Public Health Commons^™

Comparison Between Viral Vector And Mrna Based Covid-19 Vaccination In Prevalence And Severity Of Regional Immune Reactions, And 18f-Fdg Pet/Ct Features, Narjess Ayati, Scott Evans, S Rasoul Zakavi, Simon M Gruenewald

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective(s):

The coronavirus pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 commenced in late 2019, and global wide vaccination appears to be the only reasonable solution to fight this dreadful virus. There are two main types of COVID-19 immunization using viral vector and mRNA-based vaccines. However, the impact of each of type on 18F-FDG PET/CT needs to be accurately assessed. This study aimed to compare the 18F-FDG PET/CT features of these two types of COVID-19 vaccines.

Methods:

A total of 188 patients referred for 18F-FDG PET/CT with a recent history of either BioNTech/Pfizer or AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination, and a control group of 40 patients …

Deep Learning-Based Dose Prediction To Improve The Plan Quality Of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy For Gynecologic Cancers, Mary P Gronberg, Anuja Jhingran, Tucker J Netherton, Skylar S Gay, Carlos E Cardenas, Christine Chung, David Fuentes, Clifton D Fuller, Rebecca M Howell, Meena Khan, Tze Yee Lim, Barbara Marquez, Adenike M Olanrewaju, Christine B Peterson, Ivan Vazquez, Thomas J Whitaker, Zachary Wooten, Ming Yang, Laurence E Court

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: In recent years, deep‐learning models have been used to predict entire three‐dimensional dose distributions. However, the usability of dose predictions to improve plan quality should be further investigated.

Purpose: To develop a deep‐learning model to predict high‐quality dose distributions for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans for patients with gynecologic cancer and to evaluate their usability in driving plan quality improvements.

Methods: A total of 79 VMAT plans for the female pelvis were used to train (47 plans), validate (16 plans), and test (16 plans) 3D dense dilated U‐Net models to predict 3D dose distributions. The models received the …

Review Of Generic Scenario Environmental Release And Occupational Exposure Models Used In Chemical Risk Assessment, William M Barrett, David E Meyer, Raymond L Smith, Sudhakar Takkellapati, Michael A Gonzalez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is required to determine whether a new chemical substance poses an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment before the chemical is manufactured in or imported into the United States. This manuscript provides a review of the process used to evaluate the risk associated with a chemical based on the scenarios and models used in the evaluation. Specifically, the Generic Scenarios and Emission Scenario Documents developed by the USEPA were reviewed, along with background documentation prepared by USEPA to identify the core elements of the …

Use Of Term Reference Infants In Assessing The Developmental Outcome Of Extremely Preterm Infants: Lessons Learned In A Multicenter Study, Charles E Green, Jon E Tyson, Roy J Heyne, Susan R Hintz, Betty R Vohr, Carla M Bann, Abhik Das, Edward F Bell, Sana Boral Debsareea, Emily Stephens, Marie G Gantz, Carolyn M Petrie Huitema, Karen J Johnson, Kristi L Watterberg, Ricardo Mosquera, Myriam Peralta-Carcelen, Deanne E Wilson-Costello, Tarah T Colaizy, Nathalie L Maitre, Stephanie L Merhar, Ira Adams-Chapman, Janell Fuller, Michelle E Hartley-Mcandrew, William F Malcolm, Sarah Winter, Andrea F Duncan, Gary J Myer, Stephen D Kicklighter, Myra H Wyckoff, Sara B Demauro, Anna Maria Hibbs, Barbara J Stoll, Waldemar A Carlo, Krisa P Van Meurs, Matthew A Rysavy, Ravi M Patel, Pablo J Sánchez, Abbot R Laptook, C Michael Cotten, Carl T D'Angio, Michele C Walsh, Human Development Neonatal Research Network

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: Extremely preterm (EP) impairment rates are likely underestimated using the Bayley III norm-based thresholds scores and may be better assessed relative to concurrent healthy term reference (TR) infants born in the same hospital.

