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The Impact Of Iron Supplementation On The Preterm Neonatal Gut Microbiome: A Pilot Study, Matthew Van Ormer, Maranda Thompson, Melissa Thoene, Jean-Jack Riethoven, Sathish Kumar Natarajan, Corrine K. Hanson, Ann Anderson-Berry

Journal Articles: Pediatrics

OBJECTIVE: The gastrointestinal microbiome in preterm infants exhibits significant influence on optimal outcomes-with dysbiosis shown to substantially increase the risk of the life-threatening necrotizing enterocolitis. Iron is a vital nutrient especially during the perinatal window of rapid hemoglobin production, tissue growth, and foundational neurodevelopment. However, excess colonic iron exhibits potent oxidation capacity and alters the gut microbiome-potentially facilitating the proliferation of pathological bacterial strains. Breastfed preterm infants routinely receive iron supplementation starting 14 days after delivery and are highly vulnerable to morbidities associated with gastrointestinal dysbiosis. Therefore, we set out to determine if routine iron supplementation alters the preterm gut …

Breaking The Bamboo Ceiling And De-Bunking The Model Minority Myth, Yun Saksena

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

Leadership roles must incorporate representation from all involved individuals for the resulting decision-making process to reflect the interests and expertise of a diverse organization. Many resources have rightly focused on developing historically underrepresented racial and ethnic (HURE) leaders. Though numbers of Black and Hispanic dental school deans have increased, more work is needed for these and other HURE groups such as American Indians. Asians are not classified as HURE. As an aggregated group they have robust presence in the dental workforce in North America, the United Kingdom and Australia. The assumption is they are fine, so the group is ignored. …

Novel Spirocyclic Dimer, Spid3, Targets Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Survival Pathways With Potent Preclinical Effects, Alexandria Eiken, Audrey L. Smith, Sydney A. Skupa, Elizabeth Schmitz, Sandeep Rana, Sarbjit Singh, Siddhartha Kumar, Jayapal Reddy Mallareddy, Aguirre A. De Cubas, Akshay Krishna, Achyuth Kalluchi, M. Jordan Rowley, Christopher R. D'Angelo, Matthew A. Lunning, Gregory Bociek, Julie M. Vose, Amarnath Natarajan, Dalia El-Gamal

Journal Articles: Oncology and Hematology

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cell survival and growth is fueled by the induction of B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling within the tumor microenvironment (TME) driving activation of NFκB signaling and the unfolded protein response (UPR). Malignant cells have higher basal levels of UPR posing a unique therapeutic window to combat CLL cell growth using pharmacologic agents that induce accumulation of misfolded proteins. Frontline CLL therapeutics that directly target BCR signaling such as Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors (e.g., ibrutinib) have enhanced patient survival. However, resistance mechanisms wherein tumor cells bypass BTK inhibition through acquired BTK mutations, and/or activation of alternative survival …

Integrative Analysis Of Clinicopathological Features Defines Novel Prognostic Models For Mantle Cell Lymphoma In The Immunochemotherapy Era: A Report From The North American Mantle Cell Lymphoma Consortium, Julie M. Vose, Kai Fu, Lu Wang, Adnan Mansoor, Douglas Stewart, Hongxia Cheng, Lynette M. Smith, Ji Yuan, Hina Naushad Qureishi, Brian K. Link, Melissa H. Cessna, Paul M. Barr, Brad S. Kahl, Matthew S. Mckinney, Nadia Khan, Ranjana H. Advani, Peter Martin, Andre H. Goy, Tycel J. Phillips, Amitkumar Mehta, Manali Kamdar, Michael Crump, Barbara Pro, Christopher R. Flowers, Caron A. Jacobson, Sonali M. Smith, Deborah M. Stephens, Veronika Bachanova, Zhaohui Jin, Shishou Wu, Francisco Hernandez-Ilizaliturri, Pallawi Torka, Andrea Anampa-Guzmán, Farshid Kashef, Xing Li, Sunandini Sharma, Timothy Greiner, James O. Armitage, Matthew A. Lunning, Dennis D. Weisenburger, Gregory Bociek, Javeed Iqbal, Guohua Yu, Chengfeng Bi, North American Mantle Cell Lymphoma Consortium

Journal Articles: Oncology and Hematology

BACKGROUND: Patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) exhibit a wide variation in clinical presentation and outcome. However, the commonly used prognostic models are outdated and inadequate to address the needs of the current multidisciplinary management of this disease. This study aims to investigate the clinical and pathological features of MCL in the immunochemotherapy era and improve the prognostic models for a more accurate prediction of patient outcomes.

