Digital Commons Network^™

Leptomeningeal Disease In Melanoma: An Update On The Developments In Pathophysiology And Clinical Care, Inna Smalley, Adrienne Boire, Priscilla Brastianos, Harriet M Kluger, Eva Hernando-Monge, Peter A Forsyth, Kamran A Ahmed, Keiran S M Smalley, Sherise Ferguson, Michael A Davies, Isabella C Glitza Oliva

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Leptomeningeal disease (LMD) remains a major challenge in the clinical management of metastatic melanoma patients. Outcomes for patient remain poor, and patients with LMD continue to be excluded from almost all clinical trials. However, recent trials have demonstrated the feasibility of conducting prospective clinical trials in these patients. Further, new insights into the pathophysiology of LMD are identifying rational new therapeutic strategies. Here we present recent advances in the understanding of, and treatment options for, LMD from metastatic melanoma. We also annotate key areas of future focus to accelerate progress for this challenging but emerging field.

Exposure To Air Pollution And Risk Of Respiratory Tract Infections In The Adult Danish Population—A Nationwide Study, Kathrine A. Kaspersen, Sussie Antonsen, Henriette T. Horsdal, Bertram Kjerulff, Jørgen Brandt, Camilla Geels, Jesper H. Christensen, Lise M. Frohn, Clive E. Sabel, Khoa M. Dinh, Ole Hertel, Torben Sigsgaard, Carsten B. Pedersen, Christian Erikstrup

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Objectives: The association between air pollution and risk of respiratory tract infection (RTI) in adults needs to be clarified in settings with low to moderate levels of air pollution. We investigated this in the Danish population between 2004 and 2016. Methods: We included 3 653 490 persons aged 18–64 years in a nested case-control study. Exposure was defined as the average daily concentration at the individual's residential address of CO, NO_X, NO₂, O₃, SO₂, NH₃, PPM_2.5, black carbon, organic carbon, mineral dust, sea salt, secondary inorganic aerosols, SO …

The Effectiveness Of Imagery Use In Motivating Physical Activity And Exercise, Karol Nedza

School of Psychology Theses

The research detailed across these chapters provides a comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted interplay between mental imagery, motivation, and physical activity. The global inactivity levels and their consequences for economic, health and social domains is at this point well documented. Despite the number of interventions and approaches, inactivity is steadily increasing annually. This thesis encompasses the effects of mental imagery in shaping behaviour, the diverse applications of mental imagery in sports and health-related behaviour change, and the emergence of Functional Imagery Training (FIT) as a powerful approach. FIT is discussed as a versatile tool for promoting behaviour change, grounded in …

The Purpose And Importance Of Words Of Knowledge When Praying For The Sick, Bruce L. Bauer

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

Seventh-day Adventists are not usually known for taking authority over sickness or taking a person by the hand and saying, “In the Name of Jesus of Nazareth, arise and walk.” And rightly so, for Adventists have been counseled that when praying for the sick “our prayers must take the form, not of command, but of intercession” (White 1942:230, 1915:218). Why, because only God knows what is right and best (White 1948:148, 149). In addition, Ellen White warns against prayers that insist on God doing what people think needs to happen (1948:148) and suggests that God’s people should only pray for …

The Relationship And Interaction Process Of Taiwanese Couples Having Undergone Assisted Reproductive Technology- A Systemic Perspective, Yu-Chieh Liu

School of Psychology Theses

Approximately 10-15% of married couples in Taiwan encounter the challenge of infertility, which significantly impacts their lives and relationships. However, the nature and extent of this impact vary across different social and cultural contexts. Recognising the complex and wide-ranging nature of infertility issues, integrated interventions have emerged as a novel approach to assist infertile couples effectively. Drawing upon Helms et al.'s (2011) modified three-level model of marriage, Huston's model, and Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory (1986), a comprehensive framework is constructed within this thesis to explore various aspects of infertile couples' experiences in Taiwan as they are undergoing assisted reproductive technology …

Federated Multiple Imputation For Variables That Are Missing Not At Random In Distributed Electronic Health Records, Yi Lian, Xiaoqian Jiang, Qi Long

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Large electronic health records (EHR) have been widely implemented and are available for research activities. The magnitude of such databases often requires storage and computing infrastructure that are distributed at different sites. Restrictions on data-sharing due to privacy concerns have been another driving force behind the development of a large class of distributed and/or federated machine learning methods. While missing data problem is also present in distributed EHRs, albeit potentially more complex, distributed multiple imputation (MI) methods have not received as much attention. An important advantage of distributed MI, as well as distributed analysis, is that it allows researchers to …

