Digital Commons Network^™

Leptomeningeal Disease And Tumor Dissemination In A Murine Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma Model: Implications For The Study Of The Tumor-Cerebrospinal Fluid-Ependymal Microenvironment, Shelei Pan, Dezhuang Ye, Yimei Yue, Lihua Yang, Christopher P Pacia, Dakota Defreitas, Prabagaran Esakky, Sonika Dahiya, David D Limbrick, Joshua B Rubin, Hong Chen, Jennifer M Strahle

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Leptomeningeal disease and hydrocephalus are present in up to 30% of patients with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), however there are no animal models of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dissemination. As the tumor-CSF-ependymal microenvironment may play an important role in tumor pathogenesis, we identified characteristics of the Nestin-tumor virus A (Nestin-Tva) genetically engineered mouse model that make it ideal to study the interaction of tumor cells with the CSF and its associated pathways with implications for the development of treatment approaches to address CSF dissemination in DIPG.

METHODS: A Nestin-Tva model of DIPG utilizing the 3 most common DIPG genetic …

Dietary Magnesium Intake And Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In Ghanaian Women Of Reproductive Age, Helena Bentil

Open Access Dissertations

In several studies conducted in high-income countries, low magnesium intake has been linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, very no studies have been conducted in Africa, where the prevalence of T2DM is increasing in many countries. Furthermore, few studies have investigated the risk of magnesium deficiency in women of reproductive age, a group where lower levels of dietary magnesium intake have been linked to gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia during pregnancy. The purpose of this dissertation was to conduct a pilot cross-sectional study to investigate the dietary magnesium intakes of women of reproductive age in …

Phase I/Randomized Phase Ii Trial Of Trc105 Plus Bevacizumab Versus Bevacizumab In Recurrent Glioblastoma: North Central Cancer Treatment Group N1174 (Alliance), Evanthia Galanis, Jian Campian, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Patients with glioblastoma (GBM) have a poor prognosis and limited effective treatment options. Bevacizumab has been approved for treatment of recurrent GBM, but there is questionable survival benefit. Based on preclinical and early clinical data indicating that CD105 upregulation may represent a mechanism of resistance to bevacizumab, we hypothesized that combining bevacizumab with the anti-CD105 antibody TRC105 may improve efficacy in recurrent GBM.

METHODS: Phase I dose-escalation/comparative randomized phase II trial in patients with GBM. During phase I, the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of TRC105 in combination with bevacizumab was determined. In phase II, patients were randomized 1:1 to …

I See You!: Centering The Lived Experiences Of Collegiate Black Women Engaged In Activism, Chiquita K. Baylor

Open Access Dissertations

Throughout American history, collegiate Black women have been at the forefront of many social and political movements in the United States. However, their voices, experiences, and perspectives have been erased, gone untold, or been excluded from the history, stories, and research on activism, leaving their experience to be interrupted or relayed by someone else. This qualitative research study illuminates the lived experiences of collegiate Black women who engage in activism. Using Sista Circle methodology, a culturally relevant- qualitative research approach, and Black feminist thought as the theoretical framework, this study seeks to explore how ten collegiate Black women from a …

The Development Of An Inclusive Three-Item Gender Instrument, Angela Astorini

Open Access Dissertations

Existing gender instruments are not inclusive and sensitive to all persons of transgender and/or gender diverse experience (TGDE), individuals whose gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth according to the heteronormative sociocultural construct of gender (Flores et al. 2016; Meerwijk & Sevelius, 2017). The goal of this study was to use a mixed methods approach to develop a new three-item gender instrument that collects information from participants on their sex assigned at birth, gender identity, and the gender they live as in their day-to-day life (lived gender). This gender instrument would aid researchers and health professionals …

Multivariate Analysis Of Associations Between Clinical Sequencing And Outcome In Glioblastoma, Peter H Yang, Yu Tao, Jingqin Luo, Mounica Paturu, Hsiang-Chih Lu, Shakti Ramkissoon, Jonathan W Heusel, Eric C Leuthardt, Michael R Chicoine, Joshua L Dowling, Gavin P Dunn, Eric Duncavage, Sonika Dahiya, Arindam R Chattherjee, Albert H Kim

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Many factors impact survival in patients with glioblastoma, including age, Karnofsky Performance Status, postoperative chemoradiation,

METHODS: We utilized a widely available diagnostic platform (FoundationOne CDx) to perform high-throughput next-generation sequencing on 185 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma in our tertiary care center. We performed multivariate analysis to control for clinical parameters with known impact on survival to elucidate the independent prognostic value of prevalent mutant genes and the independent impact of gross total resection.

