Digital Commons Network^™

Patient-Related Factors Influencing Delays In Oral Cancer Diagnosis: Insights From Pakistan, Muhammad Usman Amanat, Hutcha Sriplung, Duangporn Kerdpon

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose South Asia has a high burden of oral cancer (OC); however, delays in diagnosis remain under-researched. The study investigated delay intervals in OC diagnosis and the contributing factors in rural Pakistan, considering its unique sociocultural context. Materials and methods This multi-center cross-sectional study employed a structured questionnaire to interview 152 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients. The diagnostic intervals were determined using the Aarhus Statement. Logistic regression assessed the association between independent factors and delay types. Results Patient delays occurred in 76.3 % of cases, mostly due to appraisal delays (65 %), while diagnostic delays appeared in 51.3 %. …

Measurement Of Predictive Validity Of Admission Criteria Used By Public Dental Colleges In Pakistan. Time To Reconsider, Shahid Akhtar Akhund

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose Dentistry education evolved from treating painful teeth to comprehensive oral care program. Oral health is an integral component of general healthcare. Like medical institutes, dental institutes have introduced admission tests as a component of selection criteria. However, various selection criteria components are not investigated for their predictive validity. This study aimed to measure the predictive value of selection criteria used in Pakistani dental colleges. This study provides recommendations for revision of weightings of admission criteria. Materials and methods This is a retrospective, quantitative and longitudinal cohort study. Deidentified data from a public dental college of Pakistan were analyzed. The …

Domiciliary Dental Care Coverage In Taiwan: An Assessment Of Provider Participation And Geographic Distribution Using The Universal Health Coverage Framework, Chuan-Hang Yu

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose Universal health coverage (UHC) ensures access to needed health services without financial hardship. While Taiwan has achieved near-universal coverage for most medical services, domiciliary dental care (DDC) for people with mobility limitations remains poorly integrated into the UHC framework. This study assessed DDC coverage in Taiwan using the World Health Organization UHC framework. Materials and methods Publicly available 2024 data were analyzed for dental institutions, practicing dentists, DDC providers, and long-term care populations across Taiwan's six National Health Insurance (NHI) regions and 22 administrative districts. Geographic distribution was examined using provider density metrics, Lorenz curves, and Gini coefficients. Results …

A Scientometric Study On Methylation Modification And Identification Of Related Genes In Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders And Oral Cancer, Lifen Yin, Xiaoliang Luo, Jian Liu, Wei Liu, Liying Gu

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose Accumulating evidence indicates that methylation modification alterations involve in the development and progression of oral cancer. The purpose of this study was to analyze the scientometric characteristics of methylation modification in oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Materials and methods All the papers on methylation research in OPMD/OSCC were comprehensively retrieved from the Scopus database with emphasis on the identification of methylation related genes. Results A total of 365 papers on methylation research in OPMD/OSCC were retrieved. The total citation count was 9998 and the h index was 53 for all the papers. The …

A Scientometric Study On Research Trends And Characteristics Of Randomized Controlled Trials In Orthodontics, Ning Wang, Yang Yu, Linjun Shi, Zhechen Zhang, Jianwei Song

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose In evidence-based approaches to orthodontic research, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are recognized as the highest level of original evidence. The purpose of this study was to analyze the scientometric characteristics and research trends of RCTs in orthodontics, with emphasis on chronological comparison and regional characteristic of the keywords. Materials and methods All the reports on RCTs in orthodontics were comprehensively retrieved from the Scopus database. The years of publication were divided into before 2020 and Jan 2020–Jul 2025 in the analysis of research trends. Results There were 1343 reports on RCTs in orthodontics, with total citations of 27,314 and …

A Scientometric Study On Research Trends And Characteristics Of Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma Of Salivary Glands, Xiuyin Wu, Yawen Ji, Ke Bi, Zhen Wang, Meili Sun

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common malignant tumor of the salivary glands. The purpose of this study was to analyze the scientometric characteristics and research trends of salivary MEC. Materials and methods All the papers on salivary MEC were comprehensively retrieved from the Scopus database. The years of publication were divided into before 2014 and Jan 2014–Jun 2025 in the analysis of research trends. Results There were 1308 papers on salivary MEC, with total citations of 24,598 and the h index of 70. The most frequent location of MEC involved was parotid gland, followed by minor saliva gland …

Front Matter: The State Of The Region, Hampton Roads 2026, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Cover, Front Matter, Table of Contents, Sponsors, and other materials for the 2026 The State of the Region Report authored by the Center for Economic Analysis and Policy at Old Dominion University.

