Digital Commons Network^™

Art, Advocacy & A Path Forward, J. R. Franco Dds

Metro Denver Dental Society Articulator Magazine

MDDS President J.R. Franco reflects on the personal experiences, family history and art that shaped his views on justice, patient advocacy and the role of dentists as healers. He connects evidence-based, prevention-focused care with the responsibility of dental professionals to advocate for patients and meaningful change through organized dentistry.

The History Of Communal Water Fluoridation And Its Continued Safe And Efficacious Use Today, William J. Maloney

Bulletin of the Ninth District Dental Association

The profession of dentistry consistently strives to better the oral and dental conditions of people throughout the world. This is accomplished in a variety of ways- improving dental materials, refining and developing new technologies and educating the public on matters which affect their health. In order to achieve these beneficent goals dentistry relies on evidence-based facts and science.

Unfortunately, there will always be a segment of society which puts forth assertions that are not based on solid evidence. Communal water fluoridation has been a safe and effective public health effort to decrease humanity’s suffering from dental caries for decades. This …

Ada Commons: Connecting Dentists To Research, Publications And History, Alisun Dekock

Bulletin of the Ninth District Dental Association

Are you curious about what’s going on at other ADA state and local associations? Perhaps you are faced with a unique clinical or business question and wondering if your peers have written about a similar experience. ADA Commons is a new resource designed to help answer those questions.

Bridging Data Gaps In Retinal Imaging: From Structural Domain Adaptation To Topology-Aware Synthesis, Gözde Merve Demirci

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Comprehensive visualization of the retina is essential for diagnosing and monitoring blinding diseases such as Diabetic Retinopathy and Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), where pathological changes often extend beyond a single field of view. Despite significant advances in automated retinal image analysis, clinical deployment remains limited by two fundamental data gaps: a structural learning gap, arising from scarce expert annotations and poor generalization across imaging domains, and a spatial coverage gap, caused by the difficulty of acquiring multi-view retinal images in fragile populations. Although these challenges are often addressed independently, this dissertation argues that they are tightly coupled: accurate, …

Optimizing Nanoparticle Quality And Function In Applied Research, Angela M. Fried

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Radiology tests are among the fastest-growing categories of diagnostic analysis, and the gold standard of radiology tests is MRI.  MRI can be more informative if a contrast agent is used, and the standard of care contrasting agents (CA) are gadolinium-based.  Gadolinium is a heavy metal, toxic, and contraindicated for renal-compromised patients and the critically ill.  We propose a nanogel (NG) vehicle for an alternative organic CA.  CNs like 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl (TEMPOL) and its derivatives have a variety of medical and industrial uses.  These cyclic CNs are stable, synthetic radicals with distinctive EPR/ESR signals and are helpful for various experimental applications, from …

Energy Conservation In Mri: Sequence Selection And Operational Strategies, Nathan Scherer, Felicia Wang, Andrew L Chang, Mariam Malik, Anna Schroeder, Heather Craig, Benjamin E Northrup

2020-Current year OA Pubs

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The healthcare system accounts for approximately 9.8% of the United States' (U.S.) greenhouse gas emissions, much of which is due to imaging, particularly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study investigates the components of MRI energy consumption and compares sequences that may be interchangeable in clinical practice. Although the greatest potential for decreasing energy expenditure lies in reduction of inappropriate imaging and optimizing energy consumption of idle MRI equipment, sequence substitution offers an underexplored solution that can potentially be implemented without changing practice patterns or capital expenditure.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: MRI energy expenditure of one machine was monitored …

The American Society Of Extracorporeal Technology Standards And Guidelines For Pediatric And Congenital Perfusion Practice: 2025 Update☆., Molly Elisabeth Oldeen, Carrie Whittaker Striker, Ronald Angona, Dafne Andrea Chianella, Chelsea Capone, Ashley B Walczak, Thomas Klein

Heart and Vascular Articles

Background: In 2019, the American Society of ExtraCorporeal Technology (AmSECT) approved the inaugural Standards and Guidelines for Pediatric and Congenital Perfusion Practice. These standards and guidelines were created with the intent of periodic revision to ensure continued alignment with evolving best practices. In 2023, an AmSECT subcommittee initiated this review in consideration of current literature and contemporary clinical practices.

