Digital Commons Network^™

Pitfalls In Quantitative Myocardial Pet Perfusion I: Myocardial Partial Volume Correction, K Lance Gould, Linh Bui, Danai Kitkungvan, Tinsu Pan, Amanda E Roby, Tung T Nguyen, Nils P Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: PET quantitative myocardial perfusion requires correction for partial volume loss due to one-dimensional LV wall thickness smaller than scanner resolution.

METHODS: We aimed to assess accuracy of risk stratification for death, MI, or revascularization after PET using partial volume corrections derived from two-dimensional ACR and three-dimensional NEMA phantoms for 3987 diagnostic rest-stress perfusion PETs and 187 MACE events. NEMA, ACR, and Tree phantoms were imaged with Rb-82 or F-18 for size-dependent partial volume loss. Perfusion and Coronary Flow Capacity were recalculated using different ACR- and NEMA-derived partial volume corrections compared by Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistics to standard perfusion metrics with established …

Artificial Intelligence And Digital Microscopy Applications In Diagnostic Hematopathology, Hanadi El Achi, Joseph D Khoury

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Digital Pathology is the process of converting histology glass slides to digital images using sophisticated computerized technology to facilitate acquisition, evaluation, storage, and portability of histologic information. By its nature, digitization of analog histology data renders it amenable to analysis using deep learning/artificial intelligence (DL/AI) techniques. The application of DL/AI to digital pathology data holds promise, even if the scope of use cases and regulatory framework for deploying such applications in the clinical environment remains in the early stages. Recent studies using whole-slide images and DL/AI to detect histologic abnormalities in general and cancer in particular have shown encouraging results. …

Deep Learning In Clinical Natural Language Processing: A Methodical Review, Stephen Wu, Kirk Roberts, Surabhi Datta, Jingcheng Du, Zongcheng Ji, Yuqi Si, Sarvesh Soni, Qiong Wang, Qiang Wei, Yang Xiang, Bo Zhao, Hua Xu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: This article methodically reviews the literature on deep learning (DL) for natural language processing (NLP) in the clinical domain, providing quantitative analysis to answer 3 research questions concerning methods, scope, and context of current research.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, the Association for Computing Machinery Digital Library, and the Association for Computational Linguistics Anthology for articles using DL-based approaches to NLP problems in electronic health records. After screening 1,737 articles, we collected data on 25 variables across 212 papers.

RESULTS: DL in clinical NLP publications more than doubled each year, through 2018. Recurrent neural networks (60.8%) …

Evidence For Gene-Smoking Interactions For Hearing Loss And Deafness In Japanese American Families, Jia Y Wan, Christina Cataby, Andrew Liem, Emily Jeffrey, Trina M Norden-Krichmar, Deborah Goodman, Stephanie A Santorico, Karen L Edwards

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the relationship between smoking and hearing loss and deafness (HLD) and whether the relationship is modified by genetic variation. Data for these analyses was from the subset of Japanese American families collected as part of the American Diabetes Association Genetics of Non-insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus study. Logistic regression with generalized estimating equations assessed the relationship between HLD and smoking. Nonparametric linkage analysis identified genetic regions harboring HLD susceptibility genes and ordered subset analysis was used to identify regions showing evidence for gene-smoking interactions. Genetic variants within these candidate regions were then each tested for interaction with …

De Novo Mutations Across 1,465 Diverse Genomes Reveal Mutational Insights And Reductions In The Amish Founder Population, Michael D Kessler, Douglas P Loesch, James A Perry, Nancy L Heard-Costa, Daniel Taliun, Brian E Cade, Heming Wang, Michelle Daya, John Ziniti, Soma Datta, Juan C Celedón, Manuel E Soto-Quiros, Lydiana Avila, Scott T Weiss, Kathleen Barnes, Susan S Redline, Ramachandran S Vasan, Andrew D Johnson, Rasika A Mathias, Ryan Hernandez, James G Wilson, Deborah A Nickerson, Goncalo Abecasis, Sharon R Browning, Sebastian Zöllner, Jeffrey R O'Connell, Braxton D Mitchell, Timothy D O'Connor

