1,187 results match your criteria: "Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center [North][Affiliation]"

Clinical Characteristics and Burden of Illness in Pediatric Patients with Narcolepsy.

Pediatr Neurol

August 2018

Division of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Waltham, Massachusetts.

Background: Narcolepsy is a chronic and lifelong neurologic disorder with onset commonly occurring in childhood or adolescence, and affecting approximately 0.025% to 0.05% of the general population.

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Personal Oral Infection Control, Low Birthweight, and Preterm Births in Appalachia West Virginia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Adv Prev Med

August 2018

Dental Research Labs Director, 106a Health Sciences Addition, P.O. Box 9448, Department of Dental Research, School of Dentistry, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.

Introduction: Appalachia West Virginia has a higher prevalence of preterm and low birthweight babies than the US national prevalence. Many factors have been studied which are known to influence preterm births and low birthweight babies. There are limited interventions that are available to decrease the likelihood of preterm and low birthweight babies; however oral health and personal oral infection control may be helpful.

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Objective: Sleep is restorative, essential, and beneficial to health. Prevalences of some diseases have been associated with sleep duration. There are few studies in the literature on the relationship of sleep duration and arthritis stratified by sex in older adults.

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The extensor hallucis longus (EHL) muscle/tendon complex has been used in a variety of tendon transfer and tenodesis surgeries to correct iatrogenic hallux varus deformity, equinovarus foot deformity, clawed hallux associated with a cavus foot, and dynamic hyperextension of the hallux and, even, to prevent pedal imbalance after transmetatarsal amputation. Although it is usually considered a unipennate muscle inserting into the dorsum of the base of the distal phalanx of the hallux, a vast majority of EHL muscles possess ≥1 accessory tendinous slips that insert into other neighboring bones, muscles, or tendons, which can complicate these surgeries. The present report reviewed the reported data on EHL variants and describe a new variant, in which the tendons of the extensor primi internodii hallucis muscle of Wood and extensor hallucis brevis muscle merged together proximal to the tarsometatarsal (Lisfranc) joint, a site of rupture for extensor tendons of the foot.

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Educational Case: Bladder Carcinoma In Situ.

Acad Pathol

August 2018

Department of Pathology, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.

The following fictional case is intended as a learning tool within the Pathology Competencies for Medical Education (PCME), a set of national standards for teaching pathology. These are divided into three basic competencies: Disease Mechanisms and Processes, Organ System Pathology, and Diagnostic Medicine and Therapeutic Pathology. For additional information, and a full list of learning objectives for all three competencies, see http://journals.

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Odontogenic abscesses in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) of Cayo Santiago.

Am J Phys Anthropol

November 2018

Department of Biomedical Sciences and Center for Craniofacial Research and Diagnosis, Texas A&M University College of Dentistry, Dallas, Texas.

Objectives: Odontogenic abscesses are one of the most common dental diseases causing maxillofacial skeletal lesions. They affect the individual's ability to maintain the dental structures necessary to obtain adequate nutrition for survival and reproduction. In this study, the prevalence and pattern of odontogenic abscesses in relation to age, sex, matriline, and living periods were investigated in adult rhesus macaque skeletons of the free-ranging colony on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico.

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Depressive symptoms and untreated coronal dental caries among adults ages 21-64 years, NHANES 2013-2014.

Community Dent Health

August 2018

Department of Pharmaceutical Systems and Policy West Virginia University School of Pharmacy, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center [North], P.O. Box 9510, Morgantown.

Background: Depression has been linked to poor oral health among patients seeking dental care. However, systematic research on the relationship between depressive symptoms and oral health is limited.

Objective: To examine the association of depressive symptoms with untreated dental caries among adults aged 21-64 years.

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Combination of cabazitaxel and plicamycin induces cell death in drug resistant B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Leuk Res

September 2018

Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States; Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States; WVU Cancer Institute, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States. Electronic address:

Bone marrow microenvironment mediated downregulation of BCL6 is critical for maintaining cell quiescence and modulating therapeutic response in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In the present study, we have performed a high throughput cell death assay using BCL6 knockdown REH ALL cell line to screen a library of FDA-approved oncology drugs. In the process, we have identified a microtubule inhibitor, cabazitaxel (CAB), and a RNA synthesis inhibitor, plicamycin (PLI) as potential anti-leukemic agents.

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Impact of Wnt signals on human intervertebral disc cell regeneration.

J Orthop Res

December 2018

Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedics, West Virginia University, PO Box 9196, One Medical Center Drive, Morgantown 26506-9196, West Virginia.

