Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Exposure To Household Air Pollution From Biomass Cookstoves And Levels Of Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (Feno) Among Honduran Women, Megan L. Benka-Coker, Maggie L. Clark, Sarah Rajkumar, Bonnie N. Young, Annette M. Bachand, John R. Balmes, Robert Brook, Tracy L. Nelson, John Volckens, Steve J. Reynolds, Ander Wilson, Christian L'Orange, Nicholas Good, Casey Quinn, Kirsten Koehler, Sebastian Africano, Anibal Osorto Pinel, Jennifer L. Peel

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Household air pollution is estimated to be responsible for nearly three million premature deaths annually. Measuring fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) may improve the limited understanding of the association of household air pollution and airway inflammation. We evaluated the cross-sectional association of FeNO with exposure to household air pollution (24-h average kitchen and personal fine particulate matter and black carbon; stove type) among 139 women in rural Honduras using traditional stoves or cleaner-burning Justastoves. We additionally evaluated interaction by age. Results were generally consistent with a null association; we did not observe a consistent pattern for interaction by age. Evidence …

Honoring Veterans Means Funding Suicide Prevention, Brendan Cushing-Daniels, Christopher R. Fee

Economics Faculty Publications

Many Americans may not know that it was Dwight D. Eisenhower who in 1954 issued the official proclamation celebrating the service of all veterans by designating Nov. 11, formerly known as Armistice Day, in honor of our vets. Eisenhower, of course, was supreme commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II and commander in chief as the 34th president of the United States.

In Ike’s words, “on that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, …

Health Implications In Regards To The Changing Nature Of Work, Carly E. Kalis

Student Publications

This theoretical paper is relevant to nontraditional workers, traditional employees, and businesses searching for ways to enhance workers’ health and well-being. Businesses should also find this information helpful if they are aiming to increase their bottom line. The changing nature of work has health implications for both nontraditional workers and traditional employees; however, it has not been readily studied. I review the current literature available and analyze the health implications for both nontraditional workers and traditional employees. After reviewing a variety of literature I propose two theoretical propositions. My first proposition is that the changing nature of work, specifically the …

Profound Impacts And Benefits Of Near-Death Experiences, Abigail D. Reitz

Student Publications

In his 1975 book, Life After Life, Dr. Raymond A. Moody coined the term “near-death experience (NDE)” as an umbrella term to describe the personal experiences and sensations that occur during an altered state of consciousness on the threshold of death. While controversy arises over the highly subjective nature of near-death experiences and the empirical research surrounding them, NDEs are usually marked by similar sensations and certainly have one thing in common: they often have profound, positive impacts on affected individuals that change their outlooks moving forward. Birk Engmann comments on the impact of NDEs in Near-Death Experiences: Heavenly Insight …

Pediatric Cancers: Development And Treatment Methods, Makayla M. Walker

Student Publications

Pediatric cancers are cancers that develop in kids and adolescents ages 0-19. Pediatric cancers usually develop in three ways: through inherited gene mutations, parental exposure to toxins, and acquired gene mutations. While cancer can affect children and adults alike, treatment becomes more difficult for children due to their physical predevelopment stages. Therefore, it is important to discuss all methods of treatment when dealing with a particular pediatric cancer in order to choose the most effective method.

How The Misunderstanding That Heroin Addiction Is A Choice And The Stigma Surrounding Medication-Assisted Treatment Leads To More Overdose Deaths, Margaret M. Drew

Student Publications

Heroin is an opioid that commonly appears as white or brown powder. Eventually a person can become physically dependent on heroin, meaning the body begins to expect the drug. A sudden withdrawal from the drug can cause intense symptoms such as vomiting, muscle pain, and cravings, often leading to relapse (Shannon, p. 172). Although the initial decision to try heroin may be up to the addict, due to the dependence one develops when using heroin, addiction eventually morphs into an involuntary compulsion. There are many factors out of an individual’s control that influence their likelihood of trying heroin and becoming …

Immune Checkpoints In Cancer Treatment, Matthew A. Cherubino

Student Publications

Despite the human immune system, cancer thrives in an extremely hostile environment. Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the U.S. with about 600,000 deaths every year, and cancer is expected to surpass heart disease as the most common cause of death in the U.S. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a novel and promising therapeutic for treating cancer in its late stages.

