Medical Specialties Commons^™

Clofarabine Monotherapy In Aggressive, Relapsed And Refractory Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis, Deevyashali Parekh, Howard Lin, Akanksha Batajoo, Erin Peckham-Gregory, Vivekanudeep Karri, Whitney Stanton, Brooks Scull, Ryan Fleishmann, Nader El-Mallawany, Olive S Eckstein, Zachary D Prudowsky, Nitya Gulati, Jennifer E Agrusa, Asra Z Ahmed, Roland Chu, Matthew S Dietz, Stanton C Goldman, Michael D Hogarty, Hamayun Imran, Stefanos Intzes, Jenny M Kim, Lisa M Kopp, Carolyn Fein Levy, Philip Neff, Pallavi M Pillai, Bryan A Sisk, Deborah E Schiff, Angela D Trobaugh-Lotrario, Kelly Walkovich, Kenneth L Mcclain, Carl E Allen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Over 50% of patients with systemic LCH are not cured with front-line therapies and data to guide salvage options are limited. We describe 58 patients with LCH who were treated with clofarabine. Clofarabine monotherapy was active against LCH in this cohort including heavily pretreated patients with systemic objective response rate of 92.6%, higher in children (93.8%) than adults (83.3%). BRAFV600E+ variant allele frequency in peripheral blood correlated with positive clinical responses. Prospective multi-center trials are warranted to determine optimal dosing, long-term efficacy, late toxicities, relative cost and patient reported outcomes of clofarabine compared to alternative LCH salvage therapy strategies.

Clinical, Radiological And Molecular Responses To Combination Chemotherapy With Mapk Pathway Inhibition In Relapsed And Refractory Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis, Vivekanudeep Karri, Howard Lin, Jessica Velazquez, Akanksha Batajoo, Deevyashali Parekh, Whitney Stanton, Harshal Abhyankar, Nader K El-Mallawany, Jennifer Agrusa, Olive Eckstein, Nitya Gulati, Jeffrey Schwartz, Wendy Woods-Swafford, Jaime Boyd, Anikit Saha, Carl E Allen, Kenneth L Mcclain

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Optimal therapeutic approaches for advanced Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) are not known. We assessed the safety and efficacy of combined chemotherapy with MAPK pathway inhibition in 10 patients with refractory systemic disease and/or LCH-associated neurodegeneration. Overall response rate was 9/10 (90%) for the entire cohort: 5/5 (100%) for patients with systemic disease and 6/7 (86%) for patients with central nervous system disease. BRAFV600E+ peripheral blood fraction decreased in 5/6 (83%). Toxicities included fever, skin rash, myalgias, neuropathy, cytopenias and hypocalcaemia. Prospective trials are required to optimize combination strategies, determine potential to achieve cure and compare outcomes to chemotherapy or MAPK …

Association Of Minor Electrocardiographic (Ecg) Abnormalities With Epilepsy Duration In Children: A Manifestation Of The Epileptic Heart?, Brittnie Bartlett-Lee, Leslie Dervan, Christina Miyake, R Scott Watson, See Wai Chan, Anne E Anderson, Yi-Chen Lai

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: Cardiac abnormalities resulting from chronic epilepsy ("the epileptic heart") constitute a well-recognized comorbidity. However, the association of cardiac alterations with epilepsy duration remains understudied. We sought to evaluate this association using electrocardiogram (ECG).

Methods: We prospectively enrolled children between 1 months and 18 years of age without known cardiac conditions or ion channelopathies during routine clinic visits. ECGs were categorized as abnormal if there were alterations in rhythm; PR, QRS, or corrected QT interval; QRS axis or morphology; ST segment or T wave. An independent association between ECG abnormalities and epilepsy duration was evaluated using multivariable logistic regression modeling. …

Exposure To 4,4′-Dde In Visceral Adipose Tissue And Weight Loss In Adolescents From The Teen-Labs Cohort, Bruna Rubbo, Zhenjiang Li, Phum Tachachartvanich, Brittney O Baumert, Hongxu Wang, Shudi Pan, Sarah Rock, Justin R Ryder, Todd Jenkins, Stephanie Sisley, Xiangping Lin, Scott Bartell, Thomas H Inge, Stavra Xanthakos, Brooklynn Mcneil, Anna R Robuck, Michele A La Merrill, Douglas I Walker, David V Conti, Rob Mcconnell, Sandrah P Eckel, Lida Chatzi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), an obesogen accumulating in adipose tissue, is released into circulation with weight loss, although its impact is underexplored among adolescents. We tested the association using an integrative translational approach of epidemiological analysis among adolescents with obesity and in vitro measures exploring the impact of DDE on adipogenesis via preadipocytes.