METHODS: The North American Mantle Cell Lymphoma Project is a multi-institutional collaboration of 23 institutions across North America to evaluate and refine prognosticators for front-line therapy. A total of 586 MCL cases diagnosed …

Factors Associated With Delaying Medical Care: Cross-Sectional Study Of Nebraska Adults, Kendra Ratnapradipa, Snehal Jadhav, Josiane Kabayundo, Hongmei Wang, Lisa C. Smith

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Delayed medical care may result in adverse health outcomes and increased cost. Our purpose was to identify factors associated with delayed medical care in a primarily rural state.

METHODS: Using a stratified random sample of 5,300 Nebraska households, we conducted a cross-sectional mailed survey with online response option (27 October 2020 to 8 March 2021) in English and Spanish. Multiple logistic regression models calculated adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS: The overall response rate was 20.8% (n = 1,101). Approximately 37.8% of Nebraskans ever delayed healthcare (cost-related 29.7%, transportation-related 3.7%), with 22.7% delaying care in the …

Factors Associated With Prevalent Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection And Disease Among Adolescents And Adults Exposed To Rifampin-Resistant Tuberculosis In The Household, Soyeon Kim, Anneke C. Hesseling, Xingye Wu, Michael D. Hughes, N. Sarita Shah, Sanjay Gaikwad, Nishi Kumarasamy, Erika Mitchell, Mey Leon, Pedro Gonzales, Sharlaa Badal-Faesen, Madeleine Lourens, Sandy Nerette, Justin Shenje, Petra De Koker, Supalert Nedsuwan, Lerato Mohapi, Unoda A. Chakalisa, Rosie Mngqbisa, Rodrigo Otávio Da Silva Escada, Samuel Ouma, Barbara Heckman, Linda Naini, Amita Gupta, Susan Swindells, Gavin Churchyard, Actg A5300/Impaact 2003 Phoenix Feasibility Study Team

Journal Articles: Infectious Diseases

BACKGROUND: Understanding factors associated with prevalent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and prevalent TB disease in household contacts of patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) may be useful for TB program staff conducting contact investigations.

METHODS: Using data from a cross-sectional study that enrolled index participants with rifampin-resistant pulmonary TB and their household contacts (HHCs), we evaluated HHCs age ≥15 years for factors associated with two outcomes: Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and TB disease. Among HHCs who were not already diagnosed with current active TB disease by the TB program, Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection was determined by interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA). TB disease was adjudicated …

Nasal Host Response-Based Screening For Undiagnosed Respiratory Viruses: A Pathogen Surveillance And Detection Study, Nagarjuna R. Cheemarla, Amelia Hanron, Joseph R. Fauver, Jason Bishai, Timothy A. Watkins, Anderson F. Brito, Dejian Zhao, Tara Alpert, Chantal B. F. Vogels, Albert I. Ko, Wade L. Schulz, Marie L. Landry, Nathan D. Grubaugh, David Van Dijk, Ellen F. Foxman

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Symptomatic patients who test negative for common viruses are an important possible source of unrecognised or emerging pathogens, but metagenomic sequencing of all samples is inefficient because of the low likelihood of finding a pathogen in any given sample. We aimed to determine whether nasopharyngeal CXCL10 screening could be used as a strategy to enrich for samples containing undiagnosed viruses.

