Digital Commons Network^™

Intensive English Program Design For Minnesota Public School District, Ellen Bialka

Capstone Collection

The recent rise in undocumented immigrants in Minnesota has brought to light significant demographic shifts within the state. Many individuals in this population have limited or no proficiency in English, which highlights the challenges immigrant communities face in adapting to their new linguistic surroundings. As a result, educators have been presented with the challenge of serving a growing number of immigrant children in their schools. To tackle this issue, an intensive English program was developed for a suburban public school district in Minnesota to offer a more targeted approach to improving English proficiency among students before beginning courses required for …

2024 Medical Student Research Day Abstracts, George Washington University

GW Research Showcase 2021-2026

The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences research showcase is designed to highlight the breadth of research and scholarly activity that students have accomplished during their education at The GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences. All students are invited to present research regardless of the area of focus. Abstract submissions represent a broad range of research interests and disciplines, including basic and translational science, clinical research, health policy and public health research, and education-related research.

Social Determinants Of Health And Internalized Hiv Stigma Among People Living With Hiv In South Florida: An Intersectional Approach, Megan A. Jones Mph, Elliott R. Weinstein Mph, M.S., Steven A. Safren Ph.D.

GW Research Showcase 2021-2026

No abstract provided.

2024 Medical Student Research Day Abstracts, George Washington University

GW Research Showcase 2021-2026

Medical student research day is designed to highlight the breadth of research and scholarly activity that medical students have accomplished during their education at The GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences. All medical students are invited to present research regardless of the area of focus. Abstract submissions represent a broad range of research interests and disciplines, including basic and translational science, clinical research, health policy and public health research, and education-related research.

The Financial Impact Of Health And Wellness, Owen Williams, Walter Fulton, Chad Vaughn, Keaton Spiegel

ENGL 1102 Showcase

This group anthology takes a deeper look into the cross section of health & wellness and business & finance sectors.

Poets Rooted In Nature: An Ecopoetry Anthology, Ian Chen , '24, Winston Zhang , '27, Riya Rao , '26, Peter Schmidt

English Literature Faculty Works

Anyone who has studied poetry has experienced its elusiveness as well as the profound impact that it brings upon its readers. Although poetry comes in many shapes and forms, the universal theme among impactful poetry is its ability to both evoke powerful emotions and inspire readers to action. In the somewhat bleak time of the present, individuals can easily feel insignificant among the masses; however, poetry can inspire wonder and break readers away from the screens and fickle distractions ever present in the modern world. In this anthology, we focus on the multifaceted genre of ecopoetry, a genre of poetry …

Identifying The Effects Of Environmental Conditions On Listeria Monocytogenes Fitness And Pathogenesis Modified By Transcription Factor Cody, Elizabeth K. Herr

Honors Theses

Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogen with the capability of causing severe illness in individuals who consume contaminated foods. Many foods have been found to harbor the bacterium, but dairy products, produce, and other prepackaged foods are particularly susceptible to contamination. Contaminated foods are exposed to a variety of environmental conditions during packaging, processing, consumption, and digestion, all of which play an essential role in modulating the survival and pathogenesis of L. monocytogenes. Conditions of particular interest include cold storage, presence of food additives, and activity of antimicrobial enzymes such as lysozyme. My honors thesis research has focused on elucidating how …

Dipl 6277 Global Health, Bioterrorism, And International Security, Yanzhong Huang Phd

Diplomacy Syllabi

This course is an interdisciplinary survey that focuses on the issues of global health security. As shown in the COVID-19 pandemic, international trade and travel threaten epidemics by transporting and spreading infectious disease globally at jet speed. The growing risk of exposure to infectious diseases, coupled with the threat of intentional release of dangerous pathogens, creates a situation in which health and security are interacting with greater frequency and intensity. This development parallels efforts to redefine the concept of security to encompass new global challenges such as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). To what extent does health fit this new security agenda? …

Dipl 4277 Aa Global Health, Bioterrorism, And International Security, Yanzhong Huang Phd

Diplomacy Syllabi

Global health issues have affected world history more extensively than most of us can imagine. As shown in the COVID-19 pandemic, international travel threatens transborder epidemics by transporting and spreading diseases globally at jet speed. The growing risk of exposure to infectious disease, coupled with the threat of intentional release of pathogens, creates a situation in which health and security are interacting with greater frequency and intensity. This development parallels efforts to redefine the concept of security to encompass new global challenges. This interdisciplinary course focuses on global health security by addressing the following questions: How did epidemics function as …

