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Identify loci, genes, and DNA regions associated between Eating Speed and DNA Hydroxymethylation: A Scoping Review
No full textAbstract
Objectives: Previous studies have looked at the association of eating speed and DNA hydroxymethylation with type 2 diabetes mellitus separately. However, there were no reviews synthesizing evidence on specific DNA locations linking eating speed to hydroxymethylation. Thus, we aimed to identify candidate hydroxymethylated DNA regions, genes, and loci associated with eating speed from the literature through a scoping review.
Methods: Using the literature database PubMed, two reviewers independently conducted an exploratory review of the literature and each of them developed one keyword list for eating speed and one for hydroxymethylation. The two reviewers then cross-referenced the keyword list with each other to finalize two sets of the keyword list. The combination of keywords in the two lists was used to search prior studies of the association of eating speed with hydroxymethylation. The searched studies were limited to the English language and published on PubMed prior to August 22, 2023.
Results: A total of 56 keywords for eating speed and 6 for DNA hydroxymethylation were included in the keyword list. Thirty-six studies were found. After reviewing their abstracts carefully, all studies were excluded because none of them investigated eating speed associated with hydroxymethylation.
Conclusion: No specific DNA locations linking eating speed to hydroxymethylation were identified from the PubMed literature, suggesting this is a rarely studied area. Future research will focus on eating speed and methylation
Biosimilar insulin glargine utilization in Medicaid: How interchangeability and other policy factors affect variation across states
No full textAbstract
Background: In 2021, an insulin glargine biosimilar received an “interchangeable” designation, which, where allowed, enables pharmacists to automatically substitute these biosimilars when a reference product is prescribed. This project explored adoption of insulin glargine biosimilars across state Medicaid programs, all of which have unique characteristics.
Methods: Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data for all insulin glargine products between 2020-2022 were utilized to determine how biosimilar market shares varied according to state laws regarding pharmacist substitution, state Medicaid program structure, and utilization of preferred drug lists (PDLs). Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare the market shares of biosimilar insulin glargine across different groups of states based on their characteristics.
Results: Across state Medicaid programs, mean quarterly market shares for biosimilar insulin glargine was 28.7% (SD = 36.2%, range = 0% - 95%) in 2020, 25.9% (SD = 35.8%, range = 0% - 95%) in 2021, and 28.1% (SD = 36.9%, range = 0% - 95%) in 2022. Use of interchangeable insulin glargine was higher among states that lacked regulatory authority to automatically substitute for interchangeable biosimilars; 13% vs. 8.8%; p \u3c 0.01). Market shares of interchangeable insulin glargine were also highest among state Medicaid programs with MCOs that were not subject to statewide PDLs for insulin glargine (18.9%).
Conclusions: Biosimilar usage increased following introduction of an interchangeable product, but also varied considerably among state Medicaid programs. Many factors among state Medicaid programs may contribute to underutilization of biosimilars, and revisiting these factors at the state level may improve access for patients
Welcome / Introduction of Dr. Mishra
No full textDMU\u27s President, Dr. Angela Franklin, welcomes the community to the 2023 annual Research Symposium and introduces keynote speaker, Dr. Pravin Mishra
Evaluation of an Emergency Medicine Ultrasound Workshop at Des Moines University
No full textAbstract
With the increasing prevalence of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in various medical domains, ensuring appropriate training is imperative to fully leverage the benefits of this imaging modality. Des Moines University has conducted an emergency medicine ultrasound (US) workshop for the past four years, catering to physicians, residents, healthcare professionals, and students. This study aimed to evaluate the workshop\u27s effectiveness by assessing the responses of attendees from 2019 to 2023. The methodology involved administering an end-of-course survey at the conclusion of each live workshop to gauge the participants\u27 reactions to the meeting and overall satisfaction. The survey encompassed various aspects of the emergency medicine US workshop, including facilitator quality, teaching methods\u27 efficacy, safety measures understanding, and competence in describing interventions in POCUS for emergency medicine. The survey was evaluated based on Likert scale options. Analysis of the survey data revealed consistently positive responses from emergency medicine students across the mentioned years. All participants rated the facilitators\u27 quality, appropriateness for future practice, and identification of relevant anatomy as either excellent or very good, . This multi-year analysis substantiates the workshop\u27s consistent effectiveness in meeting and surpassing educational objectives. Des Moines University\u27s emergency medicine ultrasound workshop has demonstrated a substantial positive influence on physicians, residents, healthcare professionals, and students over its four-year duration. This emphasizes the critical role of comprehensive training in fostering proficiency in ultrasound operation, interpretation, and diagnostic decision-making, portraying the workshop as a highly valuable and positively impactful educational experience for all participants
