Digital Commons Network^™

Disparities In Cardiovascular Research Output And Disease Outcomes Among High-, Middle- And Low-Income Countries - An Analysis Of Global Cardiovascular Publications Over The Last Decade (2008-2017), Nada Qaisar Qureshi, Syed Hamza Mufarrih, Gerald S. Bloomfield, Wajeeha Tariq, Aysha Almas, Ali H. Mokdad, Muhammad Imran Nisar, Sameen Siddiqi, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Zainab Samad

Department of Medicine

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Health research is crucial to managing disease burden. Previous work has highlighted marked discrepancies in research output and disease burden between high-income countries (HICs) and low- and lower-middle-income countries (LI-LMICs) and there is little data to understand whether this gap has bridged in recent years. We conducted a global, country level bibliometric analysis of CVD publications with respect to trends in disease burden and county development indicators.
Methods: A search filter with a precision and recall of 0.92 and 0.91 respectively was developed to extract cardiovascular publications …

An Evaluation Of A Maternal Health And Extreme Heat Exposure Training, Adelle Dora Monteblanco, Jennifer K. Vanos, Sarah Leroy, Patricia M. Juarez, Gregg M. Garfin

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Growing empirical evidence documents the potential risk of extreme heat exposure to pregnant individuals. These risks include adverse birth outcomes, such as preterm birth and low birth weight. Climate change will exacerbate extreme heat exposures to a large portion of the global population, and pregnant individuals need to understand the risks and protective measures needed. Maternal health workers are a key mechanism for conveying this information to pregnant individuals. The authors assess a training of maternal health workers in El Paso, Texas, through two research instruments. First, eight maternal health workers completed an educational workshop and consented to participation; pre- …

Integrated Profiling Identifies Itgb3bp As Prognostic Biomarker For Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Qiuli Liang, Chao Tan, Feifei Xiao, Fuqiang Yin, Meiliang Liu, Lei Lei, Liuyu Wu, Yu Yang, Jennifer Hui Juan Tan, Shun Liu, Xiaoyun Zeng

Faculty Publications

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly malignant tumor. In this study, we sought to identify a novel biomarker for HCC by analyzing transcriptome and clinical data. The R software was used to analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the datasets GSE74656 and GSE84598 downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, followed by a functional annotation. A total of 138 shared DEGs were screened from two datasets. They were mainly enriched in the “Metabolic pathways” pathway (Padj = 8.21E-08) and involved in the carboxylic acid metabolic process (Padj = 0.0004). The top 10 hub genes were found by protein-protein interaction …

Sars-Cov-2 Pandemic Analytical Overview With Machine Learning Predictability, Anthony Tanaydin, Jingchen Liang, Daniel W. Engels

SMU Data Science Review

Understanding diagnostic tests and examining important features of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection are essential steps for controlling the current pandemic of 2020. In this paper, we study the relationship between clinical diagnosis and analytical features of patient blood panels from the US, Mexico, and Brazil. Our analysis confirms that among adults, the risk of severe illness from COVID-19 increases with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and immunosuppression. Although more than eight months into pandemic, more data have become available to indicate that more young adults were getting infected. In addition, we expand on the definition of COVID-19 test and discuss …

Review Of Innumeracy In The Wild: Misunderstanding And Misusing Numbers By Ellen Peters, Gizem Karaali

Numeracy

Ellen Peters’s new book Innumeracy in the Wild: Misunderstanding and Misusing Numbers (Oxford University Press, 2020) is a whirlwind tour of psychological research on numeracy and its interactions with decision-making. The book is packed full of convincing arguments about the impact of numeracy and innumeracy on people's decisions and life outcomes, piles of supporting evidence and relevant references, and detailed expositions of multitudes of research results. Thus, it can serve the motivated reader well as a comprehensive literature review of psychologically oriented research on numeracy and decision-making.

Covid-19 Pandemic In Brazil: Clinical Manifestation And Effect Of Comorbidities On Outcomes Of Hospitalized Sari Cases, Mario Keko, Karl E. Peace

Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Hospitalized SARI cases of 2020 reported to the Ministry of Health of Brazil through the SIVEP Gripe system are subject to our analysis. They are classified as COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 and clinical manifestations and comorbidities are reported for each group. The time trend in the number of cases reported in 2020 is compared to the previous year and the performance of the PCR test is explored in each group. The proportion of death is reported among different subgroups of the patients by epidemiological week. Logistic and Poisson regression models are used to check the effect of comorbidities on clinical outcomes.

