Public Health Commons^™

Transcriptome- And Proteome-Wide Association Studies Nominate Determinants Of Kidney Function And Damage, Pascal Schlosser, Jingning Zhang, Hongbo Liu, Aditya L Surapaneni, Eugene P Rhee, Dan E Arking, Bing Yu, Eric Boerwinkle, Paul A Welling, Nilanjan Chatterjee, Katalin Susztak, Josef Coresh, Morgan E Grams

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The pathophysiological causes of kidney disease are not fully understood. Here we show that the integration of genome-wide genetic, transcriptomic, and proteomic association studies can nominate causal determinants of kidney function and damage.

RESULTS: Through transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) in kidney cortex, kidney tubule, liver, and whole blood and proteome-wide association studies (PWAS) in plasma, we assess for effects of 12,893 genes and 1342 proteins on kidney filtration (glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimated by creatinine; GFR estimated by cystatin C; and blood urea nitrogen) and kidney damage (albuminuria). We find 1561 associations distributed among 260 genomic regions that are …

Persistent Increase In Serum Ferritin Levels Despite Converting To Permanent Vascular Access In Pediatric Hemodialysis Patients: Pediatric Nephrology Research Consortium Study, Ali Mirza Onder, Md Abu Yusuf Ansari, Fang Deng, Matthew M Grinsell, Larry Patterson, Jennifer Jetton, Sahar Fathallah-Shaykh, Daniel Ranch, Diego Aviles, Lawrence Copelovitch, Eileen Ellis, Vimal Chadha, Ayah Elmaghrabi, Jen-Jar Lin, Lavjay Butani, Maha Haddad, Olivera Marsenic, Paul Brakeman, Raymond Quigley, H Stella Shin, Rouba Garro, Rupesh Raina, Craig B Langman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Our objective was to examine serum ferritin trends after conversion to permanent vascular access (PVA) among children who started hemodialysis (HD) using tunneled cuffed catheters (TCC). Retrospective chart reviews were completed on 98 subjects from 20 pediatric HD centers. Serum ferritin levels were collected at the creation of PVA and for two years thereafter. There were 11 (11%) arteriovenous grafts (AVG) and 87 (89%) arteriovenous fistulae (AVF). Their mean TCC use was 10.4 ± 17.3 months. Serum ferritin at PVA creation was elevated at 562.64 ± 492.34 ng/mL, increased to 753.84 ± 561.54 ng/mL (p = < 0.001) in the first year and remained at 759.60 ± 528.11 ng/mL in the second year (p = 0.004). …

The Effects Of Covid-19 Lockdown On Social Connectedness And Psychological Distress In Us Adults With Chronic Diseases, Ben King, Omolola E Adepoju, Lechauncy Woodard, Abiodun O Oluyomi, Xiaotao Zhang, Christopher I Amos, Hoda Badr

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Lockdown measures enacted in 2020 to control the spread of COVID-19 led to increases in the prevalence of mental health problems. Due to their high-risk status, individuals with chronic diseases may be at increased risk and disproportionately adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The investigators examined associations between having a high-risk chronic condition, social connectedness, and general distress and COVID-19-specific distress among U.S. adults during the COVID-19 lockdown. Baseline measures of a longitudinal survey collected at the beginning of the pandemic (April to June 2020) were analyzed to identify factors associated with loss of social connectedness from pre- to post-lockdown. …

