Digital Commons Network^™

Impact Of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Without Retinopathy On Longitudinal Oct And Visual Field Changes In Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma, Amer Ahmed, Deena Shefter, Fabio Lavinsky, Ronald Zambrano, Qiang (Ed) Zhang, Dilru Amarasekera, Lauren E. Hock, Ping Huang, Natasha Kolomeyer, Reza Razeghinejad, Jonathan S. Myers, Gadi Wollstein, Joel S. Schuman

Phase 1

Introduction/Purpose: Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness, and diabetes mellitus (DM) is common in this population. However, the effect of DM without diabetic retinopathy (DR) on glaucoma progression is unclear. We evaluated whether structural and functional progression differ between POAG eyes with DM, but no DR, and age- and visual field (VF) mean deviation (MD)-matched non-diabetic POAG eyes.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study at three academic centers comparing POAG+DM (no DR) with POAG-only eyes. Eligibility required ≥3 qualified OCT scans and ≥3 reliable VFs over ≥1 year; eyes with DR or other major …

Evaluation Of Clinical Outcomes Following Conventional And Hypofractionated Radiotherapy In Who Grade I Meningiomas: A Single Institution Retrospective Cohort Analysis, Toren Ikea-Mario, Wenyin Shi

Phase 1

Background: Meningiomas are the most common primary intracranial tumors. WHO Grade I meningiomas are considered benign and demonstrate high radiosensitivity, with excellent outcomes following conventionally fractionated radiotherapy (CFRT) or hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (hSRT). Despite widespread clinical adoption of both approaches, direct comparative data assessing local control (LC) remain limited. This study aims to evaluate the relative efficacy of CFRT and hSRT to better inform optimal regimen selection for patients with Grade I meningioma.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients with Grade I meningiomas treated with RT at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Eligible patients received CFRT (2015 - 2025) …

The Impact Of Icare Home Tonometry On Glaucoma Management: A Retrospective Observational Study, Irene P. Kim, Natasha Nayak Kolomeyer, Jonathan Myers, Reza Razeghinejad

Phase 1

Introduction/Purpose: Home intraocular pressure (IOP) monitoring helps detect elevated IOPs that may be missed during routine office visits for glaucoma. This study examined whether home IOP tonometry provides additional information that changes glaucoma management.

Methods: This study included 82 eyes from 46 patients examined by the Wills Eye Glaucoma Service that had iCare HOME tonometry done between 2020 to 2023. Patient demographic data, prior surgical interventions and medications, and management changes following home tonometry were collected. iCare HOME tonometry data and the presence of IOP spikes were also recorded. Physician interpretations of optical coherence tomography imaging and visual field testing …

Quantifying The Delay In Treatment For Patients With Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer, Rosemary Kaufman, Meghan Maceyko, Kelsey Van Housen, Mariah Bloomfield, Scott Koeneman, Allison Doermann, Melissa Lazar

Phase 1

Introduction/Purpose: Current American Society of Breast Surgeons guidelines recommend screening or diagnostic MRI for newly diagnosed breast cancer in high-risk patients but provide no lower threshold for use. Several studies show limited benefit of preoperative MRI (pMRI), leading to inconsistent practices. As pMRI ordering increases at our institution, we aimed to evaluate the frequency of contralateral findings on pMRI and its impact on time to treatment in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.

Methods: This retrospective review analyzed 1,580 patients with a BIRADS-6 diagnosis between 2020–2025 within the Jefferson system. The intervention group included patients who underwent pMRI after diagnosis and …

Temporal Trends In Orthopaedic Residency Applicant Publications, Joseph Kelly, Jarod Olson, Jonathan Dalton, William A. Green, Mitchell K. Ng, Adam Fano, Robert J. Oris, Joydeep Baidya, Rachel Huang, Chloe Herczeg, Keyur Patel, Griffin White, Nikhil Sai, Alan S. Hilibrand, Alex R. Vaccaro, Christopher K. Kepler, Gregory D. Schroeder

Phase 1

Introduction/Purpose: Orthopaedic surgery is among the most competitive residency specialties, and applicants have historically relied on USMLE Step 1 scores as a metric of ability for applications. However, as Step 1 has transitioned to pass/fail in 2022, there has been a shift in emphasis toward other metrics such as research productivity. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the research trends among orthopaedic residency applicants over time with the hypothesis that post-pass/fail Step 1 applications would demonstrate higher research output at the time of application.

