Digital Commons Network^™

Assessment Of Outcomes And Novel Immune Biomarkers In Metaplastic Breast Cancer: A Single Institution Retrospective Study., Evan Morgan, Anupama Suresh, Akaansha Ganju, Daniel G Stover, Robert Wesolowski, Sagar Sardesai, Anne Noonan, Raquel Reinbolt, Jeffrey Vandeusen, Nicole Williams, Mathew A Cherian, Zaibo Li, Gregory Young, Marilly Palettas, Julie Stephens, Joseph Liu, Amanda Luff, Bhuvaneswari Ramaswamy, Maryam Lustberg

Women’s Health Articles

BACKGROUND: Metaplastic breast cancer remains poorly characterized given its rarity and heterogeneity. The majority of metaplastic breast cancers demonstrate a phenotype of triple-negative breast cancer; however, differences in clinical outcomes between metaplastic breast cancer and triple-negative breast cancer in the era of third-generation chemotherapy remain unclear.

METHODS: We compared the clinical outcomes between women with metaplastic breast cancer and women with triple-negative breast cancer diagnosed between 1994 and 2014. Metaplastic breast cancer patients were matched 1:3 to triple-negative breast cancer patients by stage and age at diagnosis. Distant disease-free survival (DDFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using Kaplan Meier …

Population Council Annual Evaluation Report: Opening Futures (Abriendo Futuros) For Indigenous Girls In Yucatan, Mexico, Silvana Larrea

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This Population Council Annual Evaluation Report includes evaluation activities from December 1, 2015 to December 1, 2019, and future evaluation plans (2019–21), as part of the Opening Futures (Abriendo Futuros) project for indigenous girls in Yucatan, Mexico. The first section describes the finalized analysis of the impact evaluation of the pilot phase; the second section reports the progress of evaluation activities; and the third section includes an evaluation of future plans for the period December 1, 2019 to November 30, 2021.

Immune-Mediated Genetic Pathways Resulting In Pulmonary Function Impairment Increase Lung Cancer Susceptibility, Linda Kachuri, Mattias Johansson, Sara R. Rashkin, Rebecca E. Graff, Yohan Bossé, Venkata Manem, Neil E. Caporaso, Maria Teresa Landi, David C. Christiani, Paolo Vineis, Geoffrey Liu, Ghislaine Scelo, David Zaridze, Sanjay S Shete, Demetrius Albanes, Melinda C. Aldrich, Adonina Tardón, Gad Rennert, Chu Chen, Gary E. Goodman, Jennifer A. Doherty, Heike Bickeböller, John K. Field, Michael P Davies, M. Dawn Teare, Lambertus A. Kiemeney, Stig E. Bojesen, Aage Haugen, Shanbeh Zienolddiny, Stephen Lam, Loïc Le Marchand, Iona Cheng, Matthew B. Schabath, Eric J. Duell, Angeline S. Andrew, Jonas Manjer, Philip Lazarus, Susanne M. Arnold, James D. Mckay, Nima C. Emami, Matthew T. Warkentin, Yonathan Brhane, Ma'en Obeidat, Richard M. Martin, Caroline Relton, George Davey Smith, Philip C. Haycock, Christopher I. Amos, Paul Brennan, John S. Witte, Rayjean J. Hung

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Impaired lung function is often caused by cigarette smoking, making it challenging to disentangle its role in lung cancer susceptibility. Investigation of the shared genetic basis of these phenotypes in the UK Biobank and International Lung Cancer Consortium (29,266 cases, 56,450 controls) shows that lung cancer is genetically correlated with reduced forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁: r_g = 0.098, p = 2.3 × 10^-8) and the ratio of FEV₁ to forced vital capacity (FEV₁/FVC: r_g = 0.137, p = 2.0 × 10^-12). Mendelian randomization analyses demonstrate that …

Prenatal Choline Supplementation During High-Fat Feeding Improves Long-Term Blood Glucose Control In Male Mouse Offspring, Hunter W. Korsmo, Kaydine Edwards, Bhoomi Dave, Chauntelle Jack-Roberts, Huanling Yu, Anjana Saxena, Marie Salvador, Moshe Dembitzer, Jaskomal Phagoora, Xinyin Jiang

