October 2023 Member Publications

  1. Ali MT, Gebreil A, ElNakieb Y, Elnakib A, Shalaby A, Mahmoud A, Sleman A, Giridharan GA, Barnes G, Elbaz AS. A personalized classification of behavioral severity of autism spectrum disorder using a comprehensive machine learning framework. Sci Rep. 2023 Oct 9;13(1):17048. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-43478-z. PMID: 37813914; PMCID: PMC10562430.
    Impact Statement: In this study, we've developed an advanced artificial intelligence model that dissects Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) into its behavioral components and accurately identifies specific brain regions associated with ASD severity. By leveraging magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data and behavioral assessments, our AI-based system achieved an impressive 96% accuracy in classifying ASD severity across various behavioral groups, offering a promising approach to expedite diagnosis and potentially improve outcomes for individuals with ASD by streamlining the diagnostic process and pinpointing brain regions crucial for ASD identification and understanding. 
  2. Zhang W, Cheng Y, Zhang L, Wei Y, Xie H, Huang J. Association between emergence delirium and brain status parameters in children undergoing general anesthesia: A prospective observational study. Paediatr Anaesth. 2023 Oct 3. doi: 10.1111/pan.14779. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37788105.
    Impact Statement:     Both anxiety index and comfort index derived from #electroencephalogram wavelet analysis were associated with emergence delirium in pediatric patients undergoing general anesthesia for dental surgery. Wavelet index and pain threshold index were not associated with emergence #delirium during general anesthesia for dental surgery in #children.     
  3. Sutaria SR, Morris J, Xie Z, Cooke E, Silvers S, Long G, Balcom D, Marimuthu S, Parrish L, Aliesky H, Arnold F, Huang J, Fu X, Nantz M. A feasibility study on exhaled breath analysis using UV spectroscopy to detect COVID-19. J Breath Res. 2023 Oct 24. doi: 10.1088/1752-7163/ad0646. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37875100.
    Impact Statement:     UV absorbance measurements on exhaled #breath samples collected from silicon microreactors can be used to detect #COVID-19. There were statistically significant differences in measured UV absorbance values between healthy and symptomatic COVID-19 positive subjects in the wavelength range from 235 nm to 305 nm.     
  4. Yan H, Chen J, Luo J, Li G, Li A, Li W, Jiang M, Li J, Huang J, Fang F, Cang J. Prophylatic use of IV nalmefene to prevent epidural opioid-induced pruritus: A multicenter, randomized clinical trial. J Clin Anesth. 2023 Oct 19;92:111301. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinane.2023.111301. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37865021.
    Impact Statement:    A single dose of 0.5 μg/kg #nalmefene intravenously significantly reduced the incidence and severity of epidural-opioid induced #pruritus within 24 h after surgery without affecting the efficacy of epidural analgesia.     
  5. Vatsalya V, Verster JC, Sagaram M, Royer AJ, Hu H, Parthasarathy R, Schwandt ML, Kong M, Ramchandani VA, Feng W, Agrawal R, Zhang X, McClain CJ. Novel paradigms for the gut-brain axis during alcohol withdrawal, withdrawal-associated depression, and craving in patients with alcohol use disorder. Front Psychiatry. 2023 Sep 29;14:1203362. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1203362. PMID: 37840804; PMCID: PMC10570744.
    Impact Statement: This study illuminates the intricate link between gut function, immune response, and symptoms associated with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), uncovering how specific markers in the gut-immune system correlate with withdrawal, depression, and craving tendencies in patients. By revealing the role of gut dysfunction and proinflammatory markers, this research paves the way for understanding a novel gut-brain axis, offering potential insights into targeted interventions for managing withdrawal symptoms, depression, and cravings in individuals with AUD.
  6. Meaza I, Williams AR, Lu H, Kouokam JC, Toyoda JH, Croom-Perez TJ, Wise SS, Aboueissa AE, Wise JP Sr. Prolonged particulate hexavalent chromium exposure induces RAD51 foci inhibition and cytoplasmic accumulation in immortalized and primary human lung bronchial epithelial cells. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2023 Oct 5;479:116711. doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2023.116711. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37805091.
    Impact Statement: This study translates the mechanism behind hexavalent chromium's (Cr(VI)) carcinogenic impact on human lung cells, involving how acute and prolonged exposure to Cr(VI) induces DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and disrupts the repair process, leading to chromosomal instability from one lung cell type to a second lung cell type, specifically the type in which lung tumors originate. Demonstrating this mechanism occurs in multiple cell types deepens our understanding of this mechanism and strengthens the evidence that this mechanism is the key to understanding and potentially mitigating Cr(VI)-induced lung tumors. 
  7. Montoya-Durango D, Walter MN, Rodriguez W, Wang Y, Chariker JH, Rouchka EC, Maldonado C, Barve S, McClain CJ, Gobejishvili L. Dysregulated Cyclic Nucleotide Metabolism in Alcohol-Associated Steatohepatitis: Implications for Novel Targeted Therapies. Biology (Basel). 2023 Oct 10;12(10):1321. doi: 10.3390/biology12101321. PMID: 37887031; PMCID: PMC10604143.
    Impact Statement: This study delineates a significant decrease in specific gut microbiome-derived metabolites, such as serotonin and indole-3-propionic acid, in patients with advanced Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease (ALD), shedding light on the intricate interplay between altered gut microbial metabolites, liver pathologies, and host metabolism. By revealing disruptions in metabolite concentrations and hepatic enzyme expression, particularly in severe ALD cases, this research unveils the complex alterations in gut-derived metabolites, offering valuable insights into potential pathways for targeted interventions to alleviate the progression and severity of ALD through modulating gut microbiome-associated metabolites and hepatic metabolism. 
