930 results on '"Blevins A"'
Search Results
2. A Glycemia Risk Index (GRI) of Hypoglycemia and Hyperglycemia for Continuous Glucose Monitoring Validated by Clinician Ratings
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Klonoff, David C, Wang, Jing, Rodbard, David, Kohn, Michael A, Li, Chengdong, Liepmann, Dorian, Kerr, David, Ahn, David, Peters, Anne L, Umpierrez, Guillermo E, Seley, Jane Jeffrie, Xu, Nicole Y, Nguyen, Kevin T, Simonson, Gregg, Agus, Michael SD, Al-Sofiani, Mohammed E, Armaiz-Pena, Gustavo, Bailey, Timothy S, Basu, Ananda, Battelino, Tadej, Bekele, Sewagegn Yeshiwas, Benhamou, Pierre-Yves, Bequette, B Wayne, Blevins, Thomas, Breton, Marc D, Castle, Jessica R, Chase, James Geoffrey, Chen, Kong Y, Choudhary, Pratik, Clements, Mark A, Close, Kelly L, Cook, Curtiss B, Danne, Thomas, Doyle, Francis J, Drincic, Angela, Dungan, Kathleen M, Edelman, Steven V, Ejskjaer, Niels, Espinoza, Juan C, Fleming, G Alexander, Forlenza, Gregory P, Freckmann, Guido, Galindo, Rodolfo J, Gomez, Ana Maria, Gutow, Hanna A, Heinemann, Lutz, Hirsch, Irl B, Hoang, Thanh D, Hovorka, Roman, Jendle, Johan H, Ji, Linong, Joshi, Shashank R, Joubert, Michael, Koliwad, Suneil K, Lal, Rayhan A, Lansang, M Cecilia, Lee, Wei-An, Leelarathna, Lalantha, Leiter, Lawrence A, Lind, Marcus, Litchman, Michelle L, Mader, Julia K, Mahoney, Katherine M, Mankovsky, Boris, Masharani, Umesh, Mathioudakis, Nestoras N, Mayorov, Alexander, Messler, Jordan, Miller, Joshua D, Mohan, Viswanathan, Nichols, James H, Nørgaard, Kirsten, O’Neal, David N, Pasquel, Francisco J, Philis-Tsimikas, Athena, Pieber, Thomas, Phillip, Moshe, Polonsky, William H, Pop-Busui, Rodica, Rayman, Gerry, Rhee, Eun-Jung, Russell, Steven J, Shah, Viral N, Sherr, Jennifer L, Sode, Koji, Spanakis, Elias K, Wake, Deborah J, Waki, Kayo, Wallia, Amisha, Weinberg, Melissa E, Wolpert, Howard, Wright, Eugene E, Zilbermint, Mihail, and Kovatchev, Boris
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Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Nutrition and Dietetics ,Diabetes ,Adult ,Humans ,Blood Glucose ,Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring ,Hypoglycemia ,Hyperglycemia ,Glucose ,ambulatory glucose profile ,composite metric ,continuous glucose monitor ,diabetes ,glycemia risk index ,hyperglycemia ,hypoglycemia ,time in range ,Nutrition and dietetics - Abstract
BackgroundA composite metric for the quality of glycemia from continuous glucose monitor (CGM) tracings could be useful for assisting with basic clinical interpretation of CGM data.MethodsWe assembled a data set of 14-day CGM tracings from 225 insulin-treated adults with diabetes. Using a balanced incomplete block design, 330 clinicians who were highly experienced with CGM analysis and interpretation ranked the CGM tracings from best to worst quality of glycemia. We used principal component analysis and multiple regressions to develop a model to predict the clinician ranking based on seven standard metrics in an Ambulatory Glucose Profile: very low-glucose and low-glucose hypoglycemia; very high-glucose and high-glucose hyperglycemia; time in range; mean glucose; and coefficient of variation.ResultsThe analysis showed that clinician rankings depend on two components, one related to hypoglycemia that gives more weight to very low-glucose than to low-glucose and the other related to hyperglycemia that likewise gives greater weight to very high-glucose than to high-glucose. These two components should be calculated and displayed separately, but they can also be combined into a single Glycemia Risk Index (GRI) that corresponds closely to the clinician rankings of the overall quality of glycemia (r = 0.95). The GRI can be displayed graphically on a GRI Grid with the hypoglycemia component on the horizontal axis and the hyperglycemia component on the vertical axis. Diagonal lines divide the graph into five zones (quintiles) corresponding to the best (0th to 20th percentile) to worst (81st to 100th percentile) overall quality of glycemia. The GRI Grid enables users to track sequential changes within an individual over time and compare groups of individuals.ConclusionThe GRI is a single-number summary of the quality of glycemia. Its hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia components provide actionable scores and a graphical display (the GRI Grid) that can be used by clinicians and researchers to determine the glycemic effects of prescribed and investigational treatments.
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- 2023
3. De novo KCNA6 variants with attenuated KV1.6 channel deactivation in patients with epilepsy
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Salpietro, Vincenzo, Deforie, Valentina Galassi, Efthymiou, Stephanie, O'Connor, Emer, Marcé‐Grau, Anna, Maroofian, Reza, Striano, Pasquale, Zara, Federico, Morrow, Michelle M, Group, SYNAPS Study, Reich, Adi, Blevins, Amy, Sala‐Coromina, Júlia, Accogli, Andrea, Fortuna, Sara, Alesandrini, Marie, Au, PY Billie, Singhal, Nilika Shah, Cogne, Benjamin, Isidor, Bertrand, Hanna, Michael G, Macaya, Alfons, Kullmann, Dimitri M, Houlden, Henry, and Männikkö, Roope
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Medical Physiology ,Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Pediatric ,Neurodegenerative ,Genetics ,Biotechnology ,Brain Disorders ,Epilepsy ,Neurosciences ,2.1 Biological and endogenous factors ,Aetiology ,Neurological ,Humans ,Mutation ,Neurodevelopmental Disorders ,Seizures ,Kv1.6 Potassium Channel ,K(V)1 Shaker channel family ,neurodevelopmental disorder ,voltage-gated potassium channels ,whole exome sequencing ,SYNAPS Study Group ,KV1 Shaker channel family ,Clinical Sciences ,Neurology & Neurosurgery ,Clinical sciences - Abstract
ObjectiveMutations in the genes encoding neuronal ion channels are a common cause of Mendelian neurological diseases. We sought to identify novel de novo sequence variants in cases with early infantile epileptic phenotypes and neurodevelopmental anomalies.MethodsFollowing clinical diagnosis, we performed whole exome sequencing of the index cases and their parents. Identified channel variants were expressed in Xenopus oocytes and their functional properties assessed using two-electrode voltage clamp.ResultsWe identified novel de novo variants in KCNA6 in four unrelated individuals variably affected with neurodevelopmental disorders and seizures with onset in the first year of life. Three of the four identified mutations affect the pore-lining S6 α-helix of KV 1.6. A prominent finding of functional characterization in Xenopus oocytes was that the channel variants showed only minor effects on channel activation but slowed channel closure and shifted the voltage dependence of deactivation in a hyperpolarizing direction. Channels with a mutation affecting the S6 helix display dominant effects on channel deactivation when co-expressed with wild-type KV 1.6 or KV 1.1 subunits.SignificanceThis is the first report of de novo nonsynonymous variants in KCNA6 associated with neurological or any clinical features. Channel variants showed a consistent effect on channel deactivation, slowing the rate of channel closure following normal activation. This specific gain-of-function feature is likely to underlie the neurological phenotype in our patients. Our data highlight KCNA6 as a novel channelopathy gene associated with early infantile epileptic phenotypes and neurodevelopmental anomalies.
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- 2023
4. Preoperative Identification of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC): Clinical Validation of the Afirma MTC RNA-Sequencing Classifier
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Randolph, Gregory W, Sosa, Julie Ann, Hao, Yangyang, Angell, Trevor E, Shonka, David C, LiVolsi, Virginia A, Ladenson, Paul W, Blevins, Thomas C, Duh, Quan-Yang, Ghossein, Ronald, Harrell, Mack, Patel, Kepal Narendra, Shanik, Michael H, Traweek, S Thomas, Walsh, P Sean, Yeh, Michael W, Ahmed, Amr H Abdelhamid, Ho, Allen S, Wong, Richard J, Klopper, Joshua P, Huang, Jing, Kennedy, Giulia C, Kloos, Richard T, and Sadow, Peter M
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Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Clinical Sciences ,Genetics ,Cancer ,Clinical Research ,Rare Diseases ,Biopsy ,Fine-Needle ,Carcinoma ,Neuroendocrine ,Gene Expression Profiling ,Humans ,RNA ,Retrospective Studies ,Thyroid Cancer ,Papillary ,Thyroid Neoplasms ,Thyroid Nodule ,indeterminate cytology ,machine learning ,medullary thyroid cancer ,molecular diagnostics ,molecular testing ,thyroid nodule ,Endocrinology & Metabolism ,Clinical sciences - Abstract
Background: Cytopathological evaluation of thyroid fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) specimens can fail to raise preoperative suspicion of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). The Afirma RNA-sequencing MTC classifier identifies MTC among FNA samples that are cytologically indeterminate, suspicious, or malignant (Bethesda categories III-VI). In this study we report the development and clinical performance of this MTC classifier. Methods: Algorithm training was performed with a set of 483 FNAB specimens (21 MTC and 462 non-MTC). A support vector machine classifier was developed using 108 differentially expressed genes, which includes the 5 genes in the prior Afirma microarray-based MTC cassette. Results: The final MTC classifier was blindly tested on 211 preoperative FNAB specimens with subsequent surgical pathology, including 21 MTC and 190 non-MTC specimens from benign and malignant thyroid nodules independent from those used in training. The classifier had 100% sensitivity (21/21 MTC FNAB specimens correctly called positive; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 83.9-100%) and 100% specificity (190/190 non-MTC FNAs correctly called negative; CI = 98.1-100%). All positive samples had pathological confirmation of MTC, while all negative samples were negative for MTC on surgical pathology. Conclusions: The RNA-sequencing MTC classifier accurately identified MTC from preoperative thyroid nodule FNAB specimens in an independent validation cohort. This identification may facilitate an MTC-specific preoperative evaluation and resulting treatment.
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- 2022
5. Twenty‐first century bioarchaeology: Taking stock and moving forward
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Buikstra, Jane E, DeWitte, Sharon N, Agarwal, Sabrina C, Baker, Brenda J, Bartelink, Eric J, Berger, Elizabeth, Blevins, Kelly E, Bolhofner, Katelyn, Boutin, Alexis T, Brickley, Megan B, Buzon, Michele R, Cova, Carlina, Goldstein, Lynne, Gowland, Rebecca, Grauer, Anne L, Gregoricka, Lesley A, Halcrow, Siân E, Hall, Sarah A, Hillson, Simon, Kakaliouras, Ann M, Klaus, Haagen D, Knudson, Kelly J, Knüsel, Christopher J, Larsen, Clark Spencer, Martin, Debra L, Milner, George R, Novak, Mario, Nystrom, Kenneth C, Pacheco‐Forés, Sofía I, Prowse, Tracy L, Schug, Gwen Robbins, Roberts, Charlotte A, Rothwell, Jessica E, Santos, Ana Luisa, Stojanowski, Christopher, Stone, Anne C, Stull, Kyra E, Temple, Daniel H, Torres, Christina M, Toyne, J Marla, Tung, Tiffiny A, Ullinger, Jaime, Wiltschke‐Schrotta, Karin, and Zakrzewski, Sonia R
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Humans ,United States ,Archaeology ,Bayes Theorem ,Schools ,Universities ,Arizona ,climate change ,ethics ,graduate curriculum ,identity ,infectious disease ,migration ,violence ,Evolutionary Biology ,Anthropology - Abstract
This article presents outcomes from a Workshop entitled "Bioarchaeology: Taking Stock and Moving Forward," which was held at Arizona State University (ASU) on March 6-8, 2020. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the School of Human Evolution and Social Change (ASU), and the Center for Bioarchaeological Research (CBR, ASU), the Workshop's overall goal was to explore reasons why research proposals submitted by bioarchaeologists, both graduate students and established scholars, fared disproportionately poorly within recent NSF Anthropology Program competitions and to offer advice for increasing success. Therefore, this Workshop comprised 43 international scholars and four advanced graduate students with a history of successful grant acquisition, primarily from the United States. Ultimately, we focused on two related aims: (1) best practices for improving research designs and training and (2) evaluating topics of contemporary significance that reverberate through history and beyond as promising trajectories for bioarchaeological research. Among the former were contextual grounding, research question/hypothesis generation, statistical procedures appropriate for small samples and mixed qualitative/quantitative data, the salience of Bayesian methods, and training program content. Topical foci included ethics, social inequality, identity (including intersectionality), climate change, migration, violence, epidemic disease, adaptability/plasticity, the osteological paradox, and the developmental origins of health and disease. Given the profound changes required globally to address decolonization in the 21st century, this concern also entered many formal and informal discussions.
