Digital Commons Network^™

Complementary And Alternative Medicine Use In Women During Pregnancy: Do Their Healthcare Providers Know?, Lisa Strouss, Amy Mackley, Ursula Guillen, David A Paul, Robert Locke

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

BACKGROUND: The National Institutes of Health reported in 2007 that approximately 38% of United States adults have used at least one type of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). There are no studies available that assess general CAM use in US pregnant women.The objectives of our study were to determine the prevalence and type of CAM use during pregnancy at one medical center; understand who is using CAM and why they are using it; and assess the state of patients' CAM use disclosure to their obstetrical providers.

METHODS: A cross-sectional survey study of post-partum women was done to assess self-reported CAM …

A Randomized Trial Of Bevacizumab For Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma., Mark R Gilbert, James J Dignam, Terri S Armstrong, Jeffrey S Wefel, Deborah T Blumenthal, Michael A Vogelbaum, Howard Colman, Arnab Chakravarti, Stephanie Pugh, Minhee Won, Robert Jeraj, Paul D Brown, Kurt A Jaeckle, David Schiff, Volker W Stieber, David G Brachman, Maria Werner-Wasik, Ivo W Tremont-Lukats, Erik P Sulman, Kenneth D Aldape, Walter J Curran, Minesh P Mehta

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Concurrent treatment with temozolomide and radiotherapy followed by maintenance temozolomide is the standard of care for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. Bevacizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor A, is currently approved for recurrent glioblastoma. Whether the addition of bevacizumab would improve survival among patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma is not known.

METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we treated adults who had centrally confirmed glioblastoma with radiotherapy (60 Gy) and daily temozolomide. Treatment with bevacizumab or placebo began during week 4 of radiotherapy and was continued for up to 12 cycles of maintenance chemotherapy. …

Language Barriers To Informed Consent For Dermatologic Interventions., Jordan Wang, Matthew Keller

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

CASE SCENARIO

A 39-year-old Spanish-speaking woman with limited English-language proficiency presents with her 13-year-old son to your private dermatology practice. Through her son, you learn the patient is worried about a mole that has significantly grown in size over the past 3 months. After examination, you recommend the nevus be biopsied to better evaluate it. However, you are barely able to communicate with the patient, and you suspect that her son is not interpreting everything you say based on his especially brief communications with her. To proceed with the biopsy, you must first obtain informed consent.

As the dermatologist, you …

A Novel In Vivo Model For Evaluating Functional Restoration Of A Tissue-Engineered Salivary Gland., Swati Pradhan-Bhatt, Daniel A Harrington, Randall L Duncan, Mary C Farach-Carson, Xinqiao Jia, Robert L Witt

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To create a novel model for development of a tissue-engineered salivary gland from human salivary gland cells that retains progenitor cell markers useful for treatment of radiation-induced xerostomia.

STUDY DESIGN: A three-dimensional (3D) hyaluronic acid (HA)-based hydrogel scaffold was used to encapsulate primary human salivary gland cells and to obtain organized acini-like spheroids. Hydrogels were implanted into rat models, and cell viability and receptor expression were evaluated.

METHODS: A parotid gland surgical resection model for xenografting was developed. Salivary cells loaded in HA hydrogels formed spheroids and in vitro were implanted in the three-fourths resected parotid bed of athymic …

A Prospective, Multicenter, Phase I Matched-Comparison Group Trial Of Safety, Pharmacokinetics, And Preliminary Efficacy Of Riluzole In Patients With Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury., Robert G Grossman, Michael G Fehlings, Ralph F Frankowski, Keith D Burau, Diana S L Chow, Charles Tator, Angela Teng, Elizabeth G Toups, James Harrop, Bizhan Aarabi, Christopher I Shaffrey, Michele M Johnson, Susan J Harkema, Maxwell Boakye, James D Guest, Jefferson R Wilson

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

A prospective, multicenter phase I trial was undertaken by the North American Clinical Trials Network (NACTN) to investigate the pharmacokinetics and safety of, as well as obtain pilot data on, the effects of riluzole on neurological outcome in acute spinal cord injury (SCI). Thirty-six patients, with ASIA impairment grades A-C (28 cervical and 8 thoracic) were enrolled at 6 NACTN sites between April 2010 and June 2011. Patients received 50 mg of riluzole PO/NG twice-daily, within 12 h of SCI, for 14 days. Peak and trough plasma concentrations were quantified on days 3 and 14. Peak plasma concentration (Cmax) and …

Human And Helicobacter Pylori Coevolution Shapes The Risk Of Gastric Disease, Nuri Kodaman, Alvaro Pazos, Barbara G. Schneider, M. Blanca Piazuelo, Robertino Mera, Rafal S. Sobota

