Mental and Social Health Commons^™

The Politics Of Drug Rehabilitation In The Philippines, Gideon Lasco, Lee Edson Yarcia

Development Studies Faculty Publications

The international consensus to end compulsory drug treatments and close forced rehabilitation facilities needs urgent transformation to country policies. In the Philippines, as with other countries in Asia, rehabilitation can be compulsory and is seen as the humane alternative to the “war on drugs.” In this paper, we present the landscape of rehabilitation and narrate the ways in which people who use drugs are forced to undergo treatment. We unpack the politics behind rehabilitation and explain the sociocultural foundations that support compulsory treatment. We argue that a transition to a human rights-based approach, including voluntary alternatives in community settings, is …

Cost Of Care For Asylum Seekers And Refugees Entering The United States: The Case Of Volunteer Medical Providers In El Paso, Texas, Rigoberto I Delgado, Manuel De La Rosa, Marlon A Picado, Lisa Ayoub-Rodriguez, Celia E Gonzalez, Leopold Gemoets

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Between October 2018, and February 2020, the United States saw an unprecedented increase in the number of asylum seekers and refugees arriving unexpectedly at international crossings along the US-Mexico Border. Many of these migrants needed proper medical attention, and consequently created significant pressure on local health systems. In El Paso, Texas, volunteer clinicians, collaborating closely with religious organizations and non-governmental organizations, provided outpatient medical care for the new arrivals; the county hospital provided in-patient care at local tax payers' expense. The objective of this study was to estimate costs of healthcare services offered by these volunteers in order to …

Defining Patient-Level Molecular Heterogeneity In Psoriasis Vulgaris Based On Single-Cell Transcriptomics, Yale Liu, Hao Wang, Christopher Cook, Mark A Taylor, Jeffrey P North, Ashley Hailer, Yanhong Shou, Arsil Sadik, Esther Kim, Elizabeth Purdom, Jeffrey B Cheng, Raymond J Cho

Staff and Researcher Publications

Identifying genetic variation underlying human diseases establishes targets for therapeutic development and helps tailor treatments to individual patients. Large-scale transcriptomic profiling has extended the study of such molecular heterogeneity between patients to somatic tissues. However, the lower resolution of bulk RNA profiling, especially in a complex, composite tissue such as the skin, has limited its success. Here we demonstrate approaches to interrogate patient-level molecular variance in a chronic skin inflammatory disease, psoriasis vulgaris, leveraging single-cell RNA-sequencing of CD45+ cells isolated from active lesions. Highly psoriasis-specific transcriptional abnormalities display greater than average inter-individual variance, nominating them as potential sources of clinical …

A Cross-Sectional Survey Of Potential Factors, Motivations, And Barriers Influencing Research Participation And Retention Among People Who Use Drugs In The Rural Usa, Angela T. Hetrick, April M. Young, Miriam R. Elman, Sarann Bielavitz, Rhonda L. Alexander, Morgan Brown, Elizabeth Needham Waddell, P. Todd Korthuis, Kathryn E. Lancaster

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Despite high morbidity and mortality among people who use drugs (PWUD) in rural America, most research is conducted within urban areas. Our objective was to describe influencing factors, motivations, and barriers to research participation and retention among rural PWUD.

METHODS: We recruited 255 eligible participants from community outreach and community-based, epidemiologic research cohorts from April to July 2019 to participate in a cross-sectional survey. Eligible participants reported opioid or injection drug use to get high within 30 days and resided in high-needs rural counties in Oregon, Kentucky, and Ohio. We aggregated response rankings to identify salient influences, motivations, and …

Tavr In Older Adults: Moving Toward A Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment And Away From Chronological Age: Jacc Family Series, Joy M Schmitz, Scott D Lane, Michael F Weaver, Ponnada A Narayana, Khader M Hasan, Delisa D Russell, Robert Suchting, Charles E Green

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cocaine use continues to be a significant public health problem with limited treatment options and no approved pharmacotherapies. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) remains the mainstay treatment for preventing relapse, however, people with chronic cocaine use display cognitive impairments that are associated with poor response to CBT. Emerging evidence in animal and human studies suggests that the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR- γ) agonist, pioglitazone, improves white matter integrity that is essential for cognitive function. This project will determine whether adjunctive use of pioglitazone enhances the effect of CBT in preventing relapse during the early phase of recovery from cocaine use disorder. This …

Profile Of Autism Spectrum Disorder In Tuberous Sclerosis Complex: Results From A Longitudinal, Prospective, Multisite Study, Jamie K Capal, Marian E Williams, Deborah A Pearson, Robin Kissinger, Paul S Horn, Donna Murray, Kristn Currans, Bridget Kent, Martina Bebin, Hope Northrup, Joyce Y Wu, Mustafa Sahin, Darcy A Krueger, Tacern Study Group

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is highly associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Objectives of the study were to characterize autistic features in young children with TSC.

