Public Health Commons^™

The Impact Of Meal Dietary Inflammatory Index On Exercise-Induced Changes In Airway Inflammation In Adults With Asthma, Katrina P. Mcdiarmid, Lisa G. Wood, John W. Upham, Lesley K. Macdonald-Wicks, Nitin Shivappa Mbbs, Mph, Ph.D., James R. Hébert Scd, Hayley A. Scott

Faculty Publications

Research suggests exercise may reduce eosinophilic airway inflammation in adults with asthma. The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®) quantifies the inflammatory potential of the diet and has been associated with asthma outcomes. This study aimed to determine whether the DII of a meal consumed either before or after exercise influences exercise-induced changes in airway inflammation. A total of 56 adults with asthma were randomised to (1) 30–45 min moderate–vigorous exercise, or (2) a control group. Participants consumed self-selected meals, two hours pre- and two hours post-intervention. Energy-adjusted DII (E-DIITM) was determined for each meal, with meals then characterised as “anti-inflammatory” or …

Safe, Supportive Neighborhoods: Are They Associated With Childhood Oral Health?, Elizabeth L. Crouch, Joni Nelson, Radhika Ranganathan, Melinda A. Merrell, Amy Martin

Faculty Publications

Objective

There has been limited examination of how community-level supports may influence oral health metrics among children. The purpose of our study is to examine the association between two types of community-level positive childhood experiences and oral healthcare and oral health outcomes among children ages 6 to 17 years of age.

Methods

This study uses a cross-sectional data set from the 2018–2019 National Survey of Children's Health. Two oral health metrics were used: preventive dental care, measured as one or more preventive dental visits in the past 12 months, and tooth decay, measured as tooth decay or cavities in the …

Development Of A Prediction Model For The Management Of Noncommunicable Diseases Among Older Syrian Refugees Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic In Lebanon, Stephen J. Mccall, Tanya El Khoury, Noura Salibi, Berthe Abi Zeid, Maria El Haddad, Marwan F. Alawieh, Sawsan Abdulrahim, Monique Chaaya, Hala Ghattas Ph.D., Abla M. Sibai

Faculty Publications

Importance: Older Syrian refugees have a high burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and economic vulnerability.

Objectives: To develop and internally validate a predictive model to estimate inability to manage NCDs in older Syrian refugees, and to describe barriers to NCD medication adherence.

Design, Setting, and Participants: This nested prognostic cross-sectional study was conducted through telephone surveys between September 2020 and January 2021. All households in Lebanon with Syrian refugees aged 50 years or older and who received humanitarian assistance from a nongovernmental organization were invited to participate. Refugees who self-reported having chronic respiratory disease (CRD), diabetes, history of cardiovascular disease …

Metabolome-Wide Associations Of Gestational Weight Gain In Pregnant Women With Overweight And Obesity, Jin Dai, Nansi S. Boghossian, Mark Sarzynski Ph.D., Faha, Facsm, Feng Luo, Xiaoqian Sun, Jian Li, Oliver Fiehn, Jihong Liu Sc.D., Liwei Chen

Faculty Publications

Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. This metabolome-wide association study aimed to identify metabolomic markers for GWG. This longitudinal study included 39 Black and White pregnant women with a prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) of ≥ 25 kg/m². Untargeted metabolomic profiling was performed using fasting plasma samples collected at baseline (mean: 12.1 weeks) and 32 weeks of gestation. The associations of metabolites at each time point and changes between the two time points with GWG were examined by linear and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analyses. Pearson correlations between the …

Utilization Of 18s Ribosomal Rna Lamp For Detecting Plasmodium Falciparum In Microscopy And Rapid Diagnostic Test Negative Patients, Enoch Aninagyei, Adjoa Agyemang Boakye, Clement Okraku Tettey, Kofi Adjei Nitri, Samuel Ohene Ofori, Comfort Dede Tetteh, Thelma Teley Alphour, Tanko Rufai

Faculty Publications

In this study, Plasmodium falciparum was detected in patients that were declared negative for malaria microscopy and rapid diagnostic test kit (mRDT), using Plasmodium 18s rRNA loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technique. The main aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of LAMP assay for detecting pre-clinical malaria, when microscopy and mRDT were less sensitive. DNA was obtained from 100 μL of whole blood using the boil and spin method. Subsequently, the Plasmodium 18s rRNA LAMP assay was performed to amplify the specific Plasmodium 18s rRNA gene. Microscopy and mRDT negative samples [697/2223 (31.2%)] were used for this study. …

