Publications by authors named "Shaffer E"

Human-caused conversion of natural habitat areas to developed land cover represents a major driver of habitat loss and fragmentation, leading to reorganization of biological communities. Although protected areas and urban greenspaces can preserve natural systems in fragmented landscapes, their efficacy has been stymied by the complexity and scale-dependency underlying biological communities. While migratory bird communities are easy to-study and particularly responsive to anthropogenic habitat alterations, prior studies have documented substantial variation in habitat sensitivity across species and migratory groups.

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It is the current consensus amongst the psychiatric community that children undergoing evaluation for developmental delays and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) should be offered genetic testing early in the diagnostic process. Identifying genetic abnormalities can provide insight into patient prognosis and may reveal other medical complications that could arise throughout a patient's life. Despite these recognized benefits, genetic testing is often delayed or not offered and therefore deprives families of valuable knowledge about their child's future health outcomes.

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Gamete surface protein P48/45 has been shown to be important for male gamete fertility and a strong candidate for the development of a malaria transmission-blocking vaccine (TBV). However, TBV development for homolog Pvs48/45 has been slow because of a number of challenges: availability of conformationally suitable recombinant protein; the lack of an challenge model; and the inability to produce gametocytes in culture to test transmission-blocking activity of antibodies. To support ongoing efforts to develop Pvs48/45 as a potential vaccine candidate, we initiated efforts to develop much needed reagents to move the field forward.

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Although extraintestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are common, pulmonary IBD is extremely rare. Owing to its nonspecific clinical, radiologic, and pathologic features, pulmonary IBD is difficult to diagnose and may mimic more concerning disease processes. We present a rare case of a patient with known Crohn's disease whose initial presentation was highly suspicious for malignancy before further investigation revealed pulmonary IBD.

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Most adolescents with T1D do not meet glycemic recommendations or consistently perform the required self-management behaviors to prevent acute- and long-term deleterious health outcomes. In addition, most youth with T1D do not have access to behavioral health services to address T1D management barriers. Thus, delivering behavioral interventions during routine medical appointments may hold promise for improving T1D outcomes in adolescents.

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Background: Recruiting to multi-site trials is challenging, particularly when striving to ensure the randomized sample is demographically representative of the larger disease-suffering population. While previous studies have reported disparities by race and ethnicity in enrollment and randomization, they have not typically investigated whether disparities exist in the recruitment process prior to consent. To identify participants most likely to be eligible for a trial, study sites frequently include a prescreening process, generally conducted by telephone, to conserve resources.

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Background: Vulnerable communities are susceptible to and disproportionately affected by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding the challenges faced, perceptions, lessons learned, and recommendations of the organizations that provide services in response to COVID-19 to vulnerable communities is critical to improving emergency response and preparedness in these communities.

Methods: This study employed GIS mapping to identify the needs and assets that exist in communities in Baltimore City, where vulnerabilities related to social determinants of health and the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic were greatest.

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Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants (<1500 g) are at risk for poor neurodevelopmental outcomes depending on gestational age (GA), birth weight (BW), and morbidity in early life. The contribution of the gut microbiome is not well understood. Stool samples were collected weekly in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) from 24 VLBW infants for 6 weeks after admission and then again at 2 and 4 years of age.

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Research partnerships between universities and communities following the principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR) have the potential to eliminate cycles of health disparities. The purpose of this article is to describe the process of establishing a community-campus network with a distinct mission and vision of developing trusting and successful research partnerships that are sustained and effective. In 2019, Morgan CARES was established to facilitate community engagement by founding a community center "within" a low-income residential neighborhood as a safe and accessible hub for creating a vibrant learning community.

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Background: Study participants, patients, and care partners are key stakeholders in research and have asked for greater inclusion in the dissemination of scientific learning. However, the participation of general audiences in scientific conferences dedicated to Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease related dementias (AD/ADRD) is not widely supported or studied.