STUDY DESIGN: Blinded, certified examiners in the Neonatal Research Network (NRN) evaluated EP survivors and a sample of healthy TR infants recruited near the 2-year assessment age.

RESULTS: We assessed 1452 EP infants and 183 TR infants. TR-based thresholds showed higher overall EP impairment than Bayley norm-based thresholds (O.R. = 1.86; [95% CI 1.56-2.23], especially for severe impairment (36% vs. 24%; p ≤ 0.001). Difficulty recruiting …

Surface Charge Effects For The Hydrogen Evolution Reaction On Pt(111) Using A Modified Grand-Canonical Potential Kinetics Method, Mihir Patel, Matthias Franzen, Camille D Hawkins, Matthew Brown, Samir Patel

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is the most common tachyarrhythmia of pregnancy. Catecholamine surges, the use of vasoactive agents during delivery, and increased cardiac output during pregnancy are the most common contributing factors to developing SVT. SVT is usually benign in presentation but can lead to more serious arrhythmias in patients with a history of mitral stenosis secondary to rheumatic heart disease. When an SVT is detected, organic heart causes should be ruled out first. Symptoms of SVT include shortness of breath, palpitations, syncope, sweating, chest pain, and dizziness. In patients who are refractory to pharmacologic management and hemodynamically unstable, electrical cardioversion …

Comprehensive Evaluation And New Recommendations In The Use Of Gafchromic Ebt3 Film, Kevin Liu, Patrik Gonçalves Jorge, Ramesh Tailor, Raphaël Moeckli, Emil Schüler

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Gafchromic film's unique properties of tissue-equivalence, dose-rate independence, and high spatial resolution make it an attractive choice for many dosimetric applications. However, complicated calibration processes and film handling limits its routine use.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the performance of Gafchromic EBT3 film after irradiation under a variety of measurement conditions to identify aspects of film handling and analysis for simplified but robust film dosimetry.

METHODS: The short- (from 5 min to 100 h) and long-term (months) film response was evaluated for clinically relevant doses of up to 50 Gy for accuracy in dose determination and relative dose distributions. The dependence …

Aortic Arch Reconstruction Using Nonvalved Femoral Vein Homograft In High-Risk Neonates, Kyle G Mitchell, Julija Dobrila, Blaz Podgorsek, Christopher Greenleaf, Peter Chen, Jorge D Salazar, Damien J Lapar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Aortic arch obstruction is often present with complex concomitant congenital heart defects (CHDs). The use of nonvalved femoral vein homograft (FVH) to reconstruct the aortic arch has distinct surgical advantages, including simplified reconstruction. We present an intraoperative video of a Yasui procedure utilizing FVH for aortic reconstruction in a 12-day-old (2.2 kg) neonate with right ventricular outflow tract obstruction, malalignment ventricular septal defect, aortic valve atresia, aortic arch hypoplasia, atrial septal defect, and ductal dependent systemic circulation. Further, we report outcomes for a series of three additional neonatal patients with complex CHD and aortic arch obstruction who underwent FVH arch …

Epidural Catheters For Cervical Epidural Steroid Injections To Target Higher Cervical Pathology: Clinical Images In Practice, Peter D Vu, Christopher L Robinson, Grant H Chen, Jamal J Hasoon

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cervical radicular pain is commonly treated with cervical epidural steroid injections. The transforaminal approach allows for direct treatment of the steroid at a particular nerve root or level. Still, it carries a significant risk of morbidity and mortality with thromboembolism or injury to cervical vasculature. The interlaminar approach is commonly utilized as it avoids vascular structures. However, the epidural space becomes narrower at higher levels, limiting the ability to perform this approach at higher cervical levels. Cervical epidural catheters can be used and advanced to target higher cervical pathology through the interlaminar approach. We present clinical images demonstrating the utility …

Improved Humoral Immunity And Protection Against Influenza Virus Infection With A 3d Porous Biomaterial Vaccine, Hiromi Miwa, Olivia Q Antao, Kindra M Kelly-Scumpia, Sevana Baghdasarian, Daniel P Mayer, Lily Shang, Gina M Sanchez, Maani M Archang, Philip O Scumpia, Jason S Weinstein, Dino Di Carlo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

