Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Examining The Effects Of Neighborhood Factors And Geography On Racial/Ethnic Disparities In Achieving Sustained Viral Suppression, Rahel Dawit

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sustained viral suppression (all viral load tests/mL in a year) decreases the risk of HIV transmission and disease progression to AIDS for people with HIV. Racial/ethnic minorities living with HIV are particularly challenged by barriers, including neighborhood factors, to maintain viral suppression. This dissertation examined the contribution of neighborhood and geographic factors on racial/ethnic disparities in achieving sustained viral suppression. A cross-sectional analysis of secondary data collected in 2017 for 6491 clients enrolled in the Miami-Dade County Ryan White Program (RWP) was conducted.

The first study examined the moderating role of neighborhood level factors on the association between race/ethnicity and …

Sociocultural Factors Associated With Hpv Vaccine Uptake Among Hispanic Female Emerging Adults, Tanjila Taskin

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States (U.S.). College students are at high risk of developing HPV-related diseases and play key roles in transmitting the infection. Fortunately, HPV-related cancers can be prevented through HPV vaccination.

A cross-sectional study was designed to collect data from convenience samples of Hispanic emerging adults from Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida, and the University of Houston (UH) in Houston, Texas. Participants who were 18-26 years old, self-identified as Hispanic or Latino/a, able to read English, and enrolled in FIU or UH were included in the …

Effect Of Flow Phonation Voice Exercises On Vocal And Aerodynamic Measures In Undergraduate Student Singers, Jorge A. Diaz

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of Flow Phonation Voice Exercises on vocal measures in undergraduate student singers. Whereas these exercises have provided positive outcomes in individuals with vocal hyperfunction, the use of these exercises in potentially enhancing the singing voice has not been explored. A total of 10 participants were randomly assigned into an experimental group (n = 6), that received 5 sessions of the Flow Phonation Voice Exercises across 5 weeks, and a control group (n = 4) which did not receive the treatment. Changes in auditory-perceptual, acoustic, subjective respiratory, quality-of-life and fatigue related measures compared across two groups. …

Examining The Role Of Knowledge And Cultural Values On Utilization Of Mammograms Among A Sample Of Saudi Women, Afrah Saif

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is the most frequent malignant tumor that threatens the lives of women globally. In Saudi Arabia, breast cancer incidence was observed among younger and premenopausal women due to diagnosis at advanced stages. The late diagnosis results in poor prognosis and poor outcomes. The survival rates in Saudi women with breast cancer are low. This can be attributed to several reasons such as lack of knowledge and barriers embedded in cultural values. However, low rates of breast cancer screening account for the increasing number of breast cancer detected at much higher stages in Saudi Arabia and resulting deaths, making …

Aptamer-Based Voltammetric Biosensing For The Detection Of Codeine And Fentanyl In Sweat And Saliva, Rosa Lashantez Cromartie

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the many governmental and medicinal restrictions created to combat the opioid epidemic in the United States, opioid abuse and overdose rates continue to rise. The development of an aptamer-based voltammetric sensor and biosensor is described in this dissertation. The aim was to develop a low-cost, sensitive, and specific aptamer-based sensor for on-site, label-free determination of codeine and fentanyl in biological fluids. To do this, the surfaces of screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCE) were modified with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), followed by the addition of single-stranded DNA aptamers. These were covalently bound to the electrode surface. Operations of the sensors were collected …

The Impact Of Hiv-Related Stigma On The Racial/Ethnic Disparities Across The Hiv Care Continuum Among Adults Living With Hiv In Florida, Derrick James Forney

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Florida currently has one of the highest rates of new HIV infections in the U.S. As of 2019, Black and Hispanic HIV-positive individuals in Florida were significantly less likely to receive HIV care, remain in care, and achieve viral suppression than white HIV-positive individuals. Several studies have linked HIV-related stigma to poor outcomes among people living with HIV (PLWH). This study examined the impact of distinct HIV-related stigma subtypes on linkage to care, retention in care, and viral suppression among PLWH in Florida and if these associations differed across race/ethnicity.

