Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons^™

Manage Terminal Ileum Diverticulitis Comparably To Diverticulitis Elsewhere, James Yip

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Park HC, Lee BH. The management of terminal ileum diverticulitis. Am Surg. 2009 Dec;75(12):1199-202.

The Crux Of The Heart –– The Closest Approach Of The Right Atrium To The Left Ventricle, Lynn Erickson, David Krum, Hannah Samuel, Anwer Dhala, Jasbir Sra

Jasbir Sra, MD, FACC, Program Director

Background: Accessory pathways, the source of atrioventricular reentry tachycardia, occasionally connect the left ventricle to the right atrium. This is possible because, in some patients, a portion of the right atrium abuts the left ventricle on the posterior wall of the heart, near the mid-coronary sinus. This anatomic region is known as the “crux” of the heart. These accessory pathways can be difficult to ablate because of the unusual and unexpected substrate. While the presence of these accessory pathways is described in the literature, the prevalence of the underlying anatomic substrate is not currently known.

Purpose: To measure the closest …

Predicting Outcomes In Patients With Atrial Fibrillation And Acute Mesenteric Ischemia, Sanjay Bhandari, Geetanjali Dang, Muhammad Shahreyar, Ahmad Hanif, Vijayadershan Muppidi, Atul Bhatia, Jasbir Sra, A. Jamil Tajik, Arshad Jahangir

Jasbir Sra, MD, FACC, Program Director

Purpose Outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation who develop acute mesenteric ischemia, and the impact of anticoagulation on complications, are not defined. Methods Patients admitted with acute mesenteric ischemia in the National Inpatient Sample from 2007, with and without atrial fibrillation, were compared for in-hospital outcomes using multivariate regression, and the impact of prior anticoagulation determined. Results Of 48,872 patients with acute mesenteric ischemia, 8,306 had atrial fibrillation, with 680 patients also on anticoagulation. Atrial fibrillation patients were more likely to be older and have hypertension, heart failure, or chronic lung or renal disease. After adjusting for potential confounders, atrial …

Atrial Fibrillation And Stroke In Elderly Patients, Geetanjali Dang, Imaan Jahangir, Jasbir Sra, A. Jamil Tajik, Arshad Jahangir

Jasbir Sra, MD, FACC, Program Director

The increasing prevalence of stroke, with an estimated annual cost of $71.5 billion, has made it a major health problem that increases disability and death, particularly in patients with atrial fibrillation. Although advanced age and atrial fibrillation are recognized as strong risk factors for stroke, the basis for this susceptibility are not well defined. Aging or associated diseases are accompanied by changes in rheostatic, humoral, metabolic and hemodynamic factors that may contribute more to stroke predisposition than rhythm abnormality alone. Several thromboembolism-predisposing clinical characteristics and serum biomarkers with prognostic significance have been identified in patients with atrial fibrillation. Although anticoagulation …

Studying The Optimal Scheduling For Controlling Prostate Cancer Under Intermittent Androgen Suppression, Sunil K. Dhar, Hans R. Chaudhry, Bruce G. Bukiet, Zhiming Ji, Nan Gao, Thomas W. Findley

Harvard University Biostatistics Working Paper Series

This retrospective study shows that the majority of patients’ correlations between PSA and Testosterone during the on-treatment period is at least 0.90. Model-based duration calculations to control PSA levels during off-treatment are provided. There are two pairs of models. In one pair, the Generalized Linear Model and Mixed Model are both used to analyze the variability of PSA at the individual patient level by using the variable “Patient ID” as a repeated measure. In the second pair, Patient ID is not used as a repeated measure but additional baseline variables are included to analyze the variability of PSA.

Effect Of Exercise Position On Percent Changes In Serratus Anterior Muscle Thickness, Joseph M. Day

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Objective: A reliable method for measuring SA thickness with ultrasound imaging has been reported, yet the ability to detect differences in levels of contractility has yet to be established. The purpose of this study was to determine if there are differences in the percent change in thickness of the SA during four different exercise positions performed by healthy individuals.

