Translational Medical Research Commons^™

Stem Cell Therapy For End Stage Copd: A Cautionary Tale Of Direct-To-Consumer Advertising, Blake J. Arthurs, Scott Yaekle

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Weiss DJ, Casaburi R, Flannery R, LeRoux-Williams M, Tashkin DP. A placebo-controlled, randomized trial of mesenchymal stem cells in COPD. Chest. 2013;143(6):1590-1598. doi: 10.1378/chest.12-2094

It Is Reasonable To Recommended Intrapleural Alteplase For Loculated Pleural Effusions, Tricia Fernandez

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Thommi G, Shehan J, Robison K, Christensen M, Backemeyer L, McLeay M. A double blind randomized cross over trial comparing rate of decortication and efficacy of intrapleural instillation of alteplase vs placebo in patients with empyemas and complicated parapneumonic effusions. Respir Med. 2012;17(2):716-723. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2012.02.005

Combination Octreotide, Midodrine, And Albumin May Improve Survival In Patients With Hepatorenal Syndrome, But The Evidence Is Weak, Jacob Szafranski

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Skagen C, Einstein M, Lucey MR, Said A. Combination treatment with octreotide, midodrine, and albumin improves survival in patients with type 1 and type 2 hepatorenal syndrome. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2009 Aug;43(7):680-5. doi: 10.1097/MCG.0b013e318188947c

We Have No Real Evidence Related To Anticoagulation Plus Aspirin For Stroke Prevention In Atrial Fibrillation, Yuxiang Wang

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Flaker GC, Gruber M, Connolly SJ, et al. Risks and benefits of combining aspirin with anticoagulant therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation: an exploratory analysis of stroke prevention using an oral thrombin inhibitor in atrial fibrillation (SPORTIF) trials. Am Heart J. 2006;152:967-973. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2006.06.024

Manage Terminal Ileum Diverticulitis Comparably To Diverticulitis Elsewhere, James Yip

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Park HC, Lee BH. The management of terminal ileum diverticulitis. Am Surg. 2009 Dec;75(12):1199-202.

From The Editor, James Peter Meza

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

With this issue of the Journal, we expand types of submissions to include generalizable knowledge in the form of brief reports and original research.

Endothelium In The Pharyngeal Arches 3, 4 And 6 Is Derived From The Second Heart Field., Xia Wang, Dongying Chen, Kelley Chen, Ali Jubran, Annjosette Ramirez, Sophie Astrof

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

Oxygenated blood from the heart is directed into the systemic circulation through the aortic arch arteries (AAAs). The AAAs arise by remodeling of three symmetrical pairs of pharyngeal arch arteries (PAAs), which connect the heart with the paired dorsal aortae at mid-gestation. Aberrant PAA formation results in defects frequently observed in patients with lethal congenital heart disease. How the PAAs form in mammals is not understood. The work presented in this manuscript shows that the second heart field (SHF) is the major source of progenitors giving rise to the endothelium of the pharyngeal arches 3 - 6, while the endothelium …

Unique Breast Cancer Features Within The Vietnamese Population, Polly Niravath, Melissa Bondy, Susan G. Hilsenbeck

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is known to be a heterogeneous disease across women, and even within individual tumors. However, relatively little is known about heterogeneity across cultures. There has been some evidence to suggest that Asian women are more likely to have HER2+ breast cancer than their Caucasian counterparts.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to further investigate the unique pattern of breast cancer incidence and subtype in the Vietnamese population.

