Critical Care Commons^™

Research Progress And Clinical Translation Potential Of Coronary Atherosclerosis Diagnostic Markers From A Genomic Perspective, Hanxiang Liu, Yuchen Zhang, Yueyan Zhao, Yuzhen Li, Xiaofeng Zhang, Lingyu Bao, Rongkai Yan, Yixin Yang, Huixian Zhou, Jinming Zhang, Siyuan Song

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Objective: Coronary atherosclerosis (CAD) is characterized by arterial intima lipid deposition, chronic inflammation, and fibrous tissue proliferation, leading to arterial wall thickening and lumen narrowing. As the primary cause of coronary heart disease and acute coronary syndrome, CAD significantly impacts global health. Recent genetic studies have demonstrated CAD's polygenic and multifactorial nature, providing molecular insights for early diagnosis and risk assessment. This review analyzes recent advances in CAD-related genetic markers and evaluates their diagnostic potential, focusing on their applications in diagnosis and risk stratification within precision medicine.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of CAD genomic studies from PubMed and …

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 …

Effect Of Implementing An Educational Program About Post Kidney Transplant Care On Critical Care Nurses' Knowledge, Marwa Abdo, Asmaa Ibrahim Aboseda

Nursing

Background: Critical care nurses (CCNs) play a pivotal role in post-kidney transplant care, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of transplantation procedures, complications, and patient management. So, any knowledge gaps among CCNs may impact the quality of care provide to kidney transplant program. Aim: This study aimed to assess the effect of implementing an educational program about post-kidney transplant care on critical care nurses’ knowledge. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted among 50 critical care nurses. A structured educational program was implemented, and nurses’ knowledge was assessed pre- program, post- program, and three months follow-up. Data was collected using a kidney transplantation …

Life Course Stressors, Latent Coping Strategies, Alcohol Use, And Adherence Among People With Hiv, Amrita Gill, Gretchen Clum, Patricia Molina, David Welsh, Tekeda Ferguson, Katherine P. Theall

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

People with HIV (PWH) have often experienced chronic stressors across their lifespan, including adverse childhood experiences (ACES), lifetime economic hardship (LEH), and concurrent stressors associated with living in urban areas (urban stress). Prolonged exposure to stressors might result in differential coping patterns among PWH that can impact care trajectories. We utilized a life course-informed approach to examine chronic stressors as antecedents of latent coping strategies among PWH in care. High-risk alcohol use and non-adherence to anti-retroviral therapy (ART) were examined as consequences of latent coping strategies. Data were utilized from the baseline and interim follow-up visit of the New Orleans …

Overcoming Egfr-Tki Resistance By Targeting The Tumor Microenvironment, Jinsong Zhang, Natalie Vokes, Man Li, Jiachen Xu, Hua Bai, Jie Wang, Zhijie Wang, Jianjun Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Targeted therapy has ushered in a new era of precision medicine for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Currently, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) stand as the recommended first-line therapy for advanced NSCLC harboring sensitive EGFR mutations. Nevertheless, most patients inevitably confront the challenge of drug resistance. This phenomenon arises not solely from intrinsic alterations within cancer cells but also from the intricate dynamics of the tumor microenvironment and the complex interactions that occur between cancer cells and their immediate surroundings. This review consolidates the current knowledge regarding EGFR-TKI resistance mechanisms, with a specific emphasis on unraveling the …

Premalignant Progression In The Lung: Knowledge Gaps And Novel Opportunities For Interception Of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer An Official American Thoracic Society Research Statement, Seyed Javad Moghaddam, Rajkumar Savai, Ramin Salehi-Rad, Shreoshi Sengupta, Michael N Kammer, Pierre Massion, Jennifer E Beane, Edwin J Ostrin, Carmen Priolo, Meredith A Tennis, Laura P Stabile, Alison K Bauer, Catherine R Sears, Eva Szabo, M Patricia Rivera, Charles A Powell, Humam Kadara, Brendan J Jenkins, Steven M Dubinett, A Mcgarry Houghton, Carla F Kim, Robert L Keith

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Rationale: Despite significant advances in precision treatments and immunotherapy, lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death worldwide. To reduce incidence and improve survival rates, a deeper understanding of lung premalignancy and the multistep process of tumorigenesis is essential, allowing timely and effective intervention before cancer development. Objectives: To summarize existing information, identify knowledge gaps, formulate research questions, prioritize potential research topics, and propose strategies for future investigations into the premalignant progression in the lung. Methods: An international multidisciplinary team of basic, translational, and clinical scientists reviewed available data to develop and refine research questions pertaining to the …

Improving Nutritional Delivery To Pediatric Patients While Using Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy, Jennifer Ruiz-Boada, Sarah Brunner, Tara Benton, Vimal Chadha

Research Days

This quality improvement guide aims to enhance early nutritional delivery to pediatric patients with renal failure who require renal replacement therapy.ng renal replacement therapy.

