Digital Commons Network^™

A Reappraisal On The Use Of Mechanical Circulatory Support In Acute Coronary Syndrome And High-Risk Percutaneous Coronary Intervention—Lessons From Stemi-Dtu And Chip-Bcis3, Marwan F. Jumean, Mir Babar Basir, Biswajit Kar

Journal of Shock and Hemodynamics

None.

Relaxation Activities And The Effects Of Sleep Quality On High-Achieving Females, Kaitlynn Cusipag

InnovateHER Meeting 2026

The overall goal of this study was to help improve the sleep quality of high-achieving female high school students. This study’s goal was to determine whether the difficulty of crossword puzzles and coloring pages had an impact on sleep quality and stress levels. Sleep is crucial for the well-being and daily performance of teenagers

Prenatal Care, Pregnancy Risk, Birth Outcomes And The Role Of Neighborhood Characteristics, Monica Garcia-Perez Phd, Randy Huard Phd, Christopher Thoms Phd, David Tilstra Md

InnovateHER Meeting 2026

This study links 2024 CentraCare Health birth records with neighborhood census tract conditions from the National Neighborhood Data Archive (NaNDA, 2020/2021) to examine how place, prenatal care, and clinical risks influence birth outcomes in Central Minnesota. Neighborhood factors are standardized and paired with measures of prenatal-care adequacy and pregnancy-risk indicators in a series of multivariate linear models to explore their effect on birth outcomes. Analyses adjust for maternal demographics and clinical risks to identify independent neighborhood effects. A privacy-preserving, tract-linked dataset is also created to help local partners target high-need prevention areas.

Utilizing Remote Patient Monitoring With Dnp Students To Provide Pre-Natal Care, Sara Mccumber

InnovateHER Meeting 2026

This educational project introduced Nurse Practitioners to the use of RPM during pre-natal care for a patient with pre-natal hypertension. Hypertension is a risk factor in 16% of pregnancies and 5-8% of US births are impacted by hypertensive disorders and preeclampsia (CDC, 2023).

Identification and effective management of hypertension in pregnancy recently was an initiative of the Minnesota Perinatal Quality Collaborative (MPQC, 2022).

Difference Between Postural Sway, Functional Fitness, And Behavioral Measures In Older Adult Fallers & Non-Fallers, Olivia Maus, Rebecca Brandhorst, Andrea Geisenhof, Kyle Reason

InnovateHER Meeting 2026

BACKGROUND: Falls are among the leading causes of injury, hospitalization, and loss of independence among older adults. There is not enough research to determine how body composition, fitness, and postural sway affect balance.

METHODS: Participants completed surveys measuring behaviors around fall risk, assessment of body composition, postural sway, and functional fitness.

RESULTS: There was a significant difference between OF and ONF on the FES-I (p=0.05; d=-0.41) and the ABC-6 (p=0.008; d=0.57). There was significance on condition three of the mCTSIB (p=0.007; d=-.58), and composite score (p=0.04; d=-0.43).Significance between groups was approached on condition one of the mCTSIB (p=0.06; d=-0.39).

CONCLUSIONS: …

Improving Hormone Therapy Replacement Use Through Provider Education, Caitlin Schmidt, Jennifer Peterson

InnovateHER Meeting 2026

Menopausal symptoms significantly affect quality of life, yet hormone therapy (HRT) remains underutilized in primary care settings. This quality improvement project assessed whether a brief educational intervention could improve provider knowledge and prescribing confidence. A pre–post survey design revealed increased knowledge, greater guideline awareness, and heightened willingness to prescribe HRT following a 10–15 minute educational module.

Sex-Biased Intratumoral Microbiome Influences Tumor Molecular And Immune Landscape And Disease Outcomes, Yuting Shan, Yingbo Huang, Adam Lee, Radwa M. Elmorsi, Tuyen Phan, Indrajit Chaudhury, Tom Corbiere, Lindsey B. Collins, Elizabeth B. Hirsch, Benjamin A. Weinberg, Jennifer M. Johnson, Emmanuel S. Antonarakis, Emil Lou, R. Stephanie Huang

