Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Mcp-1 In Colorectal Cancer: Benefits Of Exercise, Jamie Lee Mcclellan

Theses and Dissertations

The etiology of colon cancer is a complex phenomenon that involves both genetic and environmental factors. However, only about 20% have a familial basis with the largest fraction being attributed to environmental causes that can lead to chronic inflammation. Tumors associated macrophages drive the pro-inflammatory response in the tumor micro-environment and are associated with poor prognosis in certain cancers. Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) is thought to be the most important chemokine for recruitment of macrophages to the tumor microenvironment. In chapter 1, we examined the timing and magnitude of the intestinal inflammatory cytokine response in relation to tumorigenesis in …

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms In Dna Repair And Oxidative Stress Genes, And Their Interaction With Antioxidants On Prostate Cancer Aggressiveness, Samuel Antwi

Theses and Dissertations

Prostate cancer is the leading invasive malignancy and the second most common cause of cancer death among American men. Despite compelling evidence that oxidative stress, ineffective DNA damage repair, and habitually low antioxidants intake may act in tandem to influence prostate carcinogenesis, few studies have examined gene-diet interactions involving these risk factors. Even fewer studies have examined such interactions in relation to prostate cancer aggressiveness. This study investigated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in DNA repair- and oxidative stress-related genes modulated associations between antioxidant intake and prostate cancer aggressiveness. We utilized data from the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project (PCaP) …

Mental Disorders, Mental Health Problems, And Treatment Among Army Recruiters And Recruiting Candidates, 2011-2013: An Examination Of Current Rates In The Recruiting Population, Chadwick Karl Knight

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This study sought to determine the prevalence and severity of mental health disorders (MHDs) and/or mental health problems (MHPs) and types of treatments received among soldiers who have or will serve as recruiters. Research Design and Methods: Data were collected between October 2011 to July 2013 from active duty soldiers (N=2,783) attending courses on Fort Jackson at the U.S. Army’s Recruiting and Retention School (RRS). Students consisted of regular active duty soldiers and activated Guard/Reservist that were either recruiters or recruiting candidates. The medical records of participating recruiters and recruiting candidates were reviewed for the prevalence of MHDs and …

Periodontal Microorganisms, Obesity, Chronic Inflammation, And Type 1 Diabetes, Georges Joseph Nahhas

Theses and Dissertations

Periodontal disease is a low-grade chronic inflammation in the tissues surrounding the teeth caused by multiple, mostly gram-negative pathogens. It is associated with diabetes, obesity, and chronic inflammation. The specific roles that periodontal microorganism play in these conditions are not well-studied. Hereby, we explored how periodontal bacteria from sub gingival plaque clustered in youth with and without type 1 diabetes, and how such patterns related to body-mass-index percentile (BMI percentile), C-reactive protein (CRP) and adiponectin. Cross-sectional data were collected from 105 youth with type 1 diabetes and 71 without diabetes. Participants were between 12 and 19 years of age receiving …

Metformin Arrests Growth And Induces Apoptosis Of Neuroblastoma Cells, Nadia Al-Sammarraie

Theses and Dissertations

Neuroblastoma is one of the most common solid neoplasms in children, which affects sympathetic neurons with a wide range of genetic abnormalities, especially MYCN amplification, a molecular marker of poor prognosis. Despite advance therapy, still the mortality rate for advance disease is high with frequent relapse and resistance to cytotoxic therapy with evidence of p53 mutation. Metformin, an oral hypoglycemic medication, is a relatively safe and cost effective drug with wide clinical applications, mainly for treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Recent studies have showed promising anticancer effect of metformin on various cancer types, especially on p53 mutant cells. In our …

Design And Development Of A Novel Class Of Cell Cycle Cdk Inhibitors Targeting The Cyclin Binding Groove Utilizing The Replace Strategy, Padmavathy Nandha Premnath

