Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons^™

The Effects Of Home-Based Pilates In Healthy College-Age Females, Betsy Donahoe-Fillmore, Mary Fisher, C. Brahler

C. Jayne Brahler

Objectives: To quantify and determine the effects of Pilates on core endurance, hamstring flexibility, balance, body composition/mass and perceived stress level in healthy college age females.

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial design.

Background: Emerging research on the Pilates technique is inconclusive regarding benefits to core endurance, flexibility, balance, body mass, and perceived stress.

Methods and Measures: Female college students (n=57; 18-35 years old) were randomly assigned to a Pilates group, who exercised at home with a DVD, or a control group who did not engage in Pilates practice. Core endurance, hamstring flexibility, balance, body composition and stress measurements were taken …

A Comparison Of Two Pelvic Floor Muscle Training Programs In Females With Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Pilot Study, Betsy Donahoe-Fillmore, Wendy Chorny, C. Brahler, Ashley Ingley, Jennifer Kennedy, Valerie Osterfeld

C. Jayne Brahler

Background: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a condition affecting millions of Americans. Few studies have assessed the benefits of different exercises involved in pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT). Purposte: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a traditional PFMT program to an assisted pelvic floor muscle training (APFMT) program that included contraction of hip musculature.

Test Items In The Complete And Short Forms Of The Bot-2 That Contribute Substantially To Motor Performance Assessments In Typically Developing Children 6-10 Years Of Age, Kadi Carmosino, Ashley Grzeszczak, Kaylie Mcmurray, Ali Olivo, Bo Slutz, Brittany Zoll, Betsy Donahoe-Fillmore, C. Brahler

C. Jayne Brahler

Objectives: Determine the magnitude of association between individual subtest items of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, second edition (BOT-2), and the respective total subtest scores and to review items on the BOT-2 Short Form. Background: The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, second edition (BOT-2), is a test used to measure gross motor proficiency in both typically developing children and children with developmental disabilities between the ages of four and twenty-one. The BOT-2 Short Form consists of fourteen test items proportionally selected from the subtests of the Complete Form. It can be used as a screening tool and takes less …

Gender Differences In Motivation To Resolve Eating And Body Image Concerns In College Students, Harold Merriman, C. Brahler, Laura Dinan, Lauren Finzer

C. Jayne Brahler

The objective of this study was to identify similarities and differences between college women and men with respect to their eating and body image concerns, weight fluctuation and level of motivation to resolve these concerns. 101 University of Dayton students participated in this study. Students completed an eating and body concern survey online.

Body image concerns were significantly greater for females compared to males (p=0.007) and significantly greater as motivation level to resolve the concerns increased (p=0.019). Eating concerns followed the same trends but did not reach statistical significance. Weight fluctuation in both genders increased significantly as motivation level increased …

The Mind-Body Connection: The Association Between Adolescent Locus Of Control And Indicators Of Physical Health, C. Brahler, James Cropper

C. Jayne Brahler

Locus of control (LOC) describes an individual’s generalized beliefs or expectancies that their reinforcements are under internal versus external control (1). An individual exhibits either an internal or external LOC. This study examines the link between LOC and selected health risk factors in adolescents. A convenience sample of 167 high school physical education students completed a 13-item LOC questionnaire based on Rotter’s 1966 instrument. Various anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and body fat were recorded on all subjects. A subsample of 61 female students received blood chemistry analysis that included a lipid profile, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), Apo …

High Dietary Fat Intake Is Not Associated With High Levels Of Circulating Lipoproteins Or Total Cholesterol, C. Brahler, C. Wilson, Janine Baer

C. Jayne Brahler

The objective of this study was to determine the association between dietary intake of fats, waist to hip ratio (WHR), body mass index (BMI), and blood lipoproteins and total cholesterol (TC) using food frequency data in one group of apparently healthy, urban African American women and their daughters (n = 110). Subjects were fasted when blood was drawn, waist and hip circumferences and body weight and height were measured, and WHR and BMI were calculated. Average daily total fat intakes were 91.46 g and 77.83 g for mothers and daughters, respectively, but average LDL levels of 104.4 g/L and 103.1 …

The Association Between Critical Thinking And Scholastic Aptitude On First-Time Pass Rate Of The National Physical Therapy Examination, Daniel Suckow, C. Brahler, Betsy Donahoe-Fillmore, Mary Fisher, Philip Anloague

