Journal articles on the topic 'WV History'

During the late 19th and very early 20th centuries widespread deforestation occurred across the Appalachian region, USA. However, since the early 20th century, land cover rapidly changed from predominantly agricultural land use (72%; 1909) to forest. West Virginia (WV) is now the USA’s third most forested state by area (79%; 1989–present). It is well understood that land cover alterations feedback on climate with important implications for ecology, water resources, and watershed management. However, the spatiotemporal distribution of climatic changes during reforestation in WV remains unclear. To fill this knowledge gap, daily maximum temperature, minimum temperature, and precipitation data were acquired for eighteen observation sites with long periods of record (POR; ≥77 years). Results indicate an increasingly wet and temperate WV climate characterized by warming summertime minimum temperatures, cooling maximum temperatures year-round, and increased annual precipitation that accelerated during the second half (1959–2016) of the POR. Trends are elevation dependent and may be accelerating due to local to regional ecohydrological feedbacks including increasing forest age and density, changing forest species composition, and increasing globally averaged atmospheric moisture. Furthermore, results imply that excessive wetness may become the primary ecosystem stressor associated with climate change in the USA’s rugged and flood prone Appalachian region. The Appalachian region’s physiographic complexity and history of widespread land use changes makes climatic changes particularly dynamic. Therefore, mechanistic understanding of micro- to mesoscale climate changes is imperative to better inform decision makers and ensure preservation of the region’s rich natural resources.

This article describes moving The Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for WOMen Across the Nation (WISEWOMAN) Program from research to practice in a population of low-income, uninsured, or underinsured women in West Virginia (WV) between the ages of 40 and 64 years. Cardiovascular disease risk factors were evident using screening and health history data from women in all stages of change as well as in different phases of the program. An indicator of program success was women’s increased activities to improve their cardiovascular health. Women using an interactive Web program, coupled with appropriately delivered health information, can and do make behavior changes. As the WV WISEWOMAN Program moved from research to practice, clinician training and changes to policies and procedures were needed. Clinicians became skilled at motivational interviewing and targeting information to connect women to community resources for ongoing support. The program continues to help clinicians alert women to cardiovascular risks and guide them to take responsibility for their health. Partnerships between women and their providers are the key to successful implementation of healthier lifestyles.

C. James Goodwin (CJG) is Professor and Chair of the Psychology Department at Wheeling Jesuit University (Wheeling, WV). He has published research on human memory processes, the history of psychology, and the teaching of psychology. He has written Research in Psychology: Methods and Design (Wiley, 1995) and is currently completing A History of Modem Psychology (Wiley, in press). Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr. (LTB) holds a chair in Distinguished Teaching at Texas A & M University (College Station, TX) where he teaches courses in general psychology, history of psychology, and a graduate course on the teaching of psychology. His research interests are in the history of psychology, especially the history of American-applied psychology. Currently, he is working on a book on the history of psychology in American business. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award from the American Psychological Foundation and several teaching awards from his university.

The author affiliations appearing in Grund and Huzurbazar (2017) contain errors. The correct affiliations for the authors are as follows: Brigid Sky Grund ▪ Anthropology Department, University of Wyoming, Department 3431, 1000 E. University Avenue, Laramie, Wyoming 82071-2001.Snehalata V. Huzurbazar ▪ Department of Biostatistics, West Virginia University, P.O. Box 9190, One Medical Center Drive, Morgantown WV 26506, USA.Additionally, the sentence on page 5 reading, “Catastrophic melting events create palimpsest the upper layers of ice (Meulendyk et al. 2012), potentially introducing taphonomic bias” inadvertently omitted two words. The correct sentence is “Catastrophic melting events create a palimpsest in the upper layers of ice, potentially introducing taphonomic bias.”The publisher apologizes for these errors.

The Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project (WVHP) was established in 1988 as both a research collection and a project that honors the contributions women have made to U.S. military service. Housed at the University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG), the overall collection grows each year with new oral histories, and the addition of letters and scrapbooks, recruiting posters and brochures, uniforms and artifacts. We locate women veterans to interview from news stories, veterans and their families who stumble upon our website on the internet, and by word of mouth. The Project acquires materials as gifts from veterans or their survivors and by purchases of collections from vendors found on eBay. A major focus of the Project is to maintain a strong Web presence to promote and provide access to the collections. On our Web site (http://library.uncg.edu/dp/wv/) there are over two hundred and fifty oral history transcripts, over one thousand photographs, and over two thousand pages of scanned letters, recruiting brochures, and military documents posted. Additionally, we promote the project through undergraduate class presentations, an annual luncheon, and public exhibits. The goal is to preserve this aspect of history and make it available for all types of research.

