Research

A 2025 paper in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences and a 2024 preprint, both on metabolically healthy obesity. I am a listed author on both and helped with sample collection and processing, as the contribution statements credit. The paper reports 24 of 184 measured proteins differing between 27 participants with obesity and 15 lean controls.

Paper: Proteomics, 2025
Preprint: Metabolomics and transcriptomics, 2024
My part: Sample collection and processing

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Research

Sample collection and processing

I contributed sample collection and processing to a peer-reviewed proteomics paper and a metabolomics and transcriptomics preprint at Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar.

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Scroll through the notes to follow the yellow highlights. Select a note to revisit its page.

Plasma proteins

International Journal of Molecular Sciences · Peer-reviewed

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Metabolically Healthy Obesity Is Characterized by a Distinct Proteome Signature, page 1. Highlight: Abstract. — Page 1 · Abstract PDF

Metabolically Healthy Obesity Is Characterized by a Distinct Proteome Signature, page 4. Highlight: Figure 2. — Page 4 · Figure 2 PDF

Metabolically Healthy Obesity Is Characterized by a Distinct Proteome Signature, page 11. Highlight: Author contributions. — Page 11 · Author contributions PDF

Paper (2025) · page 1

The authors compared plasma proteins in people with obesity and no diagnosed metabolic disease with lean controls.

Paper (2025) · page 4

Each heatmap column represents a person. Each volcano-plot dot represents a protein. The authors report differences in 24 of the 184 proteins measured.

Paper (2025) · page 11

The paper credits me and six co-authors with leading cohort sample collection, processing and ethical approvals.

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Metabolites and gene activity

Research Square · October 2024 · Not peer-reviewed

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Serum Metabolites and Whole Blood Transcriptome in Metabolically Healthy Obesity (preprint), page 2. Highlight: Abstract. — Page 2 · Abstract PDF

Serum Metabolites and Whole Blood Transcriptome in Metabolically Healthy Obesity (preprint), page 8. Highlight: Metabolite results. — Page 8 · Metabolite results PDF

Serum Metabolites and Whole Blood Transcriptome in Metabolically Healthy Obesity (preprint), page 12. Highlight: Author contributions. — Page 12 · Author contributions PDF

Preprint (2024) · page 2

The authors compared serum metabolites and whole-blood gene activity between an obesity group and lean controls.

Preprint (2024) · page 8

The authors report 116 of 711 metabolites at p < 0.05 before correction for multiple testing. These comparisons are exploratory.

Preprint (2024) · page 12

The preprint credits me and five co-authors with collecting, purifying and harmonizing samples.

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Wearable TENS systems

University of Cincinnati · Course literature review

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Wearable TENS systems: literature review, page 1. Highlight: Introduction. — Page 1 · Introduction PDF

Wearable TENS systems: literature review, page 6. Highlight: Systems and interactions. — Page 6 · Systems and interactions PDF

Wearable TENS systems: literature review, page 8. Highlight: Design proposal. — Page 8 · Design proposal PDF

TENS review · page 1

TENS sends electrical pulses through skin electrodes. Our review examines the unit through its human, biological, mechanical, electrical and chemical systems.

TENS review · page 6

Follow the signal from user settings through the electronics and electrodes to the skin and nerves.

TENS review · page 8

We proposed putting electrodes and electronics into a garment to reduce loose wires and repeated pad placement. We completed no prototype or clinical test.

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The TENS poster

University of Cincinnati · Course poster

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Systemic Analysis of TENS Devices to Guide Future Design Improvements, page 1. Highlight: Problem and concept. — Page 1 · Problem and concept PDF

Systemic Analysis of TENS Devices to Guide Future Design Improvements, page 1. Highlight: Garment sketch. — Page 1 · Garment sketch PDF

Systemic Analysis of TENS Devices to Guide Future Design Improvements, page 1. Highlight: Systems diagram. — Page 1 · Systems diagram PDF

Poster · page 1

Our poster brings the review onto one page: wires, pad placement and a separate controller complicate using a TENS unit.

