Digital Commons Network^™

Variability In Selecting Lateral Cephalometric Landmarks In Two Cbct Image Modes, Dana Nguyen

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the variability of lateral cephalometric landmark selection in two cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) lateral cephalometric simulations: 1) a mean projection image (MPI) and 2) a serial sagittal slice image (SSSI).

Methods: A MPI is a two-dimensional (2D) image obtained from the NewTom 3G^TM CBCT that resembles the conventional lateral cephalogram. A SSSI is a 2D image also obtained from CBCT data, but is created by superimposing a series of selected thin sagittal slices containing the required cephalometric landmarks. This study compared the Ricketts and Steiner analysis of the MPI …

An In Vitro Model Of Ovarian Cancer: Studying The Effects Of Talc And Pycnogenol®, Amber Renée Buz'zard

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer and accounts for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. The American Cancer Society has suggested that poor diet, talc and industrial pollutants may increase the risk of developing ovarian cancer. Talc is ubiquitous and concern is raised about its safety, role as a possible carcinogen and known ability to cause irritation and inflammation. Due to the silent nature of ovarian cancer, chemoprevention is a high priority. The most useful chemopreventive compounds will inhibit, delay or reverse carcinogenesis, and can be taken for long periods of time with …

Evaluation Of Program Outcomes: Assessment In Children, Cheryl M. Romano

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

In an age of increased concern for accountability and the review of services, administrators of health programs should be able to present their clinics effectiveness, and demonstrate their excellent service to the community, along with providing evidence for the continued need of such clinics. Outcome evaluation plays an integral part in providing this information, and is intended to provide information concerning the effectiveness of a particular program, thus allowing for modification, and even better outcomes.

This project addressed pre and post functioning in children referred for academic and/or behavioral difficulties, in a university of health sciences-based clinic. The aim was …

Implant Success In Distracted Bone Versus Autogenous Bone-Grafted Sites, Jeffrey Allan Elo

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Endosseous implants are the treatment of choice for restoring function and reconstructing edentulous areas of the maxilla and mandible. Alveolar defects can be reconstructed by either distraction osteogenesis or autogenous bone grafting. After alveolar reconstruction, endosseous implants are used to support and retain the prosthesis for restoration of form and function. We retrospectively analyzed the success rates of endosseous implant placement in distracted versus autogenous bone graft reconstruction sites in our patient population at Loma Linda University Medical Center, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 82 consecutive patients requiring alveolar augmentation prior to implant placement were evaluated. All patients were …

Influence Of Common Orthodontic Appliances On Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Joseph Matthew Elison

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an essential diagnostic tool in modern medicine. Conditions such as cerebral vascular accidents, epilepsy and other seizure disorders, autism, cancer, migraine and cluster headaches benefit from its use. It has been discovered that 4-10% of all children and adolescents will experience a seizure at some point (Hauser, 1994) and MRI is one of the most common imaging modalities for seizure and epilepsy diagnosis. Unfortunately, some orthodontic materials cause distortion on MR images. Radiologists would probably require the removal of any distortion-causing orthodontic appliance prior to MR imaging. It is questionable whether radiologists would be comfortable …

The Acute Effects Of Nut Ingestion On Plasma Levels Of Polyphenol Compounds, Biomarkers Of Antioxidant Status, And Lipid Peroxidation, Setareh Torabian Esfahani

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Nuts are rich sources of polyphenolic compounds and nutrients, which have antioxidant capacity. To assess the acute effect of treatment diet (75% of energy from nuts (walnut or almond) and control diet (habitual diet with no nut consumption) in healthy subjects on plasma total phenol content, antioxidant capacity and plasma lipid peroxidation. Thirteen subjects participated in the crossover design study. After an overnight fast, walnut, almond and a control diet, in form of smoothies, were consumed by the study subjects. Each subject participated on three occasions one week apart, consuming one of the smoothies each time. Blood samples were obtained …

Using The Outcome Questionnaire 45.2 In Obesity Treatment, Adam L. Arechiga

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if the Outcome Questionnaire 45.2 (OQ-45) can be used in the treatment of obesity to predict participant dropout and initial treatment success, in terms of weight loss (Lambert et. al, 2002a). The OQ-45 has been used with success to predict dropout from psychotherapy in clinical populations. It was hypothesized that higher pretreatment OQ-45 scores would be associated with less program completion and less weight loss by the end of treatment.

Method: The study employed a non-experimental time series design. Seventy-eight participants were recruited from the three local obesity treatment programs, which …

The Relationship Between High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein, Metabolic Syndrome And Exercise, Micheline A. Vargas

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: It is well known that regular physical activity is associated with lower risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Physical activity is also considered an important determinant of metabolic syndrome. All levels of metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease are thought to involve inflammation. Physical activity may reduce risk, at least in part, by modifying the inflammatory process. Recent studies have demonstrated an inverse relationship between inflammatory markers, such as high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and physical activity. Elevated hs-CRP appears to be an independent predictor of both CVD and diabetes. Recent evidence also suggests that …

Effects Of Diabetes Mellitus On The Healing Of The Dental Pulp, Stuart Evan Garber

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) has been implicated as a factor affecting healing. The purpose of this study was to use the healing of experimentally exposed pulps subsequent to pulp capping as a model to determine the effect of DM on healing.

Twenty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups of eleven animals each. In one group, DM was induced by injection of 70 mg/KG of streptozotocin. In the other group, the animals were injected with sterile saline. Under anesthesia with Ketamine and Xylazine, the pulps of the maxillary first molars of all rats were exposed using a 1/16 round bur under …

Influence Of Keratinized Mucosa, Bone Dimensions On Mucosal Recession And Bone Loss, Jeanette Keng Ling Chua

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: To accomplish successful esthetic outcome, it would be an advantage if some pre-implant placement conditions could be identified which would predict soft and hard tissue outcomes post-implant placement. This study was designed to evaluate the influence of 1) height of mid-buccal keratinized mucosa at implant surgery and 2) thickness of mid-buccal bone after osteotomy on the amounts of mid-buccal mucosal recession and bone loss during the first year after implant treatment. This report presents the initial 3-month follow-up.

Materials and methods: Nine patients scheduled for surgical placement of a total of 11 single-staged implants, without adjacent teeth and planned …

Visual-Spatial & Visual-Motor Function In Pediatric Heart Transplant Recipients, Stephanine Dianne Griffone

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Heart surgery is commonly used to repair congenital heart defects and to perform heart transplantation. The associated hypoxia before or during the surgery may cause damage in the parasaggital area of the cerebral cortex, with resulting difficulty during tasks requiring visual-spatial and visual-motor skills. This study compares the performance of children who received a heart transplant during infancy to that of nonclinical children with no medical complications on three visual-motor measures, three visual-spatial measures, and two computerized visual-spatial tasks - a Block Design Matching task and a Mental Rotation task. The children who received a heart transplant achieved significantly lower …