Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding The Consumption Of Antimicrobial Resistance–Related Content On Social Media: Twitter Analysis, Hyunuk Kim, Chris R. Proctor, Dylan Walker, Ronan R. Mccarthy

Business Faculty Articles and Research

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most pressing concerns in our society. Today, social media can function as an important channel to disseminate information about AMR. The way in which this information is engaged with depends on a number of factors, including the target audience and the content of the social media post.

Objective: The aim of this study is to better understand how AMR-related content is consumed on the social media platform Twitter and to understand some of the drivers of engagement. This is essential to designing effective public health strategies, raising awareness about antimicrobial …

Parabens Promote Protumorigenic Effects In Luminal Breast Cancer Cell Lines With Diverse Genetic Ancestry, Jazma L. Tapia, Jillian C. Mcdonough, Emily L. Cauble, Cesar G. Gonzalez, Dede K. Teteh, Lindsey S. Treviño

Health Sciences and Kinesiology Faculty Articles

Context

One in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Yet, the burden of disease is greater in Black women. Black women have a 40% higher mortality rate than White women, and a higher incidence of breast cancer at age 40 and younger. While the underlying cause of this disparity is multifactorial, exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in hair and other personal care products has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Parabens are known EDCs that are commonly used as preservatives in hair and other personal care products, and Black women are disproportionately exposed …

Early Postpartum Hba1c After Hyperglycemia First Detected In Pregnancy-Imperfect But Not Without Value, Ankia Coetzee, David R Hall, Mari Van De Vyver, Magda Conradie

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: South African women of childbearing age are disproportionally affected by obesity and at significant risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Unless pregnant, they do not readily undergo screening for T2DM. With a local focus on improved antenatal care, hyperglycemia is often first detected in pregnancy (HFDP). This may erroneously be attributed to Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) in all without considering T2DM. Glucose evaluation following pregnancy is essential for early detection and management of women with T2DM in whom persistent hyperglycemia is to be expected. Conventional testing with an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is cumbersome, prompting investigation for …

The Physical Activity Of Spanish Speleologists: Accomplishment Of Recommendations And Differences By Sociodemographic Variables, Miquel Pans, Laura Antón-González, Maite Pellicer-Chenoll

International Journal of Speleology

Outdoor adventure activities are becoming more popular due to their potential health benefits, although there is little scientific information on speleology as a physical activity (PA). The purpose of this study is to expand the scientific evidence in this field in two ways: (a) describe the PA performed by speleologists, taking into account the variables of interest such as gender, age, education, speleological level, participation in ‘Alpine’ explorations and body mass index (BMI) and (b) identify how far the World Health Organization’s (WHO) PA recommendations were accomplished (i.e.,150 min of moderate-intensity aerobic PA or 75 min of vigorous-intensity aerobic). A …

Community Awareness Of Youth Sport Related Concussion: A Neuropsychological Perspective, Ryan D. Bennett, Claire Stafford, Shanna K. Williams, Vijay Bajnath, Chris Burley, Alison Datoc, Alexis Hartman

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

There continues to be growing public awareness regarding concussions and the detrimental effects sustaining such an injury can have on one’s life. Of increased importance is the understanding of how concussions impact children and adolescents, particularly as a result of sport engagements. Contact sports involving youth account for 41% of the concussions seen in emergency departments (Waltzman et al., 2020). Of note, hospital estimates tend to underrepresent the total number of sport-related concussions as they do not factor patients treated in a community setting (Bazarian et al., 2020). In consideration of this public health epidemic, there is a current projection …

Factors Associated With Food Choice Motivations Among Urban High School Students In Indonesia, Syarifah Aqilah, Anuchit Phanumartwiwath, Nutta Taneepanichskul

Journal of Health Research

Background: This study aimed to examine what reasons motivated urban high school students to choose certain foods, and to identify factors associated with food choice motivations.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to May 2020 in Depok, Indonesia. A total of 433 high school students in grades 10–12 were recruited. Food choice motivations were identified using a questionnaire, and defined using exploratory factor analysis. Possible factors associated with motivations were evaluated using multiple linear regression.

Results: Five food choice motivations were identified and classed as: F1, health and religion; F2, price and convenience; F3, comfort; F4, weight control; …

Enhancing Wellbeing In Public Landscape Through Light, Ruiqing Miao

Masters Theses

Close to half of Americans living in the U.S. Northeast and Midwest say they do not get enough sunshine throughout the year. That’s compared to less than a third of those living in the South or the West.

