Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Prevalence And Antibiotic Resistance Of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci In Animal Originated Foods, Fi̇gen Çeti̇nkaya, Tülay Elal Muş, Gül Ece Soyutemi̇z, Recep Çibik

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

A total of 270 animal-originated foods purchased from markets, including milk and dairy products, fresh and processed meat products, and poultry and poultry products, were analysed to determine the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). VRE were isolated from 12 out of 270 samples (4.4%): 6 (6%) from fresh meat and meat products and 6 (8.6%) from poultry and poultry products. VRE strains were identified as Enterococcus faecium (6 strains), E. avium (4 strains), E. durans (1 strain) and E. gallinarum (1 strain). Among these strains, 11 had high levels of vancomycin resistance (2 E. faecium strains had minimum inhibitory concentrations …

Developing A Faculty Learning Community Grounded In The Science Of How People Learn: A Year-Long, Faculty-Led Teaching And Learning Seminar., Alan Rudnitsky, Glenn Ellis, Patricia Marten Dibartolo, Kevin M. Shea

Psychology: Faculty Publications

This chapter describes a multiyear professional development effort undertaken by a learning and teaching center at a liberal arts college. As part of its founding mandate, the center helps faculty improve teaching by paying attention to the current literature about how people learn. This core commitment of our center is pursued through support of a year‐long faculty seminar. Now in its fourth year, the seminar has had a significant impact on its faculty participants and their thinking about teaching and learning. Moreover, the seminar has seeded a number of teaching and assessment initiatives at the college.

Activities Of Daily Living Scale In Hoarding Disorder, Randy O. Frost, Veselina Hristova, Gail Steketee, David F. Tolin

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Research on hoarding over the last two decades has shown that hoarding disorder appears to be a distinct disorder that burdens the individual, the community and the families of people who hoard. Although hoarding clearly interferes with the daily functioning, especially in the context of extensive clutter, no validated measures of this interference have been developed. The present research examined the psychometric properties of the Activities of Daily Living in Hoarding scale (ADL-H) in two large samples of individuals with significant hoarding problems, one identified through the internet (n=363) and a second through clinical diagnostic interviews (n=202). The ADL-H scale …

Do People With Hoarding Disorder Under-Report Their Symptoms?, Jennifer Dimauro, David F. Tolin, Randy O. Frost, Gail Steketee

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Previous research indicates that people with hoarding sometimes under- or over-report the severity of their symptoms. This article examines the results of two separate studies that evaluate severity ratings made by participants with hoarding disorder (HD) in comparison to ratings by family members or independent evaluators. In Study 1, HD participants' ratings of the severity of the clutter in their home and their hoarding behaviors were less severe than those made by their friends or family members. This result may be accounted for by family members' rejecting attitudes towards the participant. In Study 2, HD participants appeared to under-report specific …

Characteristics Of Hoarding In Older Adults, Gretchen J. Diefenbach, Jennifer Dimauro, Randy O. Frost, Gail Steketee, David F. Tolin

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: This study determined the clinical characteristics of late-life hoarding disorder (HD). Methods: Older adults (age 60 and older) with HD (n = 55) and without psychiatric diagnoses (n = 39) were compared on psychiatric, functional, cognitive, and health-related measures. Associations between age and clinical characteristics in a large sample of mixed age (n = 210; age range: 20-78) participants with HD were also determined. Results: Individuals with late-life HD were characterized by substantial impairments in psychiatric, functional, cognitive, and medical status. Health risks (e.g., risks of falls and fire) were also common. However, older age was generally not associated …

A Multitrait-Multimethod Matrix Investigation Of Hoarding, Joseph F. Meyer, Randy O. Frost, Timothy A. Brown, Gail Steketee, David F. Tolin

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Hoarding is a serious and potentially life-threatening mental health problem that, until recently, was considered a subtype of OCD. However, recent research suggests it is distinct and more prevalent than OCD. Three key defining features have emerged in factor analytic studies of hoarding scales: excessive acquisition, difficulty discarding, and excessive clutter. Covariation among these defining features has received limited attention. The primary aim of the current study was to examine the role of the three key features in defining hoarding disorder. Convergent and discriminant validity of the three hoarding factors were examined in a multitrait-multimethod matrix. A secondary aim was …

