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Challenges To Providing Patient-Centered Care For Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (Mdr-Tb) In South Africa, Ana Maria Kelly, Barbara Ann Smith, Jason E. Farley

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Sunday, July 24, 2016:

Purpose: The incidence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is on the rise globally. MDR-TB takes a minimum of 2 years to treat and the treatment regimen produces many adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for further research on the treatment of community-based MDR-TB patients as care is being decentralized to outpatient settings. In the WHO's TB progress report for 2015, they note there is a dearth of literature about anti-TB drug-induced mortality, morbidity and loss in quality of life, particularly in low-resource settings. This study directly addresses this gap …

Evaluation Of Syndromic Algorithms For Managing Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Pregnant Women In Kenya, Jillian C. Pintye, Alison Drake, Jennifer Unger, Daniel Matemo, John Kinuthia, R. Scott Mcclelland, Grace John-Stewart

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Thursday, July 21, 2016:

Purpose: Women with Trichomonas vaginalis (TV), Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) or Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) during pregnancy have increased risk for adverse obstetric outcomes. Laboratory testing for these sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is often unavailable in resource-limited settings, and pregnant women are managed using syndromic algorithms developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). These algorithms begin with a patient's report of relevant symptoms which triggers a subsequent clinical assessment of signs to inform recommended treatment that will broadly cover likely STIs. We evaluated the diagnostic validity of WHO syndromic algorithms for TV, GC and CT …

Nursing Strategies To Decrease The Global Burden Of Cardiovascular Disease, Deborah Chyun

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Thursday, July 21, 2016:

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death throughout the world. Rates of CVD have been increasing globally as a result of population aging, urbanization and globalization. The importance of CVD and other chronic diseases will be discussed, along with global trends. Risk factors for CVD are known and similar throughout the world - unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and tobacco use -which contribute to elevated blood pressure and blood glucose, abnormal blood lipids, and overweight/obesity. The importance of these risk factors will be highlighted. These same risk factors are also important in …

Examination Of Hiv/Aids In The United States Virgin Islands: Community Needs Assessment And Gap Analysis, Safiya George Dalmida

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Friday, July 22, 2016:

Purpose: For over a decade, for over a decade, the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) has consistently had one of the highest prevalence rates of HIV infection in the nation. The USVI had the highest rate of adults and adolescents (per capita) living with a diagnosis of HIV in 2005, the second highest rate from 2006 through 2009, and currently has the third highest rate (685.1), since 2010 (667.1). According to the President's National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS), the USVI is a geographic hot spot for increased HIV risk (White House Office of AIDS Policy, …

Reduction Of Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections Rate In Medical Center In Taiwan, Ya-Yun Liu, Shu-Chen Liao, Li-Gin Lin, Pei-Yi Chen

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Thursday, July 21, 2016 and Friday, July 22, 2016:

Purpose: We designed a project to reduce the CRBSI rate below 4.0% in our intensive care unit, further enhance the quality of care of critically ill patients.

Methods: Improvement plans from June 2013 thru December 2104, causes of infection included health care workers inadequate CRBSI prevention practices, dressing sterilization step is incorrect, needle puncture site was easy to oozing and implantation and dressing materials without homogenization and dispersed. Improvement plans included providing in-service education, establishing standard procedures of central venous catheter insertion and dressing, used chlorhexidine-impregnated sponges, added …

Implementation Of Infection Control Bundle In A Freestanding Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility, Kim Schober

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Saturday, July 23, 2016 and Sunday, July 24, 2016:

Purpose: The CDC reported 721,800 Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) in United States hospitals for 2013. The report goes on to state over half of the reported infections developed outside of the intensive units ("Data and Statistics HAI CDC," 2015). The primary source of admission to rehabilitation facilities is acute care hospitals where patients have a high rate of skin colonization of multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) that could lead to the development of infection during rehabilitation treatment. Increased time on isolation during rehabilitation been shown to have adverse effects …

Effectiveness Of Isoniazid Preventive Therapy On The Incidence Of Tuberuculosi In People Living With Hiv In Rwanda, Marie Claire Uwamahoro

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Sunday, July 24, 2016:

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of primary Isoniazid Preventive Therapy (IPT) on the incidence of active Tuberculosis (TB), in adult People Living with Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (PLHIV) in selected districts of Rwanda. Specifically the study was intended to (1) compare the incidence of active TB among adult PLHIV who took Isoniazid Preventive Therapy with those who did not take Isoniazid Preventive Therapy, (2) To identify the socio-demographic and clinical factors contributing to active tuberculosis in PLHIV on Isoniazid Preventive Therapy and (3) To compare the time of …

Indwelling Catheter Care: Areas For Improvement, Monina Gesmundo

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Sunday, July 24, 2016:

What areas of indwelling catheter care experience of perioperative nurses in a tertiary public hospital require improvement in the light of existing evidence-based guidelines?

