Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Progression Through Return-To-Sport And Return-To-Academics Guidelines For Concussion Management And Recovery In Collegiate Student Athletes: Findings From The Ivy League–Big Ten Epidemiology Of Concussion Study, Douglas J. Wiebe, Abigail C. Bretzin, Bernadette A. D'Alonzo, Ivy League–Big Ten Epidemiology Of Concussion Study Investigators, Arthur C. Maerlender

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Objective To examine the progression of collegiate student athletes through five stages of a return-to- activity protocol following sport-related concussion (SRC).

Methods In a multisite prospective cohort study, we identified the frequency of initial 24–48 hours physical and cognitive rest, and the sequence of (1) symptom resolution and return to (2) exertion activity, (3) limited sport, (4) full sport and (5) full academics. In resulting profiles we estimated the likelihood of return to full sport ≤14 days or prolonged >28 days and tested for variability based on timing of the stages.

Results Among 1715 athletes with SRC (31.6% females), 67.9% …

Head Impact Exposure In Youth And Collegiate American Football, Grace B. Choi, Eric P. Smith, Stefan M. Duma, Steven Rowson, Eamon Campolettano, Mireille E. Kelley, Derek A. Jones, Joel D. Stitzel, Jillian E. Urban, Amaris Genemaras, Jonathan G. Beckwith, Richard M. Greenwald, Arthur C. Maerlender, Joseph J. Crisco

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

The relationship between head impact and subsequent brain injury for American football players is not well defined, especially for youth. The objective of this study is to quantify and assess Head Impact Exposure (HIE) metrics among youth and collegiate football players. This multiseason study enrolled 639 unique athletes (354 collegiate; 285 youth, ages 9–14), recording 476,209 head impacts (367,337 collegiate; 108,872 youth) over 971 sessions (480 collegiate; 491 youth). Youth players experienced 43 and 65% fewer impacts per competition and practice, respectively, and lower impact magnitudes compared to collegiate players (95th percentile peak linear acceleration (PLA, g) competition: 45.6 vs …

Constructing Neural Network Models From Brain Data Reveals Representational Transformations Linked To Adaptive Behavior, Takuya Ito, Guangyu Robert Yang, Patryk Laurent, Douglas H. Schultz, Michael W. Cole

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

The human ability to adaptively implement a wide variety of tasks is thought to emerge from the dynamic transformation of cognitive information. We hypothesized that these transformations are implemented via conjunctive activations in “conjunction hubs”—brain regions that selectively integrate sensory, cognitive, and motor activations. We used recent advances in using functional connectivity to map the flow of activity between brain regions to construct a task-performing neural network model from fMRI data during a cognitive control task. We verified the importance of conjunction hubs in cognitive computations by simulating neural activity flow over this empirically-estimated functional connectivity model. These empiricallyspecified simulations …

Affective Flexibility As A Developmental Building Block Of Cognitive Reappraisal: An Fmri Study, Jordan E. Pierce, Eisha Haque, Maital Neta

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Cognitive reappraisal is a form of emotion regulation that involves reinterpreting the meaning of a stimulus, often to downregulate one’s negative affect. Reappraisal typically recruits distributed regions of prefrontal and parietal cortex to generate new appraisals and downregulate the emotional response in the amygdala. In the current study, we compared reappraisal ability in an fMRI task with affective flexibility in a sample of children and adolescents (ages 6–17, N = 76). Affective flexibility was defined as variability in valence interpretations of ambiguous (surprised) facial expressions from a second behavioral task. Results demonstrated that age and affective flexibility predicted reappraisal ability, …

