Digital Commons Network^™

Geographic Distribution Of Infant Death During Birth Hospitalization And Maternal Group B Streptococcus Colonization: Eastern Wisconsin, Jessica J.F. Kram, Dennis J. Baumgardner, Kiley A. Bernhard, Melissa A. Lemke

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Background: Neonatal death rate in the United States is 4/1,000 live births; infant death rate is 6/1,000. Group B Streptococcus (GBS) may be transmitted from a colonized mother (rates vary from 15% to 35%) to the newborn during a vaginal delivery, and may contribute to neonatal death.

Purpose: To explore the geographic distribution and associated risk factors for maternal GBS colonization and infant death prior to discharge in eastern Wisconsin births.

Methods: Retrospective study of institutional data from PeriData.net, a comprehensive birth registry, utilizing data from 2007 through 2013 at all Aurora medical centers. Categorical variables were analyzed with chi-square …

The Lived Experience Of Observant Jewish Nursing Students: A Phenomenological Study, Toby Bressler

Theses & Dissertations

Background: With expanding cultural diversity in the United States (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2009), it is essential to increase the diversity of the nursing profession to match the patients who are being cared for in our healthcare system (IOM, 2003; Sullivan Commission, 2004). Despite improvements to the demographic composition of the nursing workforce in recent decades, the nursing workforce has remained predominantly homogeneous and to meet the current and future health needs of the public while providing culturally relevant care, the nursing workforce needs to increase its diversity (IOM, 2010). This demographic shift creates a social imperative …

Patient Leadership: Taking Patient Experience To The Next Level?, David Mcnally, Steve Sharples, Georgina Craig, Dr Anita Goraya, Frcgp

Patient Experience Journal

NHS England commissioned the project described in this article to explore how patients and carers can, acting as leaders, make a real difference in improving experience of care. The work was carried out on a collaborative basis, co-designing the scope of the research with patient leaders and commissioners. We gathered case examples across England that had involved patient leaders in using patient and carer feedback to improve experience of care. A Patient Leaders Expert Advisory Group selected four case examples that were visited to undertake a more detailed study and subsequently discussed and agreed the key learning points and conclusions. …

Results Of A Health Education Message Intervention On Hpv Knowledge And Receipt Of Follow-Up Care Among Latinas Infected With High-Risk Human Papillomavirus, Maureen Sanderson, Dineo Khabele, Claudine L. Brown, Khalil Harbi, Leah R. Alexander, Ann L. Coker, Maria E. Fernandez, Heather M. Brandt, Mary K. Fadden, Pamela C. Hull

Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Publications

A clinic-based intervention study was conducted among high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV)-infected Latinas aged 18-64 years between April 2006 and May 2008 on the Texas-Mexico border. Women were randomly assigned to receive a printed material intervention (n=186) or usual care (n=187) and were followed at three months, six months, and 12 months through telephone surveys and review of medical records. The HPV knowledge of nearly all women had increased greatly, but only two-thirds of women reported they had received follow-up care within one year of diagnosis regardless of additional health education messaging. Our findings suggest that, regardless of type of health …

Medical Tourism: How Far Are You Willing To Go To Save Money?, Thomas J. Prinsen, Louis K. Falk, Javier Martinez

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Medical needs of Americans are increasing as the population is aging and struggling with obesity. The addition of new medical technology and techniques, their widespread availability, and procedural improvements have created a more open market for medical providers. Costly procedures in cardiology and orthopedics serve as examples of increasingly needed medical treatments. Individuals, businesses and insurance companies have struggled to find ways to pay for these necessary procedures. Traditionally, in the U.S. the majority of medical procedures have been performed locally. Because of the rising costs associated with these procedures individuals and some healthcare providers are now looking to foreign …

'At-Risk' Places: Inequaties In The Distribution Of Environmental Stressors And Prescription Rates Of Mental Health Medications In Glasgow, Scotland, Juliana A. Maantay, Andrew Maroko

Publications and Research

Using geospatial analytical methods, this study examines the association between one aspect of the built environment, namely, the concentration of vacant and derelict land (VDL), and the prevalence of mental health disorders (using the proxy variable of mental health medication prescription rates) in Glasgow, Scotland. This study builds on our previous research, which demonstrated the spatial correspondence between the locations of VDL in Glasgow and several physical health outcomes. Numerous studies of other locales have found similar correspondence between different elements of the built environment and various health outcomes. This is the first study of its kind to look at …

