February 2025 Member Publications

  1. Abdelrahim M, Khudri M, Elnakib A, Shehata M, Weafer K, Khalil A, Saleh GA, Batouty NM, Ghazal M, Contractor S, Barnes G, El-Baz A. AI-based non-invasive imaging technologies for early autism spectrum disorder diagnosis: A short review and future directions. Artif Intell Med. 2025 Mar;161:103074. doi: 10.1016/j.artmed.2025.103074. Epub 2025 Jan 31. PMID: 39919468.
    Impact Statement: This review highlights recent advancements in non-invasive imaging technology, specifically structural MRI techniques, for early autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. By addressing key questions on imaging biomarkers, brain cortex parcellation, available databases, and AI-driven diagnostic improvements, this work underscores the potential for more accurate and objective early ASD detection.
  2. Siegel NA, Zhao J, Benjamin EJ, Bhatnagar A, Hall JL, Stokes AC. Identifying Patterns of Tobacco Use and Associated Cardiovascular Disease Risk Through Machine Learning Analysis of Urine Biomarkers. JACC Adv. 2025 Feb 21;4(3):101630. doi: 10.1016/j.jacadv.2025.101630. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39985885.
    Impact Statement: Using cluster analysis, this study identified distinct biomarker exposure patterns linked to different tobacco product usage, revealing that cigarette and dual users had the highest levels of oxidative stress and inflammation. These findings highlight a potential tool for assessing emerging tobacco products and their associated cardiovascular risks, aiding future public health efforts. 
  3. Zhang H, Zhou W, Wang X, Men H, Wang J, Xu J, Zhou S, Liu Q, Cai L. Exacerbation by knocking-out metallothionein gene of obesity-induced cardiac remodeling is associated with the activation of CARD9 signaling. Int J Biol Sci. 2025 Jan 13;21(3):1032-1046. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.105513. PMID: 39897024; PMCID: PMC11781176.
    Impact Statement: We demonstrated that all insulin resistance, cardiac hypertrophy, and cardiac inflammation in an obese mouse model induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) were associated with upregulation of caspase recruitment domain-containing protein 9 (CARD9) and B-cell lymphoma/leukemia 10 (BCL10) and activation of p38 MAPK pathway. However, these changes were prevented by zinc supplementation with upregulation of metallothionein (MT). Now we also showed MT knockout (KO) aggravated HFD-induced obesity and systemic metabolic disorder, and cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, along with increased cardiac macrophages accumulation, CARD9 and BCL10 expression and NF-κB activation. Therefore, we concluded MT-KO in combined with HFD-induced obesity synergistically promotes cardiac remodeling, likely via trace metal dyshomeostasis-induced oxidative stress to trigger CARD9/BCL10-mediated NF-κB activation. 
  4. He L, Wang Y, Yuan F, Morrissey S, Geller AE, Hu X, Xu R, Ma X, Zhang HG, McLeish K, Huang J, Zhang X, Yan J. Metabolomics Profiling Reveals Critical Roles of Indoxyl Sulfate in the Regulation of Innate Monocytes in COVID-19. Cells. 2025 Feb 11;14(4):256. doi: 10.3390/cells14040256. PMID: 39996729; PMCID: PMC11853107.
    Impact Statement: Using paired samples from COVID-19 patients, we identified indoxyl sulfate, a small metabolite, as a potential biomarker through LC-MS. This biomarker may help monitor COVID-19 disease progression and guide more individualized treatment strategies for patients. 
  5. Nguyen DC, Wells CK, Taylor MS, Martinez-Ondaro Y, Singhal R, Brittian KR, Brainard RE, Moore JB, Hill BG. Dietary Branched-Chain Amino Acids Modify Postinfarct Cardiac Remodeling and Function in the Murine Heart. J Am Heart Assoc. 2025 Feb 18;14(4):e037637. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.124.037637. Epub 2025 Feb 14. PMID: 39950451.
    Impact Statement: This study demonstrates that branched chain amino acid (BCAA) levels in the diet influence cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction, with low levels of BCAAs having a salutary effect on the post-infarcted heart. Given that the effects of diet on cardiac remodeling after injury is an area of research that is markedly underdeveloped, these studies provide a starting point for assessing how careful nutrition may be used as a tool to improve the health of patients that have suffered a heart attack. 
  6. Adamson DT, Kavalukas S, Shaw MA, Weingartner LA. Engaging Clinical Learners Asynchronously With Social Annotation for Case-Based Discussions. Clin Teach. 2025 Apr;22(2):e70032. doi: 10.1111/tct.70032. PMID: 39933568.
    Impact Statement: Using a social annotation platform for case-based learning in a surgical residency preparatory course led to high student engagement, with 95% of readings completed and an average of nine discussion comments per assignment. This approach offers a flexible instructional tool that fosters peer interaction and enhances asynchronous learning in clinical education. 
  7. Kittle WM, Reeves MA, Fulkerson AE, Hamorsky KT, Morris DA, Kitterman KT, Merchant ML, Matoba N. Preclinical Long-Term Stability and Forced Degradation Assessment of EPICERTIN, a Mucosal Healing Biotherapeutic for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Pharmaceutics. 2025 Feb 15;17(2):259. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics17020259. PMID: 40006626; PMCID: PMC11859197.
    Impact Statement: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) disorders such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are characterized by chronic and relapsing inflammation in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. EPICERTIN, a biotherapeutic candidate for mucosal healing in IBD, was subjected to an extensive long-term stability testing. Our results demonstrate EPICERTIN stably for 2 years under the conditions tested, and highlights its potential for the treatment of IBD. 
