Dermatologic Manifestations Of Rheumatic Disease: Cutaneous Manifestations Of Vasculitides, Julianna S. Kang, Julia Nunley, Tiffany Ho, Mavra Masood, Fnu Nutan, Beth Rubinstein

Open and Affordable Course Content at VCU

Cutaneous Manifestations of Vasculitides is a Powerpoint based learning module that begins with the definition of terms and findings often found in vasculitis, followed by a review of several systemic vasculitides, highlighting how characteristic cutaneous lesions may be predictive of the vessel of involvement as well as the associated histologic changes. Moreover, significant clinical and laboratory findings utilized to make the correct diagnosis will be emphasized. This module is not meant to be an exhaustive review of vasculitis, but to serve as an introduction to understanding disease processes and how systemic vasculitis and skin findings interrelate.

It is part of …

Dermatologic Manifestations Of Rheumatic Disease: Malignant Cutaneous Tumors, Divya Shan, Julianna S. Kang, Allison Cinats, Julia R. Nunley, Beth Rubinstein

Open and Affordable Course Content at VCU

Malignant Cutaneous Tumors is a Powerpoint-based learning module that focuses on skin cancers. It begins with the definition of terms and findings, followed by a review of several clinical cases. The goal of the module is to provide the students with the ability to differentiate the most common types of skin cancer and precancerous lesions and gain an awareness of cutaneous lymphomas. This module will include images and clinical findings from diverse skin tones to prepare students to identify cutaneous findings in a heterogeneous patient population. This module is not a comprehensive review of skin cancers but an introduction to …

Dermatoses Of The Breast During Lactation, Divya Shan, Sindhuja Koppu, Valerie Coleman, Gauri Gulati, Kimberly Salkey

Open and Affordable Course Content at VCU

Dermatoses of the Breast during Lactation is a PowerPoint-based learning module that focuses on skin diseases of the breast and nipple that occur during lactation. It covers the diagnosis, workup, and management of a wide range of breast dermatoses with overlapping clinical presentations. Topics covered in this OER include differential diagnoses for breast masses, infections, nipple discharge, and nipple lesions. The goal of the module is to provide students with the ability to differentiate both physiologic and pathologic causes of breast dermatoses and gain awareness of the skin conditions that present in breastfeeding individuals. This module includes images and descriptions …

Dermatologic Manifestations Of Rheumatic Disease: Cutaneous Manifestations Of Sarcoidosis, Sarah Shapiro, Sindhuja Koppu, Mavra Masood, Beth Rubinstein, Huzaefah Syed

Open and Affordable Course Content at VCU

Cutaneous Manifestations of Sarcoidosis is a Powerpoint based learning module that depicts fictional patient scenarios detailing sarcoidosis and erythema nodosum. It explores other cutaneous and non-cutaneous manifestations, diagnostic criteria, and medical evaluation of sarcoidosis and the possible etiologies, workup, treatment, and prognosis of erythema nodosum. Health and racial disparities experienced by patients with sarcoidosis are also highlighted and discussed. It takes approximately 25 minutes to complete. This module was created for use in the VCU School of Medicine M1 Movement block, Rheumatology and Dermatology sections.

It is part of the Dermatologic Manifestations of Rheumatic Disease project, which provides overviews of …

A Deep Learning U-Net For Detecting And Segmenting Liver Tumors, Vidhya Cardozo

Theses and Dissertations

Visualization of liver tumors on simulation CT scans is challenging even with contrast-enhancement, due to the sensitivity of the contrast enhancement to the timing of the CT acquisition. Image registration to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be helpful for delineation, but differences in patient position, liver shape and volume, and the lack of anatomical landmarks between the two image sets makes the task difficult. This study develops a U-Net based neural network for automated liver and tumor segmentation for purposes of radiotherapy treatment planning. Non-contrast simulation based abdominal CT axial scans of 52 patients with primary liver tumors were utilized. …

Strengthening Mental Health Diagnostic Detection In Integrated Primary Care, Julia Brechbiel

Theses and Dissertations

Primary care behavioral health (PCBH) is crucial for providing mental health treatment to underserved, minority, and uninsured populations. There is a lack of knowledge about accurate mental health diagnoses at PCBH. Underdetection of mental health symptoms has the potential to worsen racial and socioeconomic disparities. Using an expert review process, I developed an abbreviated diagnostic clinical interview (ADCI) for integrated primary care. Next, patients (N = 82) completed the interview after attending PCBH appointments. According to the interview, 63.4% of participants met criteria for a diagnosis, while 64.7% received a diagnosis from their provider. A large portion of patients …

Pushing The Limits: Increasing The Speed And Specificity Of Sars-Cov-2 Testing, Grayson Way

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence and spread of the current COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the importance of continual improvements upon current microbiological testing methods. Rapid and accurate testing can help mitigate spread by improving on the time to quarantine and quarantine duration required. As of the writing of this thesis, COVID-19 has been responsible for more than 500,000 deaths in the United States of America, and greater than 2 million deaths globally. The work done in this thesis has shown improvements in the current SARS-CoV-2 testing methodology by reducing the time it takes for patient testing while maintaining accuracy and the sensitivity required …

Copper Sulfide Manganese Nanoparticles For Multimodality Imaging And Therapy, Ali S. Gawi Ermi

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

COPPER SULFIDE MANGANESE NANOPARTICLES FOR MULTIMODALITY IMAGING AND THERAPY

By Ali S. Gawi Ermi, MSc

Inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) are compatible with metal-based multi-modality molecular imaging and targeted therapy. Copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuS NPs) are attractive photoacoustic and photothermal agents and are amenable to incorporation of radionuclides and paramagnetic elements to facilitate image-guided therapy. The aim of this work is to develop manganese (Mn)- doped CuS NP, intrinsically radiolabeled with radionuclides such as (Zirconium-89 (⁸⁹Zr), Copper-64/67 (^64/67Cu) and Manganese-52/55 (^52/55Mn)). This novel approach combines Photoacoustic (PA), Positron emission tomography (PET), Single-photon emission computed tomography …

