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Department of Pediatrics Heersink School of Medicine

Pediatric Pulmonology Research

Ongoing and Current Research

Ammar Saadoon Alishlash, M.D.
Dr. Saadoon Alishlash’s research focuses on studying the factors that affect lung development in children especially vitamin D deficiency. His laboratory also investigates the pulmonary vascular structure and function which include pulmonary complications of Sickle Cell disease, and pediatric pulmonary hypertension.

Tom Harris, M.D.
Dr. Harris' laboratory focuses on mechanisms that underlie cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease, with the long-term goal of developing innovative approaches to therapy.  Pursuing the role of TGF-β as a genetic modifier of CF disease severity, I have developed 3 parallel and interconnected streams of research pursuit: 1) Myofibroblast activation and lung remodeling in CF 2) miRNA manipulation to augment F508del CFTR correction and 3) Consequence of smoke exposure on CF respiratory decline and response to therapy.  I am also interested in clinical strategies to improve CF outcomes including pharmaceutical studies, novel strategies for disease detection, and improving adherence with current therapeutic options.

Gabriela Oates, Ph.D.
Dr. Oates is a medical sociologist with a focus on social determinants of health and health disparities in chronic respiratory diseases. She investigates health-related behaviors in a social context, with the aim of developing interventions that improve respiratory health outcomes. Her work has documented the role of social determinants – financial resources, educational attainment, living conditions, family environment, and social support – for respiratory health and has demonstrated that these factors impact lung health from the very beginning of one’s life. Dr. Oates reports on geographic disparity in preventable chronic diseases and health-related behaviors by income, education, race, and gender, as well as racial and gender disparities in the incidence of lung and bronchus cancer. By geocoding clinical data to obtain neighborhood-level socio-environmental measures, she showed that socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with decreased adherence to pulmonary rehabilitation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She also found that household income, mother’s education, and number of adult caregivers impact adherence to airway clearance therapy in pediatric cystic fibrosis. Finally, Dr. Oates has conducted studies that clarify the contributions of race, socioeconomic status, and perceived discrimination for health outcomes, showing that risk factors for systemic inflammation differ by race, gender, and indicators of socioeconomic status.

Isabel Virella-Lowell, M.D.
Dr. Lowell’s research centers on clinical trials in cystic fibrosis and asthma that look at new potential therapies or strategies for improving overall care.  She is also involved in a number of quality improvement studies in asthma, cystic fibrosis and hospital patient safety.

Faculty Research Interests

Ammar Saadoon Alishlash, M.D.
Dr. Saadoon Alishlash overlooks the research of pediatric pulmonary vascular disease and developmental aspects of the lung in children. He also has multiple publications about pediatric asthma, exhaled nitric oxide, cystic fibrosis microbiome, Flexible Bronchoscopy and pneumomediastinum in children.

Dr. Saadoon Alishlash's lab is located at Volker Hall building, Room 641

Jennifer Guimbellot, M.D.
Cystic Fibrosis, pharmacology, pharmacogenetics, in vitro biomarkers, personalized medicine

Tom Harris, M.D.
Dr. Harris investigates TGF-β associated pathobiology in cystic fibrosis (CF), with a long-term goal of developing innovative approaches to therapy. TGF-β is a genetic modifier of CF severity, providing mechanistic clues to disease progression.  He has identified increased levels of TGF-β in plasma, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and lung tissue to be associated with CF lung disease severity.  He has also identified TGF-β signaling as increased in CF lungs with TGF-β dependent myofibrobablasts mediating small airway remodeling in the disease. Additionally, he has served as site PI on several clinical trials investigating the CFTR modulators ivacaftor and lumacaftor.  Recently, he has pursued the mechanisms by which TGF-β suppresses CFTR synthesis and function in airway epithelia and nullifies the F508del CFTR response to lumacaftor correction.  He has now identified miRNA-145 as the mediator of TGF-β inhibition of CFTR, with restoration of F508del CFTR correction after miR-145 inhibition. miRNA are small (~22 base pair) non-coding RNA that destabilize mRNA transcripts and inhibit protein translation. In addition to these basic science pursuits, Dr. Harris is interested in the consequence of socioenvironmental determinants of health.  He specifically investigates the consequences of smoke exposure, poverty, and low paternal education on lung function, with an evolving focus of smoke exposure on CFTR modulator response.

