UCSD Research Articles

Structural Barriers to Accessing the Campus Assault Resources and Education (CARE) Offices at the University of California (UC) Campuses.

In order to continue pushing college campuses to the forefront of survivor-centered practice and student-centered care, it is imperative that the barriers students experience in accessing campus sexual violence resource centers be documented and addressed. This research evaluates student and staff perceptions of barriers to accessing the Campus Assault Resources and Education (CARE) offices on three University of California (UC) campuses. Data were collected by researchers from UC Speaks Up, a cross-campus research initiative at UC Los Angeles (UCLA), UC Santa Barbara (UCSB), and UC San Diego (UCSD) aimed at understanding factors that both contribute to and prevent sexual violence among college students. This analysis only included data that yielded insights into CARE's accessibility. Thematic analysis of 63 interviews and 27 focus group discussions was conducted using Dedoose. The following six thematic codes emerged from the data: (1) awareness of office, (2) confidentiality of services, (3) physical accessibility, (4) accessibility for vulnerable and marginalized groups, (5) utilization experiences, and (6) limited institutional support. To increase the accessibility of sexual violence resource centers in higher education, this study indicates that universities and campus sexual violence resource centers should (1) encourage survivor-centered cross-campus collaborations between sexual violence resource centers and other campus entries, (2) add more trainings that are tailored to the needs of vulnerable and marginalized communities, (3) increase the resource's campus-wide office exposure through multiple prevention education opportunities, and (4) better fund sexual violence resource centers. Implications for future research are discussed to maximize this study's public health impact.

“Shovel-Ready”

“Shovel-Ready”

Tensin 1 (TNS1) is a modifier gene for low body mass index (BMI) in homozygous [F508del]CFTR patients.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a life‐limiting autosomal recessive genetic disease caused by variants in the CFTR gene, most commonly by the [F508del] variant. Although CF is a classical Mendelian disease, genetic variants in several modifier genes have been associated with variation of the clinical phenotype for pulmonary and gastrointestinal function and urogenital development. We hypothesized that whole genome sequencing of a well‐phenotyped CF populations might identify novel variants in known, or hitherto unknown, modifier genes. Whole genome sequencing was performed on the Illumina HiSeq X platform for 98 clinically diagnosed cystic fibrosis patient samples from the Adult CF Clinic at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). We compared protein‐coding, non‐silent variants genome wide between CFTR [F508del] homozygotes vs CFTR compound heterozygotes. Based on a single variant score test, we found 3 SNPs in common variants (MAF >5%) that occurred at significantly different rates between homozygous [F508del]CFTR and compound heterozygous [F508del]CFTR patients. The 3 SNPs were all located in one gene on chromosome 2: Tensin 1 (TNS1: rs3796028; rs2571445: and rs918949). We observed significantly lower BMIs in homozygous [F508del]CFTR patients who were also homozygous for Tensin 1 rs918949 (T/T) (p = 0.023) or rs2571445 (G/G) (p = 0.02) variants. The Tensin 1 gene is thus a potential modifier gene for low BMI in CF patients homozygous for the [F508del]CFTR variant.

Attitudes and perceptions of next-of-kin/loved ones toward end-of-life HIV cure-related research: A qualitative focus group study in Southern California.

As end-of-life (EOL) HIV cure-related research expands, understanding perspectives of participants’ next-of-kin (NOK) is critical to maintaining ethical study conduct. We conducted two small focus groups and two one-on-one interviews using focus group guides with the NOK of Last Gift study participants at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Participating NOK included six individuals (n = 5 male and n = 1 female), including a grandmother, grandfather, partner, spouse, and two close friends. Researchers double-coded the transcripts manually for overarching themes and sub-themes using an inductive approach. We identified six key themes: 1) NOK had an accurate, positive understanding of the Last Gift clinical study; 2) NOK felt the study was conducted ethically; 3) Perceived benefits for NOK included support navigating the dying/grieving process and personal growth; 4) Perceived drawbacks included increased sadness, emotional stress, conflicted wishes between NOK and study participants, and concerns around potential invasiveness of study procedures at the EOL; 5) NOK expressed pride in loved ones’ altruism; and 6) NOK provided suggestions to improve the Last Gift study, including better communication between staff and themselves. These findings provide a framework for ethical implementation of future EOL HIV cure-related research involving NOK.

