Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Comprehensive Examination Of Age-Related Lower Limb Muscle Function Asymmetries Across A Variety Of Muscle Contraction Types, Kylee Heap

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Previous research has found that lower limb muscle asymmetries increase with age and are linked to fall and injury risks. However, past studies lacked a wide variety of muscle function modes and measures as well as comparison to a comparable young aged group. The purpose of this study was to examine age-related lower limb muscle function asymmetries across a variety of muscle contraction types and velocities in young and old adults. Lower limb muscle balance, strength, power, and velocity were evaluated with concentric, isometric, isotonic, and eccentric muscle actions during a single-leg stance test and on single- and multi-joint dynamometers …

The Lived Experiences Of Urhobo Women From The Niger Delta Region Of Nigeria During The Menopausal Transition, Omemiyere Sheila Uwayzor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative phenomenological study offered an in-depth exploration of the menopausal experiences of seven Urhobo women, ages 45–65 years old, representing diverse occupational backgrounds and communities from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, who shed light on the multifaceted dimensions of menopausal experiences. Grounded in the Meleis transitions theory, the research presented thematic insights from semi-structured interviews, capturing the participants’ physiological, emotional, cultural, and healthcare-related experiences. Interviews were conducted with seven Urhobo women aged between 45 and 65 years old. These menopausal women responded to the research question regarding their lived experiences of Urhobo women during the menopausal transition. Using …

Art Of Aging – A Portraiture Study, Alaina Mann

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The process of aging can be viewed through different lenses within our society. In the past, scientists and medical professionals performed various studies to better understand and analyze different facets of aging, medicine, and health in general. Historically the arts have reflected multiple aspects of medicine and treatments while more recently, the arts have been used in a research capacity to provide different ways to represent illness, suffering, and care. This study used art-based research methods and portraiture to gather qualitative observations on the older populations within our community. Data collected included drawings, a field journal, and interviews. This study …

Accessiblehomepro As An Educational Intervention: Preparing Occupational Therapy Students To Perform Home Safety Assessments, Laryn O'Donnell

Theses and Dissertations

The growing aging population of the United States urges occupational therapy practitioners to address the population's home safety needs. However, current occupational therapists need more resources and education to conduct comprehensive home safety evaluations. This study employed a pretest-posttest mixed methods design using occupational therapy students (n=17) to investigate the potential of AccessibleHomePRO as an educational intervention to enhance OT student knowledge of home safety assessments, perceived knowledge, which is known as the belief in your level of knowledge, and self-efficacy, which refers to the confidence in completing a task. AccessibleHomePRO (AHP) is a novel multifaceted assessment that leverages artificial …

Environmental Exposures And Aging., Daniel Chris Gomes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, research into air pollution has shown that exposure to certain components in air pollution, primarily PM2.5 can accelerate biological aging and thereby lead to increased susceptibility to multiple diseases. We hypothesize that prolonged exposure to air pollutants can result in premature aging leading to extensive tissue dysfunction and susceptibility to diseases. To examine this, we exposed mice to PM2.5 for 9, 15, and 21 days, then measured the telomere lengths, cellular senescence, and histone methylation patterns of multiple cell types. We found consistently increased telomere attrition, cellular senescence and advanced age-consistent histone methylation patterns in groups exposed …

The Impact Of Access To Oral Health Care On Inadequate Oral Health And Multimorbidity, Luis Limo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The connection between oral health and other non-communicable chronic conditions—commonly referred in the dental literature as the oral-systemic health connection—emphasizes the role of oral health care on both oral diseases and chronic conditions, particularly in vulnerable populations like the elderly. This thesis comprises 2 studies: the first is a systematic review on the impact of oral health care interventions, as an indicator of access to oral health care, on chronic conditions of which their co-existence would result in multimorbidity; the second study is a cross-sectional investigation of the associations between oral health, access to oral health care, and multimorbidity among …

