Digital Commons Network^™

The Risks Of Criminalizing Covid-19 Exposure: Lessons From Hiv, Naomi K. Seiler, Anya Vanecek, Claire Heyison, Katherine Horton

Human Rights Brief

No abstract provided.

From Civil Rights To Human Rights: The Pandemic’S Aftermath Requires Environmental And Reproductive Justice Mechanisms To Reinforce Global Public Health, Elena D. Gartner

Human Rights Brief

No abstract provided.

Hospital-Based Buprenorphine-Focused Interventions For The Treatment Of Opioid Use Disorder: A Scoping Literature Review And Case Study, Richard Bottner

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

The United States continues to struggle to find meaningful solutions to the opioid epidemic. Because they save lives, medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD), such as buprenorphine, are recommended to be made available in all practice settings. Yet the treatment of opioid use disorder appears to be rarely offered during hospitalization. However, a 220-bed academic hospital in Texas achieved this goal without the presence of an addiction medicine consultation service. This study sought to illuminate this growing area of work through an extensive literature review and case study of the program in Texas. For the case study, …

Interprofessional Education Annual Report: 2019-2020, University Of Nebraska Medical Center

Annual Reports: Interprofessional Education

No abstract provided.

Outcomes Of Inpatients Hospitalized With Community Acquired Pneumonia, Jamila Nambafu

Master of Medicine in Internal Medicine

Background: The morbidity from lower respiratory tract infections has varied between age groups and from region to region. In sub-Saharan Africa, pneumonia remains the most frequent reason for adult hospitalization, with approximately 4 million episodes and about 200,000 deaths every year. Some of the attributable factors have been HIV pandemic, pulmonary tuberculosis, and poor socio-economic status. Objective: The main objective was to determine the morbidity of community-acquired pneumonia in patients admitted to a tertiary hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, between May 2019, and March 2020. The results are anticipated to help in informing protocols for the evaluation and treatment of community-acquired …

The Quad (The 2020 Alumni Magazine), Southern Methodist University, Dedman School Of Law

The Quad (Law Alumni Magazine), 1988-present

• The SMU Law community responded with urgency to the COVID-19 pandemic through the establishment of a legal helpline

• New Clinic at SMU Dedman Law Focuses on First Amendment Issues

• Child Advocacy Clinic Expands Services to North Texas Aged Out Foster Care Youth

• The Hunter Legal Center helps survivors wipe the slate clean

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd) Coverage And Other Expanding Benefit Changes In The Workers' Compensation Insurance Marketplace: Academic Legal Perspective, Michael C. Duff

Faculty Articles

This paper discusses the increased use of causation presumptions in workers compensation cases involving firefighters and other first responders It also considers increasing workers compensation coverage of post traumatic stress disorder with respect to those same categories of workersThe paper discusses how workers compensation coverage of certain conditions tends to parallel the growth of potential tort liability observes that disease presumptions were a feature of early 20th century workers compensation statutes and so are not new and argues that recognition of workers compensation mentalmental claims has been consistent with zone of danger expansion of the negligent infliction of emotional distress …

Mist (Modified Intubating Sequence For Transmissibility) Bundle For Infectious Diseases With Aerosol Hazard, Jayaraj M. Balakrishnan, Sanjan Asanaru Kunju, William Wilson, Sachin Nayak Sujir

Open Access archive

The current global severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has magnified the risk to healthcare providers when inititiating airway management, and safe tracheal intubation has become of paramount importance. Mitigation of risk to frontline providers requires airway management to be an orchestrated exercise based on training and purposeful simulation. Role allocation and closed-loop communication form the foundation of this exercise. We describe a methodical, 10-step approach from decision-making and meticulous drug and equipment choices to donning of personal protective equipment, and procedural concerns. This bundled approach will help reduce unplanned actions, which in turn may reduce the risk …

An Overview On Chemotherapy-Induced Cognitive Impairment And Potential Role Of Antidepressants, Ankit Das, Niraja Ranadive, Manas Kinra, Madhavan Nampoothiri