Dartmouth Scholarship

Helicobacter pylori is the principal cause of gastric cancer, the second leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. However, H. pylori prevalence generally does not predict cancer incidence. To determine whether coevolution between host and pathogen influences disease risk, we examined the association between the severity of gastric lesions and patterns of genomic variation in matched human and H. pylori samples. Patients were recruited from two geographically distinct Colombian populations with significantly different incidences of gastric cancer, but virtually identical prevalence of H. pylori infection. All H. pylori isolates contained the genetic signatures of multiple ancestries, with an ancestral African cluster …

Maternal Biomarkers Of Endothelial Dysfunction And Preterm Delivery, Xinhua Chen, Theresa O Scholl

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

BACKGROUND: Endothelial dysfunction is key to the development of atherosclerosis. Preterm delivery foreshadows later maternal cardiovascular disease (CVD), but it is not known if endothelial dysfunction also occurs. We prospectively measured circulating biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction in pregnant women with preterm or term delivery.

METHODS: We conducted a case-control study nested within a large prospective epidemiological study of young, generally healthy pregnant women. Women who delivered preterm (gestation, n = 240) and controls who delivered at term (n = 439) were included. Pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia were analyzed separately. Circulating endothelial dysfunction biomarkers included soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), vascular …

Development Of A Personalized Decision Aid For Breast Cancer Risk Reduction And Management, Elissa M. Ozanne, Rebecca Howe, Zehra Omer, Laura J. Esserman

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Breast cancer risk reduction has the potential to decrease the incidence of the disease, yet remains underused. We report on the development a web-based tool that provides automated risk assessment and personalized decision support designed for collaborative use between patients and clinicians. Methods: Under Institutional Review Board approval, we evaluated the decision tool through a patient focus group, usability testing, and provider interviews (including breast specialists, primary care physicians, genetic counselors). This included demonstrations and data collection at two scientific conferences (2009 International Shared Decision Making Conference, 2009 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium). Results: Overall, the evaluations were favorable. …

Hypena Opulenta (Erebidae): A European Species For The Biological Control Of Invasive Swallow-Worts (Vincetoxicum Spp.) In North America, Jim Young, Aaron S. Weed

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The moth Hypena opulenta (Christoph, 1877) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) was approved for release in eastern Canada and is pending approval in the United States of America as a biological control agent of the invasive European swallow-worts (Vincetoxicum spp.). Descriptions of the adult in Noctuidae Europeae do not accurately represent the color morph of the rearing colony so a new description is provided. Also for the first time the larva is described and illustrated and a simple key is provided that separates H. opulenta from most of the Hypena spp. in the Northeastern U.S.

Hypena Opulenta (Erebidae): A European Species For The Biological Control Of Invasive Swallow-Worts (Vincetoxicum Spp.) In North America, Jim Young, Aaron S. Weed

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The moth Hypena opulenta (Christoph, 1877) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) was approved for release in eastern Canada and is pending approval in the United States of America as a biological control agent of the invasive European swallow-worts (Vincetoxicum spp.). Descriptions of the adult in Noctuidae Europeae do not accurately represent the color morph of the rearing colony so a new description is provided. Also for the first time the larva is described and illustrated and a simple key is provided that separates H. opulenta from most of the Hypena spp. in the Northeastern U.S.

Myo/Nog Cells: Targets For Preventing The Accumulation Of Skeletal Muscle-Like Cells In The Human Lens, Jacquelyn Gerhart, M. Greenbaum, V. Scheinfeld, P. Fitzgerald, M. Crawford, Arturo Bravo Nuevo, M. Pitts, Mindy George-Weinstein

PCOM Scholarly Works

Posterior capsule opacification (PCO) is a vision impairing condition that arises in some patients following cataract surgery. The fibrotic form of PCO is caused by myofibroblasts that may emerge in the lens years after surgery. In the chick embryo lens, myofibroblasts are derived from Myo/Nog cells that are identified by their expression of the skeletal muscle specific transcription factor MyoD, the bone morphogenetic protein inhibitor Noggin, and the epitope recognized by the G8 monoclonal antibody. The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that depletion of Myo/Nog cells will prevent the accumulation of myofibroblasts in human lens tissue. …

Sleep Duration And Diabetes In An Adult Population Of Rural Upstate New York, Tarak Shrestha

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Introduction: Within the past five decades, there has been a rapid increase in the number of diabetic cases in the US. The number of diabetic cases increased from 1.5 million in 1959 to 25.8 million in 2011. Around the same time period, the average sleep duration per night decreased from 8 hours to 6.9 hours.