During the winter months, the days are shorter, with the sun rising later and setting earlier than during the summer months. This means there is less daylight for people to enjoy, and the reduced exposure to natural light can have a negative impact on mood and energy levels.

Public Health’s research demonstrates that constant stimuli of body senses plays an important role …

Evaluating The Use Of Blood Pressure Polygenic Risk Scores Across Race/Ethnic Background Groups, Nuzulul Kurniansyah, Matthew O Goodman, Alyna T Khan, Jiongming Wang, Elena Feofanova, Joshua C Bis, Kerri L Wiggins, Jennifer E Huffman, Tanika Kelly, Tali Elfassy, Xiuqing Guo, Walter Palmas, Henry J Lin, Shih-Jen Hwang, Yan Gao, Kendra Young, Gregory L Kinney, Jennifer A Smith, Bing Yu, Simin Liu, Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, Joann E Manson, Xiaofeng Zhu, Yii-Der Ida Chen, I-Te Lee, C Charles Gu, Donald M Lloyd-Jones, Sebastian Zöllner, Myriam Fornage, Charles Kooperberg, Adolfo Correa, Bruce M Psaty, Donna K Arnett, Carmen R Isasi, Stephen S Rich, Robert C Kaplan, Susan Redline, Braxton D Mitchell, Nora Franceschini, Daniel Levy, Jerome I Rotter, Alanna C Morrison, Tamar Sofer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We assess performance and limitations of polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for multiple blood pressure (BP) phenotypes in diverse population groups. We compare "clumping-and-thresholding" (PRSice2) and LD-based (LDPred2) methods to construct PRSs from each of multiple GWAS, as well as multi-PRS approaches that sum PRSs with and without weights, including PRS-CSx. We use datasets from the MGB Biobank, TOPMed study, UK biobank, and from All of Us to train, assess, and validate PRSs in groups defined by self-reported race/ethnic background (Asian, Black, Hispanic/Latino, and White). For both SBP and DBP, the PRS-CSx based PRS, constructed as a weighted sum of PRSs …

Curated And Harmonized Gut Microbiome 16s Rrna Amplicon Data From Dietary Fiber Intervention Studies In Humans, Cynthia I Rodriguez, Ali Keshavarzian, Bruce R Hamaker, Feitong Liu, Genelle R Lunken, Heather Rasmussen, Hongwei Zhou, Julien Tap, Kelly S Swanson, Maria Ukhanova, Marion Leclerc, Martin Gotteland, Paola Navarrete, Petia Kovatcheva-Datchary, Wendy J Dahl, Jennifer B H Martiny

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Next generation amplicon sequencing has created a plethora of data from human microbiomes. The accessibility to this scientific data and its corresponding metadata is important for its reuse, to allow for new discoveries, verification of published results, and serving as path for reproducibility. Dietary fiber consumption has been associated with a variety of health benefits that are thought to be mediated by gut microbiota. To enable direct comparisons of the response of the gut microbiome to fiber, we obtained 16S rRNA sequencing data and its corresponding metadata from 11 fiber intervention studies for a total of 2,368 samples. We provide …

An Epidemic Model With Time Delays Determined By The Infectivity And Disease Durations, Masoud Saade, Samiran Ghosh, Malay Banerjee, Vitaly Volpert

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We propose an epidemiological model with distributed recovery and death rates. It represents an integrodifferential system of equations for susceptible, exposed, infectious, recovered and dead compartments. This model can be reduced to the conventional ODE model under the assumption that recovery and death rates are uniformly distributed in time during disease duration. Another limiting case, where recovery and death rates are given by the delta-function, leads to a new point-wise delay model with two time delays corresponding to the infectivity period and disease duration. Existence and positiveness of solutions for the distributed delay model and point-wise delay model are proved. …

Building Up Cal Poly Global Brigades Student Group: Reflections On Designing And Implementing One Undergraduate-Led Community Info Session, Caroline Nicole Smith, Jafra D. Thomas

Kinesiology and Public Health

Intro: Global Brigades, an international non-profit organization, trains college students and other pre-professionals in community-based health promotion by mobilizing community service trips around the world, which are taught and led by local community groups. Cal Poly’s Global Brigades student group was founded in 2018, and thus far, they have carried out three annual, medically-focused brigades to Honduras (two in-person, one virtual).

