Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Saponin Tql1055 Adjuvant-Containing Vaccine Confers Protection Upon Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Challenge In Mice, Mushtaq Ahmed, Eric Farris, Rosemary V Swanson, Shibali Das, Yan Yang, Tyler Martin, Shabaana A Khader

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by the intracellular pathogen

The Association Of Caregiver Attitudes, Information Sources, And Trust With Hpv Vaccine Initiation Among Adolescents, Akila Anandarajah, Thembekile Shato, Sarah Humble, Alan R Barnette, Heather M Brandt, Lisa M Klesges, Vetta L Sanders Thompson, Michelle I Silver

2020-Current year OA Pubs

This study described caregiver attitudes and the information sources they access about HPV vaccination for adolescents and determined their influence on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination initiation. An online survey was administered to 1,016 adults in July 2021. Participants were eligible if they were the caregiver of a child aged 9-17 residing in Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, and select counties in Southern Illinois. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the association of caregiver attitudes and information sources with HPV vaccination. Information from doctors or healthcare providers (87.4%) and internet sources other than social media (31.0%) were the most used sources …

Co-Design Of A Personalised Digital Intervention To Improve Vegetable Intake In Adults Living In Australian Rural Communities, Katherine M. Livingstone, Jonathan C. Rawstorn, Laura Alston, Stephanie R. Partridge, Amber Bastian, Kate Dullaghan, Sarah A. Mcnaughton, Gilly A. Hendrie, Lauren C. Blekkenhorst, Ralph Maddison, Yuxin Zhang, Scott Barnett, John C. Mathers, Stephanie L. Godrich

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Diets low in vegetables are a main contributor to the health burden experienced by Australians living in rural communities. Given the ubiquity of smartphones and access to the Internet, digital interventions may offer an accessible delivery model for a dietary intervention in rural communities. However, no digital interventions to address low vegetable intake have been co-designed with adults living in rural areas. This paper describes the co-design of a digital intervention to improve vegetable intake with rural community members and research partners. Methods: Active participants in the co-design process were adults ≥ 18 years living in three rural Australian …

Asthma Prevalence Among United States Population Insights From Nhanes Data Analysis, Sarya Swed, Bisher Sawaf, Feras Al-Obeidat, Wael Hafez, Amine Rakab, Hidar Alibrahim, Mohamad Nour Nasif, Baraa Alghalyini, Abdul Rehman Zia Zaidi, Lamees Alshareef, Fadel Alqatati, Fathima Zamrath Zahir, Ashraf I. Ahmed, Mulham Alom, Anas Sultan, Abdullah Almahmoud, Agyad Bakkour, Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda

All Works

Asthma is a prevalent respiratory condition that poses a substantial burden on public health in the United States. Understanding its prevalence and associated risk factors is vital for informed policymaking and public health interventions. This study aims to examine asthma prevalence and identify major risk factors in the U.S. population. Our study utilized NHANES data between 1999 and 2020 to investigate asthma prevalence and associated risk factors within the U.S. population. We analyzed a dataset of 64,222 participants, excluding those under 20 years old. We performed binary regression analysis to examine the relationship of demographic and health related covariates with …

Measurement Of Cumulative High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein And Monocyte To High-Density Lipoprotein Ratio In The Risk Prediction Of Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Cohort Study, Dan Wu, Genyuan Chen, Yulong Lan, Shuohua Chen, Xiong Ding, Chiju Wei, Lois Balmer, Wei Wang, Shouling Wu, Wencan Xu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Converging data have suggested that monocytic inflammation and C-reactive protein (CRP) are biologically intertwined processes and are involved in diabetogenesis. This study aimed to investigate the association between systemic inflammation assessed by joint cumulative high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CumCRP) and monocyte to high-density lipoprotein ratio (CumMHR) and incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) and their predictive value for T2D in a general population. Methods: A total of 40,813 nondiabetic participants from a prospective real-life cohort (Kailuan Study, China) were followed biennially from 2010/2011 until December 31, 2020. Multivariable Cox regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of …

The Effects Of Short-Term, Progressive Exercise Training On Disease Activity In Smouldering Multiple Myeloma And Monoclonal Gammopathy Of Undetermined Significance: A Single-Arm Pilot Study, A. Emery, S. Moore, J. Crowe, J. Murray, O. Peacock, D. Thompson, F. Betts, S. Rapps, L. Ross, D. Rothschild-Rodriguez, A. A. Echarri, R. Davies, R. Lewis, D. X. Augustine, A. Whiteway, Z. Afzal, J. L. J. Heaney, M. T. Drayson, J. E. Turner, John P. Campbell

