Public Health Commons^™

A Novel Deep Learning Model Based On Transformer And Cross Modality Attention For Classification Of Sleep Stages, Sahar Hassanzadeh Mostafaei, Jafar Tanha, Amir Sharafkhaneh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The classification of sleep stages is crucial for gaining insights into an individual's sleep patterns and identifying potential health issues. Employing several important physiological channels in different views, each providing a distinct perspective on sleep patterns, can have a great impact on the efficiency of the classification models. In the context of neural networks and deep learning models, transformers are very effective, especially when dealing with time series data, and have shown remarkable compatibility with sequential data analysis as physiological channels. On the other hand, cross-modality attention by integrating information from multiple views of the data enables to capture relationships …

Tuberculosis Prevention: Current Strategies And Future Directions, Anca Vasiliu, Leonardo Martinez, Rishi K Gupta, Yohhei Hamada, Tara Ness, Alexander Kay, Maryline Bonnet, Martina Sester, Stefan H E Kaufmann, Christoph Lange, Anna M Mandalakas

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: An estimated one fourth of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and 5-10% of those infected develop tuberculosis in their lifetime. Preventing tuberculosis is one of the most underutilized but essential components of curtailing the tuberculosis epidemic. Moreover, current evidence illustrates that tuberculosis manifestations occur along a dynamic spectrum from infection to disease rather than a binary state as historically conceptualized. Elucidating determinants of transition between these states is crucial to decreasing the tuberculosis burden and reaching the END-TB Strategy goals as defined by the WHO. Vaccination, detection of infection, and provision of preventive treatment are key …

Age Modifies The Association Between Severe Sleep Apnea And All-Cause Mortality, Amin Ramezani, Mehrnaz Azarian, Amir Sharafkhaneh, Arash Maghsoudi, Melissa B Jones, Thomas Penzel, Javad Razjouyan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: While sleep apnea (SA) gets more prevalent with advancing age, the impact of age on the association between SA and health outcomes is not well known. We assessed the association between the severity of SA and all-cause mortality in different age groups using large longitudinal data.

Method: We applied a Natural Language Processing pipeline to extract the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) from the physicians' interpretation of sleep studies performed at the Veteran Health Administration (FY 1999-2022). We categorized the participants as no SA (n-SA, AHI< 5) and severe SA (s-SA, AHI≥30). We grouped the cohort based on age: Young≤40; Middle-aged:40-65; and Older adults≥65; and calculated the odds ratio (aOR) of mortality adjusted for age, sex, race, ethnicity, BMI, and Charlson-Comorbidity Index (CCI) using n-SA as the reference.

Results: We identified 146,148 participants (age 52.23 ± 15.02; BMI 32.11 ± 6.05; male 86.7 …

Leveraging The Science Of Early Life Predictability To Inform Policies Promoting Child Health, Laura M. Glynn, Sabrina R. Liu, Candice Taylor Lucas, Elysia Poggi Davis

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Addressing the tremendous burden of early-life adversity requires constructive dialogues between scientists and policy makers to improve population health. Whereas dialogues focused on several aspects of early-life adversity have been initiated, discussion of an underrecognized form of adversity that has been observed across multiple contexts and cultures is only now emerging. Here we provide evidence for “why unpredictability?”, including: 1. Evidence that exposures to unpredictability affect child neurodevelopment, with influences that persist into adulthood. 2. The existence of a translational non-human animal model of exposure to early life unpredictability that can be capitalized upon to causally probe neurobiological mechanisms. 3. …

Deployment-Related Cigarette Smoking Behaviors And Pulmonary Function Among Us Veterans, Jennifer R Maccarone, Olivia R Sterns, Andrew Timmons, Anna M Korpak, Nicholas L Smith, Karen S Nakayama, Coleen P Baird, Paul Ciminera, Farrah Kheradmand, Vincent S Fan, Jaime E Hart, Petros Koutrakis, Michael Jerrett, Ware G Kuschner, Octavian C Ioachimescu, Philippe R Montgrain, Susan P Proctor, Carrie A Redlich, Christine H Wendt, Paul D Blanc, Eric Garshick, Emily S Wan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: The effects of smoking on lung function among post-9/11 Veterans deployed to environments with high levels of ambient particulate matter are incompletely understood.

