Other Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons^™

Systemic Blood Pressure Trends And Antihypertensive Utilization Following Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation: An Analysis Of The Interagency Registry For Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support, Adham Elmously, Andreas R. De Biasi, Donald A. Risucci, Berhane Worku, Evelyn M. Horn, Arash Salemi

NYMC Faculty Publications

Background: Elevated systemic blood pressure (SBP) has been linked to complications in Continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs), including stroke and pump thrombosis. We queried Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) to describe the response of SBP to CF-LVAD implantation and to delineate contemporary trends in antihypertensive (AH) utilization for patients with these pumps. Methods: We identified all CF-LVAD implantations in patients older than 18 years from 2006-2014, excluding those whose durations were less than 30 days. Pre-implant patient demographics and characteristics were obtained for each record. SBPs [i.e., mean arterial pressures (MAPs)], AH-use data, and vital status …

The Hospital Antimicrobial Use Process: From Beginning To End, William R. Truong, Jason Yamaki

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Hospital antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs are responsible for ensuring that all antimicrobials are utilized in the most appropriate and safe manner to improve patient outcomes, prevent adverse drug reactions, and prevent the development of antimicrobial resistance. This Perspectives article outlines the hospital antimicrobial use process (AUP), the foundational system that ensures that all antimicrobials are utilized in the most appropriate and safe manner. The AUP consists of the following steps: antimicrobial ordering, order verification, preparation and delivery, administration, monitoring, and discharge prescribing. AMS programs should determine how each step contributes to how an antimicrobial is used appropriately or inappropriately at …

Use Of Urine Antigen Testing For Blastomyces In An Integrated Health System, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Blastomycosis, an endemic fungal infection, mimics many other diseases. We explored the use of Blastomyces urine antigen (BuAg), reportedly the most sensitive noninvasive test, in clinical practice and compared it to other noninvasive tests.

Methods: A total of 836 BuAg tests performed on unique patients (first test only) at one large integrated health system from June 2013 to May 2016 were retrospectively reviewed to examine test characteristics and demographic features. Of these, 100 cases from 2015, a year containing a large local blastomycosis outbreak, were randomly selected for detailed analysis.

Results: Demographics for the BuAg-tested population: mean age 54.9 …

Open Cycle: Forecasting Ovulation For Family Planning, Karen Clark, Mridul Jain, Araya Messa, Vinh Le, Eric C. Larson

SMU Data Science Review

Abstract: Forecasting the length and different phases of a woman’s menstrual cycle, especially ovulation, is an important aspect of family planning. Predicting fertility has many uses in family planning including avoiding pregnancy and assisting couples in becoming pregnant. Past methods have focused on monitoring basal body temperature (BBT), cervical mucus changes, and hormonal levels to determine fertility. While these methods can provide an accurate prediction of ovulation these tests can become expensive, time-consuming, and do not provide prediction until after ovulation has occurred. In this paper, we compare conventional fertility assessment that is based on a rule known as “three-over-six” …

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (Tdcs) Improves Performance On Spelling And Word Detection Tasks, J. Kevin Wilson

Psychology ETDs

Deficits in written language involving spelling can have negative effects on a person’s education and occupation. Conventional spelling therapy is a time consuming and cost-prohibitive option, if even available, highlighting the need for improved methods for remediation. One possible way to address this need may be through the use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). This study sought to examine the effects of tDCS on performance during spelling, word detection, and facial recognition tasks. Active or sham tDCS was randomly assigned to typically functioning adults. The anode electrode was placed over Broca’s area (F7 in the 10/20 EEG system) and …

Toxicological Assessment Of Nanomaterials: The Role Of In Vitro Raman Microspectroscopic Analysis, Esen Efeoglu, Marcus Maher, Alan Casey, Hugh Byrne

Articles

The acceleration of nanomaterials research has brought about increased demands for rapid analysis of their bioactivity, in a multi-parametric fashion, to minimise the gap between potential applications and knowledge of their toxicological properties. The potential of Raman microspectroscopy for the analysis of biological systems with the aid of multivariate analysis techniques has been demonstrated. In this study, an overview of recent efforts towards establishing a ‘label-free high content nanotoxicological assessment technique’ using Raman microspectroscopy is presented. The current state of the art for cellular toxicity assessment and the potential of Raman microspectroscopy are discussed, and the spectral markers of the …

Resource Review: 5minuteconsult, Ivan Armando Portillo

Library Articles and Research

A product review of 5MinuteConsult, an online resource from WoltersKluwer "designed to help health care professionals and clinical students by providing information that is needed at the point-of-care".

