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Formulation, Characterization, And In Vivo Immunogenicity Evaluation Of Heat-Stabilized Dissolvable Polymeric Microneedles, Aidan Lane Leyba

Biomedical Engineering ETDs

Since its introduction, vaccination has improved health outcomes tremendously. However, modern vaccination efforts are still difficult to implement, particularly in developing countries with warm climates. This includes complex and expensive cold-chain management of vaccines to maintain stability, a lack of medical personnel to administer parental vaccines, and needle phobia. As an alternative, dissolvable microneedles have recently been studied for their simple and painless application. In this thesis, I present a novel manufacturing process for polymer-based dissolvable microneedles, loaded with virus-like particles vaccines conjugated to TRIO or Sialokinin peptides to target malaria and arboviruses, respectively. We have performed multiple characterization studies …

Reducing Inoculum Effect By Modulating Growth Productivity Through The Superpathway Of Purine, Pyrimidine And Histidine Synthesis In Escherichia Coli, Ruth Thomas, Daniella M. Hernandez, Melissa Marzouk

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Antibiotic overuse has driven the evolution of multiple antibiotic-resistant bacteria that complicate infections that were once easily treatable. While mechanisms by which individual bacterium resist or tolerate antibiotics are well explored, less studied are the mechanisms by which populations of bacteria tolerate antibiotics as a collective. One such mechanism bacteria employ to tolerate antibiotic treatment as a collective is the inoculum effect (IE). We recently discovered that growth productivity, which describes the relationship between ATP production and growth rate, can account for IE for multiple antibiotics and pathogens. However, the underlying pathways for determining growth productivity have yet to be …

The Outcome In Pediatric Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia; Results Of The First-Line Treatment And Contribution Of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation To Survival Of Relapsed Patients, Nazan Sarper, Intzi Tachzin, Sema Aylan Gelen, Emine Zengi̇n

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: To analyze the long-term outcome of pediatric patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia.Materials and methods: Data from 69 patients 0–18 years of age diagnosed between December 2001 and October 2019 were analyzed in April 2023. Patients received MRC-AML10 chemotherapy (2ADE+MACE+MidAC). No maintenance chemotherapy or preventive cranial radiotherapy was administered. Twelve patients with Down syndrome and 15 patients with promyelocytic leukemia were in the cohort. Patients with Down syndrome received reduced chemotherapy (cumulative anthracycline 420 mg/m2, cytarabine 3.4 g/m2, etoposide 1400 mg/m2). ATRA was added to chemotherapy in promyelocytic leukemia.Results: Four patients (5.8%) died in the induction (two typhlitis, one intracranial …

Harnessing Rna Technology To Advance Therapeutic Vaccine Antigens Against Chagas Disease, Chiara Mancino, Jeroen Pollet, Assaf Zinger, Kathryn M Jones, Maria José Villar, Ana Carolina Leao, Rakesh Adhikari, Leroy Versteeg, Rakhi Tyagi Kundu, Ulrich Strych, Federica Giordano, Peter J Hotez, Maria Elena Bottazzi, Francesca Taraballi, Cristina Poveda

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Chagas disease (CD) (American trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma cruzi) is a parasitic disease endemic in 21 countries in South America, with increasing global spread. When administered late in the infection, the current antiparasitic drugs do not prevent the onset of cardiac illness leading to chronic Chagasic cardiomyopathy. Therefore, new therapeutic vaccines or immunotherapies are under development using multiple platforms. In this study, we assessed the feasibility of developing an mRNA-based therapeutic CD vaccine targeting two known T. cruzi vaccine antigens (Tc24—a flagellar antigen and ASP-2—an amastigote antigen). We present the mRNA engineering steps, preparation, and stability of the lipid …

Meat Consumption Meets Risk Regulation In The United States, Andrew Kelbley

Duke Environmental Law & Policy Forum

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Official State Messaging On Covid-19 Infection And Death Rates In Five U.S. States, Barclay Randall Murphy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Dna Methylation And Parental History On Wheezing Trajectories In Children, Donald Eugene Warden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Asthma and wheezing present public health changes that manifest during early childhood. This dissertation utilizes longitudinal data within the Isle of Wight Birth Cohort (IOWBC) third generation to explore the development of early childhood wheezing phenotypes, their implications for asthma development, including environmental and epigenetic factors. Children in the F2-generation (n=611) of the IOWBC were followed-up at 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, and 72 months, and the incidence of wheeze subtype (general, infectious, and non-infectious) were used in group-based trajectory models to identify phenotypes of early childhood wheezing. These trajectories were examined as predictors of asthma diagnosis, lung function, and …

