Digital Commons Network^™

Adherence To Practice Parameters In Medicare Beneficiaries With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Osvaldo J. Laurido-Soto, Irene M. Faust, Susan Searles Nielsen, Brad A. Racette

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Physician adherence to evidence-based clinical practice parameters impacts outcomes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. We sought to investigate compliance with the 2009 practice parameters for treatment of ALS patients in the United States, and sociodemographic and provider characteristics associated with adherence.

METHODS: In this population-based, retrospective cohort study of incident ALS patients in 2009-2014, we included all Medicare beneficiaries age ≥20 with ≥1 International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification ALS code (335.20) in 2009 and no prior years (N = 8,575). Variables of interest included race/ethnicity, sex, age, urban residence, Area Deprivation Index (ADI), and provider …

Buffered Lugol's Iodine Preserves Dna Fragment Lengths, P M Gignac, D Valdez, A C Morhardt, L M Lynch

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Museum collections play a pivotal role in the advancement of biological science by preserving phenotypic and genotypic history and variation. Recently, contrast-enhanced X-ray computed tomography (CT) has aided these advances by allowing improved visualization of internal soft tissues. However, vouchered specimens could be at risk if staining techniques are destructive. For instance, the pH of unbuffered Lugol's iodine (I

Thirty-Day Hospital Readmission In Females With Acute Heart Failure And Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study From National Readmission Database, Soumya Kambalapalli, Nischit Baral, Timir K. Paul, Prakash Upreti, Fahimeh Talaei, Sarah Ayad, Mahmoud Ibrahim, Vikas Aggarwal, Gautam Kumar, Chadi Alraies, Joshua Mitchell

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Breast Cancer and cardiovascular diseases are amongst the two leading causes of mortality in the United States, and the two conditions are connected in part because of recognized cardiotoxicity of cancer treatments. The aim of this study is to investigate the predictors risk factors for thirty-day readmission in female breast cancer survivors presenting with acute heart failure.

METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of acute heart failure (AHF) hospitalization in female patients with breast cancer in 2019 using the National Readmission Database (NRD), which is the largest publicly available all-payer inpatient readmission database in the United States. Our …

In Vivo Measurement Of Pediatric Extracorporeal Oxygenator Insensible Losses; A Single Center Pilot Study, Tess L Suttles, John Poe, Tara M Neumayr, Ahmed S Said

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Fluid overload on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is associated with worse outcomes. Previous

METHODS: Pediatric ECMO patients were approached over eleven months in the pediatric and cardiac intensive care units. The water content of the oxygenator inflow sweep gas and exhaust gas were calculated by measuring the ambient temperature and relative humidity at frequent intervals and various sweep flow.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Nine subjects were enrolled, generating 431 data points. The cohort had a median age of 11 years IQR [0.83, 13], weight of 23.2 kg IQR [6.48, 44.28], and body surface area of 0.815 m

Proceedings Of The 11th Annual Deep Brain Stimulation Think Tank: Pushing The Forefront Of Neuromodulation With Functional Network Mapping, Biomarkers For Adaptive Dbs, Bioethical Dilemmas, Ai-Guided Neuromodulation, And Translational Advancements, Kara A Johnson, Nico U F Dosenbach, Evan M Gordon, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Think Tank XI was held on August 9-11, 2023 in Gainesville, Florida with the theme of "Pushing the Forefront of Neuromodulation". The keynote speaker was Dr. Nico Dosenbach from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He presented his research recently published in Nature inn a collaboration with Dr. Evan Gordon to identify and characterize the somato-cognitive action network (SCAN), which has redefined the motor homunculus and has led to new hypotheses about the integrative networks underpinning therapeutic DBS. The DBS Think Tank was founded in 2012 and provides an open platform where clinicians, engineers, and …

A Critical Evaluation Of "Leakage" At The Cochlear Blood-Stria-Barrier And Its Functional Significance, Kevin K Ohlemiller, Noël Dwyer, Veronica Henson, Kaela Fasman, Keiko Hirose

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The blood-labyrinth-barrier (BLB) is a semipermeable boundary between the vasculature and three separate fluid spaces of the inner ear, the perilymph, the endolymph and the intrastrial space. An important component of the BLB is the blood-stria-barrier, which shepherds the passage of ions and metabolites from strial capillaries into the intrastrial space. Some investigators have reported increased "leakage" from these capillaries following certain experimental interventions, or in the presence of inflammation or genetic variants. This leakage is generally thought to be harmful to cochlear function, principally by lowering the endocochlear potential (EP). Here, we examine evidence for this dogma. We find …