METHODS: In this pathogen surveillance and detection study, we measured CXCL10 concentrations from nasopharyngeal swabs from patients in the Yale New Haven health-care system, which had been tested at the Yale New Haven Hospital Clinical Virology Laboratory (New Haven, …

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Levels In Maternal And Cord Plasma Are Associated With Maternal Socioeconomic Status, Alexandra Hergenrader, Matthew Van Ormer, Rebecca Slotkowski, Maranda Thompson, Alyssa Freeman, Olivia Paetz, Sarah Sweeney, Lauren Wegner, Khadijjta Ali, Nicole S. Bender, Ridhi Chaudhary, Melissa K. Thoene, Corrine K. Hanson, Ann Anderson-Berry

Journal Articles: Pediatrics

Omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) play a crucial role in fetal growth and neurodevelopment, while omega-6 (n-6) PUFAs have been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Previous studies have demonstrated that socioeconomic status (SES) influences dietary intake of n-3 and n-6 PUFAs, but few studies have evaluated the association between maternal and cord plasma biomarkers of PUFAs and socioeconomic markers. An IRB-approved study enrolled mother-infant pairs (n = 55) at the time of delivery. Maternal and cord plasma PUFA concentrations were analyzed using gas chromatography. Markers of SES were obtained from validated surveys …

Exploring Barriers And Promoters Of Crc Screening Use Among Agricultural Operators: A Pilot Study Of An Application Of Concept Mapping, Cheryl Beseler, Jungyoon Kim, Roma Subramanian, Susan Harris, Karen Funkenbusch, Aaron Yoder, Tamara Robinson, Jason M. Foster, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of the study was to identify barriers and facilitators of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening use among agricultural operators in Nebraska, US.

METHODS: The concept mapping approach was used to engage participants and enhance the generation of ideas and opinions regarding CRC screening. Two focus groups (seven women and seven men) were conducted.

RESULTS: Among women, the cost domain was most agreed upon as important, followed by experiencing symptoms, awareness, and family. Among men, the important concepts related to CRC screening were family and friend support, feeling too young to get CRC, family or personal history of CRC, …

Development And Validation Of A Questionnaire To Assess Awareness And Knowledge Of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, A Liver Cancer Etiological Factor, Among Chinese Young Adults, Yi Du, Fedja A. Rochling, Dejun Su, Kendra Ratnapradipa, Jianghu James Dong, Evi A. Farazi

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

PURPOSE: Despite the increasing prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a liver cancer etiological factor, among Chinese young adults (CYA), there is a lack of valid, reliable, ready-to-use survey instruments for assessing awareness and knowledge of NAFLD in this population. The aims of this study were to develop, validate, and assess the reliability of a web-based, self-administered questionnaire evaluating awareness and knowledge of NAFLD among CYA.

METHODS: Based on review of relevant literature, a draft questionnaire was initially developed. Face and content validity of the questionnaire was evaluated by an expert panel of seven gastroenterologists. The construct validity was …

Caregiver Willingness To Give Tpt To Children Living With Drug-Resistant Tb Patients, V. Rouzier, M. Murrill, S. Kim, L. Naini, J. Shenje, E. Mitchell, M. Raesi, M. Lourens, A. Mendoza, F. Conradie, N. Suryavanshi, M. Hughes, S. Shah, G. Churchyard, Susan Swindells, A. Hesseling, A. Gupta

Journal Articles: Infectious Diseases

Pediatric household contacts (HHCs) of patients with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) are at high risk of infection and active disease. Evidence of caregiver willingness to give MDR-TB preventive therapy (TPT) to children is limited.METHODS This was a cross-sectional study of HHCs of patients with MDR-TB to assess caregiver willingness to give TPT to children aged <13 years.RESULTS Of 743 adult and adolescent HHCs, 299 reported caring for children aged <13 years of age. The median caregiver age was 35 years (IQR 27-48); 75% were women. Among caregivers, 89% were willing to give children MDR TPT. In unadjusted analyses, increased willingness was associated with TB-related knowledge (OR 5.1, 95% CI 2.3-11.3), belief that one can die of MDR-TB (OR 5.2, 95% CI 1.2-23.4), concern for MDR-TB transmission to child (OR 4.5, 95% CI 1.6-12.4), confidence in properly taking TPT (OR 4.5, 95% CI 1.6-12.6), comfort telling family about TPT (OR 5.5, 95% CI 2.1-14.3), and willingness to take TPT oneself (OR 35.1, 95% CI 11.0-112.8).CONCLUSIONS A high percentage of caregivers living with MDR- or rifampicin-resistant TB patients were willing to give children a hypothetical MDR TPT. These results provide important evidence for the potential uptake of …