Prenatal Maternal Psychological Distress And Fetal Developmental Trajectories: Associations With Infant Temperament, Mariann A. Howland, Curt A. Sandman, Elyssia Poggi Davis, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Associations between prenatal maternal psychological distress and offspring developmental outcomes are well documented, yet relatively little research has examined links between maternal distress and development in utero, prior to postpartum influences. Fetal heart rate (FHR) parameters are established indices of central and autonomic nervous system maturation and function which demonstrate continuity with postnatal outcomes. This prospective, longitudinal study of 149 maternal–fetal pairs evaluated associations between prenatal maternal distress, FHR parameters, and dimensions of infant temperament. Women reported their symptoms of psychological distress at five prenatal visits, and FHR monitoring was conducted at the last three visits. Maternal report of infant …

Sex Differences And Psychological Stress: Responses To The Covid-19 Pandemic In China, Shiyan Yan, Rui Xu, Terry D. Stratton, Voyko Kavcic, Dan Luo, Fengsu Hou, Fengying Bi, Rong Jiao, Kangxing Song, Yang Jiang

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: About 83,000 COVID-19 patients were confirmed in China up to May 2020. Amid the well-documented threats to physical health, the effects of this public health crisis - and the varied efforts to contain its spread - have altered individuals' "normal" daily functioning. These impacts on social, psychological, and emotional well-being remain relatively unexplored - in particular, the ways in which Chinese men and women experience and respond to potential behavioral stressors. Our study investigated sex differences in psychological stress, emotional reactions, and behavioral responses to COVID-19 and related threats among Chinese residents.

METHODS: In late February (2020), an anonymous …

Healthcare Of Indigenous Amazonian Peoples In Response To Covid-19: Marginality, Discrimination And Revaluation Of Ancestral Knowledge In Ucayali, Peru, Doreen Montag, Marco Barboza, Lizardo Cauper, Ivan Brehaut, Isaac Alva, Aoife Bennett, José Sanchez-Choy, Juan Pablo Sarmiento Barletti, Pilar Valenzuela, José Manuyama, Italo García Murayari, Miguel Guimaraes Vásquez, Celso Aguirre Panduro, Angela Giattino, Edwin Julio Palomino Cadenas, Rodrigo Lazo, Carlos A. Delgado, Alfonso Nino, Elaine C. Flores, Maria Amalia Pesantes, Juan Pablo Murillo, Luisa Elvira Belaunde, Sergio Recuenco, Robert Chuquimbalqui, Carol Zavaleta-Cortijo

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Articles and Research

"Systematic and persistent discrimination against Indigenous Peoples translates into differential health outcomes when analysed through ethnicity and/or mother tongue.1 In Peru, morbidity and mortality rates among Indigenous Peoples for COVID-19 appear to confirm this.2 The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the historical structural violence against Indigenous Peoples that currently takes a disproportionate toll in the Peruvian Amazon. This equally applies to Indigenous Andean Peoples and Afro Peruvians. Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation and those in initial contact are at highest health risk in this pandemic as they have no previous immunity against common infectious diseases, and lack access to public healthcare …

Impact Of Adverse Childhood Events On The Psychosocial Functioning Of Children Affected By Parental Hiv In Rural China, Jordan Ezell, Sayward E. Harrison, Yanping Jiang, Xiaoming Li Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Children affected by parental HIV are more likely than unaffected peers to experience trauma and are at-risk for negative psychological and social outcomes. This study aimed to examine the relationship between adverse childhood events and psychosocial functioning among children affected by parental HIV.

