Medical Specialties Commons^™

Climate Change Will Impact Childhood Cancer Risks, Care And Outcomes., Hannah M. Thompson, Perry Sheffield, Omar Shakeel, Nicole Wood, Mark D. Miller

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

No abstract provided.

Yap Overcomes Mechanical Barriers To Induce Mitotic Rounding And Adult Cardiomyocyte Division, Yuka Morikawa, Jong H Kim, Rich Gang Li, Lin Liu, Shijie Liu, Vaibhav Deshmukh, Matthew C Hill, James F Martin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Many specialized cells in adult organs acquire a state of cell cycle arrest and quiescence through unknown mechanisms. Our limited understanding of mammalian cell cycle arrest is derived primarily from cell culture models. Adult mammalian cardiomyocytes, a classic example of cell cycle arrested cells, exit the cell cycle postnatally and remain in an arrested state for the life of the organism. Cardiomyocytes can be induced to re-enter the cell cycle by YAP5SA, an active form of the Hippo signaling pathway effector YAP.

Methods: We performed clonal analyses to determine the cell cycle kinetics of YAP5SA cardiomyocytes. We also performed …

A Regularized Bayesian Dirichlet-Multinomial Regression Model For Integrating Single-Cell-Level Omics And Patient-Level Clinical Study Data, Yanghong Guo, Lei Yu, Lei Guo, Lin Xu, Qiwei Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The abundance of various cell types can vary significantly among patients with varying phenotypes and even those with the same phenotype. Recent scientific advancements provide mounting evidence that other clinical variables, such as age, gender, and lifestyle habits, can also influence the abundance of certain cell types. However, current methods for integrating single-cell-level omics data with clinical variables are inadequate. In this study, we propose a regularized Bayesian Dirichlet-multinomial regression framework to investigate the relationship between single-cell RNA sequencing data and patient-level clinical data. Additionally, the model employs a novel hierarchical tree structure to identify such relationships at different cell-type …

Causal Models And Prediction In Cell Line Perturbation Experiments, James P Long, Yumeng Yang, Shohei Shimizu, Thong Pham, Kim-Anh Do

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In cell line perturbation experiments, a collection of cells is perturbed with external agents and responses such as protein expression measured. Due to cost constraints, only a small fraction of all possible perturbations can be tested in vitro. This has led to the development of computational models that can predict cellular responses to perturbations in silico. A central challenge for these models is to predict the effect of new, previously untested perturbations that were not used in the training data. Here we propose causal structural equations for modeling how perturbations effect cells. From this model, we derive two estimators for …

Genetics And Biology Of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Haoqiang Ying, Alec C Kimmelman, Nabeel Bardeesy, Raghu Kalluri, Anirban Maitra, Ronald A Depinho

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) poses a grim prognosis for patients. Recent multidisciplinary research efforts have provided critical insights into its genetics and tumor biology, creating the foundation for rational development of targeted and immune therapies. Here, we review the PDAC genomic landscape and the role of specific oncogenic events in tumor initiation and progression, as well as their contributions to shaping its tumor biology. We further summarize and synthesize breakthroughs in single-cell and metabolic profiling technologies that have illuminated the complex cellular composition and heterotypic interactions of the PDAC tumor microenvironment, with an emphasis on metabolic cross-talk across cancer and …

Sstr2-Targeted Theranostics In Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Majid Momeny, Solmaz Aghaamiri, Servando Hernandez Vargas, Belkacem Acidi, Sukhen C Ghosh, Tyler M Bateman, Jack T Adams, Vahid Khalaj, Ahmed O Kaseb, Hop S Tran Cao, Ali Azhdarinia

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: While the clinical use of radiolabeled somatostatin analogs is well established in neuroendocrine tumors, there is growing interest in expanding their application to other somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2)-expressing cancers. This study investigates the potential utility of SSTR2-targeted theranostics in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: SSTR2 expression in HCC cell lines and clinical samples was evaluated using qRT-PCR, Western blot analysis, and a public dataset. 67Ga-DOTATATE uptake was measured, 177Lu-DOTATATE cytotoxicity was assessed, and 68Ga-DOTATATE tumor targeting was evaluated in HCC animal models and a patient via PET/CT imaging.

