Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Association Of Hiv Status And Other Minoritized Identities With Psychiatric Diagnoses Among Transgender And Gender Diverse Individuals In The All Of Us Research Program, Fanghui Shi

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people, whose gender identities or expressions differ from the sex assigned at birth, are disproportionately affected by adverse health outcomes, including various psychiatric diagnoses such as depression, anxiety, stress, and substance use disorders. The Gender Minority Stress Model emphasizes that TGD people face both proximal stressors at a personal/individual level (e.g., internalized stigma) and distal stressors at a societal level (e.g., discrimination) due to their minority status, which largely contributes to their increased risk of psychiatric diagnoses. Despite these health disparities, there is a paucity of gender identity data collected in large population-based health …

Evaluation Of Mechanism Of Action And Toxicity Of Novel Psychoactive Substances (Nps) Identified As Cannabinomimetics, Robert Michael Sears

Theses and Dissertations

Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRA), also referred to as synthetic cannabinoids (SCs), pose a significant public health risk, create an undue burden on local emergency departments, and present significant challenges for law enforcement officers and forensic laboratories. SCs are a diverse group of compounds sold with the intent to illicit psychoactive responses like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive component in marijuana. Since their initial detection in 2004, illicit use of SCs has grown in popularity. Recognizing the dangers of SC use, the Drug Enforcement Agency has moved to schedule the analytes routinely identified in street drugs. Despite these efforts, the …

Examining Risk Factors For Early-Onset Breast Cancer, Jennifer Grace Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: There have been great advancements in screening and in the identifying of risk factors associated with breast cancer, however, there is a lack of information of these factors in women with breast cancer occurring under the age of 45, known as early-onset breast cancer (EOBC). EOBC is often found at later stages, negatively impacting young women’s careers, family planning, and mental health. Additionally, because of the health disparities that exist within the U.S. health care system, women belonging to racial and ethnic groups, specifically young Black women, tend to have poorer outcomes and higher mortality rates of EOBC compared …

Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices Regarding Sexually Transmitted Infections In South Carolina: A Cross-Sectional Survey And Comparison To Geographically-Associated Social Determinants Of Health, Sean Patrick Sweeney

Theses and Dissertations

Sexually transmitted disease (STD) rates are on the rise in the United States. South Carolina ranks consistently among the states with the highest STD burdens, especially for the bacterial diseases gonorrhea and chlamydia. This study sought to determine the opinions, beliefs, and knowledgebase of South Carolina citizens regarding STDs and sexual health/education. In doing so, the study seeks to identify areas of improvement for educators, healthcare workers, and public health employees. Using a web-based cross-sectional survey, this study contacted approximately 900,000 South Carolina residents for participation. Participants were asked a variety of questions focused on STD knowledge, opinions, and practices. …

Antioxidant And Anti-Inflammatory Potential Of Engineered Ceria Nanoparticles In The Management Of Alzheimer's Disease, Shanshan Shi

Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions worldwide. Unfortunately, there are currently no effective therapies available to prevent or cure the disease. While current therapies aim to change AD progression, there is a growing need for novel therapeutic strategies that can effectively penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to target the underlying pathology of the disease. The BBB is a highly selective semipermeable barrier that separates circulating blood from the brain. It plays a crucial role in amyloid-β (Aβ) homeostasis and clearance dynamics, as Aβ accumulation is a key factor in the pathogenesis of AD. Aβ aggregation …

Medication Adherence Between Long-Acting Injectable And Oral Antipsychotic Medications In South Carolina Medicaid Beneficiaries With Schizophrenia, Pujing Zhao

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Schizophrenia is a chronic and serious mental disorder that affects millions of individuals worldwide. A recent study shows the prevalence of schizophrenia globally is about 1%. The primary schizophrenia treatment goal is to effectively manage symptoms and prevent relapses. Antipsychotic medications are very important for the treatment of schizophrenia. However, the prevalence of nonadherence to antipsychotic medication is high, with mean rates reaching 41.2%. In the realm of schizophrenia treatment, two primary categories of medications are utilized: long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAI) and oral antipsychotic agents (OAP).LAI are administered at intervals spanning from two weeks to several months and have …