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- 2022
6. Inhibition of CtBP-Regulated Proinflammatory Gene Transcription Attenuates Psoriatic Skin Inflammation
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Li, Hong, Zhang, Caiguo, Bian, Li, Deng, Hui, Blevins, Melanie, Han, Gangwen, Fan, Bin, Yang, Chunxia, Zhao, Rui, High, Whitney, Norris, David, Fujita, Mayumi, Wang, Xiao-Jing, and Huang, Mingxia
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Psoriasis ,Autoimmune Disease ,Genetics ,2.1 Biological and endogenous factors ,Aetiology ,Skin ,Inflammatory and immune system ,Alcohol Oxidoreductases ,Animals ,Anti-Inflammatory Agents ,Cell Proliferation ,DNA-Binding Proteins ,Disease Models ,Animal ,HaCaT Cells ,Humans ,Imiquimod ,Keratinocytes ,Mice ,Mice ,Transgenic ,Transcriptional Activation ,Clinical Sciences ,Oncology and Carcinogenesis ,Dermatology & Venereal Diseases - Abstract
Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated disease characterized by excessive proliferation of epidermal keratinocytes and increased immune cell infiltration to the skin. Although it is well-known that psoriasis pathogenesis is driven by aberrant production of proinflammatory cytokines, the mechanisms underlying the imbalance between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine expression are incompletely understood. In this study, we report that the transcriptional coregulators CtBP1 and 2 can transactivate a common set of proinflammatory genes both in the skin of imiquimod-induced mouse psoriasis model and in human keratinocytes and macrophages stimulated by imiquimod. We find that mice overexpressing CtBP1 in epidermal keratinocytes display severe skin inflammation phenotypes with increased expression of T helper type 1 and T helper type 17 cytokines. We also find that the expression of CtBPs and CtBP-target genes is elevated both in human psoriatic lesions and in the mouse imiquimod psoriasis model. Moreover, we were able to show that topical treatment with a peptidic inhibitor of CtBP effectively suppresses the CtBP-regulated proinflammatory gene expression and thus attenuates psoriatic inflammation in the imiquimod mouse model. Together, our findings suggest to our knowledge previously unreported strategies for therapeutic modulation of the immune response in inflammatory skin diseases.
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- 2022
7. Plurihormonal PIT-1-Positive Pituitary Adenomas: A Systematic Review and Single-Center Series.
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Andrews, John, Joshi, Rushikesh, Pereira, Matheus, Oh, Taemin, Haddad, Alexander, Pereira, Kaitlyn, Osorio, Robert, Donohue, Kevin, Peeran, Zain, Sudhir, Sweta, Jain, Saket, Beniwal, Angad, Chopra, Ashley, Sandhu, Narpal, Tihan, Tarik, Blevins, Lewis, and Aghi, Manish
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Atypical pituitary adenoma ,PIT-1 ,Pituitary adenoma ,Plurihormonal ,Silent subtype 3 adenoma ,Adenoma ,Adult ,Female ,Humans ,Male ,Middle Aged ,Neoplasm Invasiveness ,Pituitary Neoplasms - Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The 2017 World Health Organization classification of pituitary adenomas identified the plurihormonal PIT-1-positive (PP1) adenoma as a distinct subtype. The reported data suggest that PP1 adenomas encompass the former class of silent subtype 3 (SS3) adenomas and might have an aggressive phenotype. In the present study, we summarized the current clinical data on PP1 and SS3 adenomas and compared the reported data with the data from a single institutional cohort. METHODS: Medline and Google Scholar were searched from 1990 to 2020 for clinical series of PP1 and SS3 adenomas in accordance with the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines. Studies were included if they had reported pituitary pathology as PP1 or SS3 adenomas and had reported the clinical outcomes after surgical intervention. To better define the PP1 phenotype compared with non-PP1 adenomas, we also reviewed the adenomas treated surgically at our institution from 2012 to 2019. RESULTS: Of all the tumors reported in the studies as PP1 or SS3, 99% were macroadenomas and 18% were giant adenomas (>4 cm). Of the reported patients, 31.8% had received radiotherapy, and 22.9% had undergone multiple surgeries for their pituitary tumor. In our single-center experience, 20 patients had an adenoma that met the criteria for a PP1 adenoma. Compared with the 1146 non-PP1 tumors, the PP1 tumors did not show statistically significant differences in the extent of resection, size, number of previous surgeries, future reoperations, rate of radiotherapy, p53 staining, or MIB-1 labeling index. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from the present large, single-center study comparing PP1 and non-PP1 adenomas do not suggest that PP1 tumors are more aggressive. Further work is warranted to identify the pathologic subtypes of pituitary adenomas that are consistently more clinically aggressive.
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- 2021
8. Hunters, busybodies and the knowledge network building associated with deprivation curiosity.
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Lydon-Staley, David, Blevins, Ann, Zurn, Perry, Bassett, Danielle, and Zhou, Dale
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Adult ,Databases ,Factual ,Exploratory Behavior ,Humans ,Information Seeking Behavior ,Knowledge ,Models ,Theoretical - Abstract
The open-ended and internally driven nature of curiosity makes characterizing the information seeking that accompanies it a daunting endeavour. We use a historico-philosophical taxonomy of information seeking coupled with a knowledge network building framework to capture styles of information-seeking in 149 participants as they explore Wikipedia for over 5 hours spanning 21 days. We create knowledge networks in which nodes represent distinct concepts and edges represent the similarity between concepts. We quantify the tightness of knowledge networks using graph theoretical indices and use a generative model of network growth to explore mechanisms underlying information-seeking. Deprivation curiosity (the tendency to seek information that eliminates knowledge gaps) is associated with the creation of relatively tight networks and a relatively greater tendency to return to previously visited concepts. With this framework in hand, future research can readily quantify the information seeking associated with curiosity.
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- 2021
9. Brain arteriolosclerosis
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Blevins, Brittney L, Vinters, Harry V, Love, Seth, Wilcock, Donna M, Grinberg, Lea T, Schneider, Julie A, Kalaria, Rajesh N, Katsumata, Yuriko, Gold, Brian T, Wang, Danny JJ, Ma, Samantha J, Shade, Lincoln MP, Fardo, David W, Hartz, Anika MS, Jicha, Gregory A, Nelson, Karin B, Magaki, Shino D, Schmitt, Frederick A, Teylan, Merilee A, Ighodaro, Eseosa T, Phe, Panhavuth, Abner, Erin L, Cykowski, Matthew D, Van Eldik, Linda J, and Nelson, Peter T
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Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Neurosciences ,Aging ,Brain Disorders ,Acquired Cognitive Impairment ,Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (ADRD) ,Dementia ,Alzheimer's Disease including Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) ,Alzheimer's Disease ,Neurodegenerative ,Vascular Cognitive Impairment/Dementia ,2.1 Biological and endogenous factors ,Aetiology ,Neurological ,Mental health ,Aged ,Aged ,80 and over ,Animals ,Arterioles ,Brain ,Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy ,Cognition Disorders ,Humans ,Intracranial Arteriosclerosis ,Neuroimaging ,SVD ,Arteriosclerosis ,cAVU ,Senescence ,Neuropathology ,Clinical Sciences ,Neurology & Neurosurgery - Abstract
Brain arteriolosclerosis (B-ASC), characterized by pathologic arteriolar wall thickening, is a common finding at autopsy in aged persons and is associated with cognitive impairment. Hypertension and diabetes are widely recognized as risk factors for B-ASC. Recent research indicates other and more complex risk factors and pathogenetic mechanisms. Here, we describe aspects of the unique architecture of brain arterioles, histomorphologic features of B-ASC, relevant neuroimaging findings, epidemiology and association with aging, established genetic risk factors, and the co-occurrence of B-ASC with other neuropathologic conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE). There may also be complex physiologic interactions between metabolic syndrome (e.g., hypertension and inflammation) and brain arteriolar pathology. Although there is no universally applied diagnostic methodology, several classification schemes and neuroimaging techniques are used to diagnose and categorize cerebral small vessel disease pathologies that include B-ASC, microinfarcts, microbleeds, lacunar infarcts, and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). In clinical-pathologic studies that factored in comorbid diseases, B-ASC was independently associated with impairments of global cognition, episodic memory, working memory, and perceptual speed, and has been linked to autonomic dysfunction and motor symptoms including parkinsonism. We conclude by discussing critical knowledge gaps related to B-ASC and suggest that there are probably subcategories of B-ASC that differ in pathogenesis. Observed in over 80% of autopsied individuals beyond 80 years of age, B-ASC is a complex and under-studied contributor to neurologic disability.
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- 2021
10. A stem cell reporter based platform to identify and target drug resistant stem cells in myeloid leukemia.
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Spinler, Kyle, Bajaj, Jeevisha, Ito, Takahiro, Zimdahl, Bryan, Hamilton, Michael, Ahmadi, Armin, Koechlein, Claire S, Lytle, Nikki, Kwon, Hyog Young, Anower-E-Khuda, Ferdous, Sun, Hao, Blevins, Allen, Weeks, Joi, Kritzik, Marcie, Karlseder, Jan, Ginsberg, Mark H, Park, Pyong Woo, Esko, Jeffrey D, and Reya, Tannishtha
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Animals ,Mice ,Transgenic ,Humans ,Blast Crisis ,Disease Models ,Animal ,RNA-Binding Proteins ,Green Fluorescent Proteins ,Integrin beta Chains ,Antineoplastic Agents ,Signal Transduction ,Drug Resistance ,Neoplasm ,Genes ,Reporter ,Syndecan-1 ,Neoplastic Stem Cells ,Leukemia ,Myeloid ,Acute ,Gene Knockout Techniques ,Gene Knock-In Techniques ,High-Throughput Screening Assays ,Chemoradiotherapy ,Imatinib Mesylate ,RNA-Seq ,Stem Cell Research ,Regenerative Medicine ,Biotechnology ,Hematology ,Pediatric Cancer ,Childhood Leukemia ,Stem Cell Research - Nonembryonic - Human ,Pediatric Research Initiative ,Pediatric ,Stem Cell Research - Nonembryonic - Non-Human ,Cancer ,Rare Diseases ,2.1 Biological and endogenous factors ,1.1 Normal biological development and functioning - Abstract
Intratumoral heterogeneity is a common feature of many myeloid leukemias and a significant reason for treatment failure and relapse. Thus, identifying the cells responsible for residual disease and leukemia re-growth is critical to better understanding how they are regulated. Here, we show that a knock-in reporter mouse for the stem cell gene Musashi 2 (Msi2) allows identification of leukemia stem cells in aggressive myeloid malignancies, and provides a strategy for defining their core dependencies. Specifically, we carry out a high throughput screen using Msi2-reporter blast crisis chronic myeloid leukemia (bcCML) and identify several adhesion molecules that are preferentially expressed in therapy resistant bcCML cells and play a key role in bcCML. In particular, we focus on syndecan-1, whose deletion triggers defects in bcCML growth and propagation and markedly improves survival of transplanted mice. Further, live imaging reveals that the spatiotemporal dynamics of leukemia cells are critically dependent on syndecan signaling, as loss of this signal impairs their localization, migration and dissemination to distant sites. Finally, at a molecular level, syndecan loss directly impairs integrin β7 function, suggesting that syndecan exerts its influence, at least in part, by coordinating integrin activity in bcCML. These data present a platform for delineating the biological underpinnings of leukemia stem cell function, and highlight the Sdc1-Itgβ7 signaling axis as a key regulatory control point for bcCML growth and dissemination.
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- 2020
11. Smad7 Promotes Healing of Radiotherapy-Induced Oral Mucositis without Compromising Oral Cancer Therapy in a Xenograft Mouse Model.
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Luo, Jingjing, Bian, Li, Blevins, Melanie, Wang, Dongyan, Liang, Chao, Du, Danfeng, Wu, Fanglong, Holwerda, Barry, Zhao, Rui, Raben, David, Zhou, Hongmei, Young, Christian, and Wang, Xiao-Jing
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Animals ,Biomarkers ,Cell Line ,Tumor ,DNA Damage ,Disease Models ,Animal ,Fluorescent Antibody Technique ,Heterografts ,Humans ,Immunohistochemistry ,Mice ,Models ,Biological ,Mouth Neoplasms ,Mucositis ,Radiation Injuries ,Experimental ,Signal Transduction ,Smad7 Protein ,Stomatitis ,Wound Healing - Abstract
PURPOSE: We previously reported preventive and therapeutic effects of Smad7, a multifunctional protein, on radiotherapy (RT)-induced mucositis in mice without promoting human oral cancer cell survival or migration in vitro. The current study aims to determine whether a Smad7-based biologic can treat existing oral mucositis during radiotherapy for oral cancer and whether this treatment compromises RT-induced cancer cell killing in neighboring oral cancer.Experimental Design: We transplanted human oral cancer cells into the tongues of mice and applied craniofacial irradiation to simultaneously kill tumor cells and induce oral mucositis, thus modeling RT and mucositis in oral cancer patients. We topically applied a recombinant human Smad7 protein fused with the cell-penetrating Tat tag (Tat-Smad7) to the oral mucosa of tumor-bearing mice post RT when oral mucositis began to develop. RESULTS: Topically applied Tat-Smad7 penetrated cells in both the oral mucosa and oral cancer, attenuating TGFβ and NF-κB signaling as well as inflammation at both sites. Tat-Smad7 treatment alleviated oral mucositis with reductions in DNA damage and apoptosis in keratinocytes, but increased keratinocyte proliferation compared with vehicle-treated mucositis lesions. In contrast, adjacent oral cancer exposed to Tat-Smad7 did not show alterations in proliferation or direct DNA damage, but showed increased oxidative stress damage and apoptosis compared with tumors treated with vehicle. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that short-course Tat-Smad7 application to oral mucositis promotes its healing but does not compromise the cytotoxic effect of RT on oral cancer and has context-specific effects on oral mucosa versus oral cancer.