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

De novo mutations (DNMs), or mutations that appear in an individual despite not being seen in their parents, are an important source of genetic variation whose impact is relevant to studies of human evolution, genetics, and disease. Utilizing high-coverage whole-genome sequencing data as part of the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) Program, we called 93,325 single-nucleotide DNMs across 1,465 trios from an array of diverse human populations, and used them to directly estimate and analyze DNM counts, rates, and spectra. We find a significant positive correlation between local recombination rate and local DNM rate, and that DNM rate explains a …

Age Of Acquisition Impacts The Brain Differently Depending On Neuroanatomical Metric, Hannah Claussenius-Kalman, Kelly A Vaughn, Pilar Archila-Suerte, Arturo E Hernandez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Although researchers generally agree that a certain set of brain areas underlie bilingual language processing, there is discrepancy regarding what effect timing of language acquisition has on these regions. We aimed to investigate the neuroanatomical correlates of age of acquisition (AoA), which has been examined previously, but with inconsistent results, likely influenced by methodological differences across studies. We analyzed gray matter density, volume, and thickness using whole-brain linear models in 334 bilinguals and monolinguals. Neuroanatomical correlates of AoA differed depending on gray matter metric. Relative to early bilinguals, late bilinguals had thicker cortex in language processing and cognitive control regions, …

Assessing Lymphatic Route Of Csf Outflow And Peripheral Lymphatic Contractile Activity During Head-Down Tilt Using Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging, John C Rasmussen, Sunkuk Kwon, Amanda Pinal, Alexander Bareis, Fred C Velasquez, Christopher F Janssen, John R Morrow, Caroline E Fife, Ron J Karni, Eva M Sevick-Muraca

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the lymphatics play a critical role in the clearance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the cranial space. Impairment of CSF outflow into the lymphatics is associated with a number of pathological conditions including spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS), a problem that limits long-duration spaceflight. We used near-infrared fluorescence lymphatic imaging (NIRFLI) to dynamically visualize the deep lymphatic drainage pathways shared by CSF outflow and disrupted during head-down tilt (HDT), a method used to mimic the cephalad fluid shift that occurs in microgravity. After validating CSF clearance into the lymph nodes of the neck in swine, a pilot …

Diagnostic Criteria For Detection Of Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer Thickness And Neuroretinal Rim Width Abnormalities In Glaucoma, Feihui Zheng, Marco Yu, Christopher Kai-Shun Leung

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although measurements of the Bruch's membrane opening minimum rim width (BMO-MRW) and retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (RNFLT) with optical coherence tomography (OCT) have been widely adopted in the diagnostic evaluation of glaucoma, there is no consensus on the diagnostic criteria to define BMO-MRW and RNFLT abnormalities. This study investigated the sensitivities and specificities of different diagnostic criteria based on the OCT classification reports for detection of glaucoma.

METHODS: 340 eyes of 137 patients with glaucoma and 87 healthy individuals, all with axial length ≤26mm, had global and sectoral BMO-MRW and RNFLT measured with Spectralis OCT (Heidelberg Engineering). Six …

Evaluation Of Mitochondrial Dna Copy Number Estimation Techniques, Ryan J Longchamps, Christina A Castellani, Stephanie Y Yang, Charles E Newcomb, Jason A Sumpter, John Lane, Megan L Grove, Eliseo Guallar, Nathan Pankratz, Kent D Taylor, Jerome I Rotter, Eric Boerwinkle, Dan E Arking

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN), a measure of the number of mitochondrial genomes per cell, is a minimally invasive proxy measure for mitochondrial function and has been associated with several aging-related diseases. Although quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) is the current gold standard method for measuring mtDNA-CN, mtDNA-CN can also be measured from genotyping microarray probe intensities and DNA sequencing read counts. to conduct a comprehensive examination on the performance of these methods, we use known mtDNA-CN correlates (age, sex, white blood cell count, Duffy locus genotype, incident cardiovascular disease) to evaluate mtDNA-CN calculated from qPCR, two microarray platforms, as well …

Individual And Community Social Determinants Of Health Associated With Diabetes Management In A Mexican American Population, Kehe Zhang, Belinda Reininger, Miryoung Lee, Qian Xiao, Cici Bauer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Diabetes is a major health burden in Mexican American populations, especially among those in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) in the border region of Texas. Understanding the roles that social determinants of health (SDOH) play in diabetes management programs, both at the individual and community level, may inform future intervention strategies.