In memoriam: Robert T. Leshner, MD

In memoriam: <scp>Robert T. Leshner</scp>, <scp>MD</scp>

The effect of daily life activities on intraocular pressure related variations in open-angle glaucoma

The recent advent of continuous intraocular pressure (IOP) telemetry has led to an increased awareness of the importance of IOP fluctuations, and theories have emerged that IOP variations could play as much a role in glaucoma progression as the mean level of IOP. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the direct effect of common daily activities on IOP-related profiles. Primary open-angle glaucoma and glaucoma suspect patients were prospectively enrolled from specialist clinics at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), USA. Patients were fitted with a SENSIMED Triggerfish (TF) contact lens sensor (CLS) and were instructed to return to their usual daily activities for 24 h. They were asked to record each specific activity or event in a diary. The protocol was repeated twice. The following events were recorded: “walking/cycling”, “resistance training”, “yoga/meditation”, and “emotional stress”. CLS measurements recorded 60-to-30 min prior to each event were used as a baseline reference, and all IOP-related fluctuations for 120 min after the start of each event were reported in relation to this reference. Forty relevant events from 22 CLS recordings in 14 patients were retrieved from the diaries. Walking/cycling (n = 10) caused a small but statistically significant elevation of the IOP-related profile during the activity (p = 0.018). Resistance training (n = 11) caused a persistent elevation of the IOP-related profile from the onset of the activity (p = 0.005) through 120 min after the activity was stopped (p = 0.007). Yoga/meditation (n = 4) caused a sustained drop in the IOP-related profiles through to 120 min, although this was not statistically significant (p > 0.380). Emotional stress (n = 13) was associated with a gradual elevation of the IOP-related profile from the start of the stressful stimulus. Both early and late variations were statistically significant (p = 0.038 and p = 0.021, respectively). The present study suggests that emotional stress and resistance training may be associated with persistent IOP-related profile elevation.

Abstract P29: Pre-COVID-19 pandemic vs. post-COVID-19 pandemic: Sustained participation of minorities in research in a CAP accredited biorepository in UC San Diego, California

Abstract Background: The UC San Diego (UCSD) Moores Cancer Center Biorepository (BR) is a College of American Pathologists (CAP)-accredited core providing a full array of biological samples services including tissue biobanking. Informed consent (IC) is obtained through an IRB-approved protocol. The MORE (Minorities Outreach Repository Effort) Initiative was launched in 2018 as an effort to increase the enrollment of minorities, and has since shown an accrual increase 213% as compared with previous years. As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has affected enrollment in many research studies we decided to reevaluate subject accrual. Methods: Data analysis was performed for Pre-COVID-19 pandemic enrollment from July 2019 to March 2020 and Post-COVID-19 pandemic enrollment from March 2020 to December 2020. Patients from the oncology clinics were identified by the BR or the treating teams, and pre-screened for potential enrollment. Eligible patients were interviewed by coordinators and an IC was obtained. In the IC, the patients were given the option of sharing the tissues for research with university researchers (UR) and/or for-profit (FP) organizations. Race and ethnicity data were acquired from the Epic electronic medical record (EMR). Patients were interviewed in English, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Farsi, Tagalog, Simplified Chinese, or Arabic. Due to interviewing restrictions during the pandemic, protocol was amended to add added the possibility of remote IC via video/phone teleconferencing. Results: Global patient participation decreased by 30% due to the pandemic, with pre-COVID rates at 107.88 patient/month and Post-COVID rates of 31.25/month (69.56 ±38.31). Enrollment of Hispanic populations has remained remarkably similar (22 %; 22.18 ±0.18) for the same period. When compared with pre and post pandemic participation, data showed no significant difference among races (p=0.99). There was a slight increase in the rate of acceptance to share specimens with UR among Hispanics (30% Pre-COVID vs. 33% Post-COVID). The non-Hispanic cohort was associated with an increase (19% vs. 33%, p= 0.33) in their resistance to share with FP collaborations in Post-COVID-19 pandemic participation (Pre- COVID-19 19% vs. Post-COVID-19 30%). Conclusions: The MORE initiative is an efficient and effective way of increasing and sustaining the participation of minorities, despite COVID-19 research restrictions. Our ongoing efforts are focused on enhancing remote consenting methodologies, increasing subjects’ participation, and sustaining minority involvement in research for biobanking. Citation Format: Sharmeela A. Kaushal, David Anjakos, Mason A. Kyle, Diana Cortez-Moreno, Alfredo A. Molinolo. Pre-COVID-19 pandemic vs. post-COVID-19 pandemic: Sustained participation of minorities in research in a CAP accredited biorepository in UC San Diego, California [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: COVID-19 and Cancer; 2021 Feb 3-5. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(6_Suppl):Abstract nr P29.

