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Complex Narratives Of Individuals Living With Alpha-Gal Syndrome (Ags). A Mixed-Methods Investigation: Examined Through Self-Reported Data, In-Person Interviews, And A Group Body Mapping Art Therapy Intervention, Sylvan Streightiff

Art Therapy | Master's Theses

Alpha-gal (galactose-α-1,3-galactose) Syndrome or AGS is an under-recognized chronic condition which coincides with tick-bite exposure, resulting in a unique allergy to non-primate mammalian products and byproducts (in addition to other items caring the α-gal epitope such as carrageenan, agar-agar, and nori). This paper explores the experiences of individuals with this illness, establishing psychological context for expressed symptomatology, while emphasizing the complex trauma rooted in the population’s experiences of the life-altering and life-threatening contexts associated with managing AGS. This research is structured with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) theory and utilizes a mixed-methods approach to arts-based research with the goal of …

Antibiotic Tolerance In Quiescent Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli, Daniel Alexander Banas

Open Access Master's Theses

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are the leading cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs). In about a quarter of these cases the patient experiences reoccurring infection after treatment with antibiotics. The prevalence of reoccurrence may be attributed to the ability of some UPEC populations to enter a growth state where they are tolerant to antibiotic treatment. In reduced metabolic, dormant, and quiescent states bacteria are less susceptible to antibiotics that target critical growth pathways, allowing for prolonged survival. In Manuscript I, we investigate antibiotic tolerance in the quiescent UPEC strain CFT073 in vitro. We demonstrate that during quiescence UPEC are tolerant …

Physicians Spreading Medical Misinformation: The Uneasy Case For Regulation, Richard S. Saver

Minnesota Law Review Vols. 106:2 onward (2021-present)

Physicians have played a surprisingly prominent role in the current “infodemic” of false and misleading medical claims. Yet, state medical boards, the governmental agencies responsible for professional licensure and oversight, have sanctioned remarkably few physicians. Pushing back against the widespread criticism of medical boards for insufficient action, this Article questions the overall suitability of licensure regulation to police medical misinformation. First, uncertainty exists about medical boards’ jurisdiction and legal authority. Many misinformation claims have involved physicians communicating publicly, not while treating patients. Given the primarily patient-centered legal and ethical frameworks governing the practice of medicine, serious challenges arise in making …

First Bovine Vaccine To Prevent Human Schistosomiasis - A Cluster Randomised Phase 3 Clinical Trial, Allen G. Ross, Donald A. Harn, Delia Chy, Marianette Inobaya, Jerric R. Guevarra, Lisa Shollenberger, Yuesheng Li, Donald P. Mcmanus, Darren J. Gray, Gail M. Williams

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Objective

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical parasitic disease caused by blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma. Schistosoma japonicum is zoonotic in China, the Philippines, and Indonesia, with bovines acting as major reservoirs of human infection. The primary objective of the trial was to examine the impact of a combination of human mass chemotherapy, snail control through mollusciciding, and SjCTPI bovine vaccination on the rate of human infection.

Methods

A 5-year phase IIIa cluster randomized control trial was conducted among 18 schistosomiasis-endemic villages comprising 18,221 residents in Northern Samar, The Philippines.

Results

Overall, bovine vaccination resulted in a statistically significant decrease …

Implementation Of An Alcohol Screening Tool And A Treatment Referral Protocol By Providers At An Adult Outpatient Mental Health Clinic, Jocelyn Jingwa

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Many adults with a mental illness have a substance use disorder (co-occurring disorder) such as alcohol use disorder; therefore, integrating both screening and treatment for the substance use disorder, not only the mental illness, is recommended, yet some practices screen and treat for mental health disorders but not for problematic drinking behaviors. At the Center for Health Care Services outpatient adult mental health clinic, Eastside clinic, there was no use of a standardized screening tool for alcohol to aid providers in identifying and diagnosing alcohol use disorder. Also, there was no substance use treatment referral protocol for mental health patients …

Individual Differences In The Coordinated Behavioral And Physiological Immune Response To Pathogenic Threat, Edwin Joel Rosales-Vijil

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Previous research has shown that simply viewing a pathogenic threat (e.g., a photo of someone sneezing) can trigger our immune systems to activate. Activation of the immune system can be measured through a variety of physiological markers, including inflammatory cells (i.e., cytokines) in the blood or saliva. The current study aims to replicate that finding that viewing pathogen-relevant images will trigger an immune response, and extend this work by investigating whether individual differences in perceived vulnerability to disease impacts the size of this immune response.