Nutrition Facts Label Use Among U.S. Adolescents, Jennifer Beth Mandelbaum

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the promise of Nutrition Facts label (NFL) use as a population-level intervention with broad reach, few studies have examined determinants of adolescents’ NFL use, and how this label use may be associated with nutrition behaviors. This study used data from the International Food Policy Study, an online cross-sectional survey of trends in dietary patterns and policy-relevant behaviors in the U.S. and five other countries. First, this study examined 1) whether NFL use was associated with healthy eating efforts and 2) whether there were sociodemographic differences in NFL use among U.S. adolescents. Results demonstrated that NFL use was positively associated …

Transitions Between Tobacco Products: Correlates Of Changes In Cigarette Smoking And E-Cigarette Use Among Exclusive Adult Smokers And Dual Users In Mexico, Katia Gallegos-Carrillo, Inti Barrientos-Gutiérrez, Edna Arillo-Santillán, Rosibel Rodríguez-Bolaños, Lizeth Cruz-Jiménez, Desirée Vidaña-Pérez, Yoo Jin Cho, Jim F. Thrasher Ph.D., Ma, Ms

Faculty Publications

This study examined transitions in tobacco products use among Mexican smokers and dual users. Data were analyzed from exclusive smokers (n = 2,946) and dual users (n = 1,643) recruited from an online consumer research panel and surveyed every-four months from November 2018 to April 2021. For exclusive smokers, estimated transitions were (time “t + 1” four months after prior survey): a) remain as exclusive smokers; b) dual use; c) exclusive e-cigarette use or quit both products. Among dual users, transitions analyzed were: a) remain as dual user; b) exclusive smoker; c) exclusive e-cigarette user or quit both products. Multinomial …

Assessment Of The Quality Of Emergency Obstetric Care In Public Hospitals In Bangladesh: Evidence From The National Health Facility Assessment Survey, Kaji Korotki

Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: The quality of obstetric care is low in Bangladesh, especially at the sub-district level, and below sub-district level facilities such as union health centers and community clinics. Using nationally representative health facility assessment survey data, this study assessed the change in the quality of basic and comprehensive obstetric care in terms of human resources, equipment, and service availability at sub-district public health facilities in 2014 and 2017.

METHODS: Based on Donabedian’s model of quality of care (QoC), the quality of comprehensive delivery care was measured using an index of 9 indicators known as Signal Functions (SF), while basic obstetric …

How To Survive College As An Acoa: The Effectiveness Of University Resources On Helping Acoas Socially And Psychologically Succeed During Their Academic Career, Kelly Buchan

Senior Theses

In 2019, 14.5 million people ages 12 and older had Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), but only 10% received treatment (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA], 2022). Parental drinking problems can directly affect children, or “Adult Children of Alcoholics.” Of the few studies targeting ACoAs, results show that ACoAs not only have higher risks of mental illness, but they also have lower GPAs and social health (Schroeder & Kelley, 2008). Thus, this study assessed the extent to which perceptions of the college drinking environment are related to higher depression rates in ACoAs, certain drinking motivations, and reluctance to use …

Association Of Prior Periodontal Disease With Cancer – Exploring Epidemiologic Evidence Of Periodontal Exudate-Exposed Site Cancer Risk Versus Remote Gastrointestinal Sites, Asma Alzahrani

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Periodontal disease, a chronic bacterial infection of the gums, if untreated, causes chronic inflammation over years and eventual tooth loss. The associations between periodontal disease (measured by missing teeth) and certain sites of cancer have been established, in epidemiological studies, and attributed to systemic inflammatory impacts causing carcinogenic change over decades. Because periodontal exudates are toxic, containing locally bioactive bacteria and toxins, this study hypothesized and studied the potential higher cancer risk of anatomic sites exposed to oral exudates (exudate-exposed site cancers (EEC); head and neck, oral, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach). The study studied the risk of exudate exposed …

