Digital Commons Network^™

Two Boundaries Separate Borrelia Burgdorferi Populations In North America, Gabriele Margos, Jean I. Tsao, Santiago Castillo-Ramirez, Yvette A. Girard, Anne G. Hoen

Dartmouth Scholarship

Understanding the spread of infectious diseases is crucial for implementing effective control measures. For this, it is important to obtain information on the contemporary population structure of a disease agent and to infer the evolutionary processes that may have shaped it. Here, we investigate on a continental scale the population structure of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme borreliosis (LB), a tick-borne disease, in North America. We test the hypothesis that the observed d population structure is congruent with recent population expansions and that these were preceded by bottlenecks mostly likely caused by the near extirpation in the 1900s …

The Hiv/Aids Pandemic In African American Msm: Targets For Intervention, Kelly Neff

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 2005 that 46% of African American men who have sex with men (MSM) are HIV positive. This review explores the unique factors that contribute to risky sexual behavior and the spread of HIV within this population, suggesting that the disparate prevalence of HIV among African American MSM is rooted in experiences of stigmatization from multiple sources and lack of social support from society at large as well as from within the African American community. Beliefs in HIV conspiracy myths are also thought to hinder HIV education, awareness and prevention for African …

Diabetes: A Risk Factor For Periodontitis, Shaju Jacob, Sonia Nath, Muthu Arunchalam

International Arab Journal of Dentistry

Severe periodontitis is the major reason for tooth loss in adults. Diabetes is one of the major risk factor for progression of periodontitis. Over 200 articles have been published in the English literature in the past 50 years examining the relationship between these two chronic diseases. The purpose of this review is to provide the reader with practical knowledge concerning the relationship between diabetes mellitus and periodontal diseases. Pubmed and medInd were searched and suitable publications were reviewed. Data interpretation is often confounded by varying definitions of diabetes and periodontitis and different clinical criteria applied to prevalence, extent, and severity …

Gut Immune Maturation Depends On Colonization With A Host-Specific Microbiota, Hachung Chung, Sünje J. Pamp, Jonathan A. Hill, Neeraj K. Surana, Sanna M. Edelman, Erin B. Troy, Nicola C. Reading, Eduardo J. Villablanca, Sen Wang, Jorge R. Mora, Yoshinori Umesaki, Diane Mathis, Christophe Benoist, David A. Relman, Dennis L. Kasper

United States Department of Veterans Affairs: Publications

Gut microbial induction of host immune maturation exemplifies host-microbe mutualism. We colonized germ-free (GF) mice with mouse microbiota (MMb) or human microbiota (HMb) to determine whether small intestinal immune maturation depends on a coevolved host-specific microbiota. Gut bacterial numbers and phylum abundance were similar in MMb and HMb mice, but bacterial species differed, especially the Firmicutes. HMb mouse intestines had low levels of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells, few proliferating T cells, few dendritic cells, and low antimicrobial peptide expression—all characteristics of GF mice. Rat microbiota also failed to fully expand intestinal T cell numbers in mice. Colonizing …

How Nursing Impacts Nursing: Using Metaphor To Understand The Perinatal Nurse's Role, Kathleen Guinee Holman

Theses and Graduate Projects

In the United States, nearly all women choose to give birth in a hospital and a large majority of women intend to nourish their baby with breast milk. In the hospital setting, the perinatal nurse is vital in supporting, educating, and caring for new mothers as they learn to breastfeed their baby. Yet, everyday women give up on their goal to initiate or continue breastfeeding, often citing variables relating to inpatient nursing care as the reason. An exploration into current research and literature uncovers how the nurse's role impacts a new mother's breastfeeding experience and ability to achieve her goal …

Frequent Arousal From Hibernation Linked To Severity Of Infection And Mortality In Bats With White-Nose Syndrome, Deeann M. Reeder, Craig L. Frank, Gregory G. Turner

KIP Articles

White-nose syndrome (WNS), an emerging infectious disease that has killed over 5.5 million hibernating bats, is named for the causative agent, a white fungus (Geomyces destructans (Gd)) that invades the skin of torpid bats. During hibernation, arousals to warm (euthermic) body temperatures are normal but deplete fat stores. Temperature-sensitive dataloggers were attached to the backs of 504 free-ranging little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) in hibernacula located throughout the northeastern USA. Dataloggers were retrieved at the end of the hibernation season and complete profiles of skin temperature data were available from 83 bats, which were categorized as: (1) unaffected, (2) WNS-affected …

