Internal Medicine Commons^™

Transitioning From An In-Person Intervention To Augmented Text Messaging During Covid-19 In Mexican Americans With Prediabetes: The Starr County Diabetes Prevention Randomized Clinical Trial, Sharon A Brown, Mary A Winter, Heather A Becker, Alexandra A García, Mary M Velasquez, Hirofumi Tanaka, William B Perkison, Eric L Brown, David Aguilar, Craig L Hanis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to explore the feasibility of using commonly available technology, such as text messaging, for diabetes prevention in rural Mexican American communities during COVID-19.

METHODS: Participants were selected from a diabetes prevention study funded by the National Institutes of Health that, prior to COVID-19, involved in-person group intervention sessions. Participants were predominantly female adults born in Mexico and Spanish-speaking. A subsample (n = 140) was divided into 3 cohorts: (1) 50 who completed the initial in-person intervention prior to the COVID-19 research pause, (2) 60 who needed additional support sessions to complete the intervention …

Risk Of Developing Hypertension In Atopic Dermatitis Patients Receiving Long-Term And Low-Dose Cyclosporine: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study, Yu Ri Woo, Arum Choi, Seo Won Song, Suyeun Kim, Sang Wook Son, Sang Hyun Cho, Sukil Kim, Jung Eun Kim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Cyclosporine (CS) is a first-line immunosuppressive agent used to manage moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD). To date, the risk of developing hypertension associated with the long-term use of low-dose CS in AD patients is understudied.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the cumulative dose-dependent effect of CS on the risk of developing hypertension in patients with AD.

METHODS: A nationwide population-based retrospective cohort with 1,844,009 AD patients was built from the Korean National Health Insurance System database from 2005 to 2009. A Cox proportional-hazard regression analysis was performed according to patients' CS treatment history adjusted for potential confounders.

RESULTS: Current use …

Risk Factors For In-Hospital Seizure And New-Onset Epilepsy In Coiling And Clipping Treatment Of Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Viet-Thang Le, Anh Minh Nguyen, Phuc Long Nguyen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: To identify risk factors associated with in-hospital seizures and new-onset epilepsy in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) who underwent coiling embolization or clipping surgery.

METHODS: This retrospective descriptive study included 195 patients diagnosed with aneurysmal SAH and treated with coiling embolization or clipping surgery between January 2018 and June 2022.

RESULTS: Among the 195 patients meeting inclusion criteria, 9 experienced an onset seizure at the time of SAH. In-hospital seizures were observed in 33 patients, of which 24 were electrographic seizures detected in 24 patients with suspected subclinical seizures. After 12 months of follow-up, 11 patients met criteria …

Abatacept Pharmacokinetics And Exposure Response In Patients Hospitalized With Covid-19, Stephen J Balevic, Daniel K Benjamin, William G Powderly, P Brian Smith, Daniel Gonzalez, Matthew W Mccarthy, Linda K Shaw, Christopher J Lindsell, Sam Bozzette, Daphne Williams, Benjamin P Linas, John Blamoun, Heta Javeri, Christoph P Hornik

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: The pharmacokinetics of abatacept and the association between abatacept exposure and outcomes in patients with severe COVID-19 are unknown.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize abatacept pharmacokinetics, relate drug exposure with clinical outcomes, and evaluate the need for dosage adjustments.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This study is a secondary analysis of data from the ACTIV-1 (Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines) Immune Modulator (IM) randomized clinical trial conducted between October 16, 2020, and December 31, 2021. The trial included hospitalized adults who received abatacept in addition to standard of care for treatment of COVID-19 pneumonia. Data analysis was performed between September 2022 …

Machine Learning-Enabled Maternal Risk Assessment For Women With Pre-Eclampsia (The Piers-Ml Model): A Modelling Study, Tünde Montgomery-Csobán, Kimberley Kavanagh, Paul Murray, Chris Robertson, Sarah J E Barry, U Vivian Ukah, Beth A Payne, Kypros H Nicolaides, Argyro Syngelaki, Olivia Ionescu, Ranjit Akolekar, Jennifer A Hutcheon, Laura A Magee, Peter Von Dadelszen, Piers Consortium

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Affecting 2-4% of pregnancies, pre-eclampsia is a leading cause of maternal death and morbidity worldwide. Using routinely available data, we aimed to develop and validate a novel machine learning-based and clinical setting-responsive time-of-disease model to rule out and rule in adverse maternal outcomes in women presenting with pre-eclampsia.

