Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Three-Dimensional Evaluation Of The Effect Of Maxillary Incisor Retraction On The Palatal Bone And Root Resorption, Jessica R. Lynch Dmd

Master's Theses

Introduction: The objective of this study was to compare pre-treatment and post-treatment cone-beam computed tomography images of patients to quantitatively evaluate the effect of orthodontically retracting maxillary incisors on the height and labiolingual thickness of labial and palatal alveolar bone and incisor apical root resorption. Methods: Maxillary central incisor apical root resorption, labial and palatal alveolar bone height, and labiolingual thickness were assessed on pre-treatment and post-treatment cone-beam computed tomography scans of 59 subjects (mean age, 13.00 years) with premolar extractions and 63 subjects (mean age, 13.40 years) who were treated with non-extraction therapy. Results: The mean incisor apical root …

Occupational Disease In Connecticut 2011, Tim Morse, Paula Schenck

UCHC Articles - Research

This report focuses on occupational disease reports from 2009 and 2008, and recent trends in reported cases. It does not address traumatic occupational injuries, which are addressed in the annual report on occupational injuries and illnesses by the Connecticut Department of Labor (http://www.ctdol.state.ct.us/osha/shstats.htm). Occupational diseases are typically harder to detect than injuries, since they often occur over longer periods of time, and can have multiple (including non-occupational) risks. Therefore, this report uses data from three primary sources as a way of establishing a more complete picture of occupational disease: Workers’ Compensation First Report of Injury cases (WCC), physicians’ reports under …

Modulation Of Fibroblast Inflammatory Response By Surface Modification Of A Perfluorinated Ionomer, Thelma Iris Valdes

UCHC Articles - Research

An ideal surface for implantable glucose sensors would be able to evade the events leading to chronic inflammation and fibrosis, thereby extending its utility in an in vivo environment. Nafion™, a perfluorinated ionomer, is the membrane material preferred for in situ glucose sensors. Unfortunately, the surface properties of Nafion™ promote random protein adsorption and eventual foreign body encapsulation, thus leading to loss of glucose signal over time. Details of the techniques to render Nafion™ nonprotein fouling are given in a previous article [T. I. Valdes et al., Biomaterials 29, 1356 (2008)]. Once random protein adsorption is prevented, a …

Efficacy Of Different Retention Types Post-Orthodontic Treatment, Monica Sonia Kaur Dosanjh

Master's Theses

Introduction: Despite major advances in orthodontic tooth movement, orthodontic retention still remains a major problem. It has been estimated that only 10% of the population who have received orthodontics are still in acceptable occlusion as judged by orthodontists 20 years after retention. (Little, Riedel et al. 1988) In addition, very little is known about patient’s perception in relation to orthodontic relapse. Therefore, the goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of 3 different types of retainers (Hawley removable, Essix removable and Fixed) of the mandibular and maxillary anterior sextant and to assess patient perception of crowding. Materials and …

Mekk3 Regulates Ifn-Γ Production In T Cells Through The Rac1/2-Dependent Mapk Cascades, Xiaofang Wang

UCHC Articles - Research

MEKK3 is a conserved Ser/Thr protein kinase belonging to the MAPK kinase kinase (MAP3K) family. MEKK3 is constitutively expressed in T cells, but its function in T cell immunity has not been fully elucidated. Using Mekk3 T cell conditional knockout (T-cKO) mice, we show that MEKK3 is required for T cell immunity in vivo. Mekk3 T-cKO mice had reduced T cell response to bacterial infection and were defective in clearing bacterial infections. The Ag-induced cytokine production, especially IFN-γ production, was impaired in Mekk3-deficient CD4 T cells. The TCR-induced ERK1/2, JNK, and p38 MAPKs activation was also defective in Mekk3 …

Language-Specific Tuning Of Audiovisual Integration In Early Development, Juliana Flynn

Honors Scholar Theses

According to the perceptual narrowing hypothesis, older infants look longer towards speech in a native language than towards a non-native language. We presented speech in English, Spanish, and mis-matched English and Spanish speech, and recorded looking-time towards the speech. Results suggest that the synchrony of speech plays a strong role in infants' attention to speech, whereas nativeness of language does not.