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- 2019
12. Performance of a Genomic Sequencing Classifier for the Preoperative Diagnosis of Cytologically Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules
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Patel, Kepal N, Angell, Trevor E, Babiarz, Joshua, Barth, Neil M, Blevins, Thomas, Duh, Quan-Yang, Ghossein, Ronald A, Harrell, R Mack, Huang, Jing, Kennedy, Giulia C, Kim, Su Yeon, Kloos, Richard T, LiVolsi, Virginia A, Randolph, Gregory W, Sadow, Peter M, Shanik, Michael H, Sosa, Julie A, Traweek, S Thomas, Walsh, P Sean, Whitney, Duncan, Yeh, Michael W, and Ladenson, Paul W
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Clinical Research ,Prevention ,Genetics ,Cancer ,Human Genome ,4.2 Evaluation of markers and technologies ,4.1 Discovery and preclinical testing of markers and technologies ,Detection ,screening and diagnosis ,Good Health and Well Being ,Adult ,Aged ,Aged ,80 and over ,Algorithms ,Biopsy ,Fine-Needle ,Diagnosis ,Differential ,Female ,Gene Expression Profiling ,Humans ,Male ,Middle Aged ,Preoperative Period ,RNA ,Neoplasm ,Reproducibility of Results ,Thyroid Gland ,Thyroid Nodule ,Thyroidectomy ,Young Adult - Abstract
ImportanceUse of next-generation sequencing of RNA and machine learning algorithms can classify the risk of malignancy in cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules to limit unnecessary diagnostic surgery.ObjectiveTo measure the performance of a genomic sequencing classifier for cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules.Design, setting, and participantsA blinded validation study was conducted on a set of cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules collected by fine-needle aspiration biopsy between June 2009 and December 2010 from 49 academic and community centers in the United States. All patients underwent surgery without genomic information and were assigned a histopathology diagnosis by an expert panel blinded to all genomic information. There were 210 potentially eligible thyroid biopsy samples with Bethesda III or IV indeterminate cytopathology that constituted a cohort previously used to validate the gene expression classifier. Of these, 191 samples (91.0%) had adequate residual RNA for validation of the genomic sequencing classifier. Algorithm development and independent validation occurred between August 2016 and May 2017.ExposuresThyroid nodule surgical histopathology diagnosis by an expert panel blinded to all genomic data.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary end point was measurement of genomic sequencing classifier sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values in biopsies from Bethesda III and IV nodules. The secondary end point was measurement of classifier performance in biopsies from Bethesda II, V, and VI nodules.ResultsOf the 183 included patients, 142 (77.6%) were women, and the mean (range) age was 51.7 (22.0-85.0) years. The genomic sequencing classifier had a sensitivity of 91% (95% CI, 79-98) and a specificity of 68% (95% CI, 60-76). At 24% cancer prevalence, the negative predictive value was 96% (95% CI, 90-99) and the positive predictive value was 47% (95% CI, 36-58).Conclusions and relevanceThe genomic sequencing classifier demonstrates high sensitivity and accuracy for identifying benign nodules. Its 36% increase in specificity compared with the gene expression classifier potentially increases the number of patients with benign nodules who can safely avoid unnecessary diagnostic surgery.
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- 2018
13. Crowdsourcing seizure detection: algorithm development and validation on human implanted device recordings.
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Baldassano, Steven, Brinkmann, Benjamin, Ung, Hoameng, Blevins, Tyler, Conrad, Erin, Leyde, Kent, Cook, Mark, Wagenaar, Joost, Worrell, Gregory, Litt, Brian, and Khambhati, Ankit
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crowdsourcing ,epilepsy ,experimental models ,intracranial EEG ,seizure detection ,Adult ,Algorithms ,Animals ,Crowdsourcing ,Disease Models ,Animal ,Electrocorticography ,Equipment Design ,Humans ,Prostheses and Implants ,Reproducibility of Results ,Seizures - Abstract
There exist significant clinical and basic research needs for accurate, automated seizure detection algorithms. These algorithms have translational potential in responsive neurostimulation devices and in automatic parsing of continuous intracranial electroencephalography data. An important barrier to developing accurate, validated algorithms for seizure detection is limited access to high-quality, expertly annotated seizure data from prolonged recordings. To overcome this, we hosted a kaggle.com competition to crowdsource the development of seizure detection algorithms using intracranial electroencephalography from canines and humans with epilepsy. The top three performing algorithms from the contest were then validated on out-of-sample patient data including standard clinical data and continuous ambulatory human data obtained over several years using the implantable NeuroVista seizure advisory system. Two hundred teams of data scientists from all over the world participated in the kaggle.com competition. The top performing teams submitted highly accurate algorithms with consistent performance in the out-of-sample validation study. The performance of these seizure detection algorithms, achieved using freely available code and data, sets a new reproducible benchmark for personalized seizure detection. We have also shared a plug and play pipeline to allow other researchers to easily use these algorithms on their own datasets. The success of this competition demonstrates how sharing code and high quality data results in the creation of powerful translational tools with significant potential to impact patient care.
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- 2017
14. Tetraspanin 3 Is Required for the Development and Propagation of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia
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Kwon, Hyog Young, Bajaj, Jeevisha, Ito, Takahiro, Blevins, Allen, Konuma, Takaaki, Weeks, Joi, Lytle, Nikki K, Koechlein, Claire S, Rizzieri, David, Chuah, Charles, Oehler, Vivian G, Sasik, Roman, Hardiman, Gary, and Reya, Tannishtha
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Biochemistry and Cell Biology ,Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Biological Sciences ,Cancer ,Rare Diseases ,Childhood Leukemia ,Pediatric ,Hematology ,Stem Cell Research ,Pediatric Cancer ,Pediatric Research Initiative ,2.1 Biological and endogenous factors ,Aetiology ,Animals ,Carcinogenesis ,Cell Movement ,Chemokine CXCL12 ,Genome ,Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase ,Humans ,Leukemia ,Myelogenous ,Chronic ,BCR-ABL Positive ,Leukemia ,Myeloid ,Acute ,Mice ,Inbred C57BL ,Mice ,Knockout ,Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein ,Neoplastic Stem Cells ,Tetraspanins ,Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays ,Medical and Health Sciences ,Developmental Biology ,Biological sciences ,Biomedical and clinical sciences - Abstract
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) is an aggressive cancer that strikes both adults and children and is frequently resistant to therapy. Thus, identifying signals needed for AML propagation is a critical step toward developing new approaches for treating this disease. Here, we show that Tetraspanin 3 is a target of the RNA binding protein Musashi 2, which plays a key role in AML. We generated Tspan3 knockout mice that were born without overt defects. However, Tspan3 deletion impaired leukemia stem cell self-renewal and disease propagation and markedly improved survival in mouse models of AML. Additionally, Tspan3 inhibition blocked growth of AML patient samples, suggesting that Tspan3 is also important in human disease. As part of the mechanism, we show that Tspan3 deficiency disabled responses to CXCL12/SDF-1 and led to defects in AML localization within the niche. These identify Tspan3 as an important regulator of aggressive leukemias and highlight a role for Tspan3 in oncogenesis.
- Published
- 2015
15. Integrating mRNA and miRNA Weighted Gene Co-Expression Networks with eQTLs in the Nucleus Accumbens of Subjects with Alcohol Dependence.
- Author
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Mamdani, Mohammed, Williamson, Vernell, McMichael, Gowon, Blevins, Tana, Aliev, Fazil, Adkins, Amy, Hack, Laura, Bigdeli, Tim, van der Vaart, Andrew, Web, Bradley, Bacanu, Silviu-Alin, Kalsi, Gursharan, Kendler, Kenneth, Miles, Michael, Dick, Danielle, Riley, Brien, Dumur, Catherine, and Vladimirov, Vladimir
- Subjects
Alcoholism ,Astrocytes ,Female ,Gene Expression Profiling ,Gene Regulatory Networks ,Humans ,Male ,MicroRNAs ,Middle Aged ,Neurons ,Nucleus Accumbens ,Quantitative Trait Loci ,RNA ,Messenger ,Signal Transduction ,Transcriptome ,Up-Regulation - Abstract
Alcohol consumption is known to lead to gene expression changes in the brain. After performing weighted gene co-expression network analyses (WGCNA) on genome-wide mRNA and microRNA (miRNA) expression in Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) of subjects with alcohol dependence (AD; N = 18) and of matched controls (N = 18), six mRNA and three miRNA modules significantly correlated with AD were identified (Bonferoni-adj. p≤ 0.05). Cell-type-specific transcriptome analyses revealed two of the mRNA modules to be enriched for neuronal specific marker genes and downregulated in AD, whereas the remaining four mRNA modules were enriched for astrocyte and microglial specific marker genes and upregulated in AD. Gene set enrichment analysis demonstrated that neuronal specific modules were enriched for genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondrial dysfunction and MAPK signaling. Glial-specific modules were predominantly enriched for genes involved in processes related to immune functions, i.e. cytokine signaling (all adj. p≤ 0.05). In mRNA and miRNA modules, 461 and 25 candidate hub genes were identified, respectively. In contrast to the expected biological functions of miRNAs, correlation analyses between mRNA and miRNA hub genes revealed a higher number of positive than negative correlations (χ2 test p≤ 0.0001). Integration of hub gene expression with genome-wide genotypic data resulted in 591 mRNA cis-eQTLs and 62 miRNA cis-eQTLs. mRNA cis-eQTLs were significantly enriched for AD diagnosis and AD symptom counts (adj. p = 0.014 and p = 0.024, respectively) in AD GWAS signals in a large, independent genetic sample from the Collaborative Study on Genetics of Alcohol (COGA). In conclusion, our study identified putative gene network hubs coordinating mRNA and miRNA co-expression changes in the NAc of AD subjects, and our genetic (cis-eQTL) analysis provides novel insights into the etiological mechanisms of AD.
- Published
- 2015
16. Planning for Chronic Disease Medications in Disaster: Perspectives From Patients, Physicians, Pharmacists, and Insurers
- Author
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Carameli, Kelley A, Eisenman, David P, Blevins, Joy, d'Angona, Brian, and Glik, Deborah C
- Subjects
Clinical Research ,Health Services ,Good Health and Well Being ,Adult ,Chronic Disease ,Disasters ,Female ,Focus Groups ,Health Knowledge ,Attitudes ,Practice ,Humans ,Insurance ,Pharmaceutical Services ,Los Angeles ,Male ,Middle Aged ,Pharmacists ,Physicians ,Family ,Prescription Drugs ,Qualitative Research ,Young Adult ,prescription medication ,chronic illness ,disaster preparedness ,Public Health and Health Services ,Strategic ,Defence & Security Studies - Abstract
BackgroundRecent US disasters highlight the current imbalance between the high proportion of chronically ill Americans who depend on prescription medications and their lack of medication reserves for disaster preparedness. We examined barriers that Los Angeles County residents with chronic illness experience within the prescription drug procurement system to achieve recommended medication reserves.MethodsA mixed methods design included evaluation of insurance pharmacy benefits, focus group interviews with patients, and key informant interviews with physicians, pharmacists, and insurers.Results and discussionMost prescriptions are dispensed as 30-day units through retail pharmacies with refills available after 75% of use, leaving a monthly medication reserve of 7 days. For patients to acquire 14- to 30-day disaster medication reserves, health professionals interviewed supported 60- to 100-day dispensing units. Barriers included restrictive insurance benefits, patients' resistance to mail order, and higher copay-ments. Physicians, pharmacists, and insurers also varied widely in their preparedness planning and collective mutual-aid plans, and most believed pharmacists had the primary responsibility for patients' medication continuity during a disaster.ConclusionsTo strengthen prescription drug continuity in disasters, recommendations include the following: (1) creating flexible drug-dispensing policies to help patients build reserves, (2) training professionals to inform patients about disaster planning, and (3) building collaborative partnerships among system stakeholders.
- Published
- 2013
17. Tinnitus suppression by low-rate electric stimulation and its electrophysiological mechanisms
- Author
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Zeng, Fan-Gang, Tang, Qing, Dimitrijevic, Andrew, Starr, Arnold, Larky, Jannine, and Blevins, Nikolas H
- Subjects
Allied Health and Rehabilitation Science ,Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Clinical Sciences ,Health Sciences ,Neurosciences ,Brain Disorders ,Aetiology ,2.1 Biological and endogenous factors ,Ear ,Acoustic Stimulation ,Alpha Rhythm ,Audiometry ,Pure-Tone ,Auditory Cortex ,Auditory Pathways ,Auditory Threshold ,Cochlea ,Cochlear Implantation ,Electric Stimulation Therapy ,Electroencephalography ,Evoked Potentials ,Auditory ,Brain Stem ,Hearing Loss ,Sensorineural ,Humans ,Male ,Middle Aged ,Neuropsychological Tests ,Psychoacoustics ,Reaction Time ,Time Factors ,Tinnitus ,Treatment Outcome ,Medical Physiology ,Otorhinolaryngology ,Allied health and rehabilitation science ,Biological psychology - Abstract
Tinnitus is a phantom sensation of sound in the absence of external stimulation. However, external stimulation, particularly electric stimulation via a cochlear implant, has been shown to suppress tinnitus. Different from traditional methods of delivering speech sounds or high-rate (>2000 Hz) stimulation, the present study found a unique unilaterally-deafened cochlear implant subject whose tinnitus was completely suppressed by a low-rate (
- Published
- 2011
18. Long term outcome following repeat transsphenoidal surgery for recurrent endocrine-inactive pituitary adenomas.
- Author
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Chang, Edward F, Sughrue, Michael E, Zada, Gabriel, Wilson, Charles B, Blevins, Lewis S, and Kunwar, Sandeep
- Subjects
Humans ,Pituitary Neoplasms ,Neoplasm Recurrence ,Local ,Treatment Outcome ,Adult ,Aged ,Aged ,80 and over ,Middle Aged ,Female ,Male ,Young Adult ,Adenomas ,Recurrent ,Outcome ,Transsphenoidal ,Endocrinology & Metabolism - Abstract
It is widely accepted that the standard first-line treatment for most endocrine inactive pituitary macroadenomas (EIA) is surgery, usually via a transsphenoidal approach. What is less clear is what approach to take when these tumors recur, especially when this recurrence involves areas which are difficult to surgically remove tumor from, such as the suprasellar region or cavernous sinuses. We present long term follow-up for a series of 81 patients who underwent repeat surgery for recurrent non-secreting pituitary adenomas. We analyzed data collected from all adult patients undergoing their second microsurgical transsphenoidal resection of a histologically proven endocrine-inactive pituitary adenoma at the University of California at San Francisco between January 1970 and March 2001. Data for these patients were collected by review of medical records, mail, and/or telephone interviews. Visual function, anterior pituitary function, and tumor control rates were analyzed for the series. Records were available for a total of 81 recurrent EIA patients. The median time between their initial and repeat operations was 4.1 years. The mean tumor size was 2.2 +/- 0.2 cm. A total of 35/81 patients had greater than 5 years of follow-up. A total of 24/81 patients had greater than 10 years of follow-up. Over one half of these patients presented with visual disturbance, and we found that 39% of these patients experienced improved vision with a second surgery. More importantly, no one with normal vision suffered any appreciable decline in vision. Approximately, 35% of patients with pre-operative anterior pituitary dysfunction recovered function after surgery in our series; and no patient's function worsened. A total of 4/52 (8%) patients with greater than 2 years of post-op follow-up experienced a clinically meaningful tumor recurrence requiring additional treatment. Our data suggest that when performed by experienced transsphenoidal surgeons, durable tumor control can be obtained in these frequently locally aggressive tumors with acceptable rates of post-operative morbidity.
