Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Taida Huang, Yonghui Hou, Xia Wang, Liang Wang, Chenju Yi, Cuifang Wang, Xiaoyun Sun, Paul K. H. Tam, Sai Ming Ngai, Mai Har Sham, Alan J. Burns, Wood Yee Chan
Summary: This study revealed the important roles of Sox10 and Cdh19 in the migration of sacral NCCs towards the hindgut during early embryonic development, providing insights into the pathogenesis of enteric nervous system developmental defects.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marie-Claude Beauchamp, Alexia Boucher, Yanchen Dong, Rachel Aber, Loydie A. Jerome-Majewska
Summary: This study demonstrates that craniofacial malformations and death in Eftud2(ncc-/-) embryos are caused by hyperactivation of the P53 pathway. Treatment with pifithrin-alpha partially improves craniofacial development, while Trp53 homozygous mutation reduces neural tube apoptosis and P53-target activity. However, the brain and craniofacial development remain unaffected in embryos with both Eftud2 and Trp53 mutations.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Pratibha Bhalla, Qiumei Du, Ashwani Kumar, Chao Xing, Angela Moses, Igor Dozmorov, Christian A. Wysocki, Ondine B. Cleaver, Timothy J. Pirolli, Mary Louise Markert, Maria Teresa de la Morena, Antonio Baldini, Nicolai S. C. van Ders
Summary: 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is the most common human chromosomal microdeletion, causing thymic hypoplasia and T cell lymphopenia. This study identified that abnormal thymic mesenchymal cells were responsible for the small size of the embryonic thymuses in the 22q11.2DS mouse models, and this could be corrected by replacing them with normal mesenchyme.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2022)
Article
Hematology
Albert J. Pedroza, Alex R. Dalal, Rohan Shad, Nobu Yokoyama, Ken Nakamura, Paul Cheng, Robert C. Wirka, Olivia Mitchel, Michael Baiocchi, William Hiesinger, Thomas Quertermous, Michael P. Fischbein
Summary: This study provides a detailed characterization of aortic root smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in Marfan syndrome (MFS), revealing the involvement of SMCs derived from both the second heart field (SHF) and neural crest in the formation of aortic root aneurysms. The study also highlights the subtly distinct transcriptional responses between these two lineages and suggests that TWIST1 may play a key role in the enriched collagen synthesis in SHF-derived SMCs in MFS.
ARTERIOSCLEROSIS THROMBOSIS AND VASCULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Idaliz M. Martinez Traverso, Jeffrey D. Steimle, Xiaolei Zhao, Jun Wang, James F. Martin
Summary: The study reveals the important role of Hippo signaling in craniofacial development and its modulation of TGFB signaling during neural crest epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
Review
Cell Biology
Elizabeth N. Schock, Joshua R. York, Carole LaBonne
Summary: Neural crest cells play a central role in vertebrate development and evolution, enabling the formation of a new head and imparting morphological, physiological, and behavioral features that allowed vertebrates to become active predators. These cells possess a multi-germ layer potential, giving rise to both ectodermal and mesenchymal cell types. Recent research has shown that neural crest cells share key features with pluripotent blastula stem cells, suggesting that pluripotency is either retained or reactivated during neural crest formation. Understanding the origins of this broad cellular potential provides insights into the evolutionary relationship between neural crest cells and pluripotency in vertebrates.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Ruchi Roy, Janet Zayas, Sunil K. Singh, Kaylee Delgado, Stephen J. Wood, Mohamed F. Mohamed, Dulce M. Frausto, Yasmeen A. Albalawi, Thea P. Price, Ricardo Estupinian, Eileena F. Giurini, Timothy M. Kuzel, Andrew Zloza, Jochen Reiser, Sasha H. Shafikhani