Moving United States Health Care Forward, Thomas R. O'Neill

Honors Scholar Theses

Substantive Health Care reform poses one of the greatest current challenges to the American political system. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 marks the most recent attempt at approaching this daunting task. Charged with expanding coverage while controlling costs, it pursues a sundry number of legislative solutions to achieve these seemingly incompatible goals. Despite the strides the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has made, lingering educational, pharmaceutical, and legal concerns stand to derail progress made on fixing the health care system. If these goals are to be successful, a number of additional measures are needed to …

Predictors Of Elevated Depressive Symptoms In Pregnancy, Justine M. Kokoszka

Honors Scholar Theses

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine factors that may place women at risk for developing depressive symptoms during pregnancy. It was part of a larger, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial investigating the impact of docosahexaenoic acid

(DHA) in pregnancy as it relates to postpartum depression. Participants were women with a confirmed pregnancy(N= 45) who were administered the CES-D at two different times, 20-22 weeks gestation and 30-32 weeks gestation. Factors from a self-report of personal history were included in an analysis with the CES-D scores. A significant positive correlation was found between the first CES-D scores and body …

Residents' Perceptions Of Social Interaction And Social Activity In An Affordable Assisted Living Facility, Elena Garcia

Honors Scholar Theses

This study is a qualitative study looking at the social interactions and social activities in an assisted living facility, based on the residents’ perceptions. In this study I interviewed 20 residents of an affordable assisted living facility. The participants were male and female, 65 or older, and any ethnicity. Inclusion criteria include: (1) Residing in the assisted living facility at least 6 months and no more than 2 years; and (2) being mentally competent to give informed consent. I recruited the participants based on a list of who was eligible from the facilities administration and then asked the eligible participants …

Individualized Healthcare And Health Disparities: An Examination Of Health Disparities Related To Short-Term Response To Food Insecurity In Low-Income, Urban Communities, Valen R. Diaz

Honors Scholar Theses

The U.S. has seen a spike in chronic diseases along with worsening health outcomes. There are many factors at play to create these circumstances, especially regarding the social determinants of health, like socioeconomic status, access to food, and geographic location. Another concern is health disparities, particularly regarding obesity, and the fact that food access and neighborhood food environments contribute to these disparities. This paper gives a broad overview of American food culture and then focuses on the local food environment in urban, low-income communities, regarding both food deserts and food swamps. There is also a discussion about the response of …

Team Physicians’ Practice Beliefs Regarding The Recognition And Treatment Of Exertional Heat Stroke, Lindsey Mcdowell

Master's Theses

Recognition and Treatment of Exertional Heat Stroke: A Perspective from the Team Physician

McDowell LH, Mazerolle SM, Casa DJ, Pagnotta KD, Armstrong LE: University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

Context: Rectal temperature assessment (T_re) and cold-water immersion (CWI) are the gold standards for the recognition and treatment of exertional heat stroke (EHS), but athletic trainers (ATs) are reluctant to implement them regularly into clinical practice. ATs work under the guidance of a physician, but little information is available regarding the perceptions of the aforementioned methods from the team physician’s perspective. Objective: To investigate team physicians’ practice beliefs regarding the …

Investigation Of Emergency Medical Technicians Practice And Beliefs Regarding The Recognition And Treatment Of Exertional Heat Stroke, Kristin Applegate

Master's Theses

Context: Current Evidence Based Practice (EBP) supports the use of rectal thermometry (T_re) for an accurate diagnosis and cold water-immersion (CWI) for the treatment of Exertional Heat Stroke (EHS) for an optimal outcome. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) play a critical role for the diagnosis and treatment of EHS as they may be the first to arrive on scene, however there is limited data regarding their implementation of EBP. Objective: Investigate current practice regarding EHS by EMS professionals and explore the relationship that exists between EMS and Athletic Trainers (ATs). Design: A basic qualitative design using in-person focus groups. …

Augmented Verbal Feedback And Its Effect On Power Output During A Counter-Movement Vertical Jump Protocol With Division 1 Collegiate Athletes, Joseph Staub

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Individual And Combined Effects Of Dehydration, Hyperthermia, And Fatigue On Movement Patterns And Cognition, Rachel M. Karslo

Master's Theses

Individual and Combined Effects of Dehydration, Hyperthermia, and Fatigue on Movement Patterns and Cognition

Rachel M. Karslo, University of Connecticut

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the individual and combined of effects of dehydration, hyperthermia, and fatigue on movement patterns and cognition. Secondly, we wanted to see if the effects of dehydration, hyperthermia, and fatigue lead to a combined increase in injury risk.

Methods: 12 males completed a within-subject repeated measures design to study the effects of hyperthermia, dehydration and fatigue on movement and cognition. Subjects completed 4 randomized test sessions in different conditions: hydrated normothermic, dehydrated …

Validity And Reliability Of The Paffenbarger Physical Activity Questionnaire Among Healthy Adults, Kathleen Simpson

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Bitewing Radiographic Evaluation Of Interproximal Carious Lesions On Permanent First Molars In 6 And 12 Year-Olds In The Public Health System Of Chile, Rodrigo Alejandro Haristoy Dr.