Covid-19 And The College Student Experience, Benjamin Cochran

Senior Theses

In March of 2020, COVID-19 consumed the globe, affecting individuals’ physical and mental health. Physical health disparities among states of different political affiliations became clearer as the pandemic continued unrelentingly, but mental health disparities were not. This thesis attempted to note any mental health disparities among college students in states of both political affiliations across the country through an online survey. The 23-question survey was completed by 97 undergraduates at six universities - three in liberal states and three in conservative states. Respondents at universities in the liberal states rated their university and the state in which it is located …

Novel Dietary Index For Gut Microbiota And Associations With Colorectal Cancer And Breast Cancer Risk, Bezawit Eyob Kase

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Diet serves as a driving force for shaping the gut microbiome. Understanding how diet may modify gut microbiota and subsequently may be associated with chronic disease is critical to public health prevention efforts. Aims: We aimed to develop a novel dietary index that captures the quality of diet with respect to attaining beneficial composition and function of gut microbiota. We then examined the relationship between the dietary index and two gut microbiota-related cancers, i.e., colorectal and breast cancers.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of studies that examined the effect of foods on gut microbiota in adult populations. Dietary …

Identifying Racial Differences In Colorectal Polyp Profile At Screening Colonoscopy Using Traditional Regression And Machine Learning Approaches, Yuqi Wu

Theses and Dissertations

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC), the second leading cause of cancer and cancer deaths in the United States, can largely be prevented by screening the age-appropriate adult population with colonoscopy to remove precancerous lesions. However, despite the encouraging annual, population-wide decline in CRC incidence and mortality in recent decades, and widespread adoption of screening colonoscopy since 2000 (~60% population coverage rate), the Black population has consistently suffered higher CRC incidence and mortality than Whites, currently 20% and 40% respectively, little changed from the 2000 rats of 26% and 52%.

The reason for this is thought to be that the Black population …

Greenspace Across The United States: Exploring Equity And Associations With Physical Activity, Obesity, And Health-Related Quality Of Life, Ellen W. Stowe

Theses and Dissertations

Neighborhood greenspace is important for health and well-being but may not be equitably present in neighborhoods across the United States. Also, many adults are physically inactive, have obesity, and report poor health-related quality of life. Greenspace has been tied to these health conditions, but with mixed findings. The purpose of this study was to 1) use an environmental justice perspective to examine variations in 11 measures of greenspace by neighborhood race/ethnicity, income, and rurality in block groups across the contiguous United States and 2) examine 11 greenspace measures in connection to physical activity, obesity, and health-related quality of life in …

Dietary Inflammatory Index And Mortality From All Causes, Cardiovascular Disease, And Cancer: A Prospective Study, Zhen Lin, Yanfei Feng, Nitin Shivappa Mbbs, Mph, Ph.D., James R. Hébert Scd, Xin Xu

Faculty Publications

The Energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DIITM) is a comprehensive, literature-derived index for assessing the effect of dietary constituents on inflammatory biomarkers and inflammation-related chronic diseases. Several studies have examined the association between E-DII scores and mortality, with results that vary across populations. Therefore, in the present study, we aimed to investigate the potential association between E-DII scores and all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer mortality using data from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Screening Trial. E-DII scores, calculated based on a food-frequency questionnaire, were analyzed both as a continuous variable and after categorization into quintiles. A multivariate Cox …

Availability Of Hospital-Based Cancer Services Before And After Rural Hospital Closure, 2008-2017, Whitney Zahnd Ph.D., Peiyin Hung Ph.D., Sylvia Kewei Shi, Anja Zgodic, Melinda A. Merrell Ph.D., Elizabeth L. Crouch, Janice C. Probst, Jan Eberth Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Introduction

Rural populations have less access to cancer care services and experience higher cancer mortality rates than their urban counterparts, which may be exacerbated by hospital closures. Our objective was to examine the impact of hospital closures on access to cancer-relevant hospital services across hospital service areas (HSAs).