When Governors Prioritize Individual Freedom Over Public Health: Tort Liability For Government Failures, Barbara Pfeffer Billauer Jd, Ma, Phd

Journal of Law and Health

Over half the states have enacted laws diminishing or curtailing the rights of the executive branch (legislatures or governors) to enact laws to preserve, protect, or safeguard public health in the wake of the COVID-19 emergency. Governor DeSantis, of Florida, for example, effectively banned mask mandates in schools during the high point of the epidemic – based on flawed science and erroneous data – and now wants to make that response permanent. The rules effectuating this Executive Order were enacted under an emergency order finding a threat to public health. Nevertheless, the response promulgated by the Florida Department of Health …

How Bodily Autonomy Can Fail Against Vaccination Mandates; The Few Vs. The Many, Jason Yadhram

Journal of Law and Health

Humans have been a communal species since inception and continue to be so to this day. Because of this, if even a small scale of a measured population becomes severely ill, the entire remaining population and surrounding area is thrown into absolute chaos. In fact, we have seen these circumstances throughout history and in the recent COVID-19 pandemic yet, some of us have forgotten that the only way this chaos can be curbed, is by enacting a mandatory vaccination policy. Since COVID-19 however, vaccination mandates have become an uneasy topic of conversation in the United States for essentially one main …

Accommodations And Resources For Audiologists With Hearing Loss, Joseph Thomas Kraus

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

Hearing loss affects millions of people worldwide. The audiology profession strives to help all individuals achieve their communicative goals and needs, providing support and expertise to a deserving population. Audiologists themselves are not immune to the challenges of hearing differences themselves. This project has two main objectives to identify and discuss needs and challenges faced by audiologists, both within their professional field, as well as their educational upbringing, and to highlight specific accommodations that can enhance their professional success. The research phase of this project aims to develop a resource guide tailored to the needs of audiologists with hearing loss …

Optimized Protein Purification Of The Mutant 273 Cards Toxin From Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, Jalyn De La Fuente

Posters - 2024

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is an atypical bacterium that is known to cause respiratory distress and can lead to respiratory illnesses such as community-acquired pneumonia, pharyngitis, and tracheobronchitis. M.pneumoniae produces an ADPribosylation and vacuolating toxin called Community Acquired Respiratory Distress Syndrome (CARDS) toxin. Alone, the CARDS toxin is capable of reproducing many of the signs of an M.pneumoniae infection. The CARDS toxin often causes what is commonly referred to as “walking pneumonia”, a term used to characterize the mild symptoms associated with the infection. Patients with “walking pneumonia” can manage the condition without hospitalization, and often can continue with their normal day-to-day …

Immune Cell And Muscle Bioenergetics In Persons With Multiple Sclerosis, Kathryn Anne Kern

Dissertations (1934 -)

The pathology of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is immune-mediated, associated with excessive lymphocyte activity, and dysregulated immune cell metabolism. Biomarkers readily detected in the blood have superior utility in research and the clinical laboratory for their pathological, diagnostic, and prognostic value as well as translatability. There is a need for additional biomarkers of disease status in MS. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to determine whether peripheral blood immune cell (PBMC) metabolism differed between people with MS and non-MS controls, and whether PBMC bioenergetics correlated to muscle energetics and clinical end points including clinical, psychosocial, and functional outcomes. Specific cellular …

Antibiotic Resistance In Urban Stormwater Runoff And Green Stormwater Infrastructure, Kassidy N. O'Malley

Dissertations (1934 -)

Antibiotic resistance in the environment poses significant risks to human health, especially through the transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) via pathways like food and water. Urban stormwater runoff has been identified as a significant contributor to the release and transport of ARGs in the environment but has remained under-researched. This dissertation aimed to address this gap by investigating the fate of ARGs in urban stormwater runoff to guide future stormwater management decisions. Two phases were completed; the first sought to investigate extracellular antibiotic resistance genes (eARGs) in stormwater runoff, and the second focused on quantifying …

