Publications by authors named "Gregory Wu"

Single-cell transcriptomics applied to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for elucidating the pathophysiology of neurologic diseases has produced only a preliminary characterization of CSF immune cells. CSF derives from and borders central nervous system (CNS) tissue, allowing for comprehensive accounting of cell types along with their relative abundance and immunologic profiles relevant to CNS diseases. Using integration techniques applied to publicly available datasets in combination with our own studies, we generated a compendium with 139 subjects encompassing 135 CSF and 58 blood samples.

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Background: Calorie restriction (CR) ameliorates preclinical models of multiple sclerosis (MS) via multiple mechanisms. These include decreased leptin, a proinflammatory adipokine, but mechanistic studies in humans are lacking. Tests of daily and intermittent CR (iCR) in people with MS (pwMS) showed improvements in fatigue and well-being measures.

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Background: Pilot trials indicate that both a low glycemic load (GL) diet and calorie restriction (CR) can be implemented successfully in people with multiple sclerosis (pMS) and may improve MS symptoms and physical function, but large randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have not yet been conducted. The purpose of this study is to test these interventions alone and in combination to determine their efficacy for improving clinical and patient reported outcomes (PROs) in pMS.

Methods: This 32-week, two-arm, RCT at two centers will randomly assign 100 adults with relapsing-remitting or secondary progressive MS to a low GL diet (n = 50) or a standard GL diet (n = 50).

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Inflammatory central nervous system (CNS) diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody-associated disease (MOGAD), are characterized by humoral immune abnormalities. Anti-MOG antibodies are not specific to MOGAD, with their presence described in MS. Autoantibodies may also be present and play a role in various neurodegenerative diseases.

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Case Presentation: We describe a case of a man who developed severe caustic injury of his upper gastrointestinal tract after ingestion of a commercially available 9.5% hydrochloric acidic cleaning solution. He rapidly deteriorated and required endotracheal intubation.

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Article Synopsis
  • Previous studies indicated notable sex-specific differences in major depressive disorder (MDD), but limited research has been done on older adults, particularly regarding late-life depression (LLD).
  • This study analyzed biological differences in a substantial group of older adults (ages 60-85) by measuring 344 plasma proteins in 430 individuals with LLD and 140 healthy comparisons, revealing unique protein expressions for each sex.
  • Results showed that while females had proteins mostly linked to immune control, males demonstrated dysregulation across various biological pathways, highlighting the need for sex-specific treatment approaches for LLD.
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Microglia are found pathologically at all stages of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesion development and are hypothesized to contribute to both inflammatory injury and neuroprotection in the MS brain. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) channels are widely expressed, play an important role as environmental sensors, and are involved in calcium homeostasis for a variety of cells. TRPV4 modulates myeloid cell phagocytosis in the periphery and microglial motility in the central nervous system.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-related disease that leads to damage in the central nervous system (CNS), predominantly affecting myelin and causing inflammation.
  • - This study investigated the role of the S1PR1 receptor in MS by measuring its expression in brain tissues from MS patients and comparing it to healthy controls, revealing significantly higher levels in MS lesions.
  • - The research suggests that targeting S1PR1 could be beneficial for imaging and understanding MS pathology, as the S1PR1-specific radioligand showed increased binding in areas affected by the disease.
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The volume of critically ill patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) is increasing rapidly. Continued growth will likely further stress an already strained U.S.

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Background: Black/African American patients with multiple sclerosis (BpwMS) and Hispanic/Latino patients with multiple sclerosis (HpwMS), who historically have been underrepresented in multiple sclerosis (MS) clinical trials, exhibit greater disease severity and more rapid disease progression than White patients with MS (WpwMS). The lack of diversity and inclusion in clinical trials, which may be due to barriers at the system, patient and study levels, impacts the ability to effectively assess risks, benefits and treatment responses in a generalized patient population.

Methods: CHIMES (Characterization of Ocrelizumab in Minorities With Multiple Sclerosis), an open-label, single-arm, multicenter, phase IV study of self-identified BpwMS and HpwMS aged 18-65 years with relapsing MS and an Expanded Disability Status Score (EDSS) of ≤5.