Although preconditioning strategies are growing areas of interest for therapies targeting intervertebral discs (IVDs), it is unknown whether the Wnt signals previously implicated in chondrogenesis, Wnt3A, Wnt5A, and Wnt11, play key roles in the promotion of human nucleus pulposus (NP) cell redifferentiation. In this study, NP cells isolated from herniated disc patients were transduced with lentiviral vectors to overexpress the WNT3A, WNT5A, or WNT11 genes, or CRISPR associated protein 9 (Cas9)/single-guide RNA (sgRNA) vectors to knock out these genes. Following expansion, transduced NP cells were induced for redifferentiation toward the NP phenotype.

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Unlabelled: We examined the relationship between persistent osteoporosis medication use and fracture risk among female Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with osteoporosis using Medicare claims, 2009-2012. Persistent use was associated with reduced risk of fracture and significantly lower total health care costs in the follow-up period. Results were consistent using different analytical methods.

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Imaging of Enzyme Activity by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance: Concept and Experiment Using a Paramagnetic Substrate of Alkaline Phosphatase.

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl

September 2018

In vivo Multifunctional Magnetic Resonance (IMMR) Center, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West, Virginia, 26506, USA.

Enzyme activities are well established biomarkers of many pathologies. Imaging enzyme activity directly in vivo may help to gain insight into the pathogenesis of various diseases but remains extremely challenging. In this communication, we report the use of EPR imaging (EPRI) in combination with a specially designed paramagnetic enzymatic substrate to map alkaline phosphatase activity with a high selectivity, thereby demonstrating the potential of EPRI to map enzyme activity.

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Fitting a square peg into a round hole: Perceptions of Appalachian physicians on the incorporation of chronic disease prevention into their practice.

Prev Med Rep

September 2018

Division of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease, WV Bureau for Public Health, 350 Capitol Street Room 514, Charleston, WV 25301, United States.

This study used a focus group in August 2017 (n = 9) to explore the perceptions of rural physicians to a state request to incorporate diabetes prevention screening into their West Virginia medical practice. Analysis of the data revealed that the participants did not think private physicians were equipped to incorporate diabetes prevention programming into their practice. Three categories emerged from the data analysis to explain the reasoning of the health practitioners on the incorporation of pre-diabetes screening and management into their practice.

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Brief communication: use of the minimal important difference for a meta-analysis on exercise and anxiety in adults with arthritis.

Clin Rheumatol

July 2018

Departments of Social Medicine and Orthopaedics, Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, 3300 Thurston Bldg, Campus Box 7280, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7280, USA.

A recent meta-analysis reported statistically significant improvements in anxiety as a result of exercise in adults with arthritis and other rheumatic diseases (AORD) using the traditional standardized mean difference (SMD) effect size (ES). The objective of this study was to use the more recently developed and clinically relevant minimal important difference (MID) approach to examine this association. Data from a previous meta-analysis of 14 randomized controlled trials representing 926 initially enrolled adults ≥ 18 years of age (539 exercise, 387 control) was used to calculate the ES using the MID approach.

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Two hundred and thirty-three individuals read chest x-ray images (CXR) in the Asian Intensive Reader of Pneumoconiosis (AIR Pneumo) workshop. Their proficiency in reading CXR for pneumoconiosis was calculated using eight indices (X1-X8), as follows: sensitivity (X1) and specificity (X2) for pneumoconiosis; sensitivity (X3) and specificity (X4) for large opacities; sensitivity (X5) and specificity (X6) for pleural plaques; profusion increment consistency (X7); and consistency for shape differentiation (X8). For these eight indices, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Scheffe's multiple comparison were conducted on six groups, based on the participants' specialty: radiology, respiratory medicine, industrial medicine, public health, general internal medicine, and miscellaneous physicians.

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Pulmonary exposure to multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) disrupts peripheral microvascular function. Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) is highly expressed during lung injury and has been shown to alter microvascular reactivity. It is unclear exactly how TSP-1 exerts effects on vascular function, but we hypothesized that the TSP-1 receptor CD47 may mediate changes in vasodilation.

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Functionality of decellularized matrix in cartilage regeneration: A comparison of tissue versus cell sources.

Acta Biomater

July 2018

Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Exercise Physiology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; WVU Cancer Institute, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA. Electronic address:

Unlabelled: Increasing evidence indicates that decellularized extracellular matrices (dECMs) derived from cartilage tissues (T-dECMs) or chondrocytes/stem cells (C-dECMs) can support proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation of cartilage-forming cells. However, few review papers compare the differences between these dECMs when they serve as substrates for cartilage regeneration. In this review, after an introduction of cartilage immunogenicity and decellularization methods to prepare T-dECMs and C-dECMs, a comprehensive comparison focuses on the effects of T-dECMs and C-dECMs on proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation of chondrocytes/stem cells in vitro and in vivo.

