Open Access Publishing Fund

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The IUPUI Open Access Fund underwrites reasonable publication charges for articles published in fee-based, peer-reviewed journals that are openly accessible. This fund addresses changes in scholarly communications while increasing the impact of and access to scholarship created by IUPUI faculty. Learn more at: https://library.indianapolis.iu.edu/digitalscholarship/oa/fund-oa

Annual reports on the progress of the fund are available from: https://scholarworks.indianapolis.iu.edu/handle/1805/11935

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 308

An essential adaptor for apicoplast fission and inheritance in malaria parasites
(Springer Nature, 2025-11-27) Blauwkamp, James A.; Rajaram, Krithika; Staggers, Sophia R.; Harrigan, Oliver; Doud, Emma H.; Xu, Wei; Ke, Hangjun; Prigge, Sean T.; Sun, Stella Y.; Absalon, Sabrina; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine
Blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum parasites rely on a non-photosynthetic plastid, the apicoplast, for survival, making it an attractive target for antimalarial intervention. Like the mitochondrion, the apicoplast cannot be generated de novo and must be inherited by daughter parasites during cell division. This inheritance relies on coordinated apicoplast positioning and fission, but the molecular mechanisms controlling these processes remain poorly understood. Here, we identify a previously uncharacterized P. falciparum protein (Pf3D7_0613600), which we name PfAnchor, as a key regulator of apicoplast fission. Using Ultrastructure Expansion Microscopy (U-ExM), we show that PfAnchor localizes to the apicoplast throughout the asexual blood-stage. Conditional depletion disrupts apicoplast fission, leading to incomplete cytokinesis and parasite death. Notably, loss of the apicoplast's elongated branched structure via azithromycin treatment rescues these defects, underscoring Anchor's specific role in apicoplast fission. Immunoprecipitation identified an interaction with the dynamin-like GTPase PfDyn2, a key mediator of both apicoplast and mitochondrial fission, establishing PfAnchor as the first apicoplast-specific dynamin adaptor protein. Our findings define PfAnchor as an essential factor for apicoplast fission and inheritance in P. falciparum blood-stage parasites, highlighting parasite-specific organelle division as a potential vulnerability for therapeutic intervention.
Squamoid eccrine ductal carcinoma of the left thumb: A case report and review of treatment strategies
(Elsevier, 2025-09-10) Iurillo, Alyssa M.; Hoffman, Victoria; Kinariwalla, Neha; Anderson, Jaclyn B.; Nevarez, Karen; Robinson-Bostom, Leslie; Libby, Tiffany J.; Miner, Thomas J.; Puthawala, Mohamedyak A.; Wisco, Oliver; Dermatology, School of Medicine
Gamma delta T cells and their immunotherapeutic potential in cancer
(Springer Nature, 2025-03-28) Cieslak, Stephen G.; Shahbazi, Reza; Department of Medicine
Gamma–delta (γδ) T cells are a unique subset of T lymphocytes that play diverse roles in immune responses, bridging innate and adaptive immunity. With growing interest in their potential for cancer immunotherapy, a comprehensive and inclusive exploration of γδ T cell families, their development, activation mechanisms, functions, therapeutic implications, and current treatments is essential. This review aims to provide an inclusive and thorough discussion of these topics. Through our discussion, we seek to uncover insights that may harbinger innovative immunotherapeutic strategies. Beginning with an overview of γδ T cell families including Vδ1, Vδ2, and Vδ3, this review highlights their distinct functional properties and contributions to anti-tumor immunity. Despite γδ T cells exhibiting both anti-tumor and pro-tumor activities, our review elucidates strategies to harness the anti-tumor potential of γδ T cells for therapeutic benefit. Moreover, our paper discusses the structural intricacies of the γδ T cell receptor and its significance in tumor recognition. Additionally, this review examines conventional and emerging γδ T cell therapies, encompassing both non-engineered and engineered approaches, with a focus on their efficacy and safety profiles in clinical trials. From multifunctional capabilities to diverse tissue distribution, γδ T cells play a pivotal role in immune regulation and surveillance. By analyzing current research findings, this paper offers insights into the dynamic landscape of γδ T cell–based immunotherapies, underscoring their promise as a potent armamentarium against cancer. Furthermore, by dissecting the complex biology of γδ T cells, we learn valuable information about the anti-cancer contributions of γδ T cells, as well as potential targets for immunotherapeutic interventions.