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Total Work Performed During Acute Heavy Resistance Exercise On Circulating Lymphocytes In Untrained Men, Neil A. Kelly Jr

Master's Theses

Lymphocytes are one of many leukocytes which exert a biphasic response to acute intense resistance exercise. Exercise volume (i.e. total work) has been shown to have an immunomodulatory effect. This study evaluates the effect of total work performed during an intense resistance exercise protocol on lymphocyte concentrations in the circulation. Untrained, college-aged (18-35) males who performed high amounts of work (HW) were compared to those who performed low amounts of work (LW). Resistance exercise testing consisted of 6 sets of 10 repetitions of the squat exercise with 2 minutes rest between sets. Both HW and LW performed the same relative …

The Use Of Motion Analysis Technology As An Alternative Means Of Assessing Spinal Deformity In Patients With Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis, Matthew J. Solomito

Master's Theses

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) is a three dimensional deformity of the spine that causes abnormal curvatures in the coronal and sagittal planes and abnormal vertebral rotations. The gold standard for diagnosing and tracking the progression of the deformity is through the use of repeated radiography and a patient can receive upwards of fifteen radiographic series over the course of treatment, which exposes this population to an increased risk of radiation-dependent complications.

This thesis presents the necessary calculations and the marker set required to make the motion capture technology a viable alternative to radiographs, in an effort to reduce the patient’s …

The Effect Of Test Revision: Comparing The Performance Of Preschool Children With Sli And Typical Controls On The Ppvt-Iii And The Ppvt-Iv, Sabrina E. Jara

Master's Theses

Purpose: This study compared the performance of preschool children with SLI and controls on the PPVT-III and PPVT-IV to determine the effect of test revision on identification of language impairment.

Method: Twenty preschool children with SLI and 20 typically developing controls served as the exploratory group. The confirmatory group consisted of 5 children with SLI and 20 controls. Children were administered both test versions in counterbalanced order.

Results: As expected, children with SLI performed significantly worse than their TD peers on both test versions. The discriminate analyses identified an optimal cut-off of 103 for both tests. Using this cut-off, sensitivity …

Examining Influences On Undergraduate Athletic Training Students Career Decisions Post Graduation, Kerri E. Gavin

Master's Theses

Context: Career opportunities for athletic training students (ATSs) have significantly increased over the past few years. However, it commonly appears that ATSs are opting for a more diversified professional experience after graduation. With the diversity in available options, an understanding of career decision is imperative. Objective: The purpose of our study was to investigate, using the theoretical framework of socialization, the influential factors behind the post graduation decisions of the senior ATS. Design: Qualitative design using internet-based, structured interviews and follow-up semi-structured phone interviews. Setting: Web-based management system. Patients or Other Participants: 22 ATSs (16 females; 6 males), who graduated …

The Effect Of Betaine Supplementation On Performance And Muscle Mechanisms, Jenna M. Apicella

Master's Theses

Background: Recent research has shown that betaine supplementation can increase strength and power performance. To further investigate the ergogenic effects of betaine supplementation a balanced, randomized, double-blind, repeated measures crossover study was designed to examine select hormonal and muscle signaling responses during supplementation.

Methods: Twelve recreationally active men (age, 19.7 ± 1.23 years; height, 172.6 ± 5.61 cm; weight, 84.27 ± 15.3 kg; body fat, 18.7 ± 7.0%; BMI, 28.2 ± 4.0) with a minimum of 3 months of resistance training including back squat and bench press participated in the study. A within crossover design was utilized and subjects were …

Comparison Of An Ultrasonic And A Non-Ultrasonic Endodontic Irrigation Protocol: A Clinical Study, Christopher M. Beus

Master's Theses

The use of irrigation as a method of rendering canals bacteria free continues to be a source of investigation. Recent data suggests that an activated irrigation protocol such as passive ultrasonic irrigation can result in decreased intracanal bacteria. In addition, studies have shown that the activation of various irrigants such as NaOCl and Chlorhexidine can increase the sum antimicrobial effect. The purpose of this randomized, double blinded, prospective in-vivo clinical study was to compare the results of a non-activated irrigation protocol (NAI) using only NaOCl 1.5% to a passive ultrasonic irrigation protocol (PUI) using NaOCl 1.5%, EDTA 17% and Chlorhexidine …

Identification Of Three Prominin Homologs And Characterization Of Their Messenger Rna Expression In Xenopus Laevis Tissues, Zhou Han, David S. Papermaster

UCHC Articles - Research

Purpose Prominin is a family of pentaspan transmembrane glycoproteins. They are expressed in various types of cells, including many stem/progenitor cells. Prominin-1 plays an important role in generating and maintaining the structure of the photoreceptors. In this study, we identified three prominin homologs in Xenopus laevis, a model animal widely used in vision research, and characterized their messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in selected tissues of this frog. Methods Reverse-transcription PCR (RT–PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) were used to isolate cDNAs of prominin homologs. Semiquantitative RT–PCR was used to measure the relative expression levels of mRNAs of …