Predictors And Impact Of Prolonged Vasoplegia After Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation, Harveen K Lamba, Mary Kim, Meng Li, Andrew B Civitello, Ajith P Nair, Leo Simpson, J Patrick Herlihy, O H Frazier, Joseph G Rogers, Gabriel Loor, Kenneth K Liao, Alexis E Shafii, Subhasis Chatterjee

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Vasoplegia after cardiac surgery is associated with adverse outcomes. However, the clinical effects of vasoplegia and the significance of its duration after continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) implantation are less known.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify predictors of and outcomes from transient vs prolonged vasoplegia after CF-LVAD implantation.

METHODS: The study was a retrospective review of consecutive patients who underwent CF-LVAD implantation between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2017. Vasoplegia was defined as the presence of all of the following: mean arterial pressure ≤65 mm Hg, vasopressor (epinephrine, norepinephrine, vasopressin, or dopamine) use for >6 hours …

Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection With Cardiogenic Shock In The United States, Chayakrit Krittanawong, Dhrubajyoti Bandyopadhyay, Neelkumar Patel, Yusuf Kamran Qadeer, Neil Sagar Maitra, Zhen Wang, Mahboob Alam, Samin Sharma, Hani Jneid

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is defined as a non-traumatic separation of the epicardial coronary artery walls that creates a false lumen. SCAD poses a difficult challenge in management, as decisions regarding revascularization and medical management seem to be tailored to the individual patient. We evaluated and compared outcomes based on cardiogenic shock in patients with SCAD utilizing Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD) between January 1, 2016, to December 30, 2020.

METHODS: We utilized the NRD 2016-2019 to carry out this study. We evaluated demographics (e.g., age, gender), conventional risk factors, comorbidities present on the index admission, and in-hospital outcomes …

Advances And Challenges In Conventional And Modern Techniques For Halal Food Authentication: A Review, Ifrah Usman, Saima Sana, Muhammad Afzaal, Ali Imran, Farhan Saeed, Aftab Ahmed, Yasir Abbas Shah, Muniba Munir, Huda Ateeq, Atka Afzal, Iqra Azam, Afaf Ejaz, Gulzar Ahmad Nayik, Mahbubar Rahman Khan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Food is one of the most necessary needs since human civilization. For Muslims, it is mandatory to consume halal food. From a halal authentication perspective, adulteration of food products is an emerging challenge worldwide. The demand for halal food consumption has resulted in an ever-increasing need for halal product validity. In the market, there are several food products in which actual ingredients and their source are not mentioned on the label and cannot be observed by the naked eye. Commonly nonhalal items include pig derivatives like lard, pork, and gelatin derivatives, dead meats, alcohol, blood, and prohibited animals. Purposely, various …

Advancements In Revascularization Strategies For Acute Mesenteric Ischemia: A Comprehensive Review, Jacob J Gries, Hafeez Ul Hassan Virk, Bing Chen, Takashi Sakamoto, Mahboob Alam, Chayakrit Krittanawong

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Even with modern advancements in the management of acute mesenteric ischemia over the past decade, morbidity and mortality remain high, and the best primary treatment modality is still debated amongst interventionalists. Traditionally, interventionalists have favored an open surgical approach but are now trending for endovascular interventions due to apparent reduced mortality and complications. Newer studies suggest hybrid approaches, and intestinal stroke centers may be superior to either strategy alone. This narrative review will explore the natural history of acute mesenteric ischemia with the aim of increasing interventionalist awareness of modern advancements in revascularization strategies for this devastating disease.

