Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Stubborn, Persistent, Dangerous C.Difficile Infections. Is Improvement Possible?, Sara Townsend

Master of Science in Healthcare Quality and Safety Capstone Presentations

C.difficile also known as C.diff or CDI has developed into a dangerous infection for the United States’ health care system. While much work has been done to improve C.diff rates, health care teams have not been successful in reducing C.difficile infections. Many studies have focused on the mode of transmission of C.difficle, yet there still is not consensus on understanding how this infection is spread. Bryn Mawr Hospital, a community hospital in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pa, has struggled to improve their C.diff rates like their peers throughout the country. While their infection rates for C.diff are …

The Use Of Interpreters To Improve The Quality And Safety Of Healthcare Through Better Communication In Obstetric Patients: Effect On Primary Cesarean Delivery Rate, Stephen A. Pearlman, Md

Master of Science in Healthcare Quality and Safety Capstone Presentations

Patients with limited English proficiency have poorer healthcare outcomes. An assessment of the cultural and linguistic competency of Christiana Care Health Systems revealed that our language services were not sufficiently robust and this was affecting care. Therefore, the purpose of this quality improvement study was to improve healthcare outcomes, specifically the rate of primary cesarean delivery, through improved language assistance, to patients with limited English proficiency presenting to labor and delivery. The methods employed included use of the TeamSTEPPS program to educate the staff on how to improve safety for patients with limited English proficiency, adding a live Spanish interpreter …

Reinventing The 21st Century Public Health Workforce: Innovation, Evaluation & Practice-Based Research, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Compelling opportunities exist for incorporating practice-based research to into the design, implementation, and evaluation of public health workforce training and development programs. Public Health Training Centers (PHTCs) can collaborate with practice-based research networks (PBRNs) to discover and disseminate evidence-based strategies for workforce development.

Sarcopenia, Obesity, And Natural Killer Cell Immune Senescence In Aging: Altered Cytokine Levels As A Common Mechanism, Charles T. Lutz, Lebris S. Quinn

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Faculty Publications

Human aging is characterized by both physical and physiological frailty. A key feature of frailty, sarcopenia is the age-associated decline in skeletal muscle mass, strength, and endurance that characterize even the healthy elderly. Increases in adiposity, particularly in visceral adipose tissue, are almost universal in aging individuals and can contribute to sarcopenia and insulin resistance by increasing levels of inflammatory cytokines known collectively as adipokines. Aging also is associated with declines in adaptive and innate immunity, known as immune senescence, which are risk factors for cancer and all-cause mortality. The cytokine interleukin-15 (IL-15) is highly expressed in skeletal muscle tissue …

Epidemiology News, Georgia Southern University

Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: News & Publications (2011-2018)

• Variations in Birth Weight

Biodegradation Of Textile Dye Anthraquinone Vat Blue 4 By Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Rajee Olaganathan, Jamila Patterson

Publications

Uncontaminated and Vat blue 4 contaminated soil were screened for heterotrophic bacterial population and the bacterial density were found to be 19.3 X 104 and 5.5 X 104 CFU/gm respectively. The bacterial genera of dye contaminated soil was dominated by Pseudomonas sp. (32.5 %) followed by Bacillus sp. (27.5 %), Aeromonas sp. (15.0 %), Micrococcus sp. (12.5 %) and Achromobacter sp. (12.5 %). The optimum inoculums load, pH and temperature were found to be 5%, 7 and 35oC respectively. The initial pH of the effluent prepared using Vat Blue 4 was 8.5. The free cells of P. aeruginosa reduced the …

Integrated Next-Generation Sequencing Of 16s Rdna And Metaproteomics Differentiate The Healthy Urine Microbiome From Asymptomatic Bacteriuria In Neuropathic Bladder Associated With Spinal Cord Injury, Derrick E. Foutts, Rembert Pieper, Sebastian Szpakowski, Hans G. Pohl, Susan M. Knoblach, Moo-Jin Suh, Shih-Ting Huang, Inger Ljungberg, Bruce M. Sprague, Sarah K. Lucas, Manolito Torralba, Karen E. Nelson, Suzanne L. Groah

