Publications by authors named "David Farrell"

Background: Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are a cornerstone of adjuvant systemic therapy for postmenopausal patients with hormone-receptor positive (HR+) breast cancer. Although AIs decrease cancer recurrence rates and improve survival rates, approximately 50 % of patients experience arthralgia-persistent pain related to worse patient outcomes and poor AI adherence. Current medical interventions for AI-associated arthralgia have limited efficacy and side effects that restrict their use among older patients.

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Importance: Patients with trauma exhibit a complex balance of coagulopathy manifested by both bleeding and thrombosis. Antithrombin III is a plasma protein that functions as an important regulator of coagulation. Previous studies have found a high incidence of antithrombin III deficiency among patients with trauma.

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Objective: To develop, assess, and refine an online educational tool, Plan for Clarity, to support financial and legal planning in dementia.

Methods: A Delphi mixed-method study with three rounds of anonymous review by lay and professional stakeholders was designed to reach consensus about the content of the online tool and explore the socio-cultural and behavioral factors that could affect access and use.

Results: Consensus showed that the online tool covered key information, knowledge, and communication skills for financial and legal planning.

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COVID-19 disease progression can be accompanied by a "cytokine storm" that leads to secondary sequelae such as acute respiratory distress syndrome. Several inflammatory cytokines have been associated with COVID-19 disease progression, but have high daily intra-individual variability. In contrast, we have shown that the inflammatory biomarker γ' fibrinogen (GPF) has a 6-fold lower coefficient of variability compared to other inflammatory markers such as hs-CRP.

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Recent treatment advances have resulted in significantly increased survival times following metastatic breast cancer (MBC) diagnosis. Novel treatment approaches-and their related side effects-have changed the landscape of MBC treatment decision-making. We developed a prototype of an online educational tool to prepare patients with MBC for shared decision-making with their oncologists.

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Scrapie is a neurodegenerative disease that impacts sheep and goats, characterized by gradual and progressive changes in neurological function. Recent research shows that the scrapie incubation period is significantly influenced by specific variations in amino acids within the prion protein gene (). The objective of this study was to estimate the national prevalence of caprine genetic variability at codons 146, 211, and 222 in goat populations across the United States.

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A slow growing species of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) was isolated from the liver of an Amazon milk frog. The complete genome of this isolate comprises 5,102,433 bp, exhibiting 66.86% GC content, 4,940 protein-coding sequences, 52 predicted RNA genes, and 39 repeat regions.

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The ability of () to survive in bovine milk has emerged as a serious public health concern. The first objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of IS1081-targeted real-time PCR for the detection of DNA in different fractions of bovine milk. In a model study, bovine milk samples were spiked with serially diluted BCG to investigate the detection limit of DNA in whole milk and milk fractions (cream, pellet, and pellet + cream combined) using IS1081 real-time PCR.

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Article Synopsis
  • The AMPLIFY Survivor Health intervention is designed to support older cancer survivors in adopting healthier eating and exercise habits, promoting overall weight loss and better diet quality.
  • The intervention was developed through collaboration among cancer survivors, web design experts, and a research team, incorporating input from various stakeholders and using a social cognitive theory framework.
  • The structured program features a dedicated website with interactive sessions, progress tracking, resource tools, and social support options, while employing algorithms for personalized content delivery and goal recommendations.
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Advancement in next generation sequencing offers the possibility of routine use of whole genome sequencing (WGS) for () genomes in clinical reference laboratories. To date, the genome could only be sequenced if the mycobacteria were cultured from tissue. This requirement for culture has been due to the overwhelmingly large amount of host DNA present when DNA is prepared directly from a granuloma.

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is characterized by a pro-inflammatory state associated with organ failure, thrombosis, and death. We investigated a novel inflammatory biomarker, γ' fibrinogen (GPF), in 103 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and 19 healthy controls. We found significant associations between GPF levels and the severity of COVID-19 as judged by blood oxygen saturation (SpO).

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(1) Background: A healthful diet, regular physical activity, and weight management are cornerstones for cancer prevention and control. Yet, adherence is low in cancer survivors and others, calling for innovative solutions. Daughters, dUdes, mothers, and othErs fighting cancer Together (DUET) is a 6-month, online, diet-and-exercise, weight-loss intervention to improve health behaviors and outcomes among cancer survivor-partner dyads.