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A combined positron emission tomography (PET)-electron paramagnetic resonance imaging (EPRI) system: initial evaluation of a prototype scanner.

Phys Med Biol

May 2018

Department of Biochemistry, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America. In Vivo Multifunctional Magnetic Resonance center, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, United States of America.

The advent of hybrid scanners, combining complementary modalities, has revolutionized the application of advanced imaging technology to clinical practice and biomedical research. In this project, we investigated the melding of two complementary, functional imaging methods: positron emission tomography (PET) and electron paramagnetic resonance imaging (EPRI). PET radiotracers can provide important information about cellular parameters, such as glucose metabolism.

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In Vivo EPR Assessment of pH, pO2, Redox Status, and Concentrations of Phosphate and Glutathione in the Tumor Microenvironment.

J Vis Exp

March 2018

In Vivo Multifunctional Magnetic Resonance center, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University; Department of Biochemistry, West Virginia University School of Medicine;

This protocol demonstrates the capability of low-field electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)-based techniques in combination with functional paramagnetic probes to provide quantitative information on the chemical tumor microenvironment (TME), including pO2, pH, redox status, concentrations of interstitial inorganic phosphate (Pi), and intracellular glutathione (GSH). In particular, an application of a recently developed soluble multifunctional trityl probe provides unsurpassed opportunity for in vivo concurrent measurements of pH, pO2 and Pi in Extracellular space (HOPE probe). The measurements of three parameters using a single probe allow for their correlation analyses independent of probe distribution and time of the measurements.

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CNS Primitive Neuroectodermal tumors (CNS-PNETs) are members of the embryonal family of malignant childhood brain tumors, which remain refractory to current therapeutic treatments. Current paradigm of brain tumorigenesis implicates brain tumor-initiating cells (BTIC) in the onset of tumorigenesis and tumor maintenance. However, despite their significance, there is currently no comprehensive characterization of CNS-PNETs BTICs.

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Our group recently identified a panel of ten genes whose RNA expression levels in whole blood have utility for detection of stroke. The purpose of this study was to determine the mechanisms by which these genes become differentially expressed during stroke pathology. First, we assessed the transcriptional distribution of the ten genes across the peripheral immune system by measuring their expression levels on isolated neutrophils, monocytes, B-lymphocytes, CD-4+ T-lymphocytes, CD-8+ T-lymphocytes, and NK-cells generated from the blood of healthy donors (n = 3).

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SEASTAR: systematic evaluation of alternative transcription start sites in RNA.

Nucleic Acids Res

May 2018

Department of Microbiology, Immunology, & Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.

Alternative first exons diversify the transcriptomes of eukaryotes by producing variants of the 5' Untranslated Regions (5'UTRs) and N-terminal coding sequences. Accurate transcriptome-wide detection of alternative first exons typically requires specialized experimental approaches that are designed to identify the 5' ends of transcripts. We developed a computational pipeline SEASTAR that identifies first exons from RNA-seq data alone then quantifies and compares alternative first exon usage across multiple biological conditions.

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Bright Light Therapy to Treat Depression in Individuals with Mild/Moderate or Severe Dementia.

Issues Ment Health Nurs

May 2018

c Director of Business Development and Care Innovations , Commonwealth Care of Roanoke, Inc. , Roanoke , Virginia , USA.

This secondary analysis examined whether the benefits of bright light therapy on depression are greater in persons with mild/moderate or severe dementia. Exploratory analyses were also conducted to determine if bright light treatment targets different depressive symptom clusters based on dementia severity. Analyses using total scores from the instruments, Depressive Symptom Assessment for Older Adults and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia, showed that bright light exposure is an equally effective intervention for depression in persons with both mild/moderate and severe dementia.

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Background: The D-dimer (DD) level combined with the pretest Wells criteria probability (WCP) score can safely exclude deep venous thrombosis (DVT). The objective of this study was to examine the correlation between DD results alongside WCP score with findings on venous duplex ultrasound (VDU). The hypothesis is that VDU remains overutilized in low-risk patients with negative DD and that higher DD levels may correlate with thrombus burden and location.

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Systematic reviews and cancer research: a suggested stepwise approach.

BMC Cancer

March 2018

School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, PO Box 9190, Morgantown, WV, 26506-9190, USA.

Systematic reviews, with or without meta-analysis, play an important role today in synthesizing cancer research and are frequently used to guide decision-making. However, there is now an increase in the number of systematic reviews on the same topic, thereby necessitating a systematic review of previous systematic reviews. With a focus on cancer, the purpose of this article is to provide a practical, stepwise approach for systematically reviewing the literature and publishing the results.

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