Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Development Of In Vitro Denture Biofilm Models For Halitosis Related Bacteria And Their Application In Testing The Efficacy Of Antimicrobial Agents, Tingxi Wu, Xuesong He, David J. Bradshaw, Alyson Axe, Zvi G. Loewy, Honghu Liu, Renate Lux

Touro College of Pharmacy (New York) Publications and Research

Objective: Since dentures can serve as a reservoir for halitosis-causing oral bacteria, halitosis development is a concern for denture wearers. In this study, we surveyed the prevalence of four selected halitosis-related species (Fusobacterium nucleatum, Tannerella forsythia, Veillonella atypica and Klebsiella pneumoniae) in clinical denture plaque samples, and developed denture biofilm models for these species in vitro to facilitate assessment of antimicrobial treatment efficacy. Design: Denture plaque from ten healthy and ten denture stomatitis patients was screened for the presence of aforementioned four species by PCR. Biofilm formation by these halitosis-associated species on the surfaces of denture base resin (DBR) discs ...

An Examination Of Intimate Partner Violence And Cigarette Smoking Among African American Women In 12 States, Eboneka Coleman

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Abstract

Introduction. African American female intimate partner victims (IVP) are more likely to abuse substances, suffer from depression and anxiety, and experience mental health issues, including PTSD, all of which are risk factors for smoking. The purpose of this study is to determine among African American women who have ever experienced IPV the prevalence of smoking and whether it is influenced by education and income.

Methods. Data for this study comes from the 2005 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state-based Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). This primary study population was African American females who answered IPV-related questions ...

Public Health System Partnerships And The Scope Of Maternal And Child Services: A Longitudinal Study, Sharla Smith, Glen Mays, Tommy Mac Bird, Michael A. Preston

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Local health departments (LHDs) struggle to serve their communities in the face of ongoing fiscal constraints. Fiscal constraints have led to the elimination and reduction of maternal and child health services (MCH). LHDs have used various strategies to minimize the negative impact fiscal constraints of elimination or reduction of services provided to their communities. Many LHDs have used strategies such as developing partnerships. While these strategies are assumed to increase the delivery of services and improve outcomes, there is limited research on the type of partnerships needed to service delivery. Our interest was identifying the type of partnerships associated with ...

Exploring The Process, Models, And Outcomes Of Hospital-Public Health Partnerships, Danielle M. Varda, Jessica H. Retrum, Carrie Chapman

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Health care reform has resulted in changes throughout the health system, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirement that hospitals conduct community health needs assessments, taking into greater consideration the public health of their respective communities. This has led to growing strategies to develop partnerships between hospitals and public health (PH) as a way to meet these needs¹. Meantime, there is a need for data on Hospital-PH partnerships, due to the growing emphasis that these types of partnerships get implemented in practice. In this paper we analyze a secondary data set to explore how hospitals and public health have ...

A Case Study Of Cross-Jurisdiction Resource Sharing: The Merger Of Two Tuberculosis Clinics In East Tennessee., Anne Kershenbaum, Margaret A. Knight, Martha L. Buchanan, Janet Ridley, Paul C. Erwin

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Cross-jurisdiction resource sharing is considered a possible means to improve efficiency and effectiveness of public health service delivery. A merger of the Tuberculosis (TB) clinics of a rural and a metropolitan jurisdiction in East Tennessee provided an opportunity to study service provision changes in real time. A mixed methods approach was used, including quantitative data on latent TB treatment outcomes and qualitative data from staff interviews, as well as documentation of changes in staffing time in TB services. Results showed a mix of efficiency changes, indicating probable increased pressure on key service providers after the merger, in addition to expected ...

Health Communication As A Public Health Training And Workforce Development Issue, Nancy L. Winterbauer, Ann P. Rafferty, Katherine A. Jones, Mary Tucker-Mclaughlin, Colleen Bridger

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Effective communication is one of the core competencies for public health professionals and is required for local health department (LHD) accreditation. Public health communication specialists play a critical role as conduits of health information, particularly with regard to managing relationships with media and the message that is ultimately represented by news outlets. However, capacity for engagement with traditional media in community health improvement at the local level has not been well-described. As part of a larger study examining the use and impact of the County Health Rankings in North Carolina, LHD media staffing and interaction with traditional media were examined ...