Summary: Infection is a common complication that hinders the healing process in diabetic wounds. Research has found that exposure to glucose impairs chemotaxis signaling in diabetic neutrophils, leading to reduced chemotaxis and delayed migration, making diabetic wounds more susceptible to infection. However, the pro-inflammatory cytokine CCL3 can override the impaired signaling and improve infection control, as well as stimulate healing in diabetic wounds.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sujung Hong, Yeoung-Hyun Park, Jingu Lee, Jieun Moon, Eunji Kong, Jehwi Jeon, Joo-Cheol Park, Hyung-Ryong Kim, Pilhan Kim
Summary: This study validated the use of optical clearing technique for comprehensive 3D cellular-level analysis of dental pulp cells, revealing unique 3D spatiotemporal changes in normal and pathological conditions. Specifically, an increase in CD11c+ dendritic cells was observed in the dental pulpitis model, showing a distinct spatial 3D arrangement within 12 hours after irritation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Physiology
Nayoung Ha, Jian Sun, Qian Bian, Dandan Wu, Xudong Wang
Summary: This study reveals that Hdac4 plays a regulatory role in craniofacial skeletal development by positively regulating the proliferation of cranial neural crest cells (CNCC)-derived osteoblasts. Knocking out Hdac4 leads to decreased frontal bone formation and dysregulation of cell cycle-related genes.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Ling Ni, Meng-Li Cheng, Yu Feng, Hui Zhao, Jingyuan Liu, Fang Ye, Qing Ye, Gengzhen Zhu, Xiaoli Li, Pengzhi Wang, Jing Shao, Yong-Qiang Deng, Peng Wei, Fang Chen, Cheng-Feng Qin, Guoqing Wang, Fan Li, Hui Zeng, Chen Dong
Summary: Severe COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) showed specific antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2, but had reduced levels of NK cells and CD8(+) T cells, as well as decreased IFN gamma expression in CD4(+) T cells. Their lymphocytes in peripheral blood failed to produce IFN gamma against viral proteins, highlighting the importance of cellular immunity in COVID-19.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Kathleen Wung Bi-Lin, Pratap Veerabrahma Seshachalam, Tran Tuoc, Anastassia Stoykova, Sujoy Ghosh, Manvendra K. Singh
Summary: The BAF complex is crucial for the proliferation, survival, and differentiation of neural crest cells (NCCs), with specific deletion of BAF155/BAF170 leading to embryonic lethality and various developmental defects. The complex modulates the expression of multiple signaling pathway genes essential for NCC development, demonstrating an important role in the gene regulatory network.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Micaela Lasser, Jessica Bolduc, Luke Murphy, Caroline O'Brien, Sangmook Lee, Santhosh Girirajan, Laura Anne Lowery
Summary: Copy number variants (CNVs) associated with neurodevelopmental disorders show extensive phenotypic heterogeneity. Deletion of multiple genes at chromosome 16p12.1 has been linked to intellectual disabilities (ID), microcephaly, seizures, cardiac defects, and craniofacial abnormalities. This study demonstrates the crucial role of 16p12.1 genes in regulating vertebrate craniofacial development, particularly neural crest cell (NCC)-related processes.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Mohamed Ishan, Guiqian Chen, Wenxin Yu, Zhonghou Wang, Marco Giovannini, Xinwei Cao, Hong-Xiang Liu
Summary: The study aimed to understand the roles of tumor suppressor Neurofibromin 2 (Nf2) in neural crest (NC)-derived tongue mesenchyme in regulating Hippo signaling and cell proliferation for proper tongue development. The results showed specific alterations in Hippo signaling activity and cell proliferation in Nf2(cKO) mutants, leading to abnormalities in tongue shape and size at different developmental stages.
CELL PROLIFERATION
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Sabrina Shameen Alam, Shruti Kumar, Marie-Claude Beauchamp, Eric Bareke, Alexia Boucher, Nadine Nzirorera, Yanchen Dong, Reinnier Padilla, Si Jing Zhang, Jacek Majewski, Loydie A. Jerome-Majewska
Summary: Heterozygous mutations in SNRPB cause developmental abnormalities in mice, including craniofacial malformations. The mutations lead to mis-splicing of transcripts, resulting in changes in the expression of genes involved in the P53 pathway and craniofacial development.
