resident research projects

Neurons extend their axons and dendrites over long distances and rely on evolutionarily conserved mechanisms to maintain the cellular structure and function of neurites at a distance from their cell body. Neurites that lose connection with their cell body following damage or stressors to their cytoskeleton undergo a programmed self-destruction process akin to apoptosis but using different cellular machinery, termed Wallerian degeneration. While first described for vertebrate axons by Augustus Waller in 1850, key discoveries of the enzymes that regulate Wallerian degeneration were made through forward genetic screens in Drosophila melanogaster Powerful techniques for genetic manipulation and visualization of single neurons combined with simple methods for introducing axotomy (neuron severing) to certain neuron types in Drosophila have enabled the discovery and study of the cellular machinery responsible for Wallerian degeneration, in addition to mechanisms that enable clearance of the resulting debris...

BACKGROUND: This study examined psychosocial outcomes for Filipino survivors of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC). OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify relationships between demographic variables, self-reported and caregiver-reported trauma symptoms, and psychosocial functioning among Filipino youth who have experienced OSAEC. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: This study utilized inclusion criteria of survivors of OSAEC between ages 12 and 18 who received residential care and were reintegrated into the community for at least one year (N = 48)...

BACKGROUND: A better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection risk among Hispanic and Latino populations and in low-resource settings in the United States is needed to inform control efforts and strategies to improve health equity. Puerto Rico has a high poverty rate and other population characteristics associated with increased vulnerability to COVID-19, and there are limited data to date to determine community incidence. OBJECTIVE: This study describes the protocol and baseline seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in a prospective community-based cohort study (COPA COVID-19 [COCOVID] study) to investigate SARS-CoV-2 infection incidence and morbidity in Ponce, Puerto Rico...

The burden of neurological disease disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries, where the lowest number of neurologists are located. Building local training opportunities in resource-limited settings is a foundational step to enhancing the neurological workforce and improving access to neurological care in these regions. In this article, we describe the development and growth of the first neurology residency program in East Africa, which was established in 2006 at Zewditu Memorial Hospital and the Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia...

INTRODUCTION: Ambient air temperature may affect birth outcomes adversely, but little is known about their impact on foetal growth throughout pregnancy. We evaluated the association between temperature exposure during pregnancy and foetal size and growth in three European birth cohorts. METHODS: We studied 23,408 pregnant women from the English Born in Bradford cohort, Dutch Generation R Study, and Spanish INMA Project. Using the UrbClimTM model, weekly ambient air temperature exposure at 100x100m resolution at the mothers' residences during pregnancy was calculated...

Socioeconomic inequalities in health persist in Spain. The DDHealth project aims to address two timely innovative aspects that have been postulated to contribute to socioeconomic inequalities in health. DDHealth aims to address two innovative and timely aspects that have been proposed to contribute to socioeconomic health inequalities. The first one is the socioeconomic digital divide, which refers to the greater capabilities and opportunities to access technology and use the internet among higher social classes compared to lower ones...

BACKGROUND: The decline in global child mortality is an important public health achievement, yet child mortality remains disproportionally high in many low-income countries like Guinea-Bissau. The persisting high mortality rates necessitate targeted research to identify vulnerable subgroups of children and formulate effective interventions. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to discover subgroups of children at an elevated risk of mortality in the urban setting of Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, West Africa...

BACKGROUND: Communication failures are among the most common causes of harmful medical errors. At one Comprehensive Cancer Center, patient handoffs varied among services. The authors describe the implementation and results of an Organization-wide project to improve handoffs and implement an evidence-based handoff tool across all inpatient services. METHODS: The research team created a task force composed of members from 22 hospital services-advanced practice providers (APPs), trainees, some faculty members, electronic health record (EHR) staff, education and training specialists, and nocturnal providers...

PURPOSE: The XXX Annual Scientific Meeting Medical Student Research and Mentorship Award (XXX ASM MSRMA) was established in 2020 to support medical students pursuing radiation oncology (RO) research and RO as a career. This study is an evaluation of the impact of this national research and mentorship award on medical students, resident mentors, and research supervisors over three iterations. METHODS: Three separate surveys were created for: medical student mentees, RO resident mentors, and attending research supervisors...

Carbon sequestration via afforestation and forest growth is effective for mitigating global warming. Accurate and robust information on forest growth characteristics by tree species, region, and large-scale land-use change is vital and future prediction of forest carbon stocks based on this information is of great significance. These predictions allow exploring forestry practices that maximize carbon sequestration by forests, including wood production. Forest inventories based on field measurements are considered the most accurate method for estimating forest carbon stocks...

