Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Evaluating Birth Space Intervals: A Correlation Study Between Closed Spaced Births And Subsequently Lower Birth Weights Among Newborns In Utah County, Natasha Simonsen, Stephanie Fugal

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This study identifies the correlation that exists between short birth space intervals and subsequently lower birth weights in newborns. The sample population was taken from the medical records of woman who gave birth in Utah County between 2000-2006. The medical records were analyzed using secondary data retrieved by the Utah Department of Health. A logistic regression model was used to determine the effect that varying birth space intervals have on birth weight of newborn in combination with several other risk factors. The additional factors included in the regression model were mother’s education level, marital status, number of prenatal care visits, …

What Happens To Children Who Are Neglected?: A Four-Country Study Assessing The Relation Between Inattention To Children In Poverty And Their Well-Being, William Brubaker, Dr. Kirk Dearden

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Children experience extreme poverty differently than adults. Child poverty cannot only be categorized in terms of family income since it is experienced as both material and developmental deprivation. In order to fully assess the effects of childhood poverty, children’s experiences based on set outcomes must be taken into account. We used a dataset collected by Young Lives, a long-term longitudinal study conducted in India, Ethiopia, Vietnam and Peru investigating the changing nature of childhood poverty. In our proposed study we used a cohort of 1,000 8-year-olds from each country to examine the relationship between childhood unwantedness and health, educational, and …

College Of Public Health News, Georgia Southern University

College of Public Health: News & Publications

• Special Citation from ICSA

Notice Of 09/06/2013 Hsc Board Of Directors Mtg, Patrice Martin

HSC Committee (A subcommittee of the UNM Board of Regents)

No abstract provided.

Mapping Disease At An Approximated Individual Level Using Aggregate Data: A Case Study Of Mapping New Hampshire Birth Defects, Xun Shi, Stephanie Miller, Kevin Mwenda, Akikazu Onda

Dartmouth Scholarship

Limited by data availability, most disease maps in the literature are for relatively large and subjectively-defined areal units, which are subject to problems associated with polygon maps. High resolution maps based on objective spatial units are needed to more precisely detect associations between disease and environmental factors. Method: We propose to use a Restricted and Controlled Monte Carlo (RCMC) process to disaggregate polygon-level location data to achieve mapping aggregate data at an approximated individual level. RCMC assigns a random point location to a polygon-level location, in which the randomization is restricted by the polygon and controlled by the background (e.g., …

Molecular Signatures In Urologic Tumors, Spencer Larkin, Natasha Kyprianou

Surgery Faculty Publications

Urologic tumors continue to represent a huge fraction of cancer cases in the United States, with over 376,310 estimated new diagnoses in 2013. As with many types of tumors, urologic tumors vary greatly in their phenotype, ranging from minimally invasive to malignancies possessing great metastatic potential. The increasing need for more efficient and less invasive methods of cancer detection, as well as the ability to predict severity of the disease phenotype is readily evident--yet reliable methods remain elusive in a clinical setting today. Comprehensive panels of gene clusters are being developed toward the generation of molecular signatures in order to …

Agenda Of 09/06/2013 Hsc Board Of Directors Mtg, Patrice Martin

HSC Committee (A subcommittee of the UNM Board of Regents)

No abstract provided.

Minutes Of 09/06/2013 Hsc Board Of Directors Mtg, Patrice Martin

HSC Committee (A subcommittee of the UNM Board of Regents)

No abstract provided.

Creg Promotes The Proliferation Of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells Through The Erk/Cyclin E Signaling Pathway., Jie Tao, Chenghui Yan, Xiaoxiang Tian, Shaowei Liu, Yang Li, Jian Zhang, Mingyu Sun, Xinliang Ma, Yaling Han

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

Cellular repressor of E1A-stimulated genes (CREG) is a recently discovered secreted glycoprotein involved in homeostatic modulation. We previously reported that CREG is abundantly expressed in the adult vascular endothelium and dramatically downregulated in atherosclerotic lesions. In addition, CREG participates in the regulation of apoptosis, inflammation and wound healing of vascular endothelial cells. In the present study, we attempted to investigate the effect of CREG on the proliferation of vascular endothelial cells and to decipher the underlying molecular mechanisms. Overexpression of CREG in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) was obtained by infection with adenovirus carrying CREG. HUVEC proliferation was investigated …