Applying Voronoi Tessellations As A Non-Orthogonal Grid Methodology To Inform Public-Private Mix Efforts In Nigeria: An Examination Of The Distribution Of Private Healthcare Providers In Six States And The Covariates Underlying Their Utilization, Trinadh Dontamsetti

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

TB care and prevention is led by the public sector, but many TB symptomatics first seek care in the private sector, highlighting the importance of engaging these facilities. This report examines basic TB epidemiology (such as the gap in case finding that could be addressed in part via private sector activities), health-seeking behaviors (HSB) and diagnostic delays, the size of the private sector, activities of professional societies, and financing. It examines the potential utility of integrating Voronoi tessellations as a GIS-based method for informing and improving Public-Private Mix (PPM) efforts throughout six states in Nigeria. Further, it explores a potential …

2015 Program, Office Of Academic Affairs

Programs

A university is more than an amalgamation of several colleges. It also is an organization which celebrates the full richness of faculty contributions including those vital and exciting contributions in research, scholarship and creative activity within their disciplines. These contributions come in many forms: journal articles, book chapters, monographs, art works, music compositions, performances of many varieties and a host of others. Funded research contributions are similarly varied. Through such activities, faculty members stay at the growing edges of their fields, and in so doing, they enrich their intellectual lives as well as those of their students.

Once again, I …

“Skin-Out” Health Care Research: A Case For Community-Based Outcomes Studies, Robert Walker, Md

Marshall Journal of Medicine

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Quality Health Services And Discussion About Birth Spacing In Postpartum Contraceptive Use In Sindh, Pakistan: A Multilevel Analysis, Hannah Tappis, Anis Kazi, Waqas Hameed, Zaib Dahar, Anayat Ali, Sohail Agha

Community Health Sciences

Introduction: Rapid population growth, stagnant contraceptive prevalence, and high unmet need for family planning present significant challenges for meeting Pakistan's national and international development goals. Although health behaviors are shaped by multiple social and environmental factors, research on contraceptive uptake in Pakistan has focused on individual and household determinants, and little attention has been given to community characteristics that may affect access to services and reproductive behavior.
Methods: Individual and community determinants of contraceptive use were identified using multivariable multilevel logistic regression to analyze data from a 2014 cross-sectional survey of 6,200 mothers in 503 communities in Sindh, Pakistan.
Results: …

Genestation 1.0: A Synthetic Resource Of Diverse Evolutionary And Functional Genomic Data For Studying The Evolution Of Pregnancy-Associated Tissues And Phenotypes, Mara Kim, Brian A. Cooper, Rohit Venkat, Julie B. Phillips, Haley R. Eidem, Jibril Hirbo, Sashank Nutakki, Scott M. Williams, Louis J. Muglia, J. Anthony Capra, Kenneth Petren, Patrick Abbot, Antonis Rokas, Kriston L. Mcgary

Dartmouth Scholarship

Mammalian gestation and pregnancy are fast evolving processes that involve the interaction of the fetal, maternal and paternal genomes. Version 1.0 of the GEneSTATION database (http://genestation.org) integrates diverse types of omics data across mammals to advance understanding of the genetic basis of gestation and pregnancy-associated phenotypes and to accelerate the translation of discoveries from model organisms to humans. GEneSTATION is built using tools from the Generic Model Organism Database project, including the biology-aware database CHADO, new tools for rapid data integration, and algorithms that streamline synthesis and user access. GEneSTATION contains curated life history information on pregnancy and …

A Phenomic Scan Of The Norfolk Island Genetic Isolate Identifies A Major Pleiotropic Effect Locus Associated With Metabolic And Renal Disorder Markers, Miles C. Benton, Rodney A. Lea, Donia Macartney-Coxson, Michelle Hanna, David A. Eccles, Melanie A. Carless, Claire Bellis, Harald H. H. Goring, Joanne E. Curran, John Blangero

