Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons^™

A Causal Inference Study: The Impact Of The Combined Administration Of Donepezil And Memantine On Decreasing Hospital And Emergency Department Visits Of Alzheimer’S Disease Patients, Ehsan Yaghmaei, Albert Pierce, Hongxia Lu, Yesha M. Patel, Louis Ehwerhemuepha, Ahmad Rezaie, Seyed Ahmad Sajjadi, Cyril Rakovski

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia that currently affects over 6.5 million people in the U.S. Currently there is no cure and the existing drug therapies attempt to delay the mental decline and improve cognitive abilities. Two of the most commonly prescribed such drugs are Donepezil and Memantine. We formally tested and confirmed the presence of a beneficial drug-drug interaction of Donepezil and Memantine using a causal inference analysis. We applied doubly robust estimators to one of the largest and high-quality medical databases to estimate the effect of two commonly prescribed Alzheimer’s disease (AD) medications, Donepezil and …

Anti-Inflammatory And Antioxidant Effects Of Sea Urchin Spine Extract, Dina Magdy El Gamal

The Undergraduate Research Journal

Diadema savignyi spine extract in an experimental setup using L929 cell line in vitro. The cell metabolic activity of L929 cells is tested through an MTT assay. The sea urchin spine extract is applied to the cells in two concentrations: 100 μg/ml (136% viability) and 200 μg/ml (95% viability). The bioactive components of the sea urchin spine are identified via GC-MS, and the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities are evaluated using catalase assay (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and nitric oxide (NO) tests. Results show that the GC-MS identified bioactive components including the anti-inflammatory and anti-irritant bisabolol oxide and the pro-inflammatory oleic acid. …

The Role Of Molecular Thyroseq V3 Testing For Diagnosis And Management Of Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules., Ruth Delahunty

International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences

Worldwide, thyroid cancer is the 8^th most common malignancy (3^rd most common in women) and in recent years, there has been increased incidence of thyroid cancer worldwide. There is currently said to be a of thyroid nodules as of 2022. When it comes to the management of indeterminate thyroid nodules, clinical decision making can be challenging.

Thyroseq V3 testing may be used to determine the percentage probability of a thyroid nodule of being either malignant or benign, through a complex algorithm with next generation sequencing techniques, currently testing is done in the University of Pittsburgh and therefore is …

Adapting Shift Work Schedules For Sleep Quality, Sleep Duration, And Sleepiness In Shift Workers., Gerben Hulsegge, Pieter Coenen, Gregg M Gascon, Manisha Pahwa, Birgit Greiner, Ciarán Bohane, Imelda S Wong, Juha Liira, Rachel Riera, Daniela V Pachito

Ambulatory and Primary Care Articles

BACKGROUND: Shift work is associated with insufficient sleep, which can compromise worker alertness with ultimate effects on occupational health and safety. Adapting shift work schedules may reduce adverse occupational outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of shift schedule adaptation on sleep quality, sleep duration, and sleepiness among shift workers.

SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL, PubMed, Embase, and eight other databases on 13 December 2020, and again on 20 April 2022, applying no language restrictions.

SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs, including controlled before-after (CBA) trials, interrupted time series, and cross-over trials. Eligible trials evaluated any of …

Peripheral Arterial Disease And Complications Of Total Knee Arthroplasty: Indications For Advanced Vascular Imaging And Minimally Invasive Soft Tissue Coverage Procedures, Kristopher Katira, Antony Martin, Anna Garbuzov, James Ferrer, Brian Chuong, Ross Parkerson, George Chimento

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Soft tissue coverage of knee wounds can be challenging, in particular in the setting of peripheral arterial disease and knee arthroplasty complications. Options for soft-tissue coverage range from conservative wound care to invasive pedicled and free flaps. Unlike traditional wound coverage problems in plastic surgery patients, arthroplasty coverage decisions oblige surgeons to take into account the possibility of secondary orthopedic procedures. The two cases presented in this manuscript demonstrate the importance of vascular imaging, in particular angiography. In both cases, the workhorse medial gastrocnemius flap harvest could have resulted in critical limb ischemia. When secondary orthopedic revision is required at …