METHODS: Participants included 138 children followed from ages 3 to 36 months with TSC from the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Autism Center of Excellence Research Network (TACERN), a multicenter, prospective observational study aimed at understanding the underlying mechanisms of ASD in TSC. Developmental and autism-specific assessments were administered, and a clinical diagnosis of ASD was determined for all participants at 36 months. Further analyses were performed on 117 participants with valid autism assessments based …

Citalopram For Treatment Of Cocaine Use Disorder: A Bayesian Drop-The-Loser Randomized Clinical Trial, Robert Suchting, Charles E Green, Constanza De Dios, Jessica Vincent, F Gerard Moeller, Scott D Lane, Joy M Schmitz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Medication development research for cocaine use disorder (CUD) has been a longstanding goal in addiction research, but has not resulted in an FDA-approved treatment. Rising cocaine use rates underscore the need for efficient adaptive designs. This study compared differences between two doses of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) citalopram (versus placebo) on duration of cocaine abstinence and applied adaptive decision rules to select the 'best efficacy' dose.

METHODS: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized Bayesian drop-the-loser (DTL) trial with three arms compared placebo to citalopram 20 mg and 40 mg. Adults (N = 107) with CUD attended thrice-weekly clinic visits …

Mitophagy In Depression: Pathophysiology And Treatment Targets, Ashutosh Tripathi, Giselli Scaini, Tatiana Barichello, João Quevedo, Anilkumar Pillai

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mitochondria, the 'powerhouse' of eukaryotic cells, play a key role in cellular homeostasis. However, defective mitochondria increase mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) production and cell-free mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) release, leading to increased inflammation. Mitophagy is a vital pathway, which selectively removes defective mitochondria through the process of autophagy. Thus, an impairment in the mitophagy pathway might trigger the gradual accumulation of defective mitochondria. Accumulating evidence suggest that inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction are linked to the pathogenesis of depression. In this article, we have reviewed the role of impaired mitophagy as a contributing factor in depression pathophysiology. Further, we have discussed the potential …

Analysis Of Covid-19 Infection And Mortality Among Patients With Psychiatric Disorders, 2020, Antonio L Teixeira, Trudy Millard Krause, Lopita Ghosh, Lokesh Shahani, Rodrigo Machado-Vieira, Scott D Lane, Eric Boerwinkle, Jair C Soares

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: People with major psychiatric disorders are more likely to have comorbidities associated with worse outcomes of COVID-19. This fact alone could determine greater vulnerability of people with major psychiatric disorders to COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the odds of testing positive for and mortality from COVID-19 among and between patients with schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorders and a reference group in a large national database.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional study used an electronic health record data set aggregated from many national sources in the United States and licensed from Optum with current and historical data on patients tested …

Strong Star And The Consortium To Alleviate Ptsd: Shaping The Future Of Combat Ptsd And Related Conditions In Military And Veteran Populations, Alan L Peterson, Stacey Young-Mccaughan, John D Roache, Jim Mintz, Brett T Litz, Douglas E Williamson, Patricia A Resick, Edna B Foa, Donald D Mcgeary, Katherine A Dondanville, Daniel J Taylor, Jennifer Schuster Wachen, Peter T Fox, Craig J Bryan, Carmen P Mclean, Kristi E Pruiksma, Jeffrey S Yarvis, Barbara L Niles, Chadi G Abdallah, Lynnette A Averill, Sudie E Back, Monty T Baker, Tabatha H Blount, Adam M Borah, Elisa V Borah, Matthew S Brock, Lily A Brown, Matthew M Burg, Jeffrey A Cigrang, Bryann B Debeer, Ellen R Devoe, Brooke A Fina, Julianne C Flanagan, Steffany J Fredman, Cubby L Gardner, Robert R Gatchel, Jeffrey L Goodie, Ralitza Gueorguieva, Jay B Higgs, Vanessa M Jacoby, Kevin M Kelly, John H Krystal, M Danet Lapiz-Bluhm, Argelio L López-Roca, Brian P Marx, Douglas M Maurer, Meghan E Mcdevitt-Murphy, Cindy A Mcgeary, Eric C Meyer, Shannon R Miles, Candice M Monson, David A Morilak, John C Moring, Vincent Mysliwiec, Karin L Nicholson, Sheila A M Rauch, David S Riggs, Craig S Rosen, M David Rudd, Richard P Schobitz, Christian C Schrader, Antoinette M Shinn, Paulo R Shiroma, Denise M Sloan, Stephen L Stern, Randy Strong, Steven D Vannoy, Keith A Young, Terence M Keane, Strong Star Consortium And The Consortium To Alleviate Ptsd