Communicating About A Nicotine Reduction Policy Among People Who Use Little Cigars And Cigarillos, Charity Afi Ntansah

Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed rulemaking to reduce the nicotine content in cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products to non-addictive levels. A very low nicotine content (VLNC) policy aimed primarily at cigarettes could drive people to other combusted products like little cigars and cigarillos (LCCs), potentially undermining its effectiveness. Expanding the policy to include LCCs requires effective messages for people who use LCCs. This dissertation explores how to communicate the reduced nicotine policy to people who use LCCs. The research recruited four populations with the highest prevalence of cigar use: African American and White males and …

Improving Distributed Health Information Technology Integration Through Enriched Context In Sociotechnical System Components, Jeritt Thayer

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The design and architecture of health information technology (HIT) are in the process of a transformative shift. Monolithic code bases, which are several systems intertwined into a single program, are being split into multiple distributed programs that communicate across information networks. Thus far, only sparse knowledge exists about the challenges of distributed HIT, and the interaction of these architectures with other factors of the sociotechnical system, such as clinical content, is not well understood. Existing sociotechnical models describe the components within a healthcare system and the connections between components, but the types of relationships between each component are underspecified. Within …

Association Of Candidate Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism Genotypes With Plasma And Skin Carotenoid Concentrations In Adults Provided A Lycopene-Rich Juice, Anna C Norman, Daniel G Palmer, Nancy E Moran, James N Roemmich, Shanon L Casperson

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Carotenoids are fat-soluble phytochemicals with biological roles, including ultraviolet protective functions in skin. Spectroscopic skin carotenoid measurements can also serve as a noninvasive biomarker for carotenoid consumption. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in metabolic genes are associated with human plasma carotenoid concentrations; however, their relationships with skin carotenoid concentrations are unknown.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between 13 candidate SNPs with skin and plasma carotenoid concentrations before and after a carotenoid-rich tomato juice intervention.

Methods: In this randomized, controlled trial, participants (n = 80) were provided with lycopene-rich vegetable juice providing low (13.1 mg), medium …

Investigating The Abilities Of Potentially Beneficial Bacteria For Increasing Nitrogen-Use Efficiency In Maize, Lexie R. Foster

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Global agriculture relies heavily on the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer to meet the current global food demand. Unfortunately, the average nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) of maize (Zea mays) is approximately 50 percent. Improving the NUE of maize is essential for meeting the growing global food demand while also decreasing the negative environmental impacts caused by losses of nitrogen fertilizer due to runoff and volatilization. Harnessing the symbiotic relationship between plants and the soil microbiome may be one method for increasing the NUE in crops such as maize. In the present study, a set of potentially beneficial bacterial species …

Is Mechanism Of Injury Associated With Outcome In Spinal Trauma? An Observational Cohort Study From Tanzania, Chibuikem Ikwuegbuenyi, Julie Woodfield, François Waterkeyn, Scott Zuckerman, Beverly Cheserem, Andreas Leidinger, Albert Lazaro, Hamisi Shabani, Roger Härtl, Halinder Mangat

General Surgery, East Africa

Background Traumatic spinal injury (TSI) is a disease of significant global health burden, particularly in low and middle-income countries where road traffic-related trauma is increasing. This study compared the demographics, injury patterns, and outcomes of TSI caused by road traffic accidents (RTAs) to non-traffic related TSI.

Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted using a neurotrauma registry from the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (MOI) in Tanzania, a national referral center for spinal injuries. Patient sociodemographic characteristics, injury level, and severity were compared across mechanisms of injury. Neurological improvement, neurological deterioration, and mortality were compared between those sustaining TSI through an RTA versus …

Implementation Of A Mobile-Based Mindfulness Intervention To Lower Perceived Stress Levels In Undergraduate Nursing Students, Wendy S. Carley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project analyzed the effect of the daily use of a mindfulness-based mobile application on associate degree nursing undergraduate prelicensure students’ perceived stress levels. Nursing students experience elevated stress levels that may be reduced through mindfulness behaviors. Undergraduate, prelicensure nursing students participated in establishing the impact of mindfulness on perceived stress levels in a quantitative pre/postintervention study. The evidenced-based studies chosen for this review consisted of randomized controlled trials, pilot studies, pre/posttest designs, systematic reviews, and quantitative and qualitative studies. The investigator collected presearch data using a pre/posttest design to evaluate the effectiveness of a stress management program in reducing …

Lilrb4 On Multiple Myeloma Cells Promotes Bone Lesion By P-Shp2/Nf-Κb/Relt Signal Pathway, Hongying Wang, Lei Wang, Huiwen Luan, Jing Xiao, Zhiling Zhao, Pengfei Yu, Mi Deng, Yifan Liu, Shuhao Ji, Junjie Ma, Yan Zhou, Jiashen Zhang, Xianhui Meng, Juan Zhang, Xinyu Zhao, Chunling Li, Fangmin Li, Dapeng Wang, Shujuan Wei, Lijun Hui, Siman Nie, Changzhu Jin, Zhiqiang An, Ningyan Zhang, Yaopeng Wang, Cheng Cheng Zhang, Zunling Li

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Background: Leukocyte Ig-like receptor B family 4 (LILRB4) as an immune checkpoint on myeloid cells is a potential target for tumor therapy. Extensive osteolytic bone lesion is the most characteristic feature of multiple myeloma. It is unclear whether ectopic LILRB4 on multiple myeloma regulates bone lesion.

Methods: The conditioned medium (CM) from LILRB4-WT and -KO cells was used to analyze the effects of LILRB4 on osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Xenograft, syngeneic and patient derived xenograft models were constructed, and micro-CT, H&E staining were used to observe the bone lesion. RNA-seq, cytokine array, qPCR, the activity of luciferase, Co-IP and western blotting …

Clinical Presentation And Outcomes Of Care In Adults With Diabetic Ketoacidosis Pre-Covid-19 And During-Covid-19 At A Tertiary, Referral Hospital In Nairobi, Kenya, Sairabanu Sokwalla, Jasmit Shah, Sangeeta Chauhan, Reena Shah, Salim Surani, Eric Njenga, Nancy Kunyiha

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: Prognosis of DKA has improved over time with the availability of evidence-based protocols and resources. However, in Kenya, there are limited resources for the appropriate diagnosis and management of DKA, mostly limited to tertiary-level referral facilities. This study aimed to review the clinical presentation, management, and outcomes of adult patients admitted with DKA and assess differences in these parameters before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of DKA admissions from January 2017 to December 2021. Patient data were retrieved from the medical records department using ICD-10 codes, and individual details were abstracted on clinical …

Open-Label, Dose-Escalation Fight-101 Study Of Pemigatinib Combined With Targeted Therapy, Chemotherapy, Or Immunotherapy In Patients With Advanced Malignancies, Mansoor Saleh, Minal Barve, Vivek Subbiah, Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Daniel Morgensztern, Niharika Mettu, Sameek Roychowdhury, Iben Spanggaard, Maria Luisa Veronese, Chenwei Tian

Haematology and Oncology, East Africa

Background Pemigatinib is an oral, potent, selective fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 1-3 inhibitor. FIGHT-101, a three-part, open-label, first-in-human, phase I/II study (NCT02393248), evaluated pemigatinib in patients with advanced solid tumors. In parts 1 and 2, pemigatinib monotherapy had a manageable safety profile and antitumor activity in FGFR-altered tumors. Part 3 (pemigatinib combination therapies) results are presented here.