Automatic Cardiac Mri Image Segmentation And Mesh Generation, Ziyuan Li

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Segmenting and reconstructing cardiac anatomical structures from magnetic resonance (MR) images is essential for the quantitative measurement and automatic diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases [1]. However, manual evaluation of the time-series cardiac MRI (CMRI) obtained during routine clinical care are laborious, inefficient, and tends to produce biased and non-reproducible results [2]. This thesis proposes an end-to-end pipeline for automatically segmenting short-axis (SAX) CMRI images and generating high-quality 2D and 3D meshes suitable for finite element analysis. The main advantage of our approach is that it can not only work as a stand-alone pipeline for the automatic CMR image segmentation and mesh …

Astrocytes In Stroke-Induced Neurodegeneration: A Timeline, Eileen Collyer, Elena Blanco-Suarez

Farber Institute for Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Stroke is a condition characterized by sudden deprivation of blood flow to a brain region and defined by different post-injury phases, which involve various molecular and cellular cascades. At an early stage during the acute phase, fast initial cell death occurs, followed by inflammation and scarring. This is followed by a sub-acute or recovery phase when endogenous plasticity mechanisms may promote spontaneous recovery, depending on various factors that are yet to be completely understood. At later time points, stroke leads to greater neurodegeneration compared to healthy controls in both clinical and preclinical studies, this is evident during the chronic phase …

Submental Intubation In Oral Maxillofacial Surgery: A Case Report And Review Of Indications And Complications, Ed W. Alvarado, Jennifer Inofomoh, Mark Lavering, Diego Aleman

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

Background: Submental intubation has emerged as a crucial alternative airway management technique within the realm of oral maxillofacial surgery, addressing scenarios where conventional intraoral or nasal intubation proves infeasible or hazardous. The landscape of oral maxillofacial surgeries is characterized by intricate fractures, extensive soft tissue damage, and anatomical deviations that render traditional intubation methods untenable. This innovative technique involves the insertion of a modified oral endotracheal tube through a submental incision, subsequently threading it into the oropharynx. This procedure ensures secure airway access while safeguarding the integrity of oral and nasal passages. This modality reaps manifold benefits, spanning augmented …

Demarcating Psychopathologies: Nosology, Validity, And The Taxonomic Problem In Psychiatric Medicine, Julia Zentz Kolak

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this dissertation, I argue that the discussion surrounding the role of values in the conceptualization of mental disorders is reproduced in critical debates surrounding the issue of reliability and validity in a psychiatric nosology. In so doing, I oppose the conventional separation of the demarcation problem and the crisis of validity in psychiatric classification, arguing instead that they are inextricably linked. After drawing out the intersection between these literatures in the conceptual history of the DSM and its much-maligned transition to an etiologically neutral taxonomy of mental disorders, I consider Carl Hempel’s proposed conciliation between descriptive and theoretical systematization …

Rod-Specific Downregulation Of Omega-3 Very-Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Pathway In Age-Related Macular Degeneration, William C. Gordon, Marie Audrey I. Kautzmann, Bokkyoo Jun, Megan L. Cothern, Zhide Fang, Nicolas G. Bazan

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6) plays a key role in vision and is the precursor for very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs). The release of 32- and 34-carbon VLC-PUFAs and DHA from sn-1 and sn-2 of phosphatidylcholine (PC) leads to the synthesis of cell-survival mediators, the elovanoids (ELVs) and neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1), respectively. Macula and periphery from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) donor retinas were assessed for the availability of DHA-related lipids by LC-MS/MS-based lipidomic analysis and MALDI-molecular imaging. We found reduced retina DHA and VLC-PUFA pathways to synthesize omega-3 ELVs from precursors that likely resulted in altered disks and photoreceptor loss. Additionally, …

Maximizing Wound Coverage In Full-Thickness Skin Defects: A Randomized-Controlled Trial Of Autologous Skin Cell Suspension And Widely Meshed Autograft Versus Standard Autografting, Sharon Henry, Steven Mapula, Mark Grevious, Kevin N. Foster, Herbert Phelan, Jeffrey Shupp, Rodney Chan, David Harrington, Neil Mashruwala, David A. Brown, Haaris Mir, George Singer, Alfredo Cordova, Lisa Rae, Theresa Chin, Lourdes Castanon, Derek Bell, William Hughes, Joseph A. Molnar

