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College Of Public Heath News, Georgia Southern University

College of Public Health: News & Publications

• State Health Leader to Discuss Past, Present and Future of Georgia’s Public Health at Georgia Southern University

Measurement Of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Antigens In Plasma Of Pediatric Patients With Acute Coronavirus Disease 2019 Or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Children Using An Ultrasensitive And Quantitative Immunoassay, George B Sigal, Tanya Novak, Anu Mathew, Janet Chou, Yubo Zhang, Navaratnam Manjula, Pradeepthi Bathala, Jessica Joe, Nikhil Padmanabhan, Daniel Romero, Gabriella Allegri-Machado, Jill Joerger, Laura L Loftis, Stephanie P Schwartz, Tracie C Walker, Julie C Fitzgerald, Keiko M Tarquinio, Matt S Zinter, Jennifer E Schuster, Natasha B Halasa, Melissa L Cullimore, Aline B Maddux, Mary A Staat, Katherine Irby, Heidi R Flori, Bria M Coates, Hillary Crandall, Shira J Gertz, Adrienne G Randolph, Nira R Pollock, Overcoming Covid-19 Investigators

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Background: Detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antigens in blood has high sensitivity in adults with acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but sensitivity in pediatric patients is unclear. Recent data suggest that persistent SARS-CoV-2 spike antigenemia may contribute to multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). We quantified SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) and spike (S) antigens in blood of pediatric patients with either acute COVID-19 or MIS-C using ultrasensitive immunoassays (Meso Scale Discovery).

Methods: Plasma was collected from inpatients (< 21 years) enrolled across 15 hospitals in 15 US states. Acute COVID-19 patients (n = 36) had a range of disease severity and positive nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR within 24 hours of blood collection. Patients with MIS-C (n = 53) met CDC criteria and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (RT-PCR or serology). Controls were patients pre-COVID-19 (n = 67) or within 24 hours of negative RT-PCR (n = 43).

Results: Specificities of N and S assays were 95-97% and 100%, respectively. In acute COVID-19 patients, N/S plasma assays …

How Close Is Close Enough: Home As A Proxy For Incident Location In Trauma Systems, Jamison Beiriger, David Silver, Joshua Brown

Tower Health Research Day

No abstract provided.

Microgreens Outreach In The Community - Applying A Novel Diet-Related Disease Prevention Tool, Jessica Nwabeke, Vibhuti Mishra, Rayna Marshall, Simone Udeh, Swaksha Rachuri, Ben Haslund-Gourley, Annette Gadegbeku

Tower Health Research Day

No abstract provided.

Demographic And Socioeconomic Factors Predict Maternal Postpartum Rehospitalization: A Retrospective Numom2b Dataset Study, Colin Wakefield

Tower Health Research Day

No abstract provided.

2022-10-11_Michiganoverview_Covidcounts, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Confirmed Cases by Date of Onset Data

Data was downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet which appeared in the Public Use Datasets section under the Cumulative Data link of Michigan's Coronavirus webpage, under the url https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/stats.

Cases are aggregated by the date of onset of COVID-19 symptoms, if known, otherwise by laboratory specimen date if known, otherwise by case referral date. Deaths are aggregated by the date of death if known, otherwise by the last date of a change to the case status.

2022-10-11_Michiganoverview_Isdreporting, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Outbreak Reports

The K-12 Aged ISD Reporting page was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 data page: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/stats/k-to-12-aged-isd-reporting.

This report is created from data reported by the Michigan Disease Surveillance System (MDSS) the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' web-based communicable disease reporting system. Data is updated every week.

The purpose of the dashboard is to report the 7 day average of COVID-19 cases in Michigan school students aged 5 through 18 at the intermediate school district and school district levels, as well as display trends over time to better illustrate the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cases are attributed to …

2022-10-11_Michiganoverview_Covidstats, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Cumulative Michigan COVID-19 Data

The COVID Overview page was obtained from Michigan's main COVID-19 page: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/stats.

The State of Michigan is working around the clock to test and treat COVID-19 patients. Below is the most recent data healthcare experts across the state have compiled. COVID case and testing data will be posted once a week on Tuesdays.

This report is provisional and subject to change. City of Detroit and Wayne County are reported separately. MDHHS began tracking probable cases April 5, 2020. FCI indicates federal correctional institute. MDOC indicates Michigan Department of Corrections. Diagnostic tests, including nucleic acid amplification/real-time polymerase chain reaction (NAAT/RT-PCR) …

2022-10-11_Michiganoverview_Covidlongtermcare, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Long Term Care Data

The COVID Long Term Care Facilities page was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 data page: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/stats/data-about-places/long-term-care-data.

