Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer today, with most patients being diagnosed in an advanced stage of the disease, too late for effective treatment. A newly funded research project by faculty in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health will explore how the special characteristics of lung cancer cells as they grow might be used to increase the effectiveness of individualized therapies to halt lung cancer.

Gunnar Boysen, Ph.D., will be the lead investigator on the project, “Systems Biology Based Diagnosis of Circulating Lung Tumor Cells.” Rosalind Penney, Ph.D., an Instructor in the same department as Dr. Boysen, will be project’s co-investigator. Eric Siegel, MS, a Research Associate in the UAMS Department of Biostatistics, and Daniel Sappington, Ph.D. candidate in the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program who works with Dr. Boysen, are also on the project.

For the study, Dr. Boysen was awarded a $10,000 “Seeds of Science” grant from the Envoys, a volunteer advocacy group of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. The award was one of three $10,000 grants presented to young investigators at the Cancer Institute at the Envoys’ “Doctor is In” reception and cancer research poster showcase on Jan. 29.

The project’s aim is to gain new understanding that will help maximize the effectiveness of new lung cancer therapies in use now that target the metabolic processes within a tumor cell. These processes enable cells to use energy, live and multiply. Scientists believe that a tumor’s cell metabolism changes as a cancer advances, and disruption of these processes can help slow or stop a cancer’s spread.

“To take full advantage of these novel metabolism-targeting therapies, it is essential to understand how tumor metabolism contributes to cell proliferation and tumor growth,” Dr. Boysen said. “We have constructed an analytic method that specifically determines metabolic pathways that are currently targeted by various therapy regimens. We aim to determine whether metabolic changes can be identified to enable individualized therapy selection.”

The unique focus of this study will be circulating cancer cells that have left the primary tumor and are poised to spread throughout the body. Cancer cells collected from patients at UAMS will be analyzed to understand types of tumor and their metabolic properties relative the stage of the cancer, how fast it is spreading and a patient’s chance of survival.

In addition, the researchers will culture cancer cells and expose them to substances that disrupt cellular processes to slow their growth. In this case, the goal will be to identify the most suitable therapies.

“If successful, these findings will make it possible to develop clinical biomarkers that can be used to personalize subsequent therapies,” Dr. Boysen said. “The proposed approach could be easily integrated into current lung cancer management, since the samples taken from cancer patients are already part of standard care at UAMS.”

Listed here are all 2014 publications in peer-reviewed journals by UAMS research faculty with a primary appointment in the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health. It reflects the diverse research interests of these faculty and their significant contributions to public health.

*denotes a student author.

Department of Biostatistics

Page Moore

Metrailer, AM, Cox, M.D., Sunde, J, Hartzell LD, Moore, PC, Dornhoffer, JL.  Cartilage tympanoplasty in children with cleft palate repair. Otology and Neurotology. 2014 September; 35(8): 1471-3. Doi: 10.1097/IMAO. PMID: 24950141.

Rudek, MA, Moore, PC, Mitsuyasu, RT, Dezube, B, Aboulafia, D, Gerecitano, J, Sullivan, R, Cianfrocca, ME, Hendy, DH, Ratner, L, Haigentz, M, Dowlati, A, Little, RF, Ivy, SP, Deeken, JF.  A Phase I/PK study of Sunitinib with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in HIV-positive patients with cancer: an AIDS Malignancies Clinical Trials Consortium (AMC) Study. Cancer. 2014 April; 120(8): 1194-202 doi: 10.1002/cncr.28554.

Atcherson, Samuel R., Moore, Page C. Are chirps better than clicks and tonebursts for evoking middle latency responses? Journal of the American Academy of Audiology. 2014 June; 25(6): 576-83. Doi: 10.3766.jaaa.25.6.7. PMID: 25313547.

Wright PB, Booth BM, Geoffrey M, Borders TF, Ounpraseuth S, Stewart KE. Correlates of HIV testing among rural African-American cocaine users.  Research in Nursing and Health. 2014 Dec;37(6):466-77. doi 10.1002/nur.21629. Epub 2014 Oct 25.

Montgomery BE, Stewart KE, Yeary K, Cornell C, Pulley L, Corwyn R, Ounpraseuth S.  Adaptation and psychometric testing of multiple measures of religion among African-American drug users. Journal of Black Psychology. (2014) p1-15. DOI: 10.1177/0095798414562522.

Magann EF, Ounpraseuth S, Chauhan SP, Ranganathan AS, Dajani NK, Bergstrom J, Morrison JC.  Correlation of ultrasound estimated with dye-determined or directly measured amniotic fluid volume revisited.  Gynecol Obstet Invest. 2014. Doi: 10.1159/000365088.

Lynch C, Magann FE, Barringer NS, Ounpraseuth S, Eastham GD, Lewis DS, Stowe NZ. Pet therapy program for antepartum high risk pregnancies: a pilot study. The Journal of Perinatology. 2014 Nov;34(11):816-8. Doi: 10.1038/jp.2014.120.

Phillips AM, Galdamez AB, Ounpraseuth S, Magann EF. Estimate of fetal weight by ultrasound within two weeks of delivery in the detection of fetal macrosomia. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaeco. 2014 Apr 29. doi:10.1111/ajo.12214.