Loss Of The Auxiliary Α 2Δ1 Voltage-Sensitive Calcium Channel Subunit Impairs Bone Formation And Anabolic Responses To Mechanical Loading, Madison M Kelly, Karan Sharma, Christian S Wright, Xin Yi, Perla C Reyes Fernandez, Aaron T Gegg, Taylor A Gorrell, Megan L Noonan, Ahmed Baghdady, Jacob A Sieger, Annette C Dolphin, Stuart J Warden, Padmini Deosthale, Lilian I Plotkin, Uma Sankar, Julia M Hum, Alexander G Robling, Mary C Farach-Carson, William R Thompson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Voltage-sensitive calcium channels (VSCCs) influence bone structure and function, including anabolic responses to mechanical loading. While the pore-forming (α1) subunit of VSCCs allows Ca2+ influx, auxiliary subunits regulate the biophysical properties of the pore. The α2δ1 subunit influences gating kinetics of the α1 pore and enables mechanically induced signaling in osteocytes; however, the skeletal function of α2δ1 in vivo remains unknown. In this work, we examined the skeletal consequences of deleting Cacna2d1, the gene encoding α2δ1. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and microcomputed tomography imaging demonstrated that deletion of α2δ1 diminished bone mineral content and density in both male and female …

Enhancing Patient Medication Safety At Home: A Patient-Facing Technology Architecture Integrating Redcap, Visualization Dashboards, And An Ai- Driven Chatbot, Yue Yu, Yuheng Shi, Eric Yang, Katie Gahn, Heidi Mason, Yun Jiang, Yang Gong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This work demonstrates a novel architecture for a patient-facing technology (PFT) that supports patients with cancer in self-managing medication concerns and symptoms after care transitions back home. Patient-generated data are collected and stored using the framework of Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap), which serves as a key component of the architecture. Individual patient and administrator dashboards are integrated with REDCap to visualize medication or symptom-related data and generate customized report summaries. Additionally, a Q&A chatbot, using a retrieval augmented generation (RAG) framework, is intended to integrate into the architecture to further enhance the interactivity of the PFT. The proposed architecture …

Biomedical Big Data Technologies, Applications, And Challenges For Precision Medicine: A Review, Xue Yang, Kexin Huang, Dewei Yang, Weiling Zhao, Xiaobo Zhou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The explosive growth of biomedical Big Data presents both significant opportunities and challenges in the realm of knowledge discovery and translational applications within precision medicine. Efficient management, analysis, and interpretation of big data can pave the way for groundbreaking advancements in precision medicine. However, the unprecedented strides in the automated collection of large-scale molecular and clinical data have also introduced formidable challenges in terms of data analysis and interpretation, necessitating the development of novel computational approaches. Some potential challenges include the curse of dimensionality, data heterogeneity, missing data, class imbalance, and scalability issues. This overview article focuses on the recent …

Refinement Of An Emergency Department-Based, Advance Care Planning Intervention For Patients With Cognitive Impairment And Their Caregivers, Kei Ouchi, Christopher Joshi, Jenson Kaithamattam, Seth A Gale, Gad A Marshall, Alison Pietras, Wei Wang, Edward W Boyer, James A Tulsky, Susan D Block, Dorene Rentz, Mara A Schonberg

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and objectives: Advance care planning (ACP) conversations are important to provide goal-concordant care (i.e., the care that matches the patient's previously stated goals) near end of life. While 31% of older adults presenting to the emergency department (ED) have dementia, only 39% have previously had ACP conversations. We refined and piloted an ED-based, motivational interview designed to stimulate ACP conversations (ED GOAL) for patients living with cognitive impairment and their caregivers.

Research design and methods: We systematically refined ED GOAL and then conducted an acceptability study in an urban, academic medical center. We prospectively enrolled adults aged 50+ with …

Editorial: Immunological Aspects Of Emerging And Re-Emerging Zoonoses, Wei Wang, Jingxin Li, Yuejin Liang, Wenping Gong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Monet: A Database For Prediction Of Neoantigens Derived From Microsatellite Loci, Nan Deng, Krishna M Sinha, Eduardo Vilar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Microsatellite instability (MSI) secondary to mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency is characterized by insertions and deletions (indels) in short DNA sequences across the genome. These indels can generate neoantigens, which are ideal targets for precision immune interception. However, current neoantigen databases lack information on neoantigens arising from coding microsatellites. To address this gap, we introduce The MicrOsatellite Neoantigen Discovery Tool (MONET).