Materials and methods: We analyzed interim data (04/2018-03/2020) from the Veterans Affairs (VA) Cooperative Studies Program #595, "Service and Health Among Deployed Veterans". Veterans with ≥1 land-based deployments enrolled at 1 of 6 regional Veterans Affairs sites completed questionnaires and spirometry. Multivariable linear regression models assessed associations between cigarette smoking (cumulative, deployment-related and non-deployment-related) with pulmonary function.

Results: Among 1,836 participants (mean age 40.7 ± 9.6, 88.6% male), 44.8% (n = 822) were ever-smokers (mean age …

A Non-Parametric Approach To Predict The Recruitment For Randomized Clinical Trials: An Example In Elderly Inpatient Settings, Alejandro Villasante-Tezanos, Yong-Fang Kuo, Christopher Kurinec, Yisheng Li, Xiaoying Yu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Accurate prediction of subject recruitment, which is critical to the success of a study, remains an ongoing challenge. Previous prediction models often rely on parametric assumptions which are not always met or may be difficult to implement. We aim to develop a novel method that is less sensitive to model assumptions and relatively easy to implement.

METHODS: We create a weighted resampling-based approach to predict enrollment in year two based on recruitment data from year one of the completed GRIPS and PACE clinical trials. Different weight functions accounted for a range of potential enrollment trajectory patterns. Prediction accuracy was …

A Metabolite-Based Liquid Biopsy For Detection Of Ovarian Cancer, Johannes F Fahrmann, Seyyed Mahmood Ghasemi, Chae Y Han, Ranran Wu, Jennifer B Dennison, Jody Vykoukal, Joseph Celestino, Karen Lu, Zhen Lu, Charles Drescher, Kim-Anh Do, Samir Hanash, Robert C Bast, Ehsan Irajizad

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Serial CA125 and second line transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) screening in the UKCTOCS indicated a shift towards detection of earlier stage ovarian cancer (OvCa), but did not yield a significant mortality reduction. There remains a need to establish additional biomarkers that can complement CA125 for even earlier and at a larger proportion of new cases. Using a cohort of plasma samples from 219 OvCa cases (59 stage I/II and 160 stage III/IV) and 409 female controls and a novel Sensitivity Maximization At A Given Specificity (SMAGS) method, we developed a blood-based metabolite-based test consisting of 7 metabolites together with CA125 for …

Adenovirus Vaccine Targeting Kinases Induces Potent Antitumor Immunity In Solid Tumors, Fei Zhu, Zheng Lu, Wenjing Tang, Guangya Zhao, Yingxiang Shao, Bowen Lu, Jiage Ding, Yanyan Zheng, Lin Fang, Huizhong Li, Gang Wang, Renjin Chen, Junnian Zheng, Dafei Chai

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Targeting kinases presents a potential strategy for treating solid tumors; however, the therapeutic potential of vaccines targeting kinases remains uncertain.

METHODS: Adenovirus (Ad) vaccines encoding Aurora kinase A (AURKA) or cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) were developed, and their therapeutic potentials were investigated by various methods including western blot, flow cytometry, cytotoxic T lymphocyte assay, and enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot), in mouse and humanized solid tumor models.

RESULTS: Co-immunization with Ad-AURKA/CDK7 effectively prevented subcutaneous tumor growth in the Renca, RM-1, MC38, and Hepa1-6 tumor models. In therapeutic tumor models, Ad-AURKA/CDK7 treatment impeded tumor growth and increased immune cell infiltration. Administration of …