Publications and Research

Maternal obesity increases the risk of metabolic dysregulation in rodent offspring, especially when offspring are exposed to a high-fat (HF), obesogenic diet later in life. We previously demonstrated that maternal choline supplementation (MCS) in HF-fed mouse dams during gestation prevents fetal overgrowth and excess adiposity. In this study, we examined the long-term metabolic influence of MCS. C57BL/6J mice were fed a HF diet with or without choline supplementation prior to and during gestation. After weaning, their pups were exposed to either a HF or control diet for 6 weeks before measurements. Prenatal and post-weaning dietary treatments led to sexually dimorphic …

Community Outreach And Education Project: Hepatitis A And B Vaccines In High Risk Populations, Ellen Wright

Master of Science in Nursing Theses and Projects

The Community Outreach and Education Project targets high risk groups within Gaston County to increase education and vaccination against Hepatitis to, in turn, lower countywide Hepatitis rates. Through implementation of the project, Gaston County Department of Health and Human Services-Public Health (GCDHHS-PH) will partner with Community sponsors to gain access to their high-risk clients. Sponsors will be educated on the impact of prompt intervention in slowing the spread of hepatitis throughout high risk groups. Once an agreement is made between GCDHHS-PH and Community sponsors, GCDHHS-PH will present to participating facilities and begin screening, educating, and vaccinating high-risk individuals.

Leveraging The Power Of Mutual Aid, Coalitions, Leadership, And Advocacy During Covid-19, Daniela Domínguez, Dellanira García, David A. Martínez, Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga

Psychology

The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the norms, patterns, and power structures in the United States that privilege certain groups of people over others. This manuscript describes COVID-19 as an unprecedented catalyst for social transformation that underscores the need for multi-level and cross-sectoral solutions to address systemic changes to improve health equity for all. The authors propose that the American Psychological Association and its membership can initiate systemic change, in part, by: (a) supporting mutual aid organizations that prioritize the needs of vulnerable communities; (b) leveraging the efforts and strides APA psychologists have already made within the association, in …

Adolescents And E-Cigarette Use: Long-Term Effects, Behaviors And Lung Injury, Sarah Congdon

PCOM Capstone Projects

The use of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), commonly referred to as e-cigarettes, has become a deadly habit among adolescents across the nation. These devices are attractive with their sleek design, fun flavors, and youthful advertisements. E-Cigarettes entered the marketplace around 2007, and since 2014, they have been the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. youth. In 2018, more than 3.6 million U.S. youth, including 1 in 5 high school students and 1 in 20 middle school students, currently use e-cigarettes. There have been increasing lung infections and chronic lung diseases rising in the younger community. The strong adolescent …

Fusion, 2020, George Washington University, William H. Beaumont Medical Research Honor Society

Fusion

No abstract provided.

Insulin Resistance And Cancer-Specific And All-Cause Mortality In Postmenopausal Women: The Women's Health Initiative, K. Pan, R. A. Nelson, J. Wactawski-Wende, D. J. Lee, J. A. Manson, A. K. Aragaki, J. E. Mortimer, L. S. Phillips, G. Y. Ho, R. T. Chlebowski, +6 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: [email protected]. BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance has been proposed as a mediator of the increased cancer incidence and mortality associated with obesity. However, prior studies included limited cancer deaths and had inconsistent findings. Therefore, we evaluated insulin resistance and cancer-specific and all-cause mortality in postmenopausal women participating in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). METHODS: Eligible were a subsample of 22 837 WHI participants aged 50-79 years enrolled at 40 US clinical centers from 1993 to 1998 who had baseline fasting glucose and insulin levels. Baseline insulin …

Survival Of A Serotype 4b Strain And A Serotype 1/2a Strain Of Listeria T Monocytogenes, Isolated From A Stone Fruit Outbreak Investigation, On Whole Stone Fruit At 4 °C, Antonio J. De Jesus, Ishani Sheth, Hee Jin Kwon, Zhujun Gao, Jessica Palmer, Minji Hur, Thomas S. Hammack, Dumitru Macarisin, Yi Chen

United States Food and Drug Administration: Publications

In the summer of 2014, a multistate outbreak of listeriosis associated with contaminated stone fruit (peach and nectarine) was reported. A serotype 4b variant Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) strain of singleton Sequence Type (ST) 382 was isolated from clinical samples and stone fruit associated with the outbreak. A serotype 1/2b Lm strain of ST5, Clonal Complex 5 was isolated only from outbreak-associated stone fruit, not from clinical samples. Here we investigated the fate of the serotype 4b and 1/2b strains, at two inoculation levels (high level at 3.7 logCFU/fruit and low level at 2.7 logCFU/fruit), on the surfaces of white peach, …