Objective: Our objectives were to evaluate the interest, level of engagement, and impact of including general audiences in a virtual dementia conference.

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Objective: Sleep is critical for child health, but factors related to poverty create barriers to the achievement of healthful sleep. In this study, we examined the associations of insufficient diaper supply, a measure of material hardship, with child sleep.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 129 parents of very young children.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focused on improving diagnosis and understanding of genetic disorders in children through the Genomic Answers for Kids program by analyzing genetic information from 960 families.
  • Researchers utilized various sequencing methods, including short-read and long-read genome sequencing, alongside machine learning to prioritize genetic variants and stored the data in a structured database for future access.
  • The results showed varying diagnostic success rates, with new diagnostic information gained from structural variants and long-read sequencing, highlighting ongoing challenges in identifying variants of unknown significance in nondiagnostic cases.
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Background: Diaper need is a lack of reliable access to a sufficient quantity of diaper supplies. It is an essential pediatric social determinant of health measure that is useful for exploring the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on families of young children.

Objective: This study aimed to identify the predictors of diaper need and the associations between diaper need and psychosocial outcomes among underresourced families with neurodiverse children.

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The classical laboratory mouse strains are genetic mosaics of three subspecies that occupy distinct regions of Eurasia. These strains and subspecies carry infectious and endogenous mouse leukemia viruses (MLVs) that can be pathogenic and mutagenic. MLVs evolved in concert with restrictive host factors with some under positive selection, including the XPR1 receptor for xenotropic/polytropic MLVs (X/P-MLVs) and the post-entry restriction factor .

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In service of particularly vulnerable populations, safety net healthcare systems must nimbly leverage health information technology (IT), including electronic health records (EHRs), to coordinate the medical and public health response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Six months after the San Francisco Department of Public Health implemented a new EHR across its hospitals and citywide clinics, California declared a state of emergency in response to COVID-19. This paper describes how the IT and informatics teams supported San Francisco Department of Public Health's goals of expanding the safety net healthcare system capacity, meeting the needs of specific vulnerable populations, increasing equity in COVID-19 testing access, and expanding public health analytics and research capacity.

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This paper details U.S. Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Community Engagement Cores (CECs): (1) unique and cross-cutting components, focus areas, specific aims, and target populations; and (2) approaches utilized to build or sustain trust towards community participation in research.

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Whole slide imaging (WSI) has recently received FDA approval for sign out in surgical pathology and some anticipate this to mature into the gold standard. During this transition, it will be important to validate WSI for its intended use. And many studies have validated whole slide imaging by comparing diagnostic accuracy with that of conventual light microscopy (CLM); however, the assessment of histopathologic markers is prone to much more discrepancy.

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Background: The Trial-Ready Cohort for Preclinical and Prodromal Alzheimer's disease (TRC-PAD) aims to accelerate enrollment for Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical trials by remotely identifying and tracking individuals who are at high risk for developing symptoms of AD, and referring these individuals to in-person cognitive and biomarker evaluation with the purpose of engaging them in clinical trials. A risk algorithm using statistical modeling to predict brain amyloidosis will be refined as TRC-PAD advances with a maturing data set.

Objectives: To provide a summary of the steps taken to build this Trial-Ready cohort (TRC) and share results of the first 3 years of enrollment into the program.

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Background: The Alzheimer Prevention Trials (APT) Webstudy is the first stage in establishing a Trial-ready Cohort for Preclinical and Prodromal Alzheimer's disease (TRC-PAD). This paper describes recruitment approaches for the APT Webstudy.

Objectives: To remotely enroll a cohort of individuals into a web-based longitudinal observational study.

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Background And Aims: Chronic diarrhea affects about 5% of the population overall. Altered bile acid metabolism is a common but frequently undiagnosed cause.

Methods: We performed a systematic search of publication databases for studies of assessment and management of bile acid diarrhea (BAD).

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