C. Jayne Brahler

Objectives: 1) To investigate the relationships among critical thinking (CT) abilities, overall academic performance in the Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) program as measured by cumulative grade point average (GPA), and National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) licensure scores, and 2) To determine if NPTE scores were significantly different between groups of students who were classified as having low, moderate or high CT abilities. Background: It is well-established that physical therapy practice requires good clinical reasoning skills. Passage of the NPTE is required for licensure. Research to date has been mixed as to whether CT abilities or GPA can predict success …

Field Testing Adolescent Females For Cardiovascular Disease Risk, C. Brahler, Wesley Stephens, Betsy Donahoe Fillmore

C. Jayne Brahler

Over-fatness and poor cardiovascular (CV) fitness are well-documented risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adults, but less is known about their association with disease risk in adolescents. This study aimed to determine the relationship between anthropometrics, fitness, and CVD risk.

Six anthropometric indicators of body fatness, seven measures of fitness, and seven metabolic and hemodynamic CVD risk factors were measured in a convenience sample of 28 female high school students (15-18 years of age). A tally was made of the number of factors for which each subject was outside the normal reference range (CVD risk).

Correlation analyses were completed …

Whole-Body Vibration Improves Functional Mobility, Flexibility, And Relative Risk For Falling In The Assisted Living Elderly: A Case Series, Christina Garrity, Harold Merriman, C. Brahler

C. Jayne Brahler

Study design: A randomized double blind repeated measures, case series study of whole body vibration (WBV) in the assisted living elderly.

Background: A single exposure to WBV has been shown to have benefit with respect to muscle activity, strength, balance, and power in some studies while other studies have found no benefit. Its overall effectiveness is unknown due to the conflicting findings reported in the literature.

Case description: Six subjects (5 female, 1 male; mean age = 85.4) in an assisted living community volunteered to participate. Subjects were exposed to a single bout of WBV at 0, 2, 20, and …

Systematically Controlling For The Influence Of Age, Sex, Hertz And Time Post-Whole-Body Vibration Exposure On Four Measures Of Physical Performance In Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Cross-Over Study, Harold Merriman, C. Brahler, Kurt Jackson

C. Jayne Brahler

Though popular, there is little agreement on what whole-body vibration (WBV) parameters will optimize performance. This study aimed to clarify the effects of age, sex, hertz, and time on four physical function indicators in community-dwelling older adults (N = 32). Participants were exposed to 2 minutes WBV per session at either 2 Hz or 26 Hz, and outcome measures were recorded at 2-, 20-, and 40-minute post-WBV. Timed get-up-and-go and chair sit-and-reach performances improved post-WBV for both sexes, were significantly different between 2 Hz and 26 Hz treatments (P ≤ 0.05), and showed statistically significant interactions between age and gender …

Detection Of Diabetic Foot Ulcers Using Svm Based Classification, Lei Wang, Peder Pedersen, Diane Strong, Bengisu Tulu, Emmanuel Agu, Qian He, Ronald Ignotz, Raymond Dunn, David Harlan, Sherry Pagoto

Emmanuel O. Agu

Diabetic foot ulcers represent a significant health issue, for both patients’ quality of life and healthcare system costs. Currently, wound care is mainly based on visual assessment of wound size, which suffers from lack of accuracy and consistency. Hence, a more quantitative and computer-based method is needed. Supervised machine learning based object recognition is an attractive option, using training sample images with boundaries labeled by experienced clinicians. We use forty sample images collected from the UMASS Wound Clinic by tracking 8 subjects over 6 months with a smartphone camera. To maintain a consistent imaging environment and facilitate the capture process …

The Effect Of Yoga Postures On Balance, Flexibility, And Strength In Healthy High School Females, Betsy Donahoe-Fillmore, C. Brahler, Mary Fisher, Kelly Beasley

C. Jayne Brahler

Objective: The purpose of this study was to document the effects of yoga interventions on balance, flexibility, and strength in adolescent girls 14 to 18 years. Study Design: Quasi-experimental, nonrandomized. Background: Research on the effects of yoga on balance, flexibility, and strength has focused on adults, although yoga is being marketed to all ages. Methods and Measures: A convenience sample of 33 female adolescents participated in yoga training 2 times per week and a walking program 3 times per week, for 7 weeks. The instructor-led group received instruction from a registered yoga therapist in person, while the video-led group watched …

Numerous Test Items In The Complete And Short Forms Of The Bot-2 Do Not Contribute Substantially To Motor Performance Assessments In Typically Developing Children Six To Ten Years Old, C. Brahler, Betsy Donahoe-Fillmore, Sara Mrowzinski, Susan Aebker, Megan Kreill

C. Jayne Brahler

The purposes of the current study were (1) to determine the magnitude of association between individual subtest items and the respective total subtest scores on the four subtests in the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, second edition (BOT-2) and (2) to review items on the BOT-2 Short Form. The correlation coefficients (r) between ranged from .865 to .071. Several items suffered from a ceiling effect, and four of the eight items on the Short Form for these four subtests had very low associations with their subtest total score. These results raise several issues with the BOT-2 that warrant further investigation.

Cerebral Oximetry Readings In The Sitting Position Versus Supine Position For Patients Undergoing General Anesthesia, Christopher Turner

Doctoral Projects

Problem: Inadequate cerebral blood flow is a significant risk for patients undergoing surgery in the sitting position. Placing the patient in a sitting position may cause a drop in pressure at the level of the brain when compounded with induction and maintenance of general anesthesia. These changes may cause a decrease in cerebral blood flow and oxygenation. Inadequate perfusion for a prolonged period of time could produce negative neurological consequences in the short and long term postoperative period.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to determine if there is a significant drop in cerebral oximetry, from baseline, when patients …

18f-Fdg Pet/Ct Imaging Of Extranodal Rosai-Dorfman Disease With Hepatopancreatic Involvement - A Pictorial And Literature Review., Faiq A. Shaikh Md, Omer Awan Md, Mph, Sohaib A. Mohiuddin Md, Saleem Farooqui, Salman A. Khan, William Mccartney

Department of Radiology & Diagnostic Medical Imaging

We share our experience with serial PET/CT imaging on a patient with extranodal Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) with hepatopancreatic involvement. RDD is a benign proliferative disorder of histiocytes mainly involving the lymph nodes. It typically presents with fever and painless cervical lymphadenopathy in young adults and less than half of RDS cases demonstrate extranodal involvement. RDD involvement of the liver and pancreas is extremely rare, and this case highlights the role of PET/CT in its management.

Research Roundup From The Research Committee, Mary Insana Fisher, Shana Harrington

Mary Insana Fisher

With the expectations of accountability by consumers and third party payors for the efficacy of physical therapy practice, there has been a significant increase in the push to develop outcome measures in rehabilitation. One type of these measures, patient-reported outcome measures (PROs), are becoming increasingly more common in clinical practice. The American Physical Therapy Association’s Guide to Physical Therapist Practice 3rd edition includes outcomes assessment as an integral part of the Patient and Client Management model, and delineates that appropriate tests and measures depend upon established psychometric properties of the measurement.1 The Section on Research formed the Evidence Database to …

Oncology Section Edge Task Force On Breast Cancer Outcomes: A Systematic Review Of Outcome Measures For Functional Mobility, Mary Insana Fisher, Jeannette Lee, Claire Davies, Hannah Geyer, Genevieve Colon, Lucinda Pfalzer

Mary Insana Fisher

Background: Breast cancer treatments in women with breast cancer often result in physical impairments that lead to activity limitations and participation restrictions. These limitations and restrictions manifest in impaired functional mobility skills that may impact survivorship. Thus, evaluation of functional mobility is an important part of survivorship care. Purpose: To identify functional mobility outcome measures that possess strong psychometric properties and are clinically useful for examination of women treated for breast cancer. Methods: Multiple electronic databases were searched for articles published after 1995. Studies were included if they reported psychometric properties, used clinically feasible methods, were performed on adults, and …

Knee Range Of Motion: Reliability And Agreement Of 3 Measurement Methods, Paul G. Peters, Michael A. Herbenick, Philip A. Anloague, Ronald J. Markert, L. Joseph Rubino

Philip A. Anloague

We conducted a study to compare 3 methods of measuring knee range of motion: visual estimation by physicians, hand goniometry by physical therapists, and radiographic goniometry. We hypothesized that reliability would be high within and across all techniques. We found intrarater and interrater reliability to be satisfactory for visual estimation, hand goniometry, and radiographic goniometry. Interrater reliability across methods did not agree satisfactorily. Between-methods differences in estimating knee range of motion may result from variations in technique among physicians and physical therapists.

