Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons^™

Development And Evaluation Of An Implementation Strategy To Increase Hpv Vaccination Among Underserved Youth Across Texas: A Protocol Paper, Paula M Cuccaro, Jihye Choi, Lara S Savas, Efrat K Gabay, Mayra Aguilar Mcbride, Amy Montelongo Eldridge, Timothy J Walker

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: All for Them is a theory-based and evidence-informed multilevel, multicomponent program delivered through schools to increase HPV vaccination among medically underserved youth across Texas. Given the potential logistical challenges of program implementation, understanding how to best support the implementation and sustainment of the program is critical. The overall goals of this study are twofold: 1) develop a multifaceted implementation strategy, Implementing All for Them (IM-AFT); and 2) evaluate the impact of IM-AFT on implementation outcomes for schools and healthcare providers to successfully implement All for Them in their respective settings.

METHODS: This study is underpinned by a comprehensive and …

Reflections From The Pandemic: Is Connectivism The Panacea For Clinicians?, Jennifer Benjamin, Tyson Pillow, Heather Macneill, Ken Masters, Anoop Agrawal, Neil Mehta

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic and the recent increased interest in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) highlight the need for interprofessional communities' collaboration to find solutions to complex problems. A personal narrative experience of one of the authors compels us to reflect on current approaches to learning and knowledge acquisition and use solutions to the challenges posed by GenAI through social learning contexts using connectivism. We recognize the need for constructivism and experiential learning for knowledge acquisition to establish foundational understanding. We explore how connectivist approaches can enhance traditional constructivist paradigms amid rapidly changing learning environments and online communities. Learning in connectivism includes …

Urinary Metal Levels, Cognitive Test Performance, And Dementia In The Multi-Ethnic Study Of Atherosclerosis, Arce Domingo-Relloso, Katlyn E Mcgraw, Susan R Heckbert, Jose A Luchsinger, Kathrin Schilling, Ronald A Glabonjat, Irene Martinez-Morata, Melanie Mayer, Yongmei Liu, Alexis C Wood, Jeff Goldsmith, Kathleen M Hayden, Mohamad Habes, Ilya M Nasrallah, R Nick Bryan, Tanweer Rashid, Wendy S Post, Jerome I Rotter, Priya Palta, Linda Valeri, Timothy M Hughes, Ana Navas-Acien

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: Metals are established neurotoxicants, but evidence of their association with cognitive performance at low chronic exposure levels is limited.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of urinary metal levels, individually and as a mixture, with cognitive tests and dementia diagnosis, including effect modification by apolipoprotein ε4 allele (APOE4).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The multicenter prospective cohort Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) was started from July 2000 to August 2002, with follow-up through 2018. A total of 6303 MESA participants were included. Data analysis was performed from October 12, 2023, to June 13, 2024.

EXPOSURE: Urine samples were collected at baseline …

Chronic Β3-Ar Stimulation Activates Distinct Thermogenic Mechanisms In Brown And White Adipose Tissue And Improves Systemic Metabolism In Aged Mice, Duraipandy Natarajan, Bhuvana Plakkot, Kritika Tiwari, Shoba Ekambaram, Weidong Wang, Michael Rudolph, Mahmoud A Mohammad, Shaji K Chacko, Madhan Subramanian, Stefano Tarantini, Andriy Yabluchanskiy, Zoltan Ungvari, Anna Csiszar, Priya Balasubramanian

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Adipose thermogenesis has been actively investigated as a therapeutic target for improving metabolic dysfunction in obesity. However, its applicability to middle-aged and older populations, which bear the highest obesity prevalence in the United States (approximately 40%), remains uncertain due to age-related decline in thermogenic responses. In this study, we investigated the effects of chronic thermogenic stimulation using the β3-adrenergic (AR) agonist CL316,243 (CL) on systemic metabolism and adipose function in aged (18-month-old) C57BL/6JN mice. Sustained β3-AR treatment resulted in reduced fat mass, increased energy expenditure, increased fatty acid oxidation and mitochondrial activity in adipose depots, improved glucose homeostasis, and a …

Whole-Of-School Physical Activity Promotion: Findings From Elementary Schools In The United States, Derek W Craig, Christopher D Pfledderer, Natalia I Heredia, Kevin Lanza, Kempson Onadeko, Andjelka Pavlovic, Jizyah Injil, Laura F Defina, Timothy J Walker

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Schools can support students' participation in physical activity by offering opportunities consistent with a Whole-of-School (WOS) approach; however, the extent to which physical activity opportunities are provided and how school-level characteristics associate with their use remains unclear. This study examined how elementary schools' use a WOS approach to promote physical activity, as well as associations between school-level characteristics and physical activity opportunities provided.

