Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Medicine and Health Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Characterization Of Nrk2b Overexpression In A Transgenic Zebrafish Congenital Muscular Dystrophy Model, Anna Burgess Dec 2012

Characterization Of Nrk2b Overexpression In A Transgenic Zebrafish Congenital Muscular Dystrophy Model, Anna Burgess

Honors College

Everyday movement, whether sitting or running a marathon, exerts stressful forces on myotendinous junctions (MTJs). As the sites which skeletal muscle fibers anchor to surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) material of tendon, MTJs need to maintain homeostasis under stress for muscle to function normally. Human congenital muscular dystrophies (CMDs) are a heterogeneous group of diseases that disrupt muscle homeostasis, are severely debilitating, and currently have no cure. In many CMDs, genetic mutations effect cell adhesion complexes located at the MTJ. The adherence of muscle fibers’ cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix (ECM) is weakened when these complexes as compromised. Many genes resulting …


Characteristics Of Young Children's Longest Utterances, Alise R. Ranalli May 2012

Characteristics Of Young Children's Longest Utterances, Alise R. Ranalli

Honors College

This paper reviews research on mean length of utterance (MLU) and longest length of utterance (LLU) as measures of child language development. Although there has been much research on MLU, there is some controversy as to its validity, especially across different data gathering procedures and clinical populations. In contrast, LLU has rarely been the focus of research, but the limited amount of information available indicates that it is a potentially useful way to analyze child speech. This study provides a detailed analysis of 1655 utterances from three children at ages 3;10, 4;1 and 4;4, and 2938 utterances from adults interacting …


Identification Of Internal Parasites Of Sheep And Goats, Amanda Chaney May 2012

Identification Of Internal Parasites Of Sheep And Goats, Amanda Chaney

Honors College

Abomasal worms are a major cause of small ruminant disease. Differentiation of the most pathogenic nematode, H. contortus, from the other common species can be difficult using standard diagnostic fecal floatation techniques because the ova are similar in size and morphology. Known pure culture H. contortus fecal samples from West Virginia University were used to develop morphologic assays using FITC-labeled lectin agglutination and immunocytochemistry to identify species of abomasal worms. These assays were applied to assess disease due to abomasal worms on selected small ruminant farms in Maine. The diagnostic tests were used to test the hypothesis that H. contortus …


Endoscopic Evaluation Of The Response To Intrauterine Irrigation With 3.3% N-Acetylcysteine In Mares, Christine T. Kissinger May 2012

Endoscopic Evaluation Of The Response To Intrauterine Irrigation With 3.3% N-Acetylcysteine In Mares, Christine T. Kissinger

Honors College

Strangles is a contagious disease caused by the bacteria Streptococcus equi that has continued to affect horses through the development of long-term asymptomatic carriers. Effective identification of horses carrying S. equi and treatment of these horses has proven difficult. The chemical N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has mucolytic properties and has been used in the treatment of carriers; however the reports show controversial and anecdotal evidence regarding the effectiveness and inflammatory side effects. The goal of this study is to observe whether NAC is irritating to mucosal tissue with the interest of determining if NAC could be used to treat the carrier state …


Concussion Management, Education And Diagnosis In Eastern Maine High School Football, Sarah K. Lockhart May 2012

Concussion Management, Education And Diagnosis In Eastern Maine High School Football, Sarah K. Lockhart

Honors College

Recent evidence has shown that concussions are more serious than previously anticipated, particularly in young adults. Football is one of the sports in which concussions are most commonly seen. It is important for high schools to educate, diagnose and manage concussions correctly to prevent the occurrence of potentially catastrophic events like second impact syndrome. Through interviews and observations of practices and games, three Eastern Maine high schools were assessed to evaluate their concussion policies. Administrators, coaches and medical personnel were interviewed regarding their concussion awareness. Through a qualitative coding process, themes were found and assessed. Themes found included: honesty; misconceptions; …


Development Of Porous Polymeric Implants For Use In Orthopedic Research And Development Applications, Alexander Caddell Apr 2012

Development Of Porous Polymeric Implants For Use In Orthopedic Research And Development Applications, Alexander Caddell

Honors College

Current orthopedic implants comprised of plastic, ceramic, or metal alloys are susceptible to surface degradation at the implant-implant interface. The resulting microscopic fragments cause tissue irritation that can lead to osteolysis. In addition, existing percutaneous implants, such as pins used to stabilize fractures, are prone to bacterial infections due to the inability of the surrounding soft tissue to adhere to the implant and form a biologic seal. The goal of this Honors Thesis was to develop porous polymeric implants for orthopedic research and development applications that improve upon current designs in an attempt to remedy the issues detailed above. A …