This report is created by the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services from data self-reported by long-term care facilities into EMResource. Data for all reporting facilities is posted weekly each Monday.

The information below represents COVID-19 data reported directly to MDHHS by licensed and operating Skilled Nursing, Home for the Aged and Adult Foster Care facilities (licensed to serve 13 or more individuals) in Michigan from January 1, 2020. All long-term care facilities additionally have an obligation to report COVID-positive residents and/or staff …

Environmental Health Issues, Ping Johnson

KSU Distinguished Course Repository

This course will examine issues associated with environmental factors and conditions and their impact on the health of individuals and communities. Topics will include environmental epidemiology, toxicology, policy, and regulation as well as environmental agents of disease and the implementation of environmental interventions to improve public health and safety.

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 …

Whole Genome Sequence Analysis Of Blood Lipid Levels In >66,000 Individuals, Margaret Sunitha Selvaraj, Xihao Li, Zilin Li, Akhil Pampana, David Y Zhang, Joseph Park, Stella Aslibekyan, Joshua C Bis, Jennifer A Brody, Brian E Cade, Lee-Ming Chuang, Ren-Hua Chung, Joanne E Curran, Lisa De Las Fuentes, Paul S De Vries, Ravindranath Duggirala, Barry I Freedman, Mariaelisa Graff, Xiuqing Guo, Nancy Heard-Costa, Bertha Hidalgo, Chii-Min Hwu, Marguerite R Irvin, Tanika N Kelly, Brian G Kral, Leslie Lange, Xiaohui Li, Martin Lisa, Steven A Lubitz, Ani W Manichaikul, Preuss Michael, May E Montasser, Alanna C Morrison, Take Naseri, Jeffrey R O'Connell, Nicholette D Palmer, Patricia A Peyser, Muagututia S Reupena, Jennifer A Smith, Xiao Sun, Kent D Taylor, Russell P Tracy, Michael Y Tsai, Zhe Wang, Yuxuan Wang, Wei Bao, John T Wilkins, Lisa R Yanek, Wei Zhao, Donna K Arnett, John Blangero, Eric Boerwinkle, Donald W Bowden, Yii-Der Ida Chen, Adolfo Correa, L Adrienne Cupples, Susan K Dutcher, Patrick T Ellinor, Myriam Fornage, Stacey Gabriel, Soren Germer, Richard Gibbs, Jiang He, Robert C Kaplan, Sharon L R Kardia, Ryan Kim, Charles Kooperberg, Ruth J F Loos, Karine A Viaud-Martinez, Rasika A Mathias, Stephen T Mcgarvey, Braxton D Mitchell, Deborah Nickerson, Kari E North, Bruce M Psaty, Susan Redline, Alexander P Reiner, Ramachandran S Vasan, Stephen S Rich, Cristen Willer, Jerome I Rotter, Daniel J Rader, Xihong Lin, Gina M Peloso, Pradeep Natarajan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Blood lipids are heritable modifiable causal factors for coronary artery disease. Despite well-described monogenic and polygenic bases of dyslipidemia, limitations remain in discovery of lipid-associated alleles using whole genome sequencing (WGS), partly due to limited sample sizes, ancestral diversity, and interpretation of clinical significance. Among 66,329 ancestrally diverse (56% non-European) participants, we associate 428M variants from deep-coverage WGS with lipid levels; ~400M variants were not assessed in prior lipids genetic analyses. We find multiple lipid-related genes strongly associated with blood lipids through analysis of common and rare coding variants. We discover several associated rare non-coding variants, largely at Mendelian lipid …

2022-10-10_Michiganoverview_Covidbedppe, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Hospital Data

Contains the tables Statewide Hospital Capacity Report for COVID-19, COVID-19 Metrics, Statewide Hospital Available PPE Tracking for COVID-19, as well as the tables PPE Days On Hand and Patient Census.

2022-10-10_Michiganoverview_Covidoutbreak, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Outbreak Reports

The Outbreak Data page was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 data page: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/stats/outbreak-reporting.

This report is created by the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services from data self-reported by local health departments. Data is updated every week.

COVID-19 outbreaks are generally defined as two or more cases with a link by place and time indicating a shared exposure outside of a household. Local health departments report the number of new and ongoing outbreaks they are investigating by the setting of the outbreak. New outbreaks are those outbreaks that were first identified during the current reporting week. Ongoing outbreaks are …

Debunking Covid-19 Myths In Utah, Jessica Ulrich-Schad, Aaron Hunt

All Current Publications

Authors identified common myths about the COVID-19 vaccine and booster from a survey of over 500 adults across the state of Utah. This poster displays the myths and the respective facts. It includes links for finding more information and a place to get vaccinated or boosted.

