Publications by authors named "Overton A"

Article Synopsis
  • - Wastewater surveillance has proven effective in tracking the spread of SARS-CoV-2, including its variants, particularly at transportation hubs like Toronto Pearson International Airport.
  • - Canadian municipalities, including WWTPs in Ontario, use techniques like qPCR and whole genome sequencing to monitor the virus in wastewater.
  • - Findings from wastewater samples at the airport often identified new viral lineages 1-4 weeks before clinical cases were reported, highlighting the potential for early detection in pandemic response.
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Wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 has emerged as a critical tool for tracking the spread of COVID-19. In addition to estimating the relative case numbers using quantitative PCR, SARS-CoV-2 genomic RNA can be extracted from wastewater and sequenced. There are many existing techniques for using the sequenced RNA to determine the relative abundance of known lineages in a sample.

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Objective(s): FDA-approved indications for cochlear implantation include patients with severe-to-profound unilateral hearing loss (UHL) or asymmetric hearing loss (AHL); however, these indications are not covered for Medicare beneficiaries. We assessed the outcomes of cochlear implant (CI) use for older adults with UHL or AHL.

Methods: Eighteen older adults (≥65 years of age at surgery) with UHL/AHL participated in a prospective, longitudinal investigation evaluating outcomes of CI use.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focused on cochlear implant recipients with unilateral hearing loss who possess functional acoustic hearing in the implanted ear, evaluating the effects of electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) on their hearing abilities over time.
  • Participants showed significant improvements in speech recognition scores and subjective hearing assessments when evaluated at multiple intervals post-activation (1, 3, and 6 months).
  • Results indicated that adults with unilateral hearing loss and functional hearing saw notable enhancements in both objective speech recognition and subjective hearing experiences soon after starting EAS use, compared to their preoperative state.
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Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) is an important epidemiological and public health tool for tracking pathogens across the scale of a building, neighbourhood, city, or region. WBS gained widespread adoption globally during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic for estimating community infection levels by qPCR. Sequencing pathogen genes or genomes from wastewater adds information about pathogen genetic diversity, which can be used to identify viral lineages (including variants of concern) that are circulating in a local population.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to evaluate how effectively a research design and recruitment strategy could gather a participant sample that reflects the broader cochlear implant (CI) patient demographic.
  • The participant sample (n=79) was found to be similar to the overall CI patient population (n=338) in critical demographic factors like age, sex, and socioeconomic status, indicating effective recruitment.
  • However, the combined CI population showed notable differences compared to the overall North Carolina population regarding race, ethnicity, and urbanization, highlighting ongoing disparities in access to cochlear implantation.
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Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) is a plant pathogen that infects important crop species and can dramatically reduce tomato crop yields. The ToBRFV has rapidly spread around the globe due to its ability to escape detection by antiviral host genes which confer resistance to other tobamoviruses in tomato plants. The development of robust and reproducible methods for detecting viruses in the environment aids in the tracking and reduction of pathogen transmission.

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Wastewater surveillance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) commonly applies reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to quantify severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA concentrations in wastewater over time. In most applications worldwide, maximal sensitivity and specificity of RT-qPCR has been achieved, in part, by monitoring two or more genomic loci of SARS-CoV-2. In Ontario, Canada, the provincial Wastewater Surveillance Initiative reports the average copies of the CDC N1 and N2 loci normalized to the fecal biomarker pepper mild mottle virus.

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Objective: We aimed to develop a decision-making tool to predict telehealth appropriateness for future rheumatology visits and expand telehealth care access.

Methods: The model was developed using the Encounter Appropriateness Score for You (EASY) and electronic health record data at a single academic rheumatology practice from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021. The EASY model is a logistic regression model that includes encounter characteristics, patient sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, and provider characteristics.

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Objective: Determine variables that influence post-activation performance for cochlear implant (CI) recipients who lost low-frequency acoustic hearing.

Methods: A retrospective review evaluated CNC word recognition for adults with normal to moderately severe low-frequency hearing (preoperative unaided thresholds of ≤70 dB HL at 250 Hz) who were implanted between 2012 and 2021 at a tertiary academic center, lost functional acoustic hearing, and were fit with a CI-alone device. Performance scores were queried from the 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24-month post-activation visits.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examined how the positioning of electrode contacts in cochlear implant recipients affects their ability to recognize speech, especially for those using electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS).
  • Sixty percent of participants had electrode contacts within their functional acoustic hearing range, but this was not linked to better speech recognition in quiet settings.
  • However, closer alignment between the most apical electrode contact and the upper edge of residual hearing improved speech recognition in noisy environments, indicating that electrode placement can impact outcomes for EAS users.
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This tutorial review focuses on providing a summary of the key techniques used for the characterisation of supramolecular amphiphiles and their self-assembled aggregates; from the understanding of low-level molecular interactions, to materials analysis, use of data to support computer-aided molecular design and finally, the translation of this class of compounds for real world application, specifically within the clinical setting. We highlight the common methodologies used for the study of traditional amphiphiles and build to provide specific examples that enable the study of specialist supramolecular systems. This includes the use of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, X-ray scattering techniques (small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering and single crystal X-ray diffraction), critical aggregation (or micelle) concentration determination methodologies, machine learning, and various microscopy techniques.