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Oncogenic Oral Human Papillomavirus Clearance Patterns Over 10 Years, Gypsyamber D'Souza, Sakshi R Tewari, Tanya Troy, Jennifer Webster-Cyriaque, Dorothy J Wiley, Cecile Delille Lahiri, Frank Joseph Palella, Maura L Gillison, Howard D Strickler, Linda Struijk, Tim Waterboer, Ken Ho, Jennafer Kwait, Jason Lazar, Kathleen M Weber, Carole Fakhry

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Effective screening for oropharyngeal cancer is lacking. Four oncogenic HPV clearance definitions were explored to understand long-term natural history for persistent oncogenic oral HPV (oncHPV), the precursor of oropharyngeal cancer.

Methods: Prospective multicenter cohort of participants living with/at-risk for HIV, with oral rinse and gargle samples collected every 6 to 12 months for up to 10 years and tested for oncHPV. HPV clearance definitions included 1 (clear1), 2 (clear2), 3 (clear3) consecutive negatives, or being negative at last two visits (clearlast).

Results: Median time to clearance of oncHPV exceeded 2 years for conservative definitions (clear3: 2.38, clearlast: 2.43), but …

Swine Influenza A Virus: Challenges And Novel Vaccine Strategies, Erika M. Petro-Turnquist, Matthew J. Pekarek, Eric A. Weaver

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Swine Influenza A Virus (IAV-S) imposes a significant impact on the pork industry and has been deemed a significant threat to global public health due to its zoonotic potential. The most effective method of preventing IAV-S is vaccination. While there are tremendous efforts to control and prevent IAV-S in vulnerable swine populations, there are considerable challenges in developing a broadly protective vaccine against IAV-S. These challenges include the consistent diversification of IAV-S, increasing the strength and breadth of adaptive immune responses elicited by vaccination, interfering maternal antibody responses, and the induction of vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory disease after vaccination. Current vaccination …

A Data Browsing Application For Accessing Gene And Module-Level Blood Transcriptome Profiles Of Healthy Pregnant Women From High- And Low-Resource Settings., Darawan Rinchai, Tobias Brummaier, Alexandra A Marr, Tanwir Habib, Mohammed Toufiq, Tomoshigue Kino, François Nosten, Souhaila Al Khodor, Annalisa Terranegra, Rose Mcgready, Basirudeen Syed Ahamed Kabeer, Damien Chaussabel

Faculty Research 2024

Transcriptome profiling data, generated via RNA sequencing, are commonly deposited in public repositories. However, these data may not be easily accessible or usable by many researchers. To enhance data reuse, we present well-annotated, partially analyzed data via a user-friendly web application. This project involved transcriptome profiling of blood samples from 15 healthy pregnant women in a low-resource setting, taken at 6 consecutive time points beginning from the first trimester. Additional blood transcriptome profiles were retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) public repository, representing a cohort of healthy pregnant women from a high-resource setting. …

Understanding Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Used In Adult Survivors Experiencing Long-Term Effects After Covid-19 Infection: A Rapid Review, Egle Barilaite, Harry Watson, Mevhibe B. Hocaoglu

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are used in individuals experiencing long-term effects from COVID-19 infection, or Long COVID, to evaluate the quality of life and functional status of these individuals. However, little is known about which PROMs are being utilised and the psychometric properties of these PROMs. Our purpose was thus to explore which PROMs are used in Long COVID patients and to discuss the psychometric properties of the PROMs.