Methods: We included 63 participants from the Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) cohort. We assessed 4,4'-DDE in visceral adipose tissue at surgery and BMI and waist circumference at surgery and 0.5, 1, 3, and 5 years after. We conducted longitudinal analysis to estimate the interaction on weight …

Association Of Cardiovascular Health With Subclinical Coronary Atherosclerosis Progression Among Five Racial And Ethnic Groups: The Masala And Mesa Studies, Vardhmaan Jain, Mahmoud Al Rifai, Alka M Kanaya, Nilay S Shah, Sameera A Talegawkar, Salim S Virani, Erin D Michos, Roger S Blumenthal, Jaideep Patel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background and aims: South Asian adults (SA) are at higher risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) compared with other racial/ethnic groups. Life's Simple 7 (LS7) is a guideline-recommended, cardiovascular health (CVH) construct to guide optimization of cardiovascular risk factors. We sought to assess if the LS7 metrics predict coronary artery calcium (CAC) incidence and progression in asymptomatic SA compared with four other racial/ethnic groups.

Methods: We assessed the distribution of CVH metrics (inadequate: score 0-8, average: 9-10, optimal: 11-14, and per 1-unit higher score) and its association with incidence and progression of CAC among South Asians in the Mediators of …

Natural History Of Cancer-Associated Splanchnic Vein Thrombosis, Hanqing Shang, Jun Y Jiang, Danielle Guffey, Francisco Novoa, Raka Bandyo, Shengling Ma, Ang Li

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: There is uncertainty in the management of cancer-associated isolated splanchnic vein thrombosis (SpVT).

Objectives: To describe the natural history of SpVT by cancer type and thrombus composition and to review anticoagulation (AC) practices and associated rates of usual-site venous thromboembolism (VTE), major and clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding (MB/CRNMB), recanalization/progression, and mortality.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study in patients with SpVT at 2 cancer care centers in Houston, Texas. We estimated the incidence of usual-site VTE and MB/CRNMB at 6 months using competing risk methods and examined venous patency in a subset of patients with repeat imaging. We …

Proteomic Biomarkers Of Quantitative Interstitial Abnormalities In Copdgene And Cardia Lung Study, Bina Choi, Gabrielle Y Liu, Quanhu Sheng, Kaushik Amancherla, Andrew Perry, Xiaoning Huang, Ruben San José Estépar, Samuel Y Ash, Weihua Guan, David R Jacobs, Fernando J Martinez, Ivan O Rosas, Russell P Bowler, Jonathan A Kropski, Nicholas E Banovich, Sadiya S Khan, Raúl San José Estépar, Ravi Shah, Bharat Thyagarajan, Ravi Kalhan, George R Washko

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Rationale: Quantitative interstitial abnormalities (QIAs) are early measures of lung injury automatically detected on chest computed tomography scans. QIAs are associated with impaired respiratory health and share features with advanced lung diseases, but their biological underpinnings are not well understood. Objectives: To identify novel protein biomarkers of QIAs using high-throughput plasma proteomic panels within two multicenter cohorts.

Methods: We measured the plasma proteomics of 4,383 participants in an older, ever-smoker cohort (COPDGene [Genetic Epidemiology of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease]) and 2,925 participants in a younger population cohort (CARDIA [Coronary Artery Disease Risk in Young Adults]) using the SomaLogic SomaScan assays. …

Angiogenic Gene Therapy For Refractory Angina: Results Of The Exact Phase 2 Trial, Kenta Nakamura, Timothy D Henry, Jay H Traverse, David A Latter, Nahush A Mokadam, Geoffrey A Answini, Adam R Williams, Benjamin C Sun, Christopher R Burke, Faisal G Bakaeen, Marcelo F Dicarli, Bernard R Chaitman, Mark W Peterson, Dawn G Byrnes, E Magnus Ohman, Carl J Pepine, Ronald G Crystal, Todd K Rosengart, Elaine Kowalewski, Gary G Koch, Howard C Dittrich, Thomas J Povsic, Exact Trial Investigators

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: XC001 is a novel adenoviral-5 vector designed to express multiple isoforms of VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) and more safely and potently induce angiogenesis. The EXACT trial (Epicardial Delivery of XC001 Gene Therapy for Refractory Angina Coronary Treatment) assessed the safety and preliminary efficacy of XC001 in patients with no option refractory angina.