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Objectives: Access to cochlear implantation may be negatively influenced by extended travel time to a cochlear implant (CI) center or lower socioeconomic status (SES) for the individual. There is a critical need to understand the influence of these variables on patient appointment attendance for candidacy evaluations, and CI recipients' adherence to post-activation follow-up recommendations that support optimal outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of adult patients referred to a CI center in North Carolina for initial cochlear implantation candidacy evaluation between April 2017 and July 2019 was conducted.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cochlear implant users who preserved some hearing showed improved speech recognition when using electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS), but outcomes varied due to mismatches in frequency mapping.
  • In a study, 21 participants were assigned to either default or place-based mapping procedures to assess how electric mismatches affected their speech recognition over time.
  • Results indicated that participants with smaller electric mismatches performed better initially, suggesting that place-based mapping could enhance EAS outcomes, with continued research needed on long-term effects.
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Purpose: Cochlear implant (CI) recipients with normal or near normal hearing (NH) in the contralateral ear, referred to as single-sided deafness (SSD), experience significantly better speech recognition in noise with their CI than without it, although reported outcomes vary. One possible explanation for differences in outcomes across studies could be differences in the spatial configurations used to assess performance. This study compared speech recognition for different spatial configurations of the target and masker, with test materials used clinically.

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Plastids are a dynamic class of organelle in plant cells that arose from an ancient cyanobacterial endosymbiont. Over the course of evolution, most genes encoding plastid proteins were transferred to the nuclear genome. In parallel, eukaryotic cells evolved a series of targeting pathways and complex proteinaceous machinery at the plastid surface to direct these proteins back to their target organelle.

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Introduction: Lateral condyle fractures and both bone forearm fractures account for 10-15% and 13-40% of all elbow fractures in children, respectively. About 5% of forearm fractures in children have associated supracondylar fractures; hence, any forearm fractures warrant a careful examination of the elbow, and any radiographs taken should visualize the elbow joint above and wrist joint below for other injuries. We report a case of multiple upper limb fracture in a child, comprising lateral condyle and both bone forearm fractures.

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Purpose: This study assesses whether sterile surgical helmet systems (SSHS) provide surgeons with additional protection from aerosol pathogens alongside their traditional role protecting against splash. There has been debate on whether to use such systems in reopening elective orthopaedic surgery during the current COVID-19 pandemic environment.

Methods: Thirty-five participants were enrolled in a double-blinded randomised controlled study investigating efficacy of the Stryker Flyte Surgical Helmet (Stryker Corporation, Kalamazoo, MI, USA) as protection against respiratory droplets.

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At the request of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), RAND researchers undertook a yearlong analysis of the health care system in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with a focus on primary care. RAND staff reviewed available literature on the Kurdistan Region and information relevant to primary care; interviewed a wide range of policy leaders, health practitioners, patients, and government officials to gather information and understand their priorities; collected and studied all available data related to health resources, services, and conditions; and projected future supply and demand for health services in the Kurdistan Region; and laid out the health financing challenges and questions. In this volume, the authors describe the strengths of the health care system in the Kurdistan Region as well as the challenges it faces.

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Sleep medicine is a quickly growing field of allied health and preventive medicine. The University of North Carolina has proven innovative and timely in offering a neurodiagnostics and sleep science bachelor's degree program for the sleep medicine profession.

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Conflict occurs frequently in any workplace; health care is not an exception. The negative consequences include dysfunctional team work, decreased patient satisfaction, and increased employee turnover. Research demonstrates that training in conflict resolution skills can result in improved teamwork, productivity, and patient and employee satisfaction.

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The economic, environmental, and human health impacts of the deepwater horizon (DWH) oil spill have been of significant concern in the general public and among scientists. This study employs parallel experiments to test the effects of crude oil from the DWH oil well, chemical dispersant Corexit 9500A, and dispersant-oil mixture on growth and reproduction in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. Both the crude oil and the dispersant significantly inhibited the reproduction of C.

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Gold(III) diazonium complexes were synthesized for the first time and studied for electrochemical reductive grafting. The diazonium complex [CN-4-C(6)H(4)N≡N]AuCl(4) was synthesized by protonating CN-4-C(6)H(4)NH(2) with chloroauric acid H[AuCl(4)]·3H(2)O to form the ammonium salt [CN-4-C(6)H(4)NH(3)]AuCl(4), which was then oxidized by the one-electron oxidizing agent [NO]PF(6) in CH(3)CN. The highly irreversible reduction potential of 0.

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10% of symptomatic parotid stones cannot be removed by minimally invasive radiological or endoscopic techniques alone. In these cases endoscopically assisted surgical parotid sialolithectomy can be performed via an extraoral approach, reconstituting the duct and preserving functioning glandular tissue. Between 2003 and 2010, 55 consecutive patients underwent endoscopically assisted surgical removal of parotid stones from 57 glands, two having bilateral procedures.

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Article Synopsis
  • Mycobacteriosis is a chronic bacterial disease affecting striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay, with a worrying prevalence among pre-migratory fish, but its impact on the migratory population is not well understood.
  • Histological analysis of fish caught in North Carolina and Chesapeake Bay showed a low prevalence of the disease (6.8%), indicating potential recovery or mortality in pre-migratory fish.
  • The study found no significant influence of survey location, fish gender, or size on disease prevalence, suggesting that granulomas may heal or contribute to mortality before migration.
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