DISEASE MODELS & MECHANISMS
(2022)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Minghui Yue, Yu Lan, Han Liu, Zhaoming Wu, Toru Imamura, Rulang Jiang
Summary: The study demonstrates that Fgf18 expression in neural crest-derived craniofacial mesenchyme plays a critical role in the development of the mandible and multiple craniofacial bones, while Fgf18 expression in the palatal mesenchyme is dispensable for palatogenesis.
DEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS
(2021)
Article
Surgery
Ruth Lewit, Ankush Gosain
Summary: The study found that faculty and applicants preferred in-person interviews and did not recommend virtual interviews as a complete replacement. Virtual interviews may be used as a screening tool in the future, but should be used in conjunction with in-person interviews.
JOURNAL OF SURGICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pradeep K. Shukla, Avtar S. Meena, Kesha Dalal, Cherie Canelas, Geetha Samak, Joseph F. Pierre, RadhaKrishna Rao
Summary: This study found that chronic restraint stress exacerbates alcohol-induced gut barrier dysfunction and liver damage in mice, and these effects were reproduced by corticosterone treatment. Corticosterone amplified alcohol-induced inflammatory responses and systemic inflammation, as well as exacerbated liver damage and neuroinflammation. Additionally, corticosterone modulated alcohol-induced changes in gut microbiota diversity and abundance, which may play a crucial role in stress-induced promotion of alcohol-associated tissue injury at the Gut-Liver-Brain axis.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Pediatrics
Hannah R. Spiegl, Jeremie H. Estepp, Chen Li, Sebastian Gil, Ankush Gosain, Andrew J. Murphy, Andrew M. Davidoff
Summary: The study aimed to assess the incidence of DVT in pediatric cancer patients undergoing select surgical procedures, with an overall incidence of post-operative DVT at 0.46%. Findings suggest that surgery does not significantly increase the risk of DVT in children with cancer, indicating routine pharmacologic prophylaxis may not be warranted.
JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC SURGERY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Tahliyah S. Mims, Qusai Al Abdallah, Justin D. Stewart, Sydney P. Watts, Catrina T. White, Thomas Rousselle, Ankush Gosain, Amandeep Bajwa, Joan C. Han, Kent A. Willis, Joseph F. Pierre
Summary: The study found that the abundance and composition of gut mycobiome are influenced by diet and other environmental factors, and are correlated with key metabolic features in the host. Specifically, certain fungi species, such as Thermomyces and Saccharomyces, are strongly associated with weight gain.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Surgery
Ankush Gosain, Daniel Chu, J. Joshua Smith, Heather B. Neuman, Allan M. Goldstein, Brian S. Zuckerbraun
Summary: Surgeon-scientists play critical roles in academic medicine as both lead scientists and collaborators. Successfully obtaining funding to sustain research programs is crucial, and it is essential to explore all available funding sources and nonfinancial resources effectively throughout one's career. Longitudinal active planning is key to maintaining research programs and providing unique perspectives on surgical disease to the scientific community.
Article
Surgery
Catherine J. Hunter, Allan M. Goldstein, Jayme Locke, Clifford S. Cho, Ankush Gosain
Summary: The Significance and Innovation sections of a grant application are crucial for success, highlighting the importance of the research problem and the novelty of the proposal to engage reviewers.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Danielle N. Rendina, Gabriele R. Lubach, Mark Lyte, Gregory J. Phillips, Ankush Gosain, Joseph F. Pierre, Roza M. Vlasova, Martin A. Styner, Christopher L. Coe
Summary: This study tracked the assembly of gut microbiota during the initial nursing period and transition to solid food in infant monkeys. The dynamic bacterial community structure reflected different maturational phases, influenced early by breast milk and later by solid foods. Higher abundance of certain microbial taxa during nursing was associated with slower growth trajectories and smaller brain volumes at one year of age.
