Diseases Commons^™

A Rapid Concentration And Identification Technique For Human Malaria Infections Using A Mouse Model, Donald D. Barton

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Red blood cells infected with malaria parasites experience a change in density making them lighter (less dense). This paper reports a new, rapid diagnostic technique using this change in density in the infected red blood cell. It is not only easy to use, but it is also compatible with the technological conditions found where the malaria problem is most acute - in many developing countries of the world. A small sample of blood drawn from a simple finger stick can be concentrated and examined microscopically for malaria parasites within 10 minutes. The thick film slide preparation, presently used, takes a …

The Relationship Of Vitamins B-6 And B-12 To Plasma Homocysteine Levels In Men At Low- And High-Risk For Coronary Heart Disease, Marlene E. Swift

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

There is evidence that homocysteine may be a factor in increasing the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). To explore this relationship further, we assessed the interrelation of dietary vitamins B-6, B-12 and folate, and plasma pyridoxal-5'-phosphate and vitamin B-12 with plasma free and protein-bound homocysteine levels. Fasting blood and three-day dietary records were obtained from nine men low-risk (LR) and five at high-risk (HR) for CHD. The HR mean systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol (TC), and TC/cholesterol ratios were significantly higher than LR levels. Groups were comparable by age, weight, height, skinfolds, exercise, and smoking history. No significant difference …

Psychosocial And Behavioral Characteristics Of Ischemic Heart Disease Patients: Their Measurement And Relationship To Adherence In An Intensive Nutrition Education Program, Lynn Caldwell

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Nonadherence to therapeutic regimens which necessitate major lifestyle change is recognized as one of the most serious problems in medical practice today. Attempts to prevent and control chronic disease, including the development and progression of cardiovascular disease, are only effective when recommendations to the patient are carried out. Few studies have systematically studied the relationship of psychosocial and behavioral factors to adherence outside the theoretical framework of a specific behavioral model; no study has done so with a carefully measured diet as the outcome variable in a controlled prospective clinical trial with patients suffering from cardiovascular disease.

This study, as …

Cryptosporidiosis In The Immunosuppressed Mouse And In Cell Culture, Mercy Prabhu Das

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Cryptosporidiosis is a parasitic infection primarily of animals that has been recently recognized as an important disease in immunocompromised humans. Most cases to date have occurred in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Persons with abnormal humoral or cellular immune function, and even normal subjects, have also been affected.

To determine whether or not mice, when experimentally immunosuppressed, would develop cryptosporidiosis, a test was designed using the AKR/J strain. This strain was selected because, it was previously reported that it was the strain shown to respond most readily to the production of disease caused by the opportunistic protozoan, Pneumocystis carinii …