Digital Commons Network^™

Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Model In Rodents: Methods And Potential Pitfalls, Fudong Liu, Louise D. Mccullough

UCHC Articles - Research

A variety of animal models have been developed for modeling ischemic stroke. The middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model has been utilized extensively, especially in rodents. While the MCAO model provides stroke researchers with an excellent platform to investigate the disease, controversial or even paradoxical results are occasionally seen in the literature utilizing this model. Various factors exert important effects on the outcome in this stroke model, including the age and sex of the animal examined. This paper discusses emerging information on the effects of age and sex on ischemic outcomes after MCAO, with an emphasis on mouse models of …

Serum Fibrosis Markers Are Associated With Liver Disease Progression In Non-Responder Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C, Herbert L. Bonkovsky

UCHC Articles - Research

Abstract

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to explore the association of serum fibrosis marker levels with the risk of clinical and histological disease progression in a large cohort of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC)

DESIGN/SETTING

462 prior non-responders to peginterferon and ribavirin enrolled in the randomized phase of the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-term Treatment against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) Trial had baseline and annual serum samples tested for hyaluronic acid (HA), n-terminal peptide of procollagen type 3, tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1, and YKL-40.

OUTCOME MEASURES

All patients underwent a pretreatment liver biopsy and follow-up biopsies at years 2 …

Dentoskeletal And Soft Tissue Treatment Effects Of Two Different Methods For Treating Class Ii Malocclusions., Madhur Upadhyay

Master's Theses

Objectives: Moderate to severe Class II malocclusions can not only cause esthetic and functional problems but can also lead to psychological problems of varying intensity depending on the amount of anterior-posterior discrepancy and its interaction with the related soft tissue structures. Although there are several methods of treating such malocclusions (extractions,distalization,functional appliances etc), the final goal is always to provide acceptable esthetics and stability. The purpose of this clinical-cephalometric study was to examine the dentoskeletal and soft tissue treatment effects of maxillary anterior teeth retraction with mini-implant (MI) anchorage in young adults having Class II Division I malocclusion undergoing extraction …

Oral Mucositis: The New Paradigms, Rajesh V. Lalla, Douglas E. Peterson

UCHC Articles - Research

Purpose of review

Mucositis has long been viewed as an unavoidable consequence of high-dose chemotherapy and/or radiation. Management has been directed to supportive care including oral pain control, nutritional support, infection treatment and control of diarrhea. While these interventions have been valuable for clinical management, they have not been collectively directed to molecularly targeted prevention and treatment. This review addresses recent advances regarding mucosal injury in cancer patients, with emphasis on symptom clusters, genetically-based tissue susceptibility and risk prediction, imaging technology, and computational biology.

Recent findings

Modeling of symptom clusters in cancer patients continues to mature. Although integration of mucositis …

Causality Assessment In Drug-Induced Liver Injury Using A Structured Expert Opinion Process: Comparison To The Roussel-Uclaf Causality Assessment Method, James W. Freston

Articles - Patient Care

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is largely a diagnosis of exclusion and is therefore challenging. The US Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network (DILIN) prospective study used two methods to assess DILI causality: a structured expert opinion process and the Roussel-Uclaf Causality Assessment Method (RUCAM). Causality assessment focused on detailed clinical and laboratory data from patients with suspected DILI. The adjudication process used standardized numerical and descriptive definitions and scored cases as definite, highly likely, probable, possible, or unlikely. Results of the structured expert opinion procedure were compared with those derived by the RUCAM approach. Among 250 patients with suspected DILI, the expert …

Effects Of Naltrexone Treatment For Alcohol-Related Disorders On Healthcare Costs In An Insured Population, Henry R. Kranzler

UCHC Articles - Research

Objective To determine the impact of treatment with oral naltrexone on healthcare costs in patients with alcohol-related disorders. Methods Using data from the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database for 2000–2004, we identified a Naltrexone Group (with an alcohol-related diagnosis and at least one pharmacy claim for oral naltrexone) and two control groups. Alcohol Controls had an alcohol-related diagnosis and were not prescribed an alcoholism treatment medication. Non-Alcohol Controls had no alcohol-related diagnosis and no prescription for an alcoholism treatment medication. The control groups were matched three to one to the naltrexone group on demographic and other relevant measures. Healthcare …

A Prospective Cohort Study Investigating Factors Associated With Depression During Medical Internship, Grace Chan, Henry R. Kranzler

UCHC Articles - Research

Context

Although the prevalence of depression among medical interns substantially exceeds that of the general population, the specific factors responsible are not well understood. Recent reports of a moderating effect of a genetic polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) in the serotonin transporter protein gene on the likelihood that life stress will precipitate depression may help to understand the development of mood symptoms in medical interns.