Results: SSTR2 expression was confirmed in HCC cell lines and clinical samples. …

Targeted Inhibition Of Aurora Kinase A Promotes Immune Checkpoint Inhibition Efficacy In Human Papillomavirus-Driven Cancers, Soma Ghosh, Madison P O'Hara, Pragya Sinha, Tuhina Mazumdar, Lacin Yapindi, Jagannadha K Sastry, Faye M Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV)-driven cancers include head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and cervical cancer and represent approximately 5% of all cancer cases worldwide. Standard-of-care chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are associated with adverse effects and limited responses in patients with HPV-driven cancers. The integration of targeted therapies with ICIs may improve outcomes. In a previous study, we demonstrated that Aurora kinase A (AURKA, Aurora A) inhibitors lead to apoptosis of human HPV-positive cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Here, we explored the potential of Aurora A inhibition to enhance response to ICIs in immune-competent …

Development Of Sacb-Based Counterselection For Efficient Allelic Exchange In Fusobacterium Nucleatum, Peng Zhou, Bibek G C, Bo Hu, Chenggang Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Fusobacterium nucleatum, prevalent in the oral cavity, is significantly linked to overall human health. Our molecular comprehension of its role in oral biofilm formation and its interactions with the host under various pathological circumstances has seen considerable advancements in recent years, primarily due to the development of various genetic tools for DNA manipulation in this bacterium. Of these, counterselection-based unmarked in-frame mutation methods have proved notably effective. Under suitable growth conditions, cells carrying a counterselectable gene die, enabling efficient selection of rare, defined allelic exchange mutants. The sacB gene from Bacillus subtilis, encoding levansucrase, is a widely used …

Modulation Of Stemness And Differentiation Regulators By Valproic Acid In Medulloblastoma Neurospheres, Natália Hogetop Freire, Alice Laschuk Herlinger, Julia Vanini, Matheus Dalmolin, Marcelo A C Fernandes, Carolina Nör, Vijay Ramaswamy, Caroline Brunetto De Farias, André Tesainer Brunetto, Algemir Lunardi Brunetto, Lauro José Gregianin, Mariane Da Cunha Jaeger, Michael D Taylor, Rafael Roesler

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Changes in epigenetic processes such as histone acetylation are proposed as key events influencing cancer cell function and the initiation and progression of pediatric brain tumors. Valproic acid (VPA) is an antiepileptic drug that acts partially by inhibiting histone deacetylases (HDACs) and could be repurposed as an epigenetic anticancer therapy. Here, we show that VPA reduced medulloblastoma (MB) cell viability and led to cell cycle arrest. These effects were accompanied by enhanced H3K9 histone acetylation (H3K9ac) and decreased expression of the MYC oncogene. VPA impaired the expansion of MB neurospheres enriched in stemness markers and reduced MYC while increasing TP53 …

Cell Cycle Progression Of Under-Replicated Cells, Min Huang, Chang Yang, Litong Nie, Huimin Zhang, Dandan Zhu, Chao Wang, Jeong-Min Park, Mrinal Srivastava, Elina Mosa, Siting Li, Mengfan Tang, Xu Feng, Sarah J Keast, Fabio Stossi, Junjie Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cell cycle checkpoints are the regulatory mechanisms that secure the strict order of cellular events for cell division that ensure genome integrity. It has been proposed that mitosis initiation depends on the completion of DNA replication, which must be tightly controlled to guarantee genome duplication. Contrary to these conventional hypotheses, we showed here that cells were able to enter mitosis without completion of DNA replication. Although DNA replication was not completed in cells upon depletion of MCM2, CDC45 or GINS4, these under-replicated cells progressed into mitosis, which led to cell death. These unexpected results challenge current model and suggest the …

Advancing De Novo Lipogenesis: Genetic And Metabolic Insights, Sean M Hartig, Mark A Herman

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

De novo lipogenesis (DNL) is the process whereby cells synthesize fatty acids from acetyl-CoA, contributing to steatosis in fatty liver disease. Two new studies, using genetic mouse models, metabolomics, and pharmacology, identified alternative pathways in DNL and unexpected physiological effects when targeting key enzymes in this pathway.