RESULTS: When controlling for factors with known prognostic significance including

CONCLUSIONS: This study verifies the independent prognostic value of several mutant genes in glioblastoma. Six …

Do Good To Feel Good? Investigating Civic Engagement Among Non-College Young Adults, Natalie Fenn

Open Access Dissertations

Young adulthood is a period of transition during which individuals could greatly benefit from health promotion tools. Civic engagement has been touted as one potential form of health promotion given its association with positive well-being. However, researchers have primarily examined civic engagement as a health promotion tool among older adults and adolescents, and less is known about its mental health implications for young adults. Additionally, findings are more mixed among women and those from lower-socioeconomic populations perhaps because civic engagement is conceived as an extra burden. Less-educated individuals are less likely to civically engage and more likely to demonstrate mental …

Using Constructivist Grounded Theory To Unpack How White Women In Stem Become Committed To Racial Justice, Desiree Forsythe

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation presents findings from a constructivist grounded theory study on the process in which white women in STEM commit to racial justice. The research here captures not only the complexity of racial justice activism in white women, both the participants and my own, but is also grounded in the current events of the Black Lives Matter protests that erupted during a particularly brutal string of murders on Black people by law enforcement in the United States. This dissertation serves to unpack how white supremacy is both rejected and embodied by those attempting to commit to racial justice and to …

Predicting At-Risk Opioid Use Three Months After Ed Visit For Trauma: Results From The Aurora Study, Brittany E. Punches, Stacey L. House, Et Al

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Whether short-term, low-potency opioid prescriptions for acute pain lead to future at-risk opioid use remains controversial and inadequately characterized. Our objective was to measure the association between emergency department (ED) opioid analgesic exposure after a physical, trauma-related event and subsequent opioid use. We hypothesized ED opioid analgesic exposure is associated with subsequent at-risk opioid use.

METHODS: Participants were enrolled in AURORA, a prospective cohort study of adult patients in 29 U.S., urban EDs receiving care for a traumatic event. Exclusion criteria were hospital admission, persons reporting any non-medical opioid use (e.g., opioids without prescription or taking more than prescribed …

Metal Coordinating Inhibitors Of Rift Valley Fever Virus Replication, Elizabeth Geerling, Mohamed Elagawany, Bahaa Elgendy, Et Al

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a veterinary and human pathogen and is an agent of bioterrorism concern. Currently, RVFV treatment is limited to supportive care, so new drugs to control RVFV infection are urgently needed. RVFV is a member of the order Bunyavirales, whose replication depends on the enzymatic activity of the viral L protein. Screening for RVFV inhibitors among compounds with divalent cation-coordinating motifs similar to known viral nuclease inhibitors identified 47 novel RVFV inhibitors with selective indexes from 1.1-103 and 50% effective concentrations of 1.2-56 μM in Vero cells, primarily α-Hydroxytropolones and N-Hydroxypyridinediones. Inhibitor activity and selective …

Expression Variation Of Ogg1 And Hprt Gene And Dna Damage In Arsenic Exposed Industrial Workers, Zertashia Akram, Ishrat Mahjabeen, Muhammad Umair, Muhammad Fahim, Mahmood Akhter Kayani, Lulu Fatima, Malik Waqar Ahmad, Sarwat Jahan, Tayyaba Afsar, Ali Almajwal, Nawaf W. Alruwaili, Iftikhar Ali Khawar, Suhail Razak

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Arsenic exposure alters redox balance, induces DNA damage, and deregulates many genes. OGG1 gene involved in base repair mechanism, for excision of 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) from DNA formed as a result of accumulation of ROS in cell. HPRT gene encode transferase enzymes involved in purine recycling mechanism. The main focus of the study was to evaluate the expression variation in HPRT, OGG1 gene expression, and DNA damage of industrial workers. Blood samples of 300 occupational workers were collected from welding, brick kiln, furniture, pesticide, and paint industry (n = 60/industry) to evaluate the expression variation in HPRT, OGG1 gene expression, and …