Poster · page 1

The garment sketch places electrodes on the chest, upper back and trapezius. It illustrates the proposed layout.

Poster · page 1

The lower diagram connects the systems discussed in the review. Open page 6 of the review for the larger version.

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The study authors handled analysis and writing. The TENS documents come from a separate course project. Opening diagrams are teaching illustrations; the highlighted pages are the source documents.

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Metabolically Healthy Obesity Is Characterized by a Distinct Proteome Signature

International Journal of Molecular Sciences, March 2025.

Original PDF (opens in a new tab)

Page 1
- Note 1: Question and result
Page 2
Page 3
- Note 2: Figure 1: the study design
- Note 3: Table 1: who the groups were
Page 4
- Note 4: Figure 2A and 2B: the heatmap and volcano plot
- Note 5: Figure 2C: the 24 proteins
Page 5
- Note 6: Figure 3A: how the proteins relate
- Note 7: Figure 3B and 3C: pathways
Page 6
- Note 8: How the authors interpret it
Page 7
Page 8
- Note 9: The authors' own limits
Page 9
- Note 10: Figure 4: the authors' hypothesis
Page 10
- Note 11: How the proteins were measured
Page 11
- Note 12: Who did what
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14

Select a numbered pin on the page, or start the guided tour.

1Overviewpage 1
Question and result
The authors compared 27 participants classified as having obesity only with 15 lean controls. Of 184 proteins measured, 24 differed between groups: 11 higher and 13 lower. The study did not track later disease.
2Overviewpage 3
Figure 1: the study design
Figure 1 shows the two groups and protein measurements. It labels the lean group BMI below 25 and the obesity group above 35.
3Limitspage 3
Table 1: who the groups were
Table 1 begins here and continues on page 4. Mean ages were 36.4 and 38.8 years. The obesity group had higher weight, BMI, glucose, insulin and C-reactive protein, and a greater proportion of women: 17 of 27 versus 7 of 15.
4Overviewpage 4
Figure 2A and 2B: the heatmap and volcano plot
Each heatmap column is a person. On the volcano plot, each dot is a protein; right means higher in the obesity group, and up means a smaller p-value. IL-6 is near the top right.
5Contextpage 4
Figure 2C: the 24 proteins
IL-6 has the largest increase (log2 fold change 1.17), followed by CXCL10 and CCL19. SIRT2 and AXIN1 have the largest decreases. The authors used a 1.25-fold change threshold and a false discovery rate below 0.05, adjusting for age, sex and race.
6Overviewpage 5
Figure 3A: how the proteins relate
The STRING network shows associations among the proteins. IL-6 and CXCL10 have the most links; the authors describe an inflammation cluster.
7Contextpage 5
Figure 3B and 3C: pathways
In Figure 3B, green marks downregulated pathways such as regulation of T-cell differentiation; red marks upregulated pathways such as leukocyte chemotaxis. Figure 3C lists enriched molecular functions, including chemokine, cytokine and growth-factor activity.
8Contextpage 6
How the authors interpret it
The authors discuss earlier links between these proteins, inflammation and insulin resistance. Their cross-sectional study cannot establish whether participants will develop disease.
9Limitspage 8
The authors' own limits
The authors note the small cohort, single time point and unequal sex distribution. The discussion continues on page 9 with a call for a larger, multiethnic study followed over time.
10Limitspage 9
Figure 4: the authors' hypothesis
The authors combine the protein results with earlier disease associations to propose possible links. This schematic does not show disease outcomes observed during follow-up.
11Overviewpage 10
How the proteins were measured
Olink uses pairs of DNA-tagged antibodies to measure relative protein abundance. The authors used two 92-protein panels and tested group differences with limma.
12Overviewpage 11
Who did what
The paper credits me and six co-authors with leading cohort sample collection, processing and ethical approvals. Other authors handled study design, analysis and writing.

Serum Metabolites and Whole Blood Transcriptome in Metabolically Healthy Obesity (preprint)

Research Square preprint, 14 October 2024. Not peer-reviewed.