Abatacept Pharmacokinetics And Exposure Response In Patients Hospitalized With Covid-19: A Secondary Analysis Of The Activ-1 Im Randomized Clinical Trial, Stephen J Balevic, Daniel K Benjamin, William G Powderly, P Brian Smith, Daniel Gonzalez, Matthew W Mccarthy, Linda K Shaw, Christopher J Lindsell, Sam Bozzette, Daphne Williams, Benjamin P Linas, John Blamoun, Heta Javeri, Christoph P Hornik, Activ-1 Im Study Group

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: The pharmacokinetics of abatacept and the association between abatacept exposure and outcomes in patients with severe COVID-19 are unknown.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize abatacept pharmacokinetics, relate drug exposure with clinical outcomes, and evaluate the need for dosage adjustments.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This study is a secondary analysis of data from the ACTIV-1 (Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines) Immune Modulator (IM) randomized clinical trial conducted between October 16, 2020, and December 31, 2021. The trial included hospitalized adults who received abatacept in addition to standard of care for treatment of COVID-19 pneumonia. Data analysis was performed between September 2022 …

Investigation Of Potential Gut Health Biomarkers In Broiler Chicks Challenged By Campylobacter Jejuni And Submitted To A Continuous Water Disinfection Program, Tilemachos Mantzios, Despoina E. Kiousi, Georgia D. Brellou, Georgios A. Papadopoulos, Vangelis Economou, Marili Vasilogianni, Elisavet Kanari, Evanthia Petridou, Ilias Giannenas, Guillermo Tellez-Isaias, Aglaia Pappa, Alex Galanis, Vasilios Tsiouris

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The exploration of novel biomarkers to assess poultry health is of paramount importance, not only to enhance our understanding of the pathogenicity of zoonotic agents but also to evaluate the efficacy of novel treatments as alternatives to antibiotics. The present study aimed to investigate potential gut health biomarkers in broiler chicks challenged by Campylobacter jejuni and subjected to a continuous water disinfection program. A total of 144 one-day-old hatched broiler chicks were randomly allocated to four treatment groups with four replicates each, according to the following experimental design: Group A received untreated drinking water; Group B received drinking water treated …

Probiotic Therapy For The Treatment And Prevention Of Bacterial Vaginosis, Chelsea Scheil

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common presenting complaint in healthcare, and patients often experience recurrences at a frustrating rate. The mainstay of current treatment is antibiotic therapy, either via oral or vaginal route. When recurrences occur, stronger antibiotics are often employed. This current method of treatment does not address an underlying component that impacts infection recurrence and rate of recurrence- the patient’s baseline vaginal microbiome and the healthy bacteria that support it. To investigate the use of probiotics in bacterial vaginosis treatment, a comprehensive literature review was completed using databases PubMed and Embase. The results of this literature review confirm …

Novel Methods For Modeling And Treating Biofilm Infections, Emily Lazarus

Theses

Biofilms are responsible for the development of chronic infections, which are 10-1000 times more resistant to antimicrobial agents than two-dimensional (2D) planktonic culture. Traditionally, 2D planktonic cultures are used to study efficacy of antimicrobial treatments but 2D cultures have several shortcomings such as increased sensitivity to treatments, lack of complexity of the three-dimensional (3D) environment, limited host defense mechanisms, and lack the structural thickness of natural biofilms. Biofilm-related infections play a critical role in the delayed healing process of chronic skin wounds, and while treatments for chronic skin wounds exist, including negative pressure wound healing (NPWT), biofilm infections still prevail. …

Proactive International Law, Michal Saliternik, Sivan Shlomo Agon

UC Law Journal

This Article challenges the centuries-old reactive and past-oriented approach of international law. It suggests that while the reactive paradigm has facilitated practical solutions to the concrete problems faced by the international community, this paradigm has also led international law to become backward-looking and short-sighted, thereby hindering the discipline from acting in anticipation of long-term problems and developments.

