Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Effect Of Clinical Expertise On Efficacy Of Vocal Function Exercises In Individuals With Typical Voice, Maria H. Bane, Vrushali Angadi, Richard D. Andreatta, Joseph C. Stemple

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Publications

Objectives/Hypothesis: To determine the effect of clinical expertise on efficacy of Vocal Function Exercises (VFEs) as measured by change in percent of maximum phonation time goal attained. The hypothesis was that clinical expertise would result in greater increases in percent of maximum phonation time goal attained.

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Methods: A convenience sample of 19 individuals with typical voice was recruited in a university academic clinic setting. All participants completed baseline assessment and 17 completed all study procedures. Participants were randomized to receive VFEs from an expert voice clinician with more than 40 years’ experience (expert group (EG)) …

Hallucinogen Use Among Parents Of Children In The United States: Associations With Mental Health And Substance Use, Maggie K. Richardson

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Hallucinogen use has reemerged in the United States amid expanding clinical research and shifting social and policy contexts. However, population-based evidence remains limited regarding hallucinogen use among adults living with children and its relationship with mental health impairment severity in caregiving environments. Therefore, this study’s objective was to examine associations between past-year hallucinogen use and past-year mental health impairment among U.S. adults, and to test whether associations differ by parental status and number of children in the household. A secondary aim examined correlates of co-occurring substance use among those reporting hallucinogen use.

Data were drawn from the 2023 National Survey …

Electromyography Of The Coracobrachialis—Construct Validity And Implications For Rehabilitation Of Anterior Shoulder Dislocation, Alon Rabin, Timothy L. Uhl, Ido Druckmann, Zvi Kozol, Yossi Ruah, Dani Rotman, Dan Stein

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Background: The coracobrachialis (CB) is an important anterior shoulder stabilizer, yet no study has previously reported its electromyography (EMG). The purpose of this study was to validate a novel technique for surface EMG (sEMG) of the CB.   Methods: Thirty-two (21 females) healthy individuals participated in this cross-sectional study. A surface landmark for recording the CB was identified within the medial aspect of the proximal arm using real-time ultrasound imaging and cadaver dissection. The EMG from this landmark as well as from the biceps brachii (BB) were simultaneously recorded during shoulder horizontal adduction (SHAd) (a CB-dominant test), and during elbow flexion …

Developing A Multidisciplinary Pediatric Cancer Predisposition Service At A Mid-Sized Children’S Hospital, Amanda M. Harrington, John August D'Orazio

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Roughly one in ten children and young adults diagnosed with cancer has an underlying genetic variant that may explain his/her malignancy. It is critical to identify patients with cancer predisposition syndromes (CPSs) to provide personalized cancer treatment, surveillance, counseling, psychosocial support, and in some cases, risk-reducing interventions to maximize long-term outcomes. Over the past five years, we developed a comprehensive pediatric CPS program at our institution. We engaged our institutional adult cancer center for clinical cancer genetic counseling services and needed research shared resource facilities. We also initiated a clinical study called “Project Inherited Cancer Risk” (PICR) to identify pediatric …

Resilience Shields And Grit Intensifies Subjective Cognitive Decline In Middle‐To‐Older Aged Black Americans, Sunkanmi Folorunsho, Maria Clark, Obinna Odo, Yolanda L. Jackson, Candidus C. Nwakasi, Darlingtina K. Esiaka

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Background: There is growing interest on the relationship between psychosocial factors and cognitive health trajectories in adulthood. While grit and resilience have been shown to influence health outcomes, their differential effects on subjective cognitive decline (SCD) in Black American adults remain understudied. The purpose of this study is to help fill this gap.

