Digital Commons Network^™

A New Measure For End Of Life Planning, Preparation, And Preferences In Huntington Disease: Hdqlife End Of Life Planning, Noelle E Carlozzi, E A Hahn, S A Frank, J S Perlmutter, N D Downing, M K Mccormack, S Barton, M A Nance, S G Schilling, Hdqlife Site Investigators And Coordinators

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

BACKGROUND: Huntington disease is a fatal inherited neurodegenerative disease. Because the end result of Huntington disease is death due to Huntington disease-related causes, there is a need for better understanding and caring for individuals at their end of life.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to develop a new measure to evaluate end of life planning.

DESIGN: We conducted qualitative focus groups, solicited expert input, and completed a literature review to develop a 16-item measure to evaluate important aspects of end of life planning for Huntington disease. Item response theory and differential item functioning analyses were utilized to examine …

Implementation And Evaluation Of Guillain-Barré Syndrome Surveillance In Puerto Rico During The 2016 Zika Virus Epidemic, Chelsea G. Major, Emilio Dirlikov, Nicole A. Medina, Roberta Lugo-Robles, Desiree Matos, Jorge Muñoz-Jordán, Candimar Colón-Sánchez, Myriam García-Negrón, Marangely Olivero-Segarra, Graciela Malavé-González, Dana L. Thomas, Carlos A. Luciano, Stephen H. Waterman, James Sejvar, Tyler M. Sharp, Brenda Rivera-García

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

OBJECTIVE: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an uncommon autoimmune disorder that follows infection or vaccination, and increased incidence has been reported during Zika virus (ZIKV) transmission. During the 2016 ZIKV epidemic, the Puerto Rico Department of Health (PRDH) implemented the Enhanced GBS Surveillance System (EGBSSS). Here, we describe EGBSSS implementation and evaluate completeness, validity, and timeliness.

METHODS: GBS cases were identified using passive surveillance and discharge diagnostic code for GBS. Completeness was evaluated by capture-recapture methods. Sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) for confirmed GBS cases were calculated for both case identification methods. Median time to completion of key time steps …

Systematic Review Of Smartphone-Based Passive Sensing For Health And Wellbeing., Victor P. Cornet Ms, Richard J. Holden

Health Services and Informatics Research

OBJECTIVE: To review published empirical literature on the use of smartphone-based passive sensing for health and wellbeing.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic review of the English language literature was performed following PRISMA guidelines. Papers indexed in computing, technology, and medical databases were included if they were empirical, focused on health and/or wellbeing, involved the collection of data via smartphones, and described the utilized technology as passive or requiring minimal user interaction.

RESULTS: Thirty-five papers were included in the review. Studies were performed around the world, with samples of up to 171 (median n = 15) representing individuals with bipolar disorder, …

Common Diagnoses Among Refugee Populations: Linked Results With Statewide Hospital Discharge Database, Kerui Xu, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, Ming Qu, Brandon Grimm, Jungyoon Kim

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: According to the U.S. State Department's Refugee Processing Center and the U.S. Census Bureau, in the fiscal year 2016, among all states in the United States, Nebraska resettled the highest number of refugees per capita.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to determine the most common reasons for refugees utilizing hospital services in Nebraska between January 2011 and September 2015, and to examine whether refugee patients had increased risks for adverse health conditions compared to non-refugee patients.

METHODS: Statewide linkage was performed between Nebraska Medicaid Program's immigration data, and 2011-2015 Nebraska hospital discharge data inpatient and outpatient files. …

A Frame-Based Nlp System For Cancer-Related Information Extraction, Yuqi Si, Kirk Roberts

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We propose a frame-based natural language processing (NLP) method that extracts cancer-related information from clinical narratives. We focus on three frames: cancer diagnosis, cancer therapeutic procedure, and tumor description. We utilize a deep learning-based approach, bidirectional Long Short-term Memory (LSTM) Conditional Random Field (CRF), which uses both character and word embeddings. The system consists of two constituent sequence classifiers: a frame identification (lexical unit) classifier and a frame element classifier. The classifier achieves an F

The Humanities: Our Human Journey, Ilona Klein

Faculty Publications

Life. The miracle of human life. Scientists believe that our incarnation as anatomically modern humans–homo sapiens–began on African soil about 200,000 years ago, as we started walking erect on two legs instead of four. We wandered upon our planet, a tiny, beautiful, blueish speck almost literally in the middle of nowhere, traveling elliptically around our sun within the cold, dark immensity of the universe.