Genomics-Based Re-Examination Of The Taxonomy And Phylogeny Of Human And Simian Mastadenoviruses: An Evolving Whole Genomes Approach, Revealing Putative Zoonosis, Anthroponosis, And Amphizoonosis, June Kang, Ashrafali Mohamed Ismail, Shoaleh Dehghan, Jaya Rajaiya, Marc W. Allard, Haw Chuan Lim, David W. Dyer, James Chodosh, Donald Seto

United States Food and Drug Administration: Publications

With the advent of high-resolution and cost-effective genomics and bioinformatics tools and methods contributing to a large database of both human (HAdV) and simian (SAdV) adenoviruses, a genomics-based re-evaluation of their taxonomy is warranted. Interest in these particular adenoviruses is growing in part due to the applications of both in gene transfer protocols, including gene therapy and vaccines, as well in oncolytic protocols. In particular, the re-evaluation of SAdVs as appropriate vectors in humans is important as zoonosis precludes the assumption that human immune system may be na€ıve to these vectors. Additionally, as impor- tant pathogens, adenoviruses are a model …

Development Of A Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Nachr Α7 Binding Activity Prediction Model, Sugunadevi Sakkiah, Carmine Leggett, Bohu Pan, Wenjing Guo, Luis G. Valerio Jr., Huixiao Hong

United States Food and Drug Administration: Publications

Despite the well-known adverse health effects associated with tobacco use, addiction to nicotine found in tobacco products causes difficulty in quitting among users. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are the physiological targets of nicotine and facilitate addiction to tobacco products. The nAChR-α7 subtype plays an important role in addiction; therefore, predicting the binding activity of tobacco constituents to nAChR-α7 is an important component for assessing addictive potential of tobacco constituents. We developed an α7 binding activity prediction model based on a large training data set of 843 chemicals with human α7 binding activity data extracted from PubChem and ChEMBL. The model …

Full Issue-- Volume 3 Issue 1, 2020, Issue 1 Volume 3

Pursue: Undergraduate Research Journal

PURSUE: Undergraduate Research Journal

Volume 3 Issue 1, 2020

Article 1 - Harvesting Electrical Energy Produced by Electrogenic Bacteria in Microbial Fuel Cells

Article 2 – The Effects of Fertilizer Rate on the Growth of Egyptian Spinach in a Greenhouse

Article 3 – Exploring the Association Between Nutrition and Mental Health in Adolescence: A Systematic Literature Review

Article 4— Biological Pathways Associated with Wild and Domestic Animals

Association Between Sports Participation And Levels Of Physical Fitness, Jordan Italiano

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: Physical activity is a major component of overall health, especially in children. Increased physical activity in children provides many health benefits, and organized sports provide a great opportunity to meet the physical activity recommendations. In fact, participation in organized sports provides further health advantages, such as lower BMIs, compared to those who engaged in self organized physical activity and has shown to promote continued healthy habits throughout life. However, there has not been research looking at which sports are associated with the greatest level of fitness and provide the greatest health benefit for participants. In this study, we examine …

"Pliable And Easily Shaped": History, Harms, And Regulations Of Plastic In The United States, Krista Decima Smithers

Online Theses and Dissertations

The majority of plastic exists in a linear economy, wherein a product is developed with raw materials, used, and then discarded. Because there are many applications for plastic in today’s society unparalleled by alternative materials, removing all or most plastic use from daily life in the United States is unrealistic. Nevertheless, eliminating single-use plastics and improving recycling are reasonably attainable goals.

This thesis offers a detailed discussion of the origins of plastic, including its discovery, initial applications, and growth in the United States. Against this backdrop, this thesis then examines how various nonhuman animal species and ecosystems have been negatively …

Factors Associated With Tobacco Smoking Among Saudi College Students: A Systematic Review, Saad A. Alotaibi, Praveen K. Durgampudi

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION There has been an increase in tobacco smoking among Saudi college students in recent years. However, no study has examined, with a systematic approach, the extent to which specific factors are associated with tobacco smoking among this population.

