Jody L. Ralph

University of Windsor

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Cindy M. Anderson

ROHM

Joyce E. Ohm

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Laurie Freeman-Gibb

University of Windsor

Michelle L. Wright

National Cancer Institute

A. Dana Ménard

University of Windsor

Jane Simanovski

Henry Ford Hospital

Doria K. Thiele

Oregon Health & Science University

Kendall Soucie

University of Windsor

Sherry Morrell

University of Windsor

Colleen C. Nelson

Translational Research Institute

Cooperative Institutions

University of Windsor

University of North Dakota

Vancouver General Hospital

University of British Columbia

Wayne State University

Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center

United States Department of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Service

National Institutes of Health

Henry Ford Health System

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Key Associations Found in the Struggle With Sleep in Lung Transplant Recipients

Progress in Transplantation (2024)

Jane Simanovski Jody L. Ralph Sherry Morrell

Introduction Gaps exist in the understanding of the etiology of poor sleep quality after lung transplantation. Research Question: What factors are associated with poor sleep quality in lung transplant recipients? Design A quantitative, single-site, cross-sectional study used an anonymous survey based on 3 scales. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scale with scores dichotomized to poor versus good sleepers based on the cutoff score > 8. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale evaluated symptoms of anxiety and depression, and the Short Form-12 measured health-related quality of life using the mental and physical component scores. Additional self-reported data included demographic and transplant-related variables. Results The response rate was 38.4% (61/158), and 52.5% of the sample (32/61) evidenced a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score > 8, suggestive of poor sleep quality. Bivariate analyses demonstrated that poor sleep was significantly related to symptoms of depression ( P < .01), anxiety ( P < .01), stressors of hospitalization ( P < .05), and treatment of acute rejection ( P < .05). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that anxiety was significantly associated with poor sleep (odds ratio = 1.34, P < .05). Conclusion Poor subjective sleep quality remains prevalent in lung transplant recipients. Individuals with anxiety symptoms were at a greater risk for poor sleep. Guidance for strategies to improve sleep quality requires further in-depth exploration before implementation of interventions.

Sleep

Depression

10.1177/15269248241289149

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Disruption of androgen receptor activity by synthetic and dietary aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands

The FASEB Journal (2008)

Jody L. Ralph Emma Tomlinson Guns Colleen C. Nelson

There is a growing concern that many of the environmental and dietary chemicals that are ingested by humans but have not been thoroughly tested for endocrine activity may pose a significant health threat. These chemicals may have the potential to mimic or antagonize hormone action, possibly through binding to steroid receptors and interfering with transcriptional activity. The prostate is highly sensitive to androgens and requires precise hormonal control to regulate its growth and function. Prostate cells express both androgen receptor and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and cross‐talk between the two pathways may affect the function of the prostate cell. A number of methods were used to characterize the impact of dietary and environmental AhR ligands on androgen action in a prostate cancer‐derived cell line. Our in vitro cell culture‐based assay utilizes androgen‐responsive promoter constructs in conjunction with a luciferase reporter gene. These results combined with those from a binding assay indicate that several of the AhR ligands, including resveratrol, indole 3 carbinol, curcumin and hexachlorobenzene antagonize androgen‐initiated transcriptional activity without binding to the androgen receptor. Environmental and dietary compounds have been implicated in the rising incidence of prostate cancer and insight into the mechanisms of endocrine disruption will help to clarify their role.

10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.321.3

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Strategies for talent engagement and retention of Brazilian Nursing professionals

Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem (2022)

Francine Schlosser Márcia Carvalho de Azevedo Deborah McPhee Jody L. Ralph Hanna Salminen

Objective: To reflect on how human resource health managers and talent managers may engage and retain experienced nursing professionals in Brazil. Methods: Reflection based on studies on global and Brazilian-specific nursing professionals and retention, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: The pandemic worsened working conditions for all health professionals. Nursing professionals were particularly affected. Nurses have been viewed as “heroes” and “essential” frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite the universal praise for their efforts, it seems uncertain if they were actually considered and managed like talent. Final considerations: In order to develop a sustainable healthcare system supported by sufficient experienced nursing talent, healthcare human resource managers and talent managers must develop and implement impactful nursing talent retention and engagement strategies. We highlight possible strategies targeting experienced nursing talent that will help to sustain the Brazilian healthcare system, post-pandemic.