New vaccine platforms that activate humoral immunity and generate neutralizing antibodies are required to combat emerging pathogens, including influenza virus. A slurry of antigen-loaded hydrogel microparticles that anneal to form a porous scaffold with high surface area for antigen uptake by infiltrating immune cells as the biomaterial degrades is demonstrated to enhance humoral immunity. Antigen-loaded-microgels elicited a robust cellular humoral immune response, with increased CD4

Delays In Hepatitis B Immunization Series Completion In People With Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Daanish Sheikh, Kristen A Staggers, Jennifer Carey, Wendy A Keitel, Robert L Atmar, Hana M El Sahly, Jennifer A Whitaker

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Studies have demonstrated low hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine series completion among persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective record review of persons entering HIV care at 2 clinics in Houston, Texas, between 2010 and 2018. Kaplan-Meier curves summarized time to receipt of HBV vaccines for those eligible for vaccination. We estimated the proportions of patients who had received 1, 2, or 3 HBV vaccine doses at 12 and 24 months after entry to care. A Prentice Williams and Peterson total time model was used to evaluate associations between patient characteristics and time to vaccination. …

Mmp-2 Associates With Incident Heart Failure And Atrial Fibrillation: The Aric Study, Leo F Buckley, Ali M Agha, Pranav Dorbala, Brian L Claggett, Bing Yu, Aliza Hussain, Vijay Nambi, Lin Yee Chen, Kunihiro Matsushita, Ron C Hoogeveen, Christie M Ballantyne, Amil M Shah

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: MMP (matrix metalloproteinase)-2 participates in extracellular matrix regulation and may be involved in heart failure (HF), atrial fibrillation (AF), and coronary heart disease.

METHODS: Among the 4693 ARIC study (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) participants (mean age, 75±5 years; 42% women) without prevalent HF, multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate associations of plasma MMP-2 levels with incident HF, HF with preserved ejection fraction (≥50%), HF with reduced ejection fraction (

RESULTS: Compared with the 3 lower quartiles, the highest MMP-2 quartile associated with greater risk of incident HF overall (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.48 [95% CI, 1.21-1.81]), incident …

Ascertainment Of Minimal Clinically Important Differences In The Diabetes Distress Scale-17: A Secondary Analysis Of A Randomized Clinical Trial, Jack Banks, Amber B Amspoker, Elizabeth M Vaughan, Lechauncy Woodard, Aanand D Naik

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: The Diabetes Distress Scale-17 (DDS-17) is a common measure of diabetes distress. Despite its popularity, there are no agreed-on minimal clinically important difference (MCID) values for the DDS-17.

OBJECTIVE: to establish a distribution-based metric for MCID in the DDS-17 and its 4 subscale scores (interpersonal distress, physician distress, regimen distress, and emotional distress).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial used baseline and postintervention data from a hybrid (implementation-effectiveness) trial evaluating Empowering Patients in Chronic Care (EPICC) vs an enhanced form of usual care (EUC). Participants included adults with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (glycated …

Risk-Adjusted Cumulative Sum For Early Detection Of Hospitals With Excess Perioperative Mortality, Vivi W Chen, Alexis P Chidi, Yongquan Dong, Peter A Richardson, David A Axelrod, Laura A Petersen, Nader N Massarweh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: National surgical quality improvement programs lack tools for early detection of quality or safety concerns, which risks patient safety because of delayed recognition of poor performance.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the risk-adjusted cumulative sum (CUSUM) with episodic evaluation for early detection of hospitals with excess perioperative mortality.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: National, observational, hospital-level, comparative effectiveness study of 697 566 patients. Identification of hospitals with excess, risk-adjusted, quarterly 30-day mortality using observed to expected ratios (ie, current criterion standard in the Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program) was compared with the risk-adjusted CUSUM. Patients included in the study underwent a …

Geographic Variation In Late-Stage Cervical Cancer Diagnosis, Itunu O Sokale, Aaron P Thrift, Jane Montealegre, Victor Adekanmbi, Onyema G Chido-Amajuoyi, Ann Amuta, Lorraine R Reitzel, Abiodun O Oluyomi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: There are stark disparities in cervical cancer burden in the United States, notably by race and ethnicity and geography. Late-stage diagnosis is an indicator of inadequate access to and utilization of screening.