Original PDF (opens in a new tab)

Page 1
- Note 1: What this is
Page 2
- Note 2: The abstract
Page 3
- Note 3: From 1,069 to 711 metabolites
Page 4
- Note 4: Outliers removed
Page 5
- Note 5: The gene-activity side
Page 6
- Note 6: Baseline: who was in the study
Page 7
- Note 7: Table 1
Page 8
- Note 8: 116 metabolites, no correction
Page 9
Page 10
- Note 9: Table 2: pathways
Page 11
Page 12
- Note 10: The authors' limits
- Note 11: Who did what
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
- Note 12: Figure 1: volcano plot and counts
Page 16
- Note 13: Figure 2: sphingomyelins
Page 17
Page 18
- Note 14: Figure 4: pathway activity

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1Overviewpage 1
What this is
The authors compare serum metabolites and blood gene activity between an obesity group and lean controls. Research Square posted this preprint on 14 October 2024; it has not undergone peer review.
2Overviewpage 2
The abstract
The study enrolled 40 adults; 36 remained in the metabolite analysis after exclusions. The authors report 116 of 711 metabolites at p < 0.05 without multiple-testing correction, and differences in 14 of 26 blood gene-activity pathways.
3Contextpage 3
From 1,069 to 711 metabolites
The lab profiled 1,069 metabolites. Excluding 174 unidentified metabolites and those with more than 20% missing data left 711.
4Overviewpage 4
Outliers removed
A principal component analysis flagged four samples as outliers: one lean control and three from the obesity group. That leaves 36 people for the metabolite analysis, 19 lean and 17 with obesity, not the 40 in the abstract.
5Overviewpage 5
The gene-activity side
Whole blood RNA was read on a microarray covering 32,304 genes. This part of the analysis uses 21 profiles, 11 lean and 10 with obesity, so it rests on fewer people than the metabolite part.
6Overviewpage 6
Baseline: who was in the study
Mean ages were 35.40 and 35.95 years, and mean BMIs were 23.31 and 40.43. The authors report a higher proportion of women in the obesity group (p ≤ 0.012).
7Limitspage 7
Table 1
The enrolled groups differed in sex distribution: 14 men and 6 women in the lean group, 5 men and 15 women in the obesity group. The analysis adjusted for sex, age and BMI.
8Limitspage 8
116 metabolites, no correction
The authors report 116 of 711 metabolites at p < 0.05; 91 were higher in the obesity group. They did not correct for multiple testing, so these findings are exploratory.
9Contextpage 10
Table 2: pathways
The authors group metabolites by biochemical pathway. Arginine, glutamate, and cysteine and methionine pathways have some of the smallest FDR p-values in this table.
10Limitspage 12
The authors' limits
Small sample because of strict age matching, a single time point that cannot show cause, and blood only, which says little about specific tissues. The authors say the study needs repeating in larger, more varied groups.
11Overviewpage 12
Who did what
The preprint credits me and five co-authors with collecting, purifying and harmonizing samples. Other authors handled the computational analysis and writing.
12Overviewpage 15
Figure 1: volcano plot and counts
Each dot is a metabolite; higher means a smaller p-value. The bars count metabolites meeting the uncorrected p < 0.05 threshold. Lipids include 36 higher and 14 lower in the obesity group.
13Contextpage 16
Figure 2: sphingomyelins
The figure shows higher levels of 15 sphingomyelins in the obesity group. Each pair of boxes represents one lipid; the comparisons are exploratory.
14Contextpage 18
Figure 4: pathway activity
The bars show pathway scores derived from blood gene activity, with obesity in red and lean controls in teal.

Wearable TENS systems: literature review

A nine-page literature review of TENS pain-relief units, split into five systems. It ends with the case for a wearable garment.

