Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Diagnostic Assessment Of The Health System's Response To Fgm/C Management And Prevention In Nigeria—Brief, Osasuyi Dirisu, Adetayo Adetunji, Mayokun Adediran, Otibho Obianwu

Reproductive Health

Globally, over 200 million women have been cut and are living with FGM/C-related consequences. In Africa, an estimated 27 million, 24 million, and 20 million girls/women have undergone FGM/C in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Nigeria respectively, the countries with the highest prevalence of FGM/C on the continent. In Nigeria, although the practice is considered widespread, national surveys suggest a gradual decline of FGM/C prevalence among women aged 15–49 years from 30 percent in 2008 to 20 percent in 2018. While these statistics suggest progress, the prevalence is still as high as 67 percent in some states. Nigeria’s National Strategic Health Development …

Migrant Health Policies In The European Union: A Comparative Policy Analysis, Jessica Joanne Currier

Dissertations and Theses

There is an undeniable relationship between migration and health. Despite the fact that the concept of health as a fundamental human right has been enshrined in numerous international and supranational policy instruments, health disparities between migrants and host nation populations persist. Inequities in health are perpetuated by several factors that include, but are not limited to, immigration status, lack of knowledge of health system access points, appropriateness of health care services, language barriers, and unique health profiles of migrants. The literature firmly positions migrants as a vulnerable population due to their collective risk of poor health outcomes in multiple areas. …

Effects Of Co-Infection On The Clinical Outcomes Of Clostridium Difficile Infection, Muhammad Shafiq, Hani Alturkmani, Yousaf Zafar, Vishal Mittal, Hafsa Lodhi, Waqas Ullah, Joseph Brewer

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Background: Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a spore-forming, Gram-positive rod that is known to be associated with antibiotic use. It is one of the leading causes of nosocomial diarrhea in the industrialized world and therefore warrants further study of its nature. It isn't clear if co-infection by other organisms can affect the outcome of C. difficile infection (CDI).

Methods: A single center retrospective study was done and it used inclusion criteria of 18 years of age and being tested positive for CDI on FilmArray® multiplex gastro-intestinal (GI) panel. Exclusion criteria were a GI panel performed on an outpatient …

A Diagnostic Assessment Of The Health System's Response To Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Management And Prevention In Kenya: A Case Study Of West Pokot County, Samuel Kimani

Reproductive Health

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), a pervasive cultural practice in some contexts, is associated with negative impacts on women’s and girls’ health and rights. The health sector is well positioned to respond to the prevention of FGM/C and the management of its complications because of its primary role in disease prevention, health promotion, and curative services. In Kenya, the health sector’s role is anchored in national and county legal and policy instruments and guidelines that are adopted or customized from global or regional frameworks as well as skills support tools approved by the World Health Organization. This brief highlights findings from …

Improving The Documentation Of Female Genital Mutilation Or Cutting (Fgm/C) Abandonment Interventions And Their Evaluations, Caroline W. Kabiru

Reproductive Health

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is internationally recognized as a violation of human rights. Consequently, there have been extensive efforts to promote the abandonment of the practice. There is limited evidence on the impact of many of the efforts, in part because many interventions are implemented by small organizations with inadequate resources to document and evaluate their activities. The complex nature of FGM/C interventions, as with other interventions aimed at addressing violence against women and girls, also makes it difficult to adequately document what is done, how, when, and with what results. Nonetheless, it is important that implementing organizations make every …

A Qualitative Study Of The Genesis Of A Community Food Pantry For Students Of Higher Education, Elizabeth Fast

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The purpose of this case study was to understand the development of a food pantry for students of higher education at a Midwestern university.

Methods: The researchers recruited 11 individuals on the food pantry’s board using a snowball sampling method to participate in a 30-minute interview about the food pantry’s development from conception to implementation. The interviews were transcribed and then qualitatively analyzed by two researchers. The researchers coded interviews separately to identify frequent commonalities between participant responses. The researchers then organized the codes into themes, which were then summarized in the results of this study.