Researching Covid To Enhance Recovery (Recover) Adult Study Protocol: Rationale, Objectives, And Design, Leora I Horwitz, Tanayott Thaweethai, Shari B Brosnahan, Mine S Cicek, Megan L Fitzgerald, Jason D Goldman, Rachel Hess, S L Hodder, Vanessa L Jacoby, Michael R Jordan, Jerry A Krishnan, Adeyinka O Laiyemo, Torri D Metz, Lauren Nichols, Rachel E Patzer, Anisha Sekar, Nora G Singer, Lauren E Stiles, Barbara S Taylor, Shifa Ahmed, Heather A Algren, Khamal Anglin, Lisa Aponte-Soto, Hassan Ashktorab, Ingrid V Bassett, Brahmchetna Bedi, Nahid Bhadelia, Christian Bime, Marie-Abele C Bind, Lora J Black, Andra L Blomkalns, Hassan Brim, Mario Castro, James Chan, Alexander W Charney, Benjamin K Chen, Li Qing Chen, Peter Chen, David Chestek, Lori B Chibnik, Dominic C Chow, Helen Y Chu, Rebecca G Clifton, Shelby Collins, Maged M Costantine, Sushma K Cribbs, Steven G Deeks, John D Dickinson, Sarah E Donohue, Matthew S Durstenfeld, Ivette F Emery, Kristine M Erlandson, Julio C Facelli, Rachael Farah-Abraham, Aloke V Finn, Melinda S Fischer, Valerie J Flaherman, Judes Fleurimont, Vivian Fonseca, Emily J Gallagher, Jennifer C Gander, Maria Laura Gennaro, Kelly S Gibson, Minjoung Go, Steven N Goodman, Joey P Granger, Frank L Greenway, John W Hafner, Jenny E Han, Michelle S Harkins, Kristine S P Hauser, James R Heath, Carla R Hernandez, On Ho, Matthew K Hoffman, Susan E Hoover, Carol R Horowitz, Harvey Hsu, Priscilla Y Hsue, Brenna L Hughes, Prasanna Jagannathan, Judith A James, Janice John, Sarah Jolley, S E Judd, Joy J Juskowich, Diane G Kanjilal, Elizabeth W Karlson, Stuart D Katz, J Daniel Kelly, Sara W Kelly, Arthur Y Kim, John P Kirwan, Kenneth S Knox, Andre Kumar, Michelle F Lamendola-Essel, Margaret Lanca, Joyce K Lee-Lannotti, R Craig Lefebvre, Bruce D Levy, Janet Y Lin, Brian P Logarbo, Jennifer K Logue, Michele T Longo, Carlos A Luciano, Karen Lutrick, Shahdi K Malakooti, Gail Mallett, Gabrielle Maranga, Jai G Marathe, Vincent C Marconi, Gailen D Marshall, Christopher F Martin, Jeffrey N Martin, Heidi T May, Grace A Mccomsey, Dylan Mcdonald, Hector Mendez-Figueroa, Lucio Miele, Murray A Mittleman, Sindhu Mohandas, Christian Mouchati, Janet M Mullington, Girish N Nadkarni, Erica R Nahin, Robert B Neuman, Lisa T Newman, Amber Nguyen, Janko Z Nikolich, Igho Ofotokun, Princess U Ogbogu, Anna Palatnik, Kristy T S Palomares, Tanyalak Parimon, Samuel Parry, Sairam Parthasarathy, Thomas F Patterson, Ann Pearman, Michael J Peluso, Priscilla Pemu, Christian M Pettker, Beth A Plunkett, Kristen Pogreba-Brown, Athena Poppas, J Zachary Porterfield, John G Quigley, Davin K Quinn, Hengameh Raissy, Candida J Rebello, Uma M Reddy, Rebecca Reece, Harrison T Reeder, Franz P Rischard, Johana M Rosas, Clifford J Rosen, Nadine G Rouphael, Dwight J Rouse, Adam M Ruff, Christina Saint Jean, Grecio J Sandoval, Jorge L Santana, Shannon M Schlater, Frank C Sciurba, Caitlin Selvaggi, Sudha Seshadri, Howard D Sesso, Dimpy P Shah, Eyal Shemesh, Zaki A Sherif, Daniel J Shinnick, Hyagriv N Simhan, Upinder Singh, Amber Sowles, Vignesh Subbian, Jun Sun, Mehul S Suthar, Larissa J Teunis, John M Thorp, Amberly Ticotsky, Alan T N Tita, Robin Tragus, Katherine R Tuttle, Alfredo E Urdaneta, P J Utz, Timothy M Vanwagoner, Andrew Vasey, Suzanne D Vernon, Crystal Vidal, Tiffany Walker, Honorine D Ward, David E Warren, Ryan M Weeks, Steven J Weiner, Jordan C Weyer, Jennifer L Wheeler, Sidney W Whiteheart, Zanthia Wiley, Natasha J Williams, Juan P Wisnivesky, John C Wood, Lynn M Yee, Natalie M Young, Sokratis N Zisis, Andrea S Foulkes

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: SARS-CoV-2 infection can result in ongoing, relapsing, or new symptoms or other health effects after the acute phase of infection; termed post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), or long COVID. The characteristics, prevalence, trajectory and mechanisms of PASC are ill-defined. The objectives of the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Multi-site Observational Study of PASC in Adults (RECOVER-Adult) are to: (1) characterize PASC prevalence; (2) characterize the symptoms, organ dysfunction, natural history, and distinct phenotypes of PASC; (3) identify demographic, social and clinical risk factors for PASC onset and recovery; and (4) define the biological mechanisms underlying PASC pathogenesis. …

