Faculty Bibliography

Chronic pain is common and debilitating, yet is inadequately treated by current therapies, which can have life-threatening side effects. Treatments targeting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), key pain mediators, often fail in clinical trials for unknown reasons. Here, we discuss the recent evidence that GPCRs and RTKs generate sustained signals from multiprotein signaling complexes or signalosomes in intracellular compartments to control chronic pain. We evaluate the evidence that selective antagonism of these intracellular signals provides more efficacious and long-lasting pain relief than antagonism of receptors at the surface of cells. We highlight how the identification of coreceptors and molecular scaffolds that underpin pain signaling by multiple receptors has identified new therapeutic targets for chronic pain, surmounting the redundancy of the pain signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVES/UNASSIGNED:group genomes. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:Prophages in B. fragilis genomes were performed with PHASTEST and pairwise comparison of prophage regions was performed by using Jspecies. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED: < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:genomes. Diversity observed within prophages could reflect the major adaptability of pathogenic strains and that low pressure exerted in the gut of healthy individuals could be related to the high conservation degree of prophage regions in human commensal strains.

Prenatal exposure to phthalates might influence the development of childhood obesity. Most previous studies used body mass index (BMI) at a specific age instead of BMI development, which might be a better indicator of later health. We aimed to assess the association of prenatal phthalate exposure with longitudinal BMI development from infancy to adolescence. Among 1,379 mother-child pairs from a population-based cohort study, phthalate concentrations were measured in maternal spot urine samples, collected during first, second and third trimester. We estimated age- and sex-adjusted BMI standard deviation scores (SDS) at 6 months and 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 10 and 13 years. We examined the associations of maternal phthalate urine concentrations during pregnancy with repeated measures of BMI using linear mixed effects models. An interquartile range higher natural log-transformed maternal first trimester high-molecular weight phthalate and di-2-ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) urine concentrations were associated with a -0.10 (95% confidence interval (CI) -0.15 to -0.04), and -0.09 (95% CI -0.15 to -0.04) lower age- and sex-adjusted BMI at 6 months. An interquartile range higher natural log-transformed maternal first trimester phthalic acid and low-molecular weight phthalate urine concentrations were associated with a 0.11 (95% CI 0.03 to 0.18) and 0.13 (95% CI 0.04 to 0.21) higher age- and sex-adjusted BMI at 13 years old. No significant associations were observed for maternal second and third trimester phthalate urine concentrations with BMI. Thus, higher maternal phthalate metabolites urine concentrations appear to be related to lower BMI at early ages but with higher BMI at later ages.

Low-carbon hydrogen is anticipated to be a key element of economy-wide decarbonization pathways. Here we employ a multisector energy system model of the contiguous United States to study competition among low-carbon hydrogen production options and the interplay between the electricity and hydrogen sectors in a net-zero energy system. When hydrogen storage is available without constraints and electrolyzers are grid-connected, they account for most hydrogen production, while providing demand-side flexibility to the electricity system. This decreases battery storage deployment to achieve similar shares of variable renewable energy (VRE) in the power system. When electrolyzers are not grid-connected but rely on islanded VRE power to produce "green" H₂, we find that power system flexibility and the share of electrolytic hydrogen are reduced, all else equal. Without hydrogen storage, natural gas-based hydrogen (i.e., "blue" H₂) accounts for most hydrogen production, although increasing flexibility of blue H₂ can enable some electrolytic H₂ production. Finally, we find that hydrogen deployment does not substantially drive energy transmission expansion, although there is a modest increase in CO₂ transmission when blue H₂ is deployed in regions with limited CO₂ storage.

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate trends in telemedicine utilization overall and across clinical specialties, providing insights into its evolving role in health care delivery. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS:This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed 1.9 million telemedicine video visits from a large academic health care system in New York City between 2020 and 2023. The data, collected from the health care system's electronic health records, included telemedicine encounters across more than 500 ambulatory locations. METHODS:We used descriptive statistics to outline telemedicine usage trends and compared telemedicine utilization rates and evaluation and management characteristics across clinical specialties. RESULTS:Telemedicine utilization peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, then declined and stabilized. Despite an overall decline, 2 non-primary care specialties (behavioral health and psychiatry) experienced continued growth in telemedicine visits. Primary care and urgent care visits were mainly characterized by low-complexity visits, whereas non-primary care specialties witnessed a rise in moderate- and high-complexity visits, with the number of moderate-level visits surpassing those of low complexity. CONCLUSIONS:The findings highlight a dynamic shift in telemedicine utilization, with non-primary care settings witnessing an increase in the complexity of cases. To address future demands from increasingly complex medical cases managed through telemedicine in non-primary care, appropriate resource allocation is essential.

OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the effect of coconut oil on the oral bacteriome and inflammatory response in patients with periodontitis by integrating next-generation sequencing analyses of pathogenic bacterial shifts and quantification of inflammatory markers, thereby assessing its potential as a natural adjunct to standard nonsurgical periodontal therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS/METHODS:A triple-blind clinical trial was conducted with 30 participants diagnosed with periodontitis, randomized into 3 groups: (1) coconut oil, (2) chlorhexidine and (3) placebo. Saliva and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) samples were collected before treatment, one month after treatment, and one month post-non-surgical periodontal therapy. Bacterial DNA was extracted, and the V3-V4 region of the 16 S rRNA gene was PCR-amplified and sequenced using Illumina MiSeq technologies. Inflammatory biomarkers, including Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), were quantified from GCF samples. RESULTS:Coconut oil treatment significantly reduced pathogenic bacterial families such as Spirochaetaceae and Tannerellaceae while promoting beneficial bacteria such as Streptococcaceae. At the genus and species levels, coconut oil reduced pathogens such as Tannerella forsythia and Treponema denticola along with increase in beneficial bacteria such as Streptococcus. The subgingival microbial dysbiosis index improved significantly in both coconut oil and chlorhexidine groups. Furthermore, the coconut oil demonstrated a reduction in IL-6 and TNF-α levels, indicating decreased local inflammation. CONCLUSIONS:Coconut oil treatment significantly modulated the oral microbiome and reduced inflammatory markers in patients with periodontitis, suggesting its potential as a natural and effective adjunct in periodontal therapy. CLINICAL RELEVANCE/CONCLUSIONS:This study highlights coconut oil's potential as a natural adjunct in periodontal therapy, effectively reducing pathogenic bacteria and inflammatory markers (IL-6, TNF-α). It offers a safe alternative to chlorhexidine, promoting microbiome balance and improved periodontal health.

There are bidirectional relationships between diet and nutrition, systemic health and oral health. Diet and nutrition are fundamental to the prevention and management of chronic diseases. Systemic health can impact oral health. And oral health can influence diet and nutrition. The 2020 Surgeon General's Report "Oral Health in America" stated that nutrition is an integral factor in the development of oral disease and health overall. Within the medical model, Registered Dietitians have been impactful members of a multidisciplinary team by providing medical nutrition therapy and nutritional counseling to reduce the development and management of chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Despite the well-established collaboration and the role nutrition plays in health outcomes, there is limited documented collaboration between nutrition and dentistry. The purpose of this paper is to review the current evidence of nutritional counseling in oral health settings compared to the medical model, identify specific challenges, and suggest possible next steps for collaboration. The intended outcome of this paper will be to provide the reader with insight about the need to integrate nutrition into both oral health education and clinical practice to address prevalent chronic diseases and increase health equity for those at high risk.