METHODS: We used health system, demographic, and clinical data from the day of first assessment with pre-eclampsia to predict a Delphi-derived composite outcome of maternal mortality or severe morbidity within 2 days. Machine learning methods, multiple imputation, and ten-fold cross-validation were used to fit models on a development dataset (75% of …

Rfx Transcription Factor In The Human-Associated Yeast Candida Albicans Regulates Adhesion To Oral Epithelium, Diana L Rodríguez, Elena Lindemann-Perez, J Christian Perez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Adhesion to mucosal surfaces is a critical step in many bacterial and fungal infections. Here, using a mouse model of oral infection by the human fungal pathobiont Candida albicans, we report the identification of a novel regulator of C. albicans adhesion to the oral mucosa. The regulator is a member of the regulatory factor X (RFX) family of transcription factors, which control cellular processes ranging from genome integrity in model yeasts to tissue differentiation in vertebrates. Mice infected with the C. albicans rfx1 deletion mutant displayed increased fungal burden in tongues compared to animals infected with the reference strain. High-resolution …

4r-Cembranoid Suppresses Glial Cells Inflammatory Phenotypes And Prevents Hippocampal Neuronal Loss In Lps-Treated Mice, Luis A Rojas-Colón, John B Redell, Pramod K Dash, Pedro E Vegas, Wanda Vélez-Torres

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Chronic neuroinflammation has been implicated in neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis. A key feature of neuroinflammation is neuronal loss and glial activation, including microglia and astrocytes. 4R-cembranoid (4R) is a natural compound that inhibits hippocampal pro-inflammatory cytokines and increases memory function in mice. We used the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection model to study the effect of 4R on neuronal density and microglia and astrocyte activation. C57BL/6J wild-type mice were injected with LPS (5 mg/kg) and 2 h later received either 4R (6 mg/kg) or vehicle. Mice were sacrificed after 72 h for analysis of brain pathology. Confocal images of brain sections immunostained for …

Tavr In Older Adults, Abdulla A Damluji, Gwen Bernacki, Jonathan Afilalo, Radmila Lyubarova, Ariela R Orkaby, Min Ji Kwak, Scott Hummel, James N Kirkpatrick, Mathew S Maurer, Nanette Wenger, Michael W Rich, Dae Hyun Kim, Roberta Y Wang, Daniel E Forman, Ashok Krishnaswami

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Calcific aortic stenosis can be considered a model for geriatric cardiovascular conditions due to a confluence of factors. The remarkable technological development of transcatheter aortic valve replacement was studied initially on older adult populations with prohibitive or high-risk for surgical valve replacement. Through these trials, the cardiovascular community has recognized that stratification of these chronologically older adults can be improved incrementally by invoking the concept of frailty and other geriatric risks. Given the complexity of the aging process, stratification by chronological age should only be the initial step but is no longer sufficient to optimally quantify cardiovascular and noncardiovascular risk. …

Definition Of Polypharmacy In Heart Failure: A Scoping Review Of The Literature, Keshav Patel, Jorge A Irizarry-Caro, Adil Khan, Travis Holder, Darrell Salako, Parag Goyal, Min Ji Kwak

