SURGERY RESEARCH INSIGHT
Winter 2023
“The founding goal of our unit was to help our busy surgeons, residents and students as well as investigators in related fields, pursue their ideas and visions, to help design and pursue experiments, to assist applications for grant support, aid in obtaining institutional approval, analyze results and support efforts in presentation and publication. This mission has remained evident in five years of growth and productivity by the Division of Surgical Research.”
-Dr. William Irish
Kidney Transplant Research Year End Message
Dr. David Leeser
We have been exceedingly fortunate to be able to leverage our unique transplant population to attract industry sponsored transplant research. We currently have three studies looking at new techniques of monitoring patients for rejection. These techniques use cell free DNA from the donor to indicate rejection in the transplant kidney. During rejection episodes, especially antibody mediated rejection, the percentage of cell free DNA from the donor in the recipient serum rises which can indicate the presence of rejection. The results of these multicenter registry studies should be coming out in the next 12-24 months. In a fourth trial, we are looking at gene expression the peripheral blood which can be correlated with either cellular or antibody mediated rejection. Our center, thanks to our outstanding research team, has been one of the top performers in this multicenter trial. Finally, we are in the process of standing up a device trial which will put us in the OR using a cage to create the best geometry to increase the maturation rate of arteriovenous fistulae. We hope this starts clinically in the late summer.
Aside from research trials, we have been working hard at developing clinical science to add to the transplant community. We hope to have our manuscript on the de novo use of long acting tacrolimus for immunosuppression accepted for publication after revision. In addition, just yesterday, we hit submit on more than 8 abstracts to the American Transplant Congress that will take place in June of next year. The topics included disparities in access to the waiting list depending on socioeconomic status, outcomes in high BMI patients, results of transplants from uncontrolled DCD donors and the results of transplants performed on African American patients that received more waiting was normalized across races in due to removal of race based eGFR calculations. Since we started updating patients waiting times with new eGFR calculations in January, over 30 patients have received kidneys as part of this program. We are hopeful that ECU will be able to present our findings.
Transplant has had a productive year in research. We are indebted to Dr. William Irish and the rest of the surgical research division without whom this would not be possible.
ECU submitted eight abstracts to the American Society of Transplantation (AST) and ASTS.
1) Title: Taking the Risk: Transplanting Patient with Morbid Obesity
J. Quirin1, M. Romine2, A. Subramanium2, M. Black2, F. Reyes2, W. Irish2, H. Jones3, D. B. Leeser2, 1East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC, 2East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC, 3Eastern Nephrology Associates, Greenville, NC
2) Title: Health Outcomes for Kidney Transplant Patients with Concurrent Asymptomatic Covid Diagnosis
D. Mueller1, D. Leeser1, W. Irish1, M. Black1, T. Aponte1, H. Jones2, M. Romine1, 1East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC, 2Eastern Nephrology Associates, Greenville, NC
3) Title: Access to the Kidney Transplant Waiting List Is Socioeconomically Driven
M. Romine1, J. H. Wong1, A. Burch1, A. Landry1, M. Black1, H. Jones2, D. B. Leeser1, W. Irish1, 1East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC, 2Eastern Nephrology Associates, Greenville, NC
4) Title: Righting the Wrong of Race Based EGFR Calculations: Results of The EGFR Modification Program
M. Romine 1, A. Overman2, W. Irish 1, A. Subramanium 1, M. Black3, H. Jones4, D. Leeser 1, 7 Surgery, East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC, 2Transplant, ECU Health Medical Center, Greenville, NC, 3East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC, 4Eastern Nephrology Associates, Greenville, NC
5) Title: Uncontrolled Donation After Circulatory Death: Meeting Kidney Transplant Needs with Innovation
D. B. Leeser1, K. Koontz2, M. Romine1, K. Yaday3, L. Neff4, N. Casey2, E. McCracken5, C. Jay5, A. Farney5, R. Stratta5, G. Orlando5, 1East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC, 2HonorBridge, Winston Salem, NC, 3University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, 4Wake Forest Univ, Winston Salem, NC, 5Wake Forest Univ, Winston-Salem, NC
6) Title: Kidney Transplantation in Patients with a History of Prostate Cancer: Application of Recent Guidelines
N. Barefoot1, T. Evangelous1, D. B. Leeser2, C. Haisch2, H. Jones3, W. Irish2, L. Rebellato-deVente4, M. Black2, M. M. Romine2, 1School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 2Department of Surgery, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 3Eastern Nephrology Associates, Greenville, NC, 4Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
7) Title: Impact of Transplant Vintage on Associations Between Positive Peripheral Blood Gene Expression Profile Results and Renal Function: An Interim Report of the TRULO Study
S. Parajuli, J. Fleming, I. Agboli, J. Holman, W. Irish, S. Clifford, S. Patel, M. Karim
8) Title: Impact of Race on Prevalence and Impact of Peripheral Blood Gene Expression Profile Results: An Interim Report of the TRULO Study
D. Leeser, J. Fleming, J. Holman, I. Agboli, W. Irish, K. Soliman
In 2019, Drs. Pories and Irish began the Ambroise Paré Society, which was a forum for surgical faculty members to present research ideas in front of clinical colleagues. The meetings came to an end, like most efforts affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In an effort to refocus the department’s research growth, in 2023, Dr. Irish initiated a more informal platform for investigators to present their research endeavors called Coffee and Conversations, utilizing the Division of Surgical Research’s expert feedback surrounding the material discussed.