The Association Between Critical Thinking And Scholastic Aptitude On First-Time Pass Rate Of The National Physical Therapy Examination, Daniel W. Suckow, C. Jayne Brahler, Betsy Donahoe-Fillmore, Mary Insana Fisher, Philip A. Anloague

Philip A. Anloague

Objectives: 1) To investigate the relationships among critical thinking (CT) abilities, overall academic performance in the Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) program as measured by cumulative grade point average (GPA), and National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) licensure scores, and 2) To determine if NPTE scores were significantly different between groups of students who were classified as having low, moderate or high CT abilities. Background: It is well-established that physical therapy practice requires good clinical reasoning skills. Passage of the NPTE is required for licensure. Research to date has been mixed as to whether CT abilities or GPA can predict success …

Chronic Elbow Dislocation Treated With Open Reduction And Lateral Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction, Louis Joseph Rubino, Michael A. Herbenick, Ryan P. Finnan, Philip A. Anloague

Philip A. Anloague

In the United States, chronic unreduced elbow dislocations are rare injuries. We report the successful short-term outcome of a chronic elbow dislocation treated with open reduction and lateral ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction using a split semitendinosus allograft in a figure-of-8 technique without use of hinged external fixation. The authors have obtained the patient’s written informed consent for print and electronic publication of the case report.

Background Differences In Baseline And Stimulated Mmp Levels Influence Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Susceptibility, Matthew A. Dale, Melissa K. Suh, Shijia Zhao, Trevor Meisinger, Linxia Gu, Vicki J. Swier, Devendra K. Agrawal, Timothy Greiner, Jeffrey S. Carson, B. Timothy Baxter, Wanfen Xiong

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Objective: Evidence has demonstrated profound influence of genetic background on cardiovascular phenotypes. Murine models in Marfan syndrome (MFS) have shown that genetic background-related variations affect thoracic aortic aneurysm formation, rupture, and lifespan of mice. MFS mice with C57Bl/6 genetic background are less susceptible to aneurysm formation compared to the 129/SvEv genetic background. In this study, we hypothesize that susceptibility to abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) will be increased in 129/SvEv mice versus C57Bl/6 mice. We tested this hypothesis by assessing differences in aneurysm size, tissue properties, immune response, and MMP expression.

Methods: Mice of C57Bl/6 or 129/SvEv background underwent AAA induction …

Interaction Of Alu Polymorphisms And Novel Measures Of Discrimination In Association With Blood Pressure In African Americans Living In Tallahassee, Alexis C. Boulter, Jackyn Quinlan, Aida T. Miró-Herrans, Laurel N. Pearson, Nubiana L. Todd, Clarence C. Gravlee, Connie J. Mulligan

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

African Americans are 40% more likely to be afflicted with hypertension in comparison to non-Hispanic, white Americans, resulting in a 30% higher instance of mortality due to cardiovascular disease. There is debate about the relative contributions of genetic and sociocultural risk factors to the racial disparity in hypertension.

We assayed three Alu insertion polymorphisms located in the angiotensin-1-converting enzyme (ACE), tissue plasminogen activator (PLAT), and with no-lysine kinase 1 (WNK1) genes. We also estimated West African genetic ancestry and developed novel measures of perceived discrimination to create a biocultural model of blood pressure among …

Feasibility Of Using Raman-Based Techniques For Breast Cancer Detection, Sara Mollamohammada

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Breast cancer is one of the common types of cancer among women all over the world. Early diagnosis is an effective way that improve the treatment process and gives the patients a better chance of survival. Many of the patients infected by breast cancer choose breast conservation surgery (BCS). However, some of those will be subjected to mastectomy, and many will have tumor recurrence as there is no precise technique to show the tumor margins. Raman-based methods are powerful techniques with potential to rapidly differentiate normal from tumor tissues and provides a solution to detect tumor margin. This is because …

Icloudecg: A Mobile Cardiac Telemedicine System, David S. Clifford

Masters Theses

With rising healthcare costs and a substantially growing number of patients 65 or over, the benefits of telemedicine and patient self-monitoring systems are becoming increasingly evident. Patients, physicians, hospitals, and even insurance providers benefit from vigilant, cost-effective patient monitoring systems. This thesis describes the development of a portable, smart-phone connected system for continuous cardiac monitoring. The system is capable of continuously monitoring the conditions of the heart, automated detection of cardiac arrhythmias, and real-time notifying patients and physicians of the detected abnormalities. The system consists of four main subsystems: 1) a Bluetooth capable chest-strap ECG, 2) an Android-enabled mobile device, …

