Insure Me Cancer Free: An Intervention Utilizing a Dynamic Communication Model.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a pilot insurance company-based intervention guided by a Dynamic Communication Model to increase breast and colorectal cancer screening in Appalachian WV, a medically-underserved population with low screening rates. Our team and key informants developed letters and a website to promote cancer screening, and these were mailed to patients needing screening (breast: = 232; colorectal: = 324). After 6 months, a sample of women ( = 22) and men ( = 27) continuing to need screening received telephonic case management counseling.

Breastfeeding: An Unknown Factor to Reduce Heart Disease Risk Among Breastfeeding Women.

Background: Breastfeeding confers many health benefits not only to babies but also to their lactating mothers. Breastfeeding is a notable protective factor in the Gail model for breast cancer and is protective for heart disease. Although individuals in the Appalachian region have lower risk of developing breast cancer, their risk of heart disease is elevated compared with the national value for the United States.

Pharmacists' Perceptions of Tobacco Sales in an Elevated-Risk Population.

Policies by the American Medical Association and the American Pharmacists Association advocate for the discontinuation of tobacco sales in pharmacies, yet tobacco sales remain lucrative for pharmacies in the United States. West Virginia has the highest smoking rate (29%) and the second highest lung cancer incidence in the country. This study examined pharmacists' perceptions of tobacco sales in pharmacies and awareness of relevant policies.

Rapid screening, in vitro study of metal oxide and polymer hybrids as delivery coatings for improved soft-tissue integration of implants.

Metal-organic chemistry allows for molecular mixing and creation of a range of submicron phase-separated structures from normally brittle metal oxides and flexible polymers with improved bioactivity and delivery properties. In this study, we used a high throughput platform to investigate the influence of organic metal oxide doping of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coatings on cellular bioactivity and controlled release of vanadium compared with titanium oxide coatings without additional PDMS. Metal-organic-derived titanium and or vanadium was doped into PDMS and used to form a coating on the bottom of cell culture microplates in the absence of added water, acids, or bases.

Controlled release of vanadium from titanium oxide coatings for improved integration of soft tissue implants.

This study evaluates the potential of titanium oxide coatings for short-term delivery of vanadium for improved wound healing around implants. Titanium and vanadium oxides are bioactive agents that elicit different bioresponses in cells, ranging from implant integration and reduction of inflammation to modulation of cell proliferation and morphology. These oxides were combined in biomaterial coatings using metal-organic precursors and rapidly screened in cell-culture microplates to establish how vanadium-loading influences cell proliferation and morphology.