164 Background: Kentucky is the epicenter of smoking and lung cancer in the U.S.: over half the population is a current or former smoker (second only to WV); and it has the highest annual lung cancer incidence—89.6 per 100,000 population—according to the most recent CDC data. While offering a significant, double-digit death benefit due to early recognition and improved therapies, LDCT lung cancer screening of at-risk individuals remains extremely low. Helping primary care practices identify their at-risk patients, promote reduced tobacco use, and refer for screening is critical. Methods: In this pilot, family practice and internal medicine practices, residency programs, and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) were recruited in rural regions of Eastern Kentucky with populations at highest risk. The Sustainable Healthy Communities Quality Improvement Education (SHC-QIE) model—which engages multidisciplinary practice leaders, rapid cycle improvement or a PDSA approach to QI, geoanalytics, and community engagement support—was implemented to promote better screening while enhancing clinician satisfaction. Results: Each practice significantly improved their identification of smokers and patients qualifying for lung cancer screening in the Medicare program as well as screening referrals by nearly 2-fold. For example, in one FQHC, accurate reporting of tobacco history data in the medical record increased from 34.6% to 56.9%. Another example showed referrals for LDCTs increased from 230 in 2017 to 412 in 2018, with a 71% increase over baseline. While survey data from the participating clinics conceded challenges in implementing a QI initiative, significant satisfaction with the initiative, ongoing plans for activities building on the program, and community engagement were found as well. Pre-, post-survey data also revealed significant improvement in screening, tobacco counseling, and LDCT referral. Conclusions: In spite of EMR barriers, significant increases in smoking history taking, counseling for tobacco cessation, and referral for lung cancer screening was achieved over the course of 9 months.

Abstract A grazing system includes unique soil, plant, and animal attributes. Interactions between these entities will necessarily invoke reactions by the other players in the system. History shows us that manipulation of any one component of the system may or may not have negative ramifications on the system’s overall productivity and health. Novel approaches to improve nutrient use efficiency and product output from forage based livestock production systems are essential if we hope to provide high quality, nutrient dense, and high biological value livestock food products to an ever increasing world population. Furthermore, to ensure grazing systems’ health and sustainability these novel approaches must be evaluated for merit in a scientific and multidisciplinary manner. The Appalachian region is noted for its beautiful mountains, with farms generally containing a higher percentage of wooded area than pasture. If farm livestock productivity were to be increased, a novel approach was needed to bring woodlots into forage production. A long term research project was conducted at the Appalachian Farming Systems Research Center, in Beaver, WV, to determine how wooded areas could be transitioned into forage production systems in a sustainable manner. A multidisciplinary team was utilized to determine the implications of silvopasture development on soil and water quality, plant community response, and livestock productivity. Silvopasture was found to be a viable option for improving an Appalachian farm’s livestock productivity in an aesthetically pleasing and sustainable manner. Research is currently being conducted in central Oklahoma which evaluates methods of improving livestock productivity in a sustainable manner within native prairie livestock systems. This research is also team oriented, multidisciplinary, and multi-institutional. Production oriented approaches include the use of novel management practices, and the determination of superior phenotypic and genotypic livestock traits. Findings and experiences related to both geographic locations are presented and discussed.

Adults with systemic anaphylactic reactions (SAR) to insect sting show often multiple-positivity of serum-specific IgE (sIgE) to Hymenoptera venoms. Unnecessary long-lasting venom-specific immunotherapies (VIT) in false-positive patients increase the risk of recurrent SAR. This report aims to analyze the diagnostic importance of recombinant allergen IgE testing in patients with SAR to Hymenoptera sting.In 82 patients we measured sIgE to honeybee venom (HBV), wasp venom (WV) and hornet venom (HV) extracts, recombinant phospholipase A2 from HBV (sIgE-rApi m1), recombinant antigen 5 from WV (sIgE-rVes v5), and cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants-CCD-bromelain by ImmunoCAP. We analyzed the correlation of ImmunoCAP and Immunoblot for HBV and WV extracts, rApi m1, and rVes v5 in 39/82 patients. According to the history of the culprit insect, we compared sensitivity and specificity between the two methods.The severity of the SAR does not depend on the sIgE level to venom extracts and recombinant allergens. Fifty-one percent of the patients had a multiple-positivity to HBV/WV or HBV/WV/HV extracts. Severe SAR and CCD-sIgE were more frequent in multiple-positive than single-positive patients. CCD-sIgE were more frequent in HBV allergic patients than WV and HV allergic patients. There was a significant correlation between levels of sIgE to venom extracts and recombinant allergens measured by ImmunoCAP and Immunoblot. ImmunoCAP has higher sensitivity and specificity than Immunoblot for diagnosis of SAR to Hymenoptera venoms.IgE testing to recombinant CCD-free allergens is necessary for the adequate selection of long-lasting VIT, especially in patients with multiple sensitivities to venom extracts.

