bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Breast Cancer in the Age of Personalized Medicine: A CURE Design for Aspiring Physicians
Authors: Soneral Paula A.G. 
Published: November 2023

Modern medicine is greatly impacted by the use of emergent technologies to diagnose and treat disease processes at the molecular level ‐from rapid sequencing of human genomes to remarkable progress from genome‐wide association studies. The potential for genetics and genomics to provide personalized approaches for diagnosing and treating human disease in the clinical setting is imminent. How can we prepare undergraduate students to fully engage these issues at the forefront of molecular medicine? We designed a course‐based undergraduate research experience (CURE) for an upper‐division molecular biology course illustrating the use of personalized medicine in the problem of breast cancer. Students experimentally and computationally analyzed the transcriptome of biopsied human breast cancer tissue using DNA microarrays, and determined a molecular diagnosis and prognosis for the patient. Synthesizing clinical pathological data with gene expression data, students reproducibly sub‐typed breast tumors as ER+/− and/or HER2+/− and BRCA1‐2 +/−, and determined a prognostic “fingerprint” for the patient. The experience culminated in a mock molecular tumor board event, wherein students role‐played as physicians to create a recommendation for personalized chemotherapy. In addition to measuring cognitive outcomes, we report the extent to which this CURE impacted non‐cognitive student outcomes.The module's efficacy was evaluated in terms of five design elements ‐ the degree to which students (1) made novel scientific discoveries, (2) iterated and revised work, (3) collaborated with peers, (4) owned the project, and (5) gained confidence as a scientist. The Laboratory Course Assessment Survey (LCAS) and Project Ownership Survey (POS) indicated significant gains in aggregated measures of collaboration (T‐test, p<0.001) and project ownership (T‐test, p=0.004). In addition, pre‐post analysis of measures of science self‐efficacy and attitude indicated a favorable shift as a result of the course (CLASS‐BIO, T‐test, p=0.01), with significant gains in student self‐reported intention to pursue a science‐related research career (T‐test, p=0.01). Interestingly, these affective gains are not associated with the degree to which students make novel scientific contributions (T‐test, p=.28) or iterate the investigative process (T‐test, p=.53 for aggregated measures). Content analysis of open‐ended student comments corroborated survey results, and emphasized appreciation for the applicability of the course to societal issues and decision‐making. Together these data suggest that CURE design elements that include highly relevant proof‐of‐concept inquiry can be as effective as CURES centered on original research and iteration, signifying an alternative pathway toward increased science identity, career clarification, and persistence in science.
Design elements of a high enrollment course‐based undergraduate research experience may lead to inaccurate student conceptions about scientific research
Authors: Cooper Katelyn M. , Wassef Cyril , Brownell Sara E. 
Published: November 2023

National calls for more broadly integrating research into the undergraduate curriculum have sparked the development of course‐based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). In a CURE, students engage in the process of research in a formal lab course by exploring a question with an unknown answer that has relevance to the broader community. As opposed to independent research experiences, CUREs give a greater number of students the opportunity to do science.We present our analysis of the student outcomes of an innovative CURE curriculum focused on the characterization of single point mutations in p53, a tumor suppressor gene that is mutated in over 50% of human cancers. Using a set of open‐ended written prompts that were administered at the beginning and end of the course, we found that the course shifts student conceptions of what it means to think like a scientist from novice to more expert‐like. We further explored student conceptions about aspects of scientific research, and surprisingly found that while some students gained a more sophisticated understanding of scientific research, other students exhibited inaccurate conceptions about scientific research that seemed to stem from the course design. These data indicate that this course‐embedded research experience largely has a positive impact on the development of students’ conceptions and practice of scientific thinking. However specific design aspects of the course may hinder student conceptions about scientific research and need to be further explored.
Visual Models to Use in the Classroom for Teaching Immunology Concepts
Authors: Williams Ann 
Published: November 2023