Urology Faculty Publications

Background

Clinical dogma is that healthy urine is sterile and the presence of bacteria with an inflammatory response is indicative of urinary tract infection (UTI). Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) represents the state in which bacteria are present but the inflammatory response is negligible. Differentiating ABU from UTI is diagnostically challenging, but critical because overtreatment of ABU can perpetuate antimicrobial resistance while undertreatment of UTI can result in increased morbidity and mortality. In this study, we describe key characteristics of the healthy and ABU urine microbiomes utilizing 16S rRNA gene (16S rDNA) sequencing and metaproteomics, with the future goal of utilizing this …

Transcriptional Repression Of Sodium-Iodide Symporter In Thyroid Carcinoma, Kenneth B. Ain, Wei Li

Internal Medicine Faculty Patents

The present disclosure relates to a sodium iodide symporter (NIS)-repressor binding site (NRBS) consisting of a DNA molecule spanning from −645 to −605 nucleotides (SEQ ID NO:4) or from −648 to −620 nucleotides (SEQ ID NO:5) upstream from the translation start site of human NIS gene. The disclosure further relates to a method of restoring iodide transport to a human thyroid carcinoma cell, including: the steps of: i) contacting the cell expressing and forming a NIS repressor protein complex capable of binding to the NRBS of the disclosure with a modulator of said complex, and ii) administering to the cell …

Identification Of The Functional Binding Pocket For Compounds Targeting Small-Conductance Ca2+-Activated Potassium Channels, Miao Zhang, John M. Pascal, Marcel Schumann, Roger S. Armen, Ji-Fang Zhang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Small- and intermediate-conductance Ca2+-activated potassium channels, activated by Ca2+-bound calmodulin, play an important role in regulating membrane excitability. These channels are also linked to clinical abnormalities. A tremendous amount of effort has been devoted to developing small molecule compounds targeting these channels. However, these compounds often suffer from low potency and lack of selectivity, hindering their potentials for clinical use. A key contributing factor is the lack of knowledge of the binding site(s) for these compounds. Here we demonstrate by X-ray crystallography that the binding pocket for the compounds of the 1-EBIO class is located at the calmodulin-channel interface. We …

Breast Milk From Tanzanian Women Has Divergent Effects On Cell-Free And Cell-Associated Hiv-1 Infection In Vitro, Magdalena A. Lyimo, Matilda Ngarina Mosi, Molly L. Housman, Muhammad Zain-Ul-Abideen, Frederick V. Lee, Alexandra L. Howell, Ruth I. Connor

Dartmouth Scholarship

Transmission of HIV-1 during breastfeeding is a significant source of new pediatric infections in sub-Saharan Africa. Breast milk from HIV-positive mothers contains both cell-free and cell-associated virus; however, the impact of breast milk on HIV-1 infectivity remains poorly understood. In the present study, breast milk was collected from HIV-positive and HIV-negative Tanzanian women attending antenatal clinics in Dar es Salaam. Milk was analyzed for activity in vitro against both cell-free and cell-associated HIV-1. Potent inhibition of cell-free R5 and X4 HIV-1 occurred in the presence of milk from all donors regardless of HIV-1 serostatus. Inhibition of cell-free HIV-1 infection positively …

Portable Bacterial Identification System Based On Elastic Light Scatter Patterns, Euiwon Bae, Dawei Ying, Donald Kramer, Valery Patsekin, Bartek Rajwa, Cheryl Holdman, Jennifer Sturgis, Vincent J. Davisson, J Paul Robinson

Borch Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Faculty Publications

Background

Conventional diagnosis and identification of bacteria requires shipment of samples to a laboratory for genetic and biochemical analysis. This process can take days and imposes significant delay to action in situations where timely intervention can save lives and reduce associated costs. To enable faster response to an outbreak, a low-cost, small-footprint, portable microbial-identification instrument using forward scatterometry has been developed.