METHOD: MONET identifies potential mutated tumor-specific neoantigens (neoAgs) by predicting frameshift mutations in coding microsatellite sequences of the human genome. Then MONET annotates these neoAgs with key features such as binding affinity, stability, expression, frequency, and potential pathogenicity using …

Are Published Cancer Care Trial Protocols With Traditional Chinese Medicine Interventions Concordant With Spirit-Tcm Extension 2018? A Scoping Review On Published Trial Protocols Between 2019 And 2022, Hezheng Lai, Peiying Yang, Xin Shelley Wang, David Lim, Anderson Lam, Yucong Shi, Yishi Huang, Xiaoshu Zhu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The SPIRIT-TCM Extension 2018 was created to guide the design and reporting of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) clinical trial protocols. This study aims to investigate the extent of concordance with this guideline in the relevant field of cancer care research.

METHODS: A scoping review of TCM cancer trial protocols published in English and Chinese since January 2019 was conducted. Five major academic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, CENTRAL, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure) were searched. Concordance with the SPIRIT-TCM Extension 2018 was assessed by descriptive analysis.

RESULTS: Fifty-three TCM cancer care trial protocols were identified, comprising 23 acupuncture, 26 Chinese …

Postmortem-Derived Ipsc Models In Substance Use Disorders Research, Emily Frances Mendez, Consuelo Walss-Bass

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Establishment Of A Brain Tumor Consortium Of Africa: Advancing Collaborative Research And Advocacy For Brain Tumors In Africa, Lateef A Odukoya, Kwadwo Darko, Francis Zerd, Nathalie C Ghomsi, Gloria Kabare, David O Kamson, Jeanette E Eckel-Passow, Robert B Jenkins, Gaspar J Kitange, Andrea O Akinjo, Kabir B Badmos, Olufemi Bankole, Olufemi E Idowu, Claire Karekezi, Elias Edrick, Chukwuyem Ekhator, Victoria M Katasi, Desmond A Brown, Jason Huse, Henry Llewellyn, Margreth Magambo, Michael Magoha, Umaru Barrie, Advera Ngaiza, Arsene D Nyalundja, Minda Okemwa, Lawrence Osei-Tutu, Bernard Petershie, W Elorm Yevudza, Charles C Anunobi, Liadi Tiamiyu, Gbetoho Fortuné Gankpe, Kashaigili Heronima, Dominique Higgins, Kristin Schroeder, Teddy Totimeh, James Balogun, Beverly Cheserem, Arnold B Etame, Ekokobe Fonkem

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Brain tumors represent a significant global health challenge, with rising incidence and mortality impacting individuals worldwide and contributing to cancer-related morbidity and mortality. In Africa, this burden is exacerbated by limited access to advanced diagnostics, treatment options, and multidisciplinary care, compounded by the absence of standardized cancer registration and tumor biobanking. The introduction of molecular diagnostics, as outlined in the 2021 World Health Organization central nervous system (CNS) tumor classification, adds complexity to brain tumor management, particularly in regions with scarce resources.

Methods: To address these issues, the Brain Tumor Consortium for Africa (BTCA) was established in 2023, bringing …

Circulating Cancer-Associated Macrophage-Like Cells And Macrophage-Related Cytokines In Obese Patients With Advanced Breast Cancer Who Undergo Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy, Toshiaki Iwase, Aaroh Parikh, Dong Wenli, Yu Shen, Daniel L Adams, Cha-Mei Tang, Evan N Cohen, James M Reuben, Tushaar Vishal Shrimanker, Sudpreeda Chainitikun, Kumiko Kida, Akshara Singareeka Raghavendra, Maryanne E Sapon, Onur Sahin, Anjali James, Nithya Sridhar, Ann H Klopp, Debasish Tripathy, Naoto T Ueno

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Cancer-associated macrophage-like cells (CAMLs) are rare, gigantic, and atypical circulating cells found exclusively in the peripheral blood of patients with solid cancers. Obesity-induced hypoxia attracts macrophages to the tumor microenvironment, where they contribute to establishing chronic inflammation, leading to cancer progression. We hypothesized that obese patients with advanced breast cancer may have CAML profiles different from those of nonobese patients, and these profiles may correlate with proinflammatory markers or other macrophage-related markers.

Methods: We prospectively collected 20 mL of peripheral blood from patients diagnosed with stage 2-4 breast cancer. We identified CAMLs using the CellSieve microfiltration system and in …

The Mir-17-92 Cluster In Cardiac Health And Disease, Yuhan Cao, Mingjie Zheng, Maham A Sewani, Jun Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

MicroRNAs (miRs) are small noncoding RNAs that play important roles in both physiological and pathological processes through post-transcriptional regulation. The miR-17-92 cluster includes six individual members: miR-17, miR-18a, miR-19a, miR-19b-1, miR-20a, and miR-92a-1. The miR-17-92 cluster has been extensively studied and reported to broadly function in cancer biology, immunology, neurology, pulmonology, and cardiology. This review focuses on its roles in heart development and cardiac diseases. We briefly introduce the nature of the miR-17-92 cluster and its crucial roles in both normal development and the pathogenesis of various diseases. We summarize the recent progress in understanding the versatile roles of miR-17-92 …

Differences In Connected Speech Outcomes Across Elicitation Methods, Tatiana T Schnur, Sharon Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Connected speech is often used to assess many aspects of an individual's language abilities after stroke. However, it is unknown the degree to which elicitation methods differ in generating structural and syntactic aspects of connected speech, two critical components of successful communication. Quantifying the degree to which elicitation methods differ in eliciting structurally, syntactically, and lexically complex connected speech at the earliest stage of stroke before reorganization and rehabilitation of function independent of clinical diagnosis of aphasia has not been examined to date. Addressing this gap has implications for early clinical intervention as well as empirical studies of connected …

Considerations On Design And Analysis Of External Control In Pediatric Oncology, Jingjing Ye, Haitao Pan, Gregory Reaman, Satrajit Roychoudhury, Chengxing Lu, Lindsay A Renfro, Yuan Ji, Rong Liu, Ying Yuan, Weidong Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pediatric cancer consists of a diverse group of rare diseases. Due to limited patient populations, standard randomized and controlled trials are often infeasible. As a result, single-arm trials are common in pediatric oncology and the use of external controls is often desirable or necessary to help generate actionable evidence and contextualize trial results. In this paper, we illustrate unique features in pediatric oncology clinical trials and describe their impact on the use of external controls. Various types of relevant external control data sources are described in terms of their utility and drawbacks. Statistical methodologies and design implications with external control …

Interventions To Promote Social Participation In Children With Autism: A Systematized Review, Noah Farho, Bailey Hein, Holly Manalili, Danielle Westmark, Stacy Smallfield, Molly Whitlow

Student Systematized Reviews: Occupational Therapy

Importance: Roughly 1 in 36 children have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (CDC, 2024). Children with ASD frequently experience difficulties with social participation (SP), which is essential for positive development and quality of life (Smith et al., 2023).

Objective: This systematized review examines the effectiveness of Occupational Therapy (OT) interventions for improving SP among children with ASD.

Data sources: A search of PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO from 2014 to 2024 was conducted by a medical librarian.

Study Collection and Data Collection: English-language articles were included if they were within the scope of OT, level 1-5 evidence, and related to promoting SP. …

Editorial: Genetic And Cellular Heterogeneity In Tumors, Zishan Wang, Li Ma, Juan Xu, Chunjie Jiang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Research Hot Spots And Trends In Endocrine-Related Adverse Events Caused By Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Bibliometric Analysis And Visualization Research, Jun Zhao, Guangwei Liu, Xue Yang, Chuanzhou Zhang, Bing Han, Man Jiang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: In recent years, with the widespread use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in cancer treatment, the toxicity associated with immunotherapy of ICIs has attracted more attention from scholars. Endocrine toxicity is the most likely immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and is often irreversible, posing a significant clinical treatment challenge.

Methods: In this study, bibliometric methods were used to analyze relevant literature in screening endocrine-related adverse events caused by ICIs in the Web of Science core collection database (WoSCC) and to summarize the status, research hot spots, and future trends in this field.

Results: 321 countries, 297 institutions, 365 authors, and …

The Impacts Of Crassula Helmsii On Northwest European Freshwater Macroinvertebrates, Samuel Tasker

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Crassula helmsii (New Zealand pygmyweed) is an Australasian aquatic plant which has invaded European freshwaters since the 1950s, provoking widespread concern amongst conservationists. The ecological impacts of C. helmsii invasion remain unclear, however, particularly with respect to macroinvertebrates. The main aim of this thesis is therefore to determine how Crassula helmsii impacts recipient macroinvertebrate assemblages in small lentic waterbodies across its invasive range. To this end, I surveyed small lentic waterbodies across the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands, including invaded and ecologically similar uninvaded sites in each region, assessing the impacts of C. helmsii invasion on macroinvertebrates using a suite …

Nuanced Impacts And Social Perceptions Of Alpine Newts Ichthyosaura Alpestris In The Uk, Alexandra North

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Invasive species are major drivers of environmental change and their incidence appear to be growing worldwide. An understanding of the subtleties and complexities of invasion is important for conservation decision-making as not all introduced species become invasive, and the impacts of those that do can be highly context dependent. The alpine newt Ichthyosaura alpestris is a non-native species that is now widely distributed across the UK. An understanding of the drivers of introduction and spread of this species are in its infancy, and whilst anecdotal reports are indicative of negative ecological impacts, empirical evidence is lacking. This interdisciplinary thesis aims …

Environmental Filtering In The Anthropocene: Investigating Community Assembly Processes At Multiple Scales, Charlotte Clubley

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Environmental change in the Anthropocene is driving the redistribution of species and restructuring of communities globally. In marine systems, anthropogenic impacts, including the deliberate and accidental movement of species (i.e., non-native and invasive species) and construction of artificial structures (i.e., ocean sprawl), are creating novel opportunities for range expansion, altering the abiotic environment and causing global biodiversity loss. As the geographic distribution and community assembly of species depends on dispersal ability, abiotic tolerance and interactions with other species, understanding the effects that anthropogenic impacts will have on these processes is critical to predicting how ecosystem structure and function is likely …

Cas Monthly Newsletter January 2024, Andrews University

College of Arts & Sciences Newsletter

Key Dates for January

IN THIS ISSUE

UPDATES & REPORTS

Welcome to Dr. Jill Manoukian

Religion Department News

Visual Art, Communication & Design Department News

Community & International Development Program News

HAPPENINGS

Quantitative Research Working Group

Faculty & Staff Appreciation Week

Winter Symposium

Christmas at the Biology Botanical Conservatory

ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Research Deadlines

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Maker Lab

Writing Center

Registration Tips

New Copy Machine in Nethery Hall

Australian Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs About Educational Disadvantage And Socially Just Teaching: Beyond A Neoliberal Imaginary?, Claire E. Charles, Lynette Longaretti, Matthew K.E Thomas

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Neoliberal education reforms have altered the way social justice is imagined in relation to schooling. These reforms reframe social justice as ‘equity’ through conceptions of standards, evidence and teacher quality, while detracting attention from the moral and political dispositions required for socially-just teaching. Knowing more about how this context may be shaping the beliefs of pre-service teachers (PSTs) is important. This paper reports on beliefs about educational disadvantage of a group of PSTs about to embark on a specialised program in Australia designed to promote socially just schooling outcomes. 24 PSTs across two cohorts completed a survey prior to entering …

Health And Education Services During The Covid-19 Pandemic Among Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Other Developmental Disabilities., Karen Pazol, Lin H. Tian, Carolyn Diguiseppi, Maureen S. Durkin, M Daniele Fallin, Eric J. Moody, Cy Nadler, Patrick S. Powell, Nuri Reyes, Britney Robinson, A Blythe Ryerson, Joann M. Thierry, Sarah C. Tinker, Lisa D. Wiggins, Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVE: Understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic affected children with disabilities is essential for future public health emergencies. We compared children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with those with another developmental disability (DD) and from the general population (POP) regarding (1) missed or delayed appointments for regular health/dental services, immunizations, and specialty services; (2) reasons for difficulty accessing care; and (3) use of remote learning and school supports.

METHOD: Caregivers of children previously enrolled in the Study to Explore Early Development, a case-control study of children with ASD implemented during 2017 to 2020, were recontacted during January-June 2021 to learn about …

A Novel Collaborative Learning Model For Mixed Dentition And Fillings Segmentation In Panoramic Radiographs., Erin Ealba Bumann, Saeed Al-Qarni, Geetha Chandrashekar, Roya Sabzian, Brenda S Bohaty, Yugyung Lee

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

INTRODUCTION: It is critical for dentists to identify and differentiate primary and permanent teeth, fillings, dental restorations and areas with pathological findings when reviewing dental radiographs to ensure that an accurate diagnosis is made and the optimal treatment can be planned. Unfortunately, dental radiographs are sometimes read incorrectly due to human error or low-quality images. While secondary or group review can help catch errors, many dentists work in practice alone and/or do not have time to review all of their patients' radiographs with another dentist. Artificial intelligence may facilitate the accurate interpretation of radiographs. To help support the review of …

Theorizing Cultural Appropriation: Complications Of Globalization And Power In Hybrid K-Pop, David C. Oh

Media Studies - All Scholarship

The purpose of this paper is to theorize cultural appropriation using a critical perspective that centers structural inequity and uneven global power by examining the case of South Korean media. This paper argues that cultural appropriation is a particular form of intercultural borrowing that relies on structural inequities of power, whereby a more powerful culture takes from a less powerful culture in such a way that it causes structural and representational harm to the borrowed culture. To clarify cultural appropriation as a particular form of cultural borrowing, I provide a typology of different forms of cultural borrowing before positing six …