Comparison Of Aging Techniques In Wild Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) Of Unknown Age From The Mississippi Sound., Christa Elizabeth Barrett

Theses and Dissertations

Age determination of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) is a critical tool in understanding their health. There are many methods of aging dolphins including morphometrics, counting growth layer groups (GLGs) of teeth, comparing dentin to pulp cavity ratio on dental radiographs, analysis of the pectoral flipper radiographs, and epigenetic testing. The most common method for aging toothed cetaceans is the counting of GLGs in the teeth. Since there are many challenges associated with aging dolphins based on the counting of GLGs, a processing technique that results in better resolution of GLGs is needed. This is a two-part study that …

Older Women’S Stories Of Covid-19 Loss: Communicated Narrative Sense-Making Through Photography, Anne Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The diverse array of challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic make it difficult to assess the full impact of this global health crisis. More than 300,000 older Americans died, leaving a nation of grieving survivors in their absence. This profound loss of life will undoubtedly inform the field’s understanding of grief and grieving for many years to come. Pre-pandemic, older women in the United States understood grief to be part of their life stage; COVID-19 amplified the grief experience through both cumulative losses and the isolation particular to the novel coronavirus response. However, few qualitative studies explore older women’s grief, …

Effects Of Age On Amplitude-Modulated Cvemp Temporal Modulation Transfer Function, Raghav H. Jha

Dissertations, 2020-current

With the aging population on the rise, the need for effective assessment tools to identify risk factors for falls among the elderly is paramount. One independent risk factor for falls is vestibular impairment, but the available vestibular diagnostic tests have limitations. A promising new methodology: amplitude-modulated tones to elicit a vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (AMcVEMP), offers a more detailed examination of vestibular (sacculo-collic reflex) functions. This method assesses non-linearities, synchrony, and magnitude, providing a more thorough evaluation compared to the conventional transient cVEMP. So far, AMcVEMP has only been utilized in young adults.

The current study aimed to investigate the impact …

Assessing The Correlation Between The Socioeconomic Level And Cognitive Function Among Older Adults In Egypt, Macy Abougabal

Theses and Dissertations

The number of older adults is increasing worldwide at an unprecedented rate. Some countries began to understand the challenges of aging, while others are still at the stage of comprehending the true dimensions of the situation. There is a global focus on aging research to appropriately mitigate the negative impact of aging and cognitive decline. Not only that dementia add economic pressure on governments, it also increase the psychological and physical burden of the caregivers. Scholars have previously studied socioeconomic level in three variables, namely work, education, and income, and their relationship with cognitive function. It was concluded that the …

The Influence Of The Built Environment On The Community Participation Of Adults Aging With Long-Term Physical Disabilities: A Mixed Methods Approach, Rachel H. Desai

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

Adults living with a long-term physical disability experience difficulties living independently and participating in the community as they age. A combination of personal (e.g., fatigue) and environmental (e.g., transportation accessibility) factors influence these restrictions in participation. The impact of the built environment is a key aspect to consider when understanding community participation restrictions for adults aging with long-term physical disabilities (AAwPD) because these factors are often more modifiable. However, the processes by which the built environment impacts AAwPD are not well understood. Interventions targeting these factors to address the community participation needs of AAwPD are limited.

Research informing community-based organizations …

Aging An Ancient Maya Population From Actuncan, Belize Using Dental X-Rays, Kaitlyn Nicole Cash

Honors Theses

My goal is to determine an accurate age at death estimation of an ancient Maya population from the archaeological site of Actuncan, Belize. This was done by measuring the lengths of the coronal pulp cavities in the individuals’ teeth. I used X-Ray images to measure the coronal pulp cavities of the teeth and estimated age using multiple regression formulae for premolars, molars, and incisors to make age estimations. The formulae came from two studies, Ikeda et al. (1985) and Drusini (2008), that form the basis of my research. Ikeda et al. (1985) was the first to use this aging method, …