METHODS PubMed, ProQuest, CINAHL, and Web of Science were utilized to retrieve studies addressing risk factors associated with tobacco smoking among Saudi college students between 2010 and 2019. After confirming their eligibility criteria, studies were imported to the NVivo software for data collection and synthesis. All included articles were critically appraised, based on a modified STROBE.

RESULTS Twenty-one out of 300 …

Achievable Toilet Sanitation, Benjamin Goulart

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Human feces contains ten million viruses, one million bacteria, and 1,000 parasitic cysts, contributing to cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, polio, and various neglected tropical diseases (The Economist, 2019). Unimproved sanitation includes open defecation, shared latrines that lack privacy, or other sanitation methods with insufficient pathogen reduction of fecal material. The most affected regions are sub-Saharan Africa, Southern and Eastern Asia, Afghanistan, and Iraq (CDC, 2016). Without private toilets, girls reaching puberty are also less likely to continue school. Improved sanitation can contribute to increased human potential, human rights, and gross domestic product.

Ua35/3 Memoranda, Wku Provost

WKU Administration Documents

2020 memoranda issued by the WKU Provost to faculty & staff via email.

• Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning January Workshops
• Fall to Fall Retention of All FFY as of Census by Selected Categories
• Updates fromt the Provost
• COVID-19
• COVID-19 or Coronavirus Update
• COVID-19 Update from the Provost's Office
• Announcing the 2020 College Faculty Award Winners
• WKU Announces New Associate Provost for Research & Graduate Education
• Budget Communication
• Summer School Updates from the Provost
• Amendment to PDF Policy
• FY2020-21 Budget Executive Committee Recommendations
• Provost's Message

Assessing Biomass Fuel Consumption In Kasigau, Kenya As A Predictor Of Hypertension, Conner Hounshell

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally and disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries, such as Kenya. Hypertension is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is influenced by a variety of factors such as diet, tobacco use, and genetics. One such factor linked to hypertension is exposure to air pollution, but minimal research exists on the effects of household air pollution. Hypertension that is not related to common Western risk indicators, such as waist-to-hip ratio, body mass indices, and hypercholestorlemia, is prevalent in the community of Kasigau, Kenya, along with the prevalence of risks for household …

Assessing Access To Healthcare For Limited English Proficient Patients, Hannah Bergamini

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Patients with limited English skills often face additional struggles when accessing medical care. These patients, referred to as limited English proficient (LEP) patients, are unable to communicate directly with their physician. This lack of direct communication typically results in unique challenges for the patient and provider. Due to these challenges, LEP patients often have poorer health statuses and experience poorer health outcomes. However, when provided with access to qualified medical interpreters, many of these challenges facing LEP patients can be ameliorated. Therefore, using qualified interpreters is an important component in improving the access to healthcare for LEP patients. To determine …

Impact Of Geographic Location And Social Determinants Of Health On Lung Cancer Incidence And Mortality Rates, Katherine Ashley

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This paper studies the effect of geographic location and socioeconomic status, specifically level of education and income, on rates of incidence and mortality of lung and bronchus cancer. While some prior studies have focused on socioeconomic status’ and global geographic location’s impact on these rates, few have focused on the impact in Appalachian Kentucky and non-Appalachian Kentucky. In this paper, level of education and income are controlled for using four variables: median household income, percentage of persons in poverty, percentage of high school graduates or higher who are at least 25, and percentage of persons with a bachelor’s degree or …

Covid-19 Personal Protective Equipment Sterilization System, Uwe Reischl

Public and Population Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

A portable system based on a non-destructive sterilization method was developed that consists of a chamber producing ozone concentration levels reported in the scientific literature to deactivate 99.9% of all microorganisms. The system includes a small cordless 30mg/h ozone generator placed inside a 20L enclosed chamber. Personal protective equipment is loaded into the chamber and automatically exposed to an ozone concentration up to 18 ppm for 30 minutes. PPE is then removed and ventilated in open air to allow residual ozone to degrade to oxygen. The paper describes the design and performance characteristics of this technology.

Ua25 Memoranda, Wku Strategy, Operations & Finance

WKU Administration Documents

Memoranda issued by WKU Strategy, Operations & Finance to faculty & staff via email.