The Future Is in the Past: How Land-Grab Universities Can Shape the Future of Higher Education

The Future Is in the Past:How Land-Grab Universities Can Shape the Future of Higher Education Theresa Stewart-Ambo (bio) indigenous people and scholars have long contested the history of U.S. colleges and universities. The late educational historian Irvin Lee "Bobby" Wright was among the first to challenge the idyllic narrative of colonial colleges that profited from and aimed to assimilate Indigenous youth.1 In the last decade, the idyllic narrative has been critiqued by Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars who have laid bare the violently dispossessive origins of higher education in the U.S. settler-colonial state, particularly land-grant universities. The Land-Grab Universities (LGU) project rejects the myth of land-grant universities by tracing the distribution of approximately 10.7 million acres under the 1862 Morrill Act—land taken from nearly 250 Native nations through more than 160 violence-backed land cessions. Historian Robert Lee and journalist Tristan Ahtone also document how land-grant universities have (in the past and present) monetarily profited from the sale of land vouchers, known as "scrip," and mineral rights. The report, public database, and digital project are compelling; what I find to be even more insightful is where LGU points us.2 As a doctoral student in higher education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in 2016, I began searching for information on how Tovaangar (Tongva territory now known as the Los Angeles Basin) came to be the present-day campus. The truth, as described by Lee and Ahtone, was "hiding in plain sight."3 In California, "thirty-two land-grant universities got a share of California Indian land, raising approximately $3.6 million from over 1.7 million acres."4 As a Tongva/Luiseño woman, an alumnus of UCLA, and assistant professor of education at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), I reflect on California, the UC system, and UCLA to draw additional insights from Lee and Ahtone's research. I will close by offering my perspective on how the LGU project can inform the present and future of higher education, providing implications for institutions and asking the question: How can the past shape the future? [End Page 162] Land-Grant Universities in California LGU is framed by the dispossession of California's Indigenous population, so it feels fitting to orient readers with additional history of the state.5 Much like that of the rest of the United States, the history of California is complicated. The state has always been well known for its diverse ecology and climate, as well as being home to the most politically, socially, and culturally diverse Indigenous population in the nation. The Indigenous people of California endured settler colonialism by the Spanish, Mexican, Russian (in the north), and U.S. empires. Beginning in 1769 with the introduction of the Spanish mission system, Indigenous people of the state resisted the introduction of foreign diseases, forced labor, state and federally sanctioned genocide, and forced removal and relocation. Conspiring to eliminate the Indigenous population, settlers systematically and strategically murdered and removed hundreds of thousands of people to gain control of the state's resource-rich and ecologically desirable territory.6 After California became a state in 1850, the state government enacted discriminatory policies that had devastating consequences for California Indians. Implemented that year, the Act for the Government and Protection of Indians criminalized the very existence of Indigenous people and created a system of indentured servitude rooted in surveillance, control, and confinement. Under these circumstances the federal government dispensed Indian agents to California to negotiate treaties. Between 1851 and 1852, eighteen treaties were signed with 118 tribes, with signatories "agreeing" to cede their lands to the United States in exchange for reservation lands and other benefits. Nineteen reservations were designated, totaling 7.488 million acres, which represented only 7.5 percent of California. Understanding the value of the land, the U.S. Senate rejected all of the treaties in a secret session; meanwhile, many California Indians were moved to reservations. In 1860, following the treaty period but preceding the Morrill Act, the U.S. Congress endorsed and financed an appropriations bill for $400,000 called the Act for the Payment of Expenses...