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: High levels of physical activity are associated with reduced risk of the blood cancer multiple myeloma (MM). MM is preceded by the asymptomatic stages of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smouldering multiple myeloma (SMM) which are clinically managed by watchful waiting. A case study (N = 1) of a former elite athlete aged 44 years previously indicated that a multi-modal exercise programme reversed SMM disease activity. To build from this prior case study, the present pilot study firstly examined if short-term exercise training was feasible and safe for a group of MGUS and SMM patients, and secondly …

Association Between Inflammatory Bowel Disease And Cancer Risk: Evidence Triangulation From Genetic Correlation, Mendelian Randomization, And Colocalization Analyses Across East Asian And European Populations, Di Liu, Meiling Cao, Haotian Wang, Weijie Cao, Chenguang Zheng, Yun Li, Youxin Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), has been associated with several cancer risks in observational studies, but the observed associations have been inconsistent and may face the bias of confounding and reverse causality. The potential causal relationships between IBD and the risk of cancers remain largely unclear. Methods: We performed genome-wide linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC), standard two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR), and colocalization analyses using summary genome-wide association study (GWAS) data across East Asian and European populations to evaluate the causal relationships between IBD and cancers. Sensitivity analyses for the MR approach …

Exploring Treatment Burden In People With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Thematic Analysis In China's Primary Care Settings, Kai Lin, Mi Yao, Lesley Andrew, Rouyan Li, Yilin Chen, Jacques Oosthuizen, Moira Sim, Yongsong Chen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Understanding treatment burden is a critical element to the effective management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). The current study aims to address the knowledge gap surrounding treatment burden of T2DM from the patient’s perspective in China’s primary care settings. Methods: A narrative review informed the creation of an a priori coding structure to identify aspects of T2DM treatment burden. Focus groups were conducted, employing a maximum variation sampling strategy to select participants from diverse sociodemographic backgrounds across urban, suburban, rural, and remote areas in China. Participants included adults with T2DM care in primary care settings for over a …

Investment By Maternal Grandmother Buffers Children Against The Impacts Of Adverse Early Life Experiences, Samuli Helle, Antti O. Tanskanen, David A. Coall, Gretchen Perry, Martin Daly, Mirkka Danielsbacka

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Exogenous shocks during sensitive periods of development can have long-lasting effects on adult phenotypes including behavior, survival and reproduction. Cooperative breeding, such as grandparental care in humans and some other mammal species, is believed to have evolved partly in order to cope with challenging environments. Nevertheless, studies addressing whether grandparental investment can buffer the development of grandchildren from multiple adversities early in life are few and have provided mixed results, perhaps owing to difficulties drawing causal inferences from non-experimental data. Using population-based data of English and Welsh adolescents (sample size ranging from 817 to 1197), we examined whether grandparental investment …

Prevalence And Risk Factors Of Obesity Among Undergraduate Student Population In Ghana: An Evaluation Study Of Body Composition Indices, Christian Obirikorang, Evans A. Adu, Enoch O. Anto, Anthony A. A. Awuah, Angela N. B. Fynn, George Osei-Somuah, Patience N. Ansong, Alexander O. Boakye, Ivy Ofori-Boadu, Yaa Obirikorang, Austin G. Adobasom-Anane, Eric N. Y. Nyarko, Lois Balmer

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Obesity is a classified risk factor for several of the world’s leading causes of death. In this study, we combined information contained in body mass index (BMI), total percentage body fat (TPBF) and relative fat mass (RFM) to estimate obesity prevalence and examine the risk factors associated with obesity. Methods: The study recruited 1027 undergraduate students aged between 16 and 25 years using a cross-sectional study design and two-stage stratified random sampling between January and April 2019 from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. Demographic, lifestyle, and family history of chronic disease data, were collected …

Emergent Microenvironments Of Nucleoli, Matthew R King, Kiersten M Ruff, Rohit V Pappu

2020-Current year OA Pubs

In higher eukaryotes, the nucleolus harbors at least three sub-phases that facilitate multiple functionalities including ribosome biogenesis. The three prominent coexisting sub-phases are the fibrillar center (FC), the dense fibrillar component (DFC), and the granular component (GC). Here, we review recent efforts in profiling sub-phase compositions that shed light on the types of physicochemical properties that emerge from compositional biases and territorial organization of specific types of macromolecules. We highlight roles played by molecular grammars which refers to protein sequence features including the substrate binding domains, the sequence features of intrinsically disordered regions, and the multivalence of these distinct types …

