Publications by authors named "Evan L Pannkuk"

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a fungal wildlife disease of bats that has caused precipitous declines in certain Nearctic bat species. A key driver of mortality is premature exhaustion of fat reserves, primarily white adipose tissue (WAT), that bats rely on to meet their metabolic needs during winter. However, the pathophysiological and metabolic effects of WNS have remained ill-defined.

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A realistic exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) from an improvised nuclear device will likely include individuals who are partially shielded from the initial blast delivered at a very high dose rate (VHDR). As different tissues have varying levels of radiosensitivity, e.g.

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Development of novel biodosimetry assays and medical countermeasures is needed to obtain a level of radiation preparedness in the event of malicious or accidental mass exposures to ionizing radiation (IR). For biodosimetry, metabolic profiling with mass spectrometry (MS) platforms has identified several small molecules in easily accessible biofluids that are promising for dose reconstruction. As our microbiome has profound effects on biofluid metabolite composition, it is of interest how variation in the host microbiome may affect metabolomics based biodosimetry.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study focuses on developing new biodosimetry tests to accurately measure radiation exposure levels after nuclear accidents or attacks, emphasizing the need for reliable dose reconstruction regardless of exposure complexity.
  • - Researchers examined the effects of varying radiation doses (0, 3, and 8 Gy) on mouse urine and serum metabolite profiles over two days following exposure, noting that both genders showed similar changes except for a few specific metabolites.
  • - Results indicated that specific metabolite panels could effectively differentiate between lethal and sublethal radiation doses, suggesting potential for accurate identification of affected individuals in emergency situations.
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White-nose syndrome (WNS)-positive little brown bats () may exhibit immune responses including increased cytokine and pro-inflammatory mediator gene levels. Bioactive lipid mediators (oxylipins) formed by enzymatic oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids can contribute to these immune responses, but have not been investigated in WNS pathophysiology. Nonenzymatic conversion of polyunsaturated fatty acids can also occur due to reactive oxygen species, however, these enantiomeric isomers will lack the same signaling properties.

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High-throughput biodosimetry methods to determine exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) that can also be easily scaled to multiple testing sites in emergency situations are needed in the event of malicious attacks or nuclear accidents that may involve a substantial number of civilians. In the event of an improvised nuclear device (IND), a complex IR exposure will have a very high-dose rate (VHDR) component from an initial blast. We have previously addressed low-dose rate (LDR, ≤1 Gy/day) exposures from internal emitters on biofluid small molecule signatures, but further research on the VHDR component of the initial blast is required.

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Radiation biodosimetry based on transcriptomic analysis of peripheral blood is a valuable tool to detect radiation exposure after a radiological/nuclear event and obtain useful biological information that could predict tissue and organismal injury. However, confounding factors, including chronic inflammation or immune suppression, can potentially obscure the predictive power of the method. Members of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family respond to pro-inflammatory signals and environmental stresses, whereas genetic ablation of the p38 signaling pathway in mice leads to reduced susceptibility to collagen-induced arthritis and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis that model human rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, respectively.

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Article Synopsis
  • Several diagnostic tools are being developed to help respond to radiological or nuclear emergencies, focusing on using biofluid small-molecule signatures to indicate tissue damage from radiation exposure.
  • A study using genetically modified mice showed varying immune responses and how these could impact biodosimetry models for dose reconstruction after radiation exposure.
  • The research identified specific metabolites in urine and serum that successfully distinguished between different radiation doses, indicating these biomarkers could be reliable for assessing radiation damage, even in immunosuppressed individuals.
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An important component of ionizing radiation (IR) exposure after a radiological incident may include low-dose rate (LDR) exposures either externally or internally, such as from Cs deposition. In this study, a novel irradiation system, VAriable Dose-rate External Cs irradiatoR (VADER), was used to expose male and female mice to a variable LDR irradiation over a 30 d time span to simulate fall-out-type exposures in addition to biofluid collection from a reference dose rate (0.8 Gy/min).

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White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emergent wildlife fungal disease of cave-dwelling, hibernating bats that has led to unprecedented mortalities throughout North America. A primary factor in WNS-associated bat mortality includes increased arousals from torpor and premature fat depletion during winter months. Details of species and sex-specific changes in lipid metabolism during WNS are poorly understood and may play an important role in the pathophysiology of the disease.

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Due to risks from potential exposures to ionizing radiation (IR), improved radiological countermeasures are required, as well as rapid high-throughput biodosimetry. Genotypic variation in the general population contributes to differences in radiosensitivity that may affect biodosimetry accuracy. Previous studies utilized radiosensitive mutant mouse models (Parp1 and Atm) to determine the effects of genotypic deficiency on radiation signatures.

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Processes associated with recovery of survivors are understudied components of wildlife infectious diseases. White-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats provides an opportunity to study recovery of disease survivors, understand implications of recovery for individual energetics, and assess the role of survivors in pathogen transmission. We documented temporal patterns of recovery from WNS in little brown bats () following hibernation to test the hypotheses that: (1) recovery of wing structure from WNS matches a rapid time scale (i.