Methods: The subcommittee, consisting of pediatric and congenital perfusionists, conducted a systematic literature review assessing each standard and guideline to determine if current evidence supports elevation of guidelines to standards, incorporation of new guidelines or standards, or whether existing standards and …

Gene-Environment Interactions In Cardiovascular Aging: Volunteering, Polygenic Risk, And Biomarker Change In European And African Ancestry Populations, Seoyoun Kim, Byeongju Ryu, Erin Ware, Koichiro Shiba, Cal J. Halvorsen

Brown School Faculty Publications

Volunteering has been associated with better cardiovascular health, but whether this association varies by genetic susceptibility to cardiovascular disease remains unclear. This study examined associations between volunteering and cardiovascular biomarkers, assessed associations between biomarker-specific polygenic scores (PGSs) and these outcomes, and tested whether polygenic risk moderated volunteering–biomarker associations among U.S. adults aged 51 years and older.

The Influence Of Childhood Experiential History On U.S. Vice President Jd Vance’S Personality, Amelia Brower, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of a developmental causal analysis of the adult personality of U.S. vice president JD Vance, from the conceptual perspective of personologist Theodore Millon.

Psychodiagnostically relevant data relating to Vance’s personality were collected from biographical sources and media reports and synthesized into a personality profile using the Millon Inventory of Diagnostic Criteria (MIDC), which yields 34 normal and maladaptive personality classifications congruent with DSM-III-R, DSM-IV, and DSM-5-TR.

The findings of the personality assessment were previously reported in a separate paper. Vance’s primary personality patterns were found to be Dominant/controlling and Ambitious/confident, supplemented by …

September 2026, Swosu Rural Health Center

RURAL ROCKS

Introducing Hilltop Health: Connecting Campus, Community & Care

This fall marks an exciting new chapter for SWOSU Hilltop Health as services and partnerships continue to grow within the Jerry & Margaret Hodge College of Pharmacy and Rural Health Center. Designed to create a more connected approach to health and wellness, Hilltop Health brings together healthcare access, prevention, education, and community resources while creating new opportunities for collaboration across SWOSU and western Oklahoma.

Unique Pharmaceutical Laboratories (A Div. of J. B. Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd.) Issues Voluntary Nationwide Recall of Cetirizine Hydrochloride Tablets USP 5 mg Due to Potential Cross Contamination …

Strategies To Improve Outcomes Of Obstetric Emergencies In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review, Serah Wachira, Ruth Wagathu, Beth Waweru, Rose Maina, Abednego Ongeso, Constance Sibongile Shumba, Benard Mutwiri, Diana Mbattude, Cliff Aliga, Lucy Kisaka, Peter Gatiti

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Obstetric emergencies remain a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) despite increased access to facility-based deliveries and emergency obstetric care. Improving outcomes requires not only life-saving clinical interventions but also effective health system strategies. This review mapped published evidence on strategies used to improve outcomes of obstetric emergencies in SSA.

Objective: This scoping review aimed to identify strategies reported in the literature to improve outcomes of obstetric emergencies in SSA.

Methods: The review was reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR. A comprehensive electronic search of PubMed, CINAHL, SCOPUS, and CORE identified studies published between January …

From The President - The Transformative Value Of Our Profession, Melanie E. Mayberry, Dds, Ms-Hcm

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Melanie E. Mayberry, MDA President, reflects on the transformative value of dentistry on both patients and the personal lives of practitioners. The article emphasizes how the dental profession builds stronger communities through service, empathy, mentorship, and continuous learning. Highlighting student and patient resilience in the face of adversity, Mayberry draws inspiration from events like the Kalamazoo Mission of Mercy, where volunteers provided over one million dollars in free dental care. She encourages dentists of all generations to foster a community of belonging, embrace professional evolution, and appreciate the spiritual and personal rewards of their service.