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

The intratumoral microbiome is increasingly recognized as a regulator of cancer biology, yet sex-specific patterns and their relevance to cancer disparities remain poorly understood. We perform a multi-kingdom analysis of more than 5,000 tumors from seven datasets to identify sex-differential microbial taxa across aerodigestive and gastrointestinal cancers. We identify and validate 22 taxa with consistent sex-biased abundance, including in real-world cohort. These microbes show cancer-type- and microbe-specific associations with tumor transcriptomes, oncogenic pathways, and immune cell infiltration. Female-enriched microbes are linked to increased estrogen signaling and interferon responses, whereas male-enriched taxa show opposing patterns. In gastric cancer, intratumoral Epstein-Barr virus …

Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia, Sarcoidosis, And The Ultimate Unmasking Of A Pheochromocytoma, Anusha U. Saga, Elizabeth Clark, Isaac R. Whitman

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

The pitfall of anchoring bias may contribute to diagnostic conundra. In this case, a patient with a history of systemic sarcoidosis presented to the electrophysiology clinic with palpitations. Rhythm monitoring revealed polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (PMVT). A diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis was presumed and pursued even though repeat cardiac imaging was negative. In the interim, the patient developed new hypertension, and the patient’s primary care provider screened the patient for pheochromocytoma. Despite the initial pursuit of a misdiagnosis in a patient with a high pretest probability for the wrong diagnosis, the pheochromocytoma was resected and the PMVT and hypertension was cured.

Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Discourse And Sentiment On Reddit Before And After Covid-19: Mixed Methods Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study, Marcin Marciniak, Sean A Setzen, Deeya Bhattacharya, Jamie Masliah, Robin Powszok, Erich M Sturgis, Vanessa C Stubbs, Mihir K Bhayani

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted virus that causes various oropharyngeal and anogenital cancers. The HPV vaccine provides protection against several strains of HPV and is a key preventative tool against HPV-related cancers; however, vaccination rates remain suboptimal in the United States due to variable state mandates and misperceptions of vaccine efficacy and risks. As social media becomes an increasingly popular avenue for health discussions, platforms such as Reddit offer opportunities to understand public vaccine discourse, particularly among underrepresented groups. Furthermore, vaccine hesitancy and mistrust generally increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially impacting HPV vaccination rates.

Objective: This …

Latest In Resuscitation Research: Highlights From The 2025 American Heart Association's Resuscitation Science Symposium, Caleb T Suh, Clark G Owyang, Lindsay Shepard, Betty Yang, Ryan W Morgan, Daniel M Rolston, Catherine R Counts, Tommaso Scquizzato, James Horowitz, Tatyana Shvilkina, Katherine Berg, Sam Parnia, Sanam Alilou, Catherine Swarts, Ryan A Coute, Lama A Ammar, William C Herring, Thomas Lederer, Joaquin Araos, Benjamin S Abella, Cameron Dezfulian, Sarah M Perman, Felipe Teran

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Association Of Polygenic Risk Scores With Aortic Valve Calcium: The Multi-Ethnic Study Of Atherosclerosis, Seamus P Whelton, Jie Yao, Clary Clish, Alexis C Wood, Kent D Taylor, Michael J Blaha, Matthew Budoff, Natalie Marrero, George Thanassoulis, Wendy S Post, Xiuqing Guo, Jerome I Rotter

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Aortic valve calcification (AVC) is the primary process leading to aortic stenosis. We examined whether polygenic risk scores (PRS) are associated with AVC beyond traditional atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Methods: We included 6812 participants in MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) with computed tomography-measured AVC at Visit 1. Using previously published PRS we calculated weighted PRS, standardized within each ancestry group. The cross-sectional association per 1 SD higher PRS with AVC >0 was examined using multivariable logistic regression modeling with Bonferroni correction. The mean age was 62 years old, 53% were female, and 913 (13.4%) had AVC >0 at …

Comments On The Rapid Access Chest Pain Assessment Clinic: An Australian Virtual Care Experience, Marwan Shawki, Ali H. Al-Fiadh

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

No abstract for this article type.

Comment On “Rapid Access Chest Pain Assessment Clinic: An Australian Virtual Care Experience”, Michael Gomes

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

No Abstract for this article type.