What “Community Building” Activities Are Nonprofit Hospitals Reporting As Community Benefit?, Erik Bakken, David Kindig, Jo Ivey Boufford

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

In 2008, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) revised and standardized the reporting policy for community benefit expenses for nonprofit hospitals. These expenses are required for tax exemption. At that time, the IRS designated some categories of activities as non-eligible as a community benefit, but still mandated their reporting on hospitals’ Form 990, the annual tax filing for nonprofit organizations. One such category was community building, which encompasses a broad range of nonmedical determinants of health and an important potential source of population health revenue. This is the first study to analyze community-building dollars at any level, examining New York State ...

Efficacy Of Female Rat Models In Translational Cardiovascular Aging Research, Kevin M. Rice, J. C. Fannin, C. Gillette, Eric Blough

Pharmaceutical Science and Research

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women in the United States. Aging is a primary risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease as well as cardiovascular-related morbidity and mortality. Aging is a universal process that all humans undergo; however, research in aging is limited by cost and time constraints. Therefore, most research in aging has been done in primates and rodents; however it is unknown how well the effects of aging in rat models translate into humans. To compound the complication of aging gender has also been indicated as a risk factor for various cardiovascular diseases ...

Antibacterial Activity Of Novel Cationic Peptides Against Clinical Isolates Of Multi-Drug Resistant Staphylococcus Pseudintermedius From Infected Dogs, Mohamed F. Mohamed, G. Kenitra Hammac, Lynn F. Guptil, Mohamed N. Seleem

Department of Comparative Pathobiology Faculty Publications

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is a major cause of skin and soft tissue infections in companion animals and has zoonotic potential. Additionally, methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) has emerged with resistance to virtually all classes of antimicrobials. Thus, novel treatment options with new modes of action are required. Here, we investigated the antimicrobial activity of six synthetic short peptides against clinical isolates of methicillin-susceptible and MRSP isolated from infected dogs. All six peptides demonstrated potent antistaphylococcal activity regardless of existing resistance phenotype. The most effective peptides were RRIKA (with modified C terminus to increase amphipathicity and hydrophobicity) and WR-12 (α-helical peptide consisting exclusively ...

Research News: 2014, University Of Mississippi. School Of Pharmacy

Research News: Grants and Publications (2000-2014)

Grants and contracts recently awarded

Turning Waste Into Resources In Haiti, Alexis Barnes

Capstones

Sanitation infrastructure in Haiti is an ongoing problem- one that only exacerbated a massive cholera epidemic brought to the country by Nepalese United Nations peacekeeping troops. SOIL is an NGO that works in alternative sanitation- using "urine-diverting dry toilets" to turn waste into a fertile resource. In my capstone, I explore the potential for alternative sanitation in Haiti, how it works and what internal and external political and economic factors lead to the current state of water and sanitation infrastructure in the country.

Well-Born: Black Women And The Infertility Crisis No One Is Talking About, Kaara Baptiste

Capstones

Black women are twice as likely to experience infertility than white women, but are less likely to seek treatment or to have successful fertility results once treated. Despite this alarming number, this topic is not often discussed, even among the black community. My narrative piece t tells the story of a black woman confronting her infertility diagnosis and the role her race played in her fertility treatment, while exploring the role racism and sexuality have had in keeping this issue in the shadows.

Lady Luck: The Rise Of Women Problem Gamblers, Antonia Massa

Capstones

Gambling addiction, once considered a nearly exclusively male affliction, is becoming more common among women. This story looks at the lives and addictions of two women problem gamblers. The project includes text, audio, images and a web app for smartphones, designed to help women who think they may have a gambling problem.