Songthip Ounpraseuth

Ounpraseuth S, Bronstein J, Gauss CH, Wingate M, Hall RW, Nugent R. Time trends and payer differences in lengths of initial hospitalization for preterm infants, Arkansas 2004-2010. American Journal of Perinatology. 2014 May 2. PMID:24792767.

Montgomery BE, Stewart KE, Yeary K, Cornell C, Pulley L, Corwyn R, Ounpraseuth S. Religiosity and sexual risk behaviors among African-American cocaine users in the rural South. Journal of Rural Health. 2014 Feb 27. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12059.

Montgomery BE, Stewart KE, Bryant, KJ, Ounpraseuth S. Dimensions of religion, depression, and substance use among rural African-American cocaine users. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse.2014;13(1):72-90. Doi:10.1080/15332640.2014.873605.

James Selig

Goodrich, K. M., Selig, J. P., & Crofts, G. (2014). Validation of the Heterosexism Scale with heterosexual parents of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. Journal of Homosexuality, 61(10), 1378-1392.

Steinbrecher, T., Selig, J. P., Cosbey, J., & Thorstenson, B. (2014). Examining measurement considerations for evaluating special educator effectiveness. Exceptional Children, 80(3), 323-336.

Feifei Wei

Wei F, Hester AL. Gender Difference in Falls among Adults Treated in Emergency Departments and Outpatient Clinics. J Gerontol Geriat Res. 2014; 3: 152. doi:10.4172/2167-7182.1000152.

Department of Environmental and Occupational Health

Gunnar Boysen

Hartman JH, Miller GP, Boysen G. Inhibitory potency of 4-carbon alkanes and alkenes toward CYP2E1 activity, 2014 Toxicology 318, 51-58.

Pugh CP, Pouncey DL, Hartman JH, Nshimiyimana R, Desrochers LP, Goodwin TE, Boysen G, Miller GP. Multiple UDP-glucuronosyltransferases in human liver microsomes glucuronidate both R- and S-7-hydroxywarfarin into two metabolites. Arch Biochem Biophys. 2014 Dec 15;564:244-53.

Marie-Cecile Chalbot

Rodopoulou, S., Chalbot M.C., Samoli, E., DuBois, D.W., San Filippo, B.D., Kavouras, I.G. (2014). Air pollution and hospital emergency room and admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. Environmental Research 129, 39-46, doi:10.1016/j.envres.2013.12.006.

Miousse, I., Chalbot, M.C., Aykin-Burns, N., Wang, X., Basnakian, A., Kavouras, I.G., Koturbash, I. (2014). Epigenetic alterations induced by ambient particulate matter in RAW264.7 macrophages. Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis, 55, 428-435, doi: 10.1002/em.21855.

Chalbot, M.C., Brown, J., Chitranshi, P., Gamboa da Costa, G., Kavouras, I.G. (2014). Functional characterization of the water-soluble organic carbon of size fractionated aerosol in the Southern Mississippi Valley. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 14, 6075-6088.

Chalbot, M.C., Jones, T., Kavouras, I.G. (2014). Trends of non-accidental, cardiovascular and stroke mortality in Arkansas are associated with ambient PM2.5 reductions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 11, 7442-7455.

Vargas, V., Chalbot, M.C., O’Brien, R., Nikolich, G., Etyemezian, V., Dubois, D.W., Kavouras, I.G. (2014). The impact of anthropogenic volatile organic compounds sources on ozone in Boise, Idaho. Environmental Chemistry 11, 445-448, doi: 10.1071/EN13150.

Chalbot, M.C., Kavouras, I.G. (2014). Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for determining the functional content of organic aerosols: a review. Environmental Pollution, 191, 232-249, doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2014.04.034.

Chalbot, M.C., Kavouras, I.G. (2014). Détermination des effets épigénétiques liés à l’exposition aux polluants de l’air. ANSES Bulletin de Veille Scientifique 25, 42-46.

Alecia Ferguson

Ferguson, A., Kavouras, I. Harris, K., Ulmer, R. Helm, R., and Bursac, Z. Environmental health education for teachers: results of pre- and post-surveys from a pilot study addressing chemical use reduction and integrated pest management in homes. Journal of Community Medicine and Health Education, 4:5 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2161-0711.1000318, 2014.

Saffell, A.*, Scales, J.*, Bursac, Z.,and Ferguson, A. Assessing the effectiveness of a healthy homes training., International Quarterly of Community Health Education, 35 (1): 53-71, 2014.

Ferguson, A. and A Saffell*. Recommendation for a State-Wide Healthy Homes Program. Journal of the Arkansas Medical Society, 110(10): 211-213. 2014.

Ferguson, A. and Welker, L.*Assessing the Health of Homes in the Central Little Rock Neighborhood of Arkansas. Journal of the Arkansas Medical Society, 110 (9): 187-189. 2014.

Alison Harrill

Mosedale, M., Wu, H., Kurtz, C.L., Schmidt, S.P., Adkins, K., Harrill, A.H. Dysregulation of protein degradation pathways may mediate the liver injury and phospholipidosis associated with a cationic amphiphilic antibiotic drug. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology. 2014; Oct 1; 280(1):21-29.