J Mich Dent Assoc Sept. 2026

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Each month, the Journal of the Michigan Dental Association delivers news, information, and features about Michigan dentistry to our state's oral health community and the MDA's 6,200-plus members. It remains the main publication reaching Michigan dentists and is available worldwide through ADA Commons.

The September 2026 (Volume 108, No. 9) issue of the Journal is published in print format to provide updates and insights for Michigan's oral health community and MDA members. Print editions occur every other month beginning with January.

This full compilation of the September 2026 Journal of the Michigan Dental Association features the deans' reports from the …

Perioperative Depression And Anxiety Care In Older Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Joanna Abraham, Katherine J Holzer, Simon Haroutounian, Bethany Pennington, Ana Baumann, Ryan Calfee, Theresa Cordner, Kenneth E Freedland, Thomas Kannampallil, Benjamin Kozower, Emily Lenard, J Philip Miller, Mary Politi, Michael Yingling, Michael S Avidan, Eric J Lenze

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: Depression and anxiety are common among older adults undergoing surgery and are associated with adverse postoperative outcomes. However, effective tailored perioperative mental health interventions are lacking.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a perioperative intervention to optimize mental health.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A single-blind, hybrid, type 1, effectiveness-implementation randomized clinical trial was conducted (November 1, 2022, to March 31, 2025), with 3-month postoperative follow-up, at a US academic and community practice hospital network. Participants were 60 years or older; scheduled for cardiac, oncologic, or orthopedic surgery; and had clinically meaningful symptoms of depression and/or anxiety based on the Patient Health Questionnaire-Anxiety …

Comparison Of Safety And Efficacy Of Lower-Intensity Versus Standard Unfractionated Heparin Infusion Nomograms For Extracranial Venous Thromboembolism In The Neurological Intensive Care Unit, Abdullah M Hakoun, Megha Gupta, Rajat Dhar, Mahta Mardani, Fatih Koc, Salah G Keyrouz

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Anticoagulation for acute venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the neurological intensive care unit is challenging because patients with acute brain injury or recent neurosurgery are at high risk for hemorrhagic complications. Unfractionated heparin infusions are commonly used, sometimes with lower activated partial thromboplastin time targets, but the safety and effectiveness of lower-intensity UFH nomograms remain poorly defined.

METHODS: We performed a retrospective single-center study of patients diagnosed with acute extracranial VTE, including deep venous thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism, between June 2018 and April 2024. Patients were grouped by treatment strategy: standard-intensity UFH targeting aPTT 60-100 s, lower-intensity UFH targeting aPTT …

Cracking The Code: Genotype-Phenotype Correlation Models In Sarcoglycanopathies, Leonela Luce, Conrad C Weihl, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Sarcoglycanopathies are among the most severe limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMD), though milder presentations have been described. These diseases are primarily caused by missense variants, but the limited predictability of their effect on protein maturation, complex formation, and transport has hindered reliable genotype-phenotype correlations. This study aimed to establish accurate genotype-phenotype correlations for LGMDR3, LGMDR4, and LGMDR5.

METHODS: We analyzed the largest sarcoglycanopathy cohort to date (n = 541). Clinical data, including age at symptom onset and loss of ambulation, were collected and used to define phenotype severity. Predictive models were developed considering the impact of non-truncating variants on secondary …

Opioid Dispensing Volume And Per-Patient Intensity In Sickle Cell Disease, Kevin Y Xu, Brandon K Attell, Joanna L Buss, Tashalee R Brown, Charles R Jonassaint, Richard A Grucza, Allison A King, Max Jordan Nguemeni Tiako