Article
Surgery
Richard A. Guyer, Margaret L. Schwarze, Ankush Gosain, Melinda Maggard-Gibbons, Sundeep G. Keswani, Allan M. Goldstein
Summary: Mastering grant writing is crucial for obtaining research funding. Surgeons needing the necessary skills to write successful grant applications is essential for pursuing high-quality surgical research and supporting academic goals. The 10 strategies presented in this article aim to help surgeon-scientists compete successfully for research funding.
Editorial Material
Pediatrics
Ankush Gosain, Allan M. Goldstein
JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC SURGERY
(2022)
Article
Surgery
Joseph F. Pierre, Greg J. Phillips, Lawrance C. Chandra, Danielle N. Rendina, Neena F. Thomas-Gosain, Gabriele R. Lubach, Mark Lyte, Christopher L. Coe, Ankush Gosain
Summary: The study found that inclusion of lyticase in the sample preparation process significantly increased fungal ITS reads, enhanced detection of numerous fungal genera in non-human primate fecal samples, and maintained fidelity of microbiome identification and community features.
JOURNAL OF SURGICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Surgery
Tharun Somasundar, Justin B. Dimick, Sandra L. Wong, Ankush Gosain, Feibi Zheng, W. P. Andrew Lee, Linwah Yip, Tejal S. Brahmbhatt
Summary: Virtual forms of communication are increasingly integrated into academic surgery, with the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating their implementation. Valuable lessons are being learned from early experiences through expert panel discussions at conferences, exploring realms of virtual communication. Strategies to enhance virtual communication experiences are being proposed, and the potential value of social media in academic careers is being highlighted.
JOURNAL OF SURGICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Pediatrics
Brittany Hegde, Elisa Garcia, Andrew Hu, Mehul Raval, Sanyu Takirambudde, Derek Wakemane, Ruth Lewitf, Ankush Gosain, Raphael H. Parrado, Robert A. Cina, Krista Stephenson, Melvin S. Dassinger, Daniel Zhangi, Moiz M. Mustafa, Donna Koo, Aaron M. Lipskar, Katherine Scheidler, Kyle J. Van Arendonk, Patrick Berg, Raquel Gonzalez, Daniel Scheese, Jeffrey Haynes, Alexander Mina, Irving J. Zamora, Monica E. Lopez, Steven C. Mehl, Elizabeth Gilliam, Katrina Lofberg, Brianna Spencer, Afif N. Kulaylat, Brian C. Gulack, Matthew Johnson, Matthew Laskovy, Pavan Brahmamdam, Aoi Shimomura, Therese Blanc, KuoJen Tsa, Bethany J. Slater
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management of appendicitis and patient outcomes. The results showed an increase in non-operative management of appendicitis during the pandemic, as well as a decrease in the need for additional procedures. These findings suggest a change in the management of pediatric appendicitis during the COVID-19 pandemic and a potential trend towards non-operative treatment.
JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC SURGERY
(2023)
Article
Education, Scientific Disciplines
Manuel Castillo-Angeles, Rachel B. Atkinson, Sarah Rae Easter, Ankush Gosain, Yue-Yung Hu, Zara Cooper, Eugene S. Kim, Erika L. Rangel
Summary: Despite recent improvements in national family leave policies, there is still a lack of program-level support for surgical trainees. Many female trainees need to reduce their clinical duties or take time off during pregnancy or postpartum, but they may face stigma and guilt when seeking schedule accommodations.
JOURNAL OF SURGICAL EDUCATION
(2022)
Article
Surgery
Ruth A. Lewit, Lauren Camp, Collin Dietrich, Ryan Hammond, Elizabeth Paton, Donald J. Lucas, Ankush Gosain
Summary: The utility and cost of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) studies prior to gastrostomy tube placement in children were investigated in this retrospective case control study. The study found that UGI was obtained in 90.8% of patients, with 23.6% showing abnormal findings. UGI was associated with delayed care in 15.2% of patients and slightly increased costs per day. Further analysis is needed to identify subsets of children who may benefit from routine UGI.
JOURNAL OF SURGICAL RESEARCH
(2023)