Associations Between Eight Earth Observation-Derived Climate Variables And Enteropathogen Infection: An Independent Participant Data Meta-Analysis Of Surveillance Studies With Broad Spectrum Nucleic Acid Diagnostics, Josh M. Colston, Benjamin F. Zaithcik, Hamada S. Badr, Eleanor Burnett, Syed Asad Ali, Ajit Rayamajhi, Syed M. Satter, Daniel Eibach, Ralf Krumkamp, M Imran Nisar, Anita K. M. Zaidi, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Diarrheal disease, still a major cause of childhood illness, is caused by numerous, diverse infectious microorganisms, which are differentially sensitive to environmental conditions. Enteropathogen‐specific impacts of climate remain underexplored. Results from 15 studies that diagnosed enteropathogens in 64,788 stool samples from 20,760 children in 19 countries were combined. Infection status for 10 common enteropathogens—adenovirus, astrovirus, norovirus, rotavirus, sapovirus, Campylobacter, ETEC, Shigella, Cryptosporidium and Giardia—was matched by date with hydrometeorological variables from a global Earth observation dataset—precipitation and runoff volume, humidity, soil moisture, solar radiation, air pressure, temperature, and wind speed. Models were fitted for each pathogen, accounting …

Role Of Micrornas In Non-Functioning Pituitary Adenoma, Mehak Ismail Rajani, Yumna Mirza, Rohan Advani, Syed Muhammad Adnan Ali, Ather Enam

Centre for Innovation in Medical Education

Non-functioning pituitary adenomas account for 30% of anterior pituitary tumours. Based on their inability to secrete hormones, these are often diagnosed incidentally or due to pressure symptoms. Understanding the pathogenesis of these adenomas can provide insight into factors leading to its progression and serving as biomarkers for early recognition. A literature search was performed in the current narrative review for articles published in PubMed for the last 10 years till January 2020 on micro-ribonucleic acid involved in the pathogenesis of non-functioning pituitary adenomas. Of the 478 articles found, 21(4.4%) were filtered. In total, 106 micro-ribonucleic acids were identified, 25(23.5%) of …

2022 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

The purpose of beef cattle and beef product research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is to provide reference information that represents the various populations (cows, calves, heifers, feeders, carcasses, retail products, etc.) of beef production.

Dedicated in memory of Dr. Terry Klopfenstein (March 10, 1939-April 30, 2021), Professor Emeritus, Animal Science Department, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Cow-Calf Nutrition and Management

Impact of Cow Size on Economic Profitability in the Cow-Calf and Feedlot Production Systems

Comparison of Partially Confined and Traditional Cow-Calf Systems

Concepts in Stress Physiology

Inflammatory Modulators Improve Daily Gain of Heat-Stressed Wethers

Zilpaterol Supplementation Improved Indicators of Well-Being, but …

Exploring Factors Associated With The Eating Behaviours And Influences On Food Choice In Irish Teens, Aisling Daly

Doctoral

Aim The aim of this research was to understand the eating behaviour traits and food choice motivations of Irish teens, and to investigate the social, psychological, and attitudinal determinants of these eating behaviour traits and influences on food choice.

Methods Mixed methods were used in this research, using quantitative analysis of data from the National Teens’ Food Survey II (NTFSII), a cross-sectional study of teens aged 13-18 years old (N=428). Data predominantly came from the TFEQ-r18 and VARSEEK tools for eating behaviour traits, and the FCQ tool for food choice motivations, as well as socio-demographics, anthropometrics, behaviour/attitudes and dietary intakes. …

Meeting The 24-H Movement Guidelines And Health-Related Outcomes Among Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Seven-Country Observational Study, Chunxiao Li, Justin A. Haegele, Fenghua Sun, Maria Luiza Tanure Alves, Stefanie Hwee Chee Ang, Jihyun Lee, Kwok Ng, Isabella Dos Santos Alves, Sean Healy, Wendy Yajun Huang, Pauli Rintala, Jernice Sing Yee Tan, Yandan Wu, Hannah Yang, Eija Kärnä, Hyokju Maeng, André Lisandro Schliemann

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Faculty Publications

Background: Meeting daily guidelines for physical activity, screen time, and sleep duration is associated with a host of health indicators for youth. In this cross-sectional observational study, we investigated the associations between adherence to the movement guidelines and health-related outcomes among youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Methods: Parents of youth with ASD (10-17 years) from seven countries and regions were invited to provide online proxy-reports for child's movement behaviors (i.e., physical activity, sleep and screen time), and health-related outcomes (i.e., body mass index [BMI], general health, and quality of life). A series of multiple linear regression analyses were used …