Neuroinflammatory And Metabolomic Temporal Dynamics From Inhaled Wildfire Smoke With Attenuation Via Pharmacological Intervention, David Scieszka, David Scieszka

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Wildfire smoke is a global issue affecting nearly all humans on the surface of this Earth. Smoke dispersion from wildfires can span continents and cross oceans with amazing ease. Furthermore, total acres of land burned per year in the United States has roughly doubled since 1980, meaning this issue will persist for an indeterminate amount of time. Exposure to wildfire smoke is hazardous and promotes aging-associated events in the cardiopulmonary systems. Yet long- and short-term effects on the brain remain relatively unknown. From these, it is critically important to understand the neurological impacts from wildfire smoke exposure; to compare these …

Age-Related Decline In Neural Synchrony And The Ffr, Haley Szabo

Dissertations, 2020-current

It is a known phenomenon that speech understanding in background noise declines with advancing age. Although there is ample evidence of behavioral measures declining with age, there is less physiologic evidence. This study hypothesizes that the FFR will be degraded with advancing age, consistent with poorer phase locking. This is hypothesized to be present even in people with audiograms within normal limits. A second hypothesis is that middle-aged adults will have degraded neural representation as frequency increases, compared to a younger normal hearing group which will have better high frequency neural representation than the middle-aged group. Subjects were divided into …

Impacts Of Dietary Restriction On A Drosophila Model Of Werner Syndrome, Eileen Sember

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

Werner syndrome (WS) is an autosomal recessive disorder that results in premature aging and occurs in 1 in 1,000,0000 to 1 in 10,000,000 people. In humans, WS is the result of mutations that render the WRN gene, that contains a helicase and an exonuclease domain, non-functional. Currently, there is no cure for WS in humans, making dietary and lifestyle interventions attractive for increasing the quality and longevity of lives. Diet restriction (DR) has been shown to extend the lifespan of several model organisms, including Drosophila melanogaster, making it a strong candidate for WS treatment. In this thesis, mutant flies …

Nicotinamide Riboside And Beta-Hydroxybutyrate Activate Parallel Pathways For C. Elegans Lifespan Extension, Mckenzie Peters

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Supplementation with nicotinamide riboside (NR), a form of vitamin B3 and a precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) extends lifespan in the nematode C. elegans and delays aging-related pathologies in mammals. During aging, levels of NAD⁺ decline causing metabolic dysfunction and oxidative damage. Studies in C. elegans found that when NR was administered during larval development it induced the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR^mt), which is frequently associated with lifespan extension. Both calorie restriction (CR) and ketogenic diets (KD) have been shown to extend lifespan, in part through increasing NAD⁺ and through increasing levels …

Obstacle Crossing In Healthy Young And Older Individuals, Hope M. Hanson, Ashlyn M. Jendro, Abigail C. Schmitt

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Introduction: In the United States, the average population age is rising and will continue to increase in the coming years.With an older population comes increased risk of injury associated with falls. Falls are considered a leading cause of injury and death in older individuals, and many falls are caused by body imbalance or obstacle collision due to a clearly visible stationary object (e.g., rug, chair, branch). Older adults tend to cross obstacles with increased toe clearance in order to prevent tripping, but much of what is known about obstacle crossing in older adults is limited to artificial obstacles that are …

Therapeutic Gardening For Older Adults At A Community-Based Day Center: A Doctoral Capstone Experience, Anna Serbantez

Capstone Projects

As we age, it is common for individuals to participate in less meaningful and purposeful occupations due to cognitive and physical declines. Research has shown that gardening is a popular leisure activity that offers many therapeutic benefits. This capstone project involved creating an evidence-based therapeutic gardening program for older adults at Care Resources. This community-based day center offers many activities and opportunities for participants to get involved with; however, after completing a needs assessment, it was clear that participants could benefit from more hands on and productive activities that help encourage regular attendance to the day center. The objectives of …

Mechanisms Of The Age-Related Power Reduction In The Knee Extensor Muscles Of Men And Women, David Wrucke

Master's Theses (2009 -)

The mechanisms for the loss in limb muscle power output in old (60-79 years) and very old adults (≥80 years) and whether these mechanisms differ between older men and women are not well-understood. The aims of the thesis are to 1) compare peak power output of the knee extensor muscles between young, old, and very old adults and 2) determine the physiological mechanisms for the age-related loss of power in men compared with women. 31 young (22.9±3.0 years, 16 men), 83 old (70.4±4.9 years, 44 men), and 16 very old adults (85.8±4.2 years, 7 men) performed maximal isokinetic contractions at …

Effect Of Estrogen On Chondrogenesis In Female Articular Chondrocytes, Ebony R. Parsons

Honors Undergraduate Theses

As women age and transition into menopause they face a higher risk of developing osteoarthritis leading to total joint replacements. Estrogen is the primary female reproductive hormone. As a woman approaches menopause, estrogen production decreases by 100-fold. Previous research has shown that Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT) reduced joint replacements in post-menopausal women. However, there is a lack of research surrounding ERT's effect on chondrocyte proliferation and extracellular matrix production, particularly 3D culture extracellular matrix production. Chondrogenesis is a process of skeletal development resulting in the formation of cartilage. Chondrocytes, derived from mesenchymal progenitors, serve as the fundamental cellular component in …

Don’T Forget The Importance Of Leisure Occupations For The Community Dwelling Elder, Susan Witt

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Leisure exploration is important to the community dwelling elder (CDE) as research indicates that social and leisure activities correlate with well-being in this population (Adams et al., 2011). This research project aimed to gain insight on the CDE’s perspective on leisure as they age in place and the role occupational therapists play in leisure promotion for this population. This mixed method study included quantitative data from the Activity Card Sort (ACS) assessment which provided data on how leisure and activities of daily living have changed with aging. Qualitative data was gained through semi-structured interview and explored the perspectives of the …

Dementia And The Fragility Of Self: Navigating Ethical Considerations In Medical Decision-Making, Grace Sauers

Scripps Senior Theses

As the global population ages, the incidence of degenerative memory disorders such as Alzheimer's and dementia is expected to rise. The frequency of complex medical decision-making challenges for these patients will subsequently increase. It is now common practice for patients to provide advance directives outlining the care they wish to receive; in the case they are deemed incompetent to perform adequate decision making. However, patients with dementia occasionally express wishes contrary to those stated in their advance directives. This divergence creates ambiguity about which wishes should be honored and for who those wishes are being honored for. I aim to …

Neighborhood Factors, Cardiovascular Illness, Mental Health, And Aging In The United States, Brenda Billings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The inability to age in place among people 65 years old and older is a public health problem in the United States. However, it is unknown what neighborhood factors (i.e., trust, safety, shared values) impact the communities that are struggling to support individuals looking to stay in their homes as they age. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between neighborhood factors (i.e., trust, safety, and shared values), cardiovascular illness (i.e., heart attack and stroke), mental health (i.e., depression), and aging in place, controlling for sex, age, marital status, educational level, employment status, and race. …

Neighborhood Factors, Cardiovascular Illness, Mental Health, And Aging In The United States, Brenda Billings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The inability to age in place among people 65 years old and older is a public health problem in the United States. However, it is unknown what neighborhood factors (i.e., trust, safety, shared values) impact the communities that are struggling to support individuals looking to stay in their homes as they age. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between neighborhood factors (i.e., trust, safety, and shared values), cardiovascular illness (i.e., heart attack and stroke), mental health (i.e., depression), and aging in place, controlling for sex, age, marital status, educational level, employment status, and race. …

Acute Effects Of Trunk Stretching On Aortic Arterial Stiffness And Central And Peripheral Blood Pressure In Middle-Aged Older Adults, Kylee West