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Patients with heart failure (HF) have a high prevalence of polypharmacy, which can lead to drug interactions, cognitive impairment, and medication non-compliance. However, the definition of polypharmacy in these patients is still inconsistent. The aim of this scoping review was to find the most common definition of polypharmacy in HF patients. We conducted a scoping review searching Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and Cochrane using terms including polypharmacy, HF and deprescribing, which resulted in 7,949 articles. Articles without a definition of polypharmacy in HF patients and articles which included patients < 18 years of age were excluded; only 59 articles were included. Of the 59 articles, 49% (n = 29) were retrospective, 20% (n = 12) were prospective, 10% (n = 6) were cross-sectional, and 27% (n = 16) were review articles. Twenty percent (n = 12) of the articles focused on HF with reduced ejection fraction, 10% (n = 6) focused on HF with preserved ejection fraction and 69% (n = 41) articles either focused on both diagnoses or did not clarify the specific type of HF. The most common cutoff for polypharmacy in HF was five medications (59%, n = 35). There was no consensus regarding the inclusion or exclusion of over-the-counter medications, supplements, or vitamins. Some newer studies used a cutoff of 10 medications (14%, n = 8), and this may be a more practical and meaningful definition for HF patients.

Middle Meningeal Artery Embolization In Acute Leukemia Patients Presenting With Subdural Hematoma, Binoy Yohannan, Juan Carlos Martinez Gutierrez, Peng Roc Chen, Adan Rios

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Intracerebral hemorrhage is a potentially fatal complication in patients with acute leukemia and contributing factors include thrombocytopenia and coagulopathy. Patients with acute leukemia may develop subdural hematoma (SDH) spontaneously or secondary to trauma. In patients with acute leukemia and SDH, the surgical evacuation of the hematoma causes significant morbidity and mortality. New approaches and strategies to reduce the need for surgical evacuation are needed to improve outcomes in patients with acute leukemia and intracerebral hemorrhage. We report two cases of acute SDH in patients with acute leukemia successfully treated with middle meningeal artery embolization, a minimally invasive interventional radiology technique, …

Evaluating The Readability Of Online Blood Cancer Education Materials Across Different Readability Measures, Ashley Shin, Surbhi Banubakode, Sara Taveras Alam, Anneliese O Gonzalez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction The National Institutes of Health and the American Medical Association recommend patient education materials (EMs) be at or below the sixth-grade reading level. The American Cancer Society, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and National Comprehensive Cancer Network have accurate blood cancer EMs. Methods One hundred one (101) blood cancer EMs from the above organizations were assessed using the following: Flesch Reading Ease Formula (FREF), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), Gunning Fog Index (GFI), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook Index (SMOG), and the Coleman-Liau Index (CLI). Results Only 3.96% of patient EMs scored at or below the seventh-grade reading level in all modalities. …

Modified Technique Improves Efficacy For In-Office Posterior Nasal Nerve Ablation, Daniel Gorelik, Aatin K Dhanda, Alexander Choi, Masayoshi Takashima, Najm S Khan, Nicholas R Rowan, Aria Jafari, Tariq Syed, Omar G Ahmed

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objectives: Posterior nasal nerve (PNN) ablation is a minimally invasive treatment option for patients with chronic rhinitis. Recent evidence shows that parasympathetic innervation of the nasal cavity is more extensive and there are many fibers posterior to the lateral attachment of the middle turbinate. We describe a modified ablative technique that targets the extensive innervation of the posterior nasal nerves.

Methods: Description of the technique and retrospective cohort analysis. In addition to the traditional radiofrequency and cryoablation targets, three additional treatment sites posterior to the middle turbinate were targeted using radiofrequency ablation, as well as one focused treatment posteroinferior to …

Transcriptional Responses Of Different Brain Cell Types To Oxygen Decline, Camille Ravel-Godreuil, Ethan R Roy, Srinivas N Puttapaka, Sanming Li, Yanyu Wang, Xiaoyi Yuan, Holger K Eltzschig, Wei Cao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Brain hypoxia is associated with a wide range of physiological and clinical conditions. Although oxygen is an essential constituent of maintaining brain functions, our understanding of how specific brain cell types globally respond and adapt to decreasing oxygen conditions is incomplete. In this study, we exposed mouse primary neurons, astrocytes, and microglia to normoxia and two hypoxic conditions and obtained genome-wide transcriptional profiles of the treated cells. Analysis of differentially expressed genes under conditions of reduced oxygen revealed a canonical hypoxic response shared among different brain cell types. In addition, we observed a higher sensitivity of neurons to oxygen decline, …

