Digital Commons Network^™

Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Prenatal Care Utilization In Arkansas, United States., Pearl A Mcelfish, Aaron Caldwell, Donya Watson, Jonathan Langner, Jennifer Callaghan-Koru, Austin Porter, Don E Willis, Jennifer A Andersen, Nicola L Hawley, James P Selig, Amir Forati, Maria R Alcala, Lanita White, Enrique Gomez-Pomar, Clare C Brown

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES: This study examines prenatal care utilization differences in Arkansas.

METHODS: Birth records data from the National Center for Health Statistics were used. The study population consisted of singleton live births in Arkansas from 2014 to 2022. Primary outcomes included number of prenatal visits, fewer than the recommended number of prenatal visits, late prenatal care, and no prenatal care. Summary statistics were computed, and adjusted rates ratios were calculated adjusting for maternal age, maternal education, and parity for payer, race/ethnicity, and rural/urban residence.

RESULTS: Mothers with a Medicaid-covered birth had 0.90 times fewer prenatal care visits and were 1.26 times …

Implementation Of A Scoring Tool And Treatment Algorithm For Necrotising Enterocolitis In The Chd Population, Jamie M. Furlong-Dillard, Heron Baumgarten, Samantha L. Stone, Yana Feygin, Shannon Gabbard, David Foley, Deanna R. Todd Tzanetos

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Patients with CHD have an increased risk of necrotising enterocolitis, leading to higher mortality compared to infants without necrotising enterocolitis. Current definitions and treatment recommendations are based on premature infants and accepted criteria for diagnosing or treating necrotising enterocolitis in infants with CHD are lacking. We performed a quality improvement project to develop and implement a diagnostic scoring tool and treatment algorithm for necrotising enterocolitis in infants with CHD, aiming to enhance early diagnosis, categorise disease severity, and expedite safe return to enteral feeding. The scoring tool and algorithm were implemented in children with CHD under six months of age …

Quantifying Temporal Dynamics Of E. Coli Concentration And Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment Of Pathogen In A Karst Basin, Shishir K. Sarker, Ryan T. Dapkus, Diana M. Byrne, Alan E. Fryar, Justin M. Hutchison

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

Karst aquifers can be highly productive water sources but are vulnerable to contamination by pathogens because of integrated surface and subsurface drainage. Our study focuses on the karstic Royal Spring basin in Kentucky, encompassing urban and agricultural land uses. The city of Georgetown distributes treated water from Royal Spring to over 33,000 customers. We examined E. coli dynamics at Royal Spring from June 2021 through June 2022, assessing variability under wet versus dry weather conditions. We also used quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to estimate potential health risks from the pathogenic bacterium E. coli O157:H7. E. coli concentrations in weekly …

Responses Of Skeletal Muscle To Mechanical Stimuli In Female Rats Following And During Muscle Disuse Atrophy, Alexander B. Sklivas, Zachary R. Hettinger, Sarah Rose, Alessandra Mantuano, Amy L. Confides, Sandra Rigsby, Frederick F. Peelor, Benjamin F. Miller, Timothy A. Butterfield, Esther E. Dupont-Versteegden

Physiology Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of mechanotherapy to enhance recovery or prevent loss of muscle size with disuse in female rats. Female F344/BN rats were assigned to weight bearing (WB), hindlimb suspended (HS) for 14 days with reambulation for 7 days without mechanotherapy or reambulation (RA) with mechanotherapy (RAM) (study 1), or to WB, HS for 7 days, with HS mechanotherapy (HSM) or without mechanotherapy (study 2) to gastrocnemius muscle. Muscle fiber cross-sectional area (CSA) and fiber type, collagen, satellite cell number, and protein synthesis (k_syn) and degradation (k_deg) were assessed. …

Insulin Receptor Responsiveness Governs Tgfβ-Induced Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation: Insulin Resistance Instigates Liver Fibrosis, Wang-Hsin Lee, Evelyn A. Bates, Zachary A. Kipp, Sally Pauss, Genesee J. Martinez, Cheavar A. Blair, Terry D. Hinds Jr.

