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Medial Prefrontal Cortical Thinning Mediates Shifts In Other-Regarding Preferences During Adolescence, Sunhae Sul, Berna Güroğlu, Eveline A. Crone, Luke J. Chang

Dartmouth Scholarship

Adolescence is a time of significant cortical changes in the ‘social brain’, a set of brain regions involved in sophisticated social inference. However, there is limited evidence linking the structural changes in social brain to development of social behavior. The present study investigated how cortical development of the social brain relates to other-regarding behavior, in the context of fairness concerns. Participants aged between 9 to 23 years old responded to multiple rounds of ultimatum game proposals. The degree to which each participant considers fairness of intention (i.e., intention-based reciprocity) vs. outcome (i.e., egalitarianism) was quantified using economic utility models. We …

The Annual Burden Of Seasonal Influenza In The Us Veterans Affairs Population, Yinong Young-Xu, Robertus Van Aalst, Ellyn Russo, Jason K. H. Lee, Ayman Chit

Dartmouth Scholarship

Seasonal influenza epidemics have a substantial public health and economic burden in the United States (US). On average, over 200,000 people are hospitalized and an estimated 23,000 people die from respiratory and circulatory complications associated with seasonal influenza virus infections each year. Annual direct medical costs and indirect productivity costs across the US have been found to average respectively at $10.4 billion and $16.3 billion. The objective of this study was to estimate the economic impact of severe influenza-induced illness on the US Veterans Affairs population. The five-year study period included 2010 through 2014. Influenza-attributed outcomes were estimated with a …

Your Teaching Strategy Matters: How Engagement Impacts Application In Health Information Literacy Instruction, Heather A. Johnson, Laura C. Barrett

Dartmouth Scholarship

The purpose of this study was to compare two pedagogical methods, active learning and passive instruction, to determine which is more useful in helping students to achieve the learning outcomes in a one-hour research skills instructional session.

Incidence And Duration Of Type-Specific Human Papillomavirus Infection In High-Risk Hpv-Naïve Women: Results From The Control Arm Of A Phase Ii Hpv-16/18 Vaccine Trial, Agnihotram V. Ramanakumar, Paulo Naud, Cecilia M. Roteli-Martins, Newton S. De Carvalho, Paola C. De Borba, Julio C. Teixeira, Mark Blatter, Anna-Barbara Moscicki, Diane M. Harper, Barbara Romanowski, Stephen K. Tyring, Brian Ramjattan, Anne Schuind, Gary Dubin, Eduardo L. Franco

Dartmouth Scholarship

OBJECTIVES:

Persistence of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) is necessary for cervical carcinogenesis. We evaluated incidence and duration of type-specific HPV infections and the influence of age and number of sexual partners.

METHODS:

Data were obtained from 553 women (15-25 years), who were seronegative and DNA-negative for high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) types and were enrolled in the placebo arm of a randomised trial of the HPV-16/18 vaccine (NCT00689741/NCT00120848). They were followed for 6.3 years. Cervicovaginal samples were self-collected at 3-month intervals for up to 27 months, and cervical samples were collected by clinicians at 6-month intervals until study end. …

Validating The Children’S Depression Inventory In The Context Of Rwanda, Agnes Binagwaho, Mary C. Smith Fawzi, Mawuena Agbonyitor, Sabin Nsanzimana, Corine Karema, Eric Remera, Vincent Mutabazi, Cyprien Shyirambere, Patrick Cyamatare, Cameron Nutt, Claire Wagner, Jeanine Condo, Nancy Misago, Yvonne Kayiteshonga

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background:

Depression is often co-morbid with chronic conditions, and when combined with HIV it can increase progression and reduce survival. A brief and accurate screening tool for depression among children living with HIV is necessary to increase access to mental health care and improve HIV-related outcomes in the long-term.

Methods:

A validation study was conducted, comparing the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) with a structured clinical assessment as the gold standard among children living with HIV ages 7-14 years in Rwanda. The response rate was 87 % and the analysis was performed among 100 study participants.

