Chaminade University of Honolulu

About: Chaminade University of Honolulu is a education organization based out in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Experiential learning. The organization has 164 authors who have published 223 publications receiving 5381 citations.

Forensic Implications of Myiasis

Abstract: Myiasis has been defined variously by numerous different authors over the years. The term itself was first coined by Hope in his 1840 paper entitled “On insects and their larvae occasionally found in the human body” although there were some earlier accounts by other authors. Subsequently there were additional treatments but not with equal restrictions. Possibly the most enduring and practical definition is that of Zumpt in his 1965 work entitled “Myiasis in Man and Animals in the Old World.” In this work myiasis is defined as: “the infestation of live human and vertebrate animals with dipterous larvae, which, at least for a certain period feed on the host’s dead or living tissue, liquid body-substances, or ingested food.” A similar definition was followed by Guimaraes and Papavero in their 1999 work on myiasis in the Neotropics. Based on the system of classifying parasites developed by Patton (1922), Zumpt divides these myiasis-causing larvae into Obligatory Parasites and Facultative Parasites. Diptera larvae within the obligatory group develop in the living tissues of the host and this is, in fact, a necessary part of their life cycle. By contrast, the facultative group includes species that are normally free-living, feeding on decaying material, such as animal carcasses, fecal material, and even decaying vegetable materials. Under some While some species included in this category, such as Phaenicia sericata, may frequently act as parasites for all or part of their larval development, more commonly, species in this classification are associated with dead tissues present in a wound and do not actually feed on living tissues. Another situation, termed “Pseudomyiasis or Accidental Myiasis,” occurs when Diptera larvae are accidentally ingested with food materials and pass through the digestive tract. Keep in mind that this passage is most often passive and may result in the death of the larva. Their presence in the gut of the animal will often trigger various gastric problems, as noted by (e.g. Kenny, 1945). These infestations are not to be confused with the obligatory infestations of mammal digestive tracts by species in the subfamily Gasterophilinae (Colwell et al. 2006).

Dioxins: diagnostic and prognostic challenges arising from complex mechanisms.

Abstract: Dioxins are ubiquitous environmental challenges to humans, with a pervasiveness that arises from two hundred years of rapid industrialization and mechanization of Western societies and which is now extending into the developing world. Despite their penetrance of the human biota, these compounds are poorly understood in terms of their true physiological potential for harm, and the mechanisms by which they impact cellular and organ level function are only recently becoming clear. Emerging awareness that chronic exposures to toxins may have generational and subtle effects on the outcomes of diseases such as cancer and diabetes, which are already multifactorial and highly complex, creates the context for the current review paper. Here, we summarize dioxin exposure paradigms and the resulting physiological effects that have been documented in animals and humans. Novel insights into potential endogenous end exogenous ligands, as well as the mechanisms by which these ligands impact acute and chronic cellular processes, are discussed. We develop the idea that the diagnosis of dioxin exposure, the subtleties of the cellular effects of the compounds and prognosis of the long term effects of exposure are problems requiring that researchers leverage the power of genomics and epigenetics. However, the continuation of longitudinal epidemiological studies and development of a firmer basis from which to extrapolate animal studies will be critical in ensuring optimal insight from these resource-intensive techniques.

Predictors of prenatal care satisfaction among pregnant women in American Samoa.

Abstract: Pregnant women in American Samoa have a high risk of complications due to overweight and obesity. Prenatal care can mitigate the risk, however many women do not seek adequate care during pregnancy. Low utilization of prenatal care may stem from low levels of satisfaction with services offered. Our objective was to identify predictors of prenatal care satisfaction in American Samoa. A structured survey was distributed to 165 pregnant women receiving prenatal care at the Lyndon B Johnson Tropical Medical Center, Pago Pago. Women self-reported demographic characteristics, pregnancy history, and satisfaction with prenatal care. Domains of satisfaction were extracted using principal components analysis. Scores were summed across each domain. Linear regression was used to examine associations between maternal characteristics and the summed scores within individual domains and for overall satisfaction. Three domains of satisfaction were identified: satisfaction with clinic services, clinic accessibility, and physician interactions. Waiting ≥ 2 h to see the doctor negatively impacted satisfaction with clinic services, clinic accessibility, and overall satisfaction. Living > 20 min from the clinic was associated with lower clinic accessibility, physician interactions, and overall satisfaction. Women who were employed/on maternity leave had lower scores for physician interactions compared with unemployed women/students. Women who did not attend all their appointments had lower overall satisfaction scores. Satisfaction with clinic services, clinic accessibility and physician interactions are important contributors to prenatal care satisfaction. To improve patient satisfaction prenatal care clinics should focus on making it easier for women to reach clinics, improving waiting times, and increasing time with providers.

Biogeography, Biodiversity and Connectivity of Bermuda’s Coral Reefs

Abstract: As the most northern ecoregion within the Tropical Northwestern Atlantic biogeographic province, Bermuda’s reef biodiversity is a reduced complement of that found within the other ecoregions of the TNA. A characteristic of the Bermuda marine fauna is the absence of species otherwise ubiquitous in the TNA province (i.e., Acropora spp.). Notable differences in Bermuda’s species diversity is attributed to both geographic and physical forcing agents that include isolation, temperature, currents, bathymetric or coastal complexity, and environmental seasonality. Pleistocene sea level changes also may have been important to the development of Bermuda’s current diversity. Shallow-water scleractinian and octocorallian species diversity is currently considered well documented, however information is still lacking on the depth limits of many species, including in and extending beyond the mesophotic zone. The shallow-water azooxanthellate coral, Rhizopsammia bermudensis, is the only endemic scleractinian. Bermuda’s Symbiodinium diversity is comparable to the Caribbean in that clades A, B and C predominate in anthozoan hosts, but there is a notable absence of Clade D which has been recorded from several Caribbean conspecifics. In Bermuda, octocorals harbour only clade B. Most fishes in Bermuda have a western Atlantic distribution, but amphi-Atlantic and more widely distributed species are also common. High levels of genetic variation and unique Bermudian haplotypes have been determined for several species, spanning several higher taxa – not just cnidarians and fishes. Studies indicate that Bermuda’s marine populations are panmictic and self-seeding. Population connections with upstream reef systems have been inferred genetically for some but not all of the few species investigated. For Bermuda, population connectivity characteristics are so diverse, even among species with apparently similar reproductive and dispersal patterns, that best practices for management and conservation should be developed on a species by species basis.