Exposure To Household Air Pollution From Biomass Cookstoves And Blood Pressure Among Women In Rural Honduras: A Cross‐Sectional Study, Bonnie N. Young, Maggie L. Clark, Sarah Rajkumar, Megan L. Benka-Coker, Annette Bachand, Robert D. Brook, Tracy L. Nelson, John Volckens, Stephen J. Reynolds, Christian L'Orange, Nicholas Good, Kirsten Koehler, Sebastian Africano, Anibal B. Osorto Pinel, Jennifer L. Peel

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Growing evidence links household air pollution exposure from biomass cookstoves with elevated blood pressure. We assessed cross‐sectional associations of 24‐hour mean concentrations of personal and kitchen fine particulate matter (PM2.5), black carbon (BC), and stove type with blood pressure, adjusting for confounders, among 147 women using traditional or cleaner‐burning Justa stoves in Honduras. We investigated effect modification by age and body mass index. Traditional stove users had mean (standard deviation) personal and kitchen 24‐hour PM2.5 concentrations of 126 μg/m3 (77) and 360 μg/m3 (374), while Justa stove users’ exposures were 66 μg/m3 (38) and 137 μg/m3(194), respectively. BC concentrations were …

Scientific, Paranormal, And Spiritual Frames In Alternative Medicine, Charles F. Emmons

Friday Forum

Although the term “integrative medicine” is being used to refer to the merging of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) with standard biomedicine, there are some spiritual and paranormal frames for alternative medicine that are only partially integrated into standard medicine if at all. This study examines the orientations of some alternative practitioners and clients/users in the U.S. and the UK in terms of their views of science, spirituality and the paranormal.

A Case Study Of The Ethanol Cleancook Stove Intervention And Potential Scale-Up In Ethiopia, Megan L. Benka-Coker, Wubshet Tadele, Alex Milano, Desalegn Getaneh, Harry Stokes

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Approximately 80% of Ethiopia's energy consumption is dominated by woody biomass fuel use, resulting in 91.2 million tons of firewood and 4.2 million tons of charcoal consumed annually. Ethiopia's dependency on non-sustainable energy, especially for cooking, has been a major concern for the nation for the past 30 years, contributing to deforestation, climate change, and adverse human health impacts.

Objectives

Our objective was to document the work of Gaia Association and the implementation of the ethanol CleanCook stove in the refugee camp and urban settings of Ethiopia. We then assessed the potential for the scale-up of ethanol as a …

Exposure To Household Air Pollution From Biomass-Burning Cookstoves And Hba1c And Diabetic Status Among Honduran Women, S. Rajkumar, M. L. Clark, B. N. Young, Megan L. Benka-Coker, A. M. Bachand, R. D. Brook, T. L. Nelson, J. Volckens, S. J. Reynolds, C. L'Orange, N. Good, K. Koehler, S. Africano, A. B. Osorto Pinel, J. L. Peel

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Household air pollution from biomass cookstoves is estimated to be responsible for more than two and a half million premature deaths annually, primarily in low and middle‐income countries where cardiometabolic disorders, such as Type II Diabetes, are increasing. Growing evidence supports a link between ambient air pollution and diabetes, but evidence for household air pollution is limited. This cross‐sectional study of 142 women (72 with traditional stoves and 70 with cleaner‐burning Justa stoves) in rural Honduras evaluated the association of exposure to household air pollution (stove type, 24‐hour average kitchen and personal fine particulate matter [PM2.5] mass and black carbon) …

Congenital Chagas Disease In The United States: Cost Savings Through Maternal Screening, Eileen Stillwaggon, Victoria Perez-Zetune, Stephanie R. Bialek, Susan P. Montgomery