Objective

To identify psychological, demographic and residency program factors that associate with depression among interns and use medical internship as a model to study the moderating effects of this polymorphism using a prospective, within-subject design that addresses the …

Phonological Development In Hearing Children Of Deaf Parents, Erin N. Toohey

Honors Scholar Theses

Phonological development in hearing children of deaf parents Dr. Diane Lillo-Martin 5/9/2010 The researcher wishes to determine the significance of a unique linguistic environment on the effects of phonological development. The research examines whether 3 hearing children of deaf parents, hereafter referred to as CODAs, have inconsistencies, as compared to children in a typical linguistic environment, in their syllable structure, phonological processes or phonemic inventories. More specifically, the research asks whether their speech is more consistent with children of typical environments or more similar to children with phonological delays or disorders or articulation disorders. After the examination of these three …

Conceptualizing Success In Therapeutic Wilderness Experiences: The Creation And Maintenance Of Instructor-Participant Relationships, Chelsea I. Ambrozaitis

Honors Scholar Theses

Researchers have noted that relationships created between instructors and clients in therapeutic wilderness experiences are unique (Russell, 2003; Russell & Phillips-Miller, 2001; Sklar, Anderson, & Autry, 2007; Taniguchi et al., 2009), but little research has been done to explore these relationships. The present study is an investigation of how instructors build and maintain relationships with participants, conceptualize these relationships, and define success in these tasks. Nine instructors from a wilderness program for at-risk youth participated in interviews. Data were analyzed using a line-by-line coding technique. Results of this study add to existing research on wilderness therapy and therapeutic wilderness experiences, …

Female Condom Knowledge, Attributes And Behavior: Barriers To Use And Potential For Acceptance Among Sexually Active Undergraduate Students, Paige Nuzzolillo 6368479

Honors Scholar Theses

Minimal research has been conducted on the acceptability of the female condom among college populations despite its existence in the world market since 1992. The FC2, an improved version of FC1, has recently been released in the United States, thus prompting the need for further acceptability studies. Due to increasingly high rates of STDs among those aged 15-24, every method of protection against STDs/HIV and pregnancy must be utilized. This study involved a campus-wide survey which examined University of Connecticut (Uconn) main campus (Storrs) undergraduate students’ knowledge of the female condom, perceptions of and attitudes towards the female condom as …

Should The Concentration Of Vitamin D Be Measured In All Patients With Hypertension?, Angela Boldo, Patrick Campbell, Pooja Luthra, William B. White

UCHC Articles - Research

With mounting evidence indicating the direct effect of vitamin D on the vascular smooth muscle cell, endothelial function and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, it is clear that randomized trials of vitamin D replacement and renin and angiotensin inhibition in patients with hypertension and vitamin D deficiency are warranted. Preliminary research has shown an inverse relationship between BP and vitamin D levels, and supplementation appears promising. To that end, we have just initiated a randomized clinical trial evaluating the effects of vitamin D and/or a renin inhibitor on ambulatory and clinic BP in vitamin D deficient patients with hypertension (clinical trials.gov identifier …

Genetic Influences On The Dynamics Of Pain And Affect In Fibromyalgia, Howard A. Tennen, Jonathan Covault

UCHC Articles - Research

Objective The purpose of the present investigation was to determine if variation in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and mu-opioid receptor (OPRM1) genes is associated with pain-related positive affective regulation in fibromyalgia (FM). Design Forty-six female FM patients completed an electronic diary that included daily assessments of positive affect and pain. Between- and within-person analyses were conducted with multilevel modeling. Main Outcome Measure Daily positive affect was the primary outcome measure. Results Analyses revealed a significant gene × experience interaction for COMT, such that individuals with met/met genotype experienced a greater decline in positive affect on days …

Feasibility Of Using Interactive Voice Response To Monitor Daily Drinking, Moods And Relationship Processes On A Daily Basis In Alcoholic Couples, Howard A. Tennen

UCHC Articles - Research

Background

Daily process research on alcohol involvement has used paper-and-pencil and electronic data collection methods, but no studies have yet tested the feasibility of using Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology to monitor drinking, affective, and social interactional processes among alcoholic (ALC) couples. This study tested the feasibility of using IVR with n=54 ALC couples.

Methods

Participants were n=54 couples (probands who met criteria for a past one-year alcohol use disorder and their partners) recruited from a substance abuse treatment center and the local community. Probands and their partners reported on their daily drinking, marital interactions, and moods once a day …

Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Low Birth Weight Delivery Associated With Maternal Occupational Characteristics, John D. Meyer, Nicholas D. Warren, Susan T. Reisine

UCHC Articles - Research

Objectives

Work characteristics and maternal education have both been associated with low birth weight (LBW) delivery. We sought to examine the relative contribution of these two factors to LBW delivery and determine whether ethnic/racial differentials in educational attainment and work characteristics might play a role in well-described disparities in LBW.

Methods

Scores for work substantive complexity (SC) derived from the O*NET were imputed to maternal occupation for Connecticut singleton births in 2000. Risks for LBW were estimated separately for black, Hispanic, and white mothers using logistic regression controlling for maternal covariates.

Results

Using white mothers as a referent, working is …

White Matter Hyperintensities Predict Functional Decline In Voiding, Mobility And Cognition In Older Persons, Dorothy B. Wakefield, George A. Kuchel, Richard F. Kaplan, Leslie I. Wolfson

UCHC Articles - Research

Objective

To compare MRI data to functional assessments of mobility, urinary control, and cognition to determine common or distinctive features in the distribution of brain white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) associated with functional decline/impairment.