School of Medicine Publications

Multiphenotype genome-wide association studies (GWAS) may reveal pleiotropic genes, which would remain undetected using single phenotype analyses. Analysis of large pedigrees offers the added advantage of more accurately assessing trait heritability, which can help prioritise genetically influenced phenotypes for GWAS analysis. In this study we performed a principal component analysis (PCA), heritability (h2) estimation and pedigree-based GWAS of 37 cardiovascular disease -related phenotypes in 330 related individuals forming a large pedigree from the Norfolk Island genetic isolate. PCA revealed 13 components explaining >75% of the total variance. Nine components yielded statistically significant h2 values ranging from 0.22 to 0.54 (P<0.05). The most heritable component was loaded with 7 phenotypic measures reflecting metabolic and renal dysfunction. A GWAS of this composite phenotype revealed statistically significant associations for 3 adjacent SNPs on chromosome 1p22.2 (P<1x10-8). These SNPs form a 42kb haplotype block and explain 11% of the genetic variance for this renal function phenotype. Replication analysis of the tagging SNP (rs1396315) in an independent US cohort supports the association (P = 0.000011). Blood transcript analysis showed 35 genes were associated with rs1396315 (P<0.05). Gene set enrichment analysis of these genes revealed the most enriched pathway was purine metabolism (P = 0.0015). Overall, our findings provide convincing evidence for a major pleiotropic effect locus on chromosome 1p22.2 influencing risk of renal dysfunction via purine metabolism pathways in the Norfolk Island population. Further studies are now warranted to interrogate the functional relevance of this locus in terms of renal pathology and cardiovascular disease risk.

The Trial Of Calcium And Vitamin D For The Prevention Of Colorectal Adenomas, John A. Baron, Elizabeth L. Barry, Leila A. Mott, Judy R. Rees

Dartmouth Scholarship

BACKGROUND Epidemiologic and preclinical data suggest that higher intake and serum levels of vitamin D and higher intake of calcium reduce the risk of colorectal neoplasia. To further study the chemopreventive potential of these nutrients, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of supplementation with vitamin D, calcium, or both for the prevention of colorectal adenomas. METHODS We recruited patients with recently diagnosed adenomas and no known colorectal polyps remaining after complete colonoscopy. We randomly assigned 2259 participants to receive daily vitamin D3 (1000 IU), calcium as carbonate (1200 mg), both, or neither in a partial 2Å~2 factorial design. Women …

Racial Disparities In Intravenous Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator Use Persist At Primary Stroke Centers., Hugo J. Aparicio, Brendan G. Carr, Scott E. Kasner, Michael J. Kallan, Karen C. Albright, Dawn O. Kleindorfer, Michael T. Mullen

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Primary stroke centers (PSCs) utilize more recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) than non-PSCs. The impact of PSCs on racial disparities in rt-PA use is unknown.

METHODS AND RESULTS: We used data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2004 to 2010, limited to states that publicly reported hospital identity and race. Hospitals certified as PSCs by The Joint Commission were identified. Adults with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke were analyzed. Rt-PA use was defined by the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision procedure code 99.10. Discharges (304 152 patients) from 26 states met eligibility criteria, and of these 71.5% were …

Exploring Ecosystems And Health By Shifting To A Regional Focus: Perspectives From The Oceania Ecohealth Chapter, Jonathan Kingsley, Rebecca Patrick, Pierre Horwitz, Margot Parkes, Aaron Jenkins, Charles Massy, Claire Henderson-Wilson, Kerry Arabena

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This article highlights contributions that can be made to the public health field by incorporating “ecosystem approaches to health” to tackle future environmental and health challenges at a regional level. This qualitative research reviews attitudes and understandings of the relationship between public health and the environment and the priorities, aspirations and challenges of a newly established group (the Oceania EcoHealth Chapter) who are attempting to promote these principles. Ten semi-structured interviews with Oceania EcoHealth Chapter members highlighted the important role such groups can play in informing organisations working in the Oceania region to improve both public health and environmental outcomes …

Hurdles To Health: An Exploration Of The Social Determinants That Affect Attitudes Toward Hpv Vaccination In Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, Megan Rogers

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 2014, the Brazilian government began supplying free, preventative human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines for girls between the ages of 9 and 13. This public health campaign has the potential to greatly reduce the high HPV infection rate in Brazil, but without targeted education and information to supplement this medical intervention the program is predicted to have a smaller impact. This study aims to assess how well information about the HPV vaccine is currently reaching young Brazilian girls and their families. Data was gathered by interviewing professionals who work in STD education, women’s issues, and healthcare advocacy, as well as one …

Toward A Deeper Understanding Of Disability: Physical Therapy Educators’ Reflections, Clarence Chan, Debra Engel, Jacqueline Ross

Publications and Research

This article describes the unique journey both of a blind student in our Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) Program and of the faculty who taught him as they all navigated through uncharted territories. Despite the fact that the physical therapy profession trains practitioners to help clients with disabilities to maximize their physical function and teaches them how to adapt to the challenges of daily activity, we initially assumed that a blind student would not be able to complete the program or be able to become a self-sufficient practitioner. We were very wrong. This article describes our learning process over the course …