Results:

Twenty-five percent of children …

Modulating Foveal Representation Can Influence Visual Discrimination In The Periphery, Qing Yu, Won Mok Shim

Dartmouth Scholarship

A previous study by Williams et al. (2008) provided evidence for a novel form of feedback in the visual system, whereby peripheral information is contained in foveal retinotopic cortex. Beyond its possible implication for peripheral object recognition, few studies have examined the effect of a direct behavioral manipulation of the foveal feedback representation. To address this question, we measured participants' peripheral visual discrimination performance while modulating their foveal representation in a series of psychophysical experiments. On each trial, participants discriminated the identities of briefly presented novel, three-dimensional objects or the orientations of gratings in a peripheral location while fixating at …

Incidence And In-Hospital Mortality Of Acute Kidney Injury (Aki) And Dialysis Requiring Aki (Aki-D) After Cardiac Catheterization In The National Inpatient Sample, Jeremiah R. Brown, Michael E. Rezaee, Elizabeth L. Nichols, Emily J. Marshall, Edward D. Siew, Michael E. Matheny

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background:

Acute kidney injury (AKI) and dialysis‐requiring AKI (AKI‐D) are common, serious complications of cardiac procedures.

Methods and Results:

We evaluated 3 633 762 (17 765 214 weighted population) cardiac catheterization or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) hospital discharges from the nationally representative National Inpatient Sample to determine annual population incidence rates for AKI and AKI‐D in the United States from 2001 to 2011. Odds ratios for both conditions and associated in‐hospital mortality were calculated for each year in the study period using multiple logistic regression. The number of cardiac catheterization or PCI cases resulting in AKI rose almost 3‐fold from …

The Relationship Between Foot Arch Measurements And Walking Parameters In Children, Simone V. Gill, Sara Keimig, Damian Kelty-Stephen, Ya-Ching Hung, Jeremy M. Desilva

Dartmouth Scholarship

Walking mechanics are influenced by body morphology. Foot arch height is one aspect of body morphology central to walking. However, generalizations about the relationship between arch height and walking are limited due to previous methodologies used for measuring the arch and the populations that have been studied. To gain the knowledge needed to support healthy gait in children and adults, we need to understand this relationship in unimpaired, typically developing children and adults using dynamic measures. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between arch height and gait in a sample of healthy children and adults …

Regional Implementation Of A Pediatric Cardiology Syncope Algorithm Using Standardized Clinical Assessment And Management Plans (Scamps) Methodology, Yvonne Paris, Olga H. Toro‐Salazar, Naomi S. Gauthier, Kathleen Rotondo, Lucy Arnold, Rose Hamershock, David E. Saudek, David R. Fulton, Ashley Renaud, Mark E. Alexander, New England Congenital Cardiology Association (Necca

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background:

Pediatric syncope is common. Cardiac causes are rarely found. We describe and assess a pragmatic approach to these patients first seen by a pediatric cardiologist in the New England region, using Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plans (SCAMPs).

Methods and Results:

Ambulatory patients aged 7 to 21 years initially seen for syncope at participating New England Congenital Cardiology Association practices over a 2.5‐year period were evaluated using a SCAMP. Findings were iteratively analyzed and the care pathway was revised. The vast majority (85%) of the 1254 patients had typical syncope. A minority had exercise‐related or more problematic symptoms. Guideline‐defined …

Serum Iron Level Is Associated With Time To Antibiotics In Cystic Fibrosis, Alex H. Gifford, Dana B. Dorman, Lisa A. Moulton, Jennifer E. Helm, Mary M. Griffin, Todd A. Mackenzie

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background:

Serum levels of hepcidin‐25, a peptide hormone that reduces blood iron content, are elevated when patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) develop pulmonary exacerbation (PEx). Because hepcidin‐25 is unavailable as a clinical laboratory test, we questioned whether a one‐time serum iron level was associated with the subsequent number of days until PEx, as defined by the need to receive systemic antibiotics (ABX) for health deterioration.

