Characterization of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing from recreational water in Athens, GA, using an undergraduate laboratory module.

We present a laboratory module that uses isolation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from locally collected stream water samples to introduce undergraduate students to basic microbiological culture-based and molecular techniques. This module also educates them on the global public health threat of antibiotic-resistant organisms. Through eight laboratory sessions, students are involved in quality testing of water sources from their neighborhoods, followed by isolation of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing .

Striving Towards National Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines: An Empirical Investigation Among a Sample of Swedish Gamblers.

Several countries, including Canada and Australia, have developed public health-based lower-risk gambling limits to differentiate lower-risk from higher-risk gambling. This study aimed to identify a preliminary set of lower-risk gambling limits (gambling frequency, duration, expenditure, expenditure as a proportion of personal net income, and diversity), and investigate if gambling types are linked to additional harms, in a Swedish context. The study involved secondary analyses of two online survey studies using the Gambling Disorder Identification Test (GDIT).

Hospital-level variation in cardiac rehabilitation metrics.

Background: To inform the delivery of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) care nationwide at the hospital level, we described hospital-level variation in CR metrics, overall and stratified by the hospital's tier of cardiac care provided.

Methods: This retrospective cohort analysis used Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) data (2018-2020), Parts A and B, and American Hospital Association (AHA) data (2018). We included beneficiaries with an acute myocardial infarction (AMI), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) in 2018, aged ≥65 years, and continuously enrolled in a FFS plan.

Subcutaneous inoculation of Escherichia coli in broiler chickens causes cellulitis and elicits innate and specific immune responses.

Background: Cellulitis caused by Escherichia coli is a common cause of condemnation of broiler chickens at slaughter worldwide and is associated with economic losses and a possible negative impact on animal welfare. The study objective was to monitor clinical signs and immune responses after subcutaneous E. coli inoculation (1.

Microbial transcriptional responses to host diet maintain gut microbiome homeostasis in the American cockroach.

Diet is considered a key determinant of gut microbiome composition and function. However, studies in the American cockroach have revealed surprising stability in hindgut microbiome taxonomic composition following shifts in host diet. To discover microbial activities underlying this stability, we analyzed microbial community transcriptomes from hindguts of cockroaches fed diverse diets.

Soil-derived dissolved organic matter and nutrient sources from urban stormwater control measures.

There has been significant investment in stormwater control measures (SCM) to reduce erosion, filter pollutants, and mitigate peak storm flows within urban watersheds. SCMs have variable hydrologic connectivity to downstream waterbodies where SCMs may rapidly export water during storm events but dry up in-between events and these alternating wet/dry cycles influence the biogeochemical processes that occur in SCM soils. While the performance of SCMs has been evaluated for nutrient removal, less is known about the potential for mobilization of nutrients and dissolved organic matter (DOM) that accumulate in SCM soils.

Comparisons of longitudinal radiographic measures of keel bones, tibiotarsal bones, and pelvic bones versus post-mortem measures of keel bone damage in Bovans Brown laying hens housed in an aviary system.

Keel bone damage, include deviations and fractures, is common in both white and brown laying hens, regardless of the housing system. Radiography for assessing birds' keel bones is was proposed by previous studies. However, radiographs show only 2 out of 3 dimensions of the dissected keel bones.

Solid versus liquid pulmonary micro-aspiration of reflux disease. Does it make a difference in determining the need for intervention?

Background: Pulmonary micro-aspiration (PMA) is a feared complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GORD). A novel scintigraphic test for GORD has been developed and validated. It can demonstrate contamination of the upper and lower airways by refluxate.

Digitalisation of gambling harm? Gambling consumption, negative consequences, and clinical characteristics among Swedish help-seekers.

Gambling is connected to a range of harms and negative consequences. Gambling is also evolving at a fast pace, particularly in digital environments. Understanding the effects of this on-going change and digitalisation of gambling markets requires systematic measuring of gambling consumption patterns, clinical characteristics, and gambling-related harms.

Changes in blood pressure measurement prevalence among United States adults with hypertension before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted health care, with particularly profound effects on persons with chronic conditions like hypertension.

Objectives: In this study, we examined changes in the prevalence of blood pressure (BP) measurements by a healthcare professional among adults aged ≥ 18 years with hypertension before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States (US).

Methods: This study utilized the National Health Interview Survey data from April to December of the 2019 and 2021 modules of the survey.

Scintigraphic Imaging of Extra-Esophageal Manifestation of Gastresophageal Reflux Disease.

Objectives: There is currently no reference standard test for the detection of the extra-esophageal manifestations of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The current suite of diagnostic tests principally assesses reflux events in the esophagus. A new scintigraphic technique has been developed and validated against reference standards.

Systematic Assessment of Gambling Type Involvement: Reliability and Validity of the Gambling Disorder Identification Test (GDIT).

