Publications by authors named "Julia Kang"

Memory challenges remain understudied in childhood autism. Our study investigates one specific aspect of memory function, known as pattern separation memory, in autistic children. Pattern separation memory refers to the critical ability to store unique memories of similar stimuli; however, its role in childhood autism remains largely uncharted.

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Purpose: To assess the duration, incidence, reversibility, and severity of adverse events (AEs) in patients with thyroid eye disease (TED) treated with teprotumumab.

Design: Multicenter, retrospective, observational cohort study.

Participants: Patients with TED of all stages and activity levels treated with at least 4 infusions of teprotumumab.

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Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) often display atypical learning styles; however, little is known regarding learning-related brain plasticity and its relation to clinical phenotypic features. Here, we investigate cognitive learning and neural plasticity using functional brain imaging and a novel numerical problem-solving training protocol. Children with ASD showed comparable learning relative to typically developing children but were less likely to shift from rule-based to memory-based strategy.

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Background: Memory impairments have profound implications for social communication and educational outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the precise nature of memory dysfunction in children with ASD and the underlying neural circuit mechanisms remain poorly understood. The default mode network (DMN) is a brain network that is associated with memory and cognitive function, and DMN dysfunction is among the most replicable and robust brain signatures of ASD.

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Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of an intraoperative lagophthalmos formula (IOLF) for levator resection in congenital ptosis and investigate the optimal preoperative conditions for IOLF application.

Methods: This retrospective interventional cohort study evaluated 30 eyelids of 22 patients with congenital ptosis who underwent levator resection using the IOLF to calculate the extent of surgical correction under general anesthesia. Surgical success was defined as margin reflex distance-1 (MRD1)≥3 mm in each eye and a difference of MRD1 1 mm between the eyes at 6 months postoperatively.

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Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often display atypical learning styles, however little is known regarding learning-related brain plasticity and its relation to clinical phenotypic features. Here, we investigate cognitive learning and neural plasticity using functional brain imaging and a novel numerical problem-solving training protocol. Children with ASD showed comparable learning relative to typically developing children but were less likely to shift from rule-based to memory-based strategy.

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Background: Dry eye syndrome occurs in up to 85% of patients with thyroid eye disease (TED). Lacrimal gland enlargement correlates with subjective tearing and a reduction in quality of life in patients with TED.

Methods: In this prospective longitudinal study, patients presenting for the treatment of TED were considered for eligible.

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Teprotumumab was the first and only medication approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of thyroid eye disease in January 2020. Thyroid eye disease is a complex autoimmune inflammatory disease that can be sight-threatening, debilitating, and disfiguring to affected patients. Although biologic therapies are a preferred treatment option for many complex immunologic and oncologic conditions, their use in ophthalmology and endocrinology may be more novel.

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Background: Teprotumumab, a novel IGF-1R antibody was recently shown to significantly reduce the signs of active Thyroid eye disease (TED). The current study reviews its efficacy in chronic TED.

Methods: In this retrospective review, consecutive patients with chronic stable TED (>2 years), who had received ≥3 infusions of teprotumumab were included.

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Mathematical knowledge is constructed hierarchically from basic understanding of quantities and the symbols that denote them. Discrimination of numerical quantity in both symbolic and non-symbolic formats has been linked to mathematical problem-solving abilities. However, little is known of the extent to which overlap in quantity representations between symbolic and non-symbolic formats is related to individual differences in numerical problem solving and whether this relation changes with different stages of development and skill acquisition.

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The authors present 3 patients from this retrospective case series to review the clinical findings, imaging, pathology, and treatment of orbital atypical lipomatous tumor/well-differentiated liposarcoma. Pathology of biopsy specimens ranged from spindle cell proliferations mimicking neurofibroma to proliferations of well-differentiated adipocytes. Immunohistochemical stains were positive for murine double minute 2 in 1 case, and fluorescent in situ hybridization showed amplification of murine double minute 2 in 2 cases.

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Purpose: To report a case of necrotic uveal melanoma presenting as orbital cellulitis with an intraocular hemorrhage.

Observations: A 61 year-old non-verbal male presented with a two-week history of right eyelid swelling and erythema unresponsive to antibiotics. In addition to these signs of orbital cellulitis, he presented with an opaque media precluding fundus visualization.