Nanoherbals In Human Healthcare: A Proposed Research And Development Roadmap Ii, Ahmad S, Hashim U

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Bioactive secondary metabolites derived from herbs are examined for their suitability of conversion into nanoforms having flexible morphological controls, surface stabilizations and surface functionalization. This can lead to stable chemical conjugations based on molecular recognition for their possible applications in the form of smart pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, cosmaceuticals and many other related areas of human healthcare using green chemistry routes. Using the principles of nanoscience and technology in association with genomics and proteomics, an attempt has been made to decipher whether a suitable form of drug discovery and targeted drug delivery like schemes are feasible in case of such nano phytochemicals …

Frequent Arousal From Hibernation Linked To Severity Of Infection And Mortality In Bats With White-Nose Syndrome, Deeann M. Reeder, Craig L. Frank, Gregory G. Turner, Carol U. Meteyer, Allen Kurta, Eric R. Britzke, Megan E. Vodzak, Scott R. Darling, Craig W. Stihler, Alan C. Hicks, Roymon Jacob, Laura E. Grieneisen, Sarah A. Brownlee, Laura K. Muller, David S. Blehert

KIP Articles

No abstract provided.

Expanding The Evidence Base For Accreditation And Qi: Progress In Practice-Based Research Networks, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Studies that examine the implementation and impact of quality improvement strategies in public health are underway through the Public Health Practice-Based Research Networks.

Crystal Structures Of Trypanosoma Cruzi Udp-Galactopyranose Mutase Implicate Flexibility Of The Histidine Loop In Enzyme Activation, Richa Dhatwalia, Harkewal Singh, Michelle Oppenheimer, Pablo Sobrado, John J. Tanner

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Here we report crystal structures of the galactofuranose biosynthetic enzyme UDP-galactopyranose mutase (UGM) from T. cruzi, which are the first structures of this enzyme from a protozoan parasite. UGM is an attractive target for drug design because galactofuranose is absent in humans but is an essential component of key glycoproteins and glycolipids in trypanosomatids. Analysis of the enzyme-UDP noncovalent interactions and sequence alignments suggests that substrate recognition is exquisitely conserved among eukaryotic UGMs and distinct from that of bacterial UGMs. This observation has implications for inhibitor …

Cohort Membership, Dental Insurance And Utilization Of Dental Services In Adults Age 47 And Over Receiving Dental Care At Virginia Commonwealth University’S School Of Dentistry, Patricia Brown Bonwell

Theses and Dissertations

This cross-sectional, non-experimental study evaluates associations between cohort membership, type of dental coverage, and utilization of dental services in all patients age 47 and over who received dental care at Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) School of Dentistry in 2011. Structural Lag Theory poses that society’s institutions lag behind the actuality of a healthy and capable older adult population. The two dynamisms of the Structural Lag Theory were used for this study. The Dynamism of Changing Lives is represented by Cohort differences. Cohort differences include cohort size, people living longer and retaining more of their natural teeth along with different attitudes …

Development And Comparison Of Risk-Adjusted Models To Benchmark Antibiotic Use In The University Healthsystem Consortium Hospitals, Omar Moh'd Musa Ibrahim

Theses and Dissertations

Background. Infectious diseases societies recommend that hospitals risk-adjust their antimicrobial use before comparing it to their peers, a process called benchmarking. The purpose of this investigation is to apply and compare 3 risk-adjustment procedures for benchmarking hospital antibacterial consumption (AbC). Two standardization of rates procedures, direct and indirect standardization, are compared with one another as well as with regression modeling. Methods. Total aggregate adult AbC for 52 systemic antibacterial agents was measured in 70 hospitals that subscribed to the University HealthSystem Consortium Clinical Resource Manager database in 2009 and expressed as days of therapy (DOTs) per either 1000 patients days …

