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New Vaccines In The Pipeline 2019, Michael Phan, Luma Munjy, Nicole Benipayo, Jeff Goad, Sun Yang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

"Before clinicians can administer a vaccine in the United States, the FDA must approve and license it. Investigators conduct extensive research leading up to this process, typically testing a vaccine in thousands of patients over 6 to 7 years or longer. Even with large sample sizes and rigorous study designs, rare adverse effects may be missed. For example, RotaShield, the first vaccine for rotavirus, was withdrawn from the market in 1999, despite being tested in more than 10,000 patients. Postmarketing surveillance demonstrated that a rare, yet serious, risk of intussusception was linked to the vaccine, and the FDA determined that …

Viral Community Assembly In Puerto Rican Bats, Anna Sjodin

Doctoral Dissertations

Viruses are the most abundant biological entity on Earth, yet little is known about the factors driving their abundance, frequency of occurrence, and distribution in non-human hosts. Most emerging infectious diseases of humans originate in wildlife, up to a quarter of which are caused by viruses, creating an urgent need to broaden understanding of viral systems. With its theoretical depth, ecology can provide mechanistic insights about viral diversity, with broad implications for public health and wildlife conservation. Unfortunately, few datasets exist that allow a thorough exploration of viral ecology, and the process of defining viral species can prohibit timely conclusions. …

Synthesis And Evaluations Of “1,4-Triazolyl Combretacoumarins” And Desmethoxy Analogs, Tashrique A. Khandaker, Jessica D. Hess, Renato Aguilera, Graciela Andrei, Robert Snoeck, Dominique Schols, Padmanava Pradhan, Mahesh K. Lakshman

Publications and Research

1,4-Triazolyl combretacoumarins have been prepared by linking the trimethoxyarene unit of combretastatin A4 with coumarins, via a 1,2,3-triazole. For this, 4-azidocoumarins were accessed by a sequential two-step, one-pot reaction of 4-hydroxycoumarins with (benzotriazol-1-yloxy)tris(dimethylamino)phosphonium hexafluorophosphate (BOP), followed by reaction with NaN₃. In the reaction with BOP, a coumarin-derived phosphonium ion intermediate seems to form, leading to an O⁴-(benzotriazolyl)coumarin derivative. For the CuAAC reaction of azidocoumarins with 5-ethynyl-1,2,3-trimethoxybenzene, catalytic [(MeCN)₄Cu]PF₆ in CH₂Cl₂/MeOH with 2,6-lutidine, at 50 ^oC, was suitable. The 4-azidocoumarins were less reactive as compared to PhN₃ and …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Point-Of-Use Water Filtration Units In Fiji, Nathan L. Tintle, Adam Heynen, Kristin Van De Griend, Rachel Ulrich, Matthew Ojo, Emma Boven, Sarah Brokus, Randall Wade, Aaron A. Best

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Background: To develop and evaluate a strategy for reducing the prevalence and impact of waterborne disease, a water quality intervention was developed for Fiji by Give Clean Water, Inc. in partnership with the Fiji Ministry of Health. Residents were provided and trained on how to use a Sawyer® PointONE™ filter, while also being taught proper handwashing techniques. At the time of the filter installation, all households were surveyed inquiring about the prior 2- to 4-week period. Households were measured a second time between 19 and 225 days later (mean = 66 days).

Results: To date, five economic and health outcomes …

Using And Misusing Legal Decisions: Why Anti-Vaccine Claims About Nvicp Cases Are Wrong, Dorit Rubinstein Reiss, Rachel Heap

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

No abstract provided.

How Genomics Can Be Used To Understand Host Susceptibility To Enteric Infection, Aiding In The Development Of Vaccines And Immunotherapeutic Interventions, Lynda Mottram, Subhra Chakraborty, Eric Cox, James Fleckenstein

Open Access Publications

Thanks to the modern sequencing era, the extent to which infectious disease imposes selective pressures on the worldwide human population is being revealed. This is aiding our understanding of the underlying immunological and host mechanistic defenses against these pathogens, as well as potentially assisting in the development of vaccines and therapeutics to control them. As a consequence, the workshop "How genomics can be used to understand host susceptibility to enteric infection, aiding in the development of vaccines and immunotherapeutic interventions" at the VASE 2018 meeting, aimed to discuss how genomics and related tools could be used to assist Shigella and …

Identification Of Emergency Care-Sensitive Conditions And Characteristics Of Emergency Department Utilization., Anita A. Vashi, Tracy Urech, Brendan Carr, Liberty Greene, Theodore Warsavage, Renee Hsia, Steven M. Asch

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

Importance: Monitoring emergency care quality requires understanding which conditions benefit most from timely, quality emergency care.