Theses and Dissertations

Inhibition of CDK2 activity in G1 and S phases of the cell cycle can promote selective apoptosis of cancer cells through the E2F1 pathway. Currently available CDK inhibitors target the ATP binding pocket and result in lack of specificity for the cell cycle vs. the transcriptional CDKs. It has been shown that a peptide HAKRRLIF derived from the tumor suppressor p21 binds to the cyclin binding groove (CBG) and selectively inhibits cell cycle CDKs (CDK2/Cyclin A, CDK2/Cyclin E and CDK4/Cyclin D). The CBG is unique to cell cycle CDKs hence targeting this site avoids the inhibition of transcriptional CDKs can …

Exploring The Association Between Depression And Obesity Among Alzheimer's Patients, Stephanie Clugstone

Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurological disorder that affects elderly individuals, and is becoming an increasing concern among the aging population of the world. Due to the projected increase in incidence of AD, modifiable risk factors such as depression and obesity should be evaluated, as prevention is the only current option. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity and depression among AD patients, and to evaluate the association between depression and obesity. Patients were chosen from a subset of the South Carolina Alzheimer’s disease registry, which included information about weight status and depression, as well as several other …

Impact Of Multi-Hospital System Organizational Structure On Financial Performance And Quality Of Care In Rural Hospitals, George Raul Audi

Theses and Dissertations

Considering the increasing challenge to providing access to affordable healthcare in the United States and its effect on the economy, it is critical for patients, healthcare organizations, financial institutions, and federal and state agencies to understand the impact of different organizational structures within affiliated hospitals. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of different organizational structures within rural multi-hospital systems (MHS) on the hospitals’ financial performance and the quality of patient care. The data for this study were drawn by linking two national datasets: the 2011 American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey and the 2012 American Hospital …

Mixture Cure Models: Simulation Comparisons Of Methods In R And Sas, Myra Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

Typical survival methods have the assumption that every subject will eventually experience the event of interest, given enough follow-up time. However, there are some occasions in which a proportion of the population of interest will never experience the event of interest. Therefore, the incorporation of a “cure” fraction in a statistical model is necessary. In this thesis, I comprehensively evaluate mixture cure models in two different statistical software programs: the smcure package in R and the PSPMCM macro in SAS. Extensive simulation studies in R and SAS allow evaluation of the performance of these two models. An additional aspect of …

Marine Population Connectivity: Range Boundaries And Climate Change, Rhiannon Leigh Rognstad

Theses and Dissertations

Population connectivity, particularly in open systems, is an important metric for understanding population-level processes on both ecological and evolutionary timescales. In coastal marine systems, adults are typically sedentary and dispersal occurs primarily during a larval stage when individuals are transported in ocean currents. Because coastal marine populations exist as networks of interconnected subpopulations, variation in the magnitude and extent of population connectivity can have profound effects on population dynamics and species distribution limits. Connectivity is a complex process, affected by a multitude of factors, including adult inputs and physical dispersal, which operate at multiple scales and may interact. This dissertation …

Impacts Of Adolescents' Emotional And Behavioral Concerns And Social Skills On Parenting Stress, Marissa Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Minimal literature has examined predictors of parenting stress for parents of adolescents and what may contribute to the impact of these predictors, particularly those regarding adolescent behavior. The current study sought to evaluate whether adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing behaviors significantly predicted parenting stress and whether adolescent social skills moderated the relationship. Covariates of gender, age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status were entered first into a multiple regression moderation model and followed by internalizing and externalizing behaviors, social skills, and interaction terms, respectively. The overall model explained 19 percent of the variance in parenting stress. While internalizing behaviors significantly predicted parenting stress, …

The Cardio-Protective Effects Of Substance P In Both Ischemia/Reperfusion And And Short-Term Hypoxia Rat Models, Shaiban Jubair

Theses and Dissertations

Substance P, a member of the tachykinin family, is found primarily in sensory nerves. In the heart, substance P-containing nerve fibers surround coronary vessels, making them ideally positioned to sense changes in coronary pressure and/or flow. Recent studies have identified substance P as being protective acutely following ischemia-reperfusion due to its ability to induce coronary blood vessel vasodilation. In addition, studies conducted on non-cardiac tissue have reported substance P to be protective against cell death through a mechanism involving activation of anti-apoptotic AKT pathway. However, the possibility of substance P being similarly cardioprotective has not been reported. Accordingly, the purpose …

