Pathology Case Study: Post Coital Bleeding and Vaginal Discharge

This is a case study presented by the University of Pittsburgh Department of Pathology in which a 33-year-old woman has a two-month history of post coital bleeding and vaginal discharge. Visitors are given both the microscopic and gross descriptions, including images, and are given the opportunity to diagnose the patient. This is an excellent resource for students in the health sciences to familiarize themselves with using patient history and laboratory results to diagnose disease. It is also a helpful site for educators to use to introduce or test student learning in gynecologic pathology

Visualizing SGA's Budget

Worcester Polytechnic Institute provides students the opportunity to get involved on campus via clubs, organizations, and events. The Student Government Association funds these opportunities and their budget is comprised of the Student Life Fee, which is paid yearly by each student. Many students do not know the purpose of this fee, and due to this, SGA has made financial transparency one of their goals. Our team created a site and data visualizations that help bring awareness to the student body about where their part of the student life fee goes. This is just a start to bringing clarity to the student life fee, and we believe our project will provide a strong foundation to continue increasing transparency and spark important conversations about how students want their money allocated

Improving Data-Driven Decision Making within the USPTO

The United States Patent and Trademark Office is working to improve its current database dashboard website, the Integrated Quality - System (IQS). The goal of this project was to assist the USPTO in evaluating their current system and to develop recommendations to improve data-driven decision making within the Office of Patent - Quality Assurance and Patent Operations. To achieve this goal we interviewed several representatives of the two primary user groups to identify their information needs, created mockup dashboards through an iterative design process, and developed a list of specifications to guide the future development and implementation of operational dashboards

Association of rs2282679 A>C polymorphism in vitamin D binding protein gene with colorectal cancer risk and survival: effect modification by dietary vitamin D intake

Abstract Background The rs2282679 A>C polymorphism in the vitamin D binding protein gene is associated with lower circulating levels of vitamin D. We investigated associations of this SNP with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk and survival and whether the associations vary by dietary vitamin D intake and tumor molecular phenotype. Methods A population-based case-control study identified 637 incident CRC cases (including 489 participants with follow-up data on mortality end-points) and 489 matched controls. Germline DNA samples were genotyped with the Illumina Omni-Quad 1 Million chip in cases and the Affymetrix Axiom® myDesign™ Array in controls. Logistic regression examined the association between the rs2282679 polymorphism and CRC risk with inclusion of potential confounders. Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariable Cox models assessed the polymorphism relative to overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Results The rs2282679 polymorphism was not associated with overall CRC risk; there was evidence, however, of effect modification by total vitamin D intake (P interaction = 0.019). Survival analyses showed that the C allele was correlated with poor DFS (per-allele HR, 1.36; 95%CI, 1.05–1.77). The association of rs2282679 on DFS was limited to BRAF wild-type tumors (HR, 1.58; 95%CI, 1.12–2.23). For OS, the C allele was associated with higher all-cause mortality among patients with higher levels of dietary vitamin D (HR, 2.11; 95%CI, 1.29–3.74), calcium (HR, 1.93; 95%CI, 1.08–3.46), milk (HR, 2.36; 95%CI, 1.26–4.44), and total dairy product intakes (HR, 2.03; 95%CI, 1.11–3.72). Conclusion The rs2282679 SNP was not associated with overall CRC risk, but may be associated with survival after cancer diagnosis. The association of this SNP on survival among CRC patients may differ according to dietary vitamin D and calcium intakes and according to tumor BRAF mutation status