Methods: A total of 790 children ages 6–17 from Henan, China were enrolled in a longitudinal, randomized controlled trial of a resilience-based psychosocial intervention. At baseline, children reported on numerous psychosocial factors, including trauma exposure, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and peer social functioning. We used linear regression analysis to test the direct effect of trauma …

Modes Of Transmission Of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (Sars-Cov-2) And Factors Influencing On The Airborne Transmission: A Review, Mahdieh Delikhoon, Marcelo I. Guzman, Ramin Nabizadeh, Abbas Norouzian Baghani

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The multiple modes of SARS-CoV-2 transmission including airborne, droplet, contact, and fecal–oral transmissions that cause coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) contribute to a public threat to the lives of people worldwide. Herein, different databases are reviewed to evaluate modes of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and study the effects of negative pressure ventilation, air conditioning system, and related protection approaches of this virus. Droplet transmission was commonly reported to occur in particles with diameter >5 µm that can quickly settle gravitationally on surfaces (1–2 m). Instead, fine and ultrafine particles (airborne transmission) can stay suspended for an extended period of time (≥2 h) …

Stay-At-Home Order And Spatial Disparities In Covid-19 Pandemic In New York City, Youqin Huang, Rui Li

Understanding and eliminating minority health disparities in a 21st-century pandemic: A White Paper Collection

Much of the world has adopted unprecedented lockdown policies as the key method to address the spread of COVID-19; yet their effect on pandemic outcomes remain largely unknown. This research determines how mobility restriction policies and public transit system shape intra-city health disparities in this pandemic, using New York City as a case study. With a spatial method and multiple sources of data, this research demonstrates the effectiveness of the stay-at-home order. On average, people spent about 20% more time at home in 2020 than in the same period in 2019. Census tracts with people spending more time at home …

Antibiotics And Antimicrobial Resistance In The Covid-19 Era: Perspective From Resource-Limited Settings, Mentor Ali Ber Lucien, Michael F. Canarie, Paul E. Kilgore, Gladzin Jean-Denis, Natael Fénélon, Manise Pierre, Mauricio Cerpa, Gerard A. Joseph, Gina Maki, Marcus J. Zervos, Patrick Dely, Jacques Boncy, Hatim Sati, Ana Del Rio, Pilar Ramon-Pardo

Department of Pharmacy Practice

The dissemination of COVID-19 around the globe has been followed by an increased consumption of antibiotics. This is related to the concern for bacterial superinfection in COVID-19 patients. The identification of bacterial pathogens is challenging in low and middle income countries (LMIC), as there are no readily-available and cost-effective clinical or biological markers that can effectively discriminate between bacterial and viral infections. Fortunately, faced with the threat of COVID-19 spread, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of antimicrobial stewardship programs, as well as infection prevention and control measures that could help reduce the microbial load and hence …

Disposable Lives: Covid-19, Vaccines, And The Uprising, Matiangai Sirleaf

Faculty Scholarship

Two French doctors appeared on television and publicly discussed potentially utilizing African subjects in experimental trials for a tuberculosis vaccine as an antidote to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), denounced these kinds of racist remarks as a “hangover from ‘colonial mentality’” and maintained that “Africa can’t and won’t be a testing ground for any vaccine.” The fallout on social media was similarly swift, with Samuel Eto’o, a Cameroonian football legend, referring to the doctors as “[d]es assasins” and several others questioning the motives behind testing a vaccine on the African …

Fusion, 2021, George Washington University, William H. Beaumont Medical Research Honor Society

Fusion

No abstract provided.

Molecular Characterization Of Cryptosporidium Spp. From Humans In Ethiopia, Ambachew W. Hailu, Abraham Degarege, Haileeyesus Adamu, Damien Costa, Venceslas Villier, Abdelmounaim Mouhajir, Loic Favennec, Romy Razakandrainibe, Beyene Petros

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Data on the distribution and genotype of Cryptosporidium species is limited in Ethiopia. This study examined the presence and genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium species circulating in Ethiopian human population. Stool samples collected from patients who visited rural (n = 94) and urban (n = 93) health centers in Wurgissa and Hawassa district, respectively, were examined for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. using microscopy, nested PCR and real-time PCR. To detect infection with PCR, analysis of 18S ribosomal RNA was performed. Subtyping was performed by sequencing a fragment of GP60 gene. The overall prevalence of infection was 46% (n = 86) …

Characterization Of Cardiovascular Function In Adult Offspring Following Prenatal Exposure To Methamphetamine, Hasitha Chavva

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Methamphetamine (meth) is a synthetic stimulant, and its abuse is a significant public health concern in the United States and all over the world. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug, and its abuse is widespread among women of child-bearing age. The consequences of methamphetamine abuse are not only of relevance to pregnant women, but also their unborn children, as amphetamine type substances can cross the placental barrier and effect the fetus during gestation. Most previous studies investigating the impact of prenatal methamphetamine exposure on the offspring have focused on neurological and behavioral effects. The goal of this study was to …

