Digital Commons Network^™

Regulation Of Weak Acid-Dependent Cell Death By The Msaabcr Operon During Biofilm Formation Of Staphylococcus Aureus, Sarah-Elizabeth M. Polley

Honors Theses

Staphylococcus aureus is a dangerous human pathogen and a leading cause of both nosocomial and community-associated infections. Infection by S. aureus is a growing health concern due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance and the capability to form robust biofilms. Major constituents of the biofilm extracellular matrix are demonstrated to be released via controlled autolysis of a subpopulation of the biofilm. As indicated in past studies, the programmed cell death (PCD) of S. aureus grown in a biofilm microenvironment is potentiated by the buildup of acetate, a byproduct of glucose metabolism, which causes cytoplasmic acidification. Furthermore, it has been shown …

Chronic Pain And History Of Trauma, Lauren K. Grizzard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As literature has shown, chronic pain patients present with a unique challenge to the medical field. The existing question is if the patient’s pain is unmanageable because of the severity of the pain or if the patient lacks coping mechanisms. If there is a lack of coping mechanisms, then that raises a plethora of new questions for the medical teams caring for them. After IRB approval, the current study was conducted on a sample of three patients that were referred to the Hendrick Medical Center Pathways team for pain management. It sought to determine if there was any association between …

Molecular Characterization Of Wolbachia And Its Impact On The Microbiome Of Exotic And United States Ticks, Cailyn G. Bobo

Honors Theses

Wolbachia endosymbionts are obligate intracellular bacteria in the phylum α-Proteobacteria. They infect approximately two-thirds of arthropods including insects and nematodes. These bacteria manipulate host reproductive biology through a series of mechanisms that include feminization of male progeny, parthenogenesis, male killing, and cytoplasmic incompatibility. These features make Wolbachia an effective agent of controlling insect populations, as previously reported in different mosquito species. Likewise, the bacteria have also shown promising ability to interfere with the ability of mosquitoes to transmit several viral pathogens. This study was conducted to fill an existing knowledge gap on the prevalence of Wolbachia in different tick species …

Reversible Inhibition Of Mycobacterial Dnab Protein Splicing By Zinc, Gabrielle Hardison

Honors College Theses

Inteins are emerging as post-translational regulatory elements, undergoing conditional protein splicing in response to a variety of environmental cues. Inteins are seamlessly removed by self-splicing from exteins, or flanking portions of the host protein, which they interrupt. DnaB of Mycobacterium smegmatis, a helicase essential for replication, harbors two inteins known as DnaBi1 and DnaBi2, each with discrete structural characteristics and insertion positions. DnaBi1 was used here to design a reporter system which links splicing with resistance to the antibiotic kanamycin. We built a construct that strictly requires catalytically active DnaBi1 for survival in the presence of kanamycin and used …

De Novo Identification Of Toxicants That Cause Irreparable Damage To Parasitic Nematode Intestinal Cells, Douglas P. Jasmer, Bruce A. Rosa, Rahul Tyagi, Christina A. Bulman, Brenda Beerntsen, Joseph F. Urban Jr, Judy Sakanari, Makedonka Mitreva

Open Access Publications

Efforts to identify new drugs for therapeutic and preventive treatments against parasitic nematodes have gained increasing interest with expanding pathogen omics databases and drug databases from which new anthelmintic compounds might be identified. Here, a novel approach focused on integrating a pan-Nematoda multi-omics data targeted to a specific nematode organ system (the intestinal tract) with evidence-based filtering and chemogenomic screening was undertaken. Based on de novo computational target prioritization of the 3,564 conserved intestine genes in A. suum, exocytosis was identified as a high priority pathway, and predicted inhibitors of exocytosis were tested using the large roundworm (Ascaris suum larval …

Health Inequalities, Lawrence O. Gostin, Eric A. Friedman

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The vast health inequalities in the United States and beyond that COVID-19 makes glaringly evident are frequently masked by aggregate statistics, which for years had been showing health improvements. Yet these improvements were inequitably distributed, with benefits disproportionately going to wealthier – and in the United States, white – populations. Globally, vast health inequities also exist among and within countries. The inequalities, which have also helped fuel the rise of populism, extend far beyond health care, including to wealth and income. Disaggregated, granular data is critical to understanding these inequalities.