• Bookstore
• Staff Excellence Awards
• Campus Update

Sources And Toxicity Of Mercury In The San Francisco Bay Area, Spanning California And Beyond., Mietek Kolipinski, Mani Subramanian, Kristina Kristen, Steven Borish, Stacy Ditta

Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Faculty Scholarship

This report synthesizes and evaluates published scientific literature on the environmental occurrence and biomagnification of mercury with emphasis on the San Francisco Bay Area (SFBA), California. Mercury forms various compounds, well known for their toxicity in humans and environmental ecosystems. Elemental mercury is transported and distributed by air, water, and sediments. Through the metabolic processes of algae and bacteria, mercury is converted into organic compounds, such as methylmercury (MeHg), which then bioaccumulates up through trophic levels. In fish, it is found primarily in skeletal muscle, while in humans, the primary target organs are the brain and kidneys. Health concerns exist …

Radiation Actions And Dimensions Of Radiation Safety Among U.S. Radiologic Technologists, Quentin T. Moore

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Background: Radiation safety culture is a fundamental contributor to procedural justification, exam optimization, and dose-limiting practices in medical imaging. Multiple intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, community, and policy factors could influence the outcomes of radiation safety culture.

Purpose and Aims: The purpose of the study was to examine the determinants of radiation safety culture among U.S. radiologic technologists. The specific aims were to: 1) develop a survey instrument tailored to radiation actions and dimensions of radiation safety with a sequential use of multiple techniques; 2) examine determinants of radiation safety culture employing McLeroy’s socioecological model; 3) examine relationship between the determinants of …

Social Stigma, Public Health, And Addiction In Albania, Ediola Malkouari

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Drug use is considered in many countries the plague of today's society. Researchers from medical, psychological and sociological fields, as well as lawmakers, are interested in finding more answers to this widespread phenomenon. All over the world there are known conflicts related to drug producing, transportation routes and distribution, that harm the economy and social standing of the involved communities or countries. Policies towards drug use vary from country to country, but this research focuses on how stigma affects the lives of individuals suffering from substance use disorder (SUD) in Albania. Substance use disorder is not often considered a disease, …

The Role Of Female Headed Households Caring For Children And No Spouse In Gentrification In Los Angeles, Jovita Murillo

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Gentrification is the “in-migration of a relatively well-off, middle- and upper-middle-class population” into historically marginalized communities (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Matsuoka et al. 2017). Literature has repeatedly shown that gentrification is placing cost and rent-burdened residents at risk of displacement due to the hike in housing prices and rents. Most cost and rent burdened households are female-headed households caring for children without a spouse (FHHCCNS) (Colburn and Allen, 2018). Given there is a lack of literature describing the role of gender in gentrification, this descriptive study aims to describe the gentrification profile in Los Angeles using multiple …

Recidivism Among Previously Incarcerated People Enrolled In Riverside County Whole Person Care, Ndifreke Emmanuel Etim

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The United States continues to policy shift towards reducing the number of incarcerated people; however, many people released from incarceration will be rearrested due to re-entry challenges. Several re-entry programs, such as the Whole Person Care pilot, have been developed to address these challenges and ensure that formerly incarcerated people successfully transition into the community. The primary aim of this project is to explore the determinants of recidivism among previously incarcerated people enrolled in the Whole Person Care pilot in Riverside County. This study suggests early linkage to services, such as mental health and substance use treatment services, will reduce …

Nutrition And Health Status Of Hemodialysis Patients In Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tanjina Rahman

Wayne State University Dissertations

Methods to identify patients at risk for End stage renal disease (ESRD) are a high priority in Bangladesh, where kidney transplants/dialysis options are limited and costly. Every year, 35,000 to 40,000 people reach ESRD in Bangladesh, but currently available facilities can hardly accommodate only 9000 to 10,000 new patients with twice weekly dialysis and the remaining 66% have no access to any kind of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in the form of dialysis or transplantation. Nutrition is an important factor in maintaining good health of hemodialysis patients. However, data on nutritional status of Bangladeshi dialysis patients is limited and is …

An Occupational Hygiene And Safety Primer, Volume 2, Tim Ryan

OHIO Open Faculty Textbooks

Intended to teach the basic tenets of occupational hygiene and safety to a wide variety of undergraduate college students with quite diverse backgrounds, the information in these volumes is open-sourced from a variety of experts on the subject.