14538 results for "PLOS+ONE+Pennsylvania+German+ACS+language+code+pdc+open+access+study"

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• Transcriptomic Analysis of HIV-Infected Cells

  Defining the attributes of rare CD4 T cells that harbor latent HIV under therapy with anti-retroviral agents has been challenging due to difficulties in identifying and isolating these cells. These cells represent an important barrier to cure, and characterizing them would aid the design and development of novel HIV cure strategies. In this study, we addressed this challenge using a custom microfluidic technology named Focused Interrogation of cells by Nucleic acid Detection and Sequencing (FIND-seq) that isolates HIV-infected cell transcriptomes, based on HIV DNA detection. We applied this method to HIV DNA+ memory CD4 T cells isolated from blood from five persons with HIV who were receiving anti-retroviral agents. After curating samples based on data quality, we proceeded with bioinformatics analysis from three persons. This analysis identified six transcriptomic pathways that were inhibited in HIV DNA+ cells compared to HIV DNA- cells. These included death receptor signaling, necroptosis signaling, and anti-proliferative G-alpha12/13 signaling. Furthermore, we identified two gene clusters, including 60 and 85 genes, that were significantly associated with HIV DNA+ cells identified by co-expression network analysis. These genes included negative regulators of HIV transcription that were higher in HIV DNA+ cells, positive regulators of HIV transcription that were lower in HIV DNA+ cells, and other genes involved in the negative regulation of mRNA translation, additional RNA processing functions, and the regulation of cellular state and fate. We further examined these signatures in transcriptomic data from CD4 T cell subsets sorted by flow cytometry from nine persons with HIV. We found a partial similarity between the smaller cluster of genes and the signature of CCR6- peripheral TFH cells. Raw sequencing data from all eleven human participant samples included in the study are available. These include samples from two participants who were studied only by FIND-seq, three participants who were studied by both FIND-seq and flow cytometry and six participants who were studied only by flow cytometry.

  Study phs003095

• Investigating Genetics of Human Natural Short Sleepers (IGHNSS)

  Sleep is essential for life. A good night's sleep is pleasurable and sleep deprivation is stressful. Prolonged sleep loss impairs temperature control, metabolism, immunity, and ultimately leads to death. Extensive observational and epidemiological evidence indicates that optimal sleep duration of 8 hours is associated with the maintenance of good health. In our society, however, most people only get 6.5 - 7 hours. Suboptimal sleep duration has a strong association with mortality and morbidity. Lack of sleep has been linked to cardiovascular diseases, obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and other health/cognition conditions. It is clear that the biological need for sleep varies dramatically among humans. Sleep and circadian disorders can include Familial Advanced Sleep Phase (FASP), Delayed Sleep Phase (DSP), Advanced Sleep Phase (ASP), Natural Short Sleepers (NSS) or Long Sleeping. In example, Natural Short Sleepers (NSS) have a lifelong tendency to sleep only 4 - 6 hours per night and to awaken refreshed and energetic. Natural Long Sleepers biologically require 9 - 10 hours/night to feel well rested. The 'Sleep and Circadian Disorders Study' (SACDS) at the University of California San Francisco, set out to investigate the mechanisms involved in regulating sleep duration, patterns and sleep quality regulation by identifying and characterization of individuals and families with unusual sleep and circadian rhythm behavior patterns. SACDS participants were screened with a "General Sleep Questionnaire" that inquired about multiple aspects of sleep, including habitual work-day versus non-work day sleep-wake schedules, permits calculation of subjective habitual initial sleep onset, final sleep offset, and number of awakenings. There was an additional screening process including demographic data, sleep, mood, behavioral and general medical questionnaires, plus the study consent. After the extensive screening of 117 participants, blood samples were collected from 38 individuals and of those 10 samples were chosen for whole exome sequencing analysis.

  Study phs001270

• Mechanism and Response of Thymoglobulin in Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)