Praise

Pandemic

Health Professionals

10.1590/0034-7167-2022v75n6refl

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Citations (6)

First trimester vitamin D status and placental epigenomics in preeclampsia among Northern Plains primiparas

Life Sciences (2014)

Cindy M. Anderson Jody L. Ralph LuAnn K. Johnson Angela Scheett Michelle L. Wright

Vitamin D-binding protein

10.1016/j.lfs.2014.07.012

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Citations (43)

Vitamin D Supplementation and DNA Methylation Patterns during Pregnancy and Lactation in Mothers and Infants

The FASEB Journal (2016)

Cindy M. Anderson Doria K. Thiele Jody L. Ralph Danielle Perley Joyce E. Ohm

The purpose of this study was to identify the temporal influence of maternal vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy and lactation on DNA methylation in mothers and infants. In this double blind randomized control trial, pregnant women planning to exclusively breastfeed were randomized to control (400 IU vitamin D3 daily, n=8) or experimental (3800 IU vitamin D3 daily, n=8) groups from 28 weeks gestation through 4 weeks postpartum. Genome‐wide DNA methylation (Illumina Infinium 450K) was analyzed in white blood cells from mothers at 28 weeks gestation (baseline), 2 days postpartum and 4 weeks postpartum and in their fully breastfed infants at birth and 4 weeks of age. Significant DNA methylation was determined by at least 20% difference in individual CpG methylation between control and experimental groups. In the experimental group, differential methylation in >400 individual maternal CpGs in 280 known genes across the genome was identified with methylation loss present in 2/3 of individual CpGs. Among the infants, differential methylation in 143 CpGs (91 genes) was identified with common methylation loss patterns as in the mothers. These findings provide evidence for the direct influence of vitamin D supplementation on DNA methylation in pregnant and lactating women, in utero on the fetus and via breastmilk in newborns. Support or Funding Information 1P20GM104360‐01 National Institutes of Health, National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE). Center of Excellence in Epigenetics/Epigenomics of Development and Disease. COBRE Epigenomics Jumpstart Pilot Grant, Epigenomic gestational responsiveness to vitamin D Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nursing (AWHONN). Maternal vitamin D supplementation to correct deficiency in mothers and breastfed infants.

Epigenomics

CpG site

10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.1028.3

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Citations (4)

A Scoping Review of the Literature on Sleep Quality in Adult Lung Transplant Recipients

Progress in Transplantation (2022)

Jane Simanovski Jody L. Ralph

Introduction: Lung transplant recipients face challenging postoperative complications and are at risk for poor sleep quality. Sleep quality, as a complex clinical phenomenon, has multiple subjective and objective connotations. Measures and definitions of sleep quality are not standardized. Objective: A scoping review methodology was used to systematically map the relevant literature, provide an overview of available sleep quality measures, and to identify knowledge gaps. Methods: A systematic search of published and gray literature enabled knowledge synthesis of the last 10 years of evidence documenting sleep quality in lung transplant recipients. The search revealed 246 articles with only 12 sources meeting the eligibility criteria. Results: Sources varied in terms of definitions and measures of sleep quality. Subjective, objective, or a combination of both measures were used across the relevant literature with findings confirming that poor sleep quality was common in lung transplant recipients. Significant associations with poor sleep quality included younger age, female gender, exposure to tacrolimus, anxiety, and depression. Discussion: Systematic literature assessing sleep quality in lung transplant recipients is sparse and lacks conceptual and operational definitions. Future research can focus on designing prospective observational studies. Subjective and objective measures for sleep quality need to be validated in lung transplant recipients. Further rigorous research is needed to standardize measures of sleep quality and to further examine potential risk factors that affect sleep after lung transplantation.

Sleep

10.1177/15269248221087439

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Citations (4)

The Relationship between Religiosity and Health-Promoting Behaviors in Pregnant Women at Pregnancy Resource Centers

Natalie A. Cyphers Andrea D. Clements Jody L. Ralph

Source

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Disruption of androgen regulation in the prostate by the environmental contaminant hexachlorobenzene.