Helping Parents Understand Addiction, Heather Grunig, Dr. Gordon Lindsay

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In 2005, the United States spent over 3 billion dollars on drug treatment and research. This is about 25 % of the total budget for substance abuse (Whitehouse, 2006, p.2). Much of this money was spent to further the understanding of addiction. The information researchers uncover is often difficult to understand by the general public. Addiction is becoming a huge problem in the United States and Utah is not exempt from this problem. In fact one out of twenty persons in Utah suffers from an addiction to alcohol or drugs (Baker, 2004, p.2). It is a very discouraging disease and …

Examining A Ripple Effect: Do Spouses’ Behavior Changes Predict Each Other’S Weight Loss?, Anna E. Schierberl-Scherr, Amy A. Gorin

Open Access Author Fund Awardees' Articles

Background. Including spouses in obesity treatment has been found to promote weight loss. We assessed whether spouses’ diet and activity changes impacted each other’s weight loss when both members attended an active weight loss program (TOGETHER) or only the primary participant attended treatment (ALONE).

Methods. Heterosexual couples (𝑁 = 132) enrolled in an 18-month randomized controlledweight loss trialwereweighed and completedmeasures of dietary intake and physical activity at baseline and 6 months. We conducted dyadic data analyses using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model.

Results. Participants’ weight loss was not predicted by their partners’ behavior changes.However, partners’ weight loss was predicted by …

Aspirin And Low-Molecular Weight Heparin Combination Therapy Effectively Prevents Recurrent Miscarriage In Hyperhomocysteinemic Women., Pratip Chakraborty, Sayani Banerjee, Piyali Saha, Shyam Sundar Nandi, Sunita Sharma, Sourendra K. Goswami, Baidyanath Chakravarty, Syed N. Kabir

Journal Articles: Cellular & Integrative Physiology

The management of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) still remains a great challenge, and women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are at a greater risk for spontaneous abortion. Treatment with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) has become an accepted treatment option for women with RPL; however, the subgroup of women, who are likely to respond to LMWH, has not been precisely identified. The present study evaluated the efficacy of LMWH with reference to PCOS and associated metabolic phenotypes including hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), insulin resistance (IR) and obesity. This prospective observational study was conducted at Institute of Reproductive Medicine, Kolkata, India. A total of 967 …

Conceptualization And Design Of A Surface Translation Balance Training Device, Annie Djukic, Omri Tayyara, Deborah Espy, Majid Rashidi

Undergraduate Research Posters 2013

Research supports the idea that dynamic control of both a person's center of mass and base of support are necessary to prevent falls, and that older adults can learn this combined control through specific balance training. Effective balance training requires a large number of repetitions of task-specific practice. Externally induced movements have been employed in balance studies both to test and train balance responses, most often using mechanized surface perturbations. These systems however are quite expensive; therefore, we chose to investigate a more cost effective solution focusing on surface translation for balance training in our lab.

We performed a literature …

Semi-Automated Curation Of Metabolic Models Via Flux Balance Analysis: A Case Study With Mycoplasma Gallisepticum, Eddy J. Bautista, Joseph Zinski, Steven M. Szczepanek, Erik L. Johnson, Edan R. Tulman, Steven J. Geary, Ranjan Srivastava

Open Access Author Fund Awardees' Articles

Primarily used for metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, genome-scale metabolic modeling shows tremendous potential as a tool for fundamental research and curation of metabolism. Through a novel integration of flux balance analysis and genetic algorithms, a strategy to curate metabolic networks and facilitate identification of metabolic pathways that may not be directly inferable solely from genome annotation was developed. Specifically, metabolites involved in unknown reactions can be determined, and potentially erroneous pathways can be identified. The procedure developed allows for new fundamental insight into metabolism, as well as acting as a semi-automated curation methodology for genome-scale metabolic modeling. To validate …

Controlling The Size And Shape Of Polypeptide Colloidal Particles: Temperature Dependence Of Particle Formation, John P. Gavin, Nolan B. Holland, Kiril A. Streletzky

Undergraduate Research Posters 2013

A promising approach for developing new drug delivery vehicles is by using stimuli responsive hydrogel nanoparticles. Polypeptide surfactants designed in our lab have been shown to form micellar particles of varying sizes and shapes depending on the solution salt concentration. These responsive polypeptide surfactants consist of a small charged protein domain (foldon) with three elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) chains forming a three-armed star polymer. The size and shape of the micelles they form is dependent on the ratio of total ELP volume to head group area. By introducing linear ELP into the ELP-foldon solution, the total volume of ELP in the …

Public Health Practice-Based Research Networks: Creating Evidence For Practice, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Powerful opportunities for learning from variation and change in public health delivery now exists across the U.S. health system. Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) provide the vehicles for harvesting evidence from applied, comparative studies -- and for feeding this information back into the delivery system.