Early Screening And Identification Of Preschool Children Affected By Serious Emotional Disorders, Cathy Renee Robey-Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Mental illness has surpassed physical health problems as the leading cause for morbidity and mortality in American children. National prevalence of serious emotional disorders in the 0-5 age group has ranged from 9.5% to 14.2%. Of the 15 million children affected by mental illness, less than 20- 25% receive any treatment. Nationwide, early screening, identification, and treatment of preschoolers with emotional or behavioral disorders have become a critical priority in order to reduce the increasing burden of healthcare costs for mental illness and psychiatric care. The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of a screening process for …

Gestational Weight Gain, Pregnancy Outcomes, And Use Of Perinatal Health Services, Lujing Zhan

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three studies that were undertaken to better understand 1) the role of gestational weight gain (GWG) during early pregnancy on subsequent blood pressure changes and the risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), 2) the causal effect of GWG in both early and mid-late pregnancy on the subtypes of preterm births, and 3) the impact of personal capital on the use of perinatal health services (i.e., prenatal care use and preconception care counseling). The first two studies were based on the data from the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey and the third study employed the data …

Simulation Based Evaluation Of Multiscale Small Area Health Models, Purbasha Dasgupta

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of scale on the analysis of spatial data, often referred to as the modifiable areal unit problem in spatial studies, is one of the issues often encountered in small area health models. These spatial effects of scale are also seen in the areas of disease mapping where data are usually available in counts. Often there is a need to consider the different scales of aggregation that exist within count data, since inferences based on analyses can vary if we change the definition of the unit of analysis. This thesis provides a framework that describes the distribution of relative …

The Effects Of Multiple Gratitude Interventions Among Informal Caregivers Of Persons With Dementia And Alzheimer's Disease, Cristy Degregory

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this group randomized intervention trial was to examine the impact of participation in three telephone-based gratitude interventions on the physical, psychological and social functioning of participants in caregiver support groups who are unpaid family caregivers of persons with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Fredrickson’s (2001) Broaden-and-Build Theory informed the investigation of the effect of three gratitude interventions on participants’ levels of gratitude, positive aspects of caregiving, subjective well-being, physical health and mental health. This was a randomized, wait-list controlled study involving informal caregivers involved in support groups. The research questions were: 1.) How does gratitude contribute to subjective …

Effect Of Primary Care Physician Density On Late Stage Cervical Cancer Diagnosis, Emily Haanschoten

Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Late-stage cervical cancer diagnosis is an important contributing factor to the cervical cancer mortality rate. Screening for cervical cancer is a vital tool in reducing the number of late-stage cases, preventing incident cases and reducing mortality. Access to care is often a significant barrier to receiving these services. Women who have no usual source of care report significantly lower percentages of Pap tests than women who have a usual source. South Carolina ranks 13th in the US in cervical cancer incidence and 7th in cervical cancer mortality. South Carolina also struggles with a primary care physician shortage, ranking 39th …

Examining The Influence Of Healthy Eating Identity On Shopping Behaviors, Jordan Brittingham

Theses and Dissertations

Eating identity is shown to be a promising measure capable of enhancing our understanding of nutrition behavior. Persons with healthy eating identities are less likely to consume the typical American diet and report healthier diets in general. While there are several studies linking healthy eating identity and diet, there is currently no research examining healthy eating identity in relation to food shopping behavior, an important aspect of nutritional intake. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of healthy eating identity on shopping behaviors including supermarket utilization, supercenter utilization, likelihood of shopping at the nearest store, distance to …

Quality Improvement Project: A Comparison Of Daily Routine Chest Radiography Versus Clinically-Indicated Chest Radiography In Preventing Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia In Adult Icu Patients On Ventilators: An Evidenced Based Practice Project, Kimberly Mckenney