Environmental Health Perspectives (2003)

Jody L. Ralph Marie‐Claire Orgebin‐Crist Jean‐Jacques Lareyre Colleen C. Nelson

Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) is a persistent environmental contaminant that has the potential to interfere with steroid hormone regulation. The prostate requires precise control by androgens to regulate its growth and function. To determine if HCB impacts androgen action in the prostate, we used a number of methods. Our in vitro cell-culture-based assay used a firefly luciferase reporter gene driven by an androgen-responsive promoter. In the presence of dihydrotestosterone, low concentrations (0.5-5 nM) of HCB increased the androgen-responsive production of firefly luciferase and high concentrations of HCB (> 10 microM) suppressed this transcriptional activity. Results from a binding assay showed no evidence of affinity between HCB and the androgen receptor. We also tested HCB for in vivo effects using transgenic mice in which the transgene was a prostate-specific, androgen-responsive promoter upstream of a chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) reporter gene. In 4-week-old mice, the proportion of dilated prostate acini, a marker of sexual maturity, increased in the low HCB dose group and decreased in the high HCB dose mice. In the 8-week-old mice, there was a significant decrease in both CAT activity and prostate weight upon exposure to 20 mg/kg/day HCB. Therefore, in vitro and in vivo data suggest that HCB weakly agonizes androgen action, and consequently, low levels of HCB enhanced androgen action but high levels of HCB interfered. Environmental contaminants have been implicated in the rising incidence of prostate cancer, and insight into the mechanisms of endocrine disruption will help to clarify their role.

Dihydrotestosterone

Endocrine disruptor

10.1289/ehp.5919

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Citations (66)

Epigenomic markers for heritable risk of preeclampsia

The FASEB Journal (2012)

Cindy M. Anderson Michelle L. Wright Jody L. Ralph Eric O. Uthus Joyce E. Ohm

Preeclampsia (PE) affects 8–10% of women in the US. Long‐term consequences include development of maternal hypertension and hypertension in offspring. The familial risk of PE is well established, though underlying mechanisms are unknown. In this study, our goal was to identify differentially methylated genes common to both maternal peripheral blood cells (MPBCs) and placental tissue of fetal origin in order to determine potential epigenomic markers of heritable PE risk. Methylation quantification of individual CpG dinucleotides in MPBCs and placental tissue from women with and without PE was determined using the Illumina Infinium methylation array (n=6/group). Gain of methylation was seen in 218 CpG dinucleotides from MPBCs, and ~34% of these changes were also present in placenta. Significant methylation loss was observed in 123 CpG dinucleotides, and ~28% of changes were also present in placenta. Validation of methylation was determined by bisulfite sequencing. Differentially methylated loci were primarily located in non‐CpG island regions of genes with known roles in angiogenesis, inflammation and metabolic regulation. This study provides novel evidence for the mechanisms underlying heritable risk for PE, implicating differential transgenerational DNA methylation in key genes associated with the etiology and consequences of PE and suggest that these may serve as novel biomarkers for PE screening.

Epigenomics

CpG site

Epigenome

Differentially methylated regions

Bisulfite sequencing

10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.1101.6

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Readmissions After Lung Transplantation

Progress in Transplantation (2020)

Jane Simanovski Jody L. Ralph

Lung transplantation has evolved to become an acceptable therapy for individuals with end-stage lung disease. Readmissions rates after lung transplantation remain high as compared to other medical surgical populations. The purpose of this review is to synthesize the current body of knowledge about patterns, risk factors, and outcomes of readmissions after lung transplantation. The literature revealed that the most common admission diagnoses linked to lung transplant readmissions are infections followed by tachyarrhythmias, airway complications, surgical complications, rejection, thromboembolic events, gastrointestinal complications, and renal dysfunction. Risk factors for these readmissions include male gender, longer intensive care unit stay, reintubation, prolonged chest tube air leak, frailty, and discharge to a long-term care facility. Outcomes of multiple readmissions after lung transplantation are associated with decreased survival and increased risk of mortality. Further research is needed to better understand which readmission diagnoses are preventable and whether multidisciplinary interventions can reduce readmission rates among patients after lung transplantation.

Obstructive lung disease

10.1177/1526924820958152

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Citations (6)