The Epidemiology And Economic Burden Of Obesity And Related Cardiometabolic Disorders In The United Arab Emirates: A Systematic Review And Qualitative Synthesis, Hadia Radwan, Rami A. Ballout, Hayder Hasan, Nader Lessan, Mirey Karavetian, Rana Rizk

All Works

Copyright © 2018 Hadia Radwan et al. Background. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are considered as a global health problem and considered as a public health priority with the more considerable increasing trend of obesity and cardiometabolic disorders rates in the Middle Eastern countries. This systematic review aims at assessing the prevalence, incidence rates, and trends, as well as the cost of obesity and related cardiometabolic disorders in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methods. A highly sensitive strategy was used to retrieve original observational studies, addressing the epidemiology and cost of obesity and related cardiometabolic disorders in the UAE, irrespective of nationality …

Effect Of Military Deployment On Diabetes Mellitus In Air Force Personnel, Irene Folaron, Mark W. True, Jana L. Wardian Phd, Tom J. Sauerwein, Alan Sim, Joshua M. Tate, Alexander G. Rittel, Lee Ann Zarzabal, Sky D. Graybill

Journal Articles: Hospital Medicine

Introduction: Military deployments relocate service members to austere locations with limited medical capabilities, raising uncertainties whether members with diabetes can participate safely. Military regulations require a medical clearance for service members with diabetes prior to deployment, but there is a dearth of data that can guide the provider in this decision. To alleviate the lack of evidence in this area, we analyzed the change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and body mass index (BMI) before and after a deployment among active duty U.S. Air Force personnel who deployed with diabetes.

Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using HbA1c and …

Onchocerca Volvulus: The Road From Basic Biology To A Vaccine., Sara Lustigman, Benjamin L. Makepeace, Thomas R. Klei, Simon A. Babayan, Peter Hotez, David Abraham, Maria Elena Bottazzi

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

Human onchocerciasis - commonly known as river blindness - is one of the most devastating yet neglected tropical diseases, leaving many millions in sub-Saharan Africa blind and/or with chronic disabilities. Attempts to eliminate onchocerciasis, primarily through the mass drug administration of ivermectin, remains challenging and has been heightened by the recent news that drug-resistant parasites are developing in some populations after years of drug treatment. Needed, and needed now, in the fight to eliminate onchocerciasis are new tools, such as preventive and therapeutic vaccines. This review summarizes the progress made to advance the onchocerciasis vaccine from the research laboratory into …

A Standardized Comparison Of Peri-Operative Complications After Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy: Ivor Lewis Versus Mckeown., Andrew M. Brown, Michael J. Pucci, Adam C. Berger, Talar Tatarian, Nathaniel R. Evans Iii, Ernest L. Rosato, Francesco Palazzo

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: While our institutional approach to esophageal resection for cancer has traditionally favored a minimally invasive (MI) 3-hole, McKeown esophagectomy (MIE 3-hole) during the last five years several factors has determined a shift in our practice with an increasing number of minimally invasive Ivor Lewis (MIE IL) resections being performed. We compared peri-operative outcomes of the two procedures, hypothesizing that MIE IL would be less morbid in the peri-operative setting compared to MIE 3-hole.