Neutralization Escape, Infectivity, And Membrane Fusion Of Jn1-Derived Sars-Cov-2 Slip, Flirt, And Kp2 Variants, Pei Li, Julia N Faraone, Cheng Chih Hsu, Michelle Chamblee, Yi-Min Zheng, Claire Carlin, Joseph S Bednash, Jeffrey C Horowitz, Rama K Mallampalli, Linda J Saif, Eugene M Oltz, Daniel Jones, Jianrong Li, Richard J Gumina, Kai Xu, Shan-Lu Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We investigate JN.1-derived subvariants SLip, FLiRT, and KP.2 for neutralization by antibodies in vaccinated individuals, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected patients, or class III monoclonal antibody S309. Compared to JN.1, SLip, KP.2, and especially FLiRT exhibit increased resistance to bivalent-vaccinated and BA.2.86/JN.1-wave convalescent human sera. XBB.1.5 monovalent-vaccinated hamster sera robustly neutralize FLiRT and KP.2 but have reduced efficiency for SLip. All subvariants are resistant to S309 and show decreased infectivity, cell-cell fusion, and spike processing relative to JN.1. Modeling reveals that L455S and F456L in SLip reduce spike binding for ACE2, while R346T in FLiRT and KP.2 strengthens …

Accessible Dietary Interventions For The Prevention And Management Of Common Menstrual Disorders: A Systematic Review, Ella R. Motzko

Theses and Graduate Projects

Objective: This systematic review aims to provide healthcare providers with evidence-based dietary recommendations that can be easily implemented by patients across diverse populations to address a critical gap in the management of common menstrual disorders like premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and primary dysmenorrhea (PD).

Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted using UpToDate, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) Green Journal, Google Scholar, and PubMed electronic databases to identify randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the effects of specific essential nutrients or diet-related behavioral or educational interventions on PMS or PD symptoms.

Results: Following the PRISMA guidelines, the identification process began with …

Perceptions Of Hiv-Related Comorbidities And Usability Of A Virtual Environment For Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Education In Sexual Minority Men With Hiv: Formative Phases Of A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, S Raquel Ramos, Harmony Reynolds, Constance Johnson, Gail Melkus, Trace Kershaw, Julian F Thayer, Allison Vorderstrasse

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Sexual minority men with HIV are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and have been underrepresented in behavioral research and clinical trials.

Objective: This study aims to explore perceptions of HIV-related comorbidities and assess the interest in and usability of a virtual environment for CVD prevention education in Black and Latinx sexual minority men with HIV.

Methods: This is a 3-phase pilot behavioral randomized controlled trial. We report on formative phases 1 and 2 that informed virtual environment content and features using qualitative interviews, usability testing, and beta testing with a total of 25 individuals. In phase …

Epigenome-Wide Association Study Of Prostate Cancer In African American Men Identified Differentially Methylated Genes, Anders Berglund, Kosj Yamoah, Steven A. Eschrich, Rana Falahat, James J. Mulé, Sungjune Kim, Jaime Matta, Julie Dutil, Gilberto Ruiz-Deya, Carmen Ortiz Sanchez, Liang Wang, Hyun Park, Hirendra N. Banerjee, Tamara Lotan, Kathryn Hughes Barry, Ryan M. Putney, Seung Joon Kim, Clement Gwede, Jacob K. Kresovich, Youngchul Kim, Hui Yi Lin, Jasreman Dhillon, Ratna Chakrabarti, Jong Y. Park

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

Introduction: Men with African ancestry have the highest incidence and mortality rates of prostate cancer (PCa) worldwide. Methods: This study aimed to identify differentially methylated genes between tumor vs. adjacent normal and aggressive vs. indolent PCa in 121 African American patients. Epigenome-wide DNA methylation patterns in tumor DNA were assessed using the human Illumina Methylation EPIC V1 array. Results: Around 5,139 differentially methylated CpG-sites (q < 0.01, lΔβl > 0.2) were identified when comparing normal vs. tumor, with an overall trend of hypermethylation in prostate tumors. Multiple representative differentially methylated regions (DMRs), including immune-related genes, such as CD40, Galectin3, OX40L, and STING, were detected …

Inhalational Drug Devices: Revisiting The Linchpin Of Asthma Management, Damini Saxena, Neveda Murugesan, Uyioghosa D Evbayiro, Marina K Ngassa, Muhammad Adrish

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Asthma remains a prevalent condition among all age groups globally. First-line treatment requires the delivery of medications into the distal respiratory tract via inhalers. Using appropriate inhaler techniques is a significant challenge in achieving disease control. A variety of inhalers are available for treating asthma, and selecting the appropriate inhaler type for any given patient is crucial to achieving and maintaining symptomatic control. This review will discuss the anatomy and physiology behind drug delivery via inhalers, the types of inhalers currently available for use, nebulizers, and future directions in the delivery of inhaled medications for asthma.

