Digital Commons Network^™

Ms211: Play About Couple On Land Around Chernobyl, Armin Weinberg

Works on Radiation Effects: 1990-2020

Story about a play depicting a couple that have lived on the contaminated land around the site of the nuclear plant. See more at Armin Weinberg, PhD Papers and its finding aid.

Putting Families First: How The Opioid Epidemic Is Affecting Children And Families, And The Child Welfare Policy Options To Address It, American Academy Of Pediatrics Council On Foster Care, Adoption, And Kinship Care, Douglas Waite, Mary V. Greiner, Zach Laris

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Abstract: Opioids and Child Welfare

Across the country, placements in foster care are rising. In 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that 273,539 children in the U.S. entered foster care. In 34 percent of those cases, parental drug abuse was one of the factors leading to the child’s removal from their family. Additionally, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimates that 400,000 births nationally are affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol and illicit drugs, which represents 10 percent of all live births. As the opioid epidemic continues, increasing numbers of children are at …

Ic 036 Guide To South Central Chapter Of The Medical Library Association Records, 1966-2018, Medical Library Association. South Central Regional Group

Institutional Finding Aids

The South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association records (SCC/MLA) contain organizational history, photographs, bylaws, reports, policies, annual meeting records, executive board records, meeting minutes, committee documents, local arrangements materials, membership directories, procedure manuals, newsletters, oral histories, and digital media. The collection documents the activities, people, membership, leaders, and committee work of the SCC/MLA, a professional organization of medical librarians and libraries. See more at IC 036.

The Future Of Tissue Engineering In Heart Transplantation, Doris A Taylor

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

No abstract provided.

Ic 030 Guide To Harris County Health Department Records, 1955-2008, Harris County Health Department

Institutional Finding Aids

The Harris County Health Department collection contains a disease control update, communicable disease report, news and views, epidemiology notes, Harris County Hospital District newsletter, annual reports, and ethnic distribution of census population report. See more at IC 030.

Ic 017 Guide To The Institute For Rehabilitation And Research, Tirr Records, 1950-1996, Institute For Rehabilitation And Research (Houston, Tex.)

Institutional Finding Aids

The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research collection contains slides, Department of rehabilitation annual reports, The Spinal Connection, TIRR year in review, Midweek newsletter, Connection newsletter, TIRR annual report, Southwestern Poliomyelitis Respiratory Center Administrative reports, Scoliosis Paul R. Harrington, issues of Promethean, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center reports, and other related printed materials. See more at IC 017.

Ic 015 Guide To Texas Research Institute Of Mental Sciences (Trims) Records, 1957-1985, Texas Research Institute Of Mental Sciences

Institutional Finding Aids

The TRIMs collection contains annual reports, annual financial reports, audit reports, highlights, news clippings and articles, constitution, bylaws, rules and regulations, dedication, publicity, linkages, correspondence, administration, organization of clinical services and committees, library information, audio visual, public information, communications, volunteer services, donations, program change proposals and approvals, evaluations, research advisory council, medical advisory committee, commissioners annual review, legislature visit to medical center, statistical information, comprehensive health planning, medical records, contracts, agreements, memos, manuals, salary increases, equal employment opportunity information and complaints, active medical staff, personnel, incidents, grievances, client abuse reports, travel reports, construction projects, minutes, reports of grants and donations, …

Multistate Outbreaks Of Foodborne Illness In The United States Associated With Fresh Produce From 2010 To 2017, Christina K Carstens, Joelle K Salazar, Charles Darkoh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In the United States, the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables has increased during recent years as consumers seek to make healthier lifestyle choices. However, the number of outbreaks associated with fresh produce that involve cases in more than one state (multistate) has increased concomitantly. As the distance along the farm-to-fork continuum has lengthened over time, there are also more opportunities for fresh produce contamination with bacterial pathogens before it reaches the consumer. This review provides an overview of the three bacterial pathogens (i.e., pathogenic

Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Therapeutic Delivery: Translational Challenges To Clinical Application, Henry Caplan, Scott D Olson, Akshita Kumar, Mitchell George, Karthik S Prabhakara, Pamela Wenzel, Supinder Bedi, Naama E Toledano-Furman, Fabio Triolo, Julian Kamhieh-Milz, Guido Moll, Charles S Cox

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

For several decades, multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been extensively studied for their therapeutic potential across a wide range of diseases. In the preclinical setting, MSCs demonstrate consistent ability to promote tissue healing, down-regulate excessive inflammation and improve outcomes in animal models. Several proposed mechanisms of action have been posited and demonstrated across an array of in vitro models. However, translation into clinical practice has proven considerably more difficult. A number of prominent well-funded late-phase clinical trials have failed, thus calling out for new efforts to optimize product delivery in the clinical setting. In this review, we discuss novel …

Melatonin Enhances Sorafenib-Induced Cytotoxicity In Flt3-Itd Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells By Redox Modification, Tian Tian, Jiajun Li, Yizhuo Li, Yun-Xin Lu, Yan-Lai Tang, Hua Wang, Fufu Zheng, Dingbo Shi, Qian Long, Miao Chen, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, Yumin Hu, Lijun Qin, Wuguo Deng

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with an internal tandem duplication in Fms-related tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3-ITD) is identified as a subgroup with poor outcome and intrinsic resistance to chemotherapy and therefore urgent need for development of novel therapeutic strategies.

Methods: The antitumor effects of melatonin alone or combined with sorafenib were evaluated via flow cytometry and immunoblotting assays in FLT-ITD AML cells. Also, the ex vivo and in vivo models were used to test the synergistic effects of melatonin and sorafenib against leukemia with FLT3/ITD mutation.

Results: Our study shows for the first time that melatonin inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis …

Resting-State Functional Connectivity Of The Habenula In Mood Disorder Patients With And Without Suicide-Related Behaviors, Elisa Ambrosi, David B Arciniegas, Kaylah N Curtis, Michelle A Patriquin, Gianfranco Spalletta, Gabriele Sani, B Christopher Frueh, J Christopher Fowler, Alok Madan, Ramiro Salas

Staff and Researcher Publications

The habenula is a small midbrain structure that is important for brain signaling and learning from negative events. Thus, the habenula is strongly connected to both the reward system and motor regions. Increasing evidence suggests a role for the habenula in the etiology of psychiatric disorders, including mood and substance use disorders. However, no studies to date have investigated habenular resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in suicide-related behaviors (SB). The authors enrolled 123 individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar disorder and a history of suicide-related behaviors (SB+), 74 individuals with MDD or bipolar disorder and a history of suicidal …

A Proof-Of-Mechanism Study To Test Effects Of The Nmda Receptor Antagonist Lanicemine On Behavioral Sensitization In Individuals With Symptoms Of Ptsd, Marijn Lijffijt, Charles E Green, Nicholas Balderston, Tabish Iqbal, Megan Atkinson, Brittany Vo-Le, Bylinda Vo-Le, Brittany O'Brien, Christian Grillon, Alan C Swann, Sanjay J Mathew

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a heightened sensitivity to subsequent stressors, addictive drugs, and symptom recurrence, a form of behavioral sensitization. N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are involved in the establishment and activation of sensitized behavior.

Objective: We describe a protocol of a randomized placebo-controlled Phase 1b proof-of-mechanism trial to examine target engagement, safety, tolerability, and possible efficacy of the NMDAR antagonist lanicemine in individuals with symptoms of PTSD (Clinician Administered PTSD Scale [CAPS-5] score ≥ 25) and evidence of behavioral sensitization measured as enhanced anxiety-potentiated startle (APS; T-score ≥ 2.8).