Design

Baseline data from subjects 75-89 years enrolled in a longitudinal study. Assessors and subjects were blinded to group assignment.

Participants

99 subjects were enrolled using a balanced 3×3 matrix stratified by age and mobility performance. Exclusion criteria included: medication, systemic conditions, and neurologic diseases which can compromise mobility.

Setting

Healthy community-dwelling volunteers.

Measurements

WMHs were identified using semi-automated segmentation method and regional burdens were assessed utilizing …

Periodontal Infections, Inflammatory Markers In Chronic Kidney Disease, Eric Sanjay Choudhury

SoDM Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Epidemiological Assessment Of The Association Between Chronic Periodontitis And Psychological Distress/Major Depressive Disorder In General And Renal Populations, Dongha Oh

SoDM Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Cognitive Reserve On The Rate Of Cognitive Decline In Persons With Mild Cognitive Impairment, Nicholas Adams

UCHC Graduate School Masters Theses 2003 - 2010

No abstract provided.

Feasibility Of Screening For Violence In The Pediatric Emergency Department Setting, Courtney M. Thomas

UCHC Graduate School Masters Theses 2003 - 2010

No abstract provided.

Sexual Risk And High Risk Behavior Among Substance Abusing Adolescents In Hartford, Connecticut : Implications For Effective Treatment Delivery, Rosalie Simichak

UCHC Graduate School Masters Theses 2003 - 2010

Substance use and high risk sexual behavior have significant health consequences for adolescents who engage in these behaviors, including HIV, STD transmission, teen pregnancy, and an array of other associated health problems. The Hartford Youth Project (HYP) established by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, offers a system of substance abuse treatment which has proven to be effective in reducing adolescent engagement in such high risk behavior. In this study, the data generated by the HYP are examined in conjunction with data derived from a qualitative review of existing services in order to identify a sexual risk profile for …

An In-Depth Study Of Staphylooccus Aureus Infections And Cases Of Colonization In The Inpatient Population At A University Teaching Hospital, Nancy Russell Dupont

UCHC Graduate School Masters Theses 2003 - 2010

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a pathogen that has historically been identified in hospital-acquired infections since the mid 1900's. Epidemiologically significant trends have occurred which have identified the increasing prevalence of MRSA in the community setting. Methods: An investigation of all isolates positive for Staphylococcus aureus of the inpatient population was conducted over a nine year time period in a university teaching hospital. Additionally, a unit specific case/control study was conducted during an outbreak of MRSA in a neonatal intensive care unit. Results: From January of 1997 through December of 2005, the number of isolates identified as positive for …

Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention In San Jose, Costa Rica : Assessment Of An Educational Intervention, Alexandra Devin Mainiero

UCHC Graduate School Masters Theses 2003 - 2010

This thesis explores adolescent pregnancy in San Jose, Costa Rica and examines a school-based pregnancy prevention intervention. The relationships between school, gender and risk of adolescent pregnancy are also analyzed, and recommendations are made for effective pregnancy prevention programming. The Purral region of Guadalupe on the outskirts of San Jose, Costa Rica, suffers a higher rate of adolescent pregnancy compared to the rest of the country. In response to this problem, the International Health Central American Institute (IHCAI) implemented a sexual health education program in two local secondary schools in 2006. Very little information about the program is available. It …

Stroke In Women: Disparities And Outcomes, Rebecca W. Persky, Lisa Christine Turtzo, Louise D. Mccullough

UCHC Articles - Research

Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States and affects 15 million people worldwide. Studies performed in various parts of the world have found differences between sexes in stroke incidence, prevalence, mortality, and outcomes. Although men are at higher risk of stroke for most age groups below age 85 years, after this age the incidence reverses dramatically, with women being much more at risk. Furthermore, recent studies suggest that women have worse recovery than men post-stroke. Many aspects of recovery may influence this outcome, including sex-specific comorbidities, aggressiveness of acute treat-ment, prevention therapies, and varying degrees of …

Functional Polymorphisms In The Serotonin 1b Receptor Gene (Htr1b) Predict Self-Reported Anger And Hostility Among Young Men, Kevin P. Jensen, Henry M. Furneaux, Howard A. Tennen, Henry R. Kranzler, Jonathan Covault

UCHC Articles - Research

Objective To examine associations between haplotypes of the serotonin 1B receptor gene and individual differences in anger and hostility. Methods Data were analyzed from a study of 361 university students (47% male). Participants were genotyped at 5 polymorphisms in the HTR1B gene (rs11568817, rs130058, rs6296, rs6297, rs13212041), including promoter and 3′UTR polymorphisms with opposite functional effects on gene expression. Participants reported their emotional states across 30 consecutive days for up to four years. Haplotype pairs were constructed statistically and assigned to a level of HTR1B expression based on the presence of the functional polymorphisms. Results Six haplotypes accounted for >97% …