Digital Commons Network^™

Fertility Treatment In Pcos: Metformin Vs. Inositol, Kaylina Kelley

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

The most common endocrine disorder affecting women is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) (Pourghasem, 2019). Metformin is commonly used to decrease insulin resistance and increase fertility in these women. However, it is known to cause many side effects, which are mostly gastrointestinal related. Myoinositol is a B-vitamin that is thought to also decrease insulin resistance and increase fertility with few side effects. The purpose of this literature review is to determine whether myoinositol is a comparable substitute for metformin in patients with PCOS suffering with infertility. This was done by evaluating pregnancy rates, insulin resistance, and side effects of metformin and …

Long-Term Control Of Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus And Weight Through Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery Versus Weight Loss Medication, Alexandra Laber

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) affects hundreds of millions of individuals in the United States and is only becoming more common. The disease can damage organs all throughout the body and even lead to death. The goal of treatment is to lower blood glucose, but since T2DM tends to be associated with obesity, another common goal in treatment is weight loss. However, this is difficult for many people to achieve, and intense medical treatment is sometimes needed. Since T2DM is a lifelong disease, interventions must be considered in the long term. The purpose of this project is to compare long-term …

Platelet-Rich Plasma Vs Corticosteroid: Osteoarthritis Symptoms, Joshua Zetocha

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease that hundreds of millions of people suffer from across the world (Palazzo et al., 2016). Currently, corticosteroid intra-articular injections are frequently administered to help with pain and inflammation related to OA (Pereira et al, 2015). A relatively new treatment option is Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) intra-articular injections. PRP injections use the patient’s own plasma, injected into the affected joint space, to reduce inflammation and potentially improve both pain and functionality. This literature review will investigate whether the newer PRP injections relieve pain and improve functionality of OA patients better than corticosteroid injections. The literature review was …

Perimenopausal Depression Screening And Treatment Efficacy Between Antidepressants And/Or Hormone Replacement Therapy, Mandy Stenehjem

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

During the menopause transition (MT), also known as perimenopause, women are at a significantly increased risk of depression. Although the pathophysiology is not fully understood, it is likely to be complex and multifactorial. Data evaluating the involvement of HPA axis dysregulation and correlating female reproductive hormone fluctuations, specifically estradiol, are factors that may contribute to this incidence. Currently antidepressants are the treatment for depression but with biological changes occurring during perimenopause, hormone replacement therapy alone or in combination may have comparable antidepressant effects. The combination of menopause symptoms, depressive symptoms, and psychosocial challenges, make recognition and treatment depend on many …

Aspirin Vs. Pravastatin For Prevention Of Preterm Delivery In Patients At Risk For Pre-Eclampsia, Mary Weisberg

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

This literature review is an examination of the use of low-dose aspirin therapy versus the use of pravastatin therapy to prevent preterm delivery in women at risk of developing preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is defined as new onset hypertension after 20 weeks of gestation with evidence of maternal organ or uteroplacental dysfunction or proteinuria. Preeclampsia is a serious condition that affects pregnant women and their growing fetuses which may lead to maternal or fetal demise. The Prevention of preeclampsia with the use of low-dose aspirin in the first 12-16 weeks is currently the mainstay of treatment for women with moderate to severe …

Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome: Surgical Treatment Vs Conservative Care, Molly Ruebke

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

Chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) is a relatively rare pathology characterized by pain, tightness, and/or numbness in the affected calf upon performance of repetitive physical activity, most commonly with running or serving in the military. CECS usually has a delay in diagnosis due to low levels of awareness among clinicians and a wide range of differential diagnoses for chronic exertional leg pain. The natural course of CECS is often not self-limiting and therefore requires intervention, as symptoms can be severely debilitating and eventually force patients to avoid any provoking activity. The purpose of this literature review is to take a …

Corticosteriod Injection Vs Therapy Vs Combination For Shoulder Rotator Cuff Injuries, Rodney Guy Palmer Jr.