Church, R.J., Wu, H., Mosedale, M., Sumner, S.J., Pathmasiri, W., Kurtz, C.L., Eaddy, J.S., Pandher, K. Singer, M., Batheja, A., Watkins, P.B., Adkins, K, Harrill, A.H. A systems biology approach utilizing a mouse diversity panel identifies genetic differences influencing isoniazid-induced microvesicular steatosis. Toxicological Sciences. 2014; Aug 1; 140(2):281-92.

Singhal, R., Harrill, A.H., Menguy-Vacheron, F., Jayyosi, Z., Benzerdjeb, H., Watkins, P.B.

Benign elevations in serum aminotransferases and biomarkers of hepatotoxicity in healthy volunteers treated with cholestyramine. BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology. 2014 Aug 3; 15(1):42.

Church, R.J., McDuffie, J.E., Sonee, M., Otieno, M., Ma, J.Y., Liu, X., Watkins, P.B., Harrill, A.H. MicroRNA-34c-3p is an early predictive biomarker for doxorubicin-induced glomerular injury progression in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Toxicology Research. 2014; 3(5):384-94.

Harrill, A.H., Eaddy, J.S., Rose, K., Cullen, J.M., Ramanathan, L., Wanaski, S., Collins, S., Ho, Y., Watkins, P.B., Lecluyse, E.L. Liver biomarker and in vitro assessment confirm the hepatic origin of aminotransferase elevations lacking histopathological correlate in beagle dogs treated with GABAA receptor antagonist NP260. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology. 2014 Jun 1;277(2):131-7.

Weng, Z., Zhou, P., Salminen, W.F., Yang, X., Harrill, A.H., Cao, Z., Mattes, W., Mendrick, D.L. Green tea epigallocatechin gallate binds to and inhibits respiratory complexes in swelling but not normal rat hepatic mitochondria. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 2014 Jan 17;443(3):1097-104.

Antoine, D.J., Harrill, A.H., Watkins, P.B., Park, B.K. Safety biomarkers for drug-induced liver injury – current status and future perspectives. Toxicology Research. 2014; 3:75-85.

Rodopoulou S, Chalbot M-C, Samoli E, DuBois DW, San Filippo BD, Kavouras IG.* (2014) Air pollution and hospital emergency room and admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. Environmental Research 129, 39-46.

Ilias Kavouras

Kavouras IG (2014) Exposition des sapeurs-forestiers aux polluants émis par la combustion de biomasse et recherche d’un biomarqueur d’exposition. Bulletin de Veille Scientifique, 23, 46-50.

Miousse-Racine I*, Chalbot M-C, Aykin-Burns N, Wang X, Basnakian A, Kavouras IG, Koturbash I. (2014) Epigenetic alterations induced by ambient particulate matter in mouse macrophages. Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis, doi: 10.1002/em.21855

Chalbot M-C, Kavouras IG. (2014) Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for determining the functional content of organic aerosols: a review. Environmental Pollution,191, 232-249.

Chalbot M-C, Brown J, Chitranshi P, da Costa GG, Pollock ED, Kavouras IG (2014) Functional characterization of the water-soluble organic carbon of size fractionated aerosol in southern Mississippi Valley. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 14, 6075-6088.

Chalbot MC, Jones T (CDA Undergraduate student), Kavouras IG. (2014) Trends of non-accidental, cardiovascular and stroke mortality in Arkansas are associated with ambient PM_2.5 reductions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 11, 7442-7455.

Vargas V, Chalbot M-C, O’Brien R, Nikolich G, DuBois D, Etyemezian V, Kavouras IG. (2014) The impact of anthropogenic volatile organic compounds sources on ozone in an urban area. Environmental Chemistry 11 (4), 445-458.

Chalbot MC, Kavouras IG (2014) Détermination des effets épigénétiques liés à l’exposition aux polluants de l’air. Bulletin de Veille Scientifique, 25, 42-46.

Igor Koturbash

Kovalchuk I, Golubov A, Koturbash I, Kutanzi K, Martin O, Kovalchuk O. (2014) Age-dependent changes in DNA repair in radiation-exposed mice. Radiat Res 182:683-94. .

Fisher J, Yang X, Harris C, Koturbash I, Lumen A. (2014) The hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis in infants and children: protection from radioiodines.  J Thyroid Res 2014:710178. PMCID: PMC4058186. .

Miousse IR*, Shao L, Chang J, Feng W, Wang Y, Allen AR, Turner J, Stewart B, Raber J, Zhou D, Koturbash I. (2014) Exposure to low dose ⁵⁶Fe irradiation induces long-term epigenetic alterations in mouse bone marrow hematopoietic progenitor and stem cells. Radiat Res 182:92-101. .

Nzabarushimana E*, Miousse IR*, Shao L, Chang J, Allen AR, Turner J, Stewart B, Raber J, Koturbash I. (2014) Long-term epigenetic effects of exposure to low doses of ⁵⁶Fe in the mouse lung. J Radiat Res 55:823-8. PMCID: PMC4100002. .

Miousse IR*, Chalbot M-C, Aykin-Burns N, Wang X, Basnakian A, Kavouras IG, Koturbash I. (2014) Epigenetic alterations induced by ambient particulate matter in mouse macrophages. Environ Mol Mutagen 55:428-435. .