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: Opioids remain central to management of acute and chronic pain in sickle cell disease (SCD). Opioid dispensing declined over the 2010s amid opioid stewardship efforts, but patterns since 2020 are less clear. Analyses aggregating opioids into morphine milligram equivalents (MME) may obscure agent-specific patterns.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize opioid dispensing volume and per-recipient frequency, duration, and dose among individuals with SCD.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A retrospective cohort study of commercially insured and Medicaid-enrolled patients with SCD using the Merative MarketScan databases across 3 periods from January 2011 to February 2016, March 2016 to December 2020, and January 2021 to …

Parent-Child Neural Dynamics During A Stressful Task: Probing Associations With Temperament And Anxiety, Joscelin Rocha-Hidalgo, Harmony Nguyen, Dakota Reis, Denny Schaedig, Kahlil I Thompson, Susan B Perlman, Koraly E Pérez-Edgar

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Dynamic social interactions between parents and children can contribute to anxiety risk, amplifying shared genetic risk. Research has focused on observed behaviors to explain intergenerational transmission. Neural synchrony may contribute as a biological conduit for behavioral transmission of risk. We examined 109 parent-child dyads (

Spinal Cord Imaging For Multiple Sclerosis: Advances, Priorities, And Opportunities, Cornelia Laule, Matthew R Brier, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The spinal cord plays a central role in the pathophysiology and clinical manifestations of multiple sclerosis (MS), yet remains under-studied compared with the brain. This review summarizes key insights from the 2025 North American Imaging in MS Spinal Cord Imaging Workshop, highlighting recent advances, ongoing challenges, and future opportunities in MS spinal cord imaging. We review pathological studies and outline the clinical relevance of spinal cord lesions and atrophy for diagnosis, prognosis, and disease monitoring, highlighting emerging biomarkers of progression independent of relapse activity. Correlations between magnetic resonance imaging, histopathology, and clinical outcomes support the validation and translational potential of …

Pediatric Hypertension Prevalence With 1 Vs. 2 Vs. 3 Within-Visit Blood Pressure Readings (Nhanes 2013-2020), Sandeep K Riar, Donald L Batisky, Scott Gillespie, Andrew M South

2020-Current year OA Pubs

To compare hypertension prevalence using 'initial' blood pressure (BP), 'subsequent' BP (averaged second and third readings) and 'total' BP (averaged three readings), we included 8-17-year-old youth with three BP readings from NHANES 2013-2020. From 2013-2016, BP was obtained using auscultation (manual protocol, MP) and subsequently, using oscillometry (automated protocol, AP). We excluded subjects with 'zero' diastolic blood pressure (DBP). In 5656 subjects, clinical hypertension (high systolic blood pressure [SBP] and/or DBP) prevalence was highest with 'initial' BP (350/5 642, 6.2% [95% CI 5.6-6.9%]), lower with 'subsequent' BP (289/5 642, 5.1% [4.6-5.7%], p <  0.001), and lowest with 'total' BP (251/5 642, 4.4% [3.9-5.0%], p <  0.001). Both MP and AP groups maintained this trend with a significantly lower hypertension prevalence with 'total' vs. 'subsequent' BP. An exception to the trend occurred in the AP group for three conditions: diastolic hypertension, hypertension in high BMI and Hispanic subjects. Diastolic hypertension prevalence with 'subsequent' DBP (86/2 285, 3.8% [3.1-4.6%]) exceeded that with 'initial' DBP (83/2 285, 3.6% [2.9-4.5%]) and was lowest with 'total' DBP (59/2 285, 2.6% [2.0-3.3%]). Diastolic hypertension prevalence was higher (126/5 642, 2.2% [1.9 - 2.7%]) with the 2016 European guidelines (same as 'subsequent' DBP) than with 'total' DBP (94/5 642, 1.7% [1.4 - 2.0%]). Our findings support the inclusion of the first BP reading in BP categorization, as 'total BP' leads to lower hypertension classification than 'subsequent' BP.