Gut Microbiota And Blood Metabolites Related To Fiber Intake And Type 2 Diabetes, Zheng Wang, Brandilyn A Peters, Bing Yu, Megan L Grove, Tao Wang, Xiaonan Xue, Bharat Thyagarajan, Martha L Daviglus, Eric Boerwinkle, Gang Hu, Yasmin Mossavar-Rahmani, Carmen R Isasi, Rob Knight, Robert D Burk, Robert C Kaplan, Qibin Qi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Consistent evidence suggests diabetes-protective effects of dietary fiber intake. However, the underlying mechanisms, particularly the role of gut microbiota and host circulating metabolites, are not fully understood. We aimed to investigate gut microbiota and circulating metabolites associated with dietary fiber intake and their relationships with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

METHODS: This study included up to 11 394 participants from the HCHS/SOL (Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos). Diet was assessed with two 24-hour dietary recalls at baseline. We examined associations of dietary fiber intake with gut microbiome measured by shotgun metagenomics (350 species/85 genera and 1958 enzymes; n=2992 at …

Reinforced Tissue Matrix To Strengthen The Abdominal Wall Following Reversal Of Temporary Ostomies Or To Treat Incisional Hernias, Spencer P Lake, Corey R Deeken, Amit K Agarwal

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Abdominal wall deficiencies or weakness are a common complication of temporary ostomies, and incisional hernias frequently develop after colostomy or ileostomy takedown. The use of synthetic meshes to reinforce the abdominal wall has reduced hernia occurrence. Biologic meshes have also been used to enhance healing, particularly in contaminated conditions. Reinforced tissue matrices (RTMs), which include a biologic scaffold of native extracellular matrix and a synthetic component for added strength/durability, are designed to take advantage of aspects of both synthetic and biologic materials. To date, RTMs have not been reported to reinforce the abdominal wall following stoma reversal.

AIM: To …

Pilot Study To Assess The Effectiveness Of The Sustainable Culturally Adaptive Nutrition Program (Scan) To Improve Adherence To The National Diabetes Prevention Program, William B Perkison, Pierre Fwelo, Fernanda Velasco-Huerta, Natalia I Heredia, James J Yang, Sidra S Beg, Belinda M Reininger, Serena A Rodriguez, Maha Almohamad, Catherine Pulicken, Ella Garza, Grace E White, Maria E Fernandez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: The Sustainable Culturally Adapted Nutrition Program (SCAN) is a novel adaptation to the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) that aims to improve attendance and effectiveness. This paper presents its feasibility and impact through the initial 6-month outcomes.

DESIGN: A pragmatic quasi-experimental pilot study with intervention (DPP plus SCAN) and control (DPP only) groups.

SAMPLES AND INCLUSION CRITERIA: Sustainable Culturally Adapted Nutrition Program participants were recruited from federally qualified health center (FQHC) clinic patients enrolled in a NDPP in Houston, Texas. Participants needed to be (1) ≥18 years old, (2) body mass index >25, (3) no prior diagnosis of diabetes, …

Case 9-2024: An 84-Year-Old Man With A Fall, Zaven Sargsyan, Sunita D Srivastava, Virginia A Triant, Brian B Ghoshhajra

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Single-Cell Analysis Of Age-Related Changes In Leukocytes Of Diabetic Mouse Hindpaws, James M Nichols, Hoang Vu Pham, Eric F Lee, Rajasekaran Mahalingam, Andrew J Shepherd

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Complications associated with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, such as diabetic peripheral neuropathy and diabetic foot ulcers, are a growing health-care concern. In addition, this concern increases as diabetic patients age due to their increased susceptibility to complications. To address this growing problem, it is important to understand fluctuations in physiology which lead to pathological changes associated with the metabolic disturbances of diabetes. Our study explores dysregulation of immune cell populations in the hindpaws of healthy and diabetic mice at 12 and 21 weeks of age using single-cell RNA sequencing to provide insight into immune disruptions occurring in the …