Against this backdrop, this Article calls for a conceptual shift. It argues that the time has come to couple international law’s traditional reactive paradigm with a more proactive, forward-looking approach that is geared toward the future, with a view to preventing risks and …

From Collaboration To Continuity: Exploring Stakeholder Engagement For Sustainable Global Health Partnerships, Annabelle Falconer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Global health partnerships have been identified as crucial to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and targets related to health and wellbeing. Specifically, the Global Fund, UNAIDS Joint Programme, and the World Food Programme are examples of some of the relevant partners currently engaged in this work, filling roles in global health financing, governance, and delivery. Current literature has identified that the effective engagement of stakeholders in partnerships can be crucial in effective project implementation and that global health partnerships during the era of the Millennium Development Goals did impact health outcomes. This research aims to investigate the current strategies for …

Disability, Race, And Health Beyond The Carceral State, Benjamin A. Barsky, Craig Konnoth, Michael Ashley Stein

Michigan Law Review

A review of Embodied Injustice: Race, Disability, and Health. By Mary Crossley.

Prenatal And Postnatal Disparities In Very-Preterm Infants In A Study Of Infections Between 2018–2023 In Southeastern Us, Robin B. Dail Phd, Rn, Faan, Kayla C. Everhart Phd, Rn, Victor N. Iskersky, Weili Chang, Kimberley Fisher, Karen Warren Phd, Rn, Heidi J. Steflik, James W. Hardin Ph.D.

Publications

Background: The birthrate of Black preterm (BPT) infants is 65% higher than White preterm (WPT) infants with a BPT mortality that is 2.3 times higher. The incidence of culture-positive late-onset sepsis is as high as 41% in very-preterm infants. The main purpose of this study was to examine thermal gradients and the heart rate in relation to the onset of infection. This report presents disparities in very-preterm infection incidence, bacteria, and mortality data amongst BPT and WPT infants. Methods: 367 preterms born at < 32 weeks gestational age (GA) between 2019–2023 in five neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) were enrolled to study the onset of infections and dispositions; REDCap data were analyzed for descriptive statistics. Results: The 362 infants for analyses included 227 BPTs (63.7%) and 107 WPTs (29.6%), with 28 infants of other races/ethnicities (Hispanic, Asian, and other), 50.6% female, mean GA of 27.66 weeks, and 985.24 g birthweight. BPT infants averaged 968.56 g at birth (SD 257.50), and 27.68 (SD 2.07) weeks GA, compared to WPT infants with a mean birthweight of 1006.25 g (SD 257.77, p = 0.2313) and 27.67 (SD 2.00, p = 0.982) weeks GA. Of the 426 episodes of suspected infections evaluated across all the enrolled infants, the incidence of early-onset sepsis (EOS) was 1.9%, with BPT infants having 2.50 times higher odds of EOS than WPT infants (p = 0.4130, OR (odds ratio) = 2.50, p_or = 0.408). The overall incidence of late-onset sepsis (LOS) was 10.8%, with LOS in 11.9% of BPT infants versus 9.3% (p = 0.489, OR = 1.21, p_or = 0.637) of WPT infants. BPT infants made up 69.2% of the 39 infants with Gram-positive infections vs. 25.6% for WPT infants; 16 infants had Gram-negative culture-positive infections, with 81.2% being BPT infants versus 18.8% being WPT infants. Of the 27 urinary tract infections, 78% were in BPTs. The necrotizing enterocolitis incidence was 6.9%; the incidence in BPT infants was 7.5% vs. 6.5% in WPT infants. The overall mortality was 8.3%, with BPTs at 8.4% vs. WPT infants at 9.3%, (p = 0.6715). Conclusions: BPTs had a higher rate of positive cultures, double the Gram-negative infections, a much higher rate of urinary tract infections, and a higher rate of mortality than their WPT counterparts. This study emphasizes the higher risk of morbidity and mortality for BPTs.

Personal Data And Vaccination Hesitancy: Covid-19’S Lessons For Public Health Federalism, Charles D. Curran

Catholic University Law Review

During the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, the federal government adopted a more centralized approach to the collection of public health data. Although the states previously had controlled the storage of vaccination information, the federal government’s Operation Warp Speed plan required the reporting of recipients’ personal information on the grounds that it was needed to monitor the safety of novel vaccines and ensure correct administration of their multi-dose regimens.

Over the course of the pandemic response, this more centralized federal approach to data collection added a new dimension to pre-existing vaccination hesitancy. Requirements that recipients furnish individual information deterred vaccination among undocumented …

Rocscholar Annual Report 2023, Lisa M. Buda

Rochester Regional Health authored publications and proceedings

RocScholar is the institutional repository (IR) for Rochester Regional Health (RRH) and is managed by the Libraries at RRH. It provides storage and access for RRH’s research and scholarly activity. This report highlights the repository’s third year of implementation.