Introduction: The Coronary Artery Risk Detection in Appalachian Communities (CARDIAC) Project has screened West Virginia 5th graders since 1998 to facilitate primordial prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD) in WV. LDL-c levels above 175 mg/dl in children suggest Familial Hyperlipidemia (FH) in the child’s family and a level above 160 mg/dl with history of CHD in relatives can also establish a diagnosis. Hypothesis: Based on previous adult literature, the association of lower height with higher LDL level observed in adults begins in childhood and is prominent in children with LDL in FH range. Methods: Fifth graders are screened yearly in WV schools with parental consent for Body Mass Index and lipid panel. Lipids were analyzed with respect to either short stature < 2 SD for height or comparing 1st (shortest) and 4th quartiles of the population. Statistical analysis for age- and gender-adjusted height percentiles was performed in SAS. Results: 59,386 children had lipid and height data. Mean LDL-c for 1st vs. 4th quartile of height was 94.08 mg/dl (95% Confidence Interval-CI 93.66-94.51) vs. 90.03 mg/dl (CI 89.65-90.42). First quartile of height students had average 4.05 mg/dl higher LDL-c (95% CI 3.48 -4.62 mg/dl). 4398 children had an LDL level above 130 g/dl, 632 above 160 mg/dl and 247 above 175 mg/dl. The Chi square analysis of short stature (height 130 g/dl was also significant (p=0.013) with increased odds of LDL-c above 130 g/dl compared to non-short stature (OR= 1.37, CL 1.07-1.75). Table 1 shows odds ratio for varying levels of elevated LDL-c for the first (shortest) vs. 4th (tallest) quartile of students. Conclusions: Shorter stature is associated with higher LDL-c level in WV 5th graders generally and in those children with increased risk for genetic dyslipidemia. The trend to increasing odds ratio in strata of higher LDL-c supports a recent report of association of single nucleotide polymorphisms selecting for lower genetic height and higher LDL-c.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common inflammatory conditions linked to premature coronary artery disease (CAD). West Virginia (WV) has abundance of population that has metabolic syndrome and RA. We aimed to study the demographics of the RA in patient population of WV. Primary end points included the incidence of coexisting metabolic syndrome and RA, secondary end point was whether these patients were prescribed Aspirin and Statins for primary prevention of CAD. Methods: In our observational, retrospective study, we reviewed electronic medical records of patients diagnosed with RA and CAD. Charts were collected based on ICD-10 codes of the diagnoses; RA (M05.79, M06.09, M06.9), and CAD (I25.10, I21.9). SPSS version 20 was used for statistical analysis. Results: Out of 2275 patients with RA, 233 patients had coexisting diagnosis of CAD and RA. 20 patients were excluded due to incomplete charts. Mean BMI of the patients was 29.6 kg/m2. Sixty four percent were smokers, and 66% had family history of CAD. Coexisting comorbidities were prevalent; there were 37% diabetic, 88% hypertensive, 80% dyslipidemic, and while 33% had other autoimmune disease. Of note, primary prevention of CAD was only provided to 5% of patients by using a statin, and 5% of patients by using low dose aspirin, and 37% using both. Conclusion: Rheumatoid arthritis remains one of the important risk factors for premature coronary artery disease, especially in the predisposed patient population. More studies are needed to assess the exact risk of premature CAD in RA patients with metabolic syndrome, and perhaps consider RA as one additional determinant of the Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) risk.

