle Randolph, Lorena Galvan, Ana Duran, Maria Velazquez-Campbell

2020 Pediatric Research Forum Session

Introduction:

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends food insecurity (FI) screening at all pediatric visits. Despite an existing EMR screening tool, how our pediatric providers screen FI and housing insecurity (HI) is unknown. Our objective was to collect formative data on FI and HI screening practices of UNMH pediatric providers to allow for the design of a quality improvement (QI) project.

Methods:

We performed a baseline cross-sectional survey with UNMH pediatric residents and attendings in May 2020.

Results:

Fifty-two individuals completed the survey (40.4% attendings, 59.6% residents). In inpatient settings, 67.8% of residents and 33.3% of attendings screen FI occasionally …

A Sonographer’S Step-By-Step Approach For Preventing Transmission Of Covid-19, Corinne Wessner, Joann Nelson, Sarah Mott, Maria Francesco, Laurence Needleman

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

The 2019 novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, has greatly affected the way sonographers care for their patients. Sonography can be a useful imaging tool for surveillance and diagnosis of various conditions associated with COVID-19 patients or patients under investigation (PUIs). Currently, there are limited resources and protocols for preventing the transmission of COVID-19 from ultrasound equipment. Our institution has created a detailed protocol for scanning COVID-19 patients or PUIs to address this important issue.

Supporting Coordination Of Children With Asd Using Neurological Music Therapy: A Pilot Randomized Control Trial Comparing An Elastic Touch-Display With Tambourines, Franceli L. Cibrian, Melisa Madrigal, Marina Avelais, Monica Tentori

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Aim

To evaluate the efficacy of Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) using a traditional and a technological intervention (elastic touch-display) in improving the coordination of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as a primary outcome, and the timing and strength control of their movements as secondary outcomes.

Methods

Twenty-two children with ASD completed 8 NMT sessions, as a part of a 2-month intervention. Participants were randomly assigned to either use an elastic touch-display (experimental group) or tambourines (control group). We conducted pre- and post- assessment evaluations, including the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) and motor assessments related to the control of …

Etv6 Germline Mutations Cause Hdac3/Ncor2 Mislocalization And Upregulation Of Interferon Response Genes., Marlie H. Fisher, Gregory D. Kirkpatrick, Brett Stevens, Courtney Jones, Michael Callaghan, Madhvi Rajpurkar, Joy M. Fulbright, Megan A. Cooper, Jesse Rowley, Christopher C. Porter, Arthur Gutierrez-Hartmann, Kenneth Jones, Craig Jordan, Eric M. Pietras, Jorge Di Paola

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

ETV6 is an ETS family transcription factor that plays a key role in hematopoiesis and megakaryocyte development. Our group and others have identified germline mutations in ETV6 resulting in autosomal dominant thrombocytopenia and predisposition to malignancy; however, molecular mechanisms defining the role of ETV6 in megakaryocyte development have not been well established. Using a combination of molecular, biochemical, and sequencing approaches in patient-derived PBMCs, we demonstrate abnormal cytoplasmic localization of ETV6 and the HDAC3/NCOR2 repressor complex that led to overexpression of HDAC3-regulated interferon response genes. This transcriptional dysregulation was also reflected in patient-derived platelet transcripts and drove aberrant proplatelet formation …

Ier5, A Dna Damage Response Gene, Is Required For Notch-Mediated Induction Of Squamous Cell Differentiation, Li Pan, Madeleine E Lemieux, Tom Thomas, Julia M Rogers, Colin H Lipper, Winston Lee, Carl Johnson, Lynette M Sholl, Andrew P. South, Jarrod A Marto, Guillaume O Adelmant, Stephen C Blacklow, Jon C Aster

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

Notch signaling regulates squamous cell proliferation and differentiation and is frequently disrupted in squamous cell carcinomas, in which Notch is tumor suppressive. Here, we show that conditional activation of Notch in squamous cells activates a context-specific gene expression program through lineage-specific regulatory elements. Among direct Notch target genes are multiple DNA damage response genes, including IER5, which we show is required for Notch-induced differentiation of squamous carcinoma cells and TERT-immortalized keratinocytes. IER5 is epistatic to PPP2R2A, a gene that encodes the PP2A B55α subunit, which we show interacts with IER5 in cells and in purified systems. Thus, Notch and DNA-damage …

