Public Health Commons^™

Translational Repression Of Pre-Formed Cytokine-Encoding Mrna Prevents Chronic Activation Of Memory T Cells, Fiamma Salerno, Sander Engels, Maartje Van Den Biggelaar, Floris P.J. Van Alphen, Aurelie Guislain, Wanqi Zhao, Deborah L. Hodge, Sarah E. Bell, Jan Paul Medema, Marieke Von Lindern, Martin Turner, Howard A. Young, Monika C. Wolkers

United States Public Health Resources

Memory T cells are critical for the immune response to recurring infections. Their instantaneous reactivity to pathogens is empowered by the persistent expression of cytokine-encoding mRNAs. How the translation of proteins from pre-formed cytokine-encoding mRNAs is prevented in the absence of infection has remained unclear. Here we found that protein production in memory T cells was blocked via a 3′ untranslated region (3′ UTR)-mediated process. Germline deletion of AU-rich elements (AREs) in the Ifng-3′ UTR led to chronic cytokine production in memory T cells. This aberrant protein production did not result from increased expression and/or half-life of the mRNA. Instead, …

Tertiary Care Centres Must Do More For Patients With Unknown Conditions: Lessons Learned From A Child, Guido Filler, Lana Rothfels

Patient Experience Journal

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a debilitating disease with a commonly non-uniform and unspecific presentation that makes diagnosis difficult. A twelve-year-old girl, recently diagnosed with Addison’s Disease, was referred to paediatric nephrology for Fludrocortisone-induced nocturnal hypertension. She had fallen off the growth curve for both height and weight from the 50th percentile at birth to below the 5th percentile at presentation. The severity and multitude of her symptoms, including muscle weakness, poor body control, dizziness, light headedness, persistent fatigue, excessive sweating, tachycardia, chronic constipation and recurrent infection hinted at the unusual nature of this case of Addison’s. At the …

Epigenomics And Metabolomics Reveal The Mechanism Of The Apoa2-Saturated Fat Intake Interaction Affecting Obesity, Chao-Qiang Lai, Caren E. Smith, Laurence D. Parnell, Yu-Chi Lee, Dolores Corella, Paul Hopkins, Bertha A. Hidalgo, Stella Aslibekyan, Michael A. Province, Devin Absher, Donna K. Arnett, Katherine L. Tucker, Jose M. Ordovas

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: The putative functional variant −265T > C (rs5082) within the APOA2 promoter has shown consistent interactions with saturated fatty acid (SFA) intake to influence the risk of obesity.

Objective: The aim of this study was to implement an integrative approach to characterize the molecular basis of this interaction.

Design: We conducted an epigenome-wide scan on 80 participants carrying either the rs5082 CC or TT genotypes and consuming either a low-SFA (< 22 g/d) or high-SFA diet (≥ 22 g/d), matched for age, sex, BMI, and diabetes status in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (BPRHS). We then validated the findings in selected participants in the Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network (GOLDN) Study (n = 379) and the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) (n = 243). Transcription and metabolomics analyses were conducted to determine the relation between epigenetic status, APOA2 mRNA expression, …

Functional Polymorphisms Of Alcohol Metabolism Genes And Their Protection Against Alcoholism Via Gene Therapy: A Systematic Review, Olivia Tzeng

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Around 45% of East Asians are unable to fully metabolize ethanol due to functional

polymorphisms of alcohol metabolism genes, specifically alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). These individuals display high levels of toxic blood acetaldehyde when consuming alcohol, causing symptoms such as tachycardia, vomiting, and flushing. The studies included in this review examine how functional polymorphisms of ADH and ALDH protect against alcoholism in addition to how polymorphisms can be utilized as protection against alcoholism via gene therapy. The studies included found that carriers of the ADH and ALDH polymorphisms were 66 to 99% genetically protected against alcoholism. Through …

Evolution Of Bordetella Pertussis Genome May Play A Role In The Increased Rate Of Whooping Cough Cases In The United States, Kevin Loftus

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Bordetella pertussis is the bacterium responsible for pertussis, a disease commonly referred to as whooping cough. Recently, pertussis has made a resurgence in the U.S. despite high-vaccination coverage. Possible causes of the increased number of pertussis cases include genetic evolution of B. pertussis, increased awareness of the disease, better laboratory diagnostics, and the switch from a whole-cellular (wP) vaccine to an acellular vaccine (aP) in the 1990s. Fortunately, just as B. pertussis is evolving, so is the arsenal of technologies used to understand and combat this pathogenic bacterium. Whole genome sequencing is one technology that helps researchers better understand …