Assessing Quality Of Life In Childhood Cancer Survivors At Risk For Hearing Loss: A Comparison Of Hear-Ql And Promis Measures, Anne Spence, Allison J L'Hotta, Susan S Hayashi, Kara Felts, Emily Lafentres, Megan Jones-White, Judith E C Lieu, Allison A King, Robert J Hayashi

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) exposed to platinum chemotherapy are at an increased risk of developing hearing loss and reporting decreased quality of life (QOL). This study compared two QOL measures; one developed for children with hearing loss, The Hearing Environments and Refection on Quality of Life (HEAR-QL), and one validated in CCS, the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), to assess their ability to evaluate QOL deficits in this population.

METHODS: Subject eligibility were restricted to CCS exposed to platinum-based chemotherapy but who were free of known risk factors for cognitive impairment, (non-central nervous system tumor, no cranial radiation, …

Increased Hif-2Α Activity In The Nucleus Pulposus Causes Intervertebral Disc Degeneration In The Aging Mouse Spine, Shira N Johnston, Maria Tsingas, Rahatul Ain, Ruteja A Barve, Makarand V Risbud

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) are essential to the homeostasis of hypoxic tissues. Although HIF-2α, is expressed in nucleus pulposus (NP) cells, consequences of elevated HIF-2 activity on disc health remains unknown. We expressed HIF-2α with proline to alanine substitutions (P405A; P531A) in the Oxygen-dependent degradation domain (HIF-2αdPA) in the NP tissue using an inducible, nucleus pulposus-specific K19

Early Detection Of Myocardial Involvement By Non-Contrast T1Ρ Mapping Of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance In Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Hongmin Shu, Huimin Xu, Zixiang Pan, Yan Liu, Wei Deng, Ren Zhao, Yan Sun, Zhen Wang, Jinxiu Yang, Hui Gao, Kaixuan Yao, Jie Zheng, Yongqiang Yu, Xiaohu Li

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the effectiveness of T1ρ in detecting myocardial fibrosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients by comparing with native T1 and extracellular volume (ECV) fraction.

METHODS: T2DM patients (n = 35) and healthy controls (n = 30) underwent cardiac magnetic resonance. ECV, T1ρ, native T1, and global longitudinal strain (GLS) values were assessed. Diagnostic performance was analyzed using receiver operating curves.

RESULTS: The global ECV and T1ρ of T2DM group (ECV = 32.1 ± 3.2%, T1ρ = 51.6 ± 3.8 msec) were significantly higher than those of controls (ECV = 26.2 ± 1.6%, T1ρ …

Effectively Communicating With Local Policymakers: A Randomized Trial Of Policy Brief Dissemination To Address Obesity, Elizabeth A Dodson, Renee G Parks, Rebekah R Jacob, Ruopeng An, Amy A Eyler, Nathan Lee, Alexandra B Morshed, Mary C Politi, Rachel G Tabak, Yan Yan, Ross C Brownson

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Evidence-based policies are a powerful tool for impacting health and addressing obesity. Effectively communicating evidence to policymakers is critical to ensure evidence is incorporated into policies. While all public health is local, limited knowledge exists regarding effective approaches for improving local policymakers' uptake of evidence-based policies.

METHODS: Local policymakers were randomized to view one of four versions of a policy brief (usual care, narrative, risk-framing, and narrative/risk-framing combination). They then answered a brief survey including questions about their impressions of the brief, their likelihood of using it, and how they determine legislative priorities.

RESULTS: Responses from 331 participants indicated …

Post-Traumatic Stress And Future Substance Use Outcomes: Leveraging Antecedent Factors To Stratify Risk, Henri M Garrison-Desany, Stacey L House, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use (tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis) are highly comorbid. Many factors affect this relationship, including sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics, other prior traumas, and physical health. However, few prior studies have investigated this prospectively, examining new substance use and the extent to which a wide range of factors may modify the relationship to PTSD.