Objectives: To identify a set of emergency care-sensitive conditions (ECSCs) that are treated in most emergency departments (EDs), are associated with a spectrum of adult age groups, and represent common reasons for seeking emergency care and to provide benchmark national estimates of ECSC acute care utilization.

Design, Setting, and Participants: A modified Delphi method was used to identify ECSCs. In a cross-sectional analysis, ECSC-associated visits by adults (aged ≥18 years) were identified based on International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis …

Non-Thermal Plasma-Induced Immunogenic Cell Death In Cancer: A Topical Review., Marian Khalili, Lynsey Daniels, Abraham Lin, Fred C. Krebs, Adam E. Snook, Sander Bekeschus, Wilbur B. Bowne, Vandana Miller

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

Recent advances in biomedical research in cancer immunotherapy have identified the use of an oxidative stress-based approach to treat cancers, which works by inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD) in cancer cells. Since the anti-cancer effects of non-thermal plasma (NTP) are largely attributed to the reactive oxygen and nitrogen species that are delivered to and generated inside the target cancer cells, it is reasonable to postulate that NTP would be an effective modality for ICD induction. NTP treatment of tumors has been shown to destroy cancer cells rapidly and, under specific treatment regimens, this leads to systemic tumor-specific immunity. The translational …

Framework For Spatiotemporal Visualization Of Community Health In A Smart And Connected Community (Scc), Sharmin Afroz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Smart and Connected Community (SCC) will use health data of the community members for knowledge generation beyond mobile health (mHealth). Current mHealth only assists individual users to monitor their health status, but do not allow integration and interpretation of collective health data. The objective of this thesis is to exhibit the continuous health status of the community members through a framework of visualization including spatial and temporal plots, such as anonymous user health severity graph, severity flow plot, a severity map view, the cumulative and segmented animation. The framework composes of physiological data collection with smartphones and sharing of anonymous …

Evaluation Of Research Papers On Otorhinolaryngology During The Period 1989-2018: A Scientometric Study, Dr Chinnaraj Murugan, Mrs Ravi Sringa

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The purpose of this study was to measure the number of contributions and highlight the contributions made by the researchers in the field of Otorhinolaryngology and published on the Web of Science database during 1989-2018 using scientometric analysis. Data were interpreted by using software such as Histcite, Vosviewer, and tabulated using MS Excel. The results indicated that 2039 papers were published during 1989 - 2018 and the highest number of publications 199 (9.8%) was produced in 2017. The average number of publications per year was 67.96. The major channel of communication used by the researchers was journals for thirty years. …

Dentists' Attitudes Towards Chairside Medical Conditions Screening In A Dental Setting In Saudi Arabia: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study., Saba Kassim, Badr Othman, Sakher Alqahtani, Alemad Mustafa Kawthar, Sterling M Mcpherson, Barbara L. Greenberg

Touro College of Dental Medicine Publications and Research

BACKGROUND: Screening for medical conditions (MCs) of public health importance is a first step in disease prevention and control. Prior studies in the United States found oral health care providers (OHCPS) embrace screening for increased risk of medical conditions in the dental setting. Our objectives were to assess Saudi Arabian (SA) dentist's attitudes, willingness and perceived barriers towards implementing screening for MCs into their dental practices.

METHODS: A self-administered, 5-point Likert Scale (1 = very important/willing to 5 = very unimportant/unwilling) questionnaire was given to a convenience sample of 190 practicing dentists. Friedman nonparametric analysis of variance was used to …

Pcr Monitoring Of Parasitemia During Drug Treatment For Canine Chagas Disease, Chih-Ling Zao, Ya-Chin Yang, Lisa Tomanek, Anthony Cooke, Ron Berger, Lung-Chang Chien, Roy Madigan

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

To date, there is no clear standard to monitor drug treatment for canine Chagas disease. We used 2 real-time PCR (rtPCR) assays targeting Trypanosoma cruzi kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) and nuclear satellite DNA (nDNA) to detect T. cruzi in canine whole blood. Samples were collected randomly from 131 untreated dogs with unknown T. cruzi infection status in Texas. ... See full text for complete abstract.

