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Pentavalent Vaccination In Kenya: Coverage And Geographical Accessibility To Health Facilities Using Data From A Community Demographic And Health Surveillance System In Kilifi County, Morris Ogero, James Orwa, Rachel Odhiambo, Felix Agoi, Adelaide Lusambili, Jerim Obure, Marleen Temmerman, Stanley Luchters, Anthony Ngugi

Population Health, East Africa

Background: There is substantial evidence that immunization is one of the most significant and cost-effective pillars of preventive and promotive health interventions. Effective childhood immunization coverage is thus essential in stemming persistent childhood illnesses. The third dose of pentavalent vaccine for children is an important indicator for assessing performance of the immunisation programme because it mirrors the completeness of a child’s immu- nisation schedule. Spatial access to an immunizing health facility, especially in sub-Sahara African (SSA) countries, is a significant determinant of Pentavalent 3 vaccination coverage, as the vaccine is mainly administered during routine immunisation schedules at health facilities. …

Subjective Observation Of Loss Of Subcutaneous Fat And Muscle Tissue – Is That The Answer To Pediatric Hospital Malnutrition Screening?, Grace C. Barcus

Master's Theses

Background: Hospital malnutrition is a prevalent issue with critically ill pediatric patients being at increased risk for nutritional loss. Nutritional risk screening has been associated with increased documentation of nutrition diagnosis and positive clinical outcomes, however, is not mandatory in developing countries. A nutrition screening tool that uses subjective examination of loss of subcutaneous fat and muscle tissue may be an efficient way to identify nutritional risk in hospitalized critical care pediatric patients.

Objective: To determine whether loss of subcutaneous fat and muscle tissue in specific body locations was associated with moderate or severe malnutrition determined by SGA in pediatric …

Impact Of Early Corticosteroids On Preventing Clinical Deterioration In Non-Critically Ill Patients Hospitalized With Covid-19: A Multi-Hospital Cohort Study, Lakshmi Swaminathan, Scott Kaatz, Heather Chubb, Kim Tae, Mayur S. Ramesh, Raef Fadel, Cecilia Big, Jessica Jones, Scott A. Flanders, Hallie C. Prescott

Infectious Diseases Articles

INTRODUCTION: While guidelines strongly recommend dexamethasone in critical COVID-19, the optimal threshold to initiate corticosteroids in non-critically ill patients with COVID-19 remains unclear. Using data from a state-wide COVID-19 registry, we evaluated the effectiveness of early corticosteroids for preventing clinical deterioration among non-critically ill patients hospitalized for COVID-19 and receiving non-invasive oxygen therapy.

METHODS: This was a target trial using observational data from patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at 39 hospitals participating in the MI-COVID19 registry between March 16, 2020 and August 24, 2020. We studied the impact of corticosteroids initiated within 2 calendar days of hospitalization ("early steroids") versus no …

Medical Factors Associated With Caregiver Intention To Vaccinate Their Children Against Covid-19, Thao-Ly Phan, Paul T Enlow, Michael King, Amanda M Lewis, Anne E Kazak, Jonathan M Miller

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Objective: To describe medical factors that are associated with caregiver intention to vaccinate their children against COVID-19.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of families receiving primary care in a mid-Atlantic pediatric healthcare system, linking caregiver-reported data from a survey completed March 19 to April 16, 2021 to comprehensive data from the child's EHR.

Results: 513 families were included (28% Black, 16% Hispanic, 44% public insurance, 21% rural, child age range 0-21 years). 44% of caregivers intended to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, while 41% were not sure and 15% would not. After adjusting for socio-demographics, the only medical factors …

Implementation Of Clinical Practice Guidelines For Hospitalized Patients With Covid-19 In Academic Medical Centers, Amy Chang Berger, Noa Simchoni, Andrew Auerbach, W Michael Brode, Ethan Kuperman, Katie Raffel, Alan Kubey

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Partisan Framing On Covid-19 Attitudes: Experimental Evidence From Early And Late Pandemic, Amber Wichowsky, Meghan Condon

Political Science Faculty Research and Publications

Political polarization has dominated news coverage of Americans’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this research note, we report findings from two experimental studies, in which we present respondents with news stories about COVID-19 mitigation measures that emphasize partisan difference or accord. The stories present the same numeric facts about public opinion, but highlight either the partisan gap that existed at the time of the study, or the fact that large majorities of both Republicans and Democrats supported the measures at the time. Results from our first study, conducted late April 2020, show that a media frame drawing attention to …

