Open Research Oklahoma (Oklahoma State Univ.)
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Navigating total ankle replacement: A patient’s guide through the web
No full textBackground: Ankle osteoarthritis, primarily posttraumatic, affects younger patients with extended life expectancies, significantly impacting their physical and mental quality of life. Surgical interventions, such as ankle fusion and ankle replacement, are crucial for managing end-stage ankle osteoarthritis. Ankle fusion has been the gold standard, providing consistent symptom relief, while total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) has evolved with improved designs and biomechanical properties. Studies indicate a notable increase in TAA rates compared to total knee and hip arthroplasty. However, the debate continues regarding the long-term outcomes and risk-benefit analysis of TAA versus ankle fusion, with individual patient characteristics and functional demands playing a significant role in treatment decisions.Methods: We conducted a study to analyze information related to total ankle replacement procedures. Using Google searches and the SEO minion Chrome extension, we collected and categorized 100 FAQs from reliable sources. We used the Rothwell classification for FAQ transparency, evaluated source transparency using the JAMA benchmark tool, and assessed source quality with Brief DISCERN. Statistical analysis was performed in R(4.3.1) and RStudio, including descriptive statistics, Fisher’s exact test for JAMA Benchmark item presence, and the Kruksal-Wallis test for website category differences in Brief Discern Scores. Dunn’s test was used for post-hoc analysis with Holm correction for multiple comparisons.Results: Our Google search returned 100 unique FAQs after removing duplicates and unrelated FAQs. The majority were classified as fact-based questions (47/100, 47%), followed by value (30/100, 30%) and policy questions (23/100, 23%). Overall the most common topic searched was related to the timeline of recovery (17/47, 36.2%). The frequent answer sources were medical practice/hospital (44/100, 44%), followed by academic (27/100, 27%) and government (24/100, 24%). The Kruksal-Wallis test revealed a significant difference in mean quality scores among the 4 source types (H(3) = 8.7445, p = 0.03) with medical practices/hospitals averaging the worst score (16/30) compared to academic sources which were found to have the highest score (22/30).Discussion: When seeking online information regarding total ankle replacement surgery, patients using Google most often searched fact-based questions pertaining to the timeline of recovery. Medical practices and hospitals were the most common sources answering these questions but scored the lowest in quality and transparency. The study's cross-sectional design limits its generalizability to the specific period when the searches were conducted. Additionally, while the JAMA Benchmark and Brief DISCERN tools assess the structure and credibility of sources, they do not evaluate the accuracy of the information presented
Endorsement of artificial intelligence guidelines across leading rehabilitation journals: A series of cross-sectional reviews
No full textBackground: The use of Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation research by enabling advancements in data analysis, systematic reviews, and clinical applications. However, its adoption brings forth issues regarding ethical use, transparency, and reproducibility. This study investigates how top journals in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation address these challenges and opportunities through their author instructions and policies.Methods: A cross-sectional review was conducted on the leading 100 peer-reviewed Journals in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, as ranked by the 2023 SCImago SJR indicator. Data were extracted from each journal’s “Instructions for Authors” to assess AI-related policies, including AI-specific reporting guidelines, authorship criteria, and the use of AI in manuscript preparation and image generation. Correlational analyses were conducted to explore the relationship between AI policies and journal characteristics.Results: Of the 100 journals reviewed, 86% addressed the use of AI in their instructions, with the majority prohibiting AI authorship and requiring disclosure of AI involvement in submissions. However, AI-generated content was permitted by 61% of journals, while 39 % approved the use of AI-generated images. Journals with higher impact factors were more likely to include detailed AI policies, though notable gaps in guidance and standardization remain.Conclusion: Although many Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation journals acknowledge the role of AI in research, only a few have adopted AI-specific reporting guidelines, limiting standardization and transparency of AI usage. We recommend implementing comprehensive guidelines to promote ethical, reproducible, and high-quality research in the era of AI-driven innovation
Effects of eastern redcedar encroachment on forest fire dynamics in upland oak forests
