Digital Commons Network^™

Expert Opinion On Verification Of Antimicrobial Susceptibility Tests, Jean B. Patel, Richard B. Thomson, Kevin Alby, Esther Babady, Karissa Culbreath, Marcelo F. Galas, Shawn R. Lockhart, Brian V. Lubbers, Margie Morgan, Sandra S. Richter, Susan Sharp, Ribhi M. Shawar, Ana Maria Cardenas, German Esparza, Nicole Hubbard, Mark G. Papich, Audrey N. Schuetz

Pathology Research and Scholarship

On behalf of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), the Expert Panel on Microbiology would like to respond to the recent commentary by Kirby and colleagues voicing concerns related to the verification of commercial antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) for new drugs that are introduced into the clinical laboratory (1). The CLSI Expert Panel on Microbiology oversees the direction and general guidance of the CLSI microbiology subcommittees, including the Subcommittee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing, the Subcommittee on Antifungal Susceptibility Testing, and the Subcommittee on Veterinary Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing. The authors of the recent commentary propose that verification studies are not …

Association Of Visceral Adipose Tissue And Subclinical Atherosclerosis In Us-Born Mexican Americans But Not First Generation Immigrants, Clarence Gill, Miryoung Lee, Kristina P Vatcheva, Nahid Rianon, Beverly Smulevitz, David D Mcpherson, Joseph B Mccormick, Susan P Fisher-Hoch, Susan T Laing

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background Excess visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is a primary driver for the cardiometabolic complications of obesity; VAT-associated cardiovascular disease risk varies by race, but most studies have been done on Non-Hispanics. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and metabolic correlates of VAT, its association with subclinical atherosclerosis, and the factors affecting this association in Mexican Americans. Methods and Results Participants (n=527) were drawn from the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort (CCHC), on whom a carotid ultrasound to assess carotid intima media thickness and a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan to assess for VAT were obtained. Those in the highest quartiles of …

Do Not Forget Our Pregnant Women During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Gabriel Costa Osanan, Maria Fernanda Escobar Vidarte, Jack Ludmir

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Relationships Between Accelerometry And General Compensatory Movements Of The Upper Limb After Stroke, Jessica Barth, Joeseph W Klaesner, Catherine E Lang

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Standardized assessments are used in rehabilitation clinics after stroke to measure restoration versus compensatory movements of the upper limb. Accelerometry is an emerging tool that can bridge the gap between in- and out-of-clinic assessments of the upper limb, but is limited in that it currently does not capture the quality of a person's movement, an important concept to assess compensation versus restoration. The purpose of this analysis was to characterize how accelerometer variables may reflect upper limb compensatory movement patterns after stroke.

METHODS: This study was a secondary analysis of an existing data set from a Phase II, single-blind, …

Brain Function Distinguishes Female Carriers And Non-Carriers Of Familial Risk For Autism, Adam T Eggebrecht, Ally Dworetsky, Zoë Hawks, Rebecca Coalson, Babatunde Adeyemo, Savannah Davis, Daniel Gray, Alana Mcmichael, Steven E Petersen, John N Constantino, John R Pruett

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by high population-level heritability and a three-to-one male-to-female ratio that occurs independent of sex linkage. Prior research in a mixed-sex pediatric sample identified neural signatures of familial risk elicited by passive viewing of point light motion displays, suggesting the possibility that both resilience and risk of autism might be associated with brain responses to biological motion. To confirm a relationship between these signatures and inherited risk of autism, we tested them in families enriched for genetic loading through undiagnosed ("carrier") females.

METHODS: Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined brain responses to passive …

Outcomes Of Venous End-To-Side Microvascular Anastomoses Of The Head And Neck., Matthew Stewart, Perry Hammond, Ishani Khatiwala, Brian Swendseid, Farshid Taghizadeh, Daniel Petrisor, Tingting Zhan, Richard Goldman, Adam Luginbuhl, Ryan Heffelfinger, Larissa Sweeny, Mark K Wax, Joseph M. Curry

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The literature on outcomes of end-to-side (ETS) anastomoses for microvascular reconstruction of the head and neck is limited. This series reviews ETS in free tissue transfer (FTT) across multiple institutions to better understand their usage and associated outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of 2482 consecutive patients across three tertiary institutions.

METHODS: Adult patients (> 18) who received a FTT from 2006 to 2019 were included.

RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty-one FTT were identified as requiring at least one ETS anastomosis. These ETS cases had a failure rate of 11.2% in comparison to 3.8% in a cohort of end-to-end (ETE) …

Accuracy Of The Tuberculosis Point-Of-Care Alere Determine Lipoarabinomannan Antigen Diagnostic Test Using Α-Mannosidase Treated And Untreated Urine In A Cohort Of People Living With Hiv In Guatemala, Juan Ignacio García, Carlos Mejía-Chew, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Improved point-of-care diagnostic tests for tuberculosis (TB) in severe immune suppressed people living with HIV (PLWH) are needed to decrease morbidity and mortality outcomes. The aim of the study is to evaluate the performance of the lipoarabinomannan antigen test (LAM-test) with and without α-mannosidase pre-treated urine in a cohort of PLWH in primary care clinics in Guatemala. We further determined TB incidence, and mortality rates and its risk factors in PLWH with TB symptoms.

METHODS: Prospective longitudinal study of PLWH with TB symptoms. Urine samples were collected at 2 HIV sites to test the sensitivity of the LAM-test in …

Incorporating Sensitive Cardiac Substructure Sparing Into Radiation Therapy Planning, Eric D. Morris, Kate Aldridge, Ahmed I. Ghanem, Simeng Zhu, Carri K. Glide-Hurst

Radiation Oncology Articles

PURPOSE: Rising evidence suggests that cardiac substructures are highly radiosensitive. However, they are not routinely considered in treatment planning as they are not readily visualized on treatment planning CTs (TPCTs). This work integrated the soft tissue contrast provided by low-field MRIs acquired on an MR-linac via image registration to further enable cardiac substructure sparing on TPCTs.

METHODS: Sixteen upper thoracic patients treated at various breathing states (7 end-exhalation, 7 end-inhalation, 2 free-breathing) on a 0.35T MR-linac were retrospectively evaluated. A hybrid MR/CT atlas and a deep learning three-dimensional (3D) U-Net propagated 13 substructures to TPCTs. Radiation oncologists revised contours using …

How Might Improved Estimates Of Hiv Programme Outcomes Influence Practice? A Formative Study Of Evidence, Dissemination And Response, Njekwa Mukamba, Laura K Beres, Chanda Mwamba, Jeanna Wallenta Law, Stephanie M Topp, Sandra Simbeza, Kombatende Sikombe, Nancy Padian, Charles B Holmes, Elvin H Geng, Izukanji Sikazwe

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: While HIV programmes have started millions of persons on life-saving antiretroviral therapy in Africa, longitudinal health information systems are frail and, therefore, data about long-term survival is often inaccurate or unknown to HIV programmes. The 'Better Information for Health in Zambia' (BetterInfo) Study - a regional sampling-based survey to assess retention and mortality in HIV programmes in Zambia - found both retention and mortality to be higher than prevailing estimates from national surveillance systems. We sought to understand how Zambian health decision-makers at different health system levels would respond to these new data, with a view to informing research …

Solving Community Sars-Cov-2 Testing With Telehealth: Development And Implementation For Screening, Evaluation And Testing., Aditi Joshi, Resa E. Lewiss, Maria Aini, Bracken Babula, Patricia C. Henwood

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Telehealth has emerged as a crucial component of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic emergency response. Simply stated, telehealth is a tool to provide health care from a distance. Jefferson Health has leveraged its acute care telehealth platform to screen, order testing, and manage patients with COVID-19-related concerns.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe the expansion and results of using a telehealth program to increase access to care while minimizing additional potential exposures during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS: Screening algorithms for patients with SARS-CoV-2-related complaints were created, and 150 new clinicians were trained within 72 hours to address …

New Normal For Medical Practice Post Covid-19?, David B. Nash

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Promoting Reading Achievement In Children With Developmental Language Disorders: What Can We Learn From Research On Specific Language Impairment And Dyslexia?, Suzanne M. Adlof

Faculty Publications

Purpose Specific language impairment (SLI; see also developmental language disorder) and dyslexia are separate, yet frequently co-occurring disorders that confer risks to reading comprehension and academic achievement. Until recently, most studies of one disorder had little consideration of the other, and each disorder was addressed by different practitioners. However, understanding how the two disorders relate to each other is important for advancing theories about each disorder and improving reading comprehension and academic achievement. The purpose of this clinical focus article is to integrate research on SLI and dyslexia as well as advocate for the consideration of comorbidities in future research …