Deep End-to-End One-Class Classifier.

One-class classification (OCC) poses as an essential component in many machine learning and computer vision applications, including novelty, anomaly, and outlier detection systems. With a known definition for a target or normal set of data, one-class classifiers can determine if any given new sample spans within the distribution of the target class. Solving for this task in a general setting is particularly very challenging, due to the high diversity of samples from the target class and the absence of any supervising signal over the novelty (nontarget) concept, which makes designing end-to-end models unattainable. In this article, we propose an adversarial training approach to detect out-of-distribution samples in an end-to-end trainable deep model. To this end, we jointly train two deep neural networks, R and D . The latter plays as the discriminator while the former, during training, helps D characterize a probability distribution for the target class by creating adversarial examples and, during testing, collaborates with it to detect novelties. Using our OCC, we first test outlier detection on two image data sets, Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology (MNIST) and Caltech-256. Then, several experiments for video anomaly detection are performed on University of Minnesota (UMN) and University of California, San Diego (UCSD) data sets. Our proposed method can successfully learn the target class underlying distribution and outperforms other approaches.

Innovation in rAAV gene therapy is a need: AAV capsids

<div class="authors authors-lg"><div class="author"><div class="author-img"><img src="https://bioinsights.blob.core.windows.net/uploads/Lester_Suarez_Headshot_Photo copy.jpg" data-image="1"></div><div class="author-det"> <b>Lester Suarez</b>, DVM, Ph.D. is a Research &amp; Development (R&amp;D) Director at Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio) where he oversees research activities related to recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus (rAAV) vector biology, rAAV vectorology, and Doggybone™ DNA (dbDNA™) for rAAV production. Dr. Suarez received his DVM from the Agrarian University of Havana, Cuba with a focus on recombinant Adenovirus-based vaccines and Lentiviral transgenesis. He also earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Research from the University of Navarra, Spain for his work on viral hepatitis and rAAV in vivo gene transfer. In 2019, after completing his post-doctoral training on host-pathogen interactions at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies and University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, La Jolla, California, Dr. Suarez joined AskBio, bringing to the company more than 15 years of international molecular biology and virology experience. Founded in 2001, AskBio is a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG. AskBio is a fully integrated AAV gene therapy company dedicated to developing life-saving medicines that have the potential to cure genetic diseases. The company maintains a portfolio of clinical programs across a range of neuromuscular, central nervous system, and cardiovascular diseases. An early innovator in the gene therapy field, the company holds more than 850 patents, including in areas such as rAAV vector production and chimeric capsids. </div></div></div>

Cholinergic Capsules and Academic Admonitions.

Herein, I intend to capture highlights shared with my academic and research colleagues over the 60 years I devoted initially to my graduate and postdoctoral training and then to academic endeavors starting as an assistant professor in a new medical school at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). During this period, the Department of Pharmacology emerged from a division within the Department of Medicine to become the first basic science department, solely within the School of Medicine at UCSD in 1979. As part of the school's plans to reorganize and to retain me at UCSD, I was appointed as founding chair. Some years later in 2002, faculty, led largely within the Department of Pharmacology and by practicing pharmacists within UCSD Healthcare, started the independent Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences with a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program, where I served as the founding dean. My career pathway, from working at my family-owned pharmacy to chairing a department in a school of medicine and then becoming the dean of a school of pharmacy at a research-intensive, student-centered institution, involved some risky decisions. But the academic, curricular, and accreditation challenges posed were met by a cadre of creative faculty colleagues. I offer my experiences to individuals confronted with a multiplicity of real or imagined opportunities in academic health sciences, the related pharmaceutical industry, and government oversight agencies.

