Digital Commons Network^™

Management Of Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Device Infection Utilizing A Multidisciplinary Team, Evan Hall, Bennett Collis, Talal Alnabelsi, Chloe Cao, Meredith Johnson, John Gurley, Luke Strnad, Hassan Reda, Tessa London, Erinn Ogburn, Michael Sekela, Bobbi Jo Stoner, Sami El-Dalati

Surgery Faculty Publications

Background. Significant numbers of cardiac implantable electronic devices are placed in the United States, and infection can be a severe consequence of implantation. Despite guideline recommendations and data demonstrating that lead extraction improves mortality for patients with device infection, rates of lead removal are lower than guideline recommendations. We report the outcomes associated with management of suspected cardiac implantable electronic device infections by a multidisciplinary team. Methods. Patient cases were identified from an institutional multidisciplinary endocarditis team registry in a single-center retrospective study. Demographic, treatment, and outcomes data were recorded by study investigators. Results. Between September 7, 2021, and February …

The Role Of Race/Ethnicity On The Association Between Neighborhood Deprivation And Breast Cancer Outcomes Among Kentucky Patients With Breast Cancer (2010–2022), Breyanna Walker, Elinita Pollard, Sydney P. Howard, V. Morgan Jones, Kathleen L. O’Connor, Eric B. Durbin, Pamela C. Hull, Samantha R. Jones, Adebola Adegboyega, Xiaoqin Wang, Wendi A.B. Owen, Margaret M. Szabunio, Lovoria B. Williams, Justin X. Moore

Surgery Faculty Publications

Background: Kentucky is within the top five leading states for breast cancer mortality nationwide. This study investigates the association between neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and breast cancer outcomes, including surgical treatment, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and survival, and how associations vary by race and ethnicity in Kentucky. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis using data from the Kentucky Cancer Registry for patients with breast cancer diagnosed between 2010 and 2017, with follow-up through December 31, 2022. We linked Kentucky Cancer Registry data with census tract data to examine the relationship between area deprivation index (ADI) and breast cancer outcomes. Logistic regression and …

Separation And Quantification Of Mycotoxins In Floral Tissue Of Hemp (Cannabis Sativa) Infected With Fusarium Graminearum, Isabelle A. Kagan, Henry S. Smith, Rachel R. Schendel, Nicole Gauthier

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: The fungal pathogen Fusarium graminearum produces mycotoxins when it infects grains. This pathogen also infects hemp (Cannabis sativa L. containing less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol or THC). The presence of trichothecene mycotoxins like deoxynivalenol (DON) has not been reported in floral tissue of hemp infected with F. graminearum. The object of this study was to develop a method to extract three trichothecene mycotoxins—DON, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-ADON), and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (15-ADON)—from hemp floral tissue, and to quantify the mycotoxins by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet detection. Results: Standards of nivalenol (NIV), DON-3-glucoside (D3G), DON, 3-ADON, and 15-ADON were separated from each other …

Structural Assembly Of The Pas Domain Drives The Catalytic Activation Of Metazoan Pask, Sajina Dhungel, Michael Xiao, Rajesh Rajaian Pushpabai, Chintan K. Kikani

Biology Faculty Publications

PAS domains are ubiquitous sensory modules that transduce environmental signals into cellular responses through tandem PAS folds and PAS-associated C-terminal (PAC) motifs. While this conserved architecture underpins their regulatory roles, here we uncover a structural divergence in the metazoan PAS domain-regulated kinase (PASK). By integrating evolutionary-scale domain mapping with deep learning-based structural models, we identified two PAS domains in PASK, namely PAS-B and PAS-C, in addition to the previously known PAS-A domain. Unlike canonical PAS domains, the PAS fold and PAC motif in the PAS-C domain are spatially segregated by an unstructured linker, yet a functional PAS module is assembled …

Assessing Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic Impacts On The Health Of People Who Inject Drugs Using A Novel Data Sharing Model, Heather Bradley, Nicole Luisi, Anastasia Carter, Terri D. Pigott, Daniela Abramovitz, Sean T. Allen, Alice Asher, Chelsea Austin, Tyler S. Bartholomew, Marianna Baum, Amy Board, Basmattee Boodram, Annick Borquez, Kathryn A. Brookmeyer, Kate Buchacz, Janet Burnett, Hannah L.F. Cooper, Nicole Crepaz, Kora Debeck, Judith Feinberg, Chunki Fong, Edward Freeman, Nathan Woo Furukawa, Becky Genberg, Pamina Gorbach, Holly Hagan, Kanna Hayashi, Emalie Huriaux

