Digital Commons Network^™

Reproductive Factors And Their Association With Physical And Comprehensive Frailty In Middle-Aged And Older Women: A Large-Scale Population-Based Study, Wenting Hao, Qi Wang, Ruihong Yu, Shiva Raj Mishra, Salim S Virani, Nipun Shrestha, Chunying Fu, Dongshan Zhu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Study question: Are women's reproductive factors associated with physical frailty and comprehensive frailty in middle-age and later life?

Summary answer: Early menarche at < 13 years, age at menopause < 45 years, surgical menopause, experiencing miscarriage and a shorter reproductive period of < 35 years were associated with increased odds of frailty, while having two or three children was related to decreased likelihood of frailty.

What is known already: Evidence has shown that women are frailer than men in all age groups and across different populations, although women have longer lifespans. Female-specific reproductive factors may be related to risk of frailty in women.

Study design size duration: A population-based cross-sectional study involved 189 898 women from the UK Biobank.

Participants/materials setting methods: Frailty phenotype and frailty index were used to assess physical frailty and comprehensive frailty (assessed using 38 health indicators for …

Understanding Prescribing Practices And Patient Experiences With Renin Angiotensin System Inhibitors Use In Chronic Kidney Disease: A Qualitative Study, Jennifer Arney, L Parker Gregg, Sheena Wydermyer, Michael A Herrera, Peter A Richardson, Michael E Matheny, Julia M Akeroyd, Glenn T Gobbel, Adriana Hung, Salim S Virani, Sankar D Navaneethan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) improve outcomes but are underutilized in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Little is known about reasons for discontinuation and lack of reinitiating these medications. We aimed to explore clinicians' and patients' experiences and perceptions of ACEI/ARB use in CKD.

Methods: A multi-profession sample of health care clinicians and patients with documented ACEI/ARB-associated side effects in the past 6 months. Participants were recruited from 2 Veterans Affairs healthcare systems in Texas and Tennessee. A total of 15 clinicians and 10 patients completed interviews. We used inductive and deductive qualitative data …

Understanding Primary Care Physician Perspectives On The Diagnosis And Management Of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Qualitative Study, Natalia I Heredia, Jemima C John, Sonia Singh, Jessica P Hwang, Larkin L Strong, Maya Balakrishnan, Lorna H Mcneill

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Primary care physicians (PCPs) are well suited to manage patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but the limited, existing research suggests inadequate knowledge about the natural history, diagnostic methods, and management of NAFLD. The purpose of this qualitative study is to further understand the knowledge and practices for the diagnosis and management of NAFLD among PCPs. We conducted in-depth interviews with PCPs in the Greater Houston area, addressing current clinical practices used for diagnosing and managing NAFLD, as well as the perceptions of the PCPs regarding the burden of NAFLD on patients. We recorded interviews, transcribed them, coded transcripts, …

Characteristics And Contributing Factors Of Diagnostic Error In Surgery: Analysis Of Closed Medico-Legal Cases And Complaints In Canada, Janice L Kwan, Lisa A Calder, Cara L Bowman, Anna Macintyre, Richard Mimeault, Liisa Honey, Cynthia Dunn, Gary Garber, Hardeep Singh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Diagnostic errors lead to patient harm; however, most research has been conducted in nonsurgical disciplines. We sought to characterize diagnostic error in the pre-, intra-, and postoperative surgical phases, describe their contributing factors, and quantify their impact related to patient harm.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of closed medico-legal cases and complaints using a database representing more than 95% of all Canadian physicians. We included cases if they involved a legal action or complaint that closed between 2014 and 2018 and involved a diagnostic error assigned by peer expert review to a surgeon.

Results: We identified 387 surgical …

Preclinical Evaluation Of A Novel Antibiotic-Eluting Bioenvelope For Cied Infection Prevention, Zerelda Esquer Garrigos, John N Catanzaro, Daniel Deegan, Ji Zhang, M Rizwan Sohail

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The risk of infection remains a significant concern with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices, necessitating the development of new strategies. This study explores the efficacy of a novel antibiotic-eluting biologic envelope designed to mitigate infection risk through localized antibiotic delivery while preserving the regenerative properties of biological matrix. Antibiotics, rifampin and minocycline, are released through polymer discs, ensuring extended drug release. Utilizing an established model of infection in a New Zealand White rabbit, the study assessed performance against Gram-positive bacterial strains, including common pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis associated with CIED infections, and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Results demonstrated …

