Diagnosis Commons^™

Investigation Of Emergency Medical Technicians Practice And Beliefs Regarding The Recognition And Treatment Of Exertional Heat Stroke, Kristin Applegate

Master's Theses

Context: Current Evidence Based Practice (EBP) supports the use of rectal thermometry (T_re) for an accurate diagnosis and cold water-immersion (CWI) for the treatment of Exertional Heat Stroke (EHS) for an optimal outcome. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) play a critical role for the diagnosis and treatment of EHS as they may be the first to arrive on scene, however there is limited data regarding their implementation of EBP. Objective: Investigate current practice regarding EHS by EMS professionals and explore the relationship that exists between EMS and Athletic Trainers (ATs). Design: A basic qualitative design using in-person focus groups. …

The Use Of Motion Analysis Technology As An Alternative Means Of Assessing Spinal Deformity In Patients With Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis, Matthew J. Solomito

Master's Theses

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) is a three dimensional deformity of the spine that causes abnormal curvatures in the coronal and sagittal planes and abnormal vertebral rotations. The gold standard for diagnosing and tracking the progression of the deformity is through the use of repeated radiography and a patient can receive upwards of fifteen radiographic series over the course of treatment, which exposes this population to an increased risk of radiation-dependent complications.

This thesis presents the necessary calculations and the marker set required to make the motion capture technology a viable alternative to radiographs, in an effort to reduce the patient’s …

Diagnosis Of Heart Failure In Primary Care, F. D. R. Hobbs, Jenny Doust, Jonathan Mant, Martin R. Cowie

Jenny Doust

Extract: Heart failure is a syndrome resulting from a structural or functional cardiac disorder. For a diagnosis of heart failure to be made, there should be symptoms or signs, such as breathlessness, effort intolerance or fluid retention, together with objective evidence of cardiac dysfunction. Heart failure is an increasingly important chronic disease syndrome, associated with poor prognosis, poor quality of life for patients, and high healthcare costs. In the general population, where all grades of heart failure are represented, 5 year mortality is around 42%; however, where the diagnosis is established during a hospital admission, 5 year mortality is between …

Application Of A High‑Resolution Computed Radiography System In Detecting An Iodinated X‑Ray Contrast Agent: Small Animal Phantom Study, Anobel Maghsoodpour

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Tumor angiogenesis, the creation of new blood vessels, is the characteristic of solid tumors and crucial for their development. Iodinated contrast agents are used to increase the X‑ray detectability of zone of angiogenesis, and thus providing a means for tracking tumor growth.

The overall objective of this project was to evaluate the performance of Kodak CR 7400, a high‑resolution compact computed radiography (CR) system in detection of Omnipaque‑240, an iodinated contrast agent, in a phantom mimicking small animal tumor model.

The first phase of the project was dedicated to a comprehensive assessment of CR image quality by measuring presampled Modulation …

Synthesis And Analytical Evaluation Of Folate Conjugates For Use In Cancer Cell Detection, Pradipkumar Koshiya

All Capstone Projects

Folate-targeted dyes have been used for the detection of tumor tissue and isolated cancer cells in both the animal tumor models as well as in human cancer patients. Folate receptors (FR) are abundantly present on several cancerous cell types but they are found less in normal human cells. There are several imaging agents that can be linked with folic acid and used for the detection of tumor. These imaging agents could be protein toxins, chemotherapeutic agents, gene therapy vectors, oligonucleotides, radioimaging agents, magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents and liposomes with entrapped drugs, radiotherapeutic agents and/or immunotherapeutic agents. This research showed …

Detection Of Folate Receptor From Fr+ Cancer Cells, Darpan Patel

All Capstone Projects

The aim was to detect cancer cells by using folate–PEG-Biotin probe with fluorescently labeled streptavidin for targeted drug delivery of anti-cancer drugs and diagnose cancer cells. Folate-PEG-Biotin (synthesized by Dr. Henne and Mr.Rohan Patel) was purified by HighPeformanceLiquidChromatography (HPLC) analysis and with the help of Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS) its identity was confirmed. Folate is a basic composition of cell metabolism in both synthesis of DNA and proteins. Growing cancer cells require high level of folic acid. Folate Receptor-α (FR-α) is a membrane bound protein having high affinity for folic acid and serves to transport of folate into cells. Poly …

Hemodynamics In The Stenosed Carotid Bifurcation With Plaque Ulceration, Emily Y. Wong