Methods: This study performed a secondary data analysis on 1,568 individuals who participated in Salud y Vida (SyV), a local diabetes and chronic disease management program, between October 2013 and September 2018 recruited from a local clinic. The primary outcome was the reduction of hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) …

Longitudinal Sensitivity Of Alzheimer's Disease Severity Staging, Julia S Benoit, Wenyaw Chan, Linda Piller, Rachelle Doody

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Understanding Alzheimer's disease (AD) dynamics is essential in diagnosis and measuring progression for clinical decision-making; however, clinical instruments are imperfect at classifying true disease stages. This research evaluates sensitivity and determinants of AD stage changes longitudinally using current classifications of "mild," "moderate," and "severe" AD, using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog), and the Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB) thresholds. Age and pre-progression rate were significant determinants of AD progression using MMSE alone to stage AD, and pre-progression was found to impact disease progression with CDR-SB. Sensitivity of these instruments for identifying clinical stages of …

Distinct Profiles Of Specialized Pro-Resolving Lipid Mediators And Corresponding Receptor Gene Expression In Periodontal Inflammation, Brittney Ferguson, Nishantha R Bokka, Krishna Rao Maddipati, Srinivas Ayilavarapu, Robin Weltman, Lisha Zhu, Wanqi Chen, W Jim Zheng, Nikola Angelov, Thomas E Van Dyke, Chun-Teh Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Polyunsaturated fatty acid-derived specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs) play an important role in modulating inflammation. The aim of the study was to compare profiles of SPMs, SPM related lipid mediators and SPM receptor gene expression in gingiva of subjects with periodontitis to healthy controls. A total of 28 subjects were included; 13 periodontally healthy and 15 periodontitis before or after non-surgical periodontal therapy. Gingival tissues were collected from two representative posterior teeth prior to and 8 weeks after scaling and root planning; only once in the healthy group. Lipid mediator-SPM metabololipidomics was performed to identify metabolites in gingiva. qRT-PCR was …

Pediatric Immunization Practices In Nephrotic Syndrome: An Assessment Of Provider And Parental Knowledge, Cheryl L Tran, David T Selewski, Gia J Oh, Jonathan P Troost, Susan F Massengill, Samhar I Al-Akash, Shefali Mahesh, Rasheda Amin, Isa F Ashoor, Rahul Chanchlani, Mahmoud Kallash, Robert P Woroniecki, Debbie S Gipson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Children with nephrotic syndrome (NS) are at high risk for vaccine-preventable infections due to the immunological effects from the disease and concurrent treatment with immunosuppressive medications. Immunizations in these patients may be deferred due to their immunosuppressive treatment which may increase the risk for vaccine-preventable infections. Immunization practices in children with NS continue to vary among pediatric nephrologists. This raises the question of whether children with NS are receiving the recommended vaccinations at appropriate times. Therefore, it is critical to understand the practices and patient education provided by physicians to patients on the topic of vaccinations.

Methods: After informed …

Prevalence And Predictors Of Chronic Pain Intensity And Disability Among Adults With Sickle Cell Disease, Nadine Matthie, Coretta Jenerette, Ashley Gibson, Sudeshna Paul, Melinda Higgins, Lakshmanan Krishnamurti

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Among 170 adults with sickle cell disease, we evaluated chronic pain impact and disability prevalence, assessed age and gender differences, and identified psychosocial predictors of chronic pain intensity and disability. Most participants had a high level of disability. Chronic pain intensity and disability were significantly associated with pain catastrophizing and chronic pain self-efficacy, and worsened with age. Further research is needed to confirm study findings and develop interventions, including palliative care approaches that address catastrophizing and disability, particularly for young women and middle-aged adults with sickle cell disease. Moreover, consistent clinical assessment of chronic pain and psychosocial health should be …

Burden Of Rare Deleterious Variants In Wnt Signaling Genes Among 511 Myelomeningocele Patients, Luke Hebert, Paul Hillman, Craig Baker, Michael Brown, Allison Ashley-Koch, James E Hixson, Alanna C Morrison, Hope Northrup, Kit Sing Au