Interferon-Gamma Impairs Maintenance And Alters Hematopoietic Support Of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stromal Cells, Marieke Goedhart, Anne S. Cornelissen, Carlijn Kuijk, Sulima Geerman, Marion Kleijer, Jaap D. Van Buul, Stephan Huveneers, Marc H.G.P. Raaijmakers, Howard A. Young, Monika C. Wolkers, Carlijn Voermans, Martijn A. Nolte

United States Public Health Resources

Bone marrow (BM) mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) provide microenvironmental support to hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Culture-expanded MSCs are interesting candidates for cellular therapies due to their immunosuppressive and regenerative potential which can be further enhanced by pretreatment with interferon-gamma (IFN-γ). However, it remains unknown whether IFN-γ can also influence hematopoietic support by BM-MSCs. In this study, we elucidate the impact of IFN-γ on the hematopoietic support of BM-MSCs. We found that IFN-γ increases expression of interleukin (IL)-6 and stem cell factor by human BM-MSCs. IFN-γ-treated BM-MSCs drive HSPCs toward myeloid commitment in vitro, but impair subsequent differentiation of …

Behavior Coding Strategies: Population Coupling And The Functional Role Of Excitatory/Inhibitory Balance In Primary Motor Cortex, Patrick Aaron Kells

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The complexities of an organism’s experience of- and interaction with the world are emergent phenomena produced by large populations of neurons within the cerebral cortex and other brain regions. The network dynamics of these populations have been shown to be sometimes synchronous, with many neurons firing together, and sometimes asynchronous, with neurons firing more independently, leading to a decades-old debate within the neuroscience community. This discrepancy comes from viewing the system at two different scales; at the single cell level, the spiking activity of two neurons within cortex tend to be rather independent, but when the average activity of a …

Herpes Zoster Patient Education: A Coloring Book Approach, Sophia Charuhas

Senior Honors Theses

Shingles, the disease caused by the herpes zoster virus, is a widespread and widely misunderstood illness in the United States. It is preventable, but many at-risk patients do not know what measures they may take to prevent it. Clear communication from physician to patient is crucial for patient understanding of diseases. Many patient education materials on herpes zoster currently available are often unused. It is therefore beneficial to public health to disseminate new mediums of medical communication, and one way of accomplishing this is through adult coloring books. The pathophysiology of herpes zoster virus is here explored and the idea …

Identifying What Matters To Hysterectomy Patients: Postsurgery Perceptions, Beliefs, And Experiences, Andrew S. Bossick, Roopina Sangha, Heather Olden, Gwen L. Alexander, Ganesa Wegienka

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Hysterectomy is the most common nonobstetrical surgery for women in the United States. Few investigations comparing hysterectomy surgical approaches include patient-centered outcomes.

Methods: The study was performed at Henry Ford Health System (Detroit, MI) between February 2015 and May 2015. A total of 1,038 eligible women — those 18 to 65 years of age and who had an electronic medical record-documented Current Procedural Terminology (CPT^®) code or an International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition (ICD-9) code of hysterectomy between December 2012 and December 2014 — were selected and recruited. A question guide was developed to investigate …

Effects On Recovery And Neuroplasticity In Brain Injury Patients, Rebekkah Mclellan

Student Scholar Showcase

Abstract

According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 1.7 million people sustain a Traumatic Brain Injury each year, making the topic of brain plasticity and patient recovery an important area of study. An added element is understanding whether biological, social, and environmental factors can impact the recovery and plasticity of the patient’s brain.The purpose of this literature review was to evaluate if the environment surrounding an individual who has sustained a brain injury affects their recovery and neuroplasticity. The databases used for the scope of this review included LC OneSearch, Medline, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar. Keywords included brain injury, …

Effects Of The Environment On Recovery And Neuroplasticity In Brain Injury Patients, Rebekkah Mclellan

Student Scholar Showcase

According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 1.7 million people sustain a Traumatic Brain Injury each year, making the topic of brain plasticity and patient recovery an important area of study. An added element is understanding whether biological, social, and environmental factors can impact the recovery and plasticity of the patient’s brain. The purpose of this literature review was to evaluate if the environment surrounding an individual who has sustained a brain injury affects their recovery and neuroplasticity. The databases used for the scope of this review included LC OneSearch, Medline, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar. Key words included brain …