A Methodology For Building Culture And Gender Norms Into Intervention: An Example From Mumbai, India, Kristin M. Kostick,, Stephen L. Schensul, Pertti Pelto

UCHC Articles - Research

This paper responds to the call for culturally relevant intervention research by introducing a methodology for identifying community norms and resources in order to more effectively implement sustainable interventions strategies. Results of an analysis of community norms, specifically attitudes toward gender equity, are presented from an HIV/STI research and intervention project in a low income community in Mumbai, India (2008–2012). Community gender norms were explored because of their relevance to sexual risk in settings characterized by high levels of gender inequity. This paper recommends approaches that interventionists and social scientists can take to incorporate cultural insights into formative assessments and …

Generation And Characterization Of Col10a1 -Mcherry Reporter Mice, Peter Maye, Yu Fu, Yaling Liu, Mary Louise Stover, Xi Jiang, David W. Rowe

UCHC Articles - Research

We report here on the generation of a new fluorescent protein reporter transgenic mouse line, Col10a1 -mCherry, which can be used as a tool to study chondrocyte biology and pathology. Collagen, Type X, alpha 1(Col10a1) is highly expressed in hypertrophic chondrocytes and commonly used as a gene marker for this cell population. TheCol10a1-mCherry reporter line was generated using a bacterial recombination strategy with the mouse BAC clone RP23-192A7. To aid in the characterization of this animal model, we intercrossed Col10a1-mCherry mice with Collagen, Type II, alpha 1 (Col2a1) enhanced cyan fluorescent protein (ECFP) reporter mice and characterized the expression of …

Tumor Recognition And Self-Recognition Induce Distinct Transcriptional Profiles In Antigen-Specific Cd4 T Cells, Adam J. Adler

UCHC Articles - Research

Tumors express a wide variety of both mutated and nonmutated Ags. Whether these tumor Ags are broadly recognized as self or foreign by the immune system is currently unclear. Using an autochthonous prostate cancer model in which hemagglutinin (HA) is specifically expressed in the tumor (ProHA × TRAMP mice), as well as an analogous model wherein HA is expressed in normal tissues as a model self-Ag (C3HA^high), we examined the transcriptional profile of CD4 T cells undergoing Ag-specific division. Consistent with our previous data, transfer of Ag-specific CD4 T cells into C3HA^high resulted in a functionally inactivated …

Estimation Of The Number Of Days Required To Determine Usual Antioxidant Intakes And Assessment Of The Prevalence Of Nutrient Inadequacy Among College Students, Catherine G. Davis

Master's Theses

High intake of antioxidant rich foods has been shown to decrease risk factors of chronic disease. Young adulthood may be crucial in establishing healthy lifestyles including adequate nutrient consumption.

The present study was designed 1) to estimate usual nutrient intakes, 2) to calculate the number of days required to estimate usual antioxidant intake, and 3) to assess intake adequacy from diet and diet + supplement sources by using the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR). The USDA Flavonoid and Proanthocyanidin databases, food consumption data, and dietary supplement use data from 60 students aged 18-25 years at the University of Connecticut were utilized. …

Uconn School Of Medicine Dean's Newsletter, Spring 2011, Cato T. Laurencin

Annual Reports - Education

No abstract provided.

Mold And Alternaria Skin Test Reactivity And Asthma In Children In Connecticut, Todd W. Lyons, Dorothy B. Wakefield, Michelle M. Cloutier

UCHC Articles - Research

Background

Sensitivity to mold has been associated with asthma incidence, persistence, and severity.

Objective

To examine the relationship between skin test reactivity (STR) to molds and specifically to Alternaria and asthma severity in a group of ethnically diverse children in Connecticut.

Methods

Demographics and STR to 14 local allergens, including Alternaria, Penicillium, and mold mix, were obtained for 914 Puerto Rican, African American, and non-Hispanic white children.

Results

A total of 126 children (14%) had a positive skin test result to mold, and 58 (6%) demonstrated STR to Alternaria. Compared with non-Hispanic white children, there was no difference in the …

Inhibitory Activities Of Omega-3 Fatty Acids And Traditional African Remedies On Keloid Fibroblasts, I-Ping Chen, Richard S. Feinn, Ernst J. Reichenberger

UCHC Articles - Research

Keloids develop when scar tissue responds to skin trauma with proliferative fibrous growths that extend beyond the boundaries of the original wound and progress for several months or years. Keloids most frequently occur in individuals of indigenous sub-Saharan African origin. The etiology for keloids is still unknown and treatment can be problematic as patients respond differently to various treatment modalities. Keloids have a high rate of recurrence following surgical excision. Some West African patients claim to have had successful outcomes with traditional African remedies—boa constrictor oil (BCO) and shea butter—leading the authors to investigate their effects on cultured fibroblasts. The …