  8. Mrdjen M, Huang E, Pathak V, Bellar A, Welch N, Dasarathy J, Streem D, McClain CJ, Mitchell M, Radaeva S, Barton B, Szabo G, Dasarathy S, Wang Z, Hazen SL, Brown JM, Nagy LE. Dysregulated meta-organismal metabolism of aromatic amino acids in alcohol-associated liver disease. Hepatol Commun. 2023 Oct 12;7(11):e0284. doi: 10.1097/HC9.0000000000000284. PMID: 37820283; PMCID: PMC10578770.
    Impact Statement: This study highlights significant decreases in specific gut microbiome-derived metabolites in individuals with advanced stages of Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease (ALD), shedding light on the intricate interplay between altered gut microbiota, host metabolism, and disease progression. By revealing disruptions in metabolite concentrations and hepatic enzyme expression, particularly in severe ALD cases, this research offers insights into the complex relationship between gut microbial metabolites and the progression of liver disease, potentially paving the way for targeted therapeutic interventions to mitigate the effects of ALD.
  9. Ghare SS, Charpentier BT, Ghooray DT, Zhang J, Vadhanam MV, Reddy S, Joshi-Barve S, McClain CJ, Barve SS. Tributyrin Mitigates Ethanol-Induced Lysine Acetylation of Histone-H3 and p65-NFκB Downregulating CCL2 Expression and Consequent Liver Inflammation and Injury. Nutrients. 2023 Oct 17;15(20):4397. doi: 10.3390/nu15204397. PMID: 37892472; PMCID: PMC10610222.
    Impact Statement: This research uncovers the pivotal role of protein acetylation in regulating the expression of hepatic CCL2, a key factor contributing to inflammation and injury in Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease (ALD). By revealing how ethanol-induced acetylation changes impact gene expression and subsequent liver inflammation, and demonstrating the potential therapeutic effect of tributyrin in reversing these alterations, this study provides crucial insights into the mechanisms underlying ALD progression, offering a promising avenue for targeted interventions to mitigate liver injury and inflammation in this condition. 
  10. Anderson LB, Ness HD, Holm RH, Smith T. Wastewater-Informed Digital Advertising as a COVID-19 Geotargeted Neighborhood Intervention: Jefferson County, Kentucky, 2021-2022. Am J Public Health. 2023 Oct 19:e1-e4. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2023.307439. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37856730.
    Impact Statement: This publication demonstrates the potential of using localized public health clinical case data and wastewater pathogen data to implement a geotargeted digital messaging intervention. This approach offers a more responsive and targeted solution for environmental health risks. 
  11. Klaassen F, Holm RH, Smith T, Cohen T, Bhatnagar A, Menzies NA. Predictive power of wastewater for nowcasting infectious disease transmission: A retrospective case study of five sewershed areas in Louisville, Kentucky. Environ Res. 2023 Oct 12:117395. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117395. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37838198.
    Impact Statement: This research underscores the potential value of wastewater data in enhancing infectious disease nowcasting, particularly when clinical surveillance data are limited or absent, offering a valuable alternative for early pandemic monitoring or in resource-constrained settings. Although the addition of wastewater data only marginally improved predictive performance compared to models using traditional case and death reports, its inclusion significantly enhanced agreement with estimates derived from models utilizing death data, emphasizing its utility in augmenting disease trend predictions. 
  12. Jin L, Xie Z, Lorkiewicz P, Srivastava S, Bhatnagar A, Conklin DJ. Endothelial-dependent Relaxation of Alpha-Pinene and Two Metabolites, Myrtenol and Verbenol, in Isolated Murine Blood Vessels. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2023 Oct 27. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00380.2023. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37889254.
    Impact Statement: Because the positive associations between greenness exposure and human cardiovascular health may be a result of exposure to plant-derived compounds, we explored the direct vascular action of alpha-pinene, an abundant plant compound, and two of its metabolites. Surprisingly, both alpha-pinene and its metabolites, myrtenol and verbenol, relax blood vessels by release of nitric oxide from the endothelium – a novel finding that may explain some of the beneficial health effects of greenness. 
  13. Lykoudi A, Ferragut Cardoso AP, Wise SS, Banerjee M, States JC. Clonal variability in chromosomal instability as a potential driver in the acquisition of tumorigenic phenotype in chronic arsenic-exposed and hsa-miR-186 overexpressing human keratinocytes. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2023 Oct 20;479:116730. doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2023.116730. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37866707.
    Impact Statement: Long-term exposure to arsenic in drinking water affects millions globally, ranking as the second most prevalent cause of skin cancer, with arsenic-triggered chromosomal instability contributing significantly to this risk. Investigating the role of hsa-miR-186, researchers found its heightened presence in arsenic-induced skin cancer, suggesting its potential involvement in the malignant transformation of cells by disrupting mitotic progression, highlighting a critical link between molecular variability and the development of arsenic-induced skin carcinogenesis. 
  14. Browning MHEM, Locke DH, Konijnendijk C, Labib SM, Rigolon A, Yeager R, Bardhan M, Berland A, Dadvand P, Helbich M, Li F, Li H, James P, Klompmaker J, Reuben A, Roman LA, Tsai WL, Patwary M, O'Neil-Dunne J, Ossola A, Wang R, Yang B, Yi L, Zhang J, Nieuwenhuijsen M. Measuring the 3-30-300 rule to help cities meet nature access thresholds. Sci Total Environ. 2023 Oct 11:167739. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167739. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37832672.
    Impact Statement: The 3-30-300 rule serves as benchmark for healthy access to nature, suggesting that urban residents should at least be able to see 3 trees from a window, have 30% canopy cover, and live within 300m of a park. This publication aids society and public health by providing guidance for scientists, practitioners, and policymakers to measure the 3-30-300 benchmarks and focus intervention efforts.