Longitudinal Changes Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness Performance In High School: Association With Individual And School-Based Variables, Xihe Zhu, Justin A. Haegele, Jinting Shao, Summer Davis

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Faculty Publications

This study aimed to model adolescents’ cardiorespiratory fitness performance change trajectories longitudinally across high school years and its relation to school- and individual/student-level factors. We employed hierarchical linear modeling to examine longitudinal cardiorespiratory fitness performance changes, as measured by the progressive aerobic capacity endurance run (PACER), over the years, between sexes, and in association with the school-level variables. Participants were 76,227 adolescents from 80 high schools in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. School-level academic performance (SAP), the percent of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals (FARM), and physical education student-faculty ratio were obtained with permission from the …

Family Diabetes Camp Amidst Covid-19: A Community Of Practice Model, Eddie Hill, Rowan Williams, Justin Haegele, Ron Ramsing, Bethany Arrington, Laura Hill

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Faculty Publications

Studies have found that youth are experiencing higher anxiety levels than prior to COVID-19, and youth with type 1 diabetes are at higher risk. Medical specialty camps are a type of camp that provide opportunities for youth with chronic illnesses to share common goals, increase socialization, improve camper well-being, and increase knowledge of diabetes management. The program evaluation sought to determine the impact of a campers’ outcomes of independence and perceived competence and familial impact during COVID-19. Over half the participants were at their first diabetes camp and 71% of the campers felt their perceived competence “increased a little bit” …

It Permeated Everything: A Lived Experience Of Slow Violence And Toxicological Disaster, Tara Jo Holmberg

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Impacts of disasters on individuals are dependent on numerous factors: local to international political dynamics, socioeconomics, geography, educational background, and outside support among others. Currently, much of disaster research focuses on those of natural origin, acute and large-scale environmental events, emergency management, and the ability of individuals, communities, and societies to prepare for, and recover from, likely known disasters in their region. However, there is a lack of data about individual experiences through ‘invisible’ anthropogenic disasters, especially those that fall under the umbrella of slow environmental violence (Davies, 2019; Rice, 2016). Through critical phenomenological autoethnography, I examine an individual experience …

Stereotactic Radiosurgery For Pituitary Adenomas: A Review Of Literature, Kaynat Siddiqui, Saqib Kamran Bakhshi, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim

Section of Neurosurgery

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a choice of treatment for pituitary adenomas (PA), particularly for residual or recurrent disease, apart from surgery. It has a progression free survival and endocrine remission rate comparable to surgery, with fewer side effects, making it an ideal tool for dealing with PA. In this review, we have discussed the role of SRS for primary as well as post-operative residual/ recurrent PA, and have assessed its safety and outcomes.

Evaluation Of Virtual Screening Strategies For The Identification Of Γ-Secretase Inhibitors And Modulators, Alicia Ioppolo, Melissa Eccles, David Groth, Giuseppe Verdile, Mark Agostino

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

γ-Secretase is an intramembrane aspartyl protease that is important in regulating normal cell physiology via cleavage of over 100 transmembrane proteins, including Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) and Notch family receptors. However, aberrant proteolysis of substrates has implications in the progression of disease pathologies, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), cancers, and skin disorders. While several γ-secretase inhibitors have been identified, there has been toxicity observed in clinical trials associated with non-selective enzyme inhibition. To address this, γ-secretase modulators have been identified and pursued as more selective agents. Recent structural evidence has provided an insight into how γ-secretase inhibitors and modulators are recognized …

Completing Single-Cell Dna Methylome Profiles Via Transfer Learning Together With Kl-Divergence, Sanjeeva Dodlapati, Zongliang Jiang, Jiangwen Sun

Computer Science Faculty Publications

The high level of sparsity in methylome profiles obtained using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing in the case of low biological material amount limits its value in the study of systems in which large samples are difficult to assemble, such as mammalian preimplantation embryonic development. The recently developed computational methods for addressing the sparsity by imputing missing have their limits when the required minimum data coverage or profiles of the same tissue in other modalities are not available. In this study, we explored the use of transfer learning together with Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence to train predictive models for completing methylome profiles with …

Mothers' Perceptions Of Their Children's Weight: Opportunity For Health Promotion In Kuwait, Abdullah Al-Taiar, Nawal Alqaoud, Reem Sharaf-Alddin, Muge Akpinar-Elci

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Mothers’ perceptions of their children’s weight remain mostly unknown in oil-rich countries of the Middle East.

