Public Health Commons^™

Exposure To Negative News Stories About Vaping, And Harm Perceptions Of Vaping, Among Youth In England, Canada, And The United States Before And After The Outbreak Of E-Cigarette Or Vaping-Associated Lung Injury (‘Evali’), Katherine East, Jessica L. Reid, Robin Burkhalter, Olivia A. Wackowski, Jim Thrasher Ph.D., Ma, Ms, Harry Tattan-Birch, Christian Boudreau, Maansi Bansal-Travers, Alex C. Liber, Ann Mcneill, David Hammond

Faculty Publications

Introduction

Little is known about the international impact of E-cigarette or Vaping-Associated Lung Injury (‘EVALI’) on youth perceptions of vaping harms. Methods

Repeat cross-sectional online surveys of youth aged 16–19 years in England, Canada, and the United States before (2017, 2018), during (2019 August/September), and after (2020 February/March, 2020 August) the ‘EVALI’ outbreak (N = 63380). Logistic regressions assessed trends, country differences, and associations between exposure to negative news stories about vaping and vaping harm perceptions. Results

Exposure to negative news stories increased between 2017 and February–March 2020 in England (12.6% to 34.2%), Canada (16.7% to 56.9%), and the United …

Associations Among Plant-Based Dietary Indexes, The Dietary Inflammatory Index, And Inflammatory Potential In Female College Students In Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study, Ghadeer S. Aljuraiban, Rachel Gibson, Leenah Al-Freeh, Sara Al-Musharaf, Nitin Shivappa Mbbs, Mph, Ph.D., James R. Hébert, Linda M. Oude, Queenie Chan

Faculty Publications

Background Saudi Arabian diets are transitioning to more Western dietary patterns that have been associated with higher levels of inflammation. Emerging evidence suggests plant-based diets are related to lower levels of inflammation; however, the definition of plant-based diets varies. Objective The purpose of this study was to identify the extent to which an overall Plant-Based Diet Index (PDI), Healthy-PDI (hPDI), and Unhealthy-PDI (uPDI) vs Energy-Adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index correlate with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) level. Design This was a cross-sectional study carried out at King Saud University. Data on dietary intake, anthropometrics, and hs-CRP were collected. Participants/setting Female students aged …

Feasibility Of A Primary Care Patient Decision Aid For Smoking Cessation With Information About E-Cigarettes, Jennifer H. Lelaurin, Jim F. Thrasher Ph.D., Ma, Ms, Scott M. Strayer, John Malaty, Christy Kollath-Cattano, Maribeth Williams, Oliver T. Nguyen, Allie M. Kellner, James M. Smith, Ramzi G. Salloum

Faculty Publications

Decision aids can promote shared decision making and behavior change and may be effective in helping patients quit smoking. Patients are increasingly using e-cigarettes for smoking cessation; however, little is known about the impact of including e-cigarette information in smoking cessation decision aids. Our objective was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a smoking cessation decision aid including e-cigarette information. This study was conducted at one family medicine clinic in the United States. We used a pre-post design. In Phase I, the decision aid presented information about approved cessation methods. In Phase II, current e-cigarette users and patients with …

Bright Light Treatment Of Combat-Related Ptsd: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Shawn D. Youngstedt, Christopher E. Kline, Alexandria Reynolds, Shannon K. Crowley, James B. Burch Ph.D., Nidha Khan, Seungyong Han

Faculty Publications

Introduction

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent consequence of combat with significant associated morbidity. Available treatments for PTSD have had limitations, suggesting a need to explore alternative or adjuvant treatments. Numerous rationales for bright light treatment of PTSD include its benefits for common PTSD comorbidities of depression, anxiety, and circadian misalignment and its relative ease of use with few side effects. The primary aims of this research were to examine the effects of bright light treatment for combat-related PTSD and associated morbidity. Materials and Methods

A randomized controlled trial was performed in N = 69 veterans with PTSD attributable …

A Resilience-Based Intervention To Mitigate The Effect Of Hiv-Related Stigma: Protocol For A Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomized Trial, Xiaoming Li Ph.D., Shan Qiao Ph.D., Xueying Yang, Sayward E. Harrison, Cheuk Chi Tam, Zhiyong Shen, Yuejiao Zhou

Faculty Publications

Background: Despite decades of global efforts to tackle HIV-related stigma, previous interventions designed to reduce stigma have had limited effects that were typically in the small- to-moderate range. The knowledge gaps and challenges for combating HIV-related stigma are rooted both in the complexity of the stigma and in the limitations of current conceptualizations of stigma reduction efforts. Recent research has shown the promise of resilience-based approaches that focus on the development of strengths, competencies, resources, and capacities of people living with HIV (PLWH) and their key supporting systems (e.g., family members and healthcare providers) to prevent, reduce, and mitigate the …

Correlational Networking Guides The Discovery Of Unclustered Lanthipeptide Protease-Encoding Genes, Dan Xue, Ethan Older, Zheng Zhong, Zhou Shang, Nanzhu Chen, Nolan Dittenhauser, Lukuan Hou, Peiyan Cai, Michael D. Walla, Shi-Hui Dong, Xiaoyu Tang, Hexin Chen, Prakash Nagarkatti, Mitzi Nagarkatti, Yong-Xin Li, Jie Li

Faculty Publications

Bacterial natural product biosynthetic genes, canonically clustered, have been increasingly found to rely on hidden enzymes encoded elsewhere in the genome for completion of biosynthesis. The study and application of lanthipeptides are frequently hindered by unclustered protease genes required for final maturation. Here, we establish a global correlation network bridging the gap between lanthipeptide precursors and hidden proteases. Applying our analysis to 161,954 bacterial genomes, we establish 5209 correlations between precursors and hidden proteases, with 91 prioritized. We use network predictions and co-expression analysis to reveal a previously missing protease for the maturation of class I lanthipeptide paenilan. We further …

Hiv-Related Stigma, Sexual Identity, And Depressive Symptoms Among Msm Living With Hiv: A Moderated Mediation Modeling Analysis, Tianyue Mi, Guanghua Lan, Xueying Yang Ph.D., Xiaoming Li Ph.D., Shan Qiao Ph.D., Zhiyong Shen, Yuejiao Zhou

Faculty Publications

Depression is one of the biggest health issues among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV, where sexual identity might play an intricate role. Yet, findings of the relationship between sexual identity and depression were mixed and few studies explored its underlying mechanisms. This study aimed to examine the association between sexual identity and depression, and the potential mediating role of HIV-related stigma and moderating role of age. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 203 MSM living with HIV in Guangxi, China. Participants provided information on sexual identity, depression, HIV-related stigma, and background information. Descriptive statistics, bivariate …

Translation Of Policy For Reducing Undernutrition From National To Sub-National Levels In Rwanda, Elyse Iruhiriye, Deanna K. Olney, Edward A. Frongillo, Emmanuel Niyongira, Simeon Nanama, Eugene Rwibasira, Paul Mbonyi, Christine E. Blake

Faculty Publications

Understanding how countries improve children’s nutrition can inform policies and contribute to further improvements. We examined the relationship between improvements in nutrition in Rwanda (1992–2017) and political commitment to- and policy coherence in- nutrition. We reviewed nutrition-relevant Rwandan policies and programs (2000–2018) and conducted 90 semi-structured interviews with national (n = 32), mid-level (n = 38), and community (n = 20) nutrition stakeholders and 40 community-level focus group discussions (FGDs). FGDs and sub-national interviews were conducted in ten purposefully selected districts, five each in which stunting decreased (reduced) and increased or stagnated (non-reduced) between the 2010 and 2014/15 Rwanda Demographic …

The Relationship Of Hair Glucocorticoid Levels To Immunological And Virological Outcomes In A Large Cohort Of Combination Antiretroviral Therapy Treated People Living With Hiv, Quan Zhang, Xiaoming Li Ph.D., Shan Qiao Ph.D., Shuaifeng Liu, Yuejiao Zhou, Zhiyong Shen

Faculty Publications

Background

Existing literature mostly investigated the relationship of acute or short-term glucocorticoid exposure to HIV disease progression using cortisol levels in serum, saliva, or urine. Data are limited on the relationship of long-term glucocorticoid exposure to HIV disease progression. This study examined whether hair glucocorticoid levels, novel retrospective indicators of long-term glucocorticoid exposure, are associated with two common indicators of HIV disease progression (CD4 count and HIV viral load) among a large cohort of combination antiretroviral therapy treated Chinese people living with HIV (PLHIV).

Methods

A total of 1198 treated PLHIV provided hair samples for glucocorticoid (cortisol and cortisone) assay …

Increased Risk Of Major Depressive Disorder Following Tinnitus: A Population-Based Study, Herng-Ching Lin, Sudha Xirasagar Mbbs, Ph.D., Chia-Hui Wang, Yen-Fu Cheng, Tzong-Hann Yang

Faculty Publications

Background and Purpose: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between tinnitus and a subsequent diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) by studying the incidence of both entities.

Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Methods: Data for this observational follow-up study were retrieved from the Taiwan's National Health Insurance Dataset. A total of 375,272 patients with newly diagnosed tinnitus (study group) were retrieved. The date of first diagnosis of tinnitus was assigned as their index date. Comparison patients were selected by propensity score matching (one per case, n = 375,272 controls) from the same dataset, with their index date …

Television Viewing Time And All-Cause Mortality: Interactions With Bmi, Physical Activity, Smoking, And Dietary Factors, Christopher T. Swain, Julie K. Bassett, Allison M. Hodge, David W. Dunstan, Neville Owen, Yi Yang, Harindra Jayasekara, James R. Hébert Scd, Nitin Shivappa Mbbs, Mph, Ph.D., Robert J. Macinnis, Roger L. Milne, Dallas R. English, Brigid M. Lynch

Faculty Publications

Background Higher levels of time spent sitting (sedentary behavior) contribute to adverse health outcomes, including earlier death. This effect may be modified by other lifestyle factors. We examined the association of television viewing (TV), a common leisure-time sedentary behavior, with all-cause mortality, and whether this is modified by body mass index (BMI), physical activity, smoking, alcohol intake, soft drink consumption, or diet-associated inflammation. Methods Using data from participants in the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study, flexible parametric survival models assessed the time-dependent association of self-reported TV time (three categories: < 2 h/day, 2-3 h/day, > 3 h/day) with all-cause mortality. Interaction terms were fitted to test whether …

Evaluation Of A Community-Based Performance Arts Programme For People Who Have Experienced Stroke In The Uk: Protocol For The Shaper-Stroke Odysseys Study, Carolina Estevao, Maria Baldellou Lopez, Rachel E. Davis, Lucinda Jarret, Tayana Soukup, Ioannis Bakolis, Andy Healey, Jean Harrington, Anthony Woods, Nikki Crane, Fiona Jones, Carmine Pariante, Daisy Fancourt, Nick Sevdalis

Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Stroke survivors, once in the community, face challenges with their long-term rehabilitation care and present higher levels of loneliness, depression and anxiety than the rest of the population. A community-based performance arts programme, Stroke Odysseys (SO), has been devised to tackle the challenges of living with stroke in the UK. In this study, we aim to evaluate the implementation, impact and experiences of SO for stroke survivors. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Scaling-up Health Arts Programmes: Implementation and Effectiveness Research (SHAPER)-SO aims to scale-up SO to 75 participants and 47 stakeholders, while simultaneously evaluating the effectiveness and implementation of the programme. …

Determinants Of Covid-19 Vaccinations Among A State-Wide Year-Long Surveillance Initiative In A Conservative Southern State, Lídia Gual-Gonzalez, Maggie S.J. Mccarter, Kyndall Dye-Braumuller, Stella Self, Connor H. Ross, Chloe Rodriguez-Ramos, Virginie G. Daguise, Melissa Nolan Ph.D., Mph

Faculty Publications

By the end of 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in over 54 million cases and more than 800,000 deaths in the United States, and over 350 million cases and more than 5 million deaths worldwide. The uniqueness and gravity of this pandemic have been reflected in the public health guidelines poorly received by a growing subset of the United States population. These poorly received guidelines, including vaccine receipt, are a highly complex psychosocial issue, and have impacted the successful prevention of disease spread. Given the intricate nature of this important barrier, any single statistical analysis methodologically fails to address all …

Development And Validation Of Self-Efficacy And Intention Measures For Spending Time In Nature, Jay E. Maddock, Courtney Suess, Gregory N. Bratman, Carissa Smock, Debra Kellstedt, Jeanette Gustat, Cynthia K. Perry, Andrew T. Kaczynski Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the reliability and validity of self-efficacy and intentions measures for time spent in nature (TSN). TSN is related to improvement in psychological well-being and health, yet most American adults spend very little time in such settings. Theory-based interventions have been effective in increasing physical activity, a related behavior, and may be one mechanism to increase TSN. Self-efficacy and intentions have been shown to be strong predictors of health behaviors and are used across several theories. However, scales to measure these factors have not yet been developed and are needed to …

Refugee Food Insecurity & Technology: Surfacing Experiences Of Adaptation, Navigation, Negotiation And Sharing, Reem Talhouk, Kyle Montague, Hala Ghattas, Vera Araujo-Soares, Balsam Ahmad, Madeline Balaam

Faculty Publications

With the Syrian crisis still ongoing, 91% of Syrian refugee families in Lebanon do not have adequate access to safe and sufficient food. There has been a drive for technological innovation in humanitarian food assistance. To further inform such innovation, we used an Experience-Centred Design approach to gain a holistic understanding of the experiences of refugee food insecurity and how refugees envision technologies can support them. Design engagements with 13 women in an informal refugee settlement in Lebanon were conducted. The findings presented in this paper highlight that coping with food insecurity consists of experiences of adaptation, navigation, negotiation and …

The Faith, Activity, And Nutrition (Fan) Dissemination And Implementation Study: Changes In And Maintenance Of Organizational Practices Over 24 Months In A Statewide Initiative, Sarah Wilcox Phd, Kelsey R. Day, Ruth P. Saunders, Danielle E. Jake-Schoffman, Andrew T. Kaczynski, Jessica Stucker, Caroline G. Dunn, John Bernhart Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Background

Few studies have examined the impact of ecological health promotion interventions on organizational practices over time, especially in faith-based settings. This statewide dissemination and implementation study examined change in organizational practices and their predictors across a 24-month period, as well as maintenance of change.

Methods

Using a pre-post quasi-experimental design, church coordinators from 92 United Methodist Churches in South Carolina (42% predominantly African American congregations) completed surveys at baseline, and immediate, 12-, and 24-months post-training regarding physical activity (PA) and healthy eating (HE) organizational practices consistent with the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN) program (opportunities, policies, pastor support, messages) …

Impacts Of Climate Change And Heat Stress On Farmworkers' Health: A Scoping Review, Moussa El Khayat, Dana A. Halwani, Layal Hneiny, Ibrahim Alameddine, Mustapha A. Haidar, Rima R. Habib

Faculty Publications

Due to the continuous rise of global temperatures and heatwaves worldwide as a result of climate change, concerns for the health and safety of working populations have increased. Workers in the food production chain, particularly farmworkers, are especially vulnerable to heat stress due to the strenuous nature of their work, which is performed primarily outdoors under poor working conditions. At the cross-section of climate change and farmworkers' health, a scoping review was undertaken to summarize the existing knowledge regarding the health impacts associated with climate change and heat stress, guide future research toward better understanding current and future climate change …

Riding The Wave: Reactive Vector-Borne Disease Policy Renders The United States Vulnerable To Outbreaks And Insecticide Resistance, Kyndall C. Dye-Braumuller, Jennifer R. Gordon, Kaci Mccoy, Danielle Johnson, Rhoel Dinglasan, Melissa Nolan Ph.D., Mph

Faculty Publications

Funding for vector-borne disease surveillance, management, and research is cyclical and reactive in the United States. The subsequent effects have yielded gross inequities nationally that unintentionally support recurrent outbreaks. This policy forum is comprised of four primary subsections that collectively identify specific areas for improvement and offer innovative solutions to address national inadequacies in vector borne disease policy and infrastructure.

Acculturation Implications On Obesity Among Ethnically Diverse Teens, Tien Vo, Lori A. Spruance

Faculty Publications

Obesity is a prevalent public health concern among children, especially those from minoritized backgrounds. In order to understand how acculturation and race/ethnicity influence obesogenic behavior in adolescents, a national convenience sample of 11- to 14-year-olds was recruited to participate in a survey about acculturation, physical activity, nutrition, and the school and home environment. Preliminary results showed significant differences in obesogenic behaviors when comparing White to non-White groups. Time spent watching TV, time spent playing video/computer games, and physical inactivity was higher for non-White Westernized adolescents compared to White adolescents. self-reported obesity, participation in school meals were both positively correlated with …

Neighborhood Deprivation And Risk Of Mortality Among Men With Prostate Cancer: Findings From A Long-Term Follow-Up Study, Madhav K.C., Ariane L. Rung, Edward J. Trapido, Laura S. Rozek, Elizabeth T.H. Fontham, Jeannette T. Bensen, Laura Farnan, Susan E. Steck Phd, Mph, Rd, Lixin Song, James L. Mohler, Edward S. Peters

Faculty Publications

Background The overall survival rate of prostate cancer (PCa) has improved over the past decades. However, huge socioeconomic and racial disparities in overall and prostate cancer-specific mortality exist. The neighborhood-level factors including socioeconomic disadvantage and lack of access to care may contribute to disparities in cancer mortality. This study examines the impact of neighborhood deprivation on mortality among PCa survivors. Methods North Carolina–Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project (PCaP) data were used. A total of 2113 men, 1046 AA and 1067 EA, with PCa were included in the analysis. Neighborhood deprivation was measured by the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) at the census …

Diet Quality Scores And Cardiometabolic Risk Factors In Mexican Children And Adolescents: A Longitudinal Analysis, Abeer Ali Aljahdali, Karen E. Peterson, Alejandra Cantoral, Edward Ruiz-Narvaez, Martha M. Tellez-Rojo, Hyungjin Myra Kim, James R. Hébert Scd, Michael David Wirth Msph, Phd, Face, Libni A. Torres-Olascoaga, Nitin Shivappa Mbbs, Mph, Ph.D., Ana Baylin

Faculty Publications

There is limited evidence for the effects of diet on cardiometabolic profiles during the pubertal transition. We collected repeated measures of diet quality and cardiometabolic risk factors among Mexican youth. This analysis included 574 offspring of the Early Life Exposure in Mexico to Environmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) birth cohort followed up to three time points. Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), alternate Mediterranean Diet (aMedDiet), and Children’s Dietary Inflammatory Index (C-DII^TM) scores were computed from food frequency questionnaires. Higher DASH and aMedDiet scores reflect a higher diet quality, and lower C-DII scores reflect an anti-inflammatory diet. Cardiometabolic risk factors …

Patients With Obesity And A History Of Metformin Treatment Have Lower Influenza Mortality: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Tammy H. Cummings, Joseph Magagnoli Ph.D., Ms, James W. Hardin, S. Scott Sutton

Faculty Publications

Background: Obesity is a risk factor for the development of influenza by leading to a chronic inflammatory state and T-cell dysfunction. Based upon preclinical research, metformin has influenza activity by restoring T-cell function and improving the immune response. Objective: We aimed to evaluate the potential drug repurposing of metformin for the management of influenza among patients with obesity utilizing national claims data in an electronic health record database. Methods: The VA Informatics and Computing Infrastructure (VINCI) was utilized to obtain individual-level information on demographics, administrative claims, and pharmacy dispensation. A cohort was created among individuals with laboratory confirmed diagnosis of …

Absence Of An Association Between Macular Degeneration And Young-Onset Dementia, Tung-Mei Tammy Kuang, Sudha Xirasagar Mbbs., Ph.D., Wei-Yun Lee, Yen-Fu Cheng, Nai-Wen Kuo, Herng-Ching Lin

Faculty Publications

A few population-based studies have reported an association between prior age-related macular degeneration and senile dementia. No study has explored a possible link between prior macular degeneration and young-onset dementia (YOD). This case–control study aimed to evaluate the association of YOD with prior macular degeneration diagnosed in the 5-year period before their index date. Data for this retrospective observational study were retrieved from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance (NHI) dataset. A total of 36,577 patients with newly diagnosed YOD from January 2010 to December 2017 were identified as the study cohort, assigning their diagnosis date as their index date. Comparison patients …

Does A School Snack Make A Difference? An Evaluation Of The World Food Programme Emergency School Feeding Programme In Lebanon Among Lebanese And Syrian Refugee Children, Zeina Jamaluddine, Chaza Akik, Gloria Safadi, Sara Abou Fakher, Nehmat El-Helou, Soha Moussa, Dominique Anid, Hala Ghattas Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Objective: To investigate the effects of providing a daily healthy school snack on children's nutritional, social and educational outcomes and explore stakeholders' perceptions of an emergency school feeding programme (SFP). Design: Convergence triangulation mixed-methods study design. Associations were examined between receiving the school feeding intervention and children's outcomes using multivariable regression models. Quantitative data were complemented with interviews and focus group discussions with parents and staff. Setting: In vulnerable communities in Lebanon, the World Food Programme has implemented an emergency SFP targeting Lebanese (attending morning sessions) and Syrian refugee children (attending afternoon sessions) in public schools. Participants: Children from ten …

Diet Quality And Dietary Inflammatory Index Score Among Women’S Cancer Survivors, Sibylle Kranz, Faten Hasan, Erin Kennedy, Jamie Zoellner, Kristin A. Guertin, Nitin Shivappa Mbbs, Mph, Ph.D., James R. Hébert, Roger Anderson, Wendy Cohn

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015) and Energy-Adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DIITM) scores in women's cancer survivors and to examine socio-economic (SES) characteristics associated with these two diet indices. In this cross-sectional study, survivors of women's cancers completed a demographic questionnaire and up to three 24-h dietary recalls. HEI-2015 and E-DII scores were calculated from average intakes. One-way ANOVA was used to examine the association of various demographic factors on HEI-2015 and E-DII scores. Pearson Correlation was used to calculate the correlation between the two scores. The average HEI-2015 score was 55.0 +/- …

Specificity Matters: Unpacking Impact Pathways Of Individual Interventions Within Bundled Packages Helps Interpret The Limited Impacts Of A Maternal Nutrition Intervention In India, Shivani Kachwaha, Phuong H. Nguyen, Lan Mai Tran, Rasmi Avula, Melissa F. Young, Sebanti Ghosh, Thomas Forissier, Jessica Escobar-Alegria, Praveen Kumar Sharma, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Purnima Menon

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: To address gaps in coverage and quality of nutrition services, Alive & Thrive (A&T) strengthened the delivery of maternal nutrition interventions through government antenatal care (ANC) services in Uttar Pradesh, India. The impact evaluation of the A&T interventions compared intensive ANC (I-ANC) with standard ANC (S-ANC) areas and found modest impacts on micronutrient supplementation, dietary diversity, and weight-gain monitoring. OBJECTIVES: This study examined intervention-specific program impact pathways (PIPs) and identified reasons for limited impacts of the A&T maternal nutrition intervention package. METHODS: We used mixed methods: frontline worker (FLW) surveys (n = ∼500), counseling observations (n = 407), and …

Transmodel: An R Package For Linear Transformation Model With Censored Data, Jie Zhou, Jiajia Zhang Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Linear transformation models, including the proportional hazards model and proportional odds model, under right censoring were discussed by Chen, Jin, and Ying (2002). The asymptotic variance of the estimator they proposed has a closed form and can be obtained easily by plug-in rules, which improves the computational efficiency. We develop an R package TransModel based on Chen's approach. The detailed usage of the package is discussed, and the function is applied to the Veterans' Administration lung cancer data.

Comparison Of Human Urinary Exosomes Isolated Via Ultracentrifugation Alone Versus Ultracentrifugation Followed By Sec Column-Purification, Kun Huang, Sudha Garimella, Alyssa Clay-Gilmour, Lucia Vojtech, Bridget Armstrong, Madison Bessonny, Alexis Stamatikos

Faculty Publications

Chronic kidney disease is a progressive, incurable condition that involves a gradual loss of kidney function. While there are no non-invasive biomarkers available to determine whether individuals are susceptible to developing chronic kidney disease, small RNAs within urinary exosomes have recently emerged as a potential candidate to use for assessing renal function. Ultracentrifugation is the gold standard for urinary exosome isolation. However, extravesicular small RNA contamination can occur when isolating exosomes from biological fluids using ultracentrifugation, which may lead to misidentifying the presence of certain small RNA species in human urinary exosomes. Therefore, we characterized human urinary exosomal preparations isolated …

Association Of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration With Migraine, Tung-Mei Kuang, Sudha Xirasagar, Yi-Wei Kao, Jau-Der Ho, Herng-Ching Lin

Faculty Publications

Patients with early onset vascular pathology have been reported to manifest neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). While the blood vessels involved in pathogenesis of migraine remains controversial, it is generally accepted that a major contributor is blood vessel pathology. This study aimed to examine the association between migraine and AMD using a nationwide population-based dataset. Retrospective claims data were collected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. We identified 20,333 patients diagnosed with neovascular AMD (cases), and we selected 81,332 propensity score-matched controls from the remaining beneficiaries in Taiwan's National Health Insurance system. We used Chi-square tests to explore …

Study Protocol: Randomised Controlled Hybrid Type 2 Trial Evaluating The Scale-Up Of Two Arts Interventions For Postnatal Depression And Parkinson’S Disease, Tayana Soukup, Rachel Davis, Maria Baldellou Lopez, Andy Healey, Carolina Estevao, Daisy Fancourt, Paola Dazzan, Carmine Pariante, Hannah Dye, Tim Osborn, Rebecca Bind, Kristi Sawyer, Lavinia Rebecchini, Katie Hazelgrove, Alexandra Burton, Manonmani Manoharan, Rosie Perkins, Aleksandra Podlewska, Ray Chaudhuri, Fleur Derbyshire-Fox, Alison Hartley, Anthony Woods, Nikki Crane

Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Research on the benefits of 'arts' interventions to improve individuals' physical, social and psychological well-being is growing, but evidence on implementation and scale-up into health and social care systems is lacking. This protocol reports the SHAPER-Implement programme (Scale-up of Health-Arts Programmes Effectiveness-Implementation Research), aimed at studying the impact, implementation and scale-up of: Melodies for Mums (M4M), a singing intervention for postnatal depression; and Dance for Parkinson's (PD-Ballet) a dance intervention for Parkinson's disease. We examine how they could be embedded in clinical pathways to ensure their longer-term sustainability. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A randomised two-arm effectiveness-implementation hybrid type 2 trial …