Methods: The study utilized a cross-sectional research design. Black American participants (N = 242; Mean age = 44.32) responded to a survey assessing SCD, grit, resilience, and sociodemographic factors. Linear regression analysis was performed to test the associations between grit and resilience and SCD, and to …

Evidence Of Heterogeneity In The Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome: Spontaneous And Precipitated Withdrawal, Suky Martinez, Jermaine D. Jones, Kelly E. Dunn, Andrew Huhn, Joshua A. Lile, Thomas P. Shellenberg, Laura Brandt

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Aims: This study characterized the heterogeneity of opioid withdrawal by comparing naturally occurring withdrawal during opioid abstinence (spontaneous withdrawal) with abrupt, pharmacologically induced naloxone-precipitated withdrawal in adults with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).   Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted on de-identified data from 86 adults meeting DSM-5 criteria for moderate-to-severe OUD. Participants either presented in spontaneous withdrawal (n = 28) or underwent naloxone challenge to precipitate withdrawal (n = 58). Withdrawal symptoms were rated using the Wang procedure. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of binary symptom data was performed to identify dominant patterns of symptom co-occurrence. Separate PCAs were then …

Dual Orexin Receptor Antagonism With Lemborexant Enhances Microglial Clearance Of Β-Amyloid In Mice, Ashish Sharma, Emiko Segawa, Xiaoying Chen, Sohui Park, Shoutang Wang, Riley E. Irmen, Nicholas J. Constantino, Chanung Wang, Michael F. Kanan, Marco Colonna, Shannon L. Macauley, Jocelyn Y. Cheng, Ken Hatanaka, Margaret Moline, Erik S. Musiek

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Background: Sleep disturbances elevate brain amyloid-beta (Aβ) levels and represent a modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The orexin/hypocretin system regulates sleep–wake behavior and has emerged as a therapeutic target in AD; however, the effects of FDA-approved dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs) on amyloid pathology remain unclear. We compared lemborexant, an FDA-approved DORA, to doxepin, an antihistaminergic sleep medication, on amyloid pathology and microglial responses in PSAPP mice.

Methods: PSAPP mice received lemborexant (10 or 30 mg/kg/day), doxepin (35 mg/kg/day), or vehicle for 6 weeks beginning prior to plaque onset or 4 weeks after established pathology. Sleep was assessed …

Effect Of Canagliflozin Pretreatment On The Efficacy Of Insulin Therapy To Rescue Type 1 Diabetes-Related Bone Fragility In Male Mice, Jeffry S. Nyman, R. Clay Bunn, Sasidhar Uppuganti, Elizabeth M. Hennen, Plaban Mishra, Philip D. Ray, Anthony Garcia Mendez, Evangelia Kalaitzoglou, John L. Fowlkes

Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center Faculty Publications

Humans with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have a higher-than-expected fracture risk, and bone is weak in mouse models of T1D. Since hyperglycemia is thought to deleteriously affect tissue-level sensitivity of insulin action, we hypothesized that glucose-lowering by canagliflozin (Cana) improves the ability of insulin treatment to rescue the T1D-related decrease in bone strength. To test this hypothesis, male DBA/2 mice with and without streptozotocin (STZ)-induced hyperglycemia at 8 weeks of age were fed a diet with and without Cana (50 ppm) at 10 weeks of age and then the T1D mice, regardless of placebo diet or Cana diet, were treated …

Emergency Department-Initiated Standard Versus High-Dose Buprenorphine Induction (Envision): A Randomised Clinical Trial Protocol, Kathryn Hawk, Andrew Herring, Marek Chawarski, Erik S. Anderson, Michael Baumann, Alyrene Dorey, August F. Holtyn, Christopher Jones, Shara Martel, Patricia Owens, Kaitlin Kmiecik, Tania D. Strout, Peter Taillac, Michelle R. Lofwall, Sharon L. Walsh, Gail D’Onofrio

Center on Drug and Alcohol Research Faculty Publications

Introduction: The initiation of buprenorphine for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) in the emergency department (ED) has been associated with improved outcomes including reduced ED visits and increased treatment engagement. Though both standard-dose (8 mg buprenorphine equivalent) and high-dose (24 mg buprenorphine equivalent) strategies to initiate buprenorphine have been used in the ED, no prospective trials comparing outcomes among patients receiving these treatments have been reported.