Mcdonald's Or Mesquite: Struggles On The Salt River Pima Reservation, Stefani Kim

Capstones

The Salt River Pima Indians, prior to colonization, had a strong tradition of harvesting and food sovereignity. As the tribe adapted to a more Westernized diet which consisted mainly of processed food rations, the rate of diabetes began to skyrocket on the reservation and, at one point, the tribe had one of the highest per capita diabetes rates in the world. This year, the tribe's cultural resources department will resurrect a 16-year-old community garden program originally funded by a USDA/Habitat for Humanity grant as a way to help combat health problems related to a poor diet such as ...

Sending Drugs Into The Fast Lane, Ross Keith

Capstones

Speedy drug approvals have become increasingly the norm at the FDA, a trend that began in 1992 with the passage of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act. Over the past 20 years, the approval process has shrunk, on average, from three years to ten months. As speed has risen, the number of safety issues has as well. Some notoriously harmful drugs, such as Vioxx and Avandia, that were pulled from the market because of dangerous side effects, were fast-tracked. Some doctors and industry analysts question whether the agency’s laissez faire approach is essentially moving the testing phase of drugs ...

Overcoming Obstacles, Melisa Stumpf

Capstones

the contributing factors that lead to the purported low life expectancy for transgenders (suicide, high risks of HIV, lack of healthcare access, refusal of care, etc.) which some experts, advocates and transgender individuals themselves think it's of about 35 years-old.

Urgent Cares Outpace Health Policy In The U.S., Ashley Rodriguez

Capstones

More and more medical practices across the country are rebranding themselves as urgent care centers to meet the growing demand for fast, affordable health care. In many states, they are regulated like physicians groups. However, there is a debate brewing among health care policy experts and government officials over whether these centers should have their own regulations. Such oversight could help patients expecting acute care avoid confusion to such a degree that they receive poor treatment from professionals who aren’t prepared to offer emergency services, or delayed treatment because they are bounced around from facility to facility.

When You Can't Watch What You Eat: Examining The Fda’S Recall Process For Food Allergies, Jacob Passy

Capstones

Over a third of all recalls for food products in the United States occur due to an undeclared allergen. In these situations, a food product is often mislabeled or contaminated in some way, resulting in the unknown presence of allergen. For food-allergic consumers, a company's mistake can become life-threatening. By investigating data from the Food and Drug Administration, I found that supermarket chains are responsible for about a fifth of all recalls, and that many recalls occur past the product's expiration date. These factors point to the need to improve the FDA's handling of food allergies in ...

The Wild West Of Edible Insects, Kyle Ligman

Capstones

After the UN came out with a report in 2013 recommending insects for human consumption, businesses and restaurants in the U.S. have been racing to grow a new industry. This project explores the psychological, regulatory and production challenges they face.

Mapping A City's Invisible Residents, Kelly Dickerson

Capstones

A scientist is mapping the microbes of New York City in hopes of eventually creating a real-time map that could help prevent the spread of diseases.

Neural Biomarkers For Assessing Different Types Of Imagery In Pictorial Health Warning Labels For Cigarette Packaging: A Cross-Sectional Study, Roger D. Newman-Norlund, Jim Thrasher, Johann Fridriksson, William Brixius, Brett Froeliger, David Hammond, Michael K. Cummings

Faculty Publications

Objective Countries around the world have increasingly adopted pictorial health warning labels (HWLs) for tobacco packages to warn consumers about smoking-related risks. Research on how pictorial HWLs work has primarily analysed self-reported responses to HWLs; studies at the neural level comparing the brain's response to different types of HWLs may provide an important complement to prior studies, especially if self-reported responses are systematically biased. In this study we characterise the brain's response to three types of pictorial HWLs for which prior self-report studies indicated different levels of efficacy.

Methods Current smokers rated pictorial HWLs and then observed the ...

Gaining Traction In Research Data Management Support: A Case Study, Donna L. O'Malley

Journal of eScience Librarianship

With the implementation of an institutional repository, librarians at the University of Vermont (UVM) began receiving inquiries about data management. In an effort to explore research data management roles for librarians at UVM the author led workshops based on Module One of the New England Collaborative Data Management Curriculum (NECDMC) with two audiences. In addition, the author consulted with faculty and staff from around the university to ascertain their support of research data management and integrate that information into the workshops. The first workshop was directed at UVM librarians and resulted in an understanding of their willingness to engage with ...