Dr. Harris’ basic science laboratory is in Volker Hall

Wynton Hoover, M.D.
Clinical research related to Cystic Fibrosis involving early detection and treatment of lung disease, prevention and eradication of pseudomonas prior to chronic colonization and treatment of difficult infections such as MRSA.

Gabriela Oates, Ph.D.

  • Social determinants of health, psychosocial stress, and outcomes research

  • Adherence and self-management, with a focus on chronic respiratory conditions

Dr. Oates’s work places biological and behavioral processes in a social context to understand the mechanisms through which the social and physical environments impact health behaviors and health outcomes. Her research investigates the impact of individual- and neighborhood-level social determinants on adherence and outcomes in chronic respiratory conditions. The goal of this work is to develop strategies for reducing the burden of socioeconomic disparities on lung health.

Isabel Virella-Lowell, M.D.
Asthma therapies, Adherence, Cystic Fibrosis Therapies, Airway Inflammation, optimizing the conduction of clinical trials and delivery of inpatient and outpatient care.

Basic Science Research

Ammar Saadoon Alishlash, M.D.
Dr. Saadoon Alishlash’s lab utilizes animal models of pulmonary hypertension and acute chest syndrome in Sickle Cell Disease to study the pathophysiology and management of those complications. He also uses vitamin D deficiency mouse model to investigate the effect of vitamin D on the lung and pulmonary vascular development.

Jennifer Guimbellot, M.D.
The Guimbellot laboratory is focused on developing personalized strategies to optimize drug therapy for patients with cystic fibrosis and related diseases. In vitro models are being evaluated as screening methods to assess efficacy of small molecule therapies from individual patients ex vivo, which will provide unique and innovative tools to predict corrector activity in any candidate for CFTR modulators. In addition, we have initiated a comprehensive research program to incorporate pharmacometrics and pharmacogenomics into development and validation of these models, as well as to understand tissue-specific metabolism of this new class of drugs on personalized efficacy.

Tom Harris, M.D.
TGF-beta pathobiology in CF lung disease:  TGF-beta is the most established genetic modifier of CF lung disease.  Dr. Harris pursues the mechanisms by which TGF-beta modifies respiratory trajectory in CF, with a focus on airway remodeling and miRNA.

Airway remodeling in CF:  Dr. Harris has identified the role of activated pro-fibrotic fibroblasts called myofibroblasts to airway remodeling in CF.  These TGF-beta dependent fibroblast develop in response to epithelial injury and mechanical strain as part of the regenerative process.  If these stimuli do not resolve, myofibroblasts then produce increased extracellular matrices that result in small airway and parenchymal remodeling.  Dr. Harris has identified the contribution of constrictive bronchiolitis to loss of small airway patency and extensive parenchymal fibrosis in CF lung disease.  These findings indicate potential of nuanced anti-fibrotic or anti-TGF-beta therapies to ameliorated disease progression refractory to current therapy.  These studies on remodeling in CF formed the basis of his CFF Shwachman Clinical Investigator Award.

miRNA in CF:  Dr. Harris has identified the role of miRNA (small, ~22bp, non-coding nucleotide sequences) to modify CFTR synthesis and function.  miRNA bind to the 3’-untranslated region (3’-UTR) of CFTR mRNA to decrease transcript stability and protein translation.  Dr. Harris has identified miR-145 as the mediator of TGF-beta suppression of CFTR and miR-145 as an inhibitor of F508del CFTR correction.  Antagonism to miR-145 eliminates TGF-beta suppression of CFTR and augments lumacaftor/ivacaftor correction of mutant CFTR.  These studies formed the basis for his NIH NHLBI K08 Career Development Award.