An Exploration Of Comorbid Symptoms And Clinical Correlates Of Clinically Significant Hoarding Symptoms, Brian J. Hall, David F. Tolin, Randy O. Frost, Gail Steketee

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Background Hoarding disorder (HD) is currently being considered for inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), yet remains poorly understood. Consensus is building that hoarding may constitute a separate disorder, although comorbidity remains high and complicates the diagnostic picture. The purpose of this investigation was to explore patterns of comorbidity among people who engage in hoarding behavior in order to better understand its clinical presentation and phenomenology. Methods Data were collected from a large internet sample (N = 363) of people who self-identified as having hoarding problems, met criteria for clinically significant hoarding, and …

New Oral Anticoagulants In The Treatment Of Pulmonary Embolism: Efficacy, Bleeding Risk, And Monitoring, Kelly M. Rudd, Elizabeth Phillips

Pharmacy Faculty/Staff Publications

Anticoagulation therapy is mandatory in patients with pulmonary embolism to prevent significant morbidity and mortality. The mainstay of therapy has been vitamin-K antagonist therapy bridged with parenteral anticoagulants. The recent approval of new oral anticoagulants (NOACs: apixaban, dabigatran, and rivaroxaban) has generated significant interest in their role in managing venous thromboembolism, especially pulmonary embolism due to their improved pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles, predictable anticoagulant response, and lack of required efficacy monitoring. This paper addresses the available literature, on-going clinical trials, highlights critical points, and discusses potential advantages and disadvantages of the new oral anticoagulants in patients with pulmonary embolism.

High Fidelity Simulation Effectiveness In Nursing Students’ Transfer Of Learning, Tera R. Kirkman

Nursing

Background: Members of nursing faculty are utilizing interactive teaching tools to improve nursing student’s clinical judgment; one method that has been found to be potentially effective is high fidelity simulation (HFS). The purpose of this time series design study was to determine whether undergraduate nursing students were able to transfer knowledge and skills learned from classroom lecture and a HFS clinical to the traditional clinical setting.

Method: Students (n ¼ 42) were observed and rated on their ability to perform a respiratory assessment. The observations and ratings took place at the bedside, prior to a respiratory lecture, following the respiratory …

Nutritional Status Of Children Admitted For Diarrhoeal Diseases In A Referral Hospital In Western Kenya, I. Marete, J. Simba, Peter Gisore, C. Tenge, D. Bosire, A. Mwangi, F. Esamai

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of malnutrition among children admitted with acute diarrhoea disease at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and to establish the effect of malnutrition on duration of hospital stay.

Design: Prospective observational study.

Setting: Paediatric wards of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret, Kenya

Subjects: A total of 191 children aged 6 and 59 months admitted with acute diarrhoea disease, without chronic co-morbidities or visible severe malnutrition, were systematically enrolled into the study between November 2011 and March 2012.

Outcome Measures: Nutritional status based on WHO WHZ scores taken at admission and …

The Role Of Tissue Sound Speed As A Surrogate Marker Of Breast Density, Mark Sak

Wayne State University Dissertations

Breast density is one of the strongest predictors of breast cancer risk as women with the densest breasts have a three- to five-fold increase in risk compared to women with the least dense breasts. Breast density is currently measured by using mammography, the current gold standard for breast imaging. There are many shortcomings to using mammography to measure breast density, including the use of ionizing radiation. Ultrasound tomography (UST) does not use ionizing radiation and can create tomographic breast sound speed images. These sound speed images are useful because breast density is proportional to sound speed. The purpose of this …

An Exploration Of The Relationships Among Demographics, Risk Factors, Perceived Self-Efficacy, And Fall Prevention Behaviors In Community-Dwelling Thai Older Adults, Kanyarat Ubolwan

Wayne State University Dissertations

Background: Worldwide, falls among older adults lead to significant physical, psychological, and social problems. Studies have described fall prevalence, risk factors, and the impact of falls in Thailand. Although fall prevention requires significant self-care abilities, insufficient knowledge exists about how to prevent falls in Thai community settings or the predictors of fall prevention behaviors among Thai Older adults.