ObjectiveOpioid and illicit substance abuse continues to have major public health implications in the state of West Virginia. By analyzing the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) utilization history of drug overdose decedents, opportunities to improve surveillance of fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses can be identified which can help lead prevention efforts of fatal drug overdoses in the state.IntroductionWest Virginia continues to lead the nation in drug overdose deaths per capita. In 2016, the age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths was 52 per 100,0001. In the same year, there were roughly 64,000 overdose deaths in the United States, a 21.5% rate increase from 20151. The drug overdose epidemic in West Virginia has taken a significant toll on individuals, families, communities, and resources.As part of a rapid response plan to help reduce the burden of overdose deaths, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources conducted an investigative report to study 830 overdose related deaths that occurred in 2016 and identify opportunities for intervention in the 12 months prior to death.Utilization of EMS among decedents was analyzed to determine demographic differences between decedents at different time points of EMS contact: EMS contact at death only; EMS contact 12 months prior to death only; and both EMS contact at death and 12 months prior to death.MethodsA list of decedents that had died in 2016 from a drug overdose was obtained from the West Virginia Vital Registration Office and then matched to EMS ambulance run data. The inclusion criteria for this decedent sample were: state residency, drug overdose as the primary cause of death, and a history of EMS utilization. Overall, 588 West Virginia overdose decedents were identified for analysis.Drug classes, identified by forensic toxicology reports, and demographic information including gender, age, race, marital status, education level, and occupation of each decedent were analyzed to identify trends related to overdose deaths.A ‘death run’ was defined as an EMS run that occurred within 48 hours of death. A ‘prior EMS run’ was defined as an EMS run that occurred within 12 months prior to death.ResultsAmong decedents with an EMS contact, 50% (N=295) of decedents’ only contact was at death. Of the remaining half of decedents with an EMS contact: One-third (N=195) had both a previous EMS run in the 12 months prior to death and at death; and 17% (N=98) of decedents only EMS contact was in the year prior to death that was not a fatal run (Table 1).There were gender differences in EMS utilization among male and female decedents at death run only, 12 months prior to death only, and at both time points. When comparing time points, the largest percentage of EMS contact among males and females occurred at death run only; although males (53% n=206) had more contact with EMS at death run only compared to females (45%, n=89). However among those that had utilized EMS at both time points, females had more encounters with EMS (38.3%, n=75) than male decedents (30.61%, n=120) (Table 1).Decedents aged 15-24 years (64.5%, n=20) had the largest percentage of EMS utilization at death run only compared to the other age groups. Decedents aged 65 years and older of prior EMS runs (50.0%), compared to other age groups (Table 1).Of the decedents that received at least one naloxone administration in their EMS history (n=178), decedents that utilized EMS at both time points received the largest administration at 44% (n=80). This was followed by 41% (n=73) of decedents that had EMS contact at death only.ConclusionsFor half of the decedents analyzed, their only encounter with EMS was associated with their death. This could be explained by the type of drugs that contributed to their deaths, as stronger illicit and/or pharmaceutical drugs such as fentanyl, contributed to more overdose deaths in this population than other drug types2. Although decedents aged 15-24 years had highest EMS contact at death run only, illicit drugs were more commonly found in this particular group than other age groups2.Evidence has shown that a prior non-fatal overdose in the past, increases the risk of a fatal overdose in the future3. One-third (n=195) of decedents in this analysis had both a prior contact with EMS in the year before death and within 48 hours of death. However, it is unknown whether their previous contacts with EMS was associated with an overdose. Further investigation into chief complaints of EMS runs would need to be done to assess the association between prior EMS contact due to a non-fatal overdose and risk of a subsequent fatal overdose.In this analysis, women had a larger percentage of EMS contact at both time points than men. Studies have indicated that women are more at risk than men for having a fatal overdose4. One possibility is that the concurrent use of opioid prescription and illicit drugs, occurs more often among women than in men elevating their risk of having non-fatal and fatal overdoses.Identifying high-risk individuals with previous overdoses can help to minimize the gap between overdose and accessibility to treatment services. As part of the rapid response plan, the West Virginia Drug Control Policy Act was passed to improve drug overdose surveillance and help strengthen response5. The policy enacted the creation of a central repository that will store drug overdose information, making drug overdoses a notifiable condition.References1. Seth P, Scholl L, Rudd RA, Bacon S. Overdose Deaths Involving Opioids, Cocaine, and Psychostimulants — United States, 2015–2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2018; 67: 349–358.2. West Virginia Violence and Injury Prevention Center. 2016 WV Overdose Fatality Analysis: Healthcare Systems Utilization, Risk Factors, and Opportunities for Intervention. 2017 Dec 20.3. Stoové MA, Dietze PM, Jolley D. Overdose deaths following previous non-fatal heroin overdose: record linkage of ambulance attendance and death registry data. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2009 Jul; 28(4): 347-52.4. Evans E, Kelleghan A, Li L, Min J, Huang D, Urada D, Hser YI, Nosyk B. Gender differences in mortality among treated opioid dependent patients. Drug Alcohol Depen. 2015 Oct 1; 155: 228-35.5. West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Drug Control Policy Act [Internet]. 2017. Available from: http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB2620 SUB ENR.htm&yr=2017&sesstype=RS&billtype=B&houseorig=H&i=2620.