Enhancing The Care Navigation Model: Potential Roles For Health Sciences Librarians, Jeffrey T. Huber, Robert M. Shapiro Ii, Heather J. Burke, Aaron Palmer

Information Science Faculty Publications

This study analyzed the overlap between roles and activities that health care navigators perform and competencies identified by the Medical Library Association's (MLA's) educational policy statement. Roles and activities that health care navigators perform were gleaned from published literature. Once common roles and activities that health care navigators perform were identified, MLA competencies were mapped against those roles and activities to identify areas of overlap. The greatest extent of correspondence occurred in patient empowerment and support. Further research is warranted to determine the extent to which health sciences librarians might assume responsibility for roles and activities that health care navigators …

Meiotic Drive Impacts Expression And Evolution Of X-Linked Genes In Stalk-Eyed Flies, Josephine A. Reinhardt, Cara L. Brand, Kimberly A. Paczolt, Philip M. Johns, Richard H. Baker, Gerald S. Wilkinson

Biology

Although sex chromosome meiotic drive has been observed in a variety of species for over 50 years, the genes causing drive are only known in a few cases, and none of these cases cause distorted sex-ratios in nature. In stalk-eyed flies (Teleopsis dalmanni), driving X chromosomes are commonly found at frequencies approaching 30% in the wild, but the genetic basis of drive has remained elusive due to reduced recombination between driving and non-driving X chromosomes. Here, we used RNAseq to identify transcripts that are differentially expressed between males carrying either a driving X (X SR ) or a standard X …

Predictors Of Grandparental Investment Decisions In Contemporary Europe: Biological Relatedness And Beyond, David A. Coall, Sonja Hilbrand, Ralph Hertwig

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Across human cultures, grandparents make a valued contribution to the health of their families and communities. Moreover, evidence is gathering that grandparents have a positive impact on the development of grandchildren in contemporary industrialized societies. A broad range of factors that influence the likelihood grandparents will invest in their grandchildren has been explored by disciplines as diverse as sociology, economics, psychology and evolutionary biology. To progress toward an encompassing framework, this study will include biological relatedness between grandparents and grandchildren, a factor central to some discipline's theoretical frameworks (e.g., evolutionary biology), next to a wide range of other factors in …

Monitoring Changes In Circulating Tumour Cells As A Prognostic Indicator Of Overall Survival And Treatment Response In Patients With Metastatic Melanoma, Dragana Klinac, Elin S. Gray, James B. Freeman, Anna Reid, Samantha Bowyer, Michael Millward, Mel Ziman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: New effective treatments for metastatic melanoma greatly improve survival in a proportion of patients. However biomarkers to identify patients that are more likely to benefit from a particular treatment are needed. We previously reported on a multimarker approach for the detection of heterogenous melanoma circulating tumour cells (CTCs). Here we evaluated the prognostic value of this multimarker quantification of CTCs and investigated whether changes in CTC levels during therapy can be used as a biomarker of treatment response and survival outcomes.Methods: CTCs were captured by targeting the melanoma associated markers MCSP and MCAM as well as the melanoma stem …

Reducing Depression During The Menopausal Transition: Study Protocol For A Randomised Controlled Trial, Osvaldo P. Almeida, Kylie Marsh, Leon Flicker, Martha Hickey, Andrew Ford, Moira Sim

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: The menopausal transition (MT) is a biological inevitability for all ageing women that can be associated with changes in mood, including depressive symptoms. There is tentative evidence that women who develop depression during the MT have greater risk of subsequent depressive episodes, as well as increased health morbidity and mortality. Thus, preventing depression during the MT could enhance both current and the future health and well-being of women. This study aims to test the efficacy of a client-centred health promotion intervention to decrease the 12-month incidence of clinically significant symptoms of depression among women undergoing the MT.Methods/Design: This randomised …

Effect Of Bdnf Val66met On Memory Decline And Hippocampal Atrophy In Prodromal Alzheimer's Disease: A Preliminary Study, Yen Y. Lim, Victor L. Villemagne, Simon M. Laws, David Ames, Robert H. Pietrzak, Kathryn A. Ellis, Karra Harrington, Pierrick Bourgeat, Ashley I. Bush, Ralph N. Martins, Colin L. Masters, Christopher C. Rowe, Paul Maruff

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objective: Cross-sectional genetic association studies have reported equivocal results on the relationship between the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met and risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). As AD is a neurodegenerative disease, genetic influences may become clearer from prospective study. We aimed to determine whether BDNF Val66Met polymorphism influences changes in memory performance, hippocampal volume, and Aβ accumulation in adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and high Aβ. Methods: Thirty-four adults with aMCI were recruited from the Australian, Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) Study. Participants underwent PiB-PET and structural MRI neuroimaging, neuropsychological assessments and BDNF genotyping at baseline, 18 month, …