What Is The Economic Benefit Of Annual Covid-19 Vaccination From The Adult Individual Perspective?, Sarah M Bartsch, Kelly J O'Shea, Colleen Weatherwax, Ulrich Strych, Kavya Velmurugan, Danielle C John, Maria Elena Bottazzi, Mustafa Hussein, Marie F Martinez, Kevin L Chin, Allan Ciciriello, Jessie Heneghan, Alexis Dibbs, Sheryl A Scannell, Peter J Hotez, Bruce Y Lee

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Background: With coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination no longer mandated by many businesses/organizations, it is now up to individuals to decide whether to get any new boosters/updated vaccines going forward.

Methods: We developed a Markov model representing the potential clinical/economic outcomes from an individual perspective in the United States of getting versus not getting an annual COVID-19 vaccine.

Results: For an 18-49 year old, getting vaccinated at its current price ($60) can save the individual on average $30-$603 if the individual is uninsured and $4-$437 if the individual has private insurance, as long as the starting vaccine efficacy against severe …

The Experience Of Homelessness And Its Effects On Gut Eubiosis, Kamerin Villagomez

University Honors Theses

Microorganisms which populate the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) have a profound effect on overall human health. The relationship between host health and eubiosis, or balance, of the GIT microbiome is symbiotic and can have reciprocal relationships with quality of sleep, quality of diet, stress and mental health, and the experience of pain. These specific aspects of health are unique in populations experiencing homelessness due to the multi-dimensional and complex nature of their lived experience. Very few studies explore populations experiencing homelessness, with even fewer investigating the intersection between this population and the human GIT microbiome. It is important to do …

Factors Associated With Elevated Sars-Cov-2 Immune Response In Children And Adolescents, Sarah E Messiah, Rhiana Abbas, Emma Bergqvist, Harold W Kohl, Michael D Swartz, Yashar Talebi, Rachit Sabharwal, Haoting Han, Melissa A Valerio-Shewmaker, Stacia M Desantis, Ashraf Yaseen, Henal A Gandhi, Ximena Flandes Amavisca, Jessica A Ross, Lindsay N Padilla, Michael O Gonzalez, Leqing Wu, Mark A Silberman, David Lakey, Jennifer A Shuford, Stephen J Pont, Eric Boerwinkle

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Understanding the distinct immunologic responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection among pediatric populations is pivotal in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and informing future public health strategies. This study aimed to identify factors associated with heightened antibody responses in children and adolescents to identify potential unique immune dynamics in this population.

METHODS: Data collected between July and December 2023 from the Texas Coronavirus Antibody REsponse Survey (Texas CARES), a statewide prospective population-based antibody survey among 1-to-19-year-old participants, were analyzed. Each participant had the following data available for analysis: (1) Roche Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Immunoassay for Nucleocapsid protein antibodies (Roche N-test), (2) qualitative and …

Genetics And Genomics Of Pulmonary Fibrosis: Charting The Molecular Landscape And Shaping Precision Medicine, Ayodeji Adegunsoye, Jonathan A Kropski, Juergen Behr, Timothy S Blackwell, Tamera J Corte, Vincent Cottin, Allan R Glanville, Marilyn K Glassberg, Matthias Griese, Gary M Hunninghake, Kerri A Johannson, Michael P Keane, John S Kim, Martin Kolb, Toby M Maher, Justin M Oldham, Anna J Podolanczuk, Ivan O Rosas, Fernando J Martinez, Imre Noth, David A Schwartz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Recent genetic and genomic advancements have elucidated the complex etiology of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other progressive fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), emphasizing the contribution of heritable factors. This state-of-the-art review synthesizes evidence on significant genetic contributors to pulmonary fibrosis (PF), including rare genetic variants and common SNPs. The MUC5B promoter variant is unusual, a common SNP that markedly elevates the risk of early and established PF. We address the utility of genetic variation in enhancing understanding of disease pathogenesis and clinical phenotypes, improving disease definitions, and informing prognosis and treatment response. Critical research gaps are highlighted, particularly the …