Blm Overexpression As A Predictive Biomarker For Chk1 Inhibitor Response In Parp Inhibitor-Resistant Brca-Mutant Ovarian Cancer, Nitasha Gupta, Tzu-Ting Huang, Jayakumar R Nair, Daniel An, Grant Zurcher, Erika J Lampert, Ann Mccoy, Ashley Cimino-Mathews, Elizabeth M Swisher, Marc R Radke, Christina M Lockwood, Jonathan B Reichel, Chih-Yuan Chiang, Kelli M Wilson, Ken Chih-Chien Cheng, Darryl Nousome, Jung-Min Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPis) have changed the treatment paradigm in breast cancer gene (BRCA)–mutant high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC). However, most patients eventually develop resistance to PARPis, highlighting an unmet need for improved therapeutic strategies. Using high-throughput drug screens, we identified ataxia telangiectasia and rad3-related protein/checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) pathway inhibitors as cytotoxic and further validated the activity of the CHK1 inhibitor (CHK1i) prexasertib in PARPi-sensitive and -resistant BRCA-mutant HGSC cells and xenograft mouse models. CHK1i monotherapy induced DNA damage, apoptosis, and tumor size reduction. We then conducted a phase 2 study (NCT02203513) of prexasertib …

Creating And Activating An Implementation Community To Drive Hpv Vaccine Uptake In Texas: The Role Of An Nci-Designated Cancer Center, Rosalind S Bello, Michael T Walsh, Blake Harper, Charles E Amos, Katherine Oestman, Stephanie Nutt, Marcita Galindez, Kaitlyn Block, Ruth Rechis, Erica M Bednar, Jennifer Tektiridis, Lewis Foxhall, Mark Moreno, Sanjay Shete, Ernest Hawk

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, a comprehensive cancer center designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), defines its service population area as the State of Texas (29.1 M), the second most populous state in the country and the state with the greatest number of uninsured residents in the United States. Consistent with a novel and formal commitment to prevention as part of its core mission, alongside clear opportunities in Texas to drive vaccine uptake, MD Anderson assembled a transdisciplinary team to develop an institutional Framework to increase adolescent HPV vaccination and reduce HPV-related cancer burden. The Framework …

Predicting Chemotherapy Benefit Across Different Races In Early-Stage Breast Cancer Patients Using The Oncotype Dx Score, Vikram R Shaw, Christopher I Amos, Chao Cheng

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Oncotype DX assay, a multigene molecular test, has been widely used to stratify relapse risk and guide chemotherapy treatment in breast cancer. However, the optimal threshold of the Oncotype DX score in predicting chemotherapy benefit and its racial variation has not been investigated.

Methods: In this study, we apply a random forest survival model to the SEER-Oncotype cohort data (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results with Oncotype DX test information for breast cancer patients) and determine chemotherapy benefit thresholds in early-stage, estrogen-receptor-positive (ER+), and HER2-negative (HER2-) patients of different races.

Results: Our results indicate that early-stage ER+, HER2-, and LN-/LN+ …

Tonb-Dependent Receptor Protein Displayed On Spores Of Bacillus Subtilis Stimulates Protective Immune Responses Against Acinetobacter Baumannii, Nor-Aziyah Matrahim, Kathryn Marie Jones, Brian P Keegan, Ulrich Strych, Bin Zhan, Hai-Yen Lee, Sazaly Abubakar

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strains with limited treatment options has become a significant global health concern. Efforts to develop vaccines against the bacteria have centred on several potential protein targets, including the TonB-dependent receptors (TBDRs). In the present study, TBDRs from A. baumannii were displayed on the surface of Bacillus subtilis spores. The immunogenicity of the recombinant spores was evaluated in orally vaccinated mice. None of the immunized mice demonstrated signs of illness and were observed to be healthy throughout the study. Sera and the intestinal secretions from the recombinant spores-treated mice demonstrated mucosal and humoral antibody responses …

Dietary Sources Of Linoleic Acid (La) Differ By Race/Ethnicity In Adults Participating In The National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (Nhanes) Between 2017-2018, Shabnam R Momin, Mackenzie K Senn, Ani Manichaikul, Chaojie Yang, Rasika Mathias, Mimi Phan, Stephen S Rich, Susan Sergeant, Michael Seeds, Lindsay Reynolds, Floyd H Chilton, Alexis C Wood

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Linoleic acid (LA) is a primary n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), which is of interest to nutritional professionals as it has been associated with health outcomes. However, as some LA-rich foods offer protection against chronic diseases such as CVD (e.g., fatty fish), while others increase risk (e.g., red meat), the individual foods contributing to LA intake may be an important factor to consider. Therefore, this analysis sought to examine whether there are racial/ethnic differences in the proportion of overall LA intake accounted for by individual food groups, via a cross-sectional analysis of 3815 adults participating in the National Health …