Prophylactic Mesh Placement For The Prevention Of Incisional Hernia In High-Risk Patients After Abdominal Surgery: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Jawad Ahmed, Nimra Hasnain, Iayla Fatima, Farheen Malik, Muhammad A. Chaudhary, Junaid Ahmad, Mehreen Malik, Laraib Malik, Muhammad Osama, Mirza Zain Baig, Faisal Khosa, Faiz Bhora

Department of Anaesthesia

Background and objectives: In high-risk populations, the efficacy of mesh placement in incisional hernia (IH) prevention after elective abdominal surgeries has been supported by many published studies. This meta-analysis aimed at providing comprehensive and updated clinical implications of prophylactic mesh placement (PMP) for the prevention of IH as compared to primary suture closure (PSC).
Materials and methods: PubMed, Science Direct, Cochrane, and Google Scholar were systematically searched until March 3, 2020, for studies comparing the efficacy of PMP to PSC in abdominal surgeries. The main outcome of interest was the incidence of IH at different follow-up durations. All statistical analyses …

Parent Responses To Pediatric Pain: The Differential Effects Of Ethnicity On Opioid Consumption, Candice D. Donaldson, Brooke N. Jenkins, Michelle A. Fortier, Michael T. Phan, Daniel M. Tomaszewski, Sun Yang, Zeev N. Kain

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective

Within the context of the United States opioid epidemic, some parents often fear the use of opioids to help manage their children's postoperative pain. As a possible consequence, parents often do not dispense optimal analgesic medications to their children after surgery, putting their children at risk of suffering from postsurgical pain. The objective of this research was to assess ethnicity as a predictor of both pain and opioid consumption, and to examine how Hispanic/Latinx and Non-Hispanic White parents alter their child's opioid consumption in response to significant postsurgical pain.

Methods

Participants were 254 children undergoing outpatient tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy …

Post-Extubation Stridor Complicating Covid-19-Associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Case Series., Joseph Moran Do, Sara Godil Md, Breanna S. Goldner Do, Kareem Godil Md, Jonaid Aslam Md

Department of Medicine

Post-extubation stridor is a known complication of mechanical ventilation that affects a substantial number of all critical care patients and leads to increased morbidity and mortality. Common risk factors for the development of post-extubation stridor include female gender, older age, and prolonged length of mechanical ventilation. There may be an increased incidence of post-extubation stridor in patients who require mechanical ventilation to manage the respiratory complications of COVID-19. In this case series, we analyzed nine patients from across our institution who were intubated to manage acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) secondary to COVID-19 and subsequently developed post-extubation stridor. The patients …

Evaluation Of Sodium Valproate Low Dose Efficacy In Radicular Pain Management And It’S Relation With Pharmacokinetics Parameters, Mona Ghasemian, Mohammad Bagher Owlia, Mohammad Hossein Mosaddegh, Masoud Nakhaie Nejad, Seyed Mojtaba Sohrevardi

BioMedicine

Background: Radiculopathy due to lumbar or cervical disc disease is the most common chronic neuropathic pain in adults. The aim of present study was evaluation of low dose of sodium valproate on radicular pain and determining VPA pharmacokinetics.

Materials and Methods: In this double blind randomized placebo control clinical study, 80 patients with established lumbar or cervical radicular pain, have been randomly allocated into two study groups: 40 have received sodium valproate 200 mg/day and Celecoxib 100 mg/day and acetaminophen 500 mg PRN as rescue medication, and second group has received placebo, Celecoxib and acetaminophen. Quantitative assessment of pain was …

Role Of Extracellular Vesicles In Substance Abuse And Hiv-Related Neurological Pathologies, Katherine E. Odegaard, Subhash Chand, Sydney Wheeler, Sneham Tiwari, Adrian Flores, Jordan Hernandez, Mason Savine, Austin Gowen, Gurudutt Pendyala, Sowmya V. Yelamanchili

Journal Articles: Anesthesiology

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a broad, heterogeneous class of membranous lipid-bilayer vesicles that facilitate intercellular communication throughout the body. As important carriers of various types of cargo, including proteins, lipids, DNA fragments, and a variety of small noncoding RNAs, including miRNAs, mRNAs, and siRNAs, EVs may play an important role in the development of addiction and other neurological pathologies, particularly those related to HIV. In this review, we summarize the findings of EV studies in the context of methamphetamine (METH), cocaine, nicotine, opioid, and alcohol use disorders, highlighting important EV cargoes that may contribute to addiction. Additionally, as HIV and …