METHODS: The Advancing Understanding of RecOvery afteR traumA (AURORA) study is a prospective cohort of adults presenting at emergency departments (N = 2,943). Participants self-reported PTSD symptoms and the frequency and quantity of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use at six total …

Case Report: Long-Term Follow-Up Of Patients Who Received A Fimch Vaccine For Prevention Of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Caused By Antibiotic Resistant Enterobacteriaceae: A Case Report Series, Elise Perer, Helen Stacey, Terri Eichorn, Heidi Hughey, Julie Lawrence, Eric Cunningham, Mark O'Neil Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Andrew Kau, Scott J Hultgren, Thomas M Hooton, Jennifer L Harris

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Urinary tract infections (UTI) caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are considered one of the most urgent health threats to humans according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the World Health Organization (WHO). A FimCH Vaccine expanded access study is being conducted in patients with a history of antibiotic resistant UTIs who are considered to be at risk for development of CRE UTI. This case series describes the clinical, safety and immunogenicity findings for four participants who received a FimCH four-vaccine series. Participants were followed for 12 months after administration of the fourth vaccine for safety, general health status …

Interventions Connecting Young People Living In Africa To Healthcare; A Systematic Review Using The Re-Aim Framework, Titilola Abike Gbaja-Biamila, Chisom Obiezu-Umeh, Ucheoma Nwaozuru, David Oladele, Alexis Engelhart, Thembekile Shato, Stacey Mason, Victoria Carter, Juliet Iwelunmor-Ezepue

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Africa's young people are among the least focused groups in healthcare linkage. The disproportionally high burden of youth-related health problems is a burden, especially in developing regions like Africa, which have a high population of young people. More information is needed about factors that impact linkages in healthcare and the sustainability of health interventions among young people in Africa.

METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed from October 2020 to May 2022 in PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Global Health, and the Web of Science. Studies included in the review were conducted among young people aged 10-24 living in Africa, written …

Modular Horizontal Network Within Mouse Primary Visual Cortex, Andreas Burkhalter, Weiqing Ji, Andrew M Meier, Rinaldo D D'Souza

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Interactions between feedback connections from higher cortical areas and local horizontal connections within primary visual cortex (V1) were shown to play a role in contextual processing in different behavioral states. Layer 1 (L1) is an important part of the underlying network. This cell-sparse layer is a target of feedback and local inputs, and nexus for contacts onto apical dendrites of projection neurons in the layers below. Importantly, L1 is a site for coupling inputs from the outside world with internal information. To determine whether all of these circuit elements overlap in L1, we labeled the horizontal network within mouse V1 …

Plasma Mirna Expression Profile In Pediatric Pineal Pure Germinomas, Mona Fakhry, Moatasem Elayadi, Mariam G Elzayat, Omar Samir, Eslam Maher, Hala Taha, Mohamed El-Beltagy, Amal Refaat, Manal Zamzam, Mohamed S Abdelbaki, Ahmed A Sayed, Mark Kieran, Alaa Elhaddad

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Pure germinomas account for 40% of pineal tumors and are characterized by the lack of appreciable tumor markers, thus requiring a tumor biopsy for diagnosis. MicroRNAs (miRNA) have emerged as potential non-invasive biomarkers for germ cell tumors and may facilitate the non-invasive diagnosis of pure pineal germinomas.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients treated at the Children's Cancer Hospital Egypt diagnosed with a pineal region tumor between June 2013 and March 2021 for whom a research blood sample was available. Plasma samples were profiled for miRNA expression, and DESeq2 was used to compare …

Incidence And Risk Factors For Bone Metastases At Presentation In Solid Tumors, Brendan J Knapp, Giordano F Cittolin-Santos, Mary E Flanagan, Nikhil Grandhi, Feng Gao, Pamela P Samson, Ramaswamy Govindan, Daniel Morgensztern

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Bone metastases are associated with increased morbidity and decreased quality of life in patients with solid tumors. Identifying patients at increased risk of bone metastases at diagnosis could lead to earlier interventions. We sought to retrospectively identify the incidence and predictive factors for bone metastases at initial diagnosis in a large population-based dataset.

METHODS: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used to identify patients 18 years-old or older diagnosed with solid cancers from 2010 to 2019. Patients with hematologic malignancies and primary tumors of the bone were excluded. We calculated the incidence and predictive factors for …

Membrane Potential Hyperpolarization: A Critical Factor In Acrosomal Exocytosis And Fertilization In Sperm Within The Female Reproductive Tract, Paula A Balestrini, Valeria Sulzyk, Martina Jabloñski, Liza J Schiavi-Ehrenhaus, Soledad N González, Juan J Ferreira, Matías D Gómez-Elías, Pablo Pomata, Guillermina M Luque, Dario Krapf, Patricia S Cuasnicu, Celia M Santi, Mariano G Buffone

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Hyperpolarization of the membrane potential (Em), a phenomenon regulated by SLO3 channels, stands as a central feature in sperm capacitation-a crucial process conferring upon sperm the ability to fertilize the oocyte.