Purpose: The aim of this report is to present the findings of one experiential senior project to promote Cal Poly’s Global Brigades student group^[1] (conducted January to March 2023).

Methods: The student designed material for …

The Shared Ethical Framework To Allocate Scarce Medical Resources: A Lesson From Covid-19, Ezekiel J. Emanuel, Govind C. Persad

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

The COVID-19 pandemic has helped to clarify the fair and equitable allocation of scarce medical resources, both within and among countries. The ethical allocation of such resources entails a three-step process: (1) elucidating the fundamental ethical values for allocation, (2) using these values to delineate priority tiers for scarce resources, and (3) implementing the prioritisation to faithfully realise the fundamental values. Myriad reports and assessments have elucidated five core substantive values for ethical allocation: maximising benefits and minimising harms, mitigating unfair disadvantage, equal moral concern, reciprocity, and instrumental value. These values are universal. None of the values are sufficient alone, …

Navigating Life With Hiv As An Older Adult On The Kenyan Coast: Perceived Health Challenges Seen Through The Biopsychosocial Model, Patrick Mwangala, Ryan G. Wagner, Charles Newton, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Objectives: This study explores the perceptions of adults living with HIV aged ≥50 years (recognized as older adults living with HIV—OALWH), primary caregivers and healthcare providers on the health challenges of ageing with HIV at Kilifi, a low literacy setting on the coast of Kenya.

Methods: We utilized the biopsychosocial model to explore views from 34 OALWH and 22 stakeholders on the physical, mental, and psychosocial health challenges of ageing with HIV in Kilifi in 2019. Data were drawn from semi-structured in-depth interviews, which were audio-recorded and transcribed. A framework approach was used to synthesize the data.

Results: Symptoms of …

Prenatal And Childhood Exposure To Organophosphate Pesticides And Behavior Problems In Adolescents And Young Adults In The Chamacos Study, Sharon K. Sagiv, Ana M. Mora, Stephen Rauch, Katherine R. Kogut, Carly Hyland, Robert B. Gunier, Asa Bradman, Julianna Deardorff, Brenda Eskenazi

Public and Population Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: We previously reported associations of prenatal exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides with poorer neurodevelopment in early childhood and at school age, including poorer cognitive function and more behavioral problems, in the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS), a birth cohort study in an agriculture community.

Objective: We investigated the extent to which early-life exposure to OP pesticides is associated with behavioral problems, including mental health, in youth during adolescence and early adulthood.

Methods: We measured urinary dialkylphosphates (DAPs), nonspecific OP metabolites, in urine samples collected from mothers twice during pregnancy (13 and 26 …

"I Stayed There The Whole Night": Exploring Caregivers' Experiences With The Healthcare System When Caring For A Parent At The End Of Life, Lillian Mehran

Dissertations and Theses

Background: In the United States, there are nearly 53 million individuals serving as caregivers to a loved one. Half of all caregivers are caring for a parent or parent-in-law, and 79% of caregivers are caring for a person aged 50 or older. In New York State, there are an estimated 4.1 million caregivers who collectively provide over 2.6 billion hours of unpaid care, with those caring for a person at the end of life providing twice as many hours of caregiving per week compared to other caregivers. The number of individuals requiring caregiving is expected to increase as a significant …

Sex Education In American Public Schools: Policy And Outcomes, Alexandra Mattingly

University Honors Theses

Sexual Education in American public schools is the subject of a long-standing debate between educators, parents, and policy makers. From the beginning of public schooling in the United States, the role that public schools ought to serve in educating students about sexual health has been unclear. This remains a topic of debate despite the fact that since the 1980s studies have shown consistently that comprehensive sexual education unequivocally leads to lower rates of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection spread among students. Comprehensive sexual education is sexual education that includes information on safer sexual activity practices as well as information about …

Connection Between Migraine Physiology And Modifiable Lifestyle Factors And Behaviors: A Literature Review, Sophia A. Kogan

University Honors Theses

Migraine headache is a physiologically complex disorder that presents as an intense headache with other symptoms. Globally, more than one billion people suffer from migraine, and it is the second leading cause of disability worldwide. At present, migraines are targeted with many pharmaceutical interventions; however, there are no well-studied ways to combat migraines through lifestyle modifications alone. One of the molecules involved in migraine physiology is the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), which causes vasodilation and the sensation of pain. The focus of this thesis is to find connections between CGRP physiology and modifiable factors that individuals have the power and …

International Comparison Of Literature On Home Health: Taiwan And The United States, Jaden Gloden