The Interplay Of Type I And Type Ii Interferons In Murine Autoimmune Cholangitis As A Basis For Sex-Biased Autoimmunity, Heekyong R. Bae, Deborah L. Hodge, Guo Xiang Yang, Patrick S.C. Leung, Sathi Babu Chodisetti, Julio C. Valencia, Michael Sanford, John M. Fenimore, Ziaur S.M. Rahman, Koichi Tsuneyama, Gary L. Norman, M E. Gershwin, Howard A. Young

United States Public Health Resources

We have reported on a murine model of autoimmune cholangitis, generated by altering the AU-rich element (ARE) by deletion of the interferon gamma (IFN-γ) 3' untranslated region (coined ARE-Del−/−), that has striking similarities to human primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) with female predominance. Previously, we suggested that the sex bias of autoimmune cholangitis was secondary to intense and sustained type I and II IFN signaling. Based on this thesis, and to define the mechanisms that lead to portal inflammation, we specifically addressed the hypothesis that type I IFNs are the driver of this disease. To accomplish these goals, we crossed ARE-Del−/− …

Sling Complications, David L. Howard, Andrea Mcglynn, Joy A. Greer

Research Briefs

No abstract provided.

Dietary Habits And Lifestyle In School-Aged Children From Bucharest, Romania, Anca Pantea Stoian, Liliana F. Andronache, Razvan Hainarosie, Dan N. Paduraru, Cristinel D. Badiu, Andreea Arsene, Claudia Mehedintu, Georgiana Ditu, Silviu M. Pituru, Cristina Orlov, Mihaela Oros, Cornelia Nitipir

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Background. This study evaluated the difference between boys and girls in terms of nutritional status, lifestyle, and dietary habits during school life.

Materials and Methods. A descriptive and observational study was conducted in 2016, in which 251 children, aged 7-17, from 3 elementary schools and a high school inBucharest,Romania, were evaluated. A questionnaire was used to assess food behavior, eating, and lifestyle habits.

Results. Boys had a significantly higher waist circumference (71.18±9) than girls (67.46±9.91) (p=0.004). Thus 27% of boys were overweight or obese compared with only 22% of the girls. Differences were also seen between the two groups in …

Head Injury Risk And Car Seat Use For Children In Collisions, Peyton A. Schroeder, M.J. Skhurm, D. Fraser, K. Mcclafferty

Western Research Forum

Background: Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are the leading cause of death for people under the age of 17 years. Almost 80% of rear seat motor vehicle passengers are children. Previous studies have shown that a large fraction of injuries to children in MVCs involved the head and chest. In this study, the hypothesis that children under the age of eight using a forward-facing child restraint system (FFCRS) will have more severe head injuries than children using any other type of restraints in an MVC was tested.

Methods: Several datasets obtained from Transport Canada and Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Centre emergency …

Addressing Hydrocephaly In Viet Nam: A Plausible Prevention And Intervention Medical Support Program Proposal, Chelle Mcintyre-Brewer

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Families affected by hydrocephalus in Viet Nam have few options for sustainable treatment for a myriad of reasons, primarily centering on barriers to care prevalent to minority, underserved, and economically disadvantaged populations. High morbidity and abandonment rates often result from these circumstances. An interdisciplinary examination of the factors contributing to causal concerns reveals unique cultural considerations, language and literacy barriers, ethnic and geographic differences, as well as economic and governmental issues greatly impacting patient outcome for this condition. The author contends that a program that addresses sociological concerns, along with the medical treatment of the patient, proffers the opportunity for …

Cortical Thinning And Neuropsychiatric Outcomes In Children Exposed To Prenatal Adversity: A Role For Placental Crh?, Curt A. Sandman, Megan M. Curran, Elyssia Poggi Davis, Laura M. Glynn, Kevin Head, Tallie Z. Baram

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Exposure to early life adversity may disrupt the development and maturation of neurons and brain circuits, which, in turn, underlie neurodevelopment and mental illnesses. During fetal life, maternal adversity is conveyed to the developing brain via several molecular signals, including the stress hormone corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH). Employing a large well characterized prospective cohort, we find that fetal exposure to placental-origin CRH levels predicts structural and functional brain outcomes in children. Specifically, elevated placental CRH levels portend thinning of selective cortical regions of exposed individuals, with commensurate cognitive and emotional deficits. Notably, the relations of placental-origin CRH to cortical thinning …

In-Hospital Mortality And Post-Surgical Complications Among Cancer Patients With Metabolic Syndrome, Tomi Akinyemiju, Swati Sakhuja, Neomi Vin-Raviv

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is an important etiologic and prognostic factor for cancer, but few studies have assessed hospitalization outcomes among patients with both conditions.

