Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Use Of Emerging Technologies To Assess Differences In Outdoor Physical Activity In St. Louis, Missouri, Deepti Adlakha, Elizabeth L. Budd, Rebecca Gernes, Sonia Sequiera, J. Aaron Hipp

Brown School Faculty Publications

Introduction: Abundant evidence shows that regular physical activity(PA) is an effective strategy for preventing obesity in people of diverse socioeconomic status (SES) and racial groups. The proportion of PA performed in parks and how this differs by proximate neighborhood SES has not been thoroughly investigated. The present project analyzes online public web data feeds to assess differences in outdoor PA by neighborhood SES in St. Louis, MO,USA. Methods:First, running and walking routes submitted by users of the website MapMyRun.com were downloaded. The website enables participants to plan, map, record, and share their exercise routes and outdoor activities like runs, walks, …

Predictors Of Hospitalization Among Newly Admitted Skilled Nursing Facility Residents: Rethinking The Role Of Functional Decline, Sun J. Kim, Joo H. Lee, Shunichi Nakagawa, Elizabeth Bukowy, Ankoor Biswas, Boram Han, Yeilim Cho, Hyun Phil Shin, Ji Won Yoo

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Hospital transfer from a skilled nursing facility (SNF) is costly, and many are potentially preventable. This study examines: 1) whether functional decline is a predictor of hospital transfer, and 2) the magnitude of relationships between predictors (functional impairment and chronic medical illness) and hospital transfer from SNFs.

Methods: We used Minimum Data Set (MDS) Version 2.0 in the state of Michigan between 2007 and 2009. In total, 196,662 new SNF admissions were observed. Multilevel generalized estimating equations and regression models were performed for each functional and clinical domain while adjusting for demographic variables and change in activities of daily …

Application Of The Breastfeeding Personal Efficacy Beliefs Inventory And Acknowledgment Of Barriers For Improving Breastfeeding Initiation Rates In An Urban Population, Diwata Bose, Callie Cox Bauer, Kiley A. Bernhard, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Introduction: Breastfeeding (BF) is recognized as the preferred method of infant nutrition by American Academy of Pediatricians, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the World Health Organization. Despite the benefits of BF, in 1998 only 69% of new mothers in the United States initiated BF and 29% continued to breastfeed at 6 months.

Objective: To assess perceived breastfeeding confidence (BFC) and determine barriers in regards to BF in an urban population.

Methods: The Breastfeeding Personal Efficacy Beliefs Inventory (BPEBI) was used to determine perceived BFC. The survey was distributed to 271 women during prenatal appointments at an urban Milwaukee …

Bedbugs Biting Back? A Multifactorial Consideration Of Bedbug Resurgence, Vanessa L. Abejuela-Matt

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Bedbugs, previously thought to be eradicated during the mid-20th century, have reemerged in the new millennium with unforeseen furor. Affected patients and families frequently present in primary care settings, not only with complaints of pruritus or rash, but with anxiety and shame regarding the condition. Changes in eradication techniques and resistance, as well as lack of reporting – from both patients and lodging institutions – have hindered control. The increased mobility of goods and the human population has provided further avenues for bedbug spread. While current literature thoroughly describes the clinical presentation of bedbugs and the increasingly problematic effects on …

Research Brief: "Women At War: Understanding How Women Veterans Cope With Combat And Military Sexual Trauma", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about stressors during military service that OEF/OIF female veterans experienced and how they coped with the stress. In policy and practice, female veterans should tell healthcare providers of their healthcare needs, and should form support groups with other veteran women; family members should support returning female service members; the VA should adapt its services to address the needs of female veterans, policymakers should allocate funding toward creating non-VA mental health and substance abuse counseling, and the VA should offer gender-specific mental health programs. Suggestions for future research include analyzing differences between age groups and length of time …

Circulating Tumor Cells In Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Prognostic And Predictive Marker, Sayyed Farshid Moussavi-Harami, Kari B. Wisinski, David J. Beebe

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The role of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as a marker for disease progression in metastatic cancer is controversial. The current review will serve to summarize the evidence on CTCs as a marker of disease progression in patients with metastatic breast cancer. The immunohistochemistry (IHC)-based CellSearch^® is the only FDA-approved isolation technique for quantifying CTCs in patients with metastatic breast cancer. We searched PubMed and Web of Knowledge for clinical studies that assessed the prognostic and predictive value of CTCs using IHC-based isolation.

