Recent ucsdsom items

Multi-strain analysis of Pseudomonas putida reveals the metabolic and genetic diversity of the species.

Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Pseudomonas putida is a gram-negative bacterial species increasingly utilized in biotechnology due to its robust growth, ability to degrade aromatic compounds, solvent tolerance, and genetic tractability. In this study, we report a comprehensive multi-strain analysis of 164 P. putida strains based on the reconstruction of a pan-putida metabolic network and the formulation of strain-specific genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs). We performed whole-genome sequencing and hybrid assembly for 40 strains, contributing a ~8% increase to the available genomic data for P. putida. Furthermore, high-throughput phenotypic profiling using the Biolog phenotype microarray system for 24 strains on 190 unique carbon sources, along with 15 aromatic compounds not present on Biolog plates, yielded 4,920 unique strain-phenotype measurements. These data were leveraged to curate GEMs for 24 representative strains, including a refined model for strain KT2440, which comprised...

The phage nucleus synergizes with an anti-defense protein to resist bacterial immunity

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Chimallivirus bacteriophages enclose their replicating genomes in a protein-based compartment termed the phage nucleus. While the phage nucleus segregates phage DNA from host immune proteins, it is not known if additional factors are required to protect against DNA-targeting host defenses. Here, we identify a chimallivirus-encoded DarG2-like antitoxin that localizes to the phage nucleus and provides protection against phage-targeting DarTG2 toxin-antitoxin systems. This protein, which we term AdfM (anti-darT factor macro), contains a macrodomain and removes DarT2-mediated ADP-ribose modifications from DNA. In the absence of AdfM, DarT2 modifies phage DNA and restricts chimallivirus replication despite being largely excluded from the phage nucleus. Increasing the nuclear concentration of DarT2 while decreasing the nuclear concentration of AdfM reduces phage replication. These results show that the phage nucleus is insufficient to completely protect the chimallivirus genome from...

Early Rise in Urinary TIMP-2 and IGF-BP7 and Prediction of Contrast-Associated Acute Kidney Injury after Invasive Angiography

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Early Rise in Urinary TIMP-2 and IGF-BP7 and Prediction of Contrast-Associated Acute Kidney Injury after Invasive Angiography

Authors: Megan Woelkers, Melody Sedighi, Harini Rangarajan, Alekhya Pushadapu, Srusti Acharya, Saiharinath Nerella, Elizabeth Tabornal, Lori B. Daniels, MD, MAS

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA

Background: Contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) occurs in approximately 12% of patients following exposure to iodinated contrast media during angiography and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality; reported mortality approaches 20% in some cohorts. Early detection of CA-AKI is essential in mitigating long-term complications and improving outcomes, yet current diagnosis relies largely on serum creatinine (sCr) which typically rises 24-48h after contrast exposure. Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2)...

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging paralleled recurrent pericarditis clinical response to rilonacept treatment over 18 months: a RHAPSODY subgroup analysis

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging paralleled recurrent pericarditis clinical response to rilonacept treatment over 18 months: a RHAPSODY subgroup analysis

Authors:

Paul C. Cremer, MD¹, Antonio Brucato, MD², Antonella Insalaco, MD³, David Lin, MD⁴, Sushil A. Luis, MBBS, PhD⁵, Deborah H. Kwon, MD¹, Christine L. Jellis, MD, PhD¹, JoAnn Clair, PhD, MBA⁶, Allison Curtis, PhD⁶, Sheldon Wang, PhD⁶, Allan L. Klein, MD¹, Massimo Imazio, MD⁷, John F. Paolini,MD, PhD⁶, for the RHAPSODY investigators.

¹Department of Cardiovascular Imaging, Center for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pericardial Diseases, Heart and Vascular Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA;

²Department of Biomedical and Clinical Science, University...