Methods: In this single-arm, multicenter, open-label trial, 32 patients with no option refractory angina received a single treatment of XC001 (1×1011 viral particles) via transepicardial delivery.

Results: There were no severe adverse events attributed to the study drug. Twenty expected severe adverse events in 13 patients …

Examining The Relationship Between Anxiety Severity And Autism-Related Challenges During Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Children With Autism, Madeleine N Fuselier, Andrew G Guzick, Jafar Bakhshaie, Jeffrey J Wood, Philip C Kendall, Connor M Kerns, Brent J Small, Wayne K Goodman, Eric A Storch

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE: Using data from a randomized clinical trial evaluating cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for children with autism and co-occurring anxiety, this study examined the relationship between autism features and anxiety symptoms throughout CBT.

METHODS: Two multilevel mediation analyses were run which examined the mediating role of changes in anxiety for changes in two core features of autism, (a) repetitive and restrictive behaviors (RRBs) and (b) social communication/interaction impairments, between pre- and post-treatment.

RESULTS: Indirect effects between time and autism characteristics were significant for both models, indicating that as anxiety changes, so do RRBs and social communication/interaction as the outcomes respectively. …

Impact Of Obesity And Age On Mouse Corneal Innervation At The Epithelial-Stromal Interface, Justin A Courson, Rolando E Rumbaut, Alan R Burns

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE: The corneal epithelium is the most highly innervated structure in the body. Previously, we reported a novel event whereby stromal axons fuse with basal epithelial cells, limiting nerve penetration into the epithelium. Although corneal-epithelial nerves undergo changes in sensitivity and distribution throughout life and in response to an obesogenic diet, it is unknown if neuronal-epithelial cell fusion is altered. Here, we sought to determine if neuronal-epithelial cell fusion frequency correlates with obesogenic diet consumption and age.

METHODS: Corneas were collected from C57BL/6 mice and evaluated for neuronal-epithelial cell fusion frequency using serial block-face scanning electron microscopy. To assess the …

Family Accommodation In Children And Adolescents With Misophonia, Eric A Storch, Andrew G Guzick, Johann D'Souza, Jane Clinger, Daphne Ayton, Minjee Kook, Conor Rork, Eleanor E Smith, Isabel A Draper, Nasim Khalfe, Catherine E Rast, Nicholas Murphy, Marijn Lijfijjt, Wayne K Goodman, Matti Cervin

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Family accommodation (e.g., reassurance, modifying routines, assisting avoidance) has not been explored among youth with misophonia but may have important clinical and intervention implications. We examined family accommodation in 102 children and adolescents with interview-confirmed misophonia and compared its frequency and content to family accommodation in 95 children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. Findings showed that family accommodation was ubiquitous in pediatric misophonia and may be even more frequent than in youth with anxiety disorders. Assisting the child, participating in misophonia-related behaviors, and modifying family routines were endorsed by more than 70% of parents of children with misophonia. Further, compared …

Parent-Led Cognitive Behavioral Teletherapy For Anxiety In Autistic Youth: A Randomized Trial Comparing Two Levels Of Therapist Support, Andrew G Guzick, Sophie C Schneider, Minjee Kook, Julia Rose Iacono, Saira A Weinzimmer, Troy Quast, Sean M Olsen, Killian Rainey Hughes, Emily Jellinek-Russo, Amanda Perozo Garcia, Abigail Candelari, Leandra N Berry, Robin P Goin-Kochel, Wayne K Goodman, Eric A Storch

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Parent-led cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an efficient, promising form of therapy that may be well suited for autistic youth with anxiety disorders, though to date it has been minimally tested. In this study, 87 autistic youth (7 to 13 years old) with anxiety disorders and their parents were randomized to two forms of parent-led CBT in which parents led their child through a guided CBT workbook across 12 weeks: one with low therapist contact (four 30-minute telehealth calls), and one with standard therapist contact (ten 60-minute telehealth calls). Anxiety, functional impairment, and autism features significantly declined across therapy, without …

