An outbreak of Deidamia inscriptum (Lettered Sphinx Moth) caterpillars was noted in northeast Tennessee where Oxydendrum arboreum (Sourwood) trees were defoliated. Nearly all published literature and online resources list only plants in the grape family (Vitaceae) as larval food plants. Food-plant preference trials using fresh leaves of 3 woody plant species showed that Deidamiacaterpillars from this region had a preference for Sourwood over Parthenocissus quinquefolia(Virginia Creeper), and rejected Acer rubrum (Red Maple), a non-host species. Ursus americanus(Black Bear) were feeding on the caterpillars as evidenced by bent and broken Sourwood saplings bearing claw marks and by abundant sphingid remains in bear scat.

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In an effort to bridge the gap between public health practice and academia, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded Tennessee Public Health Training Center (LIFEPATH) has supported establishment of an Academic Health Department (AHD) involving the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) College of Public Health (COPH) and the Sullivan County Regional Health Department (SCRHD). The SCRHD identified a need to increase internal capacity to conduct ongoing community health assessments and community-oriented practice. Similarly, the COPH recognized the need to expand field-based public health practice opportunities for students. Personnel from SCRHD, LIFEPATH, and COPH developed a formal AHD memorandum of understanding during the summer of 2012, launching the program in fall 2012. The COPH/SCRHD model addresses financial barriers experienced by other AHDs by competitively awarding the Coordinator position to a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) student from the COPH, demonstrating investment in the model by the COPH. The DrPH student gains valuable leadership experience through project management, coordination of the local health council, and day-to-day facilitation of undergraduate and master's student interns. SCRHD benefits from formally trained graduate-level interns dedicated to long-term work within the community. This AHD offers a unique opportunity for doctoral-level students to develop practical leadership skills in a functioning health department, while enhancing the capacity of SCRHD and COPH to serve their community and stakeholders.

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a type of Dementia and a neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by the gradual degrading of both memory and cognitive functions. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence of AD is increasing globally. Currently, AD is the sixth leading cause of mortality in the United States. As the ageing population increases in the United States, it is possible that AD will move up the ladder in the top cause of mortality. Although the prevalence of AD in most urban parts of developed nations such as the United States is widely known, little is known about the prevalence and early diagnosis of the disease among the rural populations. According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on deaths from AD between 1999 and 2014, most mortality are concentrated in the rural counties of the Appalachian region of the United States, where the mortality rate has increased by an alarming 75%. Our study focuses on the Northeast Tennessee region, which is a prominent part of the Appalachian region. We examine the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in the Northeast Tennessee region compared to other parts of the state of Tennessee. We sought to understand whether there is a likely association between the disease and the rural counties in the Northeast Tennessee region. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study that computes and compares between the Prevalence Odds Ratio (POR) of the 2013 to 2015 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Public Use Files data on rural versus urban counties in the Northeast Tennessee region followed by the Northeast Tennessee counties versus other counties in Tennessee. In addition, we collected primary data from 44 experts and professionals working in AD-related fields within the Northeast Tennessee region using an online survey that captures the perceived observation of the experts and professionals about the increasing prevalence of AD over the last five years. Results: Findings show that the rural counties within the Northeast Tennessee region had 18.3% (POR: 1.183, C.I: 1.113-1.258), 4.7% (POR: 1.047, C.I: 0.982-1.117), and 19% (POR: 1.190, C.I: 1.121-1.264) increased odds of prevalence of AD compared to the urban counties within the region in 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively. Similarly, the Northeast Tennessee region as a whole, had increased odds of 22.7% (POR: 1.227, C.I: 1.203-1.250), 22.5% (POR: 1.225, C.I: 1.202-1.249), and 21.2% (POR: 1.212, C.I: 1.189-1.235) of AD compared to all other counties in Tennessee during the same periods. Conclusions: Statistical analysis and findings from experts and professionals working with patients with AD in the Northeast Tennessee region show that there are more cases of AD in the Northeast Tennessee region compared to the last five years. We suggest early screening strategies for possible decrease in the morbidity and mortality rates in Northeast Tennessee region.