Clinical Research

Ammar Saadoon Alishlash, M.D.
In collaborates with the Hematology-Oncology division, Dr. Saadoon Alishlash investigates contributing factors and management of Sickle Cell Disease pulmonary complications including four categories: Acute Chest Syndrome, Pulmonary Hypertension, Asthma and Sleep Disordered breathing.  

Tom Harris, M.D.
In addition to his basic science work, Dr. Harris serves as site PI for multiple Phase III CFTR modulator studies.  Currently, he evaluates ivacaftor in toddlers aged 0-2, lumacaftor/ivacaftor for toddlers aged 12-24 months.  He also investigates next-generation therapy with tezacaftor/ivacaftor for age 6-11.  Previous work on ivacaftor for age 2-5 and lumacaftor/ivacaftor for age 6-11 led to FDA clinical approval for the CF population. 

Isabel Virella-Lowell, M.D.

  1. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated. A Phase 3, 2-Part, Open-label Study to Evaluate the Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacodynamics of Ivacaftor in Subjects With Cystic Fibrosis Who Are Less Than 24 Months of Age at Treatment Initiation and Have a CFTR Gating Mutation. Principal Investigator

  2. Proteostasis, A Phase 2, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study to Assess the Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Effect of PTI-428 in Subjects with Cystic Fibrosis, Principal Investigator

  3. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, Prospective Evaluation of a Standardized Approach to Diagnosis (PREDICT) and Treatment (PATIENCE) of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Disease in Cystic Fibrosis, Co—Investigator

  4. Proteostasis, A Multi-Center, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 1, Two-Part Study Designed to Assess the Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, Food Effect, and Drug-Drug Interactions of PTI-801 in Healthy Volunteers, and Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of PTI-801 in Subjects with Cystic Fibrosis, Sub-Investigator

  5. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, The CHEC-SC Cohort Study: Characterizing CFTR Modulated Changes in Sweat Chloride and their Association with Clinical Outcomes (the CHEC-SC study), Sub-Investigator

  6. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics. Standardized Treatment of Pulmonary Exacerbations II, Sub-Investigator

  7. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, A Study Evaluating the Long Term Safety and Efficacy of VX-659 Combination Therapy, Sub-Investigator

  8. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated. A Phase 2, Randomized, Double-blind, Controlled Study to Evaluate the Safety of VX-152 Combination Therapy in Adults With Cystic Fibrosis, Sub-Investigator

  9. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated. A Phase 3b, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Parallel Group Study to Assess the Safety, Efficacy, and Tolerability of Tezacaftor/Ivacaftor (TEZ/IVA) in an Orkambi-experienced Population Who Are Homozygous for the F508del-CFTR Mutation, Sub-Investigator

  10. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated. A Phase 3, 2-Arm, Open-label Study to Evaluate the Safety and Pharmacodynamics of Long-term Ivacaftor Treatment in Subjects with Cystic Fibrosis Who Are Less Than 24 Months of Age at Treatment Initiation and Have a CFTR Gating Mutation, Sub-Investigator

  11. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated. A Phase 3, Rollover Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Long-term Treatment with Lumacaftor in Combination with Ivacaftor in Subjects Aged 6 Years and Older with Cystic Fibrosis, Homozygous for the F508del-CFTR Sub-Investigator

  12. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated. A Phase 3, Open-label, Rollover Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Long-term Treatment With VX-661 in Combination with Ivacaftor in Subjects Aged 12 Years and Older with Cystic Fibrosis, Homozygous or Heterozygous for the F508del-CFTR Mutation. Sub-Investigator

Quality Improvement Research

Ammar Saadoon Alishlash, M.D.
Dr. Saadoon Alishlash established the Acute Chest Syndrome protocol to improve the outcomes of Sickle Cell Disease patients admitted with acute chest syndrome.

Tom Harris, M.D.
Dr. Harris also investigates the consequence of socioeconomic determinants of health in CF disease, with a focus of the consequence in childhood.  This has led to the identification of paternal education as a risk factor for detriments in lung function and the consequence of second-hand smoke exposure on CF pulmonary decline. 

Isabel Virella-Lowell, M.D.