Targeting branched-chain amino acid metabolism for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia
No full textAbstract
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is caused by a chimeric fusion of human chromosomes 9 and 22. This produces a hybrid BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase that drives abnormal myeloid cell proliferation. BCR-ABL positive CML is treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Mutations in the BCR-ABL gene chimera reduce the efficacy of TKIs. Our study aimed to target genes influencing CML metabolism as a new approach to overcome CML resistance to TKIs. We focused on the branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism since it stimulates CML growth. By using the eukaryotic promoter database (EPD) we found that the transcription factor JUN-B has putative binding sites in the promoter regions of 4 genes in BCAA metabolism, BCAT1, BCAT2, BCKDHA and DBT. JUN-B induces apoptosis, but it is silenced in CML. CML specimens, collected before (baseline, n=135) or after treatment with 400mg (n=30) and 800mg (n=33) Imatinib (TKI), were obtained from the R2-genomic analysis platform. T-test analysis tested the difference between the gene expression of JUN-B and the BCAA metabolic genes. In baseline specimens, there was a significant negative correlation between the expression of JUN-B and BCAT1/BCAT2 suggesting that JUN-B is their negative regulator in CML. Treatment with Imatinib reduced the expression of BCAT1 but not that of BCAT2, BCKDHA or DBT. Results suggest that BCAT1 and BCAT2 are downstream targets of JUN-B and Imatinib may reduce the burden of CML by downregulating the expression of BCAT1. These findings provided the background to investigate the mechanism of targeting BCAA metabolism in CML in TKI resistant patients
Keynote Speaker - Dr. Pravin Mishra
No full textDr. Pravin Mishra gives a keynote speech titled View to the Future: Bench-to-Bedside Research at DMU
Community socioeconomic status and rural/racial disparities in HPV−/+ head and neck cancer
No full textBackground Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) is a major cause of cancer morbidity and mortality in the United States, but the burden is not evenly distributed. Rural and racial disparities are obvious across the HNC continuum. Most HNC disparities research have emphasized individual factors perpetuating rural and racial disparities, ignoring the role of community-level factors. Methods We analyzed data from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program’s “Specialized HNC-Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Census-Tract SES” datafile (2010–2016). In addition to cancer patient characteristics, this data includes a socioeconomic status (SES) quintile based on the patient’s census-tract. Our outcome variables included whether the HNC patient 1) was diagnosed at a distant stage, 2) received initial treatment two or more months after diagnosis, 3) received radiation therapy, 4) survived two years after diagnosis. We tested for differences across SES quintiles, in the full sample and then within rural/racial categories. We then tested for differences between each rural/racial category conditional on SES quintile. Results For both HPV(−) and HPV + HNCs, patients in higher SES census-tracts have 8–10% lower rates of distant stage diagnoses and delayed treatment initiation, and 12.0–14.5% higher survival rates than patients in lower SES census-tracts. Radiation treatment only varied across SES quintiles in HPV + HNC patients. We find little evidence of rural–urban differences within each socioeconomic quintile. However, within lower SES quintiles, we found significant racial disparities in delayed detection and treatment. These differences were largest in the lowest SES quintile, as non-Hispanic Black patients reported 10–11% higher rates of delayed detection and treatment initiation than non-Hispanic White patients. Conclusions Our research illustrates the value and constraints in leveraging community-level factors in health disparities research that can ultimately assist in designing effective policies that address and achieve rural and racial cancer equity
Race and poverty as confounders for increased antihypertensives in NHANES 2013-2020 respondents
No full textAbstract
Background: This study explores the relationship between one’s number of antihypertensive prescriptions (AHPs) and the confluence of demographic factors including race, gender, education, and poverty level.
Methods: 2013 to pre-pandemic 2020 NHANES responses were utilized. Respondents aged 18+ with ≥1 AHP for an ICD-10 code for “essential hypertension” or “hypertension prevention” were included. GraphPad Prism 10 was used for analyses.