INTRODUCTION: Timely and relevant data are critical to monitoring the rapidly changing youth vaping epidemic and for understanding the prevalence, patterns of use, knowledge, and perceptions of tobacco products. While e-cigarettes have been the most used tobacco product among youth for nearly a decade, new nicotine delivery products continue to be introduced to the US market. Flavored tobacco products, including flavored e-cigarettes, menthol cigarettes, and flavored cigars, drive disparities in use by young people...

BACKGROUND: Presentations are an important means of knowledge generation. Publication of these studies is important for dissemination of findings beyond meeting attendees. We analyzed a 10-year sample of presented abstracts at Plastic Surgery The Meeting and describe factors that improve rate and speed of conversion to peer-reviewed publication. METHODS: Abstracts presented between 2010 and 2019 at Plastic Surgery The Meeting were sourced from the American Society of Plastic Surgery Abstract Archive...

Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) poses a significant public health risk that is associated with adverse birth outcomes. Large roadway infrastructure projects present a natural experiment to examine how resulting congestion change is associated with adverse birth outcomes for nearby populations. This study is designed to examine the influence of living close to a roadway before, during, and after a construction project using a difference-in-differences design. We integrated data on all large roadway construction projects (defined as widening of existing roads, building new roads, improving bridges, installing intelligent transportation systems, improving intersections, and installing or upgrading traffic signals) in Texas from 2007 to 2016 with Vital Statistic data for all births with residential addresses within 1 km of construction projects...

BACKGROUND: The American Nurses Credentialing Center's (ANCC's) Practice Transition Accreditation Program (PTAP) establishes standards for nurse residency programs to elevate and optimize the skills, knowledge, and attitudes of new nurses participating in nurse residency programs. Evidence-based practice (EBP) is foundational to providing safe nursing care. One of the National Academy of Medicine's (NAM's) 2020 goals stated that 90% of clinical decisions would be supported by the best available evidence to attain the best patient outcomes...

In 2022, the Virginia Chickahominy Indian Tribe partnered with Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center to investigate concerns about a potential cancer cluster near a local landfill. While investigating cancer clusters is complex due to long latency and multifactorial causes, the community's concerns about structural factors driving cancer risk warrant exploration. Thus, the Chickahominy T.R.U.T.H. (Trust, Research, Understand, Teach, and Heal) Project was created as a community-academic partnership to (1) identify structural factors and barriers associated with perceived cancer risk and care; (2) assess cancer knowledge, care access gaps, and perceived risks, including testing private and community water sources; (3) develop and deploy culturally tailored cancer education and resource navigation, including groundwater safety education, policies, and remediation...

Psychedelics can profoundly alter cognition and consciousness. Their use in Middle Eastern countries, including Iraq, is ambiguous. We aim to investigate psychedelic awareness and use among Iraqi and Polish medical students. We surveyed 739 university students from Poland (315) and Iraq (424) using 31 adapted questions from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). We conducted multivariable analyses based on binary logistic regression to identify the factors associated with psychedelic awareness and use...

BACKGROUND: Disparities in posthospitalization outcomes for people with chronic medical conditions and insured by Medicaid are well documented, yet interventions that mitigate them are lacking. Prevailing transitional care interventions narrowly target people aged 65 years and older, with specific disease processes, or limitedly focus on individual-level behavioral change such as self-care or symptom management, thus failing to adequately provide a holistic approach to ensure an optimal posthospital care continuum...

DISCLAIMER: In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time. PURPOSE: Pharmacy residents often aspire to develop research skills through conducting a research project...

BACKGROUND: This study evaluates cost reduction in participants of a health awareness program (the Center of Healthy Aging Program, CHAP) in a Japanese rural area, characterized by an annual check-up and personalized interview on health issues and related risks immediately after the check-up. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study using medical and caregiving costs and Japan-specific health check-up results in Hirosaki residents stored by the local government, which were individually-based linked to the CHAP information collected by Hirosaki University...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The Nephrology Department of Hassan II Hospital in Fez, Morocco, has implemented an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system for managing patients undergoing acute hemodialysis. This initiative aims to digitize patient monitoring and enhance the management of acute dialysis within the department. Conducting strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis - assessing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats - was crucial to identifying and understanding the internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as the external opportunities and threats...