Methods

For this rapid review, a systematic literature search was performed in the PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL databases. The found studies were screened using the PRISMA flowchart. We then performed …

A Compendium Of Multi-Omics Data Illuminating Host Responses To Lethal Human Virus Infections, Amie J Eisfeld, Larissa B Thackray, Qing Tan, Michael S Diamond, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Human infections caused by viral pathogens trigger a complex gamut of host responses that limit disease, resolve infection, generate immunity, and contribute to severe disease or death. Here, we present experimental methods and multi-omics data capture approaches representing the global host response to infection generated from 45 individual experiments involving human viruses from the Orthomyxoviridae, Filoviridae, Flaviviridae, and Coronaviridae families. Analogous experimental designs were implemented across human or mouse host model systems, longitudinal samples were collected over defined time courses, and global multi-omics data (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics) were acquired by microarray, RNA sequencing, or mass spectrometry analyses. For …

Broken Promises: Prolonged Diminished Quality-Of-Life Among Liberian Ebola Survivors Half A Decade After The 2014-16 West African Outbreak, Jessi Hanson-Defusco, Decontee Davis, Meghana Bommareddy, Zainab Olaniyan

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

The 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak left thousands of Liberian survivors with severely diminished quality of life. Applying a social determinants framework, this mixed method study investigates to what extent Ebola virus disease (EVD) survivors suffer long-haul psychosocial stress, diminished quality-of-life factors, and the impact of EVD-related service provisions on their ongoing healing. We present the results of a quantitative analysis survey of data collected from 19 Liberian EVD survivors in 2022 using snowball sampling. Additionally, a qualitative analysis of survivor statements helps triangulate key statistical findings and inform causal mechanisms. Survivors report experiencing 5.25 of a total of 7 ongoing stressors …

Antibiotic Treatment For Well-Appearing Infants Born At ≥35 Weeks’ Gestation To Mothers With Chorioamnionitis Before And After Implementation Of Neonatal Early-Onset Sepsis Calculator, Surichhya Bajracharya, Preetha Prazad, Catherine Bennett, Nahren Asado

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose

Our quality improvement study aimed to determine whether application of a neonatal early-onset sepsis calculator (NSC) among well-appearing infants born at ≥ 35 weeks’ gestation to mothers with chorioamnionitis decreases the number of lab evaluations (LEs) and antibiotic treatments (Abxs) without missing early-onset sepsis.

Methods

We compared 2 years (January 1, 2019–January 3, 2021) of data from a historical-control group before implementation of the NSC to 1 year (January 4, 2021–December 31, 2021) of data from a calculator group after implementation of the NSC to evaluate whether LE and Abx decreased following implementation of the NSC on January 4, …

Ai Is A Viable Alternative To High Throughput Screening: A 318-Target Study, The Atomwise Aims Program

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

High throughput screening (HTS) is routinely used to identify bioactive small molecules. This requires physical compounds, which limits coverage of accessible chemical space. Computational approaches combined with vast on-demand chemical libraries can access far greater chemical space, provided that the predictive accuracy is sufficient to identify useful molecules. Through the largest and most diverse virtual HTS campaign reported to date, comprising 318 individual projects, we demonstrate that our AtomNet® convolutional neural network successfully finds novel hits across every major therapeutic area and protein class. We address historical limitations of computational screening by demonstrating success for target proteins without known binders, …

Antigen-Clustered Nanovaccine Achieves Long-Term Tumor Remission By Promoting B/Cd 4 T Cell Crosstalk, Chengyi Li, Ryan Clauson, Luke F Bugada, Fang Ke, Bing He, Zhixin Yu, Hongwei Chen, Binyamin Jacobovitz, Hongxiang Hu, Polina Chuikov, Brett Dallas Hill, Syed M Rizvi, Yudong Song, Kai Sun, Pasieka Axenov, Daniel Huynh, Xinyi Wang, Lana Garmire, Yu Leo Lei, Irina Grigorova, Fei Wen, Marilia Cascalho, Wei Gao, Duxin Sun

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Current cancer vaccines using T cell epitopes activate antitumor T cell immunity through dendritic cell/macrophage-mediated antigen presentation, but they lack the ability to promote B/CD4 T cell crosstalk, limiting their anticancer efficacy. We developed antigen-clustered nanovaccine (ACNVax) to achieve long-term tumor remission by promoting B/CD4 T cell crosstalk. The topographic features of ACNVax were achieved using an iron nanoparticle core attached with an optimal number of gold nanoparticles, where the clusters of HER2 B/CD4 T cell epitopes were conjugated on the gold surface with an optimal intercluster distance of 5-10 nm. ACNVax effectively trafficked to lymph nodes and cross-linked with …