Invasion Of Superbugs: Cockroach-Driven Outbreak Of Multidrug-Resistant Enterobacter In An Icu, Jennifer Hanrahan, Nicholas Schouten, Steven H. Fyffe, Annette Jencson, Stephanie Stroever

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Objective: To describe factors in an outbreak of multidrug-resistant Enterobacter cloacae (MRE) in an intensive care unit (ICU) over a 20-month period including the likely contribution of cockroaches to the outbreak.

Design: This is a retrospective descriptive study.

Setting: ICU in an urban hospital.

Patients: All patients admitted to the ICU during the 20-month outbreak period were included in the study.

Interventions: Infection prevention interventions included contact isolation, hand hygiene, dedicated patient equipment, environmental cultures, and pest control.

Results: 25 patients were identified as being colonized or infected with MRE. Relatedness of the outbreak strain and strains found in cockroaches …

Immune-Related Adverse Event In The Emergency Department: Methodology Of The Immune-Related Emergency Disposition Index (Iredi), Cielito C Reyes-Gibby, Jeffrey M Caterino, Christopher J Coyne, Demetrios N Kyriacou, Aiham Qdaisat, Jennifer Mcquade, Dwight H Owen, Jason J Bischof, Sanjay Shete, Sai-Ching Jim Yeung

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

For many cancer patients, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can be life-saving. However, the immune-related adverse events (irAEs) from ICIs can be debilitating and can quickly become severe or even be fatal. Often, irAEs will precipitate visits to the emergency department (ED). Therefore, early recognition and the decision to admit, observe, or discharge these patients from the ED can be key to a cancer patient's morbidity and mortality. ED clinicians typically make their decision for disposition (admit, observe, or discharge) within 2-6 h from their patient's ED presentation. However, irAEs are particularly challenging in the ED because of atypical presentations, the …

Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis: Radiological And Microbiological Profile Of Patients Presented In An Outpatient Pulmonary Clinic In A Developing Country, Nousheen Iqbal, Muhammad Irfan, Mustafa Bin Ali Zubairi, Maaha Ayub, Safia Awan, Kauser Jabeen, Ali Bin Sarwar Zubairi

Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care

There is limited data available about allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) in Pakistan. The aim of the study was to describe the radiological and microbiological profile of ABPA patients presenting to the outpatient pulmonary clinic of a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. A retrospective study was conducted on ABPA patients who presented to the pulmonary outpatient clinic at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from January 2017 to December 2019. Data was collected on microbiology and radiology features on predesigned proforma. A total of 7759 asthmatic patients presented at the outpatient pulmonology clinic during the study period. Of the 245 …

Contemporary Use Of Coronary Physiology In Cardiology, Ayman Elbadawi, Ramy Sedhom, Mohamed Ghoweba, Abdelazeem Mohamed Etewa, Waleed Kayani, Faisal Rahman

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Coronary angiography has a limited ability to predict the functional significance of intermediate coronary lesions. Hence, physiological assessment of coronary lesions, via fractional flow reserve (FFR) or instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR), has been introduced to determine their functional significance. An accumulating body of evidence has consolidated the role of physiology-guided revascularization, particularly among patients with stable ischemic heart disease. The use of FFR or iFR to guide decision-making in patients with stable ischemic heart disease and intermediate coronary lesions received a class I recommendation from major societal guidelines. Nevertheless, the role of coronary physiology testing is less clear among certain …

Inflammatory Activity Of Epithelial Stem Cell Variants From Cystic Fibrosis Lungs Is Not Resolved By Cftr Modulators, Shan Wang, Suchan Niroula, Ashley Hoffman, Melika Khorrami, Melina Khorrami, Feng Yuan, Grace N Gasser, Soon Choi, Bovey Liu, Justin Li, Mark L Metersky, Matthew Vincent, Christopher P Crum, Richard C Boucher, Harry Karmouty-Quintana, Howard J Huang, Ajay Sheshadri, Burton F Dickey, Kalpaj R Parekh, John F Engelhardt, Frank D Mckeon, Wa Xian

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Rationale

CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) modulator drugs restore function to mutant channels in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and lead to improvements in body mass index and lung function. Although it is anticipated that early childhood treatment with CFTR modulators will significantly delay or even prevent the onset of advanced lung disease, lung neutrophils and inflammatory cytokines remain high in patients with CF with established lung disease despite modulator therapy, underscoring the need to identify and ultimately target the sources of this inflammation in CF lungs.