Advancing Lipid Management: Saudi Heart Association Position Statement On Pcsk9-Targeted Therapies In The Primary And Secondary Prevention Of Cardiovascular Disease, Waleed Alhabeeb, Hussein Alamri, Hussein Elbadawi, Yazed S. Alruthia, Waleed Alharbi, Owayed Alshammeri, Adel Tash, Shadi Almoziny, Naji Kholaif, Hussain Halawani, Fadia Almahdi, Wael Yar, Khalid F Alhabib

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Background: Despite robust evidence for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) prevention, attainment of guideline-recommended targets remains suboptimal in Saudi Arabia, especially among high- and very high-risk patients. Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 (PCSK9)-targeted therapies, which include monoclonal antibodies (evolocumab, alirocumab) and small interfering RNA (inclisiran), offer potent LDL-C lowering that can help address this gap.

Methods: The Saudi Heart Association (SHA) convened a multidisciplinary panel to review evidence from randomized controlled trials, real-world studies, and economic analyses on PCSK9-targeted therapies. Recommendations were developed through expert consensus, contextualized to the Saudi healthcare environment.

Results and conclusions: …

Safety And Efficacy Of Outpatient Thoracentesis: A Retrospective Analysis, Brooke Ruane, Msn, Crnp, Brian Schonewald, Md, Christine S. Shusted, Mph, Christopher Mcgrath, Md, Frances Mae West, Md, Prarthna Chandar, Md

Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine Posters

Objectives

• To examine the patient population, procedural indications, and clinical outcomes associated with a clinic-based outpatient thoracentesis program.
• To evaluate the safety, feasibility, and cost implications of an advanced practice provider (APP)-driven model for pleural effusion management.

Cohort Study Of Opioid Utilization In Post-Tonsillectomy Pediatric Patients, Sainiteesh Maddineni, Varun Vendra, Hareem Khan, Noor Ali, Tulio Valdez, Anna Messner, Iram Ahmad

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objectives: Prospective observational cohort study at a tertiary care academic center to evaluate the post-operative use of oxycodone in pediatric tonsillectomy patients and caregiver knowledge of opioid disposal.

Methods: Pediatric patients 6-18 years old undergoing tonsillectomy were enrolled. Patients were excluded if they required prolonged inpatient care, had a history of organ transplantation, chronic pain or narcotic use, congenital or chromosomal disorders, inability to take acetaminophen or ibuprofen, and other significant medical diagnoses that could potentially alter postoperative pain management. All patients were prescribed a standard amount of oxycodone to be used for breakthrough pain in addition to ibuprofen and …

Investigating Racial Differences In The Receipt Of Antenatal Interventions Prior To Periviable Delivery, Niurka Monteserin, Whitney Bender

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine (SMFM) provides guidance on the use of antenatal corticosteroids, antibiotics, and cesarean delivery in the periviable period. Although racial differences exist in postnatal active management of periviable neonates have been described, less is known about racial differences in antenatal interventions preceding delivery.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate differences in the receipt of antenatal interventions before periviable delivery by birthing parent race.

METHODS:  We conducted a population-based cohort study using the National Center for Health Statistics database including periviable deliveries (20w0d-25w6d) from 2016-2021. Individuals delivering a non-anomalous live singleton gestation in a hospital were included. Births …

Demystifying Longitudinal Melanonychia: Low-Cost 3d-Printed Nail Models For Patient Education, Nuran C. Golbasi, Zachary J.K. Neubauer, Nataliedeana Badillo, Shari R. Lipner

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

No abstract provided.

Use Of Tyrx Antibacterial Envelope In Inflatable Penile Prosthesis Surgery: A Prospective Pilot Study., Jack T. Rifkin, Julia A. Baran, Brian H. Im, Tej J. Desai, Jordan Dehoratius, Oleksandr Kolesnikov, Paul Chung

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Infection remains a major concern in inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) surgery. Medtronic's TYRX Absorbable Antibacterial Envelope is a polypropylene mesh pocket delivering minocycline and rifampin for 7 days and fully absorbing in 9 weeks. It is currently FDA-approved for use with cardiac pacemakers and neuromodulation devices. There is no indication for use in IPP surgeries, particularly for enveloping the scrotal pump during implantation.

AIM: This pilot study evaluates the feasibility, safety, and early patient-reported outcomes with the use of the absorbable antibacterial envelope during IPP surgery.

