Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Toward Reliable Symptom Coding In Electronic Health Records For Symptom Assessment And Research: Identification And Categorization Of International Classification Of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification Symptom Codes, Tru Cao, Veronica Brady, Meagan Whisenant, Xueying Wang, Yuxuan Gu, Hulin Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

To date, symptom documentation has mostly relied on clinical notes in electronic health records or patient-reported outcomes using disease-specific symptom inventories. To provide a common and precise language for symptom recording, assessment, and research, a comprehensive list of symptom codes is needed. The International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision or its clinical modification ( International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification ) has a range of codes designated for symptoms, but it does not contain codes for all possible symptoms, and not all codes in that range are symptom related. This study aimed to identify and categorize the first …

Planetary Health Learning Objectives: Foundational Knowledge For Global Health Education In An Era Of Climate Change, Kathryn H. Jacobsen, Caryl E. Waggett, Pamela Berenbaum, Brett R. Bayles, Gail L. Carlson, René English, Carlos A Faerron Guzmán, Meredith L. Gartin, Liz Grant, Thomas L. Henshaw, Lora L. Iannotti, Philip J. Landrigan, Nina Lansbury, Hao Li, Maureen Y. Lichtveld, Ketrell Mcwhorter, Jessica E. Rettig, Cecilia J. Sorensen, Eric J. Wetzel, Dawn Michele Whitehead, Peter J. Winch, Keith Martin

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

Planetary health is an emerging field that emphasises that humans depend on a healthy Earth for survival and, conversely, that the sustainability of Earth systems is dependent on human behaviours. In response to member demands for resources to support teaching and learning related to planetary health, the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) convened a working group to develop a set of planetary health learning objectives (PHLOs) that would complement the existing ten CUGH global health learning objectives. The eight PHLOs feature Earth system changes, planetary boundaries, and climate change science; ecological systems and One Health; human health outcomes; …

The Epigenetic Impact Of Dietary Choline On Growth Outcomes Of Children Exposed To Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Ismail Kadam

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Maternal insulin resistance and hyperglycemia lead to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) which can cause fetal hyperinsulinemia, ultimately leading to excessive fetal growth associated with macrosomia and increased adiposity at birth. Increased placental macronutrient transport and epigenetic changes in growth and metabolic genes affected by GDM contribute to fetal overgrowth and can result in complications such as overweight/obesity, insulin resistance/type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease risk factors, as well as cognitive impairment later in life. Choline, an essential nutrient, participates in lipid and energy metabolism by providing methyl groups for DNA methylation and thus may overcome the hypomethylation of growth and metabolic …

Systematically Assessing The Quality Of Dental Electronic Health Record Data For An Investigation Into Oral Health Care Disparities, Krishna Kumar Kookal, Muhammad F Walji, Ryan Brandon, Ferit Kivanc, Elizabeth Mertz, Aubri Kottek, Joanna Mullins, Shuang Liang, Larry E Jenson, Joel M White

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objectives: This work describes the process by which the quality of electronic health care data for a public health study was determined. The objectives were to adapt, develop, and implement data quality assessments (DQAs) based on the National Institutes of Health Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory (NIHPTC) data quality framework within the three domains of completeness, accuracy, and consistency, for an investigation into oral health care disparities of a preventive care program.

Methods: Electronic health record data for eligible children in a dental accountable care organization of 30 offices, in Oregon, were extracted iteratively from January 1, 2014, through March 31, 2022. …

Control And Management Of Type-Ii Diabetes Among People Living With Hiv (Plwh) Compared To Hiv-Negative Patients And By Clinic Type In The Bronx, Nyc, Aprielle Wills