METHODS: We retrospectively collected data on all Vietnamese women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at the Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center in Houston, Texas over a four year …

Small Rna Zippers Lock Mirna Molecules And Block Mirna Function In Mammalian Cells., Lingyu Meng, Cuicui Liu, Jinhui Lü, Qian Zhao, Shengqiong Deng, Guangxue Wang, Jing Qiao, Chuyi Zhang, Lixiao Zhen, Ying Lu, Wenshu Li, Yuzhen Zhang, Richard G. Pestell, Huiming Fan, Yi-Han Chen, Zhongmin Liu, Zuoren Yu

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) loss-of-function phenotypes are mainly induced by chemically modified antisense oligonucleotides. Here we develop an alternative inhibitor for miRNAs, termed 'small RNA zipper'. It is designed to connect miRNA molecules end to end, forming a DNA-RNA duplex through a complementary interaction with high affinity, high specificity and high stability. Two miRNAs, miR-221 and miR-17, are tested in human breast cancer cell lines, demonstrating the 70∼90% knockdown of miRNA levels by 30-50 nM small RNA zippers. The miR-221 zipper shows capability in rescuing the expression of target genes of miR-221 and reversing the oncogenic function of miR-221 in breast cancer …

Lysosomal Storage Diseases, Carlos Ferreira, William Gahl

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Lysosomes are cytoplasmic organelles that contain a variety of different hydrolases. A genetic deficiency in the enzymatic activity of one of these hydrolases will lead to the accumulation of the material meant for lysosomal degradation. Examples include glycogen in the case of Pompe disease, glycosaminoglycans in the case of the mucopolysaccharidoses, glycoproteins in the cases of the oligosaccharidoses, and sphingolipids in the cases of Niemann-Pick disease types A and B, Gaucher disease, Tay-Sachs disease, Krabbe disease, and metachromatic leukodystrophy. Sometimes, the lysosomal storage can be caused not by the enzymatic deficiency of one of the hydrolases, but by the deficiency …

Glypican-3 And Cd81 Promote Development Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma And Hepatoblastoma Through Negative Selection., Yuhua Xue, Wendy Mars, William Bowen, Aatur D. Singhi, Sarangarajan Ranganathan, George K. Michalopoulos

Hepatobiliary Cancers: Pathobiology and Translational Advances

No abstract provided.

Frontiers In Precision Medicine Ii: Cancer, Big Data And The Public, Emily Coonrod, Jorge L. Contreras, Willard Dere, Jeffrey Botkin, Leslie Francis, Jim Tabery

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

Precision medicine is being developed within a complex landscape of public policy, science, economics, law, and regulation. In these and other policy areas, the goal of developing individually-tailored therapies poses novel challenges for health care research, delivery and policy. In this symposium, a range of experts in genetics, medicine, bioinformatics, intellectual property, health economics and bioethics identified and discussed many of the pressing questions raised by the development and practice of precision medicine. These and other issues will need to be taken into account as precision medicine moves ahead and becomes the standard of medical practice and care in the …

New Insights Into Post-Sepsis Muscle Weakness Elucidated Using A Novel Animal Model, Allison M. Steele

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Sepsis is a severe life-threatening critical illness that damages multiple physiological systems. After hospital discharge, more than 70% of severe sepsis survivors report profound weakness which significantly impacts quality of life. Such weakness gives rise to new limitations of daily living, which ultimately leads to loss of independence in many patients. Despite wide recognition of this serious issue by clinicians and researchers alike, the mechanisms contributing to chronic skeletal muscle dysfunction after sepsis are not well understood. Lack of progress in this field is largely due to the absence of an appropriate animal model; current models are either too mild …

Maine Medical Center Research Institute: 2017 Year In Review, Maine Medical Center Research Institute

Annual Reports

Annual Report: Bench to Bedside to Community, Basic Research->Translational & Clinical Research->Patient-Centered Outcomes Research

The Mechanical Properties Of Non-Failing And Failing Human Myocardium, Cheavar A. Blair

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Heart failure is a clinical syndrome that manifests when there are structural and functional impairments to the heart that reduces the ability of the ventricles to fill or eject blood. The syndrome affects ~6 million Americans and is responsible for nearly 300,000 deaths annually. At the core of the syndrome are dysfunctional sarcomeres, the machinery that drives cardiac contraction and relaxation. By assessing the mechanical properties of human cardiac tissue, the information provided in this dissertation will provide data that demonstrates how sarcomeric dysfunction contributes to heart failure in the left and right ventricles. Additionally, these data will supply information …