Methods

Data was obtained from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization project Nationwide Inpatient Sample (HCUP-NIS). Study variables were assessed using ICD-9 codes on adults aged 40 years and over admitted to a US hospital between 2007 and 2011 with primary diagnosis of either breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer. We examined in-hospital mortality, post-surgical complications, and discharge disposition among cancer patients with MetS and compared with non-MetS patients.

Results

Hospitalized breast (OR: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.20–0.46), …

Disparities In Healthcare Coverage And Utilization After Expanded Dependent Coverage, Tina Hernandez-Boussard, Doug E. Morrison, Lu Tian, Sanjay Basu

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background. A goal of expanding insurance coverage is reducing racial disparities in healthcare utilization, however the effects of such expansions under the affordable care act (ACA) on disparities remain unclear. The 2010 dependent coverage expansion provided an opportunity to evaluate disparities following a major coverage expansion.

Objectives. We sought to understand changes in emergency department (ED)utilization following a major insurance expansion, the 2010 dependent coverage expansion.

Research Design. We present changes in coverage and utilization among young adults (19-25 years old) before and after the dependent coverage expansion, compared to a control group (26-31 years old) unaffected …

Fusion, 2018, George Washington University, William H. Beaumont Medical Research Honor Society

Fusion

No abstract provided.

Low Vaccination Rates: Africa, Karen Ruiz

Global Issues in Public Health

Vaccination is a treatment that produces immunity, protecting individuals and general populations from infectious and often deadly diseases. Low vaccination rates have for a long time been a pervasive issue in the continent of Africa. There are many extenuating circumstances that become contributory causes for low rates of populations being vaccinated. These circumstances can be in relation to the health professionals and facilities that distributes vaccinations, lack of resources in health facilities, false determiners for children’s eligibility, etc. Other contributory causes concern the general environments in which people live. These contributory causes can present barriers for accessing health services and …

Childhood Lead Poisoning, Javeria Fatima

Global Issues in Public Health

Childhood lead poisoning is a non-communicable disease that has a long history and fatal effects. Although the disease’s source is from a natural element, lead, human handling of lead has affected individuals negatively worldwide. Through the use of lead in everyday situations or items such as in mines, the paint in houses, and lead water pipes, lead poisoning is easily attainable and has lasting effects. The impacts on lead poisoning on children has been investigated over the years and the devastating cognitive and physical impacts of the disease have been studied. This report aims to examine the factors that could …

Group Ii Innate Lymphoid Cells And Microvascular Dysfunction From Pulmonary Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle Exposure, Alaeddin Bashir Abukabda, Carroll Rolland Mcbride, Thomas Paul Batchelor, William Travis Goldsmith, Elizabeth Compton Bowdridge, Krista Lee Garner, Sherri Friend, Timothy Robert Nurkiewicz

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: The cardiovascular effects of pulmonary exposure to engineered nanomaterials (ENM) are poorly understood, and the reproductive consequences are even less understood. Inflammation remains the most frequently explored mechanism of ENM toxicity. However, the key mediators and steps between lung exposure and uterine health remain to be fully defined. The purpose of this study was to determine the uterine inflammatory and vascular effects of pulmonary exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2). We hypothesized that pulmonary nano-TiO2 exposure initiates a Th2 inflammatory response mediated by Group II innate lymphoid cells (ILC2), which may be associated with an impairment in uterine microvascular …

Method Overtness, Forensic Autopsy, And The Evidentiary Suicide Note: A Multilevel National Violent Death Reporting System Analysis, Ian R. H. Rockett, Eric D. Caine, Steven Stack, Hilary S. Connery, Kurt B. Nolte, Christa L. Lilly, Ted R. Miller, Lewis S. Nelson, Sandra L. Putnam, Paul S. Nestadt, Haomiao Jia

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Objective

Higher prevalence of suicide notes could signify more conservatism in accounting and greater proneness to undercounting of suicide by method. We tested two hypotheses: (1) an evidentiary suicide note is more likely to accompany suicides by drug-intoxication and by other poisoning, as less violent and less forensically overt methods, than suicides by firearm and hanging/suffocation; and (2) performance of a forensic autopsy attenuates any observed association between overtness of method and the reported presence of a note.

