Utilizing Buprenorphine in Patients with Opioid Use Disorder

Buprenorphine, a partial mu-opioid agonist, is a critical medication in treating opioid use disorder (OUD) and chronic pain. It was initially developed in the 1960s, then approved for pain management in the 1980s. However, over the past two decades, buprenorphine’s use has expanded to OUD treatment, demonstrating improved patient outcomes, enhanced treatment retention, and reduced opioid use. Its longer half-life allows for less frequent dosing and greater adherence compared to full agonists. Buprenorphine also has a more favorable safety profile compared to methadone, which results in lower risks of respiratory depression and overdose. Despite its efficacy, buprenorphine remains underused due to provider unfamiliarity and regulatory barriers. However, recent advances in formulation, including transdermal patches, offer improved safety and adherence. Buprenorphine’s potential extends beyond OUD treatment, with research exploring its role in managing co-occurring mental health disorders and chronic pain. Future developments, including microdosing protocols and combination therapies, hold promise for expanding its use

Complete Genomic Annotation of Bacteriophage CoveyB

Antibiotic resistance is on the rise and has become a serious problem in recent decades. Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, can be used to help address antibiotic resistance through phage therapy. Phage therapy is a process that uses lytic bacteriophages to kill bacteria. Before a phage can be used for phage therapy, it\u27s must be well understood. Annotation using bioinformatics accomplishes this. CoveyB is a bacteriophage that was found by a Northwestern student and was the phage that was used during this genomic annotation research. The work done on CoveyB will be a significant contribution to not only the phage database but may also make an impact in the medical community

Hypoglycemic Predictive Modeling Tool

Introduction: This evidence-based practice (EBP) project aims to improve patient safety and outcomes through the implementation of a predictive modeling tool (XGBoost) to predict and prevent hypoglycemic events in hospitalized adults at Sanford Health. Hypoglycemia continues to be a major safety concern, and early prediction can prevent complications Methods: The project involved a literature review of articles to identify and recommend a hypoglycemic predictive modeling tool for Sanford Health. Included articles were published between 2019 and 2024 and selected through keywords like inpatients, hypoglycemia, glucose prediction, and predictive modeling. Searches across databases, including PubMed, JAMA, JIML, and UpToDate, initially yielded 18 articles, of which only 10 met criteria for this project’s focus on inpatient hypoglycemia. Results The review highlighted that inpatient hypoglycemia results from multiple complex factors. Additionally, the implementation of predictive tools can effectively analyze patient data to identify those at high risk. These models use algorithms to assess risk factors, calculate probabilities, and forecast patient outcomes. Predictive modeling tools decrease hypoglycemic events and enhance patient care. The machine learning model, XGBoost, was selected for this project due to its accuracy and adaptability into Sanford’s EHR system. The recommendation is for nurses and other clinical staff to be trained and evaluated on the usability of this model

Peer-Mediated Interventions within the Special Education Classroom

Preschool teachers are being asked to do more with less, especially when looking at the shortage of staff and the increase in students with IEPs. Students are starting school with more significant social and language needs, and the ability to integrate into the general education classroom and provide support is becoming more challenging. Research suggests that peer-mediated interventions (PMI) are a viable option in providing support to students who need support in language and social skills, especially when peers involved in the interventions are trained, and exhibit prosocial behaviors and interest in the target students. This inquiry-based study aimed to determine if PMI was a viable option when peers were integrated into the special education classroom. The literature review found positive correlations in utilizing PMI and joint attention (JA), parallel play, response to initiations, and an improvement in social skills in general. The importance of training peers was also noted throughout the literature review. Stakeholders held positive connotations towards PMI. Results from the inquiry project indicated positive results for target students in joint attention and response to initiation. There were minimal to no improvements in the areas of initiation and back-and-forth exchanges. Data indicates that PMI is a viable option for support for students in the areas of joint attention and response to initiation. More data is needed to determine effects on initiations and back-and-forth exchanges

The Beacon, February 14, 2025

Love stories of NW faculty; The expense of convenience; Teddy Swims\u27 album on honest love; Brave the Dark has cookie-cutter plot; The rundown on New York Fashion Week; The story of an unplanned art double major; The Reformed Church of America at NW; Happy Valentines Day from NW faculty; Pancakes with PGC and RED101; Convenience cost at NW; Should books ever be banned; The truth about faith; Esports makes history at GPAC Tournament; Investigating the home team advantage; The history of Northwestern mascots; Painting with Irene: celebrating BHM; String of plane crashes across U.S.