Teaching tools including visual models that utilize active learning techniques have been used successfully in my classroom to teach Immunology concepts and increase student learning. I have created three teaching modules: The Deadly Hershey's Kiss, the Construction paper activity, and INFECTION, an Immunology Board Game that have been used routinely and successfully in upper division Immunology and Microbiology for Allied Health courses. These modules utilize the concept of visualizing the processes of primary and secondary infections and specificity of T & B cell receptors with their corresponding antigen. INFECTION is useful in the college classroom or lab for modeling concepts such as primary and secondary response, vaccinations, specificity, autoimmunity, and HIV. INFECTION was developed and presented this tool to middle and high school teachers as part of a Science Math Masters grant funded by the Florida Department of Education and administered by University of Tampa faculty in partnership with K‐12 educators and administrators in Florida. It was developed for both the middle and high school teachers and classroom and at the undergraduate level. The INFECTION game utilizes a lymph node as the game board, case study scenarios, different colored balls as B cells, T cells, and antigens, clothespins as antibodies, a foam “pacman” ball as a macrophage, and a roll of the die to move you to the next Immune step to clear the infection. As you wait for each individual immune step, microbes are doubling (represented by pinto beans) and the game is a race between microbes doubling and antibody production. All three teaching modules are used in different ways in the classroom and lab to visualize and model several important immune concepts including vaccinations, B cell, T cell, and antigen specific interactions, HIV, autoimmunity, and would be appropriate to use in courses where Immunology concepts are discussed including Microbiology, Immunology, Introductory Biology, and Non‐majors Biology.Support or Funding InformationFlorida Department of Education
Global food system changes have created new drivers and new challenges for low and middle income countries
Authors: Popkin Barry M. 
Published: November 2023

Over the past 15 years, villages and cities across the entire set of low and middle income countries (LMICs) have experienced a remarkable shift in their food systems. The major actors that used to run agricultural production and sales have shifted, the role of agribusinesses, food retailers, global and local food companies, and the food service sector have changed. Large‐scale representative surveys from Mexico and China combined with national sales trends highlight impacts on diets of rich and poor urban and rural individuals. The results increases in purchases of consumer packaged foods and beverages poses major new challenges for those concerned both with under‐ and overnutrition and for our entire research and program policy agenda with critical health implications. This rapid growth of the retail sector will change the diets of the food insecure as much as that of the food secure across rural and urban LMIC's. The rates of change are such that the approximately 30% of calories from packaged and processed kcal/cap/day in China in 2011 will probably double by 2015 and that of 58% of kcal from similar food from Mexico will continue to increase. Impacts on obesity are shown for China. The critical issue is the types of food purchased. Using trends from these and other countries, we will show how globally much of the increases are in what we might consider nonessential food or junk food. The hunger and obesity concerns are being joined in ways one could not have predicted a decade ago and demand attention.Support or Funding InformationNIH: R01‐HD30880‐20, DK056350, R24 HD050924, R01‐HD38700, R24 HD050924
Dietary Comparisons between Mexican and American College‐Aged Adults
Authors: Hannon Bridget , Robinson Katie Nicole , Morales Juan Manuel Vargas , García Celia Aradillas , Teran‐Garcia Margarita 
Published: November 2023

Increasing portion sizes, lack of physical activity, and high consumption of sugar‐sweetened beverages are common trends in obesogenic environments such as Mexico and the United States, which currently have two of the highest obesity rates in the world. These factors, along with others, promote weight gain in the citizens of these countries, and concurrent obesity‐related diseases. Two such diseases, hypertriglyceridemia and hyperlipidemia, are on the rise in Mexico, a nation whose obesity rate just surpassed that of the United States. Therefore, this study sought to explore the differences in dietary patterns in two cohorts of college‐aged students, one located in central Mexico (UPAMIGOS project, n=223 [females=122, males=101]) and another in central Illinois (NIMIS study, n=68 [females=34, males=34]). Biochemical and anthropometric measurements were assessed in both cohorts. The same food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was administered to both populations, with some of the Mexican‐specific foods omitted for the American cohort. The Mexican cohort (Mex) had significantly higher triglycerides p <0.0001), total cholesterol (p <0.001), and LDL cholesterol (p <0.0001), while consuming significantly more calories (p<0.0001) than the American cohort (US), independent of sex (females: 2,154.3±1,032.7 [Mex] vs. 1,015.1±533.9 [US] and males: 2,433.0±1,250.6 [Mex] vs. 1,309.1±780.2 [US]). The Mexican cohort also consumed more total fat (in grams) than the American cohort. (females: 35.32±7.94 [Mex] vs. 30.57±5.18 [US] and males: 33.33±8.21 [Mex] vs. 31.82±10.27 [US]). These findings, particularly the significantly increased consumption of calories and fat, contribute to the increasing rate of obesity‐related diseases and poorer health status in the Mexican population. Future studies should seek to investigate whether metabolic risk factors for obesity‐related diseases develop at a younger age in those of Mexican descent and whether dietary changes could effectively manage these values.Support or Funding InformationBridget Hannon was supported by the National Institute for Agriculture under the AFRI Childhood Obesity Prevention Challenge Area grant (2015‐68001‐23248) to the University of Illinois. Katie Robinson was supported by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture as part of the AFRI Childhood Obesity Prevention Challenge (2011‐67001‐30101) to the Division of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Illinois.
Viral Hepatitis Infections in Africa
Authors: Oyesile T C , Einstein George P , Obidi O F , Tulp Orien L 
Published: November 2023