Part 1: Rough Seas And Quartering Winds: Can Hampton Roads Grow In Uncertain Times?, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

We discuss the region’s economic performance in 2025 and provide an assessment of the prospects for growth in 2026 and beyond. We discuss how the resident population of Hampton Roads has grown this century and explore the components of population change. We examine measures of the region’s labor market, including its civilian labor force, individual employment, and nonfarm payrolls (jobs). While the evidence points to a continued expansion in 2026, we also note that the challenges to growth continue to mount.

Part 2: Divergent Paths? Rising Defense Spending And Headwinds For The Port And Tourism, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

The most recent economic data shows that the three-legged stool is tilting under the weight of conflicting economic policies. National defense spending has continued to expand, and we expect that, as a result, defense spending in Hampton Roads will also rise in the coming years. Declines in federal civilian employment will limit these gains, and the defense industrial base in the region faces an existential threat from the rise of uncrewed systems on the modern battlefield. The Port of Virginia performed well, gaining market share, but higher tariffs have negatively impacted the dollar volume of trade flowing through the Port. …

Part 3: Early Childhood Care And Education In Hampton Roads, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

The economic and social consequences of inadequate early childhood care and education (ECCE) are, by now, well known—but the problem is notoriously difficult to solve. To many working families, the quest for affordable, high-quality care seems hopeless. However, it is also true that our regional leaders are increasingly prioritizing this issue and are working together with early childhood experts to develop viable solutions. This chapter discusses ECCE from an economic perspective and explores why this market is so challenging to reform.

The State Of The Region: Hampton Roads 2026, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University, Vinod Agarwal, Josh Andrews, Andrea Barcenas, Barbara A. Blake, Leora Friedman, Elizabeth Janik, Angela Kwao, James V. Koch, Feng Lian, Nathan Moore, Melody Nguyen, Terry Parker, Mohamed Rahoui, Ashley Russ, Robert Mcnab

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

This is Old Dominion University’s 27th annual State of the Region: Hampton Roads Report. While it represents the work of many people connected in various ways to the university, the report does not constitute an official viewpoint of Old Dominion, its president, Brian Hemphill, Ph.D., the Board of Visitors, the Strome College of Business, or the generous donors who support the activities of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy.

This year’s report provides an opportunity to reflect on the region’s recent economic performance and ask how changes in federal trade, immigration, civilian employment, and spending policy have impacted …

Part 5: The Value Of Water, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

In this chapter, we examine how the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD), in collaboration with localities, changed the regional approach to wastewater treatment, saving ratepayers from billions of dollars in additional costs. We discuss the SWIFT project and how it will inject treated, drinking quality water into the aquifer, partially offsetting the losses from residential and business use. We estimate the economic impacts associated with HRSD and SWIFT and note how HRSD serves as an example of how regional collaboration can produce innovative benefits to the residents of Hampton Roads.

Part 4: Arts And Culture In Hampton Roads: Exploring A Challenging Future, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Hampton Roads hosts a remarkably vibrant and dynamic arts and culture ecosystem. It includes not only high-caliber professional institutions such as the Virginia Arts Festival, Virginia Opera, Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and Chrysler Museum of Art—but many other museums and galleries, theaters and performance spaces, open-air festivals, creative districts, public art, independent artists and creators, large performance venues for outside talent, and a wide array of professional and amateur arts organizations. This chapter discusses the arts in Hampton Roads and explores its impact on the region.

Lack Of Disparities In Postoperative Care After Ileocecal Resection In Patients With Crohn's Disease At Tertiary Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Centers, Shannon Coombs, Molly Powell, Kemmian Johnson, Jessica Hu, Mollie Webb, Philip Mcdaniel, Parakkal Deepak, Edward L Barnes

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Prior studies suggest that longer drive time (DT) to specialists and higher area deprivation index (ADI) are linked to worse outcomes in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but their impact on postileocolic resection (ICR) care in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) is not well defined.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate disparities in post-ICR care based on DT and ADI.

METHODS: Spatial analysis was performed with ArcGIS Pro to geocode patient and medical facility addresses with StreetMap Premium locators. High DT was defined as >60 min from the center. Data were analyzed using basic statistics and multivariate logistic regression.

DESIGN: A …

Psychological And Clinical Risk Factors For Substance Use In People With And Without Hiv, Joanna M Hobson, Shameka L Cody, Shannon R Gilstrap, Michael A Owens, Myles D Moody, Dyan M White-Gilliam, Stephen Justin Thomas, Emily J Bartley, Burel R Goodin

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BackgroundDespite growing concerns, limited research has demonstrated how psychological factors influence substance use in people with HIV (PWH). Therefore, we examined the association between heightened vigilance and substance use outcomes in people with (PWH) and without HIV (PWoH), while accounting for key risk factors.MethodsParticipants (n = 138) were recruited from an HIV clinic and the surrounding community, completing a urine drug screener (UDS) and questionnaires.ResultsPWH reported greater insomnia (

Treating Alzheimer's Disease In A Person Living With Hiv, David B Clifford, Tammie L S Benzinger, Jee-Young Han, Savannah Powles, Madeline Paczynski, Beau M Ances, J William Campbell

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) therapies now support survival into advanced ages by suppressing HIV replication and preserving immune function. Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common neurologic degenerative condition, may now be treated with anti-amyloid therapies (AAT). HIV was an exclusionary criterion in clinical trials for AAT, leaving the safety and efficacy of these medications unknown in this setting.