Microtubules Sequester Acetylated Yap In The Cytoplasm And Inhibit Heart Regeneration, Shijie Liu, Vaibhav Deshmukh, Fansen Meng, Yidan Wang, Yuka Morikawa, Jeffrey D Steimle, Rich Gang Li, Jun Wang, James F Martin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: The Hippo pathway effector YAP (Yes-associated protein) plays an essential role in cardiomyocyte proliferation and heart regeneration. In response to physiological changes, YAP moves in and out of the nucleus. The pathophysiological mechanisms regulating YAP subcellular localization after myocardial infarction remain poorly defined.

Methods: We identified YAP acetylation at site K265 by in vitro acetylation followed by mass spectrometry analysis. We used adeno-associated virus to express YAP-containing mutations that either abolished acetylation (YAP-K265R) or mimicked acetylation (YAP-K265Q) and studied how acetylation regulates YAP subcellular localization in mouse hearts. We generated a cell line with YAP-K265R mutation and investigated the …

Rpa And Rad27 Limit Templated And Inverted Insertions At Dna Breaks, Yang Yu, Xin Wang, Jordan Fox, Qian Li, Yang Yu, P J Hastings, Kaifu Chen, Grzegorz Ira

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Formation of templated insertions at DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is very common in cancer cells. The mechanisms and enzymes regulating these events are largely unknown. Here, we investigated templated insertions in yeast at DSBs using amplicon sequencing across a repaired locus. We document very short (most ∼5-34 bp), templated inverted duplications at DSBs. They are generated through a foldback mechanism that utilizes microhomologies adjacent to the DSB. Enzymatic requirements suggest a hybrid mechanism wherein one end requires Polδ-mediated synthesis while the other end is captured by nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) or by alternative end joining (Alt-EJ). This process is exacerbated …

Association Of Hospitals’ Organizational Characteristics And Market Factors Offering Integrative Medicine Services To Adult Cancer Patients, Sanober Ajani

All ETDs from UAB

Integrative medicine (IM) plays an important role in cancer symptom management by providing patients with a range of non-pharmacological options to help manage the physical and emotional symptoms associated with cancer and its treatment. More patients are seeking IM services due in part to a more holistic or patient-centered approach to cancer care, alleviating side effects from cancer treatments, improving quality of life, and enhancing cancer treatment effectiveness. Although the demand for IM services is increasing, there is a gap in our knowledge regarding which cancer hospitals are providing IM programs and what services are offered within these programs. Therefore, …

Elucidating The Impact Of Ribosome Biogenesis On Breast Cancer, Amr Rafat Elhamamsy

All ETDs from UAB

Ribosome biogenesis, a complex and multi-step process that occurs predominantly in the nucleolus, plays a critical role in cellular function by mediating protein synthesis through the assembly of ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) and ribosomal proteins into functional ribosomes. In cancer, dysregulation of this process is linked to the development of specialized ribosomes (onco-ribosomes) that support oncogenic translation programs, enhancing tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. This dissertation explores the interplay between ribosome biogenesis and cancer, focusing particularly on the role of RNA Polymerase I (RNA Pol I) activity under hypoxic conditions and rRNA modifications in breast cancer. My first study elucidates the …

Cansar 2024-An Update To The Public Drug Discovery Knowledgebase, Phillip W Gingrich, Rezvan Chitsazi, Ansuman Biswas, Chunjie Jiang, Li Zhao, Joseph E Tym, Kevin M Brammer, Jun Li, Zhigang Shu, David S Maxwell, Jeffrey A Tacy, Ioan L Mica, Michael Darkoh, Patrizio Di Micco, Kaitlyn P Russell, Paul Workman, Bissan Al-Lazikani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

canSAR (https://cansar.ai) continues to serve as the largest publicly available platform for cancer-focused drug discovery and translational research. It integrates multidisciplinary data from disparate and otherwise siloed public data sources as well as data curated uniquely for canSAR. In addition, canSAR deploys a suite of curation and standardization tools together with AI algorithms to generate new knowledge from these integrated data to inform hypothesis generation. Here we report the latest updates to canSAR. As well as increasing available data, we provide enhancements to our algorithms to improve the offering to the user. Notably, our enhancements include a revised ligandability classifier …

