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Measured Effects Of Rapid Palatal Expansion On Nasal Cavity Volume Utilizing Cbct, Jon Neal Robinson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and predict the expected changes that occur in the nasal cavity volume following rapid palatal expansion. Eighteen subjects (11 female, 7 male), ages 9 to 18, requiring rapid palatal expansion in conjunction with comprehensive orthodontic treatment, were selected for the study. Rapid palatal expansion was accomplished using the standard, banded hyrax appliance. Three-dimensional cone beam computed tomograms using the NewTom 9000™ were acquired before and after expansion. Serial coronal slices of the nasal cavity were made using the QV9000™ software program. The resultant serial images were imported into 3-D Doctor™ for analysis …

The Histological Effects Of Mandibular Distraction Osteogenesis On Rabbit Condyles, Eunice Jungmin Hong

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The present study is a histological evaluation of condyles taken from rabbits that underwent either a midline or paramedian distraction osteogenesis procedure on the mandibles. Fifteen rabbits were originally operated on and eight of these fifteen successfully made it through both the distraction osteogenesis procedure and the 1 month holding period that followed. There was one control animal.

In the present study, the condyles from these nine rabbits (1 control, 2 midline distraction osteogenesis, 6 paramedian distraction osteogenesis) were prepared for histological evaluation (18 total). Step serial sections were cut along the coronal plane and the sections from the anterior …

Radiation Effects On Dopamine-Mediated Prepulse Inhibition In The C57bl/6 Mouse, Cara Nicole Zuccarelli Miller

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study examined the effects of proton and gamma radiation on a dopamine-dependent sensory gating mechanism: prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex. The purpose of this research was to describe potential hazards of proton radiation to the central nervous system in long-term space fight and for proton therapy patients. Results from previous research indicate that startle behavior is modified by proton and iron radiation. Forty-eight 10-½ week old, male C57BL/6 mice were used to characterize the optimal parameters for the model (prepulse duration, probe duration, and stimulus-onset-asynchrony). Three hundred and fifty two mice were used to characterize the time course …

The Radiopacity Of 29 Resin Restorative Materials Compared To Enamel, Peter Lubisich Iv

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The radiodensity of a composite resin can greatly influence a clinician's ability to analyze a restoration for failure. The purpose of this study was to determine the relative radiopacities of 29 resin restorative materials compared to enamel, and to verify the comparable radiopacity between shades of 23 of the restorative composite resin materials. Composite resin discs measuring >5mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness were made and polymerized. Radiographs were taken of the composite resin discs, which included an aluminum step wedge for calibration and a densitometer was used to measure the radiodensity of the composite resin samples. The …

Quantification Of Bone Deposition In Onlay Bone Grafting, Gregory Alan Kammeyer

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to quantitatively evaluate; 1) mandibular posterior mono-cortical block onlay bone graft success rates 2) the amount of grafted bone retained after initial resorption in radiographic projections. Seven consecutive patients with 14 mandibular posterior implant sites requiring bone augmentation for implants of a standard 3.8mm x 10mm dimension were sought. Mono-cortical block bone grafts from the ipsilateral ascending ramus were placed then observed with two standardized CT scans, dividing them into two groups: Group A had the first CT at 4 weeks after graft placement and a second taken before Prosthodontic reconstruction, 36.7 weeks later. …

Assessment Of Alveolar Bone Density Using Implant Insertion Resistance Torque, Scott Sangmoo Lee

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: Implant stability during healing is a pre-requisite for successful osseointegration. In the case of early or immediate implant loading, it is necessary to achieve high level of stabilization during surgical placement. Fixture stabilization can be measured by resonance frequency analysis or implant insertion resistance torque measurement. The aim of this study is to correlate pre-operative radiographic bone density to implant insertion resistance torque in human cadaver jaw bone.

Materials & Methods: Sixty-four implant osteotomy sites in human cadaver jaw bones were previously examined radiographically using quantitative computed tomography (QCT) and quantitative cone-beam computed tomography (QCBCT). Forty-two implant insertion sites …

Intensive Care Medical Procedure : Ptsd Symptoms In Children, Ludmila Zaytsev

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Studies indicate that medical procedures may cause post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms (fear, avoidance, sleep disturbances, irritability, concentration difficulties. hypervigilance). It has been suggested that administration of midazolam hydrochloride, a sedative/amnesic medication commonly used in the Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU), may help decrease if not prevent the development of PTS symptoms. This study examined if PTS symptoms were related to procedural invasiveness (PI) and whether midazolam had a moderating effect on the development and intensity of PTS symptoms in children. English-speaking children ages 8-16 (N=20) who had been in the PICU for at least 3 days were recruited at Loma …

The Psychological Characteristics Of Obese Children, Thomas Taylor Mitchell

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Several studies along with the surgeon general of the United States have identified obesity as a national health issue. Research indicates that adult obesity treatment has relatively poor long-term effects. Consequently increased attention has been given to addressing obesity in children. This focus is particularly vital due to the fact that children are one of the populations showing the most rapid increase in overweight and obesity. The purpose of this study was to identify the some of the unique psychological characteristics of obese children by analyzing the intake data of children and adolescents attending the Loma Linda University Growing Fit …

Prediction Of 1976 Diabetes Incidence From 1960 Animal Product Consumption Among California Seventh-Day Adventists, Arnold Vang

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes in the US has been estimated at more than 16 million individuals (King, 1998). This has led to research into lifestyle practices (Astrup, 2001; Touomilehto, 2001), which has identified several of primary prevention. High fat diet and type 2 diabetes has been attributed to the wellareas known mechanisms of hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinaemia and insulin resistance (Ferrannini, 1999; Reaven, 1988).