Dissertations and Theses

ABSTRACT

Control and Management of Type-II Diabetes Among People Living with HIV (PLWH) compared to HIV-Negative Patients and by Clinic Type in the Bronx, NYC

by

Aprielle Wills

Advisor: Heidi E Jones, MPH PHD

Background: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that approximately 1.3 million people in the United States (U.S.) were living with an HIV diagnosis by the end of 2021. With advancements of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and improved access to care, HIV has become a chronic condition in the U.S. As PLWH age, they are experiencing higher rates of other chronic conditions, specifically type-II diabetes (type-II …

Infertility’S Impact On Couples’ Functioning, Elizabeth Sanders

Dissertations

Historically, infertility has been a taboo topic of discussion and is often avoided in conversation because of the stigmatization of the diagnosis. According to the World Health Organization (2022), infertility affects 186 million individuals globally. However, there seems to be a gap in the research as it pertains to the psychological well-being and treatment of men and women diagnosed with this condition. While it has become less of a feared topic, it still is not discussed or researched enough, thus further exacerbating the gap in research on mental health and treatment options. The following dissertation completed a critical review of …

The Performance Relationship Between The Eq-5d-5l Composite "Anxiety/Depression" Dimension And Anxiety And Depression Symptoms In A Large, General Population Sample, Emily Stella Scott, Erica I. Lubetkin, Mathieu F. Janssen, John N. Yfantopolous, Gouke J. Bonsel, Juanita A. Haagsma

Publications and Research

Purpose

This cross-sectional study aims to understand the relationship between responses on the Anxiety/Depression (A/D) dimension of the EQ-5D-5L and symptoms of anxiety and depression on the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 instruments. In doing so, we investigate the comparative performance of the dimension between diagnostic groups (i.e. anxiety (GAD-7); depression (PHQ-9); anxiety & depression versus none). We additionally investigate the discriminatory performance between sub-populations based on gender, age, education and self-reported chronic conditions.

Methods

19,902 general population participants completed a health survey in May/June 2020, from five European countries and the United States. Performance of A/D was calculated using the Area …

An Analysis Of Suspected Microplastics In The Muscle And Gastrointestinal Tissues Of Fish From Sarasota Bay, Fl: Exposure And Implications For Apex Predators And Seafood Consumers, Eric Conger, Miranda Dziobak, Elizabeth J Berens Mccabe, Tita Curtin, Ayushi Gaur, Randall S Wells, John E Weinstein, Leslie B Hart

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Microplastics have been found in the gastrointestinal (GI) fluid of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), inhabiting Sarasota Bay, FL, suggesting exposure by ingestion, possibly via contaminated fish. To better understand the potential for trophic transfer, muscle and GI tissues from 11 species of dolphin prey fish collected from Sarasota Bay were screened for microplastics (particles <5 mm diameter). Suspected microplastics were found in 82% of muscle samples (n=89), and 97% of GI samples (n=86). Particle abundance and shapes varied by species (p<0.05) and foraging habit (omnivore vs. carnivore, p<0.05). Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides) had the highest particle abundance for both tissue types (muscle: 0.38 …

Automatic Vessel Attenuation Measurement For Quality Control Of Contrast-Enhanced Ct: Validation On The Portal Vein, Kevin Mccoy, Sujay Marisetty, Dominique Tan, Corey T Jensen, Jeffrey H Siewerdsen, Christine B Peterson, Moiz Ahmad

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Adequate image enhancement of organs and blood vessels of interest is an important aspect of image quality in contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT). There is a need for an objective method for evaluation of vessel contrast that can be automatically and systematically applied to large sets of CT exams.

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to develop a method to automatically segment and measure attenuation Hounsfield Unit (HU) in the portal vein (PV) in contrast-enhanced abdomen CT examinations.