Live Cell Biomass Tracking For Basic, Translational, And Clinical Research, Graeme Murray

Theses and Dissertations

Single cell mass is tightly regulated throughout generations and the cell cycle, making it an important marker of cell health. Abnormal changes in cell size can be the first indication of dysfunction in response to environmental stimuli such as cytotoxic drugs. Described here is the further development of high-speed live cell interferometry (HSLCI) to concurrently measure the changes in single cell mass of thousands of cells over time. Critically, the high-throughput nature of HSLCI provides realistic pictures of tumor heterogeneity. This throughput enabled HSLCI to correctly predict in vivo carboplatin sensitivity of three triple negative breast cancer patient derived xenografts, …

Lead X-Ray Vests: Pros And Cons In Dental Radiography And Patient Education On Radiographic Technology, Kayla D. Oakley, Emily Deker

Dental Hygiene Student Scholarship

Problem: There is a greater need to emphasize and educate patients and providers about radiologic advancements and patient exposure. The tradition of placing lead x-ray vests on patients for all radiographs is no longer a necessity. Without the explanation of why lead aprons are no longer needed, unnecessary steps for the provider and potential harm to the patient could be caused.

Methods: This review of literature was assembled by analyzing data from primary and secondary sources through online databases. The most recent research on the risks and benefits of the use of lead x-ray vests towards patients in …

Illumination Of The Golgi Apparatus Of Pathogenic And Nonpathogenic Naegleria Species, Tyler M. Poe

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, Naegleria fowleri, a pathogenic amoeba and the causative agent of Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), was utilized to determine the presence or absence of classically conserved Golgi molecules featured in the expression of a Golgi apparatus. Previous studies concluded no Golgi expression via light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, but a recent report on Naegleria gruberi indicated the presence of dispersed Golgi tubules. Non-pathogenic species of the Naegleria genus such as Naegleria gruberi 30540 and Naegleria lovaniensis 30569 were utilized in Western immunoblot analysis compared to reduced whole-cell lysate proteins of two strains of N. fowleri and …

Usefulness Of The Captia Syphilis Igg Eia Test Method And Reverse Algorithm For Detection Of Syphilis Infection In A Public Health Setting, Patricia Armour

Theses and Dissertations

Syphilis, a systemic sexually transmitted disease, is on the rise in the US, with infection rates the highest recorded since 1994 according to the CDC. Useful laboratory testing is an important diagnostic tool for determining individual syphilis infection and preventing community-wide disease spread.

The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness of a specific automated treponemal test method, the Captia^TM Syphilis IgG EIA, and the syphilis reverse algorithm interpretation for detecting syphilis infection among patients seeking care in a public health clinic. The study employed a retrospective, nonexperimental descriptive correlational design with data collected between 2012-2013 from …

Patient-Specific Inference Of Average Glucose From Glycated Hemoglobin, Roy Malka, David M. Nathan, John M. Higgins

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Chronic Pain Causal Attributions In An Interdisciplinary Primary Care Clinic: Patient-Provider And Provider-Provider Discrepancies, Bryan Jensen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of pain causal attributions on patient pain-related functioning, treatment engagement, and clinical outcomes. Additionally, the impact of discordant pain causal attributions between patients and their providers as well as between interdisciplinary providers was examined. Patients rated their pain functioning and causal pain attributions during a regular clinic visit. Following the patient’s visit both the behavioral medicine provider and internal medicine resident provided ratings of similar pain-related functioning domains and causal attributions. Follow-up data were collected from the electronic medical record three months following that clinic visit. Overall, results revealed …

An Association Study Between Adult Blood Pressure And Time To First Cardiovascular Disease, Yongjia Pu

Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Several studies have demonstrated the association between the time to hypertension event and multiple baseline measurements for adults, yet other survival cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes such as high cholesterol and heart attack have been somewhat less considered. The Fels Longitudinal Study (FLS) provides us an opportunity to connect adult blood pressure (BP) at certain ages to the time to first CVD outcomes. The availability of long-term serial BP measurements from FLS also potentially allows us to evaluate if the trend of the measured BP biomarkers over time predicts survival outcomes in adulthood through statistical modeling.

METHODS: When the reference …

Mirnas As Biomarkers For Prostate Cancer Progression, Gene C. Clark

Theses and Dissertations

Prostate cancer is one of the most challenging global medical issues today. In 2011, prostate cancer was the most diagnosed malignancy in the United States, making up 29% of new cancer cases. In that year it was the second leading cause of cancer related deaths among men in the USA and the second most common cause of cancer related death overall from the EU. The prostate remains, however, an under studied organ, making insights into the anatomy and biology of prostate cancer difficult to achieve. After 30 years, PSA screening of men of the appropriate age is still the first …

Dysregulation Of Micrornas In Blood As Biomarkers For Diagnosing Prostate Cancer, Rhonda W. Daniel

Theses and Dissertations

Prostate cancer is the most common noncutaneous cancer among men, yet current diagnostic methods are insufficient and more reliable diagnostic markers need to be developed. The answer that can bridge this gap and enable more efficient diagnoses may lie in microRNAs. These small, single stranded RNA molecules impact protein expression at the translational level and regulate important cellular pathways. Dysregulation of these small RNA molecules can have tumorigenic effects on cells and lead to many types of cancers.

Currently the Prostate-Stimulating Antigen (PSA) is used as a diagnostic marker for prostate cancer. However, many factors can elevate PSA levels such …