Allergy and Immunology Commons^™

Zinc Promotes Mitochondrial Health Through Pgc-1alpha Enhancing Bacterial Clearance In Macrophages Infected With Mycobacterium Avium Complex, Ruxana Sadikot, Prabagaran Narayanasamy, Zhihong Yuan, Deandra R. Smith, Daren L. Knoell

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

Mitochondria are increasingly recognized as important contributors to immune function, in addition to energy production. They exert this influence through modulation of various signaling pathways that regulate cellular metabolism and immune function in response to pathogens. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1α) is the primary transcription factor and regulator involved in mitochondrial biogenesis. Long known to be involved in immune function, zinc (Zn) is also required for proper mitochondrial function. It is increasingly recognized that many cellular immunometabolic activities are also Zn-dependent. Taken together, we investigated the role of Zn deficiency, both dietary and genetically induced, and Zn …

Gallium Β-Cyclodextrin Nanoparticles Containing Both Gallium Protoporphyrin And Gallium Nitrate Exhibit Antimicrobial Activity Against Nontuberculous Mycobacteria In Vitro And In Vivo, Seoung-Ryoung Choi, Bradley E. Britigan, Prabagaran Narayanasamy

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

Effective and safe antibiotics active against pathogenic mycobacterial species are needed. Iron is an essential element for bacterial survival. Ga(NO₃)₃ (GN) and Ga protoporphyrin (GP) as iron mimetics have each been shown to inhibit the iron metabolism and growth of various mycobacterial species. In this study, the dual cyclodextrin nanoparticle (CDGPGN) is prepared that carries GP and GN using a sonication homogenization technique to increase the efficacy of the combination therapy. CDGPGN shows a long-acting antimicrobial activity against Mycobacteroides abscessus residing in monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM). A murine pulmonary study showed that the CDGPGN also inhibited the growth …

Resilience And Reality: Exploring The Lived Experiences Of People Living With Hiv In Texas During The Covid-19 Pandemic – A Qualitative Study., Ahmed F. Alanazi

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

This study investigated the lived experiences of individuals living with HIV (PLWH) in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area of Texas during the COVID-19 pandemic, using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) framework. The research examined the intersection of health, social dynamics, and psychological resilience among PLWH, who faced compounded vulnerabilities due to systemic inequities and the dual public health crises of HIV and COVID-19. Through semi-structured interviews with ten participants from diverse backgrounds, the study captured the profound impacts of disrupted healthcare systems, heightened stigma, and social isolation on this marginalized population. The findings reveal that the pandemic exacerbated existing inequities …

A Comparison Of Allergen Sensitization Profiles In Patients With Chronic Rhinosinusitis With And Without Nasal Polyposis, Lauren Trzcinski, Suhas Bharadwaj, Randall A. Bloch, Joseph K. Han, Kent K. Lam

Department of Otolaryngology (ENT) Faculty Publications

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and allergic rhinitis (AR) are common comorbid sinonasal conditions. CRS is classically divided into two distinct phenotypes: CRS with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) and CRS without nasal polyposis (CRSsNP). The purpose of this retrospective observational study is to determine whether aeroallergen sensitization profiles in patients with comorbid CRS and AR can distinguish between CRSwNP and CRSsNP. A total of 241 patients diagnosed with comorbid CRS and AR who underwent skin prick testing or in vitro allergy testing in a single tertiary rhinology practice were included for evaluation. The rates of allergen-specific sensitizations in CRSwNP patients were compared with …

Editing Approaches To Treat Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, Derek M. Erion, Leah Y. Liu, Christopher R. Brown, Stephen I. Rennard, Humam Farah

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

TOPIC IMPORTANCE: Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is a genetic disorder most commonly due to a single G to A point mutation (E342K), leading to debilitating lung and/or liver disorders and is associated with increased mortality. The E342K point mutation causes a conformational change of the AAT protein resulting in its retention in liver hepatocytes. This reduces AAT secretion into the serum resulting in higher protease activities due to the lack of inhibition from AAT, causing damage to healthy lung tissue. The current standard of care for lung manifestations involves weekly IV augmentation therapy and is considered suboptimal for these patients. …

Leveraging Clinical Standards To Improve The Translational Relevance Of Therapies For Experimental Spinal Cord Injury, Aaron L. Silverstein

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

Efforts to improve treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) often use animals to develop effective therapeutics, intending to improve the survival and the quality of life of persons with SCI. Over half of all SCIs in the United States occur at the cervical level and often cause locomotor deficits and life-threatening breathing dysfunction. Thus, my dissertation is focused on this important patient population.