Considering Vaccination Status, Govind Persad

Publications

"This Article examines whether policies—sometimes termed “vaccine mandates” or “vaccine requirements”— that consider vaccination status as a condition of employment, receipt of goods and services, or educational or other activity for participation are legally permitted, and whether such policies may even sometimes be legally required. It does so with particular reference to COVID-19 vaccines.

Part I explains the legality of private actors, such as employers or private universities, considering vaccination status, and concludes that such consideration is almost always legally permissible unless foreclosed by specific state legislation. Part II examines the consideration of vaccination status by state or federal policy. …

Improving The Health And Safety Of Manufacturing Workers By Detecting And Addressing Personal Protective Equipment (Ppe) Violations In Real-Time With The Use Of Automated Ppe Detection Technology, Joseph Olufemi Fasinu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasized that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) can significantly reduce the risk of occupational injuries and illnesses. However, improper use, failure to use, and other PPE-related violations can still result in injuries and fatalities. Eye and face protection violation has been one of the top 10 most frequently violated OSHA standards in fiscal years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 consecutively. A common practice among safety professionals to ensure PPE compliance has been to physically inspect or monitor PPE usage among workers, which has been found to be unsustainable on a continuous real-time …

3d Printed Microfluidic Devices For Advanced Fluid Manipulation In Biomedical Applications, Kathrine Curtin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Microfluidics are valuable devices in the biomedical field because of their remarkable ability to manipulate small volumes of fluid and facilitate reactions. Microfluidics have several significant advantages, including their portability, low cost, fast reaction times, and high surface area-to-volume ratios. Microfluidics be used for a multitude of applications, including bioanalysis, cellular assays, organ-on-a-chip, and separations. Microfluidics have great potential to overcome many challenges in conventional chemical and biological applications. However, complex fabrication procedures in silicon, glass, thermoplastics, and (polydimethylsiloxane) PDMS devices make rapidly optimizing and prototyping devices challenging. Microfluidic fabrication techniques have been a long-standing challenge in successfully translating these …

Localized Delivery Of Gm-Csf In The Regulation Of Breast Tumor Oxygen And Anti-Tumor Immunity Through Macrophages, Nicole E. Mihalik

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

GM-CSF has been employed as an adjuvant to cancer immunotherapies in solid tumors due to its ability to drive immune stimulatory macrophages and other myeloid cells that promote anti-tumor responses. However, GM-CSF does not always exert immune stimulatory effects on myeloid cells, and sometimes even drives immune suppressive phenotypes. GM-CSF effects on myeloid cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME) appear to vary across dosages and even cancer types. However, an optimal dosing regimen for GM-CSF has yet to be determined to-date, and this is further complicated by the fact that GM-CSF is often administered via oncolytic viruses or tumor vaccines …

Machine Learning For Biosensors, Gayathri Anapanani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Biosensors have become increasingly popular as diagnostic tools due to their ability to detect and quantify biological analytes in a wide range of applications. With the growing demand for faster and more reliable biosensing devices, machine learning has become a valuable tool in enhancing biosensor performance. In this report, we review recent progress in the application of machine learning to biosensors. We discuss the potential benefits of using machine learning in biosensors, including improved sensitivity, selectivity, and accuracy. We also discuss the various machine learning techniques that have been applied to biosensors, including data preprocessing, feature extraction, and classification and …

A Refreshing Change: Safeguarding Mothers And Children From Pfas Exposure, Emmanuela Nwaonumah, Alisha Riggins, Emmanuel Azu, Oluwatoyin Ayo-Farai, Joanne Chopak-Foss, Logan Cowan, Atin Adhikari

Eagles Talking About the Public’s Health

No abstract provided.

Intestinal Parasite Infection In Tibetan Macaques (Macac Thebetana) In Eastern China, Miarisoa Ramilison

All Master's Theses

Grooming is one of the crucial social behaviors of primate species that functions to remove parasites and maintain social bonds. Although, much data exists to support the idea that grooming is essential in forming and sustaining social bonds among individuals, there is a lack of information about the extent to which it removes ectoparasites or contributes to the spread of internal parasites. To fill this gap in the literature, we investigated the relationship between social contact behavior including grooming and intestinal parasite infection in Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana). This species lives at Mt. Huangshan in China. We used …

Identifying Unexpected Inflammation Resulting From Drug-Drug Interactions, Keegan Jolly