Optimal Control Analysis Of Ebola Disease With Control Strategies Of Quarantine And Vaccination, Muhammad Dure Ahmad, Muhammad Usman, Adnan Khan, Mudassar Imran

Mathematics Faculty Publications

The 2014 Ebola epidemic is the largest in history, affecting multiple countries in West Africa. Some isolated cases were also observed in other regions of the world.

Hand Washing Among Nurses And Midwives In Rwanda: Is It Compliance Or Adherence?, Philomene Uwimana, Oluyinka Adejumo

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Saturday, July 23, 2016:

Purpose: It is paramount that hand washing (HW) adherence among health care workers (HCWs) be increased and sustained as it has been found as one of the simplest yet most effective intervention in healthcare to prevent nosocomial infections(Karaaslan et al., 2014 ). According to (White et al., 2015), in order to improve their adherence, it is essential to understand the cognitive determinants of HW decisions for nurses. The cognitive determinants play a key role in promoting many elements of HW. Nonetheless, the concepts of adherence and compliance to HW guidelines are often used …

Influencing Health Through Policy: The Dynamic Role Of Nurses In The Boardroom, Kimberly Harper, Cynthia Vlasich

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Saturday, July 23, 2016:

Purpose: Sigma Theta Tau International's Call to Action 2015-2017 is 'Influence to Advance Global Health and Nursing.' Nurses play an essential role within healthcare, as front-line service providers, managers and directors of care, as well as vital decision makers. Acting not only as individuals, nurses are also members and coordinators of inter-professional and multi-sector teams through which balanced action can be undertaken with broad levels of support. Working with our colleagues in other disciplines and sectors, nurses bring a unique and invaluable perspective to patient care, seeing firsthand the gaps in the healthcare …

Building Regional Sustainable Nursing And Midwifery Research Networks To Improve Health Outcomes, Ana Maria Kelly, Jennifer Dohrn, Elaine L. Larson

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Sunday, July 24, 2016:

Purpose: With the global demand for nurses and midwives with expanded scopes of practice to provide primary care as the key to achieving Universal Health Coverage, there is increased need for evidence-based practice. Nurses and midwives have made advances in expanding their practices at the educational and clinical levels. This is exemplified by their major contributions to tackling the HIV pandemic in Sub Saharan African countries through nurse-initiated and managed antiretroviral treatment (NIMART) - a model that enables nurses and midwives at the frontline clinical levels to have the knowledge and skills to …

Calling In Sick: Impacts Of Fever On Intra-Urban Human Mobility, T. Alex Perkins, Valerie A. Paz-Soldan, Steven T. Stoddard, Amy C. Morrison, Brett M. Forshey, Kanya C. Long, Eric S. Halsey, Tadeusz J. Kochel, John P. Elder, Uriel Kitron, Thomas W. Scott, Gonzalo M. Vazquez-Prokopec

Faculty Publications

© 2016 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved. Pathogens inflict a wide variety of disease manifestations on their hosts, yet the impacts of disease on the behaviour of infected hosts are rarely studied empirically and are seldom accounted for in mathematical models of transmission dynamics. We explored the potential impacts of one of the most common disease manifestations, fever, on a key determinant of pathogen transmission, host mobility, in residents of the Amazonian city of Iquitos, Peru. We did so by comparing two groups of febrile individuals (dengue-positive and dengue-negative) with an afebrile control group. A …

The Role Of Infectious And Stress-Related Onsets In Myalgic Encephalomyelitis And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptomatology And Functioning, Andrew R. Devendorf, Abigail A. Brown, Leonard A. Jason

DePaul Discoveries

This study examined how the mode of onset for myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME and CFS) impacts patients’ presenting symptomatology. Specifically, this study investigated the differences between the most commonly reported ME and CFS onsets: infectious, stress-related, and a combined infectious and stress-related onset (referred to as ‘combined onset’). Three patient samples were combined and utilized. All participants met Fukuda et al. (1994) criteria and self-reported their illness onset. Analyses showed the infectious group reported the most impairment for general health functioning—which relates to the susceptibility of getting or feeling sick—in comparison to the stress-related group. Meanwhile, both …

Hepatitis C Virus Frameshift/Alternate Reading Frame Protein Suppresses Interferon Responses Mediated By Pattern Recognition Receptor Retinoic-Acid-Inducible Gene-I, Seung Bum Park, Scott Seronello, Wasima Mayer, David M. Ojcius

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) actively evades host interferon (IFN) responses but the mechanisms of how it does so are not completely understood. In this study, we present evidence for an HCV factor that contributes to the suppression of retinoic-acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I)-mediated IFN induction. Expression of frameshift/alternate reading frame protein (F/ARFP) from HCV -2/+1 frame in Huh7 hepatoma cells suppressed type I IFN responses stimulated by HCV RNA pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) and poly(IC). The suppression occurred independently of other HCV factors; and activation of interferon stimulated genes, TNFα, IFN-λ1, and IFN-λ2/3 was likewise suppressed by HCV F/ARFP. Point mutations in …