Human Breast Milk And Antiretrovirals Dramatically Reduce Oral Hiv-1 Transmission In Blt Humanized Mice, Angela Wahl, Michael D. Swanson, Tomonori Nochi, Rikke Olesen, Paul W. Denton, Morgan Chateau, J. Victor Garcia

Biology Faculty Publications

Currently, over 15% of new HIV infections occur in children. Breastfeeding is a major contributor to HIV infections in infants. This represents a major paradox in the field because in vitro, breast milk has been shown to have a strong inhibitory effect on HIV infectivity. However, this inhibitory effect has never been demonstrated in vivo. Here, we address this important paradox using the first humanized mouse model of oral HIV transmission. We established that reconstitution of the oral cavity and upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract of humanized bone marrow/liver/thymus (BLT) mice with human leukocytes, including the human cell types important for …

Trends In Mortality From Septicaemia And Pneumonia With Economic Development: An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis, Irene O.L. Wong, Benjamin J. Cowling, Gabriel M. Leung, Mary Schooling

Publications and Research

Background
Hong Kong population has experienced drastic changes in its economic development in the 1940s. Taking advantage of Hong Kong’s unique demographic and socioeconomic history, characterized by massive, punctuated migration waves from Southern China, and recent, rapid transition from a pre-industrialized society to the first ethnic Chinese community reaching ‘‘first world’’ status over the last 60 years (i.e., in two or three generations), we examined the longitudinal trends in infection related mortality including septicemia compared to trends in non-bacterial pneumonia to generate hypotheses for further testing in other recently transitioned economies and to provide generalized aetiological insights on how economic …

Structure, Function And Diversity Of The Healthy Human Microbiome, Curtis Huttenhower, Jacques Izard

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Studies of the human microbiome have revealed that even healthy individuals differ remarkably in the microbes that occupy habitats such as the gut, skin and vagina. Much of this diversity remains unexplained, although diet, environment, host genetics and early microbial exposure have all been implicated. Accordingly, to characterize the ecology of human-associated microbial communities, the Human Microbiome Project has analysed the largest cohort and set of distinct, clinically relevant body habitats so far. We found the diversity and abundance of each habitat’s signature microbes to vary widely even among healthy subjects, with strong niche specialization both within and among individuals. …

A Framework For Human Microbiome Research, Barbara A. Methe, Jacques Izard

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

A variety of microbial communities and their genes (the microbiome) exist throughout the human body, with fundamental roles in human health and disease. The National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Human Microbiome Project Consortium has established a population-scale framework to develop metagenomic protocols, resulting in a broad range of quality-controlled resources and data including standardized methods for creating, processing and interpreting distinct types of high-throughput metagenomic data available to the scientific community. Here we present resources from a population of 242 healthy adults sampled at 15 or 18 body sites up to three times, which have generated 5,177 microbial taxonomic profiles …

Cumulative Risk And A Call For Action In Environmental Justice Communities, H. P. Hynes, Russ Lopez

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Health disparities, social inequalities, and environmental injustice cumulatively affect individual and community vulnerability and overall health; yet health researchers, social scientists and environmental scientists generally study them separately. Cumulative risk assessment in poor, racially segregated, economically isolated and medically underserved communities needs to account for their multiple layers of vulnerability, including greater susceptibility, greater exposure, less preparedness to cope, and less ability to recover in the face of exposure. Recommendations for evidence-based action in environmental justice communities include: reducing pollution in communities of highest burden; building on community resources; redressing inequality when doing community-based research; and creating a screening framework …

Correlates Of Poor Health Among Orphans And Abandoned Children In Less Wealthy Countries: The Importance Of Caregiver Health, Nathan Thielman, Jan Ostermann, Kathryn Whetten, Rachel Whetten, Karen O’Donnell, Positive Outcomes For Orphans (Pofo) Research Team

Faculty Publications

Background: More than 153 million children worldwide have been orphaned by the loss of one or both parents, and millions more have been abandoned. We investigated relationships between the health of orphaned and abandoned children (OAC) and child, caregiver, and household characteristics among randomly selected OAC in five countries.