Rosalind Penney

Penney, R.B., Lundgreen, A., Wolff, R., Edevana, V.K., Yao-Borengasser, A., Williams, S., Kadlubar, S., Slattery, M. 2014. CYP19A1 SNP associations with CYP19A1, NFκB1 and IL6 gene expression in human normal colon and normal liver samples. Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine 2014 7:163-171.

Slattery, M., Lundgreen, A., Mullany, L., Penney, R.B., Wolff, R. 2014. The influence of CHIEF pathway genes on gene expression: a pathway approach to functionality. Int J Mol Epidemiol Genet. 5(2):100-111.

Yao-Borengasser, A., Rogers, L.J., Edavana, V.K., Penney, R.B., Yu, X., Dhakal, I.B., Williams, S., and Kadlubar, S.A. 2014. Sulfotransferase 1A1 (SULT1A1) gene expression is regulated by transcription factor NF-I in human breast cancer cells. BMC-Clinical Pathology. Jan 6, 14(1):1. doi:10.1186/1472-6890-14-1

Department of Epidemiology

Victor Cardenas

Cárdenas VM, Román GC, Pérez A, Hauser WA. Why U.S. epilepsy hospital stays rose in 2006. Epilepsia. 2014;55:1347-54.

Faramawi MF, Fischbach L, Delongchamp R, Cardenas V, Abouelenien S, Chedjieu IP, Taha N. Obesity is associated with visit-to-visit systolic blood pressure variability in the US adults. J Public Health (Oxf). 2014. pii: fdu098.

Fuhrman B, Cardenas V. Melanocytic nevi as biomarkers of breast cancer risk. PLoS Med. 2014;11:e1001661

Robert Delongchamp

Cardenas VM, Breen PJ, Compadre CM, Delongchamp RR, Barone CP, Phillips MM, Wheeler JG: The smoking habits of the family influence the uptake of e-cigarettes in US children. Ann Epidemiol, 25:60-62. (PMID 25453726).

Pothineni NV, Delongchamp R, Vallurupalli S, Ding Z, Dai Y, Hagedorn CH, Mehta JL: Impact of hepatitis C seropositivity on the risk of coronary heart disease events. Am J Cardiol, 114:1841-1845. (PMID 25438910).

Faramawi MF, Delongchamp R, Said Q, Jadhav S, Abouelenien S: Metabolic syndrome is associated with visit-to-visit systolic blood pressure variability in the US adults. Hypertens Res, 37:875-879. (PMID 24804612).

Mohammed Elfaramawi

Faramawi MF, Delongchamp R, Lin YS,  liu Y, Fischbach L, Jadhav S, Abouelenein S. Environmental lead exposure is associated with visit-to-visit systolic blood pressure variability in the US adults. Int Arch Occup Environ Health (2014)

Faramawi MF, Delongchamp R, Qayyim S, Jadhav S, Abouelenein S.Metabolic syndrome is associated with visit-to-visit systolic blood pressure variability in the US adults. Hypertension Research 2014;37(9):875-9. doi: 10.1038/hr.2014.89. PubMed PMID: 24804612.

Lori Fischbach

Fischbach L, Graham D, Kramer J, Rugge M, Verstovesek G, Parente P, et al. Association between Helicobacter pylori and Barrett’s esophagus:  a case-control study. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 109(3):357-68;2014.

Fuhrman BJ, Xu X, Falk RT, Dallal CM, Veenstra TD, Keefer LK, et al. Assay reproducibility and interindividual variation for 15 serum estrogens and estrogen metabolites measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2014;23(12):2649-57.

Barbara Fuhrman

Fuhrman BJ, Spencer-Feigelson H, Flores R, Gail MH, Xu X, Ravel J, and Goedert JJ: Associations of the fecal microbiome with urinary estrogens and estrogen metabolites in postmenopausal women.  J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2014; 99(12): 4632-4640.

Vici P, Sperati F, Maugeri-Sacca M, Melucci E, Di Benedetto A, Di Lauro L, Pizzuti L, Sergi D, Terrenato I, Esposito L, Iannuzzi CA, Pasquale R, Botti C, Fuhrman B, Giordano A, Mottolese M, and Barba M: p53 status as effect modifier of the association between pre-treatment fasting glucose and breast cancer outcomes in non-diabetic, HER2 positive patients treated with trastuzumab. Oncotarget 2014.

Fuhrman BJ and V Cardenas: Melanocytic Nevi as biomarkers of breast cancer risk. PLoS Med 2014; 11(6).

Fuhrman BJ and C Byrne: Comparing mammographic measures across populations. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2014, 106(5): dju109.

Dallal CM, Tice JA, Buist DS, Bauer DC, Lacey JV, Jr., Cauley JA, Hue TF, Lacroix A, Falk RT, Pfeiffer RM, Fuhrman BJ, Veenstra TD, Xu X, Brinton LA and the B~Fit Research Group.  Estrogen metabolism and breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women: a case-cohort study within B~FIT. Carcinogenesis.2014; 35:346-355.

Eric Johnson

Gandhi S,¹ Felini MJ,¹ Ndetan H,² Cardarelli K,¹ Jadhav S, ³ Faramawi M, ³ Johnson ES. A pilot case-cohort study of brain cancer in poultry and control workers. Nutrition & Cancer, April 2014 DOI: 10.1080/01635581.2013.878734.

