September 2024 Member Publications

  1. Wu J, Trifiro BM, Ranker LR, Origgi JM, Benjamin EJ, Robertson RM, Bhatnagar A, Stokes AC, Xuan Z, Wijaya D, Plummer B, Cornacchione Ross J, Fetterman JL, Hong T. Health Warnings on Instagram Advertisements for Synthetic Nicotine E-Cigarettes and Engagement. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Sep 3;7(9):e2434434. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.34434. PMID: 39269702; PMCID: PMC11400217.
    Impact Statement: This study reveals that 87% of synthetic nicotine e-cigarette posts on Instagram did not comply with FDA health warning regulations, suggesting that regulatory oversight is lacking in social media marketing. Strengthened enforcement of FDA-compliant health warnings could reduce youth engagement with tobacco-related content online. 
  2. Baba SP, Amraotkar AR, Hoetker D, Gao H, Gomes D, Zhao J, Wempe MF, Rice PJ, DeFilippis AP, Rai SN, Pope CA 3rd, Bhatnagar A, O'Toole TE. Evaluation of supplementary carnosine accumulation and distribution: an initial analysis of participants in the Nucleophilic Defense Against PM Toxicity (NEAT) clinical trial. Amino Acids. 2024 Aug 31;56(1):55. doi: 10.1007/s00726-024-03414-5. PMID: 39215872; PMCID: PMC11365863.
    Impact Statement: This publication details initial results from the NEAT clinical trial and validates our approach for increasing endogenous carnosine levels. This dietary supplementation strategy may be useful in combatting individual levels of oxidative stress and inflammation that arise as a consequence of exposure to PM2.5 or other environmental pollutants.
  3. Harris LM, Guerrero EG, Khachikian T, Serrett V, Marsh JC. Expert providers implement integrated and coordinated care in opioid use disorder treatment. Int J Drug Policy. 2024 Oct;132:104567. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104567. Epub 2024 Sep 5. PMID: 39241532.
    Impact Statement: This study highlights the persistent challenges and innovative strategies employed by high-performing opioid use disorder treatment programs in Los Angeles County to integrate and coordinate medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Providers demonstrated resilience in overcoming barriers such as stigma and fragmented healthcare systems by adopting a multidisciplinary approach, leveraging community partnerships, and utilizing telehealth, ultimately improving patient outcomes and treatment retention. 
  4. Zhong Y, Geng F, Mazik L, Yin X, Becker AP, Mohammed S, Su H, Xing E, Kou Y, Chiang CY, Fan Y, Guo Y, Wang Q, Li PK, Mo X, Lefai E, He L, Cheng X, Zhang X, Chakravarti A, Guo D. Combinatorial targeting of glutamine metabolism and lysosomal-based lipid metabolism effectively suppresses glioblastoma. Cell Rep Med. 2024 Sep 17;5(9):101706. doi: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101706. Epub 2024 Sep 4. PMID: 39236712.
    Impact Statement: This study unveils that pimozide inhibits lysosome hydrolytic function to suppress fatty acid and cholesterol release in glioblastoma (GBM), the most lethal brain tumor. Those findings underscore the promising therapeutic potential of effectively targeting GBM by combining glutamine metabolism inhibition with lysosome suppression. 
  5. Monreal G, Koenig SC, Sangwan A, Guida R, Huang J, Demirors E, Melodia T, Jimenez JH, Slaughter MS. Feasibility Testing of the Bionet Sonar Ultrasound Transcutaneous Energy Transmission (UTET) System for Wireless Power and Communication of a LVAD. Cardiovasc Eng Technol. 2024 Sep 4. doi: 10.1007/s13239-024-00748-9. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39230796.
    Impact Statement: During early-stage development and testing, engineering challenges for Ultrasound #TranscutaneousEnergyTransmission size reduction and stable and safe operation were identified, with solutions and plans to address the limitations in future design iterations also presented. 
  6. Jain A, Jung HJ, Aubee J, O'Neil JN, Muhammad LA, Khan S, Thompson K, Fluitt MB, Lee DL, Klinge CM, Khundmiri SJ. Role of NHERF1 in MicroRNA Landscape Changes in Aging Mouse Kidneys. Biomolecules. 2024 Aug 23;14(9):1048. doi: 10.3390/biom14091048. PMID: 39334814; PMCID: PMC11430241.