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The presence of irregular plaque surface morphology or ulceration of the atherosclerotic lesion has been identified as an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke. Doppler ultrasound (DUS) is the most commonly performed non-invasive technique used to assess patients suspected of having carotid artery disease, but currently does not incorporate the diagnosis of plaque ulceration. Advanced Doppler analyses incorporating quantitative estimates of flow disturbances may result in diagnostic indices that identify plaque ulcerative conditions. A technique for the fabrication of DUS-compatible flow phantoms was developed, using a direct-machining method that is amenable to comprehensive DUS investigations. In vitro flow studies in …

Environmental Toxins: Biological, Chemical And Radiological Terrorism, Richard N. Bradley

Richard N Bradley

Children have greater risk of harm than adults after exposure to chemical, biological or radiological weapons, as may be seen following some acts of terrorism. This chapter reviews potential chemical agents, separating them into four categories: nerve agents, blister agents, cyanides, and choking agents. It reviews both recognition and treatment. The chapter also reviews symptoms, modes of transmission and treatment for the following biological agents: smallpox, plague, tularemia, anthrax, botulism, and viral hemorrhagic fevers.

Bcc Skin Cancer Diagnosis Based On Texture Analysis Techniques, Shao-Hui Chuang, Xiaoyan Sun, Wen-Yu Chang, Gwo-Shing Chen, Adam Huang, Jiang Li, Frederic D. Mckenzie

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

In this paper, we present a texture analysis based method for diagnosing the Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) skin cancer using optical images taken from the suspicious skin regions. We first extracted the Run Length Matrix and Haralick texture features from the images and used a feature selection algorithm to identify the most effective feature set for the diagnosis. We then utilized a Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) classifier to classify the images to BCC or normal cases. Experiments showed that detecting BCC cancer based on optical images is feasible. The best sensitivity and specificity we achieved on our data set were 94% …

Qualidade De Vida: Considerações Sobre Os Indicadores E Instrumentos De Medida / Quality Of Life: Consideration Of Indicators And Instruments Of Measure, Everton Fernando Alves

Everton Fernando Alves

Os instrumentos de medida são desenvolvidos para as mais diversas finalidades e indicações. Sua funcionalidade depende de escalas genéricas, do estado de saúde e escalas específicas a uma determinada situação. O presente estudo teve como objetivo discorrer sobre os aspectos importantes que permeiam a utilização dos instrumentos de medida e apresentar de forma sistematizada os indicadores e instrumentos de medida de QV, utilizados e validados no Brasil. Realizou-se um estudo de revisão narrativa do conhecimento disponível na literatura, com consulta às seguintes bases de dados: DEDALUS, LILACS, MEDLINE e Scielo, tendo como base os períodos de 1995-2008. Observou-se que os …

Evaluation Of The Quantitative Accuracy Of A Commercially-Available Positron Emission Mammography Scanner, Adam Springer

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Objective: The PEM Flex Solo II (Naviscan, Inc., San Diego, CA) is currently the only commercially-available positron emission mammography (PEM) scanner. This scanner does not apply corrections for count rate effects, attenuation or scatter during image reconstruction, potentially affecting the quantitative accuracy of images. This work measures the overall quantitative accuracy of the PEM Flex system, and determines the contributions of error due to count rate effects, attenuation and scatter.

Materials and Methods: Gelatin phantoms were designed to simulate breasts of different sizes (4 – 12 cm thick) with varying uniform background activity concentration (0.007 – 0.5 μCi/cc), cysts and …

Perfil Dos Atendimentos Ambulatoriais Realizados Em Uma Clínica De Cirurgia Plástica No Sul Do Brasil / Outpatient Service Profile In A Plastic Surgery Clinic In Southern Brazil, Everton Fernando Alves

Everton Fernando Alves

Objetivo: Descrever o perfil dos atendimentos ambulatoriais realizados em uma clínica de cirurgia plástica no sul do Brasil. Materiais e Métodos: Foi realizado um estudo descritivo, exploratório e de caráter quantitativo com o intuito de analisar a totalidade de atendimentos ambulatoriais (consultas e cirurgias) realizadas em uma clínica privada de cirurgia plástica no período de 01 de janeiro a 31 de dezembro de 2010. Resultados: Observou-se que, das 671 (60,5%) consultas novas, apenas 205 (18,5%) cirurgias foram realizadas. Março foi o mês com mais consultas (10%) e cirurgias (11,7%). Do total de consultas novas, as reparadoras foram predominantes em 55,6% …

Hiv: Make The Diagnosis And Take The Next Step, Julie G. Stewart, Amy R. Weinberg

Nursing Faculty Publications

With the CDC urging screening for all willing patients, providers will be testing and managing a growing number of HIV-positive individuals.