The Effects Of Mosaic Law Observance On Human Health, Emily Uhlmeyer

Senior Honors Theses

For the people of ancient Israel, life was guided and regulated by adherence to the law of Moses. Dietary restrictions, purification rituals, circumcision, and Sabbath observance were each critical components of this code and were meticulously detailed in the Old Testament, specifically in the Torah. Still today, dietary laws are observed and select rituals practiced by many Jews and Seventh Day Adventists. Although health protection was never the primary purpose of the law, noticeable effects on human health have been connected to its observance. Evaluation of the effects of the Levitical law on human health can be achieved by a …

The Cutaneous Microbiome Of The Eastern Red-Spotted Newt (Notophthalmus Viridescens) And Its Role As Defense Against Fungal Pathogens, Joseph Bierbaum

Senior Honors Theses

Chytridiomycosis is a life-threatening disease which infects amphibian species worldwide. Chytrid fungi Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans have been found to be the primary causes of chytridiomycosis. In past research, it has been found that the skin microbiome of certain amphibian species could have fungal inhibition properties, reducing the effects of the chytrid fungi. In this study, 15 eastern red-spotted newts (Notophthalmus viridescens) were collected, to determine if cutaneous bacteria of the newts secrete antifungal compounds. Pure cultures of each bacterium morphotype were produced from mass culture plates, with 188 morphotypes being isolated. The antifungal properties …

Communicating Comfort In Crisis: A Literature Review On Overcoming The Emergency Room Environment To Foster The Nurse-Patient Relationship, Faith G. Davenport

Senior Honors Theses

The average emergency room patient is not receiving the compassionate nurse-patient communication that patients experience on other hospital floors. Fewer positive nurse-patient interactions prompt patients to state that they feel uncomforted and dissatisfied on hospital exit surveys, inciting hospital management to investigate how to reverse this trend to retain their federal funding. Emergency room nurses cite multiple barriers inherent in their work environment that prevent them from building rapport with their patients, including a layout not conducive to private conversations, strict time constraints, and a fluctuating workload. Working for a prolonged period under these conditions is driving many nurses to …

An Overview Of The Forensic Analysis And Use Of Non-Human Dna, Kaelyn Long

Senior Honors Theses

DNA is present in every living organism on Earth. DNA is also present in a few non-living biological agents such as DNA-containing viruses, and is additionally unique to particular groups of organisms and often even to individuals. This characteristic allows DNA to be quite useful in forensic investigations. This study takes an in-depth look at the forensic use of non-human DNA. DNA analysis is a key component of many forensic investigations, but the majority of these analyses are focused on human DNA. This review examines the ways in which non-human DNA can be useful to forensic investigations. The various unique …

Sars-Cov-2 Reveals That Chimeric Agents Are The Bioweapons Of The Future, Rachel Craig

Senior Honors Theses

Bioweapons programs have existed since their development during the Cold War. These biowarfare programs initially utilized naturally occurring pathogens capable of infecting crops, livestock populations, and human populations. Anthrax is a widely exploited bioagent responsible for attacks ranging from the Germans’ deployment in World War I to the mailing of anthrax through the postal service in attempts on U.S. senators’ lives. With the development of genetic manipulations, the Soviet Union began modifying anthrax to resist detection and treatment. With the continued advancement of science and technology, a new bioagent has entered the scene – the man-made chimeric virus. Chimeric viruses …

Microbial Contamination On Ambulance Surfaces: A Systematic Literature Review, Adam Obenza, Patricia Cruz, Mark Buttner, D. Woodard

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are infections that patients acquire while receiving medical treatment in a healthcare facility. During ambulatory transport, the patient may be exposed to pathogens transmitted from emergency medical service (EMS) personnel or EMS surfaces. The aim of this study was to determine whether organisms commonly associated with HAIs have been detected on surfaces in the patient-care compartment of ambulances. Five electronic databases – PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase and Google Scholar were used to search for articles using inclusion and exclusion criteria following the PRISMA checklist. Inclusion criteria consisted of articles published in English, between 2009 and …

Examination Of The Effect Of Plant Induced Defenses On Cannibalistic Consumption And Baculovirus Transmission Amongst Spodoptera Frugiperda Larvae, Paige Elizabeth Long

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Social Boot: Recollections From Another Side A Study On The Health And Belongingness Experiences Of Louisiana Residents That Have Either Served In The Us Military Or Been In The Us Prison System In Some Capacity., Ugonna Njoku

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Artificial Intelligence For The Discovery Of Novel Antimicrobial Agents For Emerging Infectious Diseases, A Bess, F Berglind, S Mukhopadhyay, M Brylinski, A Bess, T F. Cho, C Galliano, K M. Wasan