2017– 2018: Alabama Child Health Improvement Alliance “Breathe Easy” project  

2017-present: Improving adherence and medicine reconciliation in asthma clinic. 

2015-present: Improving the rate at which we administer Asthma Control Tests (ACT), Asthma Action Plans (AAP) and flu shots amongst asthmatics seen in Pediatric Pulmonology clinic. 

2015-present: Implementation of the Depression and Anxiety Guidelines in Cystic Fibrosis. Developed a structured plan for expanding screen in CF clinic and provided patients with option to obtain e-therapy given obstacles to obtaining good mental health care in smaller rural areas or cities far from Birmingham

Publications

  • Ammar Saadoon Alishlash, M.D.

    See complete list of published work in MyBibliography: 
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/browse/collection/41735493/?sort=date&direction=ascending

  • Jennifer Guimbellot, M.D.

    1. Guimbellot JS, Fortenberry JA, Siegal GP, Moore B, Wen H, Venglarik C, Chen YF, Oparil S, Sorscher EJ, Hong JS. Role of Oxygen in Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Expression and Function. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2008 May 12. 

    1. Guimbellot JS, Erickson SW, Mehta T, Wen H, Page GP, Sorscher EJ, Hong JS. Correlation of microRNA levels during hypoxia with predicted target mRNAs through genome-wide microarray analysis. BMC Med Genomics. 2009 Mar 25;2:15.

    1. Guimbellot JS, Sharma J, Rowe SM. Toward Inclusive Therapy with CFTR Modulators: Progress and Challenges. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2017 Nov;52(S48):S4-S14. 

    2. Guimbellot JS, Aban I, Leach JM, Chaudry IG, Quinney N, Chua M, Jaspers I, Gentzsch M. Novel measures of CFTR-dependent fluid transport in a three-dimensional nasal epithelial model. JCI Insight.2017;2(22):e95734.

    3. Guimbellot JS, Acosta E, Rowe SM. Sensitivity of ivacaftor to drug-drug interactions with rifampin, a cytochrome P450 3A4 inducer. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2018 May;53(5):E6-E8. doi: 10.1002/ppul.23971.

    4. Guimbellot JS*, Solomon GM*, Baines A, Heltshe SL, VanDalfsen J, Joseloff E, Sagel S, Rowe SM. Effectiveness of ivacaftor in non-G551D gating mutations. J Cyst Fibros. 2018 Apr 20. pii: S1569-1993(18)30090-0. *co-first authors.

    5. Poore TS, Virella-Lowell I, Guimbellot JS. Potential pathogenicity of Inquilinus limosus in a pediatric patient with cystic fibrosis. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2018 May 23. doi: 10.1002/ppul.24043. [Epub ahead of print]

  • Tom Harris, M.D.

    Kabir FL, Ambalavanan N, Liu G, Solomon GM, Lal CV, Mazur M, Halloran B, Szul T, Gerthoffer WT, Rowe SM, Harris WT.  miRNA-145 mediates TGF-β downregulation of CFTR in cystic fibrosis airway epithelial cells. Am J Resp Cell Mol Biol 2017; [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 29232160

    Zemanick ET, Wagner BD, Robertson CE, Ahrens RC, Chmiel JF, Clancy JP, Gibson RL, Harris WT, Kurland G, Laguna TA, McColley SA, McCoy K, Retsch-Bogart G, Sobush K, Zeitlin PL, Stevens MJ, Accurso FJ, Sagel SD, Harris JK. Airway microbiota across age and disease spectrum in cystic fibrosis.  Eur Resp J 2017 Nov 16;50(5). PMID: 29146601.

    Sorge C, Pereboeva L, Westin E, Harris WT, Kelly DR, Goldman.  Pulmonary complications post hematopoietic stem cell transplant in dyskeratosis congenital: analysis o foxidative stress in lung fibroblasts.  Bone Marrow Tranplant 2017 May;52(5):765-768. PMID: 28092351.