Purpose: Orem's Self-Care Theory was used: 1) to examine the relationships among the basic conditioning factors (BCFs) of age, gender, falls, comorbidity, mental and physical health status, self-care agency (i.e., self-efficacy), and fall prevention self-care behaviors and 2) to determine the predictors …

Facilitation Of Language Acquisition Viewed Through An Interpretative Lens: The Role Of Authenticity, Melanie Ann Harper

Wayne State University Dissertations

A paradigm is the conceptual framework or lens one uses to view reality. The field of speech-language pathology is traditionally rooted in the empirical paradigm, which believes that language can be fragmented into isolated skills and taught in a hierarchal fashion. This belief has resulted in service delivery models that remove students from naturalistic contexts for decontextualized exercises. Progress in language acquisition is measured objectively. The empirical belief is exemplified by the accountability requirements in special education law (e.g., IEP). It is compounded by the realities of public school speech-language pathologists (SLPs), such as high caseload numbers, multiple buildings, and …

Vascular Depression: An Early Warning Sign Of Frailty, Daniel Paulson, Peter A. Lichtenberg

Psychology Faculty Research Publications

Objectives: Frailty is a common geriatric disorder associated with ADL impairment, hospitalization, and death. Phenomenological evidence suggests that late-life depression (Katz, 2004), particularly vascular depression, may be a risk factor for frailty. This study tests that hypothesis.

Methods: We identified a sample of stroke-free women over the age of 80 from the Health and Retirement Survey. The sample included 984 respondents in 2000 (incidence sample). Of these, 459 were non-frail at baseline and still alive in 2004 (prevalence sample). Frail respondents experienced at least three of the following: wasting, exhaustion, weakness, slowness, and falls. Vascular depression was represented using two …

Effect Of Frontal Plane Foot Position On Lower Extremity Muscle Activation And Limb Positioning In A Single Leg Squat, Brian Bolin

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Purpose: There is a high prevalence of ACL injury in the athletic populations, which can carry out short and long term debilitative effects. Most ACL injuries involve minimal to no contact and female athletes sustain a two to eightfold greater rate of injury than male athletes. Not much research has been conducted to see if foot position directly affects the lower extremity muscles, which could result in altered biomechanics at the knee.

Methods: Twelve subjects 18-30 years old participated in the study. EMG analysis measured differences of muscle contractions for the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, biceps femoris, rectus femoris, lateral …

Assessing Nurses’ Capacity For Health Research And Policy Engagement In Nigeria, Ekaete Asuquo, Josephine Etowa, Mildred John, Akon Ndiok, Patience Edoho Samson-Akpan, Olaide Bamidele Edet

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Nurses account for a significant proportion of the health care workforce in most countries. In the African continent, it is estimated that nurses constitute about 80% of the health care professionals, however they are marginally represented in health research investigations and policy/decision-making roles. A descriptive research design was used to obtain data from 120 registered nurses in Calabar municipality, Nigeria. The study aimed at assessing the extent of nurses’ involvement in research and policy development. The findings revealed that only 30(25.0%) of the respondents indicated that they had been involved in research activity. Majority 74(61.7%) utilized research findings and perceived …

Commonly Cited Incentives In The Community Implementation Of The Emergency Maternal And Newborn Care Study In Western Kenya, Peter Gisore, B. Rono, J. Nekesa-Mangeni, C. Tenge, E. Shipala, H. Mabeya, D. Odhiambo, K. Otieno, S. Bucher, C. Makokha, E. Liechty, F. Esamai

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Background: Mortality of mothers and newborns is an important public health problem in low-income countries. In the rural setting, implementation of community based education and mobilization are strategies that have sought to reduce these mortalities. Frequently such approaches rely on volunteers within each community.

Objective: To assess the perceptions of the community volunteers in rural Kenya as they implemented the EmONC program and to identify the incentives that could result in their sustained engagement in the project.

Method: A community-based cross sectional survey was administered to all volunteers involved in the study. Data were collected using a self-administered supervision tool …

Prolactin And Fmri Response To Skf38393 In The Baboon, Brad Miller, Lauren A. Marks, Jonathan M. Koller, Blake J. Newman, G. Larry Bretthorst, Kevin J. Black

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Improving Quality Of Maternal And Newborn Care In Selected Districts In 3 Sub-Saharan Countries: Baseline Quality Assessment, Els Duysburgh, Wei-Hong Zhang, M. Ye, Adrian Williams, S. Massawe, A. Sie, J. Williams, R. Mpembeni, S. Loukanova, Marleen Temmerman

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Objectives: To measure pre-intervention quality of routine antenatal and childbirth care in rural districts of Burkina Faso, Ghana and Tanzania and to identify shortcomings.