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

The insulin receptor (INSR) has been shown to be hyperactive in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in humans and rodents with liver fibrosis. To explore HSC cellular mechanisms that INSR regulates during pro-fibrotic stimulation, we used CRISPR-Cas9 technology. We knocked out a portion of the INSR gene in human LX2 HSC cells (INSRe5- 8 KO) that regulates insulin responsiveness but not the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) or transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) signaling. The INSRe5- 8 KO HSCs had significantly higher cell growth, BrdU incorporation, and lower TP53 expression that suppresses growth, and they also exhibited increased migration compared to the Scramble …

Lc-Ms Analysis Of Serum Lipidomic And Metabolomic Signatures In Pediatric Patients With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Feiyu Yan, Shengnan Wang, Yilin Wang, Yan Sun, Jing Yang, Lirong Sun, Yekaterina Y. Zaytseva, Pan Deng, Lingzhen Wang

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Background Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a prevalent hematologic malignancy that primarily affects children. The diagnosis and treatment of pediatric ALL remain challenging. This study aimed to identify differential lipids and metabolites that may hold potential for improving ALL treatment.

Methods In this retrospective case-control study, serum samples obtained from children with ALL and healthy controls were analyzed. Serum lipidome and metabolome alterations of ALL were analyzed by comparing pediatric patients with ALL with healthy controls based on liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis of serum lipidomic and metabolomic signatures.

Results We identified 2,298 lipid features in the serum. Among …

Exploring Oxylipins In Host–Microbe Interactions And Their Impact On Infection And Immunity, Robert J. Neff, Christopher D. Radka

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Plasma lipids are essential components of biological systems, transported through interactions with proteins to maintain cellular functions. These lipids exist in various forms, such as fatty acids, glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, sterols, and prenol lipids, derived from dietary intake, adipose tissue, and biosynthesis. While the association between certain fatty acids and cardiovascular diseases has been widely recognized, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) exhibit cardioprotective effects, reducing risks of arrhythmias and heart-related mortality. This is due to their role in the production of eicosanoids, which modulate inflammation. Chronic inflammation, particularly in obesity, is significantly influenced by fatty acids, with saturated fatty acids promoting …

Predicting The Pathway Involvement Of Compounds Annotated In The Reactome Knowledgebase, Erik D. Huckvale, Hunter N. B. Moseley

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Background/Objectives: Pathway annotations of non-macromolecular (relatively small) biomolecules facilitate biological and biomedical interpretation of metabolomics datasets. However, low pathway annotation levels of detected biomolecules hinder this type of interpretation. Thus, predicting the pathway involvement of detected but unannotated biomolecules has a high potential to improve metabolomics data analysis and omics integration. Past publications have only made use of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes-derived datasets to develop machine learning models to predict pathway involvement. However, to our knowledge, the Reactome knowledgebase has not been utilized to develop these types of predictive models.

Methods: We created a dataset ready for …

Characterization, Performance, And Toxicological Assessment Of Polysulfone-Sulfonated Polyether Ether Ketone Membranes For Water Separation Applications, Muhammad Usman Yousaf, Lucca Madeo Cortarelli, Nerissa I. Jebet, Jason M. Unrine, Nirupam Aich, Olga V. Tsyusko, Isabel C. Escobar

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

The removal of small molecular weight charged compounds from aqueous solutions using membrane remains a challenge. In this study, polysulfone (PSf)- and sulfonated polyether ether ketone (SPEEK)-based membranes were fabricated via non- solvent induced phase separation process (NIPS) using N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP) as solvent and water as non-solvent. Membranes were characterized structurally and morphologically, followed by toxicity assessment conducted before and after filtration, both with and without annealing at various pH values to evaluate potential leaching of trapped solvent from the membrane pores. Additionally, membrane performance was characterized using binary mixtures of cationic and anionic dyes. The results demonstrated selective filtration …

Computational Design And In Vitro And In Vivo Characterization Of An Apoe-Based Synthetic High-Density Lipoprotein For Sepsis Therapy, Ling Guo, Yaxia Yuan, Fang Zhang, Chang-Guo Zhan, Xiangan Li

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Introduction: Septic patients have low levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), which is a risk factor. Replenishing HDLs with synthetic HDLs (sHDLs) has shown promise as a therapy for sepsis. This study aimed to develop a computational approach to design and test new types of sHDLs for sepsis treatment. Methods: We used a three-step computational approach to design sHDL nanoparticles based on the structure of HDLs and their binding to endotoxins. We tested the efficacy of these sHDLs in two sepsis mouse models—cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced and P. aeruginosa-induced sepsis models—and assessed their impact on inflammatory signaling in cells. Results: …

Artesunate Enhances The Efficacy Of Enzalutamide In Advanced Prostate Cancer, Xinyi Wang, Jinghui Liu, Fengyi Mao, Yifan Kong, Qiongsi Zhang, Chaohao Li, Daheng He, Chi Wang, Yanquan Zhang, Ruixin Wang, Sally R. Ellingson, Qiou Wei, Zhiguo Li, Xiaoqi Liu