Methods: Subjects (n = 24; age range 21–65) …

Insights Into The Reactivation, Regulation And Essentiality Of Oxidative Protein Folding Pathways In Actinobacteria, Belkys Sanchez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Accurate disulfide bond formation is important for proper folding, stability and function of exported proteins. The process of disulfide bond formation, termed oxidative protein folding, is catalyzed by thiol-disulfide oxidoreductase enzymes. Oxidative protein folding pathways influence processes essential for bacterial physiology and pathogenicity. In the Gram-positive actinobacterial pathogens Actinomyces oris and Corynebacterium diphtheriae oxidative protein folding is catalyzed by the primary thiol-disulfide oxidoreductase MdbA. MdbA is required for assembly of adhesive pilus, which mediate receptor-dependent bacterial interactions, or coaggregation, in A. oris. In the first part of this dissertation, I identify components of the electron transport chain (ETC) required for …

Observed Cooking Behaviors Of Families With And Without Childhood Cancer Survivors And The Development Of A Healthy Cooking Assessment Tool, Margaret Pleta Raber

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Diet is a modifiable risk factor for several cancers and other chronic diseases. Cooking skills are a target for dietary intervention, with much of the general population reporting infrequent and inadequate home preparation of meals. Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) are a population at high risk of several chronic conditions including secondary cancers that may be influenced by home cooking behaviors. We conducted observations of food preparation practices in 29 parents of healthy school-aged children and 11 parents of CCS. Observations included an audio and video recording of one evening meal per family. Parents were asked to wear a small body …

Chagas Disease Awareness Amongst Texas Physicians, Gerardo J. Pacheco

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

An estimated 300,000 people in the U.S. are living with Chagas Disease (CD), many of whom may not yet know they are infected. Approximately 20% to 30% of individuals with CD are expected to develop clinical symptoms that may manifest as heart disease and result in death if left untreated. The prevalence of CD in humans is not well understood. Given its asymptomatic manifestation and the rarity in cases seen by physicians in general, CD may be under-recognized by physicians.

The purpose of this research was to explore the understanding and knowledge of CD in Texas HCP populations (cardiologists, infectious …

Collateral Benefits Of Diabetes Self-Management Associated With Self-Administered Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy, Anisha P. Ganguly

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Self-administered outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (S-OPAT) is a self-care treatment modality in which patients requiring extended courses of intravenous antibiotics are trained to safely self-administer treatment via an indwelling catheter in their home. Many patients seen in the S-OPAT program have a diagnosis of diabetes and present with infections associated with poor glycemic control, including skin and soft-tissue infections and osteomyelitis. Given the degree of patient activation required to successfully complete the S-OPAT process, we hypothesized that participation in this self-care program may benefit patients in self-management of other chronic health conditions, such as diabetes. The study team included Anisha …

Investigation Of Hantavirus And Leptospira As Possible Contributing Factors Of The Unexplained Kidney Disease Epidemic In Nicaragua, Nicole J. Delgado

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Throughout Latin America, an epidemic of a kidney disease of an unknown etiology has been occurring since the late 1990s, and this disease is being called “Mesoamerican nephropathy.” Mesoamerican nephropathy predominantly affects male sugarcane workers. In Chichigalpa, Chinandega, Nicaragua, there is sugarcane plantation that is being heavily impacted by the Mesoamerican nephropathy epidemic, and they invited researchers from Baylor College of Medicine to investigate the epidemic. The prospective epidemic investigation began in 2015, and it is an ongoing investigation. Based on the compilation of data collected during the preliminary investigation, our hypothesis is that a possible zoonotic disease, such as …

Exposure To Ambient Air Pollution And Fetal Death In Harris County, Texas, Amal Rammah

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The evidence from studies of maternal ambient air pollutant exposure (including O3, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and PM2.5 metal constituents) and stillbirth is limited and equivocal. There is also limited evidence of the acute effect of temperature increases in the week preceding delivery and stillbirth. In the first investigation of ambient air pollution, temperature and stillbirth among a large cohort of women in Harris County, Texas, we obtained birth and fetal death records from 2008-2013 and estimated weekly residential levels of apparent temperature and ozone (O3), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and PM2.5 metals from the local monitoring …

Does Space Matter? An Investigation Of The Spatial Variation In Gestational Weight Gain Associations With Country Of Birth Among Hispanic Women And Access To Care In Texas, Christopher R. Webb