Martha Phillips

Lee JY, Klimberg VS, Bondurant KL, Phillips MM, Kadlubar SA.  Cross-sectional study to assess the association of population density with predicted breast cancer risk.  Breast Journal, 2014; 20(6):615-621.  (PMID: 25200109).

Washburn L, Cornell CE, Phillips MM, Felix HC, Traywick L. Strength training in community settings: Impact of lay leaders on program access and sustainability for rural older adults. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 2014; 11(7):1408-1414. (PMID: 24368673).

Department of Health Behavior and Health Education

Carol Cornell

Felix H.C., Adams B., Cornell C.E., Fausett J.K., Krukowski R.A., Love S.J., Prewitt T.E., & West D.S. (2014). Barriers and facilitators to senior centers participating in translational research.  Research on Aging. 36(1):22-39.  PMID Pending

Tiffany Haynes

Corrigan, P. W., Mittal, D., Reaves, C. M., Haynes, T. F., Han, X., Morris, S., & Sullivan, G. (2014). Mental health stigma and primary health care decisions. Psychiatry Research, 218(1), 35-38.

Sullivan, S., Pyne, J. M., Cheney, A. M., Hunt, J., Haynes, T. F., & Sullivan, G. (2014). The pew versus the couch: Relationship between mental health and faith communities and lessons learned from a VA/Clergy partnership project. Journal of religion and health, 53(4), 1267-1282.

Sullivan, G., Hunt, J., Haynes, T. F., Bryant, K., Cheney, A. M., Pyne, J. M. & Richison, R. (2014). Building Partnerships With Rural Arkansas Faith Communities to Promote Veterans’ Mental Health: Lessons Learned. Progress in community health partnerships: research, education, and action, 8(1), 11-19.

Sarah Alexandra Marshall

Marshall, A., Morris, D. & Rainey, J. (2014) Linking exercise and sexual satisfaction among

healthy adults. Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality, 17. http://www.ejhs.org/volume17/exercise.html.

Emetu, R. E., Marshall, A., Sanders, S. A., Yarber, W. L., Milhausen, R. R., Crosby, R. A., Graham, C. A. (2014). A novel, self-guided, home-based intervention to improve condom Use. Journal of American College Health, 63(2), 118-124.

Brooke Montgomery

Gullette, D Booth, B.M., Wright, P.B., Montgomery, B.E. E., & Stewart, K. E. (2014). Sexual Sensation Seeking, Unprotected Sex, and Transactional Sex Among Rural African American Cocaine Users. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 25 (4), 289-96. PMID: 24070647

Montgomery, B.E.E., Stewart, K.E., Bryant, K.J., & Ounpraseuth, S. (2014). Dimensions of religion, depression, and substance use among rural African American cocaine users. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 13 (1), 72-90. PMID: 24564561

LeaVonne Pulley

MacDonald LA, Pulley L, Hein MJ, Howard VJ (2014) Methods and feasibility of collecting occupational data for a large population-based cohort study in the United States: the reasons for geographic and racial differences in stroke study, BMC Public Health, 14:142.  DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-142, URL: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/14/142. .

Montgomery, B.E.E., Stewart, K.E., Yeary, K.H.K., Cornell, C., Pulley, L., Corwyn, R., & Ounpraseuth, S. (2014). Religiosity and Sexual Risk Behaviors among African American Cocaine Users in the South. Journal of Rural Health, 30: 284-291.  .

Karen Yeary

Zhang S, Madidi M, Henderson L, Yeary KH (2014) Analyzing Factors Associated with Women’s Attitudes and Behaviors toward Screening Mammography Using Design-Based Logistic Regression. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 144(1): 193-204.

Nickolas Zaller

Zaller N, Huang W, He H, Dong Y, Song D, Zhang H, Operario D.  Risky alcohol use among migrant women in entertainment venues in China. Alcohol Alcohol. 2014; 49(3): 321-26.

Dugdale C, Zaller N, Bratberg J, Berk W and Flanigan T.  Missed opportunities for HIV screening in pharmacies and retail clinics. J Manag Care Pharm. 2014; 20(4): 339-345.

Larney S, Mahowald MK, Scharff N, Flanigan TP, Beckwith CG, Zaller ND.  Epidemiology of hepatitis C virus in Pennsylvania state prisons, 2004-2012: limitations of 1945-1965 birth cohort screening in correctional settings.  Am J Public Health. 2014; 104(6): e69-74.

Yokell MA, Delgado MK, Zaller ND, Wang NE, McGowan SK, Green TC. Presentation of prescription and non-prescription opioid overdoses to US emergency departments. JAMA Intern Med. 2014 Dec;174(12):2034-7.

Hammett TM, Phan S, Gaggin J, Case P, Zaller N, et al.  Pharmacies as providers of expanded health services for people who inject drugs: a review of laws, policies, and barriers in six countries.  BMC Health Serv Res. 2014 Jun 17;14:261.

Choo EK, Zaller N, Benz M, Warren O, Rising K, McConnell KJ. The impact of state medical marijuana legislation on adolescent marijuana use. Journal of Adolescent Health.  2014;Aug;55(2):160-6.