- Published
- 2010
19. An approach to the management of patients with residual Cushing’s disease
- Author
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Blevins, Lewis S, Sanai, Nader, Kunwar, Sandeep, and Devin, Jessica K
- Subjects
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Clinical Sciences ,Clinical Research ,Adrenalectomy ,Humans ,Hydrocortisone ,Neurosurgical Procedures ,Pituitary ACTH Hypersecretion ,Pituitary Gland ,PubMed ,Radiotherapy ,Cushing's disease ,Transsphenoidal ,Pituitary ,Neurosciences ,Oncology and Carcinogenesis ,Oncology & Carcinogenesis ,Oncology and carcinogenesis - Abstract
The evaluation and management of patients with residual Cushing's disease is one of the more complex issues facing neurosurgeons and neuroendocrinologists in clinical practice. There is considerable controversy over several relevant issues such as the timing of the assessment of whether a patient is in remission, what biochemical parameters define remission, the most appropriate course of action to take after residual disease has been defined, etc. As a consequence of the controversies, treating physicians develop notions and fall into certain practice patterns based on evidence of varying levels, their anecdotal experiences, and information gleaned from scientific meetings. This practice pattern, we believe, constitutes the "art of medicine." We conducted a PubMed literature search to identify manuscripts containing data relevant to Cushing's disease, outcomes of various therapeutic modalities, and recurrences. Reference lists were used to identify additional relevant manuscripts. We focused our review on manuscripts that included reasonably large series of patients, those reflecting the experience of pituitary centers and physicians recognized as experts in the field, and those papers felt to represent seminal contributions to the literature. Furthermore, trends in the evaluation and management of relevant patients have been incorporated by the senior author who has seen and evaluated over 750 patients with documented Cushing's syndrome over the past 18 years in clinical practice. An analysis of current evidence indicated that, despite advances in neurosurgical techniques and recent developments in adjuvant therapies, patients with residual Cushing's disease present significant management challenges to treating physicians. In this era, however, it is indeed possible to gain control of the hypercortisolism in most patients. Despite the wide variability in research methodology designed to collect relevant data, a step-wise approach to the management of these patients can be achieved. A logical step-wise approach to the evaluation of postoperative patients with Cushing's disease is essential. Patients with residual disease require the development of an individualized plan of management that takes into account numerous factors pertaining to status of disease, the experience of treating physicians, and available therapeutic modalities.
- Published
- 2009
20. Behavioral activation, affect, and self-efficacy in the context of alcohol treatment for women with elevated depressive symptoms
- Author
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Lidia Z. Meshesha, Michael D. Stein, Noah N. Emery, Eliza Marsh, Cynthia L. Battle, Claire E. Blevins, Marie A. Sillice, Sage Feltus, and Ana M. Abrantes
- Subjects
Male ,Alcohol Drinking ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Psychological intervention ,Context (language use) ,Alcohol use disorder ,Temptation ,Affect (psychology) ,Recurrence ,mental disorders ,medicine ,Humans ,Pharmacology (medical) ,Depression (differential diagnoses) ,media_common ,Pharmacology ,Depression ,business.industry ,Behavioral activation ,medicine.disease ,Self Efficacy ,Alcoholism ,Psychiatry and Mental health ,Female ,business ,Clinical psychology ,Alcohol Abstinence - Abstract
Women with Alcohol use disorder (AUD) are more likely than men to have co-occurring depression, drink to cope with negative affect (NA), and cite negative affect as a contributor to relapse. Among AUD treatment seekers, low behavioral activation, NA, and reduced self-efficacy in abstaining from alcohol (e.g., in tempting situations) are relapse risk factors. This study investigated the association between behavioral activation, affective states, and self-efficacy among treatment-seeking women. Participants were 70 women (M = 40.50, SD = 11.59 years of age) with elevated depressive symptoms seeking AUD treatment. The Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale (BADS) was used to assess environmental engagement. The Alcohol Abstinence Self-Efficacy (AASE) scale was used to assess temptation to drink in contexts of positive and negative affect, and general positive and negative affect were assessed with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Results indicated that behavioral activation was directly correlated with positive affect (PA; r = .62, p < .001) and inversely correlated with depression (r = -.35, p = .004), negative affect (r = -.39, p = .001), and temptation to drink in the context of negative affect (r = -.33, p = .006). After controlling for depressive symptoms, behavioral activation continued to be associated with greater general positive affect (β = .595, p < .001) and lower temptation to drink in the context of negative affect (β = -.348 p = .008). Our results suggest a nuanced association between behavioral activation, negative affect, and temptations to drink that is not accounted by depressive symptoms. Self-efficacy to abstain from drinking in a negative affect context should be considered when designing AUD interventions for women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
- Published
- 2022
21. Preoperative Identification of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC): Clinical Validation of the Afirma MTC RNA-Sequencing Classifier
- Author
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Gregory W. Randolph, Julie Ann Sosa, Yangyang Hao, Trevor E. Angell, David C. Shonka, Virginia A. LiVolsi, Paul W. Ladenson, Thomas C. Blevins, Quan-Yang Duh, Ronald Ghossein, Mack Harrell, Kepal Narendra Patel, Michael H. Shanik, S. Thomas Traweek, P. Sean Walsh, Michael W. Yeh, Amr H. Abdelhamid Ahmed, Allen S. Ho, Richard J. Wong, Joshua P. Klopper, Jing Huang, Giulia C. Kennedy, Richard T. Kloos, and Peter M. Sadow
- Subjects
Biopsy ,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism ,Biopsy, Fine-Needle ,Papillary ,Clinical Sciences ,indeterminate cytology ,Thyroid Cancer ,medullary thyroid cancer ,molecular diagnostics ,Endocrinology & Metabolism ,Rare Diseases ,Endocrinology ,Clinical Research ,Genetics ,Humans ,Thyroid Nodule ,Thyroid Neoplasms ,Retrospective Studies ,Cancer ,molecular testing ,Gene Expression Profiling ,Carcinoma ,Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine ,Neuroendocrine ,machine learning ,Thyroid Cancer, Papillary ,thyroid nodule ,Fine-Needle ,RNA - Abstract
Background: Cytopathological evaluation of thyroid fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) specimens can fail to raise preoperative suspicion of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). The Afirma RNA-sequencing MTC classifier identifies MTC among FNA samples that are cytologically indeterminate, suspicious, or malignant (Bethesda categories III-VI). In this study we report the development and clinical performance of this MTC classifier. Methods: Algorithm training was performed with a set of 483 FNAB specimens (21 MTC and 462 non-MTC). A support vector machine classifier was developed using 108 differentially expressed genes, which includes the 5 genes in the prior Afirma microarray-based MTC cassette. Results: The final MTC classifier was blindly tested on 211 preoperative FNAB specimens with subsequent surgical pathology, including 21 MTC and 190 non-MTC specimens from benign and malignant thyroid nodules independent from those used in training. The classifier had 100% sensitivity (21/21 MTC FNAB specimens correctly called positive; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 83.9-100%) and 100% specificity (190/190 non-MTC FNAs correctly called negative; CI = 98.1-100%). All positive samples had pathological confirmation of MTC, while all negative samples were negative for MTC on surgical pathology. Conclusions: The RNA-sequencing MTC classifier accurately identified MTC from preoperative thyroid nodule FNAB specimens in an independent validation cohort. This identification may facilitate an MTC-specific preoperative evaluation and resulting treatment.
- Published
- 2022
22. Do Positive Psychological Factors Equally Predict Resistance to Upper Respiratory Infections in African and European Americans?
- Author
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Cameron R. Wiley, Kennedy M. Blevins, Sheldon Cohen, and Sarah D. Pressman
- Subjects
Adult ,Black or African American ,Self-Assessment ,Humans ,Respiratory Tract Infections ,White People ,General Psychology - Abstract
Research has consistently shown that positive psychological constructs are linked to better physical health, but few studies have examined the role that race plays in this connection. We explored whether positive self-evaluations were equally protective against upper respiratory infection for 271 African American adults and 700 European American adults in a series of virus-exposure studies. Participants were assessed at baseline for psychological functioning and physical health, quarantined and exposed experimentally to a respiratory virus, and then monitored for infection and symptoms. Regression analyses revealed significant interactions between race and multiple positive psychological factors; several factors that were helpful to European Americans were unhelpful or even harmful to African Americans. Building on past work showing cross-cultural variation in the health correlates of affect, this study provides evidence that the health benefits of positive psychological constructs may not be universal and points to the need to explore factors that underpin these observed differential patterns.
- Published
- 2022
23. Survivorship and Risk Factors for Re-Revision after Aseptic Revision Total Hip Arthroplasty in Patients Aged ≤55 Years
- Author
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Nana O. Sarpong, Austin C. Kaidi, Marie Syku, Curtis Mensah, Jason L. Blevins, and Brian P. Chalmers
- Subjects
Male ,Reoperation ,Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ,Middle Aged ,Prosthesis Design ,Prosthesis Failure ,Treatment Outcome ,Risk Factors ,Humans ,Female ,Orthopedics and Sports Medicine ,Hip Prosthesis ,Follow-Up Studies ,Retrospective Studies - Abstract
There is a relative paucity of literature on the outcomes after revision total hip arthroplasty (rTHA) in young patients. This study reports the survivorship and risk factors for re-revision in patients aged ≤55 years.We identified 354 patients undergoing aseptic nononcologic rTHA at mean follow-up of 5 years after revision, with mean age of 48 years, body mass index of 28 kg/mSixty-two patients (18%) underwent re-revision THA at the mean time of 2.5 years, most commonly for instability (37%), aseptic loosening (27%), and prosthetic joint infection (15%). The rTHA survivorship from all-cause re-revision and reoperation was 83% and 79% at 5 years, respectively. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that patients undergoing femoral component only (hazard ratio 4.8, P = .014) and head/liner exchange rTHA (hazard ratio 2.5, P = .022) as risk factors for re-revision THA.About 1 in 5 patients aged ≤55 years undergoing rTHA required re-revision THA at 5 years, most commonly for instability. The highest risk group included patients undergoing head/liner exchanges and isolated femoral component revisions.
- Published
- 2022
24. Rapid Diagnostic Testing for Response to the Monkeypox Outbreak — Laboratory Response Network, United States, May 17–June 30, 2022
- Author
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Tricia A, Aden, Patricia, Blevins, Shannon Whitman, York, Stacy, Rager, Devika, Balachandran, Christina L, Hutson, David, Lowe, Chris N, Mangal, Tyler, Wolford, Audrey, Matheny, Whitni, Davidson, Kimberly, Wilkins, Rachael, Cook, Rebecca M, Roulo, Michael K, White, LaShondra, Berman, Janna, Murray, John, Laurance, Drew, Francis, Nicole M, Green, Ricardo A, Berumen, Anthony, Gonzalez, Stacy, Evans, Meghan, Hudziec, Diane, Noel, Michael, Adjei, Gregory, Hovan, Phil, Lee, Lisa, Tate, Remedios B, Gose, Robert, Voermans, Jennifer, Crew, Phillip R, Adam, Danielle, Haydel, Salimatu, Lukula, Nick, Matluk, Sandip, Shah, Joshua, Featherston, Daphne, Ware, Denise, Pettit, Emily, McCutchen, Edward, Acheampong, Erin, Buttery, Andrew, Gorzalski, Michael, Perry, Randal, Fowler, Robert B, Lee, Robert, Nickla, Richard, Huard, Amanda, Moore, Katie, Jones, Renee, Johnson, Erin, Swaney, Juan, Jaramillo, Cynthia, Reinoso Webb, Brandon, Guin, Janine, Yost, Annette, Atkinson, Latoya, Griffin-Thomas, Jessica, Chenette, Jessica, Gant, Alana, Sterkel, Harjinder K, Ghuman, James, Lute, Sandra C, Smole, Vaneet, Arora, Courtney K, Demontigny, Meilan, Bielby, Evelyn, Geeter, Kimberly A M, Newman, Mark, Glazier, Whitney, Lutkemeier, Megan, Nelson, Raymond, Martinez, Jasmine, Chaitram, Margaret A, Honein, and Julie M, Villanueva
- Subjects
Health (social science) ,Health Information Management ,Epidemiology ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Humans ,Monkeypox ,Orthopoxvirus ,Variola virus ,General Medicine ,Laboratories ,Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures ,United States ,Disease Outbreaks - Abstract
As part of public health preparedness for infectious disease threats, CDC collaborates with other U.S. public health officials to ensure that the Laboratory Response Network (LRN) has diagnostic tools to detect Orthopoxviruses, the genus that includes Variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox. LRN is a network of state and local public health, federal, U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), veterinary, food, and environmental testing laboratories. CDC developed, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted 510(k) clearance* for the Non-variola Orthopoxvirus Real-time PCR Primer and Probe Set (non-variola Orthopoxvirus [NVO] assay), a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic test to detect NVO. On May 17, 2022, CDC was contacted by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) regarding a suspected case of monkeypox, a disease caused by the Orthopoxvirus Monkeypox virus. Specimens were collected and tested by the Massachusetts DPH public health laboratory with LRN testing capability using the NVO assay. Nationwide, 68 LRN laboratories had capacity to test approximately 8,000 NVO tests per week during June. During May 17-June 30, LRN laboratories tested 2,009 specimens from suspected monkeypox cases. Among those, 730 (36.3%) specimens from 395 patients were positive for NVO. NVO-positive specimens from 159 persons were confirmed by CDC to be monkeypox; final characterization is pending for 236. Prompt identification of persons with infection allowed rapid response to the outbreak, including isolation and treatment of patients, administration of vaccines, and other public health action. To further facilitate access to testing and increase convenience for providers and patients by using existing provider-laboratory relationships, CDC and LRN are supporting five large commercial laboratories with a national footprint (Aegis Science, LabCorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics, and Sonic Healthcare) to establish NVO testing capacity of 10,000 specimens per week per laboratory. On July 6, 2022, the first commercial laboratory began accepting specimens for NVO testing based on clinician orders.