METHODS: Our institution's IRB-approved esophageal database was queried to identify all patients who underwent totally MI esophagectomy (MIE IL vs. MIE 3-hole) from June 2011 to …

Technoference: Parent Distraction With Technology And Associations With Child Behavior Problems., Brandon T. Mcdaniel Phd, Jenny S Radesky

Health Services and Informatics Research

Heavy parent digital technology use has been associated with suboptimal parent-child interactions, but no studies examine associations with child behavior. This study investigates whether parental problematic technology use is associated with technology-based interruptions in parent-child interactions, termed "technoference," and whether technoference is associated with child behavior problems. Parent reports from 170 U.S. families (child age = 3.04 years) and actor-partner interdependence modeling showed that maternal and paternal problematic digital technology use predicted greater technoference in mother-child and father-child interactions; then, maternal technoference predicted both mothers' and fathers' reports of child externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Results suggest that technological interruptions are …

Vitamin E Status Is Inversely Associated With Risk Of Incident Tuberculosis Disease Among Household Contacts, Omowunmi Aibana, Molly F Franke, Chuan-Chin Huang, Jerome T Galea, Roger Calderon, Zibiao Zhang, Mercedes C Becerra, Emily R Smith, Carmen Contreras, Rosa Yataco, Leonid Lecca, Megan B Murray

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Few studies have previously assessed how pre-existing vitamin E status is associated with risk of tuberculosis (TB) disease progression.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the association between baseline plasma concentrations of 3 vitamin E isomers (α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol, and δ-tocopherol) and TB disease risk.

METHODS: We conducted a case-control study nested within a longitudinal cohort of household contacts (HHCs) of pulmonary TB cases in Lima, Peru. We defined cases as HHCs who developed active TB disease ≥15 d after the diagnosis of the index patient, and we matched each case to 4 control cases who did not develop active TB based on …

Subharmonic And Endoscopic Contrast Imaging Of Pancreatic Masses: A Pilot Study., Flemming Forsberg, Maria Stanczak, Andrej Lyshchik, David E. Loren, Patrick O'Kane, Ali Siddiqui, Thomas E. Kowalski, Cynthia Miller, Traci Fox, Ji-Bin Liu, John R. Eisenbrey

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: To use subharmonic imaging (SHI) to depict the vascularity of pancreatic masses compared to contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and pathologic results.

METHODS: Sixteen patients scheduled for biopsy of a pancreatic mass were enrolled in an Institutional Review Board-approved study. Pulse-inversion SHI (transmitting/receiving at 2.5/1.25 MHz) was performed on a LOGIQ 9 system (GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI) with a 4C transducer, whereas contrast harmonic EUS (transmitting/receiving at 4.7/9.4 MHz) was performed with a radial endoscope (GF-UTC180; Olympus Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) connected to a ProSound SSD α-10 scanner (Hitachi Aloka, Tokyo, Japan). Two injections of the contrast agent Definity (Lantheus Medical …

Clinical Utility Of The Dsm-5 Alternative Model For Borderline Personality Disorder: Differential Diagnostic Accuracy Of The Bfi, Scid-Ii-Pq, And Pid-5, J Christopher Fowler, Alok Madan, Jon G Allen, Michelle Patriquin, Carla Sharp, John M Oldham, B Christopher Frueh

Staff and Researcher Publications

Background: With the publication of DSM 5 alternative model for personality disorders it is critical to assess the components of the model against evidence-based models such as the five factor model and the DSM-IV-TR categorical model. This study explored the relative clinical utility of these models in screening for borderline personality disorder (BPD).

Methods: Receiver operator characteristics and diagnostic efficiency statistics were calculated for three personality measures to ascertain the relative diagnostic efficiency of each measure. A total of 1653 adult inpatients at a specialist psychiatric hospital completed SCID-II interviews. Sample 1 (n=653) completed the SCID-II interviews, SCID-II Questionnaire (SCID-II-PQ) …

Amygdala-Frontal Connectivity Predicts Internalizing Symptom Recovery Among Inpatient Adolescents, Amanda Venta, Carla Sharp, Michelle Patriquin, Ramiro Salas, Elizabeth Newlin, Kaylah Curtis, Philip Baldwin, Christopher Fowler, B Christopher Frueh

Staff and Researcher Publications

Background: The possibility of using biological measures to predict the trajectory of symptoms among adolescent psychiatric inpatients has important implications. This study aimed to examine emotion regulation ability (measured via self-report) and a hypothesized proxy in resting-state functional connectivity [RSFC] between the amygdala and frontal brain regions as baseline predictors of internalizing symptom recovery during inpatient care.