Climate Change Impacts And Implications: An Integrated Assessment In A Lowland Environment Of New Zealand, A. G.E. Ausseil, K. Bodmin, A. Daigneault, E. Teixeira, E. D. Keller, M. U. F. Kirschbaum, L. Timar, A. Dunningham, C. Zammit, S. Stephens, M. Cameron, P. Blackett, G. Harmsworth, B. Frame, A. Reisinger, A. Tait, D. Rutledge

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

New Zealand’s mixed economy includes a range of sectors (e.g. primary production, energy, tourism) that depend heavily on the state of natural resource capital. This makes the economy heavily dependent on future global climate change and the global economic situation. In this paper, we present a framework to evaluate socio-economic and environmental impacts of future climate and land-use change, and give results for one scenario in a typical lowland environment in New Zealand. The future scenario was designed as a combination of global climate and socio-economic assumptions, along with New Zealand-specific policy assumptions. We evaluated the impacts and implications of …

An Integrated Modelling Approach To Climate Change And Malaria Vulnerability Assessments, Esther Achieng Onyango, Oz Sahin, Cordia Chu, Brendan Mackey

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Malaria is one of the key research concerns in climate change-health relationships. Numerous risk assessments and modelling studies providing evidence that the transmission range of malaria will expand with rising temperatures resulting in adverse impacts on vulnerable communities. This risk is significant in East Africa whereby current research shows an expansion of malaria into the highland areas due to changes in temperature and rainfall. While there exist multiple lines of evidence for the influence of climate change on malaria and the risk posed to vulnerable communities, there is insufficient understanding of the complexity of factors influencing the spread of the …

Design And Implementation Of Integrated Surveillance And Modelling Systems For Climate- Sensitive Diseases, Michael C. Wimberly, Justin Davis, Geoffrey M. Henebry, Michael B. Hildreth, Yi Liu, Christopher L. Merkord

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Climatic variations can have a multitude of impacts on human health, ranging from the direct impacts of extreme heat events to indirect effects on the vectors and hosts that transmit a multitude of infectious diseases. Infectious disease surveillance has traditionally focused on monitoring human cases, and in some instances tracking population sizes and infection rates of arthropod vectors and zoonotic hosts. For climate-sensitive diseases, there is potential to strengthen surveillance and obtain early indicators of future outbreaks by monitoring environmental risk factors using broad-scale sensor networks that include earth-observing satellites as well as ground stations. We highlight the opportunities and …

Machine Learning Meta-Analysis Of Large Metagenomic Datasets: Tools And Biological Insight, Edoardo Pasolli, Duy Tin Truong, Faizan Malik, Levi Waldron, Nicola Segata

Publications and Research

Shotgun metagenomic analysis of the human associated microbiome provides a rich set of microbial features for prediction and biomarker discovery in the context of human diseases and health conditions. However, the use of such high-resolution microbial features presents new challenges, and validated computational tools for learning tasks are lacking. Moreover, classification rules have scarcely been validated in independent studies, posing questions about the generality and generalization of disease-predictive models across cohorts. In this paper, we comprehensively assess approaches to metagenomics-based prediction tasks and for quantitative assessment of the strength of potential microbiome-phenotype associations. We develop a computational framework for prediction …

Antimalarial Exoerythrocytic Stage Drug Discovery And Resistance Studies, Lynn Dong Blake

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Malaria is a devastating global health issue that affects approximately 200 million people yearly and over half a million deaths are caused by this parasitic protozoan disease. Most commercially available drugs only target the blood stage form of the parasite, but the only way to ensure proper elimination is to treat the exoerythrocytic stages of the parasite development cycle. There is a demand for the discovery of new liver stage antimalarial compounds as there are only two current FDA approved drugs for the treatment of liver stage parasites, one of which fails to eliminate dormant forms and the other inducing …

A Stochastic Model Of Some Endemic Infections: Case Study Based On The Medical Records Of Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos State, Nigeria., E. B. Nkemnole, R. O. Osunkeye

Journal of Statistics Applications & Probability

This research investigates the endemic level and (knowledge of) persistence time of endemic diseases in a population using a Stochastic Model such as Markov process which is a continuous time and discrete state space that requires the Monte Carlo Simulation for the desired results to be gotten. It assesses some areas of active research in efficient procedures for simulation in health sector and addresses the influence of gender as regards to the average days a particular disease dies out. There is also an emphasis on the average population to be infected on a monthly basis. The data used for this …

Oral Cryptococcosis In A Patient With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Sachin Patel, Maria Navas, Courtney Batt, Robin L.P. Jump