The patient outcomes reported include median and Cox-proportional hazard ratios for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival …

Acculturation, Self-Efficacy And Breastfeeding Behavior In A Sample Of Hispanic Women, Ivonne F. Hernandez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Breastfeeding confers immunological, physiological and psychological benefits for the infant and mother as well as social and economic benefits to the nation. The United States Department of Health and Human Servcies (HHS), Healthy People 2020 has established national objectives for the initiation and duration of breastfeeding at 82% initiation, 61% at six months and 34% at one year. In addition, they have set goals for exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months to be 46% and 25% at 6 months of infant's age. Currently breastfeeding initiation is at the highest recorded level of 76.9%, yet significant disparities exist (CDC, 2012). The purpose …

From Breast Cancer To Bedbugs -- Really?, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

No abstract provided.

In Adult Smokers Unwilling Or Unable To Quit, Does Changing From Tobacco Cigarettes To Electronic Cigarettes Decrease The Incidence Of Negative Health Effects Associated With Smoking Tobacco? A Clin-Iq, Jennifer Brown, Brandon Brown, Peter Schwiebert, Kalyanakrishnan Ramakrisnan, Laine H. Mccarthy

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Data from a randomized controlled trial and systematic review support the claim that switching from tobacco cigarettes to electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) can reduce the short-term negative health effects of smoking. In adult smokers unwilling or unable to quit, exhaled carbon monoxide levels, total number of cigarettes smoked, and exposure to nitrosamine chemicals were reduced within a 12-month period. While the e-cigarette industry remains largely unregulated thus far, these studies provide encouraging hope in the uphill battle toward helping patients make informed and healthy choices.

Jpcrr Author Instructions

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

No abstract provided.

The Santa Clara, 2014-05-22, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

Octopamine Neuromodulation Regulates Gr32a-Linked Aggression And Courtship Pathways In Drosophila Males, Jonathan C. Andrews, Maria Paz Fernàndez, Qin Yu, Gregory Patrick Leary, Adelaine K. W. Leung, Michael P. Kavanaugh, Edward A. Kravitz, Sarah J. Certel

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Chemosensory pheromonal information regulates aggression and reproduction in many species, but how pheromonal signals are transduced to reliably produce behavior is not well understood. Here we demonstrate that the pheromonal signals detected by Gr32a-expressing chemosensory neurons to enhance male aggression are filtered through octopamine (OA, invertebrate equivalent of norepinephrine) neurons. Using behavioral assays, we find males lacking both octopamine and Gr32a gustatory receptors exhibit parallel delays in the onset of aggression and reductions in aggression. Physiological and anatomical experiments identify Gr32a to octopamine neuron synaptic and functional connections in the suboesophageal ganglion. Refining the Gr32a-expressing population indicates that mouth Gr32a …

Extraction Of Intrinsic Fluorescence From Single Fiber Fluorescence Measurements On A Turbid Medium: Experimental Validation, U. A. Gamm, C. L. Hoy, F. Van Leeuwen - Van Zaane, H. J. C. M. Sterenborg, S. C. Kanick, D J. Robinson, A. Amelink

Dartmouth Scholarship

Abstract

The detailed mechanisms associated with the influence of scattering and absorption properties on the fluorescence intensity sampled by a single optical fiber have recently been elucidated based on Monte Carlo simulated data. Here we develop an experimental single fiber fluorescence (SFF) spectroscopy setup and validate the Monte Carlo data and semi-empirical model equation that describes the SFF signal as a function of scattering. We present a calibration procedure that corrects the SFF signal for all system-related, wavelength dependent transmission efficiencies to yield an absolute value of intrinsic fluorescence. The validity of the Monte Carlo data and semi-empirical model is …