Methods and analysis: This multisite randomised clinical trial is a multisite double-blind, double-dummy, randomised clinical trial enrolling 360 emergency department patients with moderate-to-severe OUD. Enrolled patients will be randomised to one of two …

Facebook As A Strategy To Deliver A Peer Navigation Intervention For Recently Incarcerated Women With Opioid Use Disorder: A Mixed Methods Descriptive Profile, Martha Tillson, Jaxin Annett, Marguerite A. Webster, Amanda Fallin-Bennett, Mandi Webster, Amber Clemons, Cynthia Robinson, Kevin Crabtree, Casey Baker-Romans, Michele Staton

Center on Drug and Alcohol Research Faculty Publications

Recovery support and treatment linkages are critical during transitions from incarceration to community but can be challenging to deliver to hard-to-reach populations. This paper will examine Facebook contacts between peer navigators (PNs) and women with opioid use disorder (OUD) following jail release to explore women’s use of PN services, including purpose and content of Facebook messages. As part of a larger clinical trial under the Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN), PNs provided OUD treatment navigation and recovery support for 12 weeks following women’s release from jail, using remote options such as Facebook. Facebook Messenger transcripts between PNs and participants …

Evolution Of A Client‐Level Dataset: 20 Years Of National Child Traumatic Stress Network Data Collection, C. A. Purbeck, A. N. Cooke, L. J. Liang, C. Smith, J. Staten, J. Epstein, H. B. Hodgdon, Jessica Eslinger, A. Wells, J. Goodrich, T. H. Bethel, K. Willett, Y. C. Fu, J. A. Fairbank, E. C. Briggs

Center on Trauma and Children Faculty Publications

Objectives: For 20 years, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network's (NCTSN) data collection efforts have been a central mechanism for Clinical Quality Improvement (ClQI). The NCTSN is a federally funded initiative in the United States composed of programs dedicated to raising the standard of care and increasing access to services for children and families who have experienced traumatic events.

Methods: These efforts span three initiatives: the Core Data Set (CDS), the Clinical Improvement through Measurement Initiative (CIMI) Measurement Based Care (MBC), and CIMI Data Sharing (CIMI-DS) that collected and analyzed client-level data to improve care for children and families served …

Belting In Musical Theatre: Vocal Pathologies, Injuries, And Pedagogical Implications, Kaylee Piatt

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Belting has become one of the most defining and contested vocal styles in contemporary musical theatre. Valued for its dramatic immediacy, speech-like intensity, and ability to cut through amplified orchestration, belting is frequently associated with heightened injury risk and pedagogical controversy. This thesis examines the relationship between belting, vocal pathology, and pedagogy through an interdisciplinary lens that integrates voice science, clinical literature, and professional performance practice. Rather than framing belting as an inherently harmful or stylistically aberrant technique, this study conceptualizes belting as a functional vocal coordination shaped by physiological mechanisms, cumulative vocal load, and occupational demands.

Drawing on existing …

Bariatric Surgery Impacts Immune Cell Metabolism And Function Dependent On Metabolic Status, Samantha N. Hart

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), one of the top ten causes of death worldwide, is fueled by chronic inflammation. T2D is considered a metabolic disease, and there is a great push to target metabolic and associated inflammatory pathways to ameliorate the disease & its comorbidities i.e., obesity and cardiovascular disease. Thus far, clinical trials of anti-inflammatory drugs have had modest impacts on T2D and have not led to changes in clinical practice. This may in part be due to a gap in knowledge in the mechanism(s) driving obesity-associated chronic inflammation. I posit that metabolic abnormalities in immune cells in those with …

Engineering Plga Nanoparticle Size To Modulate Immune Responses After Spinal Cord Injury, Daniel J. Kolpek