    Saadoon A, Ambalavanan N, Zinn KR, Bolding M, MacEwen M, Nicola T, Fanucchi M, Harris WT.  Prenatal vitamin D deficiency impairs airway and alveolar development in mice.  Am J Resp Cell Mol Biol 2016 Nov 21; Epub ahead of print. PMID 27870560. 

    Harris WT, Boyd JT, McPhail GL, Brody AS, Szcnesiak RD, Clancy JP.  Constrictive bronchiolitis in CF adolescents with refractory pulmonary decline.  Ann Am Thor Soc 2016; 13(12):2174-2183. PMID: 27684511.

    Britton, LJ, Oates GR, Oster, RA, Self ST, Troxler RB, Hoover, WC, Gutierrez HH, Harris WT.  Risk stratification model to detect early pulmonary disease in infants with cystic fibrosis diagnosed by newborn screening. Pediatr Pulmonol 2016; 51(11:1168-1176. PMID: 27556254.

    Davies JC, Cunningham S, Harris WT, Lapey A, Regelmann WE, Sawicki GS, Southern KW, Robertson S, Green Y, Cooke J, Rosenfeld M.  An open-label study of the safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of ivacaftor in patients aged 2 to 5 years with cystic fibrosis from a CFTR gating mutation: The KIWI study. Lancet Respir Med 2016 Feb;4(2):107-15. PMID 26803277.

    Oates GR, Stepanikova I, Harris WT.  Adherence to airway clearance therapy in pediatric cystic fibrosis: Socioeconomic factors and respiratory outcomes. Pediatr Pulmonol 2015 Dec;50(12):1244-52.  PMID 26436321.

    Downes KJ, Patil NR, Rao MB, Koralkar R, Harris WT, Clancy JP, Goldstein SL, Askenazi DJ.  Risk factors for acute kidney injury during aminoglycoside therapy in patients with cystic fibrosis.  Pediatr Nephrol 2015;30(10):1879-88.

    Bratcher PE, Rowe SM, Reeves G, Roberts T, Szul T, Harris WT, Tirouvanziam R, Gaggar A. Alterations in blood leukocytes of G551D-bearing cystic fibrosis patients undergoing treatment with ivacaftor.  J Cyst Fibrosis 2016 Jan;15(1):67-73. PMID 25769931. PMC4567518

    Scott AW, Britton LJ, Patil N, Koralkar R, Searcy, Harris T, Lyrene R, Gutierrez H, Askenazi DJ.  Acute kidney injury in hospitalized children with cystic fibrosis.  J Clin Pediatr Nephrol 2014 Jul;2:5-10.

    Sun H, Harris WT, Kortyka S, Kotha K, Ostmann AJ, Rezayat A, Sridharan A, Sanders Y, Clancy JP.  TGF-beta downregulation of distinct chloride channels in cystic fibrosis affected epithelia.  PLoS One 2014 Sep 30;9(9):e106842.  PMID: 25268501. PMC4182049

    Schwiebert LM, Estell K, Meadows T, Thannickal VJ, Rowe SM, Sorscher EJ, Harris WT, Gaggar A, Dransfield M, de Andrade JA.  Development and maintenance of a Biospecimen repository for clinical samples derived from pulmonary patients.  Clin Transl Sci 2014 Aug;7(4):336-41. PMID 24889057.

    Harris WT, Kelly DR, Zhou Y, Want D, Macewen M, Hagood JS, Clancy JP, Ambalavanan N, Sorscher EJ.  Myofibroblast differentiation and enhanced TGF-β signaling in cystic fibrosis lung disease.  PLoS One 2013; e70196.  PMID 23950911. PMC3741283.

    Solomon GM, Frederick C, Zhang S, Gaggar A, Harris T, Woodworth BA, Steele C, Rowe SM.  IP-10 is a potential biomarker of cystic fibrosis acute pulmonary exacerbations.  PLoS One 2013; e72398. PMID 23977293. PMC3745468.