  In people with MDS, the bone marrow stops making healthy blood cells and instead produces poorly functioning, malformed, and immature blood cells. This can lead to anemia resulting from too few healthy red blood cells, infection resulting from too few healthy white blood cells, and bleeding resulting from too few healthy platelets. The exact cause of MDS remains unknown, but it may be caused by abnormal autoimmune activity in which activated T cells, a type of white blood cell, prevent normal bone marrow production. ATG, a medication that inhibits immune function, can restore normal blood production in some people with MDS, but it is not known how this happens and why it does not happen in all MDS patients. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of ATG in adults with MDS and to determine which individuals with MDS are most likely to benefit from treatment with ATG. Based on disease severity and likely disease progression, participants will be separated into either a high-risk group or a low-risk group. Participants will be hospitalized for a 4-day period during which they will receive daily infusions of ATG. Oral prednisone will be given 2 days before hospitalization, throughout hospitalization, and then for 14 days after hospitalization to limit the side effects of ATG. Antihistamines and acetaminophen will also be given during hospitalization to reduce the chances of an allergic reaction to ATG. After discharge, all participants will attend monthly study visits that will include blood collection, review of disease symptoms, and evaluation of medication response. At Week 16, participants in the high-risk group will undergo additional blood collection, a bone marrow biopsy, and a thorough evaluation of disease progression and the effects of MDS on daily living abilities. Participants in the low-risk group will undergo these same procedures at Week 24. Follow-up for all participants may last up to 2 years.

  Study phs000697

• NHLBI GO-ESP: Family Studies (Hematological Cancers)

  The NHLBI "Grand Opportunity" Exome Sequencing Project (GO-ESP), a signature project of the NHLBI Recovery Act investment, was designed to identify genetic variants in coding regions (exons) of the human genome (the "exome") that are associated with heart, lung and blood diseases. These and related diseases that are of high impact to public health and individuals from diverse racial and ethnic groups will be studied. These data may help researchers understand the causes of disease, contributing to better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, as well as determine whether to tailor prevention and treatments to specific populations. This could lead to more effective treatments and reduce the likelihood of side effects. GO-ESP is comprised of five collaborative components: 3 cohort consortia - HeartGO, LungGO, and WHISP - and 2 sequencing centers - BroadGO and SeattleGO. Two major goals in the study of human malignancies are (i) to understand the genetic basis that underlies the predisposition of certain individuals to develop cancer and (ii) to identify the full spectrum of acquired mutations that occur in human cancers. There has been some progress in both of these areas with respect to hematologic malignancies but much remains to be discovered. As a result of recent advantages in sequencing technologies it is now feasible to sequence multiple individual whole exomes at reasonable cost. Such technologies provide a unique opportunity to transform our understanding of the biological basis of human cancer and to identify inherited genetic variants that predispose individuals to the development of hematologic malignancies. Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute leukemia are clonal disorders of hematopoieis. Our study involves performing whole exome sequencing of individuals with these disorders for the purpose of identifying (i) novel inherited genetic variants associated with the risk of developing of MPN/MDS/acute leukemia and (ii) novel acquired mutations associated with the development of MPN/MDS/acute leukemia.

  Study phs000632

• GATA2 Deficiency and the MonoMAC Syndrome

  The aim of this study was to identify the germline mutation(s) in an extended family with individuals having MonoMAC Syndrome/GATA2 deficiency but lacking a canonical GATA2 mutation. GATA2 deficiency patients develop bone marrow failure, severe immunodeficiency and may progress to myeloid malignancies, including myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). The definitive treatment for GATA2 deficiency is a bone marrow transplant. Approximately 90% of GATA2 deficiency patients have a known de novo or inherited germline mutation in the GATA2 gene, but ~10% have no identified mutation. The study was initiated with the first patient and her second cousin, both of whom were treated for MonoMAC Syndrome and received bone marrow transplants at the NIH. Pedigree analysis and clinical evaluation identified the individuals in several generations of these patients' near and distant relatives who are/were presenting or carrying the disease manifestations of GATA2 deficiency. Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) was employed on these patients' two related nuclear families to identify variants that segregated with the disease trait and carrier status of their families. Genotyping was confirmed with direct DNA sequencing of these and other family members within the extended family across generations. A single base adenine-to-thymidine change was identified in a highly conserved enhancer element ~117,000 bp upstream of the GATA2 gene. It creates a new Composite Element, a DNA motif known to be critical in the regulation of hematopoiesis. This variant is unique to this family and is not present in dbSNP or other variant databases. It segregates with the disease trait and obligate carriers throughout a large pedigree. In vitro studies show that this variant drives allele-specific overexpression of the GATA2 gene in cultured cells and luciferase assays. The WGS sequence from the nuclear families will be shared on dbGaP.