Aims: To compare maternal perceptions of their children’s weight with actual body weight.

Methods: We used the Kuwait nutritional surveillance data for 5 consecutive years (2015-2019) (N = 5119), which were collected through face-to-face interviews with mothers of children aged 2-5 years attending vaccination centres.

Results: Of the 5119 mothers in the study, 163 (3.18%) and 332 (6.48%) had obese or overweight children, respectively. Among 4624 mothers who had normal weight children, 1350 (29.20%) perceived their children’s weight as …

Robust Meta-Analysis For Large-Scale Genomic Experiments Based On An Empirical Approach, Sinjini Sikdar

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Recent high-throughput technologies have opened avenues for simultaneous analyses of thousands of genes. With the availability of a multitude of public databases, one can easily access multiple genomic study results where each study comprises of significance testing results of thousands of genes. Researchers currently tend to combine this genomic information from these multiple studies in the form of a meta-analysis. As the number of genes involved is very large, the classical meta-analysis approaches need to be updated to acknowledge this large-scale aspect of the data.

METHODS: In this article, we discuss how application of standard theoretical null distributional assumptions …

Early-Life Farm Exposures And Eczema Among Adults In The Agricultural Lung Health Study, Annah B. Wyss, Thanh T. Hoang, Hilde K. Vindenes, Julie D. White, Sinjini Sikdar, Marie Richards, Laura E. Beane-Freeman, Christine G. Parks, Mikyeong Lee, David M. Umbach, Stephanie J. London

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Background

Several studies conducted in Europe have suggested a protective association between early-life farming exposure and childhood eczema or atopic dermatitis; however, few studies have examined associations in adults.

Objectives

We investigated associations between early-life exposures and eczema among 3217 adult farmers and farm spouses (mean age, 62.8 years) in a case–control study nested within an US agricultural cohort.

Methods

We used sampling-weighted logistic regression to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for associations between early-life exposures and self-reported doctor-diagnosed eczema (273 cases) and polytomous logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for a 4-level outcome combining …

Opioid Medication Use And Blood Dna Methylation: Epigenome-Wide Association Meta-Analysis, Mikyeong Lee, Roby Joehanes, Daniel L. Mccartney, Minjung Kho, Anke Hüls, Annah B. Wyss, Chunyu Liu, Rosie M. Walker, Sharon L.R. Kardia, Thomas S. Wingo, Adam Burkholder, Jiantao Ma, Archie Campbell, Aliza P. Wingo, Tianxiao Huan, Sinjini Sikdar, Amena Keshawarz, David A. Bennett, Jennifer A. Smith, Kathryn L. Evans, Daniel Levy, Stephanie J. London

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Aim: To identify differential methylation related to prescribed opioid use. Methods: This study examined whether blood DNA methylation, measured using Illumina arrays, differs by recent opioid medication use in four population-based cohorts. We meta-analyzed results (282 users; 10,560 nonusers) using inverse-variance weighting. Results: Differential methylation (false discovery rate <0.05) was observed at six CpGs annotated to the following genes: KIAA0226, CPLX2, TDRP, RNF38, TTC23 and GPR179. Integrative epigenomic analyses linked implicated loci to regulatory elements in blood and/or brain. Additionally, 74 CpGs were differentially methylated in males or females. Methylation at significant CpGs correlated with gene expression in blood and/or brain. Conclusion: This study identified DNA …

The Risk Factors For Self-Monitoring Of Blood Glucose Among Individuals Diagnosed With Type 2 Diabetes In Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Abdulrahman Alsuliman, Qi Zhang, Shelley Mishoe, Praveen K. Durgampudi

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Lack of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is a known risk factor for controlling type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Nevertheless, little research has been conducted on SMBG among Saudis with T2DM.