METHODS: Fifteen men who underwent primary or revision IPP placement by a single …

Rhythms Of Hippocampal Function And Memory After Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure, Lilliana May Sanchez

Psychology ETDs

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders involve morphologic and neurobiological abnormalities in offspring subjected to prenatal alcohol exposure. Although not as well studied as high exposure, moderate prenatal alcohol exposure represents the most common and undetected form in humans. While learning and memory deficits have been well characterized at the behavioral level in humans with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and in animal models of moderate prenatal alcohol exposure, few studies have determined the circuit or systems level mechanisms of the behavioral deficits. A complete understanding of the neural bases of memory deficits after moderate prenatal alcohol exposure is needed to ultimately identify …

Urobiome Composition Varies With Vesicoureteral Reflux Grade And History Of Febrile Urinary Tract Infection, Theresa C. Barrett, Kelvin Li, Adam Fitch, Asha Patel, Bhanu Sharma, Jacqueline Holden, Kermina Abdelsayed, Nina N. Kowalewski, Sridhar Narla, Daniel Bushnell, Barbara A. Methé, Catherine S. Forster

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is a risk factor for urinary tract infection (UTI). However, data describing the urobiome in children with VUR are limited. Here, we characterized the urobiome in children with and without VUR to better understand its potential role in VUR pathogenesis. Catheterized urine samples were obtained from children who presented for voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) between 12/1/2020 and 10/3/2023. Children were excluded if they had any surgical procedures of the genitourinary tract in the 30 days prior to VCUG or were on treatment antibiotics at the time of VCUG. 16S rRNA gene sequencing and taxonomical classification identified the urobiome. …

Pediatric Home-Based Hospice And Palliative Care: A Scoping Review, Ellen Davis, Daniel H Grossoehme, Toluwalase Ajayi, Justin N Baker, Pamela S Hinds, Lisa Humphrey, Jill Ann Jarrell, Rachel Thienprayoon, Sarah Friebert

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Pediatric palliative and/or hospice care is provided across a broad spectrum of settings, ranging from inpatient to outpatient to a child's home. Pediatric home-based hospice and/or palliative care teams offer a specialized, interdisciplinary approach to care, allowing children to stay in the home while offering comprehensive support. This scoping review seeks to summarize what is known about pediatric home-based hospice and/or palliative care and to identify gaps in the current research. Following Arskey and O'Malley's scoping review framework, we searched four databases for studies focused on pediatric home-based hospice and/or palliative care programs. Studies were included if they were published …

Pneumomlpred: Innovating Pneumonia Management With Guideline Adherence Review And Explainable Machine Learning-Based Mortality Prediction - A Single-Centre Retrospective Study, Kamel A. Samara, Hiba Jawdat Barqawi, Saryia Adra, Batool Aldaher, Drishti D. Kampani, Enad Haddad, Hebah Soudan, Islam Ibrahim Anwar, Mohamad Besher Adi, Omar Hamadi, Yumna Almour, Mohamed Nassef, Zaher Al Aghbari, Eman Abu-Gharbieh

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Introduction: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the leading causes of death globally. Changing antibiotic resistance profiles, paucity of reliable CAP mortality prediction models, and ageing populations will increase its burden. This study aims to evaluate adherence to CAP management guidelines as well as develop an ML-based mortality prediction model.

Methods: This retrospective, chart review included all CAP cases between 2016 and 2021. Variables collected included patients' demographics, comorbidities, vitals, laboratory, imaging, and culture findings, as well as initial and targeted antibiotic regimens. Data was pre-processed and analysed in python-3. Adherence to the American thoracic society/infectious diseases society of America …

Poly(Adp-Ribose) Polymerase Inhibitor Maintenance Therapy In Ovarian Cancer: A Single-Center Retrospective Study., Sydney Pence, Kayla Dyson, Kristen Waters, John O Elliott, Kellie Rath, Stuart Pierce, Amy Harper, Corinne Calo, Aine E Clements

OhioHealth Research Institute Articles

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness and tolerability of PARPi maintenance in a real-world patient population. Specifically, to assess duration of PARPi, the rate of secondary malignancies, rate of side effects, and survival.

METHODS: A retrospective review of patients with ovarian, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal cancer at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio was performed. All patients diagnosed since March 2015 were reviewed for eligibility. Data was collected via EMR query and stored in REDCap. Charts were reviewed for multiple data points, including duration of PARPi use, side effects, secondary malignancies, survival, and recurrence. Data were reported descriptively with …

Level Of Comfort And Barriers To Pediatric Vaccination Among Pharmacy-Based Immunizers In California, Laressa Bethishou, Karl Hess, Richard Beuttler, Jeffery Goad

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Pharmacists are increasingly recognized as accessible immunizers, yet pediatric vaccination rates in community pharmacies remain lower than those for adults, likely due to unique barriers. This study aimed to assess the comfort level of pharmacy-based immunizers in California with administering vaccines to pediatric patients and to identify barriers limiting their participation in pediatric immunization.