Methods: Input CT images were processed by a vessel enhancing filter to determine candidate PV segmentations. Multiple machine learning (ML) classifiers …

Admixture Mapping Of Cognitive Function In Diverse Hispanic And Latino Adults: Results From The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study Of Latinos, Rui Xia, Xueqiu Jian, Amanda L Rodrigue, Jan Bressler, Eric Boerwinkle, Biqi Cui, Martha L Daviglus, Charles Decarli, Linda C Gallo, David C Glahn, Emma E M Knowles, Jee-Young Moon, Thomas H Mosley, Claudia L Satizabal, Tamar Sofer, Wassim Tarraf, Fernando Testai, John Blangero, Sudha Seshadri, Hector M González, Myriam Fornage

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: We conducted admixture mapping and fine-mapping analyses to identify ancestry-of-origin loci influencing cognitive abilities.

METHODS: We estimated the association of local ancestry intervals across the genome with five neurocognitive measures in 7140 diverse Hispanic and Latino adults (mean age 55 years). We prioritized genetic variants in associated loci and tested them for replication in four independent cohorts.

RESULTS: We identified nine local ancestry-associated regions for the five neurocognitive measures. There was strong biological support for the observed associations to cognitive function at all loci and there was statistical evidence of independent replication at 4q12, 9p22.1, and 13q12.13.

DISCUSSION: Our …

A Pilot Program To Improve Tb Care With Primary And Specialty Care Coordination In Tb Public Health Clinic, Priyanka Jadhav, Gabrielle Boudoin, R Miles, Shandrica Seymour, J Parham, Amy Wolfe, Juzar Ali

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The Wetmore Tuberculosis (TB) Clinic in New Orleans serves patients who often lack primary care (PC) or specialty care (SC), which is complicated by comorbidities. An initiative to provide on-site PC and coordinate care aims to enhance TB patient management. METHODS: Data collection involved categorizing patients based on their PC status: Group I (regular PC), Group II (intermittent PC), and Group III (no PC), with on-site Nurse Practitioner-based Bridge Care (NPBC) provided as needed. RESULTS: Over 12 months, 209 out of 354 patients required NPBC and PC/SC coordination, with a 20% shift from Group III to Group I, reducing …

Long-Term Trajectories Of Sleep Duration Are Associated With Incident Diabetes In Middle-To-Older-Aged Black And White Americans, Qian Xiao, Kelsie M Full, Martin K Rutter, Loren Lipworth

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Both short and long sleep durations have been linked to higher diabetes risk. However, sleep duration may vary over time, and there has been limited research focusing on individual sleep trajectories and diabetes risk. There are substantial racial disparities in both sleep health and diabetes risk in the USA. Thus, it is important to understand the role of suboptimal sleep patterns in diabetes risk in different racial groups.

METHODS: We assessed long-term trajectories of sleep duration and incident diabetes in 22,285 Black adults (mean age ± SD, 51.1 ± 8.2 years; 64.8% women) and 13,737 White adults (mean age …

Changes In The Perceptions Of The Neighborhood Environment And Physical Activity Patterns Among Mexican Americans On The Texas-Mexico Border, Natalia I Heredia, Soo Kyung Park, Minjae Lee, Lisa Mitchell-Bennett, Paul Yeh, Rose Gowen, Arturo Rodriguez, Miryoung Lee, Belinda M Reininger

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Little research on the association of neighborhood environment with physical activity in resource-poor communities has been done. This study assessed changes in perceptions of the neighborhood environment and the association between those perceptions and physical activity in Mexican Americans on the Texas-Mexico border in an area where there would be community efforts to enhance pedestrian and cycling infrastructure and programming.

METHODS: We analyzed data from a population-based cohort of Mexican American individuals on the Texas-Mexico border. From 2008 to 2018, interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect perceptions of neighborhood environment and physical activity at baseline, 5- and 10-year follow-ups, …

Proteomic Profile Of The Icam1 Pk56m Hfpef Risk Variant, Pedro Giro, Mallory Filipp, Michael J Zhang, Ethan D Moser, Edward B Thorp, Prarthana J Dalal, Ravi V Shah, Patrick T Ellinor, Jonathan W Cunningham, Sean J Jurgens, Arjun Sinha, Laura Rasmussen-Torvik, Jorge Kizer, Kent D Taylor, Philip Greenland, Bruce M Psaty, Russell P Tracy, Lin Yee Chen, Amil M Shah, Bing Yu, Sanjiv J Shah, Ravi B Patel