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND Traumatic insults, infection, and surgical procedures can leave skin defects that are not amenable to primary closure. Split-thickness skin grafting (STSG) is frequently used to achieve closure of these wounds. Although effective, STSG can be associated with donor site morbidity, compounding the burden of illness in patients undergoing soft tissue reconstruction procedures. With an expansion ratio of 1:80, autologous skin cell suspension (ASCS) has been demonstrated to significantly decrease donor skin requirements compared with traditional STSG in burn injuries. We hypothesized that the clinical performance of ASCS would be similar for soft tissue reconstruction of nonburn wounds. METHODS A …

The Noloco Strategy For Essential Hypertension, F. Matthew Mihelic Md

Faculty Publications

Ninety-nine percent of all “essential” hypertension can be controlled by using the NoLoCo strategy, without causing any significant side-effects and without an increase in insulin resistance. NoLoCo stands for Norvasc (amlodipine), Lozol (indapamide), and Cozaar (losartan), but the medicines are considered and used in reverse order.

A Validated Lc-Ms/Ms Bioanalytical Method For The Pharmacokinetic Interaction Study Of The Effect Of Some Co-Administered Covid-19 Protocol Drugs On Pholcodine Containing Antitussive Mixture, Mennatullah Hesham Ahmed, Sally Mahmoud Tarek Mokhles, Ehab Farouk El Kady, Ekram Mohamed Hany

Pharmacy

The symptoms of the viral infection COVID-19, which range from mild to severe, can include fever, coughing, sore throats, malaise, headaches, and a loss of taste or smell. Fever and cough are the most typical symptoms of COVID-19, and in more severe cases, it can make breathing difficult. Hence, in this in-vivo study, we studied the effect of the simultaneous co-administration of COVID-19 treatment drugs (azithromycin, dexamethasone, and hydroxychloroquine) on the pharmacokinetics of the antitussive drugs combination: pholcodine, pseudoephedrine and paracetamol in rats. For the simultaneous determination of pholcodine, pseudoephedrine, and paracetamol in rat plasma, a UPLC-MS/MS technique was developed …

Targeting Breast Cancer: The Familiar, The Emerging, And The Uncharted Territories, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi, Arthur Manda, Riya Sidgal, Co Chung

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Breast cancer became the most diagnosed cancer in the world in 2020. Chemotherapy is still the leading clinical strategy in breast cancer treatment, followed by hormone therapy (mostly used in hormone receptor-positive types). However, with our ever-expanding knowledge of signaling pathways in cancer biology, new molecular targets are identified for potential novel molecularly targeted drugs in breast cancer treatment. While this has resulted in the approval of a few molecularly targeted drugs by the FDA (including drugs targeting immune checkpoints), a wide array of signaling pathways seem to be still underexplored. Also, while combinatorial treatments have become common practice in …

A Survey Of Microvascular Technique Preferences Among American Head Neck Society Members, Ramez Philips, Keisha A. Best, Aarti Agarwal, Hamad Sagheer, Yamil Selman, Larissa Sweeney, Mark Wax, Howard Krein, Ryan Heffelfinger, Adam Luginbuhl, Joseph Curry

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: To identify practices in microvascular techniques in routine and challenging scenarios.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.

METHODS: A national survey addressing practices related to microvascular free flap reconstruction was distributed to AHNS members between October and November 2021.

RESULTS: The respondents encompassed 95 microvascular surgeons. Median years of practice was 6 (interquartile range, 2-13) and median flaps per year was 35 (22-50). Common practices in arterial anastomosis included limited cleaning of artery (84.2%), use of a double approximating clamp (64.2%), and use of interrupted suture (88.4%). Common practices in venous anastomosis included limited cleaning (89.5%), downsizing the coupler (53.7%), and …

Minoxidil Weakens Newly Synthesized Collagen In Fibrotic Synoviocytes From Osteoarthritis Patients, Stefan Sarkovich, Peter P. Issa, Andrew Longanecker, Davis Martin, Kaitlyn Redondo, Patrick Mcternan, Jennifer Simkin, Luis Marrero