Methods: Residents from the top 30 orthopaedic residencies (PGY-5=211, PGY-3=211, PGY-1=213) were included. PubMed …

Maternal Perceptions Of Group Well Child Care For Mothers With Opioid Use Disorder, Regan King, Taylor Carrubba, Erica Sood, Meghan Gannon, Vanessa Short, Neera Goyal

Phase 1

Introduction/Purpose: Routine well child care (WCC) is critical for monitoring growth, development, and family wellbeing. Children born to mothers with opioid use disorder are less likely to receive adequate WCC, contributing to preventable health disparities. A Philadelphia-based substance use treatment program provides comprehensive care for pregnant and parenting individuals with substance use disorders, including an on-site pilot group- based WCC model designed to enhance access to and quality of WCC.

Methods: As part of a larger cluster-randomized controlled trial comparing traditional WCC with the group WCC model, qualitative interviews were conducted with ten mothers who completed three or more group …

Effects Of A Student-Delivered Glycemic Load Education Program (Jeffgl) On Depression, Emily La, Cindy Cheng

Phase 1

Introduction/Purpose: Previous studies have demonstrated that diabetes is linked to mental health disorders, including depression. In our student-delivered education program, Jefferson Glycemic Load (JeffGL), we aim to investigate the effects of glycemic load patient education on depression in diabetic and prediabetic patients. We hypothesize that participants will demonstrate reduced depression scores compared to baseline, measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), after participation in JeffGL.

Methods: Over four weeks with long-term follow up, thirty overweight or obese patients with prediabetes or diabetes recruited from Jefferson’s Department of Family Medicine will participate in one-on-one and group Zoom sessions weekly concerning topics …

Maternal Microchimerism In Cord Blood Of Neonates With Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy, Saniya Lakhiani, Elizabeth Wright-Jin

Phase 1

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) affects three million neonates every year, often leading to conditions including cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and motor or cognitive deficits. A risk factor for neonatal HIE is maternal inflammation; however, little is known about the mechanism behind this. Maternal inflammation may increase maternal microchimerism, maternal cells that enter the fetal compartment. Maternal microchimerism may change fetal inflammatory pathways, organ repair, and immune system development. We hypothesized that patients with HIE have a greater percentage of maternal cells in their cord blood or circulating postnatal blood than those without HIE. To test this hypothesis, fetal cord blood or early …

The Impact Of Follow-Up Visits For Pediatric Patients Readmitted With Asthma, Keerti Mallur, Talia Gillespie, Kanika Gupta, Adil Solaiman

Phase 1

Introduction/Purpose: Asthma is a leading cause of hospital admissions in pediatric patients. In addition, kids may end up readmitted to the hospital after being discharged. This negatively affects the quality of life and health of children in our country, while also placing stress on the healthcare system. Follow-up visits may improve asthma management, therefore reducing readmissions. We aim to elucidate a potential relationship between short-term readmissions and follow-up visits in pediatric patients readmitted with asthma.

Methods: This is a retrospective chart review of 128 patients at Nemours Children’s Hospital from Jan 2020 to Oct 2024 who were initially admitted with …

A Retrospective Analysis On Oxygen Therapy And Adverse Outcomes, Matthew Marhefka, Brian Schonewald,, Ross Summer

Phase 1

Introduction/Purpose: Oxygen therapy is widely utilized for cases of hypoxemia. However, limited data evaluate the adverse effects of oxygen therapy in large cohorts. We hypothesize oxygen therapy correlates to an increased rate of trips, falls, and fractures, potentially due to limited mobility and the oxygen tubing posing a hazard.

Methods: TriNetX, a deidentified electronic health record database, was utilized to create two cohorts. Both cohorts consisted of patients with a COPD diagnosis, validated with PFTs. One group had the criterion of “dependence on supplemental oxygen,” while the other group had it excluded. In order to have more balanced cohorts, both …

Evaluating Overuse Of Nicu For Hypothermia, Solomeya Marynovych, Lillian Walton Masters, Julie Cooper, Neera Goyal

Phase 1

Introduction/Purpose: Hypothermia of the newborn may be environmental or due to immature physiology but also may be an early sign of sepsis or other complications. Our study aimed to assess outcomes of newborns who were transferred to the NICU for hypothermia, and to evaluate if clinical risk factors are associated with receiving interventions in the NICU.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of neonates born from July 2021 to January 2025 at TJU Hospital transferred from the nursery to the NICU was conducted. Data was manually abstracted from electronic medical records to REDCap by single reviewers. Descriptive statistics were performed, and …

Exploring Spinal Anatomic Targets For Spinal Cord Stimulation, Jp Ponce, Kevin Hines, Caio Matias

Phase 1

Introduction: For more than 50 years, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been effectively employed as a surgical intervention for chronic pain management. Despite its clinical success, up to 40% of patients fail to achieve significant pain relief. Computational models have identified epidural lead positioning and the conus medullaris as potential anatomical targets influencing stimulation efficiency. Given the limited availability of clinical data on potential targets of SCS modulation, this project seeks to investigate these anatomical targets in the clinical setting.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving Epic charts of 105 patients who underwent SCS implantation for chronic pain …

“My Heart Was In My Stomach”: Texas-Based Obstetricians’ And Gynecologists’ Experiences Post Anti-Abortion Legislation, Chelsey Kanipe, Precious Chiamaka Anunobi, Anupria D Davenport, Sheryl A Mccurdy, Marie A Brault

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background

The purpose of this study is to investigate the downstream effects of anti-abortion legislation on the practice of obstetrics and gynecology in urban Texas.

Methods

We conducted semi-structured interviews until saturation with eleven obstetricians/gynecologists (OBGYNs) to explore the effects of Texas’s abortion laws. Analysis consisted of inductive and deductive approaches.

Results

We identified three main themes regarding the downstream effects of Texas abortion laws: the conflicting role of colleagues as a support system and a source of frustration and distrust for OBGYNs, the lowered standard of care for those with a desired pregnancy, and concerns that anti-abortion legislation will …

Spartan Daily, February 11, 2026, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2026

Volume 166, Issue 9

Mental Health Impacts Of Racism And Limited Diversity In Christiansburg, Virginia, Shuchi Sanyal

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement

In this portfolio, I identify and address the prevention needs of racially and ethnically marginalized adolescents in Christiansburg, Virginia, examining how racism and limited diversity affect mental health and proposing culturally responsive, developmentally appropriate prevention strategies.

Significant Findings

Adolescents of color in predominantly White, semi-rural communities face racial isolation, microaggressions, and limited culturally responsive supports, increasing risk for anxiety, depression, and identity-related distress. Using a social-ecological framework, findings show that individual vulnerability is influenced by school climates, relationships, and community norms that may minimize racialized experiences. Protective factors include relational safety, identity affirmation, mentorship, and trauma-informed practices. Evidence-based …

The Evaluation Of Therapeutic Communication In Competency Based Nursing Education, Tracy J. Perron, Chelsea Lebo, Mary Louise Thomas, Romy Zemer

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Therapeutic communication is an essential part of nursing care. Therapeutic communication (TC) is the process of using verbal and nonverbal communication to connect with patients.TC is holistic, patient-centered and involves aspects of the physiological, psychological, environmental and spiritual care of the patient. Poor communication in the healthcare setting can lead to poor patient outcomes such as, decreased adherence to treatment, patient's dissatisfaction, inefficient use of resources and even death. Studies have shown that nurses lack communication skills due to a variety reasons from inadequate training, the lack of understanding of the importance of patient-centered communication, and the increased generational use …

What Is Your Preference? Creating A Healing Culture Through Employee Feedback, Julia W. Millspaugh, Mildred Ortu Kowalski, Sunnie A. Mortimer, Catherine C. Errico

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Stress levels are high for healthcare employees. The negative impact of employee burnout is well-documented within healthcare (Shanafelt et al., 2020; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, 2022). A healthy work environment that optimizes the health and wellbeing of nurses is paramount to providing quality care to patients (Mabona et al., 2022). There is an immediate need for brief, feasible, and rapidly scalable interventions while at work to promote wellbeing for our healthcare workers (Putrino et al., 2020). There is no singular tool or one-size-fits-all approach that holds the answer to wellbeing. Wellbeing …

Responding To Workplace Violence, Penny A. Sauer

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Workplace violence against healthcare workers has increased in the past five years (pre-pandemic) (Brigo et al., 2022; Odes et al., 2023; Sari et al., 2023), with no indication that the violence will return to pre-pandemic levels. In the United States, two nurses are assaulted in the acute care setting every hour (ANA, 2022), but this number is likely much more significant as 40%- 80% of WPVs go unreported.

WPV has been a persistent problem in healthcare for decades. The World Health Organization, Joint Commission, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and many professional practice organizations have statements and recommendations about …

The Escape Room Challenge: Integrating Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Initiatives To Promote A Healthy Work Environment, Teresa D. Welch

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Academic nurse leaders nationally face the constant challenge of incorporating diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives and promoting healthy work environments (HWE) standards with limited resources. This presentation describes a professional development offering for academic nurse leaders via an “escape room” approach.

An escape room is a themed challenge event where players collaborate to find clues, complete tasks, and solve various puzzles. The aim is to achieve a specific, time-bound goal, usually to escape from somewhere. Escape rooms help participants develop the knowledge, experience, and skills to overcome complex challenges (Parker & Welch, 2021; Adams et al, 2018; Brown …

Human Capital And Labor Market Effects Of Elite Schooling In England, Scotland, And Wales: New Causal Evidence From Nonparametric Bounds, Zhanhan Yu, Vikesh Amin, Carlos A. Flores, Alfonso Flores-Lagunes, Giuseppe Germinario

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

We estimate the causal effect of attending elite schools in England, Scotland, and Wales on human capital and labor market outcomes for cohorts of children from the 1958 National Child Development Study and the 1970 British Cohort Study. For identification, we employ a nonparametric partial-identification approach that provides bounds on the causal effect by assuming that, on average, there is positive selection into elite school attendance, and that attending an elite school does not worsen average potential human capital or labor market outcomes. The bounds indicate that there could possibly be large education and labor market returns from attending an …

Resilient Grid Architectures For High Renewable Penetration: Electrical Engineering Strategies For 2030 And Beyond, Ehab Bayoumi

Mechanical Engineering

The global shift toward decarbonized power systems is driving unprecedented penetration of variable renewable energy sources, especially wind and solar PV. Legacy grid architectures, built around centralized, dispatchable synchronous generation, are ill-suited to manage the bidirectional power flows, reduced inertia, and new stability constraints introduced by inverter-based resources. Existing research offers deep but fragmented insights into individual elements of this transition, such as advanced power electronics, microgrids, or market design, but rarely integrates them into a coherent architectural vision for resilient, high-renewable grids. This review closes that gap by synthesizing technical, architectural, and institutional perspectives into a unified framework for …

Child Care Costs In The Mountain West, 2025, Cason Noll, Isabelle G. Graham, Mohit Pande, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet reports child care affordability and cost data for the five Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) report, “Child care costs in the United States,” highlights data on the differences in child care affordability across the United States. This fact sheet presents data on the percentage of annual income required to afford infant care for a minimum-wage worker, a typical child care worker, and a median family with children based on state-level income data for each Mountain West state. This fact sheet also reports annual costs, including college, …

Correction: The Hsp90-Myc-Cdk9 Network Drives Therapeutic Resistance In Mantle Cell Lymphoma, Fangfang Yan, Vivian Jiang, Alexa Jordan, Yuxuan Che, Yang Liu, Qingsong Cai, Yu Xue, Yijing Li, Joseph Mcintosh, Zhihong Chen, Jovanny Vargas, Lei Nie, Yixin Yao, Heng-Huan Lee, Wei Wang, Johnnelson R Bigcal, Maria Badillo, Jitendra Meena, Christopher Flowers, Jia Zhou, Zhongming Zhao, Lukas M Simon, Michael Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Ocean 801 Llc V. Rich

All Decisions

The court granted the tenant's motion to amend her answer and for summary judgment, dismissing the landlord's nonpayment petition. The tenant argued that the landlord lacked standing because it failed to comply with Limited Liability Company Law § 206, which requires LLCs to publish their articles of organization and file a certificate of publication. The court found it undisputed that the landlord had not met this publication requirement when the proceeding commenced, thus lacking standing to maintain the action. The court further held that this defect was not curable, rejecting the landlord's arguments to the contrary and distinguishing prior case …

The Relationship Between Disease-Modifying Therapy And Quality Of Life For People Living With Sickle Cell Disease, Lana King, Sophie Lanzkron

Phase 1

Introduction/Purpose: Despite the availability of disease-modifying therapies (DMT), adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) experience a multitude of adverse health effects that impact quality of life (QOL), with pain being the most common complication. There are few studies that objectively assess the relationship between DMT use and QOL in adults. This study aims to understand whether the currently used tools are sensitive to the use of DMT.

Methods: Data included 141 adult patients from three institutions in a national sickle cell disease registry (GRNDaD). A validated questionnaire, specific for patients with SCD (ASCQ-Me), was used to assess QOL in 5 …

Reproducibility Of Spatially-Defined Structural Cluster Analysis Using Automated Superpixel Metrics On Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography, Sahil Shah, Fabio Lavinsky, Bo Young Kim, Darron King, Ronald Zambrano, Fernanda Mari Fujihara, Dilru Amarasekera, Lauren E. Hock, Ping Huang, Natasha Kolomeyer, Reza Razeghinejad, Jonathan Myers, Gadi Wollstein, Joel Schuman

Phase 1

INTRODUCTION: Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is essential to detect and monitor structural damage in glaucoma. However, current practices focus on global and sectoral values, not localized changes. The study explores a novel approach using spatially determined superpixel clusters from swept- source OCT (SS-OCT) to assess localized changes in both healthy and glaucomatous eyes. We hypothesize that this method will provide reproducible results comparable with standard OCT parameters.

METHODS: Healthy and glaucoma subjects with ≥ 2 qualified same-visit optic nerve head (ONH) and macular Triton SS-OCT scans were included. Automated segmentation generated superpixel thickness values from 3D disc and macula arrays. …

Interrelationship Between Body Mass Index, Venous Sinus Pressures, Craniospinal Elastance, And Intracranial Pressure In Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension, Rachel Wang, Scott W. Keith Phd, Pascal Jabbour Md, Stavropoula Tjoumakaris Md, Michael J. Marmura Md, M. R. Gooch Md, Hsiangkuo Yuan Phd

Phase 1

Introduction/Purpose: Body mass index (BMI), venous sinus pressure (VSP), and craniospinal elastance each correlate with lumbar puncture opening pressure (LP OP) in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), but their mechanistic interactions remain unclear. This study examined how these factors jointly influence OP, hypothesizing that BMI has a stronger positive association with intracranial pressure (ICP) when elastance is elevated.

Methods: A single-center retrospective review was conducted to identify patients who underwent venous manometry (8/2021–11/2025) followed by LP within 7 days. VSPs were recorded at the torcula (TP) and sigmoid/jugular (SIJ) sinuses. Elastance was calculated as (OP – closing pressure)/volume of CSF removed. …

Identification Of Gene Signatures Of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease In Patients With Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Via Whole Transcriptome Sequencing, Chaitanya Karimanasseri Bse, Pongsakorn Choochuen Md, Phd, Yotsawat Pomyen Phd, Hien Dang Phd

Phase 1

Introduction
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. While the only curative treatment for PDAC is surgical excision of the tumor, often surgery is ineffective due to early metastasis to other organs. A better understanding of PDAC’s risk factors would contribute to earlier PDAC diagnoses and thus more effective surgical resections before metastasis occurs.

One pathology related to PDAC is metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), a metabolic disease leading to triglyceride accumulation in the liver. MASLD is known to cause worse PDAC outcomes versus non-MASLD PDAC. Further elucidating the mechanism through which MASLD increases …

The History Of Mythlore, Janet Croft

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

A PLAN TO PUBLISH A JOURNAL representing the interests of the members of The Mythopoeic Society was announced in 1968 by the late Glen GoodKnight, who founded the society in 1967.

The Stat Sheet, Janet Croft

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Total pages published, issues #1-#132: 10,731
Longest issue: Mythlore #80, 458 pages
Shortest actual issue: Mythlore #5, 23 pages