Endogenous Cyclin D1 Promotes The Rate Of Onset And Magnitude Of Mitogenic Signaling Via Akt1 Ser473 Phosphorylation., Ke Chen, Xuanmao Jiao, Agnese Di Rocco, Duanwen Shen, Shaohua Xu, Adam Ertel, Zuoren Yu, Gabriele Di Sante, Min Wang, Zhiping Li, Timothy G Pestell, Mathew C Casimiro, Emmanuel Skordalakes, Samuel Achilefu, Richard G Pestell

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Cyclin D1 encodes the regulatory subunit of a holoenzyme that phosphorylates RB and functions as a collaborative nuclear oncogene. The serine threonine kinase Akt plays a pivotal role in the control of cellular metabolism, survival, and mitogenic signaling. Herein, Akt1-mediated phosphorylation of downstream substrates in the mammary gland is reduced by cyclin D1 genetic deletion and is induced by mammary-gland-targeted cyclin D1 overexpression. Cyclin D1 is associated with Akt1 and augments the rate of onset and maximal cellular Akt1 activity induced by mitogens. Cyclin D1 is identified in a cytoplasmic-membrane-associated pool, and cytoplasmic-membrane-localized cyclin D1-but not nuclear-localized cyclin D1-recapitulates Akt1 …

Cells From Discarded Dressings Differentiate Chronic From Acute Wounds In Patients With Epidermolysis Bullosa, Ignacia Fuentes, Christina Guttmann-Gruber, Birgit Tockner, Anja Diem, Alfred Klausegger, Glenda Cofré-Araneda, Olga Figuera, Yessia Hidalgo, Pilar Morandé, Francis Palisson, Boris Rebolledo-Jaramillo, María Joao Yubero, Raymond J Cho, Heather I Rishel, M Peter Marinkovich, Joyce M C Teng, Timothy G. Webster, Marco Prisco, Luis H. Eraso, Josefina Piñon Hofbauer, Andrew P. South

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

Impaired wound healing complicates a wide range of diseases and represents a major cost to healthcare systems. Here we describe the use of discarded wound dressings as a novel, cost effective, accessible, and non-invasive method of isolating viable human cells present at the site of skin wounds. By analyzing 133 discarded wound dressings from 51 patients with the inherited skin-blistering disease epidermolysis bullosa (EB), we show that large numbers of cells, often in excess of 100 million per day, continually infiltrate wound dressings. We show, that the method is able to differentiate chronic from acute wounds, identifying significant increases in …

Structural Characterization Of A Clinically Described Heparin-Like Substance In Plasma Causing Bleeding, Yanlei Yu, Karen Bruzdoski, Vadim Kostousov, Lisa Hensch, Shiu-Ki Hui, Fakiha Siddiqui, Amber Farooqui, Ahmed Kouta, Fuming Zhang, Jawed Fareed, Jun Teruya, Robert J Linhardt

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Heparin-like substances (HLS) have been described in various clinical situations, including in settings of liver disease associated with infection, transplant, and metastasis. HLS are generally attributed to circulating glycosaminoglycans. Initial results for this patient showed coagulopathy due to liver disease without HLS. Two weeks after liver transplantation, a 10 year-old female with liver failure patient began to bleed from catheter insertion sites, mouth, and nares and HLS was suspected. The patient subsequently died and these clinical samples resulted in the isolation of a single heparan sulfate (HS) present at high concentrations in the plasma. Analysis of this HS showed it …

Access-Site Complications In Transfemoral Neuroendovascular Procedures: A Systematic Review Of Incidence Rates And Management Strategies, Mazen Oneissi, Ahmad Sweid, Md, Stavropoula Tjoumakaris, David Hasan, Michael R. Gooch, Md, Robert H. Rosenwasswer Md, Pascal Jabbour

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The femoral artery is the most common access route for cerebral angiography and neurointerventional procedures. Complications of the transfemoral approach include groin hemorrhages and hematomas, retroperitoneal hematomas, pseudoaneurysms, arteriovenous fistulas, peripheral artery occlusions, femoral nerve injuries, and access-site infections. Incidence rates vary among different randomized and nonrandomized trials, and the literature lacks a comprehensive review of this subject.