Objectives

To determine whether CF lungs, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) …

Peripheral Levels Of The Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor In Coronary Artery Disease: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Parnian Shobeiri, Amir Hossein Behnoush, Amirmohammad Khalaji, Antonio Lucio Teixeira, Nima Rezaei

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Among its functions, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates endothelial and macrophage activation, possibly playing a role in atherosclerotic plaque pathophysiology. Given contradicting reports, this study sought to investigate whether blood levels of BDNF differed between patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and controls.

METHODS: We explored PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library for studies comparing BDNF blood levels in patients with CHD and controls. Random-effect meta-analysis was conducted to calculate the standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to evaluate the quality of included articles, and statistical analyses were conducted …

Cardiac Substructure Radiation Dose And Risk Of Late Cardiac Disease In Survivors Of Childhood Cancer: A Report From The Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, James E Bates, Suman Shrestha, Qi Liu, Susan A Smith, Daniel A Mulrooney, Wendy Leisenring, Todd Gibson, Leslie L Robison, Eric J Chow, Kevin C Oeffinger, Gregory T Armstrong, Louis S Constine, Bradford S Hoppe, Choonsik Lee, Yutaka Yasui, Rebecca M Howell

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Radiation-associated cardiac disease is a major cause of morbidity/mortality among childhood cancer survivors. Radiation dose-response relationships for cardiac substructures and cardiac diseases remain unestablished.

METHODS: Using the 25,481 5-year survivors of childhood cancer treated from 1970 to 1999 in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, we evaluated coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure (HF), valvular disease (VD), and arrhythmia. We reconstructed radiation doses for each survivor to the coronary arteries, chambers, valves, and whole heart. Excess relative rate (ERR) models and piecewise exponential models evaluated dose-response relationships.

RESULTS: The cumulative incidence 35 years from diagnosis was 3.9% (95% CI, 3.4 …

Study Of Polytopic Membrane Protein Topological Organization As A Function Of Membrane Lipid Composition, Takefumi Morizumi, Kyumhyuk Kim, Hai Li, Elena G Govorunova, Oleg A Sineshchekov, Yumei Wang, Lei Zheng, Éva Bertalan, Ana-Nicoleta Bondar, Azam Askari, Leonid S Brown, John L Spudich, Oliver P Ernst

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Kalium channelrhodopsin 1 from Hyphochytrium catenoides (HcKCR1) is a light-gated channel used for optogenetic silencing of mammalian neurons. It selects K+ over Na+ in the absence of the canonical tetrameric K+ selectivity filter found universally in voltage- and ligand-gated channels. The genome of H. catenoides also encodes a highly homologous cation channelrhodopsin (HcCCR), a Na+ channel with >100-fold larger Na+ to K+ permeability ratio. Here, we use cryo-electron microscopy to determine atomic structures of these two channels embedded in peptidiscs to elucidate structural foundations of their dramatically different cation selectivity. Together with structure-guided mutagenesis, we show that K+ versus Na+ …

Anesthetic Considerations For Cardiac Tamponade After Internal Jugular Central Line Placement During Trauma Resuscitation: A Case Report, Kevin M Chen, Jamal Hasoon, Anvinh Nguyen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Numerous complications are associated with central venous catheters. Among them, cardiac tamponade is a rare but well-documented catastrophic complication. A 22-year-old healthy male presented with Code 1 trauma resulting from gunshot wounds in the abdomen. Upon examination, he was found to have a large pericardial fluid collection, a large right supraclavicular hematoma, and significant amount of bilateral pleural effusions secondary to extraluminal placement of the right internal jugular central line during resuscitation. After repairing the internal jugular injury and draining the pericardial fluid, the patient was transferred from the intensive care unit to the regular hospital floor. However, 15 days …

Sequential Absorption Of Two Photons Creates A Bistable Form Of Rubyacr Responsible For Its Strong Desensitization, Oleg A Sineshchekov, Elena G Govorunova, Hai Li, Yumei Wang, John L Spudich

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Channelrhodopsins with red-shifted absorption, rare in nature, are highly desired for optogenetics because light of longer wavelengths more deeply penetrates biological tissue. RubyACRs (Anion ChannelRhodopsins), a group of four closely related anion-conducting channelrhodopsins from thraustochytrid protists, are the most red-shifted channelrhodopsins known with absorption maxima up to 610 nm. Their photocurrents are large, as is typical of blue- and green-absorbing ACRs, but they rapidly decrease during continuous illumination (desensitization) and extremely slowly recover in the dark. Here, we show that long-lasting desensitization of RubyACRs results from photochemistry not observed in any previously studied channelrhodopsins. Absorption of a second photon by …