Health And Disease Markers Correlate With Gut Microbiome Composition Across Thousands Of People., Ohad Manor, Chengzhen L Dai, Sergey A Kornilov, Brett Smith, Nathan D Price, Jennifer C Lovejoy, Sean M Gibbons, Andrew T Magis

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Variation in the human gut microbiome can reflect host lifestyle and behaviors and influence disease biomarker levels in the blood. Understanding the relationships between gut microbes and host phenotypes are critical for understanding wellness and disease. Here, we examine associations between the gut microbiota and ~150 host phenotypic features across ~3,400 individuals. We identify major axes of taxonomic variance in the gut and a putative diversity maximum along the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes axis. Our analyses reveal both known and unknown associations between microbiome composition and host clinical markers and lifestyle factors, including host-microbe associations that are composition-specific. These results suggest potential opportunities …

Comparison Of Virus Concentration Methods For The Rt-Qpcr-Based Recovery Of Murine Hepatitis Virus, A Surrogate For Sars-Cov-2 From Untreated Wastewater, Warish Ahmed, Paul M. Bertsch, Aaron Bivins, Kyle Bibby, Kata Farkas, Amy Gathercole, Eiji Haramoto, Pradip Gyawali, Asja Korajkic, Brian R. Mcminn, Jochen F. Mueller, Stuart L. Simpson, Wendy J M Smith, Erin M. Symonds, Kevin V. Thomas, Rory Verhagen, Masaaki Kitajima

All publications

There is currently a clear benefit for many countries to utilize wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) as part of ongoing measures to manage the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic. Since most wastewater virus concentration methods were developed and validated for nonenveloped viruses, it is imperative to determine the efficiency of the most commonly used methods for the enveloped severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Municipal wastewater seeded with a human coronavirus (CoV) surrogate, murine hepatitis virus (MHV), was used to test the efficiency of seven wastewater virus concentration methods: (A–C) adsorption-extraction with three different pre-treatment options, (D–E) centrifugal filter device …

Tumor Somatic Mutations Also Existing As Germline Polymorphisms May Help To Identify Functional Snps From Genome-Wide Association Studies, Ivan P Gorlov, Xiangjun Xia, Spiridon Tsavachidis, Olga Y Gorlova, Christopher I Amos

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

We hypothesized that a joint analysis of cancer risk-associated single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and somatic mutations in tumor samples can predict functional and potentially causal SNPs from GWASs. We used mutations reported in the Catalog of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (COSMIC). Confirmed somatic mutations were subdivided into two groups: (1) mutations reported as SNPs, which we call mutational/SNPs and (2) somatic mutations that are not reported as SNPs, which we call mutational/noSNPs. It is generally accepted that the number of times a somatic mutation is reported in COSMIC correlates with its selective advantage to tumors, with more frequently reported mutations being …

Implementation Planning For Community-Based Point-Of-Care Hiv Testing For Infants: Recommendations From Community Leaders In Kenya., Lynton W. Macharia, Catherine Wexler, Melinda Brown, May Maloba, Ruby Angeline Pricilla, Natabhona M. Mabachi, Elizabeth Muchoki, Shadrack Babu, Martin Ochieng, Brad Gautney, Kathy Goggin, Sarah Finocchario-Kessler

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Early infant diagnosis (EID) establishes the presence of HIV infection in HIV-exposed infants and children younger than 18 months of age. EID services are hospital-based, and thus fail to capture HIV-exposed infants who are not brought to the hospital for care. Point-of-care (POC) diagnostic systems deployed in the community could increase the proportion tested and linked to treatment, but little feasibility and acceptability data is available.

METHODS: Semi-structured interviews (n = 74) were conducted by a Kenyan team with community members (Community Health Workers/Volunteers [CHW/CHV], Traditional Birth Attendants [TBAs], community leaders) and parents of HIV-exposed infants at four study …

Strategies For Effective Dissemination Of Research To United States Policymakers: A Systematic Review, Laura Ellen Ashcraft, Deirdre A Quinn, Ross C Brownson

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Research has the potential to influence US social policy; however, existing research in this area lacks a coherent message. The Model for Dissemination of Research provides a framework through which to synthesize lessons learned from research to date on the process of translating research to US policymakers.

