Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Prevalence Of The Hypervirulent Nap1/Bi/027 Strain Of C. Difficile In Southwestern Virginia And Risk Factors Associated With Infection, Andrew O. Hanna, Anthony Baffoe-Bonnie, Shikha Vasudeva

Graduate Medical Education (GME) Resident and Fellow Research Day Posters

C. difficile infection (CDI) incidence has increased over the last several decades. The BI/NAP1/027 ribotype was discovered in 2005 and has since been responsible for multiple outbreaks in the US and Canada. This subtype of C. Difficile is known to be more virulent in vivo and produce more severe disease. Limited regional data of the prevalence of this ribotype is available, which could help guide treatment. Using infection control data from a large regional hospital and a VA medical center, this study documented the prevalence of the 027 ribotype in Southwest Virginia. Patients were included if they were tested at …

Age And Functional Outcomes Post-Neurologic Insult In Patients Attending Inpatient Rehabilitation, Jonathan Bowman Spt, Elena Crooks Pt, Dpt, Phd, Doug Weeks Phd, Kimberly Honn Phd

2020 Symposium Posters

Introduction

Neurologic insults such as strokes and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) affect over 1 million Americans every year. The lack of current knowledge informing accurate prognoses causes victims and their loved ones distress, and is a focus of much research. The purpose of this study was to determine whether patient age at time of insult could predict change in functional outcomes during inpatient rehabilitation.

Methods

Subjects were patients of an inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) post-stroke or TBI. The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) assessed functional independence and cognitive status at admission and discharge from the IRF. The Montebello Rehabilitation Factor Score …

Literature Review Of Covid-19 Biochemistry, Alexandra Allen

2020 Symposium Posters

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus responsible for the current pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 is a betacoronavirus with a genome that is 79.5% identical to SARS-CoV. The virus enters T lymphocytes using its spike protein with the human angiotension-converting enzyme 2 as its receptor. SARS-CoV-2 was found to have a unique peptide sequence that could contribute to the proteolytic cleavage of the spike protein, therefore potentially impacting host range and transmissibility. COVID-19 is diagnosed through a nasal swab SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR assay and the most common symptoms appear to be fever, cough, and fatigue. The median amount of time an individual will be contagious with …

The Importance Of Early Detection For Alzheimer's Disease, Mariah Mckenzie

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

More Americans are suffering from late diagnoses of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in the U.S. each year. Therefore, there is a need for more access toward early detection of this disease to sustain optimal quality of life and treatments for individuals. AD is one of the leading causes of deaths and with the lack of funds for research, individuals diagnosed with AD is expected to continue to increase. Medicare, Medicaid, and National Institute of Health services are providing funds for the current issues; however, it is not enough. There are many forms of poor access to services for individuals to seek …

Ethical Imperatives Critical To Effective Disease Control In The Coronavirus Pandemic: Recognition Of Global Health Interdependence As A Driver Of Health And Social Equity, George A. Gellert Md, Mph, Mpa

Journal of Health Ethics

Ethical imperatives critical to effective disease control in the coronavirus pandemic: Recognition of global health interdependence as a driver of health and social equity

George A. Gellert MD, MPH, MPA

ABSTRACT

Decades into the era of emerging infectious diseases, the 2019-2020 coronavirus pandemic has caught the world, and the United States in particular, poorly prepared to engage effective public health disease prevention and control measures. In part, this reflects poor public health planning, response, logistical preparation and pandemic readiness, and complacency by governments and disease control agencies. In terms of future responses to emerging infection pandemics, these deficiencies can be …

A Systemic Review And Meta-Analysis On The Antihypertensive Effect Of Aromatherapy Essential Oils, Mikyoung Lee, Ji-Ah Song, Mina Ahn, Ahra Jo, Jeongah Park, Wonjong Kim, Claudia M. Davis, Yeon Sook Kim, Myun-Haeng Hur

Nursing Faculty Publications

Purpose: This study is a systemic review of experimental results on the effects of aromatherapy on blood pressure.

Materials and Methods: Journal articles published to December, 2017, were retrieved from twelve databases. Randomized controlled trials in which were evaluated for changes in blood pressure following aromatherapy were selected. Risks of bias were assessed using the risk-of-bias (ROB) tool of the Cochrane Collaboration. Meta-analysis were dine using RevMan.

Results: Of the 2545 articles retrieved from the electronic databases, 580 duplicate articles and 1891 articles that were unrelated to the PICO (patient/problem, intervention, comparison, outcome) elements or did not satisfy the inclusion …

What's The Flap About Coronavirus?, V. Ramana Dhara

Journal of Health Ethics

This is a haiku about the vectors, modes of transmission and spread of SARS, MERS, and SARS-CoV-2

Strategies For Safe And Effective Treatment Of Patients With Alzheimer Disease, Jafar Alabdullah, Ahmed Almuntashiri

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Alzheimer disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that causes cognition impairment and memory loss, affecting activities in daily living. In the United States, an estimated 4.5 million people have AD and this figure is expected to reach 14 million by 2050. Because patients with AD experience a deterioration of their mental functions, patients need more help with their activities of daily living, including oral hygiene, as their AD progresses. Studies have found that individuals with AD often experience poor oral health. As advanced age is a risk factor for AD and the number of older adults in the US continues …

Ua94/6/1 Covid-19 Diary, Missy Thomas

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

COVID-19 diary submitted to WKU Archives by student Missy Thomas for fall 2020 semester.

Current Smoking With Or Without Chronic Bronchitis Is Independently Associated With Goblet Cell Hyperplasia In Healthy Smokers And Copd Subjects, Victor Kim, Stephanie Jeong, Huaqing Zhao, Mehmet Kesimer, Richard C. Boucher, J. Michael Wells, Stephanie A. Christenson, Meilan K. Han, Mark Dransfield, Robert Paine, Christopher B. Cooper, Igor Barjaktarevic, Russell Bowler, Jeffrey L. Curtis, Robert J. Kaner, Sarah L. O'Beirne, Wanda K. O'Neal, Stephen I. Rennard, Fernando J. Martinez, Prescott G. Woodruff

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

COPD, chronic bronchitis (CB) and active smoking have all been associated with goblet cell hyperplasia (GCH) in small studies. Active smoking is strongly associated with CB, but there is a disconnect between CB clinical symptoms and pathology. Chronic cough and sputum production poorly correlate with the presence of GCH or COPD. We hypothesized that the primary determinant of GCH in ever smokers with or without airflow obstruction is active smoking. Goblet Cell Density (GCD) was measured in 71 current or former smokers [32 subjects without COPD and 39 COPD subjects]. Endobronchial mucosal biopsies were stained with Periodic Acid Schiff-Alcian Blue, …

Co-Morbidity Patterns Identified Using Latent Class Analysis Of Medications Predict All-Cause Mortality Independent Of Other Known Risk Factors: The Copdgene® Study, Yisha Li, Margaret Ragland, Erin Austin, Kendra Young, Katherine Pratte, John E. Hokanson, Terri H Beaty, Elizabeth A. Regan, Stephen I. Rennard, Christina Wern, Michael R. Jacobs, Ruth Tal-Singer, Barry J. Make, Gregory L. Kinney, Copdgene Investigators

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

PURPOSE: Medication patterns include all medications in an individual's clinical profile. We aimed to identify chronic co-morbidity treatment patterns through medication use among COPDGene participants and determine whether these patterns were associated with mortality, acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) and quality of life.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants analyzed here completed Phase 1 (P1) and/or Phase 2 (P2) of COPDGene. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify medication patterns and assign individuals into unobserved LCA classes. Mortality, AECOPD, and the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) health status were compared in different LCA classes through survival analysis, logistic …

Ua94/6/1 Covid-19 Diary, Anonymous

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

COVID-19 diary submitted to WKU Archives by student Isabelle Hobbs for fall semester 2020.

Ua35/3 Memoranda, Wku Provost

WKU Administration Documents

2020 memoranda issued by the WKU Provost to faculty & staff via email.

• Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning January Workshops
• Fall to Fall Retention of All FFY as of Census by Selected Categories
• Updates fromt the Provost
• COVID-19
• COVID-19 or Coronavirus Update
• COVID-19 Update from the Provost's Office
• Announcing the 2020 College Faculty Award Winners
• WKU Announces New Associate Provost for Research & Graduate Education
• Budget Communication
• Summer School Updates from the Provost
• Amendment to PDF Policy
• FY2020-21 Budget Executive Committee Recommendations
• Provost's Message

Parental Nutrition Health Literacy, Sheila F. Towson

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Executive Summary

Parental Nutrition Health Literacy and Children’s Health

Problem: The problem identified in the following study is that overweight and obesity is associated with comorbidities that contribute to chronic diseases such as depression, decreased academic performance, type 2 diabetes, cardiac disease and others (Allesio, 2018; Barlow & Expert Committee, 2007). Demographics reveal obesity prevalence among children and adolescents to be 18.9% in the lowest income group, 19.9% in the middle-income group, and 10.9% in the highest income group (CDC, 2018). School and home environments are especially influential in affecting school-age children’s health behaviors (Luesse, Paul, Koch, Contendo, & Marsick, …

Progressive Dyspnea After Use Of Electronic Vaping, Taylor Studsrud, Morgan Zegers, Gary Cook, Narrani Kanapathippillai, Hilton Alemar-Hernandez

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2020

No abstract provided.

Blood Eosinophil Counts In Clinical Trials For Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Dave Singh, Mona Bafadhel, Christopher E. Brightling, Frank C. Sciurba, Jeffrey L. Curtis, Fernando J. Martinez, Cara B. Pasquale, Debora D. Merrill, Norbert Metzdorf, Stefano Petruzzelli, Ruth Tal-Singer, Christopher Compton, Stephen I. Rennard, Ubaldo J. Martin

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

No abstract provided.

Heme Metabolism Genes Downregulated In Copd Cachexia, Ava C. Wilson, Preeti L. Kumar, Sool Lee, Margaret M. Parker, Itika Arora, Jarrett D. Morrow, Emiel F.M. Wouters, Richard Casaburi, Stephen I. Rennard, David A. Lomas, Alvar Agusti, Ruth Tal-Singer, Mark T. Dransfield, J. Michael Wells, Surya P. Bhatt, George Washko, Victor J. Thannickal, Hemant K. Tiwari, Craig P. Hersh, Peter J. Castaldi, Edwin K. Silverman, Merry-Lynn N. Mcdonald

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

INTRODUCTION: Cachexia contributes to increased mortality and reduced quality of life in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and may be associated with underlying gene expression changes. Our goal was to identify differential gene expression signatures associated with COPD cachexia in current and former smokers.

METHODS: We analyzed whole-blood gene expression data from participants with COPD in a discovery cohort (COPDGene, N = 400) and assessed replication (ECLIPSE, N = 114). To approximate the consensus definition using available criteria, cachexia was defined as weight-loss > 5% in the past 12 months or low body mass index (BMI) (<  20 kg/m

RESULTS: The prevalence of …

Improving The Evaluation Of Copd Exacerbation Treatment Effects By Accounting For Early Treatment Discontinuations: A Post-Hoc Analysis Of Randomized Clinical Trials., Agnieszka Król, Robert Palmér, Virginie Rondeau, Stephen I. Rennard, Ulf G. Eriksson, Alexandra Jauhiainen

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) clinical trials aimed at evaluating treatment effects on exacerbations often suffer from early discontinuations of randomized treatment. Treatment discontinuations imply a loss of information and should ideally be considered in the statistical analysis of trial results, particularly if the discontinuations are related to the disease or treatment itself. Here, we explore this issue by investigating (1) whether there exists an association between the risks of exacerbation and treatment discontinuation in COPD clinical trials and (2) whether disregarding this association can cause bias in exacerbation treatment effect estimates. We focus on the hypothetical estimand, i.e. …

Agonist-Specific Desensitization Of Pge2-Stimulated Camp Signaling Due To Upregulated Phosphodiesterase Expression In Human Lung Fibroblasts, Francisco J. Nunez, Nancy Schulte, David M. Fogel, Joel Michalski, Stephen I. Rennard, Raymond B. Penn, Myron L. Toews, Rennolds S. Ostrom

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

Pulmonary fibrosis is characterized by fibroblasts persisting in an activated form, producing excessive fibrous material that destroys alveolar structure. The second messenger molecule cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) has antifibrotic properties, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) can stimulate cAMP production through prostaglandin E (EP)2 and EP4 receptors. Although EP receptors are attractive therapeutic targets, the effects of long-term exposure to PGE2 have not been characterized. To determine the effects of long-term exposure of lung fibroblasts to PGE2, human fetal lung (HFL)-1 cells were treated for 24 h with 100 nM PGE2 or other cAMP-elevating agents. cAMP levels stimulated by acute exposure to …

Campus Map: Online Learning Spaces For Commuters, Sacred Heart University

University Briefings & Virtual Events

Sacred Heart has numerous outdoor spaces and informal places to study in our buildings. However, to provide additional options for learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have identified four areas throughout our campuses where students may choose to participate in online learning.

Use Of Kalman Filtering In State And Parameter Estimation Of Diabetes Models, Cassidy Le

HMC Senior Theses

Diabetes continues to affect many lives every year, putting those affected by it at higher risk of serious health issues. Despite many efforts, there currently is no cure for diabetes. Nevertheless, researchers continue to study diabetes in hopes of understanding the disease and how it affects people, creating mathematical models to simulate the onset and progression of diabetes. Recent research by David J. Albers, Matthew E. Levine, Andrew Stuart, Lena Mamykina, Bruce Gluckman, and George Hripcsak¹ has suggested that these models can be furthered through the use of Data Assimilation, a regression method that synchronizes a model with a …

Endothelial Injury And Glycocalyx Degradation In Critically Ill Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients: Implications For Microvascular Platelet Aggregation, Douglas Fraser

Data and Test Instruments

No abstract provided.

Machine Learning Prediction Of Glioblastoma Patient One-Year Survival, Andrew Du '20, Warren Mcgee, Jane Y. Wu

Student Publications & Research

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a grade IV astrocytoma formed primarily from cancerous astrocytes and sustained by intense angiogenesis. GBM often causes non-specific symptoms, creating difficulty for diagnosis. This study aimed to utilize machine learning techniques to provide an accurate one-year survival prognosis for GBM patients using clinical and genomic data from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas. Logistic regression (LR), support vector machines (SVM), random forest (RF), and ensemble models were used to identify and select predictors for GBM survival and to classify patients into those with an overall survival (OS) of less than one year and one year or greater. With …

Graphic Novels In Biology – A Novel Assessment Idea, Sowmya Anjur

Faculty Publications & Research

Galileo once said, “You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him find it within himself.” (Goodreads, 2020). I have often pondered upon how best I could use this advice. I have been an educator for 24 years and have loved every minute of it. During this time, I have seen students of all cadres come and go, but they all have one thing in common - their innate fear of written assessments. In general, students in high school tend to have a different perspective on education than their adult counterparts - they tend to procrastinate, are usually …

Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles And Beneficial Bacteria: Two Novel Treatments For Eradicating Bacteria Associated With Prosthetic Infection?, Etta Conteh

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate new possible compounds that can be used to treat orthopedic implant infections caused by bacterial pathogens. Current treatment includes the use of antibiotics and the DAIR procedure, which stands for debridement, antibiotic therapy, irrigation, and retention. However, antibiotics are becoming less effective as a treatment due to bacteria gaining antibiotic resistance. Two bacterial species involved in orthopedic implant infections are P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. This thesis investigated cerium oxide nanoparticles and L. fermentum, a beneficial bacterium, as possible treatments to stop bacterial growth and the formation of biofilm. This …

The Relationship Between Community Health Worker Supply And The Rate Of Preventable Hospitalizations Of Rural Latinos With Diabetes, Danielle O. Mapp

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The ever-increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus and its associated healthcare costs in the United States has led to our healthcare system's need for cost-effective health resources and chronic disease management. The interventions of Community Health Workers (CHWs) can cost-effectively improve population health and prevent the unnecessary utilization of some medical services especially in rural, low-income, minority populations, where there is often limited access to healthcare. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the number of total CHWs in rural counties and the mean diabetes-related preventable hospitalization rates in Latino patients diagnosed with diabetes in those rural …

The Effects Of Roundup On The Life History, Stress Response, And Immune Function Of The Yellow Fever Mosquito, Aedes Aegypti, Lindsay E. Martin

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, vectors for many human diseases, begin life as larvae developing in water, potentially exposed to runoff with herbicides and pesticides. This study serves as a novel investigation into the transstadial effects of exposure to Roundup on A. aegypti life history, immunity, and stress response and aims to account for these effects in an R0 model for vectorborne disease transmission. Prior work has shown that Roundup negatively affects mosquito life history. I hypothesized that larval exposure to the maximum sublethal dose of Roundup (7189µg/L) would negatively impact A. aegypti life history, immunity (candidate gene approach), and stress response …

Development Of A Sox9 Reporter Cell For High-Throughput Chondrogenic Assessment, Alyssa R. Mickle

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating disease caused by the deterioration of articular cartilage and is a leading cause of disability in the United States and worldwide. Much current research into improved treatment for this disease is focused on tissue engineering through the growth of cartilage sheets made by articular chondrocytes. However, as chondrocytes proliferate in vitro, they also lose their ability to produce dense extracellular matrix, a necessary component of articular cartilage conferring mechanical strength. SOX9, a transcriptional activator, increases type II collagen expression, a key articular cartilage extracellular matrix component. Thus, SOX9 promotes an articular cartilage phenotype. Therefore, …

Detection Of Point Mutations Conferring Gentamicin Resistance In Escherichia Coli Using A Split-G4 Probe, Michael J. Greenberg

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The objective of this project was to develop a DNA hybridization sensor that can detect the presence of E. coli and reveal its resistance to the drug gentamicin. This probe will enable rapid and user-friendly diagnostics of E. coli infections and analysis of bacterial gentamicin-susceptibility profile by interrogation of a fragment of E. coli 16S rRNA bearing a substitution in the gentamicin-resistant cells. The sensor is promising for the point-of-care use to provide a timely UTI diagnostic solution. A quick diagnosis of E. coli infection and antibiotic resistance is crucial for treatment. To design a hybridization probe, we proposed a …

Comparative Survival Of Asian And White Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Men Treated With Docetaxel, Susan Halabi, Sandipan Dutta, Catherine M. Tangen, Mark Rosenthal, Daniel P. Petrylak, Ian M. Thompson Jr., Kim N. Chi, Johann S. De Bono, John C. Araujo, Christopher Logothetis, Mario A. Eisenberger, David I. Quinn, Karim Fizazi, Michael J. Morris, Celestia S. Higano, Ian F. Tannock, Eric J. Small, William Kevin Kelly

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

There are few data regarding disparities in overall survival (OS) between Asian and white men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). We compared OS of Asian and white mCRPC men treated in phase III clinical trials with docetaxel and prednisone (DP) or a DP-containing regimen. Individual participant data from 8820 men with mCRPC randomly assigned on nine phase III trials to receive DP or a DP-containing regimen were combined. Men enrolled in these trials had a diagnosis of prostate adenocarcinoma. The median overall survival was 18.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI] = 17.4 to 22.1 months) and 21.2 months (95% …