Coffee and Conversations is made available to all interested in learning more about clinical research at our physical location in the Brody Research Conference Room (BSOM 4S-08) or virtual through Microsoft Teams. All investigators i.e., residents, fellows, and faculty members are invited to present their research ideas at any phase (development, ongoing, data review, published, etc.).
Just in case you missed them, please find the recordings of our 2023 Coffee and Conversations below:
- May 1st, 2023 Hemodialysis Access Salvage in the Setting of Central Venous Outflow Obstruction: Dr. OJ. Mendes
- June 5th, 2023 Early Outcomes Associated with De Novo LCPT vs IR-TAC in a Predominantly African American Kidney Transplant Population: A Single Center Study: William Irish, PhD.
- August 7th, 2023 The Honaker Approach: A Clinician, Non-statistician Approach to Learning Statistics and Performing Analyses: Dr. M. Drew Honaker
- September 18, 2023 Obesity and Cancer Outcomes: Dr. Jan Wong
- October 11, 2023 The FAIR Alliance: Dr. Eric Toschlog
- December 6, 2023 Lactate as a Predictor of Metabolic Disease: Nicholas T. Broskey, PhD
| Conference | Conference Dates | Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safe States | August 20, 2024 | Portland, OR | |||
| NC/SC - American College of Surgeons (ACS)- Annual Meeting | August 23, 2024 | Isle of Palms, SC | |||
| American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST)(TACS) | September 11, 2024 | Las Vegas, NV | |||
| Society of Black Academic Surgeons (SBAS) | September 19, 2024 | Davis, CA | |||
| American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) | September 26, 2024 | San Diego, CA | |||
| American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) | September 27, 2024 | Orlando, FL | |||
| CHEST Annual Meeting | October 6, 2024 | Boston, MA | |||
| Association of Women Surgeons (AWS) | October 18, 2024 | San Francisco, CA | |||
| American College of Surgeons (ACS) | October 19, 2024 | San Francisco, CA | |||
| Surgical Outcomes Club (SOC) | October 19, 2024 | San Francisco, CA | |||
| Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) | October 22, 2024 | Washington, D.C. | |||
| Kidney Week (ASN) | October 23, 2024 | San Diego, CA | |||
| Society of Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) | November 6, 2024 | Houston, TX | |||
| ACS TQIP | November 12, 2024 | Denver, CO | |||
| Southern Surgical Association (SSA) | December 8, 2024 | Palm Beach, FL | |||
| National Research Conference for the Prevention of Firearm Related Harms | December 9, 2024 | Seattle, WA | |||
| San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium | December, 10, 2024 | San Antonio, TX |
REDE launched the Sponsored Activities and Research Catalyst (SPARC) program in spring 2023 to support scholarly activities that lead to submission of competitive extramural proposals. Response to the program was strong and we are excited to offer the opportunity again. This program provides seed funding for projects to build the capacity to enhance and support proposal development and submission. Proposals for the next round of SPARC funding are due:
February 1, 2024. Learn more and apply HERE.
In 2022, recognizing the importance of highlighting faculty who are highly productive in their research and creative activity output, REDE developed the Trendsetter Award. Exemplary faculty are identified across three stages of their academic careers, including: Early career, with 2 – 4 years of service; Mid-career, with 5 – 9 years of service, and Later career or “Eminent,” with 10 or more years of service. REDE invites eligible faculty to apply for the 2024-2025 Trendsetter Awards. A current CV and letter from the departmental chairperson should be included with each application. Applications are due Monday, February 12, 2024. Awardees will be announced at the annual Research & Scholarship Award Ceremony in April.
Proposed Grant Entitled: Community Gun Violence Prevention in the Carolinas, Invited to Submit a Full Grant Proposal
New Faculty, Sarah Maness, PhD submitted a proposal by invitation to Kaiser Permanente Center for Gun Violence Research and Education, Spring 2024 Funding Opportunity.
The purpose of this study is to decrease community gun violence in the Carolinas by enhancing capabilities of community partnerships and establishing a regional network of community partners. Community gun violence within the Southern region of the United States remains a pressing concern, exhibiting higher rates compared to other geographic regions. Overall, Black Americans are more than 12 times as likely to die from gun homicides compared to White Americans and disparities stem from systemic racism and social determinants of health. Most gun homicides involve illegal guns, and the theft of firearms from cars stands as the largest source of stolen guns. Notably, the Carolinas encompass six of the top 20 cities with the highest incidents of guns stolen from cars, contributing to the high rates of gun violence-related deaths. The proposed research builds on an existing collaboration while simultaneously establishing new community partners.