The Histone Methyltransferase Activity Of Mll1 Is Dispensable For Hematopoiesis And Leukemogenesis, Bibhu Mishra, Kristin M. Zaffuto, Erika L. Artinger, Tonis Org, Hannah K. A. Mikkola, Chao Cheng, Malek Djabali

Dartmouth Scholarship

Despite correlations between histone methyltransferase (HMT) activity and gene regulation, direct evidence that HMT activity is responsible for gene activation is sparse. We address the role of the HMT activity for MLL1, a histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methyltransferase critical for maintaining hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Here, we show that the SET domain, and thus HMT activity of MLL1, is dispensable for maintaining HSCs and supporting leukemogenesis driven by the MLL-AF9 fusion oncoprotein. Upon Mll1 deletion, histone H4 lysine 16 (H4K16) acetylation is selectively depleted at MLL1 target genes in conjunction with reduced transcription. Surprisingly, inhibition of SIRT1 is sufficient …

Implications Of Human Umbilical Cord Blood Cells: An Immunotherapeutic Strategy For Alzheimer's Disease, Donna Darlington

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common progressive age related dementia and the fourth major cause of mortality in the elderly in the United States. AD is pathologically characterized by deposition of amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques in the brain parenchyma and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) within the neuronal soma. While pharmacological targets have been discovered, current strategies for the symptomatic or disease-modifying treatment of AD do not significantly slow or halt the underlying pathological progression of the disease. Consequently, more effective treatment is needed. One possibility for amelioration is using human umbilical cord blood cell (HUCBC) therapy. HUCBCs comprise a …

Deductive Derivation And Computerization Of Compatible Semiparametric Efficient Estimation, Constantine E. Frangakis, Tianchen Qian, Zhenke Wu, Ivan Diaz

U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Researchers often seek robust inference for a parameter through semiparametric estimation. Efficient semiparametric estimation currently requires theoretical derivation of the efficient influence function (EIF), which can be a challenging and time-consuming task. If this task can be computerized, it can save dramatic human effort, which can be transferred, for example, to the design of new studies. Although the EIF is, in principle, a derivative, simple numerical differentiation to calculate the EIF by a computer masks the EIF's functional dependence on the parameter of interest. For this reason, the standard approach to obtaining the EIF has been the theoretical construction of …

Urinary Estrogen Metabolites And Self-Reported Infertility In Women Infected With Schistosoma Haematobium, Julio Santos, Maria Joao Gouveia, Nuno Vale, Maria De Lurdes Delgado, Ana Goncalves, Gabriel Rinaldi, Paul J. Brindley, +10 Additional Authors

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Background

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease, endemic in 76 countries, that afflicts more than 240 million people. The impact of schistosomiasis on infertility may be underestimated according to recent literature. Extracts of Schistosoma haematobium include estrogen-like metabolites termed catechol-estrogens that down regulate estrogen receptors alpha and beta in estrogen responsive cells. In addition, schistosome derived catechol-estrogens induce genotoxicity that result in estrogen-DNA adducts. These catechol estrogens and the catechol-estrogen-DNA adducts can be isolated from sera of people infected with S. haematobium. The aim of this study was to study infertility in females infected with S. haematobium and its …

Toward A Dynamical Theory Of Body Movement In Musical Performance, Roger Chaffin, Alexander P. Demos

Open Access Author Fund Awardees' Articles

Musicians sway expressively as they play in ways that seem clearly related to the music, but quantifying the relationship has been difficult. We suggest that a complex systems framework and its accompanying tools for analyzing non-linear dynamical systems can help identify the motor synergies involved. Synergies are temporary assemblies of parts that come together to accomplish specific goals. We assume that the goal of the performer is to convey musical structure and expression to the audience and to other performers. We provide examples of how dynamical systems tools, such as recurrence quantification analysis (RQA), can be used to examine performers' …