The Molecular Landscape Of Sepsis Severity In Infants: Enhanced Coagulation, Innate Immunity, And T Cell Repression, Susie Shih Yin Huang, Mohammed Toufiq, Pirooz Eghtesady, Nicholas Van Panhuys, Mathieu Garand

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Sepsis remains a major cause of mortality and morbidity in infants. In recent years, several gene marker strategies for the early identification of sepsis have been proposed but only a few have been independently validated for adult cohorts and applicability to infant sepsis remains unclear. Biomarkers to assess disease severity and risks of shock also represent an important unmet need.

METHODS: To elucidate characteristics driving sepsis in infants, we assembled a multi-transcriptomic dataset from public microarray datasets originating from five independent studies pertaining to bacterial sepsis in infant < 6-months of age (total n=335). We utilized a COmbat co-normalization strategy to enable comparative evaluation across multiple studies while preserving the relationship between cases and controls.

RESULTS: We found good concordance with only two out of seven …

Interbody Material Composition And Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2—Risks And Benefits Of Utilization: A Narrative Review, Rohit Bhan, Francisco Narro Garcia, Brian J. Neumann, Mark J. Lambrechts

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Factors Associated With Never Treatment And Acceptability Of Mass Drug Administration For The Elimination Of Lymphatic Filariasis In Guyana, 2021, Claudia Duguay, Reza A. Niles-Robin, Charles R. Thickstun, Horace Cox, Annastacia Sampson, Jean Seme-Fils Alexandre, Nathely Caleb-Mars, Charles W. Goss, Ana Morice, Ronaldo G. Carvalho Scholte, Alison Krentel

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Guyana remains one of four countries in the Americas endemic for lymphatic filariasis (LF). Elimination of LF requires repeated annual mass drug administration (MDA) with sufficient levels of coverage for success. This study assesses the acceptability and never treatment of LF MDA using data from a routine assessment survey in 2021. A subset of individuals, over 20 years of age (n = 2498), were selected to receive an expanded questionnaire to examine factors associated with acceptability and never treatment. Assessed factors include respondent demographics, knowledge, risk perceptions of LF, and opinions on the MDA programme. The majority (73%) of those …

Health System Barriers To Hypertension Care In Peru: Rapid Assessment To Inform Organizational-Level Change, Kendra N. Williams, Lindsay J. Underhill, Lisa De Las Fuentes, Elvin H. Geng, Victor G. Davila-Roman, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Traditional patient- and provider-level hypertension interventions have proven insufficient to halt hypertension as the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Systems-level interventions are required to address factors challenging hypertension control across a social ecological framework, an under-studied topic particularly salient in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Peru. To inform such interventions, we sought to identify key health systems barriers to hypertension care in Puno, Peru. A participatory stakeholder workshop (October 2021) and 21 in-depth interviews (October 2021-March 2022) were conducted with 55 healthcare professionals (i.e., doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, nutritionists), followed by a deductive qualitative analysis of …

Examination Of The Differences And Similarities In The Classification Of Multiple Homicide Perpetrators, Lucy M. Papp

Theses and Dissertations

The applied dissertation compares the lifestyle and behavioral characteristics of mass, serial, and spree murderers. Historically, studies have focused on serial murder according to the perpetrator's typology or indicators at the crime scene. The current topics of research lack a comparison of these classifications. While the classification and described typologies are essential for academic and investigative purposes, understanding the impactful lifestyle factors of these perpetrators may also serve as an essential factor in predictive analysis, victimology, and the motive behind their heinous crimes.