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Genes in the noncanonical WNT signaling pathway controlling planar cell polarity have been linked to the neural tube defect myelomeningocele. We hypothesized that some genes in the WNT signaling network have a higher mutational burden in myelomeningocele subjects than in reference subjects in gnomAD. Exome sequencing data from 511 myelomeningocele subjects was obtained in-house and data from 29,940 ethnically matched subjects was provided by version 2 of the publicly available Genome Aggregation Database. To compare mutational burden, we collapsed rare deleterious variants across each of 523 human WNT signaling genes in case and reference populations. Ten WNT signaling genes were …

Microbiotyping The Sinonasal Microbiome, Ahmed Bassiouni, Sathish Paramasivan, Arron Shiffer, Matthew R Dillon, Emily K Cope, Clare Cooksley, Mahnaz Ramezanpour, Sophia Moraitis, Mohammad Javed Ali, Benjamin S Bleier, Claudio Callejas, Marjolein E Cornet, Richard G Douglas, Daniel Dutra, Christos Georgalas, Richard J Harvey, Peter H Hwang, Amber U Luong, Rodney J Schlosser, Pongsakorn Tantilipikorn, Marc A Tewfik, Sarah Vreugde, Peter-John Wormald, J Gregory Caporaso, Alkis J Psaltis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This study offers a novel description of the sinonasal microbiome, through an unsupervised machine learning approach combining dimensionality reduction and clustering. We apply our method to the International Sinonasal Microbiome Study (ISMS) dataset of 410 sinus swab samples. We propose three main sinonasal “microbiotypes” or “states”: the first is Corynebacterium-dominated, the second is Staphylococcus-dominated, and the third dominated by the other core genera of the sinonasal microbiome (Streptococcus, Haemophilus, Moraxella, and Pseudomonas). The prevalence of the three microbiotypes studied did not differ between healthy and diseased sinuses, but differences in their distribution were evident based …

Transcriptional Insights Into Pathogenesis Of Cutaneous Systemic Sclerosis Using Pathway Driven Meta-Analysis Assisted By Machine Learning Methods, Xiao Xu, Meera Ramanujam, Sudha Visvanathan, Shervin Assassi, Zheng Liu, Li Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pathophysiology of systemic sclerosis (SSc, Scleroderma), an autoimmune rheumatic disease, comprises of mechanisms that drive vasculopathy, inflammation and fibrosis. Understanding of the disease and associated clinical heterogeneity has advanced considerably in the past decade, highlighting the necessity of more specific targeted therapy. While many of the recent trials in SSc failed to meet the primary end points that predominantly relied on changes in modified Rodnan skin scores (MRSS), sub-group analysis, especially those focused on the basal skin transcriptomic data have provided insights into patient subsets that respond to therapies. These findings suggest that deeper understanding of the molecular changes in …

Recent Advances In The Treatment Of Clostridioides Difficile Infection: The Ever-Changing Guidelines, Shruti Khurana, Alyssa Kahl, Kevin Yu, Andrew W Dupont

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

The Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Indomethacin Induces Heterogeneity In Lipid Membranes: Potential Implication For Its Diverse Biological Action, Mihnea P Dragomir, Stefan Tudor, Keishi Okubo, Masayoshi Shimizu, Meng Chen, Dana Elena Giza, William Ruixian He, Cristina Ivan, George A Calin, Catalin Vasilescu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Splenectomy is a common surgical procedure performed in millions of people worldwide. Epidemiologic data show that splenectomy is followed by infectious (sepsis) and non-infectious complications, with unknown mechanisms. In order to explore the role of the non-coding transcripts involved in these complications, we analysed a panel of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs), which were previously reported to be deregulated in sepsis, in the plasma of splenectomized patients. MiR-223 was overexpressed immediately and late after splenectomy, while miR-146a was overexpressed immediately after splenectomy, returning latter to basal levels; and miR-16, miR-93, miR-26a and miR-26b were overexpressed only late after splenectomy, suggesting similarities with …

Safety Climate, Safety Climate Strength, And Length Of Stay In The Nicu, Daniel S Tawfik, Eric J Thomas, Timothy J Vogus, Jessica B Liu, Paul J Sharek, Courtney C Nisbet, Henry C Lee, J Bryan Sexton, Jochen Profit

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Safety climate is an important marker of patient safety attitudes within health care units, but the significance of intra-unit variation of safety climate perceptions (safety climate strength) is poorly understood. This study sought to examine the standard safety climate measure (percent positive response (PPR)) and safety climate strength in relation to length of stay (LOS) of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants within California neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).