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Objective: Using an innovative data sharing model, we assessed the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health of people who inject drugs (PWID). Design: The PWID Data Collaborative was established in 2021 to promote data sharing across PWID studies in North America. Contributing studies submitted aggregate data on 23 standardized indicators during four time periods: prepandemic (March 2019 to February 2020), early-pandemic (March 2020 to February 2021), mid-pandemic (March 2021 to February 2022), and late pandemic (March 2022 to February 2023). Methods: We present study-specific and meta-analyzed estimates for the percentage of PWID who took medications for opioid use …

Closing Ceremony Speech, S. Ray Smith

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Natural Arches Of Kentucky, Steven L. Martin

Special Publication--KGS

This pamphlet provides general information about where natural arches occur in Kentucky, the definition of a natural arch, and how natural arches form. The taxonomy of natural arches is provided along with how the span, clearance, and width of arches are measured.

The Kentucky Arch Trail is a compilation of 40 selected natural arches accessible by trail or along roads across the state for the public to enjoy. Instructions and directions for the Arch Trail are included in the pamphlet. An interactive list of arches can be found at https://kgs.uky.edu/kygeode/services/arches/list.htm

More general information about Kentucky's natural arches can be found …

Abuse-Deterrent Formulations And Opioid-Related Harms In North Carolina, 2010-2018, Bethany L. Diprete, Nabarun Dasgupta, G. Yeon Oh, Daniela C. Moga, Svetla Slavova, Emily Slade, Chris Delcher, Brian W. Pence, Shabbar I. Ranapurwala

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Abuse-deterrent formulations of opioid analgesics (ADFs) were introduced to reduce opioid-related harms among pain patients, but postmarketing study results have been mixed. However, these studies may be subject to bias from selection criteria, comparator choice, and potential confounding by “indication,” highlighting the need for thorough study design considerations. In a sample of privately insured patients prescribed ADF or non-ADF extended-release/long-acting (ER/LA) opioids in North Carolina, we implemented a version of the prevalent new-user design to evaluate the relationship between ADFs and opioid use disorder (OUD, n = 235) and opioid overdose (n = 18) through 6 months of follow-up using …

Quantitative And Narrative Analysis Of Dump Truck-Related Injuries And Fatalities In The United States, Terry L. Bunn, Caitlin A. Northcutt, Rebecca Honaker, Patrick Maloney

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Dump truck safety recommendations have been implemented by companies, but a comprehensive study of risk factors associated with dump truck injuries and fatalities has not been performed. Published research specifically focusing on dump truck injuries is limited. The purpose of this descriptive study was to characterize risk factors associated with dump truck-related inspection cases reported by the OSHA in the United States. Dump truck inspections during 2016–2020 were obtained from the online OSHA IMIS database. Pearson’s chi-square test and logistic regression were performed. An intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) using PROC MIXED and a generalized linear mixed model was calculated on …

Development Of Measures For Highway Criticality Assessment, Xu Zhang, Mei Chen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Existing network criticality assessments, often biased towards heavily used highways in populous areas by incorporating traffic and sociodemographic attributes, can lead to an underestimation of the vital role of rural infrastructure. Consequently, rural highways, particularly low-volume roads, often receive less consideration despite their critical role in network connectivity and local access to services and economic opportunities. To address this, we develop a criticality framework based on the egalitarian principle, which prioritizes equitable consideration of all network links regardless of traffic volume or population density, comprising two complementary measures. First, the normalized betweenness centrality quantifies a road's relative importance in efficiently …

Scaling Covid-19 Rates With Population Size In The United States, Austin R. Cruz, Brian J. Enquist, Joseph R. Burger

Biology Faculty Publications

Using county-level data from the United States, we assessed allometric scaling relationships of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, deaths and age structure within and across the first four major waves of the pandemic (wild-type, alpha, delta, omicron). Results generally indicate that the burden of cases disproportionately impacted larger-sized counties, while the burden of deaths disproportionately impacted smaller counties. This may be partially due to multiple interacting social mechanisms, including a higher proportion of older adults who live in smaller counties. Moreover, these likely social mechanisms interacting with vaccinations and virus waves created a dynamic pattern whereby the rate and magnitude of …

