Publications by authors named "Kenney A"

Transcription factors are frequent cancer driver genes, exhibiting noted specificity based on the precise cell of origin. We demonstrate that ZIC1 exhibits loss-of-function (LOF) somatic events in group 4 (G4) medulloblastoma through recurrent point mutations, subchromosomal deletions and mono-allelic epigenetic repression (60% of G4 medulloblastoma). In contrast, highly similar SHH medulloblastoma exhibits distinct and diametrically opposed gain-of-function mutations and copy number gains (20% of SHH medulloblastoma).

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Navigating pediatric advanced cancer is challenging for children and parents, resulting in increased risk for psychological distress. While research has explored parent worries/concerns, few studies have included children's perspectives. To explore worries/concerns in children with advanced cancer and their parents.

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Objectives: Although pediatric cancer often causes significant stress for families, most childhood cancer survivors are resilient and do not exhibit severe or lasting psychopathology. Research demonstrates some survivors may report benefit-finding or positive outcomes following this stressful life event. However, considerably less research has included families of children who are unlikely to survive their illness.

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Background: To determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on prenatal and postpartum depressive symptoms in rural versus urban populations.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among 24,227 cisgender women who gave birth from 2010 to 2021 at an academic medical center located in a rural midwestern state. Exclusion criteria were <18 years old, incarcerated, or without a documented zip code.

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Article Synopsis
  • Influenza pandemics emerge when animal viruses adapt to infect humans, and the study focuses on the role of the protein IFITM3 in this process.
  • Researchers found that mice and human cells lacking IFITM3 can be infected by low doses of avian influenza viruses that normally cannot infect them, highlighting IFITM3's importance in controlling virus infection thresholds.
  • The study suggests that deficiencies in IFITM3 may make humans more susceptible to new pandemic influenza viruses, as these deficiencies facilitate virus adaptation during interspecies transmission.
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Objectives: To characterize caregiver experiences in the context of advanced pediatric cancer by identifying individual (i.e., demographic factors, stress) and family context factors (i.

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Background: Many home-based interventions have been demonstrated to reduce unintentional and intentional injuries in young children aged 0-4 years, but an understanding of their inclusion in federally-funded home visiting programmes in the USA is needed.

Methods: The study team administered a survey to key informants at each of the 21 home visiting models approved for United States Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program funding being implemented in 2023. Respondents were based across the United States and in other developed countries.

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Optimization of protective immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 remains an urgent worldwide priority. In this regard, type III IFN (IFN-λ) restricts SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro, and treatment with IFN-λ limits infection, inflammation, and pathogenesis in murine models. Furthermore, IFN-λ has been developed for clinical use to limit COVID-19 severity.

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Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) affects roughly 1 in 7500 individuals. While at the population level there is a general pattern of affected muscles, there is substantial heterogeneity in muscle expression across- and within-patients. There can also be substantial variation in the pattern of fat and water signal intensity within a single muscle.

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Background: Unintentional injuries disproportionately impact American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. Developing effective and culturally tailored data collection and intervention programs requires an understanding of past prevention efforts in AI/AN communities, but limited peer-reviewed literature on the topic is available. This scoping review aims to summarize efforts that have been published in the Primary Care Provider newsletter, a source of gray literature available through the Indian Health Service.

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Article Synopsis
  • Influenza virus activates the inflammasome pathways in cells, which can lead to both positive and negative effects on infection outcomes.
  • The study shows that mice lacking the gasdermin D (GSDMD) protein experience less severe effects of influenza, such as less weight loss and lung damage, despite having similar levels of the virus.
  • The research highlights that GSDMD plays a role in enhancing neutrophil responses during influenza infection, which worsens inflammation and lung damage, suggesting that targeting this protein could be a potential treatment for severe influenza cases.
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Article Synopsis
  • - The scoping review focused on the psychosocial outcomes of parents whose children died from medical conditions, analyzing 106 studies published between 2011 and 2022, emphasizing the need for comprehensive research in this area.
  • - Most studies were qualitative (60%) or quantitative (29%), with a significant representation of cancer cases (58%) and a predominantly White mother demographic (66%).
  • - The review highlighted a gap in research regarding diverse populations and resilience-based outcomes, suggesting that future studies should adopt varied methodologies to better assess both risk and resilience across different demographics.
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Objectives: Adolescents with cancer often experience significant symptom burden and aggressive treatment near end-of-life. Increased adolescent involvement in care and decision-making may benefit health outcomes. Limited research has examined factors associated with adolescents' involvement in care in the context of advanced disease.