Comprehensive Care: Harm Reduction And The Opioid Epidemic, Riley Tinlin

Global Sustainable Development Projects

Comprehensive Care: Harm Reduction and the Opioid Epidemic aims to delve deeper into the realities of opioid addiction and assess proposed prevention strategies by acknowledging the driving factors (biological, psychological, and social) and consequences of opioid abuse. Intervention strategies are offered from various access points ranging from the federal to individual level. The research conducted has shown that all access points must be considered for the success of prevention and treatment efforts. The intent of this paper is to argue that the proposed strategies are necessary steps to be taken if the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 3 (good health …

Nuclear Factor Kappa-B Contributes To Cigarette Smoke Tolerance In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Through Cysteine Metabolism, Venugopal Gunda, Yashpal S Chhonker, Nagabhishek Sirpu Natesh, Pratima Raut, Sakthivel Muniyan, Todd A. Wyatt, Daryl J. Murry, Surinder K. Batra, Satyanarayana Rachagani

Journal Articles: Environmental, Agricultural & Occupational Health

BACKGROUND: Retrospective studies revealed that cigarette smoking enhances risk of incidence and worsens prognosis in pancreatic cancer (PC) patients. Poor prognosis in smoker cohort of PC patients indicates prevalence of cigarette smoke stimulated survival mechanisms yet to be explored in PC. In this study, cigarette smoke induced metabolic pathways were explored and targeted in PC.

METHODS: Human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell (PDAC) lines, genetically engineered mice models (GEMMs), mass spectrometry based heavy isotope-based metabolite analysis, cytotoxicity assays and Nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kB) targeting were utilized in this study. Cigarette smoke extract (CSE) was prepared fresh each day by bubbling cell …

Impact Of Heavy Metals In Ambient Air In Insulin Resistance Of Shipyard Welders In Northern Taiwan, Ting-Yao Su, Hueiwang Anna Jeng, Yuan-Ting Hsu, Ching-Huang Lai, Chih-Hong Pan

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Exposure to metals poses potential health risks, including insulin resistance (IR), to those exposed to them in excess. Limited studies have examined such risks in occupational workers, including welders, and these have yielded inconsistent results. Thus, we examined the associations between exposure to welding metals and IR in welders. We recruited 78 welders and 75 administrative staff from a shipyard located in northern Taiwan. Personal exposure to heavy metals, including chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and cadmium (Cd), was monitored through particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm (PM …

Values And Other Decisional Factors Regarding Treatment Of Hypercalcaemia Of Malignancy: A Systematic Review Protocol, Aya Bassatne, Maya Rahme, Thomas Piggott, Hassan Murad, Layal Hneiny, Ghada El-Hajj Fuleihan

Faculty Publications

Introduction Hypercalcaemia of malignancy (HCM) is the second most common cause of hypercalcaemia and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Several treatment options are available including pharmacological therapy with bisphosphonates, denosumab, glucocorticoids and calcimimetics, as well as conventional therapy with hydration and possibly calcitonin. While guidelines have previously considered treatment effects, no guideline has yet considered a range of contextual factors impacting recommendations for the management. The aim of this study was to summarise the available evidence on important decisional factors for the development of guidelines for the treatment of HCM. These include patient’s values and preferences, cost, acceptability, …

Ua19/16/2 Athletic Media Relations Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

General WKU athletic press releases for 2021.

Understanding Challenges To Well-Being Among Latina Farmworkers In Rural Idaho Using In An Interdisciplinary, Mixed-Methods Approach, Cynthia L. Curl, Lisa Meierotto, Rebecca L. Som Castellano

Public and Population Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

The aim of this study was to identify social, cultural and workplace-related risk factors affecting well-being among Latina farmworkers in rural Idaho. We recruited 70 Latina farmworkers from southwestern Idaho in 2019. We employed an inter-disciplinary, mixed-methods approach—including surveys, focus groups, interviews, and pesticide biomonitoring—to characterize multiple domains that influence well-being, including food security and access, housing conditions, social supports, access to medical care, and workplace safety. Six major themes emerged as primary challenges to Latina farmworkers’ well-being. In the public sphere, study participants identified these challenges as long working hours, concerns regarding pesticide exposure, and lack of enforcement of …