Dimensionality Reduction And Nearest Neighbors For Improving Out-Of-Distribution Detection In Medical Image Segmentation, Mckell Woodland, Nihil Patel, Austin Castelo, Mais Al Taie, Mohamed Eltaher, Joshua P Yung, Tucker J Netherton, Tiffany L Calderone, Jessica I Sanchez, Darrel W Cleere, Ahmed Elsaiey, Nakul Gupta, David Victor, Laura Beretta, Ankit B Patel, Kristy K Brock

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Clinically deployed deep learning-based segmentation models are known to fail on data outside of their training distributions. While clinicians review the segmentations, these models tend to perform well in most instances, which could exacerbate automation bias. Therefore, detecting out-of-distribution images at inference is critical to warn the clinicians that the model likely failed. This work applied the Mahalanobis distance (MD) post hoc to the bottleneck features of four Swin UNETR and nnU-net models that segmented the liver on T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. By reducing the dimensions of the bottleneck features with either principal component analysis or uniform …

Editorial: Managing Cancer Metastasis By Tackling Anticancer Drug Resistance, Erxi Wu, Zhongzhi Wu, Chao-Yie Yang, Dan Qi, Xiaoxiao Hu, Wei Li

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Triiodothyronine Acts On Dao To Regulate Pulmonary Fibrosis Progression By Facilitating Cell Senescence Through The P53/P21 Signaling Pathway, Xiaoshu Guo, Kai Xu, Lan Wang, Linke Ding, Wenwen Li, Xinsheng Zhang, Weiming Zhao, Ningdan Wang, Gaiping Wang, Wenyu Zhao, Ivan Rosas, Guoying Yu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the result of multiple cycles of epithelial cell injury and fibroblast activation; currently, there is no clear etiology. Increasing evidence suggests that protein metabolism and amino acids play a crucial role in IPF, but the role of D-amino acids is not yet clear. The aim of this study was to identify novel mediators in order to test the hypothesis that D-amino acid oxidase (DAO) plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of IPF.

Methods: We analyzed DAO gene expression in patients with IPF and mice with bleomycin (BLM)-induced lung fibrosis. We performed in vitro …

A Multi-Omics Multi-Environment Prediction In Pulse Crop, Rica Saludares

Plant Sciences

Understanding the genetic bases underlying seed yield and protein, and eventually recombining them in desired genetic backgrounds, continues to be a challenge to pulse crop breeders. Phenotypic selection for seed yield and protein in preliminary yield trials is hindered by the need to phenotype a large number of early-generation lines (>10,000) with limited seeds, resulting to trials with few replications and limited environments. In this study, we evaluated and applied a multi-trait multi-environment (MTME) and a multi-omics prediction framework to address phenotyping bottleneck and the complexities underlying negatively correlated traits, and maximize connectivity among genotypes for predicting performance of …

A Mini Chalk Talk Workshop For Fourth-Year Medical Students: Facilitating The Transition From Student To Resident Educator, Trevor Jamison, Zaven Sargsyan, Uma Ayyala, Stephanie Sherman, Holland Kaplan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: There is increasing recognition that incoming interns benefit from formal training in teaching skills during UME. Many medical schools have capstone courses well suited for teacher-training content. Mini chalk talks (MCTs) are a common clinical teaching modality requiring a variety of teaching skills. We developed a session for our institution's capstone course in which students prepared and delivered MCTs.

METHODS: The voluntary flipped classroom session was offered virtually in 2021 and in person in 2022. Before the session, students reviewed materials on creating effective MCTs and developed and practiced their own MCT. During the 90-minute session, students presented their …

Utilizing Low-Tech Portable Caterpillar Tunnels To Increase Productivity Of Warm-Season Vegetables And Small Fruits, Bijaya Ghimire

Plant Sciences

High tunnels and greenhouses effectively extend the growing season and protect crops from adverse environmental conditions. However, production in the less expensive and portable caterpillar tunnel has not been reported. The research aimed to evaluate the phenology, yield and quality of eight paste tomato, eight bell pepper, and two cold-hardy wine grapes grown in the caterpillar tunnel compared to the open field. In 2022, tomato and bell pepper cultivars were severely affected by tomato spotted wilt virus. Caterpillar tunnels extended the growing season and accelerated the key phenological stages of all three species. The tunnel increased the yield and quality …

Targeting Histone Deacetylase In Cardiac Diseases, Jiao Lu, Sichong Qian, Zheng Sun