Clinical Outcomes After Acute Coronary Syndromes Or Revascularization Among People Living With Hiv: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Mohammed Haji, Michael Capilupi, Michael Kwok, Nouran Ibrahim, Gerald S Bloomfield, Christopher T Longenecker, Maria C Rodriguez-Barradas, Chester N Ashong, Eric Jutkowitz, Tracey H Taveira, Michelle Richard, Jennifer L Sullivan, James L Rudolph, Wen-Chih Wu, Sebhat Erqou

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: Clinical outcomes after acute coronary syndromes (ACS) or percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) in people living with HIV have not been characterized in sufficient detail, and extant data have not been synthesized adequately.

OBJECTIVE: To better characterize clinical outcomes and postdischarge treatment of patients living with HIV after ACS or PCIs compared with patients in an HIV-negative control group.

DATA SOURCES: Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for all available longitudinal studies of patients living with HIV after ACS or PCIs from inception until August 2023.

STUDY SELECTION: Included studies met the following criteria: patients living with …

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Prevalence Is High In Children With Gastroparesis And Functional Dyspepsia, Isha Kaul, Helen Burton-Murray, Salma Musaad, Yiming Mirabile, Danita Czyzewski, Miranda A L Van Tilburg, Andrew C Sher, Bruno P Chumpitazi, Robert J Shulman

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

BACKGROUND: Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) prevalence in children with gastroparesis (Gp) and/or functional dyspepsia (FD) is unknown. We aimed to identify ARFID prevalence and trajectory over 2 months in children with Gp, FD, and healthy children (HC) using two screening questionnaires. We also explored the frequency of a positive ARFID screen between those with/without delayed gastric emptying or abnormal fundic accommodation.

METHODS: In this prospective longitudinal study conducted at an urban tertiary care hospital, patients ages 10-17 years with Gp or FD and age- and gender-matched HC completed two validated ARFID screening tools at baseline and 2-month follow-up: the …

Genome-Wide Analysis In Over 1 Million Individuals Of European Ancestry Yields Improved Polygenic Risk Scores For Blood Pressure Traits, Jacob M Keaton, Zoha Kamali, Tian Xie, Ahmad Vaez, Ariel Williams, Slavina B Goleva, Alireza Ani, Evangelos Evangelou, Jacklyn N Hellwege, Loic Yengo, William J Young, Matthew Traylor, Ayush Giri, Zhili Zheng, Jian Zeng, Daniel I Chasman, Andrew P Morris, Mark J Caulfield, Shih-Jen Hwang, Jaspal S Kooner, David Conen, John R Attia, Alanna C Morrison, Ruth J F Loos, Kati Kristiansson, Reinhold Schmidt, Andrew A Hicks, Peter P Pramstaller, Christopher P Nelson, Nilesh J Samani, Lorenz Risch, Ulf Gyllensten, Olle Melander, Harriette Riese, James F Wilson, Harry Campbell, Stephen S Rich, Bruce M Psaty, Yingchang Lu, Jerome I Rotter, Xiuqing Guo, Kenneth M Rice, Peter Vollenweider, Johan Sundström, Claudia Langenberg, Martin D Tobin, Vilmantas Giedraitis, Jian'an Luan, Jaakko Tuomilehto, Zoltan Kutalik, Samuli Ripatti, Veikko Salomaa, Giorgia Girotto, Stella Trompet, J Wouter Jukema, Pim Van Der Harst, Paul M Ridker, Franco Giulianini, Veronique Vitart, Anuj Goel, Hugh Watkins, Sarah E Harris, Ian J Deary, Peter J Van Der Most, Albertine J Oldehinkel, Bernard D Keavney, Caroline Hayward, Archie Campbell, Michael Boehnke, Laura J Scott, Thibaud Boutin, Chrysovalanto Mamasoula, Marjo-Riitta Järvelin, Annette Peters, Christian Gieger, Edward G Lakatta, Francesco Cucca, Jennie Hui, Paul Knekt, Stefan Enroth, Martin H De Borst, Ozren Polašek, Maria Pina Concas, Eulalia Catamo, Massimiliano Cocca, Ruifang Li-Gao, Edith Hofer, Helena Schmidt, Beatrice Spedicati, Melanie Waldenberger, David P Strachan, Maris Laan, Alexander Teumer, Marcus Dörr, Vilmundur Gudnason, James P Cook, Daniela Ruggiero, Ivana Kolcic, Eric Boerwinkle, Michela Traglia, Terho Lehtimäki, Olli T Raitakari, Andrew D Johnson, Christopher Newton-Cheh, Morris J Brown, Anna F Dominiczak, Peter J Sever, Neil Poulter, John C Chambers, Roberto Elosua, David Siscovick, Tõnu Esko, Andres Metspalu, Rona J Strawbridge, Markku Laakso, Anders Hamsten, Jouke-Jan Hottenga, Eco De Geus, Andrew D Morris, Colin N A Palmer, Ilja M Nolte, Yuri Milaneschi, Jonathan Marten, Alan Wright, Eleftheria Zeggini, Joanna M M Howson, Christopher J O'Donnell, Tim Spector, Mike A Nalls, Eleanor M Simonsick, Yongmei Liu, Cornelia M Van Duijn, Adam S Butterworth, John N Danesh, Cristina Menni, Nicholas J Wareham, Kay-Tee Khaw, Yan V Sun, Peter W F Wilson, Kelly Cho, Peter M Visscher, Joshua C Denny, Million Veteran Program, Lifelines Cohort Study, Charge Consortium, Icbp Consortium, Daniel Levy, Todd L Edwards, Patricia B Munroe, Harold Snieder, Helen R Warren