Addressing health inequities must extend far beyond universal access to …

Ethics, Ai, Mass Data And Pandemic Challenges: Responsible Data Use And Infrastructure Application For Surveillance And Pre-Emptive Tracing Post-Crisis, Mark Findlay, Jia Yuan Loke, Nydia Remolina Leon, Yum Yin, Benjamin (Tan Renyan) Tham

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

As the COVID-19 health pandemic rages governments and private companies across the globe are utilising AI-assisted surveillance, reporting, mapping and tracing technologies with the intention of slowing the spread of the virus. These technologies have the capacity to amass personal data and share for community control and citizen safety motivations that empower state agencies and inveigle citizen co-operation which could only be imagined outside such times of real and present danger. While not cavilling with the short-term necessity for these technologies and the data they control, process and share in the health regulation mission, this paper argues that this infrastructure …

Confusion, Respiratory Rate, Shock Index (Crsi-65) Score In The Emergency Department Triage May Be A New Severity Scoring Method For Community-Acquired Pneumonia, Beliz O. Tekten, Tugba A. Temrel, Serkan Sahin

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To investigate whether confusion, respiratory rate, shock index-age ≥65 years (CRSI-65) score, consisting of basic physiological parameters, can be used for severity prediction in patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Methods: This is a prospective cohort and single-center study conducted in Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University Hospital, Bolu, Turkey between January 2018 and June 2018. The study investigated CRSI-65 score in predicting 4-week mortality and the need for intensive care for patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Results: A total of 58 patients with community-acquired pneumonia admitted to the emergency department were included in this study. Of the patients, 62.1% were males (n=36), …

Blood Culture Contamination In A Tertiary Care Hospital Of Saudi Arabia: A One-Year Study, Hassan A. Hemeg, Abdullah Z. Almutairi, Nujud L. Alharbi, Reema F. Alenezi, Mohammad A. Alturkostani, Hani A. Ozbak, Farhat A. Islam

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To monitor blood culture contamination (BCC) rates in a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia. Methods: Blood cultures submitted to the Microbiology Laboratory of King Fahad Hospital, Madina, Saudi Arabia between January and December 2017 were analyzed prospectively. Positive blood cultures were either designated as true bacteremia with confirmed bloodstream infection or BCC. Results: Among 5,536 blood cultures from 2201 patients, 364 (6.6%) mirrored BCC. There was an upward trend in contamination rates in specific months. With respect to total blood cultures from respective units over a one-year period, medical ward contributed to the highest contamination rate (10.3%). Blood …

New Evidence Published In The Cochrane Library Today Finds Mmr, Mmrv And Mmr+V Vaccines Are Effective And That They Are Not Associated With Increased Risk Of Autism

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Holistic Lifestyle Counseling By Physical Therapists: Current Practice And Barriers To Improvement, Savannah Grogan

Honors College Theses

Context: Unhealthy lifestyle habits are a significant risk factor for chronic disease and death in the United States of America. The healthcare system is largely focused on symptom-management and disease treatment with seemingly little regard for prevention, but physical therapists are particularly well-placed to improve patients’ health through lifestyle counseling and modification. Objectives: To assess the current state of holistic health promotion among physical therapists and to identify barriers to improving these practices. Design: An electronic survey was completed by physical therapists in and around the state of Kentucky. Descriptive statistics were used to assess participant demographics and the state …

Characterizing Erad And Antioxidant Response In Ixodes Scapularis Ise6 Cells During Borrelia Infection, Latoyia Downs

Master's Theses

Ticks are hematophagous ectoparasites that transmit a multitude of diseases to humans. Borrelia burgdorferi (BB) and Borrelia miyamotoi (BM) are both tick-borne pathogens that cause disease in humans and are transmitted by the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis). A byproduct of blood digestion generates reactive oxygen species that are toxic and cause oxidative stress which promotes cellular damage and dysfunction. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is especially affected by oxidative stress, resulting in a buildup of improperly folded proteins in the ER lumen called ER stress. To prevent cellular damage, the tick utilizes an antioxidant system to neutralize ROS and mechanisms …

Historical And Contemporary Variables Affecting The Range And Distribution Of Aedes Aegypti, The Yellow Fever Mosquito, In The United States, Nicole Mackey

Master's Theses

Aedes aegypti, the primary mosquito vector of the yellow fever virus, threatens global health by passing on this virus, as well as chikungunya, dengue, and Zika viruses. Through its natural tendency to live in highly urban areas and bite human hosts; understanding the factors that affect the historical and current range of the pest is invaluable (Gubler, 1998). Although these viruses are not normally found in the United States, lack of vaccinations and wide-spread presence of the mosquito could lead to these diseases being reintroduced with potentially devastating effects (Monath, 2001). To determine a partial historical range of A. aegypti …

