Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Temporal Trends And Geographic Variations In Mortality Rates From Prescription Opioids: Lessons From Florida And West Virginia, Sarah A Palumbo, Charles H Hennekens, Janet D Robishaw, Robert S Levine

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVES: To explore temporal trends and geographic variations in mortality from prescription opioids from 1999 to 2016.

METHODS: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research Multiple Cause of Death files were used to calculate age-adjusted rates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and create spatial cluster maps.

RESULTS: From 1999 to 2016, counties in West Virginia experienced the highest overall mortality rates in the United States from prescription opioids. Specifically, from 1999 to 2004, the highest rate in West Virginia of 24.87/100,000 (95% CI 17.84-33.73) was the fourth highest in the United States. From 2005 to …

Optimal Control With Manf Treatment Of Photoreceptor Degeneration, Erika T. Camacho, Suzanne Lenhart, Luis A. Melara, Cristina Villalobos, Stephen Wirkus

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

People afflicted with diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration experience a decline in vision due to photoreceptor degeneration, which is currently unstoppable and irreversible. Currently there is no cure for diseases linked to photoreceptor degeneration. Recent experimental work showed that mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) can reduce neuron death and, in particular, photoreceptor death by reducing the number of cells that undergo apoptosis. In this work, we build on an existing system of ordinary differential equations that represent photoreceptor interactions and incorporate MANF treatment for three experimental mouse models having undergone varying degrees of photoreceptor degeneration. Using …

Probable African Tick Bite Fever In The United States, Kami Lowery, Theodore Rosen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

African tick bite fever (ATBF) is a tick-borne rickettsial disease most often observed in North American and European tourists returning home from the southern portion of Africa. Ticks infected with Rickettsia africae transmit this parasitic bacterium to humans, who subsequently develop an influenza-like illness, one or more inoculation eschars, and in some cases, a cutaneous rash. Because ATBF often presents with non-specific symptoms that suggest other infectious diseases, establishing the diagnosis may be difficult. Confirmatory assays, including serology and nucleic acid amplification, may take weeks to return and cannot help with acute treatment decisions. We present a case of a …

A Compendium Of Single Cell Analysis In Aging And Disease, Uday Chintapula, Samir M. Iqbal, Young-Tae Kim

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Cell is the fundamental structural and functional unit of complex multicellular organisms. Conventional methods which involve average analysis of cells in bulk populations can undermine physiologically significant cell populations, whereas analysis of cells at a single cell level may reveal unique biomarkers and other mechanisms that govern the genotype and phenotype in various physiological processes in presumed homogenous cell populations. Cellular abnormalities such as irregularities in cellular mechanisms have been linked to human aging and other major diseases including neurodegenerative, vascular, autoimmune, and cancer. Aging is a functional decline associated with various diseases in an organism, majorly arising from cellular …

Screening For Hepatitis C Virus Infection In Adolescents And Adults: Updated Evidence Report And Systematic Review For The Us Preventive Services Task Force, Roger Chou, Tracy Dana, Rongwei Fu, Bernadette Zahker, Jesse Wagner, Shaun Ramirez, Sara Grusing, Janice H. Jou

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

IMPORTANCE: A 2013 review for the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening found interferon-based antiviral therapy associated with increased likelihood of sustained virologic response (SVR) and an association between achieving an SVR and improved clinical outcomes. New direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens are available.

OBJECTIVE: To update the 2013 review on HCV screening to inform the USPSTF.

DATA SOURCES: Ovid MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews through February 2019, with surveillance through September 2019.

STUDY SELECTION: Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and nonrandomized treatment studies of HCV …

Polr1b And Neural Crest Cell Anomalies In Treacher Collins Syndrome Type 4, Elodie Sanchez, Tomi L Toler, Walton Nephi, Marcia Willing, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is a rare autosomal dominant mandibulofacial dysostosis, with a prevalence of 0.2-1/10,000. Features include bilateral and symmetrical malar and mandibular hypoplasia and facial abnormalities due to abnormal neural crest cell (NCC) migration and differentiation. To date, three genes have been identified: TCOF1, POLR1C, and POLR1D. Despite a large number of patients with a molecular diagnosis, some remain without a known genetic anomaly.