OBJECTIVE: To identify geospatial clusters of late-stage cervical cancer at time of diagnosis in Texas.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This population-based cross-sectional study used incident cervical cancer data from the Texas Cancer Registry from 2014 to 2018 of female patients aged 18 years or older. Late-stage cervical cancer cases were geocoded at the census tract level (n = 5265) using their residential coordinates (latitude and longitude) at …

Political Ideology And Trust In Government Health Agencies For Cancer Information, Onyema G Chido-Amajuoyi, Henry K Onyeaka, Itunu O Sokale, Somto Nwani, Carlos H Barcenas, Hermioni L Amonoo, Sanjay Shete

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

This cross-sectional study assesses the association between political ideology and trust in government health agencies for cancer information.

Untargeted Metabolomic Analysis Investigating Links Between Unprocessed Red Meat Intake And Markers Of Inflammation, Alexis C Wood, Goncalo Graca, Meghana Gadgil, Mackenzie K Senn, Matthew A Allison, Ioanna Tzoulaki, Philip Greenland, Timothy Ebbels, Paul Elliott, Mark O Goodarzi, Russell Tracy, Jerome I Rotter, David Herrington

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Whether red meat consumption is associated with higher inflammation or confounded by increased adiposity remains unclear. Plasma metabolites capture the effects of diet after food is processed, digested, and absorbed, and correlate with markers of inflammation, so they can help clarify diet-health relationships.

OBJECTIVE: To identify whether any metabolites associated with red meat intake are also associated with inflammation.

METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of observational data from older adults (52.84% women, mean age 63 ± 0.3 y) participating in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Dietary intake was assessed by food-frequency questionnaire, alongside C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-2, interleukin-6, fibrinogen, …

Therapeutic Implications Of Impaired Nuclear Receptor Function And Dysregulated Metabolism In Wilson’S Disease, Clavia Ruth Wooton-Kee

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Copper is an essential trace element that is required for the activity of many enzymes and cellular processes, including energy homeostasis and neurotransmitter biosynthesis; however, excess copper accumulation results in significant cellular toxicity. The liver is the major organ for maintaining copper homeostasis. Inactivating mutations of the copper-transporting P-type ATPase, ATP7B, result in Wilson’s disease, an autosomal recessive disorder that requires life-long medicinal therapy or liver transplantation. Current treatment protocols are limited to either sequestration of copper via chelation or reduction of copper absorption in the gut (zinc therapy). The goal of these strategies is to reduce free copper, redox …

P2y2 Purinergic Receptor Gene Deletion Protects Mice From Bacterial Endotoxin And Sepsis-Associated Liver Injury And Mortality, Athis R Arunachalam, Sanju S Samuel, Arunmani Mani, Janielle P Maynard, Kelsey M Stayer, Eric Dybbro, Subapradha Narayanan, Aalekhya Biswas, Saliha Pathan, Krishnakant Soni, Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal, Chandra Shekar R Ambati, Nagireddy Putluri, Moreshwar S Desai, Sundararajah Thevananther

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The liver plays a significant role in regulating a wide range of metabolic, homeostatic, and host-defense functions. However, the impact of liver injury on the host's ability to control bacteremia and morbidity in sepsis is not well understood. Leukocyte recruitment and activation lead to cytokine and chemokine release, which, in turn, trigger hepatocellular injury and elevate nucleotide levels in the extracellular milieu. P2Y2 purinergic receptors, G protein-coupled and activated by extracellular ATP/UTP, are expressed at the cell surface of hepatocytes and nonparenchymal cells. We sought to determine whether P2Y2 purinergic receptor function is necessary for the maladaptive host response to …