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Spinal cord injury is a severe and debilitating condition that often results in lifelong complications, including paralysis. Many of these chronic outcomes are driven by a sustained inflammatory response at the injury site, which limits tissue regeneration and functional recovery. As a result, therapeutic strategies that modulate this immune response have gained significant interest. Polymer based nanoparticle therapies have emerged as a promising approach due to their ability to interact with and influence immune cell behavior. Importantly, the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles can be precisely tuned to optimize these effects. Among these properties, size has been shown to influence key …

Temporal Evolution Of Brain Inflammation In The Bilateral Common Carotid Artery Stenosis Model Of Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion, Makayla F. Cox, Jill M. Roberts, Ryan K. Shahidehpour, David L. Dornbos Iii, Adam D. Bachstetter

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion is a major contributor to vascular cognitive impairment and dementia, primarily through its disruption of white matter integrity and promotion of neuroinflammatory cascades. The bilateral common carotid artery stenosis (BCAS) model has emerged as the predominant experimental approach for studying the effects of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion, particularly in aging-relevant contexts. This review synthesizes current knowledge of inflammatory responses in the BCAS model, with an emphasis on their temporal progression and functional consequences. We begin by outlining the clinical burden of hypoperfusion, the rationale for BCAS, and the hemodynamic phases it produces. We then examine early neurovascular unit …

Dim Light At Night Impacts Circadian Rhythms And Alzheimer’S Disease-Like Neuroinf Lammation And Neuropathology In Humanized App Saa Knock-In Mice, Marilyn J. Duncan, Margaret R. Hawkins, Leke Bytyqi, Haleigh R. Whitlock, Savannah M. Shepard, Makayla F. Cox, Esther G. Drinkard, Teresa Macheda, Kelly N. Roberts, Katharina Kohler, Mary-Claire Schmidt, Carrie E. Johnson, Sridhar Sunderam, Bruce F. O'Hara, Michael Paul Murphy, Adam D. Bachstetter

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

Artificial light at night (light pollution) is widespread but understudied in the context of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Sleep and circadian disruption have been linked to amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation and neuroinflammation, but whether dim light at night (dLAN) modifies these processes remains unclear. We tested whether chronic dLAN exposure (8 lux during the dark phase, 8 weeks) alters circadian rhythms, amyloid pathology, and neuroinflammation in 12–13 month-old humanized APP knock-in (KI) mice. hAPP^SAA KI mice, which develop plaques, were compared with hAPP^WT KI controls carrying only a humanized APP sequence. dLAN reduced circadian rhythm amplitude and stability while increasing …

Factors Associated With Opioid-Involved Overdose: Descriptive Data From A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating Extended-Release Buprenorphine For Perinatal Opioid Use Disorder, Sara M. Witcraft, Leah Holcomb, Yingjia Wei, Gerald Cochran, John T. Winhusen, Michelle R. Lofwall, Peter R. Martin, Jessica L. Young, Jessica Spinali, Constance Guille

Center on Drug and Alcohol Research Faculty Publications

Background: Opioid use disorder (OUD) during pregnancy is a leading contributor to peripartum morbidity and mortality, with overdose deaths rising significantly in recent years. Despite the identification of various factors associated with overdose events, including social, demographic, psychiatric, and neonatal outcomes, the relative contributions of these factors to peripartum overdose history (or lack thereof) remain unclear. Thus, this study aims to characterize factors associated with lifetime opioid-involved overdose events among currently pregnant individuals receiving buprenorphine (BUP) treatment for OUD.   Methods: Treatment-seeking pregnant individuals with an estimated gestational age of 6 to 30 weeks were enrolled in a large multisite randomized …

Durable Left-Ventricular Assist Device Inflow Thrombosis Following External Outflow Graft Obstruction, Mohammad J. Malik, Jin Woo Chung, Matthias Loebe, John C. Gurley, Emma J. Birks, Dhruv Kothari, Masashi Kawabori

Surgery Faculty Publications

Background: External outflow graft obstruction (EOGO) is an emerging complication due to improved pump durability. We experienced a rare sequence of complications, inflow thrombus formation following EOGO with reduced left-ventricular assist device flow.