The Beacon, April 3, 2025

Innovation at NW-Hack; A nature getaway to remember; Strong showing from folk/rock band; Snow White disappoints even diehard fans; Spotlight on crafter and musician Elena Lee; Student projects at Celebration of Research; NW hosts the Festival of Culture; Hackathon of NW; An inside look at NW A Cappella Choir; Spiritual and social growth; Starship: a fall from grace; Christian leadership vs. worldly expectations; Where Raider athletes find inspiration; NW cheer has strong showing at nationals; Baseball season in full swing; DME Kids Club here for second year; Egg prices: inflation or bird flu

Phinding Phages

Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem. Understanding the genetics of individual phages is important in discovering viable candidates for phage therapy. Research reveals their complexity. There is much to learn. We used bioinformatics to better understand four phages discovered by Northwestern College students: Exploradora, IndiRoo, Red Raider, and Frizzle. We published our results in GenBank. In this poster, we will discuss notable features of each phage. Our work contributes to the future of medicine by forming a more complete understanding of phage genomes

Mobile Health Interventions in Diabetic Care in Times of Environmental Crisis

A literature review was conducted between the months of August 2024 - November 2024 to explore the impact that the environmental effects of flooding have on those with diabetes mellitus (DM) and how the implementation of multiple forms of mobile health (mHealth) can aid in recovery and preparedness. Ten articles focusing on the various impacts that flooding and other natural disasters have on diabetic individuals, as well as the positive health outcomes tied to mobile applications and SMS messaging systems were reviewed. The purpose of this review was to examine current research regarding the treatment, education, and preparedness of diabetic patients before, during, and after natural disasters. Using this research, it is the intention of this study to propose an intervention to address the aforementioned time periods surrounding natural disasters. In the following literature review, we provide research on the impacts of flooding and natural disasters on those living with diabetes, and propose mHealth interventions that have promising potential to improve education, diabetes management, and healthcare access

Hats: Communication through Various Creative Modes

This project began as a single word: trend. Hats, a children’s story, attempts to reveal the negative impact of trends by creating a world where each day brings a new trend in the hottest accessory—hats. As new hats are donned, the hats of yesterday are quickly discarded. The story highlights, alternately, the value of unique personal expression. At the start of ENG176, this project simply aimed to define the word ‘trend’ through story. Throughout the remainder of the class further layers were added. The visual, auditory, gestural, spatial, and material modes were used to supplement the linguistic mode. These modes were incorporated in the design of a book cover, sample illustrations, a book trailer, and an immersive children’s museum created in an online VR program. Each of these elements harnessed relevant modes of communication to intentionally engage audiences

Anti-Proliferative Potential of Plant Extracts: A Study of Guarana, Apple Peel, Milk Thistle, Elderberry, and Barberry

Plant-based compounds have garnered interest as alternative and adjunct cancer therapies due to their anti-proliferative properties. This study examines the effects of guarana (Paullinia cupana), apple peel (Malus domestica), milk thistle (Silybum marianum), elderberry (Sambucus nigra), and berberis (Berberis vulgaris) on HeLa cell proliferation. Using in vitro CyQuant assays, we assessed their impact at varying concentrations. Results indicate that guarana and apple peel extracts may exhibit anti-proliferative activity, with guarana acting synergistically with paclitaxel. We believe the extracts are likely acting through oxidative stress modulation, apoptosis induction, and cell cycle disruption (Cavalcanti et al., 2020; Hertz, 2015; Khan et al., 2019). These findings support further investigation into plant-based compounds as complementary cancer therapies, aligning with the need for additional and more effective treatments (American Cancer Society, 2020; Chen et al., 2019)