METHODS: We performed exome sequencing for four individuals with TCS but who were negative for pathogenic variants in the known causative genes. The effect of the pathogenic variants was investigated in zebrafish.

RESULTS: …

Disestablishmentarianism: Or Why Political Correctness Is Racist, Anti-Gay, Anti-Transgender, Misogynist, Anti-Science, And Anti-You., W Clark Lambert, Shreya Patel, Lawrence Charles Parish

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

Disestablishmentarianism is known to most of us as one of the longest words in the English language (before some over-eager college students, even a few doctors, invented some mostly quite silly longer ones). A few may also know it as a rather dull, perhaps equally silly facet of British history. This is a shame, because this rather bizarre movement that began in eighteenth century England, has much to teach us about modern times.

A Descriptive Study Of Double Burden Of Malnutrition In Mothers Of Children With Severe Acute Malnutrition Admitted In Children Hospital And Institute Of Child Health, Multan, Saadia Khan, Umme Ammara, Reema Arshad, Farah Naz, Kamran Ishfaq

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Objective: To assess the nutritional status of mothers of severely malnourished children, and to evaluate the factors associated with inadequate caloric intake of children with severe acute malnutrition versus sufficient caloric intake by mothers.
Methods: The cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from January to June 2016 at Children Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Multan, Pakistan, and comprised mothers of severely malnourished children admitted for treatment. Data was collected using a questionnaire administered through interviews. Elements noted included body mass index, 24-hour recall, dietary restriction during pregnancy, lactation and complimentary feeding patterns of the children. The mothers were also examined …

How Do Nurse-To-Patient Ratios In The Emergency Department Impact Patient Experience?, Jessica L. Marcoux

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a lack of consensus about the staffing matrix across nursing and especially in emergency

nursing, where variations in arrival patterns, acuity, social determinants of health, and length of stay all impact the workload of emergency nurses. The objective of this paper was to determine if government-mandated staffing ratios had a greater impact on patient experience at hospitals in California than staffing based on hours per patient visit at hospitals in Massachusetts. Seven hospitals from the state of California with government-mandated nurse-to-patient ratios were compared to 7 hospitals from Massachusetts that did not have mandated staffing ratios to determine …

Increasing Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors In Cargo Drivers, Ronda L. Bell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to examine the extent to which lifestyle behaviors of transportation drivers in North Texas can be improved with health education. This research study was conducted to examine the health behaviors of transportation drivers as a result of an educational partnership between nursing and the transportation industry. The goal was to improve healthy lifestyles through education to decrease chronic illness and comorbid conditions of a significantly at-risk occupational population. The impact of this education was immediate and verified with quantitative measurement and statistical analysis. Results demonstrated that after nurse-led health education, transportation drivers reported significant …

The Effect Of Heart Score Risk Stratification Tool On Length Of Stay, Kelly Huffman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

With increasing national health care expenditures, different methods of reducing health care costs, along with supportive evidence-based research, are essential. This research will lead to changes in clinical practice standards including the utilization of tools by emergency room and hospitalist providers to reduce costs by decreasing the length of stay for acute chest pain admissions. The researcher utilized a retrospective review of charts for participants admitted into the acute care setting with the primary diagnosis of acute chest pain, with a focus on determining whether an initial calculation of a HEART Score risk stratification variable was completed and if …

The Impact Of Education On The Attitudes Of Staff Of A Rehabilitation Hospital, Kathryn Voreis, Kathryn G. Voreis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stroke, also known as CVA or cerebrovascular accident, is a major chronic disease worldwide. In the United States, it is the leading cause of disability, costing a billion dollars each year (CDC, 2017). Typically, Western medicine is used for the treatment of stroke in the United States. An approach that has potential to improve general health outcomes, movement, mobility, aphasia, and quality of life includes acupuncture along with the standard therapies. The purpose of this quantitative research was to determine if the staff of a rehabilitation hospital would have a change in attitude after an educational program on acupuncture. The …

What The Resilience Budget Can And Cannot Do In Helping Singapore Tackle Covid-19, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In a commentary, SMU Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan discussed the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 global pandemic and explained the three broad objectives of the Resilience Budget in tackling the crisis. He also discussed the valuable learning points that Singaporeans can learn from this pandemic.