METHODS: We report the development of AD supported by careful evaluations and biomarkers over a 10-year period in a person living with well-controlled HIV infection.

RESULTS: AD was diagnosed with consistent clinical and biomarker evidence. AAT was successfully administered without complications. …

Reliability Of Remote Self-Administered Web-Based Digital Cognitive Measures And Comparison To In-Person Neuropsychological Tests: Stricker Learning Span, Symbols Test, And The Mayo Test Drive Screening Battery Composite, Morgan A Hughes, Jason Hassenstab, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: We describe the reliability of remote self-administered digital cognitive measures completed via the Mayo Test Drive (MTD) web-based platform.

METHODS: A total of 1846 participants (mean age = 70, SD = 12, range 31-101; 48% male; 96% White; 99% non-Hispanic; 97% cognitively unimpaired) with two to four complete MTD sessions at ∼7.5-month intervals were included. Test-retest reliability was assessed using single-rating, absolute-agreement, and two-way mixed intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) with 95% confidence intervals. ICCs for in-person-administered traditional neuropsychological measures were compared to MTD for a subset of 244 participants. Analyses also compared reliability across demographic, residential, and session context …

Antihypertensive Medications And Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease: Evidence For Specific Medication Use, Osvaldo J. Laurido-Soto, Alejandra Camacho-Soto, Irene M. Faust, Kassu M. Beyene, Aaron Katz, Jordan A. Killion, Brad A. Racette

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Alzheimer's Disease Stage 1 And 2: Biology, Diagnostics, And Treatment, Suzanne E. Schindler, Sarah M. Hartz, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Plasma P-Tau217 And Apoe Genotype: Prodromal Alzheimer's Disease Staging, Ann M Stowe, Ellen Binder, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Plasma phosphorylated tau (p-tau)217 levels and apolipoprotein E (

METHODS: We measured

RESULTS: Plasma p-tau217 was 57% higher in subjects with at least one

DISCUSSION: Plasma p-tau217 demonstrated elevation in the

Participatory Systems Modeling In Implementation Research: Exploring Benefits, Facilitators, And Future Needs, Natalie Riva Smith, Jennifer L Cruz, Jessica Gannon, Stephanie Mazzucca-Ragan

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Implementation science increasingly uses participatory systems modeling (PSM) approaches to handle the complexity inherent to implementation science issues. To support the process of integrating PSM with implementation science, we aimed to understand and explicate the benefits, facilitators, and future needs of applying PSM to implementation research.

METHODS: We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 23 researchers (n = 18) and practitioners (n = 5). We purposively sampled participants and identified additional participants through recommendations. Interviews were inductively analyzed. Key concepts were identified via iterative description, comparison, and conceptualization.

RESULTS: Engagement with people in the system was typically focused in earlier …

Concordance Of Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization, Whole-Exome Sequencing, And Chromosomal Microarray For Evaluating High-Risk Molecular Features In Meningiomas, Brenndan Crumley, Emilie Russler-Germain, Sonika Dahiya

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Meningiomas are the most common primary intracranial tumors, classified into three WHO grades based on histologic and/or molecular criteria. cIMPACT-NOW Update 8 underscores the increasing importance of molecular testing in grading and risk stratification, noting that morphologically WHO grade 1 tumors with concurrent 1p and 22q losses demonstrate clinical behavior comparable to WHO grade 2 meningiomas. This study aimed to assess the concordance of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA), and whole-exome sequencing (WES) in defining the molecular risk profile of meningiomas.

METHODS: A total of 113 meningiomas were analyzed by WHO grade to assess the …

When Are Foot Pursuits Really Necessary?: How Improved Policies Might Reduce Community Harm, Sharon R. Fairley

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

Despite the widely accepted view that foot pursuits are inherently dangerous for both police officers and citizens, a minority of municipal police agencies have adopted policies that have the potential to minimize the risk of harm by limiting the circumstances in which police officers are permitted to pursue a subject on foot. This paper presents data related to foot pursuit incidents and existing foot pursuit policies. The paper documents that most existing foot pursuit policies are limited in their potential to reduce unwarranted deadly encounters because the guidance they provide requires officers to consider and weigh vague concepts in tense, …

