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Today - February 22, 2013, Loma Linda University Health

TODAY

Inside this issue:

-- LLEAP Go-Live brings new era of patient care
-- Web Center organized to bring Loma Linda University Health campuses together
-- Helicopter landing highlights LLU student open house
-- Clinic With a Heart restores record number of smiles
-- Dementia outreach grows at Loma Linda University
-- Recent events remind how to properly respond to news media
-- Guild president outlines plans and priorities for 2013
-- Recent updated bioethics graduate program thrives
-- HRIS department recognized for excellence by LLUH
-- Stipends empower social work students to begin careers in health care
-- Speaking of …

Vaccination Perceptions And Barriers Of School Employees: A Pilot Study, Kim Cranney Houle

Theses and Dissertations

Schools are group settings where vaccine-preventable diseases can spread quickly, especially if vaccination rates are suboptimal. Vaccination of school children has been the subject of many studies; however, data are lacking regarding the vaccination status, vaccination perceptions, and potential barriers to vaccination for school employees. Method: A questionnaire was developed to measure school employees' perceptions,awareness of current vaccination status, and potential barriers to vaccinations. This study included a convenience sample of 277 employees from a small urban school district located in central Utah. Results: Adult vaccination knowledge is lacking in the school employee population, with over half believing they were …

Evidence-Based Decision Making To Improve Public Health Practice, Ross C. Brownson, Jonathan E. Fielding, Christopher M. Maylahn

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Despite the many accomplishments of public health, greater attention on evidence-based approaches is warranted. This article reviews the concepts of evidence-based public health (EBPH), on which formal discourse originated about 15 years ago. Key components of EBPH include: making decisions based on the best available scientific evidence, using data and information systems systematically, applying program planning frameworks, engaging the community in decision making, conducting sound evaluation, and disseminating what is learned. Core competencies for EBPH are emerging, including not only technical skills but also attention to administrative practices in public health agencies. To better bridge evidence and practice, the concepts …

Progress Realized: Trends In Hiv-1 Viral Load And Cd4 Cell Count In A Tertiary-Care Center From 1999 Through 2011, Howard B. Gale, Manuel D. Rodriguez, Heather J. Hoffman, Debra A. Benator, Fred M. Gordin, Ann M. Labriola, Virginia L. Kan

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Abstract

Accumulating evidence suggests that alterations in immune function may be important in the etiology of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). To identify genetic markers in immune-related pathways, we evaluated 3,985 tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 230 candidate gene regions (adhesion-extravasation-migration, arachidonic acid metabolism/eicosanoid signaling, complement and coagulation cascade, cytokine signaling, innate pathogen detection and antimicrobials, leukocyte signaling, TNF/NF-kB pathway or other) in a case-control study of 344 PTC cases and 452 controls. We used logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (OR) and calculate one degree of freedom P values of linear trend (PSNP-trend) for the association …

Fast Time Resolution Oxidized Mercury Measurements During The Reno Atmospheric Mercury Intercomparison Experiment (Ramix), Jesse L. Ambrose, Seth N. Lyman, Jiaoyan Huang, Mae Sexauer Gustin, Daneil A. Jaffe

USU Uintah Basin Faculty Publications

The Reno Atmospheric Mercury Intercomparison Experiment (RAMIX) was carried out from 22 August to 16 September, 2011 in Reno, NV to evaluate the performance of new and existing methods to measure atmospheric mercury (Hg). Measurements were made using a common sampling manifold to which controlled concentrations of Hg species, including gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) and HgBr2 (a surrogate gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) compound), and potential interferents were added. We present an analysis of Hg measurements made using the University of Washington’s Detector for Oxidized Hg Species (DOHGS), focusing on tests of GEM and HgBr2 spike recovery, the potential for interference …

Impact Of The Tohoku Earthquake And Tsunami On Pneumonia Hospitalisations And Mortality Among Adults In Northern Miyagi, Japan: A Multicentre Observational Study, Hisayoshi Daito, Motoi Suzuki, Jun Shiihara, Paul E. Kilgore, Hitoshi Ohtomo, Konosuke Morimoto, Masayuki Ishida, Taro Kamigaki, Hitoshi Oshitani, Masahiro Hashizume, Wataru Endo, Koichi Hagiwara, Koya Ariyoshi, Shoji Okinaga

Department of Pharmacy Practice

Background On 11 March 2011, the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami struck off the coast of northeastern Japan. Within 3 weeks, an increased number of pneumonia admissions and deaths occurred in local hospitals.