Data Reporting Quality And Semantic Interoperability Increase With Community-Based Data Elements (Codes). Analysis Of The Open Data Commons For Spinal Cord Injury (Odc-Sci), Anushka Sheoran, Kenneth A. Fond, Lex Maliga Davis, J. R. Huie, Romana Vavrek, P. J. Axtman, Vance P. Lemmon, John L. Bixby, Ubbo Visser, John C. Gensel, Karim Fouad, Adam R. Ferguson, Jeffrey S. Grethe, Anita Bandrowski, Maryann E. Martone, Abel Torres-Espin

Neurology Faculty Publications

Data interoperability is crucial for effectively combining data for scientific inquiry. To facilitate interoperability, data standards such as a common definition of variables are often developed. The Open Data Commons for Spinal Cord Injury (odc-sci.org) has established an initial set of community-based data elements (CoDEs)—a minimal set of variables for sharing—to promote data interoperability in SCI research, aligning with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data principles. We sought to understand the use of CoDEs by the SCI community to inform current standards adherence and future standards development. We systematically analyzed 39 public datasets in relation to 17 required CoDEs …

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 …

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. …

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 …

Utility Of The Social Skills Improvement System–Rating Scales For Capturing Dynamic Social Constructs, Katherine E. Frye, Christopher J. Anthony, Pui Wa Lei, Kyle D. Husmann, James C. Diperna

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Social skills are dynamic developmental constructs typically measured using assessments developed via cross-sectional methods. The measurement model of derivatives (MMOD), a factor analytic approach targeting individual growth trajectories, was used to evaluate the longitudinal factor structure of the Social Skills Improvement System—Rating Scales (SSIS-RS) teacher form with a sample of 1320 first and second grade students (51.6% female, 54.8% white, 20.6% Black, 14.4% Hispanic). Although results provided support for three of the original SSIS-RS factors (Assertion, Empathy, Self-Control), there was some evidence that the other four original domains (Cooperation, Responsibility, Engagement, Communication) could be explained by two factors in this …

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 …

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 …

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: …

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 …

Modulating Effects Of Mycotoxin And Oxidized Oil On Intestinal Microbiota In Broiler Chickens, Kouassi R. Kpodo, Daniel J. Milliken, Philip M. Campos, Monika Proszkowiec-Weglarz, Merlin D. Lindemann, Sunday A. Adedokun

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Climatic change and increased use of alternative sources of feed ingredients could influence poultry production. Mycotoxin and oxidized oil are two contaminations that may occur in chicken feed as a result of climate change and use of alternative feed ingredients, and these factors may have differential and potentially additive effects on birds’ intestinal microbiota. The study objective was to determine the main effects of corn, oil quality, and their interaction on ileal content, ileal scrapings, cecal content, and whole cecum (content and tissue) microbiota in broiler chickens. Broiler chickens were raised for 21 days post-hatch and fed diet made with …

Atp-Sensitive Potassium Channels Alter Glycolytic Flux To Modulate Cortical Activity And Sleep, Nicholas J. Constantino, Caitlin M. Carroll, Holden C. Williams, Hemendra J. Vekaria, Carla M. Yuede, Kai Saito, Patrick W. Sheehan, J. Andy Snipes, Marcus E. Raichle, Erik S. Musiek, Patrick G. Sullivan, Josh M. Morganti, Lance A. Johnson, Shannon L. Macauley

Physiology Faculty Publications

Metabolism plays a key role in the maintenance of sleep/wake states. Brain lactate fluctuations are a biomarker of sleep/wake transitions, where increased interstitial fluid (ISF) lactate levels are associated with wakefulness and decreased ISF lactate is required for sleep. ATP-sensitive potassium (K_ATP) channels couple glucose-lactate metabolism with excitability. Using mice lacking K_ATP channel activity (e.g., Kir6.2^−/− mice), we explored how changes in glucose utilization affect cortical electroencephalography (EEG) activity and sleep/wake homeostasis. In the brain, Kir6.2^−/− mice shunt glucose toward glycolysis, reducing neurotransmitter biosynthesis and dampening cortical EEG activity. Kir6.2^−/− mice spent more time …

Getting Students Excited About Chemistry, Jovita Daraezinwa

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Varied Uses Of Class Time: A Case Study Of Epe 301, Zitsi Mirakhur, Spencer Crawford, Wyatt Driskell

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Social Media And The Study Of Feminisms, Frances Henderson

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.

Conversations By Design: Student Research Using Oral Histories, Jennifer Bartlett, Patrick Lee Lucas

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

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.