Shared Care Networks Assisting Older Adults: New Insights From The National Health And Aging Trends Study, Mengyao Hu, Vicki A Freedman, Sarah E Patterson, Nora Lewis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Caregiving research often assumes older adults receiving care have a primary caregiver who provides the bulk of care. Consequently, little is known about the extent to which care responsibilities are shared more evenly within a care network, the characteristics associated with sharing, or the consequences for meeting older adults' care needs.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We analyze a sample of U.S. older adults receiving care from the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study (n = 2,398). Based on variables reflecting differences in care hours, activities, and care provided by the whole network, we create network typologies …

Colocalization Of Linezolid Resistance (Cfr) And Virulence Factors Cytolysin And Hemolysin (Cln And Hln) On A Plasmid In Enterococcus Faecalis, Nikita V Singh, Kavindra V Singh, An Q Dinh, Cesar A Arias, William C Shropshire, Blake M Hanson, Barbara E Murray

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Social Risks, Social Needs, And Attitudes Toward Social Health Screening 1 Year Into The Covid-19 Pandemic: Survey Of Adults In An Integrated Health Care Delivery System, Nancy P Gordon, Carmen Byker Shanks, Richard W Grant

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction Information about demographic differences in social risks, needs, and attitudes toward social health screening in non-highly vulnerable adult populations is lacking. Methods The authors analyzed data for 2869 Kaiser Permanente Northern California non-Medicaid-covered members aged 35 to 85 who responded to a 2021 English-only mailed/online survey. The survey covered 7 social risk and 11 social needs domains and attitudes toward social health screening. The authors used data weighted to the Kaiser Permanente Northern California membership to estimate prevalence of risks, needs, and screening receptivity in the overall population, by race/ethnicity (White, Black, Latinx, Asian American/Pacific Islander) and age (35-65 …

Microbiome Alteration Via Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Is Effective For Refractory Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Induced Colitis, Taylor M Halsey, Anusha S Thomas, Tomo Hayase, Weijie Ma, Hamzah Abu-Sbeih, Baohua Sun, Edwin Roger Parra, Zhi-Dong Jiang, Herbert L Dupont, Christopher Sanchez, Rawan El-Himri, Alexandria Brown, Ivonne Flores, Lauren Mcdaniel, Miriam Ortega Turrubiates, Matthew Hensel, Dung Pham, Stephanie S Watowich, Eiko Hayase, Chia-Chi Chang, Robert R Jenq, Yinghong Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) target advanced malignancies with high efficacy but also predispose patients to immune-related adverse events like immune-mediated colitis (IMC). Given the association between gut bacteria with response to ICI therapy and subsequent IMC, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) represents a feasible way to manipulate microbial composition in patients, with a potential benefit for IMC. Here, we present a large case series of 12 patients with refractory IMC who underwent FMT from healthy donors as salvage therapy. All 12 patients had grade 3 or 4 ICI-related diarrhea or colitis that failed to respond to standard first-line (corticosteroids) and second-line …