The researcher collected data on the classifications for each type of multiple homicide perpetrator: mass, serial, and …

Edison Elliot And The Midas Files, Brianne Hankes

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Autophonia: A Memoir In Essays, Amy Blanchard

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Gnss Software Defined Radio: History, Current Developments, And Standardization Efforts, Thomas Pany, Dennis Akos, Javier Arribas, M. Zahidul H. Bhuiyan, Pau Closas, Fabio Dovis, Ignacio Fernandez-Hernandez, Carles Fernandez-Prades, Sanjeev Gunawardena, Todd Humphreys, Zaher M. Kassas, Jose A. Lopez Salcedo, Mario Nicola, Mario L. Psiaki, Alexander Rugamer, Yong-Jin Song, Jong-Hoon Won

Faculty Publications

Taking the work conducted by the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) software-defined radio (SDR) working group during the last decade as a seed, this contribution summarizes, for the first time, the history of GNSS SDR development. This report highlights selected SDR implementations and achievements that are available to the public or that influenced the general development of SDR. Aspects related to the standardization process of intermediate-frequency sample data and metadata are discussed, and an update of the Institute of Navigation SDR Standard is proposed. This work focuses on GNSS SDR implementations in general-purpose processors and leaves aside developments conducted on …

A Simple, Inexpensive Alkaline Method For Bacterial Dna Extraction From Environmental Samples For Pcr Surveillance And Microbiome Analyses, Abdulkarim Shwani, Bin Zuo, Adnan Alrubaye, Jiangchao Zhao, Douglas D. Rhoads

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

DNA extraction for downstream molecular diagnostic applications can be an expensive, time-consuming process. We devised a method to quickly extract total bacterial DNA from environmental samples based on the sodium hydroxide lysis of cells with or without capture by magnetic beads for subsequent PCR or quantitative PCR. The final DNA extraction method using NaOH is extremely low-cost and can be completed in as little as 10 min at room temperature with dilution, or the DNA can be further purified using silica-coated paramagnetic beads. NaOH extraction was effective for Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria in samples from air, soil, sewage, food, laboratory …

North American Energy In The Crossfire, Guillermo J. Garcia Sanchez, James W. Coleman

Faculty Scholarship

North America is the beating heart of global energy markets un-dergoing a terrible energy crisis that threatens to upend both the economy and global security. The clearest path out of this global crisis is increasing energy supplies from North America, which can restore energy security and drive a transition to cleaner energy sources. The U.S., Mexico, and Canada have abundant and varied resources to surmount this challenge but are in dire need of stronger cooperation across borders, and between private and public actors to achieve this goal. This Article shows how energy law changes in the U.S. and Mexico present …

Realizing The Role Of Interdisciplinary Practices In Psycho-Educational Assessment For Learners With Special Education Needs/Disabilities In Guyana, Keon Cheong

Theses and Dissertations

A growing number of students are referred to special education sectors. With the growing numbers, there is a need for structures and systems to be in place to ensure that the least restrictive environment is used while ensuring that learners are adequately placed based on their abilities. This challenge is heightened in the Global South. In the Caribbean, few countries have legislation to address disabilities, and in locations where there is legislation, it is either outdated or not enforced. This dissertation conducts a systematic review using 60 studies to compile comprehensive research-based information about interdisciplinary practices, specifically in the psycho-educational …

English Company Law: Legal Architecture For A Global Law Market, Andrew P. Morriss, Charlotte Ku

Faculty Scholarship

English-architecture company law describes the distinct and diverse group of company or corporate law used in more than 60 jurisdictions worldwide. English-architecture company law provides a robust platform for innovation and development due to its permissive structure, opportunity for choice of law in an entity’s internal governance, and scalability permitting variation for small and large entities. It is the dominant form among International Financial Centers (IFCs), many of which have legal systems with a British connection. This body of law responds to competition and maintains dynamism by engaging its practice community through “learning by doing” and “frictioneering.” An architecture approach …

Community-Level Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices Regarding Cardiovascular Diseases And Modifiable Risk Factors In India, Kavita Singh, Dimple Kondal, Deepa Mohan, Mareesha Gandral, Sheril Rajan, Viswanathan Mohan, Mohammed K Ali, Km Venkat Narayan, Mark D Huffman, Dorairaj Prabhakaran, Nikhil Tandon

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) is critical to inform CVD prevention strategies, but limited community-level data exist from developing countries.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding CVD and CVRF and acceptability of non-physician health workers and text-message based reminders to guide CVD prevention strategies in India.

METHODS: We conducted a telephone-based survey nested in the on-going Centre for Cardiometabolic Risk Reduction in South Asia (CARRS) cohort in Delhi and Chennai, India between January 2021 to February 2021. We randomly selected people with CVRF, but no established …