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the leading causes of death among men worldwide. Treatments targeting the androgen receptor pathway remain the standard therapy for PCa patients. Enzalutamide (ENZ), a second-generation androgen receptor inhibitor, was developed to treat castration-resistant prostate cancer. However, while patients initially respond to ENZ, drug resistance typically develops within a few months. Artesunate (ART), a semisynthetic derivative of the Artemisinin plant, is approved for antimalaria treatment. In this study, we conducted an FDA-approved drug screening and identified ART as a potential candidate for overcoming ENZ resistance in PCa. Mechanistically, ART induces the degradation of c-Myc, enhancing …

Comparison Of Incisional Hernia Rates Between General And Gynecological Surgery Procedures, Krista Spear, Daniel L. Davenport, Lance Butler, Margaret Plymale, John Scott Roth

Surgery Faculty Publications

Background and Objectives: Incisional hernias are a common and costly complication of surgery, occurring in up to 20% of midline incisions within 3 years of initial operation. Risk factors for incisional hernia include incision site, fascial closure technique, body mass index (BMI), surgical site infections, and gastrointestinal surgery. Limited studies have compared procedural type as a risk factor for hernia formation. The goal of this study was to examine incisional hernia rates among general surgical and gynecologic procedures. Materials and Methods: We queried our Research Data Warehouse for inpatients who had undergone common open abdominal surgeries between January 2012 and …

Media Through The Lens Of Scientific Reductionism: The Gene-Ius Of Genetic Determinism In Gattaca, Asmita Lehther

Kentucky Undergraduate Journal for the Health Humanities

This essay examines the construct of scientific reductionism within the framework established by Andrew Niccol’s film Gattaca, illustrating how genetic determinism shapes social hierarchies and opportunities. By analyzing Vincent's struggle as an "in-valid" in a society that equates genetic superiority with worth, the essay critiques the reduction of individual potential to biological labels, revealing the oppressive nature of such systems.

Engaged Pedagogy And The Three C'S: Incorporating Student Emotions Within Institutions Of Higher Education, Kathryn Mattingly Flynn

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Pathways To Discover: Exploring Transdisciplinary Learning With Primary Sources, Matthew Strandmark

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

What In The World Can I Do With This Degree? Showcase Profile Assignment, Sarah Kercsmar

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Meeting Community Need In The Classroom: Creative Collaborations Between Students And Cooperative Extension, Liz Combs, Heather Norman-Burgdolf

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Zines: Radical Tools For Empathy And Introspection, Aanya Chugh

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

The Core Circadian Clock Factor, Bmal1, Transduces Sex-Specific Differences In Both Rhythmic And Nonrhythmic Gene Expression In The Mouse Heart, Xiping Zhang, Spencer B. Procopio, Haocheng Ding, Maya G. Semel, Elizabeth A. Schroder, Mark R. Viggars, Tanya S. Seward, Ping Du, Kevin Wu, Sidney R. Johnson, Abhilash Prabhat, David J. Schneider, Isabel G. Stumpf, Ezekiel R. Rozmus, Zhiguang Huo, Brian P. Delisle, Karyn A. Esser

Physiology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Dysregulated Alveolar Epithelial Cell Progenitor Function And Identity In Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome, Joanna Y. Wang, Sylvia N. Michki, Sneha Sitaraman, Brandon J. Banaschewski, Reshma Jamal, Jason J. Gokey, Susan M. Lin, Jeremy B. Katzen, Maria C. Basil, Edward Cantu, Jonathan A. Kropski, Jarod A. Zepp, David B. Frank, Lisa R. Young

Surgery Faculty Publications

Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) is a genetic disorder of endosomal protein trafficking associated with pulmonary fibrosis in specific subtypes, including HPS-1 and HPS-2. Single-mutant HPS1 and HPS2 mice display increased fibrotic sensitivity while double-mutant HPS1/2 mice exhibit spontaneous fibrosis with aging, which has been attributed to HPS mutations in alveolar epithelial type II (AT2) cells. We utilized HPS mouse models and human lung tissue to investigate mechanisms of AT2 cell dysfunction driving fibrotic remodeling in HPS. Starting at 8 weeks of age, HPS mice exhibited progressive loss of AT2 cell numbers. HPS AT2 cell function was impaired ex vivo and in …

Evaluating Maternal Drug Use Disparities, Risk Factors And Outcomes In Northeast Arkansas: A Pre, During, And Post-Covid-19 Pandemic Analysis., Enrique Gomez Pomar, Johnna Berryhill, Sudeepa Bhattacharyya

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: The use of addictive substances remains a major health problem in the U.S. An increase in drug overdose and mortality was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in underserved populations. This surge also impacted pregnant women especially with the use of marijuana (THC) and opioids.