Methods: In each country, we selected two adjoining rural districts. Within each district, we randomly sampled 6 primary healthcare facilities. Quality of care was assessed through health facility surveys, direct observation of antenatal and childbirth care, exit interviews and review of patient records.

Results: By and large, quality of antenatal and childbirth care in the six districts was satisfactory, but we did identify some critical gaps common to the study sites in all three countries. Counselling …

Making A Difference, Ashleigh Jardine

Lake Union Herald

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Baby Sign On The Development Of Pragmatic Skills In Typically Developing Children, Lyna Marie Sullivan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of Baby Sign on the pragmatic development of typically developing children. The participants for the study were 11 typically developing children. A one group pretest posttest case study design was used to evaluate the impact of baby sign. Prior to parents and caregivers attending a 5 week course on baby sign language, each child was administered the Developmental Assessment of Young Children (DAYC). Although, measurements were taken of the child's social, cognitive, physical, adaptive, and communication skills, standard scores of only the social subtests from the pretest to the posttest …

Primary Drug And Multidrug Resistant Tuberculosis, Of The Diagnostic Properties Of The Sputum Smear Versus Culture Method For Tuberculosis Diagnosis In An Ecuadorian Urban Public Health Facility, Sandra Luz Groeschel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: The accurate diagnosis and effective prevention and control of tuberculosis (TB) are major global public health challenges. Ecuador has among the highest documented TB incidence (59/100,000 inhabitants) and mortality rates in the Americas region (27/100,000 inhabitants). In addition, TB multi-drug resistance is becoming increasingly common. The culture method is the preferred method of choice for diagnosing TB in the United States and many other high resource countries due to its high documented sensitivity. An added benefit of the methods is that it also can be used to detect primary TB resistance. In contrast, despite its lower diagnostic sensitivity, …

A Short Chain Nad(H)-Dependent Alcohol Dehydrogenase (Hpscadh) From Helicobacter Pylori: A Role In Growth Under Neutral And Acidic Conditions., A. Kumari, Henry Windle, Denise Cornally, Barry Ryan, Gary Henehan

Articles

Toxic aldehydes produced by alcohol dehydrogenases have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori-related damage to the gastric mucosa. Despite this, the enzymes that might be responsible for producing such aldehydes have not been fully described. It was, therefore, of considerable interest to characterize the alcohol oxidizing enzymes in this pathogen. Previous work in this laboratory characterized two such H. pylori enzymes that had broad specificity for a range of aromatic alcohol substrates. An enzyme with broad specificity for aliphatic alcohols is likely to be required in order that H. pylori can metabolize the wide range of substrates encountered …

Electric Field Standing Wave Effects In Ft-Ir Transflection Spectra Of Biological Tissue Sections: Simulated Models Of Experimental Variability, Tomasz P. Wrobel, Barbara Wajnchold, Hugh Byrne, Malgorzata Baranska

Articles

The so-called electric field standing wave effect (EFSW) has recently been demonstrated to significantly distort FT-IR spectra acquired in a transflection mode, both experimentally and in simulated models, bringing into question the appropriateness of the technique for sample characterization, particularly in the field of spectroscopy of biological materials. The predicted effects are most notable in the regime where the sample thickness is comparable to the source wavelength. In this work, the model is extended to sample thicknesses more representative of biological tissue sections and to include typical experimental factors which are demonstrated to reduce the predicted effects. These include integration …

Aβ Alters The Dna Methylation Status Of Cell-Fate Genes In An Alzheimer’S Disease Model, Gary D. Isaacs, Noor Taher, Courtney Mckenzie, Rebecca Garrett, Matthew Baker, Nena Fox