Sistem Monitoring Dan Evaluasi Serta Perkembangan Program Pencegahan Dan Pengendalian Penyakit Tuberkulosis Di Dinas Kesehatan Kota Depok, Supriyanti Supriyanti, Tiur Febrina Pohan, Kemal N. Siregar

Jurnal Biostatistik, Kependudukan, dan Informatika Kesehatan

Beban kasus TB tertinggi tahun 2021 terjadi di Provinsi Jawa Barat, Jawa Timur, Jawa Tengah, Sumatera Utara, dan DKI Jakarta. Kota Depok merupakan salah satu penyumbang beban TB di Jawa Barat. Dari data estimasi beban TB se-Provinsi Jawa Barat, Kota Depok berada di urutan ke-7 dengan estimasi jumlah kasus sebanyak 3853 kasus. Menurut indikator angka keberhasilan pengobatan pasien TB, semua kasus tahun 2018-2021 masih dibawah target 90%. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui hasil monitoring dan evaluasi program TB yang telah berjalan di Seksi Pencegahan dan Pengendalian Penyakit Menular serta perkembangan program TB dilihat dari capaian indikator TB di Dinas Kesehatan …

Analisis Spasial Faktor Risiko Difteri Di Provinsi Lampung Tahun 2022 Dan 2023, Nada Izzata Kamilla, Feranita Utama, Noviani Noviani

Jurnal Biostatistik, Kependudukan, dan Informatika Kesehatan

Difteri merupakan penyakit menular yang disebabkan oleh bakteri Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Bila ditemukan satu kasus difteri di suatu wilayah maka dapat ditetapkan sebagai KLB. Provinsi Lampung terus mengalami kenaikan kasus dan suspek difteri sejak 2020 dan turut menyumbang angka kematian akibat difteri pada tahun 2023. Kasus difteri dipengaruhi oleh beberapa faktor risiko. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendapatkan gambaran distribusi dan faktor risiko kasus difteri di Provinsi Lampung dengan memetakan kabupaten/kota berdasarkan persebaran dan faktor risikonya. Penelitian ini menggunakan desain studi ekologi dengan metode deskriptif analitik dengan aplikasi Quantum GIS versi 3.28.3. Hasil menunjukan distribusi kejadian difteri di Provinsi …

Benefits Of The Use Of Probiotics In Preventing Secondary Infections, Sarah Cutcher

Scholars Week

Through evidence based research, the use of supplemental probiotics has been shown to have a positive effect in preventing secondary infections in hospital patients. Although there are other techniques that have decreased the incidence of infections, such as reducing invasive procedures and aseptic techniques, these are external procedures designed to prevent infection. Probiotics are an effective method of internally preventing infection. By studying certain infections and the effect that probiotics have on their prevention, researchers can safely conclude which bacteria strain could help to prevent each infection. Some different types of issues that will be looked at are healthcare acquired …

A Communication-Efficient Federated Learning Framework For Sustainable Development Using Lemurs Optimizer, Mohammed Azmi Al-Betar, Ammar Kamal Abasi, Zaid Abdi Alkareem Alyasseri, Salam Fraihat, Raghad Falih Mohammed

Machine Learning Faculty Publications

The pressing need for sustainable development solutions necessitates innovative data-driven tools. Machine learning (ML) offers significant potential, but faces challenges in centralized approaches, particularly concerning data privacy and resource constraints in geographically dispersed settings. Federated learning (FL) emerges as a transformative paradigm for sustainable development by decentralizing ML training to edge devices. However, communication bottlenecks hinder its scalability and sustainability. This paper introduces an innovative FL framework that enhances communication efficiency. The proposed framework addresses the communication bottleneck by harnessing the power of the Lemurs optimizer (LO), a nature-inspired metaheuristic algorithm. Inspired by the cooperative foraging behavior of lemurs, the …

Predictive Policing, Emily Musgrove

Richard T. Schellhase Essay Prize in Ethics

Currently, machine learning and artificial intelligence are still somewhat new to the world of law enforcement, however, they appear to be rapidly gaining traction for their usefulness in a variety of manners. In this paper, I will examine how technically useful machine learning-based predictive policing is, the ethical conundrums that come with its practical uses, and how to mitigate the risks of its use.