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Purpose: Synovial fibrosis (SFb) formation and turnover attributable to knee osteoarthritis (KOA) can impart painful stiffness and persist following arthroplasty. To supplement joint conditioning aimed at maximizing peri-operative function, we evaluated the antifibrotic effect of Minoxidil (MXD) on formation of pyridinoline (Pyd) cross-links catalyzed by Plod2-encoded lysyl hydroxylase (LH)2b that strengthen newly synthesized type-I collagen (COL1) in fibroblastic synovial cells (FSCs) from KOA patients. MXD was predicted to decrease Pyd without significant alterations to Col1a1 transcription by FSCs stimulated with transforming growth factor (TGF)β1. Methods: Synovium from 10 KOA patients grouped by SFb severity was preserved for picrosirius and LH2b …

The Safety Of Robotic Pneumonectomy, Shale J. Mack, Micaela L. Collins, Brian M. Till, Greg L. Whitehorn, Jonathan Martin, Hamza Rshaidat, Tyler Grenda, Nathaniel R. Evans, Olugbenga T. Okusanya

Jefferson Hospital Staff Papers and Presentations

BACKGROUND: Pneumonectomy remains among the most morbid procedures in thoracic surgery. Increasingly, robotic approaches are being adopted for a range of thoracoscopic procedures. The safety profile of robot-assisted thoracoscopic pneumonectomy remains poorly described, as do outcomes compared with traditional approaches.

METHODS: The National Cancer Database was used for a retrospective cohort analysis for patients with non-small cell lung cancer undergoing pneumonectomy from 2014 to 2018. Robotic approach was compared with open and thoracoscopic pneumonectomy. Descriptive and outcomes analyses, and 5-year overall survival were assessed.

RESULTS: Robot-assisted approach was completed in 269 (5.56%) cases, 3671 (75.88%) by open resection, and 898 …

Additive Effects Of Cyclic Peptide [R4w4] When Added Alongside Azithromycin And Rifampicin Against Mycobacterium Avium Infection, Melissa Kelley, Kayvan Sasaninia, Arbi Abnousian, Ali Badaoui, James Owens, Abrianna Beever, Nala Kachour, Rakesh Kumar Tiwari, Vishwanath Venketaraman

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Mycobacterium avium (M. avium), a type of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), poses a risk for pulmonary infections and disseminated infections in immunocompromised individuals. Conventional treatment consists of a 12-month regimen of the first-line antibiotics rifampicin and azithromycin. However, the treatment duration and low antibiotic tolerability present challenges in the treatment of M. avium infection. Furthermore, the emergence of multidrug-resistant mycobacterium strains prompts a need for novel treatments against M. avium infection. This study aims to test the efficacy of a novel antimicrobial peptide, cyclic [R4W4], alongside the first-line antibiotics azithromycin and rifampicin in reducing M. avium survival. Colony-forming unit (CFU) …

Systematic Review Of Needlestick Injuries In The Operating Room: A Case For Surgical Glove Redesigning, Shalmali Mirajkar, Zachary Bauman, Bethany Lowndes

EMET Projects

Background: Sharps or needlestick injuries (NSI) occur in roughly 15% of surgeries and are largely preventable. With such injuries, healthcare workers have a high risk of exposure to blood borne pathogens. Despite the implementation of several prevention measures such as double gloving and using blunt suture needles, there is still a high prevalence of NSIs. The aim of the current study is to conduct a systematic review to identify the most vulnerable parts of the hand for needlestick injuries, the most common tasks during which injuries occurred, and the most common instrument associated with the injury.

Methods: A …

Assessing Blood Oxygen Level–Dependent Signal Variability As A Biomarker Of Brain Injury In Sport-Related Concussion, Evan D. Anderson, Tanveer Talukdar, Grace Goodwin, Valentina Di Pietro, Kamal M. Yakoub, Christopher E. Zwilling, David Davies, Antonio Belli, Aron K. Barbey

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Mild traumatic brain injury is a complex neurological disorder of significant concern among athletes who play contact sports. Athletes who sustain sport-related concussion typically undergo physical examination and neurocognitive evaluation to determine injury severity and return-to-play status. However, traumatic disruption to neurometabolic processes can occur with minimal detectable anatomic pathology or neurocognitive alteration, increasing the risk that athletes may be cleared for return-to-play during a vulnerable period and receive a repetitive injury. This underscores the need for sensitive functional neuroimaging methods to detect altered cerebral physiology in concussed athletes. The present study compared the efficacy of Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and …