Our study is designed to capitalize on the expertise of South Carolina’s Tri-County Gun Violence Coordinating Council to expand the impact of the “Lock it Up” campaign and to conduct a community consensus pilot study on gun violence solutions in Eastern North Carolina. This innovative approach involves fostering collaborative relationships among various regional gun violence groups, with the objective of addressing and mitigating regional disparities in gun violence. The impact of undertaking this project holds the potential to significantly decrease the theft of firearms from cars. The overarching goal is to contribute to the long-term reduction of gun-related violence within the communities of the Carolinas. This campaign is a product of community-driven insights, utilizing evidence-based approach to cater to the specific needs of the community. The primary focus of all efforts remains steadfastly dedicated to advancing both health equity and racial justice by prioritizing communities bearing the highest rates of gun violence.
To reinforce Dr. Maness’s proposed project, the FAIR (Firearm Injury Research) Alliance, an interdisciplinary group from ECU and ECU Health Medical Center, will provide substantive expertise. Comprising professionals, including surgeons, epidemiologists, data scientists, public health experts, and research-support staff, the FAIR Alliance is committed to conducting rigorous and innovative research aimed at reducing firearm-related injury and mortality in North Carolina. The alignment between Dr. Maness’s proposal and the FAIR Alliance’s overarching mission enhances the potential for impactful outcomes in the realm of firearm injury prevention.
Supporting this research initiative through the FAIR Alliance and the Trauma Center will not only enhance our understanding of effective gun violence prevention strategies but will also contribute significantly to reducing the disproportionate burden borne by the Black/African American population in our region.
Congratulations to
Dr. Nasreen Vohra on American Cancer Society (ACS) Supplemental Award, $50,000
A Supplemental Grant Award of $50,000 from ACS was recently awarded to Dr. Nasreen Vohra, to extend the “Sentinel Node Immune Signatures & Outcomes in Triple Negative Breast Cancer.” research.
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) exhibits a high risk of metastasis and death from cancer and disproportionately impacts younger and minority women. There is a critical need to discover alternative treatment targets for this cancer subtype. Despite the explosion of new immunotherapeutic agents, their effective use has been stymied by the lack of a complete understanding of immune responses in patients. Investigations have largely focused on the tumor itself, ignoring a wealth of information encrypted in the tumor-draining nodes, lymphoid sites where immune cells interact, and immune responses initiate.
Successful completion of the current proposal will advance our understanding of the complex dynamics of the immune response in TNBC via examination of the both the tumor and lymph node microenvironments. Our preliminary data provide promising evidence of the utility of this approach. RNA sequencing analysis of tumor-negative lymph nodes revealed provocative findings. Signatures of certain immune cell types (T helper2 cells and dendritic cells) within the tumor-negative sentinel lymph node are associated with outcome despite the sentinel nodes being negative for tumor.
We propose to extend our initial investigations to a larger cohort to determine if these preliminary findings are true. If so, it opens new avenues of investigation into why that may be occurring and how the process can be halted or targeted to benefit patients with TNBC. Furthermore, the study will have broader impact; the total transcriptome/gene expression data generated can be mined to explore other pathways and hypotheses. Funds from the recently awarded supplement will be utilized to extend the Aim 2 of the parent proposal. With this additional funding we will utilize a newer assay for spatial phenotyping of over 40 protein markers across each tissue section at singe-cell resolution as well as add single-cell spatial transcriptomics when indicated.
Congratulations to ECU surgery professor, Dr. Carl E. Haisch, named to Academy of Master Surgeon Educators
-
New Trauma Clinical Trial: A Study of TAK-330 for Reversal of Direct Oral Factor Xa Inhibitor-induced Anticoagulation
Principal Investigator, Dr. Eric Toschlog has initiated ECU as a site for Takeda’s “Reverser” Clinical Trial
The aim of this study is to find out the effects of TAK-330 compared with four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4F-PCC) as part of standard treatment other than Prothromplex Total for anticoagulation reversal in participants treated with Factor Xa inhibitors who require urgent surgery/invasive procedure. The participant will be assigned by chance to either TAK-330 or SOC 4F-PCC as part of standard treatment before surgery. Patients participating in this study will need to be hospitalized. They will also be contacted (via telehealth/phone call) 30 days after the surgery.
Details / Participation Requirements
Phase 3
InterventionalArms/Groups or Cohorts:
TAK-330 25 IU/kg: Participants will receive TAK-330, 25 international unit per kilogram (IU/kg) single intravenous infusion on Day 1 (prior to surgery) as an initial dose and an additional dose of 25 IU/kg TAK-330 can be administered during the surgery if deemed necessary by the surgeon. The total dose of TAK-330 administered to the participant should not exceed 50 IU/kg or 5,000 IU, whichever is smaller.