Methods:

Clinical, biochemical, and microbiological parameters were simultaneously checked in 54 adults with CF. Charts were reviewed to determine when they first experienced a PEx after these parameters were assessed. Time to ABX was compared …

Blood Pressure Changes In Relation To Arsenic Exposure In A U.S. Pregnancy Cohort, Shohreh F. Farzan, Yu Chen, Fen Wu, Jieying Jiang, Mengling Liu, Emily Baker, Susan A. Korrick, Margaret R. Karagas

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background:

Inorganic arsenic exposure has been related to the risk of increased blood pressure based largely on cross-sectional studies conducted in highly exposed populations. Pregnancy is a period of particular vulnerability to environmental insults. However, little is known about the cardiovascular impacts of arsenic exposure during pregnancy.

Objectives:

We evaluated the association between prenatal arsenic exposure and maternal blood pressure over the course of pregnancy in a U.S. population.

Methods:

The New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study is an ongoing prospective cohort study in which > 10% of participant household wells exceed the arsenic maximum contaminant level of 10 μg/L established by …

Association Between Arsenic Exposure From Drinking Water And Longitudinal Change In Blood Pressure Among Heals Cohort Participants, Jieying Jiang, Mengling Liu, Faruque Parvez, Binhuan Wang, Fen Wu, Mahbub Eunus, Sripal Bangalore, Jonathan D. Newman, Alauddin Ahmed, Tariqul Islam, Muhammed Rakibuz-Zaman, Rabiul Hasan, Golam Sarwar, Diane Levy, Vesna Slavkovich, Maria Argos, Molly Scannell Bryan, Shohreh F. Farzan, Richard B. Hayes, Joseph H. Graziano, Habibul Ahsan, Yu Chen

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background:

Cross-sectional studies have shown associations between arsenic exposure and prevalence of high blood pressure; however, studies examining the relationship of arsenic exposure with longitudinal changes in blood pressure are lacking.

Method:

We evaluated associations of arsenic exposure in relation to longitudinal change in blood pressure in 10,853 participants in the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS). Arsenic was measured in well water and in urine samples at baseline and in urine samples every 2 years after baseline. Mixed-effect models were used to estimate the association of baseline well and urinary creatinine-adjusted arsenic with annual change in blood pressure …

Multimodal Frontostriatal Connectivity Underlies Individual Differences In Self-Esteem, Robert S. Chavez, Todd F. Heatherton

Dartmouth Scholarship

A heightened sense of self-esteem is associated with a reduced risk for several types of affective and psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety and eating disorders. However, little is known about how brain systems integrate self-referential processing and positive evaluation to give rise to these feelings. To address this, we combined diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to test how frontostriatal connectivity reflects long-term trait and short-term state aspects of self-esteem. Using DTI, we found individual variability in white matter structural integrity between the medial prefrontal cortex and the ventral striatum was related to trait measures of …

Preempting Performance Challenges: The Effects Of Inoculation Messaging On Attacks To Task Self-Efficacy, Ben Jackson, Josh Compton, Ryan Whiddett, David R. Anthony, James A. Dimmock

Dartmouth Scholarship

Although inoculation messages have been shown to be effective for inducing resistance to counter-attitudinal attacks, researchers have devoted relatively little attention toward studying the way in which inoculation theory principles might support challenges to psychological phenomena other than attitudes (e.g., self-efficacy). Prior to completing a physical (i.e., balance) task, undergraduates (N = 127, M_age = 19.20, SD = 2.16) were randomly assigned to receive either a control or inoculation message, and reported their confidence in their ability regarding the upcoming task. During the task, a confederate provided standardized negative feedback to all participants regarding their performance, and following …

Preliminary Analysis Of In Utero Low-Level Arsenic Exposure And Fetal Growth Using Biometric Measurements Extracted From Fetal Ultrasound Reports, Matthew A. Davis, John Higgins, Zhigang Li, Diane Gilbert-Diamond, Emily R. Baker, Amar Das, Margaret R. Karagas

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Early life exposure to arsenic is associated with decreased birth weight in highly exposed populations but little is known about effects of low-level arsenic exposure on growth in utero.

