Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Comparison Of Cardiac Muscle Between Male And Female Rats With Exercise And Aging: Analyzing Vitals, Gdnf Expression, Ngf Expression, Rna Expression, Sympathetic Innervation, Parasympathetic Innervation, And Sensory Innervation, Katelyn Kurrie

Honors Theses

The direction of my research-based thesis answers the question of how exercise affects the cardiovascular system with aging in male and female rats. My study would highlight the important differences of the cardiovascular system of both sexes which could lead to sex-specific insight on the cardiovascular disease epidemic which prevails as the most common cause of death in the United States. The studies completed will test the hypothesis: neurotrophic factor will be higher in females than males due to the higher presence of estrogen in females. The trophic factor is predicted to increase in both males and females with regular …

Implementing Askme3 Approach To Adult Learning Through The Kalamazoo Literacy Council, Hailey Beyer

Honors Theses

Background: Ask Me 3 was developed as a tool to help individuals successfully communicate with their healthcare providers (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, n.d.). This was designed to study the effectiveness of this tool in educating adult learners of Kalamazoo, MI, through the Kalamazoo Literacy Council (KLC) Virtual Learning Center.

Objective: The objective was to determine whether learners of the Kalamazoo Literacy Council gained confidence communicating with a healthcare provider through the implementation of a distance education Ask Me 3 program.

Methods: Learners associated with the KLC were sent a pre-lesson survey asking them to assess their confidence levels with using …

Health Insurance And The Undocumented Immigrant, Anja Diercks

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to perform a comparative analysis on how seven different countries (USA, South Africa, Germany, England, Canada, France and Singapore) organize their healthcare system to cope with the issue of undocumented immigrants and whether or not these systems in place were “fair.” The thesis will also explore the possible ways the United States could change to be more inclusive and fairer in the world of healthcare and health insurance for the undocumented immigrant. A study on what fairness means both in ethical and economical terms is done to suggest a new basis of a fair …

Providing A Safe Space For Children Who Have Experienced Trauma, Alexis Garcia

Honors Theses

Health care professionals are continuing to learn about childhood trauma and the implications on health and development. With time, there has become a better understanding of how to determine and provide the resources needed for families and children who have experienced childhood trauma. Additionally, information about childhood trauma is slowly being understood throughout public school districts. This allows teachers to better understand children and accommodate their needs. This honors thesis will discuss childhood trauma and the development of a resource that can be used to provide elementary school-aged students with a place to go when they need assistance with regulation. …

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Guide For Caregivers, Camryn Keane

Honors Theses

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) is a condition that affects infants who have faced exposure to certain drugs in utero. The incidence of NAS is dramatically rising in the United States. This increase is primarily due to the growth in opioid prescribing to pregnant women. NAS has an immediate effect on four primary areas of occupation: activities of daily living (ADLs), sleep, social participation, and play. This paper aims to review the background of NAS, then describe how this condition impacts an infant’s occupational performance. Moreover, this paper identifies models of occupational therapy intervention that can guide the treatment of NAS. …

An Examination Of Barriers And Determinates Impacting The Healthcare Of Kalamazoo County's Transgender And Non-Binary Young Adult Population, Tyler Signorella

Honors Theses

Historically non-binary and transgender individuals have faced and continue to face a unique set of obstacles and challenges in seeking and receiving general healthcare. Within the US this is well documented on a national level. In this exploratory study we will seek to understand the experience of young adults in Kalamazoo County comparing their perspectives to the already established pool of information. This will be accomplished through surveying emergent adults identifying as either transgender or gender non-binary within Kalamazoo County and then synthesizing this data into an analyzable collective format.

College Students’ Perceptions Of Instructors Whose Primary Language Is Not English, Takiyah A. Clay

Honors Theses

It is common to see instructors at universities in America who are foreign born and, as a result, have a foreign accent. Since foreign accents can influence the perceptions of people, the researcher designed this study to discover any perceptions that college students may have toward instructors with foreign accents. In addition, the researcher wanted to discover if those perceptions influenced the students’ actions in class. In order to reveal these perceptions, the researcher surveyed 205 students both in-person and online. The researcher determined that although a majority of the participants had difficulty comprehending the lectures of instructors with foreign …

Strategic Audit Of Optum, Connor Crow

Honors Theses

Optum is a large American-based pharmacy benefit manager, healthcare consultant, healthcare delivery service, and business analytics corporation that has dominated the industry with sister-company UnitedHealthcare underneath the umbrella UnitedHealthGroup. This report seeks to understand through internal and external analyses how Optum’s business model and strategies have allowed them to gain and sustain competitive advantages in the everchanging, volatile environment of healthcare. Specific tools used to highlight this include Porter’s Five Forces, PESTEL, and SWOT analyses. Additionally, strategic recommendations are given for Optum’s next steps.