Prevalence And Characteristics Of Diagnostic Error In Pediatric Critical Care: A Multicenter Study, Christina L Cifra, Jason W Custer, Craig M Smith, Kristen A Smith, Dayanand N Bagdure, Jodi Bloxham, Emily Goldhar, Stephen M Gorga, Elizabeth M Hoppe, Christina D Miller, Max Pizzo, Sonali Ramesh, Joseph Riffe, Katharine Robb, Shari L Simone, Haley D Stoll, Jamie Ann Tumulty, Stephanie E Wall, Katie K Wolfe, Linder Wendt, Patrick Ten Eyck, Christopher P Landrigan, Jeffrey D Dawson, Heather Schacht Reisinger, Hardeep Singh, Loreen A Herwaldt

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objectives: Effective interventions to prevent diagnostic error among critically ill children should be informed by diagnostic error prevalence and etiologies. We aimed to determine the prevalence and characteristics of diagnostic errors and identify factors associated with error in patients admitted to the PICU.

Design: Multicenter retrospective cohort study using structured medical record review by trained clinicians using the Revised Safer Dx instrument to identify diagnostic error (defined as missed opportunities in diagnosis). Cases with potential errors were further reviewed by four pediatric intensivists who made final consensus determinations of diagnostic error occurrence. Demographic, clinical, clinician, and encounter data were also …

Sex And Gender In Copd And Asthma, Joan B Soriano, Francesca Polverino

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Prevalence Of Sexual Desire And Arousal Difficulties Among Women Veterans: A Retrospective Cohort Design, Alexandra B Caloudas, Amber B Amspoker, Melinda Stanley, Derrecka Boykin, Kelley Arredondo, Annette Walder, Julianna Hogan, Jan A Lindsay

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Low sexual desire and arousal are associated with several negative health outcomes, including reduced quality of life, depression, anxiety, and relationship discord. Although women veterans have high rates of risk factors for sexual dysfunctions (e.g., elevated rates of trauma, depression, anxiety), research on their sexual functioning is lacking. Using a retrospective cohort design, we examined the prevalence of documented sexual desire and arousal disorder diagnoses or symptoms, using ICD-10 codes, among 790,726 women veterans receiving care in the Veterans Health Administration. In Fiscal Year 2020, these symptoms and disorders were documented for only 0.19% (n = 1,494) of women veterans …

Utilization And Predictors Of Adjuvant Metformin For Children And Adolescents On Mixed Receptor Antagonists (Second-Generation Antipsychotics), Hua Chen, Ning Lyu, Wenyaw Chan, Austin De La Cruz, Chadi Calarge

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: to examine utilization and predictors of adjuvant metformin among pediatric recipients of second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) (mixed receptor antagonist).

METHOD: This study used 2016-2021 data of a national electronic medical record database. Eligible participants were children aged 6 to 17 with a new SGA prescription for at least 90 days. Predictors of prescribing adjuvant metformin in general and to nonobese pediatric SGA recipients in particular were assessed using conditional logistic regression and logistic regression analyses, respectively.

RESULTS: Of 30,009 pediatric SGA recipients identified, 2.3% (n = 785) received adjuvant metformin. Among 597 participants with a body mass index z score …

Circulating Neutrophil-Related Proteins Associate With Incident Heart Failure And Cardiac Dysfunction: The Aric Study, Leo F Buckley, Pranav Dorbala, Brian L Claggett, Peter Libby, Weihong Tang, Josef Coresh, Christie M Ballantyne, Ron C Hoogeveen, Bing Yu, Amil M Shah

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

AIMS: Neutrophil activity contributes to adverse cardiac remodelling in experimental acute cardiac injury and is modifiable with pharmacologic agents like colchicine.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Neutrophil activity-related plasma proteins known to be affected by colchicine treatment were measured at Visit 3 (1993-1995) and Visit 5 (2011-2013) of the ARIC cohort study. A protein-based neutrophil activity score was derived from 10 candidate proteins using LASSO Cox regression. Associations with incident heart failure (HF) and with cardiac function using Cox proportional hazards regression and linear regression models, respectively. The mean ages at Visits 3 and 5 were 60 ± 6 and 75 ± …

