2024 ICTS Symposium Posters

Introduction: Atherosclerosis (AT) is a progressive cardiovascular disease characterized by persistent inflammation and excessive cholesterol deposition within the artery wall and is the fundamental pathological process underlying coronary artery disease and stroke. Macrophage (MФ) foam cells play a central role in the pathogenesis of AT. Surfactant protein A (SPA) is a lipid-associating protein involved with […]

Introduction: The capability to translate research to the clinic is contingent upon the ability to study disease-causing mutations from patients in a cell type specific manner. This is most commonly accomplished through the introduction of these disease-causing mutations in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and their subsequent differentiation. However, in certain cases, editing these genes […]

Introduction: Inhibiting epigenetic modulators can transcriptionally reactivate transposable elements (TEs). These TE transcripts often generate unique peptides that can serve as novel antigens for immunotherapy. Here, we asked if TEs activated by epigenetic therapy could appreciably increase the antigen repertoire in glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer with low mutation and neoantigen burden. Methods: We treated […]

Introduction: Globally, aneurysms affect 2-5% and afflict millions in the U.S., presenting significant health threats due to their high rupture rate that can lead to death. Conventional aneurysm coil treatments grapple with problems such as adverse bodily reactions, biocompatibility issues, and a recurrence risk of about 20%, with complete occlusion failures in 10-15% of patients […]

Introduction: Implant-based breast augmentation is one of the most common cosmetic surgeries with over one million procedures performed to date using silicone implants. In 2022, 78% of breast reconstruction surgeries after mastectomy were also implant-based. Despite this popularity, over 10% of patients experience postoperative capsular contracture, potentially resulting in pain and distorted appearance. Current literature […]

Introduction: Many surgical procedures create large dead spaces prone to fluid accumulation, leading to hematomas and seromas. Drains are used to prevent these complications, but they often cause patient discomfort and have potential for infection. Our objective is to develop a biodegradable tissue adhesive with strong adhesion and biocompatibility to obliterate surgical dead space. Methods: […]

Introduction: While internal anal sphincter (IAS) Botox has been increasingly utilized in children with disordered defecation (DD), no literature regarding clinical efficacy or quality of life (QoL) influence exists. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the effect of IAS Botox as an adjunct to standard treatment for DD on patient/caregiver QoL metrics in association with corresponding […]

Introduction: Pregnant individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) are at higher risk of developing severe complications from COVID-19. Infants < 6 months are also at significant risk. Vaccination in perinatal individuals can help protect both mother and infant from severe outcomes; however, vaccine hesitancy is high. We evaluated COVID-19 vaccination rates among postpartum patients with […]

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) causes central nervous system lesions that alter neural communication between the brain and the spinal motoneurons that activate muscles. These voluntary motor commands consist of three components that must be appropriately balanced for skilled motor control: excitation, inhibition, and neuromodulation. Disruption of this balance has harmful effects, evidenced by work in […]

Introduction: Assessment of comorbid cardiovascular disease can predict health outcomes and may risk-stratify patients for adverse events and death. Current methods used to estimate patient risk, such as the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), are based on International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes, which are a poor indicator of severity and complexity of comorbid disease. In […]

Introduction: Burnout in medical trainees significantly increases their risk of suicidal ideation, and trainees are often reluctant to seek mental health care. Digital mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles are evidence-based preventative strategies for reducing burnout and increasing professional satisfaction. We are conducting a randomized pilot study to assess whether digital interventions for CBT-based […]

Introduction: Dissemination and implementation (D&I) research, crucial in translating evidence into practice, is yet to be included as a separate study design category for ethical consideration. Researchers are asking relevant questions about how current ethical standards can be applied to D&I trials. The responsible conduct of D&I research requires an adaptation of existing bioethical frameworks […]

Introduction: Delaying pregnancy allows people with opioid use disorder (OUD) to choose when they are ready to continue their families. We aim to address the lack of characterization of postpartum contraceptive uptake among people with OUD compared to people without OUD. Methods: Analyses used 73,811 pregnancy episodes among 61,221 people (2016-2021) from the St. Louis […]

Introduction: A polypill containing all four classes of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for heart failure with reduced ejection (HFrEF) has been proposed to change the heart failure treatment paradigm. The acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of a HFrEF polypill-based strategy is unknown. The purpose of this study was to elicit patients’ and providers’ priorities in the […]

Introduction: Accurate prediction of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients’ mortality is crucial for healthcare professionals to make informed decisions, ultimately improving patient outcomes. However, ICU data are collected irregularly at different time points; therefore, these data are oftentimes incomplete and heterogeneous, hindering the performance of model-based statistical methods. This study aimed to use artificial intelligence […]

Introduction: In an increasingly competitive budgetary environment, we must be able to demonstrate the health and societal benefits of clinical and translational research. The Translational Science Benefits Model (TSBM) is a framework for evaluating the downstream health and social impact of research. The TSBM team created the online Translating for Impact Toolkit to help researchers […]

Introduction: There have been increased efforts to recognize the effects, or lack thereof, of scientific research on health equity. The Translational Science Benefits Model (TSBM) is a framework for evaluating the impact of research on health and society. The TSBM team is currently integrating equity into the TSBM framework. Methods: Adaptation of the TSBM involved […]

Introduction: Medication hoarding describes a persistent difficulty of discarding or parting with medications that are no longer useful. This behavior can result in mis-dosing and inappropriate sharing, leading to adverse consequences (Sorenson, 2005). Previous research has found correlations between medication savings behavior, hoarding, and medication adherence (Warren et al., 2019; VanDyke et al., 2018), but […]

Introduction: Patients receiving a lower extremity joint replacement (LEJR) are commonly prescribed physical therapy (PT) to address pain, range of motion, and function. As LEJRs are more commonly performed in an outpatient setting, particularly in a younger population, patients are less likely to receive inpatient PT, potentially resulting in increased utilization of community-based (home health […]

Introduction: The completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, a monumental scientific achievement that provided the first sequence of the human genome, marked a significant milestone in healthcare. This project laid the foundation for precision medicine, a healthcare approach that considers an individual’s genetic makeup and lifestyle factors in their treatment plans. As precision […]

Introduction: Conversations between hospital board members, middle managers, and frontline staff often revolve around performance metrics, e.g., wait times and hospital-acquired infection rates. Where presentations focus on two-point comparisons (before/after) or targets (e.g., visualized with Red-Amber-Green (RAG) codes), initiatives could chase statistical noise rather than sound statistical signals of poor or superior performance. Statistical process […]

Introduction: Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable hematological cancer, preceded by an asymptomatic pre-malignant condition – monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Racial disparities have been demonstrated in every stage of MM, with non-Hispanic black (NHB) populations experiencing worse outcomes compared to their non-Hispanic white (NHW) counterparts. To understand and quantify racial disparities, we constructed […]

Introduction: Tracheostomy is a common procedure that is associated with various complications ranging from minor hemorrhages to catastrophic events. An estimated 85,000 tracheostomies were performed per year between 2002-2017 in the United States, but despite the high frequency of tracheostomy procedures, the last study to investigate risk factors associated with tracheostomy complications was performed on […]

Introduction: Offering medication to treat opioid use disorder (MOUD) together with contraception has the potential to help treatment-seeking people achieve healthy interpregnancy intervals. We used multistate administrative claims to compute rates of contraception utilization in postpartum reproductive-age people starting buprenorphine (BUP) or psychosocial treatment without medication (PSY). Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we analyzed […]