Machine Learning Analyses Of Highly-Multiplexed Immunofluorescence Identifies Distinct Tumor And Stromal Cell Populations In Primary Pancreatic Tumors, Krysten Vance, Alphan Alitinok, Seth Winfree, Heather Jensen Smith, Benjamin Swanson Md, Phd, Paul M. Grandgenett, Kelsey Klute, Daniel J Crichton, Michael A. Hollingsworth

Journal Articles: Eppley Institute

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a formidable challenge for patients and clinicians.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the distribution of 31 different markers in tumor and stromal portions of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and identify immune cell populations to better understand how neoplastic, non-malignant structural, and immune cells, diversify the TME and influence PDAC progression.

METHODS: Whole slide imaging (WSI) and cyclic multiplexed-immunofluorescence (MxIF) was used to collect 31 different markers over the course of nine distinctive imaging series of human PDAC samples. Image registration and machine learning algorithms were developed to largely automate an imaging analysis pipeline identifying distinct cell …

Disparities In Awareness Of And Willingness To Participate In Cancer Clinical Trials Between African American And White Cancer Survivors, Gaurav Kumar, Jungyoon Kim, Paraskevi A. Farazi, Hongmei Wang, Dejun Su

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Cancer clinical trials (CCTs) are essential for cancer care, yet the evidence is scarce when it comes to racial disparities in CCT participation among cancer survivors in the Midwest. This study aimed to 1) assess disparities in the awareness of and willingness to participate in CCTs between African American and White cancer survivors; and 2) compare perceptions about CCTs between the two racial groups.

METHODS: The study was based on cross-sectional data from the survey "Minority Patient Participation in Cancer Clinical Trials" that collected information from 147 Black and White cancer survivors from Nebraska between 2015 and 2016. Chi-square …

Access, Socioeconomic Environment, And Death From Covid-19 In Nebraska, He Bai, Michelle M. Schwedhelm, John-Martin Lowe, Rachel Lookadoo, Daniel R. Anderson, Abigail Lowe, James V. Lawler, M. Jana Broadhurst, David Brett-Major

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Our study assesses whether factors related to healthcare access in the first year of the pandemic affect mortality and length of stay (LOS). Our cohort study examined hospitalized patients at Nebraska Medicine between April and October 2020 who were tested for SARS-CoV-2 and had a charted sepsis related diagnostic code. Multivariate logistic was used to analyze the odds of mortality and linear regression was used to calculate the parameter estimates of LOS associated with COVID-19 status, age, gender, race/ethnicity, median household income, admission month, and residential distance from definitive care. Among 475 admissions, the odds of mortality is greater among …

A Midwestern Academic Hiv Clinic Operation During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Implementation Strategy And Preliminary Outcomes, Nada Fadul, Nichole Regan, Layan Kaddoura, Susan Swindells

Journal Articles: Infectious Diseases

During the COVID-19 pandemic, HIV clinics had to transform care delivery for people with HIV (PWH). We developed a multifaceted telehealth implementation strategy and monitored number of out of care patients (OOC), medical visit frequency (MVF), gap in care (GiC) and viral suppression (VS), and compared measures to baseline data. Between April and October 2020, 1559 visits were scheduled; 328 (21%) were missed, and 63 (4%) were new to care. Of the remaining 1168 follow-up visits, 412 (35%) were telehealth visits. As of October 2020, there were 53 patients OOC, MVF was 55% and GiC was 24% compared to 34, …

Improvements To A Framework For Gender And Emerging Infectious Diseases, Lynn Lieberman Lawry, Roberta Lugo-Robles, Vicki Mciver

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

No abstract provided.