Food Insecurity Increases Risk Of Depression And Anxiety Among Women In Senegal Living With Diabetes And/Or Hypertension, Rachel P Allred, Ndèye Aminata Mbaye, Fatoumata Diagne, Sheryl A Mccurdy, Melissa B Harrell, Emma Nelson Bunkley

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Food insecurity affects close to half the population of Senegal, West Africa, a country simultaneously affected by the ongoing global diabetes pandemic. Diabetes and food insecurity are associated with adverse mental health, yet research exploring the relationship between chronic physical illness, food insecurity, and mental illness in Senegal is currently lacking. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between food insecurity and depression and anxiety, separately, in Senegalese women living with diabetes and hypertension. Food insecurity was measured using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. Occurrence of depression and anxiety symptoms was assessed using the Modified Hopkins …

Early Antibody Treatment, Inflammation, And Risk Of Post-Covid Conditions, Kelly A Gebo, Sonya L Heath, Yuriko Fukuta, Xianming Zhu, Sheriza Baksh, Allison G Abraham, Feben Habtehyimer, David Shade, Jessica Ruff, Malathi Ram, Oliver Laeyendecker, Reinaldo E Fernandez, Eshan U Patel, Owen R Baker, Shmuel Shoham, Edward R Cachay, Judith S Currier, Jonathan M Gerber, Barry Meisenberg, Donald N Forthal, Laura L Hammitt, Moises A Huaman, Adam Levine, Giselle S Mosnaim, Bela Patel, James H Paxton, Jay S Raval, Catherine G Sutcliffe, Shweta Anjan, Thomas Gniadek, Seble Kassaye, Janis E Blair, Karen Lane, Nichol A Mcbee, Amy L Gawad, Piyali Das, Sabra L Klein, Andrew Pekosz, Evan M Bloch, Daniel Hanley, Arturo Casadevall, Aaron A R Tobian, David J Sullivan, Cssc-004 Consortium

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Post-COVID conditions (PCCs) are common and have significant morbidity. Risk factors for PCC include advancing age, female sex, obesity, and diabetes mellitus. Little is known about treatment, inflammation, and PCC. Among 882 individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection participating in a randomized trial of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) vs control plasma with available biospecimens and symptom data, the association between early CCP treatment, cytokine levels, and PCC was evaluated. Cytokine and chemokine levels were assessed at baseline, day 14, and day 90 using a multiplexed sandwich immunoassay (Meso Scale Discovery). Presence of any self-reported PCC symptoms was assessed at day 90. …

Enolase Inhibitors As Early Lead Therapeutics Against Trypanosoma Brucei, Colm P Roster, Danielle Lavigne, Jillian E Milanes, Emily Knight, Heidi D Anderson, Sabrina Pizarro, Elijah M Harding, Meredith T Morris, Victoria C Yan, Cong-Dat Pham, Florian Muller, Samuel Kwain, Kerrick C Rees, Brian Dominy, Daniel C Whitehead, Md Nasir Uddin, Steven W Millward, James C Morris

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Glucose metabolism is critical for the African trypanosome, Trypanosoma brucei, serving as the lone source of ATP production for the bloodstream form (BSF) parasite in the glucose-rich environment of the host blood. Recently, phosphonate inhibitors of human enolase (ENO), the enzyme responsible for the interconversion of 2-phosphoglycerate (2-PG) to phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) in glycolysis or PEP to 2-PG in gluconeogenesis, have been developed for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Here, we have tested these agents against T. brucei ENO (TbENO) and found the compounds to be potent enzyme inhibitors and trypanocides. For example, (1-hydroxy-2-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl) phosphonic acid (deoxy-SF2312) …

Determining Call-To-Entry Rate And Recruitment Barriers In Clinical Studies For Community Clinics Serving Low-Income Populations: A Cohort Study, Elizabeth M Vaughan, Salim Virani, Mahmoud Al Rifai, Victor J Cardenas, Craig A Johnston, Laura Porterfield, Zuleica Santiago Delgado, Susan L Samson, Vanessa Schick, Aanand D Naik

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Recruitment for clinical studies is challenging. to overcome barriers, investigators have previously established call-to-entry rates to assist in planning. However, rates specific to low-income minority populations are needed to account for additional barriers to enrolment these individuals face.