Unseen Impacts: Rural Adolescents’ Self-Perception and Mental Health in the Age of Dermatology-Related Social Media
(Springer Nature, 2025-09-17) Bell, Katheryn; Zayed, Elham; Ireland, Ellen; Reyes, Eric
Background: Adolescence represents a pivotal period in the development of self-image, with skin appearance playing a central role in self-confidence and peer acceptance. In rural communities with limited access to dermatologic care, adolescents frequently turn to social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube for skin-related information. These platforms often promote idealized beauty standards and unverified treatments, potentially influencing self-perception and psychological well-being. To investigate these potential impacts, the objective of this survey-based cross-sectional study was to evaluate the psychological impact of dermatology-related social media exposure on self-image, emotional health, and professional aspirations among adolescents in a rural setting. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 206/294 high school students (response rate: 70.1%) in a rural Indiana community. The 19-item Qualtrics survey assessed demographics, social media use, exposure to dermatologic content, and self-reported psychological effects. Inclusion required current enrollment at school and at least one prior use of social media; exclusion criteria was no social media use. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Results and discussion: Of 206 respondents, most were female (74%, n = 152) and under 18 years of age (84%, n = 175). Female students were significantly more likely than males to follow skincare influencers (36.8%, n = 56 vs. 8.5%, n = 4; p = 0.001, p < 0.05). Among those who viewed dermatology-related content, 37.8% (n = 56) reported only positive effects (e.g., increased confidence), 31.1% (n = 46) reported only negative effects (e.g., heightened self-criticism), and 4.1% (n = 6) reported both positive and negative effects. Notably, while 68.9% (n = 102) acknowledged some impact on self-image, only 22.6% (n = 35) perceived effects on their mental health, suggesting a disconnect between appearance concerns and emotional awareness. Nearly half (45%, n = 74) reported greater focus on perceived flaws, yet most (59%, n = 97) denied developing an unhealthy perspective on body image. Gender- and identity-based disparities were pronounced: female and non-binary students reported higher rates of negative self-perception compared to males. Despite these risks, over half (50.6%, n = 104) identified educational benefits, and 30.6% (n = 63) noted that dermatology content inspired interest in healthcare careers. Further, just over one-third of rural respondents (n = 75, 36.4%) reported discovering a new community or interest they would not otherwise have encountered, thereby reflecting a significant integration into the lives of rural, underserved populations. These findings underscore the dual nature of aesthetic media, both reinforcing body dissatisfaction and offering pathways for learning, community, and identity exploration. Conclusions: Dermatology-related social media exerts complex psychological effects on rural adolescents, amplifying self-image concerns while simultaneously providing educational value and career inspiration. Female and gender-diverse students appear particularly vulnerable, highlighting the need for adolescent-centered media literacy and inclusive, evidence-based dermatology messaging.
Area-Level Indices and Health Care Use in a Pediatric Brain and Central Nervous System Tumor Cohort: Observational Study
(JMIR, 2025-05-02) Tran, Yvette H.; Park, Seho; Coven, Scott L.; Mendonca, Eneida A.; Health Policy and Management, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
Background: While survival among pediatric patients with cancer has advanced, disparities persist. Public health tools such as the Area Deprivation Index, the Child Opportunity Index (COI), and the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) are potential proxies for social determinants of health and could help researchers, public health practitioners, and clinicians identify neighborhoods or populations most likely to experience adverse outcomes. However, evidence regarding their relationship with health care use, especially in the pediatric population with cancer, remains mixed. Objective: We sought to evaluate the relationship between emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations with these area-level indices in our study population. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of pediatric patients with brain and central nervous system tumors in a single Midwestern state who were diagnosed between 2010 and 2020. We fitted zero-inflated Poisson models for counts of ED and inpatient visits to determine if any of these use measures were associated with our 3 area-level indices. Finally, we mapped index quintiles onto neighborhoods to visualize and compare how each index differentially ranks neighborhoods. Results: Our study cohort consisted of 524 patients; 78.6% (n=412) of them had no recorded ED visit, and 39.7% (n=208) had no record of hospitalization. Moderate (coefficient=0.306; P=.01) and high (coefficient=0.315; P=.01) deprivation were associated with more ED visits. Both low child opportunity (coefficient=0.497; P<.001) and very high child opportunity (coefficient=0.328; P=.01) were associated with more ED visits. All quintiles of SVI were associated with ED visits, but the relationship was not dose-dependent. Low and very high deprivation were associated with hospitalizations, but COI and SVI were not. Additionally, by overlaying index quintiles onto census tracts and census block groups, we showed that most patients who had an ED visit lived in disadvantaged neighborhoods based on Area Deprivation Index rankings, but not necessarily COI or SVI rankings. Conclusions: Although indices provide useful context about the environment in which our patient population resides in, we found little evidence that neighborhood conditions as measured by these indices consistently or reliably relate to health care use.