- Published
- 2022
25. Remote Intraoperative Neural Response Telemetry: Technique and Results in Cochlear Implant Surgery
- Author
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Ali, Kouhi, Austin, Swanson, Matthew B, Fitzgerald, and Nikolas H, Blevins
- Subjects
Adult ,Cochlear Implants ,Otorhinolaryngology ,COVID-19 ,Humans ,Telemetry ,Neurology (clinical) ,Child ,Cochlear Implantation ,Pandemics ,Sensory Systems - Abstract
Present results with remote intraoperative neural response telemetry (NRT) during cochlear implantation (CI) and its usefulness in overcoming the inefficiency of in person NRT.Case series.Tertiary academic otology practice.All patients undergoing primary or revision CI, both adult and pediatric, were enrolled.Remote intraoperative NRT performed by audiologists using a desktop computer to control a laptop in the operating room. Testing was performed over the hospital network using commercially available software. A single system was used to test all three FDA-approved manufacturers' devices.Success rate and time savings of remote NRT.Out of 254 procedures, 252 (99.2%) underwent successful remote NRT. In two procedures (0.7%), remote testing was unsuccessful, and required in-person testing to address technical issues.Both failed attempts were due to hardware failure (OR laptop or headpiece problems). There was no relation between success of the procedure and patient/surgical factors such as difficult anatomy, or the approach used for inner ear access. The audiologist time saved using this approach was considerable when compared with in-person testing.Remote intraoperative NRT testing during cochlear implantation can be performed effectively using standard hardware and remote-control software. Especially important during the Covid-19 pandemic, such a procedure can reduce in-person contacts, and limit the number of individuals in the operating room. Remote testing can provide additional flexibility and efficiency in audiologist schedules.
- Published
- 2022
26. 30-Day Postoperative Outcomes in Patients With Limited Mobility – A Propensity Score-Matched Comparative Analysis
- Author
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Xiaoxi Feng, Katherine Blevins, Joshua Tseng, Kulmeet Sandhu, Scott Cunneen, and Miguel Burch
- Subjects
Postoperative Complications ,Treatment Outcome ,Gastrectomy ,Gastric Bypass ,Bariatric Surgery ,Humans ,Laparoscopy ,General Medicine ,Nervous System Diseases ,Propensity Score ,Obesity, Morbid ,Retrospective Studies - Abstract
Introduction There is limited data correlating preoperative mobility limitations with clinical outcomes in bariatric patients. This study uses propensity score matching (PSM) to compare 30-day outcomes between patients with preoperative limited mobility (LM) versus patients without (non-LM). Methods Using the 2016-2018 Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) database, patients undergoing primary laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass were identified. Two cohorts were defined using preoperative LM status. To adjust for confounders, 1:1 PSM was performed using 25 preoperative characteristics, and balance was assessed with standardized mean difference. Preoperative patient demographics and postoperative 30-day outcomes were compared in both matched and unmatched cohorts. Results 453,146 patients were identified, of which 6942 (1.47%) were LM and 464,555 were non-LM. 1:1 PSM matched 6624 LM to 6624 non-LM patients with good balance for all covariates. LM had higher rates of unplanned intubation (0.4% vs 0.7%, P < .01), unplanned admission to ICU (1.4% vs 2.5%, P < .01), readmissions (4.1% vs 4.9%, P = .036), unplanned reoperation (1.5% vs 2.0%, P = .02), and 30-day mortality (0.2% vs 0.5%, P = .02). Complications including acute renal failure, intra/postoperative myocardial infarction, venous thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism were not significantly different between the matched groups. Conclusion After adjusting for confounders, patients with preoperative limited mobility have higher rates of intubation, ICU admission, reoperation, readmission, and mortality. Prudent pre-operative candidate selection, counseling, and risk mitigation strategies are needed when a patient with limited mobility status is being considered for bariatric surgery.
- Published
- 2022
27. What is the value of faster acting prandial insulin? Focus on ultra rapid lispro
- Author
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Tim Heise, Carolina Piras de Oliveira, Rattan Juneja, Anderson Ribeiro, Farai Chigutsa, and Thomas Blevins
- Subjects
Blood Glucose ,Insulin Lispro ,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism ,Insulin, Short-Acting ,Hypoglycemia ,Glucose ,Endocrinology ,Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ,Insulin, Regular, Human ,Internal Medicine ,Humans ,Hypoglycemic Agents ,Insulin ,Insulin Aspart - Abstract
Rapid-acting insulins (RAIs) have been instrumental in the management of diabetes because of their improved postprandial glucose (PPG) control compared with regular human insulin. However, their absorption rate and time action following subcutaneous administration still falls short of the normal physiological response to meal consumption, increasing the risk of early postmeal hyperglycaemia and late postmeal hypoglycaemia. Increased demand for faster acting insulins, which can quickly control PPG excursions without increasing the risk of late hypoglycaemia, led to the development of ultra-rapid-acting insulins, including ultra-rapid lispro (URLi). URLi is a novel formulation of insulin lispro with accelerated absorption driven by two excipients: treprostinil, which increases local vasodilation, and citrate, which increases local vascular permeability. Clinical pharmacology studies consistently showed an earlier onset and shorter duration of action with URLi compared with Lispro. In a head-to-head study with Faster aspart, Aspart and Lispro, URLi was absorbed faster, provided earlier insulin action, and more closely matched physiological glucose response than the other insulins tested. URLi's unique pharmacokinetic properties increase its potential for improved PPG control beyond that achieved with RAIs. Indeed, in pivotal phase 3 trials, URLi was superior to Lispro for PPG control both at 1 and 2 hours after a meal in type 1 and type 2 diabetes with multiple daily injections, and in type 1 diabetes with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion. This was achieved without increasing the risk of hypoglycaemia. In this review, we focus on the clinical and pharmacological evidence for URLi in the treatment of diabetes and discuss the potential benefits and considerations with URLi compared with RAIs.
- Published
- 2022
28. Beyond 5 years: a matched cohort of sleeve gastrectomy versus gastric bypass
- Author
-
Katherine S. Blevins, Luis Garcia, Joseph D. Forrester, John M. Morton, and Dan E. Azagury
- Subjects
Treatment Outcome ,Gastrectomy ,Weight Loss ,Gastric Bypass ,Humans ,Laparoscopy ,Surgery ,Obesity, Morbid ,Retrospective Studies - Abstract
Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) has demonstrated excellent short-term outcomes. However, existing studies suffer from loss to follow-up, and most long-term data focus on laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB). This study compares weight loss in patients ≥5 years from LSG with that in matched patients who underwent LRYGB.The purpose of this study was to compare long-term weight loss in patients undergoing LRYGB and LSG.University hospital, United States.We retrospectively evaluated patients who underwent LSG before August 2012 with follow-up data ≥5 years. LSG patients were matched 1:1 with LRYGB patients by sex, age at surgery, and preoperative body mass index. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed with weight loss at the longest duration the primary outcome.One-hundred and sixty-five patients underwent LSG during the study period. Long-term follow-up data (≥5 years) were available for 85 patients (52%). There were no preoperative differences between those with and without follow-up data. Six LSG patients (7%) were excluded because they underwent reoperation that altered intestinal anatomy. Of the 79 patients remaining, 75 were matched with post-LRYGB patients. The average follow-up period was 6.4 years for LSG patients and 6.5 years for LRYGB patients (P = .08, not significant). Change in body mass index was 6.81 kg/mLSG is now the most common bariatric surgery in the United States. Long-term data are needed to confirm that observed short-term favorable outcomes are maintained. Recent studies have produced divergent results. We observed significantly less weight loss at ≥5 years in LSG patients compared with matched LRYGB patients.
- Published
- 2022
29. Demand Matching Total Joint Replacement Patients Results in Reduction of Post-Discharge Costs
- Author
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Kier M. Blevins, Rahul K. Goel, Yale A. Fillingham, Christina Vannello, Matthew S. Austin, Javad Parvizi, and Andrew M. Star
- Subjects
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ,Aftercare ,Humans ,Orthopedics and Sports Medicine ,Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ,Medicare ,Patient Discharge ,United States ,Aged - Abstract
The shift from fee-for-service to value-based care has focused payers and providers on resource utilization. One important component of value-based care is to reduce the use of post-discharge (PD) services in a clinically appropriate manner following total joint arthroplasty (TJA). Demand matching in healthcare is the process of tailoring appropriate medical care to a patient with respect to that patient's specific medical needs and social determinants. Outcomes following the implementation of a demand-matching algorithm for coordinating PD services after TJA were analyzed in this study.Payment data from all Medicare patients undergoing primary unilateral TJA between July 2014 and December 2018 from a single orthopedic practice were included. These payments were separated into acute and PD care. The initial acute and PD costs were compared to costs at the end of the 4-year study period using multiple linear regression and chi-square.A total of 9,638 patients (4,212 total hip arthroplasties and 5,430 total knee arthroplasties) were included. Acute costs of TJA were stable averaging $13,712.00. PD costs fell steadily from a baseline average of $7,319.00 in July 2014 to $4,678.00 in December 2018 (P.001), representing a 36.1% decline. Discharge to home increased steadily from 45.8% to 79.9% during the same interval (P.001.) CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in PD costs over a 4-year period using a demand-matching strategy to align with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services mandate for value-based care. Based on these data, we conclude that thoughtful preoperative assessment of patient factors such as social determinants and medical comorbidities could allow for cost reduction through better utilization of PD services.
- Published
- 2022
30. An Entrustable Professional Activities Model for Assessment of Undergraduate Competence in Anesthesia and Surgery: Performance of the Assessment Scheme and the Impact of Assessment Timing and Variation in Structure of Teaching Activities on Student Outcomes
- Author
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Melanie B. Blevins and Sean D. Langton
- Subjects
Scheme (programming language) ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Students, Medical ,General Veterinary ,General Medicine ,Competency-Based Education ,Professional activity ,Education ,Surgery ,Variation (linguistics) ,Neutering ,Anesthesia ,Cohort ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Clinical Competence ,Curriculum ,Educational Measurement ,Education, Veterinary ,Psychology ,computer ,Competence (human resources) ,computer.programming_language - Abstract
An entrustable professional activity (EPA) model was used to assess the anesthesia and surgery competence of year 4 students during elective neutering procedures over 3 academic years (cohort A, cohort B, and cohort C). Two competence thresholds were defined by an expert panel, the minimum acceptable standard (MAS) and the standard expected at the start of final-year rotations (SFR). The assessment scheme performed as expected, and the median level of supervision achieved by students either matched or exceeded the SFR for all EPAs except one, which matched the MAS. Semester of assessment was associated with student performance, with more students in semester 2 achieving the SFR. In the EPAs assessing pain management, documentation, and patient discharge, cohort A was associated with reduced student performance; this could be explained by changes in the delivery of teaching that enhanced performance in subsequent cohorts (academic years). For all EPAs combined and for EPAs 3, 5, 6, 8, and 9, student performance at the SFR was associated with academic year. For all EPAs combined and EPAs 3, 8, and 9, there was a reduction in the proportion of students achieving the SFR threshold in each successive year. At the MAS, the only association for all EPAs combined was with cohort C. This progressive reduction in performance may have been related to the negative effect of decreased time spent at the neutering clinic and loss of feedback opportunities outweighing the positive effects of increased staff:student ratio and improvements in the preparative phases.