METHODS: Retrospective study analyzing mother-infant dyads with reported Meconium Drug Screen (MDS) results, from January 2018 through April 2023 at a reference hospital serving an urban and rural area of Arkansas. Due to the absence of universal screening, the prevalence of drug use was variable during the study period. An adjusted monthly positive rate …

Evaluating Maternal Drug Use Disparities, Risk Factors And Outcomes In Northeast Arkansas: A Pre, During, And Post-Covid-19 Pandemic Analysis., Enrique Gomez Pomar, Johnna Berryhill, Sudeepa Bhattacharyya

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: The use of addictive substances remains a major health problem in the U.S. An increase in drug overdose and mortality was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in underserved populations. This surge also impacted pregnant women especially with the use of marijuana (THC) and opioids.

METHODS: Retrospective study analyzing mother-infant dyads with reported Meconium Drug Screen (MDS) results, from January 2018 through April 2023 at a reference hospital serving an urban and rural area of Arkansas. Due to the absence of universal screening, the prevalence of drug use was variable during the study period. An adjusted monthly positive rate …

Evaluating Maternal Drug Use Disparities, Risk Factors And Outcomes In Northeast Arkansas: A Pre, During, And Post-Covid-19 Pandemic Analysis., Enrique Gomez Pomar, Johnna Berryhill, Sudeepa Bhattacharyya

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: The use of addictive substances remains a major health problem in the U.S. An increase in drug overdose and mortality was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in underserved populations. This surge also impacted pregnant women especially with the use of marijuana (THC) and opioids.

METHODS: Retrospective study analyzing mother-infant dyads with reported Meconium Drug Screen (MDS) results, from January 2018 through April 2023 at a reference hospital serving an urban and rural area of Arkansas. Due to the absence of universal screening, the prevalence of drug use was variable during the study period. An adjusted monthly positive rate …

Genomic And Phenotypic Correlates Of Mosaic Loss Of Chromosome Y In Blood, Yasminka A. Jakubek, Xiaolong Ma, Adrienne M. Stilp, Fulong Yu, Jason Bacon, Justin W. Wong, Francois Aguet, Kristin Ardlie, Donna K. Arnett, Kathleen Barnes, Joshua C. Bis, Tom Blackwell, Lewis C. Becker, Eric Boerwinkle, Russell P. Bowler, Matthew J. Budoff, April P. Carson, Jiawen Chen, Michael H. Cho, Josef Coresh, Nancy J. Cox, Paul S. De Vries, Dawn L. Demeo, David W. Fardo, Myriam Fornage, Xiuqing Guo

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Mosaic loss of Y (mLOY) is the most common somatic chromosomal alteration detected in human blood. The presence of mLOY is associated with altered blood cell counts and increased risk of Alzheimer disease, solid tumors, and other age-related diseases. We sought to gain a better understanding of genetic drivers and associated phenotypes of mLOY through analyses of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of a large set of genetically diverse males from the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program. We show that haplotype-based calling methods can be used with WGS data to successfully identify mLOY events. This approach enabled us to identify differences …

Amyloid-Β Predominant Alzheimer’S Disease Neuropathologic Change, Gabor G. Kovacs, Yuriko Katsumata, Xian Wu, Khine Zin Aung, David Fardo, Shelley L. Forrest, Peter T. Nelson

Neurology Faculty Publications

Different subsets of Alzheimer’s disease neuropathologic change (ADNC), including the intriguing set of individuals with severe/widespread amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques but no/mild tau tangles [Aβ-predominant (AP)-ADNC], may have distinct genetic and clinical features. Analysing National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center data, we stratified 1187 participants into AP-ADNC (n = 95), low Braak primary age-related tauopathy (PART; n = 185), typical-ADNC (n = 832) and high-Braak PART (n = 75). AP-ADNC differed in some clinical features and genetic polymorphisms in the APOE, SNX1, WNT3/MAPT and IGH genes. We conclude that AP-ADNC differs from classical ADNC with implications for in vivo studies.