Learning To Pronounce First Words In Three Languages: An Investigation Of Caregiver And Infant Behavior Using A Computational Model Of An Infant., Ian S. Howard, Piers Messum

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Words are made up of speech sounds. Almost all accounts of child speech development assume that children learn the pronunciation of first language (L1) speech sounds by imitation, most claiming that the child performs some kind of auditory matching to the elements of ambient speech. However, there is evidence to support an alternative account and we investigate the non-imitative child behavior and well-attested caregiver behavior that this account posits using Elija, a computational model of an infant. Through unsupervised active learning, Elija began by discovering motor patterns, which produced sounds. In separate interaction experiments, native speakers of English, French and …

How Masculinities Distribute Power: The Influence Of Ann Scales, Ann C. Mcginley, Frank Rudy Cooper

Scholarly Works

Ann Scales's scholarship on masculinities in relation to sexual assault and militarism prompted us to consider exactly how power is distributed by assumptions about what is masculine. For instance, men privileged by association with hegemonic masculinities — those most dominant and preferred — are sometimes excused for acts of violence against people who are denigrated as unmasculine or excessively masculine. In one set of examples, communities excuse football players for sexual assaults on grounds that "boys will be boys." The implication is that boys should be allowed to act out before taking on adult responsibilities, and that they need to …

Strong Relationship Between Oral Dose And Tenofovir Hair Levels In A Randomized Trial: Hair As A Potential Adherence Measure For Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Prep)., Albert Y. Liu, Qiyun Yang, Yong Huang, Peter Bacchetti, Peter L. Anderson, Chengshi Jin, Kathy Goggin, Kristefer Stojanovski, Robert Grant, Susan P. Buchbinder, Ruth M. Greenblatt, Monica Gandhi

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) trials using tenofovir-based regimens have demonstrated that high levels of adherence are required to evaluate efficacy; the incorporation of objective biomarkers of adherence in trial design has been essential to interpretation, given the inaccuracy of self-report. Antiretroviral measurements in scalp hair have been useful as a marker of long-term exposure in the HIV treatment setting, and hair samples are relatively easy and inexpensive to collect, transport, and store for analysis. To evaluate the relationship between dose and tenofovir concentrations in hair, we examined the dose proportionality of tenofovir in hair in healthy, HIV-uninfected adults.

METHODS: A …

Association Of Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (Atm) Gene Mutation/Deletion With Rhabdomyosarcoma, Peilin Zhang, Kunjan S. Bhakta, Pier Lorenzo Puri, Robert Newbury, James Feramisco, Jean Wang

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Contrast Negation Differentiates Visual Pathways Underlying Dynamic And Invariant Facial Processing, Pamela M. Pallett, Ming Meng

Dartmouth Scholarship

Abstract Bruce and Young (1986) proposed a model for face processing that begins with structural encoding, followed by a split into two processing streams: one for the dynamic aspects of the face (e.g., facial expressions of emotion) and the other for the invariant aspects of the face (e.g., gender, identity). Yet how this is accomplished remains unclear. Here, we took a psychophysical approach using contrast negation to test the Bruce and Young model. Previous research suggests that contrast negation impairs processing of invariant features (e.g., gender) but not dynamic features (e.g., expression). In our first experiment, participants discriminated differences in …

Association Between In Utero Arsenic Exposure, Placental Gene Expression, And Infant Birth Weight: A Us Birth Cohort Study, Dennis Liang Fei, Devin C. Koestler, Zhigang Li, Camilla Giambelli, Avencia Sanchez-Mejias, Julie Gosse, Carmen J. Marsit, Margaret R. Karagas, David J. Robbins

Dartmouth Scholarship

Epidemiologic studies and animal models suggest that in utero arsenic exposure affects fetal health, with a negative association between maternal arsenic ingestion and infant birth weight often observed. However, the molecular mechanisms for this association remain elusive. In the present study, we aimed to increase our understanding of the impact of low-dose arsenic exposure on fetal health by identifying possible arsenic-associated fetal tissue biomarkers in a cohort of pregnant women exposed to arsenic at low levels.