SOC 4F-PCC: Participants will receive 4F-PCC (excluding Prothromplex Total and activated 4F-PCC) as standard of care (SOC) on Day 1 (prior to surgery). The dose and infusion speed of the SOC 4F-PCC will be based on local institutional protocols. An additional dose of SOC 4F-PCC not exceeding total dose of 50 IU/kg or 5,000 IU, whichever is smaller can be given during the surgery if required.Intervention:
TAK-330, SOC 4F-PCCPrimary Outcome Measure(s):
Percentage of Participants with Intraoperative Effective Hemostasis (Time Frame: At the end of the surgery/procedure)Secondary Outcome Measure(s):
Percentage of Participants with Postoperative Effective Hemostasis (Time Frame: At 24 hours after the end of investigational product infusion)
Percentage of Participants with Intraoperative Effective Hemostasis Based on Hemostatic Efficacy Rating Algorithm (Time Frame: At the end of the surgery/procedure)
Number of Participants with Usage of Blood Products or Non-Study Hemostatic Agents for Bleeding Control (Time Frame: Within 24 hours after the end of investigational product infusion)
Number of Units of Packed Red Blood Cells (PRBCs) Administered to Achieve Bleeding Control (Time Frame: Within 24 hours after the end of investigational product infusion)
Number of Participants with Treatment-emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs), Serious Adverse Events (SAEs) and Adverse Events of Special Interests (AESIs) (Time Frame: Within 30 days after the end of the surgery/invasive procedure (up to 33 days))
Number of Participants with Thrombotic Events (Time Frame: Within 30 days after the end of the surgery/invasive procedure (up to 33 days)])
Number of Participants with Deaths Within 30 Days Post-Surgery/Invasive Procedure (Time Frame: Within 30 days post-surgery/invasive procedure (up to 33 days))Entry Criteria:
– Must be women and men 18 years or older
– Must be treated with oral Factor Xa inhibitor (rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban)
– Must require an urgent surgery or procedure that is associated with high-risk of blood loss within 15 hours of the last dose of Factor Xa inhibitor– Cannot have an expected survival of less than 30 days
– Cannot be pregnantAdditional entry criteria will be discussed with the study doctor.
Investigator Initiated Study (IIS), Initiated by Vice Chair of The Division of Surgical Research, Dr. William Irish, will be funded by Veloxis Pharmaceuticals
The Division of Surgical Research will begin the IIS entitled “Comparative Before and After Analysis of Outcomes Associated with de Novo LCTP Daily Dose Protocol Change, within a Predominantly African American Kidney Transplant Cohort” at the end of the first quarter, 2024.
In February of 2019, the post-transplant immunosuppression protocol at East Carolina University Health Medical Center (ECUHMC) was modified to use de novo LCPT at a starting daily dose of 0.14 mg/kg in all kidney transplant recipients, as recommended in the drug package insert. It was observed that these patients often achieved supra-therapeutic tacrolimus troughs early in the post-operative period, which subsequently required multiple dose adjustments or held doses to attain an appropriate level.
For this reason, we recently conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients of a kidney only transplant between January 1, 2017, and May 31, 2020 at our center to explore early post-transplant outcomes associated with the use of de novo LCPT (once-daily extended-release tacrolimus) versus IR-TAC (twice-daily immediate-release tacrolimus) in a predominantly African American (AA) kidney transplant population. We found that, despite high early trough levels with de novo LCPT, clinical outcomes in this retrospective comparative analysis were comparable at one year post-transplant.
Based on the findings of the retrospective cohort study, the transplant program at ECUHMC determined to adjust the starting dose of de novo LCPT for all kidney transplant recipients to 0.12 mg/kg, effective January 1, 2023. The objective of this IIS is to assess the effects of this dosage modification on the patterns of tacrolimus trough levels and renal function, as well as their correlation with early clinical outcomes following kidney transplantation. To achieve this, we will analyze data from our center’s dedicated Kidney Transplant IRB Approved Database.
Primary Objective: The primary objective of this study is to evaluate changes in tacrolimus trough levels and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) before and after a de novo LCPT daily starting dose change from .14 mg/kg to .12 mg/kg in kidney transplant recipients up to 12 months post-transplant. Estimated GFR will be calculated using the Modification of Diet for Renal Disease (MDRD) 4-variable equation without the AA modifier.
Our division has been successful in securing IIS funding. Please come see us for assistance in your initiative.
Office of Clinical Research is Housing Resources on internal site.
The Office of Clinical Research (OCR) is in process of streamlining research areas. If you want to pursue a research initiative, please email surgeryresearch@ecu.edu for assistance in understanding these new processes.