METHODS: Survey data was collected from 162 elementary schools participating in the NFL PLAY 60 FitnessGram Project during the 2022-2023 school year. A WOS index (ranging from 0 to 12) was created from responses by school …

Context, Mechanisms And Community Engagement In Implementation Strategies: A Systematic Review Protocol Of Implementation Strategies Designed Using Implementation Mapping, Eunyoung Kang, Gill Ten Hoor, Derek W Craig, Serena Rodriguez, Jennifer Stockton, Maria E Fernandez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Implementation Mapping (IM) has increasingly been used for the design and/or selection and tailoring implementation strategies to promote the effective translation of evidence-based interventions into practice. IM is a tool for guiding the systematic, iterative, step-by-step design process that helps guide the co-creation of theory-based, evidence-informed implementation strategies. This protocol aims to describe the methods of the planned systematic review that will (1) examine the overall landscape of IM in developing implementation strategies, (2) explore the mechanisms of implementation strategies developed using IM and (3) investigate the use of IM and community engagement in the development of implementation strategies. …

Evaluation Of A Trauma-Informed Care (Tic) Training Program Across Community Health Centers In Texas: A Qualitative Study, Jihye Choi, Efrat K Gabay, Aimee Rachel, Aniela Brown, Roxana Cruz, Qiheng Yan, Paula M Cuccaro

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: In April 2019, Texas Association of Community Health Centers launched the Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) program in community health centers across Texas. This initiative aimed to transform organizational culture for consistent delivery of TIC by providing training and coaching opportunities for Trainers and Champions in each health center. This study is an interim qualitative evaluation to gain participants' insights into their experiences of and perceptions about TIC training as part of the TIC initiative.

METHODS: We conducted semi-structured key informant interviews via Zoom with Trainers across four cohorts of participating health centers between February 2020 and April 2023. We used …

Protein Consumption And Risk Of Cvd Among Us Adults: The Multi-Ethnic Study Of Atherosclerosis (Mesa), Ji Yun Tark, Ruosha Li, Bing Yu, Alexis C Wood, Nikhil S Padhye, Marcia C De Oliveira Otto

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Although some randomized trials have reported beneficial effects of protein intake on cardiometabolic risk factors, evidence from prospective studies have not supported a strong link between protein intake and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. It is also unclear whether diversity in protein intake plays a role in CVD risk.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated prospective associations of (1) protein intake, overall and by food source and (2) diversity of protein sources with risk of CVD, coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke.

METHODS: In a multi-ethnic cohort of 5879 U.S. adults (45-84 years), who were free of CVD at baseline, protein intake was …

Metabolites Link Intake Of A Healthy Diet To Better Insulin And Glucose Homeostasis In The Microbiome And Insulin Longitudinal Evaluation Study (Miles), Alexis C Wood, Danielle J Lee, Patricia A Sheridan, Elizabeth T Jensen, Gautam Ramesh, Alain G Bertoni, Stephen S Rich, Yii-Der I Chen, David M Herrington, Jerome I Rotter, Mark O Goodarzi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Dietary quality has been linked to better glycemic control, but the precise molecular mechanisms giving rise to these associations are not fully understood.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of metabolites associated with the intake of a healthy diet with measures of insulin/glucose homeostasis.