Open Access archive

Background: Cognitive impairment is an adverse reaction of cancer chemotherapy and is likely to affect up to 75% of patients during the treatment and 35% of patients experience it for several months after the chemotherapy. Patients manifest symptoms like alteration in working abil-ity, awareness, concentration, visual-verbal memory, attention, executive functions, processing speed, fatigue and behavioural dysfunctions. Post-chemotherapy, cancer survivors have a reduced quality of life due to the symptoms of chemobrain. Apart from this, there are clinical reports which also associate mood disorders, vascular complications, and seizures in some cases. Therefore, the quality of lifestyle of cancer patients/ survivors is …

Evaluation Of Sugar Content And Erosive Potential Of The Commonly Prescribed Liquid Oral Medications, Hanan Siddiq, Kalyana Chakravarthy Pentapati, Revathi Shenoy, Anupama Velayutham

Open Access archive

Objective: To assess the total sugar content, endogenous pH, total soluble solids content (TSSC) and titratable acidity of the commonly prescribed long-term and short-term liquid oral medicines (LOM) for children and to compare the erosive potential with the total sugar content and total soluble solids of the LOM. Material and Methods: Twenty-three most commonly prescribed pediatric LOM were evaluated invitro for the cariogenic and erosive potential. Manufacturers' information on labels, endogenous pH, titratable acidity, TSSC, and the total sugar content was determined. Descriptive statistics and the Mann- Whitney U test were applied. Results: Overall, 22 LOM contained sugar. Only 3 …

Germline Genetic Determination Of Cancer Outcome, Benjamin N. Ostendorf

Student Theses and Dissertations

Immunotherapy has transformed the treatment of melanoma patients. However, despite the enormous promise of immunotherapy, a major fraction of patients with advanced melanoma still succumb to this deadly disease. In addition, systemic immunotherapy can lead to relevant toxicities. Therefore, it is an unmet need to identify the factors that modulate the outcome and response to therapy of melanoma patients. One major factor accounting for individual differences in the host response to cancer is the genetic makeup of the germline. A thorough assessment of the role of germline genetics in melanoma outcome is lacking, partly because of the difficulty in assessing …

A Role For Mindbomb 1 In Adenovirus Genome Delivery, Stephanie Sarbanes

Student Theses and Dissertations

The journey from plasma membrane to nuclear pore is a critical step in the lifecycle of DNA viruses, many of which must successfully deposit their genomes into the nucleus for replication. Viral capsids strategically navigate this vast distance (and all subsequent lifecycle steps) through the coordinated hijacking of a number of cellular proteins subsequently termed host factors. Given the virus' dependence on these proteins, host factors therefore represent valuable targets for therapeutic interventions. Still, the identity and function of many of these factors remains unknown. In this body of work, I will detail our own journey from initial identification to …

Monogenic Defects Of The Type I Interferons Signaling Pathway In Humans: Molecular And Clinical Implications, Nicholas Hernandez

Student Theses and Dissertations

The germ theory of disease, which dictates that microorganisms colloquially referred to as "germs" can invade humans or other hosts and cause disease, has remained the dominant conceptualization of infectious disease since the late nineteenth century. Since that time, growing appreciation for the extent of subclinical infections, that is, infections where the germ is detectable in its host without causing overt disease, and the Mendelian inheritance patterns of some infectious diseases have reinvigorated the study of the human genetic basis of infectious disease. This theory, so far demonstrated for a number of bacterial, fungal, and viral infections, holds that germs …

Green Space Ideas And Practices In European Cities, Mike Kohout, Jan Kopp

Geography and Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Structural Equation Modeling To Detect Correlates Of Childhood Vaccination: A Moderated Mediation Analysis, Abraham Degarege, Karl Krupp, Vijaya Srinivas, Boubakari Ibrahimou, Purnima Madhivanan

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

OBJECTIVES: This study used a health belief theory derived framework and structural equation model to examine moderators, mediators, and direct and indirect predictors of childhood vaccination.

METHODS: A secondary analysis was conducted using data collected from a cross-sectional survey of a random sample of 1599 parents living in urban and rural areas of Mysore district, India. Applying two-stage probability proportionate-to-size sampling, adolescent girls attending 7th through 10th grades in 23 schools were selected to take home a questionnaire to be answered by their parents to primarily assess HPV vaccine intentions. Parents were also asked whether their children had received one …

The Effect Of Advanced Glycation End Products (Ages) On Macrophages, And Their Implications For Prostate Cancer Progression, Callan C. Frye