Results: The first …

Pesticides Decrease Bacterial Diversity And Abundance Of Irrigated Rice Fields, Michael Onwona-Kwakye, Kimberly Plants-Paris, Kadiatou Keita, Jessica Lee, Paul J Van Den Brink, Jonathan N Hogarh, Charles Darkoh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Bacteria play an important role in soil ecosystems and their activities are crucial in nutrient composition and recycling. Pesticides are extensively used in agriculture to control pests and improve yield. However, increased use of pesticides on agricultural lands results in soil contamination, which could have adverse effect on its bacterial communities. Here, we investigated the effect of pesticides commonly used on irrigated rice fields on bacterial abundance and diversity. Irrigated soil samples collected from unexposed, pesticide-exposed, and residual exposure areas were cultured under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. DNA was extracted and analysed by 16S rRNA sequencing. The results showed overall …

Congenital Chagas Disease In The United States: The Effect Of Commercially Priced Benznidazole On Costs And Benefits Of Maternal Screening, Victoria Perez-Zetune, Stephanie R. Bialek, Susan P. Montgomery, Eileen Stillwaggon

Economics Faculty Publications

Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is transmitted by insect vectors, and through transfusions, transplants, insect feces in food, and mother to child during gestation. An estimated 30% of infected persons will develop lifelong, potentially fatal cardiac or digestive complications. Treatment of infants with benznidazole is highly efficacious in eliminating infection. This work evaluates the costs of maternal screening and infant testing and treatment for Chagas disease in the United States, including the cost of commercially available benznidazole. We compare costs of testing and treatment for mothers and infants with the lifetime societal costs without testing and consequent morbidity and …

What's Happening: February 24, 2020, Maine Medical Center

What's Happening

No abstract provided.

Shedding Light On Endometriosis: Patient And Provider Perspectives On A Challenging Disease, Madalene Zale, Emily Lambert, Marianna Lanoue, Amy E. Leader

College of Nursing Faculty Papers & Presentations

Background: Endometriosis is a serious yet understudied medical condition impacting millions of women worldwide.

Methods: This mixed methods study aimed to understand health care provider perceptions and patient experiences with endometriosis in the United States. Providers were surveyed to assess their understanding of disease prevalence. A subset of providers also participated in short, open-ended interviews about treating patients who have or are suspected to have endometriosis. Interviews were also conducted with women diagnosed with endometriosis to understand their experiences with the disease. Means and frequencies were calculated for survey data; interviews were transcribed and separately analyzed by two coders using …

Differences Between Pharmacists’ Perception Of Counseling And Practice In The Era Of Prescription Drug Misuse, J. D. Thornton, Precious Anyanwu, Vaishnavi Tata, Tamara Al Rawwad, Marc L. Fleming

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Objective: This study was conducted to assess pharmacists' practices when counseling patients on their prescription medications, and their preferences for training.

Methods: Five focus group discussions of community pharmacists (n=45, with seven to eleven participants in each group) were conducted in a major metropolitan city in the southern United States. Participants were recruited via email using a list of community pharmacists provided by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. All focus group discussions were structured using a moderator guide consisting of both discrete and open-ended questions. Qualitative analysis software was used to analyze the data with a thematic analysis approach. …

Modular Stem In Total Hip Arthroplasty For Patients With Trochanter Valgus Deformity: Surgical Technique And Case Series., Xiangpeng Kong, Wei Chai, Minzhi Yang, Alvin Ong, Jiying Chen, Yan Wang, Yonggang Zhou

Rothman Institute Papers

BACKGROUND: Trochanter valgus deformity (TVD) is a rare condition of total hip arthroplasty (THA). Femoral osteotomy could be required in correcting the deformity to implant femoral stem in severe TVD. In this study, we described one unpublished technique of reverse sleeve of S-ROM to get through the complex situation. This study aimed to summarize and evaluate its technical challenges, safety and effectiveness.

METHODS: From January 2006 to December 2014, we enrolled patients whose sleeves were implanted towards the great trochanter in THA with TVD. Their demographics, perioperative and postoperative information were recorded. To explore its indication, we measured and analyzed …

Splicing Profile By Capture Rna-Seq Identifies Pathogenic Germline Variants In Tumor Suppressor Genes., Tyler Landrith, Bing Li, Ashley A Cass, Blair R Conner, Holly Laduca, Danielle B Mckenna, Kara N Maxwell, Susan Domchek, Nichole A Morman, Christopher Heinlen, Deborah Wham, Cathryn Koptiuch, Jennie Vagher, Ragene Rivera, Ann Bunnell, Gayle Patel, Jennifer L Geurts, Morgan M Depas, Shraddha Gaonkar, Sara Pirzadeh-Miller, Rebekah Krukenberg, Meredith Seidel, Robert Pilarski, Meagan Farmer, Khateriaa Pyrtel, Kara Milliron, John Lee, Elizabeth Hoodfar, Deepika Nathan, Amanda C Ganzak, Sitao Wu, Huy Vuong, Dong Xu, Aarani Arulmoli, Melissa Parra, Lily Hoang, Bhuvan Molparia, Michele Fennessy, Susanne Fox, Sinead Charpentier, Julia Burdette, Tina Pesaran, Jessica Profato, Brandon Smith, Ginger Haynes, Emily Dalton, Joy Rae-Radecki Crandall, Ruth Baxter, Hsiao-Mei Lu, Brigette Tippin-Davis, Aaron Elliott, Elizabeth Chao, Rachid Karam