METHODS: Using cross-sectional data from 295 United States adults, the associations between 3 diet pattern scores and metabolome-wide metabolites were estimated via linear regression models, which controlled for demographic factors and health behaviors. Subsequently, the associations between the diet-related metabolites with 6 measures of glucose/insulin homeostasis were examined in similar models. A Bonferroni correction was applied …

Effectiveness Of Original Monovalent And Bivalent Covid-19 Vaccines Against Covid-19-Associated Hospitalization And Severe In-Hospital Outcomes Among Adults In The United States, September 2022-August 2023, Jennifer Decuir, Diya Surie, Yuwei Zhu, Adam S Lauring, Manjusha Gaglani, Tresa Mcneal, Shekhar Ghamande, Ithan D Peltan, Samuel M Brown, Adit A Ginde, Aimee Steinwand, Nicholas M Mohr, Kevin W Gibbs, David N Hager, Harith Ali, Anne Frosch, Michelle N Gong, Amira Mohamed, Nicholas J Johnson, Vasisht Srinivasan, Jay S Steingrub, Akram Khan, Laurence W Busse, Abhijit Duggal, Jennifer G Wilson, Nida Qadir, Steven Y Chang, Christopher Mallow, Jennie H Kwon, Matthew C Exline, Nathan I Shapiro, Cristie Columbus, Ivana A Vaughn, Mayur Ramesh, Basmah Safdar, Jarrod M Mosier, Jonathan D Casey, H Keipp Talbot, Todd W Rice, Natasha Halasa, James D Chappell, Carlos G Grijalva, Adrienne Baughman, Kelsey N Womack, Jillian P Rhoads, Sydney A Swan, Cassandra Johnson, Nathaniel Lewis, Sascha Ellington, Fatimah S Dawood, Meredith Mcmorrow, Wesley H Self, Investigating Respiratory Viruses In The Acutely Ill (Ivy) Network

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Assessments of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness are needed to monitor the protection provided by updated vaccines against severe COVID-19. We evaluated the effectiveness of original monovalent and bivalent (ancestral strain and Omicron BA.4/5) COVID-19 vaccination against COVID-19-associated hospitalization and severe in-hospital outcomes.

METHODS: During September 8, 2022 to August 31, 2023, adults aged ≥ 18 years hospitalized with COVID-19-like illness were enrolled at 26 hospitals in 20 US states. Using a test-negative case-control design, we estimated vaccine effectiveness (VE) with multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, admission date, and geographic region.

RESULTS: Among 7028 patients, 2924 (41.6%) were …

Lack Of Detection Of Norwalk Virus In Saliva Samples From A Controlled Human Infection Model, Robert L Atmar, Frederick H Neill, Nicole M Hayes, Antone R Opekun, David Y Graham, Mary K Estes, Sasirekha Ramani

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Following recent reports of norovirus replication in salivary gland cells, we examined whether the prototype norovirus strain, Norwalk virus (GI.1), could be detected in the saliva of 21 experimentally infected persons. Viral RNA was not detected in saliva 2 and 7 days after challenge despite high levels being present in feces.

Short-Term Outcomes Of A Healthy Relationship Intervention For The Prevention Of Sexual Harassment And Sexual Assault In The Us Military: Pilot Pretest-Postest Study, Belinda Hernandez, Ross Shegog, Christine Markham, Susan Emery, Elizabeth Baumler, Laura Thormaehlen, Rejane Andina Teixeira, Yanneth Rivera, Olive Pertuit, Chelsey Kanipe, Iraina Witherspoon, Janis Doss, Victor Jones, Melissa Peskin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Sexual harassment (SH) and sexual assault (SA) are serious public health problems among US service members. Few SH and SA prevention interventions have been developed exclusively for the military. Code of Respect (X-CoRe) is an innovative web-based, multilevel, SA and SH intervention designed exclusively for the active-duty Air Force. The program's goal is to increase Airmen's knowledge and skills to build and maintain respectful relationships, ultimately reducing SH and SA and enhancing Airmen's overall well-being and mission readiness.

OBJECTIVE: This pilot study aimed to assess the short-term psychosocial impact (eg, knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy) of the web-based component of …

Metagenomic Study Of The Mesa: Detection Of Gemella Morbillorum And Association With Coronary Heart Disease, Kent D Taylor, Alexis C Wood, Jerome I Rotter, Xiuqing Guo, David M Herrington, W Craig Johnson, Wendy S Post, Russell P Tracy, Stephen S Rich, Shaista Malik

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Inflammation is a feature of coronary heart disease (CHD), but the role of proinflammatory microbial infection in CHD remains understudied.