Germline Structural Variation Globally Impacts The Cancer Transcriptome Including Disease-Relevant Genes, Fengju Chen, Yiqun Zhang, Fritz J Sedlazeck, Chad J Creighton

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Germline variation and somatic alterations contribute to the molecular profile of cancers. We combine RNA with whole genome sequencing across 1,218 cancer patients to determine the extent germline structural variants (SVs) impact expression of nearby genes. For hundreds of genes, recurrent and common germline SV breakpoints within 100 kb associate with increased or decreased expression in tumors spanning various tissues of origin. A significant fraction of germline SV expression associations involves duplication of intergenic enhancers or 3' UTR disruption. Genes altered by both somatic and germline SVs include ATRX and CEBPA. Genes essential in cancer cell lines include BARD1 and …

Hematopoietic Stem Cells With Granulo-Monocytic Differentiation State Overcome Venetoclax Sensitivity In Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Juan Jose Rodriguez-Sevilla, Irene Ganan-Gomez, Feiyang Ma, Kelly Chien, Monica Del Rey, Sanam Loghavi, Guillermo Montalban-Bravo, Vera Adema, Bethany Wildeman, Rashmi Kanagal-Shamanna, Alexandre Bazinet, Helen T Chifotides, Natthakan Thongon, Xavier Calvo, Jesús María Hernández-Rivas, Maria Díez-Campelo, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, Simona Colla

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The molecular mechanisms of venetoclax-based therapy failure in patients with acute myeloid leukemia were recently clarified, but the mechanisms by which patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) acquire secondary resistance to venetoclax after an initial response remain to be elucidated. Here, we show an expansion of MDS hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) with a granulo-monocytic-biased transcriptional differentiation state in MDS patients who initially responded to venetoclax but eventually relapsed. While MDS HSCs in an undifferentiated cellular state are sensitive to venetoclax treatment, differentiation towards a granulo-monocytic-biased transcriptional state, through the acquisition or expansion of clones with STAG2 or RUNX1 mutations, affects HSCs' …

Cd69 Signaling In Eosinophils Induces Il-10 Production And Apoptosis Via The Erk1/2 And Jnk Pathways, Respectively, Dan Van Bui, Linh Manh Nguyen, Akira Kanda, Hanh Hong Chu, Nhi Kieu Thi Le, Yasutaka Yun, Yoshiki Kobayashi, Kensuke Suzuki, Akitoshi Mitani, Akihiro Shimamura, Kenta Fukui, Shunsuke Sawada, David Dombrowicz, Hiroshi Iwai

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Eosinophils contribute to the pathogenesis of allergic diseases, including asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis. We previously reported that human tissue eosinophils have high CD69 expression compared to blood eosinophils, and its expression is correlated with disease severity and the number of infiltrated eosinophils. However, biological CD69 signaling activity in eosinophils remains unclear.

METHODS: CD69 expression on lung tissue eosinophils obtained from mice with ovalbumin-induced asthma was measured using flow cytometry. CD69 crosslinking was performed on eosinophils purified from the spleen of IL-5 transgenic mice to investigate CD69 signaling and its function in eosinophils. Then, qPCR, Western blot, enzyme-linked …

Cns-Associated Macrophages Contribute To Intracerebral Aneurysm Pathophysiology, Martina Glavan, Ana Jelic, Damien Levard, Juhana Frösen, Sara Keränen, Bart A A Franx, Ana-Rita Bras, Estelle R Louet, Ádám Dénes, Mario Merlini, Denis Vivien, Marina Rubio

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Simple Summary

Vestibular schwannoma (VS), benign cranial nerve sheath tumors of the vestibulocochlear nerve, lack efficacious systemic therapies, especially if they develop in a NF2-related schwannomatosis (NF2) background. They cause hearing loss, tinnitus and balance problems. Metastasis associated in colon cancer 1 (MACC1) is a key driver of metastasis. Although MACC1 expression is associated with highly malignant tumors and VS are considered benign, both are attached to the HGF/MET signaling pathway and MACC1 is a candidate gene localized at a hearing loss-related gene locus. Therefore, it was investigated whether MACC1 might be involved in VS pathogenesis. Surprisingly, MACC1 expression …