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are sugar-protein adducts that may worsen cancer severity and may contribute to health disparity outcomes among prostate cancer (PCa) patients. AGEs are formed endogenously via a slow, nonenzymic reaction; however, AGEs are also formed in foods as a result of subjecting meats and sugars to high-heat conditions. AGEs are therefore prolific in the Western Pattern Diet (WPD), which has become increasingly common among industrialized nations. Previous work has identified dietary AGE as contributing to MYC-driven PCa progression, and the dependence of this process upon stromal receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE). This study therefore …

Karen Rothenberg: Lawyer, Teacher, Mentor, Friend, A. Terry Walman

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Mast Cells As Novel Effector Cells In The Pathogenesis Of Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease, Ethan Strattan

Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is most commonly a treatment for inborn defects of hematopoiesis or acute leukemias. Widespread use of HSCT, a potentially curative therapy, is hampered by onset of graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), a condition wherein the donor cells recognize the patient tissues as non-self. GVHD can manifest anywhere from weeks to decades post-transplant and is classified as either acute or chronic GVHD, both of which are significant causes of transplant-related morbidity and mortality.

However, GVHD is a complex, multifactorial, and enigmatic disease. The factors driving GVHD at the cellular and molecular level are incompletely understood. Immunosuppression targeting T-cells has …

Increasing Collisional Activation Of Protein Complexes Using Smaller Aperture Source Sampling Cones On A Synapt Q-Im-Tof Instrument With A Stepwave Source, Jesse W. Wilson, Micah T. Donor, Samantha O. Shepherd, James S. Prell

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Quadrupole-ion mobility-time-of-flight (Q-IM-TOF) mass spectrometers have revolutionized investigation of native biomolecular complexes. High pressures in the sources of these instruments aid transmission of protein complexes through damping of kinetic energy by collisional cooling. Since adducts are removed through collisional heating (declustering), excessive collisional cooling can prevent removal of non-specific adducts from protein ions, leading to inaccurate mass measurements, broad mass spectral peaks, and obfuscation of ligand binding. We show that reducing the source pressure using smaller aperture source sampling cones (SC) in a Waters Synapt G2-Si instrument increases protein ion heating by decreasing collisional cooling, providing a simple way to …

Northern Plains Resource Council V. United States Army Corps Of Engineers, Liz M. Forster

Public Land & Resources Law Review

Environmental activist and indigenous rights groups have challenged the validity of the Keystone XL Pipeline since its initial approval in 2010. In April 2020, less than a month after crews broke ground, the opposing groups notched a major win when the United States District Court for the District of Montana revoked a key permit for the project on the grounds that the United States Army Corps of Engineers had inadequately assessed the pipeline’s impact on endangered species.

The Association Between Central Line Insertion Practices And Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections, Mona Elgowainy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Healthcare-associated infections, specifically central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), continue to remain a serious public health concern in the United States. Though CLABSI can often be prevented, healthcare professionals struggle to have a positive impact on CLABSI rates. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether CLIP Bundle adherence has an impact on CLABSI standardized infection ratio (SIR) rates in various patient care areas in California. The research questions were focused on assessing whether there was an association between patient care areas, CLABSI rates, and CLIP Bundle adherence scores. A quantitative, cross-sectional study design utilizing secondary data was used …

Tuberculosis Diagnostics In Ethiopia: Assessment Of Laboratory Procedural Capabilities And Limitations, Yeshimebet Retta

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is a curable and preventable disease; however, in 2015, 10.4 million people were diagnosed with TB, making it one of the top 10 causes of mortality. A major part of the TB disease burden is carried by low and middle-income countries. In Ethiopia, which ranks 15th among 22 countries with a high burden of TB and multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB), important diagnostic and treatment gaps persist. This quantitative descriptive study was primarily aimed to determine levels of adherence to standardized TB laboratory procedures by calculating and reporting the number of sputum samples, and reporting valid and documented …

Improving Nursing Knowledge Of Heart Failure Discharge Self-Care Instructions, Maria Patricia Picar Deza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patients with heart failure (HF) have recurrent symptoms that lead to frequent hospital readmissions. Moreover, HF is one of the leading causes of 30-day hospital readmissions. Evidence shows that patients with a high level of HF self-care have decreased readmissions. HF self-care education is commonly delivered by the nurse at hospital discharge, and the patient’s transition to self-care is a critical point in the continuum of care. However, nurses must be knowledgeable of patient self-care in HF to effectively convey this information to the patient upon discharge. Therefore, this staff education project question asked whether nursing knowledge of HF patient …