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Histone deacetylases (HDAC) catalyze the removal of acetylation modifications on histones and non-histone proteins, which regulates gene expression and other cellular processes. HDAC inhibitors (HDACi), approved anti-cancer agents, emerge as a potential new therapy for heart diseases. Cardioprotective effects of HDACi are observed in many preclinical animal models of heart diseases. Genetic mouse models have been developed to understand the role of each HDAC in cardiac functions. Some of the findings are controversial. Here, we provide an overview of how HDACi and HDAC impact cardiac functions under physiological or pathological conditions. We focus on in vivo studies of zinc-dependent classical …

High Prevalence Of A-Β+ Ketosis-Prone Diabetes In Children With Type 2 Diabetes And Diabetic Ketoacidosis At Diagnosis: Evidence From The Rare And Atypical Diabetes Network (Radiant), Elizabeth Kubota-Mishra, Xiaofan Huang, Charles G Minard, Marcela Astudillo, Ahmad Refaey, Graciela Montes, Stephanie Sisley, Nalini Ram, William E Winter, Rochelle N Naylor, Ashok Balasubramanyam, Maria J Redondo, Mustafa Tosur, Radiant Study Group

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND:A−β+ ketosis-prone diabetes (KPD) in adults is characterized by presentation with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), negative islet autoantibodies, and preserved β-cell function in persons with a phenotype of obesity-associated type 2 diabetes (T2D). The prevalence of KPD has not been evaluated in children. We investigated children with DKA at “T2D” onset and determined the prevalence and characteristics of pediatric A−β+ KPD within this cohort.

METHODS: We reviewed the records of 716 children with T2D at a large academic hospital and compared clinical characteristics of those with and without DKA at onset. In the …

Effects Of Synonymous And Nonsynonymous Cyp51 Mutations On Dmi Resistance In Cercospora Beticola, Isaac Courneya

Plant Pathology

Cercospora beticola is the most devastating foliar pathogen of sugar beet. This pathogen is primarily managed by the application of fungicides, including demethylation inhibitors (DMIs). Given the broad use of DMIs in managing Cercospora leaf spot, resistance has developed. Recently, five haplotypes of CbCyp51 have been correlated with DMI resistance. To improve our understanding of these haplotypes, this study has evaluated CbCyp51 expression across haplotypes with and without DMI exposure using RT-qPCR. Significant differences were found between haplotypes in control and difenoconazole groups, but the broader implications were unclear. This study also produced mutant C. beticola strains with replaced CbCyp51 …

Genetic Variation In Black Gram And Guar For Phenology, Physiology, Growth, And Yield Under Irrigated And Rainfed Conditions Of Northern Great Plains, Saurabha Koirala

Plant Sciences

Field trials were conducted in 2022 and 2023 to evaluate the feasibility of growing black gram (Vigna mungo) and guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) and to identify superior accessions for semiarid conditions of Northern Great Plains, U.S. Significant genetic variability was observed among 21 black gram and 18 guar accessions under rainfed and irrigated conditions. Black gram accession PI425187 yielded the highest grain per plant (8.6 g) under rainfed conditions, while PI377397 and PI377406 performed best under irrigated (6.5 g). Number of pod per plant and seeds per pod were highly correlated with yield per plant. The highest guar yield per plant …

Comparison Of Complication Types In Patients Receiving Vesicant Intravenous Antimicrobials Or Vasopressors Via Midlines And Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters, Bryan Grigg, Nishant Varghese, Christi Knapp, Sabra L Shay, Geraldine Jones, James P Herlihy, Prasad Manian, Bradley Lembcke, Mayar Al Mohajer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

We assessed adverse events in hospitalized patients receiving selected vesicant antibiotics or vasopressors administered through midline catheters or peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC). The rates of catheter-related bloodstream infections, thrombosis, and overall events were similar across the two groups, while occlusion was higher in the PICC group.

Select Gut Microbiota Impede Rotavirus Vaccine Efficacy, Vu L Ngo, Yanling Wang, Yadong Wang, Zhenda Shi, Robert Britton, Jun Zou, Sasirekha Ramani, Baoming Jiang, Andrew T Gewirtz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The protection provided by rotavirus (RV) vaccines is highly heterogeneous among individuals. We hypothesized that microbiota composition might influence RV vaccine efficacy.

METHODS: First, we examined the potential of segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB) colonization to influence RV vaccine efficacy in mice. Next, we probed the influence of human microbiomes on RV vaccination via administering mice fecal microbial transplants (FMTs) from children with robust or minimal RV vaccine responsiveness. Post-FMT, mice were subjected to RV vaccination followed by RV challenge.