Case Summary: A 41-year-old man, 2 years post HeartMate 3 (HM3) implantation, presented with low-flow from EOGO. Outflow graft stenting resulted in improvement but returned 1 month later with persistent low flow. Pump thrombosis was excluded. Flow had minimal response to RPM increase. Outflow graft was widely patent. Inflow obstruction was suspected, and HM3-to-HM3 exchange revealed extensive thrombus formation within the inflow cannula. Left-ventricular assist device flow …

Brain-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Potentially Mediate Crosstalk With Peripheral Organs In Neurodegenerative Diseases, Ramzi H. Hamdalla, Vibha B. Bhaskar, Changhai Tian

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

Brain-Derived Extracellular vesicles (BDEVs) are emerging mediators of intra- and interorgan communication in neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Parkinson’s Disease (PD). A growing body of evidence suggests that BDEVs play an important role in modulating intercellular communication within the central nervous system in the pathogenesis of many NDs. By transporting non-coding RNAs (e.g., miRNAs) and important pathological proteins, BDEVs also influence peripheral organs and contribute to the progression of disease in the central nervous system (CNS). This review extends the understanding of NDs beyond solely brain dysfunction and gives a novel framework for the progression of …

Liposome-Encapsulated Clodronate And Cox-2 Inhibitor Treatment Impair Ventilatory Recovery But Improve Compensatory Locomotor Function Following Cervical Spinal Cord Injury In Rats, Aaron L. Silverstein, Chris M. Calulot, Christopher J. Mclouth, John C. Gensel, Warren J. Alilain

Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center Faculty Publications

Over half of all spinal cord injuries (SCIs) in the United States occur at the cervical level and can cause locomotor deficits and life-threatening breathing dysfunction. Interestingly, the bisphosphonate drug clodronate has shown efficacy in ameliorating tissue damage and improving locomotor recovery acutely after experimentally induced thoracic SCI. Thus, we hypothesized that clodronate treatment would improve recovery of breathing and locomotor function following a C2 hemisection (C2Hx) model of cervical SCI in rats. Serendipitously, changes to animal use guidelines led to the inclusion of carprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), as another independent variable in our study. We treated adult …

Traumatic Brain Injury Exacerbates Mitochondrial Dysfunction In App/Ps1 Knock-In Mice Through Time-Dependent Pathways, Elika Z. Moallem, Hemendra J. Vekaria, Teresa Macheda, Margaret R. Hawkins, Kelly N. Roberts, Samir P. Patel, Patrick G. Sullivan, Adam D. Bachstetter

Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center Faculty Publications

Cerebral hypometabolism occurs in both traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), but whether these conditions act through distinct or overlapping mechanisms is unclear. TBI disrupts cerebral metabolism via blood–brain barrier damage, altered glucose transporter expression, calcium buffering abnormalities, and oxidative damage to metabolic enzymes. AD-related hypometabolism is linked to amyloid-β (Aβ) effects on mitochondria, including impaired respiration, oxidative stress, and altered mitophagy, fusion, and fission. We tested whether TBI-induced mitochondrial dysfunction exacerbates Aβ-mediated impairment using a closed-head injury (CHI) model in APP/PS1 knock-in (KI) mice. Injuries were delivered at 4–5 months of age, before plaque formation and mitochondrial …

Current Concepts In Hip And Core Assessment To Reduce The Risk Of Acl Injury, Jeremy M. Burnham, Anthony T. Drazick, Ghislain Aminake, Darren L. Johnson, Mary Lloyd Ireland, Brian W. Noehren

Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Hip and trunk (“core”) muscle dysfunction has emerged as a modifiable contributor to lower-limb biomechanics linked with non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Clinicians increasingly target core stability and control during injury-prevention screening and post-operative rehabilitation programs; however, the literature lacks a focused synthesis of core-directed strategies for ACL injury mitigation. The purpose of this current concepts review is to synthesize current evidence on hip- and core-focused assessment and rehabilitation strategies that may mitigate ACL injury risk.