Highly Toxic Aβ Begets More Aβ, Merc M. Kemeh, Noel Lazo

Chemistry

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Fourier-Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy With An Infrared Biotyper To Establish Classifiers For Major Serogroups Of Moraxella Bovis Based On Spectral Profiles, Jordyn Bailey Schommer

Honors Theses

A classifier tool was created to identify major serogroups of Moraxella bovis based on spectral profiles collected from bacterial cells through the use of Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. M. bovis strains were selected from a group of previously sequenced and genotyped isolates, which provided the pilin sequence type for each isolate. The obtained spectroscopic profiles were analyzed through artificial neural networks to create a classifier tool that could identify the PilA type for unknown strains. Once a sufficient spectral library was obtained, the isolates were split into a training and a validation group, each containing spectra from isolates of five …

The Effect Of Dietary Interventions Or Patterns On The Cardiometabolic Health Of Individuals Treated With Androgen Deprivation Therapy For Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review, Hattie H. Wright, Meegan A. Walker, Suzanne Broadbent, Corey Linton, Jacob J. Keech, Karina T. Rune, Cindy L. Davis, Michelle Morris, Anao Zhang, Robert U. Newton, Skye Marshall

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Prostate cancer survivors treated with androgen deprivation therapy may be at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Dietary recommendations for the prevention and/or management of cardiovascular disease for these individuals are lacking. This review synthesizes the evidence on the effect of dietary interventions on cardiometabolic biomarkers and cardiovascular disease risk in prostate cancer survivors receiving androgen deprivation therapy. A systematic review was conducted across PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL. Intervention or observational cohort studies evaluating diets, nutrients, or nutraceuticals with or without concurrent exercise interventions on cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular events, or cardiovascular disease biomarkers in those treated with androgen deprivation …

Performance Analysis Of Hybrid Deep Learning Framework Using A Vision Transformer And Convolutional Neural Network For Handwritten Digit Recognition, Vanita Agrawal, Jayant Jagtap, Shruti Patil, Ketan Kotecha

Journal Articles

Digitization created a demand for highly efficient handwritten document recognition systems. A handwritten document consists of digits, text, symbols, diagrams, etc. Digits are an essential element of handwritten documents. Accurate recognition of handwritten digits is vital for effective communication and data analysis. Various researchers have attempted to address this issue with modern convolutional neural network (CNN) techniques. Even after training, CNN filter weights remain unchanged despite the high identification accuracy. As a result, the process cannot flexibly adapt to input changes. Hence computer vision researchers have recently become interested in Vision Transformers (ViTs) and Multilayer Perceptrons (MLPs). The shortcomings of …

Contemporary Analysis Of Reexcision And Conversion To Mastectomy Rates And Associated Healthcare Costs For Women Undergoing Breast-Conserving Surgery, Youngran Kim, Cecilia Ganduglia-Cazaban, Nina Tamirisa, Anthony Lucci, Trudy Millard Krause

Journal Articles

PURPOSE: This study was designed to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of population-level reoperation rates and incremental healthcare costs associated with reoperation for patients who underwent breast-conserving surgery (BCS).

METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study using Merative™ MarketScan

RESULTS: The commercial cohort included 17,129 women with a median age of 55 (interquartile range [IQR] 49-59) years, and the Medicare cohort included 6977 women with a median age of 73 (IQR 69-78) years. Overall reoperation rates were 21.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 20.5-21.8%) for the commercial cohort and 14.9% (95% CI 14.1-15.7%) for the Medicare cohort. In both cohorts, …

Environmental Magnesium Ion Affects Global Gene Expression, Motility, Biofilm Formation And Virulence Of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus, Xue Li, Xiaobai Zhang, Miaomiao Zhang, Xi Luo, Tingting Zhang, Xianjin Liu, Renfei Lu, Yiquan Zhang

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Food Composition Database For The Estimation Of Dietary S-Methyl Cysteine Sulfoxide From Vegetables, Caroline R. Hill, Emma L. Connolly, Armaghan Shafaei, Lois Balmer, Liezhou Zhong, Taulant Muka, Antonietta Hayhoe, Shikha Saha, Richard J. Woodman, Joshua R. Lewis, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Lauren C. Blekkenhorst

