Immune System Diseases Commons^™

Shrinking Lung Syndrome In An Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease, Saul Alvarado Maldonado, Justin Gisel, Osama Srour

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Pyoderma Gangrenosum As An Initial Presentation Of Rheumatoid Arthritis & Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Julian Reoyo, Jennifer Cucalon, Milton Alexis Torres, Toni Feghali, Francia Guerrero, Joseph Pino, Shahid Sulaiman

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Stewards In The Making: Approaching "Penicillin-Allergies" With Confidence, Trent Percy, Craig Spergel

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

A Rare Case Of Disseminated Strongyloidiasis Causing Polymicrobial Sepsis In A Patient With Lupus: A Diagnostic Conundrum, Greeshma Molugu, Anupama Chennupati, Ayo Dereje, Machaiah Madhrira

North Texas GME Research Forum 2026

Introduction: Disseminated strongyloidiasis is a very rare condition with case-fatality rates approaching 90%. However, the diagnosis is often delayed because of nonspecific presenting symptoms. Early diagnosis relies on a high index of clinical suspicion, especially in immunocompromised hosts. Long-term corticosteroid therapy, leading to some suppression of inflammatory and immunologic responses, is a well-known risk factor for severe strongyloidiasis.

Case presentation: A 52-year-old male with a past medical history of lupus on chronic corticosteroid therapy presented with chief complaints of dyspnea and diarrhea. He has a recent history of travel to Mexico. Hemoglobin was 5.3. CTAP with contrast showed diffuse colitis …

Roles Of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (Tsh) And Vitamin D Levels In Asthma Severity And Length Of Stay, Kumail Rizvi, Kenny Tran, Michele Mccarrol, Mohan Sengodan

North Texas GME Research Forum 2026

Background: Asthma exacerbations leading to hospitalization are very common and result from multifactorial causes. This research aims to investigate factors such as thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and Vitamin D, which may play a role in the modulation of asthma-related hospitalizations and patient outcomes. TSH influences numerous cellular processes in the body, particularly during times of stress and illness, yet its role in asthma exacerbations and hospital length of stay remains unclear. Vitamin D has been studied for its role in enhancing medication absorption and regulating immune function, and multiple studies have shown that low serum Vitamin D levels are associated with …

A Curious Case Of Idiopathic Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia: A Case Study, Sarah Hendee, Cristina Lee, Jennifer Pincus, Dmitriy Scherbak

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

The Many Faces Of Lupus: Rhabdomyolysis And Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome In A Diagnostic Maze Ending In Sle, Sravani Karuchola, Kumail Razvi, Faizan A. Khan

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Bridging The Gap: Early Recognition And Interim Management Of Silica-Associated Rheumatoid Arthritis In Resource-Limited Primary Care Settings, Sukhneet Bhullar, Howard J. Tan, Alaa Baqer, Cathlen Delva

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Self-Assembly Of Anti-Inflammatory Peptide Amphiphiles For Mucosal Health, Maria José Gómara, Ignacio Pérez-Pomeda, Ramon Pons, Paul Ziprin, Carolina Herrera, Isabel Haro

CONRAD Publications

Broad spectrum anti-inflammatory peptide amphiphiles (AIF-PAs) have been developed as an innovative strategy for the treatment of chronic mucosal inflammation and the prevention of HIV transmission. Novel lipopeptides based on two linear sequences of anti-inflammatory peptides were obtained by solid-phase peptide chemistry. In a pilot study, ex vivo exposure of colorectal tissue explants from Crohn's disease patients to AIF-PAs induced a downregulation of the proinflammatory profile. Furthermore, the HIV inhibitory potency of AIF-PAs was evaluated ex vivo in colorectal tissue explants, obtaining sub-micromolar IC₅₀ values. Characterization of AIF-PAs self-aggregation in aqueous solution revealed that the net charge distribution within the …

Case Of Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis With High Body Surface Area Involvement And Review Of Predictors Of Severity Of Illness, Hannah R. Riva, Clay J. Cockerell, Muhammad T. Siddique, James M. Cross

North Texas GME Research Forum 2026

BACKGROUND: Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) are rare and potentially fatal cutaneous adverse drug reactions. The most common mortality predictor used for TEN is the SCORTEN (Severity-of-Illness Score for Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis). Various scoring systems have been used and are being developed for predicting mortality and guiding treatment in SJS/TEN. We describe a case of TEN with a high body surface area involvement and discuss the scoring predictors for severity of illness.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 63-year-old male was transferred to our burn center for a suspected diagnosis of SJS/TEN. He was intubated prior to arrival. He …

Gastroparesis As Initial Feature Of Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder, Jasmine M. Silva, Jorim J. Parmar, Shivani Gandhi, Sreevani Gudiseva

North Texas GME Research Forum 2026

No abstract provided.