  8. O'Toole TE, Amraotkar AR, Gao H, Sears CG, Rai SN, Basner M, Bhatnagar A. Carnosine supplementation improves cognitive outcomes in younger participants of the NEAT trial. Neurotherapeutics. 2025 Mar;22(2):e00541. doi: 10.1016/j.neurot.2025.e00541. Epub 2025 Feb 6. PMID: 39919936.
    Impact Statement: In this study, we examined how carnosine supplementation affected cognitive performance in members of the NEAT cohort. This was done using the computerized, validated Cognition platform, which is a series of 10 short tests analyzing different cognitive functions and employing different brain regions. Cumulative accuracy and speed scores were obtained for the whole platform as well as for each of the 10 individual tests. We found that carnosine improved speed and accuracy scores, but selectively in younger participants (23-35 years of age). These results suggest carnosine supplementation can improve cognitive function in younger individuals who are devoid of susceptibility factors or pre-existing conditions.
  9. Teng Y, Luo C, Qiu X, Mu J, Sriwastva MK, Xu Q, Liu M, Hu X, Xu F, Zhang L, Park JW, Hwang JY, Kong M, Liu Z, Zhang X, Xu R, Yan J, Merchant ML, McClain CJ, Zhang HG. Plant-nanoparticles enhance anti-PD-L1 efficacy by shaping human commensal microbiota metabolites. Nat Commun. 2025 Feb 3;16(1):1295. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-56498-2. PMID: 39900923; PMCID: PMC11790884.
    Impact Statement: This study reveals a novel mechanism by which plant-derived nanoparticles, specifically ginger-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (GELN), enhance cancer immunotherapy by modulating gut microbiota and metabolic pathways. By increasing circulating docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and inhibiting PD-L1 expression in tumor cells, GELN improves the efficacy of anti-PD-L1 therapy, offering new insights into diet-microbiome interactions in cancer treatment. 
  10. Woolley CR, Chariker JH, Rouchka EC, Ford EE, Hudson E, Rasche KM, Whitley CS, Vanwinkle Z, Casella CR, Smith ML, Mitchell TC. Full-length mRNA sequencing resolves novel variation in 5' UTR length for genes expressed during human CD4 T-cell activation. Immunogenetics. 2025 Feb 5;77(1):14. doi: 10.1007/s00251-025-01371-1. PMID: 39904916; PMCID: PMC11794378.
    Impact Statement: Using Isoform sequencing (Iso-Seq), we generated the first reference transcriptome of activated human CD4 T cells, uncovering novel splice- and end-variant transcripts, including previously unrecognized 5' UTR extensions in one-eighth of expressed genes. Our findings demonstrate how long-read sequencing reveals critical regulatory elements influencing transcript stability and protein expression, emphasizing the need to refine reference databases for a more comprehensive understanding of gene regulation. 
  11. Jin L, Richardson A, Lynch J, Miller A, Sithu I, Lorkiewicz P, Srivastava S, Gao H, Riggs DW, Srivastava S, Conklin DJ. Role of the Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin-1 in the Pulmonary, Vascular, and Systemic Effects of Short-Term Acrolein Inhalation in Mice: Implications for the Toxicity of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems. Cardiovasc Toxicol. 2025 Feb 25. doi: 10.1007/s12012-025-09978-2. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40000582.
    Impact Statement: Acrolein – a toxic aldehyde present in electronic cigarette-derived aerosol – induced respiratory braking and vascular dysfunction in mice via activation of an irritant receptor known as Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin-1 (TRPA1) and independently of TRPA1, respectively. These data provide evidence that exposure to the toxic aldehydes present in electronic cigarettes such as acrolein elevates the risk of cardiopulmonary diseases. Regulatory actions should target the lowering of the levels of aldehydes in electronic cigarette-derived aerosols to protect public health. 
  12. Saedi S, Tan Y, Watson SE, Sparks JD, Wintergerst KA, Cai L. Oxidative stress and pediatric diabetic cardiovascular complications: emerging research and clinical applications. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2025 Feb 28. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00673.2024. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40019178.
    Impact Statement: Diabetes and diabetic complications have been extensively investigated in the adult population, but relatively less in the pediatric populations. Oxidative stress has been considered as a very common pathogenic factor in both diabetic and its complications pathologies. With a focus of oxidative stress, therefore, this review has comprehensively summarized the trends of pediatric prevalence, diabetic pathogenesis and its cardiovascular complications and provide some prospectives for the future works. 
  13. Zelko IN, Malovichko MV, McFall SA, Taylor BS, Chen H, Conklin DJ, Srivastava S. Chronic Inhaled Benzene Exposure Exacerbates Atherosclerosis in LDL Receptor-Null Mice. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2025 Feb 2:2025.01.29.635519. doi: 10.1101/2025.01.29.635519. PMID: 39974913; PMCID: PMC11838383.
    Impact Statement: Inhaled benzene exposure promotes atherosclerosis by increasing vascular inflammation, T-cell proliferation, and vascular smooth muscle cell alterations in LDLR-KO mice. These findings suggest that benzene compromises plaque stability, highlighting a potential new cardiovascular risk associated with this common environmental pollutant. 
  14. Zhang Y, Guo Y, Du L, Zhao J, Ci X, Yin J, Niu Q, Mo Y, Zhang Q, Nie J. Maternal Exposure of SD Rats to Benzo[a]Pyrene Impairs Neurobehavior and Hippocampal Synaptic Ultrastructure in Offspring via Downregulating Synaptic-Associated Factors. Environ Toxicol. 2025 Feb 18. doi: 10.1002/tox.24489. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39967322.
    Impact Statement: This study demonstrated that maternal Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) exposure induced neurobehavioral deficits in offspring during the brain growth spurt (BGS) period by destroying the hippocampal synaptic ultrastructure, which was possibly associated with the downregulation of BDNF, Arc, SYP, and PSD95 in the hippocampus through increased DNMTs-mediated DNA methylation.