Public Health Commons^™

Do Medicaid Data Accurately Reflect The Expenditures And Outcomes For Extremely Premature Infants?, Elenir B C Avritscher, Jon E Tyson, Therese A Stukel, Youngran Kim, Cecilia Ganduglia Cazaban, Kanekal S Gautham, David Lynch, David C Goodman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The accurate and meaningful assessment of Medicaid expenditures relative to survival rates among Medicaid-eligible extremely premature infants has received little scrutiny, despite its importance for improving outcomes. We have identified key problems that hindered such assessments using Texas Medicaid data, which may also be relevant to other states.

Maternal Sleep Disorders And Maternal And Birth Outcomes: A Retrospective Us Claims-Based Study, Anayeli Herrera Morales, Audrey C Choh, Cici X Bauer, Stefan A Czerwinski, Miryoung Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Sleep disturbances are commonly reported during pregnancy and have been associated with adverse maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes. However, self-reported sleep disturbances may not be accurately reflected in the prevalence of clinically diagnosed sleep disorders.

Methods: Using Optum's de-identified Clinformatics Data Mart Database, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 93,767 American women who were pregnant with singletons between January 1, 2015 and June 30, 2021, to (1) determine the prevalence of clinically diagnosed sleep disorders and breathing abnormalities; (2) examine their associations with maternal health outcomes; and (3) examine their associations with birth outcomes. Sleep disorders and breathing abnormalities …

Public Support For And Reactive Behavior Toward Technological Risk Interventions: An Extension Of Secondary Risk Theory, Hye Kyung Kim, Rui Gu, Fiona Goh, Sonny Rosenthal, Shirley S. Ho

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Project Wolbachia is a dengue control initiative in Singapore. Guided by Secondary Risk Theory, this study examined how primary (dengue) and secondary (Wolbachia) threat and coping appraisals shape public support and reactive behavior toward the project. A nationally representative survey of 1,000 Singaporeans showed that support was positively linked to the perceived primary risk, the efficacy of the project and the government, while negatively related to the perceived secondary risk. Reactive behavior was positively associated with perceptions of both primary and secondary risk. Media attention and trust in the government indirectly influenced support and behavior moderated by knowledge.

Iot Sensors As A Tool For Assessing Spatiotemporal Risk To Extreme Heat, Kijin Seong, Seung Jun Choi, Junfeng Jiao

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

The safety of urban populations sensitive to extreme heat is under increasing threat. Few studies examine the potential benefits of deploying IoT environmental sensors in the urban context and their integration with large-scale human activity data. This paper examines the deployment of IoT sensors in high-resolution extreme heat risk assessment in the case of Seoul, South Korea. This study conducted spatiotemporal analysis on heat exposure with IoT sensors, compared it with an existing land surface temperature map for validation, combined it with human activity data for risk assessment, and finally discussed the benefits of IoTs in detecting abnormal weather events. …

The Psychosocial Impact Of Covid-19 Mitigation Measures On Frontline Staff Providing Sexual Health And Family Planning Services In Kenya: A Mixed-Methods Study, Ferdinand Okwaro, Abdu Mohiddin, Marleen Temmerman

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Background The recognition of the unintended impact of COVID-19 mitigation measures to the availability of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services led to the initiation of mitigation and health systems support mechanisms within public health facilities by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Kenya to maintain pre-Covid-19 levels of SRH service provision. These recovery mechanisms however concentrated on policy and infrastructural elements of service provision with limited attention given to the psychosocial impacts of COVID-19 on health care workers (HCWs). This paper examines the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on front line family planning (FP) and sexually transmitted infections (STI) management …

Routine Antenatal Ultrasound By Nurse-Midwives In Rural Kenya: A Pragmatic Trial Assessing Feasibility And Effects Of The Mimba Yangu (My Pregnancy) Project, Claudia Hanson, Lucy Nyaga, Nidhi Leekha, Michaela Mantel, Sarah Kedenge, Caroline Gitonga, Violet Naanyu, Jasmit Shah, Marleen Temmerman

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Introduction: Task-sharing of obstetric ultrasound between nurse-midwives and doctors has the potential to operationalize the World Health Organization’s recommendation of at least one ultrasound before 24 weeks of gestational age for every pregnant woman. Here, we report on the feasibility, acceptability, and effects of the Mimba Yangu (My Pregnancy) task-sharing approach in rural Kenya.

Methods: We conducted a pragmatic trial including 28 primary care facilities between April 2021 and March 2022, selected based on feasibility criteria. Fourteen facilities received the ultrasound intervention composed of (i) task-sharing with nurse-midwives, (ii) the use of portable ultrasound devices (Lumify™) connected to a tablet, …

Policy Evaluation With Nonlinear Trended Outcomes: Covid-19 Vaccination Rates In The United States, Lynn Bergeland Morgan, Peter C. B. Phillips, Donggyu Sul

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper discusses pitfalls in two way fixed effects (TWFE) regressions when the outcome variables contain nonlinear and possibly stochastic trend components. If a policy change shifts trend paths of outcome variables, TWFE estimation can distort results and invalidate inference, especially in a context of evolving policy decisions. A robust solution is proposed by allowing for dynamic club membership empirically using a relative convergence test procedure. The determinants of respective club memberships are assessed by panel ordered logit regressions. The approach allows for policy evolution and shifts in outcomes according to a convergence cluster framework with transitions over time and …

Weight Gain Among Tuberculosis Patients And Its Association With Socio-Demographic Profile And Disease-Related Characteristics In Urban And Rural Areas Of Mysuru., Sana Khader M, Smitha Malenahalli Chandrashekarappa, Anchu R Nath, Arun Gopi

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Background: Tuberculosis remains a major public health burden in India, accounting for 25% of the global tuberculosis cases. Weight gain during tuberculosis treatment is a key recovery indicator influenced by sociodemographic and clinical factors. Addressing these challenges is crucial for achieving India’s Tuberculosis elimination goal by 2025.

Objectives: To assess weight gain across different phases of anti tubercular therapy among tuberculosis patients in urban and rural Mysuru, and to determine its association with sociodemographic and disease-related characteristics.

Methodology: A retrospective cross-sectional study was done using secondary data of tuberculosis patients who attended primary health care centers in …

Personalised Learning In Medical Education – A Futuristic Model For Individual Learning Styles, Sujatha Mahadevarao Premnath, Ashwin Chand Ravichandran, Sivaa Rajendran

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Medical education is transitioning from the traditional teacher-centred to a student-centred model, and an approach that caters to the diverse needs of the learner is necessary to meet these needs. Personalised learning is one such strategy that offers learning content based on individual profiles, learning styles, pace, and competency gaps. Here, the individual student receives content based on their preference, where the content can be created by educators leveraging technology, an adaptive learning platform, and artificial intelligence. It provides an inclusive and efficient learning platform that helps in creating more efficient medical graduates. This article explores the concept of personalized …

Accordance And Conflict Between Religious And Scientific Precautions Against Covid-19 In 27 Societies, T. Samore, D.M.T. Fessler, A.M. Sparks, C. Holbrook, L. Aarøe, C.G. Baeza, M.T. Barbato, P. Barclay, R. Berniūnas, J. Contreras-Garduño, B. Costa-Neves, M.P. Grazioso, P. Elmas, P. Fedor, Li, Norman P., R. Fernández-Morales, L. Garcia-Marques, P. Giraldo-Perez, P. Gul, F. Habacht

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Meaning-making systems underlie perceptions of the efficacy of threat-mitigating behaviors. Religion and science both offer threat mitigation, yet these meaning-making systems are often considered incompatible. Do such epistemological conflicts swamp the desire to employ diverse precautions against threats? Or do individuals—particularly individuals who are highly reactive to threats—hedge their bets by using multiple threat-mitigating practices despite their potential epistemological incompatibility? Complicating this question, perceptions of conflict between religion and science likely vary across cultures; likewise, pragmatic features of precautions prescribed by some religions make them incompatible with some scientifically-based precautions. The COVID-19 pandemic elicited diverse precautions thus providing an opportunity …

Patients´ Characteristics And Six-Month Outcomes Of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation In Kenya: A Retrospective Observational Cohort Study From The National Cardiovascular Registry, Salim Abdallah, Jasmit Shah, Anders Barasa, Felix Barasa, Benard Gitura, Mzee Ngunga

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Introduction: atrial fibrillation is increasingly diagnosed in Kenya due to the persistence of rheumatic heart disease and the rising burden of cardiovascular risk factors. We aim to describe the baseline, clinical, treatment characteristics, and six-month outcomes of patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in Kenya.

Methods: a retrospective observational cohort study design was employed. Data were obtained from three Kenyan referral hospitals, including public and private institutions. Baseline and six-month data were collected. Depending on the type of variable, data were summarized descriptively.

Results: two hundred forty participants were enrolled, with a median age of 59.0 (IQR: 42.0-75.8). …

Preoperative Focused Echocardiography On Patients With Fractured Neck Of Femur. Echonof-Iii Trial: Study Protocol For A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial, Ximena Cid-Serra, Alistair Royse, Andrea Bowyer, David Canty, Daniel Sessler, Sandy Clarke-Errey, Andre Denault, Dina Logiudice, Guy Ludbrook, D-Yin Lin, Yang Yang, Kavi Haji, Lisa Zucherrelli, Andrew J Palmer, Benjamin Piper, Thar Nyan Lwin, Stefan Dieleman, David Eccleston, Alwin Chuan, Richard Cooper, Gregory Henderson, Colin Royse

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Hip fractures are common in older people and are associated with high perioperative mortality. Prompt surgical intervention within the first 48 h of fraction reduces complications; however, surgical urgency often precludes a comprehensive preoperative cardiac evaluation. Preliminary data suggests that performing a focused cardiac ultrasound (FCU) before surgery may reduce postoperative complications. We therefore propose to test the primary hypothesis that FCU reduces a 30-day composite of mortality and serious complications.

Methods: We plan a definitive multicenter pragmatic randomized trial that will enroll 2000 adults with hip fractures. Participants will be randomized before surgery to either receive FCU as …

Polygenic Prediction Of Body Mass Index And Obesity Through The Life Course And Across Ancestries, Roelof A J Smit, Kaitlin H Wade, Qin Hui, Joshua D Arias, Xianyong Yin, Malene R Christiansen, Loic Yengo, Michael H Preuss, Mariam Nakabuye, Ghislain Rocheleau, Sarah E Graham, Victoria L Buchanan, Geetha Chittoor, Marielisa Graff, Marta Guindo-Martínez, Yingchang Lu, Eirini Marouli, Saori Sakaue, Cassandra N Spracklen, Sailaja Vedantam, Emma P Wilson, Shyh-Huei Chen, Teresa Ferreira, Yingjie Ji, Tugce Karaderi, Kreete Lüll, Moara Machado, Deborah E Malden, Carolina Medina-Gomez, Amy Moore, Sina Rüeger, Masato Akiyama, Matthew A Allison, Marcus Alvarez, Mette K Andersen, Vivek Appadurai, Liubov Arbeeva, Eric Bartell, Seema Bhaskar, Lawrence F Bielak, Joshua C Bis, Sailalitha Bollepalli, Jette Bork-Jensen, Jonathan P Bradfield, Yuki Bradford, Caroline Brandl, Peter S Braund, Jennifer A Brody, Ulrich Broeckel, Kristoffer S Burgdorf, Brian E Cade, Qiuyin Cai, Silvia Camarda, Archie Campbell, Marisa Cañadas-Garre, Jin-Fang Chai, Alessandra Chesi, Seung Hoan Choi, Paraskevi Christofidou, Christian Couture, Gabriel Cuellar-Partida, Rebecca Danning, Frauke Degenhardt, Graciela E Delgado, Alessandro Delitala, Ayşe Demirkan, Xuan Deng, Alexander Dietl, Maria Dimitriou, Latchezar Dimitrov, Rajkumar Dorajoo, Fabian Eichelmann, Anders U Eliasen, Jorgen E Engmann, Michael R Erdos, Zammy Fairhurst-Hunter, Aliki-Eleni Farmaki, Jessica D Faul, Juan-Carlos Fernandez-Lopez, Lukas Forer, Mirjam Frank, Sandra Freitag-Wolf, Lars G Fritsche, Christian Fuchsberger, Tessel E Galesloot, Yan Gao, Frank Geller, Olga Giannakopoulou, Franco Giulianini, Anette P Gjesing, Anuj Goel, Scott D Gordon, Mathias Gorski, Jakob Grove, Xiuqing Guo, Stefan Gustafsson, Jeffrey Haessler, Thomas F Hansen, Aki S Havulinna, Simon J Haworth, Nancy Heard-Costa, Daiane Hemerich, Heather M Highland, George Hindy, Yuk-Lam Ho, Edith Hofer, Elizabeth Holliday, Katrin Horn, Whitney E Hornsby, Jouke-Jan Hottenga, Hongyan Huang, Jie Huang, Alicia Huerta-Chagoya, Shaofeng Huo, Mi Yeong Hwang, Chii-Min Hwu, Hiroyuki Iha, Daisuke D Ikeda, Masato Isono, Anne U Jackson, Iris E Jansen, Yunxuan Jiang, Ingegerd Johansson, Anna Jonsson, Torben Jørgensen, Ioanna P Kalafati, Masahiro Kanai, Stavroula Kanoni, Line L Kårhus, Anuradhani Kasturiratne, Tomohiro Katsuya, Takahisa Kawaguchi, Rachel L Kember, Katherine A Kentistou, Daeeun Kim, Han-Na Kim, Young Jin Kim, Marcus E Kleber, Maria J Knol, Azra Kurbasic, Marie Lauzon, Phuong Le, Rodney Lea, Jong-Young Lee, Wen-Jane Lee, Hampton L Leonard, Hengtong Li, Shengchao A Li, Xiaohui Li, Xiaoyin Li, Jingjing Liang, Honghuang Lin, Kuang Lin, Jun Liu, Xueping Liu, Ken Sin Lo, Jirong Long, Laura Lores-Motta, Jian'an Luan, Valeriya Lyssenko, Leo-Pekka Lyytikäinen, Anubha Mahajan, Md Zubbair Malik, Vasiliki Mamakou, Massimo Mangino, Ani Manichaikul, Jonathan Marten, Manuel Mattheisen, Aaron F Mcdaid, Quanshun Mei, Heike Meiselbach, Tori L Melendez, Yuri Milaneschi, Jason E Miller, Iona Y Millwood, Pashupati P Mishra, Ruth E Mitchell, Line T Møllehave, Nina Mononen, Sören Mucha, Matthias Munz, Juha Mykkänen, Masahiro Nakatochi, Giuseppe Giovanni Nardone, Christopher P Nelson, Maria Nethander, Chu Won Nho, Aneta A Nielsen, Ilja M Nolte, Suraj S Nongmaithem, Raymond Noordam, Ioanna Ntalla, Teresa Nutile, Anita Pandit, Marc Pauper, Eva R B Petersen, Liselotte V Petersen, Francesco Piluso, Ozren Polašek, Alaitz Poveda, Saiju Pyarajan, Laura M Raffield, Hiromi Rakugi, Julia Ramirez, Asif Rasheed, Dennis Raven, Nigel W Rayner, Carlos Riveros, Rebecca Rohde, Daniela Ruggiero, Sanni E Ruotsalainen, Kathleen A Ryan, Maria Sabater-Lleal, Aurora Santin, Richa Saxena, Markus Scholz, Botong Shen, Jingchunzi Shi, Jae Hun Shin, Carlo Sidore, Julia Sidorenko, Xueling Sim, Roderick C Slieker, Albert V Smith, Jennifer A Smith, Laura J Smyth, Lorraine Southam, Valgerdur Steinthorsdottir, Liang Sun, Fumihiko Takeuchi, Kent D Taylor, Bamidele O Tayo, Catherine Tcheandjieu, Natalie Terzikhan, Paola Tesolin, Alexander Teumer, Elizabeth Theusch, Deborah J Thompson, Gudmar Thorleifsson, Paul R H J Timmers, Stella Trompet, Constance Turman, Simona Vaccargiu, Sander W Van Der Laan, Peter J Van Der Most, Jan B Van Klinken, Jessica Van Setten, Shefali S Verma, Niek Verweij, Yogasudha Veturi, Carol A Wang, Chaolong Wang, Jun-Sing Wang, Lihua Wang, Ya Xing Wang, Zhe Wang, Helen R Warren, Wen Bin Wei, Wanqing Wen, William A Wheeler, Ananda R Wickremasinghe, Matthias Wielscher, Bendik S Winsvold, Andrew Wong, Matthias Wuttke, Rui Xia, Ken Yamamoto, Jingyun Yang, Jie Yao, Hannah Young, Noha A Yousri, Lei Yu, Lingyao Zeng, Weihua Zhang, Xinyuan Zhang, Jing-Hua Zhao, Wei Zhao, Wei Zhou, Martina E Zimmermann, Magdalena Zoledziewska, Leen M 'T Hart, Linda S Adair, Hieab H H Adams, Carlos A Aguilar-Salinas, Fahd Al-Mulla, Donna K Arnett, Folkert W Asselbergs, Bjørn Olav Åsvold, John Attia, Bernhard Banas, Stefania Bandinelli, Lawrence J Beilin, David A Bennett, Tobias Bergler, Dwaipayan Bharadwaj, Ginevra Biino, Eric Boerwinkle, Carsten A Böger, Judith B Borja, Claude Bouchard, Donald W Bowden, Ivan Brandslund, Ben Brumpton, Julie E Buring, Mark J Caulfield, John C Chambers, Giriraj R Chandak, Stephen J Chanock, Nish Chaturvedi, Yii-Der Ida Chen, Zhengming Chen, Ching-Yu Cheng, Yoon Shin Cho, Kaare Christensen, Ingrid E Christophersen, Marina Ciullo, John W Cole, Francis S Collins, Maria Pina Concas, Richard S Cooper, Miguel Cruz, Francesco Cucca, Michael J Cutler, Scott M Damrauer, Thomas M Dantoft, Gert J De Borst, Eco J C De Geus, Lisette C P G M De Groot, Philip L De Jager, Dominique P V De Kleijn, H Janaka De Silva, George V Dedoussis, Anneke I Den Hollander, Shufa Du, Douglas F Easton, Kai-Uwe Eckardt, Petra J M Elders, A Heather Eliassen, Patrick T Ellinor, Sölve Elmståhl, Jeanette Erdmann, Michele K Evans, Diane Fatkin, Bjarke Feenstra, Mary F Feitosa, Luigi Ferrucci, Jose C Florez, Ian Ford, Myriam Fornage, Andre Franke, Paul W Franks, Barry I Freedman, Christian Gieger, Giorgia Girotto, Yvonne M Golightly, Clicerio Gonzalez-Villalpando, Penny Gordon-Larsen, Harald Grallert, Struan F A Grant, Niels Grarup, Lyn Griffiths, Vilmundur Gudnason, Christopher Haiman, Hakon Hakonarson, Torben Hansen, Catharina A Hartman, Andrew T Hattersley, Caroline Hayward, Iris M Heid, Chew-Kiat Heng, Christian Hengstenberg, Karl-Heinz Herzig, Alex W Hewitt, Haretsugu Hishigaki, David M Hougaard, Carel B Hoyng, Paul L Huang, Wei Huang, Wen-Yi Huang, Jennifer E Huffman, Steven C Hunt, Nina Hutri, Kristian Hveem, Elina Hyppönen, William G Iacono, Sahoko Ichihara, M Arfan Ikram, Carmen R Isasi, Marjo-Riitta Jarvelin, Zi-Bing Jin, Karl-Heinz Jöckel, Jost B Jonas, Peter K Joshi, Pekka Jousilahti, J Wouter Jukema, Mika Kähönen, Yoichiro Kamatani, Kui Dong Kang, Jaakko Kaprio, Sharon L R Kardia, Fredrik Karpe, Norihiro Kato, Maryam Kavousi, Frank Kee, Thorsten Kessler, Amit V Khera, Chiea Chuen Khor, Lambertus A L M Kiemeney, Bong-Jo Kim, Eung Kweon Kim, Hyung-Lae Kim, Paulus Kirchhof, Mika Kivimaki, Woon-Puay Koh, Heikki A Koistinen, Alexander Kokkinos, Jaspal S Kooner, Charles Kooperberg, Peter Kovacs, Adriaan Kraaijeveld, Peter Kraft, Ronald M Krauss, Meena Kumari, Zoltan Kutalik, Markku Laakso, Leslie A Lange, Claudia Langenberg, Lenore J Launer, Hyejin Lee, Nanette R Lee, Terho Lehtimäki, Rozenn N Lemaitre, Huaixing Li, Liming Li, Wolfgang Lieb, Xu Lin, Lars Lind, Allan Linneberg, Ching-Ti Liu, Jianjun Liu, Markus Loeffler, Barry London, Fan Lu, Steven A Lubitz, David A Mackey, Patrik K E Magnusson, Joann E Manson, Gregory M Marcus, Pedro Marques Vidal, Nicholas G Martin, Winfried März, Fumihiko Matsuda, Mark I Mccarthy, Robert W Mcgarrah, Matt Mcgue, Amy Jayne Mcknight, Sarah E Medland, Dan Mellström, Andres Metspalu, Braxton D Mitchell, Paul Mitchell, Dennis O Mook-Kanamori, Trevor A Mori, Andrew D Morris, Lorelei A Mucci, Patricia B Munroe, Mike A Nalls, Saman Nazarian, Amanda E Nelson, Matt J Neville, Christopher Newton-Cheh, Christopher S Nielsen, Harri Niinikoski, Kjell Nikus, Markus M Nöthen, Adesola Ogunniyi, Claes Ohlsson, Albertine J Oldehinkel, Lorena Orozco, Katja Pahkala, Päivi Pajukanta, Colin N A Palmer, Esteban J Parra, Cristian Pattaro, Oluf Pedersen, Craig E Pennell, Brenda W J H Penninx, Louis Perusse, Annette Peters, Patricia A Peyser, David J Porteous, Danielle Posthuma, Chris Power, Peter P Pramstaller, Michael A Province, Bruce M Psaty, Qibin Qi, Jia Qu, Daniel J Rader, Olli T Raitakari, Loukianos S Rallidis, Dabeeru C Rao, Susan Redline, Dermot F Reilly, Alexander P Reiner, Sang Youl Rhee, Paul M Ridker, Michiel Rienstra, Samuli Ripatti, Marylyn D Ritchie, Fernando Rivadeneira, Dan M Roden, Frits R Rosendaal, Jerome I Rotter, Igor Rudan, Femke Rutters, Seungho Ryu, Charumathi Sabanayagam, Babatunde Salako, Danish Saleheen, Veikko Salomaa, Nilesh J Samani, Dharambir K Sanghera, Naveed Sattar, Börge Schmidt, Helena Schmidt, Reinhold Schmidt, Matthias B Schulze, Heribert Schunkert, Laura J Scott, Rodney J Scott, Peter Sever, Wayne H H Sheu, M Benjamin Shoemaker, Xiao-Ou Shu, Eleanor M Simonsick, Mario Sims, Andrew B Singleton, Moritz F Sinner, J Gustav Smith, Harold Snieder, Tim D Spector, Beatrice Spedicati, Meir J Stampfer, Klaus J Stark, David P Strachan, Yasuharu Tabara, E Shyong Tai, Hua Tang, Jean-Claude Tardif, Thangavel A Thanaraj, Anke Tönjes, Tiinamaija Tuomi, Jaakko Tuomilehto, Maria-Teresa Tusié-Luna, Rob M Van Dam, Pim Van Der Harst, Nathalie Van Der Velde, Cornelia M Van Duijn, Natasja M Van Schoor, Veronique Vitart, Marie-Claude Vohl, Uwe Völker, Peter Vollenweider, Henry Völzke, Scott Vrieze, Niels H Wacher-Rodarte, Mark Walker, Gurpreet S Wander, Nicholas J Wareham, Richard M Watanabe, Hugh Watkins, David R Weir, Thomas M Werge, Elisabeth Widen, Gonneke Willemsen, Walter C Willett, James F Wilson, Peter W F Wilson, Tien Y Wong, Jeong-Taek Woo, Alan F Wright, Huichun Xu, Chittaranjan S Yajnik, Jian Yang, Mitsuhiro Yokota, Jian-Min Yuan, Eleftheria Zeggini, Babette S Zemel, Wei Zheng, Xiaofeng Zhu, M Carola Zillikens, Alan B Zonderman, John-Anker Zwart, Goncalo R Abecasis, Themistocles L Assimes, Adam Auton, Michael Boehnke, Daniel I Chasman, Tõnu Esko, Kari Stefansson, Guillaume Lettre, Cecilia M Lindgren, Maggie C Y Ng, Christopher J O'Donnell, Unnur Thorsteinsdottir, Peter M Visscher, Robin G Walters, Thomas W Winkler, Andrew R Wood, Panos Deloukas, Timothy M Frayling, Anne E Justice, Tuomas O Kilpeläinen, Adam E Locke, Karen L Mohlke, Kari E North, Yukinori Okada, Cristen J Willer, Kristin L Young, Segun Fatumo, Jeanne M Mccaffery, Nicholas J Timpson, Joel N Hirschhorn, Yan V Sun, Sonja I Berndt, Ruth J F Loos

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Polygenic scores (PGSs) for body mass index (BMI) may guide early prevention and targeted treatment of obesity. Using genetic data from up to 5.1 million people (4.6% African ancestry, 14.4% American ancestry, 8.4% East Asian ancestry, 71.1% European ancestry and 1.5% South Asian ancestry) from the GIANT consortium and 23andMe, Inc., we developed ancestry-specific and multi-ancestry PGSs. The multi-ancestry score explained 17.6% of BMI variation among UK Biobank participants of European ancestry. For other populations, this ranged from 16% in East Asian-Americans to 2.2% in rural Ugandans. In the ALSPAC study, children with higher PGSs showed accelerated BMI gain from …

Chest X-Ray Interpretation In The Epico Pediatric Covid-19 Study: Addressing Misconceptions, Luis Miguel Navarro-Ramirez, Pablo Vásquez-Hoyos, María Lucía Mesa-Rubio, Melisa Naranjo Vanegas, Daniela Duarte-Montero, Claudia Burgos, Laura Melissa Mendez, María Margarita Rodriguez, Arianna Martinez, Paola Sanchez, Carolina Tovar, Gabriela Friedrich, Gustavo Adolfo Triana-Rodriguez, Mónica Royero-Arias, Jessica Echeverry, Tamara Gamo, Luz Ángela Moreno, Olga Lucía Baquero, Luz Marina Mejía, Sonia Restrepo-Gualteros, Sergio Moreno-Lopez, Juan Gabriel Piñeros, Carlos Álvarez-Moreno, Alejandro Díaz-Díaz, Iván Felipe Gutierrez, Clara Galvis-Diaz, José Manuel Nieto, Irati Gastesi, Cinta Moraleda, Alfredo Tagarro García, Andrea Ramirez Varela, Epico‐Colombia And Epico‐Aep Working Groups

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Five-Year Change In Sleep Duration And Incident Alzheimer’S Disease And Related Dementias Among Lower-Income Older Adults, Hui Shi, Loren Lipworth, Qian Xiao, Xijing Han, Michael Mumma, Laura M Keohane, Danxia Yu, Corey J Bolton, Derek B Archer, Timothy J Hohman, Kelsie M Full

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Little is known about change in sleep duration over time and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) risk.

Methods: ADRD cases were identified among Southern Community Cohort Study participants enrolled in Medicare. Sleep duration was reported at enrollment and first study follow-up and categorized (short (< 7 hours), recommended (7-9) and long (> 9)), change was calculated between timepoints. Adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs, 95% CIs) for incident ADRD.

Results: We identified 2,093 ADRD cases among 17,945 participants. Compared to maintaining optimal sleep duration (7-9 hours) over 5 years, suboptimal changes were associated with 20-69% greater ADRD risk: adjusted …

Steroid Hormone Biosynthesis And Dietary Related Metabolites Associated With Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, Tariq Faquih, Kaitlin S Potts, Pavithra Nagarajan, Bing Yu, Robert Kaplan, Carmen R Isasi, Qibin Qi, Kent D Taylor, Peter Y Liu, Satu J Strausz, Hanna M Ollila, Tianyi Huang, Russell P Tracy, Craig Johnson, Stephen S Rich, Clary B Clish, Jerome I Rotter, Susan Redline, Tamar Sofer, Heming Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a complex sleep problem that affects approximately 33% of the United States population. Although EDS usually occurs in conjunction with insufficient sleep and other sleep and circadian disorders, recent studies have shown unique genetic markers and metabolic pathways underlying EDS. Here, we aimed to further elucidate the biological profile of EDS using large-scale single- and pathway-level metabolomics analyses.

Methods: Metabolomics data were available for 877 metabolites in 6071 individuals from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL). EDS was assessed using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) questionnaire. We performed linear regression for each …

Women's Unique Health Needs And The Sustainable Development Goals: A Meeting Report From The 79th United Nations General Assembly Science Summit, Irene Aninye, Sarah Chew, Nicole Althaus, Michele Barry, Ru-Fong Cheng, Carolyn Harris, Eleanor Nwadinobi, Beth Battaglino, Aisha Brooks, Marleen Temmerman

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Biological sex, hormones, and gender uniquely affect health and disease, often resulting in disparities for women across the lifespan and from different racial and ethnic groups, geographical locations, and socio economic backgrounds. Without intentional investment and infrastructure to support good health and wellbeing for women,half of the world’s population remains vulnerable to preventable morbidity and mortality. The Society for Women’s Health Research and ECHAlliance–The Global Health Connector convened a women’s health programas part of the 10th Annual Science Summit during the United Nations 79th General Assembly. This hybrid event was held in New York, NY, (USA) and virtually in September …

End User Experiences Of An Electronic Health Records Platform In A Tertiary Hospital System In Kenya, Anmol Shrestha, Jasmit Shah, Zamanali Khakhar, Armando Ruiz, Zohray Talib, Sayed Karar

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems allow health care facilities to provide better care to patients and improve overall provider efficiency. They are vital for low-and middle-income countries in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being of all their citizens. This study aimed to evaluate perceptions and usage of a comprehensive EHR by end-users after its deployment into a tertiary hospital system and its outpatient centers in Kenya and also aimed to understand the effectiveness of various implementation strategies deployed by the institution during their implementation process.

Methods: We conducted …

Curing The Peasant's Disease : Frank Oldt’S Work And Research On Hookworm Disease In South China, 1905-1926, Jiaying Fu

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

While current scholarship on “hygienic modernity” in China focuses on the construction of urban health systems and institutional infrastructures, this study proposes an alternative analytical lens by foregrounding the domain of agricultural health. It aims to investigate how early twentieth-century medical researchers uncovered public health models grounded in China’s agrarian conditions. Taking the case of Frank Oldt (1879–1976), a medical missionary living in Guangdong between 1905 and 1926, this research examines how he identified, interpreted, and sought to mitigate the problem of hookworm disease—a parasitic condition intricately linked to China’s farming practices and rural environmental conditions.

Specifically, this thesis aims …

Knowledge, Attitude And Practice Of Artificial Intelligence Among Healthcare Professionals: An Online Cross-Sectional Survey, Nikhil R, Divya K L, Mahabaleshwar Mamadapur, Harshwardhan S Patil, Shashirekha B, Hema Sameera Pinnam, Purna Bansal

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Background: Deep learning-powered Artificial Intelligence-driven assistance offers enormous potential to improve healthcare by facilitating administrative work, diagnosis, and the treatment of chronic diseases. The gap between clinical values and the day-to-day realities of primary care practice might widen if AI is not successfully incorporated.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to evaluate healthcare professionals' perceptions and understanding of AI within a clinical setting. The study was conducted among 456 Health care Workers from May to November 2024.

Results: Among 456 participants, 55.7% were MBBS students/interns, and 37.9% were postgraduates/professionals. More than 50% supported AI integration, and 62.3% of MBBS …

Cardiogenic Shock With Acute Myocardial Infarction Among Older Adults In The United States, Taha Mansoor, Ali Bin Jabbar, Mahmoud Ismayl, Dylan Yu, Kartik Gupta, Sachin Parikh, Austin Brubaker, Abdul Minhas, Dmitry Abramov, Salim S. Virani

Population Health, East Africa

Background: Characteristics and outcomes associated with cardiogenic shock (CS) with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in older patients have not been well characterized.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate characteristics and outcomes of older patients admitted with CS with AMI.

Methods: We used the National Inpatient Sample database to evaluate clinical characteristics of hospitalizations, clinical outcomes, and health care utilization of hospitalizations of older patients ≥80 years with CS and AMI from 2003 to 2021. We also compared data from older patients with a reference relatively younger patient population (18-79 years).

Results: During the study period, …

Induction Of An Early Ifn-Γ Cellular Response And High Plasma Levels Of Sdf-1Α Are Inversely Associated With Covid-19 Severity And Residence In Rural Areas In Kenyan Patients, Perpetual Wanjiku, Benedict Orindi, John Kimotho, Shahin Sayed, Reena Shah, Mansoor Saleh, Viviane Olouch, Ann Karanu, Jasmit Shah, Zaitun Nneka

Pathology, East Africa

Introduction COVID-19 was less severe in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) compared with Europe and North America. It is unclear whether these differences could be explained immunologically. Here we determined levels of ex vivo SARS-CoV-2 peptide-specific IFN-γ producing cells, and plasma cytokines and chemokines over the first month of COVID-19 diagnosis among Kenyan COVID-19 patients from urban and rural areas.

Methods Between June 2020 and August 2022, we recruited and longitudinally monitored 188 COVID-19 patients from two regions in Kenya, Nairobi (urban, n=152) and Kilifi (rural, n=36), with varying disease severity – severe, mild/moderate, and asymptomatic. IFN-γ secreting cells were enumerated at …

Secretogranin 2 Binds Lilrb4 Resulting In Immunosuppression, Xing Yang, Ryan Huang, Meng Fang, Yubo He, Jingjing Xie, Xiaoye Liu, Chengcheng Zhang, Qi Lou, Mi Deng, Wei Xiong, Cheryl Lewis, Zade Sadek, Ankit Gupta, Lianqi Chen, Xuewu Zhang, Lei Guo, Lin Xu, Ningyan Zhang, Zhiqiang An, Cheng Cheng Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Immunosuppressive myeloid cells are important in a variety of physiological and pathological contexts, including tumor development, but how hormones might regulate their activity is unclear. Secretogranins, a family of secretory proteins in endocrine and neuronal cells, are proposed to function as prohormones or hormones, but their specific receptors are unknown. Here we show that secretogranin 2 (SCG2), a granin family member, functionally interacts with leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor B4 (LILRB4) on monocytic cells. Tumor-derived SCG2 promotes tumor growth in myeloid-specific LILRB4 transgenic mice in a T cell-dependent manner, whereas SCG2 deficiency in host mice impairs tumor progression and reduces infiltration of …

Optimizing Initial Screening For Colorectal Cancer Detection With Adherence Behavior, Sarah Yini Gao, Yan He, Ruijie Zhang, Zhichao Zheng, Shao Wei Lam Lam, Emile Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Background: Two-stage screening programs are widely adopted for early colorectal cancer (CRC) detection, where individuals receiving positive outcomes in the first-stage (initial) test are recommended to undergo a second-stage test (colonoscopy) for further diagnosis. Methods: We study the initial test design—the selection of cutoffs for reporting test outcomes—to balance the trade-off between screening effectiveness (i.e., CRC and polyp detection) and efficiency (i.e., colonoscopy costs), incorporating the fact that not all individuals follow up with a colonoscopy after receiving positive outcomes. We integrate the Bayesian persuasion framework with information avoidance to model this problem and apply it to Singapore's CRC screening …

The Role Of Serum Phosphate Control In Supporting Transplant Readiness In Patients On Dialysis, Laura A Williams, Stephen Z Fadem

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Chronic kidney disease affects over 36 million Americans, with more than 800,000 progressing to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Treatment with kidney transplantation offers superior survival, quality of life, and cost-effectiveness compared with dialysis, yet access remains limited. Hyperphosphatemia is a highly prevalent and modifiable complication of ESKD that contributes to cardiovascular disease, mineral bone disorder, and potential pulmonary dysfunction. Additionally, elevated serum phosphate has been linked to transplant graft failure and adverse post-transplant outcomes. Although normal phosphate levels are not formally required for transplant eligibility, they are frequently considered as part of transplant readiness assessments. Persistent gaps between clinical guideline …