RESULTS: SFB colonization induced a phenotype that was reminiscent of RV vaccine failure (ie, failure to generate RV …

Community Detection In Censored Hypergraph, Zhao Bin

Statistics

Network, or graph, represent relationships between entities in various applications, such as social networks, biological systems, and communication networks. A common feature in network data is the presence of community structures, where groups of nodes exhibit higher connectivity within themselves than with other groups. Identifying these community structures, a task known as community detection, is essential for gaining valuable insights in diverse applications, including uncovering hidden relationships in social networks, detecting functional modules in biological systems, and identifying vulnerabilities in communication networks. However, real-world network data may have missing values, significantly impacting the network’s structural properties. Existing community detection methods …

Pik-Iii Exerts Anti-Fibrotic Effects In Activated Fibroblasts By Regulating P38 Activation, Santiago Sanchez, Aaron K Mcdowell-Sanchez, Sharaz B Al-Meerani, Juan D Cala-Garcia, Alan R Waich Cohen, Scott A Ochsner, Neil J Mckenna, Lindsay J Celada, Minghua Wu, Shervin Assassi, Ivan O Rosas, Konstantin Tsoyi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Systemic sclerosis (SSc), also known as scleroderma, is an autoimmune-driven connective tissue disorder that results in fibrosis of the skin and internal organs such as the lung. Fibroblasts are known as the main effector cells involved in the progression of SSc through the induction of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and myofibroblast differentiation. Here, we demonstrate that 4'-(cyclopropylmethyl)-N2-4-pyridinyl-[4,5'-bipyrimidine]-2,2'-diamine (PIK-III), known as class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PIK3C3/VPS34) inhibitor, exerts potent antifibrotic effects in human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) by attenuating transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1)-induced ECM expression, cell contraction and myofibroblast differentiation. Unexpectedly, neither genetic silencing of PIK3C3 nor other PIK3C3 inhibitors (e.g., …

Applying A Modern Situational Measure To Improve The Reliability, Validity, And Outcome Predictability Of Dream Assessment, Odalis Garcia

Psychology

Dreams are hallucinatory activity occurring during sleep that nearly everyone experiences. To understand and research dreams, the field needs a reliable and valid dream assessment tool. The current, most used, measure (Hall and Van de Castle measure) has presented with various reliability and validity issues since its development in 1966. I propose adapting the DIAMONDS taxonomy for situational characteristics to assess dream content. The validation process of this adapted measure has begun with foundational work informing the development of dream-specific subscales. In two preliminary studies I provide some evidence for substantive and structural validity of the adapted measure. Interim data …

Improving Nitrogen Management, Including The Use Of Cover Crops, In North Dakota Cropping Systems, Brady Goettl

Natural Resources Management

Crop production in North Dakota covers nearly 64 million ha, playing a crucial role in the state’s economy. However, wide-spread agriculture also poses environmental risks resulting from soil erosion and loss of N to ground and surface water. To address these concerns, agriculturists must adopt practices to decrease soil erosion and responsibly manage N. Between 2020 and 2024, several studies in North Dakota focused on improving N management in two-row malting barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), explored opportunities for cover crop integration, and assessed the rotational impact cover crops on crop productivity and soil factors. Research indicated N recommendations ranging from …

The Experiences Of Women College Presidents While Leading Through An Institutional Crisis: The Perceived Successes And Failures Of Crisis Communication Strategies, Madison Marie Speck

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This multi-site case study explored the uncommonly discussed yet organic intersection between the study of crisis communication and the study of crisis leadership and in turn, what it means in the context of a college presidency. This study has a unique focus on women presidents at small, private colleges and the ways in which they communicate with various stakeholders during a crisis environment. The research is guided by Boin’s Model of Crisis Leadership which guides and assesses crisis leadership performance; however this study introduces nuances to the framework that are suggested as a result of the findings; most of which …

Subjective Cognitive Decline: Examining The Contributions Of Adverse Childhood Experiences And Social Determinants Of Health, Amber Victoria Rusch

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Subjective cognitive decline is one’s awareness of their own consistent memory loss or confusion that interrupts their day-to-day activities (CDC, 2022; Roehr et al., 2017). Several risk factors for subjective cognitive decline, such as demographic social determinants of health (SDOH) and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been identified through previous research (Alzheimer’s Association, 2016; Dening & Sandilyan, 2015); however, less is known about the interaction between demographic SDOH and ACEs on subjective cognitive decline. The current study sought to examine how demographic SDOH (i.e., age, sex, race, and education) (research question 1) and ACEs (i.e., physical abuse, sexual abuse, and …