A Look Into The Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status And Health, Hunter L. Howell

Honors Theses

Disparities in health have always been present, and major steps have been made to narrow this gap in healthcare. With that said, socioeconomic status still plays a significant role in access to healthcare. This study looks into how socioeconomic factors such as age, race, and income affect access to healthcare while also studying avenues as to why these disparities exist.

Working As A Healthcare Professional On The Frontlines During A Pandemic, Lauren Hodlick

Honors Theses

The changes associated with the pandemic affected healthcare delivery, patient experiences in the healthcare system, and workflow for frontline workers. Pathophysiology, transmission, and infection control practices are reviewed connecting how the unique characteristics of COVID-19 influenced healthcare changes. This paper represents the basis for a video presentation on the lived experience in a Midwest U.S. hospital of a frontline healthcare worker during the summer of 2020. This lived experience video was developed to reinforce good infection control practices of first year nursing students.

Sex Related Differences In Skeletal Muscle Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue, Cross-Sectional Area, And Grayscale, Christina Sullivan

Honors Theses

Previous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of ultrasonography to assess subcutaneous adipose tissue, cross-sectional area (CSA), and grayscale for muscle. The purpose of the present study was to examine the sex-related differences in subcutaneous adipose tissue, as well as cross-sectional area and grayscale for the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus lateralis (VL). Five recreationally trained males (mean ± SD: age= 25.6 ± 1.9 years; height= 182.29 ± 5.88 cm; body mass= 84.67 ± 9.88 kg) and five recreationally trained females (mean ± SD: age= 21 ± .71 years; height= 162.71 ± 12.41 cm; body mass= 77.02 ± 14.91 kg) visited …

The Effect Of High School Disability-Based Peer Mentoring On Perspectives Toward People With Disabilities, Caroline Jacobs

Honors Theses

Negative perspectives towards people with disabilities have been shown to lead to discrimination, prejudice, and an overall decreased quality of life. One way to possibly improve attitudes and interactions with students with disabilities could be implementing peer mentoring programs for special education students in high school. Research presented in this thesis examines the difference in perspectives toward people with disabilities between people who have or have not participated as a mentor in a disability-based peer mentoring program in high school. Data were collected through an online survey that assessed peer mentoring experiences as well as a scale to measure comfort …

The Ongoing Disparity Between Early Intervention Services And Those Who Need Them, Addison Goerl

Honors Theses

Although early intervention (EI) services have been shown to be highly effective and beneficial for young children, only 12% of those who qualify at 24 months receive services (Feinberg et al., 2011). There is a myriad of barriers that impedes access to EI services for those who need them. These barriers include myths about development and intervention, parent’s concerns being ignored, social inequalities limited access to early intervention, systemic barriers within the professional world, unperceived benefits of intervention, and limited communication flow to parents. However, there are some supports that help more families access EI services including doctors, early interventionists, …

A Summary Of Current Research Into Neurodegenerative Disorders Using Drosophila Melanogaster, Chase Cortese

Honors Theses

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease are characterized by damage to neural cells causing widespread neurological deficits. Historically, these diseases were deemed as inevitable declines in cognitive and neurological function that occurred with aging. Recent research has revealed, however, that these diseases have molecular bases allowing potential clinical intervention. The groundbreaking discoveries have been made using differing model organisms, which can replicate the phenotype and physiological cause of these disorders. One major model organism that has been used is the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. They have served various roles in elucidating gene pathways and neurophysiological bases seen in these diseases. …

Identifying Observation Unit As Best Practice, Justin Abraham

Honors Theses

The rising demand for acute care is attributable to several factors, including poor access to unscheduled primary care and an aging population with complex chronic illnesses which place an increasing demand on crowded ED and hospitals in the United States (American College of Emergency Physicians, 2009). Observation (OBS) services are provided to patients with an acute clinical condition whose need for acute care hospitalization is unclear after their initial evaluation and management. Center for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) define hospital observation as those services that are reasonable and necessary to evaluate the outpatient's condition whose need for the patient to …

The Opioid Crisis: Implications For Western Michigan University, Kennedy Koebbe

Honors Theses

The opioid epidemic has become a national crisis in the United States of America. The area of study for this paper, is how university students ages 18-25 are affected by the opioid crisis. This thesis will include a review of current literature pertaining to the opioid epidemic. The main goal of this thesis is to educate Western Michigan University students and faculty about the nationwide opioid epidemic. A PowerPoint will be created using the structure of a professional poster. The PowerPoint will be presented in an online face-to-face browser. Commonalities in the findings are discussed throughout the presentation. These include …