  Study phs003269

• The Effects of Long-Term Heavy Metal Exposure on Transcriptome Landscape in Human Peripheral Blood Cells

  The present study investigates the impact of long-term residence in a mining area on transcriptome changes induced by heavy metal exposure in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 65 healthy subjects selected from the general population. This study includes the same participants which were recruited in our previous investigation on heavy metal long-term environmental exposure-related gene-specific methylation changes (phs003392.v1.p1). We performed a differential expression analysis to compare the mRNA transcriptome of 31 residents from the mining region (MRR) - individuals living in the Kapan mining area with reported environmental exposures to heavy metals - with that of 34 residents from non-mining regions (NMR) - individuals residing at a considerable distance from mining locations. We also evaluated the potential association of gene expression profiles with the blood metallome, including levels of Ca, Mg, Co, Fe, Mn, Cu, Mo, Se, Zn, As, Sb, Tl, Be, V, Ni. Poly-A selected strand-specific mRNA library was prepared with Illumina Stranded mRNA Prep kit. The sequencing was performed on the Illumina NovaSeq-6000 platform with 38.5 million single-end 100 bp reads on average generated per sample. Quality checking of the sequencing data was performed using Illumina Basespace reports and the program FastQC (V0.10.1). Reads were aligned against the Human Genome Hg38 using STAR (version 2.7.1a). According to our findings, long-term residence in a mining area is correlated with alterations in the blood transcriptome, with responses varying by sex. Pathway analysis revealed upregulation of immune response related pathways, and downregulation of translation and ribosome biogenesis in the PBMCs of the MRR. Pathways related to metal ion transmembrane transport, epigenetic modifications (histone deacetylases (HDACs) and DNA methylation) were upregulated in males, while in females mostly transcripts involved in inflammation and cytokine mediated signaling were upregulated. Additionally, among the dysregulated pathways, the TNF-α signaling via NF-κB showed opposite changes in females and males.

  Study phs003657

• Ipilimumab plus Decitabine for Patients with MDS or AML in Post-Transplant or Transplant Naïve Settings

  Design and AimsThis study was a phase 1 clinical trial investigating the combination of ipilimumab (IPI), a CTLA-4 checkpoint inhibitor, and decitabine (DEC), a hypomethylating agent, for treating relapsed/refractory (R/R) myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The goal was to determine whether DEC could enhance the immune response to IPI without causing excessive immune toxicity. This study provides important insights into the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors with hypomethylating agents in treating high-risk MDS/AML and highlights the need for further research on optimizing immune-based therapies in these settings.Population InformationPost-HSCT arm: 25 patients (23 AML, 2 MDS; all relapsed/refractory).Transplant-naïve arm: 23 patients (15 AML, 8 MDS; 20 relapsed/refractory, 3 untreated).Data available through dbGaPDeidentified individual participant data, Multiplex immunofluorescence staining, Olink, RNA-Seq and Whole Exome SequencingPrincipal FindingsSafety & Tolerability: The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) for IPI was determined to be 10 mg/kg, though higher doses were associated with increased immune-related adverse events (irAEs).Efficacy: The overall response rate (ORR) was higher in transplant-naïve patients (52%) compared to post-HSCT patients (20%).Responses were more frequent at higher IPI doses (10 mg/kg). Some patients achieved durable remission (>1 year), often linked to irAE development.Toxicity: The most common grade ≥3 treatment-emergent adverse events included neutropenia (32%-48%), thrombocytopenia (28%-48%), and febrile neutropenia (36%-61%). irAEs were observed in 44%-48% of patients, with GVHD occurring only in the post-HSCT group.Survival Outcomes: Median overall survival and progression-free survival did not significantly differ between the two arms. However, in transplant-naïve patients, 1-year survival was higher in those who developed irAEs (72.7%) versus those who did not (33.3%).

  Study phs003292

• DNA Methylation in Prostate Tumor and Paired Benign Tissue for African and European Ancestry Men