Molecular Characterization Of Cryptosporidium Spp. From Humans In Ethiopia, Ambachew W. Hailu, Abraham Degarege, Haileeyesus Adamu, Damien Costa, Venceslas Villier, Abdelmounaim Mouhajir, Loic Favennec, Romy Razakandrainibe, Beyene Petros

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Data on the distribution and genotype of Cryptosporidium species is limited in Ethiopia. This study examined the presence and genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium species circulating in Ethiopian human population. Stool samples collected from patients who visited rural (n = 94) and urban (n = 93) health centers in Wurgissa and Hawassa district, respectively, were examined for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. using microscopy, nested PCR and real-time PCR. To detect infection with PCR, analysis of 18S ribosomal RNA was performed. Subtyping was performed by sequencing a fragment of GP60 gene. The overall prevalence of infection was 46% (n = 86) …

Patient-Derived Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Models For Phenotypic Screening In The Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses, Ahmed Morsy, Angelica V. Carmona, Paul C. Trippier

Journal Articles: Pharmaceutical Sciences

Batten disease or neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL) is a group of rare, fatal, inherited neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorders. Numerous genes (CLN1-CLN8, CLN10-CLN14) were identified in which mutations can lead to NCL; however, the underlying pathophysiology remains elusive. Despite this, the NCLs share some of the same features and symptoms but vary in respect to severity and onset of symptoms by age. Some common symptoms include the progressive loss of vision, mental and motor deterioration, epileptic seizures, premature death, and in the rare adult-onset, dementia. Currently, all forms of NCL are fatal, and no curative treatments are available. Induced pluripotent stem …

Structural Equation Modeling To Detect Correlates Of Childhood Vaccination: A Moderated Mediation Analysis, Abraham Degarege, Karl Krupp, Vijaya Srinivas, Boubakari Ibrahimou, Purnima Madhivanan

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

OBJECTIVES: This study used a health belief theory derived framework and structural equation model to examine moderators, mediators, and direct and indirect predictors of childhood vaccination.

METHODS: A secondary analysis was conducted using data collected from a cross-sectional survey of a random sample of 1599 parents living in urban and rural areas of Mysore district, India. Applying two-stage probability proportionate-to-size sampling, adolescent girls attending 7th through 10th grades in 23 schools were selected to take home a questionnaire to be answered by their parents to primarily assess HPV vaccine intentions. Parents were also asked whether their children had received one …

Deployment And Travel Medicine Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, And Outcomes Study (Kapos): Malaria Chemoprophylaxis Prescription Patterns In The Military Health System, Patrick W. Hickey, Indrani Mitra, Jamie Fraser, David Brett-Major, Mark S. Riddle, David R. Tribble

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

The Deployment and Travel Medicine Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, and Outcomes Study (KAPOS) examines the integrated relationship between provider and patient inputs and health outcomes associated with travel and deployments. This study describes malaria chemoprophylaxis prescribing patterns by medical providers within the U.S. Department of Defense's Military Health System and its network of civilian healthcare providers during a 5-year period. Chemoprophylaxis varied by practice setting, beneficiary status, and providers' travel medicine expertise. Whereas both civilian and military facilities prescribe an increasing proportion of atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline remains the most prevalent antimalarial at military facility based practices. Civilian providers dispense higher rates of …

Colorectal Cancer Screening Uptake: Differences Between Rural And Urban Privately-Insured Population, Mesnad Alyabsi, Jane L. Meza, K. M. Monirul Islam, Amr Soliman, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Earlier studies investigated rural-urban colorectal cancer (CRC) screening disparities among older adults or used surveys. The objective was to compare screening uptake between rural and urban individuals 50-64 years of age using private health insurance. Data were analyzed from 58,774 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska beneficiaries. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between rural-urban and CRC screening use. Results indicate that rural individuals were 56% more likely to use the Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) compared with urban residents, but rural females were 68% less likely to use FOBT. Individuals with few Primary Care Physician (PCP) visits …