How Will Public Health And Primary Care Come Together In Massachusetts?, Javier Crespo

Public Affairs Capstones Collection

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act aims to place public health and prevention practice closer to the clinical care delivery system by mandating basic preventive services and creating a national prevention plan. The Massachusetts health care system has a number of elements that can help foster closer linking of public health practices in the primary care setting. This research set out to examine whether the current healthcare system in Massachusetts will enable public health and primary care integration as intimated upon by the Affordable Care Act. This study will assess the current connection between public health and primary care …

The Relative Efficacy Of Antifibrinolytics In Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Prospective Randomized Trial., Kushagra Verma, Md, Thomas Errico, Chris Diefenbach, Christian Hoelscher, Austin Peters, Joseph Dryer, Tessa Huncke, Kirstin Boenigk, Baron S Lonner

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Antifibrinolytics can reduce intraoperative blood loss. The primary aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of intraoperative tranexamic acid, epsilon-aminocaproic acid, and placebo at reducing perioperative blood loss and the transfusion rate in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis undergoing posterior spinal arthrodesis.

METHODS: This is a prospective, randomized, double-blind comparison of tranexamic acid, epsilon-aminocaproic acid, and placebo used intraoperatively in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. One hundred and twenty-five patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were randomly assigned to the tranexamic acid, epsilon-aminocaproic acid, or control groups. Parameters recorded included estimated blood loss, hematocrit, blood product usage, drain …

Interventions To Improve Delivery Of Isoniazid Preventive Therapy: An Overview Of Systematic Reviews, Lisa V. Adams, Elizabeth A. Talbot, Karen Odato, Heather Blunt, Karen R. Steingart

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background:

Uptake of isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) to prevent tuberculosis has been poor, particularly in the highest risk populations. Interventions to improve IPT delivery could promote implementation. The large number of existing systematic reviews on treatment adherence has made drawing conclusions a challenge. To provide decision makers with the evidence they need, we performed an overview of systematic reviews to compare different organizational interventions to improve IPT delivery as measured by treatment completion among those at highest risk for the development of TB disease, namely child contacts or HIV-infected individuals.

Methods:

We searched the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the …

Savor The Memory: A Reminiscence Exercise To Increase Positive Emotions And Reduce Depression Risk In Anxious Individuals, Bethany Morris

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A growing literature suggests that experiencing positive emotions provides psychological benefits (e.g., Coifman et al. 2007), and interventions increasing positive emotions may reduce depression risk (Geschwind et al., 2011). The present study tested whether reminiscence, a method of positive emotion savoring (Quoidbach et al., 2010), can mitigate depression risk by increasing positive emotions in an unselected sample and a subsample of at-risk anxious individuals. Female participants (n=336) were randomized to a reminiscence or control condition and asked to complete daily mental imagery exercises focusing on a positive memory (reminiscence) or a neutral laboratory memory (control) for one week. As expected, …

2014 May 20 - Medical Student Education Committee Minutes, Medical Student Education Committee, East Tennessee State University

Medical Student Education Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

Using Multimedia Social Storiestm To Enhance Prosocial Behavior Of At-Risk Preschoolers, Daniella Suric

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated Social StoriesTM (SS) with three at-risk preschool children in a high- need public elementary school. Specifically, this study examined the use of a multimedia SS designed to decrease problem behavior and increase prosocial behavior. A multiple baseline design across participants with an ABC sequence was used to assess the impact of the standard SS and multimedia SS on the children's target behaviors. The results of the study indicated that the standard SS was successful in reducing problem behavior and increasing prosocial behavior for all three participating children. The results also indicated that the multimedia SS had positive …

Health System Characteristics And Rates Of Readmission After Acute Myocardial Infarction In The United States, Jeremiah R. Brown, Chiang-Hua Chang, Weiping Zhou, Todd A. Mackenzie, David J. Malenka, David C. Goodman

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background:

Interventions to reduce early readmissions have focused on patient characteristics and the importance of early follow‐up; however, less is known about the characteristics of health systems, including quality, capacity, and intensity, and their influence on readmission rates in the United States. Therefore, we examined the association of hospital patterns of medical care with rates of 30‐day readmission.