Staff and Researcher Publications

The STRONG STAR Consortium (South Texas Research Organizational Network Guiding Studies on Trauma and Resilience) and the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD are interdisciplinary and multi-institutional research consortia focused on the detection, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and comorbid conditions in military personnel and veterans. This manuscript outlines the consortia's state-of-the-science collaborative research model and how this can be used as a roadmap for future trauma-related research. STRONG STAR was initially funded for 5 years in 2008 by the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program. Since the initial funding …

Barriers To Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Uptake Among Racial/Ethnic Minorities: A Systematic Review, Trisha L Amboree, Charles Darkoh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with poor health outcomes, including cervical cancer. Racial/ethnic minority populations experience poor health outcomes associated with HPV at higher rates. A vaccine is available to protect against HPV infections and prevent HPV-related sequelae; however, vaccination rates have remained low in the United States (U.S.) population. Thus, there is an urgent need to increase the HPV vaccination rate. Moreover, little is known about barriers to HPV vaccination in racial/ethnic minority groups. This paper highlights the most recent findings on barriers experienced by these groups.

METHODS: The PubMed database was searched on July 30, 2020, for …

Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Clusters Differentially Predict Late Positive Potential To Cocaine Imagery Cues In Trauma-Exposed Adults With Cocaine Use Disorder, Heather E Webber, Danielle A Kessler, Emma C Lathan, Margaret C Wardle, Charles E Green, Joy M Schmitz, Scott D Lane, Anka A Vujanovic

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: While studies have investigated the effects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms on substance use, information on these associations in the context of drug cue reactivity is lacking, which can provide meaningful information about risk for relapse. The current study assessed the associations between PTSD symptom clusters and reactivity to cues in trauma-exposed adults with cocaine use disorder.

METHODS: We recorded electroencephalogram on 52 trauma-exposed participants (M

RESULTS: Linear mixed modeling indicated that higher NACM symptomatology was associated with higher LPPs to cocaine cues and higher arousal/reactivity was associated with lower LPPs to cocaine cues.

CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight …

Outcomes Of Primary Versus Revisional Robotically Assisted Laparoscopic Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass: A Multicenter Analysis Of Ten-Year Experience, Pouya Iranmanesh, John Fam, Thomas Nguyen, David Talarico, Kavita D Chandwani, Kulvinder S Bajwa, Melissa M Felinski, Leon V Katz, Sheilendra S Mehta, Stephan R Myers, Brad E Snyder, Peter A Walker, Todd D Wilson, Angielyn R Rivera, Connie L Klein, Shinil K Shah, Erik B Wilson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Postoperative morbidity after laparoscopic bariatric surgery is considered higher for patients undergoing revisional versus primary procedures. The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to compare outcomes between patients undergoing primary versus revisional robotically assisted laparoscopic (RAL) Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB).

METHODS: Data of all patients who underwent RAL primary and revisional RYGB between 2009 and 2019 at two accredited, high-volume bariatric surgery centers-the Memorial Hermann - Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX, and the Tower Health, Reading Hospital, Reading, PA, were analyzed. Primary outcomes were early (< 30 days) and overall postoperative complications. Secondary outcomes included intraoperative complications, operative times, conversions to laparotomy, length of hospital stay, early (< 30 days) postoperative readmissions and deaths.

