Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Increasing Referrals To Local Resources For The Treatment Of Aud By Increasing Audit-C Usage By Increasing Awareness Of Aud Through Use Of Educational Materials ​, David Ortiz, Gerardo Munoz Monaco

Research Colloquium

Background: One in nine people will suffer from alcohol use disorder, if of legal drinking age. One in nine of our patients might suffer from AUD. Among those suffering from AUD, only 1.6% were found to be treated with evidence-based medications for treatment of AUD. Underdiagnosing may be a reality.

Methods: Evaluate physicians-in-training knowledge regarding AUD at time zero and after 3 months after an educational presentation is giving containing information on AUD diagnosis, treatment, and available local resources. This repeated cross-sectional data analysis aims to increase screening using the AUDIT-C tool, as well as referral/utilization to local resources. Patients …

The Burden Of Diabetes Mellitus In The Medically Underserved Rio Grande Valley, John M. Gaddis, Elias Arellano, Kassandra Pulido, Tyler Torres, Dominic Chau-Zanetti, Natasha Quailes, Andres Suarez Parraga

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) encompasses metabolic disorders characterized by elevated blood sugar. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and associated metrics of DM in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), a low-income and medically underserved region in the United States, and compare these metrics to the national averages from 2012 to 2022.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) publicly accessible data. Metrics analyzed included DM prevalence, average principal cost, rates of emergency department visits, hospitalizations, screenings, and prevalence of obesity. Data from RGV counties were compared to national averages using …

Prevalence And Economic Impact Of Osteoarthritis And Rheumatoid Arthritis In The Medically Underserved Rio Grande Valley, John M. Gaddis, Elias Arellano, Ryan Bialaszewski, Dominic Chau-Zanetti, Tyler Torres, Joel Wells

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis (OA/RA), two of the most common forms of arthritis worldwide, are chronic diseases affecting joints. The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) is characterized by an abundance of health disparities with previous studies showing increased rates of multiple diseases and disorders in this region. The purpose of this study was to determine both the prevalence and the risk-adjusted average total cost of OA/RA in the RGV and compare with the national average.

Methods: This retrospective, observational study utilized publicly accessible Medicare beneficiary data from 2012 to 2022. Data on OA/RA prevalence, risk-adjusted average total cost, and stratified …

Environmental Impact Of Water And Air Contaminants On Public Health, Astrid-Ines Foamkom, Luis A. Peña Marquez, Maria Sophia Malbas, Esmeralda Rodriguez, Noe Garza, Ney Alliey-Rodriguez

Research Colloquium

Background: Established literature suggests a strong relationship between exposure to air contaminants and physical health. Similarly, numerous studies have demonstrated the effects of water pollution on public health. Texas denizens are often victims of poor air and water quality, yet there are scant studies that have integrated evidence of health tolls caused by air and water pollution across the state. In this study, we assessed the relationship between particulate matter

Methods: The study used data from the 2018 Medicare and Medicaid report which displayed chronic health conditions across all counties in Texas. Additionally, the study also includes collected data on …

Birth Defect Trends Within Texas Public Health Region 11, 2000-2019: An Analysis Of Texas Department Of State Health Services Public Data, Jonathan M. Hebert, Miguel A. Lopez, Padmanabhan Rengasamy

Research Colloquium

Background: South Texas is a medically underserved area with pockets of low socioeconomic status and poor access to healthcare, including prenatal care. This paper aims to monitor the changes in prevalence for cardiac, circulatory, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and neural tube birth defects in this region in the last two decades to monitor the effectiveness of current public health efforts.

Methods: Public data on 20 birth defects from the Texas Department of State Health Services were obtained for decades 2000-2010 and 2010-2019 in Texas Public Health Region 11 and the remaining regions of Texas. Prevalences and odds ratios for all birth defects …

Assessing The Impact Of A Comprehensive Care Model On Reducing A1c Levels Compared To Primary Care Alone: A Comprehensive Study, Hector Trejo, Lizette Ingle, Karla Soberanis

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Diabetes significantly challenges the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), especially in low-income rural areas where prevalence and mortality rates are higher than in urban regions. Limited access to routine healthcare and specialists exacerbates these issues, delaying medical attention and reducing diagnostic testing and management adherence. Early diagnosis and lifestyle modification interventions show promise, but objective evaluation of these models by local organizations in the RGV. Further analysis is needed to assess their effectiveness in reducing diabetes prevalence and improving health outcomes in the RGV.

