Translational Medical Research Commons^™

Conference Proceedings: Aurora Scientific Day 2020

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Abstracts published in this supplement were among those presented at the 46th annual Aurora Scientific Day research symposium, held virtually on May 20, 2020. The symposium provides a forum for describing research studies conducted by faculty, fellows, residents, and allied health professionals affiliated with Wisconsin-based Aurora Health Care, a part of the Advocate Aurora Health health system, which publishes the Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews.

Subcutaneous Immunoglobulin Proves To Be An Effective Alternative To Intravenous Immunoglobulin In The Treatment Of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy, Benjamin Ross

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A clinical decision report appraising van Schaik IN, Bril V, van Geloven N, et al. Subcutaneous immunoglobulin for maintenance treatment in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (PATH): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. Lancet Neurol. 2018;17(1):35-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(17)30378-2

Transanal Irrigation Is More Beneficial In Symptomatic Management Of Neurogenic Bowel Disease Than Conservative Bowel Management, Chi-Lan Tran

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A clinical decision report appraising Christensen P, Bazzocchi G, Coggrave M, et al. A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Transanal Irrigation Versus Conservative Bowel Management in Spinal Cord–Injured Patients. Gastroenterology. 2006;131(3):738-747. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2006.06.004

Neurostimulants To Improve Consciousness In Acute Comatose Patients, Lyena Birkenstock, Mohammed Kananeh

Phase 1

Patients in the neurology intensive care unit (NICU) suffering from coma have variable outcomes, even once the underlying condition has been treated. Coma is a detrimental condition with a high risk for mortality and disability. Currently, there is not a specific treatment regimen to treat, or even improve, comatose patients. In this study, we set out to compare the efficacy and side effect profile of different neurostimulants, including modafinil, adderall, and zolpidem. The target population includes adult patients in the Jefferson NICU with a diagnosis of persistent encephalopathy, despite the resolution of their admitting diagnoses. Patients are administered medication as …

Falls And Traumatic Brain Injury In The Elderly On Aspirin Or Anticoagulant Therapy, Jonathan Bassig, David Nauheim, Stanton Miller, Patricia Williams, Tingting Zhan

Phase 1

Introduction: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) after a fall in individuals aged 65 and older is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, but the effect of aspirin and anticoagulant therapy on TBI severity is not fully understood. This study evaluated whether the severity of TBI is associated with use of aspirin or anticoagulant therapy or in combination.

Methods: Using retrospective chart review, we identified patients age 65 or older who fell and sustained head trauma that were admitted to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital trauma service from 2017-2018. Based on final diagnosis, patients were classified into three groups of TBI …

Diagnostic Accuracy Of Procalcitonin In Differentiating Sepsis From Noninfectious Sirs In Adult Patients With Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Keshav Choudhuri, Umer Mukhtar, Md, M. Kamran Athar, Md, David Boorman, Ms, Fred Rincon, Md, Matthew Vibbert, Md, Syed O. Shah, Md, Jacqueline S. Urtecho, Md, Jack Jallo, Md

Phase 1

Background: Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a frequent diagnosis in the neuro-intensive care unit (NICU) that can result in the development of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and fever. The differentiation between central fever and infectious fever is paramount in order to prevent superfluous diagnostic testing and overuse of empiric antibiotics.

Methods: A prospective chart review study conducted in the NICU between December 2012 and September 2015. Patients with SAH, fever (≥101.0°F) and/or who were SIRS positive and had PCT levels measured were included. The primary outcome was clinical infection defined as any positive culture or infiltrate on chest X-ray within …

Structural Brain Plasticity In Epilepsy Patients Selected For Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy: A Study Of Diffusion Tensor Imaging Based Assessment Of Tract Alterations, Umma Fatema, Mahdi Alizadeh

Phase 1

Introduction: The standard of care for drug resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) involve surgical approaches including anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) and laser interstitial thermal therapy (LiTT). White matter alterations following ATL are often studied using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) which utilizes properties of water diffusion to obtain parameters (such as fractional anisotropy or FA) that can be used to detect neural plasticity. Despite being a common procedure, there are very few studies that explore post-surgical neural changes after LiTT. The objective of this study is to evaluate and explore the DTI parameter changes in patients who underwent LiTT.