Faculty Publications

The search for effective drugs to treat new and existing diseases is a laborious one requiring a large investment of capital, resources, and time. The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been a painful reminder of the lack of development of new antimicrobial agents to treat emerging infectious diseases. Artificial intelligence (AI) and other in silico techniques can drive a more efficient, cost friendly approach to drug discovery by helping move potential candidates with better clinical tolerance forward in the pipeline. Several research teams have developed successful AI platforms for hit identification, lead generation, and lead optimization. In this review, we …

Examining The Role Of Bullshit Receptivity On Covid-19 Vaccination Behaviors, Erica L. Leonard

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Wetlands In China: Evolution, Carbon Sequestrations And Services, Threats, And Preservation/Restoration, Siyuan Ye, Lixin Pei, Lei He, Liujuan Xie, Guangming Zhao, Hongming Yuan, Xigui Ding, Shaofeng Pei, Shixiong Yang, Xue Li, Edward Laws

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Wetlands In China: Evolution, Carbon Sequestrations And Services, Threats, And Preservation/Restoration, Siyuan Ye, Lixin Pei, Lei He, Liujuan Xie, Guangming Zhao, Hongming Yuan, Xigui Ding, Shaofeng Pei, Shixiong Yang, Xue Li, Edward Laws

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Exercise As A Moderator Of Persistent Neuroendocrine Symptoms Of Covid-19, Candida J. Rebello, Christopher L. Axelrod, Charles F. Reynolds, Frank L. Greenway, John P. Kirwan

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Precipitated by chronic psychological stress, immune system dysregulation, and a hyperinflammatory state, the sequelae of postacute COVID-19 (long COVID) include depression and new-onset diabetes. We hypothesize that exercise counters the neuropsychiatric and endocrine sequelae of long COVID by inducing the release of circulating factors that mediate the anti-inflammatory response, support brain homeostasis, and increase insulin sensitivity.

Inspire : Vol 5, Issue 4, Department Of Medicine

INSPIRE – Department of Medicine Archives

Content

• Medicine at National and International Forums
• 13th Biennial conference of Pakistan Society of Nephrology
• McMaster Faculty visits AKUH Nephrology
• In-depth: featuring Associate Professor & Section Head Infectious Diseases – Dr Faisal Mahmood
• Featured Faculty – Dr Faheem Shaikh – Senior Instructor – Internal Medicine section
• Publications

Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning For Early Detection And Diagnosis Of Colorectal Cancer In Sub-Saharan Africa, Akbar K. Waljee, Eileen M. Weinheimer-Haus, Amina Abubakar, Anthony Ngugi, Geoffrey H. Siwo, Gifty Kwakye, Amit G. Singal, Arvind Rao, Christopher Opio, Mansoor Saleh

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

No abstract provided.

Uncertainty Analysis Of Chest X-Ray Lung Height Measurements And Size Matching For Lung Transplantation, Rodrigo Vazquez Guillamet, Maria C. Vazquez Guillamet, Ashraf Rjob, Andrew Bierhals, Irene Bello, Alberto Jauregui Abularach, Laneshia Tague, Michael Wallendorf, Gary F. Marklin, Chad Witt, Derek E. Byers, Daniel Kreisel, Ruben Nava, Varun Puri, Ramsey Hachem, Elbert P Trulock

Open Access Publications

Background: Errors in measuring chest X-ray (CXR) lung heights could contribute to the occurrence of size-mismatched lung transplant procedures.

Methods: We first used Bland-Altman analysis for repeated measures to evaluate contributors to measurement error of chest X-ray lung height. We then applied error propagation theory to assess the impact of measurement error on size matching for lung transplantation.

Results: A total 387 chest X-rays from twenty-five donors and twenty-five recipients were measured by two raters. Individual standard deviation for lung height differences were independent of age, sex, donor

Conclusions: Individual chest X-ray lung heights are imprecise for the purpose of …

Pre-Training Graph Neural Networks For Link Prediction In Biomedical Networks, Yahui Long, Min Wu, Yong Liu, Yuan Fang, Chee Kong Kwoh, Jiawei Luo, Xiaoli Li

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Motivation: Graphs or networks are widely utilized to model the interactions between different entities (e.g., proteins, drugs, etc) for biomedical applications. Predicting potential links in biomedical networks is important for understanding the pathological mechanisms of various complex human diseases, as well as screening compound targets for drug discovery. Graph neural networks (GNNs) have been designed for link prediction in various biomedical networks, which rely on the node features extracted from different data sources, e.g., sequence, structure and network data. However, it is challenging to effectively integrate these data sources and automatically extract features for different link prediction tasks. Results: In …

Oral Healthcare Education, Equity And Policy Implementation In Rural Honduran Communities, Alexander J.R. Dyke