Tissue-Specific Distribution Of Microplastics In Human Blood And Carotid Plaques: A Paired Sample Analysis, Cancan Cui, Zheng Guo, Yanxi Liu, Ning Han, Jiayin Song, Yuanmei Chen, Yulu Zheng, Chen Sheng, Lois Balmer, Haibin Li, Rui Liu, Lin Liu, Jianshi Du, Zhiyuan Wu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Backgrounds: Microplastics (MPs) have been increasingly detected in human tissues, raising concerns about their role in cardiovascular disease. However, their distribution in matched blood and vascular tissues, such as atherosclerotic plaques, remains poorly understood. Methods: Paired blood and carotid plaque samples were analyzed for 12 polymer types of MPs using pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry among twenty patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy. Results: The mean concentration of total MPs was 75.2 μg/g in blood and 432.9 μg/g in plaque. Polyethylene (PE) dominated blood samples (46.5 %), followed by polyvinyl chloride (PVC, 16.8 %) and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR, 16.3 %). In plaques, MPs were …

Occupational Exposure To Diesel Particulate Matter In Western Australian Mining: A Retrospective Analysis And Challenges To Future Compliance, Matthew Oosthuizen, Kerry Staples, Adelle Liebenberg, Kiam Padamsey, Marcus Cattani, Andy Mccarthy, Jacques Oosthuizen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

De-identified diesel particulate matter (DPM) exposure data (n = 24,459) was obtained from the Western Australian mining regulator to assess compliance with the current Workplace Exposure Standard (WES) of 0.1 mg/m³, measured as submicron elemental carbon, and a proposed limit of 0.01 mg/m³, assessed as respirable elemental carbon. R and R-Studio were used to generate summary statistics comparing compliance to the current and proposed limits, stratified by industry and occupational groups. To examine temporal trends, a zero-adjusted gamma model was used to assess whether expected sample means changed over the past ten years, using commodity and …

Patient-Centered Management Of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding While On Anticoagulation: A Survey Study, Benjamin Barnett, Rushad Patell, Dana Angelini, Leben Tefera, Jordan K Schaefer, Ang Li, Alejandra Gutierrez Bernal, Shruti Chaturvedi, Anjlee Mahajan, Leslie Lake, Jori May, Anna L Parks

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Nearly three-quarters of women experience heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) during anticoagulation treatment for venous thromboembolism (VTE). HMB can lead to medical interventions, impact school or work and diminish quality of life (QOL). While there are several management options for HMB in patients with VTE, we lack information on how patients approach HMB treatment decisions.

Objectives: We examined patients' experience with, perceptions of, and preferences for treatment of HMB while on anticoagulation.

Methods: Clinicians and patient advocates developed a web-based survey that was distributed via patient advocacy organizations and social media between May and June 2024, targeting participants 18 years …

A Fascination With Gastrointestinal Viruses, Mary Kolb Estes

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

My arrival into this world came quickly, according to my mother, and it feels like my life has mirrored that rapid beginning. I have enjoyed a rich, varied, and stimulating life and career that have gone through several phases. I credit genetics, my family, technological advances, and many environmental factors for shaping my career. Being a virologist allowed me to be curious and creative and to make several unexpected discoveries. This has been a fun and rewarding journey, but it wasn't always easy. I am not accustomed to talking about myself, but I am happy to share some scientific achievements …

Evaluation Of A Novel Tc-24 Recombinant Antigen Elisa For Serologic Detection Of Trypanosoma Cruzi Infection In Dogs: A Pilot Study, Rojelio Mejia, Guilherme G Verocai, Ilana A Mosley, Ashley B Saunders, Bin Zhan, Lindsey Vongthavaravat, Rachel E Busselman, Sarah A Hamer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is a significant challenge for canine health, with limited diagnostic tools. This study assessed the performance of a novel Tc-24 recombinant antigen ELISA compared to three commercial diagnostic tests on 70 serum samples from kennel dogs in Texas. The Tc-24 ELISA demonstrated high sensitivity (87.5%) and specificity (91.2%) compared to Indirect Fluorescent Antibody (IFA) testing, with significant differences in Tc-24 optical density (OD) between positives and negatives (0.607 vs. 0.089, p < 0.001). When compared to Chagas Stat-Pak (SP), Tc-24 ELISA showed sensitivity and specificity values of 82.1% and 86.7%, respectively (p < 0.001). For Chagas Detect Plus (IB), the assay achieved a sensitivity of 80.0% and specificity of 93.1% (p < 0.001). Spearman correlation analysis revealed significant associations between Tc-24 OD and SP (r = 1.0, p = 0.0167), IB (r = 0.9, p = 0.0833) and IFA (r = 0.6273, p = 0.044). Elevated immunochromatographic values in commercial kits (SP or IB) correlated with Tc-24 OD (1.17 vs. 0.039, p < 0.001), achieving 100% sensitivity and 95.8% specificity based on positive results from commercial kits. These findings suggest that Tc-24 ELISA is a reliable and accurate serological tool for diagnosing T. cruzi infection in dogs, with the potential to enhance diagnostic capabilities in veterinary medicine.