Digital Commons Network^™

Is Less Really More?: Determining The Efficacy And Advantages Of Low Dose Chemotherapy, Natalie Toews

Senior Honors Theses

Chemotherapy is the preferred treatment for patients with breast cancer nationwide; however, the dosage and duration of this treatment have come under recent scrutiny. The efficacy of high dose chemotherapy is many times inadequate, and the adverse physical effects resulting from this regimen have a negative holistic impact on the patients. Studies suggest that low dose chemotherapy, through antiangiogenesis, affects the spread of breast cancer carcinomas and may produce less harmful side effects in relation to the heart, brain, and eyes. Thus, oncological research proposes that a low dose regimen improves the patient’s quality of life and may be an …

The Water Crisis In Third World Countries, Monterey Starkey

Senior Honors Theses

People living in third world countries are suffering from a water crisis that has become a major global health issue. Water is essential for life—not only for the body’s physical needs but also for domestic use; yet millions of people do not have access to potable water. The lack of available clean water contributes to numerous waterborne and water-washed diseases, causing the death of millions of people annually and hindering the development of communities. This paper will explore the problems of obtaining potable water and present solutions at individual and community levels that can help solve the water crisis in …

Parkinson’S Disease: Molecular Mechanisms And Treatments, Delia Vahey

Senior Honors Theses

Parkinson’s disease is a motor system disorder that is caused primarily by the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells. The most affected brain structure is the pars compacta of the substantia nigra. This area of the brain is essential to the control of voluntary movement, and so its impairment leads to symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, and impaired balance. The neuronal protein alpha-synuclein has been shown to be heavily involved in the pathogenesis of the disease at the cellular level. The currently available treatments for PD mainly target dopamine regulation, and there been no cure developed for the disease at present. …

Heterotopic Ossification: Cellular Basis, Symptoms, And Treatment, Brian Wolfe

Senior Honors Theses

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is the process by which calcified bone develops in soft tissues. Because of the abnormal calcification, complications such as bone deformation, loss of range of motion, and joint immobility adversely affect patients. There are many genetic types of heterotopic ossification, namely fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, progressive osseous heteroplasia, and Albright hereditary osteodystrophy. However, this condition can also arise from surgery, burns, or traumatic injuries, so it is seen as an important area for research in the future. There are various treatments available such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and radiation therapy, as well as combinations of the two. The …

A School-Based Intervention Of Adolescent Obesity Prevention In At-Risk Youth, Leah M. Potecha

Senior Honors Theses

Obesity has become an epidemic in the United States, affecting individuals of all ages. Adolescents are particularly susceptible to obesity due to their decrease in physical activity, as well as to the greater availability of foods void of nutritional value. Adolescents’ impressionable natures and changing bodies also contribute to their increased weights. To combat the problem of obesity, many schools have implemented obesity prevention programs. Most of these programs are based on physical education and nutrition education. However, some schools have started mentorship programs, or worked with organizations that employ mentorship programs, to prevent obesity. The Lynchburg Healthy Living program …

Hormonal Birth Control And Abortifacient Mechanisms, Catherine M. Powell

Senior Honors Theses

Recently, there has been a growing controversy, especially among evangelicals, over whether the birth control pill might have an abortifacient mechanism that sometimes causes early chemical abortions. An understanding of this controversy necessitates a clear definition of abortion, abortifacient, pregnancy, implantation, and especially personhood. If a zygote (fertilized egg) is not a person, then it has no fundamental rights and there is essentially no debate concerning the possible link between birth control pills and abortion. There is strong indirect evidence of post-fertilization, or abortive, effects of hormonal birth control. If zygotes are people, and birth …

Analysis Of The Effects And Current Treatments Of Laminin Deficiency, Joshua Mark Reynolds

Senior Honors Theses

Laminin (LM) is a network of proteins that functions as a connective framework of most cells in the body. It is composed of multiple different subunits and therefore has many different variations. It is a trimeric protein, meaning that it is composed primarily of ⍺, β, and γ chains. The differentiation of these subunits is what gives the different variants their functions. In addition, although LM is the primary molecule in scope, the network of other connective proteins involved in LM-associated diseases will also be covered in lesser detail because molecules like dystrophin, dystroglycan, collagen, and integrin are vital to …

Surgical Delay For Hip Fracture Clients And The Use Of Clopidogrel: An Integrative Review, Phoebe Genevieve Waller

Senior Honors Theses

Abstract

Hip fractures in elderly patients have very high postoperative mortality rates and the number of hip fractures in the United States is expected to increase exponentially before 2030. Early surgery is essential to improve outcomes, but patients on clopidogrel (Plavix) have a high risk for increased bleeding if surgery is performed within the usual 72 hour window. This paper presents literature and research addressing the dangers of delaying surgery versus undergoing surgery before the effects of the clopidogrel are gone. Based on articles published after 2006, most researchers advocated earlier surgical intervention than previously recommended and emphasized an individualized …

Nature Versus Nurture: A Study Of Adopted And Biological Children And Their Behavioral Patterns, Courtney Janaye Grenke

Senior Honors Theses

Nurses encounter many different populations of people every day and they must know how to treat them. Adopted children are a population that nurses encounter and there are disagreements concerning whether they are at an increased risk for developing behavioral problems as compared to biological children. It is also debated whether genetics or environment plays a more prominent role in childhood development. Most studies conclude that adopted children are at an increased risk for more behavioral problems due to the unique struggles and challenges they must overcome with genetics playing a bigger role than environment. Nurses can use this information …

A Social Controversy: Autism Spectrum Disorder's Correlation To The Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccination, Lindsay A. Frye

Senior Honors Theses

A 1998 research study lead by Dr. Andrew Wakefield linked the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination as a probable cause to autism spectrum disorder. This publication has started a significant debate among healthcare professionals and instigated an anti-vaccination movement within the general population. This vaccination controversy was started by parents who readily accepted Wakefield’s findings as truth and frequently would choose to withdrawal the administration of vaccinations from their children’s care plans. There has also been disapproval by healthcare professionals over Wakefield’s study since numerous research teams have been unable to replicate his findings. This disagreement surrounding the MMR vaccination is likely …

A Review Of The Molecular And Genetic Foundations Of Ankylosing Spondylitis, Emily Dowlearn

Senior Honors Theses

Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is an autoimmune disease that occurs in an adult-onset or juvenile-onset form. The symptoms, severity, and prevalence of this disease vary according to sex, age, and race. AS has been strongly associated with the gene that codes for protein HLA-B27, a protein that misfolds in AS and causes stress on the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER). The ER then sets off a chain of events leading to the observed AS symptoms. Other mutant genes such as Interleukin 23R (IL23R) and ER Amino Peptidase 1 (ERAP1) have been associated with AS, though not as prominent as HLA-B27. AS is thought …

Cosmetic Neurology: Enhancement Of The Mind And Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Medication Abuse Among College Students, Mary M. Huff

Senior Honors Theses

Cosmetic neurology is becoming increasingly popular, and it is not just sleep deprived, over worked college students who are interested. People are beginning to seek off-label prescriptions for medications that are typically used to treat disorders such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) or narcolepsy, while researchers are trying to create drugs used solely for mind enhancement purposes. Along with these drugs come many legal and ethical quandaries relating to the regulation of current use as well as the what ifs of future possibilities. A survey was conducted among college students regarding the diagnosis of ADHD, the abuse of ADHD …