Public Health Services & Systems Research: Concepts, Methods, And Emerging Findings, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

The field of public health services & systems research (PHSSR) increasingly is addressing the question of how to assess the value of investments in public health programs, infrastructure, and delivery systems. Progress in quasi-experimental research designs, measurement, estimation techniques, and data sources are yielding important insight.

Patterning In Placental 11-B Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Methylation According To Prenatal Socioeconomic Adversity, Allison A. Appleton, David A. Armstrong, Corina Lesseur, Joyce Lee, James F. Padbury, Barry M. Lester

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background:

Prenatal socioeconomic adversity as an intrauterine exposure is associated with a range of perinatal outcomes although the explanatory mechanisms are not well understood. The development of the fetus can be shaped by the intrauterine environment through alterations in the function of the placenta. In the placenta, the HSD11B2 gene encodes the 11-beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzyme, which is responsible for the inactivation of maternal cortisol thereby protecting the developing fetus from this exposure. This gene is regulated by DNA methylation, and this methylation and the expression it controls has been shown to be susceptible to a variety of stressors from …

Patchy ‘Coherence’: Using Normalization Process Theory To Evaluate A Multi-Faceted Shared Decision Making Implementation Program (Magic), Amy Lloyd, Natalie Joseph-Williams, Adrian Edwards, Andrew Rix, Glyn Elwyn

Dartmouth Scholarship

Implementing shared decision making into routine practice is proving difficult, despite considerable interest from policy-makers, and is far more complex than merely making decision support interventions available to patients. Few have reported successful implementation beyond research studies. MAking Good Decisions In Collaboration (MAGIC) is a multi-faceted implementation program, commissioned by The Health Foundation (UK), to examine how best to put shared decision making into routine practice. In this paper, we investigate healthcare professionals' perspectives on implementing shared decision making during the MAGIC program, to examine the work required to implement shared decision making and to inform future efforts. The MAGIC …

Experiences Of Children Who Have A Sibling With Autism, Brianna Smith, Dr. Barbara Mandleco

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to identify the experiences of siblings between 8 and 18 years old of children with autism (CWA). Identification of these experiences can provide an insight into aiding families and siblings with interventions and support groups. By helping family members cope with the situation of raising a CWA, the quality of life of the child increases (Burgess, Gutstein, & Montfort, 2007)1, as do experiences of siblings.

Kinetics And Mechanism Of S-Nitrosation And Oxidation Of Cysteamine By Peroxynitrite, Wilbes Mbiya

Dissertations and Theses

Cysteamine (CA), which is an aminothiol drug medically known as Cystagon® was studied in this thesis. Cysteamine was reacted with a binary toxin called peroxynitrite (PN) which is assembled spontaneously whenever nitric oxide and superoxide are produced together and the decomposition of peroxyinitrite was monitored. PN was able to nitrosate CA in highly acidic medium and excess CA to form S-nitrosocysteamine (CANO) in a 1:1 with the formation of one mole of CANO from one mole of ONOOH. In excess oxidant (PN) the following 1:2 stoichiometric ratio was obtained; ONOO^- + 2CA → CA-CA + NO2^- + H …

Predictors Of Cooperative And Externalizing Behaviors In Siblings Of Children With Disabilities, Christine Rae Platt

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To examine whether caregiver burden, parenting style, and sibling relationships in families raising a child with a disability (CWD) predict cooperative and externalizing behaviors in typically-developing sibling (TDS). Methods: This correlational study included 189 families raising both a CWD and a TDS. Mothers and fathers completed self-report questionnaires on caregiver burden, sibling relationships, parenting style, and TDS cooperative and externalizing behaviors. Results: Authoritative parenting was positively associated with cooperative behaviors, whereas authoritarian parenting was positively associated with externalizing behaviors. Hierarchical regression revealed caregiver burden was a significant predictor of cooperative and externalizing behaviors; however, when parenting style was added …

Effects Of Assistive Robotics On Tantrums In Children With Low-Functioning Autism, Taylor Whitmer, Dr. Bonnie Brinton