The CDC estimates that with more than 40,000 new infections annually, more than 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV-and 24% to 27% may not be aware of their infection status.1 Studies have shown that HIV is often diagnosed late in the disease process, when the individual has already developed AIDS, which typically occurs 8 to 11 years after HIV infection.2 Research also points to missed opportunities to offer HIV testing and diagnose the infection …

Qualidade De Vida No Trabalho: Indicadores E Instrumentos De Medidas / Quality Of Work Life: Indicators And Instruments Of Measure, Everton Fernando Alves

Everton Fernando Alves

The measurement of Quality of Life at Work (QLW) has been emerging in the scientific community as an important tool for investigating and evaluating the occupational health of individuals in a holistic manner. The measurement instruments are developed for many different purposes and directions, being held by generic scales of health status and specific scales to a given situation. The objective of this study is to discuss important aspects related to QLW and present in a systematic concept, indicators and measurement instruments used and validated in Brazil. Was conducted a study of narrative review of available knowledge in the literature, …

Influence Of Anchoring On Miscarriage Risk Perception Associated With Amniocentesis, Regina A. Nuccio

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

INFLUENCE OF ANCHORING ON MISCARRIAGE RISK PERCEPTION ASSOCIATED WITH AMNIOCENTESIS Publication No. ___________ Regina Nuccio, BS Supervisory Professor: Claire N. Singletary, MS, CGC Amniocentesis is the most common invasive procedure performed during pregnancy (Eddleman, et al., 2006). One important factor that women consider when making a decision about amniocentesis is the risk of miscarriage associated with the procedure. People use heuristics such as anchoring, the action of using a prior belief regarding the magnitude of risk as a frame of reference for new information to be synthesized, to better understand risks that they encounter in their lives. This study aimed …

Platelet Alpha- And Beta- Secretase Activities Are Not Significantly Affected By Dementia Or Mild Cognitive Impairment In Swedish Patients., Paul Gorham, Natalie Bark, Steve Meaney, Ingemar Bjorkhem, Milita Crisby

Articles

The processing of the Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) is a critical event in the formation of amyloid plaques which are composed of the 4kDa amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta). Processing of APP occurs through a non-amyloidogenic pathway, mediated by initial alpha-secretase cleavage or through an amyloidogenic pathway via sequential cleavage by beta- and gamma-secretase enzymes, which produces Abeta peptides. Currently, the diagnosis of probable or possible Alzheimer's disease (AD) is primarily based on neuropsychological and neuroradiological assessment. Recent reports indicate that platelet beta-secretase activity is moderately increased in patients with AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). To our knowledge platelet alpha-secretase activity …

An Optical Machine Vision System For Applications In Cytopathology, Jonathan Blackledge, Dmitry Dubovitskiy

Articles

This paper discusses a new approach to the processes of object detection, recognition and classification in a digital image focusing on problem in Cytopathology. A unique self learning procedure is presented in order to incorporate expert knowledge. The classification method is based on the application of a set of features which includes fractal parameters such as the Lacunarity and Fourier dimension. Thus, the approach includes the characterisation of an object in terms of its fractal properties and texture characteristics. The principal issues associated with object recognition are presented which include the basic model and segmentation algorithms. The self-learning procedure for …

Evaluating Children With Otitis Media For Bacteremia Or Urinary Tract Infection., Daniel Yawman, Patrick Mahar, Aaron Blumkin, Gregory P. Conners

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Background. It is unclear if clinicians evaluate for concurrent bacteremia or UTI in young patients diagnosed with acute otitis media (AOM). Objectives. To describe how often, and under which circumstances, emergency providers investigate for bacteremia or UTI in 2-36 month olds with AOM. Methods. Cases of AOM were analyzed from the 2001-2004 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS)-Emergency Department dataset. Results. AOM was diagnosed in 17% of the 10,847 recorded visits of 2-36 month olds. Of these visits, laboratory testing included: CBC: 7%, Blood culture: 4%, urinalysis or urine culture: 5%, and any of these tests: 9%. Rates of …

Adjacent Slice Prostate Cancer Prediction To Inform Maldi Imaging Biomarker Analysis, Shao-Hui Chuang, Xiaoyan Sun, Lisa Cazares, Julius Nyalwidhe, Dean Troyer, O. John Semmes, Jiang Li, Frederic D. Mckenzie, Nico Karssemeijer (Ed.), Ronald M. Summers (Ed.)

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer among men in US [1]. Traditionally, prostate cancer diagnosis is made by the analysis of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and histopathological images of biopsy samples under microscopes. Proteomic biomarkers can improve upon these methods. MALDI molecular spectra imaging is used to visualize protein/peptide concentrations across biopsy samples to search for biomarker candidates. Unfortunately, traditional processing methods require histopathological examination on one slice of a biopsy sample while the adjacent slice is subjected to the tissue destroying desorption and ionization processes of MALDI. The highest confidence tumor regions gained from the …