Evaluating Pediatric High-Sensitivity Troponin Thresholds and Testing Trends: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Evaluating Pediatric High-Sensitivity Troponin Thresholds and Testing Trends: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study

Alexander J F Thurston^1*, Eirik Å. Røys^2,3*, Ragnhild Røysland^4,5, Øyvind Skadberg⁶, Dorien M Kimenai⁷, Nicholas L Mills^7,8, Kristin M Aakre^2,3,9

¹Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK² Department of clinical science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway³ Department of Medical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway⁴Multidisciplinary Laboratory Medicine and Medical Biochemistry, Division of Diagnostics and Technology, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway⁵Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway⁶Laboratory of Medical Biochemistry,...

Substrain-specific behavioral variation in female C57BL/6 and C57BL/10 mice

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Inbred mouse strains are essential to biomedical research, yet accumulating mutations and substrain divergence introduce phenotypic variability that can confound experimental outcomes. This study investigates behavioral differences among 13 inbred mouse substrains: eight C57BL/6 (B6) and five C57BL/10 (B10), bred in-house to control for environmental effects. Female F1 offspring underwent a standardized battery of behavioral assays—open field test (OFT), locomotor response to cocaine (LOCO), fear conditioning (FC), prepulse inhibition (PPI), and the forced swim test (FST)—chosen for their relevance to models of psychiatric and substance use disorders. Significant substrain-specific differences were observed across all behaviors. In the OFT, B6 substrains such as C57BL/6J showed higher activity than others, while B10 substrains exhibited distinct edge-zone preference patterns. Cocaine-induced locomotor stimulation varied significantly among B6 substrains but not among B10. In FC,...

Management of Uncomplicated Myocarditis in a Young Athlete

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Management of Uncomplicated Myocarditis in a Young Athlete

Oscar Levine, Masihullah Barat, David Torres Barba, Ori Ben-Yehuda¹

¹UC San Diego Health

Background: A 17-year-old previously healthy male competitive soccer player presented to the emergency department with chest pain.

History: The patient woke up with sharp, pleuritic, substernal chest pain radiating to his right shoulder. One week prior, he had fever and myalgias, was diagnosed with influenza, and was treated with oseltamivir. He had no cardiac history, no family history of premature coronary artery disease, and denied alcohol, tobacco, or drug use.

Exams and images: Vital signs and physical exam were unremarkable. Lab work was notable for troponin T generation 5 initially at 169 ng/L and peaking at 493 ng/L (normal: <22 ng/L), with corresponding creatine kinase-myocardial...

A Case of Olanzapine-Induced Dyslipidemia

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A Case of Olanzapine-Induced Dyslipidemia

Andrew S. Kao MD¹, Harpreet S. Bhatia MD, MAS²

¹Department of Medicine, UC San Diego Health, La Jolla, CA, USA

²Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, UC San Diego Health, La Jolla, CA, USA

Introduction: Elevation in lipid biomarkers, specifically total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, and triglyceride levels, can be observed within 4 weeks of initiation of atypical anti-psychotic medications without significant HDL-C alteration. Olanzapine use is associated with a five-fold risk increase in risk of developing dyslipidemia and higher predisposition to an ASCVD event. Routine assessment of lipid profile is crucial to minimize cardiovascular risk among patients with psychiatric comorbidities in need of long-term anti-psychotics.

Case: A 51-year-old woman with history of breast cancer on adjuvant...

Impact of Polygenic Risk Scoring on Lipid-Lowering Therapy in Primary Prevention for Coronary Artery Disease

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Impact of Polygenic Risk Scoring on Lipid-Lowering Therapy in Primary Prevention for Coronary Artery Disease

Matthew Sangoi, Pranav Mellacheruvu, Nawaz Safdar, Rishitha Penmetsa, Skyler Burke, Maxwell Ambrosino, Nasser Monzer, Deepak Vedamurthy, Daniel Soffer, Douglas Jacoby

Corresponding Author: Rishitha Penmetsa, 9729889664, rishitha.penmetsa@utsouthwestern.edu

Pennsylvania Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States

UT Southwestern School of Medicine, Dallas, TX, United States

Background: Polygenic risk scores (PRS) estimate inherited risk for coronary artery disease (CAD) by aggregating multiple genetic variants. Emerging data suggest PRS can enhance traditional risk models, particularly in younger or borderline-risk patients, before clinical risk factors develop. As validation across...

