Digital Commons Network^™

Multi-Strain Epidemic Model With Infected Vaccinated And Re-Infected Recovered Population: Application To Covid-19 Pandemic, Olusegun Michael Otunuga

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Mathematical Model Of Immune-Inflammatory Response In Covid-19 Patients, Quiyana M. Murphy

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Practical Identifiability Of A Malaria Model To Assess Conversion To Transmissible Stages, Anthony Raymond Krueger, Damie Pak, Megan Greischar, Lauren Childs

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

On The Trajectory Of Gonorrhea In The Us: An Application Of Generalized Compartmental Models, Scott Greenhalgh, Anna Dumas

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Virtual Infection Prevention And Control In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Tristan Jones, Kalisvar Marimuthu, Gonzalo Bearman

Internal Medicine Publications

COVID-19 brought new challenges and opportunities for infection prevention and control. Virtual infection prevention and control (VIPC), although nascent, is rapidly becoming a viable and necessary strategy for combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. Benefits of VIPC include extending the impact of globally scarce infectious disease providers and public health practitioners, allowing coordination between disparate professionals to more effectively combat infectious disease, and increasing access to and quality of healthcare. Although mainly applied in developed countries, VIPC may play its greatest role in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with fewer healthcare resources. We conducted a brief literature search of VIPC in LMICs …

Cauti: Are We Testing Appropriately?, Christoph Lecznar

VCU Health Nursing

Purpose: The purpose of this evidence-based quality improvement project was to decrease catheter associated urinary tract infections in a 28 bed Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit in a Level One Trauma Academic Medical Center.

Background: Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) are deemed never events by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 17-69% of CAUTIs are preventable. Current recommendations for CAUTI reduction include: Education strategies, chlorhexidine gluconate bathing and catheter care, catheter avoidance, policies for insertion, and urine culture testing stewardship. Our unit experienced an increase in CAUTI incidence in May and …

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 99, No. 3, 2022)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

To Vax Or Not To Vax: Predictors Of Anti-Vax Attitudes And Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Prior To Widespread Vaccine Availability, Hannah A. Roberts, D. Angus Clark, Claire Kalina, Carter Sherman, Sarah Brislin, Mary M. Heitzeg, Brian M. Hick

Psychology Publications

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a highly contagious disease responsible for millions of deaths worldwide. Effective vaccines against COVID-19 are now available, however, an extreme form of vaccine hesitancy known as anti-vax attitudes challenge vaccine acceptance and distribution efforts. To understand these anti-vax attitudes and their associated psychological characteristics, we examined several predictors of vaccine hesitancy for COVID-19 and anti-vax attitudes generally. We surveyed 1004 adults (M = 47.0 years, SD = 17.1 years, range 18–98 years) in September-October 2020 across the United States (51% female, 49% male; 76.5% White, 23.5% non-White), prior to widespread availability of the COVID-19 vaccines. …

Adaptations In Orthodontics For Current And Future Covid-19 Best Practices, Jordan Lamb

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To determine what adaptations orthodontists made in their practices during the COVID-19 pandemic in response to safety recommendations and to determine which of these adaptations orthodontists plan to continue to implement after resolution of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: An original 34-question survey was sent by mail to a randomized and geographically proportionate selection of actively practicing orthodontic specialists (N = 1000). Questions asked orthodontists about the changes they made during the pandemic in four overarching categories (infection control, social distancing, appliance use, and tele-orthodontics) and whether they anticipated keeping those changes post-pandemic. The data were compared between categorical responses …

The Effect Of Er:Yag, Nd:Yag And Co2 Laser Combined With Hydrogen Peroxide, Sodium Hypochlorite, Chlorohexidine Or Fluoride On Reducing Oral Bacterial Count Implicated In Root Caries, Nitya Reddy

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Lasers have been used for treatment of dentinal hypersensitivity and for various bacterial reduction indications in periodontology. Their effectiveness in killing oral bacteria is not well known. The compounding effect of the combination of a laser treatment and adjunct antimicrobial agent use on bacterial viability is still evolving. The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of three lasers commonly used in dentistry in conjunction with chlorhexidine (CHX), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), or sodium fluoride (NaF) on viability of oral bacteria associated with root caries.

Methods: Three …

Progress Towards Next Generation Modulators Of Ctbp's Oncogenic Effects, Jacqueline L. West

Theses and Dissertations

Human C-terminal binding proteins (CtBP1 and CtBP2) are transcriptional coregulators of multiple genes in the human genome, including tumor suppressor genes (e.g., Bik, PTEN, BRCA1, and E-cadherin) as well as oncogenes (e.g. MDR1 and Tiam1). Both homologues of CtBP are overexpressed in many types of cancer, including breast cancer (92%), ovarian cancer (83%), colorectal cancer (64%), hepatocellular carcinoma (60%), gastric cancer, prostate cancer, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Further, expression levels of CtBP correlate with worse prognostic outcomes and more aggressive tumor features because it promotes proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and cancer stem cell self-renewal activity.