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A common missense variant in ICAM1 among African American individuals (rs5491; pK56M) has been associated with risk of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), but the pathways that lead to HFpEF among those with this variant are not clear. In this analysis of 92 circulating proteins and their associated networks, we identified 7 circulating inflammatory proteins associated with rs5491 among >600 African American individuals. Using weighted coexpression network analysis, 3 protein networks were identified, one of which was associated with rs5491. This protein network was most highly represented by members of the tumor necrosis receptor superfamily. The rs5491 variant …

Serum And Urine Metabolites And Kidney Function, Wan-Jin Yeo, Aditya L Surapaneni, Denise C Hasson, Insa M Schmidt, Peggy Sekula, Anna Köttgen, Kai-Uwe Eckardt, Casey M Rebholz, Bing Yu, Sushrut S Waikar, Eugene P Rhee, Sarah J Schrauben, Harold I Feldman, Ramachandran S Vasan, Paul L Kimmel, Josef Coresh, Morgan E Grams, Pascal Schlosser

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Key Points:

1. We provide an atlas of cross-sectional and longitudinal serum and urine metabolite associations with eGFR and urine albumin-creatinine ratio in an older community-based cohort.

2. Metabolic profiling in serum and urine provides distinct and complementary insights into disease.

Background: Metabolites represent a read-out of cellular processes underlying states of health and disease.

Methods: We evaluated cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between 1255 serum and 1398 urine known and unknown (denoted with “X” in name) metabolites (Metabolon HD4, 721 detected in both biofluids) and kidney function in 1612 participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. All analyses were adjusted for …

Characterizing Common And Rare Variations In Nontraditional Glycemic Biomarkers Using Multivariate Approaches On Multiancestry Aric Study, Debashree Ray, Stephanie J Loomis, Sowmya Venkataraghavan, Jiachen Zhang, Adrienne Tin, Bing Yu, Nilanjan Chatterjee, Elizabeth Selvin, Priya Duggal

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Genetic studies of nontraditional glycemic biomarkers, glycated albumin and fructosamine, can shed light on unknown aspects of type 2 diabetes genetics and biology. We performed a multiphenotype genome-wide association study of glycated albumin and fructosamine from 7,395 White and 2,016 Black participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study on common variants from genotyped/imputed data. We discovered two genome-wide significant loci, one mapping to a known type 2 diabetes gene (ARAP1/STARD10) and another mapping to a novel region (UGT1A complex of genes), using multiomics gene-mapping strategies in diabetes-relevant tissues. We identified additional loci that were ancestry- and sex-specific (e.g., …

A Time-Stratified, Case–Crossover Study Of Heat Exposure And Perinatal Mortality From 16 Hospitals In Sub-Saharan Africa, Claudia Hanson, Jeroen De Bont, Kristi Sidney Annerstedt, Maria Del Rosario Alsina, Federica Nobile, Nathalie Roos, Peter Waiswa, Andrea Pembe, Jean-Paul Dossou, Hussein Kidanto

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Growing evidence suggests that extreme heat events affect both pregnant women and their infants, but few studies are available from sub-Saharan Africa. Using data from 138,015 singleton births in 16 hospitals in Benin, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda, we investigated the association between extreme heat and early perinatal deaths, including antepartum and intrapartum stillbirths, and deaths within 24 h after birth using a time-stratified case–crossover design. We observed an association between an increase from the 75th to the 99th percentile in mean temperature 1 week (lag 0–6 d) before childbirth and perinatal mortality (odds ratio (OR) = 1.34 (95% confidence interval …

Meta-Analysis Identifies Key Genes And Pathways Implicated In Benzo[A]Pyrene Exposure Response, Mingze Zhu, Jooyeon Hwang, Chao Xu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) is a carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon that poses significant risks to human health. B[a]P influences cellular processes via intricate interactions; however, a comprehensive understanding of B[a]P's effects on the transcriptome remains elusive. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive analysis focused on identifying relevant genes and signaling pathways affected by B[a]P exposure and their impact on human gene expression.