Type 2 Myocardial Infarction In Adults Admitted For Severe Persistent Asthma With Status Asthmaticus: Evaluating Predictors And Mortality Burden, Kanwar Bir Dhaliwal, Rahul Pawa, Naresh Kodwani

MidAmerica Division GME Healthcare Symposium 2026

No abstract provided.

Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia Precipitated By Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole Use, Karin Cha, Sparshitha Adapa

MidAmerica Division GME Healthcare Symposium 2026

No abstract provided.

Inhibition Of Histone Demethylase Lsd1 Suppresses Cd47 Expression And Enhances Efficacy Of Cd47 Blockade In Breast Cancer, Fengjie Jiang, Yu Shen, Bing Li, Michael Henry, Nancy Davidson, Yi Huang

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Background CD47 functions as a “don’t eat me” checkpoint, inhibiting macrophage-mediated phagocytosis in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). While anti-CD47 therapies can restore immune surveillance, their efficacy in TNBC is often limited by immune evasion and drug development challenges.

Methods We investigated the crosstalk between the histone demethylase lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) and CD47 signaling in TNBC using in silico datasets, isogenic cell lines, conditional BRCA1 knockout models, and syngeneic mouse models. Techniques such as immunohistochemistry, multiplex immunofluorescence, immunoprecipitation, protein ubiquitination, chromatin immunoprecipitation, chemotaxis, flow cytometry, and phagocytosis assays were employed to examine the epigenetic regulation of CD47 by LSD1 and …

Analysis Of Alternative Gene Splicing Of Natural Killer Cell Exhaustion Markers During Siv Infection, Soledad B. Zayas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Natural killer cells play a critical role in the innate immune response against Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Simian Immunodeficiency Virus infections. During HIV/SIV infection, NK cells undergo functional impairment characterized by an imbalance between activating and inhibitory surface receptors. The upregulation of inhibitory receptors, TIGIT and TIM-3, has proven to contribute to NK cell exhaustion during different retroviral infections. Although alternative splicing regulates immunity related genes, its role in TIGIT and TIM-3 expression during SIV infection remains poorly understood. This study aimed to characterize alternative splicing patterns of TIGIT and TIM-3 and evaluate transcript variant expression during SIV infection in …

Assessment Of Skin In Patients With Systematic Sclerosis Using High-Frequency Ultrasound And Shear Wave Elastography: A Comparative Study With Histology, Molecular, And Clinical Parameters, Ruhani Desai, Filemon Tan, Minghua Wu, Jeffery L. Browning, Samuel Theodore, Meng Zhang, Brian Skaug, Harshdeep Singh Chawla, Manmohan Singh, Salavat Aglyamov, Kirill V. Larin, Maureen Mayes, Shervin Assassi

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Objective: Ultrasound (US) has been proposed as a potential tool for assessing skin fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc). However, a large-scale comparison of US-based assessment with histologic markers of skin fibrosis has not been reported. We evaluated US-based skin assessments for their face validity (differentiation between involved SSc and healthy control [HC] skin), construct validity (comparison to modified Rodnan skin score [mRSS]), and criterion validity (comparison to histologic and gene expression fibrosis markers).

Methods: Twenty HCs and 52 patients with SSc underwent clinical and US assessment followed by a forearm skin biopsy. Predefined areas were assessed on the finger, hand, …

Investigating The Role Of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine For Cancer Symptom Management In Older Adults: A Rapid Review, Isabelle C. Karshner

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Patients with cancer often experience symptoms related to disease, complications, and treatment. One potential method of alleviating these symptoms is traditional Chinese herbal medications (TCHM). This rapid review explores the role of traditional Chinese herbal medications in treating cancer-related symptoms in older adults.

Purpose: The purpose of this rapid review is to gain and provide a better understanding of the effects of TCHM on cancer-symptom management in the older adult population. This review explores the association between TCHM and effects on cancer symptoms in older adults, including interactions, toxicity, and signs/symptoms of TCHM use that may be useful information …

Splenectomy As A Definitive Intervention For Refractory Neutropenia In Felty Syndrome, Denise Vera Nemeth, Savannah Yeh, Aryan Lajevardi, Noaman Ali

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia Following Babesiosis In An Immunocompromised Patient, Brooke Escoe, Diane Olski, Robert Sherertz, Mohamed Faris

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Secondary Evans Syndrome Associated With Sle And Chronic Hepatitis C Infection, Reggie Skains Iii, Cj Weinheimar, Ritika Gautam, Nate Eisel, Riley Seay

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.