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Hypertension affects more than one billion people worldwide. Here we identify 113 novel loci, reporting a total of 2,103 independent genetic signals (P < 5 × 10-8) from the largest single-stage blood pressure (BP) genome-wide association study to date (n = 1,028,980 European individuals). These associations explain more than 60% of single nucleotide polymorphism-based BP heritability. Comparing top versus bottom deciles of polygenic risk scores (PRSs) reveals clinically meaningful differences in BP (16.9 mmHg systolic BP, 95% CI, 15.5-18.2 mmHg, P = 2.22 × 10-126) and more than a sevenfold higher odds of hypertension risk (odds ratio, 7.33; 95% CI, 5.54-9.70; P = 4.13 × 10-44) in an independent dataset. Adding PRS into hypertension-prediction models increased the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) from 0.791 (95% CI, 0.781-0.801) to 0.826 (95% CI, 0.817-0.836, ∆AUROC, 0.035, P = 1.98 × 10-34). We compare the 2,103 loci results in non-European ancestries and show significant PRS associations in a large African-American sample. Secondary analyses implicate 500 genes previously unreported for BP. Our study highlights the role of increasingly large genomic studies for precision health research.

Tenapanor As Therapy For Hyperphosphatemia In Maintenance Dialysis Patients: Results From The Optimize Study, Stuart M Sprague, Daniel E Weiner, David P Tietjen, Pablo E Pergola, Steven Fishbane, Geoffrey A Block, Arnold L Silva, Stephen Z Fadem, Robert I Lynn, George Fadda, Lynae Pagliaro, Suling Zhao, Susan Edelstein, David M Spiegel, David P Rosenbaum

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

KEY POINTS: Tenapanor, a first-in-class local inhibitor of sodium/hydrogen exchanger isoform 3, acts as a phosphate absorption inhibitor by decreasing paracellular phosphate absorption. Tenapanor alone or with phosphate binders achieved

BACKGROUND: OPTIMIZE was a randomized, open-label study evaluating different tenapanor initiation methods. OPTIMIZE evaluated tenapanor alone and in combination with phosphate binders (PBs) to achieve target serum phosphate (P) ≤5.5 mg/dl.

METHODS: Patients with inadequately controlled P receiving maintenance dialysis from 42 US locations who were taking PBs with baseline

RESULTS: By part A end point, 34.4% (

CONCLUSIONS: Tenapanor as monotherapy or in combination with PBs effectively lowered P …

Age-Related Differences In The Mouse Corneal Epithelial Transcriptome And Their Impact On Corneal Wound Healing, Anmar Abu-Romman, Kaitlin K Scholand, Gowthaman Govindarajan, Zhiyuan Yu, Sonali Pal-Ghosh, Mary A Stepp, Cintia S De Paiva

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE: Aging is a risk factor for dry eye. We sought to identify changes in the aged mouse corneal epithelial transcriptome and determine how age affects corneal sensitivity, re-epithelialization, and barrier reformation after corneal debridement.