Methods: We searched the Gene Expression Omnibus database and identified four studies involving B[a]P exposure in human cells (T lymphocytes, hepatocellular carcinoma cells, and C3A cells). We utilized two approaches for differential expression analysis: the LIMMA package and …

Sex Ratio At Birth Across 100 Years In Sweden And Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease And All-Cause Mortality – A National Register Study, Peter M Nilsson, Kristina Sundquist, Jan Sundquist, Casey Crump, Xinjun Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The human sex ratio at birth (SRB) undergoes temporary changes around a mean proportion of 0.51 male births. SRB has been well studied for historical, geographical, and secular trends, but until now not linked to health outcomes in the total population, e.g. for cardiovascular disease (CVD) or mortality during follow-up of birth cohorts. We used linkage analysis based on national registers in Sweden that cover all births from 1900 to 2016. SRB at birth was calculated by every 10-year birth cohort in all survivors living in 1997 for a follow-up analysis of risk of CVD and mortality with data from …

Panel Stacking Is A Threat To Consensus Statement Validity, Kasper P Kepp, Preben Aavitsland, Marcel Ballin, Francois Balloux, Stefan Baral, Kevin Bardosh, Howard Bauchner, Eran Bendavid, Raj Bhopal, Daniel T Blumstein, Paolo Boffetta, Florence Bourgeois, Adam Brufsky, Peter J Collignon, Sally Cripps, Ioana A Cristea, Nigel Curtis, Benjamin Djulbegovic, Oliver Faude, Maria Elena Flacco, Gordon H Guyatt, George Hajishengallis, Lars G Hemkens, Tammy Hoffmann, Ari R Joffe, Terry P Klassen, Despina Koletsi, Dimitrios P Kontoyiannis, Ellen Kuhl, Carlo La Vecchia, Tea Lallukka, John Lambris, Michael Levitt, Spyros Makridakis, Helena C Maltezou, Lamberto Manzoli, Ana Marusic, Clio Mavragani, David Moher, Ben W Mol, Taulant Muka, Florian Naudet, Paul W Noble, Anna Nordström, Peter Nordström, Nikolaos Pandis, Stefania Papatheodorou, Chirag J Patel, Irene Petersen, Stefan Pilz, Nikolaus Plesnila, Anne-Louise Ponsonby, Manuel A Rivas, Andrea Saltelli, Manuel Schabus, Michaéla C Schippers, Holger Schünemann, Marco Solmi, Andreas Stang, Hendrik Streeck, Joachim P Sturmberg, Lehana Thabane, Brett D Thombs, Athanasios Tsakris, Simon N Wood, John P A Ioannidis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Consensus statements can be very influential in medicine and public health. Some of these statements use systematic evidence synthesis but others fail on this front. Many consensus statements use panels of experts to deduce perceived consensus through Delphi processes. We argue that stacking of panel members toward one particular position or narrative is a major threat, especially in absence of systematic evidence review. Stacking may involve financial conflicts of interest, but nonfinancial conflicts of strong advocacy can also cause major bias. Given their emerging importance, we describe here how such consensus statements may be misleading, by analyzing in depth a …

Nanoscale Gold Nanoparticle (Gnp)-Laden Tumor Cell Model And Its Use For Estimation Of Intracellular Dose From Gnp-Induced Secondary Electrons, Sandun Jayarathna, Amrit Kaphle, Sunil Krishnan, Sang Hyun Cho