An Assessment Of Barriers To Nurse Practitioners’ Utilizing Pharmacogenetic Testing For Depression, Sierra Entzel

Nursing

As a leading cause of disability worldwide, depression is considered a chronic disease. Medication management is the first-line treatment for moderate to severe major depressive disorder. Medications are selected based on provider experience and preference with a trial-and- error” approach. These medications may take several weeks to reach therapeutic dosing. If it is not tolerated or ineffective for treating the disease, then the medication regimen is changed, requiring a minimum of 4-6 weeks to determine efficacy. This trial-and-error approach to depression treatment can lead to patients living with persistently debilitating depressive symptoms for months, increased healthcare costs due to continued …

The Relationship Between Moral Thought-Action Fusion And Scrupulosity Across Judaism, Christianity, And Islam, Kelsey Evey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Scrupulosity is a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) where individuals are upset by intrusive thoughts related to religious or moral issues. Current research suggests that scrupulosity occurs across the major world religions—including the Abrahamic religions (i.e., Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). Some research suggests that moral thought-action fusion (moral TAF), a dysfunctional belief that thinking something is equal to doing it, may only be pathological under certain circumstances (e.g., if it is not culturally normative). If this is true, the current cognitive model of scrupulosity may need to be amended to reflect how cultural differences impact the role of moral TAF …

Implementation Of The Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership In Research And Education (Aaspire)-Based Guidelines To Improve Perioperative Care Of Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Kayleigh Brink

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT

Implementation of the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE)-based Guidelines to Improve Perioperative Care of Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Kayleigh Brink

Introduction: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is becoming more prevalent with an increasing need to identify and eliminate barriers to care. Healthcare Providers (HCP) have shown limited knowledge and confidence when managing patients with ASD. The inability to provide specialized care and recognize symptoms of pain or discomfort could result in behavioral difficulties.

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to improve confidence among HCPs to identify ASD characteristics and to improve the use of …

Advance Care Planning: Implementing Online Education For Rural Primary Care Providers, Jessica Kurtz

Nursing

Advance care planning (ACP) can assist patients and their families in navigating personal and medical choices at the end-of-life; however, these conversations often transpire too late. Primary care providers (PCPs) frequently develop extended relationships with their patients, especially those with chronic disease, and possess opportunities throughout a patient’s lifespan to assess when ACP conversations could be initiated. Unfortunately, many PCPs lack confidence in leading ACP conversations, although they are willing to facilitate them. Despite the alarming number of people living with chronic disease and documented benefits of ACP, advance directive completion remains low. According to previous research, online ACP education …

Emergency Provider Education For Management Of Patients With Suicidal Ideation In Rural Minnesota, Stephanie Slivnik

Nursing

This dissertation investigated the efficacy of an educational intervention aimed at enhancing the management of patients with suicidal ideation in a rural emergency department. Employing a quasi-experimental mixed-method design, the study involved an educational session, administration of online pre-, post-, and post three-month surveys, and an electronic health record review. The data was then compared to determine if provider confidence was impacted by education. The educational session, guided by the ICAR²E mnemonic developed by Wilson et al. (2020), encompassed components focused on identifying suicide risk, effective communication with patients, assessment for life-threatening conditions, risk assessment, strategies to reduce suicide risk, …

The Function Of Protein Glutamylation In Vision, Rawaa Aljammal

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Posttranslational glutamylation of protein has emerged as a novel candidate for cellular integrity. In a dynamic process, Tubulin Tyrosine Ligase Like proteins (TTLLs) introduce glutamate groups to their substrates, while Cytosolic Carboxypeptidases members (CCP1-CCP6) remove these glutamate groups. The outcome of this interplay is a wide range of substrates; each is glutamylated to a level crucial for its function.

Protein glutamylation is particularly abundant in neurons and in the axoneme of cilia and flagella. This distribution, along with the correlation between imbalanced glutamylation levels and compromised cellular functions, underscores the significance of protein glutamylation in maintaining cellular viability. However, the …

Parental Socialization Of General And Domain-Specific Self-Control In Adolescents, Matty Johnston

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Adolescent self-control appears to be an important competency to develop. It has pervasive links with various outcomes (e.g., educational, financial, and interpersonal) both during adolescence and into adulthood (Allemand et al., 2019, Moffitt et al., 2011). Adolescents often report lower self-control compared to adults, although individual levels of self-control vary widely between adolescents (Allemand et al., 2019, Romer et al., 2010). Despite its importance, very little is known about how self-control develops. Thus, the current study aims to examine the relationship between parents’ self-control and that of their teen children. To further understand how adolescents' self-control may be socialized by …