Synergistic Effects Of Plasma S100b And Mri Measures Of Cerebrovascular Disease On Cognition In Older Adults, Colleen A. Pappas, Christopher E. Bauer, Valentinos Zachariou, Timothy Justin Libecap, Beatriz Rodolpho, Tiffany L. Sudduth, Peter T. Nelson, Gregory Jicha, Anika M. S. Hartz, Xingfeng Shao, Danny J. J. Wang, Brian T. Gold

Neurology Faculty Publications

There is growing interest in studying vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) and developing biomarkers to identify at-risk individuals. A combination of biofluid and neuroimaging markers may better profile early stage VCID than individual measures. Here, we tested this possibility focusing on plasma levels of S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B), which has been linked with blood– brain-barrier (BBB) integrity, and neuroimaging measures assessing BBB function (water exchange rate across the BBB (kw)) and cerebral small vessel disease (white matter hyperintensities (WMHs)). A total of 74 older adults without dementia had plasma samples collected and underwent cognitive assessment. A …

Males Differ More Between Developmental Stages Than Females, And Plasticity To Light Is Stage-Dependent In The Tropical Plant Marchantia Inflexa, Jonathan D. Moore, D. Nicholas Mcletchie

Biology Faculty Publications

Plants have evolved strategies to maintain photosynthesis and mitigate tissue-damaging high light. In some dioecious seed plants, these strategies are sexually dimorphic and are linked to spatial segregation of the sexes (SSS) along light gradients. In vascular tissue-free plants (bryophytes) with separate sexes, SSS is common, but how light gradients, sexual dimorphisms, and SSS correlate is not well understood. To test if sexual dimorphisms in vegetative or sexual stages lead to light-associated SSS in bryophytes, we used Marchantia inflexa whose males occupy a wider range of light conditions, including higher light conditions, than females. We also tested if changes in …

Ear Pinna Growth And Differentiation Is Conserved In Murids And Requires Bmp Signaling For Chondrocyte Proliferation, Robyn S. Allen, Shishir K. Biswas, Ashley W. Seifert

Biology Faculty Publications

Despite being a major target of reconstructive surgery, development of the ear pinna remains poorly studied. Here, we provide a cellular characterization of late gestational and postnatal ear pinna development in two rodents and investigate the role of BMP5 in expansion and differentiation of auricular elastic cartilage. We find that ear pinna development is largely conserved between Mus musculus and the highly regenerative Acomys dimidiatus. The pattern of pre-cartilaginous cells is established early in development. These cells are specified into chondroblasts before ear unfolding and then undergo extensive proliferation before maturation. The elastic cartilage, connective tissue fibroblasts, dermal papilla and …

Bridge Load Posting Based On Load Testing, Cody Hutchinson, Abheetha Peiris, Issam Harik

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

AASHTO’s Manual for Bridge Evaluation (MBE) provides guidance for analytically evaluating bridge capacity based on available design information and the results of field inspections. This analysis results in a rating factor (RF), which quantifies a bridge’s safe load carrying capacity. RF accuracy, however, depends on the availability of information about structural details and material properties. As such, load rating bridges without design plans is difficult as field inspections alone often cannot provide enough information to perform detailed analysis. In many instances this means that a bridge would possess a substandard rating factor (RF < 1.0) simply due to the conservative assumptions required to perform traditional analysis. The most effective method for safely modifying such conservative theoretical rating factors is through load testing. Load testing measures actual bridge behavior and, for most bridges in good health, finds an increase in load rating is justified. This project utilized load testing to load rate 14 bridges in Kentucky that lack structural plans. Researchers first determined theoretical ratings using MBE-prescribed methods. For information typically taken from design plans, but which could not be measured directly, data-backed methods for making conservative assumptions were developed. For most bridges included in the study, theoretical rating factors alone suggested load postings were necessary. Load testing was then carried out utilizing tandem rear-axle dump trucks with measured axle weights. Multiple single-lane load cases were selected to maximize the effects being rated. Strain data were collected in real time using a wireless reusable strain gage system. Using these data, researchers computed a field test adjustment factor using MBE methods which directly modified the calculated theoretical RFs. Ultimately, load testing provided sufficient evidence to safely recommend that load postings were not necessary for any bridges in this study.

Amidst The Frenzy Over Deepseek Ai, Us Federal Science And Tech Policy Is A Mess Of Internal Contradictions, Yujia He

Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce Faculty Publications

The release of the R1 model by the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company, DeepSeek, shocked the US tech industry. Yujia He writes that while DeepSeek’s model may not be quite as superior compared to its competitors as originally thought, the Trump administration has responded to its innovations by further pushing for US leadership in AI. Taking a close look at US research and development policy under the second Trump administration, however, shows the significant disconnect between rhetoric and policy. Federal funding freezes and reduced funding for the National Science Foundation could have dire long-term consequences for research and international cooperation …