Parasitic Infections Represent A Significant Health Threat Among Recent Immigrants In Chicago, Jesica A. Herrick, Monica Nordstrom, Patrick M. Maloney, Miguel Rodriguez, Kevin Naceanceno, Gloria Gallo, Rojelio Mejia, Ron Hershow

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Parasitic infections are likely under-recognized among immigrant populations in the USA. We conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate if such infections have health impacts among recent immigrants in Chicago and to identify predictive factors for parasitic infections. A total of 133 recent immigrants were enrolled, filling out a standardized medical questionnaire and providing blood and stool samples. Appriximately 12% of subjects (15/125) who provided a blood or stool sample for testing were found to have evidence of current or prior infection with a pathogenic parasite, of which Toxocara spp. (8 subjects, 6.4%) and Strongyloides stercoralis (5 subjects, 4%) were most …

The Mitochondrial Deoxyguanosine Kinase Is Required For Cancer Cell Stemness In Lung Adenocarcinoma, Shengchen Lin, Chongbiao Huang, Jianwei Sun, Oana Bollt, Xiuchao Wang, Eric Martine, Jiaxin Kang, Matthew D. Taylor, Bin Fang, Pankaj K. Singh, John Koomen, Jihui Hao, Shengyu Yang

Journal Articles: Eppley Institute

The mitochondrial deoxynucleotide triphosphate (dNTP) is maintained by the mitochondrial deoxynucleoside salvage pathway and dedicated for the mtDNA homeostasis, and the mitochondrial deoxyguanosine kinase (DGUOK) is a rate-limiting enzyme in this pathway. Here, we investigated the role of the DGUOK in the self-renewal of lung cancer stem-like cells (CSC). Our data support that DGUOK overexpression strongly correlates with cancer progression and patient survival. The depletion of DGUOK robustly inhibited lung adenocarcinoma tumor growth, metastasis, and CSC self-renewal. Mechanistically, DGUOK is required for the biogenesis of respiratory complex I and mitochondrial OXPHOS, which in turn regulates CSC self-renewal through AMPK-YAP1 signaling. …

The Impact Of Travel Time On Colorectal Cancer Stage At Diagnosis In A Privately Insured Population, Mesnad Alyabsi, Mary Charlton, Jane L. Meza, K. M. Monirul Islam, Amr Soliman, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Rural residents are less likely to receive screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) than urban residents. However, the mechanisms underlying this disparity, especially among people aged 50-64 years old with private health insurance, are not well understood. We examined the impact of travel time on stage at CRC diagnosis.

METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used data from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska. Members of this private insurance company aged 50-64 years, diagnosed with CRC during the period 2012-2016, and continuously enrolled in the insurance plan for at least 6 months prior to CRC diagnosis, were selected for …

Effect Of Abo Blood Group On Asymptomatic, Uncomplicated And Placental Plasmodium Falciparum Infection: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Abraham Degarege, Merhawi T. Gebrezgi, Consuelo M. Beck-Sague, Mats Wahlgren, Luiz Carlos De Mattos, Purnima Madhivanan

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Malaria clinical outcomes vary by erythrocyte characteristics, including ABO blood group, but the effect of ABO blood group on asymptomatic, uncomplicated and placental Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) infection remains unclear. We explored effects of ABO blood group on asymptomatic, uncomplicated and placental falciparum infection in the published literature.

METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines. Articles in Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL and Cochrane Library published before February 04, 2017 were searched without restriction. Studies were included if they reported P. falciparum infection incidence or prevalence, …

Temporal And Geospatial Trends Of Pediatric Cancer Incidence In Nebraska Over A 24-Year Period, Evi A. Farazi, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, L. Westman, B. Rettig, P. Hunt, R. Cammack, John W. Sparks, Don W. Coulter

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) revealed that the incidence of pediatric cancer in Nebraska exceeded the national average during 2009-2013. Further investigation could help understand these patterns.