    Vadlamudi NB, Navaneethan U, Thame KA, Kelly DR, Dimmitt, Harris WT.  Crohn’s disease with pulmonary manisfestations in children: 2 case reports and review of the literature.  J Crohns Colitis 2013 Apr 1;7(3):e85-92.  PMID: 22704660

    Harris WT, Muhlebach M, Oster R, Knowles M, Clancy J, Noah T.  Plasma TGF-β1 in pediatric cystic fibrosis: Potential biomarker of lung disease and response to therapy.  Pediatr Pulmonol 2011;48(7):688-95. PMID:21337732. PMC3115503.

    Noah TL, Ivins SS, Abode KA, Stewart PW, Michelson PH, Harris WT, Henry MM, Leigh MW.  Inhaled versus systemic antibiotics and airway inflammation in children with cystic fibrosis and Pseudomonas.  Pediatr Pulmonol. 2010 Mar;45(3):281-90. PMID 20146365.

    Harris W, Muhlebach MS, Oster RA, Knowles MR, Muhlebach M, Noah TL. Transforming growth factor-beta(1) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from children with cystic fibrosis. Pediatr Pulmonol 2009; 44(11):1057-64. PMID 19382221.

    Patel MR, Zdanski CJ, Abode KA, Reilly CA, Malinzak EB, Stein JN, Harris WT, Drake AF. Experience of the school-aged child with tracheostomy.  Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2009 Jul;73(7):975-80. PMID 19403179.

    Peterson-Carmichael SL, Harris W, Goel R, Noah TL, Johnson R, Leigh MW, Davis SD.  Association of lower airway inflammation with physiologic findings in young children with cystic fibrosis.  Pediatr Pulmonol 2009;44(5):503-11. PMID 19382221.

    Saito J, Harris W, Gelfond J, Noah T, Leigh M, Johnson R, Davis S.  Physiologic, bronchoscopic, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid findings in young children with recurrent wheeze and cough.  Pediatr Pulmonol 2006; 41: 709-19.  PMID 16779841.

    Book Chapters

    Harris WT and Kirk KL. (Invited Book Chapter).  CFTR and Cystic Fibrosis.  In K Hamilton, D Devor, B Harvey (Eds.), Ion channels and Transporters of Epithelia in Health and Disease. Springer-Verlag: New York

    NCBI Bibliography: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/collections/bibliography/40378476/

  • Gabriela Oates, Ph.D.

    See complete list of published work in MyBibliography: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/gabriela.oates.1/bibliography/50083888/public/

    Book Chapters

    1. Oates GR, Schechter MS. Cystic Fibrosis. In: Achieving Respiratory Health Equality: A United States Perspective, Juan Carlos Celedón. Springer (Humana Press), 2016.

    Manuscripts 

    1. Oates GR, Stepanikova I, Gamble S, Gutierrez HH, Harris WT. Adherence to Airway Clearance Therapy in Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis: Socioeconomic Factors and Respiratory Outcomes. Pediatr Pulmonol. Oct 2015; 50(12):1244-52.

    2. Stepanikova I, Oates GR. Dimensions of Racial Identity and Perceived Discrimination in Health Care. Ethn Dis. 2016;26(4):501-512.

    3. Stepanikova I, Oates GR, and Bateman LB. Does One Size Fit All? The Role of Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference for Systemic Inflammation in Midlife by Race and Gender. Ethn Health. 2016 Apr;22(2):169-183. 

    4. Jackson BD, Oates GR, Singh KP, Shikany JM, Fouad MN, Partridge EE, Bae S. Disparities in Chronic Medical Conditions in the Mid-South. Ethn Health. 2016 Apr;22(2):196-208.

    5. Fouad MN, Acemgil A, Bae S, Forero A, Martin MY, Oates GR, Partridge EE, Vickers SM. Patient Navigation

      as a Model to Increase Minority Participation in Cancer Clinical Trials. J Oncol Pract. 2016 Jun;12(6):556-63.

    6. Oates GR, Schechter MS. Socioeconomic Status and Health Outcomes: Cystic Fibrosis as a Model. Expert Rev Respir Med. 2016 Sep;10(9):967-77.