Methods

An IRB-approved, cross-sectional survey was distributed electronically to pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians administering vaccines in California community pharmacies between November 2022 and February 2023. The survey measured comfort with vaccinating pediatric age groups, perceived barriers, and collected demographic data. Data analysis included …

Quality Improvement (Qi) Project Aimed At Reducing Unnecessary Antibiotic Usage Among Older Adult Patients By Addressing Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescribing In Primary And Long-Term Care Settings, Pamela M. Thomas

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Antibiotic overuse among older adults remains a significant patient safety and public health concern. Recent national data indicate that approximately 30%–50% of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions may be unnecessary, particularly for viral or self-limiting conditions (Chua et al., 2021). Antimicrobial resistance has been associated with more than 1.27 million deaths globally (Murray et al., 2022). This quality improvement project evaluated a multifaceted antimicrobial stewardship intervention in primary and long-term care settings. Baseline review of 167 antibiotic cases revealed 37.1% were inappropriate or questionable, and 28.7% lacked adequate diagnostic documentation. The intervention incorporated provider education, electronic health record decision-support tools, audit and …

Multiple Interest Holder Perspectives Of The True Grit Sci Residential Program: A Mixed Methods Program Evaluation, Keara Mcnair

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Young adults with spinal cord injury (SCI) face significant challenges during the transition to adulthood, including barriers to independence, community participation, and psychosocial adjustment (Ingimarsdóttir et al., 2023; Zebracki et al., 2010). Current rehabilitation models in the United States prioritize short-term physical recovery and offer limited support for the developmental and contextual needs that shape long-term outcomes after SCI, particularly during transitions from inpatient rehabilitation to the community (Anderson et al., 2024; Bryden & Gran, 2024). Community-based programs may help address these gaps, though few have been rigorously evaluated using implementation science frameworks that attend to health equity, contextual influences, …

The Contribution Of Psychophysiological Stress Factors On Muscle Cramp Susceptibility, Lauren D. Levine

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Exercise-associated muscle cramps (EAMCs) are painful phenomenon that involves involuntary muscle spasms occurring during physical activity or directly after. 1 The landscape of the research on EAMC etiology has expanded from focusing on a single prevailing cause (e.g., hydration status) to a more holistic approach of how numerous factors contribute to the onset of neuromuscular fatigue, and the significance of each factor in those who suffer from EAMC. Following the multifactorial theory of cramp pathophysiology, this research sought to advance the knowledge of cramp susceptibility by investigating if there is a relationship between common psychophysiological factors like high anxiety, sleep …

Enhancing Psychosocial Well-Being And Quality Of Life In Parkinson’S Disease: Integrating Patient Experiences And Physical Therapists’ Expertise, Adetayo Adeoti Babarinde

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by a wide range of non-motor symptoms that often affect the quality of life of persons with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD) even more profoundly than the motor symptoms typically associated with the condition. These non-motor symptoms include olfactory and gastrointestinal dysfunction, cognitive impairments, sleep disturbances, and psychological and social concerns. Psychosocial concerns include the mental, emotional, and social impact of PD on an individual’s functioning and, overall well-being. They reflect the interplay between symptoms of the disease, psychological development and functioning, personal relationships, and environmental factors. Mental health and psychosocial concerns such as depression, anxiety, fear …

Correlation Of Buccolingual Angulation Of Posterior Teeth And Transverse Skeletal Width In Adult Orthodontic Patients: A Retrospective Cbct Study, Anya T. Hatfield

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Objective:

Accurate evaluation of transverse skeletal relationships is essential for orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning. Dentition may compensate for skeletal discrepancies through buccolingual tipping of posterior teeth, potentially masking underlying transverse imbalance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between transverse skeletal width and posterior tooth angulation using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Methods:

Sixty-six pre-orthodontic adult CBCT scans were analyzed. Maxillary and mandibular transverse skeletal widths were measured at the level of the first molar furcation using buccal cortical plate– to–buccal cortical plate landmarks. Buccolingual angulation of the first and second premolars and first and second molars …