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Article Synopsis
  • The fluid compartment around the central nervous system (CNS) contains immune cells that can provide insights into neurological diseases, but analyzing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in animal models of diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) is not common.
  • Challenges such as limited sample sizes, blood contamination, and difficulties in conducting longitudinal studies have hindered CSF analysis in these models.
  • Recent advancements in techniques like transcriptomics offer new ways to study CSF immune cells, and future research could improve understanding of MS and potential treatments by exploring myeloid subsets and employing diverse animal models.
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Article Synopsis
  • MOGAD is a CNS disorder that resembles multiple sclerosis (MS) and can be mistakenly diagnosed as such, with both conditions showing similar patterns of recurring symptoms and inflammatory lesions.
  • The study utilized quantitative gradient-recalled echo (qGRE) MRI to compare tissue damage in the brains of MOGAD patients with those of MS patients and healthy controls, focusing on changes in various brain regions.
  • Results indicated that MOGAD patients had less severe tissue damage than MS patients in non-lesional areas, suggesting detectable abnormalities that standard MRI may miss, highlighting the differences in these disorders.
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Although touch and itch are coded by distinct neuronal populations, light touch also provokes itch in the presence of exogenous pruritogens, resulting in a phenomenon called alloknesis. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the initiation of pruritogen-induced mechanical itch sensitization are poorly understood. Here, we show that intradermal injections of histamine or chloroquine (CQ) provoke alloknesis through activation of TRPV1- and MrgprA3-expressing prurioceptors, and functional ablation of these neurons reverses pruritogen-induced alloknesis.

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Background And Aims: Despite established screening guidelines, many Asian immigrants remain unscreened. Furthermore, those with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are not linked to care citing multiple barriers. The objective of this study was to determine the role of our community-based hepatitis B virus (HBV) campaign on HBV screening and the success of linkage to care (LTC) efforts.

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Microglia, resident macrophages of the CNS, are essential to brain development, homeostasis, and disease. Microglial activation and proliferation are hallmarks of many CNS diseases, including neuropathic pain. However, molecular mechanisms that govern the spinal neuroimmune axis in the setting of neuropathic pain remain incompletely understood.

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Background And Objectives: Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (mAb) B-cell depletion is a remarkably successful multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells, which target antigens in a non-major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted manner, can penetrate tissues more thoroughly than mAbs. However, a previous study indicated that anti-CD19 CAR-T cells can paradoxically exacerbate experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) disease.

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Importance: Episodic memory and executive function are essential aspects of cognitive functioning that decline with aging. This decline may be ameliorable with lifestyle interventions.

Objective: To determine whether mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), exercise, or a combination of both improve cognitive function in older adults.

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Peripheral central nervous system (CNS)-infiltrating lymphocytes are a hallmark of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Tissue-resident memory T cells (T) not only populate the healthy CNS parenchyma but also are suspected to contribute to multiple sclerosis pathology. Because cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), unlike CNS parenchyma, is accessible for diagnostics, we evaluated whether human CSF, apart from infiltrating cells, also contains T cells and CNS-resident myeloid cells draining from the parenchyma or border tissues.

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Both higher- and lower-affinity self-reactive CD4 T cells are expanded in autoimmunity; however, their individual contribution to disease remains unclear. We addressed this question using peptide-MHCII chimeric antigen receptor (pMHCII-CAR) T cells to specifically deplete peptide-reactive T cells in mice. Integration of improvements in CAR engineering with TCR repertoire analysis was critical for interrogating in vivo the role of TCR affinity in autoimmunity.

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Introduction: An intraoperative cardiac arrest requires perioperative teams to be equipped with the technical skills, nontechnical skills, and confidence to provide the best resuscitative measures for the patient. In situ simulation (simulation conducted in health professionals' work environment, such as a patient care unit, and not in an off-site location) has the potential to improve team performance. The research team assessed the effects of in situ simulation on code response, teamwork, communication, and comfort in intraoperative resuscitations.

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Objective: In older adults, major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with accelerated physiological and cognitive aging, generating interest in uncovering biological pathways that may be targetable by interventions. Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) plays a significant role in biological aging via multiple biological pathways relevant to age and age-related diseases. Elevated levels of GDF-15 correlate with increasing chronological age, decreased telomerase activity, and increased mortality risk in older adults.

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