Honors Projects

Rural Honduras encompasses many individuals with limited access to a dental professional. Many public health studies demonstrate that dental shortage areas have more dental cavities, missing teeth, and more complex restorations that need periodic treatment. Dental hygiene is undermined at home with limited access to oral health advocates, and dental education becomes more essential. Here, we report an educational consensus and perspectives of rural Honduras through a questionnaire distributed at 13 mobile dental clinics in remote villages. To assess the effectiveness of education, the World Health Organization (WHO) has deemed two important indices in assessing trends: Community Periodontal Index of …

Exploration Of The Healthcare Conditions In The Occupied Palestinian Territories, Awatef Ayesh

Honors Projects

The occupation of Palestine by Israel has had a significant impact on the Palestinian citizens' health care services. The disparities were seen in maternal, infant, and child mortality rates, life expectancy, and measures of mental wellbeing. The health disparities are due to many factors involving economic conditions, food insecurity, environmental exposures, psychological trauma and stress, and access to health services most of which are directly or indirectly linked to the Israeli military occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt). This project explores the health indicators and examine the social determinants of health in the oPt that may be responsible for …

Donor Age And Body Weight Determine The Effects Of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation On Growth Performance, And Fecal Microbiota Development In Recipient Pigs, Xiaofan Wang, Tsungcheng Tsai, Xiaoyuan Wei, Feilong Deng, Ying Li, Charles V. Maxwell, Hua Yang, Yingping Xiao, Jiangchao Zhao

Animal Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

The application of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to improve swine growth performance has been sporadically studied. Most of these studies used a single microbiota source and thus the effect of donor characteristics on recipient pigs’ fecal microbiota development and growth performance is largely unknown.

Results

In this study, we collected feces from six donors with heavy (H) or light (L) body weight and different ages (d 42, nursery; d 96, growing; and d 170, finisher) to evaluate their effects on the growth performance and fecal microbiota development of recipient pigs. Generally, recipients that received two doses of FMT from …

Medical Accreditation For Foreign-Educated Refugees: An Undue Burden, Katherine Jolley, Alex Hansen

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

Historically, the United States has maintained a policy of robust assistance to refugees that enter the country. Refugee relief includes short-term health coverage and employment services. Unfortunately, many international medical graduates who come as refugees face excessive barriers to join the healthcare industry when they arrive. In light of emergency adjustments to the accreditation processes during the COVID-19 pandemic, this article proposes that the accreditation process for foreign-educated healthcare workers poses an undue burden on refugees.

Antibiotic Stewardship For Asymptomatic Bacteriuria In Older Adults Residing In Long-Term Care At End-Of-Life, Kimberly Madison Agpcnp-Bc

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Differentiating between asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) and urinary tract infections (UTIs) in older adults is challenging due to their atypical presentation. There is a critical gap in practice to adhere to clinical guidelines advising against treating ASB with antibiotics.

Objectives: The purpose of this Quality Improvement project was to implement an antibiotic stewardship program at a hospice organization to standardize judicious use of antibiotics at the end-of-life. The outcome measures were designed to evaluate clinician knowledge, prescribing policies and practice changes, the completeness of documentation, the appropriate usage of antibiotics, and clinician antibiotic use attitudes and beliefs.

Methods: Hospice clinicians …

Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Bundle Compliance: A Quality Improvement Project, Keesha L. Holmes Msn, Fnp, Ne-Bc

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: In many hospitals, patients requiring mechanical ventilation are managed in an intensive care unit (ICU) or a unit that requires a higher level of care compared to a medical-surgical unit. Patients on mechanical ventilation are susceptible to acquiring ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) if precautionary measures are not taken.

Aims/Objectives: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to assess if after an identified group of critical care registered nurses (RN) participated in an education session on ventilator-associated pneumonia and ventilator-care bundle (VCB) interventions, would their knowledge be enhanced, would the RNs implement the knowledge learned into their practice, and if …

Differences In Covid-19-Related Testing And Healthcare Utilization By Race And Ethnicity In The Veterans Health Administration, Javad Razjouyan, Drew A Helmer, Ang Li, Aanand D Naik, Christopher I Amos, Venkata Bandi, Amir Sharafkhaneh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: Recent reports indicate differences in COVID-19-related care and outcomes between Black and White Americans.

OBJECTIVE: We examine the COVID-19-related healthcare utilization and mortality by race and ethnicity of patients tested for SARS-CoV-2 in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study.

SETTING: We used the VHA COVID-19 shared data resources between February 1 and June 30, 2020.

PARTICIPANTS: Veterans tested for SARS-CoV-2 virus by VHA.

EXPOSURE(S): Three racial-ethnicity groups of Black, Hispanic, and White (as reference) veterans.

MAIN OUTCOME(S) AND MEASURE(S): Main outcomes are testing rate, positivity rate, hospitalization rate, ICU admission rate, and in-hospital mortality. Controlling …