No full textBefore the 20th century, Native Americans maintained The Cross Timbers ecoregion, and frequent but low-intensity fires dominated it. During the 20th century, as land became increasingly occupied and sectioned off by settlers, fire exclusion and suppression became a common practice and due to this, a process called mesophication began to occur. Shade-tolerant tree species are able to outcompete the shade-intolerant and fire-adapted ones, eventually resulting in an altered, wetter soil composition, which will change the species present and completely alter or disrupt an ecosystem. Grassland researchers have recorded the impact of eastern redcedar on fire, but the effects on forested ecosystems are mostly unstudied. The rapid increase of eastern redcedar in the Cross Timbers has made it imperative to be wise to its functions and interactions on fire systems. Utilizing prescribed fire, our team studied how the increased frequency of eastern redcedar altered forest fire behavior. It was hypothesized a large factor at play would be fuel moisture. During the initial study, our team looked at the effect of eastern redcedar prominence and live crown ratio on fuel moisture. Data was collected in Cross Timbers forests on Oklahoma State University property adjacent to Lake Carl Blackwell. We used sixty-five 0.04-hectare plots, distributed throughout 8 hectares of total forested area. Data collected included fuel and duff depth; 1-, 10-, and 100-hour fuel loading; fuel moisture collected immediately before burning for live and dead 1-, 10-, and 100-hour fuels; tree species; DBH; height; crown height and distance measurements; and live crown ratio. Following preliminary data collection, plots were mechanically treated and subsequently burned in late August and early September. This analysis primarily points to relationships among tree diversity, fuel load, and fuel moisture. We neither found significant relationships between the percent eastern redcedar and tree species diversity, average eastern redcedar DBH and fuel moisture, nor total average DBH and fuel moisture. The team postulates the combined aspects of fuel loading, fuel architecture, and plot-scale limitations on how they may have been more impactful on fire behavior.Natural Resource Ecology and Managemen
Identification and characterization of Talaromyces purpureogenus for antimicrobial activity
Get PDFIntroduction: Fungi are a rich source of secondary metabolites that potentially could be used as chemotherapeutic, immunomodulatory, or antimicrobial agents. Penicillin was first extracted from a fungus almost one hundred years ago. This revolutionized the field of medicine and saved countless lives. Unfortunately, pathogenic bacteria and fungi have become resistant to the current arsenal of antimicrobial medications and the need for new and novel antimicrobials is becoming urgent. In this study we have isolated a strain of Talaromyces purpureogenus and have begun to characterize its antimicrobial properties. These fungi have been recognized as producers of metabolites with antimicrobial, anticancer, and antioxidant properties.Methods: Originally, we found a fungal contaminant with typical mold-like growth on a Sabouraud Dextrose agar (SDA) plate co-culture of Bacillus subtilis and Candida albicans. The mold exhibited a distinct red pigmentation of the agar and showed the inhibition of B. subtilis and C. albicans. The isolate was purified by subculturing on SDA and its genomic DNA was isolated for molecular typing by sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions in the ribosomal RNA gene loci. Characterization of the red coloration surrounding agar colonies of the isolate was initiated using solubility experiments. We also have started challenge studies evaluating the isolate for antimicrobial activities in co-cultures with Lactobacillus strains, B. subtilis, and other fungi such as Candida albicans and Rhizomucor pusillus.Results: Sanger sequencing of the ITS PCR amplicons generated with the ITS-1 - ITS-4 primer pair revealed sequence identity with Talaromyces purpureogenus database entries. Our isolate’s secretion of red water-soluble dye and its morphology are consistent with published literature on this fungus. The initial challenge studies have revealed that the T. purpureogenus isolate exhibits antimicrobial activities towards bacteria and fungi.Conclusion: We isolated a strain of T. purpureogenus that shows antagonistic effects towards other microbes. It will be essential to confirm these activities with other microbial challenge assays and isolate the growth inhibitory metabolite(s) for further characterization. Future studies will include the isolation of these active compounds by biochemical methods such as fractionation by Reverse Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The resulting fractions will be employed in challenge studies to determine which fractions reveal antimicrobial properties. Mass spectrometry will be used for the identification of active components. The T. purpureogenus strain identified in this study could be a potential resource for designing novel antimicrobials
Systematic comparison of diverse control architectures in an adversarial multiagent orbital scenario
No full textIncreasing orbital congestion and the growth of decentralized distributed missions necessitate an increased demand for efficient controls. Space operations, including satellite constellation coordination and in-service assembly and maintenance (including docking) require effective close proximity controllers. These applications may include close range maneuvering relative to non-cooperative targets, spanning a spectrum of unresponsive to adversarial. The absence of analytic solutions for dynamic space systems facilitates the need to develop unconventional solutions for rendezvous operations. Systematic performance comparison tools across control methods are needed to systematically understand the spaces in which diverse control techniques (frequency domain, state-space, and data-driven control) perform best. Considering the LadyBandit-Guard problem with a scoring system using the Kerbal Space Program Differential Games (KSPDG) environment, various controllers can be compared in repeatable scenarios. In addition to performance, each control method is evaluated for computational efficiency. This paper examines three particular control methods: PID, LQR, and Game Theory, previously developed for the aforementioned KSPDG competition. The resulting analysis guides the real-world applicability of various control methods, while also presenting promising paths that can be followed for future controller developments.Mechanical and Aerospace Engineerin