    7. Tabatabai MA, Kengwoung-Keumo JJ, Oates GR, Guemmegne JT, Akinlawon A, Ekadi G, Fouad MN, Singh KP. Racial and Gender Disparities in Incidence of Lung and Bronchus Cancer in the United States: A Longitudinal Analysis. PLoS One. 2016 Sep 29;11(9):e0162949.

    8. Britton LJ, Oates GR, Oster RA, Self ST, Troxler RB, Hoover WC, Gutierrez HH, Harris WT. Risk Stratification Model to Detect Early Pulmonary Disease in Infants with Cystic Fibrosis Diagnosed by Newborn Screening. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2016 Nov;51(11):1168-1176.

    9. Oates GR, Jackson BD, Partridge EE, Singh KP, Fouad MN, Bae S. Sociodemographic Patterns of Chronic Disease: How the Mid-South Region Compares to the Rest of the Country. Am J Prev Med, 2017 Jan;52(1S1):S31-S39.

    10. Stepanikova I and Oates GR. Perceived Discrimination and Privilege in Health Care: The Role of Socioeconomic Status and Race. Am J Prev Med, 2017 Jan;52(1S1):S86-S94.

    11. Fouad MN, Oates GR, Scarinci IC, Demark-Wahnefried W, Payton M, Sims M, Miele L, Partridge EE. Advancing the Science of Health Disparities through Research on the Social Determinants of Health. Am J Prev Med, 2017 Jan;52(1S1):S1-S4.

    12. Stepanikova I, Bateman L, Oates GR. Systemic Inflammation in Midlife: Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Perceived Discrimination. Am J Prev Med, 2017 Jan;52(1S1):S63-S76.

    13. Cockerham WC, Hamby B, Oates GR. The Social Determinants of Chronic Disease. Am J Prev Med, 2017 Jan;52(1S1):S5-S12.

    14. Oates GR, Hamby BW, Stepanikova I, Knight SJ, Bhatt SP, Hitchcock J, Schumann C, Dransfield MT. Social Determinants of Adherence to Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. COPD:
      J COPD.       2017 Nov 14(6): 610-617.

    15. Oates GR, Hamby BW, Norena MC, Hart HO, Fouad MN. Bikeshare Use in Urban Communities: Individual and Neighborhood Factors. Ethn Dis 2017 Nov 10; Suppl 1:303-312.

    16. Oates GR, Phillips JM, Bateman LB, Baskin ML, Fouad MN, Scarinci IC. Determinants of Obesity in Two Urban Communities: Perceptions and Community-Driven Solutions. Ethn Dis 2018; 28(1):33-42.

    17. Oates GR, Harris WT. Objective vs. Self-Reported Adherence to Airway Clearance in Cystic Fibrosis. Respiratory Care (in press).

    18. Stepanikova I, Oates GR, Thon V, Kukla L, Svancara J. Perinatal Maternal Stress and Susceptibility to Infections in Later Childhood: An Early Life Programming Perspective. J Psychology (in press).

  • Isabel Virella-Lowell, M.D.

    1. G. Virella, K. Fourspring, B. Hyman, R. Haskill-Stroud, L. Long, Virella*, M. LaVia, A.J. Gross, M. Lopes-Virella. Immunosuppressive effects of fish oil in normal human volunteers: correlation with the in vitro effects of eicosapentanoic acid on human lymphocytes. Clinical Immunology and Immunopathology, 61: 161-176, 1991.

    2. G. Virella, Isabel Virella, B. Leman, M.B. Pryor, and Maria F. Lopes-Virella. Anti-oxidized low-density lipoprotein antibodies in patients with coronary heart disease and normal healthy volunteers. Int. J. Clin. Lab. Res., 23: 95-101, 1993.

    3. Marina Mironova, G. Virella, Isabel Virella-Lowell and Maria Lopes-Virella. Anti-modified LDL antibodies and LDL-containing immune complexes in well-controlled IDDM patients and healthy controls. Clin Immuno Immunopath.1997; 85:73-82.

    4. Isabel Virella-Lowell, Amy Poirier, Kye A. Chesnut, Mark Brantly, and Terence R. Flotte. Inhibition of Recombinant Adeno-associated Virus (rAAV) Transduction by Bronchial Secretions from Cystic Fibrosis Patients. Gene Ther 2 7(20) 1783-1789.