METHODS: Corneal epithelium of female C57BL/6J (B6) mice of different ages (2, 12, 18, and 24 months) was collected, RNA extracted, and bulk RNA sequencing performed. Cornea sensitivity was measured with an esthesiometer in 2- to 3-month-old, 12- to 13-month-old, 18- to 19-month-old, and 22- to 25-month-old female and male mice. The 2-month-old and 18-month-old female and male mice underwent unilateral corneal debridement using a …

Phase I Trial Of Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography-Guided Liver-Directed Radiotherapy For Patients With Low Functional Liver Volume, Enoch Chang, Franklin C L Wong, Beth A Chasen, William D Erwin, Prajnan Das, Emma B Holliday, Albert C Koong, Ethan B Ludmir, Bruce D Minsky, Sonal S Noticewala, Grace L Smith, Cullen M Taniguchi, Maria J Rodriguez, Sam Beddar, Rachael M Martin-Paulpeter, Joshua S Niedzielski, Gabriel O Sawakuchi, Emil Schueler, Luis A Perles, Lianchun Xiao, Janio Szklaruk, Peter C Park, Arvind N Dasari, Ahmed O Kaseb, Bryan K Kee, Sunyoung S Lee, Michael J Overman, Jason A Willis, Robert A Wolff, Ching-Wei D Tzeng, Jean-Nicolas Vauthey, Eugene J Koay

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Traditional constraints specify that 700 cc of liver should be spared a hepatotoxic dose when delivering liver-directed radiotherapy to reduce the risk of inducing liver failure. We investigated the role of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to identify and preferentially avoid functional liver during liver-directed radiation treatment planning in patients with preserved liver function but limited functional liver volume after receiving prior hepatotoxic chemotherapy or surgical resection.

METHODS: This phase I trial with a 3 + 3 design evaluated the safety of liver-directed radiotherapy using escalating functional liver radiation dose constraints in patients with liver metastases. Dose-limiting toxicities were …

Financial Hardship And Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage In Long-Term Childhood Cancer Survivors, Alex J Fauer, Weiyu Qiu, I-Chan Huang, Patricia A Ganz, Jacqueline N Casillas, K Robin Yabroff, Gregory T Armstrong, Wendy Leisenring, Rebecca Howell, Carrie R Howell, Anne C Kirchhoff, Yutaka Yasui, Paul C Nathan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Long-term survivors of childhood cancer face elevated risk for financial hardship. We evaluate whether childhood cancer survivors live in areas of greater deprivation and the association with self-reported financial hardships.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study between 1970 and 1999 and self-reported financial information from 2017 to 2019. We measured neighborhood deprivation with the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) based on current zip code. Financial hardship was measured with validated surveys that captured behavioral, material and financial sacrifice, and psychological hardship. Bivariate analyses described neighborhood differences between survivors and siblings. Generalized linear …

Dronedarone For The Treatment Of Atrial Arrhythmias In Adults With Congenital Heart Disease, Mahdi S Agha, Peter R Ermis, Wayne J Franklin, Dhaval R Parekh, Angeline D Opina, Jeffrey J Kim, Christina Y Miyake, Santiago O Valdes, Wilson W Lam

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Background: Atrial tachyarrhythmias are common and difficult to treat in adults with congenital heart disease. Dronedarone has proven effective in patients without congenital heart disease, but data are limited about its use in adults with congenital heart disease of moderate to great complexity.

Methods: A single-center, retrospective chart review of 21 adults with congenital heart disease of moderate to great complexity who were treated with dronedarone for atrial tachyarrhythmias was performed.

Results: The median (IQR) age at dronedarone initiation was 35 (27.5-39) years. Eleven patients (52%) were male. Ten patients (48%) had New York Heart Association class I disease, 10 …

Dronedarone For The Treatment Of Atrial Arrhythmias In Adults With Congenital Heart Disease, Mahdi S Agha, Peter R Ermis, Wayne J Franklin, Dhaval R Parekh, Angeline D Opina, Jeffrey J Kim, Christina Y Miyake, Santiago O Valdes, Wilson W Lam

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

BACKGROUND: Atrial tachyarrhythmias are common and difficult to treat in adults with congenital heart disease. Dronedarone has proven effective in patients without congenital heart disease, but data are limited about its use in adults with congenital heart disease of moderate to great complexity.