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by neurofibrillary tangles and extracellular amyloid-β plaques (Aβ). Despite ongoing research, some ambiguity remains surrounding the role of Aβ in the pathogenesis of this neurodegenerative disease. While several studies have focused on the mutations associated with AD, our understanding of the epigenetic contributions to the disease remains less clear. To that end, we determined the changes in DNA methylation in differentiated human neurons with and without Aβ treatment. We isolated the DNA from neurons treated with Aβ or vehicle, and digested the two samples with either a methylation-sensitive (HpaII) or a methylation-insensitive (MspI) restriction endonuclease. …

Nuclear Translocation Of Cardiac G Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinase 5 Downstream Of Select Gq-Activating Hypertrophic Ligands Is A Calmodulin-Dependent Process., Jessica I Gold, Jeffrey S Martini, Jonathan Hullmann, Erhe Gao, J Kurt Chuprun, Linda Lee, Douglas G Tilley, Joseph E Rabinowitz, Julie Bossuyt, Donald M Bers, Walter J. Koch

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

G protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) kinases (GRKs) play a crucial role in regulating cardiac hypertrophy. Recent data from our lab has shown that, following ventricular pressure overload, GRK5, a primary cardiac GRK, facilitates maladaptive myocyte growth via novel nuclear localization. In the nucleus, GRK5's newly discovered kinase activity on histone deacetylase 5 induces hypertrophic gene transcription. The mechanisms governing the nuclear targeting of GRK5 are unknown. We report here that GRK5 nuclear accumulation is dependent on Ca(2+)/calmodulin (CaM) binding to a specific site within the amino terminus of GRK5 and this interaction occurs after selective activation of hypertrophic Gq-coupled receptors. Stimulation …

Secondary Membranous Nephropathy Associated With Guillain-Barré Syndrome., Edward J Filippone, Mitul Kanzaria, Rodney Bell, Eric Newman, John L Farber

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Membranous nephropathy (MN) is one of the most common causes of nephrotic syndrome (NS) in adults. It may be primary, usually mediated by IgG4 anti-phospholipase A2 autoantibodies or secondary to various other conditions. Guillain- Barré syndrome (GBS) has been associated with MN, but a cause and effect relation has not been proven. We present a case of concurrent development of GBS and severe NS, with renal biopsy demonstrating MN. IgG4 stain was negative, indicating that most likely, the MN was secondary and probably caused by the underlying GBS.

Advancing Maternal Survival In The Global Context: Are Our Strategies Working?, Omar A Khan, Richard Derman, Nancy L Sloan

Department of Family & Community Medicine Faculty Papers

There have been significant gains in improving maternal mortality over the last two decades. Researchers have suggested a variety of interventions and mechanisms to explain these improvements. While it is likely that much of what has been done in research and programs has contributed to this decline, the evidence regarding what works in the settings in which women deliver continues to face many challenges. We review the evidence for these improvements and suggest that there remain areas to focus on, particularly the births which currently take place in an unsupervised or substandard environments. We highlight the main areas where more …

A Healthier Bottom Line: Distilling Best Practices In Corporate Wellness, Mark Auriemma, Cfa, Angela Cassidy, Kelly Dougherty, Despina Garalis, Pharmd, Rph, Judith Pelletier, Jennifer Springer

Emerging Leaders Program Team Projects

The Massachusetts Business Roundtable (MBR) collaborated with a team from the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) from the University of Massachusetts Boston to explore ways to control health care costs. One strategy being implemented by employers to control health care costs is through “wellness programs,” employer-sponsored efforts to improve the health of employees. Members of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable (MBR) and other large employers have had success in reducing their health care costs through the implementation of corporate wellness initiatives. The purpose of this paper is to define what is working in private sector wellness programs to determine whether there is …

Vulnerability And Just Desert: A Theory Of Sentencing And Mental Illness, E. Lea Johnston

UF Law Faculty Publications

This Article analyzes risks of serious harms posed to prisoners with major mental disorders and investigates their import for sentencing under a just deserts analysis. Drawing upon social science research, the Article first establishes that offenders with serious mental illnesses are more likely than non-ill offenders to suffer physical and sexual assaults, endure housing in solitary confinement, and experience psychological deterioration during their carceral terms. The Article then explores the significance of this differential impact for sentencing within a retributive framework. It first suggests a particular expressive understanding of punishment, capacious enough to encompass foreseeable, substantial risks of serious harm …