Methodology: Using a two-stage random sampling strategy in 6 study areas in Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, and Tanzania, the Positive Outcomes for Orphans (POFO) study identified 1,480 community-living OAC ages 6 to 12. Detailed interviews were conducted with 1,305 primary caregivers at baseline and after 6 and 12 months. Multivariable logistic …

Increasing Rate Of Pneumonia Hospitalizations Among Older American Indian And Alaska Native Adults, Robert C. Holman, Krista L. Yorita, Rosalyn J. Singleton, James E. Cheek, Edna L. Paisano, Jay C. Butler, Larry J. Anderson, Alicia M. Fry

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Objective: To examine rates and trends of pneumonia hospitalization among older American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) adults.

Methods: Pneumonia hospitalizations for older AI/AN adults ≥65 years of age living in the Alaska and Southwest Indian Health Service (IHS) regions during 1988 through 2002 from the IHS hospital discharge data were analyzed.

Results: The average annual hospitalization rate for first-listed pneumonia for older AI/AN adults in both the Alaska and the Southwest regions has increased (15.3 and 23.0 in 1988-1990 to 25.9 and 28.8 in 2000-2002 per 1,000 population, respectively), with the greatest increase seen among older AI/AN adults in …

June 12, 2012 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

The School-Based Family: Coaches And Teachers As Parental Figures For Orphans And Vulnerable Children In Ugandan Schools, Angela Warren

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine the possible formation of surrogate families within Ugandan schools to provide a context for positive development experiences, especially for orphans who lack positive development opportunities provided by parents. The sample for this study consisted of 66 Ugandan Secondary School students from eight schools in the Mukono district of Uganda. This study found a potentially widespread family formation pattern between students and their teachers/coaches. More than 75% of students self-identified their teacher and/or coach as family. The results provide insight concerning why orphans and vulnerable children are forming surrogate families with staff …

June 8, 2012 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Harvesting Murine Alveolar Macrophages And Evaluating Cellular Activation Induced By Polyanhydride Nanoparticles, Ana V. Chavez-Santoscoy, Lucas M. Huntimer, Amanda Ramer-Tait, Michael Wannemueler, Balaji Narasimhan

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Biodegradable nanoparticles have emerged as a versatile platform for the design and implementation of new intranasal vaccines against respiratory infectious diseases. Specifically, polyanhydride nanoparticles composed of the aliphatic sebacic acid (SA), the aromatic 1,6-bis(p -carboxyphenoxy)hexane (CPH), or the amphiphilic 1,8-bis(p-carboxyphenoxy)-3,6-dioxaoctane (CPTEG) display unique bulk and surface erosion kinetics^1,2 and can be exploited to slowly release functional biomolecules (e.g., protein antigens, immunoglobulins, etc.) in vivo^3,4,5. These nanoparticles also possess intrinsic adjuvant activity, making them an excellent choice for a vaccine delivery platform^6,7,8.

In order to elucidate the mechanisms governing the activation of innate …

Analyzing Cellular Internalization Of Nanoparticles And Bacteria By Multi-Spectral Imaging Flow Cytometry, Yashdeep Phanse, Amanda E. Ramer-Tait, Sherree L. Friend, Brenda Carrillo-Conde, Paul Lueth, Carrie J. Oster, Gregory J. Phillips, Balaji Narasimhan, Michael J. Wannemuehler, Bryan H. Bellaire

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Nanoparticulate systems have emerged as valuable tools in vaccine delivery through their ability to efficiently deliver cargo, including proteins, to antigen presenting cells^1-5. Internalization of nanoparticles (NP) by antigen presenting cells is a critical step in generating an effective immune response to the encapsulated antigen. To determine how changes in nanoparticle formulation impact function, we sought to develop a high throughput, quantitative experimental protocol that was compatible with detecting internalized nanoparticles as well as bacteria. To date, two independent techniques, microscopy and flow cytometry, have been the methods used to study the phagocytosis of nanoparticles. The high throughput …

All-Cause Gastroenteritis And Rotavirus-Coded Hospitalizations Among Us Children, 2000–2009, Rishi Desai, Aaron T. Curns, Claudia A. Steiner, Jacqueline E. Tate, Manish M. Patel, Umesh D. Parashar

United States Public Health Resources

Background. Rotavirus vaccine was recommended for US infants in 2006. We estimated baseline prevaccine burden and monitored postvaccine trends in gastroenteritis-coded and rotavirus-coded hospitalizations among US children.

