Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 15 of 15
Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
The Hypometabolic Actions Of Hydrogen Sulfide In Mammalian Systems, Asaf Stein
The Hypometabolic Actions Of Hydrogen Sulfide In Mammalian Systems, Asaf Stein
All ETDs from UAB
In recent years, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been identified as a ubiquitous cell signaling molecule. In addition to its diverse physiological roles, H2S has emerged as a possible drug therapy, with a wide range of applications. Along with cytoprotective effects in pathological states such as ischemia-reperfusion injury, H2S has been shown to decrease aerobic metabolism in a reversible manner. This dissertation is focused on exploring H2S-induced hypometabolism and the implications therein for human health and disease. We have shown that rats exposed to 80 ppm H2S gas in combination with low oxygen (10.5% O2) for 6 hr exhibit decreases in …
Relationship Between Religiosity, Violent Behavior And Gang Activity In Economically Disadvantaged Adolescents, David Mckenzie
Relationship Between Religiosity, Violent Behavior And Gang Activity In Economically Disadvantaged Adolescents, David Mckenzie
All ETDs from UAB
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RELIGIOSITY, VIOLENT BEHAVIOR AND GANG ACTIVITY AMONG ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED ADOLESCENTS DAVID McKENZIE HEALTH EDUCATION & HEALTH PROMOTION ABSTRACT Few studies have examined the relationship between religiosity, violent behavior and gang activity in disadvantaged youth. This research study analyzed data from a population of low-income adolescents in Mobile, Alabama. The research objectives were to assess the relationship between adolescent religiosity and involvement in violent behavior and gang activity, and to determine if there were gender differences between boys and girls regarding religiosity, violent behavior and gang activity. It was hypothesized that there would be an inverse relationship between religiosity …
Sleep Duration And Obesity: Longitudinal Study Of Adolescents, Herpreet Kaur Thind
Sleep Duration And Obesity: Longitudinal Study Of Adolescents, Herpreet Kaur Thind
All ETDs from UAB
Prevalence of obesity continues to be high in the United States with about one-third adults being overweight or obese. Among adolescents the rates of overweight/obesity have increased by three times in the past two decades. Moreover, the rates of obesity are disproportionately high among the minority population. Recently, sleep duration has emerged as an independent risk factor for obesity. Several cross-sectional and longitudinal studies worldwide have shown an inverse relationship between sleep duration and obesity. However, some studies do not support this association. Majority of the studies in the United States have been conducted on predominantly White populations. African Americans …
The Effect Of Environmental Ozone Exposure On The Postnatal Lung, Katherine Leah Tuggle Stringer
The Effect Of Environmental Ozone Exposure On The Postnatal Lung, Katherine Leah Tuggle Stringer
All ETDs from UAB
In the U.S., approximately 37 million children reside in geographic locales that experience unhealthy ozone levels. This population is of great concern as they are undergoing active lung growth and cellular differentiation which may alter their susceptibility to inhaled toxicants. Epidemiological and animal studies indicate that early life ozone exposure results in altered lung development, potentially facilitating predisposition to chronic pulmonary conditions in adulthood. The goal of this dissertation was to evaluate short and long-term effects of ozone exposure in the developing lung. The first study evaluated acute effects of ozone exposure in the postnatal and adult lung. The results …
High-Risk Human Papillomavirus And Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia Among Foreign-Born Latinas At Colposcopy, Bertha Hidalgo
High-Risk Human Papillomavirus And Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia Among Foreign-Born Latinas At Colposcopy, Bertha Hidalgo
All ETDs from UAB
Although the literature is quite extensive with regard to the human papillomavirus (HPV) among many racial/ethnic populations, there continues to be a paucity of information regarding the prevalence of HPV types as well as of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN among Latinas, specifically foreign-born Latinas. Some studies have reported prevalence of HPV among Latinas, but very few have differentiated between US- and foreign-born Latinas. This nuance is essential to understanding the true effect contributed by each group to HPV and CIN incidence and prevalence rates. Therefore, this dissertation aimed to assess differences in the prevalence of high- and low-risk types and …