Efficacy Of Nutritional Interventions To Lower Circulating Ceramides In Young Adults: Fruvedomic Pilot Study, Alice T. Matthews, Oluremi A. Famodu, Melissa D. Olfert, Pamela J. Murray, Christopher F. Cuff, Marianne T. Downes, Norman J. Haughey, Sarah E. Colby, Paul D. Chantler, I. Mark Olfert, Joseph W. Mcfadden

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommends a diet largely composed of fruit and vegetables. Consuming a diet high in fruit and vegetables and low in refined carbohydrates and saturated fat may reduce an individual’s risk for type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, low-grade chronic inflammation, and metabolic syndrome (MetS). Several recent studies have implicated the bioactive sphingolipid ceramide as an associative and causative biomarker for the development of these conditions. Considering that the intake of fruit and vegetables is frequently inadequate in young adults, we performed a pilot investigation to assess the efficacy of a free-living …

Bladder Antimuscarinics And Cognitive Decline In Elderly Patients, Daniela Claudia Moga, Erin L. Abner, Qishan Wu, Gregory A. Jicha

Pharmacy Practice and Science Faculty Publications

Introduction: The evidence on the impact of bladder antimuscarinics initiation on cognitive function in older adults is inconsistent.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of data from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) on enrollees 65 years and older evaluated the association between antimuscarinic initiation and cognitive decline. We defined decline from baseline (yes/no) for cognitive assessments included in the NACC Uniform Data Set 2.0 battery. New users were matched on year of enrollment and time in the cohort to randomly selected nonusers. Analyses were conducted using inverse probability of treatment weights based on baseline propensity scores.

Results: Our analyses included 698 …

The Mitochondrial Ca(2+) Uniporter: Structure, Function, And Pharmacology., Jyotsna Mishra, Bong Sook Jhun, Stephen Hurst, Jin O-Uchi, György Csordás, Shey-Shing Sheu

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

Mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake is crucial for an array of cellular functions while an imbalance can elicit cell death. In this chapter, we briefly reviewed the various modes of mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake and our current understanding of mitochondrial Ca(2+) homeostasis in regards to cell physiology and pathophysiology. Further, this chapter focuses on the molecular identities, intracellular regulators as well as the pharmacology of mitochondrial Ca(2+) uniporter complex.

Decellularized Wharton's Jelly From Human Umbilical Cord As A Novel 3d Scaffolding Material For Tissue Engineering Applications., Sushma Jadalannagari, Gabriel Converse, Eric Buse, Michael Filla, Maria T. Villar, Antonio Artigues, Adam J. Mellot, Jinxi Wang, Michael S. Detamore, Richard A. Hopkins, Omar S. Aljitawi, C Mcfall

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

In tissue engineering, an ideal scaffold attracts and supports cells thus providing them with the necessary mechanical support and architecture as they reconstruct new tissue in vitro and in vivo. This manuscript details a novel matrix derived from decellularized Wharton's jelly (WJ) obtained from human umbilical cord for use as a scaffold for tissue engineering application. This decellularized Wharton's jelly matrix (DWJM) contained 0.66 ± 0.12 μg/mg sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), and was abundant in hyaluronic acid, and completely devoid of cells. Mass spectroscopy revealed the presence of collagen types II, VI and XII, fibronectin-I, and lumican I. When seeded onto …

Person-Centered Treatment To Optimize Psychiatric Medication Adherence, Natalie Bareis

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: Adherence to psychotropic medication is poor among individuals with bipolar disorder (BD). To understand treatment experiences and associated adherence among these individuals, we developed a novel construct of Clinical Net Benefit (CNB) using psychiatric symptoms, adverse effects and overall functioning assessments. We tested whether adherence differed across classes of CNB, whether individuals transitioned between classes over time, and whether these transitions were differentially associated with adherence.

Methods: Data come from individuals aged 18+ during five years of the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD). Latent class analysis identified groups of CNB. Latent transition analysis determined probabilities of …