Pollini RA, Gallardo M, Ruiz S, Case P, Zaller N, Lozada R.  Over-the-counter but out of reach: a pharmacy-based survey of OTC syringe sales in Tijuana, Mexico.  J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2014 May;25(2):637-51.

He H, Wang M, Zaller N, Wang J, Song D, Qu Y, Sui X, Dong Z, Operario D, Zhang H Prevalence of syphilis infection and associations with sexual risk behaviors among HIV-positive men who have sex with men in Shanghai, China. Int J STD AIDS. 2014 May;25(6):410-9.

Department of Health Policy and Management

Tommy Mac Bird

Phillips AM, Bird TM, Nolen L. Birth statistics of high birth weight infants (macrosomia) in Arkansas, The Journal of the Arkansas Medical Society 2014, 110(10):206-208.

ElHassan N.O., Bird T.M., King A.J., Ambadwar P.B., Jaquiss R.D.B., Kaiser J.R., Robbins J.M. Variation and comparative effectiveness of patent ductus arteriosus pharmacotherapy in extremely low birth weight infants, Journal of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, 7(3): 229-235.

Dahlke J, Magann E, Bird T, Rohloff J, Scardo J, Morrison J. Mode of Delivery Trends by Hospital Type: An 18-year comparison of a military hospital with university and community hospitals. Military Medicine. February 2014;179(2):169-173.

Smith, Barbara L. RN; Sandlin, Adam T. M.D.; Bird, Tommy M. Ph.D.; Steelman, Susan C. MLIS; Magann, Everett F. M.D..  Maternal mortality in the Mississippi Delta region. Southern Medical Journal. 107(5):275-279, May 2014.

Smith, Sharla; Mays, Glen; Bird, Tommy Mac; and Preston, Michael A. Ph.D., MPH (2014)  Public health system partnerships and the scope of maternal and child services: a longitudinal study,” Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research: Vol. 3: No. 5, Article 6. Available at: http://uknowledge.uky.edu/frontiersinphssr/vol3/iss5/6.

Stephen Bowman

Nabaweesi R, Morlock L, Lule C, Ziegfeld S, Gielen A, Colombani PM, Bowman SM. Do prehospital criteria optimally assign injured children to the appropriate level of trauma team activation and emergency department disposition at a level I pediatric trauma center? Pediatr Surg Int 2014. Published online: 21 August 2014.

Smith KC, Debinski B, Pollack K, Vernick J, Bowman S, Samuels A, Gielen A. Research -informed evidence and support for road safety legislation: Findings from a national survey. Accid Anal Prev 2014;73:109-115.

Porter A,Wyrick D, Bowman SM, Recicar JF, Maxson RT. The effectiveness of the Arkansas Trauma Call Center in reducing time to definitive care for severely injured patients. J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2014;76(4):907-912. PMID:  24662851

Sears JM, Blanar L, Bowman SM. 2013. Predicting work-related disability and medical cost outcomes: A comparison of injury severity scores and scoring methods. Injury 2014;45(1):16-22. PMID:  23347762

Holly Felix

Felix HC, Adams B, Cornell C, Fausett JK, Krukowski RA, Love SJ, Prewitt TE, West DS.  2014. Barriers and facilitators to senior center participation in translational research.  Research on Aging.  36(10): 22-38.

Rohit Pradhan

Ramamonjiarivelo Z; Weech-Maldonado R; Hearld L; Pradhan R. Public hospitals in peril: factors associated with financial distress. 2014. Journal of Health Care Finance. 40(3):14-30.

J. Mick Tilford and Nalin Payakachat, “Progress in Measuring Family Spillover Effects for Economic Evaluations.” Expert Reviews in Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research. Dec 2014.

J. Mick Tilford

Barbara S. Saunders, J. Mick Tilford, Jill J. Fussell, Eldon G. Schulz, Patrick H. Casey and Dennis Z. Kuo. The additional impact of iIntellectual disability on families of children with autism. Families, Systems, and Health. Dec 2014.

Karen Hye-cheon Kim, Carol Cornell, T Elaine Prewitt, Zoran Bursac, J. Mick Tilford, Jerome Turner, Kenya Eddings, Sharhonda Love, Kimberly Harris. The WORD (Wholeness, Oneness, Righteousness, Deliverance): Design of a randomized controlled trial testing the effectiveness of an evidence-based weight loss and maintenance intervention translated for a faith-based, rural, African-American population using a community-based participatory approach Contemporary Clinical Trials. Contemporary Clinical Trials. Nov 2014.

Nalin Payakachat, J. Mick Tilford, Karen A. Kuhlthau, N. Job van Exel, Erica Kovacs, Jayne Bellando, Jeffrey M. Pyne, Werner BF Brouwer. Predicting health utilities for children with autism spectrum disorders. Autism Research. 2014 Dec;7(6):649-63. doi: 10.1002/aur.1409. Epub Sep 2014.

Karen Kuhlthau, Nalin Payakachat, Jennifer Delahaye, Jill Hurson, Jeffrey M. Pyne, Erica Kovacs, and J. Mick Tilford. Measuring quality of life for parents of children with autism spectrum disorder for use in cost-effectiveness evaluations. Research on Autism Spectrum Disorders. Volume 8, Issue 10, October 2014, Pages 1339–1350.