OBJECTIVE: To gather data from 16 randomized clinical trials (RCT) and 17 nonrandomized cohort studies regarding femoral access-site complications for a review paper. We also briefly discuss management strategies for these complications based on the most recent literature.

METHODS: A PubMed …

Esophageal, Gastric, And Duodenal Histologic Findings In Patients With Feeding Difficulties., Jensen Edwards, Craig A. Friesen, Amy Issa, Sarah T. Edwards

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Currently, there are inconsistencies in the recommendations of when to obtain an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) in children with feeding difficulties. The aim of our study was to identify EGD findings in patients presenting to a large, outpatient feeding program. Additionally, we investigated the presence of any relationship between abnormal pathology seen on biopsies (inflammation) and symptoms of feeding intolerance such as vomiting, gagging, retching, or abdominal pain. Retrospective analysis of electronic medical records (EMRs) was conducted for all new patients aged 0-17 years presenting to the Multidisciplinary Feeding Clinic. Three hundred and thirty patients (50.2%) had an EGD with complete biopsies. …

Hepatocellular Carcinoma-The Influence Of Immunoanatomy And The Role Of Immunotherapy, Keyur Patel, Ryan Lamm, Peter Altshuler, Hien Dang, Ashesh P. Shah, Md

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. Most patients are diagnosed with advanced disease, limiting their options for treatment. While current treatments are adequate for lower staged disease, available systemic treatments are limited, with marginal benefit at best. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, effective in treating liquid tumors such as B-cell lymphoma, presents a potentially promising treatment option for advanced HCC. However, new challenges specific to solid tumors, such as tumor immunoanatomy or the immune cell presence and position anatomically and the tumor microenvironment, need to be defined and overcome. Immunotherapy currently …

Regional Practice Lead Model, Beth Careyva M.D., Mary Stock Keister Md, Jennifer A. Ranton Md

Department of Family Medicine

No abstract provided.

Challenges In Teaching Palliative Care Module Virtually During Covid-19 Era, Shanaz Hussein Cassum, Khairunnisa Mansoor, Amina Hirji, Amber David, Amina Aijaz Khowaja

School of Nursing & Midwifery

With the COVID-19 pandemic hitting the global community, routine activities of universities, offices, and industries have been hindered. People are being forced to rethink the ways of working virtually from home for providing education, business, and health services in this social distancing during the COVID era. This sudden shift also posed challenges of online teaching in a private university, in urban Karachi, Pakistan. The Aga Khan University, School of Nursing and Midwifery recently conducted an online palliative care module using a virtual learning environment and Microsoft Teams for Trainee Nurse Interns. Although the first experience of online teaching and learning …

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Evaluation Of Cardiac Masses In Patients With Suspicion Of Cardiac Masses On Echo Or Computed Tomography, Fateh Ali Tipoo Sultan, Syed Waqar Ahmed

Section of Cardiology

Objectives: In recent years, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging has emerged as an important tool in the identification and characterization of cardiac masses. No imaging data on cardiac masses are available from Pakistan. We aimed to review the clinical presentation, CMR findings, and outcome of patients referred for CMR due to suspicion of cardiac masses on echocardiogram or computed tomography (CT).
Material and methods: We reviewed all the patients referred for CMR at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from January 2011 to March 2020, with the suspicion of cardiac mass on echocardiogram and/or CT. Only those with the confirmed diagnosis …

Social Inequality And Type 2 Diabetes Management Among Older Latinx Immigrants, Jasmin Tahmaseb-Mcconatha, Frauke Schnell

Psychology Faculty Publications

Being an immigrant in the contemporary U.S. is stressful. During the pandemic of 2020, these stressors are amplified for all populations. At the same time, Latinx immigrants are also disproportionately affected by the pandemic. They are more vulnerable, face greater economic challenges, and are more likely to die from the virus. In addition to these difficult realities, regardless of status, Latinx immigrants are often perceived as illegal and subjected to discriminatory treatment [1]. Type 2 diabetes is also an illness that disproportionately affects minorities and immigrant populations. In 2018, there were almost 60 million Latinos-18% of the U.S. population (more …

Comparison Of Trigger Point Injections Versus Traditional Therapies In The Management Of Post-Surgical Pain In Patients Who Had Anterior Cervical Surgery: A Retrospective Study, Vivien Pat, Ivy Benjenk, Everett Chu, Eric Heinz, Geoffrey Ho, Anita Vincent

Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine Faculty Posters and Presentations

Introduction: The opioid epidemic has launched the United States into a public health crisis, resulting in a greater emphasis on non-opioid multimodal pain control methods.