Barriers To Health: Understanding The Barriers Faced By Community Intervention Projects, Vera Landrum

Master's Theses

Health disparities affect significant portions of the population and are most often experienced by marginalized communities (Wilkin, 2013). Health disparities are also impacted by geographical location, and hunger often affects rural areas (Dutta, Anaele, & Jones, 2013; Rural Health Information Hub, 2017). This study aims to understand how nonprofit organizations focused on addressing food insecurity disseminate information to members of the local community and how the input of community members impacted the overall food insecurity campaign. This study was conducted by interviewing five nonprofit directors and conducting three focus groups with clients of the. aforementioned organizations. The author found that …

Global Estimated Disability-Adjusted Life-Years (Dalys) Of Diarrheal Diseases: A Longitudinal Analysis Of The Global Burden Of Disease Study 2017, Natacha Karambizi

All Theses

Summary Background

The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 is the most comprehensive study ever carried out to report on the state of global public health for the previous 28 years (1990-2017). In 2017, it covered 359 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories.

Our study sought to provide an up-to-date analysis of the progress that has been made to eradicate diarrheal diseases using the GBD2017 data. Although significant progress has been made in reducing the number of deaths due to diarrhea, diarrheal diseases incidences and associated morbidity have not experienced the same level …

From Fighting Wasting To Shedding Excess: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed-Method Study Of Obesity Among People Living With Hiv In Nigeria, John Olajide Olawepo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a global epidemic, with initial high mortality rates since the first diagnosis over three and a half decades ago. However, the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has led to longer, healthier lives for many people living with HIV (PLHIV). Accordingly, aging comes with associated co-morbidities like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to further understand the emergent phenomenon of obesity and overweight among PLHIV who are on treatment with ART, using Nigeria as a case study.

An explanatory sequential mixed-method design was used that involved the analysis …

Tales Of Thriving: Identifying The Underpinnings Of Women's Success In Stem Careers, Sarah E. Thoman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Women remain underrepresented in U.S. science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Prior research enumerates many challenges that women experience in STEM and suggests interventions that enhance women’s exposure to STEM, technical acumen in STEM, or offer STEM community. Identifying what enables women to thrive in STEM is a novel approach to extending these efforts using a strengths-based approach. I thus conducted a case study focused on understanding the experiences of successful women in the STEM workforce. Findings revealed three core characteristics to women’s STEM success: synergizing self and science, science career advancement and mastery, and being a STEM change …

Investigating Attitudes And Beliefs Of University Students Aged 18 To 24 Years That Influence Their Decision To Take Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Medication, Philip Danquah

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Contemporary research findings affirm that young adults aged 18 to 24 years have high prevalence of new HIV infections. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) medication is the latest strategy in HIV prevention. Rates of PrEP uptake or use have been negligible among university students aged 18 to 24 years, especially among racial and ethnic minority students.

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the attitudes and beliefs that influence the uptake of PrEP medications and the HIV risk behaviors associated with the willingness to take PrEP medications among university students aged 18 to 24 years attending the University of …

The Implementation Of A Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prevention And Awareness Pamphlet In The Daycare Setting, Kaylie Marie Humphreys

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the number one cause of bronchiolitis in children under five years of age and regretfully the number one cause of hospitalization in the first year of life. RSV leads to over three million hospitalizations, two million outpatient visits, and 200,000 deaths in the pediatric population globally each year. While no vaccine is currently available to prevent the spread of RSV, efforts must be shown in spreading awareness of strategies utilized in infection prevention such as hand hygiene and properly covering a cough or sneeze.

This project aimed to present this education to a target population …

Targeting Natural Killer Cells For Improved Immunity And Control Of The Adaptive Immune Response., Stephen Pierce, Eric S. Geanes, Todd Bradley

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Natural killer (NK) cells are critical for targeting and killing tumor, virus-infected and stressed cells as a member of the innate immune system. Recently, NK cells have also emerged as key regulators of adaptive immunity and have become a prominent therapeutic target for cancer immunotherapy and infection control. NK cells display a diverse array of phenotypes and function. Determining how NK cells develop and are regulated is critical for understanding their role in both innate and adaptive immunity. In this review we discuss current research approaches into NK cell adaptive immunity and how these cells are being harnessed for improving …

Use Of Non-Sterile Gloves In The Ward Environment: An Evaluation Of Healthcare Workers’ Perception Of Risk And Decision Making, Ashley Flores, Martha Wrigley, Peter Askew, Rachel Craig, Bernadette Egan, Linda Towey, Jill Shawe