Addressing recruitment and retention gaps in laryngeal cancer trials: A cross-sectional study
No full textObjective: To examine recruitment and retention strategies, focusing on historically marginalized populations within laryngeal cancer clinical trials since 2018.Methods: After identifying relevant laryngeal cancer trials from Embase (Elsevier) and MEDLINE (PubMed), a standardized Google Form was used to extract relevant article characteristics including mention of recruitment or retention strategies aimed at historically marginalized groups. Two of the authors carried out data extraction in a masked duplicate fashion. Trials meeting predefined inclusion criteria (i.e. publication after 2018, conducted in a country with an Ethnic Fractionalization Index (EFI) of ≥ 0.3, and with intervention for laryngeal cancer patients) were selected for our cross-sectional analysis.Results: Of the 38 included trials, only 3 (7.9%) discussed implementing strategies to improve participant retention while none (0%) mentioned any recruitment strategies. Only two (5.3%) cited limitations related to recruitment with the most common being travel distance for participants.Conclusion: Laryngeal cancer studies lacked reporting of diversity-focused recruitment strategies. Given the recognized need for diverse participation in cancer studies, more comprehensive implementation of these strategies is critical for improving outcomes and decreasing inequities among patients. Transparent discussion of enrollment methods by publications will establish broader generalizability in laryngeal cancer trials
Medical home access among children with asthma: An analysis of the National Survey of Children's Health
No full textContext: Access to medical homes—defined as having a primary doctor or nurse who provides comprehensive and family-centered care—is critical for children with chronic illnesses. As asthma affects nearly 5 million children in the US and symptom management can be complicated, continuous access to medical care is often necessary. Uncontrolled asthma puts children at increased risk for developing longer-lasting health problems and reduces the quality of life secondary to recurrent exacerbations.Objective: Our objectives were to examine the prevalence of medical home access among children with asthma and the association between medical home status and asthma severity, among other sociodemographic factors.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the 2022 cycles of the National Survey of Children’s Health to assess how many children with asthma are classified as being in a medical home. We then assessed associations between medical home status and asthma severity, age, and family structure, using design-based X² tests.Results: Among a sample of 3,636 children reported to have asthma, 41.5% were in a medical home. We found significant associations between medical home status and each of the variables’ tests (P < .001) except age. First, among those with severe asthma, only 19.0% were in a medical home while 45.1% with mild symptoms were. As parent education increased, so did the percentage of children who met the criteria for being in a medical home. Regarding family structure, the highest rates of medical home access were among two biological parents.Conclusion: Our results showed that 41% of children with asthma were in medical homes—and only 1 in 5 with severe symptoms. Additionally, there are sociodemographic factors that significantly impact the likelihood of children with asthma having access to a medical home. Given the scale of children with asthma not having comprehensive medical care, national and state policies are needed to enhance access to services
Dialogue for retention: Implementing stay interviews in academic libraries
No full textDiscover how a public land-grant university library implemented stay interviews to boost employee satisfaction and retention. This session explores a proactive approach to understanding staff needs before they lead to turnover. Learn how to design, conduct, and analyze stay interviews in your library, creating a culture of open communication and continuous improvement. We'll share real-world experiences, challenges, and successes, equipping you with practical strategies to adapt this innovative retention tool to your library.LibraryLibraryLibrar
Rates of electronic nicotine delivery systems use in middle school-aged adolescents and implications for continued health advocacy
