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Dataset of mercury levels found in cosmetic skin lightening products from Michigan and North Carolina
No full textEthnic and racial minority populations are at a greater risk of using skin lightening products due to influences from colorism. Elevated levels of mercury in cosmetic skin lightening products have been documented throughout the US despite being banned. Because levels in North Carolina and Southeast Michigan are unknown, skin lightening products were collected from ethnic retailers between February 2019 to February 2020 in neighborhoods with minority ethnic enclaves. Two samples of each product were collected and analyzed for total mercury. Forty-five (n=45) skin lightening products were collected. Most samples (n=38) contained mercury levels that were below the detection limit (0.02 ppm), but two samples containing levels of 5,950 and 2,400 ppm, were well above the US Food and Drug Administration permissible level of 1 ppm. The two samples were from Mexico and purchased from a North Carolina Latin American supermarket.Oakland University’s School of Health Sciences Seed Gran
Creation and Implementation of an Intraoperative Lidocaine Infusion Protocol for Gastric Surgery
No full textBackground: The recent opioid epidemic in the United States has damaged the country’s public health system and led to devastating patient outcomes. Healthcare providers are responsible to do their part in reducing these negative consequences.
Purpose: This quality improvement project aimed to develop and implement an evidence-based protocol for an intraoperative lidocaine infusion during gastric surgery. Data was collected to evaluate whether this intervention correlated with reduced postoperative narcotic use and improved patient outcomes.
Methods: Baseline patient outcome data was collected through chart review on 25 patients of Dr. Verseman undergoing gastric surgery prior to protocol implementation. Subsequently, education was provided to the clinical associates of Kalamazoo Anesthesiology regarding the lidocaine protocol components and associated benefits. After implementation, provider adherence to the protocol was assessed, as well as patient outcomes for those who received all components of the lidocaine protocol.
Results: Complete provider adherence to the lidocaine protocol occurred in online nine out of 76 opportunities. Overall, opioid administration was decreased in the lidocaine (protocol) group. Additionally, opioid administration was 78% lower in the lidocaine (protocol) group at 12-24 hours. Cumulative opioid administration over the first 24 hours postoperatively was 46% lower in the lidocaine (protocol) group.
Conclusion: Despite knowledge of current literature and the lidocaine protocol components, anesthesia providers had a low level of adherence to the protocol, overall. Patients who did receive all elements of the lidocaine protocol demonstrated decreased consumption of opioids in the postoperative period
The Interplay of Cholesterol and Glucose on Wound Healing
No full textHeart disease has long been on the rise in the United States, bringing with it a host of comorbidities and additional complications. To combat these developments, physicians may prescribe a statin drug to lower a patient’s cholesterol; a key component of both heart disease and cell membrane formation during wound healing. The goal of this project is to determine the role of statin treatment in the wound healing process in human dermal fibroblasts. The migration of cells to the wound environment will be observed with and without the conditions of elevated glucose, elevated cholesterol, and application of statin treatment. Cell migration will be evaluated through the monitoring of the enzyme deubiquitinase USP47 and its substrate β-catenin. These results will provide a more complete idea of the factors that prevent wound healing and contribute to chronic wound development, such as those found in diabetics, as well as give a starting point for potential treatments for these wounds. In this experiment it is hypothesized that compared to the wells not given any treatment, the wells treated with statins and glucose will show decreased cell migration and proliferation, as well as decreased levels of USP47 and β-catenin; and wells treated with LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol will show increased cell migration and proliferation and increased protein levels
Minutes of the Meeting of the University Senate, April 21, 2022
No full textA. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: Graduate School Modifications (Post Master Graduate Certificate in HRM, PhD in Nursing (BSN to PhD), MSN in Adult Gerontological Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Graduate Grading System-OUWB School of Medicine, Post Master Graduate Certificate in Reading Language Arts); OU Advance Update; Kresge Library Open Access Fund; AdHoc Senate Committee for Spousal Hire Policy; Provost’s Updates | B. ROLL CALL | C. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES of March 17, 2022 | D. OLD BUSINESS: General Education Committee charge and membership change (2nd reading - approved) | E. NEW BUSINESS: General Education Assessment Committee charge and membership change (1st reading); Constitution of the School of Education and Human Services amendment (1st reading); definition of Service Learning (1st reading); Academic Standing and Honors Committee charge and membership change (1st reading); creation of a Service Learning Senate Committee (1st reading); creation of a Community Engagement Senate Committee (1st reading); English Language Proficiency Policy for the Graduate School (1st reading) | E. GOOD AND WELFARE | F. ADJOURNMEN