Contemporary Recurrent Pericarditis Management – Real-World Evidence of Limited Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Prior to Initiating Rilonacept

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Contemporary Recurrent Pericarditis Management – Real-World Evidence of Limited Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Prior to Initiating Rilonacept

Brittany Weber, MD, PhD¹,Paul C. Cremer, MD², Michael S. Garshick, MD^3,4, Sushil A. Luis, MBBS, PhD⁵,Ajit Raisinghani, MD⁶, Vidhya Parameswaran, MPH⁷, Allison Curtis, PhD^7*, Allan L. Klein, MD⁸, John F. Paolini,MD, PhD⁷, on behalf of the RESONANCE Study Group.

Presenter: Corina Grancorvitz⁷

*Corresponding author:

¹Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women‘s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA;

²Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, Northwestern University Feinberg School...

Serial Lipoprotein(a) Measurements in Heart Transplant Recipients

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Serial Lipoprotein(a) Measurements in Heart Transplant Recipients

Andrew S. Kao MD¹, Antoinette Birs MD², Jose Cruz Rodriguez MD²

¹Department of Medicine, UC San Diego Health, La Jolla, CA, USA

²Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, UC San Diego Health, La Jolla, CA, USA

Introduction: Lipoprotein (a), a genetically determined lipid carrier molecule consists of low-density lipoprotein with apolipoprotein B-100 and apolipoprotein (a), is a well-established biomarker with casual association to development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events.¹ ACC/AHA guidelines recommend lipid lowering therapy for Lp(a) level >50 mg/dL,² as Lp(a) has a positive association with intima thickening leading to coronary allograft vasculopathy (CAV).^3-4 The following case demonstrates the utility in serial Lp(a)...

Preliminary Evidence that Combination Oral Contraceptive Use in Young Adult Women Is Associated with the Endocrine Stress Response to High-Dose Alcohol

Fri, 8 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Preliminary Evidence that Combination Oral Contraceptive Use in Young Adult Women Is Associated with the Endocrine Stress Response to High-Dose Alcohol

Ultrasound of the Rectus Femoris Muscle and Association with Pediatric Liver Failure - Preliminary One-Year Pilot Outcomes Data

Thu, 7 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ultrasound of the Rectus Femoris Muscle and Association with Pediatric Liver Failure - Preliminary One-Year Pilot Outcomes Data

Analyses of astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle transporter levels in brain tissues from people with HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease

Thu, 7 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract Objectives With the success of antiretroviral therapy (ART), people with HIV (PWH) are living longer. As they age, they increasingly face age-related comorbidities, including neurodegenerative conditions. The astrocyte–neuron lactate shuttle (ANLS) is a key mechanism that couples astrocytic glycolysis to neuronal oxidative metabolism, ensuring an adequate energy supply for synaptic activity. Disruption of this system has been implicated in both Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment (HIV-NCI), conditions characterized by some overlapping cognitive deficits yet distinct pathological drivers. Methods We investigated the expression of major ANLS transporters, including glucose transporters (GLUT1, GLUT3) and monocarboxylate transporters (MCT1, MCT2, MCT4), in postmortem frontal cortex from individuals with AD and PWH. There were two HIV cohorts based on viral suppression (suppressed/non-suppressed), and both were stratified by neurocognitive...

Longitudinal neurocognitive trajectories in a large cohort of youth who use cannabis: combining self-report and toxicology

Thu, 7 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Adolescents experience extensive neurocognitive development, with cannabis use potentially impacting developmental trajectories. Here, we comprehensively assess the influence of adolescent cannabis use onset on neurocognitive trajectories and consider how recent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) may influence neurocognition. We use the large, diverse longitudinal Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study dataset, combining self-reported substance use with objective toxicological tests (hair, urine, breath, oral fluid). Longitudinal mixed methods of the full cohort (n = 11,036, ages 9-17; 47% Female/53% Male) investigate time-varying cannabis onset on neurocognitive performance. Primary model covariates include sociodemographics, family history of substance use disorder, prenatal substance exposure, early psychopathology, other substance use, and nesting for participant ID, study site, and family ID. Secondarily, in participants with repeat toxicological...