Monarch Science Observer, Volume 18, College Of Sciences, Old Dominion University

College of Sciences Newsletter

Spring 2024, issue of Monarch Science Observer, ODU Colleges of Sciences Newsletter.

The Utah Statesman, April 1, 2024, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Impact Of Neurological Diseases In Kisumu, Kenya: Case Studies At Jootrh And Kcrh, Jack F. Dunham

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Introduction: The burden that neurological diseases put on health systems is high, and growing across the globe, especially in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) like Kenya. For this reason, our study sought out to study the burden and impact of neurological diseases at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) and Kisumu County Referral Hospital (KCRH), which are in Western Kenya.

Methods: Utilizing data from handwritten patient records spanning 23 months, our study collected said data and analyzed the prevalence, incidence, distribution, and outcomes of different neurological diseases as they impact the Kisumu community.

Results/Discussion: Comparing …

White-Fronted Capuchins (Cebus Albifrons Aequatorialis) In La Hesperia Cloud Forest Reserve: A Study Of Aggressive Behaviors In Response To Human Presence, Marin Lynch

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Ecuadorian white-fronted capuchin, Cebus albifrons aequatorialis, is a critically endangered primate species native to Ecuador and northern Peru. Their population consists of only a handful of surviving troops spread out across this region. One surviving population exists in La Hesperia Cloud Forest Reserve in Ecuador. This reserve serves as an education and volunteer site for dozens of international travelers every year. I studied the effect of the presence of humans and the lodging they have constructed. Specifically, I investigated the effect on behavior of the proximity of the troops alpha male to manmade structures in the reserve. I …

Analyzing Deaths From Extreme Weather Events And Their Relevance To The Life Insurance Industry, Erika Roof

Honors Projects in Biological and Biomedical Sciences

This study aims to discover the effect of extreme weather events on the life insurance industry. As climate change progresses and global temperatures increase, extreme weather events, which are separated into drought, freeze, severe storms, tropical cyclones, wildfires, and winter storms are expected to occur more often. Extreme weather events not only impact the local economies but increase local death rates as well. Using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NOAA NCEI), this study uses regression analysis to examine the correlation between extreme weather and mortality data. Time series regression analysis suggests that …

Lobbying Impact: Assessing The Effects Of Lobbying On Healthcare Access For Minority Communities, Aastha Soni

Honors Projects in Politics, Law, and Society

The United States healthcare system suffers from significant flaws stemming from the absence of universal healthcare and entrenched systemic racism, resulting in a predominantly market-driven approach to healthcare provision. Unfortunately, this has created barriers that disproportionately limit access to healthcare for minority communities. The unequal healthcare landscape reflects the culmination of disparate health policies and social determinants of health. Moreover, the influence of large corporations and Washington's K Street on the legislation through lobbying further exacerbates these systemic disparities. This paper aims to explore the impact of lobbying on healthcare access for minority communities by analyzing two bills. By identifying …

An Analysis Of The Feasibility Of An Overdose Prevention Center In The City Of Worcester, Adam Cohen, Pieter Vanderbrug, Gus Hoy, Blake Leasure

School of Professional Studies

The opioid epidemic raging across the United States is causing overdose deaths to skyrocket, prompting policy-makers across all levels of government to embrace non-traditional and sometimes controversial means of combating the worsening crisis. Overdose prevention centers (OPCs) represent one such method rapidly gaining prominence. Only emerging in North America relatively recently, these centers offer clients a supervised environment where they can use pre-obtained drugs, spaces designed to mitigate the risk of fatal overdose and increase access to other health services. This study investigates both the capacity of OPCs to reduce opioid-related overdose deaths and their derivative impacts as well as …

Malaria, A Burden For Sub-Saharan Africa, Alpha Mamadou Hady Barry

Health and Kinesiology Theses

Malaria has been a worldwide health problem for centuries causing between 1.5 to 2.7 million deaths annually, and mostly affecting children aged 5 and under and pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) (Phillips, 2001). The discovery of malaria parasites by Laveran in 1880 as well as the finding of mosquitoes as vectors for avian malaria by Ross in 1897, made scientific studies about malaria possible. Between 1898 and 1900, the Italian scientists Grassi, Bignami, Bastianelli, Celli, Golgi and Marchiafava discovered human malaria (Cox, 2010). Malaria has been eradicated from developed countries such as the United Staes and most European countries …