Urban Sensing In The Era Of Large Language Models, Ce Hou, Fan Zhang, Yong Li, Haifeng Li, Gengchen Mai, Yuhao Kang, Ling Yao, Wenhao Yu, Yao Yao, Song Gao, Min Chen, Yu Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Urban sensing has become increasingly important as cities evolve into the centers of human activities. Large language models (LLMs) offer new opportunities for urban sensing based on commonsense and worldview that emerged through their language-centric framework. This paper illustrates the transformative impact of LLMs, particularly in the potential of advancing next-generation urban sensing for exploring urban mechanisms. The discussion navigates through several key aspects, including enhancing knowledge transfer between humans and LLM, urban mechanisms awareness, and achieve automated decision-making with LLM agents. We emphasize the potential of LLMs to revolutionize urban sensing, offering a more comprehensive, efficient, and in-depth understanding …

Dimensionality Reduction For Visualizing Spatially Resolved Profiling Data Using Spasne, Yuansheng Zhou, Chen Tang, Xue Xiao, Xiaowei Zhan, Tao Wang, Guanghua Xiao, Lin Xu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Spatially resolved profiling technologies to quantify transcriptomes, epigenomes, and proteomes have been emerging as groundbreaking methods for comprehensive molecular characterizations. Dimensionality reduction and visualization is an essential step to analyze and interpret spatially resolved profiling data. However, state-of-the-art dimensionality reduction methods for single-cell sequencing data, such as the t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) and uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP), were not tailored for spatially resolved profiling data.

Results: Here we developed a spatially resolved t-SNE (SpaSNE) method to integrate both spatial and molecular information. We applied it to a variety of public spatially resolved profiling datasets that were …

Intrinsic Adaptive Plasticity In Mouse And Human Sensory Neurons, Lisa A Mcilvried, John Smith Del Rosario, Melanie Y Pullen, Andi Wangzhou, Tayler D Sheahan, Andrew J Shepherd, Richard A Slivicki, John A Lemen, Theodore J Price, Bryan A Copits, Robert W Gereau

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In response to changes in activity induced by environmental cues, neurons in the central nervous system undergo homeostatic plasticity to sustain overall network function during abrupt changes in synaptic strengths. Homeostatic plasticity involves changes in synaptic scaling and regulation of intrinsic excitability. Increases in spontaneous firing and excitability of sensory neurons are evident in some forms of chronic pain in animal models and human patients. However, whether mechanisms of homeostatic plasticity are engaged in sensory neurons of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) is unknown. Here, we show that sustained depolarization (induced by 24-h incubation in 30 mM KCl) induces compensatory …

The Association Of The Chemotherapy Response Score And Homologous Recombination Deficiency In Patients Undergoing Interval Tumor Reductive Surgery Following Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy, Roni Nitecki Wilke, Jinsong Liu, Shannon Neville Westin, Bryan M Fellman, Travis T Sims, Melissa Pham, Kelly Rangel, Esther Sey, Jose Alejandro Rauh-Hain, Karen H Lu, Anil K Sood, Nicole D Fleming

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objectives: In patients undergoing interval tumor reductive surgery, a good response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy may limit available tumor for homologous recombination deficiency testing. The objective of this study was to assess whether the chemotherapy response score predicts homologous recombination status.

Methods: We identified patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (diagnosed January 2019 to 20 June 2023) who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, underwent interval surgery, and for whom a chemotherapy response score was reported (1=no or minimal tumor response, 2=appreciable tumor response, 3=complete or near complete response with no residual tumor). Comparisons were made using ANOVAs or Kruskal-Wallis test for continuous variables …

Myo5b And The Polygenic Landscape Of Very Early-Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease In An Ethnically Diverse Population, Ashleigh Watson, R Alan Harris, Amy C Engevik, Numan Oezguen, Maribeth R Nicholson, Sarah Dooley, Rachel Stubler, Lisa Forbes Satter, Lina B Karam, Richard Kellermayer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Genetic discovery in very early-onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEO-IBD) can elucidate not only the origins of VEO-IBD, but also later-onset inflammatory bowel disease. We aimed to investigate the polygenic origins of VEO-IBD in a cohort with a high proportion of Hispanic patients.