All Master's Theses

Adverse drug events result in nearly 1.3 million emergency room visits per year in the United States of America. As much as 30% of these adverse events are a result of drug-drug interactions (DDI’s). There is a gap in knowledge concerning these DDI outcomes especially when it comes to inflammation. Inflammation is linked to a variety of chronic health conditions and non-infectious diseases such as cancer. Purpose: The goal of this study was to examine how many active drug ingredients from FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), when combined (in groups of two or more), elicit an inflammatory response …

Factors Associated With Patient Portal Utilization, Preventive Services Utilization, And Health Promoting Behaviors Among Adults In The United States, Elizabeth Ayangunna

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Background: Nearly 60% of adults in the United States are estimated to have one or more chronic conditions, necessitating strategies to improve the health status of persons with chronic disease. Given that health information technology (HIT) is considered highly valuable for superior disease management, it is imperative to examine how HIT use can improve health behaviors, which can in turn improve health status. This study aimed to examine if there was an association between patient portal utilization and the use of preventive services & health-promoting behaviors. Also, this study examined the influence of self-efficacy on preventive health behaviors among adults …

Development And Praxis Of Ph Drug Delivery System Contra Zika, Julissa Rodriguez

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

As the effects of global warming continue to spread throughout the world, another critical issue is slowly gaining attention in many urban tropical countries. The Emerging Infectious Diseases/ Pathogens list from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) listed the Zika virus as a potential pandemic threat. In 2015, an outbreak of Zika was noted in several South American countries until the spread reached an all-time high of 87 countries in 2017. During the outbreaks, adults affected were noted to have joint and muscle pains, fevers, and rashes. The worst cases reported would ultimately lead to Guillain-Barre symptoms. Still, pregnant women …

Utilizing Official Statistics And Data Envelopment Analysis In Contructing A Philippine Vector-Borne Disease Vulnerability Index, Mark Jay P. Dating

Journal Article

Recent and past outbreaks and epidemic events of vector-borne diseases in the Philippines suggest a need for a tool to monitor situations in the country. With the objective to determine how vulnerable Philippine locations are to vector-borne diseases (VBD), a composite VBD vulnerability index (VBDVI) was constructed using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The index incorporated various indicators collected from official statistics grouped into six dimensions. Statistical maps were also constructed to visualize and ascertain hotspots. According to results, lists of vulnerable locations differed across dimensions but province of Basilan appeared to be the most vulnerable while the province of Siquijor …

Meta-Narrative Review Of Pd-L1 By Immunotherapy On Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Hannah Lazo, Tyler Harris, Hao Truong, Alina Masroor

Research Methods Poster Session 2023

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive form of subtype breast cancer and there are currently new treatments being discovered such as the combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy. In immunotherapy against triple-negative breast cancer, checkpoint inhibitors like PD-1/PD-L1 treat TNBC by blocking the “off” signal that prevents T-cells from killing cancer cells. As a group, we conducted a meta-narrative review collecting results from primary sources such as clinical trials and human experimental studies to support our research question on how PD-L1 inhibitor treatments compare to other treatments in patients with TNBC. The review included articles searched from Embase, Pubmed, EMBASE, …

Serum Trace Element Levels In Dogs With Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis, Aycan Nuri̇ye Gazyağci, Bengü Bi̇lgi̇ç, Berna Baysal Bakay, Duygu Tarhan, Alev Meltem Ercan, Songül Erdoğan, Hasan Erdoğan, Mehmet Erman Or, Kerem Ural

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Canine visceral leishmaniasis has been denoted as neglected despite being a very well-known disease. Trace element alteration has been recognized in humans with visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis, together with canine visceral leishmaniasis. The trace elements occupy a vital position in the immunological system, and host immune responses mitigate defense against leishmaniasis. We aimed to select trace elements in a total of 45 dogs of several breeds; those at the age of 11 months to 6 and from both sexes (26 male and 19 female) were enrolled in the study. The dogs included in the study were divided into leishmaniasis-infected and …

Evaluation Of Leishmanicidal Activities Of 4-Thiazolidinones Against Leishmania Major, The Causative Agent Of Human Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, Kiera Bush

All Master's Theses

The leishmaniases are a group of vector-borne parasitic diseases that affect many developing countries including parts of Africa, India, and the Middle East in addition to Southern Europe and the Americas. It is estimated that worldwide, there are about 3 million new cases of leishmaniases each year leading to as many as 50,000 fatalities annually. The parasites that cause leishmaniasis belong to the genus Leishmania spp and are transmitted by the female phlebotomine sand fly. There are three clinical forms of the infection: visceral, mucocutaneous, and cutaneous. However, the focus of this paper is on cutaneous leishmaniasis that causes skin …