Cardiac Pericytes Mediate The Remodeling Response To Myocardial Infarction, Pearl Quijada, Shuin Park, Peng Zhao, Kamal Ss Kolluri, David Wong, Kevin D Shih, Kai Fang, Arash Pezhouman, Lingjun Wang, Ali Daraei, Matthew D Tran, Elle M Rathbun, Kimberly N Burgos Villar, Maria L Garcia-Hernandez, Thanh Td Pham, Charles J Lowenstein, M Luisa Iruela-Arispe, S Thomas Carmichael, Eric M Small, Reza Ardehali

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Despite the prevalence of pericytes in the microvasculature of the heart, their role during ischemia-induced remodeling remains unclear. We used multiple lineage-tracing mouse models and found that pericytes migrated to the injury site and expressed profibrotic genes, coinciding with increased vessel leakage after myocardial infarction (MI). Single-cell RNA-Seq of cardiac pericytes at various time points after MI revealed the temporally regulated induction of genes related to vascular permeability, extracellular matrix production, basement membrane degradation, and TGF-β signaling. Deleting TGF-β receptor 1 in chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4-expressing (Cspg4-expressing) cells reduced fibrosis following MI, leading to a transient improvement in the cardiac …

Lipid Nanoparticle-Mediated Mrna Delivery In Lung Fibrosis, Matteo Massaro, Suhong Wu, Gherardo Baudo, Haoran Liu, Scott Collum, Hyunho Lee, Cinzia Stigliano, Victor Segura-Ibarra, Harry Karmouty-Quintana, Elvin Blanco

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

mRNA delivery enables the specific synthesis of proteins with therapeutic potential, representing a powerful strategy in diseases lacking efficacious pharmacotherapies. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic lung disease characterized by excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and subsequent alveolar remodeling. Alveolar epithelial type 2 cells (AEC2) and fibroblasts represent important targets in IPF given their role in initiating and driving aberrant wound healing responses that lead to excessive ECM deposition. Our objective was to examine a lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-based mRNA construct as a viable strategy to target alveolar epithelial cells and fibroblasts in IPF. mRNA-containing LNPs measuring ∼34 nm had …

Molecular Function And Contribution Of Tbx4 In Development And Disease, Justyna A Karolak, Carrie L Welch, Christian Mosimann, Katarzyna Bzdęga, James D West, David Montani, Mélanie Eyries, Mary P Mullen, Steven H Abman, Matina Prapa, Stefan Gräf, Nicholas W Morrell, Anna R Hemnes, Frédéric Perros, Rizwan Hamid, Malcolm P O Logan, Jeffrey Whitsett, Csaba Galambos, Paweł Stankiewicz, Wendy K Chung, Eric D Austin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Over the past decade, recognition of the profound impact of the TBX4 (T-box 4) gene, which encodes a member of the evolutionarily conserved family of T-box–containing transcription factors, on respiratory diseases has emerged. The developmental importance of TBX4 is emphasized by the association of TBX4 variants with congenital disorders involving respiratory and skeletal structures; however, the exact role of TBX4 in human development remains incompletely understood. Here, we discuss the developmental, tissue-specific, and pathological TBX4 functions identified through human and animal studies and review the published TBX4 variants resulting in variable disease phenotypes. We also outline future research …

The Prognostic Value Of Baseline Clinical And Radiologic Imaging Features In Patients With Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated With Atezolizumab Plus Bevacizumab, Mikhail Bogdanov

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Membrane asymmetry means that the two sides of membrane are structurally, physically and functionally different. Membrane asymmetry is largely related to the lipid sidedness and particularly to compositional (lipid head and acyl group) and physical (lipid packing order, charge, hydration and H-bonding interactions) differences in the inner and outer leaflets of lipid bilayer. Chemically, structurally and conformationally different non-covalent bound lipid molecules are physically fluid and deformable and enable to interact dynamically to form transient arrangements with asymmetry both perpendicular and parallel to the plane of the lipid bilayer. Although biological membranes are almost universally asymmetric however the asymmetry is …

