Feasibility and Acceptability of an English-as-a-Second Language Curriculum on Hepatitis B for Older Chinese American Immigrants

Asian immigrants to the U.S. have an increased prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection compared to native born individuals; an estimated 10 percent of Chinese immigrants are infected with HBV. Using qualitative data from focus groups, we developed an English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) curriculum that aimed to improve knowledge about key hepatitis B facts. The curriculum was pilot-tested among 56 students aged 50 and older from intermediate-level ESL classes at a community-based organization that serves Chinese immigrants. Post-curriculum data showed increases in knowledge that hepatitis B can cause liver cancer (73% at pre-test vs. 91% at post-test; p value = 0.01) and that individuals can be infected with hepatitis B for life (34% vs. 81%; p valu

Content analysis of a rural community’s interaction with its cultural heritage through a longitudinal display deployment

In this paper we present content analysis related to our longitudinal deployment of the Wray Photo Display within a rural village community. The situated display based system enables village residents to upload images (typically photos) relating to their community for viewing by fellow residents and visitors to the village. Residents can also provide a response to pictures via the system's commenting feature. A content analysis has revealed that the majority of images uploaded to the system relate to the cultural heritage of the village (across both 'past' and 'contemporary' categories). Furthermore, analysis of the comments relating to these images reveals a wide range of use, including: clarification (e.g. the subject of the photo or the period when it was taken), identification (e.g. identification of relatives in the photo) and narratives (e.g. "...my mum & dad rented from Mr Phillipson who lived next door...")

Development and characterization of a novel three-dimensional human tissue-engineered lung model to study immune response to respiratory syncytial virus in vulnerable populations

Lower respiratory illnesses are one of the leading causes of mortality in the United States. Viral lung infections, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), often lead to chronic complications in immunocompromised populations. One of the first steps in reducing or eliminating complications caused by lower respiratory infections is accurately modeling the response of human tissue and cells. This work focused on developing and characterizing a three-dimensional human tissue-engineered lung model (3D-HTLM) using primary human cells to examine the immune response of vulnerable populations to RSV. To achieve this, a collagen hydrogel scaffold was constructed on a PET membrane in a hanging cell culture insert. Human small airway epithelial cells (SAECs), human pulmonary endothelial cells (HPMECs), human pulmonary fibroblasts (HPFs) and myeloid cells were then seeded on the scaffold to create a complete model. Each cell type was characterized within the model using flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain, and trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER). Myeloid cells successfully migrated into the collagen hydrogel matrix, mimicking in vivo conditions. Models were digested to harvest and characterize cells. Myeloid cells recovered from the models upregulated tissue resident markers, CD169, CD206, and CD163, indicating differentiation into lung macrophages. Models were then challenged with TLR-4 agonist lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to validate the immunocompetency of the 3D-HTLM. Cells within the model demonstrated a response to LPS challenge by upregulating ICAM and interleukin (IL)-10, as well as donor-dependent tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. The 3D-HTLM was infected with varying multiplicities of infection (MOI) of RSV to determine an appropriate concentration to illicit an immune response. Models with adult myeloid cells demonstrated an immune response to RSV with MOI 10 by significantly upregulating IL-10 and CCL2. Myeloid cells from elderly (65+) and neonatal donor samples were utilized in the 3D-HTLM to determine expression levels of costimulatory markers in response to RSV infection. There was no significant change in costimulatory marker levels between populations upon RSV infection. Future studies can focus on other aspects of immune response to RSV in vulnerable populations within the established 3D-HTLM, such as cytokine expression

Screen Media Use in Pediatrics: A QI Project to Promote Behavioral Change

Background: Children are growing up in an increasingly digital world. As mobile devices and digital screens become more accessible, greater attention is being paid to screen media use and its effect on pediatric development. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have released recommended screen time limits for children of various ages and emphasize the importance of high-quality screen media when used. In 2016, the AAP released the Family Media Plan: an online tool developed for families to create personalized strategies to manage screen media use. Objective: While a useful tool, the AAP’s Family Media Plan does not lend itself to use by pediatricians in the clinical setting. The aim of this quality improvement (QI) project is to determine whether screen media use can be reduced in the pediatric population through patient counseling and use of a take-home goal sheet, adapted from the AAP’s Family Media Plan. Methods: Thirty-eight children, ages 6 to 13, agreed to participate in this study. Pre-intervention hours of screen media use per week was collected. The Media Use Plan, a summarized, print version of the AAP’s Family Media Plan, was developed and distributed to study participants’ families to be used in their homes. One month later, families were contacted to complete a post-intervention telephone interview. Results: Of the 38 patients that consented to participating in the study, 35 completed both pre- and post-intervention surveys. The median screen time per week decreased from 16 hours to 12 hours after pediatrician counseling and Media Use Plan intervention. Conclusion: Our data suggests that engaging patients in goal-oriented discussions and use of the Media Use Plan was effective in reducing screen time per week. Future iterations of this study may explore demographic effects and the sustainability of these results beyond the one-month period

OMM as a Complementary Therapy for Chronic Shoulder Overuse Injury in a Division III Softball Pitcher

At the height of the season, baseball and softball pitchers are playing 4-5 games a week and practicing on days without games. As a result, they put tremendous additive stress on their throwing shoulder and elbow joint. This case utilized a novel, non-invasive osteopathic approach to improving shoulder mobility in a Division III athlete. If used on a regular basis, the shoulder mobility technique shows utility for athletes suffering from overuse injury. Our patient showed mild qualitative improvement, however they continue to use OMM as complementary treatment and describe a moderate qualitative improvement

The Hijazi inequality on manifolds with boundary

In this paper, we prove the Hijazi inequality on compact Riemannian spin manifolds under two boundary conditions: the condition associated with a chirality operator and the Riemannian version of the \MIT bag condition. We then show that the limiting-case is characterized as being a half-sphere for the first condition whereas the equality cannot be achieved for the second.Comment: 14 page