An Analysis Of Patients Undergoing Hip And Knee Arthroplasties In An Accountable Care Organization, Harjot Uppal

Honors Theses

Background. Total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are commonly performed procedures, with over one million executed each year in the United States (U.S.) (Steiner et al., 2012). By 2030, THA and TKA are projected to become the most frequently performed elective surgical procedures in the U.S. (Cram et al., 2012; Kurtz et al., 2009). Many of the previous studies on THA and TKA procedures have focused on women, primarily because they are at increased risks of developing knee osteoarthritis and sustaining hip fractures (Cummings et al., 1990; Hedlund et al., 1987; Hinton et al., 1995; Myers et …

Exploration Of Stable Isotope Analysis To Identify Prior Host In Ixodes Scapularis, Imogene Welles

Honors Theses

One of the most enigmatic concepts in tick-borne disease ecology is how to identify the prior host of a questing tick. The ability to do so would provide predictions to directly aid in controlling the spread of the many tick-borne pathogens, including the bacterial spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease in humans. I explored the application of a novel technique, stable isotope analysis (SIA), to identify the most recent host in molted Ixodes scapularis (black-legged tick). The common reservoir and feeding host, Peromyscus leucopus (white-footed mice; n = 46), were trapped, infested with nymphal ticks, and fed restricted …

Social Consequences Of Obesity: Case Study Of Bariatric Population At Ellis Hospital, Kara Leyden

Honors Theses

Despite the fact that the majority of adults living in the United States are overweight or obese, obesity remains a highly stigmatized physical condition. Society often sees obesity as a physical manifestation of personal faults such as the lack of self-control and laziness. Obese individuals thus experience discrimination in places of employment, have lower educational attainment, are underrepresented in popular culture, and often have difficulty finding and sustaining intimate relationships. For individuals with extreme obesity (BMI greater than 40), bariatric surgery is the most effective strategy to improve health and lose weight. Individuals who have undergone bariatric surgery typically experience …

How Did Medicaid Expansion Affect The Provider Labor Market?, Aaron Wu

Honors Theses

One provision of the Affordable Care Act was to expand Medicaid eligibility for a greater number of low-income patients. The resulting increase in demand for care was largely explored, but the effect of the 2014 Medicaid expansion on the physician and advanced practitioner labor market has not been well researched by economists. Using pooled cross-sectional data from the 2010 – 2018 American Community Surveys, this paper examines whether the Medicaid expansion has caused notable changes in physician, physician assistant, and nurse practitioner hours, compensation, and overall employment. The literature shows that practices that employ nurse practitioners are far more likely …

Gama-Lactams And The Reformatsky Reaction: New Tricks For Old Chemistry, Dylan Dupont

Honors Theses

DUPONT, DYLAN. An Alternative Synthetic Pathway to γ-Lactam Compounds

Through the Application of Novel Reformatsky-Type Chemistry. Department

of Chemistry, June 2020

ADVISOR: James C. Adrian Jr. Ph.D.

It is the intent of the present report to relate the results of our attempt to elucidate and optimize a novel preparation of γ-lactam compounds. To achieve this end, it is proposed that the use of novel Reformatsky-type chemistry may provide a viable means. Generally, it has herein been validated that employment of α-amino ketones in traditional Reformatsky chemistry will form the traditional Reformatsky ester-adduct, and that this adduct is capable of spontaneously …

Sol Retractor: Rapidly Deployable Film-Based C-Section Retractor, Casey Lee, Silas Cleveland, Jose Dolores Valdivieso, Joseph Perks

Honors Theses

Cesarean Sections (C-sections), a surgery conducted for baby delivery, can be divided into four distinct categories; Category 1 and 2 are considered emergency c-sections, and Category 3 and 4 are scheduled c-sections [2]. A comparative study from 2016 analyzed the difference of need for postoperative treatment between the Collins or the Alexis O retractor ( n = 100). The Alexis O C-Section retractor resulted in 19% of women requiring postoperative treatment, including medication, monitoring, and an extended stay at the hospital. The Collins resulted in 43% of the patients requiring postoperative treatment (p = 0.001) [5]. In emergency C-sections, surgical …

Effects Of Prolonged Downhill Running On Upper Body Muscle Functions, Robert J. Benton

Honors Theses

Downhill running exercise has shown damaging effects on the lower body muscles. However, its effects on the remote nonlocal upper limb muscle’s neuromuscular functions are not well studied. Purpose: To examine the potential effects of a 1-hour downhill running exercise on the elbow flexor muscle neuromuscular functions and performance. Methods: Seventeen healthy and physically active young adults (Control: n = 9; Running: n = 8) participated in and completed this study. The Control group rested for 30 minutes while the Running group performed 1-hour of downhill running at a 10% decline on a treadmill. Before (Pre), immediately after (Post), 24 …

The Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Largazole: A Potential Chemotherapeutic Agent, Hannah Lynn Carson

Honors Theses

Histone deacetylase enzymes are known for their inherent activity as epigenetic modifiers. Although, they have become recognized for their role in cancer progression and other diseases. But also, histone deacetylases have other non-histone targets, for example, microtubules, which play important roles in cancer metastasis, apoptosis, and replication. With histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), our research explored HDACi effects on breast cancer cell lines. The overall goal was to understand the potential of largazole, a class one histone deacetylase inhibitor on breast cancer cell lines. The research consisted of two parts: sulforhodamine B (SRB) viability assays under hypoxic and normoxic conditions. The …

Assessment Of Orofacial Myofunctional Profiles Of Undergraduate Students In The United States, Rachel Yockey

Honors Theses

Background: Previous research indicates a high prevalence of orofacial myofunctional disorders in the general population. It was further reported that orofacial dysfunction may have wide ramifications, such as teeth displacement, articulation errors, swallowing difficulties, middle ear infections, and frequent colds. The purpose of this study was to examine orofacial myofunctional profiles of undergraduate students in the United States.

Method: The English version of the Nordic Orofacial Test-Screening (NOT-S) was used to assess 55 undergraduate university students (age range:18 to 23 years). In addition, each participant completed a standard hearing screening, as well as a hearing history questionnaire.

Results: In our …

Breast Cancer Sub-Clones That Metastasize To Lung And Bone Exhibit Different Metabolic Preferences, Mollie Merrell

Honors Theses

Metastasis is responsible for the majority of cancer related deaths. In breast cancer the lungs and bones are the major sites for metastasis. Previous studies used the metastatic aggressive MDA-MB-231 breast cancer line to isolate sub-clones that preferentially invade the lungs (LM line) or bones (BoM line). While genes associated with the tissue specific metastasis have been identified, it is unknown if metabolic adaptations contribute to the growth of the LM and BoM lines in their respective organs. The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that the LM and BoM lines exhibit differences in glucose and glutamine …

Wernicke’S Area In Autism: Rsfmri Study, Sydney Osbarn

Honors Theses

We investigated the functional connectivity of Wernicke’s Area and its right homologue (Planum Temporale) in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and typically developing individuals. We used resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging to analyze these areas in 145 participants from The University of Michigan via ABIDE. As a retest sample, we also used data from a University of Pittsburgh cohort. There is weakened functional connectivity between Wernicke’s Area and Planum Temporale in individuals with ASD as opposed to typically developing individuals. Participants with ASD did not have greater connectivity in other regions compared to the control group. Pragmatics, nonverbalism, …

The Effects Of Alpha-Tocopherol And Ascorbic Acid On Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells, Scout Treadwell

Honors Theses

Breast cancer is a multifaceted, complex disease that affects hundreds of thousands of patients every year. Although there has a been a decline in the mortality rate of this disease, it is still vital to investigate and discover new possible treatments. One area of research involves the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cancer cells and the possibility of ROS-induced apoptosis. Antioxidants such as Vitamin C and Vitamin E have been shown to serve as pro-oxidants. Instead of detoxifying the cell from damaging ROS, these compounds can stimulate ROS production, triggering an apoptotic cascade in the cell. In this …

Examination Of Sleep Disturbance, Anxiety Sensitivity, And Depression In An Undergraduate Sample, Dasha Grace

Honors Theses

Sleep contributes to overall well-being, mental health, and daily functioning. Sleep disturbances negatively affect psychological, physiological, and biological processing, and the quality of sleep is similarly affected by these processes. The effects of sleep disturbance call for a greater understanding of depression and anxiety sensitivity among college students. Studies have found that sleep disturbance affects nearly 90% of the college student population. The aims of the current study were to examine: 1) types and rates of sleep disturbance among a sample of college students, 2) associations between sleep disturbance, AS, and depression symptoms, and 3) AS and depression symptoms by …

Differential Effects Of Verbal And Written Disclosure On Perceptions Of A Child Who Stutters, Peyton Mcknight

Honors Theses

This study measured perceptions of a 12-year-old boy who stutters, relative to perceived speech skills and personal characteristics, as a function of seven potential stuttering disclosure conditions, featuring either a personal verbal disclosure, written disclosure, or no disclosure, delivered by various authors (i.e., self/child, mother, teacher). 641 participants college-aged adults were randomly assigned to one of seven stuttering disclosure groups: no disclosure control, verbal self-disclosure, written self-disclosure, verbal mother disclosure, written mother disclosure, verbal teacher disclosure, or written teacher disclosure. Participants in the control group viewed a brief video of a 12-year-old male who stutters reciting a short passage. Participants …