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Cancer patients often want information from "peers" with the same diagnosis or treatment. To increase access to this valuable resource, we developed a website to deliver written peer support to cancer patients undergoing stem cell transplant. Because little evidence describes how to optimize benefits or reduce potential harms of written peer support, we gathered multiple forms of stakeholder feedback to inform the website's ethical approach, personalization, design, function, and content: a Community Advisory Board; a longitudinal study of patients' written peer support needs and motivations; focus groups; semi-structured interviews; and usability testing.

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is characterized by a pro-inflammatory state associated with organ failure, thrombosis, and death. We investigated a novel inflammatory biomarker, γ' fibrinogen (GPF), in 103 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and 19 healthy controls. We found significant associations between GPF levels and the severity of COVID-19 as judged by blood oxygen saturation (SpO ).

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Purpose: To identify leadership styles and staffing strategies in Missouri long-term care (LTC) facilities that stood out among their peers as "positive deviants" with regard to COVID-19 infections and staffing shortages.

Methods: Statewide survey of all LTC facilities to identify exemplar facilities with stable staffing and low rates of COVID-19. Interviews with senior leaders were conducted in 10 facilities in the state to understand the strategies employed that led to these "positive outliers.

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Purpose: Cancer survivors frequently describe wanting to learn from others who have had similar diagnoses or treatments (peer support). We conducted focus groups to investigate hematopoietic stem cell transplant survivors' attitudes and preferences regarding accessing written peer support through a website. Although written peer support does not allow for interpersonal interactions with peers, it could increase transplant recipients' access to evidence-based benefits of informational and emotional peer support.

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Although there is agreement that COVID-19 has had devastating impacts in long-term care facilities (LTCFs), estimates of cases and deaths have varied widely with little attention to the causes of this variation. We developed a typology of data vulnerabilities and a strategy for approximating the true total of COVID-19 cases and deaths in LTCFs. Based on iterative qualitative consensus, we categorized LTCF reporting vulnerabilities and their potential impacts on accuracy.

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Background: Internet-based lifestyle programs are increasingly being used to deliver health behavior change interventions to survivors of cancer. However, little is known about website use in this population or its association with healthy lifestyle changes.

Objective: The aim of this study is to describe lifestyle intervention website use (log-ins, time on website, and page views) among survivors of cancer and patterns of use by participant characteristics.

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Throughout the pandemic, public health and long-term care professionals in our urban California county have linked local and state COVID-19 data and performed observational exploratory analyses of the impacts among our diverse long-term care facilities (LTCFs). Case counts from LTCFs through March 2021 included 4309 (65%) in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), 1667 (25%) in residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs), and 273 (4%) in continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). These cases led to 582 COVID-19 resident deaths and 12 staff deaths based on death certificates.

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The purpose of this study is to evaluate the direct and indirect effects of a web-based, Protection Motivation Theory (PMT)-informed breast cancer education and decision support tool on intentions for risk-reducing medication and breast MRI among high-risk women. Women with ≥ 1.67% 5-year breast cancer risk (N = 995) were randomized to (1) control or (2) the PMT-informed intervention.

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Scalable, effective interventions are needed to address poor diet, insufficient physical activity, and obesity amongst rising numbers of cancer survivors. Interventions targeting survivors and their friends and family may promote both tertiary and primary prevention. The design, rationale, and enrollment of an ongoing randomized controlled trial (RCT) (NCT04132219) to test a web-based lifestyle intervention for cancer survivors and their supportive partners are described, along with the characteristics of the sample recruited.

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Background: With the increasing number of older cancer survivors, it is imperative to optimize the reach of interventions that promote healthy lifestyles. Web-based delivery holds promise for increasing the reach of such interventions with the rapid increase in internet use among older adults. However, few studies have explored the views of middle-aged and older cancer survivors on this approach and potential variations in these views by gender or rural and urban residence.

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Breast density increases breast cancer risk and decreases mammographic detection. We evaluated a personalized web-based intervention designed to improve breast cancer risk communication between women and their providers. This was a secondary outcome analysis of an online randomized trial.

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