Steel Structures Research Update: Continuity Plate Design for Special and Intermediate Moment Frames

Recent advances in continuity plate design for special and intermediate moment frames are highlighted. The featured research includes a comprehensive experimental and computational study by Dr. Chia-Ming Uang and Dr. Mathew Reynolds. Chia-Ming Uang is a professor of structural engineering at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Dr. Reynolds completed this research as his doctoral work at UCSD under Dr. Uang’s guidance and is now working as a bridge engineer for Kiewit in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

27. Hepatitis B Virus Screening and Vaccination in Patients with HIV: A Survey of Physicians’ Current Clinical Practices

BackgroundHepatitis B virus (HBV) and HIV co-infection is associated with high morbidity and mortality, but data and guidelines vary in terms of the best vaccination, re-vaccination, and monitoring practices. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current HBV monitoring and vaccination practices of physicians who care for patients living with HIV.MethodsA Web-based survey was distributed to the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Infectious Diseases division via the UCSD ID listserv, Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) members via the IDea Exchange listserv, and to ID and HIV social network members via Twitter and Facebook. The survey consisted of demographic questions followed by two sets of case-based questions. The case questions focused on type, timing, and dosage of HBV vaccination administration among people living with HIV, HBV monitoring post-vaccination, and clinical approach to patients with isolated hepatitis B core antibody.ResultsA total of 67 clinicians from 24 states completed the survey (Table 1). Most (55%) provide care for more than 20 patients living with HIV per month. The majority of participants (82%) would not defer HBV vaccination until HIV virologic suppression. Almost half of participants (43%) indicated they would use Heplisav-B over older HBV vaccine formulations (Energix-B or Recombivax-HB) for initial vaccination of susceptible patients. The majority (88%) would repeat a vaccination series if the patient does not seroconvert; 23% would repeat with a standard dose series of Energix-B or Recombivax-HB, 24% with a double dose series of Energix-B or Recombivax-HB, and 45% would repeat with Heplisav-B. Approach to management of a patient living with HIV with isolated hepatitis B core antibody was varied. The majority would check a HBV DNA level (42%), while 25% would initiate a vaccination series and 24% would not pursue further intervention (Table 2).Table 1: Clinician Demographics Table 2: HBV Vaccination Practices of Physicians Caring for People Living with HIV ConclusionThis study provides insight into current HBV vaccination and monitoring practices of physicians who care for patients with HIV. The results revealed varied practice preferences and opportunities for improvement through standardization. Additional research is needed to elucidate the impact these various practices have on patient outcomes and healthcare expenditure.Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Screening for Sexually Transmitted Infections During Hepatitis C Treatment to Predict Reinfection Among People With HIV.

BackgroundLittle is known about the risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) reinfection among people with HIV (PWH) in the direct-acting antiviral (DAA) era. We evaluate HCV reinfection rates in the DAA era and characterize presustained virologic response (SVR) behavioral risk factors associated with reinfection among PWH at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).MethodsObservational longitudinal cohort of PWH treated with DAAs between 2014 and July 2019 who achieved SVR and had at least 1 subsequent HCV viral load measurement. HCV reinfection was defined as new HCV viremia after SVR. We examined whether screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and substance use during the pre-SVR period could identify patients at greater risk for reinfection using exact Poisson regression to compare reinfection incidence rates between those with and without pre-SVR STIs and positive urine drug screens.ResultsEight out of 200 PWH were reinfected with HCV a median ~26 weeks after SVR over 328.1 person-years of follow-up (PYFU), for an incidence rate of 2.44/100 PYFU. The observed HCV reinfection rate was highest among men who have sex with men who inject drugs (MSM IDU; 4.63/100 PFYU) and those aged 30–39 years (6.80/100 PYFU). Having a positive gonorrhea/chlamydia test during the pre-SVR period was a predictor of HCV reinfection.ConclusionsThe HCV reinfection rate in the DAA era is similar to the rate observed in the interferon era in San Diego in PWH. STI screening during HCV treatment may help determine those at higher risk for HCV reinfection.