Methods: 196 adolescents (61% female; Mage = 15.20; SD = 1.48) completed the Achenbach Brief Problem Monitor (BPM) each week during their inpatient care. RSFC (n = 45) and self-report data of emotion regulation (n = 196) were collected at baseline.

Results: The …

Women's Rights In The Health Care System: Caesarean Delivery On Maternal Request, Ann-Claire Larsen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This article explores a systems-theoretical question on the resonance capacity of medicine and law that has enabled a recent obstetric change. Insights from autopoietic theory guide my analysis of these subsystems' preconditions or self-referencing processes supporting obstetrics to take up pregnant women's requests for caesarean sections for social reasons. Previously, obstetricians performed caesarean sections on medical grounds only. That change became possible: it resonated with obstetrics, despite limitations imposed on obstetrics and law by these subsystems' unique codes and programs, and in light of law's self-determining individual. This article argues that although the change represents a victory for women's human …

Association Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea With Hypertension: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Haifeng Hou, Yange Zhao, Xiaotong Xue, Jian Ding, Wei Jia Xing, Wei Wang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Results: Twenty-six studies with 51 623 participants (28 314 men, 23 309 women; mean age 51.8 years) met inclusion criteria and were included in this study. Among them, six studies showed a significant association between OSA and resistant hypertension (pooled OR = 2.842, 95% CI = 1.703-3.980, P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the combination of 20 original studies on the association of OSA with essential hypertension also presented significant results with the pooled ORs of 1.184 (95% CI = 1.093-1.274, P < 0.05) for mild OSA, 1.316 (95% CI = 1.197-1.433, P < 0.05) for moderate OSA and 1.561 (95% CI = 1.287-1.835, P < 0.05) for severe OSA.

Conclusions: Our findings indicated that OSA is related to an increased risk of resistant hypertension. Mild, moderate and severe OSA are associated essential hypertension, as well a dose-response manner relationship is manifested. The associations are relatively stronger among Caucasians and male OSA patients.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder …

Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring In Pregnancy: Examining Feasibility In A Prospective Cohort Study, Katherine L. Tucker, Kathryn S. Taylor, Carole Crawford, James A. Hodgkinson, Clare Bankhead, Tricia Carver, Elizabeth Ewers, Margaret Glogowska, Sheila M. Greenfield, Lucy Annang Ingram Phd, Lisa Hinton, Khalid S. Khan, Louise Locock, Lucy Mackillop, Christine Mccourt, Alexander M. Pirie, Richard Stevens, Richard J. Mcmanus

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Raised blood pressure (BP) affects approximately 10% of pregnancies worldwide, and a high proportion of affected women develop pre-eclampsia. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of self-monitoring of BP in pregnancy in women at higher risk of pre-eclampsia. METHODS: This prospective cohort study of self-monitoring BP in pregnancy was carried out in two hospital trusts in Birmingham and Oxford and thirteen primary care practices in Oxfordshire. Eligible women were those defined by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines as at higher risk of pre-eclampsia. A total of 201 participants were recruited between 12 …

An Assessment Of Emotional Intelligence In Emergency Medicine Resident Physicians., Dimitrios Papanagnou, Kathryn M Linder, Anuh Shah, Kory Scott London, Shruti Chandra, Robin Naples

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

Objectives: To define the emotional intelligence (EI) profile of emergency medicine (EM) residents, and identify resident EI strengths and weaknesses.

Methods: First-, second-, and third-year residents (post-graduate years [PGY] 1, 2, and 3, respectively) of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital's EM Program completed the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i 2.0), a validated instrument offered by Multi-Health Systems. Reported scores included total mean EI, 5 composite scores, and 15 subscales of EI. Scores are reported as means with 95% CIs. The unpaired, two-sample t-test was used to evaluate differences in means.

