Browsing by Author "Garcia, Gloria"

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    Plasma p-tau217 predicts in vivo brain pathology and cognition in autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease
    (Wiley, 2023) Aguillon, David; Langella, Stephanie; Chen, Yinghua; Sanchez, Justin; Su, Yi; Vila-Castelar, Clara; Vasquez, Daniel; Zetterberg, Henrik; Hansson, Oskar; Dage, Jeffrey L.; Janelidze, Shorena; Chen, Kewei; Fox-Fuller, Joshua T.; Aduen, Paula; Martinez, Jairo E.; Garcia, Gloria; Baena, Ana; Guzman, Claudia; Johnson, Keith; Sperling, Reisa A.; Blennow, Kaj; Reiman, Eric M.; Lopera, Francisco; Quiroz, Yakeel T.; Neurology, School of Medicine
    Introduction: Plasma-measured tau phosphorylated at threonine 217 (p-tau217) is a potential non-invasive biomarker of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated whether plasma p-tau217 predicts subsequent cognition and positron emission tomography (PET) markers of pathology in autosomal dominant AD. Methods: We analyzed baseline levels of plasma p-tau217 and its associations with amyloid PET, tau PET, and word list delayed recall measured 7.61 years later in non-demented age- and education-matched presenilin-1 E280A carriers (n = 24) and non-carrier (n = 20) family members. Results: Carriers had higher plasma p-tau217 levels than non-carriers. Baseline plasma p-tau217 was associated with subsequent amyloid and tau PET pathology levels and cognitive function. Discussion: Our findings suggest that plasma p-tau217 predicts subsequent brain pathological burden and memory performance in presenilin-1 E280A carriers. These results provide support for plasma p-tau217 as a minimally invasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for AD, with potential utility in clinical practice and trials. Highlights: Non-demented presenilin-1 E280A carriers have higher plasma tau phosphorylated at threonine 217 (p-tau217) than do age-matched non-carriers. Higher baseline p-tau217 is associated with greater future amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) pathology burden. Higher baseline p-tau217 is associated with greater future tau PET pathology burden. Higher baseline p-tau217 is associated with worse future memory performance.
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    Relationship between Neighborhood-Level Socioeconomic Status and Relapsed Pediatric B-Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treated with CAR-T19 Therapy in Indiana
    (2025-03-29) Ayub, Jinan; Walker, Alyssa; Grischke, Tyra; Garcia, Gloria; Skiles, Jodi; Spiegel, Courtney; Batra, Sandeep
    Background/Purpose: There is paucity of studies investigating the relationship between socioeconomic status and outcomes for patients receiving chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CART19) for refractory or relapsed B-ALL. Area Deprivation Index (ADI) serves as a measurement of socioeconomic disadvantage based on theoretical income, education, employment, and quality of housing. Methods: A retrospective chart review of 27 patients with relapsed B-ALL treated with CART19 at a non-profit children’s hospital from 2018-2024 was conducted. Using a public institution’s Neighborhood Atlas database, ADI scores (range 1-10) were recorded for each patient based on ZIP code of residence in Indiana. A low ADI score (0-5) indicates affluence and higher SES, while a high ADI score (6-10) indicates deprivation and a lower SES. Comparisons between groups were done using Chi-square tests for categorical variables. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze relapse free survival (RFS) using the log rank test to compare groups. Results: The patients (age range 2-25 years) were stratified into two groups: low ADI or high SES (≤5, n = 10 (37%); 2.9 ± 1.4; range, 1-5)) and high ADI or low SES (>5, n = 17 (63%); 8.5 ± 1.5; range, 6-10). Seventeen identified as white (63%) and 10 (37%) as Hispanic. Three patients received CART19 infusions twice, and one patient received multiple CART19-directed products. In the high ADI group, 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year RFS post-CART therapy was 82%, 76%, 60% respectively compared to 100%, 71%, 57% in the low ADI group (p=0.9). Conclusion: Most patients who received CART therapy at our tertiary center resided in low SES areas but did not experience worse RFS compared to patients residing in more affluent areas. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to better understand the heath inequalities among patients with relapsed leukemia in Indiana and to identify challenges faced by patients from disadvantaged communities with limited resources.
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    Sex differences in blood biomarkers and cognitive performance in individuals with autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease
    (Wiley, 2023) Vila-Castelar, Clara; Chen, Yinghua; Langella, Stephanie; Lopera, Francisco; Zetterberg, Henrik; Hansson, Oskar; Dage, Jeffrey L.; Janelidzde, Shorena; Su, Yi; Chen, Kewei; Pluim McDowell, Celina; Martinez, Jairo E.; Ramirez-Gomez, Liliana; Garcia, Gloria; Aguillon, David; Baena, Ana; Giraldo-Chica, Margarita; Protas, Hillary D.; Ghisays, Valentina; Rios-Romenets, Silvia; Tariot, Pierre N.; Blennow, Kaj; Reiman, Eric M.; Quiroz, Yakeel T.; Neurology, School of Medicine
    Introduction: Plasma tau phosphorylated at threonine 217 (P-tau217) and neurofilament light (NfL) have emerged as markers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Few studies have examined the role of sex in plasma biomarkers in sporadic AD, yielding mixed findings, and none in autosomal dominant AD. Methods: We examined the effects of sex and age on plasma P-tau217 and NfL, and their association with cognitive performance in a cross-sectional study of 621 Presenilin-1 E280A mutation carriers (PSEN1) and non-carriers. Results: As plasma P-tau217 levels increase, cognitively unimpaired female carriers showed better cognitive performance than cognitively unimpaired male carriers. Yet, as disease progresses, female carriers had a greater plasma NfL increase than male carriers. There were no sex differences in the association between age and plasma biomarkers among non-carriers. Discussion: Our findings suggest that, among PSEN1 mutation carriers, females had a greater rate of neurodegeneration than males, yet it did not predict cognitive performance. Highlights: We examined sex differences in plasma P-tau217 and NfL in Presenilin-1 E280A (PSEN1) mutation carriers and non-carriers. Female carriers had a greater plasma NfL increase, but not P-tau217, than male carriers. As plasma P-tau217 levels increase, cognitively unimpaired female carriers showed better cognitive performance than cognitively unimpaired male carriers. The interaction effect of sex by plasma NfL levels did not predict cognition among carriers.