"I'm supposed to be a helper": Spiritual distress of abortion providers after the Dobbs decision
(Elsevier, 2025-02-22) Bode, Leah M.; Kumar, Komal A.; McQuillan, Josie C.; Scott, Nicole P.; Bernard, Caitlin; Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine
Background: The Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision has undoubtably affected the practice of abortion providers nationally. We hypothesized that Dobbs has also impacted the ways in which providers experience meaning and purpose through their work, which are elements of spirituality. Objective: We sought to describe the spectrum of spirituality of abortion providers and understand whether and how the Dobbs decision caused spiritual distress. Study design: For this qualitative study, we conducted video interviews with 26 abortion providers from 17 states between November 2022 and February 2023. States were classified according to the Guttmacher Institute classifications from most restrictive to very protective as of December 2022. Interviews included questions such as, "Can you describe your own sense of spirituality or spiritual identity?" and "How does your spiritual belief inform your response to the Dobbs decision?" Results: Participants' states of practice were well-distributed across the abortion restrictive-protective spectrum. The majority of participants were spiritual, while less than half identified as part of an organized religion. Many participants felt a spiritual call or obligation to provide abortion care and 46% described abortion as a spiritual act for provider and/or patient. Most participants experienced spiritual distress (74%), including those practicing in states across the restrictive-protective spectrum. Of note, 92% of participants described their spirituality as helpful in coping with the effects of the fall of Roe v. Wade. Sources of strength included advocacy, agency, legislative work, and community; over half specifically cited the abortion provider community. Conclusions: The Dobbs decision-and subsequent state-level abortion restrictions-impacts abortion providers by causing spiritual distress. While many abortion-restrictive laws are influenced by religious or spiritual beliefs, it is important to recognize that abortion providers are also spiritual individuals.
Impact of parallel planning on residency match rate success
(Springer Nature, 2025-03-19) Rusk, Debra S.; Holt, Ashley; Harvey, Brianna; Shanks, Anthony L.
Background: Medical students targeting competitive specialties or those with lower competitiveness for their preferred specialty are encouraged to parallel apply to a less competitive field. The AAMC provides data on the number of applicants who parallel apply but little information exists on their match success. Objective: Our objective is to describe the success rates for students who parallel apply to more than one specialty. Methods: Following IRB exemption, a retrospective cohort study of Indiana University School of Medicine graduates from the 2021–2024 residency match cycles was conducted. ERAS data and match reports were reviewed to identify students who parallel applied to more than one specialty, determining their match outcomes. Subgroup analyses were performed based on specialty type, and descriptive statistics were reported. Results: Between 2021 and 2024, 1,411 IUSM students applied for the match, with 225 (16%) having a parallel plan; 39% of these students matched into their preferred specialty, 56% into their parallel specialty, and 5% did not match. The most common parallel plan specialties were Anesthesiology, Orthopaedic Surgery, and OBGYN. There were no statistically significant differences in parallel application rates among surgical, hospital-based, and primary care specialties. Conclusions: Our study shows that 1 in 6 students will apply to a parallel specialty, with more than half matching into their parallel plan, making it a viable strategy for those targeting competitive specialties or with lower competitiveness. We found no difference in application rates between surgical, hospital-based, and primary care specialties, emphasizing the need for individualized competitiveness guidance.