Methods: This retrospective study aims to evaluate the Comprehensive Care Model (CCM) on Improved Health Outcomes …

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

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Chronic liver disease is the 6^th and 7^th leading cause of death in Hispanic men and Hispanics, respectively.¹ In contrast to other causes of liver disease, the prevalence of nonalcoholic liver disease has been growing as is diabetes and obesity.²

Objective: There is a paucity of data regarding the prevalence of cirrhosis for Mexican Americans in South Texas. The aim of this evidence synthesis is to investigate the prevalence of cirrhosis in Hispanic populations and its relationship with obesity.

Methods: PubMed was used to perform a thorough literature search on September10, 2020. The terms “liver …

Exploration Of Potential Risk Factors For Texas County Covid-19 Infection Rates, Keren Kahsai, Michael Machiorlatti

Research Colloquium

There have been over 2 million COVID-19 cases within the United States. When considering where infections take place, there appears to be variability between states and even between counties (Gardner 2020). To understand the reasons underlying this phenomenon, we used Texas county data on Covid-19 infection rates and utilized auxiliary data such as age, race, gender, diabetes and obesity rates, temperature, humidity, median household income, metropolitan or rural designation, and poverty rates to see what confers greater risk for higher total infection at a county level. Our study found a positive relationship between diabetes and obesity rates and COVID-19 infection …

A 3- And 6- Month Follow-Up To A Student-Led Approach To Patient Safety In Pre-Clinical Curriculum, Nelson D. Gonzalez, Sahar Panjwani, Daniel Nwosuocha, Lauren Bayliss, Ayleen Godreau

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Preventable medical errors are currently the third leading cause of death in the United States following heart disease and cancer. In light of this, integration of formal patient safety education into undergraduate medical education has been encouraged by the World Health Organization. This study aimed to assess the change in patient safety knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs in students after early exposure to patient safety during pre-clinical years.

Methods: First and second-year medical students participated in the training and responses were assessed through a pre-test, immediate post-test, 3-month post-test, and 6-month post-test. The survey assessed student knowledge on aspects …

Ut Health Rgv Covid-19 Testing Report, Jefferson T. R. Chandler, Beatriz Tapia

Research Colloquium

Purpose: This health surveillance project's goal was to organize de-identified data received from UT Health RGV with the intent to provide timely reporting to testing sites and health affairs directors. We aimed to explore how testing rates differ between counties, testing sites and age groups from March 30 through August 7, 2020. We looked at different demographics and compared the positivity rates for each testing site. For this report, we will detail information for the pediatric population (ages 0-18).

Materials and Methods: A codebook and database were created with information about COVID-19 test data to formulate reports to the testing …

Survival Disparities Between Border And Non-Border Counties In Colorectal Cancer Patients Using The Tcr, Michael Machiorlatti, Michael Brian Lapelusa

Research Colloquium

Along the US Texas Mexico border constant migration, developing medical infrastructure and income disparity leads to poorer access to healthcare and poorer health outcomes. Given 32 of the 254 counties in TX are on the border with roughly 9.8% of the Texas residing in these counties (2.8 million people), this represents a significant population susceptible to adverse health outcomes. We investigate comparisons between border and non-border counties as well as how sociodemographic and diagnostic criterion influence survival of colorectal cancer. Data was obtained from the Texas Department of State Health Service’s TCR. Patients were 18 or older and excluded for …

Variation In Functional Pelvic Tilt In Patients Undergoing Total Hip Arthroplasty With Acetabular Dysplasia, Myung-Jin Cha, Joel Wells, Yin Xi, Avneesh Chhabra

Research Colloquium

Purpose: It is important to clarify the link between acetabular dysplasia and pelvic tilt to optimize surgical planning and postoperative outcomes. We sought to investigate functional pelvic tilt in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty with acetabular dysplasia.

Materials & Methods: From 2014 to 2020, pre-operative AP Pelvis X-rays, CT scans, and other patient-specific data such as pelvic tilt, lumbar lordotic angle, etc were collected as part of surgical planning for total hip arthroplasty. From this database, we investigated 678 female patients under the age of 50 that had undergone preoperative standing AP pelvis X-rays. Analysis was performed by investigating how …

Improving Health Literacy Among Transgender/ Gender Non-Conforming People Using Social Media, Isha Mittal, Michelle Cordoba Kissee

Research Colloquium

Background: Health literacy has been elicited as a barrier to healthcare amongst LGBT individuals. Social media has become a popular force in transmitting health information, but often time lacks evidence-based information.

Aims/purpose: The TikTok channel GenderDefenders was created to address the lack of reliable evidence-based information for transgender and gender-non conforming (TGNC) individuals.

Methods: Data was collected from current TikTok videos that were tagged with TGNC terminology to identify gaps in knowledge and commonly asked questions. Themes were selected and educational video recordings were created using WPATH and UCSF guidelines for transgender healthcare. Some topics included what …