Vitamin C Supplementation For The Treatment Of Covid-19: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Monika Olczak-Pruc, Damian Swieczkowski, Jerzy R Ladny, Michal Pruc, Raul Juarez-Vela, Zubaid Rafique, Frank W Peacock, Lukasz Szarpak

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), millions of people have died, and the medical system has faced significant difficulties. Our purpose was to perform a meta-analysis to estimate the effect of vitamin C on in-hospital mortality and the ICU or hospital length of stay for patients diagnosed with COVID-19. We conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis in the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. We included studies that evaluated the effect of vitamin C supplementation, compared with standard treatment …

Refining The Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (Nems) For Healthy Community Stores: Adaptations To Capture Alternative Food Retailers And Align With Dietary Guidelines, Alex B. Hill, Ravneet Kuar, Samantha M. Sundermeir, Christina Kasprzak, Megan Winkler, Sara John, Rachael D. Dombrowski, Bree Bode, Joel Gittelsohn

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Research Publications

Inadequate consumption of healthy food is an ongoing public health issue in the United States. Food availability measures of supply versus consumption of healthy foods are disconnected in many studies. There is a need for an objective assessment of the food environment in order to assess how the food supply aligns with the Healthy Eating Index (HEI). Data were collected as part of the Healthy Community Stores Case Study Project, including a refined Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for Healthy Community Stores (NEMS-HCS) and an updated Healthy Food Availability Index that aligns with the Healthy Eating Index (HFAHEI). This paper will …

Beyond Outdated Magazines And Motivational Posters: How To Make Offices Safer And More Assessable, Danessa A. Carter, Kelsey Boll, Amina Feder

Together We RISE (Making Excellence Inclusive)

Office spaces are the first in-person introduction for individuals to access services. However, these spaces are frequently, even if unintentionally, biased against marginalized and underserved populations. Cuthbert and Taylor (2019) noted the importance of inclusive language and heightened awareness of physical requirements for spaces as ways to impact a sense of connectedness to an environment. Hartal (2018) encourages open communication among staff regarding issues related to diversity and celebrating individual differences. These discussions and trainings can help dismantle microaggressions and empower employees to address othering behavior in an assertive and meaningful way (Fox & Ore, 2010). This presentation will address …

2022-10-07_Michiganoverview_Covidbedppe, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Hospital Data

Contains the tables Statewide Hospital Capacity Report for COVID-19, COVID-19 Metrics, Statewide Hospital Available PPE Tracking for COVID-19, as well as the tables PPE Days On Hand and Patient Census.

Infant Age Moderates Associations Between Infant Temperament And Maternal Technology Use During Infant Feeding And Care, Maya I. Davis, Camille M. Delfosse, Alison K. Ventura

Kinesiology and Public Health

Previous research illustrated that infants’ temperamental traits shape parents’ behaviors, but parents’ behaviors can also elicit or intensify infants’ behaviors in ways that shape temperament. One understudied aspect of parenting that may exhibit bidirectional influences with temperament is parent technology use (e.g., use of mobile devices) within family contexts. To date, few studies have examined whether maternal technology use is associated with infant temperament and whether age-related differences in these associations exist. The present study was a secondary analysis of pooled data from three infant feeding studies. Mothers (n = 374) of young infants (age 16.2 ± 6.2 weeks) …

Respiratory Virus Surveillance Among Children With Acute Respiratory Illnesses - New Vaccine Surveillance Network, United States, 2016-2021, Ariana Perez, Joana Y Lively, Aaron Curns, Geoffrey A Weinberg, Natasha B Halasa, Mary Allen Staat, Peter G Szilagyi, Laura S Stewart, Monica M Mcneal, Benjamin Clopper, Yingtao Zhou, Brett L Whitaker, Elizabeth Lemasters, Elizabeth Harker, Janet A Englund, Eileen J Klein, Rangaraj Selvarangan, Christopher J Harrison, Julie A Boom, Leila C Sahni, Marian G Michaels, John V Williams, Gayle E Langley, Susan I Gerber, Angela Campbell, Aron J Hall, Brian Rha, Meredith Mcmorrow

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The New Vaccine Surveillance Network (NVSN) is a prospective, active, population-based surveillance platform that enrolls children with acute respiratory illnesses (ARIs) at seven pediatric medical centers. ARIs are caused by respiratory viruses including influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus (HMPV), human parainfluenza viruses (HPIVs), and most recently SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), which result in morbidity among infants and young children (1-6). NVSN estimates the incidence of pathogen-specific pediatric ARIs and collects clinical data (e.g., underlying medical conditions and vaccination status) to assess risk factors for severe disease and calculate influenza and COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness. Current NVSN …

Understanding Costa Rica's Response To The Covid-19 Pandemic: Competing Explanations, Lise Charles

The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have major impacts on the world, careful study of successful health systems is essential. Costa Rica has been identified as a country that has responded well to the pandemic with the proportion of death rates compared to infection rates being the lowest in comparison to other countries in Central America. This paper examines Costa Rica’s relatively successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study in good public healthcare management. This study also highlights the importance of theory for addressing urgent, practical development challenges to explore what theoretical frameworks can best explain the …

2022-10-06_Michiganoverview_Misc, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 MIS-C Data

The MIS-C Data page was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 data page: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/stats/mis-c-reporting.

This report is created by the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services from data self-reported by health care providers and local health departments. Data is updated on the first and third Thursdays of the month.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a condition in children and adolescents under 21 years of age where multiple organ systems become inflamed or dysfunctional which occurs in association with illness. Children with MIS-C may have a fever and various symptoms, including abdominal (gut) pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, …

Linking Historical Redlining Maps To Present‐Day Environmental Hazards In St. Louis, Margaret Keller, Kenneth L. Brown

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Many of America’s cities were mapped by the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC). This practice led to structurally racist housing policies and practices, namely redlining. The practice of redlining directed both public and private capital to native‐born, white families and away from Black, Latinx, and immigrant families that lived in these areas. While redlining is illegal today due to the Fair Housing Act of 1968, its impact is still evident in the structure of many U.S. cities including St. Louis (Hillier 2015). Today, redlined areas are particularly susceptible to environmental injustices because laws, regulations, governmental programs, and policies inadequately protect …

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. …

Feasibility Of A Novel Non-Invasive Swab Technique For Serial Whole-Exome Sequencing Of Cervical Tumors During Chemoradiation Therapy, Julianna K Bronk, Chiraag Kapadia, Xiaogang Wu, Bhavana V Chapman, Rui Wang, Tatiana V Karpinets, Xingzhi Song, Andrew M Futreal, Jianhua Zhang, Ann H Klopp, Lauren E Colbert

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Clinically relevant genetic predictors of radiation response for cervical cancer are understudied due to the morbidity of repeat invasive biopsies required to obtain genetic material. Thus, we aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of a novel noninvasive cervical swab technique to (1) collect tumor DNA with adequate throughput to (2) perform whole-exome sequencing (WES) at serial time points over the course of chemoradiation therapy (CRT).

METHODS: Cervical cancer tumor samples from patients undergoing chemoradiation were collected at baseline, at week 1, week 3, and at the completion of CRT (week 5) using a noninvasive swab-based biopsy technique. Swab samples were …

2022-10-05_Michiganoverview_Covidvaccinestats, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Vaccine Data

The COVID Vaccine Dashboard page was obtained from Michigan's main COVID-19 page: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/resources/covid-19-vaccine/covid-19-dashboard.

First-dose tracker above is for entire Michigan Population. Coverage maps below are for age 5+.

Previously reported numbers of administered vaccine doses may change as new data are received. A possible lag in reporting vaccine doses will result in increases in numbers previously reported.

This report is created by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Division of Immunization from data reported to the Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR).

The dashboard contained the tabs Primary Series Doses Administered, Primary Series Doses by Vaccine, …

2022-10-05_Michiganoverview_Covidbedppe, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Hospital Data

Contains the tables Statewide Hospital Capacity Report for COVID-19, COVID-19 Metrics, Statewide Hospital Available PPE Tracking for COVID-19, as well as the tables PPE Days On Hand and Patient Census.

Wellness Review 2022, Part 1, Martin Huecker, Brian A. Ferguson, Jacob Shreffler

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: This article represents the first of a two-part assessment of 2022 literature addressing wellness in healthcare professionals published from January 1, 2022 to June 30, 2022.

Methods: Three editors conducted a similar keyword search in Pubmed, also adding manually curated articles. Focusing chiefly on clinical trials and other prospective research, we settled on a final 25 significant papers focusing on wellness in medical professionals to include in this review.

Literature Review: Recent literature into HCW wellness continues to describe burnout factors and COVID-19 impact, but includes more resilience-targeting interventions and systematic reviews of trials seeking bolstering of well-being. Subsections …

What? Is Epstein–Barr Virus Infection Linked To Multiple Sclerosis?, Asha Mahajan, Steven B Lippmann

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.