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Npl Site Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Atlantic Richfield Response To Comments Bpsou Draft Final Data Management Plan, Atlantic Richfield Company

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Chronic Neuropsychiatric Sequelae Of Sars-Cov-2: Protocol And Methods From The Alzheimer's Association Global Consortium, Gabriel A De Erausquin, Carlos Cruchaga, Igor Zwir, Et Al

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused >3.5 million deaths worldwide and affected >160 million people. At least twice as many have been infected but remained asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic. COVID-19 includes central nervous system manifestations mediated by inflammation and cerebrovascular, anoxic, and/or viral neurotoxicity mechanisms. More than one third of patients with COVID-19 develop neurologic problems during the acute phase of the illness, including loss of sense of smell or taste, seizures, and stroke. Damage or functional changes to the brain may result in chronic sequelae. The risk of incident cognitive and neuropsychiatric complications appears independent from the severity …

Positive Predictive Value Of Erbb2 Copy Number Gain By Tissue Or Circulating Tumor Dna Next-Generation Sequencing Across Advanced Cancers, Ami N Shah, Ashwin Sunderraj, Brian Finkelman, Sharlene H See, Andrew A Davis, Lorenzo Gerratana, Firas Wehbe, Neelima Katam, Deva Mahalingam, William J Gradishar, Amir Behdad, Luis Blanco, Massimo Cristofanilli

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The correlation of ERBB2 copy number gain (CNG) from tissue or circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) by next-generation sequencing (NGS) with standard HER2 tissue evaluation is not well understood.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively identified patients with ERBB2 CNG on commercial NGS. We described their clinical-pathologic features and calculated the positive predictive value (PPV) of ERBB2 CNG by NGS for HER2-positivity by IHC and FISH testing.

RESULTS: 176 patients had NGS revealing an ERBB2 CNG (112 by tumor tissue and 91 by ctDNA). The cancer subtypes with the most cases with ERBB2 CNG by NGS were breast (

CONCLUSIONS: ERBB2 …

A Comparison Of 64cu-Labeled Bi-Terminally Pegylated A20fmdv2 Peptides Targeting Integrin Ανβ6, Truc T Huynh, Sreeja Sreekumar, Cedric Mpoy, Buck E Rogers

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Expression of epithelial-specific integrin α

Cost And Value In Contemporary Heart Failure Clinical Guidance Documents, John W. Ostrominski, Sameer Hirji, Ankeet S. Bhatt, Javed Butler, Mona Fiuzat, Gregg C. Fonarow, Paul A. Heidenreich, James L. Januzzi, Carolyn S. P. Lam, Thomas M. Maddox, Christopher M. O'Connor, Muthiah Vaduganathan

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the frequency and nature of cost/value statements in contemporary heart failure (HF) clinical guidance documents (CGDs).

BACKGROUND: In an era of rising health care costs and expanding therapeutic options, there is an increasing need for formal consideration of cost and value in the development of HF CGDs.

METHODS: HF CGDs published by major professional cardiovascular organizations between January 2010 and February 2021 were reviewed for the inclusion of cost/value statements.

RESULTS: Overall, 33 documents were identified, including 5 (15%) appropriate use criteria, 7 (21%) clinical practice guidelines, and 21 (64%) expert consensus documents. Most …

Edge-Centric Analysis Of Stroke Patients: An Alternative Approach For Biomarkers Of Lesion Recovery, Sebastian Idesis, Joshua Faskowitz, Richard F Betzel, Maurizio Corbetta, Olaf Sporns, Gustavo Deco

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Most neuroimaging studies of post-stroke recovery rely on analyses derived from standard node-centric functional connectivity to map the distributed effects in stroke patients. Here, given the importance of nonlocal and diffuse damage, we use an edge-centric approach to functional connectivity in order to provide an alternative description of the effects of this disorder. These techniques allow for the rendering of metrics such as normalized entropy, which describes the diversity of edge communities at each node. Moreover, the approach enables the identification of high amplitude co-fluctuations in fMRI time series. We found that normalized entropy is associated with stroke lesion severity …