Methods

This multilevel (individual/county), multivariable analysis employed a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM). Representing the 17 states participating in the United States …

Novel Caries Loci In Children And Adults Implicated By Genome-Wide Analysis Of Families, Manika Govil, Nandita Mukhopadhyay, Daniel E. Weeks, Eleanor Feingold, John R. Shaffer, Steven M. Levy, Alexandre R. Vieira, Rebecca L. Slayton, Daniel W. Mcneil, Robert J. Weyant, Richard J. Crout, Mary L. Marazita

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Dental caries is a common chronic disease among children and adults alike, posing a substantial health burden. Caries is affected by multiple genetic and environmental factors, and prior studies have found that a substantial proportion of caries susceptibility is genetically inherited.

Methods: To identify such genetic factors, we conducted a genome-wide linkage scan in 464 extended families with 2616 individuals from Iowa, Pennsylvania and West Virginia for three dental caries phenotypes: (1) PRIM: dichotomized as zero versus one or more affected primary teeth, (2) QTOT1: age-adjusted quantitative caries measure for both primary and permanent dentitions including pre-cavitated lesions, and …

Therapeutic And Immunological Interventions In Primary Biliary Cholangitis: From Mouse Models To Humans, Atsushi Tanaka, Patrick S.C. Leung, Howard A. Young, M. Eric Gershwin

United States Public Health Resources

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease that predominantly affects women in their fifth and sixth decades. The diagnostic hallmarks of PBC are detection of anti-mitochondrial antibodies (AMAs) and chronic non-suppurative destructive cholangitis (CNSDC) of small- and medium-sized intrahepatic bile ducts in liver histological examination [1, 2]. A significant amount of data suggests that immunological activity against small biliary epithelial cells (BECs), found histologically as portal inflammation, leads to clinical disease. In PBC, as with other autoimmune diseases, both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the development of pathology [3–8]. The first-line therapy of PBC is ursodeoxycholic …

Usefulness Of The Captia Syphilis Igg Eia Test Method And Reverse Algorithm For Detection Of Syphilis Infection In A Public Health Setting, Patricia Armour

Theses and Dissertations

Syphilis, a systemic sexually transmitted disease, is on the rise in the US, with infection rates the highest recorded since 1994 according to the CDC. Useful laboratory testing is an important diagnostic tool for determining individual syphilis infection and preventing community-wide disease spread.

The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness of a specific automated treponemal test method, the Captia^TM Syphilis IgG EIA, and the syphilis reverse algorithm interpretation for detecting syphilis infection among patients seeking care in a public health clinic. The study employed a retrospective, nonexperimental descriptive correlational design with data collected between 2012-2013 from …

Implementing A Public Health Perspective In Fda Drug Regulation, Patricia J. Zettler, Margaret Foster Riley, Aaron S. Kesselheim

Faculty Publications By Year

There is, without question, a public health crisis in the United States arising from both illicit and prescription opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is one regulator with an important role to play in minimizing the harms associated with prescription opioids, while also ensuring that prescription opioids are available for the evidence-based management of pain. One question, however, is to what extent the agency can consider in its decisions to approve opioids and keep existing ones on the market the provider and patient behaviors contributing to the epidemic. This is, in part, because FDA’s approval …

Infant Feeding Practices In China And Ireland - Ireland Chinese Mother, Qianling Zhou, Katherine Younger, John Kearney

Articles

Introduction: Migration to another country may induce changes in infant feeding practices especially where such practices differ considerably between the two countries. This study was undertaken to compare the infant feeding practices between Chinese mothers who gave birth in Ireland (CMI) with immigrant Chinese mothers who gave birth in China (CMC), and to examine the factors that influence these practices. Methods: A cross-sectional self-administrated survey was conducted among a convenience sample of 322 Chinese mothers living in Ireland. Data were obtained from mailed questionnaires. Infant feeding practices between CMC and CMI were compared by Chi-square or independent sample t-test. Binary …

The Perspectives Of Men In Mexico City About Vasectomy, Isabel Vieitez Martínez, Adriana Ramos

Reproductive Health

As part of World Vasectomy Day, the Population Council Mexico conducted an exploratory study about the reasons and concerns that led men to seek a no-scalpel vasectomy (NSV) during the 24-hour “Vasectomy-athon” in Mexico City in 2017. This study was intended as the first part of a longer cohort study that would follow up with the men, and their partners, to learn about their experiences with the procedure and its effects, if any, on their relationships. Based on the findings, the report recommends that the Mexican Ministry of Health (SSA) continue integrating NSV information, counseling, and services within the National …