Methods: Using a sample of 272 pregnancies from New Hampshire we obtained biometric measurements directly from fetal ultrasound reports commonly found in electronic medical records. We used information extraction methods to develop and validate an automated approach for mining biometric measurements from the text of clinical reports. As a preliminary analysis, we examined associations between in utero low-level arsenic exposure (as measured by maternal urinary arsenic concentration) and fetal growth …

Scoliosis Related Information On The Internet In China: Can Patients Benefit From This Information?, Hongda Bao, Feng Zhu, Fei Wang, Zhen Liu, Mike H. Bao, Shouyu He, Zezhang Zhu, Yong Qiu

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: There has been an increasing popularity of searching health related information online in recent years. Despite that considerable amount of scoliosis patients have shown interest in obtaining scoliosis information through Internet, previous studies have demonstrated poor quality of online information. However, this conclusion may vary depending on region and culture. Since China has a restricted Internet access outside of its borders, the aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of scoliosis information available online using recognized scoring systems and to analyze the Internet as a source of health information in China.

Methods: A survey-based questionnaire was distributed …

Shbg Gene Polymorphism (Rs1799941) Associates With Metabolic Syndrome In Children And Adolescents, Marquitta J. White, Fatih Eren, Deniz Agirbasli, Scott M. Williams, Mehmet Agirbasli

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex disorder characterized by coexistence of several cardiometabolic (CM) factors, i.e. hyperlipidemia, obesity, high blood pressure and insulin resistance. The presence of MetS is strongly associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The syndrome was originally defined as an adult disorder, but MetS has become increasingly recognized in children and adolescents.

Methods: Genetic variants influence biological components common to the CM factors that comprise MetS. We investigated single locus associations between six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), previously shown to modulate lipid or sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) levels, with MetS in a Turkish …

A Call For Better Care: The Impact Of Postnatal Contact Services On Women’S Parenting Confidence And Experiences Of Postpartum Care In Queensland, Australia, Yvette D. Miller, Aimée C C. Dane, Rachel Thompson

Dartmouth Scholarship

BackgroundUniversal postnatal contact services are provided in several Australian states, but their impact on women’s postnatal care experience has not been evaluated. Furthermore, there is lack of evidence or consensus about the optimal type and amount of postpartum care after hospital discharge for maternal outcomes. This study aimed to assess the impact of providing Universal Postnatal Contact Service (UPNCS) funding to public birthing facilities in Queensland, Australia on women’s postna

Launching A Virtual Decision Lab: Development And Field-Testing Of A Web-Based Patient Decision Support Research Platform, Aubri S. Hoffman, Hilary A. Llewellyn-Thomas, Anna N. A. Tosteson, Annette M. Oconnor

Dartmouth Scholarship

Over 100 trials show that patient decision aids effectively improve patients’ information comprehension and values-based decision making. However, gaps remain in our understanding of several fundamental and applied questions, particularly related to the design of interactive, personalized decision aids. This paper describes an interdisciplinary development process for, and early field testing of, a web-based patient decision support research platform, or virtual decision lab, to address these questions.