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) accumulated within tumor cells have been shown to sensitize tumors to radiotherapy. From a physics point of view, the observed GNP-mediated radiosensitization is due to various downstream effects of the secondary electron (SE) production from internalized GNPs such as GNP-mediated dose enhancement. Over the years, numerous computational investigations on GNP-mediated dose enhancement/radiosensitization have been conducted. However, such investigations have relied mostly on simple cellular geometry models and/or artificial GNP distributions. Thus, it is at least desirable, if not necessary, to conduct further investigations using cellular geometry models that properly reflect realistic cell morphology as well as …

Dementia-Focused Programs In Older Adult Centers And Health Care Use Among Individuals With Dementia, Ayse Akincigil, Divya Bhagianadh, Clara J. Scher, Ceara Somerville, Caytln Coyle, Natalie E. Pope, Emily Greenfield

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is growing attention to community-based services for preventing adverse health care outcomes among people aging with dementia. We explored whether the availability of dementia-centered programming within older adult centers (ie, senior centers)—specifically, adult day services (ADS), social adult day centers (SADCs), memory cafes, and caregiver support—is associated with reduced hospitalization, emergency room use, and total Medicare costs for community-dwelling individuals ages 75 and older with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), and whether associations differ by the relative size of the local jurisdiction. We used a novel dataset that links Medicare claims data with data from an organizational census …

Preliminary Assessment Of Tunic Off-Gassing After Wildland Firefighting Exposure, Kiam Padamsey, Adelle Liebenberg, Ruth Wallace, Jacques Oosthuizen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Evidence has previously shown that outer tunics (turnout coats) worn by firefighters at structural fires are contaminated with harmful chemicals which subsequently off-gas from the material. However, there is limited research on whether this phenomenon extends to wildland firefighter uniforms. This pilot study aimed to explore if the tunics of volunteer bushfire and forestry firefighters in Western Australia off-gas any contaminants after exposure to prescribed burns or bushfires, and whether there is a need to explore this further. Nine tunics were collected from firefighters following nine bushfire and prescribed burn events, with a set of unused tunics serving as a …

Effects Of Increased Nitrate Intake From Beetroot Juice On Blood Markers Of Oxidative Stress And Inflammation In Older Adults With Hypertension, Rebeka Fejes, Nina Pilat, Martin Lutnik, Stefan Weisshaar, Anna M. Weijler, Karsten Krüger, Agnes Draxler, Laura Bragagna, Jonathan M. Peake, Richard J. Woodman, Kevin D. Croft, Catherine P. Bondonno, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Karl Heinz Wagner, Michael Wolzt, Oliver Neubauer

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Vascular oxidative stress and low-grade inflammation are important in the pathology of cardiovascular disorders, including hypertension. Cell culture and animal studies suggest that inorganic dietary nitrate may attenuate oxidative stress and inflammation through nitric oxide (NO), and there is a need to investigate whether this translates to humans. Aim: In this randomised, placebo-controlled crossover study, by measuring a combination of multiple blood biomarkers, we evaluated whether previously reported benefits of dietary nitrate translate to a reduced oxidative stress and an improved inflammation status in 15 men and women (age range: 56–71 years) with treated hypertension. Methods: We investigated the …

Impact Of Sars-Cov-2 (Covid-19) Infections On Mental Health Diagnoses In Youth With Chronic Illness, Molly Mcvoy, Rina Hung, Irina Bransteter, David W. Miller, Jeffrey A. Dusek, Martha Sajatovic

Faculty Scholarship

Objective: Stressors from the COVID-19 pandemic and limited availability of mental health care services have negatively impacted youth mental health in a significant way. In the first year of the pandemic, global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by roughly 25% in pediatric populations. While the general trend is clear, this research aimed to explore the added mental health burden of acute COVID-19 on pediatric patients with chronic conditions and describe the differences in mental health outcomes between pediatric patients with 2 common chronic conditions (asthma and diabetes) to better understand specific factors that may increase susceptibility to mental health …

Spatio-Temporal Patterns Of Heat Index And Heat-Related Emergency Medical Services (Ems), Kijin Seong, Junfeng Jiao, Akhil Mandalapu, Dev Niyogi