Aim: The study aimed to investigate personal and cognitive-perceptual factors for SMBG among Saudis with T2DM guided by Health Promotion Model.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample size of 808 Saudi adults with T2DM utilizing secondary data from the Saudi Health Interview Survey for 2013.

Statistical Analysis: Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were applied to examine the risk factors for SMBG among Saudis with T2DM. …

Plasmonic-Based Biosensor For The Early Diagnosis Of Prostate Cancer, Thakshila Liyanage, Bayan Alharbi, Linh Quan, Aurora Esquela-Kerscher, Gymama Slaughter

Bioelectrics Publications

A tapered optical fiber (TOF) plasmonic biosensor was fabricated and used for the sensitive detection of a panel of microRNAs (miRNAs) in human serum obtained from noncancer and prostate cancer (PCa) patients. Oncogenic and tumor suppressor miRNAs let7a, let-7c, miR-200b, miR-141, and miR-21 were tested as predictive cancer biomarkers since multianalyte detection minimizes false-positive and false-negative rates and establishes a strong foundation for early PCa diagnosis. The biosensing platform integrates metallic gold triangular nanoprisms (AuTNPs) laminated on the TOF to excite surface plasmon waves in the supporting metallic layer and enhance the evanescent mode of the fiber surface. …

Rickettsial Pathogen Perturbs Tick Circadian Gene To Infect The Vertebrate Host, Supreet Khanal, Vikas Taank, John F. Anderson, Hameeda Sultana, Girish Neelakanta

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ixodes scapularis is a medically important tick that transmits several microbes to humans, including rickettsial pathogen Anaplasma phagocytophilum. In nature, these ticks encounter several abiotic factors including changes in temperature, humidity, and light. Many organisms use endogenously generated circadian pathways to encounter abiotic factors. In this study, we provide evidence for the first time to show that A. phagocytophilum modulates the arthropod circadian gene for its transmission to the vertebrate host. We noted a circadian oscillation in the expression of arthropod clock, bmal1, period and timeless genes when ticks or tick cells were exposed to alternate 12 h …

Bone Morphogenetic Proteins Shape TReg Cells, Piotr Kraj

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family includes cytokines controlling cell behavior, differentiation and homeostasis of various tissues including components of the immune system. Despite well recognized importance of TGF-β in controlling T cell functions, the immunomodulatory roles of many other members of the TGF-β cytokine family, especially bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), start to emerge. Bone Morphogenic Protein Receptor 1α (BMPR1α) is upregulated by activated effector and Foxp3+ regulatory CD4+ T cells (Treg cells) and modulates functions of both of these cell types. BMPR1α inhibits generation of proinflammatory Th17 cells and sustains peripheral Treg cells. This finding underscores the importance of …

The Acute Physiological Response Of Polar Bears To Helicopter Capture, John P. Whiteman, Henry J. Harlow, George M. Durner, Eric V. Regehr, Steven C. Amstrup, Anthony M. Pagano, Merav Ben-David

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Many wildlife species are live captured, sampled, and released; for polar bears (Ursus maritimus) capture often requires chemical immobilization via helicopter darting. Polar bears reduce their activity for approximately 4 days after capture, likely reflecting stress recovery. To better understand this stress, we quantified polar bear activity (via collar‐mounted accelerometers) and body temperature (via loggers in the body core [T_abd] and periphery [T_per]) during 2–6 months of natural behavior, and during helicopter recapture and immobilization. Recapture induced bouts of peak activity higher than those that occurred during natural behavior for 2 of 5 bears, …

Prevalence Of Mutations In The Pfdhfr, Pfdhps, And Pfmdr1 Genes Of Malarial Parasites Isolated From Symptomatic Patients In Dogondoutchi, Niger, Ibrahima Issa, Mahaman Moustapha Lamine, Veronique Hubert, Amadou Ilagouma, Eric Adehossi, Aboubacar Mahamadou, Neil F. Lobo, Demba Sarr, Lisa M. Shollenberger, Houze Sandrine, Ronan Jambou, Ibrahim Maman Laminou