At our institution, postoperative posterior neck stiffness and myofascial pain is a common concern after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion or anterior cervical corpectomy with fusion surgery (hereinafter ACS), likely due to prolonged intraoperative positioning in neck extension. Studies have shown successful analgesic outcomes of trigger point injections with local anesthetic for generalized myofascial pain.^1-2 This retrospective pilot study aimed to evaluate whether trigger point injections with bupivacaine decreases postsurgical pain compared with …

Atypical Mycobacterium Marinum: A Case Of Fish Tank Granuloma, Emily Wooton, Christina E. Borchers, Samia Borchers, Nicholas Shamma, Bernard Rose, Max Rubin

Dermatology Faculty Publications

Our case involves a 76-year-old female who presented to her family physician with a presumed infection on her right dorsal hand and wrist, which she believed to be secondary to a possible stick pin or spider bite at a department store while rummaging through jeans.

Human Botfly Infestation: Furuncular Myiasis, Rachel Rhee, Christina E. Borchers, Samia Borchers, Gregory Maupin, Jeffery Weinstein

Dermatology Faculty Publications

Dermatobia hominis is one of many species of botflies whose larvae is parasitic to humans and is uniquely indigenous to Central and South America. The larvae of the human botfly gain nutrients to survive by feeding underneath mammal skin. As a consequence, within 24 hours, small 2- 3mm painful, erythematous, draining, and purulent papules with a classical air-pore develop as the initial cutaneous sign. At first, the lesions resemble that of an insect bite, but over time they enlarge to 10-35mm in diameter with a surrounding area of induration. The most common areas where the larvae are cutaneously deposited include …

Cutaneous Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Masquerading As Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum, Christina E. Borchers, Hershel Dobkin, Zachary Ingersoll, Marc Handler

Dermatology Faculty Publications

In the United States, 214,880 women are diagnosed with breast carcinomaeach year, with an overall 5-year survival of 90%. When cutaneousmetastases are present, the 5-year survival is 24%. Invasive ductalcarcinoma (IDC) comprises 80% of all breast cancers, with 30% of womenhaving metastatic disease upon initial diagnosis. Cutaneous metastases ofbreast carcinoma occurs at a rate of 24% per primary breast malignancywith 70% of breast carcinoma cutaneous metastases being IDC subtype.Our patient presented as clinically exhibiting features of pseudoxanthomaelasticum (PXE), a genetic disease affecting connective tissue inintertriginous areas, but upon pathologic examination revealed metastaticIDC. Review of the literature has not elicited other …

Atom Identifiers Generated By A Neighborhood-Specific Graph Coloring Method Enable Compound Harmonization Across Metabolic Databases, Huan Jin, Joshua M. Mitchell, Hunter N. B. Moseley

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Metabolic flux analysis requires both a reliable metabolic model and reliable metabolic profiles in characterizing metabolic reprogramming. Advances in analytic methodologies enable production of high-quality metabolomics datasets capturing isotopic flux. However, useful metabolic models can be difficult to derive due to the lack of relatively complete atom-resolved metabolic networks for a variety of organisms, including human. Here, we developed a neighborhood-specific graph coloring method that creates unique identifiers for each atom in a compound facilitating construction of an atom-resolved metabolic network. What is more, this method is guaranteed to generate the same identifier for symmetric atoms, enabling automatic identification of …

Increased Epicardial Adipose Tissue Is Associated With The Extent Of Aortic Dissection, Ahmet S. Yõlmaz

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Background: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is a biologically active organ that has endocrine and paracrine functions. Endothelial dysfunction, systemic, and local inflammatory response, due to bio-active molecules produced by EAT, may affect aortic dissection propagation and extent. We investigated the association between EAT thickness and the extent of aortic dissection.

Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 78 patients with aortic dissection diagnosed by thoracoabdominal Computerized Tomography (CT). EAT was measured from the thickest part of the perpendicular plane between the pericardium and free wall of the right ventricle using CT. Aortic dissection length was measured from the beginning to the end of …