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

A food composition database estimating S-methyl cysteine sulfoxide (SMCSO) was created following a systematic literature search. SMCSO data (705 entries) from 19 vegetables were summarised: brassicas (n = 10) and alliums (n = 9). The highest SMCSO in brassicas was reported in Brussels sprouts (median [range]: 318 [68−420] mg/100 g fresh weight (FW)) whilst the lowest was in radish (19 [4–45] mg/100 g FW). Brussels sprouts were almost twice as concentrated in SMCSO as cauliflower, followed by cabbage, kale, broccoli, kohlrabi, swede, Chinese cabbage, and turnips. The alliums highest in SMCSO were Chinese chives (271 [185−413] mg/100 g FW) followed …

Development Of A Midwifery Student Peer Debriefing Tool: An Interpretive Descriptive Study, Kate Buchanan, Carolyn Ross, Dianne Bloxsome, Jen Hocking, Sara Bayes

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Psychosocial traumatisation associated with giving birth, can occur in those present with the woman giving birth, a phenomenon known as vicarious trauma. It has been identified that there are currently no interventions available for midwifery students who have experienced vicarious trauma following difficult birth experiences. Objective: To explore whether the counselling intervention developed by Gamble et al. (2005), can be adapted for midwifery students to be appropriately and feasibly used as a counselling intervention with peers who have experienced midwifery practice-related vicarious trauma. Design: Interpretive descriptive methodology. Setting: This study was set at two Australian universities from which pre-registration …

Identification Of Circrna Biomarkers In Osteosarcoma: An Updated Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Chunbin Zhou, Lois Balmer, Manshu Song, Gehendra Mahara, Kezhou Wu, Wei Wang, Hu Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a crucial role in cancer development and progression. This study aimed to identify potential circRNA biomarkers for osteosarcoma. Articles published from January 2010 to September 2023 were searched across eight databases to compare circRNA expression profiles in osteosarcoma and control samples (human, animal and cell lines). Meta-analysis was conducted under a random effects model. Subgroup analysis of circRNAs in different samples and tissues was performed. Diagnostic value was evaluated using receiver operator characteristic curves. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis explored functions of circRNA host genes. A circRNA-miRNA-mRNA axis …

Protocol: Factors Influencing The Implementation Of Non-Pharmacological Interventions For Behaviours And Psychological Symptoms Of Dementia In Residential Aged Care Homes: A Systematic Review And Qualitative Evidence Synthesis, Hunduma D. Ayeno, Gizat M. M. Kassie, Mustafa Atee, Tuan Nguyen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review. The objectives are as follows. This paper aims to describe a protocol for a systematic review that will synthesise the qualitative evidence regarding factors influencing the implementation of non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) for behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) management in residential aged care homes (RACHs). The planned systematic review aims to answer the research question: ‘What are the factors influencing the implementation of NPIs in the management of BPSD at RACHs?’. Additionally, the planned systematic review also aims to generate recommendations to guide stakeholders (e.g., clinicians and aged care staff) and …

The Missguided Project: Bringing Awareness To The Stigmas And Miseducation Surrounding Women’S Health Through Art And Creative Research, Gwyneth Cunningham, Hayley Newton, Zeen Ari, Claire Portele, Kerlous Aziz, Madelyn Kearns

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

MissGuided is a project that discusses miseducation, shame, and stigma within women's healthcare settings, and the transformative potential of storytelling and artmaking in these contexts. Women encounter systemic miseducation, leading to shame and stigma surrounding their health experiences. However, through the power of community-driven narratives and creative expression, these barriers can be dismantled. Facilitating communal dinner parties as a form of conceptual art making, we aim to explore the diverse experiences in healthcare through conversation. The accumulation of the research, dinner parties, and wellcores will be delivered through a collective cookbook which includes recipes, testimonials, and art. By sharing personal …

Intimacy Following Cerebral Vascular Accident, Hannah Caitlyn Guschel, Sarah Hendrickson

Graduate Student Scholarship

In the United States, a cerebral vascular accident (CVA) is a leading cause of death and a significant contributor to severe disabilities for adults (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022a). Two areas of post-stroke deficits and changes that are not frequently addressed in treatments are sexual activity dysfunctions and challenges with intimacy after stroke. Occupational therapy practitioners have the education, training, and practice areas within our framework to address issues relating to sexuality and provide education on the matter. Sexuality should be addressed, like all other activities of daily living, thorough and assiduous. This study was a cross-sectional design …