RESULTS: Data of 1072 patients were analyzed, including 806 primary and 266 …

Crisis Preparedness In Acute And Intensive Treatment Settings: Lessons Learned From A Year Of Covid-19, Jarrod M Leffler, Cassandra L Esposito, Elisabeth A Frazier, Michelle A Patriquin, Meredith K Reiman, Alysha D Thompson, Carl Waitz

Staff and Researcher Publications

The impact of COVID-19 changed the use and delivery of health care services, requiring an abrupt shift in treatment and staffing models 1,2. This is particularly salient in youth acute and intensive treatment services (AITS), including inpatient psychiatric hospitals (IPH), intensive outpatient programs (IOP), and partial hospitalization programs (PHP), because of challenging issues of maintaining high-quality care and a safe therapeutic milieu during increased demand for acute services,3 all while limiting transmission of COVID-19 on locked units, in close quarters, and for youths traveling back and forth to day-programs. Over the past year, AITS adapted and evolved without the ability …

Post-Concussion And Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms After Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: Shared Vulnerability Factors?, Emily R Fisher, Janelle J Montroy, Gerardo Duque, Charles S Cox, Linda Ewing-Cobbs

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Following pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-concussion symptoms (PCS) and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) occur commonly; however, it is unknown to what degree they overlap. The study examined PCS and PTSS persisting 7 weeks after injury in children and adolescents ages 8-15 years with TBI (n = 89) or extracranial injury (EI; n = 40) after vehicle collisions. TBI was divided into mild, complicated-mild/moderate, and severe groups. Parents retrospectively rated children's pre-injury symptoms and behavior problems, and children completed self-report measures after injury. PCS and PTSS total scores were significantly correlated in TBI and EI groups, respectively, for child …

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Rescue For Severe Aspiration Pneumonitis In Two Patients After Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass Procedure, Melissa M Felinski, Daniyal Abbas, Peter A Walker, John A Primomo, Tanyaradzwa M Kajese, Biswajit Kar, Igor D Gregoric, Igor Banjac, Lisa Janowiak, Sriram Nathan, Rahat Hussain, Sheilendra S Mehta, Kulvinder S Bajwa, Shinil K Shah, Bindu Akkanti

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Roux-en-y gastric bypass (RYGB) is one of the most common weight loss surgical procedures performed in the United States. Early post-operative small bowel obstruction is a rare but potentially morbid, complication of RYGB. We report two patients who underwent RYGB and required subsequent treatment for a post-operative small bowel obstruction. Their post-operative course was complicated by severe aspiration pneumonitis leading to hypoxemic respiratory failure requiring rescue with femoral veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-V ECMO). Both patients were successfully extubated, weaned off V-V ECMO support, and discharged to home. These cases highlight the potential role of V-V ECMO for patients who …

Underreporting On The Mmpi-2-Rf Extends To Extra-Test Measures Of Suicide Risk, Lauren R Khazem, Katrina A Rufino, Megan L Rogers, Austin J Gallyer, Thomas E Joiner, Joye C Anestis

Staff and Researcher Publications

Detection of under-reporting in suicide risk assessment remains a significant concern in clinical practice. The aim of this research is to examine whether under-reporting based on elevated MMPI-2-RF K-r and L-r scale scores may aid in identifying patients with suppressed scores on SUI and extra-test measures of suicide risk. We anticipated that, in voluntarily admitted psychiatric inpatients (N=1,011) and individuals receiving outpatient services in a university-affiliated psychology clinic (N=521), those indicated as under-reporting would produce lower mean scores across SUI and extra-test measures of suicide risk, and that the magnitudes of the associations between SUI and …

Reciprocal Control Of Obesity And Anxiety-Depressive Disorder Via A Gaba And Serotonin Neural Circuit, Guobin Xia, Yong Han, Fantao Meng, Yanlin He, Dollada Srisai, Monica Farias, Minghao Dang, Richard D Palmiter, Yong Xu, Qi Wu

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

The high comorbidity between obesity and mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, often exacerbates metabolic and neurological symptoms significantly. However, neural mechanisms that underlie reciprocal control of feeding and mental states are largely elusive. Here we report that melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) neurons located in the dorsal bed nucleus of the stria terminus (dBNST) engage in the regulation of mentally associated weight gain by receiving GABAergic projections from hypothalamic AgRP neurons onto α5-containing GABA

Reducing Patient Risk For Suicidal Behaviors With A Safety Bundle Of Best Practices With Non-Psychiatric Patients, Olayemi Akindele

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Suicide is a public health condition that affects people globally. The increased suicidal behaviors of patients in a medical-surgical unit demanded an effective screening protocol to identify high-risk patients.

