Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Correlation Of Size Of Core Network And Frequency Of Contacts With Agitation And Positive Affect In Elderly With Dementia, Amal Ali Al Ghassani

Theses and Dissertations

In the country of Oman, care needs of older adults are primarily provided by family members in the home. The study was guided by socioemotional selectivity theory, the environmental vulnerability hypothesis, and the need-driven dementia-compromised behavior theories. The central premise was that the size of the person’s activities of daily living (ADL) core network and frequency of contact with the ADL core network would predict agitation and affect. A smaller core network with a higher frequency of contact may be better at identifying and treating the person’s unmet needs. A secondary premise was that the emotional closeness of the core …

Influence Of Expectations Of Aging On Older Women’S Use Of Dietary Supplements Using The Health Promotion Theory, Barbara Emily Hekel

Theses and Dissertations

The use of vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements by older adults is increasing and changing. There are concerns about supplement quality, safety, and vitamin D overuse. Little is known about supplement use by nursing home residents and about factors that influence older women to use supplements. The current study describes the supplement use of 247 nursing home residents and 110 independent living women 65 years or older in the Midwestern United States. A secondary analysis of 247 medication administration records describes the prevalence of vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplement use of nursing home residents. Using the health promotion theory, the …

Cognitive And Psychosocial Factors Associated With Sarcopenia In Older Adults, Murad Taani

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: To describe the muscle mass, strength, and function of older adults living in residential care apartment complexes (RCACs) and examine the association between self-efficacy for exercise, depressive symptoms, social support and sarcopenia. The convergent validity of Muscle Mechanography (MM) when compared to the traditional muscle function and strength tests was also tested.

Design: Secondary data analysis of baseline data from a clinical trial.

Setting: One RCAC in the Midwestern United States.

Participants: Thirty-one older adults living in one RCAC.

Measurement: Muscle mass was measured by bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy. Muscle function was evaluated by the Short Physical Performance Battery test, …

Maternal Abo Blood Phenotype And Factors Associated With Preeclampsia Subtype, Adriane Burgess

Theses and Dissertations

Preeclampsia affects 3-8% of all pregnancies and is a global issue that significantly effects the short and long-term health of women and neonates. The pathophysiology of preeclampsia remains unclear and there seems to be two distinct subtypes, early and late onset. Each subtype may have a unique pathophysiology and set of risk factors. Preeclampsia is linked to long-term risk of cardiovascular disease in previously affected women. Subsequently, risk factors shared between preeclampsia and cardiovascular disease should be explored. The main aim of this study was to determine the strength of association between maternal ABO blood type and preeclampsia subtype. This …

Modeling Of Anticancer Drug Delivery By Temperature-Sensitive Liposomes, Vera Franziska Loeser

Theses and Dissertations

Cytotoxic anticancer drugs are used to treat cancer, particularly tumors. These drugs themselves do not distinguish between healthy and tumor cells and attack all of them. Consequently physicians and chemists investigate safer ways of delivery that minimize damage to healthy cells. One of these ways are liposomal formulations of the anticancer drugs. Liposomes are vesicles that encapsulate the drug to shield the healthy parts of the body from the toxicity of the drugs. Due to the abnormal structure of tumors, especially their leaky vasculature, these macromolecules are able to diffuse into the tumor tissue whereas the normal vasculature prevents them …