After beginning with a description of translational research and surveying SCI from a clinical standpoint, I turned to describe experimental models of cervical SCI and more detailed neuroimmunological findings relevant to my work. Then, I conducted a …

The Potential Of Vitamin D As An Adjunct Therapy For Eczema, Kimberly Hill

Graduate Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Gout Flare Burden In The United States: A Multiyear Cross-Sectional Survey Study, Jasvinder A Singh, Amy Morlock, Robert Morlock

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the burden of gout flares and examine associated patient characteristics and outcomes in a sample of US adults.

METHODS: Data were collected via an online survey of US adults ≥18 years using a random stratified sampling framework. Participants with gout completed questions about treatments, serum urate (SU) levels, severity, satisfaction with control, and gout flares. All participants completed the Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale, and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-Item Scale. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analyses examined factors predictive of …

Diagnostic Delay In Type I Autoimmune Pancreatitis: Clinical, Imaging, Endoscopic And Histologic Predictors Of Timely Diagnosis, Andres Urias Rivera, Travis Josephs, Shilpa Jain, Wasseem Skef, Tara Keihanian, Salmaan Jawaid, Wasif Abidi, Kalpesh Patel, Mohamed O Othman, Fares Ayoub

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: The diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) can be challenging due to nonspecific symptoms, low sensitivity of serologic markers, and some overlap in presentation with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We aimed to quantify delays in the diagnosis of AIP and identify factors associated with diagnostic delay.

Methods: This was a single-center retrospective study between 2013 and 2023 of adult patients diagnosed with type 1 AIP based on HISORt criteria. Patients were compared to a randomly selected group of controls with PDAC. Data on clinical presentation, lab results, imaging, procedures, and initial treatment regimen were collected. Timing to diagnosis and predictive …

Editorial: Exploring Klf4’S Role In Immune Cell Function And Disease Progression, H Daniel Lacorazza, Walden Ai

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Quality Of Life In Young Adults With Type 1 Diabetes, Marissa N Baudino, Samantha A Carreon, Randi Streisand, Tricia Tang, Sarah Lyons, Siripoom Mckay, Barbara J Anderson, Charles G Minard, Sridevi Devaraj, Ashley M Butler, Marisa E Hilliard

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Challenges of young adulthood with type 1 diabetes (T1D) include transitioning to adult care, increased T1D self-management responsibilities, and normal developmental transitions. Recognizing patterns of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) across a demographically and clinically broad range of young adults with T1D may help identify who needs additional support as they transfer to adult healthcare. We hypothesized that young adults from specific demographic and clinical groups would report lower HRQOL.

Methods: At baseline of a behavioral RCT (≤2 months after last pediatric T1D clinic visit), 100 young adults (Mage=19.9 ± 1.3, MA1c=8.8 ± 2.0 %) self-reported demographics and HRQOL; …

High Tumor Cd161 Expression Predicts A Survival Advantage And Marks A Th1-Skewed Microenvironment, Briana Amicarella Burns, Manasvi Chandra, Vanaja Konduri, William K Decker

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

CD8+CD161+ T-cells exhibit augmented memory and cytolytic properties, mediating enhanced immunity in murine tumor models and improved survival in human non-small cell lung cancer. This T-cell subset might serve as a biomarker of positive response to therapy or even be isolated to augment current immunotherapeutic approaches yet limited knowledge of CD161 expression in human cancers restricts practical application. Here we bioinformatically tested the hypothesis that CD161 expression may be associated with positive outcomes in human cancers and investigated mechanisms underlying any observed advantages. Using TCGA-PANCAN dataset, we analyzed expression of CD161 in over 10,000 human tumors, correlating expression levels with …

The Reprogramming Factor Klf4 In Normal And Malignant Blood Cells, H Daniel Lacorazza

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) is an evolutionarily conserved zinc finger transcription factor that regulates cellular processes in stem cells, epithelial cells, and immune blood cells by controlling gene expression through genetic, epigenetic, and chromatin remodeling. The landmark 2006 publication identified KLF4 as one of the factors involved in reprogramming differentiated cells into pluripotent stem cells, sparking increased interest in KLF4 research a decade after its discovery, particularly in the fields of stem cell research, epithelial cell biology, endothelial cell function, and tumorigenesis. Over the years, KLF4 has emerged as a key transcription factor in modulating innate and adaptive immunity, …

Leveraging Human Microbiomes For Disease Prediction And Treatment, Henok Ayalew Tegegne, Tor C Savidge

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The human microbiome consists of diverse microorganisms that inhabit various body sites. As these microbes are increasingly recognized as key determinants of health, there is significant interest in leveraging individual microbiome profiles for early disease detection, prevention, and drug efficacy prediction. However, the complexity of microbiome data, coupled with conflicting study outcomes, has hindered its integration into clinical practice. This challenge is partially due to demographic and technological biases that impede the development of reliable disease classifiers. Here, we examine recent advances in 16S rRNA and shotgun-metagenomics sequencing, along with bioinformatics tools designed to enhance microbiome data integration for precision …