Patients and methods Patients received 9, 13.5, or 20 mg oral once-daily pemigatinib on continuous or intermittent schedules with gemcitabine and cisplatin (pemi/gem/cis), docetaxel (pemi/doc), trastuzumab (pemi/tras), pembrolizumab (pemi/pembro), or retifanlimab (pemi/reti) irrespective of whether the tumor was confirmed as FGFR altered. …

Optimizing Attention Bias Training For Depression, Bridget R. Kennedy

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Depression has been associated with a negative attention bias. Attention bias modification (ABM) interventions among individuals with depression have demonstrated promising but inconsistent findings in reducing negative attention bias and decreasing depression symptoms. These inconsistent results may be partly due to impaired attention functioning that is common in depression. Mindfulness has demonstrated attention benefits, which may enhance the ability for individuals with depression to benefit from ABM interventions. This study aimed to explore the efficacy of a train-positive dot-probe task ABM intervention when compared to a placebo dot-probe task, both preceded by a series of brief mindfulness activities, among a …

July 2024, Swosu Bulldog Wellness Committee

SWOSU BULLDOG WELLNESS

UV Safety Awareness & Parks and Recreation Month

As many of us are enjoying those warm rays this summer, we must remember to protect our skin and eyes from the damaging effects of the sun.

Exploring Negotiated Autonomy In The Physician–Physician Assistant Collaborative Dyad, Stephen Robie

Doctor of Philosophy in Translational Health Sciences Dissertations

Physician Assistants (PAs) are integral members of multidisciplinary medical care teams who practice medicine legally under the supervision of physicians. During medical care, supervision is a dynamic process of collaboration wherein a PA who displays competence is granted increasing independence by the supervising physician. This process has been referred to as negotiated autonomy. Despite being noted in work-force literature, the mechanics of how negotiated autonomy operates in real-time have not been described. As organizations increasingly work to integrate PAs into practice, new-hire training programs called ‘on-boarding’ have been implemented to accelerate PA professional development with a goal of increased efficiency …

Smile Brighter, Michigan: Inside The Mda Public Education Campaign, Rich Evans

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

The Michigan Dental Association's (MDA) Public Education Campaign, active for over three decades, aims to improve oral health and encourage visits to MDA-member dentists across Michigan. Funded by member dues, the campaign uses digital advertising and the smilemichigan.com website to educate the public. Key initiatives include the Find-A-Dentist tool, the "Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body" program, and various community outreach efforts. Upcoming features include the "Story Behind Every Smile" campaign, highlighting personal stories about the impact of dental health. By promoting proactive oral care, the MDA supports better overall health for Michigan residents.

Dentistry And The Law: Unpaid Internships In Your Office: What You Should Know, Daniel Schulte Jd

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

A reprint of a previous Journal column, Mr. Schulte discusses how unpaid internships require careful legal consideration. Interns must primarily benefit educationally from their tasks to avoid being classified as employees, necessitating compensation. Office work typically performed by employees must not be assigned to interns. Patient consent is required to observe dental procedures, and interns must receive HIPAA training. Exposure to hazardous materials should be avoided, adhering to laws like Michigan’s Occupational Safety and Health Act. Proper training and task limitations ensure compliance and a beneficial internship experience.

J Mich Dent Assoc July 2024

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Every month, the Journal of the Michigan Dental Association provides news, information, and features about Michigan dentistry to our state's oral health community and the MDA's 6,200+ members. It is the primary publication reaching Michigan dentists.