Early Polls Make Sense In A Worsening Pandemic, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In a commentary, SMU Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan opined there is no good time for a general election amid the global pandemic, and it is a judgment call on when to hold Singapore's 13th general election, which must take place by April next year at the latest. He believes early polls make sense in a worsening pandemic if the Government ensures that even as candidates campaign, there is no let-up in the fight against the outbreak.

Oxidative Stress And Male Infertility: A Cross Sectional Study, Rehana Rehman, Sofia Amjad, Hemaila Tariq, Nida Zahid, Masnoon Akhter, Mussarat Ashraf

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Objective: To compare stress markers and antioxidants in fertile and infertile males, and to explore their effects on reproductive hormones and fertility.
Methods: The cross-sectional case-control study was conducted from July 2017 to July 2018 at the Islamabad Clinic Serving Infertile Couples, Islamabad, Pakistan, and comprised male subjects aged 25-55 years. Infertile subjects were the cases, while healthy fertile males acted as the controls. Stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline and antioxidants glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data was analysed using SPSS 22.
Results: Of the 376 subjects, 241(64%) were cases and 135(36%) were controls. …

Advance Directives And Intensity Of Care Delivered To Hospitalized Older Adults At The End-Of-Life, Marsha Helen Tyacke, Jill L. Guttormson, Mauricio Garnier-Villarreal, Kathryn Schroeter, Wendy Peltier

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Older adults prefer comfort over life-sustaining care. Decreased intensity of care is associated with improved quality of life at the end-of-life (EOL).

Objectives

This study explored the association between advance directives (ADs) and intensity of care in the acute care setting at the EOL for older adults.

Methods

A retrospective, correlational study of older adult decedents (N = 496) was conducted at an academic medical center. Regression analyses explored the association between ADs and intensity of care.

Results

Advance directives were not independently predictive of aggressive care but were independently associated with referrals to palliative care and hospice; however, …

Fluoridation: Our History, Our Legacy, James Wieland Dds

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

2020 marks the 75th anniversary of one of the world’s most dramatic public health initiatives, a public health project that dramatically improved the oral health of millions of people, not only in the United States but throughout the world. On Jan. 25, 1945, the Grand Rapids Study was launched and the Furniture City became the world’s first to adjust the fluoride level of its public water supply.

This landmark trial established the use of fluoridation as a safe, effective, and economical public health measure to prevent tooth decay.

How the Grand Rapids Study began is a fascinating story. Even though …

Community Water Fluoridation’S Legacy: Protect It Or Lose It, Johnny Johnson Dmd, Ms

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This article presents advocacy strategies to promote and preserve community water fluoridation initiatives. The American Fluoridation Society, patterned after the British Fluoridation Society, brings dentists, health experts, and other allies and provides evidence-based resources to address a broad spectrum of assertion by fluoridation opponents.

Conducting A 10-Minute Search For Evidence To Aid In Clinical Decision-Making, Mark Maceachern Mlis

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This article is a continuation of the Journal’s series on implementing EBD process into clinical practice. The abundance of scientific literature can make it difficult to find the best evidence to answer a clinical question. This article presents strategies for conducting a 10-minute search for the best evidence, including:

• Developing a PICO question to focus the search.
• Using free search engines such as PubMed, Google Scholar, TRIP, PubMed Clinical Queries, Medline-Plus.gov, Epistemonikos, and other online resources such as published ADA Clinical Practice Guidelines.
• Using keywords with search properties, such as Boolean Operators and filters, to discover specific types of articles, …

The Studies That Shaped A Science-Based Profession, Christopher J. Smiley

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Editorial on science-based public health policy and the lessons of the Grand Rapids Study.

