Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Personalised Antimicrobial Dosing In Paediatric Cystic Fibrosis, Sahand Imani

Theses

Children with cystic fibrosis (CF) are predisposed to recurrent pulmonary exacerbations throughout their lifetime. This is characterised by an acute worsening of respiratory symptoms in the setting of bacterial infection and results in significant morbidity and mortality. Appropriate antimicrobial therapy is fundamental to management, in particular aminoglycoside antibiotics. Tobramycin is the preferred aminoglycoside of choice, usually administered intravenously for 7 to 14 days.

Tobramycin dosing can be challenging in patients with CF. This is due to the underlying pharmacokinetic derangements (e.g., volume of distribution, organ function) frequently observed in this population. Accordingly, the use of standard dosing (based on age …

Semaphorin-Plexin Signaling: From Axonal Guidance To A New X-Linked Intellectual Disability Syndrome, Jacqueline L Steele, Marwan S Shinawi, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Semaphorins and plexins are ligands and cell surface receptors that regulate multiple neurodevelopmental processes such as axonal growth and guidance. PLXNA3 is a plexin gene located on the X chromosome that encodes the most widely expressed plexin receptor in fetal brain, plexin-A3. Plexin-A3 knockout mice demonstrate its role in semaphorin signaling in vivo. The clinical manifestations of semaphorin/plexin neurodevelopmental disorders have been less widely explored. This study describes the neurological and neurodevelopmental phenotypes of boys with maternally inherited hemizygous PLXNA3 variants.

METHODS: Data-sharing through GeneDx and GeneMatcher allowed identification of individuals with autism or intellectual disabilities (autism/ID) and hemizygous …

Preventive Training Program Feedback Complexity, Movement Control, And Performance In Youth Athletes, Hayley J. Root, Eleanor M. Beltz, Julie P. Burland, Jessica C. Martinez, R. Curt Bay, Lindsay J. Distefano

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Context: Preventive training programs (PTPs) reduce injury risk by improving movement control. Corrective feedback is important; however, many cues at once may be too complicated for athletes.

Objective: To compare movement control and long-jump (LJ) changes in youth athletes participating in a season-long PTP, with simplified feedback, traditional feedback, or a warmup of the coaches' choosing.

Design: Cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Soccer fields.

Patients or Other Participants: A total of 420 athletes (simplified feedback = 173, traditional feedback = 118, and control = 129; age = 11 ± 3 years).

Intervention(s): Teams were randomized into the simplified PTP, traditional PTP, …

Mothers' Perceptions Of Their Children's Weight: Opportunity For Health Promotion In Kuwait, Abdullah Al-Taiar, Nawal Alqaoud, Reem Sharaf-Alddin, Muge Akpinar-Elci

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Mothers’ perceptions of their children’s weight remain mostly unknown in oil-rich countries of the Middle East.

Aims: To compare maternal perceptions of their children’s weight with actual body weight.

Methods: We used the Kuwait nutritional surveillance data for 5 consecutive years (2015-2019) (N = 5119), which were collected through face-to-face interviews with mothers of children aged 2-5 years attending vaccination centres.

Results: Of the 5119 mothers in the study, 163 (3.18%) and 332 (6.48%) had obese or overweight children, respectively. Among 4624 mothers who had normal weight children, 1350 (29.20%) perceived their children’s weight as …

Addressing Access And Installation Of Appropriate Child Safety Seats Within Fairfield County, Alexandra Sarkis

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Motor vehicle crashes account for a vast majority of all fatal injuries in children and adolescents. Child safety seats have been shown to reduce mortality from motor vehicle crashes greatly; however, several studies have demonstrated that as many as 9 out of 10 car seats are installed incorrectly. Given the evident reduction in mortality when using a child safety restraint appropriately, the goal of this project was to educate the community about proper car seat installation techniques and to provide additional resources for families interested in obtaining a car seat safety check within the county. An additional goal was to …

Trends In Stunting, Underweight And Overweight Among Children Aged < 5 Years In Kuwait: Findings From Kuwait Nutritional Surveillance System (2007-2019), Nawal Alqaoud, Abdullah Al-Taiar

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: There is a paucity of data on the secular trends of stunting and overweight among children aged < 5 years in oil-rich countries in the Middle East.