Using Protein Language Models For Protein Interaction Hot Spot Prediction With Limited Data, Karen Sargsyan, Carmay Lim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Protein language models, inspired by the success of large language models in deciphering human language, have emerged as powerful tools for unraveling the intricate code of life inscribed within protein sequences. They have gained significant attention for their promising applications across various areas, including the sequence-based prediction of secondary and tertiary protein structure, the discovery of new functional protein sequences/folds, and the assessment of mutational impact on protein fitness. However, their utility in learning to predict protein residue properties based on scant datasets, such as protein-protein interaction (PPI)-hotspots whose mutations significantly impair PPIs, remained unclear. Here, we explore the …

The Effect Of Severe Intraventricular Hemorrhage On The Biorhythms Of Feeding In Premature Infants, Hyun Ho Choi, Soo-Yoon Sung, Bo-In Lee, Hyun Cho, Yunho Jung, Jae Myung Park, Young-Seok Cho, Kang-Moon Lee, Sang Woo Kim, Hwang Choi, Hiun-Suk Chae, Myung-Gyu Choi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study investigated whether the personality traits of endoscopists are associated with the effect of interventions for the improvement of colonoscopy quality.

METHODS: This prospective, multicenter, single-blind study was performed with 13 endoscopists in three health screening centers over a 12-month period. Quality indicators (QIs), including adenoma detection rate (ADR), polyp detection rate (PDR), and withdrawal time, were measured every 3 months. Consecutive interventions for the improvement of colonoscopy quality were conducted every 3 months, which included the personal notification of QIs, the in-group notification of QIs, and finally a targeted "quality education" session. The personality traits of each …

Lifestyle Medicine For The Prevention And Treatment Of Pancreatitis And Pancreatic Cancer, Sruthi Kapliyil Subramanian, Bhaumik Brahmbhatt, Jennifer M Bailey-Lundberg, Nirav C Thosani, Pritesh Mutha

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The incidence of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer is on the upswing in the USA. These conditions often lead to higher healthcare costs due to the complex nature of diagnosis and the need for specialized medical interventions, surgical procedures, and prolonged medical management. The economic ramification encompasses direct healthcare expenses and indirect costs related to productivity losses, disability, and potential long-term care requirements. Increasing evidence underscores the importance of a healthy lifestyle in preventing and managing these conditions. Lifestyle medicine employs evidence-based interventions to promote health through six key pillars: embracing a whole-food, plant-predominant dietary pattern; regular physical activity; ensuring restorative …

Effect Of Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibody Treatment On Early Trajectories Of Virologic And Immunologic Biomarkers In Patients Hospitalized With Covid-19, Tomas O Jensen, Greg A Grandits, Mamta K Jain, Thomas A Murray, Birgit Grund, Kathryn Shaw-Saliba, Michael A Matthay, Mahsa Abassi, Magdalena Ardelt, Jason V Baker, Peter Chen, Robin L Dewar, Anna L Goodman, Timothy J Hatlen, Helene C Highbarger, Mark Holodniy, Perrine Lallemand, Sylvain Laverdure, Bradley G Leshnower, David Looney, Charalampos D Moschopoulos, Henry Mugerwa, Daniel D Murray, Eleftherios Mylonakis, Stephanie Nagy-Agren, M Tauseef Rehman, Adam Rupert, Randy A Stevens, Stuart Turville, Amy Weintrob, Katherine Wick, Jens Lundgren, Emily R Ko

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (nmAbs) failed to show clear benefit for hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Dynamics of virologic and immunologic biomarkers remain poorly understood.

METHODS: Participants enrolled in the Therapeutics for Inpatients with COVID-19 trials were randomized to nmAb versus placebo. Longitudinal differences between treatment and placebo groups in levels of plasma nucleocapsid antigen (N-Ag), anti-nucleocapsid antibody, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and D-dimer at enrollment, day 1, 3, and 5 were estimated using linear mixed models. A 7-point pulmonary ordinal scale assessed at day 5 was compared using proportional odds models.