We examined the association between all animal product consumption, specific animal product consumption and diabetes incidence among California Seventh-day Adventists who were cohort members of the Adventist Mortality Study (Kahn, 1984) and the Adventist Health …

Cultural And Psychological Influences On Diabetic Adherence, Keikilani Mcmillin-Williams

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Diabetes mellitus is a serious disease that poses a particular healthcare challenge because progression is considered controllable (Cox, et al, 1985; Vinicor, et al, 1996) yet treatment adherence, and thus outcome, is very poor (Gonder-Frederick, Cox, & Ritterband, 2002; Goodall, 1991). Culture is a lethal risk factor for diabetic contraction and treatment maintenance. Latinos within the United States are two-to-three times more likely to develop complications and die than non-Latinos (Haffner et al, 1996; Rubin, Peyrot, & Saudek, 1991) and are less likely to adhere to treatment (Lipton, Losey, Giachello, Mendez, & Girotti, 1998). Efforts to eliminate health disparities have …

Are Antinuclear Antibodies And Rheumatiod Factor Positivity More Prevalent In Apparently Healthy Smokers Compared To Ex-Smokers And Never Smokers?, Susan Nyanzi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Context: There is now consistent evidence from population and epidemiological studies that cigarette smoking is an independent risk factor for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), via Rheumatoid Factor (RF) production (Deighton, 1997; Saag, 1997; Silman, 1996; Uhlig, 1999; Wolfe, 2000). Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA) are another collection of autoantibodies that are being associated with smoking and RA initiation. To our knowledge, no studies have examined the effects of smoking on both ANA and RF simultaneously in healthy subjects.

Objectives: To determine whether cigarette smoking has an effect on ANA and RF positivity in healthy blood donors.

Design, Setting, Participants: This was a cross-sectional, …

The Role Of Health Promotion In Physical Therapy, Brenda L. Rea

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate physical therapy practice patterns in four focus areas of Healthy People 2010 (focus area #6, disability and secondary conditions by looking at psychological well-being; focus area #19, nutrition and overweight; focus area #22, physical fitness and activity; focus area #27, tobacco use) and identify self-efficacy and outcome expectations related to those practice patterns across California, New York and Tennessee using Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory as a framework. It was hypothesized that physical therapists’ self-efficacy and outcome expectations in the four focus areas of Healthy People 2010 would be significantly associated with …

Distraction Osteogenesis In Edentulous Alveolar Bone With Rhbmp-2 Enhancement, Liviu F. Eftimie

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Distraction osteogenesis, a unique system of affecting rapid bone healing in fractures, realigning malformed bones, and lengthening congenitally short and traumatically shortened bones has become an increasingly utilized technique for the maxillofacial region. The use of distraction osteogenesis has been described for increasing the height of edentulous mandibular alveolar ridges while concurrently forming new bone within the ridge to allow for adequate reconstruction. A standard protocol for performing distraction osteogenesis in the maxillofacial region has been well documented in the literature. Standard distraction osteogenesis requires an initial surgery to place the distraction osteogenesis device and mobilize the segment to be …

Exploring The Physician’S Processes: Diagnosing Autism, Gwennyth Li Sze Palafox

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Physicians are customarily the first point of contact for parents who are concerned about a child’s development. Thus, it is important for physicians to be current and educated about childhood disorders and subsequent treatment for those disorders. Recently, empirical evidence has led to the proposal of early indicators of autism supporting that autism may be diagnosed accurately in children less than three years old. Furthermore, formal screening and assessment parameters developed by medical organizations have been proposed in order to identify autism as early as possible (American Academy of Neurology, 2000). While the proposed parameters and empirical evidence support early …

Ultrasonic Removal Of Bacteria From Plated Cells, Cecilia Chi-Pei Kao

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Children often present with dental trauma to pediatric emergency departments and pediatric dental offices. There is a wide spectrum of types of dental trauma. Although research has been done concerning the treatment of avulsed teeth, the current recommendations in the published guidelines might still be improved for better long term prognoses. One may speculate that ultrasonification of an avulsed tooth prior to replantation may dislodge existing surface bacteria and improve the prognosis for the tooth. This was as an in vitro study to test this concept. Epithelial cells were grown in 6-well tissue culture plates. Standardized amounts of Staphylococcus aureus …

The Role Of Meat, Poultry, And Fish Consumption In The Occurrence Of Rheumatoid And Other Forms Of Arthritis, Asnake Hailu

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of arthritis or rheumatism are now the leading cause of disability in the United States. The etiology and pathogenesis are less understood and available treatment options are not always satisfactory. This dissertation measures the prevalence and cumulative incidence of rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of arthritis or rheumatism, and examines any associations with current and lifetime consumption of meat, poultry, and fish (meat) using the Adventist Health Study and the Adventist Mortality Study databases. From these databases, it was possible to reconstruct a prospective cohort, obtain self-reported information on demographic characteristics, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, other …