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Inadequate and excess gestational weight gain (GWG) are serious, but potentially preventable adverse pregnancy outcomes which affect as many as two-thirds of pregnant women in the United States. While location and space are associated with a variety of pregnancy outcomes, limited research has investigated potential spatial variation in GWG. The goal of this research is to improve the knowledge of how spatial geography is associated with GWG through secondary analyses of 70,000 to 160,000 birth certificate registry records for Texas mothers with a live birth delivery in 2014. Specifically, this research attempts to assess whether access to obstetrics and gynecologist …

Factors Associated With Civilian And Police Officer Injury During 10 Years Of Officer-Involved Shooting Incidents: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Ellen Paddock

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Purpose. Law enforcement officer-involved shootings are uncommon events in the context of encounters with the public, but extreme situations which have the potential to pose immense harm to individuals and communities. Previous research demonstrates that a large proportion of such incidents result in injury or death, most commonly to civilians, but in some cases to officers as well. However, there has been little study of what factors are associated with injury during such incidents, and whether these factors might differ for civilians compared to officers. This study examined the factors associated with both civilian and officer injury and/or fatality during …

Development And Usability Testing Of Quit4health, A Smoking Cessation Smartphone App For Young Adults, Katarzyna Czerniak

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Tobacco use is the leading cause of death in the United States. As of 2016, 23.5% of American 18-25 year olds reported having used cigarettes in the last month compared to 20.2% of adults and only 3.4% of adolescents. Due to the efficacy and widespread general use of mobile technology today, mobile-phone health, or mHealth apps, have become increasingly popular methods of delivering smoking cessation programs. However, there is a lack of evidence in regards to the quality and the effectiveness of using mHealth to deliver smoking cessation interventions to young adults. This study aims to fill this gap to …

Quantifying The Impact Of Laboratory And Care Systems On Relinkage To Hiv Care In A Southern, Urban Environment, Kellie L. Watkins

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: HIV viral suppression reduces the likelihood of transmission to just 5%,1 demonstrating the critical link between care and prevention, yet only 51% of people living with HIV (PLWH) were retained in care and 46% achieved viral suppression in the Houston area (2012), with the out-of-care (OOC) population increasing between 2008-2011.2,3

Methods: Record-search investigations across HIV surveillance and care data systems determined if potentially OOC persons referred to the Houston Health Department (HHD) from 2013-2015 (N=1287) qualified for public health follow up. A portion were randomized to a non-intervention group (n=200) to assess the program effectiveness. Participants without a disposition …

Sociodemographic Determinants Of Mental Health Outcomes Among Unhealthy Weight Youth In The United States, Chenchita Malolan

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background

The prevalence of unhealthy weight (defined as a body mass index ≥ 85th %ile for age and sex) among children and adolescents in the United States remains unacceptably high. In parallel, the prevalence of mental health issues in youth is rising as well. Current research shows a strong association between overweight/obesity and poor mental health outcomes. Specifically, youth of unhealthy weight have higher rates of anxiety and depression. The objective of this study is to evaluate the specific the current (2016-17) population-level prevalence of unhealthy weight, mental health issues and the sociodemographic (e.g. sex, age, race, ethnicity, household income) …

A Secondary Data Analysis For The Refinement Of Empirical Modelling For The Estimation Of Environmental Health & Safety Program Resourcing For Colleges And Universities, Seth Michael Parker

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The use of potentially hazardous physical, chemical, biological, and radiological agents is inherent to the teaching, research, and services missions of any university. To manage the risks associated with these agents, it is common for universities to host environmental health & safety (EH&S) programs to protect the safety of the institution’s students, faculty, staff, and visitors. However, since EH&S programs in universities are primarily focused on prevention, it is difficult to estimate the appropriate “industry average” in terms of budget and staffing resources a particular university needs for such programs. Historically, the Campus Safety, Health, and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA) …

Involvement Of Gdap1 In The Regulation Of Mtorc1 Activity In A Drosophila Mliv Model, Kristen Clemons