Theses and Dissertations

Ventilator-associated pneumonia is one of the critical complications identified by a chest x-ray (CXR). However, there is a controversy about the use of CXRs. Overuse of the CXR has also identified concern among the ICU patient population. The purpose of this evidenced-based practice project was to determine if there were differences in patient outcomes when receiving daily routine CXRs as compared to clinically-indicated CXRs. Patient outcomes measured were: ICU length of stay, complications while on the ventilator and ICU mortality, number of ventilator days, diagnostic efficacy, therapeutic efficacy, costs, and radiation exposure The author identified 30 articles in the search …

Weight-Gain And Energy Balance, Benjamin Thomas Gordon

Theses and Dissertations

Energy balance is the result of a dynamic relationship between energy intake (EI), energy expenditure (EE) and energy storage (ES). These three components of energy balance have extremely complicated associations, and all three major components are consistently influenced by physiologic, psychological, and sociologic factors. Concerted changes between EE and EI result in alterations of the ES. Most often in clinical and research settings, bodyweight is used as marker of body composition (i.e., ES) changes. Traditional measurements of bodyweight do not give an accurate portrayal of ES change or the role it has in energy balance. This dissertation supplies new methods …

Assessing Risk Factors And Levels Of Functioning Across The Continuum Of Psychosis, James Castorina

Theses and Dissertations

Schizophrenia and other related psychotic disorders are often associated with impairments in social and general functioning. It has been proposed that there may be underlying factors such as personality traits or cognitive abilities that contribute to one's psychosis proneness, or levels of schizotypy. In the current study, we expect to see a decline in overall functioning and verbal memory according to symptom severity. Particularly, we hypothesize a similar pattern with overall functioning and verbal memory in regards to negative symptomology with comparable results between an outpatient sample and those with high levels of schizotypy. Furthermore, based on prior research, we …

Biomechanical Joint Demands And Functional Outcomes During Manual Wheelchair Use In Pediatric Patients With Spinal Cord Injury, Christine M. Aurit

Theses and Dissertations

The biomechanical demands of the upper extremities (UEs) during pediatric manual wheelchair (MWC) use have not been fully explored. Children who use MWCs for mobility engage in a range of functional activities that may place large biomechanical demands on the UEs leading to a high risk on overuse injuries. This study aims to analyze the kinematics and kinetics of pediatric manual wheelchair use during propulsion, starting, stopping and weight relief tasks. Fourteen pediatric patients with spinal cord injury were recruited and data were collected using a 14-camera Vicon MX motion analysis system (Oxford Metric Group, Oxford, UK) and a SmartWheel …

Improving Mri Surface Coil Decoupling To Reduce B1 Distortion, Christian K. Larson

Theses and Dissertations

As clinical MRI systems continue to advance, larger focus is being given to image

uniformity. Good image uniformity begins with generating uniform magnetic fields, which

are easily distorted by induced currents on receive-only surface coils. It has become an

industry standard to combat these induced currents by placing RF blocking networks on

surface coils. This paper explores the effect of blocking network impedance of phased array surface coils on B1 distortion. It has been found and verified, that traditional approaches for blocking network design in complex phased arrays can leave undesirable B1 distortions at 3 Tesla. The traditional approach of …

Use Of Secure Messaging By United States Veterans And Significant Others, Claudia S. Derman

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

USE OF SECURE MESSAGING BY UNITED STATES VETERANS AND SIGNIFICANT OTHERS

By

Claudia S. Derman

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2014

Under the Supervision of Professor Karen H. Morin, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN

The purpose of this study was to describe the topics discussed using secure messaging (SM), the pattern of use of SM, and whether the themes discussed and/or the pattern of use varied based on gender and age of the SM user. Secure messaging is an example of a technology that focuses on patient-centered communication. Secure messaging allows patients to communicate with their clinicians using the Internet and …

Exploring The Phenomenon Of Presence In An Online Educational Environment Through The Lived Experiences Of Graduate Nursing Faculty, John G. Rosselli

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, the phenomenon of presence in an online educational environment is explored through the lived experiences of graduate nursing faculty who teach online.