Does Apocynin Increase Liver Regeneration In The Partial Hepatectomy Model?, Yilmaz Bi̇lgi̇ç, Burhan Hakan Kanat, Onural Özhan, Azi̇be Yildiz, Zeynep Aksungur, Mehmet Erman Erdemli̇, Ni̇gar Vardi, Yusuf Türköz, Ahmet Sami̇ Akbulut, Adem Köse, Hakan Parlakpinar

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Hepayocyte loss may develop secondary to liver surgery and at this point liver regeneration plays a significant act in terms of liver reserve. The purpose of this research was to investigate the efficacy of apocynin on liver regeneration and preservation after partial hepatectomy in rats. Materials and methods: A total of 32 rats, have been divided into 4 groups (n: 8) for hepatectomy model. Inflammatory and antiinflammatory parameters were measured from blood and liver tissue samples. In addition, the effects of apocynin were examined immunohistochemically and histopathologically from liver tissue. Results: In liver tissue samples, a significant difference has …

Multidrug Resistance In Pathogens Of Community-Acquired Urinary Tract Infections In Turkey: A Multicentre Prospective Observational Study, İrfan Şencan, Oğuz Karabay, Fatma Aybala Altay, Serap Süzük Yildiz, Hüsni̇ye Şi̇mşek, Meli̇h Gaffar Gözükara, Semanur Kuzi̇, Gülden Eser Karlidağ, Şafak Kaya, Gülnur Kul, Emi̇ne Türkoğlu, Büşra Ergüt Sezer, Nesi̇be Korkmaz, Si̇bel Yildiz Kaya, Merve Sefa Sayar

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: To have country-wide information about multidrug resistance (MDR) in isolates from community-acquired urinary tract infections (CAUTI) of Turkey, in terms of resistance rates and useful options. Materials and methods: We used a geocode standard, nomenclature of territorial units for statistics (NUTS), and a total of 1588 community-acquired isolates of 20 centres from 12 different NUTS regions between March 2019 and March 2020 were analysed. Results: Of the 1588 culture growths, 1269 (79. 9%) were Escherichia coli and 152 (9.6%) were Klebsiella spp. Male sex, advanced age, and having two or more risk factors showed a statistically significant relation with …

An Assessment Of "Long-Thin" Airline Routes: Network Structure And Emissions Implications For Environmental Policy, Porter Burns

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this research was to define, map, and quantify the network and environmental implications of “long-thin” routes (LTRs) – a route structure that has been discussed in the aviation industry but not formally studied in literature. LTRs were defined through the use of global OAG scheduling data from 1998 to 2018 to identify trends in air traffic growth and network dynamics. Flights were separated into seven aircraft class sizes (e.g., 75–150 seats, 150–225 seats) to measure LTRs at multiple scales. Routes were considered “long” if the stage length was at or above the 75^th percentile in each …

Development Of Electrochemical Biosensor For Detection Of Thyroid–Stimulating Hormone, Kittirat Kitticharoenwiwat

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This dissertation focused on the development of electrochemical paper-based immunosensor for determining thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) using a label-free immunoassay. Thyroid-stimulating hormone is a pituitary hormone that stimulates the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormones for the body’s metabolism. The current electrochemiluminescence method for determining TSH as a specific biomarker indicating congenital hypothyroidism (CHT) onset is unfortunately restricted to laboratory settings, thereby resulting in limited practical utilization, delayed diagnosis, and severe outcomes. Herein, we proposed a simple, rapid, portable, and sensitive electrochemical biosensor with a label-free format based on bovine serum albumin (BSA)/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposite for TSH determination. Caboxylated GO …

Heterogeneous Ribosomes And Bs21: An Investigation Of Impacts And Mechanisms Of Altered Translation In Francisella Tularensis, Hannah Trautmann

Open Access Dissertations

Francisella tularensis is a pathogenic bacterium that requires coordinated regulation of gene expression to cause disease. In this dissertation, I explore a novel area of translation-level gene regulation in F. tularensis: heterogeneous ribosomes that preferentially translate specific mRNAs. Through mass spectrometry and immunoblotting, I find that wild-type F. tularensis ribosomes are heterogeneous with respect to the small ribosomal protein bS21 and all three bS21 homologs are able to be incorporated into ribosomes. Comparing proteomics and transcriptomics data, I determine that cells lacking one homolog, bS21-2, have genome-wide changes in protein abundance that are not explained by changes in transcript …