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Purpose: Uncorrected refractive error is the leading cause of visual impairment worldwide and has significant quality of life and economic implications. Treatment with subjective refraction and custom-made spectacles requires expensive equipment and highly trained personnel. We examine several alternatives.

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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to provide preliminary data on the potential effectiveness of the combination of topical Arnica montana and Rhododendron tomentosum (Ledum palustre) in reducing postoperative ecchymosis and edema in a select population of healthy volunteers after oculofacial surgery.

Methods: This retrospective review examined the postoperative course of healthy volunteers using topical Arnica and Ledum after undergoing common oculofacial procedures, including blepharoplasty, browpexy, and rhinoplasty, in the hands of 4 surgeons at tertiary referral centers from July 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012 using medical records review. Each patient included had used topical hydrogel pads (OcuMend, Cearna Inc.

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Unlabelled: We report a 28-year follow-up of epikeratophakia surgery after extracapsular extraction of a congenital cataract. The patient's ocular history included the diagnosis of bilateral cortical congenital cataracts at 2 years of age, which was more severe in the right eye than in the left. One year later, the visual acuity in the right eye progressively worsened, and extracapsular cataract extraction without intraocular lens implantation was performed.

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Human amniotic fluid stem cells (HAFSCs) have a high proliferative capacity and a good differentiation potential, and may thus be suitable for regenerative medicine. To date, urothelial differentiation mechanisms of HAFSCs are poorly understood. We have investigated the urothelial differentiation potential of HAFSCs so that they can be therapeutically applied to cure defective diseases of bladder.

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The transcription factor interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) is induced by many tumor-suppressive stimuli and can mediate antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects in cancer cells. Thus, identifying agents that enhance IRF-1 activity may be an effective approach to cancer therapy. A cell-based screening assay was developed to identify extracts and compounds that could enhance IRF-1 activity, using an IRF-1-dependent luciferase reporter cell line.

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Multiple myeloma is a plasma cell malignancy that classically presents with bone pain secondary to osteolytic lesions, anemia, and renal insufficiency. A 49-year-old man presented for workup of possible primary immunodeficiency due to a history of recurrent sinopulmonary infection and abnormal immunoglobulin levels. He was subsequently diagnosed with multiple myeloma, despite a lack of typical symptoms.

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Two strains of Raoultella planticola and one of Raoultella ornithinolytica showing carbapenem resistance were recovered from patients hospitalized in New Jersey and Ohio. All patients had received previous antimicrobial treatment, including carbapenems. These strains harbored bla(KPC-2) and bla(KPC-3).

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Methylation-induced transcriptional silencing of the fragile X mental retardation-1 (Fmr1) gene leads to absence of the gene product, fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), and consequently fragile X syndrome (FrX), an X-linked inherited form of mental retardation. Absence of FMRP in Fmr1 null mice imparts some characteristics of the FrX phenotype, but the precise role of FMRP in neuronal function remains unknown. FMRP is an RNA-binding protein that has been shown to suppress translation of certain mRNAs in vitro.

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The confounding effect of recycling of amino acids derived from tissue protein breakdown into the precursor pool for protein synthesis has been an obstacle to adapting in vivo methods for determination of regional rates of cerebral protein synthesis (rCPS) to positron emission tomography (PET). We used a kinetic modeling approach to estimate lambda, the fraction of the precursor pool for protein synthesis derived from arterial plasma, and to measure rCPS in three anesthetized adult monkeys dynamically scanned after a bolus injection of L-[1-11C]leucine. In the same animals, lambda was directly measured in a steady-state terminal experiment, and values showed excellent agreement with those estimated in the PET studies.

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Measurements of regional rates of cerebral protein synthesis (rCPS) require correction for the effect of recycling of tissue amino acids back into the precursor pool for protein synthesis. The fraction of the precursor pool derived from arterial plasma, lambda, can be evaluated as the steady-state ratio of the specific activity of leucine in the tissue tRNA-bound fraction to that in arterial plasma. While lambda can be directly measured in terminal experiments in animals, an alternative method is required for use with PET.

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In humans, failure to express the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) gives rise to fragile X syndrome, the most common form of inherited mental retardation. A fragile X knockout (fmr1 KO) mouse has been described that has some of the characteristics of patients with fragile X syndrome, including immature dendritic spines and subtle behavioral deficits. In our behavioral studies, fmr1 KO mice exhibited hyperactivity and a higher rate of entrance into the center of an open field compared with controls, suggesting decreased levels of anxiety.

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