Methods

We used American Hospital Association survey data from 2008 to 2017 to examine the change in access to cancer-related screening and treatment services across rural HSAs that sustained hospitals over time, experienced any closures, or had all hospitals close. We performed a longitudinal analysis to assess the association between hospital closure …

Neighborhood Characteristics And Dementia Symptomology Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Alzheimer’S Disease, Dana M. Alhasan, Matthew C. Lohman Ph.D., Jana A. Hirsch, Margaret Chandlee Miller Ms, Ph.D., Bo Cai Ph.D., Chandra L. Jackson

Faculty Publications

Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs) lead to myriad poor health outcomes among individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Prior studies have observed associations between the various aspects of the home environment and NPSs, but macro-level environmental stressors (e.g., neighborhood income) may also disrupt the neuronal microenvironment and exacerbate NPSs. Yet, to our knowledge, no studies have investigated the relationship between the neighborhood environment and NPSs.

Methods: Using 2010 data among older adults with AD collected from a sample of the South Carolina Alzheimer’s Disease Registry, we estimated cross-sectional associations between neighborhood characteristics and NPSs in the overall population and by race/ethnicity. Neighborhood …

Yin And Yang Of Cannabinoid Cb1 Receptor: Cb1 Deletion In Immune Cells Causes Exacerbation While Deletion In Non-Immune Cells Attenuates Obesity, Kathryn Miranda, William Becker, Philip B. Busbee, Nicholas Dopkins, Osama A. Abdulla, Yin Zhong, Jiajia Zhang Ph.D., Mitzi Nagarkatti, Prakash S. Nagarkatti

Faculty Publications

While blockade of cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) has been shown to attenuate diet-induced obesity (DIO), its relative role in different cell types has not been tested. The current study investigated the role of CB1 in immune vs non-immune cells during DIO by generating radiation-induced bone marrow chimeric mice that expressed functional CB1 in all cells except the immune cells or expressed CB1 only in immune cells. CB1^-/- recipient hosts were resistant to DIO, indicating that CB1 in non-immune cells is necessary for induction of DIO. Interestingly, chimeras with CB1^-/- in immune cells showed exacerbation in DIO combined with …

Association Between Socioeconomic Status And Mental Health Among China’S Migrant Workers: A Moderated Mediation Model, Yubo Shao, Huang Ying, Xiaoming Li Ph.D., Lian Tong

Faculty Publications

Mental health problems are prevalent among China’s internal migrant workers. However, research on the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and mental health is insufficient. Therefore, this study, utilizing the China’s National Dynamic Monitoring Survey data from a sample of 15,997 migrant workers aged 15–59 years to explore differences in the relationship between migrants’ objective and subjective SES and mental health status in 2015. Both the mediating effect of perceived interpersonal discrimination and the moderating effect of age were examined through structural equation modeling. The results indicated that subjective SES has a stronger direct relationship with mental health than objective SES. …

Curating A Knowledge Base For Individuals With Coinfection Of Hiv And Sars-Cov-2: A Study Protocol Of Ehr-Based Data Mining And Clinical Implementation, Chen Liang, Sharon Weissman, Bankole Olatosi, Eric G. Poon, Michael E. Yarrington, Xiaoming Li Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Introduction Despite a higher risk of severe COVID-19 disease in individuals with HIV, the interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and HIV infections remain unclear. To delineate these interactions, multicentre Electronic Health Records (EHR) hold existing promise to provide fullspectrum and longitudinal clinical data, demographics and sociobehavioural data at individual level. Presently, a comprehensive EHR-based cohort for the HIV/SARS-CoV-2 coinfection has not been established; EHR integration and data mining methods tailored for studying the coinfection are urgently needed yet remain underdeveloped. Methods and analysis The overarching goal of this exploratory/developmental study is to establish an EHR-based cohort for individuals with HIV/SARS-CoV-2 coinfection and …

Geographic Proximity To Primary Care Providers As A Risk-Assessment Criterion For Quality Performance Measures, Nathaniel Bell, Ana Lopez-De Fede Ph.D., Bo Cai Ph.D., John Brooks Ph.D.