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Background: Studies have found that inappropriate use of non-sterile gloves (NSG) can affect hand hygiene compliance; the main risks are missing opportunities for hand hygiene and gloves being a vector for microbial transmission.Aim:The aims of this study were to explore the accuracy of healthcare worker (HCW) risk assessment and decision making regarding the use of NSG.Methods: The study was conducted in two acute NHS Trusts and a community social enterprise. A cross-sectional survey was carried out, followed by qualitative semi-structured interviews.Findings: There were highly significant differences at the 95% probability level between staff groups, unqualified staff being significantly more likely …

Clinical Features, Diagnosis And Management Of Covid-19 Patients In The Outdoor Setting, Bushra Jamil

Department of Medicine

In a brief span of a few months, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has brought a major paradigm shift in operation of clinical services around the world. Infection may be mild, moderate or severe; many remain asymptomatic. High burden of non-communicable and communicable diseases theoretically puts Pakistani population at increased risk of severe COVID-19 infection. Considering the universal risk of infection, the outpatient services in Pakistan need to be redesigned. Starting with risk assessment of the facility and provision of a dedicated telephone connection, structure and workflow need to be redesigned in order to minimise risk of exposure to healthcare professionals, …

Navigating The Unknowns Of Covid-19, Larry Dial, Beth L. Hammers

Marshall Journal of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Leadership Challenges And Collaborative Opportunities Unveiled Through Covid-19, Gayle Brazeau

Marshall Journal of Medicine

No abstract provided.

The Covid-19 Crisis: How Rural Appalachia Is Handling The Pandemic?, Darshana T. Shah

Marshall Journal of Medicine

No abstract provided.

The Coronaviruses: Past, Present, Future, Kimball Kaufman, Shobhit Keswani, Cristobal Cintron, Hossein Akhondi

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

The current coronavirus pandemic is unparalleled in recent memory and fundamentally unique. It has been more than a century since humanity fought the Spanish flu pandemic. That widespread disease devastated a World War I-ravaged population when there was a relative paucity of medical knowledge. Coronavirus, on the other hand, is now befalling upon a developed world with advanced infrastructure and health systems; wherein access to medical information and technology is abundant. Yet, it has proven to be a destroyer of economies and populations without geographical partiality.

This article is meant to be a broad analysis of the virus, which is …

Covid-19 Clinical Update 4/30/2020, George Washington University

GW Infectious Disease Updates

No abstract provided.

Grain Marketing 2020: Survival And Covid-19, Robert Tigner, Jessica J. Groskopf

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

First paragraph:

Let’s state the obvious: this isn’t a typical year and we all know it. For farmers, it is a survival year. Why? And what might be done to make it through to the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic? This article will discuss how to build a marketing strategy to assure that the farm continues to the next crop year.

Conclusion

This year is shaping up to be a survival year for crop producers. Crop producers need to know at what crop price they will recapture all of the cash they will spend this year. Implementing a marketing …

2020-04-30_Michiganoverview_Covidsymptoms, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Syndromic Surveillance System Data

The Syndromic Surveillance System Data report was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 dashboard, from under the link "​Coronavirus Symptoms": https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated daily.

Syndromic Surveillance System data is obtained from approximately 183 facilities participating in syndromic surveillance (132 Emergency Departments (ED), 51 Urgent Cares) across the State of Michigan. The reporting is based on individuals who present at EDs and may not be representative of the overall population. The coronavirus-like symptoms query searches visit free-text (chief complaint, triage notes, and clinical impression) for fever or …

Precise Pregnancy Cohort: Challenges And Strategies In Setting Up A Biorepository In Sub-Saharan Africa, Rachel Craik, Donna Russell, Rachel M. Tribe, Marleen Temmerman, Angela Koech, Patricia Okiro, Geoffrey Omuse, Sikolia Wanyonyi

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background and objective: PRECISE is a population-based, prospective pregnancy cohort study designed for deep phenotyping of pregnancies in women with placenta-related disorders, and in healthy controls. The PRECISE Network is recruiting ~ 10,000 pregnant women in three countries (The Gambia, Kenya, and Mozambique) representing sub-Saharan Africa. The principal aim is to improve our understanding of pre-eclampsia, fetal growth restriction and stillbirth. This involves the creation of a highly curated biorepository for state of the art discovery science and a rich database of antenatal variables and maternal and neonatal outcomes. Our overarching aim is to provide large sample numbers with …