Please refer to the most current updates and resources on the OCR intranet
OCR Mandatory Research Training for New Faculty in Clinical Departments
This training will introduce important research topics and systems at the institution and orient faculty to resources available to support their research efforts. All sessions will be held in-person. Below is the schedule for fiscal year 2024:
- February 8th from 9 am to 11 am
- April 25th from 9 am to 11 am
All new hires need to attend a session within their first year at the institution. To schedule, please email Cierra Buckman and Dr. Tumin the faculty’s name, a copy of their CV, and which session they will be attending at least one week prior to the session date. A reminder email will be sent out two weeks before each session. buckmanc17@ecu.edu
SURE Resources
If an idea is not working in isolation, contact us.
Who Can Help with What?
- Drs. Irish and Wong > Methodology, study design, analysis, scientific communication, and review
- Drs. Pories and Verbanac > Study development, scientific communication, and review
- Reba > DUA, CTA, budgets, invoicing, eTRACS
- Trisha > UMCIRB (ePirate) application review, compliance, workflow, feasibility
QUESTIONS? Email surgeryresearch@ecu.edu
Surgical Critical Care
In July, two Surgical Critical Care Surgery Fellows joined the ECU Department of Surgery. We look forward to supporting their research ambitions.
Gavin Fiddler, MD
Medical School: University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Residency: University of Arizona – Tucson
Aimee LaRiccia, DO
Medical School: Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Doctors Hospital
CONGRATULATIONS to our Surgical Residents on their abstract submissions, presentations, education advancements and awards accomplished!
- Accepted to present an abstract at ASCRS June 1-4, 2024, Baltimore MD (e-poster) – American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons “Organ Preservation in Elderly Patients with Stage I Rectal Cancer”- Scarlett Hao, MD., M Drew Honaker, MD.
- Accepted to present an abstract at SAGES April 17-20, 2024 (e-poster) – American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons “STAGED EMERGENT GASTRIC VOLVULUS REPAIR WITH ENDOSCOCPIC DECOMPRESSION PROVIDES FAVORABLE SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES” – Jacob Owen, MD
Noteworthy Resident Publications:
- Sutton T, Hao S, Suzuki M, Ciarrocca AL, Chua A, Honaker MD. Rectal cancer presentation during the COVID-19 pandemic: are decreasing screening rates leading to an increase in acute presentations? PLOS ONE. 2023;18(9):e0291447. 2023 Sep 14. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0291447
- Hao S, Arasa M, Siripurapu V, Leeser DB, Romine MM. Improved renal allograft function with dialysis access ligation to reduce venous hypertension. Transplantation Reports. Sep 2023;8(3):100140. doi:10.1016/j.tpr.2023.100140
- Hao S, Parikh AA, Snyder RA. Author Reflections: Baby Steps: Building the Foundation for Defining, Identifying, and Intervening on Social Determinants of Health in Routine Oncology Care. Ann Surg Onc. Nov 2023;30:7321-7322. doi:10.1245/s10434-023-14206-8
- Hao S, Jilcott Pitts SB, Iasiello J, Mejia C, Quinn AW, Popowicz P, Mitsakos A, Parikh AA, Snyder RA. A mixed-methods study to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of implementing an electronic health record social determinants of health screening instrument into routine clinical oncology practice. Ann Surg Onc. Nov 2023;30(12):7299-7308. doi:10.1245/s10434-023-14124-9
Congrats to Amanda Estella Landry, MS:
The abstract titled “Socioeconomic Disparities and Kidney Transplant Waitlisting: A Cross-Sectional Analysis” has been accepted for Quickshot Presentation at the 19th Annual Academic Surgical Congress to be held February 6-8, 2024, in Washington, DC.
Medical Students interested in surgical research
The mission of the Division of Surgical Research is to improve patient care, provide education in the pursuit of clinical and basic science investigations and health services research, and offer support to faculty, residents and students in the conduct, analysis and reporting of scientific inquiry.
If you are interested in getting involved in surgical research, contact surgeryresearch@ecu.edu
Rural Health Symposium
The 2024 Rural Health Symposium will be held on February 22-23. The program is jointly provided by: The Office of Continuing Medical Education of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University®, ECU Health Foundation, ECU Health Medical Center, Triangle Healthcare Executives’ Forum of NC (THEF) in association with the Eastern Area Health Education Center.
Rural areas present a number of challenges for both providers and families in managing and accessing healthcare. This multidisciplinary conference focuses on innovative and collaborative efforts to provide better care to areas with limited resources, exploring community, business, and leadership models.
Who Should Attend
This conference has been planned for Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Dentists, Nurses, Health Educators, and all healthcare professionals working with patients and their families in rural areas.
To see further details and to register, click here: https://www.easternahec.net/courses-and-events/70782
Critical Friends is a peer review protocol that facilitates the development of specific ideas and strategies to assure writing clear and persuasive. Faculty are invited to participate in this workshop as grant writers and readers. If you are planning on submitting a grant in the near future, consider participating as a reader/responder in this session. Contact Kerri Flinchbaugh (flinchbaughk@ecu.edu) with any questions.