Reduced Salivary Gustin and Statherin in Long-COVID Cohort with Impaired Bitter Taste
(MDPI, 2024-11-13) Chowdary, Harika; Riley, Naomi; Patel, Parul; Gossweiler, Ana G.; Running, Cordelia A.; Srinivasan, Mythily; Oral Pathology, Medicine and Radiology, School of Dentistry
Background/Objectives: Taste dysfunction is a frequent symptom of acute coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). While the majority of those affected reported recovery over time, emerging data suggest that 20-25% of individuals experience persistent taste dysfunction, constituting a common symptom of long COVID. Gustation is mediated by continuously renewing taste bud cells. A balance between the counteracting processes of cell generation and cell death maintains the homeostatic turnover. Sonic hedgehog (SHH) is a morphogenic protein that promotes taste cell proliferation and differentiation. Enzymatic proteins such as gustin modulate the environment around the taste receptors and influence taste perception. Hence, we hypothesized that increased taste cell turnover and reduced taste-related salivary proteins contribute to the taste dysfunction in long COVID. Methods: Unstimulated whole saliva (UWS) was collected from individuals with long COVID experiencing taste dysfunction after obtaining informed consent. The normal control included archived saliva samples catalogued prior to 2019. Taste perception was objectively determined by the waterless empirical taste test. The SHH, gustin, and inflammatory cytokines in UWS were determined with ELISA. The expressions of epithelial and taste-cell-specific markers in cellular saliva were assessed by immunoflurorescence. Results: Impaired bitter taste was the most common dysfunction in the long-COVID cohort. Salivary gustin was significantly lower in those with long COVID and correlated with lower bitter taste score. Cellular saliva showed keratin-10- and small-proline-rich protein-positive epithelial cells as well as SHH-, occluding- and KCNQ1-positive taste cells. Conclusions: Salivary gustin could be a marker for impaired bitter taste in long COVID.
Evaluating the feasibility and predictive accuracy of biodynamic imaging to platinum-based chemotherapy response in esophageal adenocarcinoma
(Frontiers Media, 2024-09-30) Ajrouch, Ali; Krempley, Ben; Karkash, Ahmad; Dewitt, John M.; Al-Haddad, Mohammad; Lim, Dawith; Nolte, David; Turek, John; Perkins, Susan M.; Jalal, Shadia I.; Medicine, School of Medicine
Background: Esophageal cancer management lacks reliable response predictors to chemotherapy. In this study we evaluated the feasibility and accuracy of Biodynamic Imaging (BDI), a technology that employs digital holography as a rapid predictor of chemotherapy sensitivity in locoregional esophageal adenocarcinoma. Methods: Pre-treatment endoscopic pinch biopsies were collected from patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma during standard staging procedures. BDI analyzed the tumor samples and assessed in vitro chemotherapy sensitivity. BDI sensitivity predictions were compared to patients' pathological responses, the gold standard for determining clinical response, in the surgically treated subset (n=18). Result: BDI was feasible with timely tissue acquisition, collection, and processing in all 30 enrolled patients and successful BDI analysis in 28/29 (96%) eligible. BDI accurately predicted chemotherapy response in 13/18 (72.2%) patients using a classifier for complete, marked, and partial/no-response. BDI technology had 100% negative predictive value for complete pathological response hence identifying patients unlikely to respond to treatment. Conclusion: BDI technology can potentially predict patients' response to platinum chemotherapy. Additionally, this technology represents a promising step towards optimizing treatment strategies for esophageal adenocarcinoma patients by pre-emptively identifying non-responders to conventional platinum-based chemotherapy.
IgG4 serologic elevation in a patient with severe hidradenitis suppurativa: a case report and review of the literature
(Frontiers Media, 2024-10-11) Gauger, Andrew J.; Fritz, Mike; Burgin, Callie B.; Dermatology, School of Medicine
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic cutaneous and systemic inflammatory condition. Increasingly, reports have found that immunoglobulins play a role in the exaggerated immune response occurring in severe HS. It is important to recognize these implications as HS patients may present with laboratory abnormalities relating to chronic inflammation and immune activation. If these laboratory abnormalities are mistakenly associated with another disease process, it could lead to invasive workup and treatment, causing harm to patients. We describe the case of a 23-year-old woman with Hurley stage III HS who was hospitalized and found to have persistent immunoglobulin-G4 (IgG4) elevation. Upon discharge, the patient was diagnosed with IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) and started treatment with azathioprine. However, the biopsy ultimately was negative for IgG4-RD, and she presented to our clinic several months later with worsening HS disease during an active flare. Physical examination revealed actively draining nodules and sinus tracts in the bilateral axillae, inguinal folds, and mons pubis region. A confusing laboratory marker with HS was observed in this case. IgG4 has the potential to inhibit or activate inflammation depending on the context, and so IgG4 elevation has been noted in varying disease states. IgG4 elevation is observed in chronic inflammatory states and may represent a compensatory response by the body. While no other cases have reported the association between HS and IgG4 elevation, IgG levels have been found to reflect HS disease severity. Therefore, IgG4 could play a potential role in HS disease monitoring, and awareness of this association is important for providers when managing patients with HS.

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