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R loops are RNA-DNA hybrid containing structures involved in diverse cellular processes, including DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair. R loop homeostasis involving the formation and resolution of R loops is critical for DSB repair, and its dysregulation leads to genome instability. Here we show that the HELZ helicase promotes R loop resolution to facilitate DSB repair by homologous recombination (HR).

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  • The study challenges the common assumption that genetic variations affect traits in an additive manner by exploring non-additive interactions, specifically in the context of cardiac hypertrophy.
  • Researchers used advanced techniques, including low-signal signed iterative random forests and deep learning, to analyze cardiac MRI data from over 29,000 participants in the UK Biobank, revealing complex genetic interactions that traditional methods might overlook.
  • The findings highlight a sophisticated gene regulatory network, showing that certain genetic variants interact in intricate ways to influence cardiac structure, pointing to the importance of epistasis in understanding genetic contributions to heart diseases.
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Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic drastically impacted the health system and the research community. As a result, research institutions and funding agencies recommended a moratorium on conducting in-person research and study enrollment until protocol changes to protect participant safety were approved and implemented. We detail the operational modifications made to the Lupus Intervention Fatigue Trial (LIFT) protocol and summarize how we met the varied challenges created by COVID-19.

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Objective: Limited research has characterized cancer-related stress (CRS) among families of childhood cancer survivors. We examined the prevalence of CRS among survivors and caregivers, as well as its association with health risk perceptions (i.e.

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The combinatorial effect of genetic variants is often assumed to be additive. Although genetic variation can clearly interact non-additively, methods to uncover epistatic relationships remain in their infancy. We develop low-signal signed iterative random forests to elucidate the complex genetic architecture of cardiac hypertrophy.

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Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a commonly encountered condition, especially in inpatient settings, and is often attributed to high mortality and prolonged hospital stays. A rare entity, autoimmune heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (aHIT) refers to a condition in which antiplatelet factor-4 (PF4) antibodies activate platelets even in the absence of heparin. Our patient presented 12 days after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with altered mental status and severe thrombocytopenia.

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Background: Families of children with medical complexity (CMC) have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing challenges such as decreased access to services, increased financial hardship and increased isolation. However, there are few qualitative studies which explore parental experiences. The aim of the present study was to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on families of CMC.

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Stable isotope methods for provenance of unidentified human remains are relatively a newer field of enquiry in forensic archeology. It is of great interest for forensic experts these days. The application of strontium isotope analyses for estimating geolocation of archeological remains is of great interest in bioarcheology and modern forensics.

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Objective: To map the range of multidisciplinary palliative care interventions that are available to adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with serious illness.

Methods: Scoping review methodology as outlined by Arksey and O'Malley.

Results: Twenty-two articles describing nine specific AYA-focused, multidisciplinary palliative care interventions were included in this review.

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Article Synopsis
  • Emerging research suggests that gut bacteria (microbiome) may play a role in pancreatic cancer (PaCa) development.
  • The study analyzed blood samples from 172 individuals diagnosed with PaCa and 863 matched control samples to explore the relationship between microbial-related metabolites and PaCa risk.
  • A panel of microbial and non-microbial metabolites was created to enhance risk prediction for PaCa, identifying individuals at high risk who could benefit from closer monitoring and potential preventive strategies.
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