Objectives: Women with substance use disorders often experience unique challenges to obtaining contraception and adhering to user-dependent methods. As a result, this at-risk population of women tends to have higher than average rates of unintended pregnancy. The objective of this study was to describe contraceptive use, pregnancy intentions, and adequacy of access to reproductive healthcare among women receiving opioid agonist therapy in northeast Tennessee. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was piloted among female patients aged 18 to 55 years from two opioid agonist therapy clinics. Descriptive analyses were conducted using logistic regression to evaluate the statistical significance of bivariate associations. Results: Of 91 participants, 84% reported having health insurance, with 70% perceiving having adequate access to health care. More than half had a history of unwanted pregnancy (53%), among whom few (23.1%) reported the consistent use of contraception at time of conception. Although most desired to avoid pregnancy (90%), only 59% of women reported the current use of regular contraception. Most of those not using regular contraception believed that they were not at risk for pregnancy (54.3%). Conclusions: Although most participants reported adequate access to health care and a desire to avoid pregnancy, few reported the consistent use of regular contraception. Furthermore, misperceptions regarding pregnancy risk were common among participants. Research is needed to identify barriers to contraceptive acceptance and causes of pregnancy risk misperceptions in this population of women at increased risk of unintended pregnancy.

E-cigarette use among youth in the United States (U.S.) continues to increase. In the rural Northeast Tennessee, where prevalence of tobacco use is higher than national and state averages, there is no literature on e-cigarette use to inform policies and programs. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of e-cigarette use and examine association of e-cigarette use with two tobacco products among school-going adolescents. Data from 894 participants of a school-based survey conducted in 2016 in Northeast Tennessee were analyzed. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were conducted to estimate the prevalence and delineate the associations between e-cigarette use and other tobacco products. Approximately 11% of the participants currently used e-cigarettes, and 35% had ever used e-cigarettes. About 6% of the participants were current users of both e-cigarettes and cigarettes; 4% were current users of e-cigarettes and smokeless tobacco; 3% were current users of all three products, and 15% had ever tried all three products. More than one-half of current e-cigarette users (52%) also smoked cigarettes. Adjusting for covariates, current e-cigarette use was positively associated with cigarette smoking [Odds Ratio (OR) 27.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) 14.4–51.7] and smokeless tobacco use [OR 7.92, 95% CI 3.8–16.5]. E-cigarette use was more common among the high school students than cigarette and smokeless tobacco use, and a significant proportion of users either smoked cigarettes, used smokeless tobacco, or both. Thus, there is a critical need for preventive policies and programs to address dual and poly-use of these products.

Preparted by the First Tennessee-Virginia Development District in 1978, this tourism map denotes points of interest along the I-81 corridor of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. With I-81 constructed just 19 years earlier, this helped open the region up to many new travelers. This maps highlights some of the historic areas to visit, many of which still serve as area attractions today. These include Roan Mountain State park, Tipton-Haynes Farm and Davy Crockett's Birthplace. Also of note is the spelling of Jonesboro, which later reverted back to the original spelling of the town as Jonesborough. Physical copy resides in the Government Information, Law and Maps Department of East Tennessee State University’s Sherrod Library. / https://dc.etsu.edu/rare-maps/1006/thumbnail.jpg

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The Appalachian Preaching Missions (1955-1981) occurred annually in Northeast Tennessee, with their predecessor, the Bristol Preaching Mission, dating back to at least 1949. Local churches, primarily Protestant, organized and convened these annual ecumenical gatherings. Nationally known clergy and laypeople from various denominations spoke, with up to several thousand congregants attending each mission. These individuals provided sermons and speeches on spiritual, domestic, and international issues. Among the most consistently repeated sermon themes was Christianity’s spiritual conflict with atheistic communism. This work addresses the missions’ origins and how the speakers spoke on international Christian missions in decolonized or developing nations as threatened by communist regimes, anxieties of nuclear proliferation, and the need for ecumenical cooperation. This work demonstrates that the choice of subject matter and speakers at the missions reflected wider American anti-communism, an increased politicization of Christianity, and ecumenical coalition building.