Climatic Stress Decreases Tick Survival But Increases Rate Of Host-Seeking Behavior, Caleb Nielebeck, Sang Hyo Kim, Antonio Pepe, Lucian Himes, Zachary Miller, Sophia Zummo, Mary Tang, Javier D. Monzón

All Faculty Open Access Publications

Ticks are vectors of many diseases and are expanding in geographic distribution. However, how ticks will fare in their new environments, where they may experience stressful climatic conditions at the expansion front, remains unclear. Since there is a trade-off in ticks between behaviors that promote longevity and behaviors that promote reproduction, we hypothesized that extreme climatic stress reduces the survivorship of ticks but increases the frequency of tick host-seeking behavior, or questing. Here, we used a novel method to simulate climatic stress on individual ticks of three species—Amblyomma americanum, Dermacentor variabilis, and Ixodes scapularis—to evaluate their survival, physiology, and questing …

The Mutational Landscape In Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia And Its Impact On Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Outcomes: A Center For Blood And Marrow Transplantation Research (Cibmtr) Analysis, Matthew Mei, Raju Pillai, Soyoung Kim, Noel Estrada-Merly, Michelle Afkhami, Lixin Yang, Zhuo Meng, Muhammad Bilal Abid, Mahmoud Aljurf, Ulrike Bacher, Amer Beitinjaneh, Christopher Bredeson, Jean-Yves Cahn, Jan Cerny, Edward Copelan, Corey Cutler, Zachariah Defilipp, Miguel Angel Diaz Perez, Nosha Farhadfar, César O Freytes, Shahinaz M Gadalla, Siddhartha Ganguly, Robert Peter Gale, Usama Gergis, Michael R Grunwald, Betty K Hamilton, Shahrukh Hashmi, Gerhard C Hildebrandt, Hillard M Lazarus, Mark Litzow, Reinhold Munker, Hemant S Murthy, Sunita Nathan, Taiga Nishihori, Sagar S Patel, David Rizzieri, Sachiko Seo, Mithun Vinod Shah, Melhem Solh, Leo F Verdonck, Ravi Vij, Ronald M Sobecks, Betul Oran, Bart L Scott, Wael Saber, Ryotaro Nakamura

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Somatic mutations are recognized as an important prognostic factor in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). However, limited data are available regarding their impact on outcomes after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). In this registry analysis conducted in collaboration with the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplantation Registry database/sample repository, we identified 313 adult patients with CMML (median age: 64 years, range, 28- 77) who underwent allogeneic HCT during 2001-2017 and had an available biospecimen in the form of a peripheral blood sample obtained prior to the start of conditioning. In multivariate analysis, a CMML-specific prognostic scoring system (CPSS) score of …

Local-Level Maternal And Infant Health: A Mixed-Methods Analysis Of The Relationship Between Social Determinants Of Health, Maternal And Infant Health Outcomes, And Public Health Programs In Florida, Jacquelyn Reiss

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Current data highlight significant disparities in infant and maternal health (IMH) outcomes both when comparing outcomes to other countries and between groups within the U.S. Previous studies indicate that disparities in health outcomes are caused by health inequities. Health inequities are a result of marginalized groups historically being denied resources and exposed to increased risk directly impacting health. These resources and risks are considered social determinants of health (SDoH), such as income, housing, transportation, and access to care. Although SDoH influence individuals across multiple levels of society, communities are sites where individuals directly access protective resources and are potentially exposed …

Inequitable By Design: The Patent Culture, Law, And Politics Behind Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access, Ximena Benavides

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

COVID-19 vaccine access has been highly inequitable worldwide, with coverage depending largely on a country’s wealth. By the end of 2021, 64.1% of people living in high-income countries had received at least one dose of the vaccine, compared to only 5.4% of those in low-income countries. Similarly, only high- and upper-middle-income countries had received the most effective vaccines.

The uneven distribution of these lifesaving vaccines is made complex due to the convergence of several factors, but it suggests that the extraordinary expanding and ossifying market and political power of a few vaccine manufacturers founded on intellectual property and complementary policies …

Policies For Expanding Hepatitis C Testing And Treatment In United States Prisons And Jails, Tessa Bialek, Dr. Matthew J. Akiyama M.D.

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is highly prevalent in United States prisons and jails. In prisons and jails, rates of infection are ten to twenty times greater than national levels. And, more than thirty percent of all people living with HCV in the United States will spend time in prisons and jails in any given year. Rates are especially high among people who inject drugs (PWID), a population whose members are also likely to move between carceral settings and the community. Thus, addressing HCV among incarcerated populations would have a significant effect on the virus’s transmission both in and out of …