An Emergent Legionnaires' Disease Syndemic: Water Supply Systems, Infrastructural Violence, And Afflicted Lives In The South Bronx, Ny, Eduardo Piqueiras

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation examines how contemporary approaches to Legionnaires’ disease (LD) narrowly view it as a biomedical entity that obscures critical moral, temporal, and contextual dimensions creating gaps in how LD “cases” are defined and mitigated. Those who receive an LD diagnosis experience many unique challenges (e.g., personal, existential, community-based, and environmental) yet little is known about how this group of individuals experience recovery and attach meaning to their individual experiences. Using an anthropological lens of illness and recovery and a syndemics view of infrastructural violence this study examines those inadequately addressed multiple dimensions which limit our ability to confront the …

Protecting Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory

United States Natonal Institutes of Health: Materials

Conclusion

As we learn the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, and start recovering and rebuilding, we have an opportunity to offer a more comprehensive, more fulfilling, and more inclusive vision of what constitutes public health. And for a generation of children facing unprecedented pressures and stresses, day in and day out, change can’t come soon enough.

It won’t come overnight. Many of the recommendations offered in this Advisory require structural buy-in and change.

But everyone has a role to play in combating this mental health pandemic. Without individual engagement, no amount of energy or resources can overcome the biggest barrier …

A Qualitative Systemic Review On Maternal Health Disparities In Haitian Women, Alexandra Jean-Louis

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: It is universally known that pregnancy is a vulnerable time for a woman's health. Women of all backgrounds endure significant physiological and anatomical changes during pregnancy and after childbirth. But the latest research studies have called attention to the unique experience of Black mothers. Compared to other racial and ethnic groups, Black women encounter health disparities at an all-time higher rate. According to research studies conducted in Haiti and the United States, Haitian women are amongst the community of Black women who are experiencing disproportionate maternal outcomes.

Research Aims: The aim of this systematic review is to …

Impact Of Social Barrier Removal On Primary Care Use By Managed Care Enrollees, Pamme Lyons-Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Personal health represents a complex relationship among social, physical, and emotional factors that can be influenced by health-seeking behaviors. Prior research indicates that greater use of preventive services leads to longer life and lower healthcare costs. For some populations, evidence suggests that social barriers hinder access to preventive services. To better understand the relationship between social factors and the other personal-health factors, de-identified healthcare claims and social service encounter data for 4,480 low-income individuals enrolled in Medicare Advantage or Managed Medicaid at one national health insurance were examined using a retrospective, quasi-experimental design for services rendered between October 1, 2014 …

Health Care Provider Program On The Management Of Obesity, Erlinda P. Bhat

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has shown that educational programs have led to developing the professional skills and behaviors of front-line health care providers who care for overweight or at-risk obese patients. The purpose of this project was to provide an educational program on best practices for weight management to health care providers at a large military clinic. The project question was developed to assess whether the educational program increased the knowledge and confidence of health care providers in the management of obesity. Utilizing Pender's health promotion model, a quasi-experimental study was conducted in which 15 health care providers, including licensed and unlicensed personnel …

Assessing The Risk Of Developing Liver Cancer Among Adults In The United States, Magbor Oben

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The risk of developing liver cancer among adults in the United States remains asignificant threat due to an increasing prevalence of the disease. Despite the identification of some biological, environmental, and socioeconomic risk factors, uncertainty exists as to the role of sociodemographic factors. In this study, participants (N=27,804), age 18 and over, were assessed for liver cancer outcome specific to three factors liver disease, insurance coverage, and access to healthcare. With the person-centered care model as the framework, data from the 2016 National Health and Interview Surveys were subjected to the selection criteria and quantitatively analyzed using binary logistic regression. …

Primary Care Providers’ Perceptions Of Adolescent Friendly Health Services In Relationship To Adolescent Pregnancy, Jill Marie Ensminger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to recent research, adolescent health continues to be a public health concern. The purpose of this qualitative research was to identify the perceptions of primary care providers regarding adolescent friendly health services and the relationship to adolescent pregnancy. The theoretical and conceptual framework used for this research included the social ecological model and the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) for providing adolescent friendly health services. Using a phenomenological qualitative research approach, interviews were conducted over the telephone. Data analysis included hand coding with emerging themes and subthemes in relationship to each research question. The results of the …