  We recruited prostate cancer (PCa) patients undergoing robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy at the University of Chicago Medical Center Urology Clinic between 2011 and 2017. Our study includes 76 African American (AA) and 75 European American (EA) men with PCa of Gleason Score (GS) ≥7, recruited by the Epidemiology Research Recruitment Core at the University of Chicago. All patients consented to the collection of questionnaire data, prostate tissue, and medical records. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Chicago. Following prostatectomy, prostate tissue was sent to the Human Tissue Research Center (HTRC) at the University of Chicago. Each sample underwent histological examination and Gleason scoring by University of Chicago genitourinary pathologists. The presence of adenocarcinoma was confirmed by overexpression of alpha-methylacyl-coenzyme-A racemase (AMACR) and areas for DNA extraction were marked. Tissue samples used for DNA extraction were obtained using with either a 1mm biopunch or laser microdissection of a 100 µm2 area of tissue. Genome-wide DNA methylation profiles were generated using Illumina's Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip array kit. Genome-wide SNP data was generated (from benign tissue DNA) using the Illumina Infinium Multi-Ethnic Global-8 v1.0 array at the University of Chicago Genomics Core Facility. We performed imputation using the Haplotype Reference Consortium (HRC, Version r1.1 2016) panel, which includes all samples from the 1,000 Genomes Project (Phase 3), using the Michigan Imputation Server. The imputed SNP data for mQTL analysis was imputed based on genotype SNP data which was all from benign tissue DNA and the methylation data was identified in both tumor and benign tissue, both AA and EA men, and identified QTLs co-occuring with prostate cancer susceptibility loci.Data including SNP genotypes, DNA methylation, tissue type, and participant characteristics will be available in dbGaP.

  Study phs003516

• Perceptions, Prevalence, and Patterns of Cannabis Use among Cancer Patients in NCI-Designated Cancer Centers

  This study aimed to better understand the evolving landscape of cannabis use among patients undergoing cancer treatment across diverse geographic regions. It sought to characterize patterns of use, patient perceptions, and contextual influences such as legal status and provider engagement that affect cannabis use. Given the shifting legal environment, this study addresses a critical gap in the literature by providing data on how cancer patients integrate cannabis into their care. The available delivery methods of cannabis have also undergone dramatic changes and now include edibles, oils, tinctures, topicals, and inhaled forms. State-based policy changes are rapidly changing. Yet research on cannabis use by cancer patients across a variety of geographic settings remains limited. The extent of cannabis use, the perceived and real benefits and risks of use, potential interactions with cancer treatment and other medications, and impact on comorbid conditions are uncertain. Clinicians should be aware of the extent of use in order to assess potential drug-drug interactions, side effects, and contraindications; hence, an understanding of how cancer patients and clinicians engage in discussions about cannabis use is essential. Twelve NCI-designated cancer centers were awarded supplemental funding to conduct surveys assessing cannabis use among recently diagnosed cancer patients. Selected sites were in 8 states with varied legal status for medical and recreational cannabis use at the time of the survey. The 12 cancer centers independently received approval from their institutional review boards (IRB) and collected data from September 2021 to August 2023. Eligible participants were cancer patients or survivors who resided in their respective cancer center's catchment area. Cancer centers were responsible for sampling patients within their catchment area with the goal of 1,000 completed surveys. Ten out of 12 cancer centers drew probability samples of patients from patient lists defining their catchment area with some stratifying the sample in various ways including by cancer type, by sex, by race/ethnicity or by a combination of demographic variables.

  Study phs004046

• POU4F3 mutation screening in Japanese hearing loss patients.

  A variant in a transcription factor gene, POU4F3, is responsible for autosomal dominant nonsyndromic hereditary hearing loss, DFNA15. To date, 14 variants, including a whole deletion of POU4F3, have been reported to cause HL in various ethnic groups. In the present study, genetic screening for POU4F3 variants was carried out for a large series of Japanese hearing loss (HL) patients to clarify the prevalence and clinical characteristics of DFNA15 in the Japanese population. Massively parallel DNA sequencing of 68 target candidate genes was utilized in 2,549 unrelated Japanese HL patients (probands) to identify genomic variations responsible for HL. The detailed clinical features in patients with POU4F3 variants were collected from medical charts and analyzed. Novel 12 POU4F3 likely pathogenic variants (six missense variants, three frameshift variants, and three nonsense variants) were successfully identified in 15 probands (2.5%) among 602 families exhibiting autosomal dominant HL, whereas no variants were detected in the other 1,947 probands with autosomal recessive or inheritance pattern unknown HL. To obtain the audiovestibular configuration of the patients harboring POU4F3 variants, we collected audiograms and vestibular symptoms of the probands and their affected family members. Audiovestibular phenotypes in a total of 24 individuals from the 15 families possessing variants were characterized by progressive HL, with a large variation in the onset age and severity with or without vestibular symptoms observed. Pure-tone audiograms indicated the most prevalent configuration as mid-frequency HL type followed by high-frequency HL type, with asymmetry observed in approximately 20% of affected individuals. Analysis of the relationship between age and pure-tone average suggested that individuals with truncating variants showed earlier onset and slower progression of HL than did those with non-truncating variants. The present study showed that variants in POU4F3 were a common cause of autosomal dominant HL.

  Study JGAS000093