- Published
- 2022
31. Cancer Treatment During COVID-19: Resilience of Individuals With Advanced Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Versus Community Controls
- Author
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Nicole A, Arrato, Stephen B, Lo, Clarence A, Coker, Jonathan J, Covarrubias, Tessa R, Blevins, Sarah A, Reisinger, Carolyn J, Presley, Peter G, Shields, and Barbara L, Andersen
- Subjects
Cohort Studies ,Lung Neoplasms ,Oncology ,Depression ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ,COVID-19 ,Humans ,Anxiety ,Pandemics - Abstract
Background: Among all patients with cancer, those with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) experience the most distress. Although new therapies are improving survival, it is unknown whether receiving immunotherapy or targeted therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic increases patients’ psychological vulnerability. To meet clinical needs, knowledge of patients’ COVID-19 perceptions and safety behaviors is essential. Thus, this study compared patients’ psychological responses at diagnosis and during COVID-19 and compared patients with similar individuals without cancer during the same period. Patients and Methods: Patients with advanced NSCLC enrolled at diagnosis for cohort study participated (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03199651). Those with follow-ups from April 28, 2020, through July 14, 2020 (n=76), were assessed again including COVID-19 measures. Simultaneously, community controls with similar sociodemographics and smoking histories were solicited (n=67). Measures were COVID-19 perceptions (Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire), social distancing, and depressive (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) symptoms. First, analyses evaluated differences in the psychological responses of patients with NSCLC at diagnosis and during COVID-19. Second, patients and controls were contrasted on COVID-19 perceptions, social distancing, and psychological symptoms. Results: The depressive and anxious symptoms of patients with NSCLC were greater at diagnosis (PPP>.406). Notably, controls anticipated the COVID threat would last longer, practiced more social distancing, were more concerned about family (P<.04), and reported worse psychological symptoms (PConclusions: Despite multiple health stressors, patients with NSCLC demonstrated resilience when receiving cancer treatment during COVID-19. Nonetheless, this population remains psychologically vulnerable, requiring support at diagnosis and thereafter.
- Published
- 2022
32. Remembering where we're from: Community‐ and individual‐level predictors of college students' White privilege awareness
- Author
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Emily J, Blevins and Nathan R, Todd
- Subjects
Racism ,Health (social science) ,Attitude ,Social Class ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Humans ,Students ,United States ,White People ,Applied Psychology - Abstract
Scholars in the field of community psychology have called for more research dedicated to examining White privilege as part of a system of White supremacy in the United States. One branch of this work focuses on awareness of White privilege, yet to date, this research has typically investigated awareness of White privilege at individual levels of analysis instead of also focusing on neighborhoods, schools, and other levels of analysis beyond the individual. In this study, we combine survey and U.S. Census data to explore both individual- and community-level predictors of White privilege awareness. With a sample of 1285 White college students, we found that gender, modern racism, social dominance orientation, and subjective socioeconomic status (SES) significantly predicted White privilege awareness. After accounting for these individual-level variables, we found that characteristics of students' hometowns (defined by zip code) predicted White privilege awareness. Specifically, greater income inequality was associated with higher White privilege awareness, while greater White racial homogeneity was marginally associated with lower White privilege awareness. There was a significant interaction between community-level White racial homogeneity and individual-level subjective SES, such that students with high subjective SES and low White racial homogeneity had the highest White privilege awareness. This study highlights the importance of examining different facets of ecological context in relation to White Americans' racial attitudes.
- Published
- 2021
33. Diffusion imaging of fornix and interconnected limbic deep grey matter is linked to cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis
- Author
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Penelope Smyth, Christian Beaulieu, Gregg Blevins, Diana Valdés Cabrera, and Derek Emery
- Subjects
Pathology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Multiple Sclerosis ,Grey matter ,030218 nuclear medicine & medical imaging ,White matter ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Limbic system ,Global brain atrophy ,Fractional anisotropy ,medicine ,Humans ,Cognitive Dysfunction ,Gray Matter ,business.industry ,General Neuroscience ,Fornix ,White Matter ,Diffusion Tensor Imaging ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,nervous system ,Atrophy ,business ,psychological phenomena and processes ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,Tractography ,Diffusion MRI - Abstract
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have shown white matter (WM) and deep grey matter (GM) abnormalities in the limbic system of multiple sclerosis (MS) participants. Structures like the fornix have been associated with cognitive impairment (CI) in MS, but the diffusion metrics are often biased by partial volume effects from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) due to its small bundle size and intraventricular location. These errors in DTI parameter estimation worsen with atrophy in MS. The goal here was to evaluate DTI parameters and volumes of the fornix, as well as associated deep GM structures like the thalamus and hippocampus, with high-resolution fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR)-DTI at 3T in 43 MS patients, with and without CI, versus 43 controls. The fornix, thalamus and hippocampus displayed atrophy and/or abnormal diffusion metrics, with the fornix showing the most extensive changes within the structures studied here, mainly in CI MS. The affected fornix volumes and diffusion metrics were associated with thalamic atrophy and atypical diffusion metrics in interconnected limbic GM, larger total lesion volume and global brain atrophy. Lower fractional anisotropy (FA) and higher mean and radial diffusivity in the fornix, lower hippocampus FA and lower thalamus volume were strongly correlated with CI in MS. Hippocampus FA and thalamus atrophy were negatively correlated with fatigue and longer time since MS symptoms onset, respectively. FLAIR-DTI and volumetric analyses provided methodologically superior evidence for microstructural abnormalities and extensive atrophy of the fornix and interconnected deep GM in MS that were associated with cognitive deficits.
- Published
- 2021
34. Using traditional healers to treat child malnutrition: a qualitative study of health-seeking behaviour in eastern Ethiopia
- Author
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Ketema Degefa, Adugna Tadesse, Caroline Ackley, Lola Madrid, Nega Assefa, Markus Breines, Kasthuri Sivalogan, Maria Maixenchs, and John Blevins
- Subjects
Child, Preschool ,Malnutrition ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Humans ,Ethiopia ,Patient Acceptance of Health Care ,Child ,Child Nutrition Disorders ,Qualitative Research - Abstract
Background Malnutrition among children under five years of age is a major public health issue in many low and middle-income constrained countries. According to WHO, 5.3 million under-five children die every year and about 45% of these deaths are linked to malnutrition. While it is clear that poverty and lack of food are important factors in children’s malnutrition, less is known about the ways in which local conceptions of malnutrition affect parents’ treatment choices. In Ethiopia, child malnutrition is a severe public health problem and a common cause of child death, and this paper explores the local views of malnutrition and how these shape people’s health-seeking behaviour. Methods The study was conducted in eastern Ethiopia from December 2017 to January 2019, conducting interviews and focus group discussions to explore different views and treatment options malnutrition. The study used grounded theory because it allows new and unexpected themes to arise from the data. Researchers’ assumptions on local terminologies of child malnutrition are also controlled as a principle of ground theory. Results Child malnutrition was not only perceived to be related to lack of food but was understood in a wider local conceptualization of health and illness. Parents often relied on healers because they are long-standing members of the community, possess indigenous knowledge, and cost less than other options. Because health professionals and the community perceive and speak of health very differently, people often do not seek support from health services. The misalignments between how health professionals and healers diagnose and treat malnourished children have implications on the possibilities to implement change to reduce malnutrition. Conclusions Through an exploration of people’s own terminology and understandings of what a malnourished child is, as well as the underlying reasons for their illness, this paper explores how people understand malnutrition symptoms and why many tend to rely on healers rather than seeking care from health centres.
- Published
- 2022
35. Standard 30-minute Monitoring Time and Less Intensive Pre-medications is Safe in Patients Treated With Subcutaneous Daratumumab for Multiple Myeloma and Light Chain Amyloidosis
- Author
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David M. Hughes, Lynnette Henshaw, Frances Blevins, Camille Edwards, Adam Lerner, John Mark Sloan, and Vaishali Sanchorawala
- Subjects
Cancer Research ,Oncology ,Antibodies, Monoclonal ,Humans ,Immunoglobulin Light-chain Amyloidosis ,Amyloidosis ,Hematology ,Multiple Myeloma - Published
- 2022
36. Subtype Diagnosis of Sporadic <scp>Creutzfeldt–Jakob</scp> Disease with Diffusion <scp>Magnetic Resonance Imaging</scp>
- Author
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Mark L. Cohen, Lawrence B. Schonberger, Pierluigi Gambetti, Raffaele Lodi, Marina Grisoli, Riccardo Pascuzzo, Gianmarco Castelli, Janis Blevins, Fabio M. Doniselli, Brian S. Appleby, Aymeric Stamm, Marco E. M. Moscatelli, Alberto Bizzi, Bizzi Alberto, Pascuzzo Riccardo, Blevins Jani, Moscatelli Marco E.M., Grisoli Marina, Lodi Raffaele, Doniselli Fabio M., Castelli Gianmarco, Cohen Mark L., Stamm Aymeric, Schonberger Lawrence B., Appleby Brian S., and Gambetti Pierluigi
- Subjects
Male ,0301 basic medicine ,Pathology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Genotype ,Disease ,Mri studies ,Prion Protein ,Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome ,Prion Proteins ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,medicine ,Humans ,Mri scan ,Pathological ,Research Articles ,Aged ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Antemortem Diagnosis ,Brain ,Magnetic resonance imaging ,Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease ,Middle Aged ,3. Good health ,Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging ,030104 developmental biology ,Neurology ,Female ,Neurology (clinical) ,business ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,Human ,Research Article ,Diffusion MRI - Abstract
Objective: Sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (sCJD) comprises several subtypes as defined by genetic and prion protein characteristics, which are associated with distinct clinical and pathological phenotypes. To date, no clinical test can reliably diagnose the subtype. We established two procedures for the antemortem diagnosis of sCJD subtype using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: MRI of 1,458 patients referred to the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center were collected through its consultation service. One neuroradiologist blind to the diagnosis scored 12 brain regions and generated a lesion profile for each MRI scan. We selected 487 patients with autopsy-confirmed diagnosis of “pure” sCJD subtype and at least one positive diffusion MRI examination. We designed and tested two data-driven procedures for subtype diagnosis: the first procedure—prion subtype classification algorithm with MRI (PriSCA_MRI)—uses only MRI examinations; the second—PriSCA_MRI + Gen—includes knowledge of the prion protein codon 129 genotype, a major determinant of sCJD subtypes. Both procedures were tested on the first MRI and the last MRI follow-up. Results: PriSCA_MRI classified the 3 most prevalent subtypes with 82% accuracy. PriSCA_MRI + Gen raised the accuracy to 89% and identified all subtypes. Individually, the 2 most prevalent sCJD subtypes, MM1 and VV2, were diagnosed with sensitivities up to 95 and 97%, respectively. The performances of both procedures did not change in 168 patients with longitudinal MRI studies when the last examination was used. Interpretation: This study provides the first practical algorithms for antemortem diagnosis of sCJD subtypes. MRI diagnosis of subtype is likely to be attainable at early disease stages to prognosticate clinical course and design future therapeutic trials. ANN NEUROL 2021;89:560–572.
- Published
- 2020
37. The time required to achieve endotracheal intubation in dogs: a comparison of veterinary students and qualified veterinary surgeons
- Author
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Sean D. Langton and Melanie B. Blevins
- Subjects
Surgeons ,Veterinary medicine ,General Veterinary ,business.industry ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Endotracheal intubation ,Test (assessment) ,Intubation procedure ,Dogs ,Anesthesia ,Statistical significance ,Intubation, Intratracheal ,Mann–Whitney U test ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Intubation ,General anaesthesia ,Students ,business ,Propofol ,Anesthetics, Intravenous ,Cohort study - Abstract
To determine whether final year veterinary students take longer to perform endotracheal intubation than qualified veterinary surgeons.Observational cohort study.A total of 38 healthy mesocephalic dogs undergoing general anaesthesia for a clinical purpose unrelated to this study.Time to successful endotracheal intubation, measured from termination of intravenous induction drug administration to confirmation of endotracheal intubation, was recorded for two groups: final year veterinary students (group S) and qualified veterinary surgeons (group V). Animal age, breed and anaesthetic induction agent were also recorded. Following normality testing the groups were compared for each variable using the Student's t test or Mann-Whitney U test where appropriate. The level of significance was defined as p0.05. Timed data are presented as median and interquartile range.Time to successful intubation was 54.2 (31.3) seconds in group S and 11.7 (8.5) seconds in group V, the difference being significant (p0.001). There was also a significant difference between groups for animal age (p = 0.036) but not for breed (p = 0.573) or induction agent (p = 0.239).and clinical relevance Veterinary students take longer to achieve successful endotracheal intubation of anaesthetized healthy dogs compared with qualified veterinary surgeons. To mitigate any additional risk of dogs developing hypoxaemia, it is recommended that a 55 second time limit is set after which the supervisor intervenes and takes over the intubation procedure. Preoxygenation may be used as an additional mitigation strategy.
- Published
- 2021
38. The COVID-19 pandemic and weight management: Effective behaviors and pandemic-specific risk factors
- Author
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Magdalene Blevins, Alena Borgatti, Andrea L. Davis, Olivia M. Krantz, Gareth R. Dutton, Carrie R. Howell, Lindsay Stager, and Camille R. Schneider-Worthington
- Subjects
Male ,0301 basic medicine ,Gerontology ,Coping (psychology) ,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism ,030209 endocrinology & metabolism ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Risk Factors ,Weight loss ,Weight management ,Research Letter ,Humans ,Medicine ,Obesity ,Social isolation ,Pandemics ,030109 nutrition & dietetics ,Nutrition and Dietetics ,SARS-CoV-2 ,business.industry ,Loneliness ,COVID-19 ,Middle Aged ,Emotional eating ,medicine.disease ,Communicable Disease Control ,Female ,medicine.symptom ,business ,Weight gain - Abstract
Background Obesity and comorbid conditions are associated with worse outcomes related to COVID-19. Moreover, social distancing adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic may predict weight gain due to decreased physical activity, increased emotional eating, and social isolation. While early studies suggest that many individuals struggled with weight management during the pandemic, less is known about healthy eating and weight control behaviors among those enrolled in weight loss programs. Methods The present study evaluated weight management efforts among weight loss program participants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants’ (N = 55, 90.9% female, 36% white, Mage = 49.8) demographics and body mass index were collected two months prior to the COVID-19 statewide shutdown. During the lockdown, an online survey assessed health behaviors, coping, COVID-19 experiences (e.g., social distancing, loneliness), and weight gain. Logistic regressions examined demographics, health behaviors, and COVID-19 factors as predictors of weight gain. Results Most participants (58%) reported gaining weight during COVID-19. Weight gain was predicted by challenges with the following health behaviors: physical activity, monitoring food intake, choosing healthy foods, and emotional eating. Loneliness and working remotely significantly related to emotional eating, physical activity, and choosing healthy foods. Conclusions Loneliness and working remotely increased the difficulty of weight management behaviors during COVID-19 among weight loss program participants. However, staying active, planning and tracking food consumption, choosing healthy foods, and reducing emotional eating protected against weight gain. Thus, these factors may be key areas for weight management efforts during the pandemic.