Regulatory Design Choices For Ai: The What, The Who And The How, Aziz Z. Huq

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

This chapter identifies three common design choices that must be made in the course of an effort to regulate artificial intelligence “AI”). By isolating the way in which those different sovereign regulators approach these choices in respect to AI, it is possible to evaluate more clearly the likely effects of regulation, and to better understand aspects of regulatory design that to date have been overlooked. First, the “what” of AI regulation is not just a matter of how “AI” is defined, but also which element of the technology stack is targeted by law: compute, data, or models. Second, the “who” …

Patrimonial Constitutionalism, Aziz Z. Huq

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

The means and the ends of federal power are experiencing a sea-charge. Pardons are freely granted—but only to political allies or political foes who might be coaxed into switching sides. Baseless federal criminal investigations are opened against other political foes. Probes into allies’ corruption are abandoned. Independent federal agencies responsible for defending the public sphere use their regulatory authority to openly advance politically allied voices, while stifling criticism of those in power. Federal money is explicitly wielded as cudgel and bribe to induce partisan loyalty. These and similar ways of flexing federal power add up to more than the sum …

Lethality And The Historical Principles Of Arms Regulation, Darrell A. H. Miller, Jennifer Tucker, Peter Rutland, Stephen Hargarten

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

Second Amendment “arms” jurisprudence is a muddle. Lower courts have been obliged to craft various approaches from Supreme Court decisions that appear to point in different directions.

We propose that the scope and protection of Second Amendment “arms” could be calibrated to a single, shared metric across all weapon types–lethality. Lethality captures the issue that everyone cares about: whether one advocates for gun rights or for gun violence prevention.

Lethality helps make legible the changes in weapons technology over time and explains the principle that underlies traditional regulation of “dangerous and unusual” weapons. The more lethal a weapon is, the …

Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition And Stress Adaptations Underlie Yttrium-90 Resistance In Liver Cancer Cell Lines, Alexander Zheleznyak, Dhanusha Duraiyan, Prasanth Thunuguntla, Jessica Camacho, Shuang Wu, Jingxia Liu, Jason D Weber, Daniel L J Thorek, Benjamin S Strnad, Ryan C Fields, Matthew A Ciorba, Christine Yoon, Valerie Blanc, Nicholas Davidson, Jessica Silva-Fisher, Christopher D Malone

2020-Current year OA Pubs

UNLABELLED: Molecular signatures predict prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma, but their relevance to transarterial radioembolization (TARE) with yttrium-90 (90Y) is unknown. We aimed to identify baseline and treatment-induced pathways associated with response and nominate biomarkers. Ten transcriptomically diverse human liver cancer cell lines were exposed to escalating activities of glass 90Y microspheres for 10 days. Normalized AUC values quantified sensitivity. Whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing at baseline and after treatment was analyzed with elastic net regression and gene set enrichment. Findings were corroborated by qRT-qPCR and exploratory analysis of pretreatment tumor samples from patients undergoing TARE. Liver cancer cell line responses to 90Y …

Why Are Executions Becoming Crueler?, Deborah W. Denno

Faculty Scholarship

Since the modern death penalty era, this country’s six execution methods have become crueler over time. This article details the execution procedures adopted across death penalty states up to the end of 2025, analyzing their societal and cultural underpinnings and explaining how they were implemented, including their shared flaws, unscientific origins and protocols, and reliance on untrained, unqualified, or unknown executioners. While legislatures and courts claim that states move from one technique to the next to enhance greater humaneness, history shows that such switches are primarily propelled by constitutional challenges to a state’s particular technique. In theory, rendering a state’s …

The Surveillance Of System-Adjacent Individuals, Mariam A. Hinds

Faculty Scholarship

Although the Fourth Amendment protects against “unreasonable searches and seizures,” this right is not enjoyed by all people equally. Supreme Court jurisprudence has curtailed the Fourth Amendment privacy rights of individuals under probation or parole supervision. In this line of cases, the Court concluded that the government’s interest in monitoring supervisees, reducing recidivism, and promoting public safety outweighed their reasonable expectation of privacy.

However, surveillance mechanisms like probation and parole extend the criminal legal system’s carceral gaze beyond the supervisees and peer into the bedrooms and digital lives of their families, roommates, and communities, or who this Article calls system-adjacent …

Outbound Investment Restrictions And International Law’S Challenge, Harlan G. Cohen

Faculty Scholarship

The Outbound Investment Rule, restricting U.S. investment in certain Chinese advanced technology sectors, has largely been portrayed as an incremental measure, a modest extension to fill loopholes in the existing investment screening regime. But while perhaps the logical next step in the securitization of the economy, the Outbound Investment Rule actually reflects a momentous shift in the relationship between governments and business, one playing out in the United States and around the world and worth attention. Unlike traditional investment screening, the Outbound Investment Rule operates like a sanctions regime, designed not to protect the U.S. economy, but to hamper the …