Application Of The Social Cognitive Theory To A Web-Based Physical Activity Intervention For Overweight African American Female College Students, Rodney Joseph
All ETDs from UAB
Background.African American women report low levels of physical activity and share a disproportionate burden of many health conditions associated with being insufficiently active, indicating the need for innovative approaches to promote physical activity in this population. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate changes in physical activity and associated Social Cognitive Theory constructs of outcome expectations, enjoyment, self-regulation, and social support following the completion of a six month, culturally-adapted, Social Cognitive Theory-based website-delivered weight loss and physical activity intervention for young African-American women. Methods.A secondary data analysis was performed on African-American female college students (N=34) enrolled in a …
Full Scale Calcium Bromide Injection With Subsequent Mercury Oxidation And Removal Within Wet Flue Gas Desulphurization System: Experience At A 700 Mw Coal-Fired Power Facility, Mark Simpson Berry
Full Scale Calcium Bromide Injection With Subsequent Mercury Oxidation And Removal Within Wet Flue Gas Desulphurization System: Experience At A 700 Mw Coal-Fired Power Facility, Mark Simpson Berry
All ETDs from UAB
The Environmental Protection Agency promulgated the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards rule, which requires that existing power plants reduce mercury emissions to meet an emission rate of 1.2 lb/TBtu on a 30-day rolling average and that new plants meet a 0.0002 lb/GWHr emission rate. This translates to mercury removals greater than 90% for existing units and greater than 99% for new units. Current state-of-the-art technology for the control of mercury emissions uses activated carbon injected upstream of a fabric filter, a costly proposition. For example, a fabric filter, if not already available, would require a $200M capital investment for a …
The Role Of Cd11c+ Cells In Response To Ozone, Jeffrey David Brand
The Role Of Cd11c+ Cells In Response To Ozone, Jeffrey David Brand
All ETDs from UAB
Environmental ozone exposure remains a major public health concern with over one-third of the United States population experiencing unhealthful levels. Epidemiological studies indicate exposure increases morbidity in those with pre-existing disease such as asthma, though the biological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain elusive. CD11c+ cells within the respiratory tract include dendritic cells (DCs), which are the most efficient antigen presenters and play major roles controlling immune responses. In addition, DCs are thought necessary for asthma pathogenesis and exacerbation. Therefore the link between ozone associated asthma morbidity may be DCs. We hypothesize ozone exposure may site specifically alter DC phenotypes, numbers, …
Utilization And Effectiveness Of Osteoporosis Medications Among Medicare Beneficiaries, Huifeng Yun
Utilization And Effectiveness Of Osteoporosis Medications Among Medicare Beneficiaries, Huifeng Yun
All ETDs from UAB
This dissertation contains three papers evaluating the utilization and effectiveness of osteoporosis medications using data on a 5% sample of Medicare beneficiaries in 2006-2009. The first paper assessed the completeness of Medicare Part D data on generic alendronate. The second paper sought to identify anti-osteoporosis medication utilization patterns and factors associated with medication discontinuation. The third paper examined the comparative effectiveness of osteoporosis medications for risk of fractures and mortality, with a focus on the recently introduced infusion and injection medications. In the first study, we identified beneficiaries highly adherent with branded alendronate during 1/1/06-2/6/07 ("2007 cohort") and highly adherent …
Evaluation Of The Association Of Low-Level Prenatal Blood Lead Exposure And Auditory Brainstem Response Among Infants, Timothy A. Dignam
Evaluation Of The Association Of Low-Level Prenatal Blood Lead Exposure And Auditory Brainstem Response Among Infants, Timothy A. Dignam
All ETDs from UAB
Hearing loss is one of the most common major abnormalities present among infants. Two to four infants per 1,000 are born in the United States with severe-to-profound newborn hearing loss (Chu 2003). Undetected, hearing loss delays speech, language, and cognitive development. Numerous studies have shown that prenatal lead exposure is associated with a variety of neurobehavioral and electrophysiological abnormalities (Abbate 1995, Bellinger 2004, Koller 2004). Studies focusing on hearing have primarily described pediatric cases or occupationally exposed adults where blood lead levels (BLLs) are much higher than currently seen in the United States (Otto 1985; Bleecker 2003; Schwartz 1987). Hearing …
An Investigation Of The Effect Of Misspecifying The Random Effect Distribution And The Incorrect Assumption Of Equal Intraclass Correlation Coefficients Among Treatment Groups In The Analyses Of Data From Cluster Randomized Trials, Omar B. Mbowe
All ETDs from UAB
Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) are among the commonly used statistical methods for the analyses of binary data from cluster randomized trials (CRT). GLMMs extend the linear mixed models to accommodate, among others, binary outcomes. The linear predictor of GLMMs contains fixed effects and random effects to model the correlation among responses in a cluster. These random effects are usually assumed to be normally distributed but this assumption may not hold in practice. Also, the cluster sizes may vary within a trial for several reasons including loss to follow-up. This variation in cluster sizes can result in unequal cluster sizes. …
Social Connectedness And Its Association With Violence Commission In Adolescents Living In Low-Income Inner-City Neighborhoods, Thomas Norton Creger
Social Connectedness And Its Association With Violence Commission In Adolescents Living In Low-Income Inner-City Neighborhoods, Thomas Norton Creger
All ETDs from UAB
ABSTRACT For nearly two decades, violence has been viewed as a major public health issue. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4,141 young people between the ages of 10 and 19 were murdered in 2008, and over 480,238 young people were treated for violence-related injuries in U.S. emergency rooms that same year. That translates to an average of 11 young people murdered each day, and a daily average of 1,315 young people who sustained violence-related injuries so severe that they required treatment at a hospital. The purpose of this study was to test a multilevel model linking …
Predictors Of Vaginal Douching Behavior And Sexual Risk Taking Among A Population Of Women In The South: The Influence Of Sexual Concurrency And Partner Incarceration, Keri J. Griffin
All ETDs from UAB
In the United States, adolescent women between the ages of 14 and 19 are estimated to bear the largest burden of sexually transmitted infections. Left untreated, these infections have the potential to result in several adverse reproductive health outcomes. Sexually risky behaviors, including early sexual initiation, sexual partner concurrency, and the use of vaginal douche products increase the risk for the contraction of sexually transmitted infections. Further, having a sexual relationship with a male partner who is known to have other partners or a history of contact with the justice system might put a woman at additional risk. Utilizing a …
Measuring Disease Activity And Use Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine In African-Americans With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ashutosh Tamhane
Measuring Disease Activity And Use Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine In African-Americans With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ashutosh Tamhane
All ETDs from UAB
The aims of this project were to: 1) compare disease activity scores 28 joints (DAS28) based on erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) versus that based on C-reactive protein (CRP), and 2) describe prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use and examine differences of CAM use stratified by disease duration and sex. This analysis included participants from the Consortium for the Longitudinal Evaluation of African Americans with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis (CLEAR) Registry. Using tender and swollen joint counts separate ESR-based and CRP-based DAS28 scores (DAS28-ESR3 and DAS28-CRP3) were calculated, as were DAS28-ESR4 and DAS28-CRP4, which included the patient¡¯s assessment of disease …
Trajectories Of Depressive Symptoms And Illicit Drug Use: Longitudinal Temporal Associations And Comorbidity In A Community Sample Of Adults, Yulia Khodneva
Trajectories Of Depressive Symptoms And Illicit Drug Use: Longitudinal Temporal Associations And Comorbidity In A Community Sample Of Adults, Yulia Khodneva
All ETDs from UAB
Cross-sectional studies of the community and treatment samples suggest substantial comorbidity between depression and illicit drug use disorders. Controversy exists whether such pattern of comorbidity is seen among drug using behaviors and depressive symptoms that fall short of the DSM-IV criteria for a clinical disorder. This dissertation research applied principles of the life course perspective and trajectory modeling to describe heterogeneity and comorbidity of subthreshold depressive symptoms with opioid, cocaine and amphetamine use in middle age. Secondary analysis of community-dwelling adults from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study was performed. The CARDIA cohort, N=5115 at inception …