Naturally Occurring Peer Support Through Social Media: The Experiences Of Individuals With Severe Mental Illness Using Youtube, John A. Naslund, Stuart W. Grande, Kelly A. Aschbrenner, Glyn Elwyn

Dartmouth Scholarship

Increasingly, people with diverse health conditions turn to social media to share their illness experiences or seek advice from others with similar health concerns. This unstructured medium may represent a platform on which individuals with severe mental illness naturally provide and receive peer support. Peer support includes a system of mutual giving and receiving where individuals with severe mental illness can offer hope, companionship, and encouragement to others facing similar challenges. In this study we explore the phenomenon of individuals with severe mental illness uploading videos to YouTube, and posting and responding to comments as a form of naturally occurring …

Successful Mdr-Tb Treatment Regimens Including Amikacin Are Associated With High Rates Of Hearing Loss, Chawangwa Modongo, Rafal S. Sobota, Boikobo Kesenogile, Ronald Ncube

Dartmouth Scholarship

Aminoglycosides are a critical component of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment but data on their efficacy and adverse effects in Botswana is scarce. We determined the effect of amikacin on treatment outcomes and development of hearing loss in MDR-TB patients. Patients started on MDR-TB treatment between 2006 and 2012 were included. Multivariate analysis was used to determine the effect of amikacin on treatment outcomes and development of hearing loss.

A Dietary-Wide Association Study (Dwas) Of Environmental Metal Exposure In Us Children And Adults, Matthew A. Davis, Diane Gilbert-Diamond, Margaret R. Karagas, Zhigang Li, Jason H. Moore, Scott M. Williams, H. Robert Frost

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: A growing body of evidence suggests that exposure to toxic metals occurs through diet but few studies have comprehensively examined dietary sources of exposure in US populations.

Purpose: Our goal was to perform a novel dietary-wide association study (DWAS) to identify specific dietary sources of lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic exposure in US children and adults.

Methods: We combined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey with data from the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Intakes Converted to Retail Commodities Database to examine associations between 49 different foods and environmental metal exposure. Using blood and urinary biomarkers …

Acute Aerobic Exercise: An Intervention For The Selective Visual Attention And Reading Comprehension Of Low-Income Adolescents, Michele Tine

Dartmouth Scholarship

There is a need for feasible and research-based interventions that target the cognitive performance and academic achievement of low-income adolescents. In response, this study utilized a randomized experimental design and assessed the selective visual attention (SVA) and reading comprehension abilities of low-income adolescents and, for comparison purposes, high-income adolescents after they engaged in 12-min of aerobic exercise. The results suggest that 12-min of aerobic exercise improved the SVA of low- and high-income adolescents and that the benefit lasted for 45-min for both groups. The SVA improvement among the low-income adolescents was particularly large. In fact, the SVA improvement among the …

Why 'Down Under' Is A Cut Above: A Comparison Of Rates Of And Reasons For Caesarean Section In England And Australia, Samantha J. Prosser, Yvette D. Miller, Rachel Thompson, Maggie Redshaw

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Most studies examining determinants of rising rates of caesarean section have examined patterns in documented reasons for caesarean over time in a single location. Further insights could be gleaned from cross-cultural research that examines practice patterns in locations with disparate rates of caesarean section at a single time point.

Methods: We compared both rates of and main reason for pre-labour and intrapartum caesarean between England and Queensland, Australia, using data from retrospective cross-sectional surveys of women who had recently given birth in England (n = 5,250) and Queensland (n = 3,467).

Socially Excluded Individuals Fail To Recruit Medial Prefrontal Cortex For Negative Social Scenes, Katherine E. Powers, Dylan D. Wagner, Catherine J. Norris, Todd F. Heatherton

Dartmouth Scholarship

Converging behavioral evidence suggests that people respond to experiences of social exclusion with both defensive and affiliative strategies, allowing them to avoid further distress while also encouraging re-establishment of positive social connections. However, there are unresolved questions regarding the cognitive mechanisms underlying people's responses to social exclusion. Here, we sought to gain insight into these behavioral tendencies by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the impact of social exclusion on neural responses to visual scenes that varied on dimensions of sociality and emotional valence. Compared to socially included participants, socially excluded participants failed to recruit dorsomedial prefrontal cortex …