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Whole body exposure to ionizing radiation damages tissues leading to physical symptoms which contribute to acute radiation syndrome. Radiation biodosimetry aims to determine characteristic early biomarkers indicative of radiation exposure and is necessary for effective triage after an unanticipated radiological incident. Radiation metabolomics can address this aim by assessing metabolic perturbations following exposure.

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A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.

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Rapid assessment of radiation signatures in noninvasive biofluids may aid in assigning proper medical treatments for acute radiation syndrome (ARS) and delegating limited resources after a nuclear disaster. Metabolomic platforms allow for rapid screening of biofluid signatures and show promise in differentiating radiation quality and time postexposure. Here, we use global metabolomics to differentiate temporal effects (1-60 d) found in nonhuman primate (NHP) urine and serum small molecule signatures after a 4 Gy total body irradiation.

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Threats of nuclear terrorism coupled with potential unintentional ionizing radiation exposures have necessitated the need for large-scale response efforts of such events, including high-throughput biodosimetry for medical triage. Global metabolomics utilizing mass spectrometry (MS) platforms has proven an ideal tool for generating large compound databases with relative quantification and structural information in a short amount of time. Determining metabolite panels for biodosimetry requires experimentation to evaluate the many factors associated with compound concentrations in biofluids after radiation exposures, including temporal changes, pre-existing conditions, dietary intake, partial- vs.

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The search for and development of radiation countermeasures to treat acute lethal radiation injury has been underway for the past six decades, resulting in the identification of multiple classes of radiation countermeasures. However, to date only granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (Neupogen) and PEGylated granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (Neulasta) have been approved by the U.S.

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High-throughput methods to assess radiation exposure are a priority due to concerns that include nuclear power accidents, the spread of nuclear weapon capability, and the risk of terrorist attacks. Metabolomics, the assessment of small molecules in an easily accessible sample, is the most recent method to be applied for the identification of biomarkers of the biological radiation response with a useful dose-response profile. Profiling for biomarker identification is frequently done using an LC-MS platform which has limited throughput due to the time-consuming nature of chromatography.

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Concern over potential exposures of ionizing radiation (IR) to large populations has emphasized the need for rapid and reliable methods of biodosimetry to determine absorbed dose and required triage. Lipidomics has emerged as a powerful technique for large-scale lipid identification and quantification. Indirect effects from IR exposure generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) through water hydrolysis and may subsequently damage cellular lipids.

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The potential for radiological accidents and nuclear terrorism has increased the need for the development of new rapid biodosimetry methods. In addition, in a clinical setting the issue of an individual's radiosensitivity should be taken into consideration during radiotherapy. We utilized metabolomics and lipidomics to investigate changes of metabolites in serum samples following exposure to total body ionizing radiation in humans.

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Ionizing radiation (IR) directly damages cells and tissues or indirectly damages them through reactive free radicals that may lead to longer term adverse sequelae such as cancers, persistent inflammation, or possible death. Potential exposures include nuclear reactor accidents, improper disposal of equipment containing radioactive materials or medical errors, and terrorist attacks. Metabolomics (comprehensive analysis of compounds <1 kDa) by mass spectrometry (MS) has been proposed as a tool for high-throughput biodosimetry and rapid assessment of exposed dose and triage needed.

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Introduction: Due to dangers associated with potential accidents from nuclear energy and terrorist threats, there is a need for high-throughput biodosimetry to rapidly assess individual doses of radiation exposure. Lipidomics and metabolomics are becoming common tools for determining global signatures after disease or other physical insult and provide a "snapshot" of potential cellular damage.

Objectives: The current study assesses changes in the nonhuman primate (NHP) serum lipidome and metabolome 7 days following exposure to ionizing radiation (IR).

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Purpose: Exposure of the general population to ionizing radiation has increased in the past decades, primarily due to long distance travel and medical procedures. On the other hand, accidental exposures, nuclear accidents, and elevated threats of terrorism with the potential detonation of a radiological dispersal device or improvised nuclear device in a major city, all have led to increased needs for rapid biodosimetry and assessment of exposure to different radiation qualities and scenarios. Metabolomics, the qualitative and quantitative assessment of small molecules in a given biological specimen, has emerged as a promising technology to allow for rapid determination of an individual's exposure level and metabolic phenotype.

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Radiation exposure is an important public health issue due to a range of accidental and intentional threats. Prompt and effective large-scale screening and appropriate use of medical countermeasures (MCM) to mitigate radiation injury requires rapid methods for determining the radiation dose. In a number of studies, metabolomics has identified small-molecule biomarkers responding to the radiation dose.

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The increased threat of radiological terrorism and accidental nuclear exposures, together with increased usage of radiation-based medical procedures, has made necessary the development of minimally invasive methods for rapid identification of exposed individuals. Genetically predisposed radiosensitive individuals comprise a significant number of the population and require specialized attention and treatments after such events. Metabolomics, the assessment of the collective small molecule content in a given biofluid or tissue, has proven effective in the rapid identification of radiation biomarkers and metabolic perturbations.

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