Love Data Week
Conversations around issues and methods in data creation, analysis, and visualization.
February 5-9, 2024
Love Data Week is an international event intended to engage researchers in dialogues around issues and methods in data creation, analysis, and visualization. As federal and foundation funders increase their focus on rigor and reproducibility, conversations about data are more important than ever.
Seven Sessions will be in-person in the Evelyn Fike Laupus Gallery, 4th Floor Laupus Library and live streamed on Panopto. Four virtual training sessions will be delivered on Teams: Data structure and types of measurement in statistics, Basic REDCap, Intermediate REDCap, and Qualtrics.
All sessions are open to ECU Faculty, Staff, and Students.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
- Monday, February 5th
Data governance at ECU: Monday, Feb 5, 10:00-11:00 a.m., 4th Floor Gallery, Laupus Library
Scotty, Lee, and Brittany will discuss the Data Governance program that was implemented at ECU in 2016. The presentation will detail what the Data Governance program entails as well as how it is structured at ECU. In addition, they will review guidelines being developed for the use of institutional data with generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems, present the recently deployed Metadata Management system Microsoft Purview, and talk about the Data Literacy training program that is being established to offer the University Faculty and Staff a means to better understand the overall data lifecycle at ECU.
Data structure and types of measurement in statistics: Monday, Feb 5, 1:00-3:00 p.m. VIRTUAL ONLY
Click here to join the meeting
Understanding data structures and measurement types is very important in research. It aids not only in data analysis, but also in survey design. This workshop helps you understand basic concepts about data. It focuses on how to create a dataset, data layout or structure, variables in the data, variable types, variable coding, and measurement types. SPSS will be used for the demonstration. You can request and download SPSS 29 at https://download.ecu.edu and download workshop materials at https://myweb.ecu.edu/bianh/workshop.html
- Tuesday, February 6th
Animal models of molecular neuroresilience against Alzheimer’s disease: Tuesday, Feb 6, 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., 4th Floor Gallery, Laupus Library
Individuals who retain normal cognitive function despite of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-associated pathology are considered resilient to AD. Identifying the underlying mechanisms can lead to novel therapeutic approaches. In this talk Dr. Szatmari will summarize the current view and research on molecular neuroresilience against AD. She will also present research from her lab related to the genetic and molecular factors associated with resilience.
Understanding national trends in bullying and cyberbullying using meta-analysis: Tuesday, Feb 6, 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m., 4th Floor Gallery, Laupus Library
Dr. Kennedy will discuss how meta-analysis can be used to examine National bullying and cyberbullying victimization trends. She will show how this method can be used to examine differences in trends by race/ethnicity, gender, age, type of bullying, and bullying prevention. Dr. Kennedy will provide an overview of the use of meta-analysis and the strengths and limitations of the method. Finally, Dr. Kennedy will discuss how the findings from a meta-analysis can be used to improve bullying prevention and intervention efforts.
- Wednesday, February 7th
Plain language summaries: A tool for scientific communication & inclusivity: Wednesday, Feb 7, 9:00-10:00 a.m., 4th Floor Gallery, Laupus Library
A Plain Language Summary (PLS) is an incredibly effective science communication tool that allows researchers to reach a wider audience by summarizing their work in terms that are more inclusive and accessible to people outside of a specific field or scientific circle. This presentation explores rhetorical aspects of these summaries along with tips and tricks for thinking through the composition of an effective PLS. Participants will be asked to consider the meaning of ‘understandable language’ along with what it means to write for a broader audience.
Data pipeline: From collection to analysis to modeling: Wednesday, Feb 7, 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., 4th Floor Gallery, Laupus Library
**Box lunches will be provided to the first 30 attendees**
This multi-presenter session is structured to cover the lifecycle of data, from collection to domain specific curation, to modeling. Each presenter will discuss the importance and the presenter’s contribution to a given phase in the data lifecycle. The presenters are ECU researchers who collaborate on research projects enabled by the Platform for IoT Open Networks (PITON) which aims to enable collaboration across ECU and beyond.
The complex world of data as intellectual property: Wednesday, Feb 7, 2:00-3:00 p.m., 4th Floor Gallery, Laupus Library
In the evolving world of data management and sharing expectations from federal and major foundation funders, questions related to data as intellectual property have come increasingly to the forefront. Competing claims from funders, institutions, human research participants, and the researchers who collect or create the data can lead to considerable confusion and occasional disputes. This session will highlight the components of various intellectual property and access claims to research data and considerations related to data transfer and sharing.
- Thursday, February 8th – VIRTUAL TRAINING DAY
REDCap Basic User Virtual Training
Thursday, Feb 8, 9:00-10:30 a.m.