Renske Hoefman, Nalin Payakachat, Job van Exel, Karen Kuhlthau, Jeffrey Pyne, and J. Mick Tilford. Caring for a child with autism spectrum disorder and parents’ quality of life: application of the CarerQoL. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2014 Aug;44(8):1933-45.

The work of Bill Golden, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Health Policy and Management at UAMS, and his colleagues received recognition in a report by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), released Jan. 15, Transitioning to Organized Systems of Care: Medical Homes, Payment Bundles, and the Role of Fee-for-Service.

Dr. Golden and former Arkansas Surgeon General Joe Thompson, M.D., collaborated with others on the development of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model as a way to improve patient care and contain costs. The BPC’s report lauded the Arkansas PCMH model, based on early data on its implementation.

“While there have been many private and public approaches to the PCMH model, the CPCI and an implementation of SIM in Arkansas appear particularly promising. These approaches not only provide a PMPM payment in addition to FFS reimbursements, but also hold participating practices accountable for quality and offer the opportunity to share in savings,” the report states.

To access the BPC report, go here. To read the Health Affairs blog by Dr. Golden and his colleagues about PCMHs in Arkansas that was cited in the BPC report, go here.

Lori Fischbach, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, presented on Jan. 27 at COPH Public Health Seminar. The title of her presentation was “Does Standard Triple Therapy for Helicobacter Pylori Work in Developing Countries? Preliminary Results from a Meta-Analysis.” Dr. Fischbach conducted a meta-analysis of findings from 276 studies on the efficacy of drug regimens to treat H. pylori in adults in developing countries, where the disease is much more common, compared to developed countries. She drew conclusions regarding why the drug treatment mostly commonly recommended globally is less effective in developing countries; identify the treatments shown to be most effective in developing countries; provide insight into local factors that may affect eradication rates; and recommend treatment guidelines.

Kevin Ryan, J.D., MA, Associate Dean for Professional Programs for the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, presented on Jan. 22 at Public Health Grand Rounds at the Arkansas Department of Health. Co-presenter was Micah Hester, Ph.D., the Chief of the Division of Medical Humanities at UAMS. The title of their talk was “Threats to the Public’s Health: Legal and Ethical Considerations of Quarantine (and Other Public Health Tools).” The presentation provided historical, legal and ethical perspectives on the authority of public health officials to protect the common good and the limits of individual rights in relation to infectious disease quarantine and other public health interventions. A video of their presentation can be viewed by connecting to this link.

Brain cancer has been found to be more common among poultry workers involved in the killing of chickens in an exploratory study published last year in Nutrition and Cancer by researchers at the Department of Epidemiology at the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health (COPH) and their colleagues at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. The purpose of the study was to investigate brain cancer in occupational groups that typically have the highest known exposures to poultry and raw poultry products, as well as in other occupations in the meat industries.

Killing chickens was associated with a near 6-fold increase in risk for brain cancer compared with the risk in the comparison group. A 13-fold increase in risk for brain cancer was associated with working at a shellfish farm.

An extensive questionnaire asked of relatives of deceased workers as well as workers still alive delved into workers’ specific occupational tasks, lifestyle, and medical history. It was found that eating raw fish or shellfish is associated with an 8-fold increased risk of death, compared to a control group.

Workers in poultry slaughterhouse and processing facilities often handle thousands of chickens in a day, come in contact with poultry meat, organs and blood, and are at risk of injuries that provide a route for viruses and other microbial agents to enter the body. They also work in enclosed areas for extended periods of time, increasing the risk of inhaling airborne organisms. Researchers suspect that viruses known to cause cancer in poultry may be responsible for the increased incidence of cancer in poultry workers who kill chickens.

The study, entitled “A pilot case-cohort study of brain cancer in poultry and control workers,”builds on a large body of research, now spanning three decades, by Eric Johnson, M.D., Ph.D., MPH, DTPH, Professor and Chair of the college’s Epidemiology Department. His work has focused on the health of workers in the meat industries and related occupations.

A group of almost 47,000 poultry and non-poultry workers in Missouri, Maryland, and Illinois was the source population for the study, as well as many other studies by Dr. Johnson over the years. All of the workers were members of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union between 1949 and 1989. Of those who died during the 14-year study period (1990-2003), 47 workers died of brain cancer, according to their death certificates. About 1,500 workers randomly selected from the base population comprised the comparison group.

For the study, interviews were conducted with next-of-kin for 26 of the 47 workers who had died of brain cancer and 152 of the controls or next-of-kin of those workers who had died. They answered a 646-item questionnaire that asked about where they had worked (e.g., working or living on a farm, working in meat industries other than poultry) and a range of non-work-related questions about lifestyle, medical history, diet, medication use and immunizations. The questionnaire asked very specific questions about tasks typically done by poultry workers, such as unloading chickens from trucks, killing and cutting them up, and hanging them on a conveyor line. Only workers who killed chickens were at a statistically significant (5.8 odds ratio) increased risk of dying from brain cancer.