Publications

Importance Previous studies have found a mixed association between Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) designation and improvements in primary care quality indicators, including avoidable pediatric emergency department (ED) encounters. Whether these associations persist after accounting for the geographic locations of providers relative to where patients reside is unknown. Objective To examine the association between geographic proximity to primary care providers versus hospitals and risk of avoidable and potentially avoidable ED visits among children with pre-existing diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or asthma. Methods Retrospective cohort study of a panel of pediatric Medicaid claims data from the South Carolina from 2016–2018 for 2,959 …

Cardiorespiratory Fitness And The Risk Of All-Cause, Cardiovascular And Cancer Mortality In Men With Hypercholesterolemia, Xuemei Sui M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., Mark A. Sarzynski Facsm, Nicole Gribben, Jiajia Zhang Ph.D., Carl J. Lavie

Faculty Publications

Background: Whether higher cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) confers protection against cardiovascular disease (CVD) in individuals with manifest hypercholesterolemia is poorly understood. Methods: Participants were 8920 men aged 20–82 years with hypercholesterolemia but no history of CVD and/or cancer and who received a preventive examination at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, TX, USA, during 1974–2001. CRF was quantified as maximal treadmill test duration and was grouped for analysis as low, moderate, or high based on the traditional Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study cutpoints. Using Cox regression analyses, we computed hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for risk of mortality based on CRF. Results: …

Processed Food As A Risk Factor For The Development And Perpetuation Of Crohn's Disease-The Enigma Study, Gina L. Trakman, Winnie Y.Y. Lin, Amy L. Hamilton, Amy L. Wilson-O'Brien, Annalise Stanley, Jessica Y. Ching, Jun Yu, Joyce W.Y. Mak, Yang Sun, Junkin Niu, Yinglei Miao, Xiaoqing Lin, Rui Feng, Minhu Chen, Nitin Shivappa Mbbs, Mph, Ph.D., James R. Hébert Scd, Mark Morrison, Siew C, Ng, Michael A. Kamm

Faculty Publications

(1) Background: Developing countries have experienced a rapid recent rise in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) incidence and emerging evidence suggests processed foods and food additives may predispose one to the development and perpetuation of Crohn’s disease (CD). The aim of this study was to evaluate processed food and food additive intake in CD patients and controls, in Australia (high CD incidence), Hong Kong (intermediate incidence) and mainland China (emerging incidence). (2) Methods: In 274 CD patients (CD), 82 first-degree relatives (FDR), 83 household members (HM) and 92 healthy unrelated controls (HC) from Australia (n = 180), Hong Kong (HK) (n …

Validity Of An Abbreviated Individual Water Insecurity Experiences (Iwise-4) Scale For Measuring The Prevalence Of Water Insecurity In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Hilary J. Bethanancourt, Edward A. Frongillo Jr. Ph.D., Sera L. Young

Faculty Publications

The 12-item Water Insecurity Experiences Scales provide high resolution, cross-context equivalent data on household and individual water insecurity. A 4-item, 1-minute version of the Household Water Insecurity Experiences (HWISE-4) Scale has proven useful for understanding the prevalence of household water insecurity experiences when limited resources preclude the use of the HWISE-12 Scale. Herein, we tested the validity of an analogous four-item version of the Individual Water Insecurity Experiences Scale (IWISE-4) for measuring the prevalence of individual water insecurity when limited resources prevent implementation of the IWISE-12 Scale. We used data from adults in 31 low- and middle-income countries (n …

Evidence Of Likely Autochthonous Chagas Disease In The Southwestern United States: A Case Series Of Trypanosoma Cruzi Seropositive Blood Donors, Mary K. Lynn, Kyndall C. Dye-Braumuller, Norman L. Beatty, Patricia L. Dorn, Stephen A. Klotz, Susan L. Stramer, Rebecca L. Townsend, Hany Kamel, Jacquelyn M. Vannoy, Patrick Sadler, Susan P. Montgomery, Hilda N. Rivera, Melissa Nolan Ph.D., Mph

Faculty Publications

Background Chagas disease is a parasitic infection that can insidiously cause non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. Given the largely silent nature of this progressive disease, asymptomatic blood donors pose potential blood transfusion risk. Blood donation screening has become an unintentional form of Chagas disease surveillance, with thousands of new cases identified since national surveillance was initiated in 2007.

Study Design and Methods We recruited T. cruzi-positive blood donors identified from California and Arizona blood centers for confirmatory blood screening and assessment of lifetime infection risk.