RESULTS: Analysis included 2149 participants enrolled between …

Utility Of Peripheral Protein Biomarkers For The Prediction Of Incident Interstitial Features: A Multicentre Retrospective Cohort Study, Samuel Ash, Tracy J Doyle, Bina Choi, Ruben San Jose Estepar, Victor Castro, Nicholas Enzer, Ravi Kalhan, Gabrielle Liu, Russell Bowler, David O Wilson, Raul San Jose Estepar, Ivan O Rosas, George R Washko

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION/RATIONALE: Protein biomarkers may help enable the prediction of incident interstitial features on chest CT.

METHODS: We identified which protein biomarkers in a cohort of smokers (COPDGene) differed between those with and without objectively measured interstitial features at baseline using a univariate screen (t-test false discovery rate, FDR p

RESULTS: In COPDGene, 1305 biomarkers were available and 20 differed between those with and without interstitial features at baseline. Of these, 11 were associated with feature progression over a mean of 5.5 years of follow-up, and of these 4 were available in PLuSS, (angiopoietin-2, matrix metalloproteinase 7, macrophage inflammatory protein 1 …

Detection Of Acute Brain Injury In Intensive Care Unit Patients On Ecmo Support Using Ultra-Low-Field Portable Mri: A Retrospective Analysis Compared To Head Ct, Sung-Min Cho, Shivalika Khanduja, Jiah Kim, Jin Kook Kang, Jessica Briscoe, Lori R Arlinghaus, Kha Dinh, Bo Soo Kim, Haris I Sair, Audrey-Carelle N Wandji, Elena Moreno, Glenda Torres, Jose Gavito-Higuera, Huimahn A Choi, John Pitts, Aaron M Gusdon, Glenn J Whitman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Early detection of acute brain injury (ABI) is critical to intensive care unit (ICU) patient management and intervention to decrease major complications. Head CT (HCT) is the standard of care for the assessment of ABI in ICU patients; however, it has limited sensitivity compared to MRI. We retrospectively compared the ability of ultra-low-field portable MR (ULF-pMR) and head HCT, acquired within 24 h of each other, to detect ABI in ICU patients supported on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). A total of 17 adult patients (median age 55 years; 47% male) were included in the analysis. Of the 17 patients assessed, …

Methodological Advances In Patient-Centered Rare Disease Research: The Uthealth Houston Turner Syndrome Society Of The United States Research Registry, Sara Mansoorshahi, Cindy Scurlock, Scientific Advisory Board Of The Turner Syndrome Society Of The United States Research Registry, Siddharth K Prakash

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Many different clinical specialists provide care to patients with Turner syndrome (TS), who have highly variable clinical manifestations. Therefore, a national TS registry is essential to inform a cohesive approach to healthcare and research. In 2015, the Turner Syndrome Society of the United States (TSSUS) created the Turner Syndrome Research Registry (TSRR) to engage directly with community participants who voluntarily provide longitudinal data about their experiences with TS. TSRR projects are collaborative partnerships between people with TS, TSSUS, and researchers.

RESULTS: To ensure that registry workflows conform to the data privacy choices of participants, TSSUS collaborated with UTHealth Houston …

Metabolomic Profiles In Jamaican Children With And Without Autism Spectrum Disorder, Akram Yazdani, Maureen Samms-Vaughan, Sepideh Saroukhani, Jan Bressler, Manouchehr Hessabi, Amirali Tahanan, Megan L Grove, Tanja Gangnus, Vasanta Putluri, Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal, Nagireddy Putluri, Katherine A Loveland, Mohammad H Rahbar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition with a wide range of behavioral and cognitive impairments. While genetic and environmental factors are known to contribute to its etiology, the underlying metabolic perturbations associated with ASD which can potentially connect genetic and environmental factors, remain poorly understood. Therefore, we conducted a metabolomic case-control study and performed a comprehensive analysis to identify significant alterations in metabolite profiles between children with ASD and typically developing (TD) controls.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate potential metabolomic signatures associated with ASD in children and identify specific metabolites that may serve as biomarkers for the disorder. …