    5. Isabel Virella-Lowell, JD Herlihy, Barry Liu, Cecilia Lopez, Pedro Cruz, Chris Muller, Henry V. Baker, and Terence R. Flotte. Effects of CFTR, Interleukin-10 (IL-10), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa On Gene Expression Profiles in a CF Bronchial Epithelial Cell Line. Mol Ther 2004. 10(3) 562-7

    6. Flume PA, Gray S, Bowman CM, Kerrigan C, Lester M, Virella- Lowell I. Hurricane preparedness for the patient with cystic fibrosis. Am J Nurs 2005; 105: 68-72.

    7. Isabel Virella-Lowell, Benjamin Zusman, Kevin Foust, Scott Loiler, Thomas Conlon, Sihong Song, Kye A. Chesnut, Thomas Ferkol and Terence R. Flotte. Enhancing rAAV Vector Expression in the Lung. J Gene Med. 2005 Apr

    8. H Yu, SM Buff, JE Baatz, and I Virella-Lowell. Oral instillation with Surfactant Phospholipid: A reliable Alternative to Intra- tracheal Injection in Mice Studies. Laboratory Animals (2008) 42, 294–304

    9. H Yu, Y Zeidan, B Wu, T Flotte, Y Hannun, and I Virella-Lowell. Loss of induction of acid sphingomyelinase is associated with persistent pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in cystic Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. (2009) Jan 23.

    10. Ghegan MD, Wise SK, White DR, Flume PA, Bowman CM, Virella-Lowell I, Schlosser RJ. Cost-effective airway cultures in the cystic fibrosis patient. Am J Otolaryngol 2009; 30: 150-2.

    11. S Morrow Buff, H Yu, J McCall, S Caldwell, T Ferkol, T Flotte, and I Virella-Lowell. IL-10 delivery by adeno-associated vector attenuates inflammation in mice with Pseudomonas pneumonia. Gene Ther. 2010 May;17(5):567-76.

    12. Ratjen F, Durham T, Navratil T, Schaberg A, Accurso FJ, Wainwright C, Barnes M, Moss RB; TIGER-2 Study Investigator Group. Long term effects of denufosol tetrasodium in patients with cystic fibrosis. J Cyst Fibros. 2012 Dec;11(6):539-49. (*I. Virella-Lowell, Principal Investigator for MUSC site which enrolled the most patients into this trial)

    13. Jennifer L Wentzel, MS, Isabel Virella-Lowell, MD, Zachary M. Soler, MD, MSc. Quantitative sinonasal symptom assessment in an unselected pediatric population with cystic fibrosis. Am J Rhinol Allergy 2015; 29, 357-361.

    14. Urte Sommerwerck, Isabel Virella-Lowell, Gerhild Angyalosi Andrea Viegas, Weihua Cao, Laurie Debonnett. Long-term Safety of Tobramycin Powder for Inhalation in Cystic Fibrosis Patients: Results from a Phase IV (ETOILES) Study. Curr Med Res Opin. 2016 Nov;32(11):1789-1795.

    15. TS Poore, I Virella-Lowell, JS Guimbellot. Potential pathogenicity of Inquilinus limosus in a pediatric patient with cystic fibrosis. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2018 Jul;53(7):E21-E23.

    16. Chi DL, Rosenfeld M, Mancl L, Chung WO, Presland RB, Sarvas E, Rothen M, Alkhateeb A, McNamara S, Genatossio A, Virella-LowellI, Milla C, Scott J. Age-related heterogeneity in dental caries and associated risk factors in individuals with cystic fibrosis ages 6-20 years: A pilot study. J Cyst Fibros. 2018 Jul 10. pii: S1569-1993

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    19. Terence R. Flotte, Isabel Virella-Lowell, Kye A. Chesn Adeno-Associated Vectors for CF Gene Therapy. 2001. Methods in Molecular Medicine, vol. 70: Cystic Fibrosis Methods and Protocols. W.R.Skach, editor.

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