The July issue of the Michigan Dental Association (MDA) journal focuses on the member and public value of the association's Public Education Campaign through a cover story "Smile Brighter Michigan!". It also features articles on:

• How to get value from your MDA membership

• Joining the MDA Forensic Dental Team

• A new professional column, News you need, an editorial and regular department articles covering MDA …

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Staff Matters: Supporting Working Parents As A Recruitment And Retention Strategy, Jodi Schafer Sphr, Shrm-Scp

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Supporting employees who are parents is essential. Harvard data shows 73% of employees have caregiving responsibilities, highlighting the need for proactive strategies. First, communicate with employees to understand their needs for flexibility. Consider offering flexible schedules, part-time roles, and on-call staff to manage absences. Partnering with local childcare providers for sick coverage and allowing children at work occasionally can also help. Clear communication and defined parameters for flexibility are crucial. Implementing these strategies can build a supportive culture, enhancing employee retention and commitment.

Mda Services: Five Tips To Recruit, Retain Good Employees, Reva Darling

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

In a competitive labor market, retaining and recruiting dental staff is challenging. Key strategies include offering health insurance, pre-tax benefit options, and retirement plans, which attract long-term employees. Providing vision insurance and discounts on auto and home insurance can further enhance employee satisfaction. Updating pay scales and utilizing temporary services like Stynt can also aid in filling staff positions.

Impact Of Dysfunctional Career Thoughts On Mental Health Among College Students Using Counselling Services, Victor Amadi Stephen, Onyinye Lois Chimodo

School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling Faculty Publications

In recent years studies have revealed varying degrees of dysfunctional thoughts as related to career among young people. It is distorted cognitive processes that truncate the ability to make clear cut decisions regarding career. This conceptual article explores the impact of dysfunctional career thought on mental health among college students seeking counselling. This paper tries to understand how cognitive distortion regarding career impact mental health and means to mitigate this challenge. This study draws on expert opinions and experiential knowledge, underpinned by an extensive review of scholarly literature, peer evaluations, and document analysis in the field of advanced career. The …

Discussions Of Cancer Survivorship Care Needs: Are There Rural Versus Urban Inequities?, Tyrone F. Borders, Lindsey R. Hammerslag

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Rural cancer survivors may face greater challenges receiving survivorship care than urban cancer survivors.

Purpose: To test for rural versus urban inequities and identify other correlates of discussions about cancer survivorship care with healthcare professionals.

Methods: Data are from the 2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), which included a cancer survivorship supplement. Adult survivors were asked if they discussed with a healthcare professional 5 components of survivorship care: need for follow-up services, lifestyle/health recommendations, emotional/social needs, long-term side effects, and a summary of treatments received. The Behavioral Model of Health Services guided the inclusion of predisposing, enabling, and need …

Measuring Activity Demands On Fatigue In Individuals With Parkinson's Disease, Laura R. Mccray, Kara M. Lee

Graduate Student Scholarship

The functional presentation of those with Parkinson's disease (PD) are complex, varying depending on cognition, physiological deficits, and support network. This study assesses the perceptions of fatigue across individuals with Parkinson's disease with different clinical presentations to guide clinicians in their selection of evidence-based interventions to facilitate greater functional outcomes. A mixed-methods design was used to collect data on the mental and physiological perceptions of fatigue, utilizing surveys and physiological measures such as heart rate. Participants were recruited from a community group targeting those with PD with inclusion criteria being a diagnosis of PD. Results for both heart rate and …