Deep Neural Network Sleep Scoring Using Combined Motion and Heart Rate Variability Data.

Background: Performance of wrist actigraphy in assessing sleep not only depends on the sensor technology of the actigraph hardware but also on the attributes of the interpretative algorithm (IA). The objective of our research was to improve assessment of sleep quality, relative to existing IAs, through development of a novel IA using deep learning methods, utilizing as input activity count and heart rate variability (HRV) metrics of different window length (number of epochs of data). Methods: Simultaneously recorded polysomnography (PSG) and wrist actigraphy data of 222 participants were utilized. Classic deep learning models were applied to: (a) activity count alone (without HRV), (b) activity count + HRV (30-s window), (c) activity count + HRV (3-min window), and (d) activity count + HRV (5-min window) to ascertain the best set of inputs. A novel deep learning model (Haghayegh Algorithm, HA), founded on best set of inputs, was developed, and its sleep scoring performance was then compared with the most popular University of California San Diego (UCSD) and Actiwatch proprietary IAs. Results: Activity count combined with HRV metrics calculated per 5-min window produced highest agreement with PSG. HA showed 84.5% accuracy (5.3–6.2% higher than comparator IAs), 89.5% sensitivity (6.2% higher than UCSD IA and 6% lower than Actiwatch proprietary IA), 70.0% specificity (8.2–34.3% higher than comparator IAs), and 58.7% Kappa agreement (16–23% higher than comparator IAs) in detecting sleep epochs. HA did not differ significantly from PSG in deriving sleep parameters—sleep efficiency, total sleep time, sleep onset latency, and wake after sleep onset; moreover, bias and mean absolute error of the HA model in estimating them was less than the comparator IAs. HA showed, respectively, 40.9% and 54.0% Kappa agreement with PSG in detecting rapid and non-rapid eye movement (REM and NREM) epochs. Conclusions: The HA model simultaneously incorporating activity count and HRV metrics calculated per 5-min window demonstrates significantly better sleep scoring performance than existing popular IAs.

Pharmacy students' readiness to use the electronic health record: A tale of two institutions

IntroductionDespite widespread implementation of the electronic health record (EHR) in practice, the EHR curriculum in pharmacy schools is slow to emerge. This study used a single assessment tool to evaluate pharmacy students' perceived readiness to use an EHR after completion of two different curricula. MethodsPharmacy students at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and the University of California San Diego (UCSD) pharmacy schools voluntarily participated. A 14-item survey was administered asking students to rate their comfort on several different EHR skills. Baseline data on non-academic EHR exposure was also collected. ResultsSeventy students at UNMC and 69 students at UCSD participated in the survey (27.2% and 28.5% response rate, respectively). Gender and academic year were similar between institutions. Overall, students were more comfortable finding information compared to entering new information in the EHR. Students were most comfortable reviewing laboratory information, progress notes, and medication lists and less comfortable performing medication reconciliation and identifying clinical errors. There were no differences between institutions for overall comfort. Students with at least one month of extracurricular EHR experience rated themselves as more comfortable, but not all of those differences were statistically significant. ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that two different EHR curricula in two different pharmacy schools can result in similar student confidence. The information and assessment tool from this study can be a helpful starting point for other schools to determine student preparedness to work with the EHR as well as provide information to inform EHR curricula design and assessment.

Investigation of Pig Activity Based on Video Data and Semi-Supervised Neural Networks

The activity level of pigs is an important stress indicator which can be associated to tail-biting, a major issue for animal welfare of domestic pigs in conventional housing systems. Although the consideration of the animal activity could be essential to detect tail-biting before an outbreak occurs, it is often manually assessed and therefore labor intense, cost intensive and impracticable on a commercial scale. Recent advances of semi- and unsupervised convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have made them to the state of art technology for detecting anomalous behavior patterns in a variety of complex scene environments. In this study we apply such a CNN for anomaly detection to identify varying levels of activity in a multi-pen problem setup. By applying a two-stage approach we first trained the CNN to detect anomalies in the form of extreme activity behavior. Second, we trained a classifier to categorize the detected anomaly scores by learning the potential activity range of each pen. We evaluated our framework by analyzing 82 manually rated videos and achieved a success rate of 91%. Furthermore, we compared our model with a motion history image (MHI) approach and a binary image approach using two benchmark data sets, i.e., the well established pedestrian data sets published by the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and our pig data set. The results show the effectiveness of our framework, which can be applied without the need of a labor intense manual annotation process and can be utilized for the assessment of the pig activity in a variety of applications like early warning systems to detect changes in the state of health.