METHODS: This retrospective cohort study investigated pediatric cancer (0-19 years old) age adjusted incidence rates (AAR) in Nebraska using the Nebraska Cancer Registry. SEER AARs were also calculated as a proxy for pediatric cancer incidence in the United States (1990-2013) and compared to the Nebraska data. Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping was also used to display the spatial distribution of cancer in Nebraska at the county level. Finally, …

Adherence And Perceived Barriers To Oral Antiviral Therapy For Chronic Hepatitis B, Kerui Xu, Li-Ming Liu, Evi A. Farazi, Hongmei Wang, Fedja A. Rochling, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, Jian-Jun Zhang

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Globally, of the 248 million people chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), 74 million reside in China. Five oral nucleot(s)ide analogs (NUCs) have been approved for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in China.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to determine rates of adherence to NUC therapy in patients with CHB, to identify the self-perceived barriers to adherence, and to examine the factors associated with adherence.

METHODS: Questionnaire-based interviews were administered among Chinese patients with CHB at hepatology clinics of a tertiary hospital in the city of Wuhan, China. Adults aged 18 years or …

Common Diagnoses Among Refugee Populations: Linked Results With Statewide Hospital Discharge Database, Kerui Xu, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, Ming Qu, Brandon Grimm, Jungyoon Kim

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: According to the U.S. State Department's Refugee Processing Center and the U.S. Census Bureau, in the fiscal year 2016, among all states in the United States, Nebraska resettled the highest number of refugees per capita.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to determine the most common reasons for refugees utilizing hospital services in Nebraska between January 2011 and September 2015, and to examine whether refugee patients had increased risks for adverse health conditions compared to non-refugee patients.

METHODS: Statewide linkage was performed between Nebraska Medicaid Program's immigration data, and 2011-2015 Nebraska hospital discharge data inpatient and outpatient files. …

Evidence-Based Guidelines For Supportive Care Of Patients With Ebola Virus Disease, François Lamontagne, Robert A. Fowler, Neill K. Adhikari, Srinivas Murthy, David Brett-Major, Michael Jacobs, Timothy M. Uyeki, Constanza Vallenas, Susan L. Norris, William A. Fischer, Thomas E. Fletcher, Adam C. Levine, Paul Reed, Daniel G. Bausch, Sandy Gove, Andrew Hall, Susan Shepherd, Reed A. Siemieniuk, Marie-Claude Lamah, Rashida Kamara, Phiona Nakyeyune, Moses J. Soka, Ama Edwin, Afeez A. Hazzan, Shevin T. Jacob, Mubarak Mustafa Elkarsany, Takuya Adachi, Lynda Benhadj, Christophe Clément, Ian Crozier, Armando Garcia, Steven J. Hoffman, Gordon H. Guyatt

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

The 2013-16 Ebola virus disease outbreak in west Africa was associated with unprecedented challenges in the provision of care to patients with Ebola virus disease, including absence of pre-existing isolation and treatment facilities, patients' reluctance to present for medical care, and limitations in the provision of supportive medical care. Case fatality rates in west Africa were initially greater than 70%, but decreased with improvements in supportive care. To inform optimal care in a future outbreak of Ebola virus disease, we employed the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology to develop evidence-based guidelines for the delivery of supportive …

Randomized Trial Of Two Doses Of Vitamin D3 In Preterm Infants <32 Weeks: Dose Impact On Achieving Desired Serum 25(Oh)D3 In A Nicu Population., Ann Anderson-Berry, Melissa Thoene, Julie Wagner, Elizabeth Lyden, Glenville Jones, Martin Kaufmann, Matthew Van Ormer, Corrine K. Hanson

Journal Articles: Pediatrics

BACKGROUND: Recommendations for vitamin D supplementation for preterm infants span a wide range of doses. Response to vitamin D supplementation and impact on outcomes in preterm infants is not well understood.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate serum 25(OH)D3 concentration changes after 4 weeks in response to two different doses of vitamin D3 supplementation in a population of premature infants and quantify the impact on NICU outcomes.

DESIGN: 32 infants born at 24-32 weeks gestation were prospectively randomized to receive 400 or 800 IU/day vitamin D3 supplementation. Serum 25(OH)D3 levels were measured every 4 weeks. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare …