Developing Outreach Materials for the London Project Center

This project worked with the London Project Center Directors to survey former project sponsors, leadership, and students in order to develop a prototype Web site and print materials that: (1) promote the Project Center to potential sponsoring organizations in London, (2) serve as a resource for students considering attending the Project Center, and (3) form a living record of Project Center activities in London to help the Center Directors make decisions and further develop the Project Center

Barriers in the HCV treatment cascade after confirmed diagnosis

Background: Hepatitis C (HCV) is the most common blood-borne viral infection in the United States with an estimated prevalence of 2.4 million people[1]. Oklahoma has an estimated 54,000 chronic cases of hepatitis C and has the highest exposure rate of all 50 states[2]. Even with increased screening and access to medications, gaps exist in the cascade of care for patients with hepatitis C with approximately 40% of diagnosed patients not having been prescribed antiviral treatment[3]. Treatment of hepatitis C has been associated with a reduction in liver failure, a reduction in hepatocellular carcinoma, and a reduction in all-cause mortality.Aim: With increased access to curative medications and better treatment options for hepatitis C, our goal is to determine the barriers to treatment for those who have been diagnosed with hepatitis C. By removing barriers to hepatitis C treatment, we can decrease the incidence and prevalence of this disease. Furthermore, by decreasing the disease burden of hepatitis C, we can decrease rates of liver disease, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and associated morbidity and mortality.Method: We conducted a retrospective review of lab data from the electronic health record for patients seen by the OSU Family Medicine department. Patients who had a detectable HCV viral load lab drawn between January 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019 was generated. From this list we identified those patients who were not actively being treated for HCV. Our intervention was contacting these patients to assess any barriers which may have delayed treatment, and evaluate how effective this phone call is in connecting patients with the proper resources to proceed to the next step in work up and treatment

Prevalence of a Gluten-free Diet and Improvement of Clinical Symptoms in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases:

Background—Maintaining a gluten free diet (GFD) without an underlying diagnosis of celiac disease has enjoyed widespread acceptance in the USA. Methods—We performed a cross-sectional study utilizing a GFD questionnaire in 1647 patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) participating in the CCFA Partners longitudinal, Internet-based cohort. Results—A diagnosis of celiac disease (CD) and non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) were reported by 10 (0.6%) and 81 (4.9%) respondents, respectively. Three hundred fourteen (19.1%) participants reported having previously tried a GFD and 135 (8.2%) reported current use of GFD. Overall 65.6% of all patients, who attempted a GFD described an improvement of their GI-symptoms and 38.3% reported fewer or less severe IBD flares. In patients currently attempting a GFD, excellent adherence was associated with significant improvement of fatigue (p<0.03). Conclusion—In this large group of patients with IBD, a substantial number had attempted a GFD, of whom the majority had some form of improvement in GI-symptoms. Testing a GFD in clinical practice in patients with significant intestinal symptoms, which are not solely explained by the degree of intestinal inflammation, has the potential to be a safe and highly efficient therapeutic approach. Further prospective studies into mechanisms of gluten sensitivity in IBD are warranted

Avoidance of Fiber Is Associated With Greater Risk of Crohn’s Disease Flare in a 6-Month Period

Chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) have been associated with an abnormal mucosal response to the gastrointestinal microbiota. Although dietary fiber affects the gastrointestinal microbiota, there is limited information on the role of fiber on IBD activity. We investigated factors associated with fiber consumption and whether it was associated with flares in patients with IBD

Role of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Exacerbations of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

To determine the role of NSAIDs in activation of IBD

XO-5b: A Transiting Jupiter-sized Planet With A Four Day Period

The star XO-5 (GSC 02959-00729, V=12.1, G8V) hosts a Jupiter-sized, Rp=1.15+/-0.12 Rjup, transiting extrasolar planet, XO-5b, with an orbital period of P=4.187732+/-0.00002 days. The planet mass (Mp=1.15+/-0.08 Mjup) and surface gravity (gp=22+/-5 m/s^2) are significantly larger than expected by empirical Mp-P and Mp-P-[Fe/H] relationships. However, the deviation from the Mp-P relationship for XO-5b is not large enough to suggest a distinct type of planet as is suggested for GJ 436b, HAT-P-2b, and XO-3b. By coincidence XO-5 overlies the extreme H I plume that emanates from the interacting galaxy pair NGC 2444/NGC 2445 (Arp 143).Comment: 10 pages, 9 Figures, Submitted to Ap

Medication Utilization and the Impact of Continued Corticosteroid Use on Patient-reported Outcomes in Older Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease:

Older individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) require ongoing medications. We aimed to describe 1) medication use in older and younger IBD patients and 2) medication associations with patient reported outcomes (PRO’s) in older patients

Increased Risk of Pneumonia Among Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be at increased risk for infectious complications. We aimed to determine the risk of pneumonia in IBD and how biologic and immunosuppressive medications affect this risk

Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System in Children with Crohn's Disease

To assess the criterion validity and responsiveness of Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) in a web-based cohort of children with Crohn’s disease

Restriction endonuclease TseI cleaves A:A and T:T mismatches in CAG and CTG repeats.

The type II restriction endonuclease TseI recognizes the DNA target sequence 5'-G^CWGC-3' (where W = A or T) and cleaves after the first G to produce fragments with three-base 5'-overhangs. We have determined that it is a dimeric protein capable of cleaving not only its target sequence but also one containing A:A or T:T mismatches at the central base pair in the target sequence. The cleavage of targets containing these mismatches is as efficient as cleavage of the correct target sequence containing a central A:T base pair. The cleavage mechanism does not apparently use a base flipping mechanism as found for some other type II restriction endonuclease recognizing similarly degenerate target sequences. The ability of TseI to cleave targets with mismatches means that it can cleave the unusual DNA hairpin structures containing A:A or T:T mismatches formed by the repetitive DNA sequences associated with Huntington's disease (CAG repeats) and myotonic dystrophy type 1 (CTG repeats)