Pectin-Tannic Acid Nano-Complexes Promote The Delivery And Bioactivity Of Drugs In Pancreatic Cancer Cells, Sumeet S. Chauhan, Advait B. Shetty, Elham Hatami, Pallabita Chowdhury, Murali M. Yallapu

School of Medicine Publications

Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is a lethal disease. Conventional chemotherapies for PanCa offer severe systemic toxicities. Thus, the development of a successful nanomedicine-based therapeutic regimen with augmented therapeutic efficacy is highly sought. Naturally occurring pectin and modified pectin-based drug delivery systems exhibit remarkable self-targeting ability via galactose residues to various cancer cells. Herein, we developed and used an innovative approach of highly stable nanocomplexes based on modified pectin and tannic acid (MPT-NCs). The nanocomplex formation was enabled by strong intermolecular interactions between pectin and tannic acid under very mild conditions. These nanocomplexes were characterized by particle size and morphology (DLS, TEM, …

Over-The-Counter Availability Of Levonorgestrel Emergency Contraception In Pharmacies On Oahu, Jennifer Chin, Jennifer Salcedo, Shandhini Raidoo

School of Medicine Publications

Since the United States Food and Drug Administration’s approval of over-the-counter levonorgestrel emergency contraception, access to this time-sensitive medication has improved. However, multiple barriers, including the cost of the medication and pharmacy availability, still exist. The objective of this study was to determine the over-the-counter availability of levonorgestrel emergency contraception in pharmacies on Oahu, Hawaii. We conducted a cross-sectional population-based study using in-person simulated patient encounters at all pharmacies on Oahu. Out of 109 chain pharmacies and 13 independent pharmacies, 102 (84%) pharmacies had levonorgestrel emergency contraception available over the counter. Of pharmacies in which it was available, 12.7% required …

Consortium Of Otolaryngology Journal Editors: Collegiality And Contributions, Robert T. Sataloff, Rakesh Chandra, Edward W. Fisher, David Goldenberg, Ehab Y. Hanna, Jonas Johnson, David W. Kennedy, Dennis H. Kraus, John H. Krouse, Michael Link

School of Medicine Publications

There is a new tradition in the otolaryngology publishing community that is unique to our specialty, so far as we know. Editors-in-Chief of otolaryngology journals in the United States, and intermittently some of our international colleagues such as the Editor of the Journal of Laryngology and Otology (England), sit down together twice a year to discuss topics of mutual interest, maintain lines of communication and friendships, and share perspectives on the evolution of otolaryngology—head and neck surgery and needs that our journals might help address. To establish these collegial, uninhibited, informative, and productive meetings, Dr Robert Ruben proposed the idea …

Dose Response Of The 16p11.2 Distal Copy Number Variant On Intracranial Volume And Basal Ganglia, Ida E. Sønderby, Ómar Gústafsson, Nhat Trung Doan, Nicholas B. Blackburn, John Blangero, Joanne E. Curran, Juan M. Peralta

School of Medicine Publications

Carriers of large recurrent copy number variants (CNVs) have a higher risk of developing neurodevelopmental disorders. The 16p11.2 distal CNV predisposes carriers to e.g., autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. We compared subcortical brain volumes of 12 16p11.2 distal deletion and 12 duplication carriers to 6882 non-carriers from the large-scale brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging collaboration, ENIGMA-CNV. After stringent CNV calling procedures, and standardized FreeSurfer image analysis, we found negative dose-response associations with copy number on intracranial volume and on regional caudate, pallidum and putamen volumes (β = −0.71 to −1.37; P < 0.0005). In an independent sample, consistent results were obtained, with significant effects in the pallidum (β = −0.95, P = 0.0042). The two data sets combined showed significant negative dose-response for the accumbens, caudate, pallidum, putamen and ICV (P=0.0032, 8.9 × 10−6, 1.7 × 10−9, 3.5 × 10−12 and 1.0 × 10−4, respectively). Full scale IQ was lower in both deletion and duplication carriers compared to noncarriers. This is the first brain MRI study of the impact of the 16p11.2 distal CNV, and we demonstrate a specific effect on subcortical brain structures, suggesting a neuropathological pattern underlying the neurodevelopmental syndromes.