Methods: Patients with VEO-IBD who underwent whole exome sequencing at our center were included. Genes were categorized as genes of interest (GOIs) (129 genes previously described to be associated with VEO-IBD) or non-GOIs. VEO-IBD "susceptibility" single nucleotide variants (SNVs) were identified through enrichment compared with gnomAD (Genome Aggregation Database) and ALFA (Allele Frequency Aggregator) and were scored …

Plural Molecular And Cellular Mechanisms Of Pore Domain, Timothy J Abreo, Emma C Thompson, Anuraag Madabushi, Kristen L Park, Heun Soh, Nissi Varghese, Carlos G Vanoye, Kristen Springer, Jim Johnson, Scotty Sims, Zhigang Ji, Ana G Chavez, Miranda J Jankovic, Bereket Habte, Aamir R Zuberi, Cathleen M Lutz, Zhao Wang, Vaishnav Krishnan, Lisa Dudler, Stephanie Einsele-Scholz, Jeffrey L Noebels, Alfred L George, Atul Maheshwari, Anastasios Tzingounis, Edward C Cooper

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

KCNQ2 variants in children with neurodevelopmental impairment are difficult to assess due to their heterogeneity and unclear pathogenic mechanisms. We describe a child with neonatal-onset epilepsy, developmental impairment of intermediate severity, and KCNQ2 G256W heterozygosity. Analyzing prior KCNQ2 channel cryoelectron microscopy models revealed G256 as a node of an arch-shaped non-covalent bond network linking S5, the pore turret, and the ion path. Co-expression with G256W dominantly suppressed conduction by wild-type subunits in heterologous cells. Ezogabine partly reversed this suppression. Kcnq2G256W/+ mice have epilepsy leading to premature deaths. Hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells from G256W/+ brain slices showed hyperexcitability. G256W/+ pyramidal …

Mechanisms Underlying Dilated Cardiomyopathy Associated With Fkbp12 Deficiency, Amy D Hanna, Ting Chang, Kevin S Ho, Rachel Sue Zhen Yee, William Cameron Walker, Nadia Agha, Chih-Wei Hsu, Sung Yun Jung, Mary E Dickinson, Md Abul Hassan Samee, Christopher S Ward, Chang Seok Lee, George G Rodney, Susan L Hamilton

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a highly prevalent and genetically heterogeneous condition that results in decreased contractility and impaired cardiac function. The FK506-binding protein FKBP12 has been implicated in regulating the ryanodine receptor in skeletal muscle, but its role in cardiac muscle remains unclear. To define the effect of FKBP12 in cardiac function, we generated conditional mouse models of FKBP12 deficiency. We used Cre recombinase driven by either the α-myosin heavy chain, (αMHC) or muscle creatine kinase (MCK) promoter, which are expressed at embryonic day 9 (E9) and E13, respectively. Both conditional models showed an almost total loss of FKBP12 in …

Fluorescence Lifetime Sorting Reveals Tunable Enzyme Interactions Within Cytoplasmic Condensates, Leyla E Fahim, Joshua M Marcus, Noah D Powell, Zachary A Ralston, Katherine Walgamotte, Eleonora Perego, Giuseppe Vicidomini, Alessandro Rossetta, Jason E Lee

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Ribonucleoprotein (RNP) condensates partition RNA and protein into multiple liquid phases. The multiphasic feature of condensate-enriched components creates experimental challenges for distinguishing membraneless condensate functions from the surrounding dilute phase. We combined fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) with phasor plot filtering and segmentation to resolve condensates from the dilute phase. Condensate-specific lifetimes were used to track protein-protein interactions by measuring FLIM-Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). We used condensate FLIM-FRET to evaluate whether mRNA decapping complex subunits can form decapping-competent interactions within P-bodies. Condensate FLIM-FRET revealed the presence of core subunit interactions within P-bodies under basal conditions and the disruption of …

Recurrent And Metastatic Head And Neck Cancer: Mechanisms Of Treatment Failure, Treatment Paradigms, And New Horizons, William T. Barham, Marshall Patrick Stagg, Rula Mualla, Michael Dileo, Sagar Kansara

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Head and neck cancer is a deadly disease with over 500,000 cases annually worldwide. Metastatic head and neck cancer accounts for a large proportion of the mortality associated with this disease. Many advances have been made in our understanding of the mechanisms of metastasis. The application of immunotherapy to locally recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer has not only improved oncologic outcomes but has also provided valuable insights into the mechanisms of immune evasion and ultimately treatment failure. Objectives: This review paper will review our current understanding of biological mechanisms of treatment failure and metastasis. Published and ongoing …

Can Clinical Findings At Admission Allow Withholding Of Antibiotics In Patients Hospitalized For Community Acquired Pneumonia When A Test For A Respiratory Virus Is Positive?, Ryan Ward, Alejandro J Gonzalez, Justin A Kahla, Daniel M Musher

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend empiric antibiotic therapy for patients who require hospitalization for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We sought to determine whether clinical, imaging or laboratory features in patients hospitalized for CAP in whom PCR is positive for a respiratory virus enable exclusion of bacterial coinfection so that antibiotics can be withheld.