PICOT: In patients 18 years and older on a medical-surgical unit, does the implementation of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) tool and application of a Safety Bundle of Best Practices (SBBP) increase early identification of suicide risk with decreased patient self-harm behaviors, compared to the current standard practice of no assessment tool or safety bundle of best practices within 12 weeks?

Evidence: Ten studies served as evidence …

The Relationship Between Dark Triad Personality Traits And Sexting Behaviors Among Adolescents And Young Adults Across 11 Countries., Mara Morelli, Flavio Urbini, Dora Bianchi, Roberto Baiocco, Elena Cattelino, Fiorenzo Laghi, Piotr Sorokowski, Michal Misiak, Martyna Dziekan, Heather Hudson, Alexandra Marshall, Thanh Truc T Nguyen, Lauren Mark, Kamil Kopecky, René Szotkowski, Ezgi Toplu Demirtaş, Joris Van Ouytsel, Koen Ponnet, Michel Walrave, Tingshao Zhu, Ya Chen, Nan Zhao, Xiaoqian Liu, Alexander Voiskounsky, Nataliya Bogacheva, Maria Ioannou, John Synnott, Kalliopi Tzani-Pepelasi, Vimala Balakrishnan, Moses Okumu, Eusebius Small, Silviya Pavlova Nikolova, Michelle Drouin, Antonio Chirumbolo

Health Services and Informatics Research

BACKGROUND: Sexting is an increasingly common phenomenon among adolescents and young adults. Some studies have investigated the role of personality traits in different sexting behaviors within mainstream personality taxonomies like Big Five and HEXACO. However, very few studies have investigated the role of maladaptive personality factors in sexting. Therefore, the present study investigated the relationship between Dark Triad Personality Traits and experimental (i.e., sharing own sexts), risky (i.e., sexting under substance use and with strangers), and aggravated sexting (i.e., non-consensual sexting and sexting under pressure) across 11 countries.

METHODS: An online survey was completed by 6093 participants (Mage = 20.35; …

Minority Stress And Alcohol Use In Sexual Minority Women's Daily Lives, Robin J. Lewis, Kelly A. Romano, Sarah J. Ehlke, Cathy Lau-Barraco, Cassidy M. Sandoval, Douglas J. Glenn, Kristin E. Heron

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Prevalence And Correlates Of Sex Selling And Sex Purchasing Among Adults Seeking Treatment For Cocaine Use Disorder, Emma C Lathan, Judy H Hong, Angela M Heads, Nicholas C Borgogna, Joy M Schmitz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Exchange sex places individuals with cocaine use disorder (CUD) at particularly high risk for deleterious safety and health outcomes. A substance use treatment provider who is aware of a patient's exchange sex behavior is better able to provide appropriate screening, care, and/or referral to risk reduction services. However, little is known about exchange sex, especially purchasing, among treatment-seeking adults with CUD. The current study examined the prevalence and correlates of sex selling and sex purchasing among treatment-seeking men and women with CUD (

Customizing Early Intervention Treatment For Psychosis In The Uthealth - Harris County Psychiatric Center, Alia R Warner, Gordon C Shen, Jane E Hamilton, Luca Lavagnino, Scott D Lane

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

High-need, high-cost patients include those with diagnosed serious mental illnesses (e.g., schizophrenia; SMI). They often delay or fail to seek treatment. If they receive treatment, care is often sought from generalist settings (e.g., primary care or emergency medicine) or is suboptimal due to the provision of limited, non-evidence-based intervention and lack of communication, integration, and coordination among providers. This results in high aggregate costs and poor outcomes. Value-based health care requires care coordination to address the medical and social needs of this population. We describe a unique early intervention program for SMI that emanates from an inpatient setting: The Early …

Law Library Blog (November 2020): Legal Beagle's Blog Archive, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

Parental Intent To Initiate And Complete The Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Series In The Usa: A Nationwide, Cross-Sectional Survey, Kalyani Sonawane, Yenan Zhu, Jane R Montealegre, David R Lairson, Cici Bauer, Lindy U Mcgee, Anna R Giuliano, Ashish A Deshmukh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake among US adolescents is primarily dependent on the intent of their parents. to the best of our knowledge, an analysis quantifying parental intent to initiate and complete the HPV vaccine series in the USA at both the national and state level has not been done. We aim to estimate parental intent to initiate and complete the HPV vaccine series at the national-level and state-level and to identify reasons for lack of intent to initiate and complete the vaccine series.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study uses data from the adolescent component of the 2017-18 National Immunization …