No full textIntroduction/Objectives: Given the known rates of high school age electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) usage, and the lack of reports for middle school (MS) aged ENDS usage, our primary objective is to assess ENDS usage by MS students using the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) and assess trends among this group from 2015 through 2021. Our secondary objective is to identify disparities in ENDS usage by sex, educational grade level, and ethnoracial groups.Methods: Our study pooled data from the 2015-2021 combined MS YRBSS and we were able to report the sample size of MS students who had ever used ENDS. Additionally, we estimated the weighted prevalence using 95% confidence intervals of ENDS use by YRBSS cycles occurring biennially from 2015- 2021. We approximated the frequency of ENDS use in the past 30 days before administration of the survey and reported sample size along with weighted prevalence of these variables. Further, weighted prevalence was calculated by sex, educational grade level, and ethnoracial groupings.Results: Results indicated that between 2015-2021, 17.90% of MS students reported ever using an ENDS. Of those MS students who reported ever using an ENDS, 8.53% reported use in the past 30 days. The highest rates of electronic vapor product use occurred among Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islanders (20.12%) followed by American Indian/Alaska Natives (13.64%). Trends of ENDS use among MS students decreased in 2021 (15.1%) compared to the highest usage rate in 2019 (21.5%) with no significant difference between male and female total usage rates.Conclusions: Research has shown that adolescents are more likely to initiate smoking combustible cigarettes when exposed to marketing. Regulating ENDS marketing could limit adolescent exposure; however, given that nearly 1 in 6 children reported using ENDS at some point, there is a need for comprehensive public health campaigns to vaping with cultural awareness and evidence based programs. Per the ENDS committee’s findings, ENDS not only pose the risk of lifelong nicotine dependence but are associated with adverse health outcomes such as pro-atherosclerotic effects, compromised lung defense mechanisms, and fatal poisoning associated with misuse of e-liquids, therefore prevention efforts are warranted at early ages. Further research is needed to explore possible causes for ethnoracial disparities in ENDS usage including targeting marketing, and to provide more culturally informed resources to these people groups
Development of high-throughput techniques to assess bacteriocin activity for targeted pathogen management
No full textIntroduction/Objectives: As antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens is on the rise, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) offer an effective solution against potential global pandemics. These AMPs, termed ‘bacteriocins’ are naturally produced by many microbial strains. AMPs may provide an alternative strategy to clinical antibiotic use due to their diverse mechanisms of action and diminished imposition of resistance. In an effort to develop high-throughput methods to assay bacteriocin activity against known pathogens, we employed spot plate, well diffusion, and microplate reader techniques to analyze the growth of bacteriocin-producing microbes on Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Strep) and Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In order to assess the collateral damage to beneficial microbes such as Lactic Acid Bacteria, we also considered the bacteriocin activity against Lactobacillus spp. Our objective was to determine prejudicial effects of various species within the Bacillus genus (Bacillus cereus, Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus thuringiensis, and Bacillus subtilis) on Group B Strep, MRSA, and Lactobacillus. By developing these high-throughput methods, we will facilitate the screening of bacteriocin activity from different clinical and environmental samples against the World Health Organization’s Top Priority Pathogen List.Methods: Isolation of Lactobacillus strains was performed from a commercial toddler probiotic via serial dilution and plating onto MRS plates. Pathogenic organisms were acquired from ATCC (GBS NCTC_8532 and Staphylococcus aureus NCTC_8181) and cultured in BHI broth at 37°C aerobically. Freshly grown strains were transferred into a 96-well plate, placed into the Alto microplate reader, and conditionally assayed to establish a working SOP. The Alto device was assessed under ambient conditions using endpoint modality, followed by aerobically at 37°C using end-point and kinetic data collection, and lastly within the anaerobic chamber in kinetic mode for 24 hours. Results from the microplate reader were transformed into growth curves. Separately, Bacillus species were isolated and stamped onto BHI agar plates. After 24 hours, spot plates were overlayed with sloppy agar (0.75% BHI and MRS agar) containing active cultures of Lactobacillus, GBS, and MRSA strains. Zones of inhibition were measured after overnight incubation. A well diffusion assay (WDA) was also performed using the cell free supernatant of Bacillus strains overlayed with MRSA and GBS in 0.75% BHI broth to determine whether bacteriocin activity is associated with cells or is released into the environment.Results: Growth curves were observed for Streptococcus agalactiae and Staphylococcus aureus in both the incubator and anaerobic chamber. Antimicrobial activity was confirmed using spot plate and WDAs. The stamped Bacillus plates overlayed with 0.75% BHI and 0.75% MRS agar with probiotics revealed zones of inhibition.Conclusion: In this study, known bacteriocin producing Bacillus species were used to determine their inhibitory effects on clinical pathogens by using augmented techniques. Further development of this high-throughput methodology will facilitate our ability to identify unknown bacteriocin-producing organisms and add to our arsenal of antimicrobial compounds