Development Of A Definition Of Postacute Sequelae Of Sars-Cov-2 Infection, Tanayott Thaweethai, Sarah E Jolley, Elizabeth W Karlson, Emily B Levitan, Bruce Levy, Grace A Mccomsey, Lisa Mccorkell, Girish N Nadkarni, Sairam Parthasarathy, Upinder Singh, Tiffany A Walker, Caitlin A Selvaggi, Daniel J Shinnick, Carolin C M Schulte, Rachel Atchley-Challenner, George A Alba, Radica Alicic, Natasha Altman, Khamal Anglin, Urania Argueta, Hassan Ashktorab, Gaston Baslet, Ingrid V Bassett, Lucinda Bateman, Brahmchetna Bedi, Shamik Bhattacharyya, Marie-Abele Bind, Andra L Blomkalns, Hector Bonilla, Hassan Brim, Patricia A Bush, Mario Castro, James Chan, Alexander W Charney, Peter Chen, Lori B Chibnik, Helen Y Chu, Rebecca G Clifton, Maged M Costantine, Sushma K Cribbs, Sylvia I Davila Nieves, Steven G Deeks, Alexandria Duven, Ivette F Emery, Nathan Erdmann, Kristine M Erlandson, Kacey C Ernst, Rachael Farah-Abraham, Cheryl E Farner, Elen M Feuerriegel, Judes Fleurimont, Vivian Fonseca, Nicholas Franko, Vivian Gainer, Jennifer C Gander, Edward M Gardner, Linda N Geng, Kelly S Gibson, Minjoung Go, Jason D Goldman, Halle Grebe, Frank L Greenway, Mounira Habli, John Hafner, Jenny E Han, Keith A Hanson, James Heath, Carla Hernandez, Rachel Hess, Sally L Hodder, Matthew K Hoffman, Susan E Hoover, Beatrice Huang, Brenna L Hughes, Prasanna Jagannathan, Janice John, Michael R Jordan, Stuart D Katz, Elizabeth S Kaufman, John D Kelly, Sara W Kelly, Megan M Kemp, John P Kirwan, Jonathan D Klein, Kenneth S Knox, Jerry A Krishnan, Andre Kumar, Adeyinka O Laiyemo, Allison A Lambert, Margaret Lanca, Joyce K Lee-Iannotti, Brian P Logarbo, Michele T Longo, Carlos A Luciano, Karen Lutrick, Jason H Maley, Gail Mallett, Jai G Marathe, Vincent Marconi, Gailen D Marshall, Christopher F Martin, Yuri Matusov, Alem Mehari, Hector Mendez-Figueroa, Robin Mermelstein, Torri D Metz, Richard Morse, Jarrod Mosier, Christian Mouchati, Janet Mullington, Shawn N Murphy, Robert B Neuman, Janko Z Nikolich, Ighovwerha Ofotokun, Elizabeth Ojemakinde, Anna Palatnik, Kristy Palomares, Tanyalak Parimon, Samuel Parry, Jan E Patterson, Thomas F Patterson, Rachel E Patzer, Michael J Peluso, Priscilla Pemu, Christian M Pettker, Beth A Plunkett, Kristen Pogreba-Brown, Athena Poppas, John G Quigley, Uma Reddy, Rebecca Reece, Harrison Reeder, W B Reeves, Eric M Reiman, Franz Rischard, Jonathan Rosand, Dwight J Rouse, Adam Ruff, George Saade, Grecio J Sandoval, Jorge L Santana, Shannon M Schlater, Frank C Sciurba, Fitzgerald Shepherd, Zaki A Sherif, Hyagriv Simhan, Nora G Singer, Daniel W Skupski, Amber Sowles, Jeffrey A Sparks, Fatima I Sukhera, Barbara S Taylor, Larissa Teunis, Robert J Thomas, John M Thorp, Paul Thuluvath, Amberly Ticotsky, Alan T Tita, Katherine R Tuttle, Alfredo E Urdaneta, Daisy Valdivieso, Timothy M Vanwagoner, Andrew Vasey, Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, Zachary S Wallace, Honorine D Ward, David E Warren, Steven J Weiner, Shelley Welch, Sidney W Whiteheart, Zanthia Wiley, Juan P Wisnivesky, Lynn M Yee, Sokratis Zisis, Leora I Horwitz, Andrea S Foulkes

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with persistent, relapsing, or new symptoms or other health effects occurring after acute infection, termed postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), also known as long COVID. Characterizing PASC requires analysis of prospectively and uniformly collected data from diverse uninfected and infected individuals.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a definition of PASC using self-reported symptoms and describe PASC frequencies across cohorts, vaccination status, and number of infections.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective observational cohort study of adults with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection at 85 enrolling sites (hospitals, health centers, community organizations) located in 33 states plus Washington, DC, …

Diet Quality Among Pre-Adolescent African American Girls In A Randomized Controlled Obesity Prevention Intervention Trial, Debbe Thompson, Yiming Mirabile, Noemi Islam, Chishinga Callender, Salma M A Musaad, Julie Miranda, Jennette P Moreno, Jayna M Dave, Tom Baranowski

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Consuming an unhealthy diet increases health risks. This study assessed the impact of a culturally adapted behaviorally innovative obesity prevention intervention (The Butterfly Girls and the Quest for Founder’s Rock) on diet quality in pre-adolescent non-Hispanic Black/African American girls. The RCT consisted of three groups (experimental, comparison, and waitlist control); block randomization allocated participants to each group. The two treatment groups varied in terms of whether or not they set goals. Data were collected at baseline (prior to receiving the intervention), post 1 (3 months post-baseline), and post 2 (6 months post-baseline). Two dietitian-assisted 24 h dietary recalls …

Medicaid Expansion, Chemotherapy Delays, And Racial Disparities Among Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer, Mariana Chavez-Macgregor, Xiudong Lei, Catalina Malinowski, Hui Zhao, Ya-Chen Shih, Sharon H Giordano

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act extends eligibility for participating states and has been associated with improved outcomes by facilitating access to care. Delayed initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy is associated with worse outcomes among patients with early-stage breast cancer (BC). The impact of Medicaid expansion in narrowing delays by race and ethnicity has not been studied, to our knowledge.