Use Of Excel Spreadsheet Calculators In Handling Data Generated From Uv- Spectrometer, Mercy Okezue, Kari Clase, Steve Byrn

BIRS Symposium

To ease the complexities of handling data generated from different analytical procedures, validated excel spreadsheet containing relevant formulas are developed to ensure the process of data handling will consistently produce the expected results. This paper introduces the use of Excel spreadsheets in handling data generated from using a UV-Spectrometer in determination of analyte concentration in various dosage forms

Instituting Process Control Mechanisms In A Quality Control Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, Mercy Okezue, Kari Lynn Clase, Stephen Byrn

BIRS Symposium

Statistical Process Control by means of using control charts was a means of monitoring performance of analytical equipment. Quality control checks on test items using these equipment generated data used for plotting X-bar charts. The charts generated had warning and control limits which helped monitor system performance

Therapeutic Effects Of Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization And The Use In Athletic Populations: A Literature Review, Jenna Treloar

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This literature review examines the mechanism and application of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) in athletic populations. IASTM is a treatment technique used for soft tissue pathologies. Experimental studies have been performed to determine the effects of IASTM on range of motion, pain, and inflammation in upper and lower extremities. Conflicting evidence exists for the effect of IASTM on the inflammatory reparative process of the body while more evidence exists in support of the technique’s benefits on pain reduction and improvement in range of motion. Understanding the effects of IASTM on range of motion, pain, and inflammation may be useful …

Concussion Competencies: A Framework For School-Based Concussion Management (Flyer), Arthur C. Maerlender, Jonathan Lichtenstein, Jennifer Parent-Nichols

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

This volume grew out of many years of clinical practice, research, and program projects. It is the culmination of more than 50 years of work with kids, brains, and schools. While there is research behind the Competencies and the underlying content, the intent was to create a user-friendly manual that cut across levels of responsibility and care. Concussion Competencies was not intended to be a textbook in the traditional manner; however, the Competencies have been shown to be a useful approach to teaching this material.

This volume is organized around a set of Competencies that have been shown to be …

Implementation Climate And Time Predict Intensity Of Supervision Content Related To Evidence Based Treatment, Michael D Pullmann, Leah Lucid, Julie P Harrison, Prerna Martin, Esther Deblinger, Katherine S Benjamin, Shannon Dorsey

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

Objective: Children infrequently receive evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for mental health problems due to a science-to-practice implementation gap. Workplace-based clinical supervision, in which supervisors provide oversight, feedback, and training on clinical practice, may be a method to support EBT implementation. Our prior research suggests that the intensity of supervisory focus on EBT (i.e., thoroughness of coverage) during workplace-based supervision varies. This study explores predictors of supervisory EBT intensity. Methods: Participants were twenty-eight supervisors and 70 clinician supervisees. They completed a baseline survey, and audio recorded supervision sessions over 1 year. Four hundred and thirty eight recordings were coded for supervision content. …

Factor Structure And Gender Invariance Testing For The Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (Sas-2), Leilani Madrigal, Vincenzo Roma, Todd Caze, Arthur C. Maerlender, Debra Hope

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

This study aimed to provide further psychometric validation of the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2) by assessing the factor structure, invariance across gender, and convergent and divergent validity of the SAS-2 by correlating both related (i.e., anxiety sensitivity, brief fear of negative evaluation, intolerance of uncertainty, and negative affect) and unrelated constructs (i.e., positive affect, self-confidence). A total of 542 current and former competitive athletes completed a questionnaire through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk system. All data were collected via online survey. Participants were randomly assigned to an exploratory factor analysis (n = 271) and confirmatory factor analysis group (n = 271). Results …

Accumulating Data To Optimally Predict Obesity Treatment (Adopt): Recommendations From The Biological Domain, Michael Rosenbaum, Tanya Agurs-Collins, Molly S. Bray, Kevin D. Hall, Mark Hopkins, Maren Laughlin, Paul S. Maclean, Padma Maruvada, Cary R. Savage, Dana M. Small, Luke Stoeckel

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Background: The responses to behavioral, pharmacological, or surgical obesity treatments are highly individualized. The Accumulating Data to Optimally Predict obesity Treatment (ADOPT) project provides a framework for how obesity researchers, working collectively, can generate the evidence base needed to guide the development of tailored, and potentially more effective, strategies for obesity treatment. Objectives: The objective of the ADOPT biological domain subgroup is to create a list of high-priority biological measures for weight-loss studies that will advance the understanding of individual variability in response to adult obesity treatments. This list includes measures of body composition, energy homeostasis (energy intake and output), …

Left Lateralized Cerebral Glucose Metabolism Declines In Amyloid-Β Positive Persons With Mild Cognitive Impairment, Christopher M. Weise, Kewei Chen, Yinghua Chen, Xiaoying Kuang, Cary R. Savage, Eric M. Reiman