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Physical activity may alter the trajectory of age-related arterial stiffening, which is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Trunk stretching has reduced arterial stiffness (AS) in young males, but its effect in middle-aged to older adults is unclear. This study examined the effects of passively assisted trunk stretching (PATS) on aortic arterial stiffness and central and peripheral blood pressure in middle-aged to older adults. METHODS: Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) and Augmentation Index normalized to a heart rate of 75 beats per minute (AIx75) were measured in 28 middle-aged to older adults (14M/14F; 72 ± 7 years; 28.5 …

The Role Of Leisure Engagement In Fostering Cognition In Aging, Karen Wenzel

All Dissertations

Leisure activities are a major component of healthy aging, associated with reduced risk of cognitive decline and enhanced cognitive function. However, there is wide variation in the conceptualization and measurement of leisure. Specific leisure activities or domains have been studied in association with cognition in aging. More recently, researchers have noted that attributes of the activity, rather than the activity itself, may be significant. This study explored the current state of knowledge regarding attributes of leisure activities that foster cognition in aging. A literature review using PRISMA Scoping Review guidelines identified objectively and subjectively measured attributes of leisure engagement in …

Neuroanatomy In Mild Cognitive Impairment: Relationship To Functional Skills, Treatment Expectancy, And Comorbid Depression, Sara Rushia

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a neurocognitive disorder defined by cognitive decline in older adults. Although MCI has been studied for decades, there remain important areas to be explored in order to adequately characterize aspects of this disorder that provide information valuable for possible interventions and disease progression to dementia, including a better understanding of the neuroanatomical variables relevant to this disorder. Such neuroanatomical variables include cortical thickness, hippocampal volume, and white matter hyperintensities (WMHs). This dissertation consists of three separate studies aimed at addressing gaps in the literature on MCI in relation to brain morphometrics and under-studied characteristics involved …

The Intersectionality Of Stuttering And Aging, Mary Elizabeth Herring

University Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore relationships between stuttering and aging so that speech-language pathologists can be informed about the intersectionality of these identities.

Three adult men who stutter, all over the age of 65, were interviewed in semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were analyzed with in-vivo coding to find codes and themes between participants. From the interviews, 20 categories were identified. These categories were then funneled into four overarching themes: 1) Personal factors impacted by stuttering, 2) Stuttering perspectives across the lifespan, 3) Stuttering therapy experiences, and 4) Covert stuttering.

This study shows that attitudes, perspectives, and experiences …

The Coping Strategies Of Older Adults With Age Related Vision Loss (Arvl) – A Narrative Account, Zakara J. Stampp

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The goal of this study was to share the stories of older adults with age-related vision loss (ARVL) and how they have coped to maintain meaningful occupational engagement. Grounded in a constructivist paradigm, data collection and analysis were guided by the narrative inquiry methodology. The participants consisted of six older adults aged 60 or older, diagnosed with one of the following ARVL conditions: macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and/or glaucoma. Participants were recruited from vision loss non-profit organizations such as the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) and the Alliance for Equity of Blind Canadians (AEBC). One older adult was …

Stromal Vascular Fraction Restores Vasodilatory Function By Reversing Mitochondrial Dysfunction And Oxidative Stress In Aging-Induced Coronary Microvascular Disease., Evan Paul Tracy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Coronary Microvascular Disease (CMD) presents in aging post-menopausal women with chronic angina due to microvascular hyperconstriction. The objective was to identify mechanisms of adipose stromal vascular fraction’s (SVF) restorative effects on vasodilation. We hypothesize aging-induced CMD is caused by a) abrogated flow-mediated dilation (FMD) due to loss of nitric oxide signaling and b) ROS-dependent βADR desensitization & internalization, reversible by ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress with SVF. Methods: Coronary microvessels were isolated from female rats either young, old, or old with SVF tail-vein injection (OSVF). Pressure myography, RNA-sequencing, immunofluorescence, Western blotting, and morphological analysis were performed to …