Yearning To Breathe Free: Migration Related Confinement In America, Danielle C. Jefferis

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Prevention Practices And West Nile Virus Infection Among Ethnic Minorities, Texas, Bayabel Debebe Mengistu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

West Nile virus (WNV) is a major public health problem and the cause of nearly 25% of the world's economic burden of disease. While the risk factors for developing West Nile fever and West Nile disease from WNV infection have been identified, it is not known how knowledge, attitude, behavior (KAB), access to health care (AHC), and comorbidities are associated with prevention practices of WNV infection among ethnic minorities. The aim of this study was to examine the association between KAB, AHC, comorbidities, and prevention practices of WNV infection among ethnic minorities in Texas. KAB, AHC. Comorbidities were used …

Hiv Prevention: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, Sexual Decision Making, Risk Taking, And Condoms, Jonathan D. Spencer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

HIV is an infectious disease that continues to have new cases each year within high-risk populations, such as men who have sex with men (MSM). To help in the fight against new HIV infections within the MSM population, new medications such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are being used. The purpose of this cross-sectional online survey study was to address whether PrEP use had any relationship with (a) sexual decision-making, (b) risk-taking, and (c) condom use in the MSM population 18-64 years of age, after controlling for socioeconomic status, race, and age while using the behavioral disinhibition and risk compensation models. …

Offering The Choice Of Self-Administered Oral Hiv Testing (Chivst) Among Long-Distance Truck Drivers In Kenya: A Trial-Based Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, Deo Mujwara, April D. Kimmel

Graduate Research Posters

Background: Long distance truck drivers (LDTD) are a high-HIV-risk population facing unique healthcare barriers due to continuous travel and irregular schedules, and may require targeted, resource-intensive strategies for HIV-test uptake. We conducted a trial-based cost-effectiveness of CHIVST among LDTD in Kenya.

Methods: Effectiveness data came from a randomized-controlled trial of CHIVST (n=150) versus provider-administered testing (n=155). Economic cost data came from the literature and reflected a societal perspective. Generalized Poisson and linear-gamma regression models estimated the effectiveness (relative-risk) and incremental costs (2017 I$), respectively, with incremental effectiveness calculated as the reciprocal of the absolute risk difference and reported as the …

Protecting Public Health, Susan H. Davide, Christine Macarelli, Anty Lam

Publications and Research

In light of declining vaccination rates, oral health professionals need to be knowledgeable about current vaccine recommendations so they can best advise their patients and support public health.

Frequency And Predictors Of Suboptimal Prescribing Among A Cohort Of Older Male Residents With Urinary Tract Infection, Haley J. Appaneal, [email protected] Caffrey, Vrishali V. Lopes, David M. Dosa, Theresa I. Shireman, Kerry L. Laplante

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND

Unnecessary antibiotic treatment of suspected urinary tract infection (UTI) is common in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). However, less is known about the extent of suboptimal treatment, in terms of antibiotic choice, dose, and duration, after the decision to use antibiotics has been made. METHODS

We described the frequency of potentially suboptimal treatment among residents with an incident UTI (first during the study with none in the year prior) in Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Community Living Centers (CLCs, 2013-2018). Time trends were analyzed using Joinpoint regression. Residents with UTIs receiving potentially suboptimal treatment were compared to those receiving optimal treatment to …

Towards Precision Medicine: Therapeutic Drug Monitoring–Guided Dosing Of Vancomycin And Β-Lactam Antibiotics To Maximize Effectiveness And Minimize Toxicity, Jaclyn A. Cusuman, P. Klinker, Angela Huttner, Megan K. Luther, Jason A. Roberts, Kerry L. Laplante

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Purpose

The goal of this review is to explore the role of antimicrobial therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), especially in critically ill, obese, and older adults, with a specific focus on β-lactams and vancomycin. Summary

The continued rise of antimicrobial resistance prompts the need to optimize antimicrobial dosing. The aim of TDM is to individualize antimicrobial dosing to achieve antibiotic exposures associated with improved patient outcomes. Initially, TDM was developed to minimize adverse effects during use of narrow therapeutic index agents. Today, patient and organism complexity are expanding the need for precision dosing through TDM services. Alterations of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics …