Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 07: Biostatistics For Parasitologists: A Painless Introduction [Parascript Approaches], Jenő Reiczigel, Marco Marozzi, Fábián Ibolya, Lajos Rózsa

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

Covers biostatistics for parasitologists and includes discussion of taking samples, frequency distribution of host individuals across infection classes, sample size, prevalence, mean intesity, median intensity, stochasic equality of intensities, abundance, crowding, levels of aggregation, parasite sex ratio, parasite species richness, interactions between parasite species, and the tool Quantitative Parasitology on the Web (QPweb).

Chapter 7 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology on biostatistics for parasitologists by Jenő Reiczigel, Marco Marozzi, Fábián Ibolya, and Lajos Rózsa. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap007

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 58: Acanthocephala Rudolphi, 1808 (Phylum), Scott Monks

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

An overview of the phylum Acanthocephala Rudolphi, 1808, also called the thorny-headed or spiny-headed worms, including discussion of their general morphology, life cycles, classification, and phylogenetic relationships.

Chapter 58 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology, by Scott Monks. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap058

A Comparison Of Concurrent Training And Moderate Intensity Continuous Training In Patients With Coronary Artery Disease, Amanda Alfaro-Chaverri, John Quindry, Charles Dumke, Brian Loyd

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Moderate intensity continuous training (MICT) is the most studied method in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Traditionally, resistance training has been utilized as a secondary role in CR. Recent interest in the topic suggests that MICT and resistance training should be applied collectively, an approach termed concurrent training (CT). The collective understanding of the potential of CT in CR patients is currently lacking.

Purpose: The aim of this professional paper is to analyze scientific evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of CT versus MICT. The analysis will focus on five primary measurements: exercise capacity, cardiovascular …

Statins Are Rarely Prescribed For Incidentally Discovered Covert Cerebrovascular Disease: A Retrospective Cohort In A Large Electronic Health Record (Ehr) Identified Using Natural Language Processing, Lester Y Leung, Eric Puttock, David F Kallmes, Patrick Luetmer, Sunyang Fu, Chengyi X Zheng, Hongfang Liu, Wansu Chen, David M Kent

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: While incidentally discovered covert cerebrovascular diseases (id-CCD) are associated with future stroke, it is not known if patients with id-CCD are prescribed statins.

Methods: Patients age ≥50 with id-CCD on neuroimaging from 2009 to 2019 with no prior ischaemic stroke, transient ischaemic attack or dementia were identified using natural language processing in a large real-world cohort. Robust Poisson multivariable regression was used to assess statin prescription among patients without prior statins.

Results: Among 2 41 050 patients, 74 975 patients (31.1%; 4.7% with covert brain infarcts (CBI); 29.0% with white matter disease (WMD)) had id-CCD. 53.5% (95% CI 53.2 …

Mouse Models Of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia And Richter Transformation: What We Have Learnt And What We Are Missing, Maria Teresa Sabrina Bertilaccio, Shih-Shih Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Although the chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) treatment landscape has changed dramatically, unmet clinical needs are emerging, as CLL in many patients does not respond, becomes resistant to treatment, relapses during treatment, or transforms into Richter. In the majority of cases, transformation evolves the original leukemia clone into a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Richter transformation (RT) represents a dreadful clinical challenge with limited therapeutic opportunities and scarce preclinical tools. CLL cells are well known to highly depend on survival signals provided by the tumor microenvironment (TME). These signals enhance the frequency of immunosuppressive cells with protumor function, including regulatory CD4

Approaches To Estimate Bidirectional Causal Effects Using Mendelian Randomization With Application To Body Mass Index And Fasting Glucose, Jinhao Zou, Rajesh Talluri, Sanjay Shete

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mendelian randomization (MR) is an epidemiological framework using genetic variants as instrumental variables (IVs) to examine the causal effect of exposures on outcomes. Statistical methods based on unidirectional MR (UMR) are widely used to estimate the causal effects of exposures on outcomes in observational studies. To estimate the bidirectional causal effects between two phenotypes, investigators have naively applied UMR methods separately in each direction. However, bidirectional causal effects between two phenotypes create a feedback loop that biases the estimation when UMR methods are naively applied. To overcome this limitation, we proposed two novel approaches to estimate bidirectional causal effects using …

Sotorasib With Panitumumab In Chemotherapy-Refractory Kras G12c-Mutated Colorectal Cancer: A Phase 1b Trial, Yasutoshi Kuboki, Marwan Fakih, John Strickler, Rona Yaeger, Toshiki Masuishi, Edward J Kim, Christine M Bestvina, Scott Kopetz, Gerald S Falchook, Corey Langer, John Krauss, Sonam Puri, Panli Cardona, Emily Chan, Tracy Varrieur, Lata Mukundan, Abraham Anderson, Qui Tran, David S Hong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The current third-line (and beyond) treatment options for RAS-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer have yielded limited efficacy. At the time of study start, the combination of sotorasib, a KRAS (Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog)-G12C inhibitor, and panitumumab, an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor, was hypothesized to overcome treatment-induced resistance. This phase 1b substudy of the CodeBreaK 101 master protocol evaluated sotorasib plus panitumumab in patients with chemotherapy-refractory KRAS

Higher Il-6 And Il-4 Plasma Levels In Depressed Elderly Women Are Influenced By Diabetes Mellitus, Natália S Dias, Antônio L Teixeira, Breno S Diniz, Erica L Vieira, Bernardo De M Viana, Izabela G Barbosa

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at investigating a set of peripheral cytokines in elderly female patients with MDD, comparing them to controls, and assessing the potential influence of clinical comorbidities on inflammatory markers.

METHODS: Twenty-five elderly female patients diagnosed with MDD and 19 age-matched female controls were enrolled on this study. Plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, IL-10, interferon (IFN)-γ and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were evaluated with commercially-available assays.

RESULTS: Elderly female patients with MDD exhibited higher plasma IL-6 and IL-4 levels when compared to controls. In a logistic regression model taking cytokine levels, comorbidities, and age into account, only …

Rare Genomic Copy Number Variants Implicate New Candidate Genes For Bicuspid Aortic Valve, Steven G Carlisle, Hasan Albasha, Hector I Michelena, Anna Sabate-Rotes, Lisa Bianco, Julie De Backer, Laura Muiño Mosquera, Anji T Yetman, Malenka M Bissell, Maria Grazia Andreassi, Ilenia Foffa, Dawn S Hui, Anthony Caffarelli, Yuli Y Kim, Dongchuan Guo, Rodolfo Citro, Margot De Marco, Justin T Tretter, Kim L Mcbride, Dianna M Milewicz, Simon C Body, Siddharth K Prakash, Ebav Investigators, Bavcon Investigators

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), the most common congenital heart defect, is a major cause of aortic valve disease requiring valve interventions and thoracic aortic aneurysms predisposing to acute aortic dissections. The spectrum of BAV ranges from early onset valve and aortic complications (EBAV) to sporadic late onset disease. Rare genomic copy number variants (CNVs) have previously been implicated in the development of BAV and thoracic aortic aneurysms. We determined the frequency and gene content of rare CNVs in EBAV probands (n = 272) using genome-wide SNP microarray analysis and three complementary CNV detection algorithms (cnvPartition, PennCNV, and QuantiSNP). Unselected control …

The Immunobiology Of Myelodysplastic Neoplasms: A Mini-Review, Shruthi Kannan, Rolando A Vedia, Jeffrey J Molldrem

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This mini review summarizes the immunobiology of myelodysplastic syndromes, specifically focusing on the interactions between immune cells, cytokines, and dysplastic cells within the tumor microenvironment in the bone marrow. We elucidate in detail how immune dysregulation and evasion influence the initiation and progression of myelodysplastic syndromes, as well as resistance to therapy and progression to AML. In addition, we highlight a range of therapeutic strategies, including the most recent breakthroughs and experimental therapies for treating MDS. Finally, we address the existing knowledge gaps in the understanding of the immunobiology of MDS and propose future research directions, promising advancements toward enhancing …

A Review On The Genetic Backgrounds And Management Behind Common Podiatric Disorders, Corinne Niedermier

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

I am writing a review paper on multiple diseases treated by podiatrists (diabetic foot ulcers), gout, neuropathy, and Charcot feet). The paper will focus heavily on the genetic causes of the disease, how they occur, and the treatment.

Advancing Clinical Bacterial Diagnosis: Gram-Stained Whole-Slide Image Classification With Attention-Based Deep Learning, Jack Mcmahon

Computer Science Senior Theses

We introduce a new method for the classification of Gram-stained WSIs. As a test for the diagnosis of blood infections, Gram stains are highly relevant to informing patient treatment. Rapid analysis of Gram stains has been shown to be positively associated with better clinical outcomes, indicating the need for better tools to aid in automatic Gram stain analysis. To date, this area of research has been underexplored, with previous studies relying on the manual patch-level annotation of WSIs to generate training data. This is the first application of a transformer-based model to Gram-stain WSI classification, an approach that is far …

Role Of Human Intermediate Form Prl Receptor I-Tail In The Pathogenesis Of Breast Cancer, Shanwei Shen

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer continues to be the second most common cancer in women in the United States. The neuroendocrine hormone human prolactin (hPRL) plays an important role in normal mammary gland development and growth, stimulating normal breast tissue proliferation and differentiation. Considerable evidence has shown that hPRL is involved in the malignant transformation of human breast tissue. hPRL enhances viability, invasiveness, and proliferation of breast cancer cells in vitro. Evidence from epidemiologic and genetic studies also implicates role of hPRL in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. Its cognate receptor the human prolactin receptor (hPRLr) is required for the action of hPRL. …

Effectiveness Of Doxycycline As Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (Doxy-Pep) For Bacterial Sexually Transmitted Infections (Stis) Among Men Who Have Sex With Men (Msm) In Central Florida, Micah P. Greer

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs), notably syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, have been increasing among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States. The rise has been attributed to various factors, including increased condomless sexual acts due to the high uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention. To address this concerning trend, post-exposure prophylaxis with doxycycline (Doxy-PEP) has emerged as a potential biomedical intervention. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of Doxy-PEP in preventing bacterial STIs among MSM in Central Florida, a region with rising STI rates. A de-identified dataset from Pineapple Health Clinic in Orlando, …

Healthcare Disparities Among Hypermobile Spectrum Disorder And Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Patients, Brooke A. Martinez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) is the most common subtype of rare connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). Hypermobile Spectrum Disorder (HSD) is a connective tissue disorder that presents itself similarly to hEDS. Both disorders primarily affect individuals assigned to females at birth (AFAB), and symptoms range from joint instability, musculoskeletal pain, dizziness, fatigue, depression, and anxiety. Due to many factors like lack of education or attitudes among medical professionals (MPs), receiving a diagnosis of either of these conditions can be a challenging and grueling journey for patients. An online survey was conducted and distributed over social media platforms to …

Reliable Detection Of Wnt7a Protein In Transfected Human Embryonic Kidney 293 Cells, Henry Okonkwo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) refer to a set of development abnormalities affecting a fetus that can result from prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Studies performed by the National Institute of Health estimate that the pervasiveness of FASDs may number as high as 1 to 5 per 100 school children. Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are a subset of these abnormalities and have been observed to occur in 38% of children with FASDs. While there is an association between PAE and CHDs, the exact molecular mechanism as to how it occurs remains unclear. A 2022 RNA sequencing study points to the Wnt7a …

Understanding Guardian Perceptions Of Whole-Foods Plant-Based Diets As Interventions In Pediatric Medicine, Vijay R. Luthra

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The obesity epidemic is widespread in American society, often affecting children who bear its consequences innocently. Due to a lack of nutrition knowledge, children rely on caregivers to meet their nutritional needs and instill healthy habits. This study examines parents' attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors, as well as perceived barriers to adopting a whole-foods plant-based diet (WFPD) for their children. Using a modified survey instrument by Morton et al., this study focused on parents and children regarding dietary choices. Participants were recruited from the waiting area of a pediatric clinic at the Medical College of Georgia between April and May 2023. …

Bioarchaeological Study Of Patterns Of Juvenile Oral Health In Ancient Peru, Nidhi S. Patel

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Dental caries have been identified for several centuries as a common pathology within individuals’ mouths, more specifically in the posterior teeth surfaces (Jesudass, Prabhu, Rajajee, & Sudheer, 2014). Although there have been modern procedures and preventative methods developed to help treat dental caries, in ancient times this was not always the case. The persistence of anterior teeth dental caries in juveniles is a unique pathology observed in Túcume that has not been studied yet. Through the analysis of skeletal samples, this research aims to study the specific case of the formation of anterior deciduous dental caries in juveniles located at …

The Role Of Micrornas In Cellular Senescence, Inflammation, And Cancer Induced By Childhood Obesity, Sarah S. Siddiqi

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Childhood obesity has escalated into a major public health crisis with serious implications for long-term health. As obesity rates among children continue to rise globally, it is crucial to understand its effects on cellular aging and inflammation—key processes that underpin many metabolic diseases. Obesity not only directly contributes to various metabolic disorders but also disrupts fundamental cellular mechanisms, accelerating aging and fostering systemic inflammation. By examining the impact of obesity on cellular aging and chronic inflammation, as well as the regulatory role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in these pathways, we have been able to identify critical biomarkers and molecular mechanisms involved …

The Effect Of Mating Pheromone 2,6-Dichlorophenol On Gene Expression In Male Lone Star Ticks (Amblyomma Americanum), Mitchell E. Dyen

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum) are tick species known for their generalist feeding habits, pursuing blood meals with little preference for specific host species. They are found in the southern and midwestern United States but have been rapidly expanding northward due to climate change and white-tailed deer population expansion. Since they are a zoonotic disease vector, their increased abundance has caused the concurrent increased prevalence of a variety of tick-borne illnesses such as tularemia, heartland virus disease, alpha-gal syndrome, ehrlichiosis, and southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), which effect both humans and animals alike. This increased prevalence of tick-borne …

Factors Leading To Osteoporosis In Turner Syndrome, Daniella O. Aleshinloye

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Turner Syndrome (TS) is a chromosomal disorder from conception characterized by the partial or complete absence of the second X chromosome in females. Chromosomal abnormalities, both numerical and structural, contribute to a significantly higher prevalence of fractures (30.5-32.2%) compared to non-TS postmenopausal women (14.9%). This highlights the intrinsic bone abnormalities associated with TS and increased fracture risk. Peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) is commonly used to assess bone mineral density (BMD). However, its accuracy in individuals with TS is limited due to the partial volume effect, highlighting the need for further clinical research to understand bone density changes compared to …

Epitope Mapping Novel Monoclonal Antibodies Against Borrelia Burgdorferi Surface Proteins Ospc And Bmpa, Eliza M. Doyle

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In response to the progressive nature of Lyme disease, direct diagnostic testing of Borrelia burgdorferi surface proteins was proposed as a quicker and more sensitive alternative to the current indirect detection methods. To determine the ability of novel monoclonal antibodies to detect the surface lipoproteins BmpA and OspC, recombinant fragments of these proteins were created. These fragments were tested against the putative diagnostic antibodies via western blotting as a means to map the epitope of each of the proteins that the respective antibodies recognize. All BmpA fragments with deletions on the N-terminal end exhibited reactivity, indicating that the epitope is …

Co-Occurrence Of Autism Spectrum Disorder And Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder With Idiopathic Hypersomnia: Data From The Hypersomnia Foundation Registry, Sophie Sevan Mikkelsen

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In recent years, hypersomnia patients and researchers alike have increasingly discussed the possibility of heightened comorbidities, or co-occurrences, of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with the central disorders of hypersomnolence: idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) and narcolepsy (N). While a few scarce studies have investigated a link between ADHD and N, there has been no research on the co-occurrence of these conditions with IH. This study, using data from the Hypersomnia Foundation’s CoRDS Patient Registry, is the first to identify self-reported rates of ASD and ADHD diagnoses by people with idiopathic hypersomnia. Four chi-square tests were conducted to determine …

Dysbiosis In Parkinson's Disease: A Meta-Analysis Of Gut Microbiota And Its Role In Gastrointestinal Dysfunction And Disease Progression, Ayan M. Siddiqui Mr.