METHODS: Observational study of safety climate from 2073 health care providers in 44 NICUs. Consistent perceptions among a NICU's respondents, i.e., safety climate strength, was determined via intra-unit standard deviation …

Tinnitus And Self-Perceived Hearing Handicap In Firefighters: A Cross-Sectional Study, Samson Jamesdaniel, Kareem G Elhage, Rita Rosati, Samiran Ghosh, Bengt Arnetz, James Blessman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Firefighters are susceptible to auditory dysfunction due to long-term exposure to noise from sirens, air horns, equipment, and tools used in forcible entry, ventilation, and extrication. In addition, they are exposed to ototoxic chemicals, particularly, during overhaul operations. Studies indicate that 40% of firefighters have hearing loss in the noise-sensitive frequencies of 4 and 6 kHz. Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is often accompanied by tinnitus, which is characterized by ringing noise in the ears. The presence of phantom sounds can adversely affect the performance of firefighters. However, there has been limited research conducted on the prevalence of tinnitus in firefighters. …

Energy Balance Related Lifestyle Factors And Risk Of Endometrial And Colorectal Cancer Among Individuals With Lynch Syndrome: A Systematic Review, Adriana M Coletta, Susan K Peterson, Leticia A Gatus, Kate J Krause, Susan M Schembre, Susan C Gilchrist, Mala Pande, Eduardo Vilar, Y Nancy You, Miguel A Rodriguez-Bigas, Larkin L Strong, Patrick M Lynch, Karen H Lu, Karen Basen-Engquist

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Lifestyle factors related to energy balance, such as excess body weight, poor diet, and physical inactivity, are associated with risk of sporadic endometrial cancer (EC) and colorectal cancer (CRC). There are limited data on energy balance-related lifestyle factors and EC or CRC risk among individuals with lynch syndrome, who are at extraordinarily higher risk of developing EC or CRC. We conducted a systematic review of evidence related to weight status, weight change, dietary habits, and physical activity on EC and CRC risk among individuals with lynch syndrome. Findings are reported narratively. We searched Medline, EMBASE, CENTRAL, PubMed, and clinicaltrials.gov up …

Unexpected Diagnosis, Gauravpal S Gill, Rukma R Govindu, Ragai Fouda, Hussam M Ammar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A 74-year-old man presented to the ER with an eight-month history of shortness of breath, cough, anorexia, and weight loss. He had emigrated from sub-Saharan African to the USA, where he was diagnosed and treated for coronary artery disease, heart failure, and stroke; was hospitalized several times; and underwent hernia surgery. Despite the complex care that he received in the USA for many years, the diagnosis of AIDS was continually missed for years, and the patient was eventually diagnosed at the age of 74.

Low-Cost, High-Resolution Imaging For Detecting Cervical Precancer In Medically-Underserved Areas Of Texas, Sonia G Parra, Ana M Rodriguez, Katelin D Cherry, Richard A Schwarz, Rose M Gowen, Laura B Guerra, Andrea M Milbourne, Paul A Toscano, Susan P Fisher-Hoch, Kathleen M Schmeler, Rebecca R Richards-Kortum

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: Cervical cancer rates in the United States have declined since the 1940's, however, cervical cancer incidence remains elevated in medically-underserved areas, especially in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) along the Texas-Mexico border. High-resolution microendoscopy (HRME) is a low-cost, in vivo imaging technique that can identify high-grade precancerous cervical lesions (CIN2+) at the point-of-care. The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of HRME in medically-underserved areas in Texas, comparing results to a tertiary academic medical center.

METHODS: HRME was evaluated in five different outpatient clinical settings, two in Houston and three in the RGV, with medical providers …

Drunk Without Drinking: A Case Of Auto-Brewery Syndrome, Bobak J Akhavan, Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, Eric J Thomas

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Information on auto-brewery syndrome is limited in the medical literature. This rare syndrome occurs when yeast overgrowth leads to ethanol fermentation in the gut. We present a patient presenting with symptoms of alcohol intoxication with objective laboratory data of elevated blood ethanol levels without a history of alcohol consumption. We reviewed the literature and have discussed the current diagnostic and therapeutic options.