Methods A multicentre survey was conducted at three hospitals in Kesennuma City (population 74000), northern Miyagi Prefecture. All adults aged ≥18 years hospitalised between March 2010 and June 2011 with community-acquired pneumonia were identified using hospital databases and medical records. Segmented regression analyses were used to quantify changes in the incidence of pneumonia.

Results A total of 550 pneumonia hospitalisations were identified, including 325 during the pre-disaster period …

Beyond Idle Connections: Aoe/Coe - Pervasive Concepts In Worker's Compensation, Fred J. Knez

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

Playing God: The Legality Of Plans Denying Scarce Resources To People With Disabilities In Public Health Emergencies, Wendy F. Hensel, Leslie E. Wolf

Florida Law Review

Public health emergencies can arise in a number of different ways. They can follow a natural disaster, such as Hurricane Katrina, the 2004 tsunami, and the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. They may be man-made, such as the September 11 attacks and the anthrax scare. They may also be infectious. While no pandemic flu has yet reached the severity of the 1918 flu, there have been several scares, including avian flu and most recently H1N1.

Few questions are more ethically or legally loaded than determining who will receive scarce medical resources in the event of a widespread public health …

Biomarkers And Bacterial Pneumonia Risk In Patients With Treated Hiv Infection: A Case-Control Study, Sonja M. Bjerk, Jason V. Baker, Sean Emery, Jacqueline Neuhaus, Brian Angus, Fred M. Gordin, Sarah L. Pett, Christoph Stephan, Ken M. Kunisaki

Medicine Faculty Publications

Background

Despite advances in HIV treatment, bacterial pneumonia continues to cause considerable morbidity and mortality in patients with HIV infection. Studies of biomarker associations with bacterial pneumonia risk in treated HIV-infected patients do not currently exist.

Methods

We performed a nested, matched, case-control study among participants randomized to continuous combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in the Strategies for Management of Antiretroviral Therapy trial. Patients who developed bacterial pneumonia (cases) and patients without bacterial pneumonia (controls) were matched 1:1 on clinical center, smoking status, age, and baseline cART use. Baseline levels of Club Cell Secretory Protein 16 (CC16), Surfactant Protein D (SP-D), …

Public Health Delivery Systems And Population Health: What We Know And Need To Learn, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Despite high overall health expenditures, the U.S. continues to fall behind other high-income countries on many measures of population health. While health care delivery systems are now studied intensively for solutions to U.S. cost and quality problems, the nation's delivery systems for public health programs and policies are only now becoming the subject of rigorous empirical study. This presentation examines recent studies of public health delivery systems and important directions for future inquiry.

The People, The Parks, The Loss., Adam Newcombe

Landscapes: the Journal of the International Centre for Landscape and Language

Terra nullius is a Latin expression deriving from Roman law meaning „land belonging to no one‟ or no man's land. The concept was used in international law to describe territory which has never been subject to the sovereignty of any state, or over which any prior sovereign has expressly or implicitly relinquished sovereignty. Implying an empty land, a land with no people, land as property with no owner, terra nullius is possibly the greatest legal travesty and fabrication ever enacted on an invaded people. This paper will attempt to make a little sense of what and why this has happened …

Latitudinal Variations In Seasonal Activity Of Influenza And Respiratory Syncytial Virus (Rsv): A Global Comparative Review, Kimberly Bloom-Feshbach, Wladimir J. Alonso, Vivek Charu, James Tamerius, Lone Simonsen, Mark A. Miller, Cecile Viboud

Global Health Faculty Publications

Background

There is limited information on influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) seasonal patterns in tropical areas, although there is renewed interest in understanding the seasonal drivers of respiratory viruses.

Methods

We review geographic variations in seasonality of laboratory-confirmed influenza and RSV epidemics in 137 global locations based on literature review and electronic sources. We assessed peak timing and epidemic duration and explored their association with geography and study settings. We fitted time series model to weekly national data available from the WHO influenza surveillance system (FluNet) to further characterize seasonal parameters.

Results

Influenza and RSV activity consistently peaked during …

The Missouri Miner, February 14, 2013

The Missouri Miner Newspaper

No abstract provided.