Design: Observational study

Setting: Laboratory

Participants: Twenty-eight healthy participants, mean age 26 (SD 4, 57% female, 100% right handed)

Methods: Volunteers were positioned in a standardized sitting posture and anatomical landmarks were marked for ultrasound probe positioning. Two resting and two …

Urine Cotinine In Children And Parental Behavior Modification: A Pilot Study, Teresa Lachance

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

“Urine Cotinine in Children and Parental Behavior Modification” was designed by Dr. Deirdre Burns, a pediatrician at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital (BBCH). It was implemented as a pilot study to determine whether urine cotinine testing in children who are admitted to the hospital for respiratory illness and tracking parental smoking behaviors over time was feasible. Parents were given a brief survey to assess their current smoking behaviors and to understand their readiness to quit smoking. They received smoking cessation materials provided by the Breathe Easy Coalition of Maine. These materials outline information about second-hand and third-hand smoke, and encourage …

Radiation Therapy Medical Physics Review – Delivery, Interactions, Safety, Feasibility, And Head To Head Comparisons Of The Leading Radiation Therapy Techniques, Cielle Collins

Honors Theses and Capstones

Radiation therapy uses high energy radiation to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy for cancer treatment can take the form of photon therapy (using x-rays and gamma rays), or charged particle therapy including proton therapy and electron therapy. Within these categories, numerous methods of delivery have been developed. For example, a certain type of radiation can be administered by a machine outside of the body, called external-beam radiation therapy, or by a “seed” placed inside of the body near cancer cells, called internal radiation therapy or brachytherapy. Approximately half of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy, and the form of radiation …

Assessment Protocol For Cognitive And Auditory Processing Skills For Clients Receiving Neurofeedback Treatment For Traumatic Brain Injury & Concussion: Literature Review, Elexea N. Aurilio, Miranda Hendrus

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Neurofeedback has become increasingly popular in the medical world and will hopefully become more commonly used in the fields of speech-language pathology and audiology. Currently, there is a lack of a singular, baseline and progression diagnostic tool to measure a client’s cognitive and auditory processing skills once they are referred for neurofeedback treatment.

The [E]Motionless Body No Longer: Tracing The Historical Intersections Of Mental Illness And Movement In The American Asylum, Holly Adele Herzfeld

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Multidisciplinary Studies of Bard College.

Vocal Function Exercises For Normal Voice: With And Without Semi-Occlusion, Megan Suzanne Brown

Theses and Dissertations--Communication Sciences and Disorders

The primary purpose of this investigation was to explore the effects of varying degrees of vocal tract semi-occlusion in Vocal Function Exercises (VFEs) on attainment of pre- established maximum phonation time (MPT) goals in individuals between the ages of 18 and 45 with normal voice. Individuals were randomized into three experimental groups: the traditional VFE with a semi-occluded vocal tract (SOVT), modified /o/ with partial occlusion, and modified /a/ without significant occlusion. For six weeks, the participants completed the four exercises two times each, twice daily on corresponding vocal tract postures assigned by group. Results indicated significant change in percent …

Prebiotics And Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Heather Rasmussen, Bruce R. Hamaker

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Inflammatory bowel disease risk factors include poor diet, and corresponding low intake of dietary fiber, specifically prebiotics, which is fermented by the gut microbiota. Dietary fibers, many of which are potential prebiotics, have hundreds to thousands of unique chemical structures that may promote bacteria or bacterial groups to provide beneficial health effects. In vitro and in vivo animal models provide some support for the use of prebiotics for inflammatory bowel disease through inflammation reduction. Studies using prebiotics in patients with inflammatory bowel disease are limited and focus on only a select few prebiotic substances.

Keywords: Inflammatory bowel disease, Ulcerative colitis, …

An Obsession Matched Intervention Improves The Facial/Emotional Recognition Deficit In Children With Asperger’S Syndrome, Aurora Claire Hoffman

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) falls on the high-functioning end of the Autism Spectrum. AS is often characterized by a deficit in social/emotional/facial processing, resistance to change, and routine and repetitive behaviors and interests. Prior research has uncovered that AS individuals process faces in a detail-oriented piecemeal fashion, rather than holistically. They are also found to pay less visual attention to faces and social stimuli. Theoretical explanations that account for this particular functioning and processing style include Weak Central Coherence Theory (WCC) and Hyper-Systemizing Theory. WCC implies that AS individuals do not process instances within context, which contributes to their inability to …

Halo- And Solvato-Fluorochromic Polymer Nanoassemblies For Cancer Theranostics, Derek Alexander Reichel

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Theranostics is an emerging treatment approach that combines diagnostics with therapy in order to personalize treatment regimens for individual patients and decrease cancer mortality. Previously, nanoparticles entrapping conventional fluorescent dyes were developed for cancer theranostics, but fluorescent nanoparticles did not allow clinicians to significantly improve cancer treatments.