A Randomized Controlled Trial Of Mental Health Interventions For Survivors Of Systematic Violence In Kurdistan, Northern Iraq, Paul Bolton, Judith K. Bass, Goran Zangana, Talar Kamal, Sarah Murray, Debra Kaysen, Carl W. Lejuez, Kristen Lindgren, Sherry L. Pagoto, Laura K. Murray, Stephanie Van Wyk, Ahmed Ahmed, Nazar M. Mohammad Amin, Michael Rosenblum

Open Access Publications by UMass Chan Authors

Background: Experiencing systematic violence and trauma increases the risk of poor mental health outcomes; few interventions for these types of exposures have been evaluated in low resource contexts. The objective of this randomized controlled trial was to assess the effectiveness of two psychotherapeutic interventions, Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression (BATD) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), in reducing depression symptoms using a locally adapted and validated version of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist and dysfunction measured with a locally developed scale. Secondary outcomes included posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and traumatic grief symptoms.

Methods: Twenty community mental health workers, working in rural health clinics ...

Hiv Symptom Burden And Anemia Among Hiv-Positive Individuals: Cross-Sectional Results Of A Community-Based Positive Living With Hiv (Polh) Study In Nepal, Catherine Martin, Kalpana Poudel-Tandukar, Krishna C. Poudel

Krishna C. Poudel

Primary Health Centres And Patients Satisfaction Level In Haripad Community Development Block Of Kerala, India, Sarath Chandran

SARATH CHANDRAN

The main objectives of the present study were to show the spatial distribution of Primary Health Centres in the Haripad Block of Kerala and to investigate the patients’ perception regarding the services provided by the Primary Health Centres. Spatial distribution of Primary Health centres was shown with the help of GIS mapping. Out of eight Primary Health Centres of the Block, five of them were selected by lottery method of simple random sampling for the present study. A pre designed schedule was used for t tabulated and analysed by using of primary health care services in Haripad The major problems ...

Promoting Self-Management Through Adherence Among Heart Failure Patients Discharged From Rural Hospitals: A Study Protocol., Lufei Young, Sue Barnason, Van Do

Journal Articles: College of Nursing

UNLABELLED: Background Heart failure is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in adults, leading to prolonged morbidity, repeated hospitalizations, and placing tremendous economic burden on the healthcare system. Heart failure patients discharged from rural hospitals, or primarily critical access hospitals, have higher 30-day readmission and mortality rates compared to patients discharged from urban hospitals. Self-management improves heart failure patients' health outcomes and reduces re-hospitalizations, but adherence to self-management guidelines is low. We propose a home based post-acute care service managed by advanced practice nurses to enhance patient activation and lead to the improvement of self-management adherence in heart failure ...

Continuing To Confront Copd International Physician Survey: Physician Knowledge And Application Of Copd Management Guidelines In 12 Countries, Kourtney J. Davis, Sarah H. Landis, Yeon-Mok Oh, David M. Mannino, Meilan K. Han, Thys Van Der Molen, Zaurbek Aisanov, Ana M. Menezes, Masakazu Ichinose, Hana Muellerova

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

AIM: Utilizing data from the Continuing to Confront COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) International Physician Survey, this study aimed to describe physicians' knowledge and application of the GOLD (Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease) Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management and Prevention of COPD diagnosis and treatment recommendations and compare performance between primary care physicians (PCPs) and respiratory specialists.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Physicians from 12 countries were sampled from in-country professional databases; 1,307 physicians (PCP to respiratory specialist ratio three to one) who regularly consult with COPD, emphysema, or chronic bronchitis patients were interviewed online, by telephone or ...