Re-Evaluation Of The Methodology For Estimating The Us Specialty Physician Workforce, W Stephen Black-Schaffer, David J Gross, Zakia Nouri, Aidan Delisle, Michael Dill, Jason Y Park, James M Crawford, Michael B Cohen, Rebecca L Johnson, Donald S Karcher, Thomas M Wheeler, Stanley J Robboy

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Increasing pursuit of subspecialized training has quietly revolutionized physician training, but the potential impact on physician workforce estimates has not previously been recognized. The Physicians Specialty Data Reports of the Association of American Medical Colleges, derived from specialty designations in the American Medical Association (AMA) Physician Professional Data (PPD), are the reference source for US physician workforce estimates; by 2020, the report for pathologists was an undercount of 39% when compared with the PPD. Most of the difference was due to the omission of pathology subspecialty designations. The rest resulted from reliance on only the first of the AMA PPD's …

Monophosphoryl Lipid A-Based Adjuvant To Promote The Immunogenicity Of Multivalent Meningococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccines, Kishore Alugupalli

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

Activation of the adaptive immune system requires the engagement of costimulatory pathways in addition to B and T cell Ag receptor signaling, and adjuvants play a central role in this process. Many Gram-negative bacterial polysaccharide vaccines, including the tetravalent meningococcal conjugate vaccines (MCV4) and typhoid Vi polysaccharide vaccines, do not incorporate adjuvants. The immunogenicity of typhoid vaccines is due to the presence of associated TLR4 ligands in these vaccines. Because the immunogenicity of MCV4 is poor and requires boosters, I hypothesized that TLR4 ligands are absent in MCV4 and that incorporation of a TLR4 ligand-based adjuvant would improve their immunogenicity. …

Evaluation Of Therapeutic Protocol Outcome In Covid-19 Inpatients In Baghdad, Roaa Swayah, Saad Nashtar

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

 BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARSCoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was declared as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11th March 2020. SARSCoV-2 was discovered in Wuhan City, China, in December 2019. The first patient with COVID-19 was reported in Iraq on 24 February 2020. At 15 July 2022 the Iraqi Ministry of Health reported 2,334,375 confirmed cases, a number of which 25,229  patients died, and 10,813,380 vaccinations were administered.OBJECTIVE: To find out how well a treatment plan works and what associated factors are involved among a group of …

Antimicrobial Duration Stewardship Project: A Qi Approach, Joshua Saucedo, Rana El Feghaly, Amanda Nedved, Leslie Hueschen, Marsha Dannenburg, Tanis Stewart, Patty Philips, Jennifer Floyd

Presentations

A QI project aimed at increasing the percentage of children discharged home from the emergency department with a diagnosis of community acquired pneumonia (CAP) or acute bacterial rhinosinusitis (ABRS) treated with an optimal antibiotic duration (5 days or less for CAP, 7 days or less for ABRS) from 22% to 70% by July 2025. Additionally, assess for differences in care based on demographic and socioeconomic factors such as the area deprivation index. National guidelines and CMH clinical pathways recommend short antibiotic durations (5-7 days) for most infections (5 days for community acquired pneumonia, 5-7 days for acute bacterial rhinosinusitis). At …

Relative Adrenal Insufficiency Is A Risk Factor For Pediatric Sepsis: A Proof-Of-Concept Study, Dan Hao, Ling Guo, Qian Wang, Misa Ito, Bin Huang, Chieko Mineo, Philip W. Shaul, Xiang-An Li

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Glucocorticoid (GC) therapy had been strongly recommended for pediatric sepsis (grade 1A). However, the recommendation was changed to grade 2C in 2020 due to weak evidence. About 32.8% of patients with pediatric septic develop relative adrenal insufficiency (RAI). But whether GC therapy should be determined by RAI status is controversial. This study utilized 21-day- old SF1CreSRBIfl/fl mice as the first pediatric RAI mouse model to assess the pathogenesis of RAI and evaluate GC therapy. RAI mice exhibited a substantially higher mortality rate in cecal ligation and puncture and cecal slurry–induced sepsis. These mice featured persistent inflammatory responses and were effectively …