Aims: To examine the secular trends of stunting, underweight and overweight in children aged < 5 years in Kuwait between 2007 and 2019.

Methods: We used large individual data records (n=48 108) from the Kuwait Nutritional Surveillance System (KNSS) to calculate height/length-for-age z score (HAZ), weight-for-age z score and body mass index (BMI)-for-age z score using World Health Organization growth references. Stunting and underweight were defined as less than -2 standard deviation (SD) and overweight (including obesity) as ≥ 2 SD. Trends of stunting, underweight and overweight were …

Expression Variation Of Ogg1 And Hprt Gene And Dna Damage In Arsenic Exposed Industrial Workers, Zertashia Akram, Ishrat Mahjabeen, Muhammad Umair, Muhammad Fahim, Mahmood Akhter Kayani, Lulu Fatima, Malik Waqar Ahmad, Sarwat Jahan, Tayyaba Afsar, Ali Almajwal, Nawaf W. Alruwaili, Iftikhar Ali Khawar, Suhail Razak

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Arsenic exposure alters redox balance, induces DNA damage, and deregulates many genes. OGG1 gene involved in base repair mechanism, for excision of 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) from DNA formed as a result of accumulation of ROS in cell. HPRT gene encode transferase enzymes involved in purine recycling mechanism. The main focus of the study was to evaluate the expression variation in HPRT, OGG1 gene expression, and DNA damage of industrial workers. Blood samples of 300 occupational workers were collected from welding, brick kiln, furniture, pesticide, and paint industry (n = 60/industry) to evaluate the expression variation in HPRT, OGG1 gene expression, and …

Additive And Interactive Associations Of Environmental And Sociodemographic Factors With The Genotypes Of Three Glutathione S-Transferase Genes In Relation To The Blood Arsenic Concentrations Of Children In Jamaica, Mohammad H Rahbar, Maureen Samms-Vaughan, Yuansong Zhao, Sepideh Saroukhani, Sheikh F Zaman, Jan Bressler, Manouchehr Hessabi, Megan L Grove, Sydonnie Shakspeare-Pellington, Katherine A Loveland

Journal Articles

Arsenic (As) is a metalloid that has been classified as a xenobiotic with toxic effects on human beings, especially on children. Since the soil in Jamaica contains As, dietary intake is considered the main source of As exposure in Jamaicans. In addition, glutathione S-transferase (GST) genes, including

Barriers And Facilitators To Diabetes Screening And Prevention After A Pregnancy Complicated By Gestational Diabetes, Drishti D. Sinha, Roxann C. Williams, Laura N. Hollar, Hannah R. Lucas, Bethany Johnson-Javois, Heidi B. Miller, Amanda Stoermer, Graham A. Colditz, Aimee S. James, Cynthia J. Herrick

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is increasing in the United States, with higher rates among minoritized racial and ethnic populations and lower income populations. GDM increases risk for type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and postpartum diabetes screening and prevention are imperative. This qualitative study examines barriers and facilitators to postpartum T2DM screening and prevention among non-privately insured individuals with a history of GDM in a state prior to Medicaid expansion.

METHODS: Thirty-six non-privately insured women with a history of GDM completed semi-structured interviews. Four focus groups and seven interviews were conducted with 30 nurse practitioners, physicians, physician assistants, nurses and registered …

Donor Chimerism And Immune Reconstitution Following Haploidentical Transplantation In Sickle Cell Disease, Yaya Chu, Brenda Grossman, Shalini Shenoy, Et Al

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: We previously reported the initial results of a phase II multicenter transplant trial using haploidentical parental donors for children and aolescents with high-risk sickle cell disease achieving excellent survival with exceptionally low rates of graft-versus-host disease and resolution of sickle cell disease symptoms. To investigate human leukocyte antigen (HLA) sensitization, graft characteristics, donor chimerism, and immune reconstitution in these recipients.