Pda (Privacy-Preserving Distributed Algorithms) In Action: Ten Principles For High-Quality Multi-Site Clinical Evidence Generation, Yong Chen, Chongliang Luo, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Distributed Research Networks (DRNs) offer significant opportunities for collaborative multi-site research and have significantly advanced healthcare research based on clinical observational data. However, generating high-quality real-world evidence using fit-for-use data from multi-site studies faces important challenges, including biases associated with various types of heterogeneity within and across sites and data sharing difficulties. Over the last 10 years, Privacy-Preserving Distributed Algorithms (PDA) have been developed and utilized in numerous national and international real-world studies spanning diverse domains, from comparative effectiveness research, target trial emulation, to healthcare delivery, policy evaluation, and system performance assessment. Despite these advances, there remains a lack …

Irs: Iterative Reference Selection Improves Normalization Of Microbiome Sequencing Data, Yiming Shi, Lili Liu, Jun Chen, Kristine M Wylie, Todd N Wylie, Sung Hee Park, Ruiwen Zhou, Yin Cao, Stephanie A Fritz, Molly J Stout, Maria Cristina Vazquez Guillamet, Lei Liu

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Microbiome studies often seek to determine how the absolute abundances of individual taxa change across biological conditions, yet sequencing read counts are sample-specific scaled representations of those abundances. Because sampling depth can differ across samples, fold changes calculated directly from sequencing read counts do not generally represent absolute-abundance fold changes. Normalization methods attempt to account for these between-sample differences in sampling depth, but their accuracy depends on the reference used. In particular, total-sum scaling uses all taxa as the reference and can introduce compositional bias. Reference-based methods instead rely on taxa that are stable across conditions, but contamination of the …

Bridging The Dermatology Divide: A Literature Review Of Artificial Intelligence–Enabled Point-Of-Care Tools For Skin Cancer Detection In Primary Care, Jared Hensley, Smaran Marupudi, Maria Villegas

School of Medicine Publications

The United States faces a critical dermatology workforce shortage, with more than 60% of counties lacking specialist access. Primary care providers (PCPs) are often tasked with managing suspicious skin lesions but demonstrate lower diagnostic accuracy than dermatologists. Artificial intelligence (AI) tools offer potential solutions, and meta-analytic evidence demonstrates that AI assistance improves PCP sensitivity by 13 percentage points and specificity by 11 percentage points. Yet only 1 Food and Drug Administration–authorized device (January 2024) is cleared for nondermatologist use in the United States. This device achieves 96% sensitivity but only 21% specificity, meaning most positive results are false alarms. A …

Pediatric Nurses' Perspectives Of Integrating Spiritual Care Into Everyday Practice: An Integrative Review, Yin May Htay, Mandie Foster, R. Mowat

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aim: To explore nurses' perspectives regarding children's spiritual care in pediatric healthcare settings. Background: Spiritual care is a fundamental source of comfort and healing and an essential. component of nursing practice. However, pediatric nurses often lack the competence and confidence to incorporate spiritual care into their clinical routines. Despite its importance, the perceptions and practices of pediatric nurses across various clinical specialties regarding spiritual care remain underexplored in current literature. Methods: The integrative review methodology was chosen to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date synthesis of the literature. Four electronic databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus and Google Scholar) were used to search …

Cardiovascular Disease Incidence And Cancer Risk In Two Large European Prospective Cohorts, Emma Fontvieille, Vivian Viallon, Laia Peruchet-Noray, Quan Gan, N. Charlotte Onland-Moret, Yvonne Koop, Anne Tjønneland, Nicola Bondonno, Verena Katzke, Rudolf Kaaks, Matthias B. Schulze, Catarina Schiborn, Calogero Saieva, Vittorio Simeon, Claudia Agnoli, Rosario Tumino, Fulvio Ricceri, Leila Luján-Barroso, Maria José Sánchez, Conchi Moreno-Iribas, Konstantinos K. Tsilidis, Marc J. Gunter, Adam Butterworth, Elio Riboli, Heinz Freisling, Pietro Ferrari