Oncology Articles

Germline variants in tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) can result in RNA mis-splicing and predisposition to cancer. However, identification of variants that impact splicing remains a challenge, contributing to a substantial proportion of patients with suspected hereditary cancer syndromes remaining without a molecular diagnosis. To address this, we used capture RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) to generate a splicing profile of 18 TSGs (APC, ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, BRIP1, CDH1, CHEK2, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, MUTYH, NF1, PALB2, PMS2, PTEN, RAD51C, RAD51D, and TP53) in 345 whole-blood …

Introduction Of Dmpa-Sc Self-Injection In Ghana: A Feasibility And Acceptability Study Using Sayana® Press, Dela Nai, Patrick Aboagye, Kamil Fuseini, Elizabeth Tobey, Aparna Jain, Nora Maresh, Rebecca Fertziger

Reproductive Health

This research report describes results from an implementation science study that explored the feasibility and acceptability of administering depot medroxyprogesterone acetate-subcutaneous (DMPA-SC) among health-care providers and family planning (FP) clients in Ghana. DMPA-SC is an injectable contraceptive method that can be self-administered. The study, conducted by the Population Council through the USAID-funded Evidence Project in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, was implemented in rural, peri-urban, and urban areas of the Ashanti and Volta regions. A total of 150 health-care providers were trained to administer DMPA-SC and to train clients on self-injection. Clients assessed as being competent self-injected under the …

Test–Retest Reliability And Minimal Detectable Change Of Corticospinal Tract Integrity In Chronic Stroke, Allison F. Lewis, Makenzie Myers, Jenny Heiser, Jessica F. Baird, Jill C. Stewart

Faculty Publications

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can be used to index white matter integrity of the corticospinal tract (CST) after stroke; however, the psychometric properties of DTI‐based measures of white matter integrity are unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine test–retest reliability as determined by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and calculate minimal detectable change (MDC) of DTI‐based measures of CST integrity using three different approaches: a Cerebral Peduncle approach, a Probabilistic Tract approach, and a Tract Template approach. Eighteen participants with chronic stroke underwent DTI on the same magnetic resonance imaging scanner 4 days apart. For the Cerebral Peduncle approach, …

Comparison Of The Id Now Influenza A & B 2, Cobas Influenza A/B, And Xpert Xpress Flu Point-Of-Care Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests For Influenza A/B Virus Detection In Children, Neena Kanwar, Jeff Michael, Kathryn Doran, Emily Montgomery, Rangaraj Selvarangan

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

© 2020 Kanwar et al. Early diagnosis of influenza (Flu) is critical for patient management and infection control. The ID Now influenza A & B 2 (ID Now) assay (Abbott Laboratories), Cobas influenza A/B nucleic acid test (LIAT; Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.), and Xpert Xpress Flu (Xpert; Cepheid) are rapid, point-of-care molecular assays for Flu virus detection. The study aim was to compare the performances of these three commercially available Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-waived Flu virus assays. We prospectively enrolled 201 children platforms, as per the manufacturers' instructions. CDC Flu A/B PCR was used as a reference method to …

Effects Of Caffeine On Neuromuscular Function In A Non-Fatigued State And During Fatiguing Exercise, Ricardo N. O. Mesquita, Neil J. Cronin, Heikki Kyröläinen, Jukka Hintikka, Janne Avela

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

New Findings: What is the central question of the study? What are the effects of caffeine on neuromuscular function in a non-fatigued state and during fatiguing exercise? What is the main finding and its importance? In a non-fatigued state, caffeine decreased the duration of the silent period evoked by transcranial magnetic stimulation. Caffeine-induced reduction of inhibitory mechanisms in the central nervous system before exercise was associated with an increased performance. Individuals who benefit from caffeine ingestion may experience lower perception of effort during exercise and an accelerated recovery of M-wave amplitude postfatigue. This study elucidates the mechanisms of action of …