Original PDF (opens in a new tab)

Page 1
- Note 1: Human systems
Page 2
- Note 2: Proposed pain mechanisms
- Note 3: Tolerance and one animal study
Page 3
- Note 4: Electrical: 3 to 9 volts becomes about 100 to 150
Page 4
- Note 5: Chemical: gel and adhesive
Page 5
- Note 6: Why the pads wear out
Page 6
- Note 7: The systems and interaction diagram
Page 7
- Note 8: Gaps the review found
- Note 9: Electrode wear
Page 8
- Note 10: From review to design
- Note 11: Textile or dry electrodes
Page 9
- Note 12: Reading base

Select a numbered pin on the page, or start the guided tour.

1Overviewpage 1
Human systems
The review begins with the person using a portable TENS unit: placing skin electrodes and adjusting stimulation settings. Later sections cover biological, mechanical, electrical and chemical systems.
2Overviewpage 2
Proposed pain mechanisms
The review discusses gate control and endogenous opioid signalling as proposed mechanisms for TENS pain relief.
3Limitspage 2
Tolerance and one animal study
The review cites a rodent study in which pain relief diminished with repeated use and differed by pain model. This does not establish an effect in people.
4Contextpage 3
Electrical: 3 to 9 volts becomes about 100 to 150
The review describes a circuit that shapes battery power into biphasic pulses and steps voltage up to about 100 to 150 V. These are circuit details cited from sources. We built and measured no device.
5Overviewpage 4
Chemical: gel and adhesive
The review describes a water-and-potassium-chloride gel that conducts current at the skin. It also discusses adhesion and skin irritation.
6Contextpage 5
Why the pads wear out
The review says gel dries in air and adhesive picks up skin oils, so pads lose grip over time.
7Overviewpage 6
The systems and interaction diagram
The diagram follows the signal from user settings through the electronics and electrodes to the skin and nerves.
8Limitspage 7
Gaps the review found
Our review did not resolve long-term skin effects or how much declining effect comes from electrode wear versus nervous-system adaptation.
9Contextpage 7
Electrode wear
Our review identifies long-wear electrode adhesion and skin tolerance as design questions.
10Contextpage 8
From review to design
We focused on wires, pad placement and the separate controller. Our proposal puts electrodes and electronics into a garment.
11Limitspage 8
Textile or dry electrodes
We proposed textile or dry electrodes as alternatives to disposable hydrogel pads. The review reports no prototype measurements or clinical test of our garment.
12Limitspage 9
Reading base
The review cites eight sources, including patents, electrode-material studies and an animal study. The list starts on page 8 and continues here.

Systemic Analysis of TENS Devices to Guide Future Design Improvements

Our one-page poster summarising the literature review.

Original PDF (opens in a new tab)

Page 1

Select a numbered pin on the page, or start the guided tour.

1Overviewpage 1
Title
Our University of Cincinnati poster proposes TENS design improvements.
2Overviewpage 1
Problem statement
We identify the TENS user interface as a barrier to long-term use. The central column names loose wires, electrode placement and a separate controller as design problems.
3Contextpage 1
Garment concept
We propose integrating a TENS system into a wearable garment.
4Limitspage 1
Proposed electrode placement
In the upper-right paragraph, we propose electrodes on the chest, upper back and trapezius. The garment image below illustrates the concept.
5Contextpage 1
Human and mechanical argument
We intended the garment to reduce loose wires and repeated electrode placement. The poster reports no activity tests.
6Limitspage 1
Biological and electrical argument
We propose fixed electrode positions for more consistent placement. The poster reports no tests of placement or tolerance.
7Contextpage 1
Chemical argument
We propose textile or dry electrodes to replace disposable hydrogel pads. The poster reports no measurements of skin tolerance or durability.
8Overviewpage 1
The systems diagram
The same interaction diagram as in the review, shrunk to fit the poster. The full-size version is on page 6 of the review.

Research

The question ↖

The comparison ↖

My contribution ↖

Two measurements ↖

Exploratory findings ↖

My contribution ↖

The device ↖

The system diagram ↖

The garment proposal ↖

The problem ↖

Electrode placement ↖

The interactions ↖

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