The Relationship Between Serum Zinc Levels And Myopia, Niamh Burke, John Butler, Daniel Ian Flitcroft, James Loughman

Articles

Clinical significance: Myopia is inherently associated with eye growth and thereby possibly amenable to nutritional influence. However, little attention has been given to possible die- tary influences. This study demonstrates that serum zinc does not play a role in myopia development. Background: Myopia is inherently associated with eye growth and thereby possibly amena- ble to nutritional influence. A number of Asian studies have reported lower levels of serum zinc in myopic children. This study was designed to assess the relationship between serum zinc and myopia in the Korean population – using a subsample of participants from nation- ally representative data.

Distributed Adaptive State Estimation And Tracking By Using Active-Passive Sensor Networks, Akhilesh Raj, Sarangapani Jagannathan, Tansel Yucelen

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Heterogeneous sensor networks (HSN) find a wide range of applications in the field of military and civilian environments, where sensor nodes are utilized to estimate the position of a target with both dynamics and control input being unknown for the purposes of tracking. In the HSN, nodes are considered active depending upon their ability to sense the target output while the others are taken passive. Accurate estimation requires local information exchange among the spatially located sensor nodes, so that the active nodes as well as the passive nodes converge simultaneously to the same value. The local information exchange among the …

The Search For Optimal Oxygen Saturation Targets In Critically Ill: Patients Observational Data From Large Icu Databases, Willem Van Den Boom, Michael Hoy, Jagadish Sankaran, Mengru Liu, Haroun Chahed, Mengling Feng, Kay Choong See

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Background: Although low oxygen saturations are generally regarded as deleterious, recent studies in ICU patients have shown that a liberal oxygen strategy increases mortality. However, the optimal oxygen saturation target remains unclear. The goal of this study was to determine the optimal range by using real-world data. Methods: Replicate retrospective analyses were conducted of two electronic medical record databases: the eICU Collaborative Research Database (eICU-CRD) and the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III database (MIMIC). Only patients with at least 48 h of oxygen therapy were included. Nonlinear regression was used to analyze the association between median pulse oximetry-derived …

Modulation Of Anti-Microbical Defenses In The Gasrointestinal Tract By Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors, Alreem Abdulaziz Al-Dhalali Al-Mansori

Theses

Inflammation is a crucial defence mechanism that protects the body from the effect of invading pathogens. However, the inflammatory response needs to be controlled in order to avoid systemic manifestations with serious consequences to the host. Accumulating evidence indicates that the inflammatory response is tightly regulated through immunological and neural pathways. Previously, it has been demonstrated that cholinergic stimulation by paraoxon, a specific and irreversible inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), improved survival in mice following oral infection with virulent Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium). However, paraoxon is an organophosphorus compound unsuited for human use. In this study, the …

Safety And Efficacy Profile Of Ozenoxacin 1% Cream In Pediatric Patients With Impetigo, Adelaide A Hebert, Theodore Rosen, Núria Albareda López, Ilonka Zsolt, Xavier Masramon

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Ozenoxacin is a topical antibiotic approved in the United States for treatment of impetigo in adults and children age ≥2 months. This analysis evaluated the efficacy and safety of ozenoxacin in specific pediatric age groups.

METHODS: Data for children aged 2 months to <18 years recruited from eight countries who had participated in phase 1 and 3 trials of ozenoxacin were extracted and analyzed by age range.

RESULTS: Across studies, 644 pediatric patients with impetigo received ozenoxacin 1% cream (n = 287) or vehicle (n = 247). One study included retapamulin 1% ointment as the internal validity control (n = 110). The clinical success rate at the end of treatment and bacterial eradication rates after 3 to 4 days of treatment and at …

The Infectious Headache- A Case Of Neurocysticercosis, Supraja Thunuguntla, Obinna Echeruo, Jose Campo Maldonado

School of Medicine Publications

A 50-year-old Hispanic female presented to her primary care physician with a progressively worsening headache over a week, associated with visual disturbances, prosopagnosia and episodes of disorientation. Outpatient workup with head CT showed abnormality in the ventral aspect of the left thalamus showing 1.2 × 1 cm low density cyst with approximately 2-3 mm right-left midline shift locally. Left basal ganglia showed multiple well-defined foci of low density measuring up to 3 mm reflecting edema. On admission, pertinent physical exam findings were left sided nystagmus, positive deep tendon reflexes (DTRs) in the right lower extremity (RLE), positive Babinski on the …