Identification Of Snps Associated With Variola Virus Virulence, Anne Gatewood Hoen, Shea N. Gardner, Jason H. Moore

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Decades after the eradication of smallpox, its etiological agent, variola virus (VARV), remains a threat as a potential bioweapon. Outbreaks of smallpox around the time of the global eradication effort exhibited variable case fatality rates (CFRs), likely attributable in part to complex viral genetic determinants of smallpox virulence. We aimed to identify genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with CFR. We evaluated unadjusted and outbreak geographic location-adjusted models of single SNPs and two- and three-way interactions between SNPs. Findings: Using the data mining approach multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR), we identified five VARV SNPs in models significantly associated with CFR. The …

Association Of Neighborhood-Level Factors With Hospitalization For Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, New York City, 2006: A Multilevel Observational Study, Amanda M. Farr, Melissa A. Marx, Don Weiss, Denis Nash

Publications and Research

Background Hospitalizations with community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infection have increased in New York City, with substantial geographic variation across neighborhoods. While individual-level risk factors, such as age, sex, HIV infection, and diabetes have been described, the role of neighborhood-level factors (e.g., neighborhood HIV prevalence or income) has not been examined. Methods To explore plausible neighborhood-level factors associated with CA-MRSA-related hospitalizations, a retrospective analysis was conducted using New York City hospital discharges from 2006 and New York City-specific survey and health department surveillance data. CA-MRSA-related hospitalizations were identified using diagnosis codes and admission information. Associations were determined by using sex-specific …

The Herpesvirus Vp1/2 Protein Is An Effector Of Dynein-Mediated Capsid Transport And Neuroinvasion, Sofia V. Zaichick, Kevin P. Bohannon, Ami Hughes, Patricia J. Sollars, Gary E. Pickard, Gregory A. Smith

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Microtubule transport of herpesvirus capsids from the cell periphery to the nucleus is imperative for viral replication and, in the case of many alphaherpesviruses, transmission into the nervous system. Using the neuroinvasive herpesvirus, pseudorabies virus (PRV), we show that the viral protein 1/2 (VP1/2) tegument protein associates with the dynein/dynactin microtubule motor complex and promotes retrograde microtubule transport of PRV capsids. Functional activation of VP1/2 requires binding to the capsid protein pUL25 or removal of the capsid-binding domain. A proline-rich sequence within VP1/2 is required for the efficient interaction with the dynein/ dynactin microtubule motor complex as well as for …

The Daily Egyptian, February 12, 2013, Daily Egyptian Staff

February 2013

No abstract provided.

A Novel Algorithm For Validating Peptide Identification From A Shotgun Proteomics Search Engine, Ling Jian, Xinnan Niu, Zhonghang Xia, Parimal Samir, Chiranthani Sumanasekera, Zheng Mu, Jennifer L. Jennings, Kristen L. Hoek, Tara Allos, Leigh M. Howard, Kathryn M. Edwards, P. Anthony Weil, Andrew J. Link

Chemistry Faculty Research

Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) has revolutionized the proteomics analysis of complexes, cells, and tissues. In a typical proteomic analysis, the tandem mass spectra from a LC–MS/MS experiment are assigned to a peptide by a search engine that compares the experimental MS/MS peptide data to theoretical peptide sequences in a protein database. The peptide spectra matches are then used to infer a list of identified proteins in the original sample. However, the search engines often fail to distinguish between correct and incorrect peptides assignments. In this study, we designed and implemented a novel algorithm called De-Noise to …

A Potential New Pathway For Pd-L1 Costimulation Of The Cd8-T Cell Response To Listeria Monocytogenes Infection, Daqi Xu, Han-Hsuan Fu, Joshua J. Obar, Leo Lefrançois

UCHC Articles - Research

Programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) is an important negative regulator of T cell immune responses via interactions with PD-1 and CD80. However, PD-L1 can also act as a positive costimulator, but the relevant counterreceptor is not known. We analyzed the role of PD-L1 in CD8-T cell responses to infection with Listeria monocytogenes (LM) or vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). PD-L1 blockade impaired antigen-specific CD8 effector T cell expansion in response to LM, but not to VSV infection, particularly limiting short-lived effector cell differentiation. Simultaneous CD4-T cell depletion and anti-PD-L1 blockade revealed that PD-L1 provided costimulation even in the absence of CD4-T cells. …