Results

This device, weighing 9 lb and measuring 12 × 6 × 10.5 in., utilizes elastic light scatter (ELS) patterns to accurately capture bacterial colony characteristics and delivers the classification results via wireless access. The overall system consists of …

Carrs Surveillance Study: Design And Methods To Assess Burdens From Multiple Perspectives, Manisha Nair, Mohammed K. Ali, Vamadevan S. Ajay, Roopa Shivashankar, Viswanathan Mohan, Rajendra Pradeepa, Hassan Mehmood Khan, Muhammad Masood Kadir, Zafar Fatmi, K Srinath Reddy, Nikhil Tandon, Km Venkat Narayan, Dorairaj Prabhakaran

Community Health Sciences

Background: Cardio-metabolic diseases (CMDs) are a growing public health problem, but data on incidence, trends, and costs in developing countries is scarce. Comprehensive and standardised surveillance for non-communicable diseases was recommended at the United Nations High-level meeting in 2011.
Aims: To develop a model surveillance system for CMDs and risk factors that could be adopted for continued assessment of burdens from multiple perspectives in South-Asian countries.
Design: Hybrid model with two cross-sectional serial surveys three years apart to monitor trend, with a three-year prospective follow-up of the first cohort.Sites: Three urban settings (Chennai and New Delhi in India; Karachi in …

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - August 26, 2012, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the August 26, 2012 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's newsletter - Watercooler.

Contents Include:

• USA College of Medicine Welcomes Dr. Robert McClellan
• Snapshots: Healthy U-S-A Fair
• Blood Drive Aug. 30 & 31
• Reminder: 2012 Sickle Cell Conference

Effect Of Food Security And Federal Food Assistance Participation On Household Availability And Recorded Preschool Child Consumption Of Sugar Sweetened Beverages And 100% Fruit Juice, Katherine A. Yarbrough

Master's Theses

Sugar sweetened beverage consumption is on the rise in the United States, particularly among children. However, the impact of household food security and federal food assistance participation on beverage habits has not been extensively analyzed. This paper sought to fill the current gap in literature on household beverage availability and recorded preschool child consumption of sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) and 100% fruit juice based on food security levels and status of federal food assistance participation. For this thesis, SSB are beverages that have added sugar and include fruit drinks, sodas, sports drinks, syrups, flavored milks, and teas. Baseline data from …

Mammalian Alteration/Deficiency In Activation 3 (Ada3) Is Essential For Embryonic Development And Cell Cycle Progression., Shakur Mohibi, Channabasavaiah B. Gurumurthy, Alo Nag, Jun Wang, Sameer Mirza, Yousaf Mian, Meghan Quinn, Bryan J. Katafiasz, James D. Eudy, Sanjit Pandey, Chittibabu Guda, Mayumi Naramura, Hamid Band, Vimla Band

Journal Articles: Genetics, Cell Biology & Anatomy

Ada3 protein is an essential component of histone acetyl transferase containing coactivator complexes conserved from yeast to human. We show here that germline deletion of Ada3 in mouse is embryonic lethal, and adenovirus-Cre mediated conditional deletion of Ada3 in Ada3(FL/FL) mouse embryonic fibroblasts leads to a severe proliferation defect which was rescued by ectopic expression of human Ada3. A delay in G(1) to S phase of cell cycle was also seen that was due to accumulation of Cdk inhibitor p27 which was an indirect effect of c-myc gene transcription control by Ada3. We further showed that this defect could be …

Research News: 2012, No. 1, University Of Mississippi. School Of Pharmacy

Research News: Grants and Publications (2000-2014)

Grants, publications, technology transfer, special announcements

Taking Aim At The Start Of Translation, Medha Raina, Michael Ibba

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

No abstract provided.