Cluster Effect For Snp-Snp Interaction Pairs For Predicting Complex Traits, Hui Yi Lin, Harun Mazumder, Indrani Sarkar, Po Yu Huang, Rosalind A. Eeles, Zsofia Kote-Jarai, Kenneth R. Muir, Johanna Schleutker, Nora Pashayan, Jyotsna Batra, David E. Neal, Sune F. Nielsen, Børge G. Nordestgaard, Henrik Grönberg, Fredrik Wiklund, Robert J. Macinnis, Christopher A. Haiman, Ruth C. Travis, Janet L. Stanford, Adam S. Kibel, Cezary Cybulski, Kay Tee Khaw, Christiane Maier, Stephen N. Thibodeau, Manuel R. Teixeira, Lisa Cannon-Albright, Hermann Brenner, Radka Kaneva, Hardev Pandha, Et Al

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) interactions are the key to improving polygenic risk scores. Previous studies reported several significant SNP-SNP interaction pairs that shared a common SNP to form a cluster, but some identified pairs might be false positives. This study aims to identify factors associated with the cluster effect of false positivity and develop strategies to enhance the accuracy of SNP-SNP interactions. The results showed the cluster effect is a major cause of false-positive findings of SNP-SNP interactions. This cluster effect is due to high correlations between a causal pair and null pairs in a cluster. The clusters with a …

Pressing Issues For Oral Care Quality Improvement: Findings From The Eu Deliver Project, Paulo Melo, Leonor Frey-Furtado, Daniela Correia, Stefan Listl, Michael Lorenz, Nagihan Bostanci, Álvaro Azevedo, Maria Lurdes Pereira

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: While oral health often takes a backseat to other health domains, it silently affects nearly half of the Worldwide population. The DELIVER project, funded by the EU's Horizon Europe program, seeks to develop a blueprint model for improving the quality of oral health care for everyone.

METHODS: Applying the Nominal Group Technique (NGT), 17 stakeholders from various backgrounds participated in identifying pressing issues for oral care quality improvement across practice, community, and policy levels.

RESULTS: The results revealed significant differences at the different levels, with accessibility emerging as a prominent issue, encompassing affordability, availability, and acceptability of oral healthcare …

Clathrin Light Chains Negatively Regulate Plant Immunity By Hijacking The Autophagy Pathway, Hu-Jiao Lan, Jie Ran, Wen-Xu Wang, Lei Zhang, Ni-Ni Wu, Ya-Ting Zhao, Min-Jun Huang, Min Ni, Fen Liu, Ninghui Cheng, Paul A Nakata, Jianwei Pan, Steven A Whitham, Barbara J Baker, Jian-Zhong Liu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The crosstalk between clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) and the autophagy pathway has been reported in mammals; however, the interconnection of CME with autophagy has not been established in plants. Here, we report that the Arabidopsis CLATHRIN LIGHT CHAIN (CLC) subunit 2 and 3 double mutant, clc2-1 clc3-1, phenocopies Arabidopsis AUTOPHAGY-RELATED GENE (ATG) mutants in both autoimmunity and nutrient sensitivity. Accordingly, the autophagy pathway is significantly compromised in the clc2-1 clc3-1 mutant. Interestingly, multiple assays demonstrate that CLC2 directly interacts with ATG8h/ATG8i in a domain-specific manner. As expected, both GFP-ATG8h/GFP-ATG8i and CLC2-GFP are subjected to autophagic degradation, and degradation of GFP-ATG8h is …

How Is Diagnostic Uncertainty Communicated And Managed In Real World Primary Care Settings?, Jessica Russell, Laura Boswell, Athena Ip, Jenny Harris, Hardeep Singh, Ashley N D Meyer, Traber D Giardina, Afsana Bhuiya, Katriina L Whitaker, Georgia B Black

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Managing diagnostic uncertainty is a major challenge in primary care due to factors such as the absence of definitive tests, variable symptom presentations and disease evolution. Maintaining patient trust during a period of investigative uncertainty, whilst minimising scope for diagnostic error is a challenge. Mismanagement can lead to diagnostic errors, treatment delays, and suboptimal patient outcomes.