Greater understanding of the phenomenon of presence in online educational environments may lead to better learner-instructor relationships, higher levels of inquiry and critical thinking on the part of faculty and students, and ultimately better student outcomes. Utilizing principles of Hermeneutic Phenomenology and deductive inquiry, and based on the learner-centric Being There for the Online Learner Model, the author conducted in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 13 graduate nursing faculty members who teach online at …

Impact Of Gestational Exposure To 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-P-Dioxin On T Lymphocyte Development, Lori S. Ahrenhoerster

Theses and Dissertations

2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a ubiquitous environmental contaminant and the best characterized agonist of the arylhydrocarbon receptor (AHR), a transcription factor crucial to the detoxification of numerous xenobiotics. Studies in animals show that TCDD is immunosuppressive in adult exposures, and epidemiological studies have found an association between TCDD exposure and hematologic cancers. Additionally, developmental exposure to TCDD has been shown to increase the likelihood of autoimmunity and to impair immune response to later-life infections. The cells of the immune system are all descended from multipotent hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that originate in the fetus. This multipotency, defined as the ability to …

Effect Of Accessibility Information On Restaurant Selection Of Consumers With Disabilities, Rachael Nicole Baumann

Theses and Dissertations

OBJECTIVE: The study addressed the research question, "How does accessibility information about restaurants affect the diversity of restaurant choices for people with disabilities compared to others who only have general review information about restaurants?" The literature describes that people with disabilities experience limited participation in community activities. One community activity is dining out at restaurants. It is hypothesized that the availability of accessibility information will diversify restaurant choices, as it would minimize the risk of encountering unforeseen barriers that enable them to prepare for ones that they anticipate.

METHOD: Participants (N-14), half with disabilities and half without disabilities, selected dining …

Language Pathways Defined In A Patient With Left Temporal Lobe Damagesecondary To Traumatic Brain Injury: A Qeeg & Mri Study, Janelle Lee Bailey

Theses and Dissertations

Though the current understanding of language processing is incomplete, it has been established that the left hemisphere is dominant for language in the majority of the population. Damage to language centers of the brain and to white matter tracts connecting these language centers results in a language deficit known as aphasia. Neuroplasticity in the brain can often compensate for these language deficits by strengthening neuronal connections between the right and left hemisphere, or by enhancing the neuronal connectivity of undamaged areas in the left hemisphere. Thus the brain can compensate for damaged language centers by using alternative cortical areas. These …

The Effects Of Nebulized Saline Treatments On Diphthongal Vowel Production On Female Subjects With Sjögren's Syndrome, Keri Lynn Perry

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze and quantify the effects of a nebulized saline treatment on speech production in eight females with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome (SS). The duration, formant frequency onset and offset, and slope were measured to determine the quality of participants' production of diphthongal American English vowels. Acoustic data were examined before treatment began, immediately following treatment, and during a one-week follow-up to determine the effects of a laryngeal hydration program that used nebulized saline to increase hydration of structures in the vocal tract. The vowels produced during the initial baseline condition were acoustically relatively similar …

College Student Lay Health Information Mediary Behavior: An Examination Of Ehealth Literacy And Unrequested Health Advice, Andrew William Cole

Theses and Dissertations

Lay health information mediary behavior (LHIMB) describes individuals seeking health information to relay to others. The current study examines LHIMB as a relationship between eHealth literacy and unrequested health advice (UHA). 254 undergraduate students completed a survey addressing eHealth literacy levels, general UHA behaviors and specific UHA episodes. Results on general UHA behaviors indicate no significant relationship exists between eHealth literacy and utilizing UHA in health decision-making or frequency of offering UHA. However, self-perceived health status and degree of health worry significantly predict using UHA in health decision-making. Further, as health worry increases, participants appear significantly more likely to receive …