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In recent studies, assistive robotics has been useful in increasing joint attention skills between a child with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other individuals (Acerson, 2011). These data also show a potential change in tantrum behaviors before and after intervention sessions with the robot. Tantrum behaviors, although normal in young, typical developing children, often persist longer in children with ASD as a result of delayed language development (Osterman & Bjorkqvist, 2010). As tantrum behaviors persist, the time available for these children to learn is diminished as the focus of the child becomes the frustration causing the tantrum rather than the …

Advocacy Meets Science And Medicine: Personal Enrichment And A Coping Mechanism For Huntington's Disease, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Total Joint Arthroplasty Increase Hospital Burden., Vinay K Aggarwal, Eric H Tischler, Zachary D Post, Ian Kane, Fabio R Orozco, Alvin Ong

Rothman Institute Papers

BACKGROUND: More than 3 million people in the United States have atrial fibrillation, most of whom are being managed with anticoagulation therapy for life. The goal of the present study was to examine the effect of chronic anticoagulation therapy on patients with atrial fibrillation who undergo total joint arthroplasty.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all patients undergoing aseptic primary or revision total joint arthroplasty at our facility from March 2007 to August 2011. One hundred and sixty-one patients with atrial fibrillation (Group A) were compared with 161 matched controls (Group B). A total of 112 hips and 210 knees underwent 239 …

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Exotoxin Y-Mediated Tau Hyperphosphorylation Impairs Microtubule Assembly In Pulmonary Microvascular Endothelial Cells, Ron Balczon, Nutan Prasain, Cristhiaan Ochoa, Jason Prater, Bing Zhu, Mikhail Alexeyev, Sarah Sayner, Dara W. Frank, Troy Stevens

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Pseudomonas aeruginosa uses a type III secretion system to introduce the adenylyl and guanylyl cyclase exotoxin Y (ExoY) into the cytoplasm of endothelial cells. ExoY induces Tau hyperphosphorylation and insolubility, microtubule breakdown, barrier disruption and edema, although the mechanism(s) responsible for microtubule breakdown remain poorly understood. Here we investigated both microtubule behavior and centrosome activity to test the hypothesis that ExoY disrupts microtubule dynamics. Fluorescence microscopy determined that infected pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells contained fewer microtubules than control cells, and further studies demonstrated that the microtubule-associated protein Tau was hyperphosphorylated following infection and dissociated from microtubules. Disassembly/reassembly studies determined that …

2013 September 3 - Medical Student Education Committee Minutes, Medical Student Education Committee, East Tennessee State University

Medical Student Education Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

Determine Tb-Lam Lateral Flow Urine Antigen Assay For Hiv-Associated Tuberculosis: Recommendations On The Design And Reporting Of Clinical Studies, Stephen D. Lawn, Keertan Dheda, Andrew D. Kerkhoff, Jonathan G. Peter, Susan Dorman, Catharina C. Boehme, Mark P. Nicol

Medicine Faculty Publications

Detection of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell wall antigen lipoarabinomannan (LAM) in urine permits diagnoses of tuberculosis (TB) to be made in HIV-infected patients with advanced immunodeficiency. This can be achieved at the point-of-care within just 30 minutes using the Determine TB-LAM, which is a commercially available, lateral-flow urine ‘strip test’ assay. The assay has been shown to have useful diagnostic accuracy in patients enrolling in antiretroviral treatment services or in HIV-infected patients requiring admission to hospital medical wards in sub-Saharan Africa. Such patients have high mortality risk and have most to gain from rapid diagnosis of TB and immediate initiation …

Create Day Presentations Now In Jefferson Digital Commons, Daniel G. Kipnis, Msi

Jefferson Digital Commons News

Collaborative Research and Evidence Among Therapists and Educators (CREATE) Day is a clinical education program presented by occupational therapy graduate students in partial fulfillment of the Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy at Thomas Jefferson University.

Definitions Of Good Health Among Native Hawaiians In Las Vegas, Amanda Stromberg, Dr. Jane Lassetter

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The world in which we now live is a global community where people of many origins and their respective cultures cross paths on a daily basis. We are a mobile society in many respects, including geographically, as people are no longer bound to their native lands and now migrate further from home, with more ease, than ever before. Though health concerns have always accompanied migrants, attitudes have shifted as research has uncovered both the positive and negative impacts of migration on the health and well-being of migrants (Hull, 1979).