Design: Current Concepts Review.

Methods: A narrative search of PubMed and Google Scholar (January 2000 – April 2025) identified biomechanical, prospective, interventional, …

Candidate Interaction Partners Of Calpain-5 Suggest Clues To Its Involvement In Neovascular Inflammatory Vitreoretinopathy, Jozsef Gal, Vimala Bondada, Rachel Crasta, Dorothy E. Croall, Calvin P. Vary, James W. Geddes

Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center Faculty Publications

Although calpain-5/CAPN5 is widely expressed in mammals, little is known regarding its functions. Pathogenic mutations of CAPN5 are causal for a devastating autoimmune eye disease, neovascular inflammatory vitreoretinopathy (NIV). To provide insight into both the physiological and pathological roles of CAPN5, it is essential to identify candidate interaction partners and possible substrates. Human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, transfected with full-length catalytically dead (Cys81Ala) CAPN5-3×FLAG, were used for anti-FLAG co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) and quantitative proteomics using Sequential Window Acquisition of all THeoretical mass spectra (SWATH-MS). Fifty-one proteins were enriched at least four-fold, p < 0.01, relative to cells transfected with an empty FLAG vector. A high proportion (24/51) of candidate CAPN5 interaction partners are associated with protein quality control, including components of the chaperonin, chaperone, and ubiquitin–proteasome systems. Additional candidate interactors include tubulins, kinases, phosphatases, G proteins, and mitochondrial proteins. CAPN5 interactions for 14 of the candidate proteins were confirmed by co-IP and immunoblotting. Of these 14 proteins, 11 exhibited in vitro calcium-induced proteolysis following co-IP with WT CAPN5-3×FLAG. Impaired calcium-induced proteolysis of co-IP proteins was observed for the pathogenic CAPN5 variants R243L and R289W. Further studies are needed to validate the association of candidate CAPN5 interactors with proteins and complexes suggested by the SWATH-MS and co-IP results, and the possible role of CAPN5 within such complexes. The possible involvement of CAPN5 in protein quality control is relevant to NIV, as defects in protein quality control have been implicated in inherited retinal disorders. Proteomic data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD068008.

Difficult-To-Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis With Concomitant Yao Syndrome With Response To Dual-Inhibitor Therapy, Nawar Aljundi, Paramarajan Piranavan

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

An Unbiased Molecular Characterization Of Peripartum Cardiomyopathy Hearts Identifies Mast Cell Chymase As A New Diagnostic Candidate, J. F. Mulvey, C. Sailer, J. S. Achter, Gregory Nathaniel Milburn, R. C. Bretherton, K. Kahnert, S. Erbil Bilir, H. Hvid, C. Pyke, F. Gustafsson, L. Adamo, Kenneth S. Campbell, K. M. Herum, A. Lundby

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare form of acute heart failure that develops in women toward the end of pregnancy or early postpartum. No effective, specific treatment for PPCM is available and heart transplantation or mechanical circulatory support may be required in severe cases where drug treatment for heart failure is insufficient. The mechanisms through which the disease progresses are not well understood, and despite similar clinical characteristics to dilated cardiomyopathy of other etiologies (nonperipartum cardiomyopathy; NPCM) it is not known how the molecular remodeling differs between these groups. We aimed to provide insight into the human PPCM heart using …

Comparative In Vitro Activity Of Aztreonam–Avibactam And Aztreonam Plus Ceftazidime–Avibactam Against Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia Complex, Ashlan J. Kunz Coyne, Rachel Gray, Pavani Gonnabathula, Elizabeth S. May, Pranita A. Tamma, Alex Do