Child Nutrition And Fitness In Switzerland And The United Kingdom: Analyzing Preventative Solutions For The Developing Obesity And Diabetes Crises, Nicolas Selemon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The current study takes a novel approach to analyzing how child nutrition and fitness can be used as preventative measures to solve the ongoing crises of obesity and diabetes. A comparison case-study between two stereotypically different European nations, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, was utilized to address how nutrition and fitness education, policy, culture and programs affect the health of the country. Each nation was analyzed comprehensively, accounting for dietary and exercise practices from infant stages to adolescence. Personal interviews with experts in the fields of breastfeeding, nutrition and fitness provided the main sources of information. Primary research was supplemented …

The Role Of Place In Explaining Racial Heterogeneity In Cognitive Outcomes Among Older Adults, Sze Yan Liu, M Maria Glymou, Laura B. Zahodne, Christopher Weiss, Jennifer J. Manly

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Racially patterned disadvantage in Southern states, especially during the formative years of primary school, may contribute to enduring disparities in adult cognitive outcomes. Drawing on a lifecourse perspective, we examine whether state of school attendance affects cognitive outcomes in older adults and partially contributes to persistent racial disparities. Using data from older African American and white participants in the national Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the New York based Washington Heights Inwood Cognitive Aging Project (WHICAP), we estimated age-and gender-adjusted multilevel models with random effects for states predicting years of education and cognitive outcomes (e.g., memory and vocabulary). We …

Research: South Dakota State University, Fall 2015, Christie Delfanian, Emily Weber

State of Discovery South Dakota State University's Research Magazine

CONTENTS:

Pine Ridge Elders to educate peers about wills, advanced care planning [Page] 2
Diversity: Teaching diverse learners requires responsiveness to students' needs [Page] 3
Renaissance writers address social values still relevant today [Page] 5
Forest fire expert helps Indonesians assess carbon emissions [Page] 7
Diagnostic tests key to controlling swine virus [Page] 9
Experience, networking fuel wastewater filtration research [Page] 9
Breast-feeding friendly climate benefits businesses, communities [Page] 10
Dairy scientist harness power of milk protein [Page] 11
Pharmacists' study helps prevent antibiotic-induced kidney failure [Page] 11
Plants exchange carbohydrates for nitrogen, phosphorus from mycorrhizal fungi [Page] 12

The Impact Of Changing Lake Levels On Property Values: A Hedonic Model Of Lake Thurmond, Lori Dickes, Elizabeth L. Crouch

Faculty Publications

This study uses hedonic pricing models to examine the relationship between lake levels and property values for properties adjacent to Lake Thurmond. Lake Thurmond is located along the Savannah River Basin, bordering Georgia and South Carolina. Of the 1,030 properties from 2000-2009 for which data was reliable and available, 388 were lake front homes. The model of the effect of lake level on sales prices also includes home characteristics, home condition variables, lake attributes, and macroeconomic control variables. Results reveal a statistically significant change in sales price when the lake is closer to full pool. Results confirm that declining Lake …

The Conceptualization Of Self-Identity Among Residents Of Appalachia Ohio, Jessica L. Krok-Schoen, Angela L. Palmer-Wackerly, Phokeng M. Dailey, Janice L. Krieger

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Social identity and its association to culture, place, and health is an important, but understudied, area of research. One social group that illustrates this connection between place and identity is people living in Appalachia. This exploratory mixed-method study investigates the appropriateness of the self-concept of Ohio Appalachian adults with cancer as “Appalachian,” the context associated with that identity and its association with community identification, rural identity, Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) status, demographic data, and clinical trial (CT) enrollment. Forty-nine adults with cancer residing in Appalachia were recruited. Participants were cancer patients who (1) were offered a randomized clinical cancer trial; …

Racial And Socioeconomic Disparities In Melanoma Incidence Rates In Georgia: 2000-2011, Marybeth Culp, Sara W. Robb, A. R. Bayakly, John E. Vena

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: The objective of this research was to investigate melanoma incidence rates and health outcomes in Georgia over time and by race, socio-economic status (SES), and gender.

Methods: Age-adjusted melanoma incidence rates were obtained from the Georgia Comprehensive Cancer Registry SEER*Stat Database (2000-2011). To compare incidence rates across counties, and public health districts and by race, SES and gender, maps were generated using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). A cluster analysis was performed by use of SaTScan, and maps were created to visualize clusters of melanoma cases.