METHODS: For this prospective study, we selected patients in whom an etiologic diagnosis was likely to be reached, namely those who provided a high-quality sputum sample at or shortly after admission, and in whom PCR was done to test for a respiratory virus. We performed quantitative bacteriologic studies on …

Severe Hypercalcemia Following Hip Joint Implantation Of Calcium Sulfate Antibiotic Beads: Case Series And Review Of Literature., Andrew P. Demidowich, Mahsa Motevalli, Kevin Yi, Atena Kamali, Kristine Batty, Kendall F. Moseley, Robert Raymond Buber, Mehdi Hashemipour`, Mihail Zilbermint

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Purpose: The diagnosis and management of hypercalcemia in hospitalized patients can be challenging. Hypercalcemia is often associated with significant morbidity and end-organ damage which may delay a patient’s recovery.

Methods: We report a case series of three patients who underwent orthopedic procedures with intraoperative placement of vancomycin-loaded calcium sulfate beads. Patients had no known history of malignancy or excess intake of calcium, vitamin A or vitamin D. Laboratory workup showed low parathyroid (PTH) levels and normal PTH-related peptide levels. The temporal nature of the non-PTH mediated hypercalcemia in relation to implantation of the antibiotic beads suggests causality of exogenous calcium …

Proteus Mirabilis: An Unlikely Device-Related Infection, Mark A. Colantonio, Michelle Hartzell D.O, Brooke Shannon D.O.

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Implantable cardiac devices, including cardiac pacemakers, are not without risk for infection, carrying a mortality and morbidity of around 5-15%. Gram positive organisms are most common in 91% of cases, whereas gram negative organisms are less common, found in 2% of cases secondary to gram negative organisms other than Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Here, we present a rare case of the gram-negative organism Proteus mirabilis leading to a pacemaker site infection.

Predictive Value Of Fdg Uptake On Pet For Future Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Mediated Colitis: A Case Series, Malek Shatila, Kei Takigawa, Yang Lu, Andres Caleb Urias Rivera, Nitish Mittal, Abdullah Sagar Aleem, Sean Ngo, Eric Lu, Deanna Wu, Gabriel Sperling, Sidra Naz, Bryan Schneider, Anusha Shirwaikar Thomas, Yinghong Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objectives: Immune-mediated colitis (IMC) is a common immune-related adverse event during immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. This case series and review aimed to highlight atypical cases of IMC and explore the potential of PET/CT to predict imminent ICI colitis.

Methods: Through a descriptive, retrospective study at a tertiary cancer center, we identified adult patients receiving ICIs for any cancer between 2010 and 2022 who also underwent PET/CT for routine cancer surveillance during this time. We included patients who had signs and symptoms of colitis and reviewed their surveillance PET/CT scans obtained 2 to 6 weeks before and up to 3 …

Couple-Based Lifestyle Intervention For Minority Prostate Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Feasibility Trial, Dalnim Cho, Yisheng Li, Karen Basen-Engquist, Chiara Acquati, Nga T T Nguyen, Hilary Ma, Curtis A Pettaway, Lorna H Mcneill

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Black and Hispanic prostate cancer (PCa) survivors, who face a high burden of comorbid conditions and often engage in low levels of physical activity and healthy eating, remain significantly underrepresented in lifestyle intervention studies.

Purpose: Given the significance of spousal influence, we developed a culturally tailored lifestyle intervention for these survivors and their spouses and assessed its feasibility, acceptability, and impact on behavioral change.

Methods: Survivor-spouse couples were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 22), which received 12 health-coaching calls over 6 months, or a usual-care control group (n = 9). Assessments were conducted at baseline (T1), …