BackgroundHepatitis infections are a global public health challenge involving the inflammatory condition of the liver. Transmission is a common occurrence and a potential risk especially in Sub‐Saharan Africa which is an area of high endemicity.ObjectivesTo investigate incidence of viral hepatitis infections in Africa.MethodsA literature search was performed using Pubmed, American society for microbiology (ASM) journals, Googlescholar and other sources to establish conclusions from the results of randomized and cross sectional clinical studies in Africa. The quality of studies was assessed using descriptive and inferential statistics with adjusted odds ratio of 95% confidence interval (CI) for the most prevalent hepatitis infection, ages of susceptible individuals and health status involved.FindingsThe results revealed the most and least prevalent Hepatitis as B and A. Seroprevalence was highest among women 21–25 years of age. About three‐quarter (73.4%) were in their third trimester of pregnancy. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors that are significantly associated with maternofetal transmission which remains a contributor to high prevalence of chronic infection. It was found that viral load and age showed significant contributions.ConclusionThe results showed high correlation between viral hepatitis and maternofetal transmission in pregnant women.Support or Funding InformationSupported by Institutional Resources of USAT, the Einstein Institute and the University of Lagos
Micronutrients and Dengue Fever in Coastal Ecuador
Authors: Finkelstein Julia L. , Layden Alexander J. , Beltrán‐Ayala Efraín , Cárdenas Washington B. , Endy Timothy P. , Ryan Sadie J. , Stewart Ibarra Anna M. , Mehta Saurabh 
Published: November 2023

ObjectiveMicronutrients are known immunomodulators and are often used as simple low‐cost adjuncts to lower the risk of acquisition, transmission, progression, or severity of infection. However, no studies to date have comprehensively assessed the linkage between micronutrient status and dengue fever. This study was conducted to examine the role of micronutrients in dengue fever, as part of a prospective study of dengue transmission conducted in Machala, Ecuador, our surveillance site located near the Peruvian border.MethodsIndividuals presenting with suspected dengue fever at four sentinel clinics and the central hospital of the Ministry of Health were recruited into the study. Index cases with acute dengue infection triggered an investigation of dengue cases in the index household and four neighboring households. Dengue fever was diagnosed via RT‐qPCR (n=72), and cases were sex‐and age‐matched to controls (n=72), individuals who tested negative for dengue fever (i.e., negative for RT‐qPCR, NS1, IgG, and IgM). Micronutrients, vitamin D (25(OH)D), vitamin B12, and folate; hemoglobin, serum ferritin (SF), and serum transferrin receptor (sTfR); and inflammatory biomarkers, C‐reactive protein (CRP) and alpha‐1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) were measured in stored samples; and total body iron was calculated.ResultsSerum ferritin concentrations (median (IQR): 188.0 (71.7–595.0) vs. 80.1 (45.0–138.0) μg/L; p<0.0001) and total body iron (p=0.0004) were significantly higher in dengue cases compared to controls. Iron overload (SF>150.0 μg/L) was common, with a higher prevalence in dengue cases compared to controls (55.1% vs. 22.5%; p<0.0001). The prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency (<148 pmol/L; 11.4% vs. 7.5%; p>0.05) and folate deficiency (<6.8 nmol/L; 0.0% vs. 1.6%; p>0.05; <10.0 nmol/L; 7.9% and 4.9%; p>0.05) were low; however, 32.9% of cases and 41.8% of controls had vitamin B12 insufficiency (<221 pmol/L). Median serum 25(OH)D concentrations were significantly higher in cases compared to controls (median (IQR): 83.8 (71.8–93.5) vs. 76.6 (IQR: 65.5–90.8) nmol/L; p=0.04). The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was low and comparable in cases and controls (25(OH)D <50.0 nmol/L: 0.0% vs. 4.25%; p>0.05). 32.5% of cases and 44.4% of controls had vitamin D insufficiency (25(OH)D <75.0 nmol/L; p>0.05).ConclusionThe prevalence of iron overload was high in this population, particularly among dengue‐infected individuals. Vitamin B12 and D insufficiency were present in more than one‐third of individuals in both cases and controls. The implications of these micronutrient alterations for immune function and clinical outcomes in this population needs to be assessed in future studies.Support or Funding InformationDivision of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University; Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response
Impact of host iron on pathogenesis of falciparum malaria: a translational field study from The Gambia
Authors: Cerami Carla , Goheen Morgan M. , Gardner Daniel , Darboe Bakary , Danso Ebrima , Bah Mamadou , Bah Amat , Wegmuller Rita , Prentice Andrew 
Published: November 2023