METHODS: A single-center, retrospective chart review of 21 adults with congenital heart disease of moderate to great complexity who were treated with dronedarone for atrial tachyarrhythmias was performed.

RESULTS: The median (IQR) age at dronedarone initiation was 35 (27.5-39) years. Eleven patients (52%) were male. Ten patients (48%) had New York Heart Association class I disease, 10 …

Comprehensive Analysis Of Bulk And Single-Cell Transcriptomic Data Reveals A Novel Signature Associated With Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, Lipid Metabolism, And Liver Metastasis In Pancreatic Cancer, Xiaohong Liu, Bo Ren, Yuan Fang, Jie Ren, Xing Wang, Minzhi Gu, Feihan Zhou, Ruiling Xiao, Xiyuan Luo, Lei You, Yupei Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal malignancy with high probability of recurrence and distant metastasis. Liver metastasis is the predominant metastatic mode developed in most pancreatic cancer cases, which seriously affects the overall survival rate of patients. Abnormally activated endoplasmic reticulum stress and lipid metabolism reprogramming are closely related to tumor growth and metastasis. This study aims to construct a prognostic model based on endoplasmic reticulum stress and lipid metabolism for pancreatic cancer, and further explore its correlation with tumor immunity and the possibility of immunotherapy.

METHODS: Transcriptomic and clinical data are acquired from TCGA, ICGC, and GEO …

Interaction Of High-Fat Diet And Brain Trauma Alters Adipose Tissue Macrophages And Brain Microglia Associated With Exacerbated Cognitive Dysfunction, Rebecca J Henry, James P Barrett, Maria Vaida, Niaz Z Khan, Oleg Makarevich, Rodney M Ritzel, Alan I Faden, Bogdan A Stoica

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Obesity increases the morbidity and mortality of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Detailed analyses of transcriptomic changes in the brain and adipose tissue were performed to elucidate the interactive effects between high-fat diet-induced obesity (DIO) and TBI. Adult male mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks prior to experimental TBI and continuing after injury. High-throughput transcriptomic analysis using Nanostring panels of the total visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and cellular components in the brain, followed by unsupervised clustering, principal component analysis, and IPA pathway analysis were used to determine shifts in gene expression patterns and molecular pathway activity. Cellular …

Interaction Of High-Fat Diet And Brain Trauma Alters Adipose Tissue Macrophages And Brain Microglia Associated With Exacerbated Cognitive Dysfunction, Rebecca J Henry, James P Barrett, Maria Vaida, Niaz Z Khan, Oleg Makarevich, Rodney M Ritzel, Alan I Faden, Bogdan A Stoica

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Obesity increases the morbidity and mortality of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Detailed analyses of transcriptomic changes in the brain and adipose tissue were performed to elucidate the interactive effects between high-fat diet-induced obesity (DIO) and TBI. Adult male mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks prior to experimental TBI and continuing after injury. High-throughput transcriptomic analysis using Nanostring panels of the total visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and cellular components in the brain, followed by unsupervised clustering, principal component analysis, and IPA pathway analysis were used to determine shifts in gene expression patterns and molecular pathway activity. Cellular …

Acute Mitral Valve Regurgitation Caused By Left Ventricular Pacing Wire During Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, Byeng-Ju Son, Ung Kim, Jong-Ho Nam, Kang-Un Choi, Jong-Il Park, Jang-Won Son

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is quickly becoming the standard of care for patients with severe aortic stenosis thanks to its minimally invasive nature and favorable outcomes. Recently, left ventricular pacing has been proposed as a safer alternative to traditional right heart pacing, which could simplify the transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedure overall, although procedural complications may still occur. This report describes a rare case of left ventricular pacing wire-induced acute severe mitral valve regurgitation during transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Differentiating Epileptic And Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures Using Machine Learning Analysis Of Eeg Plot Images, Steven Fussner, Aidan Boyne, Albert Han, Lauren A Nakhleh, Zulfi Haneef