Unexpected Cell Type-Dependent Effects Of Autophagy On Polyglutamine Aggregation Revealed By Natural Genetic Variation In C. Elegans., J Alexander-Floyd, S Haroon, M Ying, A A Entezari, C Jaeger, M Vermulst, T Gidalevitz

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Monogenic protein aggregation diseases, in addition to cell selectivity, exhibit clinical variation in the age of onset and progression, driven in part by inter-individual genetic variation. While natural genetic variants may pinpoint plastic networks amenable to intervention, the mechanisms by which they impact individual susceptibility to proteotoxicity are still largely unknown.

RESULTS: We have previously shown that natural variation modifies polyglutamine (polyQ) aggregation phenotypes in C. elegans muscle cells. Here, we find that a genomic locus from C. elegans wild isolate DR1350 causes two genetically separable aggregation phenotypes, without changing the basal activity of muscle proteostasis pathways known to …

Week Of February 24, 2020, New York Medical College

InTouch

• Thirty-Second Annual Graduate Student Research Forum is Set for March 17
• Conference Addresses Current Topics in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology

Suppressing Stat5 Signaling Affects Osteosarcoma Growth And Stemness., Dharmalingam Subramaniam, Pablo Angulo, Sivapriya Ponnurangam, Prasad Dandawate, Prabhu Ramamoorthy, Pugazhendhi Srinivasan, Tomoo Iwakuma, Scott J. Weir, Katherine Chastain, Shrikant Anant

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary bone tumor that primarily affects children and adolescents. Studies suggested that dysregulation JAK/STAT signaling promotes the development of OS. Cells treated with pimozide, a STAT5 inhibitor suppressed proliferation and colony formation and induced sub G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. There was a reduction in cyclin D1 and CDK2 expression and Rb phosphorylation, and activation of Caspase-3 and PARP cleavage. In addition, pimozide suppressed the formation of 3-dimensional osteospheres and growth of the cells in the Tumor in a Dish lung organoid system. Furthermore, there was a reduction in expression of cancer stem …

Striving To Overcome The Doom Of Huntington’S Disease, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - February 23, 2020, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the February 23, 2020 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's Newsletter - Watercooler.

Contents Include:

New research published by USA Basic Medical Sciences graduate student

Med School Café video online: 'Psoriasis'

Knowing the past, shaping the future

USA College of Medicine faculty receive funding from Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama

Lions Club donation supports vision research and training at USA College of Medicine

Researcher awarded NIH supplemental grant

Proteasome Mapping Reveals Sexual Dimorphism In Tissue-Specific Sensitivity To Protein Aggregations, Edmund Charles Jenkins, Nagma Shah, Maria Gomez, Gabriella Casalena, Dazhi Zhao, Timothy C. Kenny, Sara Rose Guariglia, Giovanni Manfredi, Doris Germain

Publications and Research

Defects in the proteasome can result in pathological proteinopathies. However, the pathogenic role of sex- and tissue-specific sensitivity to proteotoxic stress remains elusive. Here, we map the proteasome activity across nine tissues, in male and female mice, and demonstrate strong sexual dimorphism in proteasome activity, where females have significantly higher activity in several tissues. Further, we report drastic differences in proteasome activity among tissues, independently of proteasome concentration, which are exacerbated under stress conditions. Sexual dimorphism in proteasome activity is confirmed in a SOD1ALS mouse model, in which the spinal cord, a tissue with comparatively low proteasome activity, is severely …

Transfusion Rates In Emergency General Surgery: High But Modifiable, Andrew Medvecz, Andrew C. Bernard, Courtney Hamilton, Kevin M. Schuster, Oscar Guillamondegui, Daniel L. Davenport

Surgery Faculty Publications

Background: Transfusion of red blood cells (RBC) increases morbidity and mortality, and emergency general surgery (EGS) cases have increased risk for transfusion and complication given case complexity and patient acuity. Transfusion reduction strategies and blood-conservation technology have been developed to decrease transfusions. This study explores whether transfusion rates in EGS have decreased as these new strategies have been implemented.