Crisis Pregnancy Centers: An Inherently Unjust Limitation To Reproductive Rights, Rebecca Feinberg, Danielle Pacia

Scholarly Works

This paper’s purpose is two-fold. First, it presents an ethical analysis that details why the current practices of Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) are unethical and violate women’s reproductive freedom. Second, it proposes policy solutions to mitigate inequities and disinformation caused by the practices of CPCs, in an attempt to protect the women who, fall prey to their services

Fertility Care: Essential Or Non-Essential? Lessons From The Covid-19 Pandemic, Rebecca S. Feinberg

Scholarly Works

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, in an effort to allocate medical resources towards the anticipated influx of patients infected with the novel virus, many non-essential healthcare services were temporarily paused. The American Society of Reproductive Medicine led the move to halt infertility care in all but the most extreme cases. This cessation of infertility care, compounded by the unknown duration of this recommendation, added to the already high level of stress and anxiety that fertility patients experience and in cases of advanced maternal age or diminished ovarian reserve potentially resulted in suboptimal clinical outcomes. There was vocal disagreement …

The Supreme Court’S Hands-Off Approach To Religious Questions In The Era Of Covid-19 And Beyond, Samuel J. Levine

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Impact Of A Multidisciplinary Nutritional Support Team On Quality Improvement For Patients Receiving Home Parenteral Nutrition, Michael Rothkopf, Mohan Pant, Rebecca Brown, Jaime Haselhorst, Francine Gagliardotto, Allison Tallman, Debbie Stevenson, Andrew Depalma, Michael Saracco, Dan Rosenberg, Vladimir Proudan, Kishwar Shareef, Nudrat Ayub

EVMS School of Health Professions Faculty Publications

Introduction Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) is essential for patients with intestinal failure requiring long-term nutritional support. The Amerita Quality Improvement Project for HPN Patients (QIP-PN) explored the effect of a physician nutrition expert (PNE)-led multidisciplinary nutritional support team (MNST) on HPN care for patients under its service.

Objective To determine an MNST effect on adherence to protocols, outcomes and quality of life (QOL) in HPN.

Methods The study was divided into three phases: data review (phases 1a and 1b), observation (phase 2) and intervention (phase 3). Seven Amerita locations were selected as ‘study branches’ (population), from which all study patients …

Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Potential Of Crassula Ovata, Troy B. Puga, Joshua Schafer, Alexander Buffalo, Prince N. Agbedanu

Student Publications

Due to the rampant microbial resistance to current antibiotics, there must be a necessary search for novel compounds with antimicrobial properties. In effort of this search in plants, this investigation demonstrates the antibacterial characteristics of Crassula ovata (C. ovata) against gram-positive bacteria and gram-negative bacteria. 1-3g samples of C. Ovata leaf were extracted using 95% ethanol and the extract were infused into paper discs. The discs were incubated on previously plated bacterial plates and the zones of bacterial inhibition attributable to the infused agents were measured. Control disc were infused with extraction solvents. By the measured zones of clearing, C. …

Exertional Heat Illness: A Yearly Preventable Cause Of Illness And Death In Athletes, Troy B. Puga, Joshua Schafer, Nicholas Scigliano, Grace Thiel, Kevin Treffer

Student Publications

Every summer, exertional heat illness in athletes becomes the center of attention among coaches, athletic trainers, and physicians across the United States. This topic has recently received increased attention as seven football players died from exertional heat illness between July 2020 and August 2021[1]. Health professionals believe that sport-related heat illnesses can be prevented through following published sports guidelines, protocols for weather monitoring and water breaks, and using appropriate conditioning during practice sessions. This topic has become such an issue that several states and local governing bodies have enacted legislation and policy for exertional heat illness education and training for …

Mortality In Pediatric Oncology And Stem Cell Transplant Patients With Bloodstream Infections, Daniel N Willis, Mary Claire Mcglynn, Patrick J Reich, Robert J Hayashi

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Bloodstream infections (BSI) continue to represent a significant source of morbidity for pediatric oncology patients, however less is known regarding this population's risk of death. We sought to evaluate the risk of BSI and death at a large pediatric cancer center.