METHODS: The peer-reviewed and grey literature was systematically reviewed to understand common strategies for disseminating social policy research to policymakers in the United States. We searched Academic Search Premier, PolicyFile, SocINDEX, Social Work Abstracts, and Web of Science from January 1980 through December 2019. Articles were independently reviewed and thematically analyzed by …

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Neutralizing Antibody Titers In Convalescent Plasma And Recipients In New Mexico: An Open Treatment Study In Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019, Steven B. Bradfute, Ivy Hurwitz, Alexandra V. Yingling, Chunyan Ye, Qiuying Cheng, Timothy P Noonan, Jay S. Raval, Nestor R. Sosa, Gregory J. Mertz, Douglas J. Perkins, Michelle S. Harkins

Pathology Research and Scholarship

BACKGROUND: Convalescent plasma (CP) is a potentially important therapy for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, knowledge regarding neutralizing antibody (NAb) titers in donor plasma and their impact in patients with acute COVID-19 remains largely undetermined. We measured NAb titers in CP and in patients with acute COVID-19 before and after transfusion through the traditional Food and Drug Administration investigational new drug pathway.

METHODS: We performed a single-arm interventional trial measuring NAb and total antibody titers before and after CP transfusion over a 14-day period in hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.

RESULTS: NAb titers in …

Zanubrutinib Monotherapy For Patients With Treatment Naïve Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia And 17p Deletion, Constantine S. Tam, Brad S. Kahl, Et Al

Open Access Publications

Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma whose tumors carry deletion of chromosome 17p13.1 [del(17p)] have an unfavorable prognosis and respond poorly to standard chemoimmunotherapy. Zanubrutinib is a selective next-generation Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of zanubrutinib 160 mg twice daily in treatment-naïve patients with del(17p) disease enrolled in a dedicated, nonrandomized cohort (Arm C) of the phase 3 SEQUOIA trial. A total of 109 patients (median age, 70 years; range, 42 - 86) with centrally confirmed del(17p) were enrolled and treated. After a median of 18.2 months (range, 5.0 - 26.3), seven …

Technical Note: Comparison Of The Internal Target Volume (Itv) Contours And Dose Calculations On 4dct, Average Cbct, And 4dcbct Imaging For Lung Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (Sbrt), Michael Dumas, Eric Laugeman, Parag Sevak, Karen C. Snyder, Weihua Mao, Indrin J. Chetty, Munther Ajlouni, Ning Wen

Radiation Oncology Articles

PURPOSE: To investigate the differences between internal target volumes (ITVs) contoured on the simulation 4DCT and daily 4DCBCT images for lung cancer patients treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and determine the dose delivered on 4D planning technique.

METHODS: For nine patients, 4DCBCTs were acquired before each fraction to assess tumor motion. An ITV was contoured on each phase of the 4DCBCT and a union of the 10 ITVs was used to create a composite ITV. Another ITV was drawn on the average 3DCBCT (avgCBCT) to compare with current clinical practice. The Dice coefficient, Hausdorff distance, and center of mass …

Outcomes And Management Approaches Of Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion Of The Aorta Based On The Income Of Countries, Ramiro Manzano-Nunez, David Mcgreevy, Claudia P. Orlas, Alberto F. Garciá, Tal M. Hörer, Joseph Dubose, Carlos A. Ordoñez, Aast-Aorta Investigators And The Abotrauma Registry Group

Department of Surgery Faculty Publications

Background: Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) could provide a survival benefit to severely injured patients as it may improve their initial ability to survive the hemorrhagic shock. Although the evidence supporting the use of REBOA is not conclusive, its use has expanded worldwide. We aim to compare the management approaches and clinical outcomes of trauma patients treated with REBOA according to the countries' income based on the World Bank Country and Lending Groups. Methods: We used data from the AORTA (USA) and the ABOTrauma (multinational) registries. Patients were stratified into two groups: (1) high-income countries (HICs) and …

Factor Structure Of The Opening Minds Stigma Scale For Health Care Providers And Psychometric Properties Of Its Hungarian Version, Dorottya Őri, Sándor Rózsa, Péter Szocsics, Lajos Simon, György Purebl, Zsuzsa Győrffy

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC) is a widely used questionnaire to measure the stigmatising attitudes of healthcare providers towards patients with mental health problems. The psychometric properties of the scale; however, have never been investigated in Hungary. We aimed to thoroughly explore the factor structure of the OMS-HC and examine the key psychometric properties of the Hungarian version.

METHODS: The OMS-HC is a self-report questionnaire that measures the overall stigmatising attitude by a total score, and three subscales can be calculated: Attitude, Disclosure and Help-seeking, and Social Distance. Our study population included specialists and …

Splicing Factor Sf3b1 Promotes Endometrial Cancer Progression Via Regulating Ksr2 Rna Maturation, Pooja Popli, Megan M Richters, Sangappa B Chadchan, Tae Hoon Kim, Eric Tycksen, Obi Griffith, Premal H Thaker, Malachi Griffith, Ramakrishna Kommagani

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Although endometrial cancer is the most common cancer of the female reproductive tract, we have little understanding of what controls endometrial cancer beyond the transcriptional effects of steroid hormones such as estrogen. As a result, we have limited therapeutic options for the ~62,000 women diagnosed with endometrial cancer each year in the United States. Here, in an attempt to identify new prognostic and therapeutic targets, we focused on a new area for this cancer-alternative mRNA splicing-and investigated whether splicing factor, SF3B1, plays an important role in endometrial cancer pathogenesis. Using a tissue microarray, we found that human endometrial tumors expressed …

Adaptive Thermogenesis Enhances The Life-Threatening Response To Heat In Mice With An Ryr1 Mutation, Hui J Wang, Chang Seok Lee, Rachel Sue Zhen Yee, Linda Groom, Inbar Friedman, Lyle Babcock, Dimitra K Georgiou, Jin Hong, Amy D Hanna, Joseph Recio, Jong Min Choi, Ting Chang, Nadia H Agha, Jonathan Romero, Poonam Sarkar, Nicol Voermans, M Waleed Gaber, Sung Yun Jung, Matthew L Baker, Robia G Pautler, Robert T Dirksen, Sheila Riazi, Susan L Hamilton

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Mutations in the skeletal muscle Ca2+ release channel, the type 1 ryanodine receptor (RYR1), cause malignant hyperthermia susceptibility (MHS) and a life-threatening sensitivity to heat, which is most severe in children. Mice with an MHS-associated mutation in Ryr1 (Y524S, YS) display lethal muscle contractures in response to heat. Here we show that the heat response in the YS mice is exacerbated by brown fat adaptive thermogenesis. In addition, the YS mice have more brown adipose tissue thermogenic capacity than their littermate controls. Blood lactate levels are elevated in both heat-sensitive MHS patients with RYR1 mutations and YS mice due to …

Covid-19 Pandemic-Related Practices And Policies Affecting The Continuity Of Behavioral Health Care Among Children With Diabetes., Lauren Clary, Christine Wang, Meghan E Byrne, Maureen Monaghan

COVID-19 Publications by GW Authors

COVID-19 has led to substantial challenges in continuing to deliver behavioral health care to all patients, including children with chronic diseases. In the case of diabetes, maintaining strong connections among children, their families, and their care team is essential to promote and sustain daily adherence to a complex medical regimen. The purpose of this paper is to describe COVID-19 pandemic-related practices and policies affecting the continuity of behavioral health care among children with diabetes. Challenges and opportunities were encountered at the provider, patient, and family levels throughout the rapid transition period from in-person to online care to ensure continuity of …

Pyrazole-Based Lactate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors With Optimized Cell Activity And Pharmacokinetic Properties, Ganesha Rai, Daniel J. Urban, Bryan T. Mott, Xin Hu, Shyh-Ming Yang, Gloria A. Benavides, Michelle S. Johnson, Giuseppe L. Squadrito, Kyle R. Brimacombe, Tobie D. Lee, Dorian M. Cheff, Hu Zhu, Mark J. Henderson, Katherine Pohida, Gary A. Sulikowski, David M. Dranow, Md Kabir, Pranav Shah, Elias Padilha, Dingyin Tao, Yuhong Fang, Plamen P. Christov, Kwangho Kim, Somnath Jana, Pavan Muttil, Tamara Anderson, Nitesh K Kunda, Helen J. Hathaway, Donna F. Kusewitt, Nobu Oshima, Murali Cherukuri, Douglas R. Davies, Jeffrey P. Norenberg, Larry A. Sklar, William J. Moore, Chi V Dang, Gordon M. Stott, Leonard Neckers, Andrew J. Flint, Victor M. Darley-Usmar, Anton Simeonov, Alex G. Waterson, Ajit Jadhav, Matthew D. Hall, David J. Maloney

Pathology Research and Scholarship

Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) catalyzes the conversion of pyruvate to lactate, with concomitant oxidation of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide as the final step in the glycolytic pathway. Glycolysis plays an important role in the metabolic plasticity of cancer cells and has long been recognized as a potential therapeutic target. Thus, potent, selective inhibitors of LDH represent an attractive therapeutic approach. However, to date, pharmacological agents have failed to achieve significant target engagement in vivo, possibly because the protein is present in cells at very high concentrations. We report herein a lead optimization campaign focused on a pyrazole-based series of compounds, …

Potential Scenarios And Hazards In The Work Of The Future: A Systematic Review Of The Peer-Reviewed And Gray Literatures, Paul A Schulte, Jessica M K Streit, Fatima Sheriff, George Delclos, Sarah A Felknor, Sara L Tamers, Sherry Fendinger, James Grosch, Robert Sala

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

It would be useful for researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers to anticipate the hazards that workers will face in the future. The focus of this study is a systematic review of published information to identify and characterize scenarios and hazards in the future of work. Eleven bibliographic databases were systematically searched for papers and reports published from 1999 to 2019 that described future of work scenarios or identified future work-related hazards. to compile a comprehensive collection of views of the future, supplemental and ad hoc searches were also performed. After screening all search records against a set of predetermined criteria, the …

Feasibility And Potential Efficacy Of Commercial Mhealth/Ehealth Tools For Weight Loss In African American Breast Cancer Survivors: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Jeanne M Ferrante, Katie A Devine, Alicja Bator, Ashley Rodgers, Pamela A Ohman-Strickland, Elisa V Bandera, Kevin O Hwang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Weight management after breast cancer (BC) treatment in African American (AA) women is crucial to reduce comorbid conditions and health disparities. We examined feasibility and potential efficacy of commercial eHealth/mHealth tools for weight management in AA BC survivors in New Jersey. Participants (N = 35) were randomized to an intervention (SparkPeople) plus activity tracker, Fitbit Charge (n = 18), or wait-list active control group (Fitbit only, n = 17). Anthropometric, behavioral, and quality of life (QOL) outcomes were collected at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. Differences in outcomes were assessed using intent-to-treat analysis. Retention was 97.1%. Both groups lost …

Developing And Implementing A Novel Mentorship Model (4+ 1) For Maternal, Newborn And Child Health In Rwanda, Anaclet Ngabonzima, Cynthia Kenyon, Celestin Hategeka, Aimee Josephine Utuza, Paulin Ruhato Banguti, Isaac Luginaah, David F Cechetto

Paediatrics Publications

BACKGROUND: There are a number of factors that may contribute to high mortality and morbidity of women and newborns in low-income countries. These include a shortage of competent health care providers (HCP) and a lack of sufficient continuous professional development (CPD) opportunities. Strengthening the skills and building the capacity of HCP involved in the provision of maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) is essential to ensure quality care for mothers, newborns and children. To address this challenge in Rwanda, mentorship of HCPs was identified as an approach that could help build capacity, improve the provision of care and accelerate the …

Risk Prediction Rule For Advanced Neoplasia On Screening Colonoscopy For Average-Risk Individuals, Ala I Sharara, Ali El Mokahal, Ali H Harb, Natalia Khalaf, Fayez S Sarkis, Mustapha M El-Halabi, Nabil M Mansour, Ahmad Malli, Robert Habib

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: In resource-limited countries, risk stratification can be used to optimize colorectal cancer screening. Few prospective risk prediction models exist for advanced neoplasia (AN) in true average-risk individuals.

AIM: To create and internally validate a risk prediction model for detection of AN in average-risk individuals.

METHODS: Prospective study of asymptomatic individuals undergoing first screening colonoscopy. Detailed characteristics including diet, exercise and medications were collected. Multivariate logistic regression was used to elucidate risk factors for AN (adenoma ≥1 cm, villous histology, high-grade dysplasia or carcinoma). The model was validated through bootstrapping, and discrimination and calibration of the model were assessed.

RESULTS: …