- Published
- 2021
39. Perioperative Management in Shoulder Arthroplasty: A Review of Current Practice
- Author
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Christine, Park, Kier M, Blevins, Alexandra V, Paul, Jason S, Long, Lucy E, Meyer, and Oke A, Anakwenze
- Subjects
Pain, Postoperative ,Arthroplasty, Replacement, Shoulder ,Humans ,Pain Management ,Anesthetics, Local ,Antifibrinolytic Agents - Abstract
Perioperative management for patients undergoing shoulder arthroplasty has evolved significantly over the years to reduce overt complications and improve patient outcomes. The groundwork for perioperative care encompasses initial patient selection and education strategies for achieving successful outcome. Multimodal pain management strategies have advanced patient care with the increased use of new regional/local anesthetics. In addition, complications resulting from blood loss and transfusions have been curtailed with the use of synthetic antifibrinolytic agents. It remains critical for shoulder arthroplasty surgeons to optimize patients during the perioperative period through various modalities to maximize functional progression, outcomes, and patient's satisfaction following shoulder arthroplasty.
- Published
- 2022
40. Exploiting endogenous and therapy-induced apoptotic vulnerabilities in immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis with BH3 mimetics
- Author
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Cameron S. Fraser, Johan K. E. Spetz, Xingping Qin, Adam Presser, Jonathan Choiniere, Chendi Li, Stacey Yu, Frances Blevins, Aaron N. Hata, Jeffrey W. Miller, Gary A. Bradshaw, Marian Kalocsay, Vaishali Sanchorawala, Shayna Sarosiek, and Kristopher A. Sarosiek
- Subjects
Proteomics ,Amyloid ,Sulfonamides ,Multidisciplinary ,General Physics and Astronomy ,Antineoplastic Agents ,General Chemistry ,Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic ,Dexamethasone ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,Bortezomib ,Mice ,Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ,Animals ,Humans ,Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein ,Immunoglobulin Light Chains ,Immunoglobulin Light-chain Amyloidosis ,Multiple Myeloma ,Lenalidomide ,Proteasome Inhibitors - Abstract
Immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis is an incurable hematologic disorder typically characterized by the production of amyloidogenic light chains by clonal plasma cells. These light chains misfold and aggregate in healthy tissues as amyloid fibrils, leading to life-threatening multi-organ dysfunction. Here we show that the clonal plasma cells in AL amyloidosis are highly primed to undergo apoptosis and dependent on pro-survival proteins MCL-1 and BCL-2. Notably, this MCL-1 dependency is indirectly targeted by the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, currently the standard of care for this disease and the related plasma cell disorder multiple myeloma, due to upregulation of pro-apoptotic Noxa and its inhibitory binding to MCL-1. BCL-2 inhibitors sensitize clonal plasma cells to multiple front-line therapies including bortezomib, dexamethasone and lenalidomide. Strikingly, in mice bearing AL amyloidosis cell line xenografts, single agent treatment with the BCL-2 inhibitor ABT-199 (venetoclax) produces deeper remissions than bortezomib and triples median survival. Mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis reveals rewiring of signaling pathways regulating apoptosis, proliferation and mitochondrial metabolism between isogenic AL amyloidosis and multiple myeloma cells that divergently alter their sensitivity to therapies. These findings provide a roadmap for the use of BH3 mimetics to exploit endogenous and induced apoptotic vulnerabilities in AL amyloidosis.
- Published
- 2022
41. Contemporary Distal Femoral Replacements for Supracondylar Femoral Fractures Around Primary and Revision Total Knee Arthroplasties
- Author
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David J. Mayman, Marie Syku, Peter K. Sculco, Elizabeth B. Gausden, Jason L. Blevins, and Brian P. Chalmers
- Subjects
Reoperation ,musculoskeletal diseases ,medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Periprosthetic ,Total knee ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Survivorship curve ,medicine ,Humans ,Internal fixation ,Orthopedics and Sports Medicine ,Femur ,Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ,Aged ,Retrospective Studies ,030222 orthopedics ,Femur fracture ,business.industry ,musculoskeletal system ,Surgery ,surgical procedures, operative ,Cohort ,Female ,Prior Primary ,business ,Femoral Fractures - Abstract
Background There is a paucity of data on the outcomes of distal femoral replacements (DFRs) in patients with total knee arthroplasty (TKA) periprosthetic fractures. We sought to characterize these patients’ survivorship free from rerevision. Methods We retrospectively identified 49 patients, including 34 after primary TKA (primary cohort), 9 after revision TKA, and 6 conversions for failed open reduction and internal fixation (revision cohort) that underwent DFR for a periprosthetic femur fracture. The mean age was 76 years, and 40 patients (82%) were female. The mean follow-up was 4 years. Femoral fixation included 44 cemented stems (90%) and 5 cementless stems (10%). Survivorship free from rerevision was characterized by the Kaplan–Meier method; cox proportional regression was used to analyze the risk factors for rerevision. Results Survivorship free from any rerevision at 5 years in the primary and revision cohort was 93% and 18%, respectively. The revision cohort had a 5.3× higher risk of re-revision (P = .008). Survivorship free from re-revision for aseptic loosening at 5 years in the primary and revision cohort was 93% and 53%, respectively. Two of the 3 patients with cementless stems in the primary cohort underwent early rerevision for aseptic loosening, but patients with prior primary TKAs treated with cemented femoral fixation (n = 31) had a 97% 5-year survivorship free from re-revision. Conclusion Patients with periprosthetic fractures around prior primary TKAs treated with DFRs with cemented femoral fixation had a 97% 5-year survivorship free from any re-revision. DFRs for periprosthetic femur fractures around revision TKAs or conversions of failed open reduction and internal fixations have a 5× increased risk of rerevision.
- Published
- 2021
42. Cluster of Oseltamivir-Resistant and Hemagglutinin Antigenically Drifted Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 Viruses, Texas, USA, January 2020
- Author
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Krista Kniss, Juan A. De La Cruz, Anton Chesnokov, Larisa V. Gubareva, Angiezel Merced-Morales, Jennifer Laplante, Kirsten St. George, David E. Wentworth, Rebecca Kondor, Teena Mohan, Ha T. Nguyen, Vasiliy P. Mishin, and Patricia A. Blevins
- Subjects
Microbiology (medical) ,Oseltamivir ,Epidemiology ,medicine.drug_class ,viruses ,030231 tropical medicine ,Hemagglutinin (influenza) ,Neuraminidase ,Cluster of Oseltamivir-Resistant and Hemagglutinin Antigenically Drifted Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 Viruses, Texas, USA, January 2020 ,Infectious and parasitic diseases ,RC109-216 ,Antiviral Agents ,Antigenic drift ,Virus ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Viral Proteins ,0302 clinical medicine ,Antibiotic resistance ,Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ,Drug Resistance, Viral ,Influenza, Human ,medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,antimicrobial resistance ,antigenic drift ,drug resistance ,biology ,Neuraminidase inhibitor ,neuraminidase inhibitor ,Dispatch ,transmission ,virus diseases ,Subclade ,Virology ,Texas ,United States ,Infectious Diseases ,Hemagglutinins ,chemistry ,biology.protein ,Medicine ,influenza ,influenza A(H1N1) - Abstract
Four cases of oseltamivir-resistant influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection were detected among inhabitants of a border detention center in Texas, USA. Hemagglutinin of these viruses belongs to 6B.1A5A-156K subclade, which may enable viral escape from preexisting immunity. Our finding highlights the necessity to monitor both drug resistance and antigenic drift of circulating viruses.
- Published
- 2021
43. Deep learning automated segmentation of middle skull‐base structures for enhanced navigation
- Author
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Peter H. Hwang, Nikolas H. Blevins, Caio A. Neves, and Emma D. Tran
- Subjects
Skull Base ,business.industry ,Deep learning ,Automated segmentation ,Middle skull base ,Deep Learning ,Surgery, Computer-Assisted ,Otorhinolaryngology ,Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ,Humans ,Immunology and Allergy ,Medicine ,Computer vision ,Artificial intelligence ,business - Published
- 2021
44. When to Suspect Hidden Hypercortisolism in Type 2 Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis
- Author
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Rosario Pivonello, Davide Soranna, Chiara Parazzoli, Dan Einhorn, Jens Otto Lunde Jørgensen, Vittoria Favero, Antonella Zambon, Alfredo Scillitani, David Brown, Iacopo Chiodini, Lewis S. Blevins, Luca Giovanelli, Carmen Aresta, Luigi Gennari, Kevin M. Pantalone, Luca Persani, Aresta, C, Soranna, D, Giovanelli, L, Favero, V, Parazzoli, C, Gennari, L, Persani, L, Scillitani, A, Blevins, L, Brown, D, Einhorn, D, Pivonello, R, Pantalone, K, Lunde Jorgensen, J, Zambon, A, Chiodini, I, Aresta, C., Soranna, D., Giovanelli, L., Favero, V., Parazzoli, C., Gennari, L., Persani, L., Scillitani, A., Blevins, L. S., Brown, D., Einhorn, D., Pivonello, R., Pantalone, K. M., Lunde Jorgensen, J. O., Zambon, A., and Chiodini, I.
- Subjects
Cortisol secretion ,medicine.medical_specialty ,insulin ,hypertension ,ADRENAL INCIDENTALOMAS ,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism ,Type 2 diabetes ,MELLITUS ,Endocrinology ,Diabetes mellitus ,Internal medicine ,SUBCLINICAL CUSHINGS-SYNDROME ,Odds Ratio ,Prevalence ,Medicine ,Humans ,ADULT PATIENTS ,Cushing Syndrome ,diabetes ,hypercortisolism ,POPULATION ,Subclinical infection ,RISK ,business.industry ,CORTISOL ,nutritional and metabolic diseases ,Odds ratio ,medicine.disease ,INCREASED MORTALITY ,Confidence interval ,PREVALENCE ,Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ,diabete ,Research Design ,Meta-analysis ,business ,OUTPATIENTS ,Dyslipidemia ,Human - Abstract
Objective Among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), the prevalence of hidden hypercortisolism (HidHyCo, formally called subclinical hypercortisolism or mild autonomous cortisol secretion) was estimated to be 2.2-12.1%. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the available literature helps to identify the characteristics of T2D patients more frequently associated with HidHyCo. Methods A meta-analysis was performed using studies that assessed both the prevalence of HidHyCo in patients with T2D and the characteristics of these patients with and without HidHyCo. The DerSimonian and Laird (DSL) and the Hartung, Knapp, Sidik and Jonkman (HKSJ) methods were utilized. Results Among the 18 available studies, 6 studies provided the necessary data. The association between HidHyCo and advanced T2D (based on the patients’ description given in each study in presence of micro/ microvascular complications, or insulin treatment plus hypertension, or hypertension treated with ≥2 drugs), hypertension, insulin treatment and dyslipidemia was reported in 5 (2184 patients), 6 (2283 patients), 3 (1440 patients), and 3 (987 patients) studies, respectively. HidHyCo was associated with advanced T2D as assessed with both DSL (odds ratio, OR, 3.47, 95% Confidence Interval, 95%CI, 2.12-5.67) and HKSJ method (OR 3.60, 95%CI 2.03-6.41) and with the prevalence of hypertension or of insulin treatment as assessed by the DSL approach (OR 1.92, 95%CI 1.05-3.50 and OR 2.29, 95%CI 1.07-4.91, respectively), but not as assessed with HKSJ method. Conclusions Patients with advanced T2D have a higher prevalence of HidHyCo. These data inform about the selection of T2D patients for HidHyCo screening.
- Published
- 2021
45. Immunogenicity, Efficacy, and Safety of Biosimilar Insulin Aspart (MYL-1601D) Compared with Originator Insulin Aspart (Novolog
- Author
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Thomas C, Blevins, Yaron, Raiter, Bin, Sun, Charles, Donnelly, Roxann, Shapiro, Anoop, Chullikana, Anita, Rao, Laxmikant, Vashishta, Gopinath, Ranganna, and Abhijit, Barve
- Subjects
Glycated Hemoglobin ,Blood Glucose ,Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ,Humans ,Hypoglycemic Agents ,Insulin Glargine ,Insulin ,Biosimilar Pharmaceuticals ,Insulin Aspart ,Hypoglycemia - Abstract
MYL-1601D is a proposed biosimilar of originator insulin aspart, NovologThis study assessed the immunogenicity, efficacy, and safety of MYL-1601D with Ref-InsAsp-US in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D).This was a 24-week, open-label, randomized, phase III study. Patients were randomized 1:1 to mealtime MYL-1601D or Ref-InsAsp-US in combination with insulin glargine (Lantus SoloSTARIn total, 478 patients were included in the intent-to-treat analysis (MYL-1601D: 238; Ref-InsAsp-US: 240) set. The 90% confidence interval (CI) for the primary endpoint was within the pre-defined equivalence margin of ±11.7% and the treatment differences (SE) in TEAR responders between the treatment groups was - 2.86 (4.16) with 90% CI - 9.71 to 3.99. The mean (SD) changes from baseline for HbA1c, FPG, and insulin dosages were similar in both groups at week 24. The safety profiles including hypoglycemia, immune-related events, AEs, and other reported variables were similar between the treatment groups at week 24.MYL-1601D demonstrated similar immunogenicity, efficacy, and safety profiles to Ref-InsAsp-US in patients with T1D over 24 weeks. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: NCT03760068.