    Impact Statement: During aging, the expression of sodium hydrogen regulatory factor 1 (NHERF1) is decreased in kidney proximal tubules. This research identified differential expression of miRNAs associated with aging in Nherf1-/- mice leading to increased protein levels of transcription factors NFATc2 and NFATC3, altered pathways in Wnt signaling and increases in cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17A, MCP1, and TNF- in mouse kidney. 
  7. Hardesty JE, Warner JB, Wilkey DW, Phinney BS, Salemi MR, Merchant ML, McClain CJ, Warner DR, Kirpich IA. Hepatic Proteomic Changes Associated with Liver Injury Caused by Alcohol Consumption in Fpr2-/- Mice. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Sep 11;25(18):9807. doi: 10.3390/ijms25189807. PMID: 39337294; PMCID: PMC11432144.
    Impact Statement: This study reveals that FPR2 may regulate blood coagulation and antioxidant systems in alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), with findings from a mouse model showing similarities to those in human patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH). Proteomic analysis identified key pathways and protein alterations, suggesting potential therapeutic targets, though further research is needed for validation. 
  8. Kalbfleisch TS, Smith ML, Ciosek JL, Li K, Doris PA. Three decades of rat genomics: approaching the finish(ed) line. Physiol Genomics. 2024 Sep 30. doi: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00110.2024. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39348459.
    Impact Statement: We recently generated the new rat reference genome, named GRCr8, which is the most complete genome to date using a combination of long-read, single-molecule sequencing and optical mapping. This genome has resolved megabases of new content, specifically in repetitive, low complexity genomic regions such as the immune receptors and olfactory-associated genes. This paper highlights how this improved reference will support identifying pathogenic genomic variation in multiple models of disease that depend on rat models going forward. 
  9. Zhu B, Gupta K, Cui K, Wang B, Malovichko MV, Han X, Li K, Wu H, Arulsamy KS, Singh B, Gao J, Wong S, Cowan DB, Wang D, Biddinger S, Srivastava S, Shi J, Chen K, Chen H. Targeting Liver Epsins Ameliorates Dyslipidemia in Atherosclerosis. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2024 Aug 27:2024.08.26.609742. doi: 10.1101/2024.08.26.609742. PMID: 39253478; PMCID: PMC11383288.
    Impact Statement: This study reveals that liver epsins play a pivotal role in promoting atherogenesis by mediating PCSK9-triggered degradation of LDL receptors, leading to elevated circulating LDL-C levels. Targeting liver epsins with siRNA-based therapies offers a promising approach to treating atherosclerosis by enhancing LDL-C clearance and inhibiting dyslipidemia. 
  10. Price A, Simmons H, Gehring E, Davis L, Fischer G, Klipsch AR, Richmond E, Sullivan JE, Steiner SJ. Significant delays exist in industry-sponsored pediatric clinical drug trial start-up and enrollment processes. Contemp Clin Trials. 2024 Sep 24;146:107701. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2024.107701. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39326578.
    Impact Statement: Many advances have been made in the last 20 years in pediatric therapeutics due to federal regulations and incentives to expedite pediatric drug development from the pre-term neonate to adolescents. However, significant barriers to advancing pediatric drug development continue despite the federal incentives. Twenty-four sites contributed data on 330 industry-sponsored pediatric drug studies. The average duration to final study budget approval was 121 (range 3-585) days, to final study Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval 51 (range 1-205) days, to Site Initiation Visit 204 (range 23-600) days, and to first patient consented 239 (range 30-534) days. There is an urgent need to improve how clinical trials are designed, implemented, and conducted to increase the number of approved therapeutic interventions for children. The delays and wide variation in all steps of the study process indicate multiple opportunities for improvement from the first contact with the site to the first patient being consented. 
  11. Yuan J, Mo Y, Zhang Y, Zhang Y, Zhang Q. HMGB1 derived from lung epithelial cells after cobalt nanoparticle exposure promotes the activation of lung fibroblasts. Nanotoxicology. 2024 Sep 19:1-17. doi: 10.1080/17435390.2024.2404074. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39295432.
    Impact Statement: In this publication, we demonstrated that exposure of human lung epithelial cells to cobalt nanoparticles (Nano-Co), rather than Nano-TiO2, caused a remarkable increase in the transcription, translation, and secretion of HMGB1 in a HIF-1α-dependent manner, which then promoted the activation of lung fibroblasts through RAGE-MAPKs pathway. These findings suggest a crucial role of HMGB1 in epithelial cell-fibroblast crosstalk in Nano-Co-induced pulmonary fibrosis, which may have important implications for understanding the pro-fibrotic potential of Nano-Co.