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and nonmotor symptoms, including gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction. Symptoms such as constipation, bloating, and nausea often show early signs before the onset of motor symptoms. Recent research has suggested an essential role of the human gut microbiome and gut dysbiosis, an imbalance in gut microbiota composition, in the pathogenesis of PD. This thesis aims to assess the potential relationship between gut dysbiosis and PD by conducting a meta-analysis, focusing on differences in gut microbiota between PD patients and healthy controls and evaluating their implications for GI dysfunction and PD progression. The …

Effect Of Incentive Spirometry On Respiratory Parameters Among Critically Ill Patients With Chest Tube Drainage, Marwa Abdo, Nayera Mohamed Tantaewy, Asmaa Ibrahim Aboseda

Nursing

Background: Chest tube drainage is a common procedure following cardiac or thoracic surgery, which can lead to respiratory disorders. Incentive spirometry (IS) is used to enhance respiratory outcomes by promoting deep breathing and lung expansion. Aim: evaluate the effect of incentive spirometry on respiratory parameters among critically ill patients with chest tube drainage. Research Design: A quasi-experimental design was used in this study. Setting: Cardiothoracic intensive care unit at the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Center of Mansoura University. Subjects: A convenience sample of 120 patients who underwent chest tube drainage was randomly assigned to either the IS group (n = …

Real-World Pharmacological Anticoagulation And Clinical Outcomes Of Venous Thromboembolism In Adults With Sickle Cell Disease, Ming Chen

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited disease characterized by sickle-shaped red blood cells that can slow or block blood flow. It affects about 100,000 people in the United States, and occurs more commonly in people of African descent. SCD is considered as a hypercoagulable state and venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a serious disease-specific complication. However, there have been limited real-world studies on VTE in SCD patients. This work aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the risk factors and treatment of VTE in adults with SCD by using longitudinal real-world data. First, a retrospective cohort study on 30-day readmission …

Genotypes Of Snps Of Key Genes Regulate Susceptibility And Drug Sensitivity To Neovascular Amd, Jinglin Cui

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), particularly its neovascular form, stands as a leading cause of blindness globally, with its prevalence in our country on a steady rise. This underscores the critical impact of neovascular AMD (nAMD) management on patient quality of life and societal burden. Current optimal treatments hinge on anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapies, though their efficacy varies across different drugs and individuals, highlighting the importance of precise drug selection in clinical outcomes. Research suggests that factors such as baseline vision, age, disease duration, lesion size, central retina thickness, neovascularization type, and demographic differences influence nAMD prognosis. In addition, …

Grading Of Malnutrition Among Under 5 Children Residing In Urban Slum In Mysuru Using Who Classification And Indian Academy Of Pediatrics (Iap) Classification: A Comparative Study, Ravali Annaram Dr, Amogha Shree Dr, Saurish Hegde Dr, Krishnaveni Y S Dr

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Background

Malnutrition in Indian children under five is widespread, driven by insufficient food intake and diseases like diarrhoea and respiratory infections. Factors such as food security, maternal literacy, and healthcare access influence malnutrition rates. Growth monitoring utilizes WHO standards globally and IAP guidelines in India. Implementing these charts improves early identification and management of malnutrition, crucial for addressing childhood health challenges in India. This study compare the prevalence of malnutrition in WHO classification with Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) classification among under 5 children residing in urban slum.

Methodology

A community based cross-sectional study was conducted among children aged 6 …

Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis Discovered Through Skin Biopsy In A Pregnant Patient From Mexico, Henry Lim, Christina Guo, Marshall Hall, Christian Scheufele, Christopher M. Wong, Michael Carletti, Stephen Weis

North Texas GME Research Forum 2024

Introduction: Coccidioidomycosis is an infection caused by the organism Coccidioides immitis, a fungus endemic to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central and South America. The presentation of coccidioidomycosis can range from symptoms resembling a simple upper respiratory infection, such as cough, to more severe systemic symptoms including fever, malaise, and chills. Cutaneous lesions of coccidioidomycosis demonstrate a large heterogeneity of clinical manifestations but are significant as they may be the presenting sign of disseminated disease. While usually confined to the lungs, extrapulmonary coccidioidomycosis can occur in about 1 in 200 patients, most commonly associated with immunocompromised status. Pregnancy is an …

Retrospective Review Of Adverse Events After Treatment Of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer With Image-Guided Superficial Radiation Therapy, Marshall Hall, Henry Lim, Jason Pham, Alyssa Forsyth, Wenqin Du

North Texas GME Research Forum 2024

No abstract provided.