Methods. We analyzed data from the State Inpatient Databases (SID) for 29–44 US states over a 10-year period (2000–2009) to calculate gastroenteritis and rotavirus-coded hospitalization rates by age group, sex, and region, among children <5 years of age. By extrapolating observed pre- and postvaccine gastroenteritis hospitalization rates to the US population <5 years and based on the 2009 cost of a diarrhea hospitalization, we estimated national reductions in diarrhea hospitalizations and associated treatment costs.

Results. The prevaccine (2000–2006) annual average gastroenteritis-coded hospitalization rate among children <5 years of age was 74 per 10 000 (annual range, 71–82 per 10 000), and declined to 51 and 50 per 10 000 in 2008 and 2009, respectively (P < .001). The prevaccine (2000–2006) annual average rotavirus-coded hospitalization rate among children <5 years of age was 15 per 10 000 (annual range, 13–18 per 10 000), and declined to 5 and 6 per 10 000 in 2008 and 2009, respectively (P < .001). The decreases in rotavirus-coded hospitalization rates in 2008 and 2009 compared with rates in prevaccine years were observed among all age groups and US regions. Nationally, during 2008 and 2009 combined, we estimated a reduction of approximately 77 000 diarrhea hospitalizations and approximately $242 million in hospital costs.

Conclusions. Since implementation of the US rota-virus vaccination program, a marked reduction in diarrhea hospitalizations and related hospital charges has occurred among US children.

Rape, The Silenced Crime In Guatemala, Louisa Reynolds

NotiCen

No abstract provided.

Introduction: Rethinking The Disciplinary Confluence Of Anthropology And Literary Studies, Brad Evans

Criticism

No abstract provided.

June 5, 2012 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Selective Impact Of Hiv Disease Progression On The Innate Immune System In The Human Female Reproductive Tract., Timothy Lahey, Mimi Ghosh, John V. Fahey, Zheng Sheng, Lucy R. Mukura, Yan Song, Susan Cu-Uvin, Kenneth H. Mayer, Peter F. Wright, John C. Kappes, Christina Ochsenbauer, Charles R. Wira

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Background

We have previously demonstrated intrinsic anti-HIV activity in cervicovaginal lavage (CVL) from HIV-infected women with high CD4 counts and not on antiretroviral therapy. However, the impact of HIV disease progression on CVL innate immune responses has not been delineated.

Methods

CVL from 57 HIV-infected women not on antiretroviral therapy were collected by washing the cervicovaginal area with 10 ml of sterile normal saline. We characterized subject HIV disease progression by CD4 count strata: >500 cells/µl, 200–500 cells/µl, or <200 cells/µl of blood. To assess CVL anti-HIV activity, we incubated TZM-bl cells with HIV plus or minus CVL. Antimicrobials, cytokines, chemokines and anti-gp160 HIV IgG antibodies were measured by ELISA and Luminex.

Results

CVL exhibited broad anti-HIV activity against multiple laboratory-adapted and transmitted/founder (T/F) viruses, with anti-HIV activity ranging from 0 to 100% …

Selective Impact Of Hiv Disease Progression On The Innate Immune System In The Human Female Reproductive Tract, Timothy Lahey, Mimi Ghosh, John V. Fahey, Zheng Shen, Lucy R. Mukura, Yan Song, Susan Cu-Uvin, Kenneth H. Mayer, Peter F. Wright, John C. Kappes, Christina Ochsenbauer, Charles R. Wira

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: We have previously demonstrated intrinsic anti-HIV activity in cervicovaginal lavage (CVL) from HIV-infected women with high CD4 counts and not on antiretroviral therapy. However, the impact of HIV disease progression on CVL innate immune responses has not been delineated.

Methods: CVL from 57 HIV-infected women not on antiretroviral therapy were collected by washing the cervicovaginal area with 10 ml of sterile normal saline. We characterized subject HIV disease progression by CD4 count strata: >500 cells/µl, 200-500 cells/µl, or <200 cells/µl of blood. To assess CVL anti-HIV activity, we incubated TZM-bl cells with HIV plus or minus CVL. Antimicrobials, cytokines, chemokines and anti-gp160 HIV IgG antibodies were measured by ELISA and Luminex.