OBJECTIVE: to obtain a call-to-entry rate in a low-income uninsured Hispanic population with chronic disease.

METHODS: We used data from four of our randomised clinical studies to determine the call-to-entry rate for individuals (n=1075) with or at risk for type 2 diabetes: participants needed/potential participants contacted=recruitment rate (yield). Research staff contacted potential participants to enrol in a study that evaluated 6 …

Wastewater Sequencing Reveals Community And Variant Dynamics Of The Collective Human Virome, Michael Tisza, Sara Javornik Cregeen, Vasanthi Avadhanula, Ping Zhang, Tulin Ayvaz, Karen Feliz, Kristi L Hoffman, Justin R Clark, Austen Terwilliger, Matthew C Ross, Juwan Cormier, Hannah Moreno, Li Wang, Katelyn Payne, David Henke, Catherine Troisi, Fuqing Wu, Janelle Rios, Jennifer Deegan, Blake Hansen, John Balliew, Anna Gitter, Kehe Zhang, Runze Li, Cici X Bauer, Kristina D Mena, Pedro A Piedra, Joseph F Petrosino, Eric Boerwinkle, Anthony W Maresso

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Wastewater is a discarded human by-product, but its analysis may help us understand the health of populations. Epidemiologists first analyzed wastewater to track outbreaks of poliovirus decades ago, but so-called wastewater-based epidemiology was reinvigorated to monitor SARS-CoV-2 levels while bypassing the difficulties and pit falls of individual testing. Current approaches overlook the activity of most human viruses and preclude a deeper understanding of human virome community dynamics. Here, we conduct a comprehensive sequencing-based analysis of 363 longitudinal wastewater samples from ten distinct sites in two major cities. Critical to detection is the use of a viral probe capture set targeting …

Neuroprotective Agents With Therapeutic Potential For Covid-19, César A Zaa, Clara Espitia, Karen L Reyes-Barrera, Zhiqiang An, Marco A Velasco-Velázquez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

COVID-19 patients can exhibit a wide range of clinical manifestations affecting various organs and systems. Neurological symptoms have been reported in COVID-19 patients, both during the acute phase of the illness and in cases of long-term COVID. Moderate symptoms include ageusia, anosmia, altered mental status, and cognitive impairment, and in more severe cases can manifest as ischemic cerebrovascular disease and encephalitis. In this narrative review, we delve into the reported neurological symptoms associated with COVID-19, as well as the underlying mechanisms contributing to them. These mechanisms include direct damage to neurons, inflammation, oxidative stress, and protein misfolding. We further investigate …

Multi-Tissue Epigenetic Analysis Identifies Distinct Associations Underlying Insulin Resistance And Alzheimer's Disease At Cpt1a Locus, Chloé Sarnowski, Tianxiao Huan, Yiyi Ma, Roby Joehanes, Alexa Beiser, Charles S Decarli, Nancy L Heard-Costa, Daniel Levy, Honghuang Lin, Ching-Ti Liu, Chunyu Liu, James B Meigs, Claudia L Satizabal, Jose C Florez, Marie-France Hivert, Josée Dupuis, Philip L De Jager, David A Bennett, Sudha Seshadri, Alanna C Morrison

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance (IR) is a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. The mechanisms by which IR predisposes to AD are not well-understood. Epigenetic studies may help identify molecular signatures of IR associated with AD, thus improving our understanding of the biological and regulatory mechanisms linking IR and AD.

METHODS: We conducted an epigenome-wide association study of IR, quantified using the homeostatic model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) and adjusted for body mass index, in 3,167 participants from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) without type 2 diabetes at the time of blood draw used for methylation measurement. We identified …