Kisspeptin made in the preoptic area is required for normal estradiol-induced LH surges and optimal fertility in females

Thu, 7 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ovulation is triggered by a surge in luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion from the pituitary. The LH surge is itself driven by a surge in GnRH release induced by estrogen positive feedback action in the hypothalamus. While ERα-expressing kisspeptin (Kiss1) neurons in the preoptic area (in mice, the rostral periventricular region of the third ventricle [RP3V]) are proposed to mediate this estrogen positive feedback event, the functional necessity of RP3V-derived kisspeptin for the LH surge has not been directly tested. Here we leveraged Cre/lox technology and the known high co-expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) with Kiss1 in only the RP3V region to generate novel transgenic mice with selective knockout (KO) of the Kiss1 gene in just RP3V neurons (Kiss1RP3V KO mice). In situ hybridization confirmed a significant 70% reduction in cells expressing Kiss1 in the RP3V region, but not in the arcuate nucleus, along with no change in RP3V Th expression. Kiss1RP3V KO females exhibited...

Is pharmacotherapy ready to redefine the state of the art in obstructive sleep apnea care?

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Is pharmacotherapy ready to redefine the state of the art in obstructive sleep apnea care?

Lipoprotein(a) and Oxidized Phospholipids in Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background/Synopsis:

Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is an inherited pro-atherogenic lipoprotein associated with cardiovascular diseases. Lp(a) acts as a carrier of oxidized phospholipids, which activate inflammatory response and promote formation of atherosclerotic plaques. The OxPL-apoB method quantifies the content of oxidized phospholipids on apolipoprotein B-100 containing particles, particularly Lp(a) and LDL-C. Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is characterized by progressive coronary intimal thickening in heart allografts. This study aims to investigate the association of Lp(a) and OxPL-apoB with early CAV development in cardiac transplant (HTx) recipients.

Methods: A single-center, retrospective study analyzed 99 HTx recipients between 2015 to 2025 with measured Lp(a) and at least one post-HTx coronary angiogram with highly sensitive intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). We defined elevated Lp(a) as >50...

Recommendations for HLA Genotyping Data Standards and Clinical Laboratory Staffing Considerations.

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The rapid advances in HLA genotyping technology and the massive amounts of associated data have created a demand for better and more efficient laboratory data management practices. However, while some standards have been developed, there is a need for comprehensive guidelines that include all laboratory data-related processes such as messaging, storage and retention, documentation, reporting, validation and quality control. An important consideration in developing these recommendations is the feasibility of application in a laboratory setting without posing a substantial staff and cost burden for implementation and long-term maintenance and the availability of publicly available tools. This article presents evidence-based recommendations for multiple laboratory general data practices, focusing on HLA genotyping data and associated meta-data. These recommendations are compiled by experts in the fields of histocompatibility and immunogenetics (H&I) and representation from multiple...

Essential papers in women's mental health: an educational resource for physicians and trainees.

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article provides a high-yield, educational resource on Women's Mental Health (WMH). By facilitating access to specialized psychiatric knowledge in a concise format, this annotated bibliography facilitates the widespread dissemination and uptake of essential WMH literature, supports medical training, and contributes to the delivery of evidence-based care. RECENT FINDINGS: There is increasing recognition that medical providers must be prepared to identify and address the mental health needs of women during the perinatal period and throughout the reproductive lifespan. Despite this, there is a notable lack of formal WMH-related education in medical training. SUMMARY: The WMH Special Interest Group of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry convened a workgroup to identify foundational WMH literature. Using expert nominations and a structured survey, 40 articles across 15 categories were evaluated for clinical importance and quality of scholarship. Five...