Objective: Our aim was to explore how UK primary care physicians (GPs) address and communicate diagnostic uncertainty in practice.

Design: This qualitative study used video and audio-recordings. Verbatim transcripts were coded with a modified, validated tool to capture GPs' actions and communication in …

A Social Media Game To Increase Physical Activity Among Older Adult Women: Protocol Of A Randomized Controlled Trial To Evaluate Challenge, Michael C Robertson, Maria Chang Swartz, Karen M Basen-Engquist, Yisheng Li, Kristofer Jennings, Debbe Thompson, Tom Baranowski, Elena Volpi, Elizabeth J Lyons

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Older adult women often do not engage in sufficient physical activity (PA) and can encounter biological changes that exacerbate the negative effects of inadequate activity. Wearable activity monitors can facilitate PA initiation, but evidence of sustained behavior change is lacking. Supplementing wearable technologies with intervention content that evokes enjoyment, interest, meaning, and personal values associated with PA may support long term adherence. In this paper, we present the protocol of an NIA-funded study designed to evaluate the efficacy of CHALLENGE for increasing step count and motivation for PA in insufficiently active older women (Challenges for Healthy Aging: Leveraging Limits …

A Systematic Review: Longevity And Quality Of Life In Blue Zones, Salmaan Mulla

Theses and Graduate Projects

Ikaria, Loma Linda, Sardinia, Okinawa, and Nikoya. These 5 cities around the world are famed for their increased longevity and quality of life and are termed “Blue Zones”. Blue zones are areas around the world noted for their population of centenarians, overall long life expectancy and high quality of life compared to the average population. Studying these communities offer insights into the commonalities they share to better understand the unique aspects of living a healthy, fulfilling and long life. A comprehensive literature review was conducted using Google Scholar, with the search terms “Ikaria, Greece longevity; Loma Linda, California longevity; Sardinia, …

The Impact Of Minimally Processed High Fat Meals On Postprandial Glucose, Lipids And Metabolic Index In Pre-Diabetics, Oluwafemi Ayoola

Masters Theses, 2020-current

There is an increasing global prevalence of prediabetes, commonly diagnosed through increased fasting glucose (GLU). Elevated levels of GLU and triglycerides (TRG) have also been linked with more severe diabetes-related complications. Even a single high-fat meal (HFM) may result in adverse metabolic outcomes, in healthy individuals and prediabetics, which are a better predictor of disease risk than measuring fasting levels. Therefore, reducing these metabolic outcomes after a typical HFM often consumed in the Western diet is of critical importance to reduce chronic disease risk. The aim is to determine whether incorporating polyphenols and dietary fiber into an HFM would reduce …

Pan-Cancer Proteogenomics Expands The Landscape Of Therapeutic Targets, Sara R Savage, Xinpei Yi, Jonathan T Lei, Bo Wen, Hongwei Zhao, Yuxing Liao, Eric J Jaehnig, Lauren K Somes, Paul W Shafer, Tobie D Lee, Zile Fu, Yongchao Dou, Zhiao Shi, Daming Gao, Valentina Hoyos, Qiang Gao, Bing Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Fewer than 200 proteins are targeted by cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We integrate Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) proteogenomics data from 1,043 patients across 10 cancer types with additional public datasets to identify potential therapeutic targets. Pan-cancer analysis of 2,863 druggable proteins reveals a wide abundance range and identifies biological factors that affect mRNA-protein correlation. Integration of proteomic data from tumors and genetic screen data from cell lines identifies protein overexpression- or hyperactivation-driven druggable dependencies, enabling accurate predictions of effective drug targets. Proteogenomic identification of synthetic lethality provides a strategy to target tumor …

Non-Receptor Tyrosine Kinases: Their Structure And Mechanistic Role In Tumor Progression And Resistance, Abdulaziz M. Eshaq, Thomas W. Flanagan, Sofie Yasmin Hassan, Sara A. Al Asheikh, Waleed A. Al-Amoudi, Simeon Santourlidis, Sarah Lilly Hassan, Maryam O. Alamodi, Marcelo L. Bendhack, Mohammed O. Alamodi, Youssef Haikel, Mossad Megahed, Mohamed Hassan