Genomic evolution of epitopes and low complexity regions in Plasmodium
No full textDespite decades-long efforts to eradicate malaria, there is no effective anti-malarial vaccine. The genomic complexity of Plasmodium, the agent of malaria, is known to pose major challenges for vaccine development because it allows the pathogen to quickly change. Genomic changes over time are the realm of evolutionary biology, yet these pathogens remain poorly understood from an evolutionary perspective. Understanding the evolution of the pathogen’s immunity, particularly of immunogenic regions such as epitopes, may help uncover effective targets for anti-malarial vaccines. Here we examined the evolutionary history of epitopes and epitope-like regions to determine whether they share underlying evolutionary mechanisms and potential functions relevant to the pathogen’s interactions with the host immune response. Our comparative sequence analyses contrasted patterns of sequence conservation, amino acid composition, and protein structure of epitopes and low complexity regions (LCRs) in 21 Plasmodium species. Our results revealed similarities in amino acid composition and preferred secondary structures between epitopes and LCRs; however, we also identified differences in evolutionary trends where LCRs exhibit overall lower conservation and higher disorder. We also found that epitopes and LCRs have a wide array of configurations, with various levels of conformations and structural orders. We propose that combinations of different levels of conservation and order between epitopes and LCRs in the same gene play a role in maintaining the functional integrity required by the pathogen along with the variability necessary to evade the host immune response. In particular, LCRs that are variable and disordered may be an evolutionary necessity for Plasmodium to maintain conserved epitopes, while LCRs that are conserved may serve currently unknown function(s) and deserve to be examined in greater detail. Our findings show there may be more candidate targets for future anti-malarial treatments than currently known and that some of these targets may work across strains and species
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of the Effect of Particle Hardness on Tribological Properties of Nanofluids
No full textThe determination of physical properties of nanofluids is mature, but the knowledge of tribological properties of nanofluids is limited. In this paper, the effects of surface roughness, fluid thickness, nanoparticle hardness, and number of nanoparticles on friction are explored systematical using a 2D Lennard-Jones molecular dynamics model. LJ parameters were chosen such that the ratio of stiffness of the nanoparticles to the opposing surfaces was approximately equal to ratio of stiffness of either aluminum oxide or zinc oxide to steel. A total of two hundred and twenty configurations were investigated. The results show that the benefits or drawbacks of nanofluid lubricants are sensitive to the friction regime (boundary, mixed, or hydrodynamic). When nanoparticles are present in lubricant-starved boundary conditions (fluid thickness less than the surface roughness amplitude), nanoparticles offer support that keeps the opposing surfaces separated. This separation results in reduced contact between the opposing surfaces and provides surface smoothing, which in turn lowers friction relative to the base fluid. At intermediate levels of fluid thickness where the fluid thickness and roughness are approximately equal, the presence of nanoparticles has a detrimental effect on friction. Nanoparticles jam and lock surfaces together and increase friction relative to the base fluid. As fluid thickness increases, the friction of the nanofluid generally remains higher than the base fluid likely due to the increased viscosity of fluid due to the presence of the nanoparticles. This work suggests nanofluids may offer limited benefits under specific lubrication conditions, but are detrimental under most conditions
COVID-19 and the United States
No full textWhy is COVID-19 spreading differently and not going away in the United States? The United States has been continuously struggling with this pandemic while other countries have returned to normal activities. Analyzed in this project will be the correlations of state heterogeneity, lack of universal healthcare, and increased rates of obesity and heart disease on the rates of COVID-19 in the United States. The impacts of this research project could be far-reaching in that it could point out the weaknesses of the United States in response to global pandemics. This could prevent the spread of disease, save valuable medical resources, and in turn save lives by reducing the number of infected individuals in the United States. Knowing why the United States is more vulnerable than other countries and working to mend those issues is invaluable in the fight against future pandemics, for the inhabitants of the United States as well as around the world