METHODS AND RESULTS: CHD was defined in the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) as myocardial infarction (251 participants), resuscitated arrest (2 participants), and CHD death (80 participants). We analyzed sequencing reads from 4421 MESA participants in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine program using the PathSeq workflow of the Genome Analysis Tool Kit and a 65-gigabase microbial reference. Paired reads aligning to 840 microbes were detected in >1% of participants. The association of the …

Physical Exercise-Related Manifestations Of Long Covid: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Chen Zheng, Jun-Jie Chen, Zi-Han Dai, Ke-Wen Wan, Feng-Hua Sun, Jun-Hao Huang, Xiang-Ke Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to systematically assess physical exercise-related symptoms of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC or long COVID) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors.

METHODS: Eight databases were systematically searched on March 03, 2024. Original studies that compared physical exercise-related parameters measured by exercise testing between COVID-19 survivors who recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection over 3 months and non-COVID-19 controls were included. A random-effects model was utilized to determine the mean differences (MDs) or standardized MDs in the meta-analysis.

RESULTS: A total of 40 studies with 6241 COVID-19 survivors were included. The 6-min walk test, maximal oxygen consumption (VO …

Implementation Of Healthy Heart Ambassador To Improve Blood Pressure Control At Community Health Centers In Texas, Natalia I Heredia, Ella R Garza, Fernanda Velasco-Huerta, Tracy L Swoboda, Pierre Fwelo, Patenne D Mathews, Maria E Fernandez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in the United States and can increase a person's risk of stroke and other cardiovascular complications. Yet only 1 in 4 people with high blood pressure in the United States have their blood pressure managed. To improve hypertension control, we supported 9 health centers in Texas with the implementation of the Healthy Heart Ambassador Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring (HHA) Program.

METHODS: We provided health center training using the HHA Program Facilitation Training Guide, recorded barriers to implementing the HHA program, and employed strategies to overcome those barriers.

RESULTS: There were 68 …

Diagnostic Error In Mental Health: A Review, Andrea Bradford, Ashley N D Meyer, Sundas Khan, Traber D Giardina, Hardeep Singh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Diagnostic errors are associated with patient harm and suboptimal outcomes. Despite national scientific efforts to advance definition, measurement and interventions for diagnostic error, diagnosis in mental health is not well represented in this ongoing work. We aimed to summarise the current state of research on diagnostic errors in mental health and identify opportunities to align future research with the emerging science of diagnostic safety. We review conceptual considerations for defining and measuring diagnostic error, the application of these concepts to mental health settings, and the methods and subject matter focus of recent studies of diagnostic error in mental health. We …

Tuberculosis Prevention: Current Strategies And Future Directions, Anca Vasiliu, Leonardo Martinez, Rishi K Gupta, Yohhei Hamada, Tara Ness, Alexander Kay, Maryline Bonnet, Martina Sester, Stefan H E Kaufmann, Christoph Lange, Anna M Mandalakas

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: An estimated one fourth of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and 5-10% of those infected develop tuberculosis in their lifetime. Preventing tuberculosis is one of the most underutilized but essential components of curtailing the tuberculosis epidemic. Moreover, current evidence illustrates that tuberculosis manifestations occur along a dynamic spectrum from infection to disease rather than a binary state as historically conceptualized. Elucidating determinants of transition between these states is crucial to decreasing the tuberculosis burden and reaching the END-TB Strategy goals as defined by the WHO. Vaccination, detection of infection, and provision of preventive treatment are key …

Changes In The Perceptions Of The Neighborhood Environment And Physical Activity Patterns Among Mexican Americans On The Texas-Mexico Border, Natalia I Heredia, Soo Kyung Park, Minjae Lee, Lisa Mitchell-Bennett, Paul Yeh, Rose Gowen, Arturo Rodriguez, Miryoung Lee, Belinda M Reininger

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Little research on the association of neighborhood environment with physical activity in resource-poor communities has been done. This study assessed changes in perceptions of the neighborhood environment and the association between those perceptions and physical activity in Mexican Americans on the Texas-Mexico border in an area where there would be community efforts to enhance pedestrian and cycling infrastructure and programming.