METHODS: CD34 cells were enriched using the CliniMACS

RESULTS: HLA antibodies were detected in 7 of 11 (64%) evaluable patients but rarely were against donor antigens. Myeloid engraftment was rapid (100%) at a median of 9 days. At 30 …

Functional Tic-Like Presentations Differ Strikingly From Provisional Tic Disorder, Amanda L Arbuckle, Emily C Bihun, Bradley L Schlaggar, Kevin J Black

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Environmentally-Triggered Contraction Of The Norovirus Virion Determines Diarrheagenic Potential, Emily W Helm, Elizabeth A Kennedy, Megan T Baldridge, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Noroviruses are the leading cause of severe childhood diarrhea and foodborne disease worldwide. While they are a major cause of disease in all age groups, infections in the very young can be quite severe with annual estimates of 50,000-200,000 fatalities in children under 5 years old. In spite of the remarkable disease burden associated with norovirus infections in people, very little is known about the pathogenic mechanisms underlying norovirus diarrhea, principally because of the lack of tractable small animal models. We recently demonstrated that wild-type neonatal mice are susceptible to murine norovirus (MNV)-induced acute self-resolving diarrhea in a time course …

Stigma Towards Mental Illness And Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Adult And Child Psychiatrists In Hungary: A Cross-Sectional Study, Dorottya Őri, Péter Szocsics, Tamás Molnár, Fanni Virág Ralovich, Zsolt Huszár, Ágnes Bene, Sándor Rózsa, Zsuzsa Győrffy, György Purebl

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Stigma towards people with mental health problems is a growing issue across the world, to which healthcare providers might contribute. The aim of the present study was to explore psychiatrists' attitudes towards their patients and link them to psychosocial and professional factors.

METHODS: An online questionnaire was used to approach the in- and outpatient psychiatric services across Hungary. A total of 211 trainees and specialists in adult and child psychiatry participated in our study. Their overall stigmatizing attitudes were measured, with focus on attitude, disclosure and help-seeking, and social distance dimensions by using the self-report Opening Minds Stigma Scale …

Inclusion Of Children With Disabilities In Qualitative Health Research: A Scoping Review, Janet Njelesani, Vongai Mlambo, Tsedenia Denekew, Jean Hunleth

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Children with disabilities have the right to participate in health research so their priorities, needs, and experiences are included. Health research based primarily on adult report risks misrepresenting children with disabilities and their needs, and contributes to exclusion and a lack of diversity in the experiences being captured. Prioritizing the participation of children with disabilities enhances the relevance, meaningfulness, and impact of research.

METHODS: A scoping review was conducted to critically examine the participation of children with disabilities in qualitative health research. The electronic databases PubMed, PsychInfo, Embase, and Google Scholar were searched. Inclusion criteria included qualitative health studies …

Implementing Nih Behavior Change Consortium Treatment Fidelity Recommendations In A Multi-Site Randomized Controlled Trial Of An Active Music Engagement Intervention For Young Children With Cancer And Parents., Jessica A. Maclean, Kristin Stegenga, Amanda K. Henley, Sheri L. Robb

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Treatment fidelity is the use of methodological strategies to monitor and enhance reliability and validity of behavioral intervention trials. Despite availability of guidelines and checklists, treatment fidelity remains underreported, hindering evaluation, interpretation, and cross-study comparisons. Treatment fidelity is particularly important for music interventions given the inherent complexity of musical stimuli and flexibility required for tailored delivery. The purpose of this paper is to define and describe treatment fidelity strategies for our trial of a music-based play intervention for young children with cancer and parents grounded in the NIH Behavior Change Consortium Treatment Fidelity Recommendations. We report strategies for all 5 …