Results Among eight suspected cases, we identified four confirmed US autochthonous infections. The current manuscript details the …

Examining The Association Between Rurality And Positive Childhood Experiences Among A National Sample, Elizabeth L. Crouch Ph.D., Janice C. Probst Ph.D., Sylvia Shi, Alexander C. Mclain Ph.D., Jan M. Eberth Ph.D., Monique J. Brown Ph.D., Melinda A. Merrell, Kevin J. Bennett

Faculty Publications

Purpose

The present study examines the association between rurality and positive childhood experiences (PCEs) among children and adolescents across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Recent work has quantified the prevalence of PCEs at the national level, but these studies have been based on public use data files, which lack rurality information for 19 states.

Methods

Data for this cross-sectional analysis were drawn from 2016 to 2018 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), using the full data set with restricted geographic data (n = 63,000). Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were used to calculate proportions and unadjusted associations. …

Relationship Power, Antiretroviral Adherence, And Physical And Mental Health Among Women Living With Hiv In Rural Kenya, Rachel L. Burger, Craig R. Cohen, A. Rain Mocello, Shari L. Dworkin, Edward A. Frongillo Jr. Ph.D., Elly Weke, Lisa M. Butler, Harsha Thirumurthy, Elizabeth A. Bukusi, Sheri D. Weiser

Faculty Publications

Little is known about the association of gender-based power imbalances and health and health behaviors among women with HIV (WWH). We examined cross-sectional baseline data among WWH in a cluster-randomized control trial (NCT02815579) in rural Kenya. We assessed associations between the Sexual Relationship Power Scale (SRPS) and ART adherence, physical and mental health, adjusting for sociodemographic and social factors. SRPS consists of two subscales: relationship control (RC) and decision-making dominance. Women in the highest and middle tertiles for RC had a 7.49 point and 8.88 point greater Medical Outcomes Study-HIV mental health score, and a 0.27 and 0.29 lower odds …

Proteomic Profiling Platforms Head To Head: Leveraging Genetics And Clinical Traits To Compare Aptamer- And Antibody-Based Methods, Daniel H. Katz, Jeremy M. Robbins, Shuliang Deng, Usman A. Tahir, Alexander G. Bick, Akhil Pampana, Zhi Yu, Debby Ngo, Mark D. Benson, Zsu-Zsu Chen, Daniel E. Cruz, Dongxiao Shen, Yan Gao, Claude Bouchard, Mark A. Sarzynski Facsm, Adolfo Correa, Pradeep Natarajan, James G. Wilson, Robert E. Gerszten

Faculty Publications

High-throughput proteomic profiling using antibody or aptamer-based affinity reagents is used increasingly in human studies. However, direct analyses to address the relative strengths and weaknesses of these platforms are lacking. We assessed findings from the SomaScan1.3K (N = 1301 reagents), the SomaScan5K platform (N = 4979 reagents), and the Olink Explore (N = 1472 reagents) profiling techniques in 568 adults from the Jackson Heart Study and 219 participants in the HERITAGE Family Study across four performance domains: precision, accuracy, analytic breadth, and phenotypic associations leveraging detailed clinical phenotyping and genetic data. Across these studies, we show evidence …

Effects Of Caffeine, Methylliberine, And Theacrine On Vigilance, Marksmanship, And Hemodynamic Responses In Tactical Personnel: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial, Harry P. Cintineo, Marissa L. Bello, Alexa J. Chandler, Thomas D. Cardaci, Bridget A. Mcfadden, Shawn M. Arent

Faculty Publications

Background

Tactical athletes require fast reaction times (RT) along with high levels of vigilance and marksmanship performance. Caffeine has been shown to improve these measures but also results in increased blood pressure and jitteriness. Research on other purine alkaloids, such as methylliberine and theacrine, has suggested they do not increase blood pressure or jitteriness to the same extent, but their impact on tactical performance is unknown.

Methods

A between-subjects, randomized, placebo-controlled design was used to test the effects of placebo (PLA), 300 mg caffeine (CAF), and a combination of 150 mg caffeine, 100 mg methylliberine, and 50 mg theacrine (CMT) …

Adolescent-Reported Household Food Insecurity And Adolescents' Poor Mental And Physical Health And Food Insufficiency In Kenya, Amanda S. Mcrell, Maryah S. Fram, Edward A. Frongillo Jr.

Faculty Publications

Background

Objectives

Methods