Gambling type involvement, both in terms of participation (engagement in specific gambling types) and diversity (how many gambling types an individual engages in), is a key feature to address in gambling self-report measures, but such systematic measurement procedures are scarce. The aim of this study was to test the psychometric performance of the gambling type assessment in the recently developed Gambling Disorder Identification Test (GDIT), in terms of test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and patterns of gambling diversity, among help-seeking and general population gambling samples (total n = 603). Overall, online gambling was more commonly reported as problematic than land-based gambling.

Air Quality Perceptions, Awareness, and Associated Behaviors Among U.S. Adults With and Without Heart Disease.

Introduction: Exposure to ambient air pollution can worsen cardiovascular disease and increase the risk of stroke, myocardial infarction, and cardiovascular disease mortality. Strategies to reduce air pollution exposure can therefore help prevent cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study was conducted to assess the awareness among U.

Validation of Multi-State EHR-Based Network for Disease Surveillance (MENDS) Data and Implications for Improving Data Quality and Representativeness.

Introduction: Surveillance modernization efforts emphasize the potential use of electronic health record (EHR) data to inform public health surveillance and prevention. However, EHR data streams vary widely in their completeness, accuracy, and representativeness.

Methods: We developed a validation process for the Multi-State EHR-Based Network for Disease Surveillance (MENDS) pilot project to identify and resolve data quality issues that could affect chronic disease prevalence estimates.

County-Level Cardiac Rehabilitation and Broadband Availability: Opportunities for Hybrid Care in the United States.

Purpose: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves patient outcomes and quality of life and can be provided virtually through hybrid CR. However, little is known about CR availability in conjunction with broadband access, a requirement for hybrid CR. This study examined the intersection of CR and broadband availability at the county level, nationwide.

Effectiveness of a Web-Based Individual Coping and Alcohol Intervention Program for Children of Parents With Alcohol Use Problems: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Children whose parents have alcohol use problems are at an increased risk of several negative consequences, such as poor school performance, an earlier onset of substance use, and poor mental health. Many would benefit from support programs, but the figures reveal that only a small proportion is reached by existing support. Digital interventions can provide readily accessible support and potentially reach a large number of children.

Changes in Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring Use in 14 States From 2019 to 2021: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP) is an important out-of-office resource that is effective in improving hypertension control. Changes in SMBP use during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have not been described previously.

Methods: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data were used to quantify changes in SMBP use between 2019 (prior COVID-19 pandemic) and 2021 (during the COVID-19 pandemic).

Harmful types of gambling: changes and emerging trends in longitudinal helpline data.

Background: Gambling products differ in terms of their harm potential. Products are also constantly developing and changing. However, little research has addressed changes and trends in the types of gambling that are associated with harms.

Live black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae in feed for laying hens: effects on hen gut microbiota and behavior.

This study examined the effects of including live black soldier fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens) larvae in the diet of laying hens on gut microbiota, and the association between microbiota and fearfulness. A total of 40 Bovans White laying hens were individually housed and fed 1 of 4 dietary treatments that provided 0, 10, 20%, or ad libitum daily dietary portions of live BSF larvae for 12 wk. Cecum microbiota was collected at the end of the experiment and sequenced.

Effects of algal supplementation in feed to broiler breeders on transfer of nutrients and antibodies to chicks and quality of hatchlings.

Breeder nutrition is an important factor for chick quality since the chick embryo relies on nutrients available in the egg for growth and development. In addition, the egg is providing the chick with important antibodies that are vital during the first weeks of life. Brown algae contains several bioactive compounds, and dietary supplementation with algal extracts have shown improved gut health and immune responses in both pigs and poultry.

Management of neonatal hypoglycaemia in a tertiary maternity unit-A multidisciplinary quality improvement project.

Aim: Improved identification and treatment of infants at risk of hypoglycaemia using evidence-based guidelines.

Methods: Design: Prospective, multidisciplinary quality improvement project (QIP).

Setting: Tertiary maternity hospital, Dublin (2016-2023).

Lesional skin of seborrheic dermatitis patients is characterized by skin barrier dysfunction and correlating alterations in the stratum corneum ceramide composition.

Seborrheic dermatitis (SD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by erythematous papulosquamous lesions in sebum rich areas such as the face and scalp. Its pathogenesis appears multifactorial with a disbalanced immune system, Malassezia driven microbial involvement and skin barrier perturbations. Microbial involvement has been well described in SD, but skin barrier involvement remains to be properly elucidated.

State-Level Hypertension Prevalence and Control Among Adults in the U.S.

Introduction: Improving hypertension control is a national priority. Electronic health record data have the potential to augment traditional surveillance systems. This study aimed to assess hypertension prevalence and control at the state level using a previously established electronic health record-based phenotype for hypertension.