The Mre11 Nuclease Is Critical For The Sensitivity Of Cells To Chk1 Inhibition, Ruth Thompson, Ryan Montano, Alan Eastman

Dartmouth Scholarship

The Chk1 kinase is required for the arrest of cell cycle progression when DNA is damaged, and for stabilizing stalled replication forks. As a consequence, many Chk1 inhibitors have been developed and tested for their potential to enhance DNA damage-induced tumor cell killing. However, inhibition of Chk1 alone, without any additional exogenous agent, can be cytotoxic. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of this sensitivity is critical for defining which patients might respond best to therapy with Chk1 inhibitors. We have investigated the mechanism of sensitivity in U2OS osteosarcoma cells. Upon incubation with the Chk1 inhibitor MK-8776, single-stranded DNA regions (ssDNA) and …

Development Of Repressible Systems To Control Gene Expression In Vaccinia Virus, Allison Titong

Master's Theses

Two vaccinia virus (VACV) expression systems that contain elements from the lactose (lac) and the tetracycline (tet) operons of E. coli were developed to repress the expression of a reporter gene, enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), in the presence of tet operon inducers. In the first system, lac and tet operon elements were arranged in a gene circuit, and in the presence of increasing concentrations of a lac operon inducer (isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactoside, IPTG), EGFP expression increased in a dose dependent manner and at high IPTG concentrations, expression reached the same levels as a positive control virus. Importantly, in the …

Tryptophan Hydroxylase-1 Regulates Immune Tolerance And Inflammation, Elizabeth C. Nowak, Victor C. De Vries, Anna Wasiuk, Cory Ahonen, Kathryn A. Bennett, Isabelle Le Mercier, Dae-Gon Ha, Randolph J. Noelle

Dartmouth Scholarship

Nutrient deprivation based on the loss of essential amino acids by catabolic enzymes in the microenvironment is a critical means to control in ammatory responses and immune tolerance. Here we report the novel nding that Tph-1 (tryptophan hydroxylase-1), a synthase which catalyses the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin and exhausts tryptophan, is a potent regulator of immunity. In models of skin allograft tolerance, tumor growth, and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, Tph-1 de ciency breaks allograft tolerance, induces tumor remission, and intensi es neuroin ammation, respectively. All of these effects of Tph-1 de ciency are independent of its downstream product serotonin. Because …

Differential Virus Host-Ranges Of The Fuselloviridae Of Hyperthermophilic Archaea: Implications For Evolution In Extreme Environments, Ruben Michael Ceballos, Caleb D. Marceau, Joshua O. Marceau, Steven Morris, Adam J. Clore, Kenneth M. Stedman

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

An emerging model for investigating virus-host interactions in hyperthermophilic Archaea is the Fusellovirus-Sulfolobus system. The host, Sulfolobus, is a hyperthermophilic acidophile endemic to sulfuric hot springs worldwide. The Fuselloviruses, also known as Sulfolobus Spindle-shaped Viruses (SSVs), are “lemon” or “spindle”-shaped double-stranded DNA viruses, which are also found worldwide. Although a few studies have addressed the host-range for the type virus, Sulfolobus Spindle-shaped Virus 1 (SSV1), using common Sulfolobus strains, a comprehensive host-range study for SSV-Sulfolobus systems has not been performed. Herein, we examine six bona fide SSV strains (SSV1, SSV2, SSV3, SSVL1, SSVK1, SSVRH) and their respective infection characteristics on …

Nuclear Dna Content And Genome Size Of American Ginseng, Samuel G. Obae

Open Access Author Fund Awardees' Articles

Flow cytometry analysis of propidium iodide (PI) stained nuclei isolated from leaf tissues was used to estimate the genome size of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) and evaluate inhibitor y effects of its secondary compounds on PI intercalation. American ginseng nuclear DNA content was estimated to be 10.05 ± 0.04 pg/2C, and therefore its haploid (1C) genome size is 4914 Mbp. There was no significant inhibition of PI fluorescence of reference standard nuclei co-processed with American ginseng. This indicates that secondary compounds of American ginseng do not interfere with PI intercalation. By comparison, the genome size of American ginseng is …

Association Of Differential Gene Expression With Imatinib Mesylate And Omacetaxine Mepesuccinate Toxicity In Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines, Hemant Kulkarni, Harald H. H. Goring, Vincent P. Diego, Shelley A. Cole, Ken R. Walder, Greg R. Collier, John Blangero, Melanie A. Carless

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Imatinib mesylate is currently the drug of choice to treat chronic myeloid leukemia. However, patient resistance and cytotoxicity make secondary lines of treatment, such as omacetaxine mepesuccinate, a necessity. Given that drug cytotoxicity represents a major problem during treatment, it is essential to understand the biological pathways affected to better predict poor drug response and prioritize a treatment regime.