Methods and Results:

Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for an AMI (n=188 611) between 2008 and 2009 in 1088 hospitals in the United States were included in our cohort. We tested the association between hospital patterns of medical care quality (discharge planning care quality), …

Time-Varying, Serotype-Specific Force Of Infection Of Dengue Virus, Kanya C. Long, Robert C. Reiner, Steven T. Stoddard, Brett M. Froshey, Aaron A. King, Alicia M. Ellis, Alun L. Lloyd, Claudio Rocha, Stalin Vilcarromero, Helvio Astete, Isabel Bazan, Audrey Lenhart, Gonzalo M. Vazquez-Prokopec, Valerie A. Paz-Soldan, Phlip J. Mccall, Uriel Kitron, John P. Elder, Eric S. Halsey, Amy C. Morrison, Tadeusz J. Kochel, Thomas W. Scott

Faculty Publications

Infectious disease models play a key role in public health planning. These models rely on accurate estimates of key transmission parameters such as the force of infection (FoI), which is the percapita risk of a susceptible person being infected. The FoI captures the fundamental dynamics of transmission and is crucial for gauging control efforts, such as identifying vaccination targets. Dengue virus (DENV) is a mosquito-borne, multiserotype pathogen that currently infects ∼390 million people a year. Existing estimates of the DENV FoI are inaccurate because they rely on the unrealistic assumption that risk is constant over time. Dengue models are thus …

An Investigation Into The Prevalence Of And Relationships Among Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, Compassion Satisfaction, And Self-Transcendence In Oncology Nurses, Adena Romeo-Ratliff

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

PROBLEM: Oncology nursing is an emotionally demanding profession where nurses witness repeated patient suffering and death placing them at risk for adverse emotional effects such as compassion fatigue (CF) and burnout (BO). Despite this risk, many oncology nurses describe an intense satisfaction with their work, known as compassion satisfaction (CS). Self-transcendence (ST) has been found to have protective abilities. This study purpose was to assess the prevalence of CF, BO, and CS among oncology nurses in theUnited States, and the relationships among ST and CF, BO, CS, and demographic factors.

METHODS: This descriptive correlational study consisted of a random sample …

Conference Learnings, Theresa Elwell Bsn, Rn

Patient Care Services / Nursing

No abstract provided.

Theta Dynamics In Rat: Speed And Acceleration Across The Septotemporal Axis, Lauren L. Long, James R. Hinman, Chi-Ming Chen, Monty A. Escabi, James J. Chrobak

Open Access Author Fund Awardees' Articles

Theta (6–12 Hz) rhythmicity in the local field potential (LFP) reflects a clocking mechanism that brings physically isolated neurons together in time, allowing for the integration and segregation of distributed cell assemblies. Variation in the theta signal has been linked to locomotor speed, sensorimotor integration as well as cognitive processing. Previously, we have characterized the relationship between locomotor speed and theta power and how that relationship varies across the septotemporal (long) axis of the hippocampus (HPC). The current study investigated the relationship between whole body acceleration, deceleration and theta indices at CA1 and dentate gyrus (DG) sites along the septotemporal …

Ada News - 05/19/2014, American Dental Association, Publishing Division

ADA News

Established in 1970 as the official newspaper of the American Dental Association, the ADA News serves practicing dentists and others allied to the dental profession in the U.S. and internationally. It is the No. 1 source of news and information about the many benefits and services the ADA delivers to members daily as well as timely information on scientific, social, political and economic developments affecting dentistry and health care.