Methods: Data from the 2015-2017 Florida Medical Monitoring Project …

Mental Health, Intersectionality Of Religious Identity Struggles, And Islamophobia In Muslim Young Adults In South Florida: An Exploratory Study, Amani Othman

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study extended prior research by Bandar Alsaif (2019) on Muslims in South Florida to identify their perceptions of health. Alsaif’s study found that young U.S.-born Muslim Americans reported higher mental distress and perception of being stereotyped and stigmatized than older Muslims. These results call for further investigation into the mental health of this population and exploration of their growing up experiences. Existing literature in this area is sparse. As such, this study aimed to explore the domains of identity struggle and perceptions of anti-Muslim attitudes (Islamophobia) as potential contributors to the reported poor mental health in young Muslim adults …

The Prediction Of Behavioral Health Outcomes In Adults With Sickle Cell Disease Using The Chronic Disease Outcomes Triad Model, Lisa G. Fryar

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The lifelong experience of acute and chronic pain associated with sickle cell disease (SCD) not only has damaging physiological sequelae, but it also can negatively impact affected persons psychologically and socioculturally. These triad of SCD sequelae have an inter-relational and interactional mind-body-social connection that impact the behaviors of adults with SCD. These physiological, psychological, and sociocultural domains comprise the triadic sequelae.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the inter-relational and interactional mind-body-social relationship of the triadic sequelae in SCD as predictors of behavioral health outcomes (i.e., sickle cell fatalism, perceived sickle cell prejudice, and SCD self-efficacy) based on …

Perceptions Of Speech-Language Pathologists On Childhood Bilingualism, Sherlie V. Paz

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A total of 320 Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) completed a survey stating their perceptions on childhood bilingualism for typically developing children and children with disabilities. Based on the number of significant responses, 292 participants were analyzed utilizing a binary logistic regression to identify whether SLPs thought childhood bilingualism was advantageous or neutral, while incorporating the predictors of bilingual status and bilingual education received. Additionally, a content analysis was conducted on 173 participants who chose to respond to an open-ended question stating their additional perceptions on childhood bilingualism. Results revealed that bilingual status did not predict the probability of an advantageous perception …

The Effect Of The Tyg Index On Liver Steatosis, Immune Activation, Oxidative Stress, Liver Fibrosis Pathways And Liver Fibrosis In The Miami Adult Studies On Hiv (Mash) Cohort, Colby S. Teeman

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to establish the Triglyceride-Glucose (TyG) Index Ln (fasting TG x fasting glucose/2) as a predictor of liver steatosis in People Living with HIV (PLWH) and determine the effect of increased TyG Index on biomarkers of immune activation, inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and liver fibrosis. Four-hundred and eighty participants were selected from the Miami Adult Studies on HIV (MASH) cohort, two-hundred and eleven were PLWH, and two-hundred and sixty-nine were uninfected controls. Biomarkers were analyzed from blood samples collected at the FIU Borinquen Clinic. Primary research outcomes were analyzed using multiple linear and logistic regression, …

Type I Topoisomerases As Potential Targets For Therapeutics, Ahmed Seddek

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

DNA topoisomerases are universal enzymes that control the topological features of DNA in all forms of life. This study aims to find potential inhibitors of some of the DNA topoisomerases in bacteria and humans that can be developed into potential therapeutics.

The first aim of this study is to find potential inhibitors of bacterial topoisomerase I that can be developed into antibiotics. There is an urgent need to develop novel antibiotics to overcome the world-wide health crisis of antimicrobial resistance. Virtual screening and biochemical assays were combined to screen thousands of compounds for potential inhibitors of bacterial topoisomerase I. NSC76027 …

The Developmental Plasticity Of Fruit Fly Vision, John Paul Currea

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation we explore the morphological and neural plasticity underlying vision at different scales—within and between species of Drosophila—to elucidate the role of eye development in the evolution of vision. In chapter 2, we offer a tool to accelerate large-scale research into compound eye morphology, and validate it on the eyes of several insect orders and image media. Then, in chapter 3 we demonstrate the developmental plasticity of eye morphology and neural summation in fruit flies, finding an interesting interplay between the two systems. In chapter 4, we elucidate the role of visual plasticity and neural summation in the …