Pharmacy Alumna Named Distinguished New Practitioner, Admin

University of Mississippi News

Crumby honored by American Pharmacists Association for pediatric HIV work, student mentorship

The Free Press Vol 44 Issue 15, 02-11-2013, Kirsten Sylvain

Free Press, The

USM couple ties the knot after fourteen years--Free Press to host media training day for students--University of Maine schools plug in to Project Login--Campus goes international--USM battles Nemo

Age-Related Accumulation Of T Cells With Markers Of Relatively Stronger Autoreactivity Leads To Functional Erosion Of T Cells., Zohreh Tatari-Calderone, Milica Stojakovic, Ramita Dewan, Gama L. Bouder, Dragana Jankovic, Stanislav Vukmanovic

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Background

Thymic involution is a prominent characteristic of an aging immune system. When thymic function is reduced/absent, the peripheral T cell pool is subject to the laws of peripheral T cell homeostasis that favor survival/expansion of T cell receptors with relatively higher functional avidity for self-peptide/MHC complexes. Due to difficulties in assessing the TCR avidity in polyclonal population of T cells, it is currently not known whether high avidity T cells preferentially survive in aging individuals, and what impact this might have on the function of the immune system and development of autoimmune diseases.

Results

The phenotype of T cells …

Fixing The Vaccine Act's Structural Moral Hazard, Brandon L. Boxler

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

The article presents information on the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. It discusses the U.S. Federal circuit case Hazlehurst v. Sec'y of Health & Human Servs., in which lawsuit against the defendant was filed by the plaintiff who sought claims against the liability of product to recover damages for alleged injuries which his son had received from vaccines. It also provides information on the structural moral hazard of the program which devolves it into a litigious adjudicatory process.

Anupam Agarwal Chosen As Interim Dean, Senior Vp Of Uab School Of Medicine, Jim Bakken

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Microbiology's Mestecky Leads This Years Honorees For Service Awards Recognition, Tyler Greer

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Would I Survive In Space?, Robert J. Twiggs

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint presentation created by Professor Bob Twiggs titled "Would I survive in Space?" from February 4, 2013.

A Two-Tiered Demographic System: "Insiders" And "Outsiders" In Three Swabian Communities, 1558-1914, Timothy Guinnane, Sheilagh Ogilvie

Discussion Papers

No abstract provided.

Isolation Of A Novel Swine Influenza Virus From Oklahoma In 2011 Which Is Distantly Related To Human Influenza C Viruses, Ben Hause, Mariette Ducatez, Emily A. Collin, Zhiguang Ran, Runxia Liu, Zizhang Sheng, Anibal Armien, Bryan Kaplan, Suvobrata Chakravarty, Adam D. Hoppe, Richard J. Webby, Randy R. Simonson, Feng Li

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Of the Orthomyxoviridae family of viruses, only influenza A viruses are thought to exist as multiple subtypes and has nonhuman maintenance hosts. In April 2011, nasal swabs were collected for virus isolation from pigs exhibiting influenza-like illness. Subsequent electron microscopic, biochemical, and genetic studies identified an orthomyxovirus with seven RNA segments exhibiting approximately 50% overall amino acid identity to human influenza C virus. Based on its genetic organizational similarities to influenza C viruses this virus has been provisionally designated C/Oklahoma/1334/2011 (C/OK). Phylogenetic analysis of the predicted viral proteins found that the divergence between C/OK and human influenza C viruses was …

Progress Notes, Lehigh Valley Health Network

Progress Notes

No abstract provided.

The Treatment Of Cutaneous Abscesses: Comparison Of Emergency Medicine Providers' Practice Patterns, Gillian Schmitz, Tress Goodwin, Adam Singer, Chad S. Kessler, David Bruner, Hollyn Larabee, Larissa S. May, Samuel D. Luber, Justin Williams, Rahul Bhat

Emergency Medicine Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION:

Cutaneous abscesses are commonly treated in the emergency department (ED). Although incision and drainage (I&D) remains the standard treatment, there is little high-quality evidence to support additional interventions such as pain control, type of incision, and use of irrigation, wound cultures, and packing. Although guidelines exist to support clinician management of abscesses, they do not clearly specify these additional interventions. This study sought to describe the ED treatments administered to adults with uncomplicated superficial cutaneous abscesses, defined as purulent lesions requiring incision and drainage that could be managed in an ED or outpatient setting.

METHODS:

Four hundred and seventy-four …