METHODS: This was a population-based study using the National Cancer Database. Patients diagnosed with primary early-stage BC between 2007 and 2017 residing in states that underwent Medicaid expansion in January 2014 were included. Time to chemotherapy initiation and proportion …

Early Postpartum Hba1c After Hyperglycemia First Detected In Pregnancy-Imperfect But Not Without Value, Ankia Coetzee, David R Hall, Mari Van De Vyver, Magda Conradie

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: South African women of childbearing age are disproportionally affected by obesity and at significant risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Unless pregnant, they do not readily undergo screening for T2DM. With a local focus on improved antenatal care, hyperglycemia is often first detected in pregnancy (HFDP). This may erroneously be attributed to Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) in all without considering T2DM. Glucose evaluation following pregnancy is essential for early detection and management of women with T2DM in whom persistent hyperglycemia is to be expected. Conventional testing with an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is cumbersome, prompting investigation for …

Adverse Birth Outcomes Of Adolescent And Young Adult Women Diagnosed With Cancer During Pregnancy, Andrea C Betts, L Aubree Shay, Philip J Lupo, Sandi L Pruitt, Michael E Roth, Marlyn A Allicock, Barbara A Cohn, Caitlin C Murphy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: We examined adverse birth outcomes among adolescent and young adult women diagnosed with cancer (AYA women, ages 15-39 years) during pregnancy.

METHODS: We linked data from the Texas Cancer Registry, vital records, and Texas Birth Defects Registry to identify all singleton births to AYA women diagnosed during pregnancy from January 1999 to December 2016. We compared prevalence of adverse live birth outcomes between AYA women and women without cancer (matched 1:4 on age, race and ethnicity, and year). Among AYA women, we used log-binomial regression to identify factors associated with these outcomes. Statistical tests were 2-sided.

RESULTS: AYA women …

A Nurse-Led Telehealth Program For Diabetes Foot Care: Feasibility And Usability Study, Hsiao-Hui Ju, Rashmi Momin, Stanley Cron, Jed Jularbal, Jeffery Alford, Constance Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus can lead to severe and debilitating foot complications, such as infections, ulcerations, and amputations. Despite substantial progress in diabetes care, foot disease remains a major challenge in managing this chronic condition that causes serious health complications worldwide.

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this study was to examine the feasibility and usability of a telehealth program focused on preventive diabetes foot care. A secondary aim was to descriptively measure self-reported changes in diabetes knowledge, self-care, and foot care behaviors before and after participating in the program.

METHODS: The study used a single-arm, pre-post design in 2 large family …

Digital Health Technologies For Peripartum Depression Management Among Low-Socioeconomic Populations: Perspectives From Patients, Providers, And Social Media Channels, Alexandra Zingg, Tavleen Singh, Amy Franklin, Angela Ross, Sudhakar Selvaraj, Jerrie Refuerzo, Sahiti Myneni

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Peripartum Depression (PPD) affects approximately 10-15% of perinatal women in the U.S., with those of low socioeconomic status (low-SES) more likely to develop symptoms. Multilevel treatment barriers including social stigma and not having appropriate access to mental health resources have played a major role in PPD-related disparities. Emerging advances in digital technologies and analytics provide opportunities to identify and address access barriers, knowledge gaps, and engagement issues. However, most market solutions for PPD prevention and management are produced generically without considering the specialized needs of low-SES populations. In this study, we examine and portray the information and technology needs …

Evaluating The Use Of Blood Pressure Polygenic Risk Scores Across Race/Ethnic Background Groups, Nuzulul Kurniansyah, Matthew O Goodman, Alyna T Khan, Jiongming Wang, Elena Feofanova, Joshua C Bis, Kerri L Wiggins, Jennifer E Huffman, Tanika Kelly, Tali Elfassy, Xiuqing Guo, Walter Palmas, Henry J Lin, Shih-Jen Hwang, Yan Gao, Kendra Young, Gregory L Kinney, Jennifer A Smith, Bing Yu, Simin Liu, Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, Joann E Manson, Xiaofeng Zhu, Yii-Der Ida Chen, I-Te Lee, C Charles Gu, Donald M Lloyd-Jones, Sebastian Zöllner, Myriam Fornage, Charles Kooperberg, Adolfo Correa, Bruce M Psaty, Donna K Arnett, Carmen R Isasi, Stephen S Rich, Robert C Kaplan, Susan Redline, Braxton D Mitchell, Nora Franceschini, Daniel Levy, Jerome I Rotter, Alanna C Morrison, Tamar Sofer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We assess performance and limitations of polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for multiple blood pressure (BP) phenotypes in diverse population groups. We compare "clumping-and-thresholding" (PRSice2) and LD-based (LDPred2) methods to construct PRSs from each of multiple GWAS, as well as multi-PRS approaches that sum PRSs with and without weights, including PRS-CSx. We use datasets from the MGB Biobank, TOPMed study, UK biobank, and from All of Us to train, assess, and validate PRSs in groups defined by self-reported race/ethnic background (Asian, Black, Hispanic/Latino, and White). For both SBP and DBP, the PRS-CSx based PRS, constructed as a weighted sum of PRSs …