Hemagglutinin-Based Polyanhydride Nanovaccines Against H5n1 Influenza Elicit Protective Virus Neutralizing Titers And Cell-Mediated Immunity., Kathleen A. Ross, Hyelee Loyd, Wuwei Wu, Lucas Huntimer, Shaheen Ahmed, Anthony R. Sambol, Scott Broderick, Zachary Flickinger, Krishna Rajan, Tatiana K. Bronich, Surya Mallapragada, Michael J. Wannemuehler, Susan Carpenter, Balaji Narasimhan

Journal Articles: Pharmaceutical Sciences

H5N1 avian influenza is a significant global concern with the potential to become the next pandemic threat. Recombinant subunit vaccines are an attractive alternative for pandemic vaccines compared to traditional vaccine technologies. In particular, polyanhydride nanoparticles encapsulating subunit proteins have been shown to enhance humoral and cell-mediated immunity and provide protection upon lethal challenge. In this work, a recombinant H5 hemagglutinin trimer (H5₃) was produced and encapsulated into polyanhydride nanoparticles. The studies performed indicated that the recombinant H5₃ antigen was a robust immunogen. Immunizing mice with H5₃ encapsulated into polyanhydride nanoparticles induced high neutralizing antibody titers and enhanced CD4(+) T ...

Classification Of Current Anticancer Immunotherapies., Lorenzo Galluzzi, Erika Vacchelli, José-Manuel Bravo-San Pedro, Aitziber Buqué, Laura Senovilla, Elisa Elena Baracco, Norma Bloy, Francesca Castoldi, Jean-Pierre Abastado, Patrizia Agostinis, Ron N Apte, Fernando Aranda, Maha Ayyoub, Philipp Beckhove, Jean-Yves Blay, Laura Bracci, Anne Caignard, Chiara Castelli, Federica Cavallo, Estaban Celis, Vincenzo Cerundolo, Aled Clayton, Mario P Colombo, Lisa Coussens, Madhav V Dhodapkar, Alexander M Eggermont, Douglas T Fearon, Wolf H Fridman, Jitka Fučíková, Dmitry I Gabrilovich, Jérôme Galon, Abhishek Garg, François Ghiringhelli, Giuseppe Giaccone, Eli Gilboa, Sacha Gnjatic, Axel Hoos, Anne Hosmalin, Dirk Jäger, Pawel Kalinski, Klas Kärre, Oliver Kepp, Rolf Kiessling, John M Kirkwood, Eva Klein, Alexander Knuth, Claire E Lewis, Roland Liblau, Michael T Lotze, Enrico Lugli, Jean-Pierre Mach, Fabrizio Mattei, Domenico Mavilio, Ignacio Melero, Cornelis J Melief, Elizabeth A Mittendorf, Lorenzo Moretta, Adekunke Odunsi, Hideho Okada, Anna Karolina Palucka, Marcus E Peter, Kenneth J Pienta, Angel Porgador, George C Prendergast, Gabriel A Rabinovich, Nicholas P Restifo, Naiyer Rizvi, Catherine Sautès-Fridman, Hans Schreiber, Barbara Seliger, Hiroshi Shiku, Bruno Silva-Santos, Mark J Smyth, Daniel E Speiser, Radek Spisek, Pramod K Srivastava, James E Talmadge, Eric Tartour, Sjoerd H Van Der Burg, Benoît J Van Den Eynde, Richard Vile, Hermann Wagner, Jeffrey S Weber, Theresa L Whiteside, Jedd D Wolchok, Laurence Zitvogel, Weiping Zou, Guido Kroemer

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

During the past decades, anticancer immunotherapy has evolved from a promising therapeutic option to a robust clinical reality. Many immunotherapeutic regimens are now approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for use in cancer patients, and many others are being investigated as standalone therapeutic interventions or combined with conventional treatments in clinical studies. Immunotherapies may be subdivided into "passive" and "active" based on their ability to engage the host immune system against cancer. Since the anticancer activity of most passive immunotherapeutics (including tumor-targeting monoclonal antibodies) also relies on the host immune system, this classification ...

The Bubbling Aorta, Hesham R. Omar, Maya Guglin

The VAD Journal

We are presenting the image of the bubbles in the descending aorta in a patient on VA ECMO.