Methods: Arsenic concentrations were determined from the urine samples of a cohort of 133 pregnant women from New Hampshire. Placental tissue samples collected from …

Findings From The Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome Registry Of Uruguay, Asadur Tchekmedyian, Christopher I. Amos, Sherri J. Bale, Dakai Zhu, Stefan Arold, Joaquin Berrueta, Natalie Nabon, Thomas Mcgarrity

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is characterized by intestinal polyposis, mucocutaneous pigmentation and an increased cancer risk, usually caused by mutations of the STK11 gene. This study collected epidemiological, clinical and genetic data from all Uruguayan PJS patients. Methods: Clinical data were obtained from public and private medical centers and updated annually. Sequencing of the STK11 gene in one member of each family was performed. Results and discussion: 25 cases in 11 unrelated families were registered (15 males, 10 females). The average age of diagnosis and death was 18 and 41 years respectively. All patients had characteristic PJS pigmentation and gastrointestinal …

Diet And Toenail Arsenic Concentrations In A New Hampshire Population With Arsenic-Containing Water, Kathryn L. Cottingham, Roxanne Karimi, Joann F. Gruber, M Scot Zens, Vicki Sayarath, Carol L. Folt, Tracy Punshon, J. Steven Morris, Margaret R. Karagas

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Limited data exist on the contribution of dietary sources of arsenic to an individual's total exposure, particularly in populations with exposure via drinking water. Here, the association between diet and toenail arsenic concentrations (a long-term biomarker of exposure) was evaluated for individuals with measured household tap water arsenic. Foods known to be high in arsenic, including rice and seafood, were of particular interest.

Methods: Associations between toenail arsenic and consumption of 120 individual diet items were quantified using general linear models that also accounted for household tap water arsenic and potentially confounding factors (e.g., age, caloric intake, sex, smoking) …

Socially Excluded Individuals Fail To Recruit Medial Prefrontal Cortex For Negative Social Scenes, Katherine E. Powers, Dylan D. Wagner, Catherine J. Norris, Todd F. Heatherton

Dartmouth Scholarship

Converging behavioral evidence suggests that people respond to experiences of social exclusion with both defensive and affiliative strategies, allowing them to avoid further distress while also encouraging re-establishment of positive social connections. However, there are unresolved questions regarding the cognitive mechanisms underlying people's responses to social exclusion. Here, we sought to gain insight into these behavioral tendencies by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the impact of social exclusion on neural responses to visual scenes that varied on dimensions of sociality and emotional valence. Compared to socially included participants, socially excluded participants failed to recruit dorsomedial prefrontal cortex …

The Dartmouth Database Of Children’S Faces: Acquisition And Validation Of A New Face Stimulus Set, Kirsten A. Dalrymple, Jesse Gomez, Brad Duchaine

Dartmouth Scholarship

Facial identity and expression play critical roles in our social lives. Faces are therefore frequently used as stimuli in a variety of areas of scientific research. Although several extensive and well-controlled databases of adult faces exist, few databases include children’s faces. Here we present the Dartmouth Database of Children’s Faces, a set of photographs of 40 male and 40 female Caucasian children between 6 and 16 years-of-age. Models posed eight facial expressions and were photographed from five camera angles under two lighting conditions. Models wore black hats and black gowns to minimize extra-facial variables. To validate the images, independent raters …

The Composite Effect For Inverted Faces Is Reliable At Large Sample Sizes And Requires The Basic Face Configuration, Tirta Susilo, Constantin Rezlescu, Bradley Duchaine

Dartmouth Scholarship

Abstract The absence of the face composite effect (FCE) for inverted faces is often considered evidence that holistic processing operates only on upright faces. However, such absence might be explained by power issues: Most studies that have failed to find the inverted FCE tested 24 participants or less. Here we find that the inverted FCE exists reliably when we tested at least 60 participants. The inverted FCE was ∼ 18% the size of the upright FCE, and it was unaffected by testing order: It did not matter whether participants did the upright condition first (Experiment 1, n = 64) or …

Clinical Phenotypes And Abcc6 Gene Mutations In Brazilian Families With Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum., Caroline Silvério Faria, Qiaoli Li, Haitao Guo, Jouni Uitto, Sylvia Satomi Takeno, Marilia De Arruda Cardoso Smith, Dertia Villalba Freire-Maia

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE; OMIM 264800) manifests with characteristic skin lesions of yellowish papules which coalesce into plaques of inelastic and leathery skin on the predilection sites (1). The ocular findings consist of angioid streaks, choroidal neovascularization and subretinal hemorrhages resulting in loss of visual acuity and occasional blindness. Cardiovascular problems include hypertension, intermittent claudication, and occasional myocardial infarcts and stroke. The prevalence of PXE is estimated to be in the range of 1:50,000-70,000 and to be more frequent in females than in males. The diagnosis can be challenging to clinicians due to late-onset of clinical manifestations and considerable heterogeneity. PXE …