Improved Sensitivity To Fluorescence For Cancer Detection In Wide-Field Image-Guided Neurosurgery, Michael Jermyn, Yoann Gosselin, Pablo A. Valdes, Mira Sibai, Kolbein Kolste

Dartmouth Scholarship

In glioma surgery, Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) fluorescence may identify residual tumor that could be resected while minimizing damage to normal brain. We demonstrate that improved sensitivity for wide-field spectroscopic fluorescence imaging is achieved with minimal disruption to the neurosurgical workflow using an electron-multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD) relative to a state-of-the-art CMOS system. In phantom experiments the EMCCD system can detect at least two orders-of-magnitude lower PpIX. Ex vivo tissue imaging on a rat glioma model demonstrates improved fluorescence contrast compared with neurosurgical fluorescence microscope technology, and the fluorescence detection is confirmed with measurements from a clinically-validated spectroscopic probe. Greater PpIX …

Breast Cancer Rehabilitation: Clinical Examination And Outcomes Assessment, Nicole L. Stout, Shana Harrington, Lucinda Pfalzer, Mary Insana Fisher

Mary Insana Fisher

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in the United States. The treatment for breast cancer occurs along a protracted time period and includes many different disease treatment modalities. These treatments carry with them a large number of adverse effects that negatively impact function in both the short term and long term. It is necessary for rehabilitation providers to interface with patients being treated for breast cancer throughout the continuum of care so that interval assessments can be conducted to identify emerging impairments and alleviate disability. To achieve this, the rehabilitation provider must have an understanding of …

Echocardiographic Predictors Of Admission Among Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction, Chi C. Cho, Yang Shi, Robyn Shearer, Nasir Z. Sulemanjee, Dianne L. Zwicke, T. Edward Hastings, Omar M. Cheema, Vinay Thohan

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Background: Congestive heart failure afflicts 5.7 million people in the United States with annual incidence of 600,000 and mortality of 280,000. Heart failure accounts for greater than 1 million hospitalizations annually and the single largest inpatient Medicare expense. As the U.S. population ages and greater emphasis is placed on population health as a means to bend projected health care expenditures, large health care organizations will need to develop algorithms to identify patients at high risk with heart failure and possibly preempt hospitalizations. Doppler echocardiography is routinely performed in clinical assessment of severe heart failure.

Purpose: We sought to determine echocardiographic …

The Role Of Traditional Chinese Medicine In The Management Of Chronic Pain: A Biopsychosocial Approach, John Burns, Tiffany A. Mullen

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The National Institute of Medicine revealed that chronic pain affects more than 100 million adults in the United States, citing chronic pain as the leading reason patients seek medical care. Pain is also an extremely costly problem, with $635 billion per year spent nationally, more than cancer, heart disease and diabetes combined. The biomedical model of chronic pain management has largely revolved around the use of narcotic analgesics for pain control. Unfortunately, this corresponds to a growth in the rate of abuse, misuse and overdose of these drugs. Additionally, there is an inherent failure rate to the myriad procedures used …

Feasibility Of Atrial Delivery And Tracking Of Stem Cells In A Porcine Model, Nina Garlie, Timothy Hacker, Eric G. Schmuck, Jill Koch, Jayant Khitha, Amish Raval, Indrajit Choudhuri

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Background: Many patients undergoing open heart surgery have sinus node dysfunction and atrial fibrillation, leading to adverse outcomes. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) delivered at the time of surgery may have a reparative effect on atrial tissue, thereby improving sinus node function and reducing or preventing atrial fibrillation. Stem cell delivery to the atrium is entirely unstudied. This is a significant gap in medical research, as atrial disease contributes significantly to health care costs.

Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study is to establish a technique to deliver MSC to the atria through an open-chest model, to assess the safety of …

Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing-Based Algorithm And Its Usefulness In Clinical Cardiology, Mirza Nubair Ahmad, Syed Hasan Yusuf, Rafath Ullah, Mary Ellis, Haroon Yousaf, Timothy E. Paterick, Khawaja Afzal Ammar

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Background: Only cardiopulmonary exercise (CPX) testing provides information on the ability of the cardiovascular system to meet the body’s metabolic demands in terms of oxygen consumption (VO₂) and carbon dioxide production (VCO₂). However, CPX testing is underutilized by cardiologists due to complex diagnostic algorithms involving up to 30 variables as well as lack of validation studies. In addition, CPX also provides oxygen (O₂) pulse as a continuous measure of stroke volume, which is its superiority to other stress modalities in which systolic function is measured at peak stress and rest. In the literature, it …