Curated And Harmonized Gut Microbiome 16s Rrna Amplicon Data From Dietary Fiber Intervention Studies In Humans, Cynthia I Rodriguez, Ali Keshavarzian, Bruce R Hamaker, Feitong Liu, Genelle R Lunken, Heather Rasmussen, Hongwei Zhou, Julien Tap, Kelly S Swanson, Maria Ukhanova, Marion Leclerc, Martin Gotteland, Paola Navarrete, Petia Kovatcheva-Datchary, Wendy J Dahl, Jennifer B H Martiny

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Next generation amplicon sequencing has created a plethora of data from human microbiomes. The accessibility to this scientific data and its corresponding metadata is important for its reuse, to allow for new discoveries, verification of published results, and serving as path for reproducibility. Dietary fiber consumption has been associated with a variety of health benefits that are thought to be mediated by gut microbiota. To enable direct comparisons of the response of the gut microbiome to fiber, we obtained 16S rRNA sequencing data and its corresponding metadata from 11 fiber intervention studies for a total of 2,368 samples. We provide …

An Epidemic Model With Time Delays Determined By The Infectivity And Disease Durations, Masoud Saade, Samiran Ghosh, Malay Banerjee, Vitaly Volpert

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We propose an epidemiological model with distributed recovery and death rates. It represents an integrodifferential system of equations for susceptible, exposed, infectious, recovered and dead compartments. This model can be reduced to the conventional ODE model under the assumption that recovery and death rates are uniformly distributed in time during disease duration. Another limiting case, where recovery and death rates are given by the delta-function, leads to a new point-wise delay model with two time delays corresponding to the infectivity period and disease duration. Existence and positiveness of solutions for the distributed delay model and point-wise delay model are proved. …

Phase Ii Trial Of Nelipepimut-S Peptide Vaccine In Women With Ductal Carcinoma In Situ, Anne E O'Shea, Guy T Clifton, Na Qiao, Brandy M Heckman-Stoddard, Malgorzata Wojtowicz, Eileen Dimond, Isabelle Bedrosian, Diane Weber, Judy E Garber, Alexander Husband, Ricardo Pastorello, J Jack Lee, Mike Hernandez, Diane D Liu, Lana A Vornik, Powel H Brown, Gheath Alatrash, George E Peoples, Elizabeth A Mittendorf

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

UNLABELLED: NeuVax is a vaccine comprised of the HER2-derived MHC class I peptide E75 (nelipepimut-S, NPS) combined with GM-CSF. We completed a randomized trial of preoperative vaccination with NeuVax versus GM-CSF alone in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The primary objective was to evaluate for NPS-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses. Patients with human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A2-positive DCIS were enrolled and randomized 2:1 to NeuVax versus GM-CSF alone and received two inoculations prior to surgery. The number of NPS-specific CTL was measured pre-vaccination, at surgery, and 1 and 3 to 6 months post-operation by dextramer assay. Differences in …

Piloting The Sexual And Gender Minority Cancer Curricular Advances For Research And Education (Sgm Cancer Care) Workshop: Research Training In The Service Of Sgm Cancer Health Equity, Miria Kano, Irene Tamí-Maury, Mandi L Pratt-Chapman, Shine Chang, Mikaela Kosich, Gwendolyn P Quinn, Tonia Poteat, Peter A Kanetsky, Ronit Elk, Ulrike Boehmer, Julian Sanchez, Charles Kamen, Nelson F Sanchez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The purpose of this study is to describe the context, curriculum design, and pilot evaluation of the educational program "Sexual and Gender Minority Cancer Curricular Advances for Research and Education" (SGM Cancer CARE), a workshop for early-career researchers and healthcare providers interested in gaining knowledge and skills in sexual and gender minority (SGM) cancer research and healthcare advocacy. A needs assessment of a sample of clinicians and researchers (n = 104) and feedback from an Advisory Board informed the curriculum design of the SGM Cancer CARE workshop. Four SGM-tailored modules, focusing on epidemiology, clinical research, behavioral science and interventions, and …

Neuroaffective Reactivity Profiles Are Associated With Vulnerability To E-Cigarette Use, Francesco Versace, George Kypriotakis, Dustin Pluta

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: We tested whether neuroaffective responses to motivationally salient stimuli are associated with vulnerability to cue-induced e-cigarette use in e-cigarette naïve adults who smoke daily. We hypothesized that individuals with stronger neuroaffective responses to nicotine-related cues than to pleasant stimuli (the C>P reactivity profile) would be more vulnerable to cue-induced nicotine self-administration than individuals with stronger neuroaffective responses to pleasant stimuli than to nicotine-related cues (the P>C reactivity profile).