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

Rotator cuff pathologies seen in a primary care setting ranks third for musculoskeletal complaints seen by primary care providers. Rotator cuff pathologies can cause significant dysfunction in activities of daily living (ADLs), work tasks, and daily life. Current treatment recommendations are intra-articular steroid injections, therapy only rehabilitation, or the combination of the two. This literature review researched articles comparing the effectiveness of steroid only treatments, therapy only treatments, and the combination of the two. There was conflicting evidence regarding which treatment was the most effective. Significant side effects for steroid injections were discovered which included rotator cuff rupture. Therapy demonstrated …

Benzimidazole Adjuvant Therapy: A Review Of Efficacy And Safety In Patients With Cancer, Jared Mouw

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

This literature review aims to compile previous studies’ data and explore the effects of benzimidazoles as an adjuvant therapy and its relationship to a patient’s cancer biomarkers, tumor progression, and quality of life. In addition to the aforementioned, we will attempt to review data to identify the safety and toxicity profile of benzimidazoles within a population of patients currently diagnosed with cancer to determine if this class of medications could be implemented along with current cancer treatment regimens to increase efficacy and tolerance. To determine this, the databases of CINAHL, ClinicalKey, and PubMed were searched with the keywords mentioned below. …

The Effect Of Metformin Vs Lifestyle Modifications On The Prevention Of Prediabetes Progressing To Type Ii Diabetes, Brittany Mcpherson

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

Prediabetes is a common disease among American adults that is the predecessor to type 2 diabetes (T2D). T2D is a serious disease that causes long term damage to the heart, blood vessels, and kidneys if uncontrolled. This literature review looks at the effectiveness of medication (metformin), diet alone, exercise alone, and diet and exercise in combination in preventing the progression from prediabetes to a diagnosis of T2D. The literature review was performed using an electronic search database to identify literature related to preventing the conversion of prediabetes to T2D using either lifestyle modifications or metformin within the past five years. …

Impact Of Circadian Rhythm On Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Tyson Williams

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

The purpose of this research and systematic literature review is to determine if altering the circadian rhythm in people with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) improves their symptoms. Up to 75% of people with childhood-onset ADHD exhibit a delayed circadian rhythm phase. This can cause difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep, which in turn can cause excessive daytime sleepiness and further exacerbate ADHD symptoms, especially hyperactivity. Journal articles were searched in the databases of PubMed that concerned treatment aspects that would affect circadian rhythm and ADHD. Topics were further divided into themes that included melatonin, light therapy (LT), sleep hygiene intervention, …

The Effects Of Food On Mood: Implications Of Mediterranean And Plant-Based Diets On Depression Symptom Prevalence And Severity, Kaitlyn Prochnow

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

The purpose of this research and systematic literature review is to determine whether adherence to a Mediterranean diet or a plant-based diet has better effects on decreasing depression prevalence and/or symptom severity. A variety of keywords were used to search the online database, PubMed. Clinical trials and randomized controlled trials conducted within the last 20 years were included in the initial search. Exclusions were made if studies were not specific to Mediterranean or plant-based diets, or if they were focused on other psychiatric illnesses besides depression. For the final review, ten articles were selected. After thorough analyses and comparisons of …

Liraglutide Versus Semaglutide: Long Term Weight Loss Management In Obese Individuals, Mckenzie Burke

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

Obesity has been a source of complications affecting multiple aspects from a physiological and psychological standpoint which has been steadily growing. There are a multitude of weight loss programs and medications with the idea of sustaining consistent weight loss to include use of the pharmaceuticals discussed within this review. The purpose of this literature review is to compare the efficacy and safety with use of liraglutide versus semaglutide (GLP-1 receptor agonists) in respect to long term weight loss management while in conjunction to lifestyle modifications within the obese population. Thorough research has been done with the aid of health science …

Pregnancy Planning: Hormonal Contraception Versus Natural Family Planning, Melanie Loehrer

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

Statement of the problem: Natural family planning methods provide women with an opportunity to use natural methods to plan pregnancy. This is done through daily monitoring of symptoms and biomarker fluctuation in accordance with hormonal changes throughout the menstrual cycle to identify the fertile window. Through the identification of the fertile window and ovulation, one can determine appropriate days for sexual intercourse. This format allows participants to develop a greater understanding and in-depth knowledge of reproductive health to avoid or achieve pregnancy. The use of natural family planning has greatly increased over the last two decades, growing the demand for …