METHODS: We analyzed data from a population-based cohort of Mexican American individuals on the Texas-Mexico border. From 2008 to 2018, interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect perceptions of neighborhood environment and physical activity at baseline, 5- and 10-year follow-ups, …

Perceptions Of Hiv-Related Comorbidities And Usability Of A Virtual Environment For Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Education In Sexual Minority Men With Hiv: Formative Phases Of A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, S Raquel Ramos, Harmony Reynolds, Constance Johnson, Gail Melkus, Trace Kershaw, Julian F Thayer, Allison Vorderstrasse

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Sexual minority men with HIV are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and have been underrepresented in behavioral research and clinical trials.

Objective: This study aims to explore perceptions of HIV-related comorbidities and assess the interest in and usability of a virtual environment for CVD prevention education in Black and Latinx sexual minority men with HIV.

Methods: This is a 3-phase pilot behavioral randomized controlled trial. We report on formative phases 1 and 2 that informed virtual environment content and features using qualitative interviews, usability testing, and beta testing with a total of 25 individuals. In phase …

Factors Associated With Elevated Sars-Cov-2 Immune Response In Children And Adolescents, Sarah E Messiah, Rhiana Abbas, Emma Bergqvist, Harold W Kohl, Michael D Swartz, Yashar Talebi, Rachit Sabharwal, Haoting Han, Melissa A Valerio-Shewmaker, Stacia M Desantis, Ashraf Yaseen, Henal A Gandhi, Ximena Flandes Amavisca, Jessica A Ross, Lindsay N Padilla, Michael O Gonzalez, Leqing Wu, Mark A Silberman, David Lakey, Jennifer A Shuford, Stephen J Pont, Eric Boerwinkle

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Understanding the distinct immunologic responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection among pediatric populations is pivotal in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and informing future public health strategies. This study aimed to identify factors associated with heightened antibody responses in children and adolescents to identify potential unique immune dynamics in this population.

METHODS: Data collected between July and December 2023 from the Texas Coronavirus Antibody REsponse Survey (Texas CARES), a statewide prospective population-based antibody survey among 1-to-19-year-old participants, were analyzed. Each participant had the following data available for analysis: (1) Roche Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Immunoassay for Nucleocapsid protein antibodies (Roche N-test), (2) qualitative and …

Clathrin Light Chains Negatively Regulate Plant Immunity By Hijacking The Autophagy Pathway, Hu-Jiao Lan, Jie Ran, Wen-Xu Wang, Lei Zhang, Ni-Ni Wu, Ya-Ting Zhao, Min-Jun Huang, Min Ni, Fen Liu, Ninghui Cheng, Paul A Nakata, Jianwei Pan, Steven A Whitham, Barbara J Baker, Jian-Zhong Liu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The crosstalk between clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) and the autophagy pathway has been reported in mammals; however, the interconnection of CME with autophagy has not been established in plants. Here, we report that the Arabidopsis CLATHRIN LIGHT CHAIN (CLC) subunit 2 and 3 double mutant, clc2-1 clc3-1, phenocopies Arabidopsis AUTOPHAGY-RELATED GENE (ATG) mutants in both autoimmunity and nutrient sensitivity. Accordingly, the autophagy pathway is significantly compromised in the clc2-1 clc3-1 mutant. Interestingly, multiple assays demonstrate that CLC2 directly interacts with ATG8h/ATG8i in a domain-specific manner. As expected, both GFP-ATG8h/GFP-ATG8i and CLC2-GFP are subjected to autophagic degradation, and degradation of GFP-ATG8h is …

Clinical Features And Outcomes Of Pediatric And Adult Patients Hospitalized For Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Comparison Across Age Strata, Grace X Li, Komal Gopchandani, Noah Brazer, Ashley Tippett, Chris Choi, Hui-Mien Hsiao, Miriam Oseguera, Abiodun Foresythe, Sanchita Bhattacharya, Venice Servellita, Alicia Sotomayor Gonzalez, Jennifer K Spinler, Mark D Gonzalez, Dalia Gulick, Colleen Kraft, Vyjayanti Kasinathan, Yun F Wayne Wang, Jennifer Dien Bard, Pei Ying Chen, Jessica Flores-Vazquez, Audrey R Odom John, Paul J Planet, Sridevi Devaraj, Ananth V Annapragada, Ruth Ann Luna, Charles Y Chiu, Christina A Rostad

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to cause hospitalizations and severe disease in children and adults.