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The effectiveness of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) depends not only on that of artemisinin but also on that of partner molecules. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of mutations in the Pfdhfr, Pfdhps, and Pfmdr1 genes from isolates collected during a clinical study. Plasmodium genomic DNA samples extracted from symptomatic malaria patients from Dogondoutchi, Niger, were sequenced by the Sanger method to determine mutations in the Pfdhfr (codons 51, 59, 108, and 164), Pfdhps (codons 436, 437, 540, 581, and 613), and Pfmdr1 (codons 86, 184, 1034, and 1246) genes. One hundred fifty-five (155) pre-treatment samples were …

Streamlining Sporozoite Isolation From Mosquitoes By Leveraging The Dynamics Of Migration To The Salivary Glands, Ashutosh K. Pathak, Justine C. Shiau, Blandine Franke-Fayard, Lisa M. Shollenberger, Donald A. Harn, Dennis E. Kyle, Courtney C. Murdock

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Sporozoites isolated from the salivary glands of Plasmodium-infected mosquitoes are a prerequisite for several basic and pre-clinical applications. Although salivary glands are pooled to maximize sporozoite recovery, insufficient yields pose logistical and analytical hurdles; thus, predicting yields prior to isolation would be valuable. Preceding oocyst densities in the midgut is an obvious candidate. However, it is unclear whether current understanding of its relationship with sporozoite densities can be used to maximize yields, or whether it can capture the potential density-dependence in rates of sporozoite invasion of the salivary glands.

Methods: This study presents a retrospective analysis of Anopheles …

Practices Of Vitamin D Supplementation Leading To Vitamin D Toxicity: Experience From A Low-Middle Income Country, Siraj Muneer, Imran Siddiqui, Hafsa Majid, Nawazish Zehra, Lena Jafri, Aysha Habib

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Introduction: The trend of prescribing VD preparations for nonspecific body aches and self-medication has increased significantly. The importance of vitamin D toxicity (VDT) has been underestimated and under recognized. This study was done to determine the frequency toxicity (>150 ng/ml) in subjects for 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and evaluate the vitamin D (VD) supplements used by these subjects.
Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Section of Chemical Pathology, Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi from April 2020 to March 2021. Subjects with 25OHD toxicity were contacted and information related to history of calcium and VD supplementation were collected. …

D-Dimer Testing In Covid-19: From Basics To Clinical Application, Bushra Moiz

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

No abstract provided.

Desired Resources For Changing Diet Among Persons With Multiple Sclerosis: Qualitative Inquiry Informing Future Dietary Interventions, Stephanie L Silveira, Emma V Richardson, Robert W Motl

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: There are approximately 1 million adults in the United States with multiple sclerosis (MS). Persons with MS are interested in diet as a second-line therapy for improving MS symptoms and disease progression. Examination of desired resources regarding diet among persons with MS is necessary for supporting behavior change.

METHODS: Twenty-five adults with MS completed 1-on-1, online semistructured interviews. An inductive, 6-phase, semantic thematic analysis was applied to identify themes associated with participant preferences for dietary behavior change.

RESULTS: The research team crafted 4 key themes from the data that encompassed participants' desired resources for dietary behavior change. Theme 1, …

Evaluation Of The Kitchen Microbiome And Food Safety Behaviors Of Predominantly Low-Income Families, Christina K Carstens, Joelle K Salazar, Shreela V Sharma, Wenyaw Chan, Charles Darkoh

Journal Articles

Bacterial pathogens in the domestic environment present a risk to residents, particularly among susceptible populations. However, the impact of consumer demographic characteristics and food handling methods on kitchen microbiomes is not fully understood. The domestic kitchen bacterial communities of ten predominantly low-income families in Houston, TX, were assessed in conjunction with a cross-sectional food safety survey to evaluate differences in household and surface-specific microbiomes and bacterial foodborne pathogen presence. Three kitchen surfaces within each household, including the sink drain, the refrigerator handle, and the counter, were environmentally sampled and metataxonomically evaluated via targeted 16S rRNA sequencing. Disposable dish sponges were …