Digital Commons Network^™

Reproductive Health Policy Saga: Restrictive Abortion Laws In Low- And Middle-Income Countries (Lmics), Unnecessary Cause Of Maternal Mortality, Ngo Valery Ngoa, Ngambouk Vitalis Pemuntaa, Basil N. Nduma, Fokunang Estella Tembe, Mbong Sidonnie Eyambe, Keziah Ezra, Henry Che Ngwa, Emmanuel Ombugadu Sabo

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

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Abortion is a common but controversial phenomenon globally. The discourse on the legality of abortion remains intricate, leaving a substantial number of women restricted from accessing safe abortion. There are evidence of an association between restrictive abortion laws, unsafe abortions, and maternal mortality in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). We explore how restrictive abortion laws violate women’s right to health and bodily integrity. We used Carol Bacchi’s policy framework to analyze how restrictive abortion laws have been discursively framed (problematization); the assumptions that underpinned the representation; the consequences of the representation; what was left unproblematic; how the representation could be questioned, …

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Effects Of Patch Size, Fragmentation, And Invasive Species On Plant And Lepidoptera Communities In Southern Texas, James A. Stilley, Christopher A. Gabler

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

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Simple Summary

Human land use has removed habitats, separated habitats into small and disconnected fragments, and introduced foreign species, which all harm wildlife. South Texas is highly diverse and home to many endangered species, but human disturbance threatens its wildlife. In south Texas, we poorly understand how different aspects of human land use influence wildlife diversity and abundance. We studied this by surveying plants and butterflies in 24 habitat fragments in south Texas that differed in size, shape, type, and land use history. Human disturbance was extensive, and foreign and weedy species were dominant in most habitats. Habitat types had …

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Urinary Total Arsenic And Arsenic Methylation Capacity In Pregnancy And Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Case-Control Study, Wei-Jen Chen, Erin M. Davis, Julie A. Stoner, Candace A. Robledo, Jean R. Goodman, Tabitha Garwe, Amanda E. Janitz, Chao Xu, Jooyeon Hwang, Jennifer D. Peck

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

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Previous studies suggest arsenic exposure may increase the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, prior assessments of total arsenic concentrations have not distinguished between toxic and nontoxic species. Our study aimed to investigate the relationships between inorganic arsenic exposure, arsenic methylation capacity, and GDM.

Sixty-four cases of GDM and 237 controls were analyzed for urinary concentrations of inorganic arsenic species and their metabolites (arsenite (As3), arsenate (As5), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA)), and organic forms of arsenic. Inorganic arsenic exposure was defined as the sum of inorganic and methylated arsenic species (iSumAs). Methylation capacity indices were calculated …

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Prevalence Of Liver Cirrhosis And Its Association With Obesity Among Hispanics And Mexican Americans: An Evidence Synthesis, Alexa Perlick, Abaigeal Thompson, Colton Wayne, Angel Rendon, Jose Campo Maldonado

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

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INTRODUCTION

The obesity epidemic is a growing public health concern. In addition to the already known complications and comorbidities associated with obesity, data suggest that obesity is an independent risk factor for the development of liver disease.^1,2 However, there is a paucity of data regarding the clinical correlation of obesity and cirrhosis in a predominantly Hispanic population of South Texas. The aim of this systematic literature review is to investigate the prevalence of cirrhosis stratified by obesity in Hispanic populations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

PubMed was used to perform a thorough literature search. The terms liver cirrhosis and obesity were …

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Association Between Race/Ethnicity And Covid-19 Disease Outcomes In The United States: A Qualitative Systematic Review Of The Literature, Jacob Smith

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

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Background/Objective: As studies have shown disparities in coronavirus disease-19 prevalence and severity, we sought to evaluate differences in outcomes of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection by race/ethnicity.

Design: Systematic review

Data Source: Studies from PubMed were included.

Review methods: Articles published in English language from January 1, 2019 through March 22, 2020. Studies included were observational studies that examined racial or ethnic disparities in SARS-CoV-2 infection outcomes in the United States. One reviewer performed data extraction.

Results: Out of a possible 1,944 articles, 99 observational studies (82 individual-level and 17 population-level) were included. Differential rates of hospitalization or otherwise severe illness …

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Aprendizaje Activo Y Pedagogía Culturalmente Relevante En Stem: Tres Lecciones Aprendidas Dentro Y Fuera Del Aula, Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

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Uno de los mayores desafíos en la ciencia, la tecnología, la ingeniería y la educación matemática (STEM, por sus siglas en inglés) es mejorar el rendimiento y la retención de estudiantes de diversos orígenes. Existen grandes diferencias entre los logros académicos de los estudiantes de minorías subrepresentadas (EMS) con aquellos que no pertenecen a estas minorías. Las diferencias inician desde el kínder y continúan hasta los estudios de posgrado. El aprendizaje activo y la pedagogía culturalmente sensible/relevante han mostrado resultados exitosos minimizando estas diferencias educacionales. Desafortunadamente, el aprendizaje activo y la pedagogía culturalmente relevante no son métodos comunes de enseñanza …

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