Association Of Tph1 And Serotonin Transporter Genotypes With Treatment Response For Suicidal Ideation: A Preliminary Study, David A Nielsen, Huiqiong Deng, Michelle A Patriquin, Mark J Harding, John Oldham, Ramiro Salas, J Christopher Fowler, B Christopher Frueh

Staff and Researcher Publications

Variants in three genes coding for components of the serotonergic system, the tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1) rs1799913, serotonin transporter (SLC6A4) 5-HTTLPR, and serotonin receptor 2A (HTR2A) rs6311, were evaluated for association with suicidal ideation (SI) and with recovery from SI in a psychiatric inpatient population. Five hundred and eighty-two adult inpatients, including 390 patients who had SI, collected from December 2012 to April 2016 were assessed. SI recovery, calculated as change in SI between the first two-week period after admission and weeks 5 and 6, was appraised for association with the three variants. In this preliminary study, both TPH1 and …

Psychosocial Mediators Of Perceived Stigma And Suicidal Ideation Among Transgender Women, Krishna Kiran Kota, Laura F. Salazar, Rachel E. Culbreth, Richard A. Crosby, Jamal Jones

Health, Behavior & Society Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Transgender women (TGW) in the U.S. experience high rates of stigma, depression, and elevated rates of suicide. This study examined correlates of suicidal ideation and estimated the conditional indirect effects of perceived stigma and psychosocial mediators on suicidal ideation.

METHODS: Using a cross-sectional study design, TGW (N = 92) were recruited through snowball sampling in Atlanta, Georgia. Structured interviews were conducted. Suicidal ideation was assessed by combining two variables that measured suicidal thoughts. Logistic regression models were performed to identify the potential risk and protective factors for suicidal ideation. We examined hypothesized psychosocial factors, including anxiety, depression, psychosocial impact …

Memantine: Can It Be Used To Treat Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder?, Austin Brown, Katherine Liu, Pul Lee, Rachel Muhlenkamp, Manoranjan D'Souza

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairment in social, behavior and communicative skills. The current therapy for ASD only targets the associated symptoms such as aggression, self-harming acts or temper tantrums but not the core symptoms of social dysfunction. The pathology of ASD is not fully understood. Interestingly, imaging studies in ASD patients have reported abnormal high levels of glutamate in certain brain regions that play an important role in social interaction and communication. Thus, it has been hypothesized that medications attenuating glutamate transmission may be used as treatment for some of the core symptoms of …

Enhancing Timeliness Of Drug Overdose Mortality Surveillance: A Machine Learning Approach, Patrick J. Ward, Peter J. Rock, Svetla Slavova, April M. Young, Terry L. Bunn, Ramakanth Kavuluru

Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Timely data is key to effective public health responses to epidemics. Drug overdose deaths are identified in surveillance systems through ICD-10 codes present on death certificates. ICD-10 coding takes time, but free-text information is available on death certificates prior to ICD-10 coding. The objective of this study was to develop a machine learning method to classify free-text death certificates as drug overdoses to provide faster drug overdose mortality surveillance.

METHODS: Using 2017–2018 Kentucky death certificate data, free-text fields were tokenized and features were created from these tokens using natural language processing (NLP). Word, bigram, and trigram features were created …

Autonomic Response In Autism Spectrum Disorder: Relationship To Social And Cognitive Functioning, Michelle A Patriquin, Elizabeth M Hartwig, Bruce H Friedman, Stephen W Porges, Angela Scarpa

Staff and Researcher Publications

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may exhibit chronic autonomic nervous system (ANS) hyperarousal (e.g., lower respiratory sinus arrhythmia and higher heart rate) compared to their typically developing peers, reflecting a chronic biological threat response. The sustained nature of this cardiac threat suggests tonic nervous system perception of threat in safe contexts. Herein, the cardiac literature in adult and child populations with ASD is reviewed and placed within a continuum of functioning in order to inform the relationship between cardiac response and functioning in ASD. Findings from this review support the relationship between chronic autonomic hyperarousal and emotional and behavioral …