Epidemiological studies show that iron deficiency protects against malaria, and clinical trials administering iron to iron‐deficient individuals have increased the risk of malaria. However, the molecular mechanisms of these interactions are poorly understood. In an effort to further evaluate the pathogenesis of P. falciparum infection in people with iron deficiency before, during and after iron supplementation, we investigated the in vitro growth growth characteristics of standard laboratory strains of P. falciparum in red blood cells (RBCs) from Gambian children and pregnant women participating in an iron supplementation trial. First, we collected RBCs from children (ages 6 months to 2 years) and pregnant women (2nd and 3rd trimester) with hemoglobin levels less than 11 g/dL. Then, using flow cytometry‐based assays, we separately examined the effect of iron deficiency on overall parasite growth and, merozoite invasion of, RBCs. We demonstrate that P. falciparum erythrocytic stage growth in vitro increases directly in relation to mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration in RBCs and we demonstrate that P. falciparum invasion is reduced in iron deficient RBCs from Gambian children. Additionally, we show that the in vitro growth of the malaria parasite is increased in RBCs drawn from individuals during iron supplementation and that the kinetics of this response correlate with an increase in erythropoiesis.These investigations leverage novel tools and clinical samples from a malaria endemic country to refine our understanding of an ancient relationship between parasite and host. Our findings also imply that in malarious regions iron supplementation should be accompanied by effective measures to prevent falciparum malaria.Support or Funding InformationBill and Melinda Gates Foundation;National Institutes of Child Health and Development; Medical Research Council
Vitamin D Status and Diabetes Among Patients with Suspected Tuberculosis in Rural South India
Authors: Yu Elaine A. , Finkelstein Julia L. , Bonam Wesley , Glesby Marshall J. , Russell David G. , Brannon Patsy M. , Mehta Saurabh 
Published: November 2023