Results: Thirty-five residents completed the assessment (response rate 97.2%). Scores were normed …

An Assessment Of Emotional Intelligence In Emergency Medicine Resident Physicians., Dimitrios Papanagnou, Kathryn Linder, Anuj Shah, Kory Scott London, Shruti Chandra, Robin Naples

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: To define the emotional intelligence (EI) profile of emergency medicine (EM) residents, and identify resident EI strengths and weaknesses.

METHODS: First-, second-, and third-year residents (post-graduate years [PGY] 1, 2, and 3, respectively) of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital's EM Program completed the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i 2.0), a validated instrument offered by Multi-Health Systems. Reported scores included total mean EI, 5 composite scores, and 15 subscales of EI. Scores are reported as means with 95% CIs. The unpaired, two-sample t-test was used to evaluate differences in means.

RESULTS: Thirty-five residents completed the assessment (response rate 97.2%). Scores were normed …

Maternal Depressive Symptoms And Child Behavior Among Mexican Women And Their Children., Emily P Flynn, Esther O Chung, Emily J Ozer, Lia C H Fernald

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Over 50% of mothers in rural Mexico have high depressive symptoms, and their children's health and development are likely to be negatively affected. A critical question is whether children vary in their vulnerability to the effects of high maternal depressive symptoms according to their indigenous ethnicity, maternal education, or household wealth. Our sample included 4442 mothers and 5503 children from an evaluation of Mexico's social welfare program. Maternal depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale, and child behavior was measured using an adapted version of the Behavior Problems Index (BPI). Multiple linear regression models …

Interhospital Transfer Before Thrombectomy Is Associated With Delayed Treatment And Worse Outcome In The Stratis Registry (Systematic Evaluation Of Patients Treated With Neurothrombectomy Devices For Acute Ischemic Stroke)., Michael T Froehler, Jeffrey L Saver, Osama O Zaidat, Reza Jahan, Mohammad Ali Aziz-Sultan, Richard P Klucznik, Diogo C Haussen, Frank R Hellinger, Dileep R Yavagal, Tom L Yao, David S Liebeskind, Ashutosh P Jadhav, Rishi Gupta, Ameer E Hassan, Coleman O Martin, Hormozd Bozorgchami, Ritesh Kaushal, Raul G Nogueira, Ravi H Gandhi, Eric C Peterson, Shervin R Dashti, Curtis A Given, Brijesh P Mehta, Vivek Deshmukh, Sidney Starkman, Italo Linfante, Scott H Mcpherson, Peter Kvamme, Thomas J Grobelny, Muhammad S Hussain, Ike Thacker, Nirav Vora, Peng Roc Chen, Stephen J Monteith, Robert D Ecker, Clemens M Schirmer, Eric Sauvageau, Alex Abou-Chebl, Colin P Derdeyn, Lucian Maidan, Aamir Badruddin, Adnan H Siddiqui, Travis M Dumont, Abdulnasser Alhajeri, M Asif Taqi, Khaled Asi, Jeffrey Carpenter, Alan Boulos, Gaurav Jindal, Ajit S Puri, Rohan Chitale, Eric M Deshaies, David H Robinson, David F Kallmes, Blaise W Baxter, Mouhammad A Jumaa, Peter Sunenshine, Aniel Majjhoo, Joey D English, Shuichi Suzuki, Richard D Fessler, Josser E Delgado Almandoz, Jerry C Martin, Nils H Mueller-Kronast

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND: Endovascular treatment with mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is beneficial for patients with acute stroke suffering a large-vessel occlusion, although treatment efficacy is highly time-dependent. We hypothesized that interhospital transfer to endovascular-capable centers would result in treatment delays and worse clinical outcomes compared with direct presentation.

METHODS: STRATIS (Systematic Evaluation of Patients Treated With Neurothrombectomy Devices for Acute Ischemic Stroke) was a prospective, multicenter, observational, single-arm study of real-world MT for acute stroke because of anterior-circulation large-vessel occlusion performed at 55 sites over 2 years, including 1000 patients with severe stroke and treated within 8 hours. Patients underwent MT with or …

Interhospital Transfer Before Thrombectomy Is Associated With Delayed Treatment And Worse Outcome In The Stratis Registry (Systematic Evaluation Of Patients Treated With Neurothrombectomy Devices For Acute Ischemic Stroke)., Michael T Froehler, Jeffrey L Saver, Osama O Zaidat, Reza Jahan, Mohammad Ali Aziz-Sultan, Richard P Klucznik, Diogo C Haussen, Frank R Hellinger, Dileep R Yavagal, Tom L Yao, David S Liebeskind, Ashutosh P Jadhav, Rishi Gupta, Ameer E Hassan, Coleman O Martin, Hormozd Bozorgchami, Ritesh Kaushal, Raul G Nogueira, Ravi H Gandhi, Eric C Peterson, Shervin R Dashti, Curtis A Given, Brijesh P Mehta, Vivek Deshmukh, Sidney Starkman, Italo Linfante, Scott H Mcpherson, Peter Kvamme, Thomas J Grobelny, Muhammad S Hussain, Ike Thacker, Nirav Vora, Peng Roc Chen, Stephen J Monteith, Robert D Ecker, Clemens M Schirmer, Eric Sauvageau, Alex Abou-Chebl, Colin P Derdeyn, Lucian Maidan, Aamir Badruddin, Adnan H Siddiqui, Travis M Dumont, Abdulnasser Alhajeri, M Asif Taqi, Khaled Asi, Jeffrey Carpenter, Alan Boulos, Gaurav Jindal, Ajit S Puri, Rohan Chitale, Eric M Deshaies, David H Robinson, David F Kallmes, Blaise W Baxter, Mouhammad A Jumaa, Peter Sunenshine, Aniel Majjhoo, Joey D English, Shuichi Suzuki, Richard D Fessler, Josser E Delgado Almandoz, Jerry C Martin, Nils H Mueller-Kronast, Stratis Investigators

Neuroscience Articles

BACKGROUND: Endovascular treatment with mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is beneficial for patients with acute stroke suffering a large-vessel occlusion, although treatment efficacy is highly time-dependent. We hypothesized that interhospital transfer to endovascular-capable centers would result in treatment delays and worse clinical outcomes compared with direct presentation.

METHODS: STRATIS (Systematic Evaluation of Patients Treated With Neurothrombectomy Devices for Acute Ischemic Stroke) was a prospective, multicenter, observational, single-arm study of real-world MT for acute stroke because of anterior-circulation large-vessel occlusion performed at 55 sites over 2 years, including 1000 patients with severe stroke and treated within 8 hours. Patients underwent MT with or …

Genetic Epidemiology Of Neural Tube Defects, Philip J Lupo, A J Agopian, Heidi Castillo, Jonathan Castillo, Gerald H Clayton, Nienke P Dosa, Betsy Hopson, David B Joseph, Brandon G Rocque, William O Walker, John S Wiener, Laura E Mitchell

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

It has been estimated that 60-70% of neural tube defects (NTDs) have a genetic component, but few causative genes have been identified. The lack of information on genes associated with non-syndromic NTDs in humans is especially notable as the "genomic revolution" has led to new tools (e.g., genome-wide genotyping arrays, next-generation sequencing) that are helping to elucidate the full spectrum of genetic variation (from common to rare) contributing to complex traits, including structural birth defects. However, the application of modern genomic approaches to the study of NTDs has lagged behind that of some other common structural birth defects. This may …

The Toxicity Of Nanoparticles Depends On Multiple Molecular And Physicochemical Mechanisms, Yue-Wern Huang, Melissa Cambre, Han-Jung Lee

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Nanotechnology is an emerging discipline that studies matters at the nanoscale level. Eventually, the goal is to manipulate matters at the atomic level to serve mankind. One growing area in nanotechnology is biomedical applications, which involve disease management and the discovery of basic biological principles. In this review, we discuss characteristics of nanomaterials, with an emphasis on transition metal oxide nanoparticles that influence cytotoxicity. Identification of those properties may lead to the design of more efficient and safer nanosized products for various industrial purposes and provide guidance for assessment of human and environmental health risk. We then investigate biochemical and …

Prevalence Of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Copd) In China In 1990 And 2010., Kit Yee Chan, Xue Li, Wanjing Chen, Peige Song, Nuen Wing Katy Wong, Adrienne N Poon, Weiyan Jian, Ireneous N Soyiri, Simon Cousens, Davies Adeloye, Aziz Sheikh, Harry Campbell, Igor Rudan, Global Health Epidemiology Research Group (Gherg).

Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is set to become the third most frequent cause of death and also the third largest cause of global morbidity by 2020. In China, where the population is aging rapidly, COPD has become one of the leading causes of disability and a large economic burden. An epidemiological assessment of the COPD in China is required, with a focus on the number of cases living with disease, main determinants of the disease and time trends.

Methods: We systematically searched large Chinese bibliographic databases and English databases to identify spirometry-based epidemiological studies of the prevalence of …

Influence Of Dietary Salt Knowledge, Perceptions, And Beliefs On Consumption Choices After Stroke In Uganda, Martin N. Kaddumukasa, Elly Katabira, Martha Sajatovic, Svetlana Pundik, Mark Kaddumukasa, Larry B. Goldstein

Neurology Faculty Publications

Background

Previous research on Uganda's poststroke population revealed that their level of dietary salt knowledge did not lead to healthier consumption choices.

Purpose

Identify barriers and motivators for healthy dietary behaviors and evaluate the understanding of widely accepted salt regulation mechanisms among poststroke patients in Uganda.

Methods

Convergent parallel mixed methods triangulation design comprised a cross-sectional survey (n = 81) and 8 focus group discussions with 7-10 poststroke participants in each group. We assessed participant characteristics and obtained insights into their salt consumption attitudes, perceptions, and knowledge. Qualitative responses were analyzed using an inductive approach with thematic analytic procedures. Relationships …

A Blueprint For Life And Love, Marilyn Todd

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

No abstract provided.

Surgical Approaches To Adenocarcinoma Of The Gastroesophageal Junction: The Siewert Ii Conundrum., Andrew M. Brown, Danica N. Giugliano, Adam C. Berger, Michael J. Pucci, Francesco Palazzo

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The Siewert classification system for gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma has provided morphological and topographical information to help guide surgical decision-making. Evidence has shown that Siewert I and III tumors are distinct entities with differing epidemiologic and histologic characteristics and distinct patterns of disease progression, requiring different treatment. Siewert II tumors share some of the characteristics of type I and III lesions, and the surgical approach is not universally agreed upon. Appropriate surgical options include transthoracic esophagogastrectomy, transhiatal esophagectomy, and transabdominal extended total gastrectomy.

PURPOSE: A review of the available evidence of the surgical management of Siewert II tumors is presented. …

Outbreak Response And Incident Management: Shea Guidance And Resources For Healthcare Epidemiologists In United States Acute-Care Hospitals., David B Banach, B Lynn Johnston, Duha Al-Zubeidi, Allison H Bartlett, Susan Casey Bleasdale, Valerie M Deloney, Kyle B Enfield, Judith A Guzman-Cottrill, Christopher Lowe, Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, Kyle J Popovich, Payal K Patel, Karen Ravin, Theresa Rowe, Erica S Shenoy, Scott Stienecker Md, Pritish K Tosh, Kavita K Trivedi

Hospital Medicine

This expert guidance document was developed as a resource to provide healthcare epidemiologists working in acute-care hospitals with a high-level overview of incident management for infectious diseases outbreaks and to prepare them to work within an emergency response framework. It addresses how the epidemiologist’s skills and expertise apply to scenarios that require enhanced preparedness and response efforts, eg, when pathogens associated with outbreaks are poorly characterized or when outbreaks require additional interventions including, but not limited to, healthcare personnel education, enhanced infection prevention and control measures, added staffing, supplies, and resources, adjustments to clinical and support activities, and external communications. …