September 2023 Member Publications

  1. Cai L, Tan Y, Watson S, Wintergerst K. Diabetic cardiomyopathy - Zinc preventive and therapeutic potentials by its anti-oxidative stress and sensitizing insulin signaling pathways. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2023 Oct 15;477:116694. doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2023.116694. Epub 2023 Sep 20. PMID: 37739320.
    Impact Statement: Oxidative stress and insulin resistance are two key mechanisms for the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy. In this review, we discussed how zinc and metallothionein protect the heart from type 1 or type 2 diabetes through its anti-oxidative function and insulin-mediated PI3K/Akt signaling activation. Ultimately, there is pre-clinical and clinical evidence for the preventive and therapeutic potential of zinc supplementation through its anti-oxidative stress and sensitizing insulin signaling actions to reduce risk of heart disease and improve health outcomes of patients living with diabetes. 
  2. Islam MS, Cai L, Horowitz M. Recent therapeutic targets for the prevention and management of diabetic complications. World J Diabetes. 2023 Sep 15;14(9):1330-1333. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v14.i9.1330. PMID: 37771330; PMCID: PMC10523234.
    Impact Statement: Diabetes and associated complications remain major global public health issues, for which although a number of novel therapeutic approaches have been reported recently, some of them have not received comparable attention. Therefore, this editorial briefly discussed some recent therapeutic approaches to the prevention and management of diabetes and its associated complications, as well as potential directions for future research and development in this area. 
  3. Clark BJ, Klinge CM. Structure-function of DHEA binding proteins. Vitam Horm. 2023;123:587-617. doi: 10.1016/bs.vh.2022.12.002. Epub 2022 Dec 16. PMID: 37717999.
    Impact Statement: The extensive influence of Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfated metabolite, DHEA-S, on diverse biological systems, including the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, and reproductive system, is underscored by their ability to engage multiple receptors and signaling pathways. This comprehensive review provides an updated and comprehensive understanding of the intricate physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms underlying the multifaceted effects of DHEA and DHEA-S, shedding light on their critical role in modulating various physiological processes.
  4. Wang L, Zhou M, Kong X, Wu S, Ding C, Hu X, Guo H, Yan J. Specific Targeting of STAT3 in B Cells Suppresses Progression of B Cell Lymphoma. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Sep 4;24(17):13666. doi: 10.3390/ijms241713666. PMID: 37686472; PMCID: PMC10563066.
    Impact Statement: The findings of this publication indicate that specifically targeting STAT3 siRNA to B cell lymphoma cell lines can significantly decrease STAT3 activity and inhibit tumor progression in vitro and in vivo, suggesting its potential utilization for cancer treatment. 
  5. Harris LM, Marsh JC, Khachikian T, Serrett V, Kong Y, Guerrero EG. What can we learn from COVID-19 to improve opioid treatment? Expert providers respond. J Subst Use Addict Treat. 2023 Nov;154:209157. doi: 10.1016/j.josat.2023.209157. Epub 2023 Aug 29. PMID: 37652210.
    Impact Statement: Using the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent organizational challenges as a backdrop, this study explores providers from Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) outpatient treatment programs perspectives about strategies and policies that, if made permanent, can potentially improve access to and quality of OUD treatment. Providers identified three primary areas for strategic innovation designed to improve access and quality: (1) designing better medication utilization, (2) increasing telemedicine capacity, (3) improving reimbursement policies. These strategies for system transformation enable us to use lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to direct policy and programmatic reform, such as expanding eligibility for take-home medication and enhancing access to telehealth services. 
  6. Huang J, Mariyappa R, Byrne KR, Clifford SP. Right Ventricular Dysfunction During Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation: Roles of Anesthesiologists. ASAIO J. 2023 Oct 1;69(10):915-917. doi: 10.1097/MAT.0000000000002049. Epub 2023 Sep 27. PMID: 37773148.
    Impact Statement: This publication sheds light on the critical impact of anesthesia induction on right ventricular (RV) dysfunction before left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation, highlighting the complex interplay of various factors during surgery. Their findings emphasize the necessity for meticulous perioperative management, ventilation optimization, and tailored anesthetic choices to mitigate RV dysfunction in LVAD patients, underlining the importance of anesthesiologists' vigilance in improving both short-term and long-term clinical outcomes for these complex cases. 