METHODS: We used event-related potentials (ERPs, a direct measure of cortical activity) to measure neuroaffective reactivity to pleasant, unpleasant, neutral, and nicotine-related cues indicating the opportunity to use an …

Data To Action: Community-Based Participatory Research To Address Concerns About Metal Air Pollution In Overburdened Neighborhoods Near Metal Recycling Facilities In Houston, Elaine Symanski, Heyreoun An Han, Sheryl Mccurdy, Loren Hopkins, Juan Flores, Inkyu Han, Mary Ann Smith, James Caldwell, Cecelia Fontenot, Bobbie Wyatt, Christine Markham

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Exposures to environmental contaminants can be influenced by social determinants of health. As a result, persons living in socially disadvantaged communities may experience disproportionate health risks from environmental exposures. Mixed methods research can be used to understand community-level and individual-level exposures to chemical and nonchemical stressors contributing to environmental health disparities. Furthermore, community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches can lead to more effective interventions.

OBJECTIVES: We applied mixed methods to identify environmental health perceptions and needs among metal recyclers and residents living in disadvantaged neighborhoods near metal recycling facilities in Houston, Texas, in a CBPR study, Metal Air Pollution Partnership …

Ai-Enabled Online Plan Adaptation For Mr-Guided Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (Sabr) Of Head And Neck Cancer, Yao Zhao

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is a prevalent cancer type worldwide. Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) has emerged as an effective treatment for HNC, delivering highly conformal doses to the tumor target while sparing surrounding normal tissues with a sharp dose gradient. However, the accuracy of the treatment delivery is limited by setup errors, anatomical changes, and intra-/inter-fraction organ motion. The emergence of MR-guided adaptive radiotherapy (ART) has the potential to further improve the SABR of HNC, by providing superior visualization of soft tissue and enabling real-time plan adaptation based on the daily anatomical changes of patients. This novel technology has …

Evolving Landscape Of Carbapenem-Resistant Pseudomonas Aeruginosa At A Single Centre In The Usa, Aki Sakurai, An Q Dinh, Blake M Hanson, William C Shropshire, Samie A Rizvi, Kirsten Rydell, Truc T Tran, Audrey Wanger, Cesar A Arias, William R Miller

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: The increased identification of carbapenem-resistant

METHODS: A total of 169 CR-PA isolated from clinical specimens at a single centre in Houston, TX, USA were studied. Among them, 61 isolates collected between 1999 and 2005 were defined as historical strains, and 108 collected between 2017 and 2018 were defined as contemporary strains. Antimicrobial susceptibilities against selected β-lactams was determined. WGS data were used for the identification of antimicrobial resistance determinants and phylogenetic analysis.

RESULTS: Non-susceptibility to ceftolozane/tazobactam and ceftazidime/avibactam increased from 2% (1/59) to 17% (18/108) and from 7% (4/59) to 17% (18/108) from the historical to the contemporary collection, …

Bovine Lactoferrin For The Prevention Of Covid-19 Infection In Health Care Personnel: A Double-Blinded Randomized Clinical Trial (Lf-Covid), Rafaella Navarro, Jose Luis Paredes, Lourdes Tucto, Carlos Medina, Eddie Angles-Yanqui, Juan Carlos Nario, Jorge Ruiz-Cabrejos, Juan Luis Quintana, Kevin Turpo-Espinoza, Fernando Mejia-Cordero, Meylin Aphang-Lam, Jorge Florez, Gabriel Carrasco-Escobar, Theresa Jean Ochoa

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Lactoferrin (LF) has in vitro antiviral activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This study aimed to determine the effect of bovine lactoferrin (bLF) in the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection in health care personnel. A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted in two tertiary hospitals that provide care to patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection in Lima, Peru. Daily supplementation with 600 mg of enteral bLF versus placebo for 90 days was compared. Participants were weekly screened for symptoms suggestive of SARS-CoV-2 infection and molecular testing was performed on suspected episodes. A serological test was obtained from all participants …