Results: In Georgia, from 2000-2011, age-adjusted incidence rates for melanoma were higher among Whites …

Use Of Geographical Information Systems To Identify Counties In Georgia With High Risk For Childhood Lead Poisoning, R. Christopher Rustin, Christy Kuriatnyk, Byron Lobsinger, Simone Charles

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: For children in Georgia, lead poisoning is a substantial public health problem. Primary risk factors include low socioeconomic status and poor-quality housing built prior to 1978. The Environmental Health Team of the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) utilized geographical information system (GIS) technology and census housing data to identify counties in which children have high risk for lead poisoning. The purpose of this research was to update and refine previous maps developed with older technology and on a different geographic scale so that targeted public health interventions can be developed.

Methods: Data related to stratified and median housing …

Evaluation Of Soil As A Risk Indicator For Human Leptospirosis In Coastal, Rural Ecuador, Chad Allen Weddell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic spirochete bacteria (family Leptospiraceae, genus Leptospira), is endemic in developing tropical regions of the world. It occurs in epidemics and is endemic in Ecuador where environmental conditions are ideal for maintenance. The role of soil as a long term reservoir has been previously been documented. Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) technology was used in our study to further explore the role of soil as an environmental reservoir and its potential use as a static risk indicator for disease. Red, Green, Blue (RGB) spectral band data from known leptospire …

A Multiscale Mapping Assessment Of Lake Champlain Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms, Nathan Torbick, Megan Corbiere, Yu-Pin Lin

Dartmouth Scholarship

Lake Champlain has bays undergoing chronic cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms that pose a public health threat. Monitoring and assessment tools need to be developed to support risk decision making and to gain a thorough understanding of bloom scales and intensities. In this research application, Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), Rapid Eye, and Proba Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (CHRIS) images were obtained while a corresponding field campaign collected in situ measurements of water quality. Models including empirical band ratio regressions were applied to map chlorophylla and phycocyanin concentrations; all sensors performed well with R² and root-mean-square error (RMSE) ranging …

Homo Naledi, A New Species Of The Genus Homo From The Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa, Lee R. Berger, John Hawks, Darryl J. De Ruiter, Steven E. Churchill, Peter Schmid, Lucas K. Delezene, Tracy L. Kivell, Heather M. Garvin, Scott A. Williams, Jeremy M. Desilva, Matthew M. Skinner, Charles M. Musiba, Noel Cameron, Trenton W. Holliday, William Harcourt-Smith, Rebecca R. Ackermann, Markus Bastir, Barry Bogin, Debra Bolter, Juliet Brophy, Zachary D. Cofran, Kimberly A. Congdon, Andrew S. Deane, Mana Dembo, Michelle Drapeau, Marina C. Elliott, Elen M. Feuerriegel, Daniel Garcia-Martinez, David J. Green, Alia Gurtov, Joel D. Irish, Ashley Kruger, Myra F. Laird, Damiano Marchi, Marc R. Meyer, Shahed Nalla, Enquye W. Negash, Caley M. Orr, Davorka Radovcic, Lauren Schroeder, Jill E. Scott, Zachary Throckmorton, Matthew W. Tocheri, Caroline Vansickle, Christopher S. Walker, Pianpian Wei, Bernhard Zipfel

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

Homo naledi is a previously-unknown species of extinct hominin discovered within the Dinaledi Chamber of the Rising Star cave system, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa. This species is characterized by body mass and stature similar to small-bodied human populations but a small endocranial volume similar to australopiths. Cranial morphology of H. naledi is unique, but most similar to early Homo species including Homo erectus, Homo habilis or Homo rudolfensis. While primitive, the dentition is generally small and simple in occlusal morphology. H. naledi has humanlike manipulatory adaptations of the hand and wrist. It also exhibits a humanlike foot …

September 2, 2015, Communication Disorders & Sciences

Faculty Meeting Minutes & Agendas

No abstract provided.

Wdph Summer Internship Report, Samantha Arsenault

Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise

The Mosakowski Institute is working with the Worcester Division of Public Health (DPH) in an effort that merges classroom skills and real world experience to improve the health of the Greater Worcester community. During the summer of 2015, thirteen Clark students interned with the DPH working on five projects that advanced goals of the Community Health Improvement Plans in the areas of healthy eating and activing living; substance abuse and mental health; health equity and health disparities; violence prevention, and more. More information about the summer 2015 internship projects can be found in the report.

Promoting Active Living In Rural Communities, Anush Yousefian Hansen Ms, Ma, David Hartley Phd, Mha

Population Health

This brief summarizes current research on elements of the rural built environment that may be related to obesity or physical activity. Much of this research is qualitative in nature, including evidence and conclusions drawn from rural focus groups, PhotoVoice studies, policy statements, observations from the field, and lessons learned from rural active living interventions.