Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Using Syndromic Surveillance To Assess The Impact Of Environmental Factors On Asthma- And Copd- Related Ed Visits In Douglas County, Nebraska, Sandra Gonzalez-Ramirez, Anne Mardis O'Keefe, Tricia D. Levan, Lynette Smith

Capstone Experience

Background: Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are chronic diseases associated with health disparities in Douglas County, Nebraska and in the United States. Currently there is a lack of information describing the impact of environmental factors in Nebraska on the burden of emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalizations related to these chronic respiratory (CR) diseases. The aim of this study was to determine if there is an association between the numbers of seasonal viral respiratory (SVR)- related ED visits, outdoor air pollutants, aeroallergens, or meteorological factors on the number of CR- related ED visits in Douglas County, Nebraska.

Methods: …

Ovalbumin-Sensitized Mice Have Altered Airway Inflammation To Agriculture Organic Dust, Kristi J. Warren, John D. Dickinson, Amy J. Nelson, Todd A. Wyatt, Debra J. Romberger, Jill A. Poole

Journal Articles: Internal Medicine

Agriculture exposures are associated with reducing the risk of allergy and asthma in early life; yet, repeated exposures later in life are associated with chronic bronchitis and obstructive pulmonary diseases. The objective of this study was to investigate the airway inflammatory response to organic dust extract (ODE) in mice with established ovalbumin (OVA)-induced experimental asthma. C57BL/6 mice were either OVA sensitized/aerosol-exposed or saline (Sal) sensitized/aerosol-challenged. Both groups were then subsequently challenged once with intranasal saline or swine confinement ODE to obtain 4 treatment groups of Sal-Sal, Sal-ODE, OVA-Sal, and OVA-ODE. Airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR) to methacholine, bronchiolar lavage fluid, lung tissues, …