Assessment Of Nutritional Status Using Anthropometric Variables By Multivariate Analysis, Ankita Bhattacharya, Baidyanath Pal, Shankarashis Mukherjee, Subrata Kumar Roy

Journal Articles

Background: Undernutrition is a serious health problem and highly prevalent in developing countries. There is no as such confirmatory test to measure undernutrition. The objective of the present study is to determine a new Composite Score using anthropometric measurements. Composite Score was then compared with other methods like body mass index (BMI) and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) classification, to test the significance of the method. Methods: Anthropometric data were collected from 780 adult Oraon (Male = 387, Female = 393) labourers of Alipurduar district of West Bengal, India, following standard instruments, and protocols. Nutritional status of the study participants were …

Incidence And Prevalence Of Francisella Noatunensis Subsp. Orientalis (Fno) Pathogenic Infections In Feral Hawaiian Tilapia, Daquille Peppers

Biology Theses

Aquaculture has become a major food source for many countries and continues to grow each year. However, many of the fishes that are farmed are susceptible to pathogenic infections such as Francisellosis, a bacterial infection that contributes to disease and high mortality rate in many populations of farmed and wild fish around the world. In 1994, feral and farmed populations of tilapia (e.g. Oreochromis mossambicus) on Oahu, Hawaii were found to be infected with a novel Francisellosis strain, Francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis (Fno). To prevent the spread of this pathogen, the Hawaii Department of Aquaculture (HDOA) initiated …

Chronic Condition Patterns In The Us Population And Their Associations With Health Outcomes, Dandan Diane Zheng

Open Access Dissertations

Advances in modern medicine have substantially increased life expectancy and improved the outcomes of previously fatal diseases. As a result, more and more people are living into old age and developing chronic conditions. Persons with multiple chronic conditions are more likely to be hospitalized, have poor daily functioning, and elevated risk of death. A disproportionate share of health expenditures is incurred by individuals with multiple chronic conditions. Visual impairment (VI) is among the most disabling conditions. VI and visual disorders often co-occur with other disabling chronic conditions. The health effects of living with multiple chronic conditions in the presence of …

2nd Place: Assessment Of The Characteristics Of Multidrug Resistant Organisms At Lehigh Valley Health Network: Where Do They Come From And Where Do They Go?, Courtney Landis

Research Scholars Poster Presentation

2019 Research Scholar Winner:

2nd place

Mentor: Amy Slenker, MD

3rd Place: Assessment Of The Real-World Use Of Procalcitonin At A Large Academic Institution, Olivia Morren

Research Scholars Poster Presentation

2019 Research Scholar Winner:

3rd Place

Mentor: Amy Slenker, MD

Evaluation Of The Implementation Of Rapid Cerebral Spinal Fluid Diagnostic Test For Meningitis And Encephalitis At A Large Academic Institution, Max Stempel, Amy Slenker Md

Research Scholars Poster Presentation

No abstract provided.

Tuberculosis: A Retrospective Review Of Cases Treated In Allentown From 2014-July 2019, Carly A. Shaffer, Marcelo Gareca Md

Research Scholars Poster Presentation

No abstract provided.

Life Is In The Blood, Alan L. Gillen, Jason Conrad

Faculty Publications and Presentations

It takes about 60 seconds for all the blood in your body to complete its journey. It travels from your heart to your extremities and returns, there and back again. Blood moves with the rapid current of the great arterial rivers and through the smallest capillary creeks. William Harvey first noticed circulation (1628) through the heart into arteries and veins; however, he could not see how they connected since he did not have a microscope. The man who first described this was Anton van Leeuwenhoek about 46 years later (1674). Then, J. J. Lister and Thomas Hodgkin described the rouleaux …

Increasing Referrals For Prep Among Persons With Sud In The Outpatient Setting, Katherine C. Mcnabb, Nancy S. Goldstein

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

This project assesses the potential need for pre-exposure prophylaxis among patients in an outpatient substance use disorder treatment clinic and identifies methods through which providers could improve identification of patients who are at high-risk for contracting Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction In Veterans With Ptsd, Maria H. Tran, Helen E. Dahlberg, Alyssa Pharn, Kyle S. Harris, Lacy M. A. Graff, Carolina Paredes, Lydia Pan, Rebecca L. Wheeler

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

A review of the current literature suggests that different forms of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is effective in improving quality of life outcomes for veterans with PTSD.

Reducing The Occlusion Rate Of Percutaneous Central Venous Catheters In Premature Infants In Nicu, Ming Ying Lee, Chun-Chu Chang

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Occlusion rate of percutaneous central venous catheters (PCVC) in NICU is 7.2%. The increased occlusion rate factors is lack of assessment checklist -- staff training and recognition of high-risk population. Our solutions included establishing a assessment checklist -- Enhancing caregiver's cognitive and care skills for PCVC care.The occlusion rate decreased from 7.2% to 3.4%.