ObjectiveAlthough obesity is an established risk factor for Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), our previous work has demonstrated a high prevalence of DM in populations with lower body mass index (BMI). Further, the roles of key modifiable risk factors of diabetes, such as vitamin D status, in these populations remain unclear. In this cross‐sectional study, we assessed the associations between vitamin D, diabetes, and pre‐diabetes among patients with suspected tuberculosis (TB) and low adiposity in India.MethodsStudy participants were recruited based on the presentation of clinical signs and symptoms of tuberculosis (n=848). Serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25[OHD]) was determined by chemiluminescence immunoassay, and we defined low vitamin D with three cut‐off values (25[OH]D <40.0 nmol/L, <50.0 nmol/L, <75.0 nmol/L). Diabetes (HbA1c ≥6.5%) and pre‐diabetes (HbA1c ≥5.7% to <6.5%) were defined by concentrations of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), which was evaluated with high‐performance liquid chromatography. Whole and segmental body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (8 electrode; Tanita BC 418 MA).ResultsAmong study participants, median vitamin D concentrations were 49.9 nmol/L (interquartile range [IQR] 36.7–69.3). 31.7% of patients had 25(OH)D < 40.0 nmol/L, 50.2% had 25(OH)D < 50.0 nmol/L, and 81.0% had 25(OH)D < 75.0 nmol/L. Median BMI was 18.5 kg/m2 (IQR 16.3–21.3) in males and 19.0 kg/m2 (IQR 16.4–23.7) in females. Median body fat was 14.8% (IQR 9.9–20.0) in males and 26.3% (IQR 20.1–34.5) in females. 13.0% of patients had DM and 20.8% had pre‐DM. 25(OH)D concentrations (nmol/L) were similar in patients with and without diabetes (p>0.05). Fat mass (kg) was higher in individuals with low vitamin D (<50.0 nmol/L), compared to patients with higher vitamin D status (11.0 kg [SD 7.9] vs. 8.8 kg [SD 5.3]; p=0.03). Individuals with vitamin D concentrations in the lowest quintile had a 3.7 times greater odds of having pre‐diabetes (adjusted OR: 3.7 [95% CI: 1.4–9.6]) after adjusting for waist circumference and age, compared to individuals in the four highest quintiles.ConclusionsFindings demonstrate that lower vitamin D status is associated with increased pre‐diabetes and higher fat mass in patients with suspected tuberculosis, despite the low BMI of this study population. Prospective studies are needed to determine the role of vitamin D in this dual epidemic of diabetes and tuberculosis.Support or Funding InformationCornell University
The Infant Gut Microbiome Is Associated With Stool Markers of Macrophage and Neutrophil Activity
Authors: Pierce Zachary , Huda Nazmul , Raqib Rubhana , Ahmed Sheikh , Zerofsky Melissa , Mills David , Stephensen Charles 
Published: November 2023

BackgroundNon‐exclusive breastfeeding and poor environmental hygiene in early infancy may perturb the gut microbiota to cause local inflammation and systemic exposure to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), even in healthy infants.ObjectiveTo test the hypothesis that intestinal dysbiosis impairs local and systemic immune responses, we examined associations of stool microbiota with local intestinal inflammation (myeloperoxidase [MPO] and neopterin as markers of neutrophil and macrophage activity, respectively) and systemic LPS exposure (plasma anti‐LPS IgM) in healthy (no fever or recent history of symptomatic infection), breastfed Bangladeshi infants with potential exposure to enteric pathogens.MethodsSamples were available from 48 Bangladeshi infants participating in a vitamin A supplementation trial (NCT01583972). Stool was collected at 6, 11, and 15 wk and plasma at 6 and 11 wk of age. Stool microbiota was characterized using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. MPO, neopterin and LPS‐specific IgM were measured with commercially available kits. Spearman correlation analyses were used to determine associations between relative abundance of bacterial taxa and markers of inflammation and LPS exposure.ResultsProteobacteria at the phylum, class, and order levels were positively associated with MPO at 6 and 15 wk (p<0.05). Microbiota relative abundance was not associated with anti‐LPS IgM at either 6 or 15 wk. Actinobacteria (predominantly Bifidobacterium) relative abundance was positively associated with stool neopterin from the phylum to species levels (p<0.05) at all ages while the relative abundance of Firmicutes (orders Lactobacillales and Clostridia; p<0.05) was negatively associated with neopterin at all ages. MPO and neopterin did not vary with age; anti‐LPS IgM increased with age (p<0.001).ConclusionsThe positive association of Proteobacteria with MPO suggests subclinical intestinal inflammation in these otherwise healthy children, as MPO is indicative of neutrophil infiltration into the intestinal lumen, though the lack of LPS‐specific IgM may indicate minimal systemic exposure to these bacteria. Bifidobacterium is abundant in the stool of breastfed infants and has been positively associated with many beneficial health outcomes, thus its positive association with stool neopterin was not expected. However, neopterin in the stool may originate from normal macrophage activity in the intestinal immune compartment, which can be extensive, rather than from macrophages present in the intestinal lumen during inflammation. Thus, rather than a marker of inflammation, stool neopterin may indicate overall intestinal immune activity or development, which may be stimulated by Bifidobacterium, though this hypothesis needs further exploration.Support or Funding InformationThrasher Research Grant; Jastro‐Shields Research Grant