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Despite growing concerns about heat waves due to climate change and their health impacts, there has been limited research on patterns of extreme heat during summertime and their association with heat-related Emergency Medical Services (EMS) incidents. This study examines spatiotemporal patterns of the heat index (HI) and its relationship to heat-related EMS incidents in Austin-Travis County, Texas, focusing on the summers of 2020 and 2021. Collecting 47,838 heat-related EMS incidence cases and aggregating them at the tract level (N = 290), the research employs spatiotemporal analysis, spatial autocorrelation, K-means clustering, and geographically weighted Poisson regression to identify disparities in heat-related …

Landmark-Based Auto-Contouring Of Clinical Target Volumes For Radiotherapy Of Nasopharyngeal Cancer, Carlos Sjogreen, Tucker J Netherton, Anna Lee, Moaaz Soliman, Skylar S Gay, Callistus Nguyen, Raymond Mumme, Ivan Vazquez, Dong Joo Rhee, Carlos E Cardenas, Mary K Martel, Beth M Beadle, Laurence Edward Court

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The delineation of clinical target volumes (CTVs) for radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancer is complex and varies based on the location and extent of disease.

Purpose: The current study aimed to develop an auto-contouring solution following one protocol guidelines (NRG-HN001) that can be adjusted to meet other guidelines, such as RTOG-0225 and the 2018 International guidelines.

Methods: The study used 2-channel 3-dimensional U-Net and nnU-Net framework to auto-contour 27 normal structures in the head and neck (H&N) region that are used to define CTVs in the protocol. To define the CTV-Expansion (CTV1 and CTV2) and CTV-Overall (the outer envelope of …

Quantitative Evaluation Of 90y-Pet/Ct And 90y-Spect/Ct-Based Dosimetry Following Yttrium-90 Radioembolization, Srinivas Cheenu Kappadath, Eric Courtney Henry, Benjamin P Lopez, Armeen Mahvash

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Following yttrium-90 radioembolization (90Y-RE), 90Y-PET/CT and 90Y-SPECT/CT imaging provide the means to calculate the voxelized absorbed dose distribution. Given the widespread use of the two imaging modalities and lack of well-established standardized dosimetry protocols for 90Y-RE, there is a clinical need to systematically investigate and evaluate differences in the performance of voxel-based dosimetry between 90Y-PET/CT and 90Y-SPECT/CT.

Purpose: To quantitatively analyze and compare 90Y-PET/CT and 90Y-SPECT/CT-based dosimetry following 90Y-RE.

Methods: 90Y-PET/CT and 90Y-SPECT/CT imaging was acquired for 35 patients following 90Y-RE with TheraSphere for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Dosimetry was performed using the local deposition method with …

Prevalence Of Non-Communicable Diseases Among Household Contacts Of People With Tuberculosis: A Systematic Review And Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis, Yohhei Hamada, Matteo Quartagno, Farihah Malik, Keolebogile Ntshamane, Anna Tisler, Sanjay Gaikwad, Carlos Acuna-Villaorduna, Perumal Kannabiran Bhavani, Bachti Alisjahbana, Blanca I. Restrepo

School of Medicine Publications

Objective

To investigate the prevalence of non-communicable diseases among household contacts of people with tuberculosis.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis. We searched Medline, Embase and the Global Index Medicus from inception to 16 May 2023. We included studies that assessed for at least one non-communicable disease among household contacts of people with clinical tuberculosis. We estimated the non-communicable disease prevalence through mixed effects logistic regression for studies providing individual participant data, and compared it with estimates from aggregated data meta-analyses. Furthermore, we compared age and sex-standardised non-communicable disease prevalence with national-level estimates standardised for …

Digital Health Research Symposium: Closing Panel Commentary, Judd E. Hollander, Kristin L. Rising, Brian M. Dougan

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.