Polygenic hazard scores in superagers: Supergenes or superresilience?

AbstractBackgroundUnusually successful cognitive aging (e.g. SuperAging) may reflect underlying resistance to age‐associated cognitive decline and the neuropathologic markers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, it is unknown whether these individuals vary in their genetic protection from AD relative to other clinically normal elderly individuals.MethodThe Northwestern SuperAgers cohort (n=41) was limited to clinically normal individuals who were at least 80 years old but performed at or above normative values for average 50 to 65‐year‐olds on delayed recall of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test and within one standard deviation of the average normative range for their age, or better, on non‐episodic memory tests including the 30‐item Boston Naming Test, Trail Making Test Part‐B and Category Fluency Test (Animals). The UC San Diego (UCSD) Shiley Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) comparison cohorts (n=17 and 46, respectively) included all clinically normal individuals with available genetic data who were at least 80 years old but did not meet the criteria for SuperAgers outlined above. Polygenic hazard scores (PHS) were downloaded from ADNI and calculated for each participant as described (Desikan et al., 2017) for the Northwestern and UCSD cohorts. Briefly, the PHS combines an individual’s genotype for 31 AD‐associated SNPs in addition to APOE.ResultAll three cohorts were similar in age (range: 80‐101) and years of education (range: 12‐20). However, there were significantly more women in the Northwestern SuperAgers cohort (p &lt; 0.001). The mean PHS in each cohort was negative, indicating that these individuals had less than average population risk for AD. However, there were no significant differences in PHS between cohorts.ConclusionAs a group, SuperAgers did not have lower polygenic risk for AD than clinically normal elderly individuals, suggesting determinants of superior memory performance in older age cannot be solely explained by having unusually low risk for AD as assessed by common genetic variants. Given the sex differences in these cohorts, future work should consider whether sex‐specific polygenic risk for AD contributes to the superior memory performance of SuperAgers.

A comparison of homemade vascular access ultrasound phantom models for peripheral intravenous catheter insertion.

Ultrasound (U/S) guided peripheral IV catheter (PIV) placement is often needed after unsuccessful traditional IV attempts. Commercial U/S PIV training phantoms are expensive and difficult to alter. Non-commercial phantoms have been described; however, there has been no comparison of these models. The primary objectives of this study were to compare the echogenic and haptic properties of various non-commercial phantoms. Secondary objectives were to characterize the cost and ease of making the phantoms. This prospective observational study trialed six unique phantom models: Amini Ballistics; Morrow Ballistics; University of California San Diego (UCSD) gelatin; Rippey Chicken; Nolting Spam; and Johnson Tofu. Total cost and creation time were noted. Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship trained physicians performed U/S guided PIV placement on each model to evaluate their resemblance to human tissue haptic and echogenicity properties, utility for training, and comparability to commercial phantoms (Likert scale 1-5; higher performance = 5). The Rippey model scored highest for each primary objective with an aggregate score of 4.8/5. UCSD ranked second and Nolting last for all primary objectives, with aggregate scores 3.7/5 and 1.3/5 respectively. Cost of production ranged from $4.39 (Johnson) to $29.76 (UCSD). Creation times ranged from 10 min (Johnson) to 120 min (UCSD). In our study the Rippey model performed best and offered a mid-level cost and creation time. Non-commercial U/S phantoms may represent cost-effective and useful PIV practice tools. Future studies should investigate the utility of these phantoms in teaching U/S guided PIV to novices and compare non-commercial to commercial phantoms.

Flossie Wong-Staal (1946–2020)

Trailblazing HIV researcher