Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Regulation Of Skeletal Muscle Fatigue During The Progression Of Cancer Cachexia, Brandon N. Vanderveen

Theses and Dissertations

Cachexia is the unintentional loss of body weight secondary to chronic disease and is prevalent is roughly 50% of cancer patients. The loss of body weight and skeletal muscle mass is reduced functional capacity associated with reduced life quality. The etiology of cachexia is multimodal and complex; however, cachexia has been linked to several systemic (e.g. chronic inflammation, hypogonadism, anemia, insulin resistance) and behavioral (e.g. anorexia, inactivity) changes that can compound to accelerate muscle mass and body weight loss. While several inflammatory cytokines are associated with cachexia’s disease progression, our laboratory has established that Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a key regulator …

The Prescribing Patterns Of Gabapentin And Pregabalin In A Medicaid Population Amid The Opioid Epidemic, Sarah Sullivan

Theses and Dissertations

OBJECTIVE: Drug overdoses continue to be the leading cause of accidental death in the United States resulting in a nationwide crisis. Opioids, many of them prescription, are now the primary cause of drug overdose related deaths. Gabapentinoids are being promoted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a safer alternative to opioids and have steadily been rising in prescribing rates. However, growing concern is mounting on the potential for gabapentinoid misuse. The goal of this dissertation was to deepen the knowledge and understanding of how gabapentinoids are currently being prescribed, with an emphasis on their co-prescribing with an …

Expanding Immediate Postpartum Contraceptive Options: South Carolina’S Medicaid Policy, Amy Mattison-Faye

Theses and Dissertations

Offering contraceptives is essential to allow women the opportunity to plan for pregnancy and help prevent mistimed or unintended pregnancy. Intrauterine devices and implants, also known as long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC), are the most effective methods of contraception. South Carolina Medicaid in 2012 launched an innovative policy expanding contraceptive access and coverage for women delivering in hospitals to have the option to receive a LARC immediately postpartum. However, in order for this policy to be successful, it relies on the capacity of hospitals and providers to adopt and implement without assistance. Identifying the provisions necessary in order for successful policy …

Adverse Birth Outcomes Among Women With Physical Disabilities: A Retrospective Cohort Study In South Carolina, Iffat Nahar

Theses and Dissertations

Motherhood is precious in women’s lives. Among women, ages 21-64, 12.5% are living with a disabling condition, according to the Disability Status report: SC 2008. Although childbearing among women with disabilities is increasing, there are limited publications about the pregnancy outcomes. The objective of this study is to document the adverse neonatal outcomes of the pregnancies and to evaluate if early prenatal care is a protective factor for low birthweight and prematurity among the women with physical disabilities. This study used a retrospective cohort study design, with data from linked hospital discharge records and vital records (birth certificates) for all …

Role Of Resources For Care In Improving Care Behaviors, Children’S Nutritional Status And Early Childhood Development In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Sulochana Basnet

Theses and Dissertations

Poor child growth and suboptimal early childhood development are global health problems. Provision of appropriate care may help to achieve optimum child growth and development. Maternal resources for care such as education, knowledge, health, autonomy, reasonable workload, and social support may be needed to provide appropriate care behaviors, and improve children’s nutritional status, and early childhood development. The overall goal of this research was to understand the role of resources for care in improving care behaviors, child nutritional status, and early childhood development. The baseline Alive & Thrive household surveys from Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Ethiopia were used. We examined the …

Factors Associated With Advance Care Plans And End-Of-Life Care Choices Among Elderly Americans: An Analysis Of Health And Retirement Study Data, Agha Ajmal

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction

Advance care plans (ACP) allow people to plan for their end-of-life care before they become incompetent to make their treatment decisions. The umbrella term Advance Care Plans (ACP) includes the three most commonly used end-of-life care plans: Advance Care Planning Discussions (ACP discussions) and two advanced directives: living will and Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (DPAHC). The ACP discussions are the verbal discussions about end-of-life plans, whereas the advance directives are written documents.

ACPs are distinct nuances of end-of-life care planning. ACP discussions address a wide array of end-of-life care issues, including terminal care, funeral, burial and …

Effect Of Severe Economic Recession On The Psychological Distress: Evidence Of Modifying Effect Of Risky Behaviors And Insurance Status, Lumi Bakos

Theses and Dissertations

The investigation identified the effect of the 2007-2009 economic recession on the level of psychological distress (PD) as modified by engaging in risky behaviors and insurance status. The objective was to determine if engaging in risky behaviors and insurance status had an impact upon the level of psychological distress experienced during a recession; the timeframe for the study is 2007 representing pre-recession to beginning of recession year, to 2009 representing the recession year, to 2012-2013 representing post-recession years. The study involved the use of a nationwide non- institutionalized adult population, the Mental Health and Stigma optional module found in the …

Identifying Predictors Of Racial Disparity In Treatment And Mortality Among Patients Diagnosed With Breast Cancer In South Carolina, Oluwole Adeyemi Babatunde

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Despite a lower incidence of breast cancer (BrCA) among Black women in the U.S. compared to White women, Black women experience consistently higher mortality rates. The aims of this study were 1) to assess the relationship between race and diagnosis-to-treatment times 2) to assess racial disparity in mortality among Black and White BrCA patients in SC and 3) assessment of the validity of the Mortality-to- incidence ration (MIR) as a proxy for survival and geospatial investigation of racial disparity among breast cancer (BrCA) patients.

Methods: Breast cancer cases diagnosed between 2002-2010 were obtained retrospectively from the SC Central Cancer …

Parenting And Child Self-Regulation As Mechanisms For The Relationship Of Household Food Insecurity With Child Dietary Behavior, Hoa Thi Mai Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Food insecurity is both a nutritional problem and a stressful life experience of adults and children in households dealing with food shortage. Potential mechanisms of the associations between food insecurity and adverse outcomes in children’s health and development are through parenting and child self-regulation.

Objectives: We investigated parenting and child self-regulation as potential mechanisms for the relationship of food insecurity with child dietary behaviors with two specific aims. Specific aim 1 was to understand how food insecurity and its change over time relate to parenting in early childhood. Specific aim 2 was to understand the relationship of parenting in …