- Published
- 2022
46. The Outcome of Cochlear Implantations in Deaf-Blind Patients: A Multicenter Observational Study
- Author
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Ahmad Daneshi, Hamed Sajjadi, Nikolas Blevins, Herman A. Jenkins, Mohammad Farhadi, Mohammad Ajallouyan, Seyed Basir Hashemi, Anthony Thai, Emma Tran, Mohsen Rajati, Alimohamad Asghari, Mohammad Mohseni, Saleh Mohebbi, Arash Bayat, Nader Saki, Hesamaldin Emamdjomeh, Maryam Romiani, Farideh Hosseinzadeh, Yasser Nasori, and Marjan Mirsaleh
- Subjects
Adult ,Speech Intelligibility ,Infant ,Deafness ,Cochlear Implantation ,Sensory Systems ,Cochlear Implants ,Treatment Outcome ,Otorhinolaryngology ,Speech Perception ,Humans ,Neurology (clinical) ,Child ,Retrospective Studies - Abstract
This multicenter study aimed to evaluate the auditory and speech outcomes of cochlear implantation (CI) in deaf-blind patients compared with deaf-only patients.Retrospective cohort study.Multiple cochlear implant centers.The current study was conducted on 17 prelingual deaf-blind children and 12 postlingual deaf-blind adults who underwent CI surgery. As a control group, 17 prelingual deaf children and 12 postlingual deaf adults were selected.Cochlear implantation.Auditory and linguistic performances in children were assessed using the categories of auditory performance (CAP) and Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR) scales, respectively. The word recognition score (WRS) was also used to measure speech perception ability in adults. The mean CAP, SIR, and WRS cores were compared between the deaf-only and deaf-blind groups before CI surgery and at "12 months" and "24 months" after device activation. Cohen's d was used for effect size estimation.We found no significant differences in the mean CAP and SIR scores between the deaf-blind and deaf-only children before the CI surgery. For both groups, SIR and CAP scores improved with increasing time after the device activation. The mean CAP scores in the deaf-only children were either equivalent or slightly higher than those of the deaf-blind children at "12 months post-CI" (3.94 ± 0.74 vs 3.24 ± 1.25; mean difference score, 0.706) and "24 months post-CI" (6.01 ± 0.79 vs 5.47 ± 1.06; mean difference score, 0.529) time intervals, but these differences were not statistically significant. The SIR scores in deaf-only implanted children were, on average, 0.870 scores greater than the deaf-blind children at "12 months post-CI" (2.94 ± 0.55 vs 2.07 ± 1.4; p = 0.01, d = 0.97) and, on average, 1.067 scores greater than deaf-blind children at "24 months post-CI" (4.35 ± 0.49 vs 3.29 ± 1.20; p = 0.002; d = 1.15) time intervals. We also found an improvement in WRS scores from the "preimplantation" to the "12-month post-CI" and "24-month post-CI" time intervals in both groups. Pairwise comparisons indicated that the mean WRS in the deaf-only adults was, on average, 10.61% better than deaf-blind implanted adults at "12 months post-CI" (62.33 ± 9.09% vs 51.71 ± 10.73%, p = 0.034, d = 1.06) and, on average, 15.81% better than deaf-blind adults at "24-months post-CI" (72.67 ± 8.66% vs 56.8 ± 9.78%, p = 0.002, d = 1.61) follow-ups.Cochlear implantation is a beneficial method for the rehabilitation of deaf-blind patients. Both deaf-blind and deaf-only implanted children revealed similar auditory performances. However, speech perception ability in deaf-blind patients was slightly lower than the deaf-only patients in both children and adults.
- Published
- 2022
47. Quantifying heterogeneity in mood-alcohol relationships with idiographic causal models
- Author
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Brittany L. Stevenson, Erich Kummerfeld, Jennifer E. Merrill, Claire Blevins, Ana M. Abrantes, Matt G. Kushner, and Kelvin O. Lim
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Psychiatry and Mental health ,Young Adult ,Affect ,Alcohol Drinking ,Ecological Momentary Assessment ,Adaptation, Psychological ,Medicine (miscellaneous) ,Humans ,Toxicology ,Students - Abstract
Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) studies have provided conflicting evidence for the mood regulation tenet that people drink in response to positive and negative moods. The current study examined mood-to-alcohol relationships idiographically to quantify the prevalence and intensity of relationships between positive and negative moods and drinking across individuals.We used two EMA samples: 96 heavy drinking college students (sample 1) and 19 young adults completing an ecological momentary intervention (EMI) for drinking to cope (sample 2). Mood and alcohol use were measured multiple times per day for 4-6 weeks. Mood-alcohol relationships were examined using three different analytic approaches: standard multilevel modeling, group causal modeling, and idiographic causal modeling.Both multilevel modeling and group causal modeling showed that participants in both samples drank in response to positive moods only. However, idiographic causal analyses revealed that only 63% and 21% of subjects (in samples 1 and 2, respectively) drank following any positive mood. Many subjects (24% and 58%) did not drink in response to either positive or negative mood in their daily lives, and very few (5% and 16%) drank in response to negative moods throughout the EMA protocol, despite sample 2 being selected specifically because they endorse drinking to cope with negative mood.Traditional group-level analyses and corresponding population-wide theories assume relative homogeneity within populations in mood-alcohol relationships, but this nomothetic approach failed to characterize accurately the relationship between mood and alcohol use in approximately half of the subjects in two samples that were demographically and clinically homogeneous. Given inconsistent findings in the mood-alcohol relationships to date, we conclude that idiographic causal analyses can provide a foundation for more accurate theories of mood and alcohol use. In addition, idiographic causal models may also help improve psychosocial treatments through direct use in clinical settings.
- Published
- 2022
48. Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory effects of selected cannabinoids and terpenes from Cannabis Sativa employing human primary leukocytes
- Author
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Lance K. Blevins, Anthony P. Bach, Robert B. Crawford, Jiajun Zhou, Joseph E. Henriquez, Michael D. Rizzo, Sera Sermet, D.M. Isha Olive Khan, Helen Turner, Andrea L. Small-Howard, and Norbert E. Kaminski
- Subjects
Terpenes ,Cannabinoids ,Phytol ,Cannabinol ,Leukocytes, Mononuclear ,Humans ,Cannabidiol ,General Medicine ,Dronabinol ,Toxicology ,Food Science ,Cannabis - Abstract
Cannabis is well established as possessing immune modulating activity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory properties of selected cannabis-derived terpenes and cannabinoids. Based on their activity in cannabis-chemovar studies, α-pinene, trans-nerolidol, D-limonene, linalool and phytol were the selected terpenes evaluated. The cannabinoid compounds evaluated included cannabidivarin, cannabidiol, cannabinol, cannabichromene, cannabigerol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Human PBMC were pretreated with each compound, individually, at concentrations extending from 0.001 to 10 μM and then stimulated with CpG (plasmacytoid dendritic cell), LPS (monocytes), or anti-CD3/CD28 (T cells). Proliferation, activation marker expression, cytokine production and phagocytosis, were quantified. Of the 21 responses assayed for each compound, cannabinoids showed the greatest immune modulating activity compared to their vehicle control. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol possessed the greatest activity affecting 11 immune parameters followed by cannabidivarin, cannabigerol, cannabichromene, cannabinol and cannabidiol. α-Pinene showed the greatest immune modulating activity from the selected group of terpenes, followed by linalool, phytol, trans-nerolidol. Limonene had no effect on any of the parameters tested. Overall, these studies suggest that selected cannabis-derived terpenes displayed minimal immunological activity, while cannabinoids exhibited a broader range of activity. Compounds possessing anti-inflammatory effects may be useful in decreasing inflammation associated with a range of disorders, including neurodegenerative disorders.
- Published
- 2022
49. Fast Acting Insulin Aspart Compared with Insulin Aspart in the Medtronic 670G Hybrid Closed Loop System in Type 1 Diabetes: An Open Label Crossover Study
- Author
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Alison M Cooper, Cassidy R Waggonner, Thomas Blevins, Lily P Ahn, and Kerem Ozer
- Subjects
Blood Glucose ,endocrine system diseases ,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism ,Pharmacology ,Insulin aspart ,Endocrinology ,Double-Blind Method ,Medtronic 670G hybrid closed loop ,Diabetes mellitus ,medicine ,Humans ,Hypoglycemic Agents ,Insulin ,Fast acting insulin aspart ,Insulin Aspart ,Type 1 diabetes ,Cross-Over Studies ,business.industry ,nutritional and metabolic diseases ,Original Articles ,medicine.disease ,Crossover study ,Medical Laboratory Technology ,Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ,Open label ,business ,Closed loop ,hormones, hormone substitutes, and hormone antagonists ,medicine.drug - Abstract
This is a single-center randomized open label active-controlled crossover trial comparing efficacy and safety of fast acting insulin aspart (FA) (FIASP®) versus insulin aspart (IAsp) (NovoLog®) when used in the Medtronic 670G system in auto mode in patients with type 1 diabetes. Forty patients were randomized to either IAsp or FA. Each treatment period was 7 weeks and a standardized meal test was administered 6 weeks after the start of each treatment period. The primary endpoint was postprandial glucose (PPG) increment after the meal test at 1 h. Treatment with FA using the MiniMed 670G hybrid closed loop (HCL) led to a greater reduction in 1-h postprandial glucose increase compared with treatment with IAsp during the standardized mixed meal test. Change in glucose: [estimated treatment difference (ETD ± standard deviation [SD]); 95% confidence interval]: 70.27 (±17.36) mg/dL (3.9 ± 1.0 mmol/L) with FA versus 98.42 (±17.36) mg/dL (5.5 ± 1.0 mmol/L) with IAsp (P = 0.008). Patients spent 1.81% (P = 0.016) more time (equivalent to 26 min per day) in the 70–180 mg/dL (3.89–9.99 mmol/L) range with FA than with IAsp. The entire sample spent only 0.5% of time
- Published
- 2021
50. TAOK1 is associated with neurodevelopmental disorder and essential for neuronal maturation and cortical development
- Author
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Mari Rossi, Melissa K. Gabriel, Rolph Pfundt, Ange Line Bruel, Sonal Mahida, Daniel Groepper, Kristin W. Barañano, Tjitske Kleefstra, Saskia Brulleman, Charlotte de Konink, Angelika Erwin, Aida Telegrafi, Kristin Lindstrom, Amy Blevins, Marjon van Slegtenhorst, Katherine G. Langley, David A. Koolen, Geeske M. van Woerden, Anna Chassevent, Louisa Kalsner, A. Micheil Innes, Ype Elgersma, David R. FitzPatrick, Kristin G. Monaghan, Allison Goodwin, Ben Distel, Karen W. Gripp, Alice S. Brooks, Natasha Shur, Fatima Rehman, Rossella Avagliano Trezza, Amanda Noyes, Melanie Bos, Jane Juusola, Gwynna de Geus, Jennifer B. Humberson, Andrew O.M. Wilkie, Jessica Hoffman, Marleen Simon, David Johnson, Róisín McCormack, Sumit Punj, Maria J. Guillen Sacoto, Julie Fleischer, Eduardo Calpena, Arthur Sorlin, Allison Schreiber, Clinical Genetics, Neurosciences, Medical Biochemistry, and AGEM - Amsterdam Gastroenterology Endocrinology Metabolism
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MAP Kinase Signaling System ,Biology ,Mice ,03 medical and health sciences ,Neurodevelopmental disorder ,Intellectual Disability ,Intellectual disability ,Genetics ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Missense mutation ,cortical development ,Amino Acids ,Protein kinase A ,Research Articles ,Genetics (clinical) ,Loss function ,030304 developmental biology ,2. Zero hunger ,0303 health sciences ,Neurodevelopmental disorders Donders Center for Medical Neuroscience [Radboudumc 7] ,MAP kinase kinase kinase ,Muscular hypotonia ,neurodevelopmental disorders ,030305 genetics & heredity ,medicine.disease ,in utero electroporation ,TAOK1 ,Muscle Hypotonia ,Neuroscience ,functional genomics ,Function (biology) ,Research Article - Abstract
Thousand and one amino‐acid kinase 1 (TAOK1) is a MAP3K protein kinase, regulating different mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathways, thereby modulating a multitude of processes in the cell. Given the recent finding of TAOK1 involvement in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), we investigated the role of TAOK1 in neuronal function and collected a cohort of 23 individuals with mostly de novo variants in TAOK1 to further define the associated NDD. Here, we provide evidence for an important role for TAOK1 in neuronal function, showing that altered TAOK1 expression levels in the embryonic mouse brain affect neural migration in vivo, as well as neuronal maturation in vitro. The molecular spectrum of the identified TAOK1 variants comprises largely truncating and nonsense variants, but also missense variants, for which we provide evidence that they can have a loss of function or dominant‐negative effect on TAOK1, expanding the potential underlying causative mechanisms resulting in NDD. Taken together, our data indicate that TAOK1 activity needs to be properly controlled for normal neuronal function and that TAOK1 dysregulation leads to a neurodevelopmental disorder mainly comprising similar facial features, developmental delay/intellectual disability and/or variable learning or behavioral problems, muscular hypotonia, infant feeding difficulties, and growth problems., In this study we expand the cohort of individuals with a neurodevelopmental disorder, carrying a de novo variant in TAOK1 (a), thereby further defining the neurodevelopmental disorder caused by TAOK1 malfunctioning. Using both in vivo (b) and in vitro (c) functional assays, we provide evidence that increased as well as decreased levels of TAOK1 cause disruption of neuronal development, showing that TAOK1 plays an important role in neuronal function. Additionally, our data suggests that both gain of function as well as loss of function mutations are potentially causative for the TAOK1‐related neurodevelopmental disorder.
- Published
- 2021
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