The study’s findings are consistent with numerous other studies by Dr. Johnson and his group using the same large cohort of poultry workers. Occupational exposures for meat industry workers are associated with elevated risk for cancers of the pancreas, lung and liver. It is also consistent with studies by other researchers. However, this latest study emphasizes that it is only preliminary and that “results should be interpreted with caution,” in part because it has limited statistical power. Also, the fact that the brain cancer cases interviewed were all proxies, whereas controls were mostly the live subjects, could potentially be a source of response bias, authors noted.

Dr. Johnson has published more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed journals about elevated cancer risks for workers in the meat industry, and many of those are specific to poultry workers. Even so, he says that definitively linking cancer risk to those occupational exposures will require something more. In pursuit of that, he has developed and patented the only assay to date that can detect the presence of cancer-causing viruses in the genome of human subjects.

“The thing that will nail that these viruses cause cancer is to find them in the human genome by studying exposed people who actually developed the cancer,” Dr. Johnson said.

Full reference: Gandhi S, Felini MJ, Ndetan H, Cardarelli K, Jadhav S, Faramawi M, Johnson ES. A pilot case-cohort study of brain cancer in poultry and control workers. Nutrition & Cancer, April 2014. DOI: 10.1080/01635581.2013.878734.

Last week, the nine fall 2014 graduates of the Master in Public Health (MPH) degree program at the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health presented their final projects. The projects reflect the diversity of their interests as well as that of public health, a vastly diverse, multi-disciplinary field. Projects integrated at least two public health disciplines. They covered topics as different as access to health care by formerly incarcerated individuals to Arkansas farmers’ interest in participating in the farm-to-school program based at Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute, the aim of which is to increase children’s consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Here is a list of the new grads by degree program, titles of their projects and the public health disciplines that were integrated in their projects.   Congratulations to the new grads!

MPH DEGREE PROGRAM

James (Jake) Coffey. Community-Academic Practice Partnership Development – Adopting a Community-based Model of Health Care for Recently Released Arkansas Prisoners. He brought together stakeholders concerned about the issue and provided leadership for a coalition whose purpose is to reach understanding about how to address critical lack-of-access issues affecting this marginalized population. (Health Behavior & Health Education, Health Policy & Management)

Kaitlin Fitzpatrick. Nabholz Construction Wellness Program. She consolidated data from the company’s employee incentive program to improve healthy behaviors; developed a plan for analyzing the data and conducted an analysis to understand program’s effectiveness. (Health Behavior & Health Education, Health Policy & Management)

Bryan Mader. Determining Readiness among Local Area Farmers to Participate in Farm to School Activities. (Health Behavior & Health Education and Health Policy & Management). He conducted an evaluation for the Arkansas Grow Healthy farm-to-school program to understand the effectiveness of various formats for communicating with farmers to assess their readiness to participate in the program and gain understanding about how the program could better serve farmers. (Health Behavior & Health Education, Health Policy & Management)

Ashley Richison. Integrated Pest Management and Chemical Use Reduction in the Home: Middle School Level Curriculum Development. She created a 10-day curriculum for grades 4-9 that aligns with national and state science education standards. The curriculum will be freely available to teachers in Arkansas and nationally through the COPH website, teacher and STEM education listservs, and to school districts and the Environmental Protection Agency website. (Environmental & Occupational Health, Health Behavior & Health Education, Health Policy & Management)

Kenneth (Kent) Thompson. Agreement among Paper and Electronic Data Collection Methods. He compared reliability of data collected on IPads versus paper forms and created a mobile server for use with a network of tablets that could be used in rural communities where there is no Internet access. His project demonstrated the reliability and cost-effectiveness of electronic data collection using this approach, which can be utilized in public health programs serving remote areas. (Biostatistics, Health Behavior & Health Education)

J.D./MPH DEGREE PROGRAM

Jarred Kibbey. Pediatric Asthma and Medical-Legal Partnership Intervention in Arkansas. He compared Arkansas’ housing laws and rates of asthma in children with those of other states. Asthma is the third leading cause of hospitalizations under age 15 and can be triggered by substandard housing conditions. Arkansas is the only state without laws that empower and protect tenants in cases of landlord negligence. He wrote a report about the economic costs of pediatric asthma in Arkansas and proposed changes to state housing law. (Health Policy & Management, Epidemiology, Law)

M.D./MPH DEGREE PROGRAM

Nicole Nash. Health Literacy and Patient Centered Communication in Primary Care Practice. She conducted a literature review on patient-centered communication in primary care and associated U.S. policies, programs and laws, and wrote a report on recommendations for improvement in clinical practice settings as well as medical training to address low health literacy, a problem that affects 35% of the US population and contributes to poor health outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged populations.  (Health Behavior & Health Education, Health Policy & Management)

MPS/MPH DEGREE PROGRAM

Alex Handfinger. Strategic Plan for the Arkansas Local Food Network. He conducted qualitative and quantitative research with diverse stakeholders to inform a needs assessment and identify strategic priorities for this small, grassroots non-profit. As a result, gaps in the leadership team were identified as the first issue before moving forward with strategic planning. (Health Policy & Management, Health Behavior & Health Education, Epidemiology)

Jenna Rhodes. North Little Rock Jump Start Community Capacity Building. She established a community development coalition for the Levy and Park Hill neighborhoods and led capacity-building efforts to foster economic development in the two districts. She then produced a report on the work of the coalition and their recommendations. (Health Policy & Management, Environmental & Occupational Health)