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Background: Previous publications indicate that Alzheimer's Disease (AD) related cortical atrophy may develop in asymmetric patterns, with accentuation of the left hemisphere. Since fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) measurements of the regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (rCMRgl) provide a sensitive and specific marker of neurodegenerative disease progression, we sought to investigate the longitudinal pattern of rCMRgl in amyloid-positive persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, hypothesizing asymmetric declines of cerebral glucose metabolism. Methods: Using florbetapir PET and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) measures to define amyloid-β (Aβ) positivity, 40 Aβ negative (Aβ-) cognitively unimpaired controls (CU; 76 ± 5y), …

Novel Biomarkers Of Physical Activity Maintenance In Midlife Women: Preliminary Investigation, Kelly A. Bosak, Vlad B. Papa, Morgan G. Brucks, Cary R. Savage, Joseph E. Donnelly, Laura E. Martin

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

The precision health initiative is leading the discovery of novel biomarkers as important indicators of biological processes or responses to behavior, such as physical activity. Neural biomarkers identified by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) hold promise to inform future research, and ultimately, for transfer to the clinical setting to optimize health outcomes. This study investigated resting-state and functional brain biomarkers between midlife women who were maintaining physical activity in accordance with the current national guidelines and previously acquired age-matched sedentary controls. Approval was obtained from the Human Subjects Committee. Participants included nondiabetic, healthy weight to overweight (body mass index 19–29.9 kg/m …

Assessing Working Memory In Mild Cognitive Impairment With Serial Order Recall., Sheina Emrani, David J Libon, Melissa Lamar, Catherine C Price, Angela L Jefferson, Katherine A Gifford, Timothy J Hohman, Daniel A Nation, Lisa Delano-Wood, Amy Jak, Katherine J Bangen, Mark W Bondi, Adam M Brickman, Jennifer Manly, Rodney Swenson, Rhoda Au, Consortium For Clinical And Epidemiological Neuropsychological Data Analysis (Cenda)

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

BACKGROUND: Working memory (WM) is often assessed with serial order tests such as repeating digits backward. In prior dementia research using the Backward Digit Span Test (BDT), only aggregate test performance was examined.

OBJECTIVE: The current research tallied primacy/recency effects, out-of-sequence transposition errors, perseverations, and omissions to assess WM deficits in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

METHODS: Memory clinic patients (n = 66) were classified into three groups: single domain amnestic MCI (aMCI), combined mixed domain/dysexecutive MCI (mixed/dys MCI), and non-MCI where patients did not meet criteria for MCI. Serial order/WM ability was assessed by asking participants to repeat …

Mesotocin Influences Pinyon Jay Prosociality, J. F. Duque, W. Leichner, H. Ahmann, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Many species exhibit prosocial behavior , in which one individual’s actions benefit another individual, often without an immediate benefit to itself. The neuropeptide oxytocin is an important hormonal mechanism influencing prosociality in mammals, but it is unclear whether the avian homologue mesotocin plays a similar functional role in birds. Here, we experimentally tested prosociality in pinyon jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus), a highly social corvid species that spontaneously shares food with others. First, we measured prosocial preferences in a prosocial choice task with two different pay-off distributions: Prosocial trials delivered food to both the subject and either an empty cage …

Reducing Discard Blood Draw Volumes From Subcutaneously Implanted Ports (Port) In Patients With End Stage Renal Disease (Esrd), Uttam Garg, Tyson Moore, Renita Trujillo, Penny Monachino, Amy Wiebold, Angela Ferguson, Gabor Oroszi, Vimal Chadha

Posters

Background
•To monitor clinical status, dialysis and transplant patients with ESRD frequently require blood draws.
•To preserve their veins and to avoid frequent intravenous access, these patients, especially young children, require PORT placement.
•The PORT is flushed with saline and filled with heparinized saline to prevent blood clotting between blood draws.
•To avoid contamination from PORT fluids, a fixed amount of blood is withdrawn and discarded before the blood sample is drawn for laboratory analyses. Currently, the recommended discard blood volume is 5 mL (five times the reservoir volume of most PORTs and attached catheters.)
•The volume of discarded blood …

Effects Of Energy-Based Therapies On Postoperative Recovery: An Integrative Review Of The Literature, Emily M. Wooten

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Associated with health care reform, there has been a growing interest among healthcare professionals regarding use of energy-based therapies as a complementary therapeutic intervention. The purpose of this integrative literature review was to examine the impact of energy-based therapies (i.e. healing touch, reiki, therapeutic touch) on patients’ postoperative recovery. The methodology included identifying appropriate peer-reviewed, English-language research articles on the topic area that were published between 2006 to 2018. Following a search in select data bases, articles focusing on the topic were critiqued, analyzed and synthesized by the researcher. Consistent and inconsistent findings along with gaps in the literature are …