Our laboratory has identified a lead inhibitor …

Parental Attitudes Regarding The Primary Dentition, Dental Decay, And Trauma, Kathryn Dundervill

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the ability of parents in the VCU Pediatric Dental Clinic to recognize signs of decay and trauma and to determine their knowledge regarding the primary dentition.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that determined parental attitude and knowledge toward the function of primary teeth, childhood dental decay and dental trauma. Study data was collected through REDCap, a secure web-based survey application. Parents who brought their child to the VCU Pediatric Dental Clinic for a new patient examination or a recall examination were included in the study. The survey was only formatted …

Classification And Differentiation Of Forensically Relevant Cell Populations Using Imaging Flow Cytometry, Arianna D. Decorte

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Forensic casework relies heavily on DNA profiles which may be time-consuming to generate and difficult to interpret when biological mixtures are present. Additionally, there are significant challenges in using sub-source data alone to answer the activity-level questions often most pertinent in criminal cases. Source level information can add critical probative value, however, methods that can provide information as to the source tissue of evidentiary cell populations are limited. There remains a need for new methods that can differentiate between and classify various cell populations, particularly for vaginal and epidermal tissue, since there are no conventional serological techniques specific to these …

Determining Effective Treatment Regimens For Breast Cancer Using Combined Immunotherapy And Chemotherapy In Vivo, Akhila R. Kunuthuru, Laura Graham, Harry D. Bear Md, Phd

UROP Posters

Breast cancer has the highest incidence rate of all cancers globally in women, and those of African descent, especially West African females, face higher rates of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a more aggressive form of breast cancer. Immunotherapy for breast cancer is a relatively new treatment option, and research is ongoing to identify the best combination treatments for increasing survival of those diagnosed with TNBC. Eganelisib (IPI-549: a PI3K-gamma inhibitor that works to shift M2 macrophages to M1 to augment T cell function) with other combinatory treatments has shown promising results in reducing tumor growth and increasing survival in mice. …

A Personal History Of The Department Of Biology, Margaret L. May

VCU University History Books

Former faculty member Margaret May recounts the history and development of the Department of Biology at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Mathematical Models Of Infection Prevention Programs In Hospital Settings, Kelly A. Reagan

Theses and Dissertations

Hospitals play a vital role in providing for the healthcare needs of a community. Patients can develop hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) during their hospitalization due to exposure to foreign bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Infection prevention programs target and reduce HAIs, but implementing the infection prevention programs often comes with a cost. The goal of my research is to use mathematical models to quantify the impact of infection prevention programs on cases of HAIs and total healthcare costs. First, I use a Markov chain model to quantify how one infection prevention program reduces general HAIs in the hospital. Then, I calculate the …

Family Relationships And Academic Performance Via Belongingness Among Cuban Medical Students: Examining Family Legacy And Sex As Moderators, Maria J. Cisneros-Elias

Theses and Dissertations

Medical diplomacy is a foundational part of Cuban domestic and foreign policy (Feinsilver, 2010). Cuba has an abundance of doctors, encouraged by the country’s free medical education program (Hand et al., 2020), and has made a significant impact with its well-established healthcare system, provision of healthcare for all of its citizens, and healthcare support internationally. The current study aims to focus on processes underlying Cuban medical students’ academic performance, as they are a critical component of this successful system, and a population that has received limited empirical attention. Thus, the current study used path analyses to examine the relations between …

Academic Health Science Centers And Health Disparities: A Qualitative Review Of The Intervening Role Of The Electronic Health Record And Social Determinants Of Health, Wies Rafi

Theses and Dissertations

Literature on the magnitude of negative health outcomes from health disparities is voluminous. Defined as the health effects of racism, environmental injustice, forms of discrimination, biases in science, and sociological or socioeconomic predictors across populations, health disparities are part of an ongoing and complicated national problem that health equity programs are specifically designed to address. Academic Health Science Centers (AHC) institutions are a complex and unique educational-healthcare ecosystem that often serves as a safety net for patients in vulnerable and lower-income communities. These institutions are often viewed as one of the most uniquely positioned entities in the U.S. with an …

An Analysis Of The Special Focus Facility Program And Nursing Home Quality, Annie S. Rhodes

Theses and Dissertations

The Special Focus Facility Program is an intensive program meant to rapidly support 88 of the lowest quality nursing homes in the United States, as determined by the Five-Star Quality Ranking system. There are also 435 facility candidates which are similarly low performing but not enrolled in the program. Academic literature has largely ignored this program, and the existing grey literature is more than a decade old and does not include COVID-19 data. Applying a political economy of aging framework and using a case matching methodology, Special Focus Facilities (SFF), Special Focus Facility Candidate (SFFc) nursing homes, and 5-star nursing …

Introduction Of Plasmid Dna Into Sneathia Vaginalis; The First Step To Genetic Manipulation, Rea Mansukhani, Cathyrn O'Brien, Zion Mccoy, Kimberly K. Jefferson

UROP Posters

Many bacterial pathogens are capable of secreting one or more toxins, all of which can be categorized based on their function, target, or mechanism of action. Pore-forming toxins, for instance, are characterized based on their ability to perforate the host membrane. This may result in the delivery of bacterial substances into the host cell, release of compounds from the host cell, and/or death of the host cell. Research from our lab has demonstrated that Sneathia vaginalis, a gram-negative anaerobic bacterial species that is associated with bacterial vaginosis and preterm birth, produces a pore-forming toxin referred to as cytopathogenic toxin …

Commonwealth Times 2021-10-13

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2021-03-10

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2021-01-20

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Xylitol In Preventing Dental Caries, Nicholas Fields, Tu Bui

Dental Hygiene Student Scholarship

Abstract

Problem: Dental caries is a common form of tooth infection among adults and children. The disease is easily transmissible, and therefore a great focus should be put on prevention to ensure healthy and proper oral hygiene for the population. Xylitol use has been proposed as one of the most effective preventive interventions against dental caries.