A Model For Prep Linkage To Care Expansion For Low-Resource Drug Treatment Centers, Nancy S. Goldstein, Katherine C. Mcnabb, Ellen C. Seymour, Jared B. Carter-Davis

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Findings from a review of current literature indicated a lack of any existing models for linking eligible SUD patients to PrEP services. A model including a screening tool, algorithm, and protocol was developed to standardize provider assessment of high risk SUD population with the linkage to care process.

Diffusion Of Innovations Over Large Social Networks, Xu Dong

Open Access Dissertations

Studying the dynamics of information flow over social networks is important in understanding the rate and extent of the diffusion of innovations, the propagation of news and fake news, the proliferation of rumors, and the spread of infectious diseases. The learnings from such an endeavor can be used for new product sales forecasting, forecasting sales of an existing product in a new market, and controlling the rate and extent of information and disease propagation. This research focuses on the diffusion of innovations and first establishes how the structural properties of a large social network such as its size, connectivity, clustering, …

Expedited Partner Therapy: Advancing Health Policy In Kentucky., Brianna C. Tomlinson

Doctor of Nursing Practice Papers

Innovative strategies have become necessary in the treatment of patients diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and their partners due to increasing rates of infection, transmission, and reinfection. Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) is an evidence-based approach for providers to improve partner treatment and decrease reinfection rates in patients with certain STIs. However, state-based legislation governs practice implementation and EPT remains prohibited in Kentucky (KY) despite Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsement. Delay in policy change presents increased risk for reinfection and continued transmission in KY. John Kingdon’s Multiple Streams framework (2003) was used to analyze EPT policy in …

The Use Of Simulation To Practice Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Sexual Health Risk Screening, Management, And Follow-Up Within A Doctor Of Nursing Practice Program., Skyler K. Frye

Doctor of Nursing Practice Papers

Introduction: Incidence and prevalence for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has yet to experience a significant decline. Increasing provider knowledge regarding use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, an HIV prevention drug, correlates with increased provider risk screening & prescribing PrEP. Standardized patient (SP) simulation is an effective teaching method for healthcare students to increase knowledge and confidence in providing sexual healthcare.

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to evaluate an educational program aimed at increasing participant knowledge attainment and self-confidence in the ability to ascertain a sexual health history and advance the participant’s ability to manage PrEP candidates in a primary …

Acute Flaccid Myelitis Awareness, Olivia Ballard

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) awareness is expanding in pediatric intensive care units(PICU) around the world. The underlying etiology and protocols of management remain unclear to many medical professionals today. As of 2014, a correlation to the disease is associated with an enterovirus pathology. Unfortunately, its presentation can be easily missed and lead to detrimental outcomes. The mysterious polio-like disease leaves the patient in a state of paralysis, frequently requiring feeding and ventilatory support. With the lack of scientific knowledge and surveillance in the hospital, clinicians and nurses feel guilt in not knowing if AFM was missed. As new research continues …

Human Trafficking Education For Pre-Licensure Nursing Students: A Quality Improvement Project., Mollie Elizabeth Flowers

Doctor of Nursing Practice Papers

Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery and a violation of human rights (Scanwell, Macdonald, Berger, & Boyer, 2018). An estimated 40.3 million individuals are being trafficked globally at any one time with 14,500 to 17,500 being trafficked within the United States annually (Polaris, 2018; Mason et al., 2016; Richards, 2014). An estimated 87% of human trafficking victims were seen by health care professionals during the time they were being trafficked and went unrecognized. (Lederer & Wetzel, 2014). This project utilized the Plan– Do- Check -Act model for quality improvement. (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, n.d.). This project …

Implementing An Updated Evidenced-Based Maintenance Central Line Bundle (Clb) Policy: Monitoring Adherence And Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infections (Clabsis) In A Medical Intensive Care Unit (Micu)., Kimi Hart

Doctor of Nursing Practice Papers

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to update the current policy of CLB maintenance of CVCs by incorporating the latest recommendations from the literature, providing education and disseminating the new policy. Outcomes were measured by evaluating the effect on policy adherence and incidence of CLABSIs in a medical intensive care unit (MICU). Policy adherence was defined by the completion of CLB maintenance components.

Methods: This study included a pre- and post-interventional design utilizing a retrospective chart review to evaluate adherence to CLB maintenance interventions and incidence of CLABSI rates pre and post-implementation of a new CLB maintenance policy that …