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The master regulator of metabolism and growth, mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), is responsible for maintaining metabolic homeostasis by sensing nutrient and energy levels within the cell to promote or inhibit translation and autophagy accordingly. In the childhood neurodevelopmental disorder Mucolipidosis type IV (MLIV), mTORC1 activity is decreased. The underlying mechanism for reduced mTORC1 signaling in MLIV is poorly understood. The gene encoding ganglioside-induced differentiation associated protein 1 (GDAP1) is transcriptionally upregulated in MLIV. This project investigated the involvement of GDAP1 in MLIV disease pathology. Using the UAS/GAL4 system in an established MLIV Drosophila model, we …

A Compressed Sensing Approach To Detect Immobilized Nanoparticles Using Superparamagnetic Relaxometry, Sara Thrower

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Superparamagnetic relaxometry (SPMR) is an emerging technology that leverages the unique properties of biologically targeted superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles to detect cancer. The use of ultra-sensitive sensors enables SPMR to detect tumors ten times smaller than current imaging methods. Reconstructing the distribution of cancer-bound nanoparticles from SPMR measurements is challenging because the inverse problem is ill posed. Current methods of source reconstruction rely on prior knowledge of the number of clusters of bound nanoparticles and their approximate locations, which is not known in clinical applications. In this work, we present a novel reconstruction algorithm based on compressed sensing methods that …

Behavioral Insights Into Nociceptor Function: A Systematic Approach To Understanding Postsurgical And Neuropathic Pain Mechanisms In Rats, Max Odem

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Postsurgical and neuropathic pain are each clinically common, and often associated with ongoing pain. Ongoing pain has been linked to ongoing activity (OA) in human C-fiber nociceptors. Preclinical studies using rodent neuropathic models have concentrated on allodynia driven by OA generated in non-nociceptive Aβ fibers, but little attention has been paid to postsurgical pain in sham controls or to C-fiber nociceptor OA promoting ongoing pain.

Operant assays that reveal negative motivational and cognitive aspects of voluntary pain-related behavior may be particularly sensitive to pain-related alterations. In the mechanical conflict (MC) test, rodents can freely choose to escape from a brightly …

A Role For Epac1 And Epac2 In Nociceptor Hyperexcitability And Chronic Pain After Spinal Cord Injury, Samantha Berkey

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Chronic pain is a major complaint of those living with spinal cord injury (SCI), affecting 65-80% of the SCI population, but the treatment options remain limited or non-existent. The cAMP sensor EPAC has previously been shown to play a key role in chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain, though the contribution from each of its two main isoforms, EPAC1 and EPAC2, is unclear. Here I test the hypothesis that both EPAC1 and EPAC2 play a key role in the maintenance of persistent nociceptor hyperexcitability and chronic pain after SCI.

Using both a T9 SCI mouse model and a T10 SCI rat …

Adenylyl Cyclase Type 9: Regulation And Cardiac Function, Tanya A. Baldwin, Tanya A. Baldwin

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Abnormalities in cardiac stress signaling underlie a number of cardiovascular diseases (e.g. arrhythmias and heart failure). Cardiac stress signaling pathways normally integrate signals from the sympathetic nervous system to promote efficient contraction and relaxation under stress. Sympathetic control through β-adrenergic stimulation is propagated by adenylyl cyclase (AC). AC synthesizes cyclic AMP (cAMP), an important second messenger that initiates signaling pathways to modulate physiological and pathophysiological functions of the heart, including the activation of PKA and subsequent phosphorylation of ion channels, contractile machinery, and stress response proteins that enhance cardiac function. Alterations of cAMP signaling occur in the failing heart and …

Investigation Of Novel Virulence Mechanisms In Candida Albicans, Elisa Marie Tafoya Vesely

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Candida albicans is the most important fungal species associated with humans. Normally present in the human microbiome as a commensal colonizer, C. albicans is also the fourth most prevalent organism isolated from bloodstream infections in hospitals. Disseminated infections have an associated mortality rate of around 40%. The results of the work described in this dissertation cover the broad subject of C. albicans adaptation to the host and the mechanisms by which this organism is able to survive and cause infection through a variety of means. A key determinant in disease progression is interaction with innate immune cells, specifically macrophages and …