METHODS: This study compared the risk factors, symptoms, and outcomes of children and adults hospitalized for COVID-19 from March 2020 to May 2023 across age strata at 5 US sites participating in the Predicting Viral-Associated Inflammatory Disease Severity in Children with Laboratory Diagnostics and Artificial Intelligence consortium. Eligible patients had an upper respiratory swab that tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 by nucleic acid amplification. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) of clinical outcomes were determined for children versus adults, for pediatric age …

Past-Year Hiv Testing, Current Antiretroviral Therapy Use, And Participation In Services For People Who Inject Drugs, Itunu Sokale, Johnny Wilkerson, Paige Wermuth, Folefac Atem, Janet Burnett, Cyprian Wejnert, Salma Khuwaja, Catherine Troisi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Evaluating routine HIV testing and treatment and use of services for people who inject drugs (PWID) is critical to curb the ongoing HIV epidemic. We analyzed data from the 2018 National HIV Behavioral Surveillance of PWID aged 18 years or older, recruited using respondent-driven sampling and offered anonymous HIV testing after survey. We performed bivariate and multivariable analyses with log-linked Poisson regression of the generalized linear models to examine the associations between demographics and PWID service use, past-year HIV testing, and current antiretroviral therapy (ART) use. Among 10,311 HIV-negative PWID, 56% reported past-year HIV testing, and of the 553 HIV-positive …

A Light-Responsive Neural Circuit Suppresses Feeding, Hailan Liu, Na Qu, Natalia Valdez Gonzalez, Marco A Palma, Huamin Chen, Jiani Xiong, Abhinav Choubey, Yongxiang Li, Xin Li, Meng Yu, Hesong Liu, Longlong Tu, Nan Zhang, Na Yin, Kristine Marie Conde, Mengjie Wang, Jonathan Carter Bean, Junying Han, Nikolas Anthony Scarcelli, Yongjie Yang, Kenji Saito, Huxing Cui, Qingchun Tong, Zheng Sun, Chunmei Wang, Xing Cai, Li Lu, Yang He, Yong Xu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Light plays an essential role in a variety of physiological processes, including vision, mood, and glucose homeostasis. However, the intricate relationship between light and an animal's feeding behavior has remained elusive. Here, we found that light exposure suppresses food intake, whereas darkness amplifies it in male mice. Interestingly, this phenomenon extends its reach to diurnal male Nile grass rats and healthy humans. We further show that lateral habenula (LHb) neurons in mice respond to light exposure, which in turn activates 5-HT neurons in the dorsal Raphe nucleus (DRN). Activation of the LHb→5-HTDRN circuit in mice blunts darkness-induced hyperphagia, while inhibition …

Hiv/Aids-Associated Knowledge And Attitudes Towards Treating Disadvantaged Communities Among Pre-Community-Based Dental Education Dental Students In The Us, Aditi Tomar, Hannah Balcezak, Shirley Lewis Miranda, Marie C Latortue, Richa Chinchkhandi, Lisa Wigfall

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This study examines HIV/AIDS-associated knowledge and attitudes towards treating disadvantaged communities among predoctoral dental students in U.S. dental schools who have not yet commenced their Community-Based Dental Education (CBDE) training. It also compares the difference in the knowledge and attitudes between students with reported community engagement with PLWHA and those without. Our study comprised 89 predoctoral dental students within their D1-D3 years of dental school who had not yet initiated their Community-Based Dental Education (referred to as pre-CBDE dental students). Their responses were collected via an online survey. The participants were 68% females, 94% heterosexual, and with a mean age …