Identifying Mediators, Moderators And High-Risk Latent Classes Of Preterm Birth And Low Birth Weight Among Pregnant Women In Rural Mysore, India, Sandra Kiplagat

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examined the mediators, moderators, and high-risk latent classes of preterm birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW) among pregnant women in rural Mysore District, India. Secondary data analyses of a prospective cohort study conducted between 2011-2014 among 1540 women was performed to complete this dissertation.

In the first study, we examined the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and PTB and LBW. Latent class analysis (LCA) was performed to assess sociodemographic patterns of high-risk pregnant women based on education, income, marital status, primigravida status and number of children. We identified four distinct classes, Class 1 “low SES/early marriage/multigravida/1 child …

Examining The Impact Of Stressors, Depressive Symptoms, And The Moderating Role Of Traditional Latino Gender Norms In Miami Dade County, Gabriella Marie Wuyke

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Latino men experience disproportionate rates of depressive symptoms, compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts. Factors related to immigration, culture, and the endorsement of traditional Latino gender norms can have deleterious effects on the mental health of Latino men. The aims of this research study were to examine the moderating role of traditional Latino gender norms among immigration and cultural stressors on depressive symptoms among Latino immigrant men in Miami-Dade County using three distinct data sets.

The first study (N= 279) examined the moderating role of machismo and caballerismo between negative context of reception (NCR) and depressive symptoms. Moderation analysis revealed …

The Effects Of Acidic Foods On Vocal Quality Of Vocally Healthy Individuals, Melissa Barbieri

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between the consumption of acidic liquids on the vocal quality of vocally healthy individuals. Acidic foods and liquids are known to be possible causes of common voice disorders because of their putative effect on systemic hydration of the vocal folds impacting their viscoelastic properties and eventually affecting vocal quality, as they are found in over 50% of dysphonic patients (Karkos et al., 2007). This study investigated the effects of acidic foods on vocal quality in comparison to the effects of non-acidic/alkaline beverages in vocally healthy individuals.

One hundred participants …

“Perceptual Training Of Arabic Consonants In English-Speaking Quran Learners, Amanda A. Smith

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the American Muslim community, accurate perception of classical Arabic phonemes is of importance in order to understand and recite the Quran, which is read, studied, and recited in its original language. High variability phonemic training (HVPT) develops new phonemic categories by exposing learners to a variety of productions of new phonemes. In this study, HVPT therapy was used to train accurate perception of Arabic consonants that do not exist in English. Results indicated significant improvement in perception of Arabic consonants (pre-test mean = 58.5%, post-test mean = 64.8%, difference = 6.3%, p-value = .01). Improvement was seen for the …

The Similarities And Differences (Congruency) Of Nurse-Postoperative Patient Dyads Related To Their Attitudes/Perceptions, Subjective And Social Norms/Factors, And Actions/Behaviors Regarding Pain And Pain Management, Nur Pinar Ayaz

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite advances in pharmacology, surgical techniques, and perioperative care, pain is a significant symptom of surgical patients (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). This study explored the similarities and differences of nurse-post-operative patient dyads related to attitudes/perceptions, subjective and social norms, including culture/ethnicity, and actions/behaviors related to pain and pain management. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (Azjen, 1991) and Leininger's Theory of Transcultural Nursing (Leininger, 1999), this descriptive qualitative study was based on a purposive sample of 6 nurses (Hispanic, African American, Caucasian) and 12 patients in dyads (nurse and a patient of the same ethnicity and …

Associations Of Sociocultural Stressors With Psychological Distress And Self-Rated Health Among Hispanic Emerging Adults, Abir Rahman

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emerging adulthood (18-25 years) is a distinct period of life, characterized by a high level of instability in the matters of romantic life, work, and challenging developmental undertakings. Various events related to these developmental tasks may leave lifelong impacts on emerging adult’s identities and health across adulthood. Further, due to the unstable nature of this period, individuals in this age group are vulnerable to various mental health problems. Hispanic emerging adults may be particularly at risk of experiencing adverse health outcomes, as on top of normative developmental stressors (e.g., increased autonomy, finding employment), they are often exposed to various chronic …

Intersectional Stigma And Barriers To Engagement In Care Among Haitian Women With Hiv, Edwine Daniel

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Women account for about half of HIV infections globally. After sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean is the most HIV-affected region in the world, with half of the region’s people living with HIV (PLHV) in Haiti and where the overwhelming majority of new HIV infections occur among adolescents and young women. Guided by Turan and colleagues’ conceptual framework for HIV-related stigma, engagement in care, and health outcomes, this cross-sectional study examined the patterns of intersectional stigma and relationships with the ability and willingness of women to stay engaged in care when living with HIV.

This study is a secondary analysis of baseline …

Measurement And Predictors Of Mental Health Among Parents Of Children With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Rumi Agarwal

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience elevated levels of stress, anxiety, and other adverse mental health conditions. Despite extensive literature on parental mental health, this research addressed three gaps. First, a systematic review identified the interventions and respective scales used to address and assess stress and anxiety among parents of transition-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This was necessary given that the stressors parents experience vary with the age of the child. Of the 11 studies included in the final review, it was evident that most interventions and scales were not aligned with the unique …

Hiv Risk Factors, Enacted Stigma, And Testing Outcomes Among Men Who Have Sex With Men In Florida, Sarah Suarez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Crucial to ending the HIV epidemic is the prompt identification of HIV through testing services. National recommendations suggest everyone should test for HIV at least annually, and those with higher risk should test more often (for example, every 3 to 6 months). An estimated 66% of new HIV infections in 2018 occurred among men who have sex with men (MSM). Florida is third in the nation for HIV diagnoses among adults and adolescents (25.0 per 100,000 population) with an estimated 119,661 persons living with HIV; MSM account for 74% of the cases. This dissertation used the American Men’s Internet Survey …

The Cerebellum's Relationship To Language Function Following Perinatal Stroke, Carolina Alexis Vias

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While recent studies have demonstrated the association between the cerebellum and higher-order cognitive functioning, it is still unclear how volumetric differences of specific regions of interests within the cerebellum across typical and atypical development are related to language function. We have done so by measuring the volume of cerebellar subregions of healthy controls, and compared the volume to behavioral measures of language function. We then followed with an analysis of the cerebellum’s relationship to language function following perinatal stroke, which provides us with a greater knowledge of the impact of a cortical injury on cerebellar development and the cognitive outcomes …

Sacred Herbs And Ancient Healers: Decolonizing Traditional Mexican Medicinal Practices, Julio Carmona Rosales

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traditional Mexican medicine is not only plants and herbs but a harmonious balance between man and nature. For the Aztecs, maintaining that balance was imperative to have a sustainable diet and a good relationship with the ecology that surrounds them. Unfortunately, the duality of the "microcosm" and nature has been disappearing from Mesoamerican thought and rhetoric of inferiority to European thoughts such as the philosophy of traditional Mexican medicine. The Aztec diet was rich in nutrients, vitamins, and amino acids. One of the essential Mesoamerican medicine manuscripts is the Badiano Codex, which has more than 150 plants. Phytochemical studies have …

Gender Differences, Vitamin B6, Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, And Inflammation-Related Diseases, Hyojung Kim

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vitamin B6-restricted diets and low plasma pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) status altered plasma polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) compositions. The relationship of aging with vitamin B6 status and PUFA metabolism is poorly understood. This dissertation explored the association between vitamin B6 intake and status and plasma PUFA in US young/middle-aged adults and in older adults from NHANES 2003-2004. Future research plans will examine the relationships among vitamin B6, PUFA, inflammatory diseases, including chronic liver diseases; however, there is a gap in plasma PLP data in the Miami Adult Studies in HIV (MASH) cohort data on these relationships. Thus, the relationship between substance …