Renovating A Double Fence With Or Without Notifying The Next Door And Across The Street Neighbors: Why The Biogenic Cytoplasmic Membrane Of Gram-Negative Bacteria Display Asymmetry?, Mikhail Bogdanov

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The complex two-membrane organization of the envelope of Gram-negative bacteria imposes an unique biosynthetic and topological constraints that can affect translocation of lipids and proteins synthesized on the cytoplasm facing leaflet of the cytoplasmic (inner) membrane (IM), across the IM and between the IM and outer membrane (OM). Balanced growth of two membranes and continuous loss of phospholipids in the periplasmic leaflet of the IM as metabolic precursors for envelope components and for translocation to the OM requires a constant supply of phospholipids in the IM cytosolic leaflet. At present we have no explanation as to why the biogenic E. …

Potassium-Selective Channelrhodopsins, Elena G Govorunova, Oleg A Sineshchekov, John L Spudich

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Since their discovery 21 years ago, channelrhodopsins have come of age and have become indispensable tools for optogenetic control of excitable cells such as neurons and myocytes. Potential therapeutic utility of channelrhodopsins has been proven by partial vision restoration in a human patient. Previously known channelrhodopsins are either proton channels, non-selective cation channels almost equally permeable to Na+ and K+ besides protons, or anion channels. Two years ago, we discovered a group of channelrhodopsins that exhibit over an order of magnitude higher selectivity for K+ than for Na+. These proteins, known as “kalium channelrhodopsins” or KCRs, lack the canonical tetrameric …

The Impact Of Procalcitonin In Assessing Outcomes In Pediatrics Severe Trauma Cases: A Three-Year Experience From A Tertiary Hospital, Waleed H. Albuali

BioMedicine

Background Although procalcitonin levels are raised in patients with systemic inflammation, its usage in pediatric patients, particularly those in the intensive care unit who are most susceptible to sepsis. Methods It is a retrospective research study that included pediatric patients aged more than two weeks who were brought to the King Fahd Hospital of the University's PICU owing to serious trauma or post-acute postoperative occurrences from January 2017 to December 2019. At 24 hours after admission, data such as age, gender, comorbidities, trauma severity as measured by the Injury Severity Score, and PRISM III score were collected. Results Following a …

Hemoglobin Concentration Impacts Viscoelastic Hemostatic Assays In Icu Admitted Patients, David J Roh, Tiffany R Chang, Aditya Kumar, Devin Burke, Glenda Torres, Katherine Xu, Winni Yang, Azzurra Cottarelli, Ernest Moore, Angela Sauaia, Kirk Hansen, Angela Velazquez, Amelia Boehme, Athina Vrosgou, Shivani Ghoshal, Soojin Park, Sachin Agarwal, Jan Claassen, E Sander Connolly, Gebhard Wagener, Richard O Francis, Eldad Hod

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objectives: Low hemoglobin concentration impairs clinical hemostasis across several diseases. It is unclear whether hemoglobin impacts laboratory functional coagulation assessments. We evaluated the relationship of hemoglobin concentration on viscoelastic hemostatic assays in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and perioperative patients admitted to an ICU.

Design: Observational cohort study and separate in vitro laboratory study.

Setting: Multicenter tertiary referral ICUs.

Patients: Two acute ICH cohorts receiving distinct testing modalities: rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) and thromboelastography (TEG), and a third surgical ICU cohort receiving ROTEM were evaluated to assess the generalizability of findings across disease processes and testing platforms. A separate in vitro ROTEM laboratory …

Acoustic Voice And Speech Biomarkers Of Treatment Status During Hospitalization For Acute Decompensated Heart Failure, Olivia M Murton, G William Dec, Robert E Hillman, Maulik D Majmudar, Johannes Steiner, John V Guttag, Daryush D Mehta

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This study investigates acoustic voice and speech features as biomarkers for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), a serious escalation of heart failure symptoms including breathlessness and fatigue. ADHF-related systemic fluid accumulation in the lungs and laryngeal tissues is hypothesized to affect phonation and respiration for speech. A set of daily spoken recordings from 52 patients undergoing inpatient ADHF treatment was analyzed to identify voice and speech biomarkers for ADHF and to examine the trajectory of biomarkers during treatment. Results indicated that speakers produce more stable phonation, a more creaky voice, faster speech rates, and longer phrases after ADHF treatment compared …