The use of fluorescent dyes that are sensitive to solvent acidity (halo-fluorochromism) and polarity (solvato-fluorochromism) may overcome the limitations of fluorescent nanoparticles and improve cancer therapy by enabling researchers to detect chemical properties within the nanoparticle core environment. The model halo- and solvato-fluorochromic dye Nile blue was attached to the core of nanoscale …

Taurine's Effect On Cocaine Reward And Neurogenesis In The Adolescent Male Rat Brain., Avery E. Villa-Gonzalez

Dissertations and Theses

Adolescence is a developmentally critical transition from childhood to adulthood including both maturation of the body and the brain. Neuroplastic changes result in dynamic organization of the brain during adolescence, leaving them vulnerable to development of mental illness and drug-seeking behavior. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the psychostimulant cocaine is the second most popular illicit drug in the world. Cocaine, amongst having many detrimental effects, has shown to also decrease hippocampal neurogenesis, resulting in decreased neuroplasticity and cognitive dysfunction. Previous students in our laboratory have shown that treatment of adult male rats with the essential …

Fluorescent Probe Development For Fructose Specific Transporters In Cancer, Joseph Fedie

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Carbohydrate transporters or GLUTs of the major facilitator superfamily (MFS) are responsible for transporting sugars into the cell and have been of research interest for decades. Disruptions, mutations, and over-activations of GLUTs have been linked to a number of major diseases including cancer, obesity, and diabetes. Differentiating between transporters is incredibly difficult due to highly conserved structures, and so specific targeting between transporters has proven a complex challenge. GLUTs are highly flexible in their conformations however exactly what will and will not pass through the transporter is ambiguous at best, and many attempt to target these transporters have failed.

In …

Repurposing Diabetes Drugs To Treat Insulin Resistance In Alzheimer’S Disease‌, Yael Lazarus

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition which results in a significant decline in cognitive status. Novel treatment approaches for Alzheimer’s are sorely needed, as current medications for the disease offer only marginal clinical benefit. Research has discovered a connection between the pathology of Alzheimer’s and Type 2 Diabetes, two serious and seemingly unrelated disorders. Clinical studies have shown that Alzheimer’s disease is associated with brain insulin resistance similar to the pathology of Type 2 Diabetes. This observation has led to the notion that drugs developed for the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes may be beneficial in modifying the cognitive function …

Dancing Through Life: Dance As Physical Therapy To Prevent Falls, Salon Gegel

Honors Projects

The basis of this project was to create a series of dance-based exercise activities to be used as part of an exercise class for elderly people who are classified as fall risks. The idea was to approach exercise through a medium that was convenient and versatile for the class leader, while being comfortable and fun for participants. The activities were developed and presented over the course of the six-week P.L.A.C.E. Program, held at the Montessori School of Bowling Green. Participants met four times to take part in a guided exercise class, and enjoy other activities. At these sessions, participants were …

Do Antibiotics In Early Life Contribute To Obesity?, Shimon Kadosh

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

In recent years, science has made great strides in its understanding of the microbiome, discovering that it plays a role in regulating many body processes. One area of study is the microbiomes interaction and influence on host metabolic processes. Studies using both mice and humans have established a clear correlation between obesity and the composition of the microbiome, identifying a microbiome unique to obese individuals. Furthermore, experiments with germ-free mice have shown that the microbiome effects host metabolism, causing germ free mice to increase in mass when inoculated with normal microbiota. Inoculation with microbiota from obese mice yielded greater increases …

Multiple Targets For Novel Therapy Of Fsgs Associated With Circulating Permeability Factor., Virginia J. Savin, Mukut Sharma, Jianping Zhou, David Genochi, Ram Sharma, Tarak Srivastava, Amna Ilahe, Pooja Budhiraja, Aditi Gupta, Ellen T. Mccarthy

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

A plasma component is responsible for altered glomerular permeability in patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Evidence includes recurrence after renal transplantation, remission after plasmapheresis, proteinuria in infants of affected mothers, transfer of proteinuria to experimental animals, and impaired glomerular permeability after exposure to patient plasma. Therapy may include decreasing synthesis of the injurious agent, removing or blocking its interaction with cells, or blocking signaling or enhancing cell defenses to restore the permeability barrier and prevent progression. Agents that may prevent the synthesis of the permeability factor include cytotoxic agents or aggressive chemotherapy. Extracorporeal therapies include plasmapheresis, immunoadsorption with protein A …