The Dartmouth Database Of Children’S Faces: Acquisition And Validation Of A New Face Stimulus Set, Kirsten A. Dalrymple, Jesse Gomez, Brad Duchaine

Dartmouth Scholarship

Facial identity and expression play critical roles in our social lives. Faces are therefore frequently used as stimuli in a variety of areas of scientific research. Although several extensive and well-controlled databases of adult faces exist, few databases include children’s faces. Here we present the Dartmouth Database of Children’s Faces, a set of photographs of 40 male and 40 female Caucasian children between 6 and 16 years-of-age. Models posed eight facial expressions and were photographed from five camera angles under two lighting conditions. Models wore black hats and black gowns to minimize extra-facial variables. To validate the images, independent raters …

Interictal Neurocognitive Processing Of Visual Stimuli In Migraine: Evidence From Event-Related Potentials, Marla J. S Mickleborough, Christine M. Chapman, Andreea Simina Toma, Jeremy H. M Chan, Grace Truong, Todd C. Handy

Dartmouth Scholarship

Research has established decreased sensory habituation as a defining feature in migraine, while decreased cognitive habituation has only been found with regard to cognitive assessment of the relative probability of the occurrence of a stimulus event. Our study extended the investigation of interictal habituation in migraine to include cognitive processing when viewing of a series of visually-complex images, similar to those we encounter on the internet everyday. We examined interictal neurocognitive function in migraine from a habituation perspective, using a novel paradigm designed to assess how the response to a series of images changes over time. Two groups of participants--migraineurs …

Mapping Disease At An Approximated Individual Level Using Aggregate Data: A Case Study Of Mapping New Hampshire Birth Defects, Xun Shi, Stephanie Miller, Kevin Mwenda, Akikazu Onda

Dartmouth Scholarship

Limited by data availability, most disease maps in the literature are for relatively large and subjectively-defined areal units, which are subject to problems associated with polygon maps. High resolution maps based on objective spatial units are needed to more precisely detect associations between disease and environmental factors. Method: We propose to use a Restricted and Controlled Monte Carlo (RCMC) process to disaggregate polygon-level location data to achieve mapping aggregate data at an approximated individual level. RCMC assigns a random point location to a polygon-level location, in which the randomization is restricted by the polygon and controlled by the background (e.g., …

Self-Regulatory Depletion Increases Emotional Reactivity In The Amygdala, Dylan D. Wagner, Todd F. Heatherton

Dartmouth Scholarship

The ability to self-regulate can become impaired when people are required to engage in successive acts of effortful self-control, even when self-control occurs in different domains. Here, we used functional neuroimaging to test whether engaging in effortful inhibition in the cognitive domain would lead to putative dysfunction in the emotional domain. Forty-eight participants viewed images of emotional scenes during functional magnetic resonance imaging in two sessions that were separated by a challenging attention control task that required effortful inhibition (depletion group) or not (control group). Compared to the control group, depleted participants showed increased activity in the left amygdala to …

Dna Methylation Analysis Reveals Distinct Methylation Signatures In Pediatric Germ Cell Tumors, James F. Amatruda, Julie A. Ross, Brock Christensen, Nicholas J. Fustino, Kenneth S. Chen, Anthony J. Hooten, Heather Nelson, Jacquelyn K. Kuriger, Dinesh Rakheja, A. Lindsay Frazier, Jenny N. Poynter

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Aberrant DNA methylation is a prominent feature of many cancers, and may be especially relevant in germ cell tumors (GCTs) due to the extensive epigenetic reprogramming that occurs in the germ line during normal development. Methods: We used the Illumina GoldenGate Cancer Methylation Panel to compare DNA methylation in the three main histologic subtypes of pediatric GCTs (germinoma, teratoma and yolk sac tumor (YST); N = 51) and used recursively partitioned mixture models (RPMM) to test associations between methylation pattern and tumor and demographic characteristics. We identified genes and pathways that were differentially methylated using generalized linear models and …