Indications For Lung Transplant Referral And Listing, Omar Shweish, Goutham Dronavalli

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Lung transplantation is a valuable therapeutic option for many patients with severe lung disease who have exhausted other medical or surgical therapies. However, since lungs are not a manufacturable organ like artificial heart valves or left ventricular assist devices, and since they are a limited resource compared to number of patients requiring the organs, the Department of Health and Human Services set the Final Rule of organ allocation in 1998. This led to development and implementation of Lung Allocation Score (LAS) in 2005. The score broadly divides lung diseases into 4 diagnostic criteria with a coefficient factor given to each …

Low-Cost, High-Resolution Imaging For Detecting Cervical Precancer In Medically-Underserved Areas Of Texas, Sonia G Parra, Ana M Rodriguez, Katelin D Cherry, Richard A Schwarz, Rose M Gowen, Laura B Guerra, Andrea M Milbourne, Paul A Toscano, Susan P Fisher-Hoch, Kathleen M Schmeler, Rebecca R Richards-Kortum

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: Cervical cancer rates in the United States have declined since the 1940's, however, cervical cancer incidence remains elevated in medically-underserved areas, especially in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) along the Texas-Mexico border. High-resolution microendoscopy (HRME) is a low-cost, in vivo imaging technique that can identify high-grade precancerous cervical lesions (CIN2+) at the point-of-care. The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of HRME in medically-underserved areas in Texas, comparing results to a tertiary academic medical center.

METHODS: HRME was evaluated in five different outpatient clinical settings, two in Houston and three in the RGV, with medical providers …

Preoccupation With Failure And Adherence To Shared Baselines: Measuring High-Reliability Organizational Culture, Jason M Etchegaray, Eric J Thomas, Jochen Profit

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: To create, administer, and psychometrically examine a survey to measure two new organizational culture factors - preoccupation with failure and adherence to shared baselines - in healthcare settings.

METHOD: Direct care providers (n = 4484) from a large healthcare system in the Southern United States completed a survey as part of their annual safety culture assessment.

RESULTS: We provide evidence about the internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ranged from .80 to .89) factor structure, concurrent validity (correlation with overall patient safety grade ranged from .60 to .67, p

CONCLUSIONS: We established evidence for internal consistency and validity of two new …

Datagauge: A Practical Process For Systematically Designing And Implementing Quality Assessments Of Repurposed Clinical Data, Jose-Franck Diaz-Garelli, Elmer V Bernstam, Minjae Lee, Kevin O Hwang, Mohammad H Rahbar, Todd R Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The well-known hazards of repurposing data make Data Quality (DQ) assessment a vital step towards ensuring valid results regardless of analytical methods. However, there is no systematic process to implement DQ assessments for secondary uses of clinical data. This paper presents DataGauge, a systematic process for designing and implementing DQ assessments to evaluate repurposed data for a specific secondary use. DataGauge is composed of five steps: (1) Define information needs, (2) Develop a formal Data Needs Model (DNM), (3) Use the DNM and DQ theory to develop goal-specific DQ assessment requirements, (4) Extract DNM-specified data, and (5) Evaluate according to …

Pyroglutamic Acidemia: An Underrecognized And Underdiagnosed Cause Of High Anion Gap Metabolic Acidosis - A Case Report And Review Of Literature, Sidish S Venkataraman, Rachel Regone, Hussam M Ammar, Rukma R Govindu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pyroglutamic acidemia (oxoprolinemia) is an underrecognized cause of high anion gap acidosis resulting from derangement in the gamma-glutamyl cycle. Pyroglutamic acidemia is most commonly diagnosed in the pediatric population in patients with inherited autosomal recessive enzyme deficiencies. However, acquired pyroglutamic acidemia can present in the adult population. Patients often present with confusion, nausea, and vomiting as well as an elevated anion gap metabolic acidosis. This article describes a case of acquired pyroglutamic acidemia and emphasizes the need to consider this entity.