Economics Faculty Publications

Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is transmitted by insect vectors through transfusions, transplants, insect feces in food, and from mother to child during gestation. Congenital infection could perpetuate Chagas disease indefinitely, even in countries without vector transmission. An estimated 30% of infected persons will develop lifelong, potentially fatal, cardiac or digestive complications. Treatment of infants with benznidazole is highly efficacious in eliminating infection. This work evaluates the costs of maternal screening and infant testing and treatment of Chagas disease in the United States. We constructed a decision-analytic model to find the lower cost option, comparing costs of testing and …

Ms – 229: Gordon Haaland Personal Papers, G. Ronald Couchman

All Finding Aids

This collection contains the personal papers of Gordon A. Haaland, produced and acquired during his many years as a college professor and as an administrator at the University of New Hampshire, at the University of Maine at Orono, and at Gettysburg College. What is striking about the material is how Haaland remained true to his academic background in social psychology, remaining current in the field and applying the theories of that discipline to the tasks and challenges that he faced as a college administrator and educational leader. The collection is organized into four series: Series I: Pre-Gettysburg College; Series II: …

Doing Well By Doing Good Benefits For The Benefactor, Aneka Khilnani

Gettysburg Social Sciences Review

This study seeks to examine if volunteering affects mental and physical health and examine if health behaviors or social participation affect the association between volunteering and perceived mental and physical health.

Method and Data: Using a logistic regression model, data from a cross-sectional study that obtained a statewide representative sample of Texas adults, N=1409, was used to predict an adult’s perceived mental and physical health in relation to volunteering, after controlling for the effects of health behaviors and social participation.

Results: Adults who do not volunteer have an increased odds of reporting poor perceived physical and mental health. After controlling …

Gettysburg Social Sciences Review Spring 2018

Gettysburg Social Sciences Review

No abstract provided.

Jack Peirs, Third Ypres, And Control, Jonathan Tracey

Student Publications

During the First World War, British officers, primarily upper class, struggled to adapt to trauma within the boundaries of social expectations. Viewing the combat experience and letters of Jack Peirs during the battle of Passchendaele offers insight into how officers experienced the war, explained it to their families, and coped with trauma.

Access To Mental Health Care For Depression Among Latina Women In Adams County, Alison P. Lauro

Student Publications

This research project focused on what barriers prevent Latina women in Adams County from accessing mental health care. A survey was distributed to 52 women over several weeks. These participants, particularly immigrant and undocumented women, have lower rates of health insurance, low incomes, and limited transportation, and the county does not have accessible, Spanish speaking mental health professionals, which makes it nearly impossible for these women to access mental healthcare in the county.

Attitudes Toward Contraception Among Fourth Wave College-Aged Women, Caroline L. Lewis

Student Publications

This research examines how college-aged women today view contraception in comparison to the ways it has been viewed by previous generations of women, as well as what they view the future of contraception in the United States to look like. This has been done through a lens of political action and advocacy, which has defined the fight for access to contraception and reproductive justice throughout history. In light of the recent threats on contraception and the corresponding responsive social movements, such as the Women’s March, women in the United States are shifting their views on the matter, but what actions …

Sphingomyelin And Gm1 Influence Huntingtin Binding To, Disruption Of, And Aggregation On Lipid Membranes, Maxmore Chaibva, Xiang Gao, Pranav Jain, Warren A. Campbell, Shelli L. Frey, Justin Legleiter

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Huntington disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease caused by the expansion beyond a critical threshold of a polyglutamine (polyQ) tract near the N-terminus of the huntingtin (htt) protein. Expanded polyQ promotes the formation of a variety of oligomeric and fibrillar aggregates of htt that accumulate into the hallmark proteinaceous inclusion bodies associated with HD. htt is also highly associated with numerous cellular and subcellular membranes that contain a variety of lipids. As lipid homeostasis and metabolism abnormalities are observed in HD patients, we investigated how varying both the sphingomyelin (SM) and ganglioside (GM1) contents modifies the interactions between htt …