University Honors Theses

Taiwan is one of the world's fastest-aging societies and in 1994 implemented its universal National Health Insurance program which would later include a comprehensive long-term care system. The United States is also an aging society and a growing number of Americans are in need of long-term care services that the government has yet to provide or finance. Aging in place, the desire of older adults to stay in their homes as they age has consistently remained popular among Americans 50+ resulting in the popularity of home-based medical care. Taiwan society also values aging in place and an emphasis on Confucian …

The Influence Of Microorganisms On Human Health, Tiffany Bui

University Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the interplay between the environment, lifestyle, and composition of human microbiomes across different communities, with a specific focus on immune and digestive health. This literature review investigates three distinct types of communities: isolated/traditional, transitional, and urban/industrialized communities, each characterized by unique environments, societal structures, and interactions. These factors contribute to the distinct microbial populations and compositions within each community. It is impossible to avoid contact with microorganisms as they are present in every aspect of our lives, from the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil we walk on, the …

The Sanitary Lens: A Study Of 19th Century Public Health In British Colonial India And Australia, Josephine Cannistra

University Honors Theses

Specific colonial processes informed highly distinct policies of public health and sanitation in colonial India and Australia. Their distinctions and lasting legacies are obscured when they are uncritically lumped together within the British Empire. The 19th century was a period of great change throughout India and Australia. It was also a period of dramatic change in general understandings of sanitation and health. This paper examines colonial India and Australia through the lens of sanitation and medicine as it was understood and practiced in British spheres of influence. A comparative approach to these histories and this past sheds light on how …

Commencement Program 2023, Loma Linda University

Commencement Programs

CONTENTS

1 | Message from the President

3 | 2023 Events of Commencement

5 | The Academic Procession

6 | Institutional Administration

7 | Board of Trustees

8 | Significance of Academic Regalia

9 | University History Highlights

11 | Criteria for Institutional Awards

13 | Loma Linda University Health and Loma Linda University Honorees

25 | The Program, The School Honorees, and The Speakers

• School of Medicine, 26
• School of Pharmacy, 52
• School of Dentistry, 69
• School of Public Health, 93
• San Manuel Gateway College, 108
• School of Allied Health Professions—Allied Health Studies, Cardiopulmonary Sciences, Clinical Laboratory Science, Communication …

(R2032) Modeling The Effect Of Sanitation Effort On The Spread Of Carrier-Dependent Infectious Diseases Due To Environmental Degradation, Ram Naresh, Sandhya Rani Verma, J. B. Shukla, Manju Agarwal

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this present study, an SIS model is proposed and analyzed to study the effect of sanitation effort in controlling the spread of carrier-dependent infectious disease in a human habitat due to environmental degradation. The dynamics of the model consist of six dependent variables, the susceptible population density, infective population density, carrier population density, cumulative density of environmental degradation and the density of sanitation effort applied on carrier population and degraded environment. In the modeling process, the carrier population density and sanitation effort are modeled logistically and the degradation of the environment is assumed to be directly proportional to the …

Trends Of Ovarian Cancer Incidence And Mortality In Mississippi Between 2003 And 2020, Angel Walker

Honors Theses

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in women, accounting for more deaths than any other gynecologic cancer (Arora et al., 2023). Over the past few decades, there have been several advancements in treating the disease. However, improvements in survival rates for ovarian cancer are not seen equally among women. For White women, the five-year survival rate for ovarian cancer has improved, while for Black women, it has worsened (Karanth et al., 2019). To further understand how ovarian cancer affects women, we aim to describe the trends of ovarian cancer incidence and mortality for White and Black …

The Development Of Sexual Health Educational Canvas Modules For Cal Poly Students, Alexa J. Asson, Dillan Chiewpanich, Amanda Hodges, Tanya Patil

Biological Sciences

Purpose: Sexual health education continues to be a taboo topic underrepresented in young adult health education. Many high school students do not receive the sexual health education they need. One study found that 34% of girls and 42% of boys left high school without education on birth control methods (Wong et al., 2019). Furthermore, students entering college have varying, often inadequate, levels of sexual health knowledge. After examining sexual health data at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), the Cal Poly Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Lab found that students engage in risky sexual behaviors. For example, nearly one quarter …

Evidence-Based Practices And Self-Efficacy: A Quantitative Study Of Mental Health Counselors Treating Clients With Substance Use Disorder, Carl Bastien

