Life Sciences Commons^™

Stress, Burnout, And Depression Among African Immigrant Direct Support Professionals Working With Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Mary A. Onyejose

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractStress and burnout are recognized problems among staff working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). However, information on stress and burnout in African immigrant direct support professionals (DSPs) is lacking. The purpose of this correlational mediation study was to investigate whether burnout mediates the relationship between stress and depression among African immigrants working with adults with IDDs. Job stress theory and burnout theory served as the theoretical framework for the study. Overall, 111 DSPs completed self-report questionnaires: the Maslach Burnout Inventory, Parker and DeCotiis’ Job Stress Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Results revealed that stress significantly predicted …

Functional Genomics Of The Angiotensin Ii Type 2 Receptor In The Developing Brain, Traci Pawlowski

All Dissertations

The mammalian brain expresses two angiotensin II specific receptors, the angiotensin II type 1 (AGTR1) and type 2 (AGTR2). Studies in humans and mice indicate a possible role for AGTR2 in learning, memory and behavior. However, AGTR2 gene function in the brain, and the molecular mechanisms by which AGTR2 exerts its physiological action, remains elusive. This study examines the possible role of AGTR2 in the developing brain and in brain function by employing three different approaches.
To identify genes in the developing brain that depend on AGTR2 function, a microarray analysis was conducted that compared the gene expression of Agtr2-/y …

An Analysis Of Mitochondrial Dna In Rett Syndrome And Other Neurodegenerative Disorders, Catherine Erickson Burgess

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Mitochondrial dysfunction resulting from mutations on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is being recognized in a growing spectrum of diseases. These diseases, resulting from single base mutations, large deletions, or insertions, have been largely neuromuscular in origin. However, as an understanding of the effects of mtDNA mutations progresses, attention is now focusing on neurodegenerative diseases. Rett Syndrome (RS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease with predominantly female cases, demonstrates morphologic mitochondrial changes, mitochondrial enzyme deficiencies and maternal inheritance (characteristic of mtDNA diseases). No investigation of mtDNA involvement has been previously conducted and, to date, no biological marker exists for this disorder.

Our preliminary studies …