Promoting Engagement Of Male Individuals With Alzheimer’S In A Memory Day Care, Tara Brophy

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Alzheimer’s and related dementias impact an individual's cognitive, psychological, social, and physical functions resulting in impairments within the engagement of activities. Activities offer many therapeutic benefits including improvements in mood, alertness, communication, socialization, sleep, cognitive function, and quality of life. The focus of this quality improvement capstone project was to address the decreased level of engagement in male members within a memory day care center setting through engaging them in male-tailored activities. The project included the development of a website that provided tailored male-oriented activities and educational resources that were shared with the staff to revise their day care activity …

Librarian Support For Graduate Medical Education: 5-Year Check-In, Abby L. Adamczyk, Mlis, Ahip, Gary Kaplan, Mslis, Ahip, John Caruso, Md

Academic Commons and Scott Memorial Library Staff Papers and Presentations

Background

The SKMC Office of the Dean through its Graduate Medical Education (GME) Section identified a need for more comprehensive support for GME research efforts. This was intensified as the residency program requirements began to formalize the expectations and quantification of scholarly output for both trainees and core GME faculty.1 In consultation with the Director of the Academic Commons, this GME-focused position was conceptualized to better meet the needs of our residents and faculty, and thus enhance the scholarly projects of our GME constituency. This would build on existing scholarly support2 including professional writing services.3 As part of the Information …

Early Intervention Within Orthodontics: The Sociological Aspects, Trenton Hammond

Honors Theses

Orthodontic treatment is one of the final phases of dental treatment. Its use is to provide aesthetics in some cases, yet the quality-of-life aspect that it can provide is greatly underestimated. Orthodontic care can provide proper function of teeth, improve facial structure, avoid tooth decay/loss, and improve gum health (AAO, 2024). Within this research the overarching goal is to understand the sociological aspects of families looking to start orthodontic care, what the reasons behind starting or not starting are, and providing information to the public about orthodontics that may be misunderstood or might push people away from searching for orthodontic …

What Can Pharmacists Do To Reduce Drug Abuse?, Saul E. Alvarado-Rosario

College of Pharmacy Student Research

This review paper provides an overview of the current status of substance abuse, involving both illicit drugs and medically regulated medications. Although global statistics are considered, the primary focus is the substance abuse crisis within the United States. Through review of experimental and observational peer-reviewed articles, this report examines the definition of substance abuse, demographic impacts, and governmental interventions, with particular emphasizes on the role of the pharmacy profession and individual pharmacists in addressing this widespread issue.

Smart Meetings, Morgan Forster, Arthur Durity, Cathy Cole

Operational Transformation

A one year look at how the CHA executive team focused on opportunities to have fewer yet more productive meetings! In this presentation we will discuss the details that help shape improvement around the challenge of too many meetings and share the results from lessons learned at PBMC and Waldo.

Transition To Adult Care For Bleeding Disorders: Building A Multidisciplinary Tool, Leslie Larson, Ekaterina Funk, Dana Grass, Felicia Munster, Eric Larsen, Louise Baca, Glen Roy, Sara Artinyan

Operational Transformation

Youth with chronic illnesses often have poorer health outcomes after transitioning to adult care. Maine Health Bleeding Disorders is a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant funded Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC) that serves patients with congenital bleeding disorders. We provide multidisciplinary specialty care throughout the lifespan which includes pediatric and adult hematologists, family nurse practitioners, nurses, physical therapists, social worker, dietitian, genetic counselor, and research coordinator. In 2022, HRSA mandated all federally funded HTCs increase by 25 percent from baseline the number of individuals ages 12 to 26 years seen in a comprehensive clinic that have a health care …

Approach To Pivie In Pediatrics: Standardization For Early Detection, Jamie Green, Jill Gregory, Elizabeth Murphy, Jessica Miller, Nicole Manchester, Frank Harris, Meaghan Wildes, Cecilia Inman, Jenn Paradis, Faye Weir

Operational Transformation

PIVIE (Peripheral Intravenous Infiltration & Extravasation) can have devastating effects, especially in the pediatric population. The condition may disrupt vasculature severe enough for permanent skin and tissue loss that can lead to impaired limb function due to severe scarring. Problem: No standardized process existed either to prevent or review these events at Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center prior to the study. PIVIEs were measured through the event reporting platform and only severe PIVIEs were being documented in this report. All infiltrations (1-4 on the infiltration scale) should be measured for accurate benchmarking. Occurrences in the electronic medical …