[Click here to join the meeting]
REDCap Intermediate User Virtual Training
Thursday, Feb 8, 1:00-2:30 p.m.
[Click here to join the meeting]
Qualtrics User Virtual Training
Thursday, Feb 8, 3:00-4:00 p.m.
[Click here to join the meeting]
- Friday, February 9th
Oral microbiome quantum leap: Moving beyond commensalism/parasitism
Friday, Feb 9, 10:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m., 4th Floor Gallery, Laupus Library
Dr. Murata will help the audience understand the effect of small molecules on virulence factors of C. albicans, how to identify the flavonoids with anti-HIV activity, and to understand the Influence of oral microbial metabolites on HIV infection
(July 2023 – December 2023)
-
- Aldridge JR, Quinn SA, Peine BS, Irish WD, Toschlog EA. A Statewide Analysis of Predictors of Trauma Center Transfer: The Burden of Non-Clinical Factors. Am Surg. 2023 Sep;89(9):3702-3709. doi: 10.1177/00031348231173938. Epub 2023 May 3. PMID: 37133202.
- Quinn SA, Gregg SE, Garcia N, Fu Y, Irish W, Toschlog EA. Patterns of Platelet Mapping Thromboelastography Abnormalities in Trauma. Am Surg. 2023 Aug;89(8):3372-3374. doi: 10.1177/00031348231161668. Epub 2023 Mar 3. PMID: 36867429.
- Jacovides CL, Skeete DA, Werner NL, Toschlog EA, Agarwal S, Coopwood B, Crandall M, Tominaga GT. American Association for the Surgery of Trauma/American College of Surgeons-Committee on Trauma Clinical Consensus-Driven Protocol for glucose management in the post-resuscitation intensive care unit adult trauma patient. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2023 Dec 1;95(6):951-958. doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000004124. Epub 2023 Aug 10. PMID: 37561094.
- Layton-Matthews K, Reiertsen TK, Erikstad KE, Anker-Nilssen T, Daunt F, Wanless S, Barrett RT, Newell MA, Harris MP. Consequences of cross-season demographic correlations for population viability. Ecol Evol. 2023 Jul 12;13(7):e10312. doi: 10.1002/ece3.10312. PMID: 37456077; PMCID: PMC10338798.
- Wanless S, Albon SD, Daunt F, Sarzo B, Newell MA, Gunn C, Speakman JR, Harris MP. Increased parental effort fails to buffer the cascading effects of warmer seas on common guillemot demographic rates. J Anim Ecol. 2023 Aug;92(8):1622-1638. doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.13944. Epub 2023 May 22. PMID: 37212614.
- Acker P, Daunt F, Wanless S, Burthe SJ, Newell MA, Harris MP, Swann RL, Gunn C, Morley TI, Reid JM. Additive genetic and environmental variation interact to shape the dynamics of seasonal migration in a wild bird population. Evolution. 2023 Oct 3;77(10):2128-2143. doi: 10.1093/evolut/qpad111. PMID: 37343301.
- Taha A, Taha-Mehlitz S, Nadyrov EA, Zinovkin D, Veyalkin I, Levin L, Pranjol MZI, Melling N, Honaker MD, Cattin PC, Schmid RA. Second Primary Cancer Among Patients With Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Following the Chernobyl Disaster. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Aug 1;6(8):e2329559. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.29559. PMID: 37589974; PMCID: PMC10436126.
- Taha A, Taha-Mehlitz S, Bach L, Ochs V, Bardakcioglu O, Honaker MD, Cattin PC. Robotic colorectal surgery: quality assessment of patient information available on the internet using webscraping. Comput Assist Surg (Abingdon). 2023 Dec;28(1):2187275. doi: 10.1080/24699322.2023.2187275. PMID: 36905397.
- Sutton TS, Hao S, Suzuki M, Chua A, Ciarrocca AL, Honaker MD. Rectal cancer presentation during the COVID-19 pandemic: Are decreasing screening rates leading to an increase in acute presentations? PLoS One. 2023 Sep 14;18(9):e0291447. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291447. PMID: 37708208; PMCID: PMC10501676.
- Boykov IN, Montgomery MM, Hagen JT, Aruleba RT, McLaughlin KL, Coalson HS, Nelson MA, Pereyra AS, Ellis JM, Zeczycki TN, Vohra NA, Tan SF, Cabot MC, Fisher-Wellman KH. Pan-tissue mitochondrial phenotyping reveals lower OXPHOS expression and function across cancer types. Sci Rep. 2023 Oct 5;13(1):16742. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-43963-5. PMID: 37798427; PMCID: PMC10556099.
- Iasiello JA, Rajan A, Zervos E, Parikh AA, Snyder RA. Racial Differences in Patient-Reported Access to Telehealth: An Important and Unmeasured Social Determinant of Health. JCO Oncol Pract. 2023 Dec;19(12):1215-1223. doi: 10.1200/OP.23.00006. Epub 2023 Oct 16. PMID: 37844269.
