Life Sciences Commons^™

A Literature Review Of The Psychosocial Impacts On Livestock Producers And Veterinary Responders Involved With Depopulation During And After An Animal Health Emergency, Beth Galles

Capstone Experience

A vital aspect of an animal health emergency in the United States is removing and disposing of diseased and healthy animals through depopulation. It is frequently required to prevent the spread of diseases that affect human health or economic stability. Production animals are eventually slaughtered, but this does not negate the human-animal bond felt between these animals and their caretakers. There is increasing recognition that participation in depopulation may be a traumatic event requiring care for the individuals involved, including livestock producers and veterinarians. Despite this, limited resources are available for these individuals when an animal health emergency occurs. This …

Health Effects Of Neonicotinoids On An Agricultural Community, Jocelyn Rodriguez-Paar

Capstone Experience

Mead, Nebraska, a small United States agricultural community consisting of approximately 600 people, was accidentally exposed to high amounts of neonicotinoids when AltEn, an ethanol plant that used neonicotinoid coated corn and soybean seeds for biofuel, was discovered not disposing of the toxic byproduct safely. Coincidentally, there was also a leak in their wastewater system that also contaminated the nearby areas. Although neonicotinoids are not considered highly dangerous with low dose exposures, large dose exposures can cause symptoms similarly to nicotine poisonings, such as difficulty breathing, vomiting, nausea, hypertension, tachycardia, and lethargy (Imamura, T. et al., 2010). Neonicotinoid poisoning can …

Evaluating How Physical Activity Affects The Perception Of Resilience In Box Butte County, Nebraska, Eric Pulver

Capstone Experience

Physical activity is one of the modern hallmarks for good health in individuals and the public, in general. Resiliency is a growing concentration in all levels of disaster preparedness where the focus is on how to deal with the growing number of disasters stemming from global climate change. This research project’s aim is to look at the possible relationships between physical activity and resiliency in a rural Nebraska population. This was done with the use of a cross-sectional study utilizing a fifteen-question survey to gather demographics, assess the amount of physical activity, and then apply a perception of resilience tool …

A Systematic Literature Review On The Capability Of Sio₂-Np’S Exposure To Exacerbate Parkinson’S (Pd) Pathology And The Risk Factors For Biomedical Applications In Pd, Seth Abdallah

Capstone Experience

Silica Dioxide nanoparticles (SiO₂-NP) have become increasingly ubiquitous in industry, which has stimulated research into the potential toxicity of these compounds. Recent studies have explored the association between amorphous silica nanoparticle exposure and the potential for neurotoxicity. Additionally, research has been conducted in the application of SiO₂-NP’s in theranostics and as drug directing agents , which based on current literature may be contraindicated for individuals with conditions such as Parkinson's Disease (PD) which is characterized by neuroinflammation. The following literature review will discuss evidence for silica dioxide nanoparticle exposure to induce neurotoxicity which may exacerbate neurodegenerative diseases such as PD. …

Atrazine Levels In Rural Nebraska Counties And Parkinson's Disease, Muhammad Zahid

Capstone Experience

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a multifactorial disorder, connecting both genetic susceptibility and environmental risk factors. Several epidemiological and experimental studies support the evidence that pesticides exposure is positively associated with enhancing neurodegenerative diseases. The high amount of atrazine used in Nebraska and increased PD cases led us to evaluate the association between the long-lived water-soluble pesticide atrazine and PD in Nebraska counties. A person's exposure to atrazine may come from inhalation, dermal absorption, and ingestion. Three types of atrazine data covering 1992 to 2017 were used for this study: applied atrazine, atrazine in surface water, and atrazine in groundwater. In …

Assessing Nutritional Health Knowledge In Sharing Clinic Patients With Diabetes, Minden Huntrods