  7. Lindsey ML, LeBlanc AJ, Bertrand L, Bradshaw AD, Kleinbongard P. Improving rigor and reproducibility in cardiovascular research. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2023 Oct 1;325(4):H866-H868. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00524.2023. Epub 2023 Sep 1. PMID: 37656129.
    Impact Statement: Reports of failures by laboratories to repeat experiments performed by other laboratories have launched a whole discussion in the biomedical research community centered on the importance of establishing rigor and reproducibility in research and how to implement plans to achieve this goal. In this editorial, we highlight the three themes that arose in the articles published for a recent call for papers on “Innovation in Improving Rigor and Reproducibility in Cardiovascular Research” collection: 1) improving methods and models, 2) incorporating sex as a biological variable, and 3) testing assumptions.
  8. Elnagdy M, Wang Y, Rodriguez W, Zhang J, Bauer P, Wilkey DW, Merchant M, Pan J, Farooqui Z, Cannon R, Rai S, Maldonado C, Barve S, McClain CJ, Gobejishvili L. Increased expression of phosphodiesterase 4 in activated hepatic stellate cells promotes cytoskeleton remodeling and cell migration. J Pathol. 2023 Nov;261(3):361-371. doi: 10.1002/path.6194. Epub 2023 Sep 21. PMID: 37735782.
    Impact Statement: This publication reveals, for the first time, that PDE4 enzymes play a pivotal role in promoting cytoskeleton remodeling and hepatic stellate cell migration, shedding light on their significance in the development of liver fibrosis, and offers potential therapeutic insights. Targeted inhibition of PDE4 with rolipram not only hindered fibrogenesis and collagen deposition but also mitigated the expression of key fibrosis-related genes, showcasing the promise of this approach in combating liver disease. 
  9. Marin-Ramirez A, Mahoney T, Smith T, Holm RH. Predicting wastewater treatment plant influent in mixed, separate, and combined sewers using nearby surface water discharge for better wastewater-based epidemiology sampling design. Sci Total Environ. 2023 Sep 27;906:167375. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167375. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37774884.
    Impact Statement: This publication presents a methodology to optimize wastewater sampling during high hydrologic activity. By integrating readily available environmental data, it enhances our ability to monitor public health indicators in wastewater, leading to timely and informed public health interventions. 
  10. 10. Petri BJ, Piell KM, Wahlang B, Head KZ, Rouchka EC, Park JW, Hwang JY, Banerjee M, Cave MC, Klinge CM. Altered splicing factor and alternative splicing events in a mouse model of diet- and polychlorinated biphenyl-induced liver disease. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol. 2023 Sep 7;103:104260. doi: 10.1016/j.etap.2023.104260. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37683712.
    Impact Statement: This paper reports the identification of 101 splice factors showing altered transcript abundance in the livers of high fat diet (HFD)-fed C57Bl/6 J male mice after co-exposure to the PCB mixture Ar1260 and PCB126. We identified four transcripts (Tnrc6c, Dhrs3, Mapsk7, and Wdr59) and of m6A writers, erasers, or readers with altered skipped exon frequencies in the livers from the HFD-fed mice after Aroclor1260 + PCB126 co-exposure. These data suggest that PCB-exposure contributes to dysregulated splicing in the liver transcriptome that may play a role in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) progression.
  11.  Luo J, Watson WH, Gripshover TC, Qaissi Z, Wahlang B. Sex-specific effects of acute chlordane exposure in the context of steatotic liver disease, energy metabolism and endocrine disruption. Food Chem Toxicol. 2023 Oct;180:114024. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2023.114024. Epub 2023 Sep 4. PMID: 37666290.
    Impact Statement: This study reveals that chlordane, an organochlorine pesticide (OCP) that is environmentally persistant, significantly impacts liver health and metabolism differently in male and female mice, shedding light on potential risks to human liver function and hormone regulation associated with pesticide exposure. These findings emphasize the need for further research to better understand the sex-specific effects of chlordane and other organochlorine pesticides on liver disease and metabolic disruption in humans.