- Clapp B, Lu L, Corbett J, Vahibe A, Mosleh KA, Salame M, Morton J, DeMaria EJ, Ghanem OM. MBSAQIP database: are the data reliable? Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2023 Sep 4:S1550-7289(23)00668-8. doi: 10.1016/j.soard.2023.08.018. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37778942.
- Buchwald H, McGlennon T, Roberts A, Ahnfeldt E, Buchwald J, Pories W. Who Would Have Thought It? : Intestinal Surgery May Prove To Be the Most Effective Therapy For Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): a Hypothesis and a Challenge. Obes Surg. 2023 Sep;33(9):2629-2631. doi: 10.1007/s11695-023-06613-3. Epub 2023 Jul 17. PMID: 37458863.
- Swift DL, McGee JE, Grammer EE, Huff AC, Clunan MC, Hursey N, Brown TT, Osborne BG, Houmard JA, Carels RA, Pories WJ, Matarese LE. The effect of exercise training level on arterial stiffness after clinically significant weight loss. Clin Obes. 2023 Oct;13(5):e12584. doi: 10.1111/cob.12584. Epub 2023 Feb 27. PMID: 36843503.
- Jevtovic F, Zheng D, Lopez CA, Kern K, Tanner CJ, Jones TE, Pories WJ, Dohm GL, Houmard JA, May LE, Broskey NT. Greater reliance on glycolysis is associated with lower mitochondrial substrate oxidation and insulin sensitivity in infant myogenic MSCs. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2023 Sep 1;325(3):E207-E213. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00159.2023. Epub 2023 Jul 19. PMID: 37467021; PMCID: PMC10511160.
- McGee JE, Early KS, Huff AC, Clunan MC, Hursey NR, Osborne B, Bucher C, Tanner C, Brewer SB, Brophy PM, Clark A, Pories WJ, Matarese LE, Houmard JA, Collier D, May LE, McClung JM, Earnest CP, Swift DL. Effects of weight loss and weight loss maintenance on cardiac autonomic function in obesity: a randomized controlled trial. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2023 Sep 1;48(9):678-691. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2023-0025. Epub 2023 May 25. PMID: 37229779.
- Lovell K, Peters B, Pasli M, Kennedy K, Liles D, Pories W. Fasciotomy on a female patient with acquired factor VIII: A case report and literature review of management. Clin Case Rep. 2023 Aug 3;11(8):e7773. doi: 10.1002/ccr3.7773. PMID: 37546159; PMCID: PMC10400796.
- Hao S, Arasa M, Siripurapu V, Leeser DB, Romine MM. Improved renal allograft function with dialysis access ligation to reduce venous hypertension. Transplantation Reports. Sep 2023;8(3):100140. doi:10.1016/j.tpr.2023.100140
- Hao S, Parikh AA, Snyder RA. Author Reflections: Baby Steps: Building the Foundation for Defining, Identifying, and Intervening on Social Determinants of Health in Routine Oncology Care. Ann Surg Onc. Nov 2023;30:7321-7322. doi:10.1245/s10434-023-14206-8
- Hao S, Jilcott Pitts SB, Iasiello J, Mejia C, Quinn AW, Popowicz P, Mitsakos A, Parikh AA, Snyder RA. A mixed-methods study to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of implementing an electronic health record social determinants of health screening instrument into routine clinical oncology practice. Ann Surg Onc. Nov 2023;30(12):7299-7308. doi:10.1245/s10434-023-14124-9
- Bethea J, Lodhi T, Peine B, Mendes J, Sutton T, Celio A, Allman R, Nifong LW. Robotic Resection of Left Atrial Myxoma With Cryoablation of Tumor Stalk. Innovations (Phila). 2023 Nov-Dec;18(6):592-594. doi: 10.1177/15569845231199736. Epub 2023 Oct 4. PMID: 37794743.
- Peine B, Ved KJ, Fleming T, Sun Y, Honaker MD. Syphilitic proctitis presenting as locally advanced rectal cancer: A case report. Int J Surg Case Rep. 2023 Jun;107:108358. doi: 10.1016/j.ijscr.2023.108358. Epub 2023 May 30. PMID: 37267792; PMCID: PMC10310909.
- Peine BS, Fu Y, Oh S, Quinn S, Bethea JP, Mendes OJ, Kindell L, Irish W, Akhter SA. Impact of timing of urgent coronary artery bypass grafting following coronary angiography on acute kidney injury. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2023 Jun 24:S0022-5223(23)00531-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2023.05.042. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37356474.
We could all use a little good news, so share yours with the Surgical Research Team!
We are looking for you to share any grants, abstracts, manuscripts and/or research related activity.
Send your good news (and photos) to our division email (surgeryresearch@ecu.edu) to be included in the next SURE Monthly Insider or Biannual Insight Newsletter.