Methods: This is a retrospective review of the American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) data from three academic medical centers. Operations performed by general surgeons on adults (aged ≥18 years) were selected. Data were analyzed from …

Mucopolysaccharidosis Iva: Diagnosis, Treatment, And Management., Kazuki Sawamoto, José Víctor Álvarez González, Matthew Piechnik, Francisco J. Otero, Maria L. Couce, Yasuyuki Suzuki, Shunji Tomatsu

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

Mucopolysaccharidosis type IVA (MPS IVA, or Morquio syndrome type A) is an inherited metabolic lysosomal disease caused by the deficiency of the N-acetylglucosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase enzyme. The deficiency of this enzyme accumulates the specific glycosaminoglycans (GAG), keratan sulfate, and chondroitin-6-sulfate mainly in bone, cartilage, and its extracellular matrix. GAG accumulation in these lesions leads to unique skeletal dysplasia in MPS IVA patients. Clinical, radiographic, and biochemical tests are needed to complete the diagnosis of MPS IVA since some clinical characteristics in MPS IVA are overlapped with other disorders. Early and accurate diagnosis is vital to optimizing patient management, which provides a …

A Ferrofluidic Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvent For The Extraction Of Doxycycline From Urine, Blood Plasma And Milk Samples Prior To Its Determination By High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Ultraviolet, Ebrahim Alipanahpour Dil, Mehrorang Ghaedi, Arash Asafram, Lobat Tayebi, Fatemah Mehrabi

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

The ferrofluid phase was prepared according to mixing magnetic nanoparticle and the hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent as a green microextraction solvent. This new composite was applied for vortex-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (VA-HDES-ferrofluid-DLLME) of doxycycline (DOC) residual extraction and determined through high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV). The characterization of magnetic nanoparticle was investigated by XRD, TEM and FESEM. The dependency of DOC microextraction to main variables and their interaction and find optimum points were undertaken using response surface methodology with either central composite design (CCD). Thus, the optimum pH, ionic strength, ferrofluid volume and vortex time for DOC extraction are determined to …

Factors Associated With Referring Close Contacts To An App With Individually-Tailored Vaccine Information, Matthew Z. Dudley, Rupali J. Limaye, Saad B. Omer, Sean T. O'Leary, Mallory K. Ellingson, Christine I. Spina, Sarah E. Brewer, Allison T. Chamberlain, Robert A. Bednarczyk, Fauzia Malik, Paula M. Frew, Daniel A. Salmon

School of Public Health Faculty Research

Background: Infants too young to be fully vaccinated are vulnerable to potentially deadly influenza and pertussis infections. The cocooning strategy limits this risk by vaccinating those likely to interact with the infant and mother during this vulnerable time, such as close friends and family members. Distribution of accurate and accessible vaccine information through existing social networks could be an important tool in increasing vaccine confidence and coverage. Methods: We surveyed 1095 pregnant women from diverse prenatal care practices in Georgia and Colorado. These women were surveyed through a mobile app to assess vaccine intentions, attitudes, beliefs, norms, and levels of …

Surveillance Of Culex And Aedes Mosquitoes In Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska, William Noundou

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In 2018, West Nile virus (WNV) was identified as the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States. In response to this very serious problem, the Lincoln-Lancaster County Public Health Department (LLCHD) reinforced their mosquito surveillance program, which constitutes one of the best available tools to fight against this serious threat to human health. The objectives of this study were to 1) expand knowledge of the activity and relative abundance of mosquito communities in understudied areas and 2) evaluate differences in mosquito communities by urban and rural location, especially focusing on known vector species. A total of 6 …

Academic Electronic Health Record Implementation: Tips For Success, Patricia K. Ravert, Kristen Whipple, Stacie Hunsaker

Faculty Publications

Many nursing programs use simulation experiences to augment or replace clinical experiences. Use of an electronic health record (EHR) in the educational setting extends the realism. A task force reviewed EHR programs, selected an EHR, and created an implementation plan with successful rollout over 2 years.

A Qualitative Analysis Of The Social And Cultural Contexts That Shape Screen Time Use In Latino Families Living On The U.S.-Mexico Border, Cristina S. Barroso, Andrew E. Springer, Christopher Ledingham, Steven H. Kelder

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand how first generation Latino parents, whose primary language is Spanish and live in a colonia on the U.S.-Mexico border, use screen time in their homes.

Methods: A purposeful sampling approach was used to recruit eligible parents of pre-adolescents (ages 9–14) who were native Spanish speakers, and living on the U.S.-Mexico border. Three focus groups in Spanish (two with mothers and one with fathers) were conducted. Data were codified using a general inductive approach based on grounded theory. A consensus process was repeated until a final codebook was developed.

Results …