The University of Texas at San Antonio

Background and ObjectivesAlzheimer disease (AD) is a heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorder influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Conditions such as type 2 diabetes (T2D), cardiovascular disease, obesity, depression, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) increase AD risk and progression. This study aimed to examine the genetic predisposition to these conditions and their effect on AD pathophysiology, risk, and progression.MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted using data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a North American prospective cohort. Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for OSA, T2D, coronary artery disease (CAD), major depression, and body mass index (BMI) were generated for 752 non-Hispanic White participants with whole-genome sequencing data. Logistic regression was used to evaluate associations between PRSs and progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD. Time to progression across PRS quartiles was analyzed using Cox proportional hazards models. PET amyloid and tau deposition rates, regional neocortical atrophy, and cognitive composite score declines were compared across OSA PRS quartiles using analysis of variance (ANOVA).ResultsAmong 463 ADNI participants with baseline MCI (mean age 72.6 +/- 7.3 years, 43.4% female), the OSA PRS, adjusted for BMI, was significantly associated with MCI-to-AD progression. The highest OSA PRS quartile had an odds ratio of 1.86 (95% CI 1.03-3.37) at 3 years and 2.02 (95% CI 1.16-3.51) at 5 years, compared with the lowest quartile. PRSs for T2D, CAD, major depression, and BMI were not associated with MCI-to-AD progression. Participants in the highest OSA PRS quartile had higher PET amyloid deposition and greater cognitive decline. In 752 participants (mean age 74.1 +/- 7.3 years, 43.6% female), OSA PRS was significantly associated with baseline levels of PET amyloid, CSF amyloid-beta 42, phosphorylated tau (p-tau), visinin-like protein 1, tumor necrosis factor receptor 1, and plasma neurofilament light after multiple testing adjustments.DiscussionIndividuals with high polygenic susceptibility to OSA exhibited an increased risk of MCI-to-AD progression and a higher amyloid deposition rate, suggesting potential modifier effects of OSA or OSA-associated genes on AD progression and pathophysiology. However, the small sample size and lack of objective OSA diagnosis limit interpretation of these genetic effects.

Jingjing Liang; Sadiya Hussainy; Sara Michelle Lee; Gray Wu; Natalie Bautista; Mao Ding; Heming Wang; Bonnie LaFleur; George Perry; Xinglong Wang; For Alzheimer'S Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (Adni). Association of Polygenic Risk Score for 5 Diseases With Alzheimer Disease Progression, Biomarkers, and Amyloid Deposition. Neurology 2025, 104, e210250 .

Jingjing Liang, Sadiya Hussainy, Sara Michelle Lee, Gray Wu, Natalie Bautista, Mao Ding, Heming Wang, Bonnie LaFleur, George Perry, Xinglong Wang, For Alzheimer'S Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (Adni). Association of Polygenic Risk Score for 5 Diseases With Alzheimer Disease Progression, Biomarkers, and Amyloid Deposition. Neurology. 2025; 104 (4):e210250.

Jingjing Liang; Sadiya Hussainy; Sara Michelle Lee; Gray Wu; Natalie Bautista; Mao Ding; Heming Wang; Bonnie LaFleur; George Perry; Xinglong Wang; For Alzheimer'S Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (Adni). 2025. "Association of Polygenic Risk Score for 5 Diseases With Alzheimer Disease Progression, Biomarkers, and Amyloid Deposition." Neurology 104, no. 4: e210250.

Rivers are recognized as major unilateral pathways of microplastic transport between terrestrial and marine ecosystems, yet our understanding of their dispersal patterns over space and through time as they migrate from source to sink is limited. In this study, surface water samples were collected monthly from 12 sites along an urban ephemeral river (Leon Creek) in San Antonio between June 2021 and May 2022 to characterize and evaluate the spatiotemporal distribution of microplastics. Microplastics were found in all sites throughout the monitoring timeframe. The mean abundance of microplastics varied from 3.21 to 26.8 items/L. Surface waters consistently contained microplastics during months of dysconnectivity, suggesting atmospheric deposition as a considerable contributive variable. Contrary to prior studies of perennial systems, ephemeral pools and reaches showed no correlation between MP concentration and season precipitation. Fibers were the most abundant (~87%) morphology followed by foams (7%). This study is the first to report microplastics in ephemeral streams, suggesting that different environmental variables may be responsible for microplastic dynamics in intermittent river and ephemeral stream systems and headwater tributaries of major rivers. As the global extent of IRES systems is projected to increase with continued climate change, understanding such systems’ influence on MP spatial distribution and fluvial transport regimes constitutes valuable information in assessing MP pathways and their fate as a part of the global “Plastisphere” geochemical cycle in the Anthropocene.

Andre Felton; Salem Farner; Logan Day; Sue Ellen Gibbs-Huerta; Briaunna Zamarripa; Jeffrey Hutchinson. Spatial–Temporal Characterization of Microplastics in the Surface Water of an Urban Ephemeral River. Microplastics 2025, 4, 9 .

Andre Felton, Salem Farner, Logan Day, Sue Ellen Gibbs-Huerta, Briaunna Zamarripa, Jeffrey Hutchinson. Spatial–Temporal Characterization of Microplastics in the Surface Water of an Urban Ephemeral River. Microplastics. 2025; 4 (1):9.

Andre Felton; Salem Farner; Logan Day; Sue Ellen Gibbs-Huerta; Briaunna Zamarripa; Jeffrey Hutchinson. 2025. "Spatial–Temporal Characterization of Microplastics in the Surface Water of an Urban Ephemeral River." Microplastics 4, no. 1: 9.

Objectives: To investigate whether police deployment of door hangers providing crime prevention tips to recently victimized households and nearby households reduces property crime in treated areas. Methods: A randomized field experiment was implemented by randomly assigning the intervention across six neighborhoods in Columbia, SC. The test period lasted 184 days, and the intervention effect was analyzed across burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft crime types. Results: T-tests and negative binomial regression models indicated significant decreases across all property crimes and thefts in treated areas. However, there were decreases in burglaries and motor vehicle theft which were not statistically significant. Conclusions: We provide experimental evidence on a light-footprint, super-cocooning police intervention targeting property crime. During a staffing crisis, and since Americans are more likely to experience property crime victimization compared to violent crime, police agencies should consider cost-effective and easy-to-implement strategies such as door hanger intervention to reduce property crime.

Hunter M. Boehme; Brandon Tregle; Cory Schnell. “You keep me hanging on”: Evidence from the Columbia door hanger experiment. Journal of Experimental Criminology 2025, 1 -16.

Hunter M. Boehme, Brandon Tregle, Cory Schnell. “You keep me hanging on”: Evidence from the Columbia door hanger experiment. Journal of Experimental Criminology. 2025; ():1-16.

Hunter M. Boehme; Brandon Tregle; Cory Schnell. 2025. "“You keep me hanging on”: Evidence from the Columbia door hanger experiment." Journal of Experimental Criminology , no. : 1-16.