Sephardi Identity & Legitimacy In The Age Of Direct-To-Consumer Dna Tests, Caitlyn Rose Campana

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today, individuals may purchase genetic tests that promise to “reveal” one’s “true self” through ancestry composition reports, health reports, and lists of DNA relatives. Such tests add another dimension to the ongoing debate about what it means to be Jewish, but also what it means to be “legitimately” Sephardi. Through qualitative interviews, this thesis illuminates the experiences of Sephardim who received identity-affirming DNA test results and Sephardim who received identity non-affirming DNA test results. Findings suggest that contemporary Sephardim consider a link to the Iberian Peninsula as indicative of Sephardi identity, despite expanding definitions of the label. They also suggest …

Food Insecurity Is Associated With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Cognitive Impairment, And Immune Activation In People Living With Hiv, Javier A. Tamargo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Food insecurity (FI) is a socioeconomic condition characterized by inadequate access to enough food and nutrition to sustain health and wellbeing. Food insecurity is a risk factor for chronic and age-related conditions, raising concerns for the aging population of people living with HIV (PLWH), in whom food insecurity is disproportionately prevalent. PLWH are at increased risk of nutrition-related complications and chronic co-morbidities, thus food insecurity may exacerbate adverse health outcomes in this population. This study investigated whether food insecurity was associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cognitive impairment, and immune activation among socioeconomically disadvantaged adults living with and without …

Characterizing The Development And Trajectories Of Nicotine Dependence Among A Cohort Of Adolescent Waterpipe And Cigarette Smokers, Mohammad Ebrahimi Kalan

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nicotine dependence (ND) is the fundamental reason that people persist in using tobacco products, which kill more than eight million people every year globally. So far, ND research has primarily focused on cigarettes, yet for many youths worldwide, tobacco use, and addiction is maintained by means other than the cigarette including waterpipe (WP) smoking (a.k.a. hookah). It is important to better understand the WP-associated ND trajectories given its unique use features that can influence ND development such as its time-consuming preparation and consumption, intermittent use, and strong sensory and social cues. Hence, using data from 8 waves (2015-2020) of the …

Border Epidemiological Study Of Aging: The Role Of Psychosocial Factors On Mortality Of Mexican Americans In South Texas, Raed Jannadi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite Mexican Americans experiencing many chronic illnesses, e.g., diabetes and obesity, they exhibit higher life expectancy than other population groups in the United States. This is known as the Hispanic Paradox. This dissertation aimed to further contribute to the literature on the “paradox” by investigating the association between psychosocial factors rarely investigated in this population, such as social support, self- rated health, and stressful life events, with incident diabetes and all-cause mortality.

Data for this dissertation are from the Border Epidemiological Study of Aging, known as BESA, a population based longitudinal study consisting of four waves conducted in South Texas …

Parents' Experiences After The Death Of An Only Child In The U.S., Juanjuan Li

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are more than 14,000 parents who lose their only child each year. Following the death of a child, recent studies found bereaved parents experienced a higher level of grief, family dysfunction, more physical and psychological problems. The loss of an only child is one of the risk factors related to parents’ poorer outcomes. In the last 20 years, all the studies about the death of an only child were conducted in China under the Chinese only child policy. According to the literature review, parents who lost an only child had more negative outcomes than parents who have surviving child(ren). …

Nrf1 Transcriptomic Signatures Contribute To The Pathogenesis Of The Most Aggressive Brain Cancer - Glioblastoma, Kaumudi M. Bhawe

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Glioblastomas (GBMs, grade IV astrocytoma or glioma) are the most aggressive and lethal of all brain cancers. GBM patients have short survival and poor clinical prognosis. Despite decades of research, the standard of care for GBM treatment has not changed significantly. The lack of curative treatment modalities for patients with this type of brain tumor highlights the importance of research that helps to discover novel therapeutic targets. Nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1) transcription factor (TF) has been reported to be one of the top active TFs in human cancer, but its role in GBM remains unknown. This thesis research focuses …