Results: Multiple linear regression controlling for age, gender, race, education, birthplace, and marital status was significant (R 2 =0.023 , F(16, 2791)=4.159, p\u3c 0.0001). More AHPs were prescribed at 1x to \u3c 5x poverty vs. ≥5x poverty (β=-0.0985, p=0.0271).
Two-way regression controlling for age and gender was significant (R 2 =0.020, F(23, 2784)=2.508, p\u3c 0.0001). Non-Hispanic Black respondents 1x to \u3c 5x poverty predicted more AHPs vs. Non-Hispanic White below (β=-0.1531, p=0.241) or ≥5x (β=-0.3483, p\u3c 0.0001) poverty.
Adjusting for race, education, and birthplace, there was no significant difference in number of AHPs between genders (β=-0.0203, p=0.347). GED/high school graduation did not predict differences in AHPs vs. education \u3c 9th grade (β=-0.0526, p=0.2053), 9-11th grade (β=0.0280, p=0.437), some college (β=0.0230, p=0.4304), or college graduation (β=-0.0176, p=0.5848).
Conclusion: Non-Hispanic Black individuals and those living between 1x and 5x poverty level were associated with more AHP prescriptions. This points to potential bias in prescription of antihypertensives
Assessing the reliability of kerf floor shapes in predicting saw types for use in forensic dismemberment cases
No full textAbstract
Forensic anthropologists commonly assess the floor shapes (kerf) of the bony cuts left by saws in cases of human dismemberment. Kerf shape is thought to reflect characteristics specific to the class of saw utilized to make the cuts. In this study, a set of 12 kerf shape categories was created based on previous studies and observations. These categories were used to test interobserver agreement of kerf floor assignments and in the evaluation of the kerf shape/saw characteristic relationship. This research utilized a 90-specimen subsample of incomplete saw cuts on fully macerated human long bones made available by Mercyhurst University and originally collected as part of a National Institute of Justice grant project (2005-IJ-CX-K016). The 19 saws used to make these cuts were semi-randomly selected to ensure approximately equal representation of each saw. Stereomicroscopic photos of the kerf profiles from these 90 specimens were scored by three observers. Agreement between the two inexperienced observers and the experienced observer was 60.0% and 75.6% for the 12-shape scoring system. Collapsing the kerfs with flat or slightly rounded floors increased agreement to 90.0% and 88.8%. Other than being made by rip saws, no patterns were discerned between the flat/rounded kerf floors and saw characteristics. Kerfs with a “W” or truncated-“W” shape had 100% agreement across all observers. All but one of the W-shaped kerfs were created by hand saws with alternating crosscut teeth. This preliminary research highlights the utility of kerf floor shape analysis and illustrates the need for further kerf floor shape assessment
Protocol for Retrospective Analysis of Baseline Concussion Testing Records
No full textAbstract
Background: There are a variety of tests available to determine the severity of sports-related concussion (SRC). As athletes perform numerous cognitive assessments, there is a high likelihood that mental fatigue becomes a factor that impacts neurocognitive performance. Because of the importance of high performance on baseline assessments, it is vital that mental fatigue is not detrimental. By optimizing baseline testing to reduce mental fatigue, there can be greater certainty that when athletes return to sport following an SRC, they are safe.
Methods: With IRB approval, participant records from athletic training services will be reviewed for data utilization consent for research purposes by a certified athletic trainer. Potential participants include adult, female athletes involved in contact sports (tackle football). Records will be de-identified using a numeric identifier for each participant and data will be extracted using a standardized collection form in Excel. The data recorded will include self-reported information related to age, gender, weight, height, medications, past medical/surgical history, and medical diagnoses related to concussion recovery. Data capture will include the physical performance results and test sequencing from baseline testing, including the modified COBALT, VOMS, BlazePod tests, DropStick tests, grip strength, King Devick, Post Concussion Symptom Scale, and SCAT-5.
Future Work: Data will be analyzed descriptively, noting frequencies for reported demographic and health history items and average for age, weight, height, and performance data. Relationships between data and testing sequence will be examined to promote optimal order for baseline testing, as well as test-retest reliability and convergent validity will be determined