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) function as key molecules in the signaling pathways in addition to their impact as a therapeutic target for the treatment of many human diseases, including cancer. PTKs are characterized by their ability to phosphorylate serine, threonine, or tyrosine residues and can thereby rapidly and reversibly alter the function of their protein substrates in the form of significant changes in protein confirmation and affinity for their interaction with protein partners to drive cellular functions under normal and pathological conditions. PTKs are classified into two groups: one of which represents tyrosine kinases, while the other one includes the …

Gastrocnemius Electrical Stimulation Increases Ankle Dorsiflexion Strength In Patients With Post-Acute Sequelae Of Sars-Cov-2 (Pasc): A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial, Myeounggon Lee, Alejandro Zulbaran-Rojas, Miguel Bargas-Ochoa, Bernardo Martinez-Leal, Rasha Bara, Areli Flores-Camargo, M G Finco, Ram Kinker Mishra, Jaewon Beom, Dipaben Modi, Fidaa Shaib, Bijan Najafi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Post-Acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) is a multisystem disorder causing persistent musculoskeletal deconditioning and reduced lower extremity strength. Electrical stimulation (E-Stim) to the gastrocnemius muscle can enhance strength outcomes by increasing the frequency of muscle fiber activation. We investigated its effect on individuals with PASC. Participants were randomized into intervention (IG) or control (CG) groups. The IG self-administered daily one-hour E-Stim to both their gastrocnemius muscles using a functional device over 4-week, while the CG used a sham device. Primary outcomes were ankle dorsiflexion strength assessed via dynamometry during maximum voluntary contractions, and gastrocnemius voluntary activation (GVA) via surface electromyography. …

Expanding A Behavioral View On Digital Health Access: Drivers And Strategies To Promote Equity, Maura M Kepper, Lauren A Fowler, Isabelle S Kusters, Jean W Davis, Manal Baqer, Sara Sagui-Henson, Yunyu Xiao, Adati Tarfa, Jean C Yi, Bryan Gibson, Kristin E Heron, Nicole M Alberts, Marissa Burgermaster, Veronica Ps Njie-Carr, Lisa M Klesges

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

The potential and threat of digital tools to achieve health equity has been highlighted for over a decade, but the success of achieving equitable access to health technologies remains challenging. Our paper addresses renewed concerns regarding equity in digital health access that were deepened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our viewpoint is that (1) digital health tools have the potential to improve health equity if equitable access is achieved, and (2) improving access and equity in digital health can be strengthened by considering behavioral science-based strategies embedded in all phases of tool development. Using behavioral, equity, and access frameworks allowed for …

Preeclampsia In The Context Of Covid-19: Mechanisms, Pathophysiology, And Clinical Outcomes, Guilherme M Nobrega, Brittany R Jones, Indira U Mysorekar, Maria Laura Costa

Center on Aging Staff Publications

The emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to the global COVID-19 pandemic, significantly impacting the health of pregnant women. Obstetric populations, already vulnerable, face increased morbidity and mortality related to COVID-19, aggravated by preexisting comorbidities. Recent studies have shed light on the potential correlation between COVID-19 and preeclampsia (PE), a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity worldwide, emphasizing the significance of exploring the relationship between these two conditions. Here, we review the pathophysiological similarities that PE shares with COVID-19, with a particular focus on severe COVID-19 cases and in PE-like syndrome cases related with …

In Utero Exposure To Antihistamines And Risk Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma In A Multigenerational Cohort, Caitlin C Murphy, Karim Seif El Dahan, Amit G Singal, Piera M Cirillo, Nickilou Y Krigbaum, Barbara A Cohn

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence suggests that liver disease originates in early life. Antihistamines cross the placenta and are frequently prescribed to pregnant women to treat nausea and vomiting, as well as allergy and asthma symptoms. Exposure to antihistamines in utero may impact the developing liver by reprogramming or inducing epigenetic changes in fetal hepatocytes.

METHODS: We examined in utero exposure to antihistamines and the risk of HCC in the Child Health and Development Studies, a multigenerational cohort that enrolled pregnant women in the East Bay, CA, between 1959 and 1966 (n=14,507 mothers and 18,751 liveborn offspring). We reviewed mothers' medical records …