METHODS: We retrospectively collected inpatient data from pediatric oncology and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients over a 9-year period. We performed univariate and multivariable modeling to assess risk of BSI and mortality examining the following variables: demographics, underlying malignancy, history of HSCT, central line type, and febrile neutropenia (FN).

RESULTS: During the study period, 6763 admissions from …

Do The Expert Recommendations For Implementing Change (Eric) Strategies Adequately Address Sustainment?, Nicole Nathan, Byron J Powell, Rachel C Shelton, Celia V Laur, Luke Wolfenden, Maji Hailemariam, Sze Lin Yoong, Rachel Sutherland, Melanie Kingsland, Thomas J Waltz, Alix Hall

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Sustainability science is an emerging area within implementation science. There is limited evidence regarding strategies to best support the continued delivery and sustained impact of evidence-based interventions (EBIs). To build such evidence, clear definitions, and ways to operationalize strategies specific and/or relevant to sustainment are required. Taxonomies and compilations such as the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) were developed to describe and organize implementation strategies. This study aimed to adapt, refine, and extend the ERIC compilation to incorporate an explicit focus on sustainment. We also sought to classify the specific phase(s) of implementation when the ERIC strategies could …

Low Risk For Developing Diabetes Among The Offspring Of Individuals With Exceptional Longevity And Their Spouses, Iva Miljkovic, Ryan Cvejkus, Ping An, Bharat Thyagarajan, Kaare Christensen, Mary Wojczynski, Nicole Schupf, Joseph M Zmuda

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Little is known about the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) among the offspring of individuals with exceptional longevity. We determined the incidence of and potential risk and protective factors for T2D among the offspring of probands and offspring's spouses (mean age=60 years, range 32-88 years) in the Long Life Family Study (LLFS), a multicenter cohort study of 583 two-generation families with a clustering of healthy aging and exceptional longevity. Incident T2D was defined as fasting serum glucose ≥126 mg/dl, or HbA1c of ≥6.5%, or self-reported with doctor diagnosis of T2D, or the use of anti-diabetic medication during a mean …

Case Report: Real-World Experience Using A Personalized Cancer-Specific Circulating Tumor Dna Assay In Different Metastatic Melanoma Scenarios, Karam Khaddour, Alice Zhou, Omar H Butt, Griffin Budde, Allyson Koyen Malashevich, George Ansstas

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Circulating-tumor DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as an important biomarker for monitoring disease status in cancer patients. Different ctDNA testing platforms have shown promising results in the early detection of disease, monitoring response to treatment, and prognostication in metastatic melanoma. However, several challenges exist, including the reduced shedding of ctDNA into the bloodstream in the metastatic setting, differences in sensitivity among various ctDNA assays, and the inherent inability to distinguish tumor-specific mutations from other mutations that are not related to the cancer of interest. Using a ctDNA assay that is designed to detect multiple single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) that are specific to …

Use Of Leishmania Major Parasites Expressing A Recombinant Trypanosoma Cruzi Antigen As Live Vaccines Against Chagas Disease, Catherine W Cai, Anne O'Shea, Christopher S Eickhoff, Hongjie Guo, Warren G Lewis, Stephen M Beverley, Daniel F Hoft

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION:

METHODS: We generated recombinant

RESULTS: We demonstrate that mice inoculated with these recombinant TS-expressing

DISCUSSION: Altogether, these data indicate that

Multi-Omics Insights Into The Biological Mechanisms Underlying Statistical Gene-By-Lifestyle Interactions With Smoking And Alcohol Consumption, Timothy D Majarian, Mary F Feitosa, Michael Province, Dabeeru C Rao, Karen Schwander, Yun Ju Sung, C Charles Gu, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Though both genetic and lifestyle factors are known to influence cardiometabolic outcomes, less attention has been given to whether lifestyle exposures can alter the association between a genetic variant and these outcomes. The Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium's Gene-Lifestyle Interactions Working Group has recently published investigations of genome-wide gene-environment interactions in large multi-ancestry meta-analyses with a focus on cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption as lifestyle factors and blood pressure and serum lipids as outcomes. Further description of the biological mechanisms underlying these statistical interactions would represent a significant advance in our understanding of gene-environment …