Methods: DTI …

Measuring The Efficacy Of Medical Management Versus Decompressive Hemicraniectomy In Acute Stroke, Colton Hemphill, Franziska Herpich, Muhammad Athar, Eunice Lee

Phase 1

Introduction: Stroke is a life-threatening condition requiring immediate treatment in order to optimize patient survival and functionality post-hospitalization. At present, the primary treatment modalities used are intensive medical management and surgical decompressive hemicraniectomy. We believe that application of skilled medical management can result in a lower mortality rate and higher functional score at 12 months than aggressive surgical decompressive hemicraniectomy.

Methods: Epic data from Thomas Jefferson University will be used to identify patients with a large stroke (as defined by ischemic area on MRI) managed by the neurology department from 2016 to 2019. A survey will be administered by phone …

Marked Circadian Variation In Number And Type Of Hyperacute Strokes During The 24 Hour Day-Night Cycle, Eeman Khorramian, Sidney Starkman, Nerses Sanossian, David Liebeskind, Gilda Avila, Samuel Stratton, Marc Eckstein, Frank Pratt, Latisha Sharma, Lucas Restrepo, Miguel Valdes-Sueiras, May Kim-Tenser, Pablo Villablanca, Robin Conwit, Scott Hamilton, Jeffrey L. Saver, Fast-Mag Trial Investigators And Coordinators

Phase 1

Introduction: Circadian variations in stroke onset provide critical information for the allocation of pre-hospital and hospital resources in clinical care. Confining analysis to patients with defined onset in waking and clearly distinguished ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke subtypes, would substantial benefit our understanding of stroke etiology.

Methods: We analyzed patients enrolled in the NIH FAST-MAG phase 3 trial of field-initiated neuroprotective agents in patients with hyperacute stroke within 2h of onset. Onset times were analyzed in 1h time blocks throughout the 24h day-night cycle. Patient demographic and clinical features, medical history, imaging characteristics, and stroke deficit severity were correlated with …

Surgical Resection Of Convexity Meningiomas: A Single Center Retrospective Analysis, Haley Wendt, Michael Baldassari, Donald Ye, Kevin Judy

Phase 1

Introduction: Dural convexity meningiomas (CMs) are the most common primary intracranial tumors. Although surgical resection carries relatively low risk, it is necessary to quantify perioperative risks from a large patient cohort and identify factors contributing to short-term and long-term outcomes.

Methods: Patients who underwent craniotomy for resection of CMs between January 2012-December 2018 at a single large academic center were reviewed for pre-operative demographics, radiographic characteristics, and post-operative outcomes.

Results: 122 cases of CMs were identified. Common presenting symptoms included headache (39.3%), seizure (27.0%) and weakness/paralysis (18%). CMs were located over frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes in 57.4%, …

Neoangiogenesis And Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction In Human Tsc Brain Lesions, Kimberly Sansalone, Pelin Dilsiz, Howard Weiner, Orrin Devinsky, Delia M. Talos

Phase 1

Introduction: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic disorder characterized by the presence of multiple benign tumors throughout the body and brain. Patients with TSC experience severe cognitive dysfunction and therapy-resistant seizures, which can be associated with refractory epilepsy and poor developmental outcomes. We hypothesize that neoangiogenesis, disruption of the blood-brain barrier, and leakage of serum proteins into the brain parenchyma play vital roles in the pathogenesis of TSC.

Methods: In order to assess blood-brain barrier integrity, cortical tissue samples from TSC patients with intractable seizures, non-TSC patients with therapy-resistant epilepsy, and control subjects were immunolabeled for the serum …

Amelioration Of The Neuroinhibitory Local Environment After Ischemic Injury Through In Situ Astrocyte-To-Neuron Conversion, Abhinav K. Rao, Yu-Chen Chen, Ning-Xin Ma, Zi-Fei Pei, Susan Keefe, Emma Yellin, Miranda Chen, Fu-Han Yang, Xiao-Song He, Gong Chen

Phase 1

Ischemic injury in central nervous system (CNS) often causes severe neuronal loss and activates glial cells. We showed earlier that NeuroD1-mediated astrocyte-to-neuron (AtN) conversion can regenerate a substantial proportion of neurons (~40% of the total) and reconstruct the ischemic injured neural circuits. In this study, we focus on glial changes and blood vessel recovery following AtN conversion. Specifically, we found that ectopic expression of NeuroD1 in the reactive astrocytes after ischemic injury significantly reduced glial reactivity, as shown by less hypertrophic morphology, along with reduced secretion of neuroinhibitory factors such as CSPG and LCN2. As for microglia, we found less …

Middle Fossa Extension Of Posterior Fossa Meningiomas Is Associated With Poorer Clinical Outcomes, David Morgan, Donald Y. Ye, Md, Michael P. Baldassari, Omaditya Khanna, Md, Aria Mahtabfar, Md, Tyler Henry, Haley Wendt, David W. Andrews, Md, Christopher J. Farrell, Md, James J. Evans, Md, Kevin D. Judy, Md

Phase 1

Introduction: Progression of posterior fossa meningiomas (PFMs) can lead to extension into the middle cranial fossa. Pre-operative imaging allows for quantification of middle fossa extension (MFE). We aimed to determine the clinical impact of MFE on surgical and clinical outcomes during resection of PFMs.