27-Hydroxycholesterol Acts On Estrogen Receptor Α Expressed By Pomc Neurons In The Arcuate Nucleus To Modulate Feeding Behavior, Hui Ye, Xiaohua Yang, Bing Feng, Pei Luo, Valeria C Torres Irizarry, Leslie Carrillo-Sáenz, Meng Yu, Yongjie Yang, Benjamin P Eappen, Marcos David Munoz, Nirali Patel, Sarah Schaul, Lucas Ibrahimi, Penghua Lai, Xinyue Qi, Yuliang Zhou, Maya Kota, Devin Dixit, Madeline Mun, Chong Wee Liew, Yuwei Jiang, Chunmei Wang, Yanlin He, Pingwen Xu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Oxysterols are metabolites of cholesterol that regulate cholesterol homeostasis. Among these, the most abundant oxysterol is 27-hydroxycholesterol (27HC), which can cross the blood-brain barrier. Because 27HC functions as an endogenous selective estrogen receptor modulator, we hypothesize that 27HC binds to the estrogen receptor α (ERα) in the brain to regulate energy balance. Supporting this view, we found that delivering 27HC to the brain reduced food intake and activated proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (POMCARH) in an ERα-dependent manner. In addition, we observed that inhibiting brain ERα, deleting ERα in POMC neurons, or chemogenetic inhibition of …

Community-Based Participatory Obesity Prevention Interventions In Rural Communities: A Scoping Review, Saagar Dhanjani, Haley Allen, Beatriz Varman, Chishinga Callender, Jayna M Dave, Debbe Thompson

Library Staff Publications

Child obesity is a worldwide public health concern. In America, children from rural areas have greater odds of obesity in comparison to those from urban areas. Community-engaged research is important for all communities, particularly under-represented communities. This paper reports the results of a scoping review investigating community-engaged research in obesity prevention programs tested with school-aged children in rural America. A literature search of Medline Ovid was conducted to identify interventions reporting the results of obesity prevention interventions that promoted a healthy diet or physical activity (PA) behaviors to school-age children in rural communities of the United States (US). After title …

Prevalence And Relevant Factors Of Nocturia And Its Impact On Sleep Quality In Chinese University Students, Yakai Liu, Zhenwei Zhang, Huijie Hu, Xiangfei He, Pengchao Xu, Qifeng Dou, Cuiping Song, Huiqing Zhang, Israel Franco, Konstantinos Kamperis, Søren Rittig, Jianguo Wen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and relevant factors of nocturia and its impact on sleep quality in university students in Mainland China. A large-scale survey was conducted on 14,000 university students from 3 universities in Henan province, China by using an anonymous questionnaire. The questionnaire collected the information from the past six months. The relationships between the prevalence of nocturia and its relevant factors were evaluated. A total of 13,874 questionnaires were collected and 13,104 qualified for statistical analysis. A total of 659 students suffered from clinically relevant nocturia (CRN) (4.56% in male and 5.34% …

Seroprevalence Of Anti-Sars-Cov-2 Igg Antibodies In Healthcare Personnel In El Salvador Prior To Vaccination Campaigns, José Elías Aguilar Ramírez, Adrianna Maliga, Allison Stewart, Allison Lino, José Eduardo Oliva, Xochitl Sandoval, Emily Zielinski-Gutierrez, Rafael Chacon-Fuentes, Parminder S Suchdev, Susana Zelaya, Mario Sánchez, Delmy Lisseth Recinos, Beatriz López, Ella Hawes, Julie Liu, Shannon E Ronca, Sarah M Gunter, Kristy O Murray, Rhina Domínguez

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is a highly pathogenic emerging infectious disease. Healthcare personnel (HCP) are presumably at higher risk of acquiring emerging infections because of occupational exposure. The prevalence of COVID-19 in HCP is unknown, particularly in low- to middle-income countries like El Salvador. The goal of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among HCP in El Salvador just prior to vaccine rollout in March 2021. We evaluated 2176 participants from a nationally representative sample of national healthcare institutions. We found 40.4% (n = 880) of the study participants were seropositive for anti-spike …

Enhancing Foot Care Education And Support Strategies In Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, Hsiao-Hui Ju, Madelene Ottosen, Jeffery Alford, Jed Jularbal, Constance Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: People with diabetes are susceptible to serious and disabling foot complications, which increase their morbidity and mortality rates. Examining the perspectives of people with diabetes on their foot care routines could help elucidate their beliefs and offer practical ways to prevent foot problems.

PURPOSE: We explored the perspectives of adults with diabetes on their foot care practices to identify and enhance foot care education and support strategies.

METHODOLOGY: Using the Zoom platform, 29 adults with diabetes completed a 3-month telehealth educational program, during which interviews were conducted. This article reports the results of thematic content analysis of the qualitative …