Pharmacy Practice and Science Faculty Publications

Members of the Stenotrophomonas maltophilia complex are intrinsically multidrug-resistant pathogens that disproportionately affect critically ill patients. Aztreonam–avibactam (ATM–AVI), FDA approved in 2025, combines aztreonam (ATM; stable to L1 β-lactamase) with avibactam (AVI; an L2 β-lactamase inhibitor). Aztreonam plus ceftazidime–avibactam (ATM–CZA) has been used as a surrogate for ATM–AVI, but direct comparisons between the two regimens are lacking. Twenty-three clinical S. maltophilia complex isolates underwent broth microdilution (BMD) testing for ATM, ceftazidime, ATM–AVI, and ATM–CZA, with gradient diffusion performed in parallel for ATM–AVI and ATM–CZA. Static 24-h time-kill assays at humanized steady-state Cmax concentrations evaluated bactericidal activity (≥3-log₁₀ reduction). Semi-mechanistic pharmacodynamic …

Clinical And Demographic Characteristics Of Participants In A Hepatitis C Treatment Trial In Rural Kentucky: How Policies Around Treatment Access May Impact Elimination Efforts In The United States, Jennifer R. Havens, Brittney D. Williams, Takako Schaninger, Virginia A. Shepherd-Tackett, Michelle R. Lofwall, Michele Staton, Sharon L. Walsh, Hannah K. Knudsen

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Introduction: The advent of curative direct acting antiviral (DAA) drugs to treat those actively infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) has allowed for discussion around HCV elimination. Restrictive state-by-state policies for the coverage of DAAs for Medicaid recipients may hamper elimination efforts in the United States by limiting access to these curative treatments. Methods: The purpose of the current analysis was to examine the sociodemographic, drug use and clinical characteristics of participants in the Kentucky Viral Hepatitis C Treatment (KeY Treat) study in the context of Medicaid policies in the United States. The goal of KeY Treat was to …

The Interaction Of Tobacco Retailer Density And Rurality With Tobacco Use Prevalence In Kentucky, Shyanika W. Rose, W. Jay Christian, Judy Van De Venne, Delvon T. Mattingly, Bethany Shorey Fennell, Saber Feizy, Mary Kay Rayens

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Purpose: Tobacco retailer density is a key correlate of tobacco use prevalence in the United States, but this relationship has typically been examined in urban areas. We examined the relationship between retailer density and tobacco use across Kentucky counties, a state with high smoking rates and a substantial rural population.

Methods: We obtained a list of tobacco retailers from the 2021 Kentucky Synar program, used for minor’s access inspections. We merged these data with county-level prevalence estimates for cigarette and smokeless tobacco use for each county in Kentucky, calculated using pooled 3-year estimates (2017-2019) of Kentucky Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance …

Acceptability And Appropriateness Of Harm Reduction Vending Machines Compared To Syringe Service Programs In Appalachian Kentucky, Hannah K. Knudsen, Jennifer R. Havens, April M. Young

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Objective:

Many rural people who inject drugs do not use syringe service programs (SSPs). In addition, people who use drugs but do not inject may perceive that SSPs are not intended for their use. Harm reduction vending machines (HRVMs) may be preferred by some individuals. This study examines attitudes and preferences regarding HRVMs to consider possibilities for enhancing the reach of harm reduction services. Method:

Structured surveys were conducted with 712 people who use drugs in two rural Appalachian counties in Kentucky. Participants rated the acceptability/appropriateness of SSPs and HRVMs; HRVM preference was the difference between the two scales. Linear …

Perceived Neighborhood Disadvantage And Current Nicotine Pouch Use Among U.S. Youth, Delvon T. Mattingly, Meman Diaby, Jing Zhang, Juhan Lee, Melinda J. Ickes

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Introduction: Nicotine pouches (NPs) are emerging nicotine products that appeal to youth due to their discreet use, tobacco-free formulation, and flavor availability. However, given their recent introduction to the market, little is known about how neighborhood environments may influence US youth NP use.

Methods: We imputed cross-sectional data from the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey (n = 22,069, ages 9 + years) and developed a neighborhood risk score (range: 1–4) by averaging 10 items related to neighborhood disorder, safety, and disadvantage. To estimate associations between the risk score and current (past 30-day) NP use, we fit logistic regression models adjusted …