Methods: Craniotomies for meningiomas performed at a large single center academic institution from January 2012 to December 2018 were identified. Preoperative MRI and CT imaging was reviewed to determine the presence of MFE of posterior fossa meningiomas and correlated to post-operative outcomes.

Results: 65 PFMs were identified and mean follow-up was 28.8 ± 20.1 months. 13/65 …

Evaluating The Migration Rates In Percutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation Trials, William Hirsch, Nikolaos Mouchtouris, Md, Ashwini Sharan Md

Phase 1

Introduction: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) provides symptom reduction in patients with chronic low back pain. The most common complication in SCS is percutaneous lead migration from initial placement site. It is our goal to determine whether using skin anchors during trial implantation reduces SCS trial lead migration rates compared to historical controls.

Methods: 197 patients who underwent SCS trial placement at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital between 2015 and 2018 were considered for this study. Complete data including device impedance measurements and pre and post trial x-rays was collected on 12 historical control patients and 19 patients with leads secured using …

Improving The Accuracy Of Dat Scan Interpretation: A Retrospective Study To Identify Variables That Standardize The Review Of Dat Scans For Idiopathic Parkinson’S Disease, Hannah Hackbart, Andrew B. Newberg, Md, Tsao-Wei Liang, Md

Phase 1

Introduction: Until recently, the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) has been based solely on clinical observation. The DaT scan is a tool that allows clinicians to visualize areas of neurodegeneration in PD and can help guide diagnosis. However, there is a discordance between clinical judgement and interpretation of DaT scans. In this study, we aim to improve the utility of DaT scans in the diagnosis of PD by identifying factors that can lead to a misdiagnosis and determine which image findings predict a clinical syndrome of parkinsonism.

Methods: We will conduct a retrospective chart review to analyze DaT scans of …

Avoiding Antiplatelet Reversal In Non-Operative Intracranial Hemorrhages: Functional Outcomes Of Guideline-Based Practice, Angelo D'Antonio-Bertagnolli, Lyena Birkenstock, Ariya Mobaraki, Christine Hammer, Md, Syed O. Shah, Md, Jack Jallo, Md, Phd, Courtney Pendleton, Md

Phase 1

Introduction: Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is a common, life-threatening neurological pathology in aging patients, many of whom take antiplatelet medications with potential to worsen the hemorrhage. In the event of ICH, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (TJUH) follows a protocol modeling the 2016 Neurocritical Care Society (NCS) joint guidelines for antiplatelet medication reversal. We analyzed pre- and post-NCS guideline data from TJUH for outcomes of non-operative ICH patients in order to tease out the potential benefits of this protocol.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study took place from January 2016 – Jan. 2018 at a tertiary care center: TJUH. Patients included were …

Brainwave Nets: Are Sparse Dynamic Models Susceptible To Brain Manipulation Experimentation?, Diego C. Nascimento, Marco A. Pinto-Orellana, Joao P. Leite, Dylan J. Edwards, Francisco Louzada, Taiza E.G. Santos

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© Copyright © 2020 Nascimento, Pinto-Orellana, Leite, Edwards, Louzada and Santos. Sparse time series models have shown promise in estimating contemporaneous and ongoing brain connectivity. This paper was motivated by a neuroscience experiment using EEG signals as the outcome of our established interventional protocol, a new method in neurorehabilitation toward developing a treatment for visual verticality disorder in post-stroke patients. To analyze the [complex outcome measure (EEG)] that reflects neural-network functioning and processing in more specific ways regarding traditional analyses, we make a comparison among sparse time series models (classic VAR, GLASSO, TSCGM, and TSCGM-modified with non-linear and iterative optimizations) …

Conditions For Combining Gene Therapy With Bone Marrow Transplantation In Murine Krabbe Disease., Mohammad Rafi, Paola Luzi, David A Wenger

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.