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Our study investigated the association between incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) and subsequent cancer risk in two large European prospective cohorts. We included 568,926 adults from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition and United Kingdom Biobank, all of whom were free of CVD, cancer and type 2 diabetes at baseline. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate cancer hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in relation to incident CVD events. CVD was treated as a time-varying exposure, and models accounted for time since CVD diagnosis and other lifestyle factors. Study-specific estimates were pooled using …

Neurochemical Impact Of Psychostimulants: Longitudinal Mri Analysis Of Brain Iron Content In Children With Adhd, Hugo A.E. Morandini, Sjoerd B. Vos, Paola Chivers, Tim J. Silk, Pradeep Rao

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder in school-aged children and has been associated with impaired brain iron homeostasis. Evidence has shown that psychostimulant treatment may affect brain iron content in children with ADHD, however, longitudinal evidence remains limited. The present longitudinal study investigated the effect of psychostimulant treatment duration and age at treatment onset on brain iron content in children with ADHD. Methods: Neuroimaging and phenotypical data were collected from the publicly available Oregon ADHD-1000 dataset. After screening, data from 29 psychostimulant-medicated children with ADHD and 38 neurotypical children were included. Individual General Estimating Equation (GEE) …

Relationships Between Psychosocial Aspects Of Stuttering And Self-Disclosure Of Stuttering In A Japanese Sample, Daichi Iimura, Saburo Takahashi, Mizuki Aoki, Kentaro Yoshizawa, Kota Yanai, Shoko Miyamoto, Michael P. Boyle

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose We aimed to psychometrically evaluate a Japanese version of the Disclosure of Stuttering Scale, from Boyle et al. (2018), and identify the psychosocial factors associated with level of stuttering self-disclosure among adults who stutter.

Methods: Adults who stutter were recruited via stuttering self-help groups in Japan and the authors’ contacts. Participants completed their demographics, the Disclosure of Stuttering Scale and other psychological scales assessing affective, cognitive, and social aspects of stuttering via an online survey. We analyzed 180 participants after those with unreliable or duplicate responses were excluded. The scale’s reliability and validity were confirmed, and multiple linear regression …

Piloting The Strong Bodies Strength Training Program In Utah, Gabriela Murza, Jenna Dyckman, Cris Meier, Emma Parkhurst, Sadie Wilde, Christina Pay, Naomi Brower, Cindy Nelson

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Muscle and bone loss occurs as we age, impacting health and independence. We evaluated a pilot 12-week strength training program for older adults in Utah. Participants showed improved fitness metrics and increased confidence. Results demonstrate the program’s effectiveness and public value in expanding access to evidence-based exercise that supports healthy aging.

Best Practices For Supporting Occupational Therapy Students With Disabilities During Clinical Education: Results From A Three-Round Delphi Study, Courtney Gohean, Katie Mclaughlin, Aster Harrison

Department of Occupational Therapy Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Disabled occupational therapy students face systemic barriers in clinical education. Although legal mandates require reasonable accommodations, implementation is often inconsistent, and few standardized guidelines exist for fieldwork education. This study is aimed at establishing best practices for supporting occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant students with disabilities during fieldwork.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A three-round Delphi study was conducted with a panel of 30 experts, including disabled occupational therapy students, disabled occupational therapy practitioners, academic fieldwork coordinators (AFWCs), fieldwork educators (FWEs), disability services staff, and researchers. In Round 1, participants answered open-ended questions about challenges, accommodations, and environmental supports. Responses …

Inflammatory And Immunological Basis Of Periodontal Diseases, Thomas Van Dyke Dds, Phd

Metro Denver Dental Society Articulator Magazine

This review examines periodontitis as a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease shaped by interactions between the host response and oral microbiome. It explores how immune cells, inflammatory mediators and impaired resolution pathways contribute to connective tissue destruction and alveolar bone loss, while also considering links between periodontal and systemic inflammation. The authors highlight emerging research that may support more precise diagnostic and immune-based treatment strategies.