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The treatment of epilepsy, the second most common chronic neurological disorder, is often complicated by the failure of patients to respond to medication. Treatment failure with anti-seizure medications is often due to the presence of non-epileptic seizures. Distinguishing non-epileptic from epileptic seizures requires an expensive and time-consuming analysis of electroencephalograms (EEGs) recorded in an epilepsy monitoring unit. Machine learning algorithms have been used to detect seizures from EEG, typically using EEG waveform analysis. We employed an alternative approach, using a convolutional neural network (CNN) with transfer learning using MobileNetV2 to emulate the real-world visual analysis of EEG images by epileptologists. …

Family Physicians And Menstrual Care: An Analysis Of Cera 2023, Allison Casola, Olivia Rea, Tiffany Ho

Department of Family & Community Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Menstrual health is an important indicator of overall health and has large impacts on quality of life. Despite number and impact, discussion of menstruation remains largely taboo within health care. Patients and physicians are not engaging in regular, meaningful discussions on menstruation. Family physicians, as primary care providers, can facilitate these important conversations.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to understand the profile of menstrual care providing family physicians and assessed physician comfort, knowledge, training, and perceived importance regarding menstrual care.

DESIGN/METHODS: This is a cross-sectional analysis of the 2022 Council of Academic Family Medicine Educational Research Alliance survey. The survey included …

Examining The Effect Of Genes On Depression As Mediated By Smoking And Modified By Sex, Kirsten Voorhies, Julian Hecker, Sanghun Lee, Georg Hahn, Dmitry Prokopenko, Merry-Lynn Mcdonald, Alexander C Wu, Ann Wu, John E Hokanson, Michael H Cho, Christoph Lange, Karin F Hoth, Sharon M Lutz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Depression is heritable, differs by sex, and has environmental risk factors such as cigarette smoking. However, the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on depression through cigarette smoking and the role of sex is unclear. In order to examine the association of SNPs with depression and smoking in the UK Biobank with replication in the COPDGene study, we used counterfactual-based mediation analysis to test the indirect or mediated effect of SNPs on broad depression through the log of pack-years of cigarette smoking, adjusting for age, sex, current smoking status, and genetic ancestry (via principal components). In secondary analyses, we adjusted …

Histone Proteoform Analysis Reveals Epigenetic Changes In Adult Mouse Brown Adipose Tissue In Response To Cold Stress, Bethany C Taylor, Loic H Steinthal, Michelle Dias, Hari Krishna Yalamanchili, Scott A Ochsner, Gladys E Zapata, Nitesh R Mehta, Neil J Mckenna, Nicolas L Young, Alli M Nuotio-Antar

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Regulation of the thermogenic response by brown adipose tissue (BAT) is an important component of energy homeostasis with implications for the treatment of obesity and diabetes. Our preliminary analyses of RNA-Seq data uncovered many nodes representing epigenetic modifiers that are altered in BAT in response to chronic thermogenic activation. Thus, we hypothesized that chronic thermogenic activation broadly alters epigenetic modifications of DNA and histones in BAT.

RESULTS: Motivated to understand how BAT function is regulated epigenetically, we developed a novel method for the first-ever unbiased top-down proteomic quantitation of histone modifications in BAT and validated our results with a …

Prognostic Values Of Serum Lactate-To-Bicarbonate Ratio And Lactate For Predicting 28-Day In-Hospital Mortality In Children With Dengue Shock Syndrome, Thanh Nguyen Tat, Nhu Vo Hoang-Thien, Dat Nguyen Tat, Phuc Hoang Nguyen, Lien Thi Ho, Duong Hung Doan, Dung Tuan Phan, Yen Nguyen-Hoang Duong, Truc Huynh Nguyen, Tuyet Kim Nguyen, Ha Thi-Thu Dinh, Thuy Thi-Diem Dinh, Anh Thi-Mai Pham, Viet Do Chau, Tung Huu Trinh, Luan Vo Thanh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This study aimed to assess the clinical utility of blood lactate-to-bicarbonate (L/B) ratio, as a prognostic factor for 28-day in-hospital mortality in children with dengue shock syndrome (DSS), admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). This single-center retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary children hospital in southern Vietnam from 2013 to mid-2022. Prognostic models for DSS mortality were developed, using a predefined set of covariates in the first 24 hours of PICU admission. Area under the curves (AUCs), multivariable logistic and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regressions, bootstrapping and calibration slope were performed. A total of …