Methods: We conducted cell viability and gene expression assays to determine heritability and gene expression changes associated with imatinib and omacetaxine treatment of 55 non-cancerous lymphoblastoid cell lines, derived from 17 pedigrees. In total, 48,803 transcripts derived from Illumina …

Let's Cure Cancer!, Wallace Morrison, Jessica Schneider, Sandra F. Amass

College of Veterinary Medicine eBooks

From ancient Egypt to modern times, scientists have been learning new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer. In this book, you’ll learn about cancer and how veterinarians, veterinary technicians, physicians, and other scientists are working together to find a cure for cancer in people and their pets.

Fat Dogs And Coughing Horses: Be The Vet! Solve The Case!, Kauline Cipriani Davis, Jessica Schneider, Henry Green Iii, Thad Blossom

College of Veterinary Medicine eBooks

This activity book highlights various careers in the veterinary profession and provides veterinary medical cases for the reader to solve.

This project was supported by the National Center for Research Resources and the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives of the National Institutes of Health through Grant Number R25 OD011115-04.

Also attached are the 6 fitness handouts - Canine Obesity, Dog Weight by Breed, Doggie Fitness, Eating Healthy, Healthy Treats, and Weather Tips.

How I Became A Veterinarian, Kauline Cipriani Davis, Sandra F. Amass, Paula Green

College of Veterinary Medicine eBooks

Veterinarians have fun and exciting jobs! In this book you will meet veterinarians from all over the world. These veterinarians work hard to make sure people and their animals stay healthy. Maybe one day you will be a veterinarian too!

Oncolytic Virotherapy Of Ovarian Cancer, Shoudong Li, Jessica Tong, Masmudur M. Rahman, Trevor G. Shepherd, Grant Mcfadden

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

In the past two decades, more than 20 viruses with selective tropism for tumor cells have been developed as oncolytic viruses (OVs) for treatments of a variety of malignancies. Of these viruses, eleven have been tested in human ovarian cancer models in preclinical studies. So far, nine phase I or II clinical trials have been conducted or initiated using four different types of OVs in patients with recurrent ovarian cancers. In this article, we summarize the different OVs that are being assessed as therapeutics for ovarian cancer. We also present an overview of recent advances in identification of key genetic …

Validation Of Food Store Environment Secondary Data Source And The Role Of Neighborhood Deprivation In Appalachia, Kentucky, Alison A. Gustafson, Sarah Lewis, Corey Wilson, Stephanie Jilcott-Pitts

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Based on the need for better measurement of the retail food environment in rural settings and to examine how deprivation may be unique in rural settings, the aims of this study were: 1) to validate one commercially available data source with direct field observations of food retailers; and 2) to examine the association between modified neighborhood deprivation and the modified retail food environment score (mRFEI).

METHODS: Secondary data were obtained from a commercial database, InfoUSA in 2011, on all retail food outlets for each census tract. In 2011, direct observation identifying all listed food retailers was conducted in 14 …

Reflective Journals Of Students Taking A Positive Youth-Development Course In A University Context In Hong Kong, Daniel T. L. Shek, Florence K. Y. Wu

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

To promote the holistic development of university students, a course entitled "Tomorrow's Leaders" was developed and offered at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Based on a case study approach, reflective journals of five outstanding students of the course are presented and analyzed (i.e., thick description), with several themes emerging from the reflection. First, the students liked the course, and they identified many positive attributes. Second, the students appreciated the instructors. Third, the students viewed that the course contributed to different aspects of their development. Fourth, some areas of improvements were proposed. In conjunction with other evaluation mechanisms, the present findings …

2012 August 21 - Medical Student Education Committee Minutes, Medical Student Education Committee, East Tennessee State University

Medical Student Education Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.