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Assessing National Data On The Relationship Between Science Education And Environmental Performance, Cami Lynn Sockow

Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Masking Your Rights: Facemask Requirements Under Mandatory Influenza-Vaccination Policies Violate Privacy Rights Of Health Care Workers, Janet S. Kim

San Diego Law Review

Hospitals should abandon the facemask requirements in their mandatory influenza-vaccination programs because the facemasks can infringe on the privacy rights of health care workers, and hospitals can still achieve their vaccination goals through less restrictive practices. Part II introduces the recent rise of mandatory influenza-vaccination policies for health care workers, how hospitals exempt certain employees, and the consequences for those exempted. Part III discusses the legal implications of requiring exempted employees to wear facemasks and other identifying material under federal and state privacy law. Part IV recommends that health care employers abandon facemask requirements in their mandatory-vaccination programs in order …

Using The Theory Of Fundamental Causes To Show The Potential Effects Of Socioeconomic Status On Surgical Outcomes, Mehwish Qasim, A.B.D.

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Surgical procedures are both costly and common. There are large differences in surgical outcomes both within and between hospitals based on patient characteristics such as measures of income. In both 2000 and 2009, patients residing in low-income communities had worse morbidity and mortality rates, across a wide range of quality indicators. In this review, the author will explicate the Theory of Fundamental Causes as it relates to surgical care, review key empirical findings and address potential limitations of the theory. This review will provide a platform for researchers to discuss current research in surgical disparities using the Theory of Fundamental …

Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Dermatology Office Visits Among Insured Patients, 2005-2010, Valerie M. Harvey, Joan Paul, L. Ebony Boulware,

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Objective:To determine whether differences in race and ethnicity affect the usage of dermatological services.

Methods: Data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were used to study trends in ethnic/race rates of outpatient dermatology office visits among publicly and privately insured patients from 2005-2010. In multivariable models, we explored the magnitude of ethnic/race differences in dermatology visit attendance for patients with public vs. private insurance.

Results: From 2005-2010, dermatology visit utilization increased among insured Hispanics, but not among insured non-Hispanic Blacks or whites. Visits were less frequent by those with public insurance compared to private insurance. Privately and publicly …

Maximum Levels Of Hepatitis C Virus Lipoviral Particles Are Associated With Early And Persistent Infection, David A. Sheridan, Behzad Hajarizadeh, Fiona I. Fenwick, Gail V. Matthews, Tanya Applegate, Mark Douglas, Dermot Neely, Bev Askew, Gregory J. Dore, Andrew R. Lloyd, Jacob George, Margaret F. Bassendine, Jason Grebely

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - July 3, 2016, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the July 3, 2016 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's newsletter - Watercooler.

Contents Include:

• USA Team Presents at Injury Prevention Conference
• Med School Café - Expert Advice for the Community
• Nine USA Medical Students Recognized as Interprofessional Fellows
• USA Welcomes Dr. Curtis Turner

The Effect Of Post-Resistance Exercise Amino Acids On Plasma Mcp-1 And Ccr2 Expression, Adam J. Wells, Jay R. Hoffman, Adam R. Jajtner, Alyssa N. Varanoske

Faculty Articles

The recruitment and infiltration of classical monocytes into damaged muscle is critical for optimal tissue remodeling. This study examined the effects of an amino acid supplement on classical monocyte recruitment following an acute bout of lower body resistance exercise. Ten resistance-trained men (24.7 ˘ 3.4 years; 90.1 ˘ 11.3 kg; 176.0 ˘ 4.9 cm) ingested supplement (SUPP) or placebo (PL) immediately post-exercise in a randomized, cross-over design. Blood samples were obtained at baseline (BL), immediately (IP), 30-min (30P), 1-h (1H), 2-h (2H), and 5-h (5H) post-exercise to assess plasma concentrations of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), myoglobin, cortisol and insulin …

Global Assessment Of Schistosomiasis Control Over The Past Century Shows Targeting The Snail Intermediate Host Works Best., Susanne H Sokolow, Chelsea L Wood, Isabel J Jones, Scott J Swartz, Melina Lopez, Michael H. Hsieh, Kevin D Lafferty, Armand M Kuris, Chloe Rickards, Giulio A De Leo

Urology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Despite control efforts, human schistosomiasis remains prevalent throughout Africa, Asia, and South America. The global schistosomiasis burden has changed little since the new anthelmintic drug, praziquantel, promised widespread control.

METHODOLOGY: We evaluated large-scale schistosomiasis control attempts over the past century and across the globe by identifying factors that predict control program success: snail control (e.g., molluscicides or biological control), mass drug administrations (MDA) with praziquantel, or a combined strategy using both. For data, we compiled historical information on control tactics and their quantitative outcomes for all 83 countries and territories in which: (i) schistosomiasis was allegedly endemic during the …