Methods: The literature review engaged different electronic databases such as PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library in evaluating the effectiveness of xylitol use in preventing dental caries in both children and adults. Articles used in the review were published between 2016 …

The Resulting Mental Health Pandemic From Covid-19: Research And Resources For Social Workers, Ami Lynch

Social Work Student Works

The COVID-19 pandemic will have long-lasting mental health impacts on hundreds of millions more worldwide than the contagion itself. Social workers are seeing increases in depression, anxiety, suicidality, and post-traumatic stress disorder and other negative mental health impacts. Because of this, social workers in all environments and modalities of practice need to be well-trained, agile, and energized while facing the pandemic themselves. This report compiles the impacts and concerns for a variety of social workers and their clients into a single, digestible source, supplemented by the “COVID-19 Resource Compendium for Social Workers and Their Clients”. Social workers must practice self-care, …

Cauti: What Are We Testing?, Christoph Lecznar

VCU Health Nursing

Purpose: The purpose of this evidence-based practice (EBP) project was to identify and implement evidence-based practice to reduce Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI).

Background: CAUTIs are deemed never events by Centers for Medicaid and Medicare and are tied to financial reimbursements. CDC states 17-69% of CAUTIs are preventable with recommended infection control measures. UTIs are the most common type of Hospital-acquired infection, with an estimated of occurrence of 9.5% reported by acute care hospitals. Every day a catheter is in place, the risk of CAUTI increases by 3-7%. Current recommendations for reduction in CAUTI rates include educational strategies, catheter avoidance, …

Literature Review: Covid-19'S Impact On Violence, Jean Cheek, Laura Ashworth

VCU Health Nursing

Violence has been exacerbated by the pandemic, resulting in a plethora of research that can be complementary and contradictory. A preliminary thematic literature search was performed using keywords such as human trafficking, IPV, sexual assault, pandemic, covid, and child abuse. This resulted in over 100 articles between 2019 and 2021. The literature review revealed common themes such as pandemics and natural disasters increase the risk for violence in women, children, and marginalized populations. Stay-at-home orders put vulnerable populations in closer proximity to the abuser. A low socioeconomic standing increases the propensity to abuse and be abused. Calls to human trafficking …

Evaluating Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Access To Primary Care Among Gay And Bisexual Men In The Us, A Population At High-Risk Of Hiv Infection, Jessica S. Kiernan, April D. Kimmel

Graduate Research Posters

BACKGROUND: 69% of new HIV diagnoses in the US are among gay and bisexual men, with disparities by race and ethnicity. Primary care providers increasingly provide HIV prevention. Racial and ethnic disparities in primary care access are well-documented, but their persistence among gay and bisexual men is unknown. We examined racial and ethnic disparities in access to primary care among this population.

METHODS: We used nationally representative person-level sociodemographic, health status and utilization data, and data on organizational- and socially determinant barriers to care, from the National Health Interview Survey, 2013-2018. Outcomes were: 1) general physician visit

RESULTS: The sample …

A Novel Immunostimulatory Platform For Amplifying The Abscopal Response Rates Of Radiation Therapy, Patrick A. Paez

Theses and Dissertations

Radiation therapy (RT) is one of the primary treatment modalities for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). At the time of diagnosis two-thirds of HNSCC patients have local-advanced disease and 50-60% of these patients will experience a local-regional or metastatic relapse within three years. Improving the immunogenic response of RT may help address this clinical problem. However, current RT regimens have failed to reliably generate robust antitumor immunity as evidenced by the rarity of clinical abscopal responses. Recently we engineered a chimeric fusion molecule called Flagrp170, a novel immunostimulatory agent highly capable of promoting antigen presentation and T-cell activation. …

Development Of Analytical Methods For Analysis Of Glycosaminoglycans And Their Mimetics In Human Plasma, Rawan M. Fayyad

Theses and Dissertations

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are linear, polydisperse polysaccharides consisting of alternating amino sugars and either a uronic acid or galactose residue. They are ubiquitous components of the extracellular matrix and are present on cell surfaces and in basement membranes. GAGs are highly negatively charged as a result of many sulfate and carboxylic acid groups, and are extremely heterogeneous in both their structure and in their physicochemical properties. This complexity in structure is attributed to the alterations in residue types, glycosidic bond linkage, sulfation levels, sulfation positions, and chain lengths during biosynthesis. GAGs interact with a wide number of proteins and modulate various …