Outcomes Of Bridging Intravenous Thrombolysis Versus Endovascular Therapy Alone In Late-Window Acute Ischemic Stroke, Jelle Demeestere, Muhammad M Qureshi, Lieselotte Vandewalle, Anke Wouters, Daniel Strbian, Raul G Nogueira, Simon Nagel, Hiroshi Yamagami, Volker Puetz, Mohamad Abdalkader, Diogo C Haussen, Mahmoud H Mohammaden, Markus A Möhlenbruch, Marta Olivé-Gadea, Simon Winzer, Marc Ribo, Patrik Michel, João Pedro Marto, Kanta Tanaka, Shinichi Yoshimura, Nicolas Martinez-Majander, Francois Caparros, Hilde Henon, Liisa Tomppo, Anne Dusart, Flavio Bellante, João Nuno Ramos, Jessica Jesser, Sunil A Sheth, Santiago Ortega-Gutiérrez, James E Siegler, Stefania Nannoni, Johannes Kaesmacher, Tomas Dobrocky, Sergio Salazar-Marioni, Mudassir Farooqui, Pekka Virtanen, Rita Ventura, Syed F Zaidi, Alicia C Castonguay, Kazutaka Uchida, Ajit S Puri, Nobuyuki Sakai, Kazunori Toyoda, Behzad Farzin, Hesham E Masoud, Piers Klein, Jenny Bui, Federica Rizzo, Daniel P O Kaiser, Philippe Desfontaines, Davide Strambo, Charlotte Cordonnier, Eugene Lin, Peter A Ringleb, Daniel Roy, Osama O Zaidat, Urs Fischer, Jean Raymond, Robin Lemmens, Thanh N Nguyen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Studies comparing bridging intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) with direct endovascular therapy (EVT) in patients with acute ischemic stroke who present late are limited. We aimed to compare the clinical outcomes and safety of bridging IVT in patients with acute ischemic stroke due to anterior circulation large vessel occlusion who underwent EVT 6 to 24 hours after time last known well.

Methods: We enrolled patients with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion stroke and a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of ≥6 from 20 centers across 10 countries in the multicenter retrospective CLEAR study (CT for Late Endovascular Reperfusion) between …

Designing Recommendation Systems For Identification And Reduction Of Unnecessary Blood Tests, Tongtong Huang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Blood testing is an indispensable tool to check the patient's health status. However, the overutilization of lab tests in healthcare settings is a prevalent issue that can lead to redundant information, increased patient risk, and financial strain on healthcare resources. This dissertation presents novel approaches to optimizing lab test utilization by applying deep learning models. The primary objective is to develop and validate methods that accurately predict and reduce unnecessary blood tests.

The study introduces a “selective” mechanism that quantifies the predictability of future lab tests, allowing for the selective reduction of unnecessary tests in the context of specific clinical …

Bile Acids Differentially Regulate Longitudinal Smooth Muscle Contractility In Everted Mouse Ileum, Geoffrey A Preidis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Bile acids regulate gastrointestinal motility by mechanisms that are poorly understood. Standard isolated tissue bath assays might not recapitulate in vivo physiology if contractile responses to certain bile acids require direct application to the intestinal mucosa. We sought to determine the feasibility of quantifying longitudinal smooth muscle contractile responses to bile acids from intact segments of everted mouse ileum. Ileum from adult female C57BL/6J mice was isolated, gently everted over a notched metal rod, and mounted in tissue baths. Individual bile acids and agonists of bile acid receptors were added to the baths, and longitudinal smooth muscle contractile responses were …

Multicenter Analysis Of Valganciclovir Prophylaxis In Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant Recipients, Kristen G Valencia Deray, Claire E Bocchini, Tanvi S Sharma, Gilad Sherman, William J Muller, Taylor Heald-Sargent, Lara Danziger-Isakov, Samantha Blum, Juri Boguniewicz, Samantha Bacon, Tuhina Joseph, Jodi Smith, Monica I Ardura, Yin Su, Gabriela M Maron, Jose Ferrolino, Betsy C Herold

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Valganciclovir is the only approved antiviral for cytomegalovirus (CMV) prevention in pediatric solid organ transplantation (SOT). Additional approaches may be needed to improve outcomes.

METHODS: A multicenter retrospective study from 2016 to 2019 was conducted of pediatric SOT recipients in whom at least 3 months of valganciclovir prophylaxis was planned. Episodes of CMV DNA in blood (DNAemia), CMV disease, drug-related toxicities, as well as other infections in the first year posttransplant and demographic and clinical data were collected. CMV DNAemia in the first year after prophylaxis or during prophylaxis (breakthrough) was analyzed by multivariate hazard models.

RESULTS: Among the …