Dissertations

Substance use disorder affects a substantial number of individuals in the United States. The specific problem of this research is that it was not known to what extent their use of evidence-based practices is driven by their sense of self-efficacy. The purpose of this quantitative correlational research was to examine to what extent the use of evidence-based practices covary with a sense of self-efficacy for mental health counselors treating individuals diagnosed with a substance use disorder. The study population was 121 mental health counselors who specialized in substance use disorder treatment who completed a digital survey. The study findings did …

The Lived Experience Of Using Opiates Among Young Adults, Catherine Mbewe

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research study is to explore the lived experience of using opiates, as described by young adults aged 18 to 25 years. Over the last 2 decades, opioid use disorders (OUDs) and opiate overdose deaths have increased dramatically in the United States. What used to be a problem primarily contained to minority groups in poor inner-city areas is now increasingly common in all races, genders, ages, and classes. There has also been an alarming increase in opiate use—including fentanyl, both legal and illegal—among young adults. While much of the literature has been focused on the opiate use …

The Development Of Sexual Health Educational Canvas Modules For Cal Poly Students, Alexa Jordan Asson, Dillan Isabella Chiewpanich, Amanda Hodges, Tanya Patil

Kinesiology and Public Health

Purpose: Sexual health education continues to be a taboo topic underrepresented in young adult health education. Many high school students do not receive the sexual health education they need. One study found that 34% of girls and 42% of boys left high school without education on birth control methods (Wong et al., 2019). Furthermore, students entering college have varying, often inadequate, levels of sexual health knowledge. After examining sexual health data at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), the Cal Poly Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Lab found that students engage in risky sexual behaviors. For example, nearly one quarter …

Phase Ii Trial Of Nelipepimut-S Peptide Vaccine In Women With Ductal Carcinoma In Situ, Anne E O'Shea, Guy T Clifton, Na Qiao, Brandy M Heckman-Stoddard, Malgorzata Wojtowicz, Eileen Dimond, Isabelle Bedrosian, Diane Weber, Judy E Garber, Alexander Husband, Ricardo Pastorello, J Jack Lee, Mike Hernandez, Diane D Liu, Lana A Vornik, Powel H Brown, Gheath Alatrash, George E Peoples, Elizabeth A Mittendorf

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

UNLABELLED: NeuVax is a vaccine comprised of the HER2-derived MHC class I peptide E75 (nelipepimut-S, NPS) combined with GM-CSF. We completed a randomized trial of preoperative vaccination with NeuVax versus GM-CSF alone in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The primary objective was to evaluate for NPS-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses. Patients with human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A2-positive DCIS were enrolled and randomized 2:1 to NeuVax versus GM-CSF alone and received two inoculations prior to surgery. The number of NPS-specific CTL was measured pre-vaccination, at surgery, and 1 and 3 to 6 months post-operation by dextramer assay. Differences in …

Neuroaffective Reactivity Profiles Are Associated With Vulnerability To E-Cigarette Use, Francesco Versace, George Kypriotakis, Dustin Pluta

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: We tested whether neuroaffective responses to motivationally salient stimuli are associated with vulnerability to cue-induced e-cigarette use in e-cigarette naïve adults who smoke daily. We hypothesized that individuals with stronger neuroaffective responses to nicotine-related cues than to pleasant stimuli (the C>P reactivity profile) would be more vulnerable to cue-induced nicotine self-administration than individuals with stronger neuroaffective responses to pleasant stimuli than to nicotine-related cues (the P>C reactivity profile).

METHODS: We used event-related potentials (ERPs, a direct measure of cortical activity) to measure neuroaffective reactivity to pleasant, unpleasant, neutral, and nicotine-related cues indicating the opportunity to use an …

A Case For Accelerating Standards To Achieve The Fair Principles Of Environmental Health Research Experimental Data, Rance Nault, Matthew C. Cave, Gabriele Ludewig, Hunter N. B. Moseley, Kelly G. Pennell, Tim Zacharewski

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Funding agencies, publishers, and other stakeholders are pushing environmental health science investigators to improve data sharing; to promote the findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) principles; and to increase the rigor and reproducibility of the data collected. Accomplishing these goals will require significant cultural shifts surrounding data management and strategies to develop robust and reliable resources that bridge the technical challenges and gaps in expertise.

OBJECTIVE : In this commentary, we examine the current state of managing data and metadata—referred to collectively as (meta)data—in the experimental environmental health sciences. We introduce new tools and resources based on in vivo …