Capstone Experience

Effective diabetes prevention and management relies on nutritional behaviors, thus a basic level of health knowledge is important for patients with diabetes and their caregivers in their quest to acquire acute glycemic control and minimize negative health outcomes (Ley et al., 2014). The purpose of this study was to assess the nutrition-related health knowledge of patients living with diabetes who are seen at the UNMC Sharing Clinic by use of a verbal questionnaire. This nutritional health knowledge assessment was a quantitative, prospective, survey-based study utilizing descriptive statistics. Approximately 86% of patients were proficient in food group and nutritious foods knowledge …

The Effect Of Fiber And Omega-6:Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio On Asthma And Asthma-Related Symptoms In An Adult U.S. Population, Korie As Nelson

Capstone Experience

Asthma is one of the most common diseases in the world affecting more than 10% of adults in many westernized countries and 339 million globally. Studies have shown a positive association between increased dietary fiber and improvement in asthma-related inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to help mitigate inflammation in general. No identified studies have looked at the synergistic effect of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids alone and as a ratio with fiber on asthma, lung function, and respiratory morbidities. A positive association could mean that dietary interventions of fiber and fatty acids could significantly improve asthma and …

A Review Of The Characteristics Of Super-Utilizers And Evidence-Based Approaches To Reduce Healthcare Utilization, Suswara Mandala Rayabandla

Capstone Experience

A significant fraction of health care resources in the United States of America is utilized by a comparatively small number of people. An examination of the attributes and patterns and associated evidence-based interventions for such high-utilizing patients might aid clinicians to improve interventions to address the distinctive needs of these patients, decrease their risks for numerous hospitalizations, and contribute to reducing the costs. This study aims at exploring the existing literature on the characteristics of super-utilizers and interventions to reduce avoidable use of health care among this population. The method used for this research is a comprehensive literature review. Search …

Association Of Copy Number Variations With Chronic Hepatitis B In Chinese Population, Fang Niu

Capstone Experience

With one third of the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection population of the world, chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) has become a top burden in China. CHB is a lifelong infection with HBV which can cause serious health problems, like cirrhosis, liver cancer or even death. HBV infection is known to result in various clinical conditions, including asymptomatic HBV carriers to chronic hepatitis and primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Several studies have shown that host genetic susceptibility could be an important factor that determines these various outcomes of HBV infection. Many Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and Copy Number Variations (CNVs) have been associated …

Initiation Of A Roundtable Meeting To Determine Safety Hazards And Provide Education To Range Bison Herd Workers, Lucia Finocchiaro

Capstone Experience

This capstone project serves as an important piece of greater project studying bison handling. Bison production is both a growing and dangerous industry. As a new enterprise in many parts of the country and on tribal lands, significant numbers of untrained employees may be hired. This project undertakes methods to better understand the risks associated with bison handling and to thereby improve handling procedures and increase safety. Herd managers (from tribal and non-tribal sites), researchers, safety experts, and stakeholders were brought together for a roundtable meeting in Omaha. This meeting was designed to provide stakeholders a forum to discuss common …

Assessment Of Hearing Exposures And Personal Protective Equipment Use In Agricultural Workers, Kelsie M. Musil

Capstone Experience

Agriculture continues to rank as one of the most hazardous industries in the United States. This is in part due to the high number of hazardous exposures that farmers face, including respiratory and hearing exposures. The danger to workers can be reduced by properly wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). However, it has been shown that agricultural workers wear PPE at a low rate, in part due to inconvenience and poor accessibility of the equipment. There is little knowledge currently about how PPE are stored, maintained, and if they are used in a correct manner in specific exposure conditions by the …

Examining The Benefits And Client Satisfaction Of The Open Arms Of Minnesota Meal Service Program, Carlie Rhinehart

Capstone Experience

Chronic disease can leave individuals incapable of caring for themselves, leading to a low quality of life. Public health researchers have proven how crucial medically tailored meals are to those fighting such chronic diseases. Open Arms is a local nonprofit that started in 1986. They make and deliver meals, free of charge, to people with life-threatening illnesses.

The goal of this study is to examine the benefits of the meal services provided by Open Arms of Minnesota to clients who are chronically ill. To learn about the benefits, analysis was conducted on the client satisfaction survey data collected. The anonymous …