74. Successful Use of High-Dose Buprenorphine to Manage Precipitated Opioid Withdrawal Caused by Naltrexone LAI Administration

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

74. Successful Use of High-Dose Buprenorphine to Manage Precipitated Opioid Withdrawal Caused by Naltrexone LAI Administration

Effects of Noninvasive Cervical Vagal Nerve Stimulation on Cognitive Performance But Not Brain Activation in Healthy Adults

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

OBJECTIVES: While preliminary evidence suggests that noninvasive vagal nerve stimulation (nVNS) may enhance cognition, to our knowledge, no study has directly assessed the effects of nVNS on brain function and cognitive performance in healthy individuals. The aim of this study was therefore to assess whether nVNS enhances complex visuospatial problem solving in a normative sample. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to examine underlying neural substrates. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Participants received transcutaneous cervical nVNS (N = 15) or sham (N = 15) stimulation during a 3 T fMRI scan. Stimulation lasted for 2 min at 24 V for nVNS and at 4.5 V for sham. Subjects completed a matrix reasoning (MR) task in the scanner and a forced-choice recognition task outside the scanner. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess group differences in cognitive performance. And linear mixed effects (LMEs) regression analysis was used to assess main and interaction...

Improving Goal-Concordant Care: Increasing LST Note Completion in High-Risk Veterans at VA San Diego

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

See PDF.

The Beginning of Change: Characterizing Families who Refuse Neonatal Preventative Services.

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Beginning of Change: Characterizing Families who Refuse Neonatal Preventative Services.

Assessing Availability and Expanding Access to Mifepristone at Pharmacies in San Diego County

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background:

Mifepristone is used for both medication abortion and medical management of early pregnancy loss (EPL). In 2023 the FDA REMS for mifepristone was modified, allowing pharmacies to become certified to dispense mifepristone. This modification facilitated medication abortions via additional providers, and telehealth, which studies have shown is equally safe and effective compared to in-person medication abortion care. Despite the evidence supporting medication abortion without an in-person clinic visit and the ability of pharmacies to dispense these medications, this is not yet a routine part of abortion care. It is unknown how many pharmacies are certified to order, stock, and dispense mifepristone.

Description:

This project aims to understand the number of San Diego pharmacies that are able to dispense mifepristone. In addition, among pharmacies not dispensing, we assessed interest in being able to dispense...

A learning-driven automatic planning framework for proton PBS treatments of H&N cancers

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Purpose Proton pencil beam scanning (PBS) treatment planning for head & neck (H&N) cancers involves numerous conflicting objectives, requiring iterative objective parameter adjustments to balance multiple clinical goals. We propose a learning-driven inverse optimizer and integrate it into a proximal policy optimization (PPO)-based planning framework to automatically generate high-quality plans for patients with diverse treatment requirements. Methods and Materials The inverse optimizer is a learning-to-optimize (L2O) method that predicts update steps by learning from task-specific data distributions. For the first time, long-context processing techniques developed for large language models (LLMs) are utilized to address the scalability limitations of existing L2O methods, enabling simultaneous optimization over a substantially large set of variables. The PPO framework functions as an outer-loop virtual planner, autonomously adjusting objective parameters through a policy...

Revisiting HIV-Associated Wasting: Results from a U.S. Cross-Sectional Survey of Health Care Providers' Knowledge, Attitude, and Current Practices.

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Advancements in antiretroviral therapy (ART) have significantly improved morbidity and mortality rates among people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PWH), leading to prolonged survival, and many are now living into middle and old age. However, this population now faces aging-related comorbidities, including cachexia HIV-associated wasting (HIVAW), which remains inadequately addressed in the context of contemporary ART. Effective management of HIVAW requires a multifaceted approach that targets underlying causes while addressing coexisting health conditions. Currently, recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) (somatropin) is the only FDA-approved treatment for HIVAW that increases body weight and lean body mass and improves physical endurance. However, the lack of standardized definitions and clear treatment guidelines may contribute to the underdiagnosis and suboptimal management of HIVAW. This study aimed to assess health care providers' (HCPs) knowledge, attitudes, and...

Chronic Thromboembolism Phenotypes after Acute Pulmonary Embolism: Identification with the SEARCH Algorithm.