Effectiveness Of Knee Joint Injury Treatments In The Prevention Of Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis, Jenna Zaeske

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

The purpose of this research and systematic literature review is to determine the effectiveness of rest, physical therapy, and/or surgical intervention following either anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) or meniscus injuries in short- and long- term osteoarthritis outcomes. The short- and longterm outcomes were evaluated to compare the prevalence and progression of osteoarthritis after joint injury. In this literature review, the electronic database PubMed was used to find relevant research. Many keywords were used when searching for articles. Sources included for review had research on ACL or meniscus injuries specifically. Other knee injuries, non-knee injuries and non-human subjects were excluded. Articles …

Weight Loss For Bariatric Patients: Arterial Embolization Versus Gastric Bypass, Morgan Bernhardt

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

 The primary aim of this review is to determine the safety and efficacy of left gastric artery embolization (LGAE) in comparison to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) in bariatric patients for the treatment of obesity.  RYGB, an invasive surgical operation, has been proven to result in long-term efficacy of weight loss but can be associated with a higher risk of early and long-term complications to include a gastrojejunal anastomosis leak, surgical site infection, iron deficiency anemia, bowel obstructions, and hernias. RYGB may require reoperation and does have a risk of mortality. Bariatric surgery is now focusing on the appetite-stimulating …

March 2, 2023: Agenda, University Of North Dakota

University Senate Meeting Minutes

Agenda for the March 2, 2023, meeting of the University Senate. 26 pages

Ready, Set, Oh No? Prepare For Possible Online Accessibility Issues Before They Arise, Jessica D. Gilbert Redman, M. Beth Valentine

Librarian Publications

Trying to make your online resources more accessible but aren't sure where the vendor's interface might cause problems? Do you collect Accessibility Compliance Reports (sometimes referred to as a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template or VPAT) and file it away without doing anything with the information contained within? Find out how the Online Resources and Services Librarian at the University of North Dakota’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences Library Resources has partnered with UND’s Equity Compliance and Education Manager to take accessibility compliance to the next level. We’ve augmented the basic University requirement to check a box into a more …

Progress And Development Of Syngas Fermentation Processes Toward Commercial Bioethanol Production, Ademola Owoade, Ali Alshami, David Levin, Sagheer Onaizi, Zuhair O. Malaibari

Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications

Syngas is created through the thermochemical conversion of biomass using gasification or pyrolysis and from CO-rich off-gases obtained from industries such as steel mills. The Wood–Ljungdahl metabolic pathway, or one of its variations, is used by acetogenic bacteria to convert syngas components (CO, H₂, and CO₂) to alcohols and other compounds. Many factors affect how well syngas is fermented, including the bacteria species used, syngas composition, medium components, bioreactor type, operational parameters used and the gas–liquid mass transfer rate. These parameters impact carbon and electron flow in the bacteria, influencing the distribution, concentration and metabolic end-product …

Applications Of Underbalanced Fishbone Drilling For Improved Recovery And Reduced Carbon Footprint In Unconventional Plays, Habib Ouadi, Siamak Mishani, Vamegh Rasouli

Petroleum Engineering Student Publications

Fishbone Drilling (FbD) consists of drilling several micro-holes in different directions from the main vertical or deviated wellbore. Similar to multilateral micro-hole drilling, FbD may be used to enhance hydrocarbon production in naturally fractured formations or in refracturing operations by interconnecting the existing natural fractures. When combined with underbalanced drilling using a coiled tubing rig, FbD enhances the production further by easing the natural flow of the hydrocarbon from the reservoir to the wellbore. The design aspects of the Fishbones include determining the number, length, distance between the branches, and the angle of sidetracking of the branches from the main …

February 2, 2023, University Of North Dakota

University Senate Meeting Minutes

Minutes from the February 2, 2023, meeting of the University Senate. 5 pages

Urban Land-Based Healing: A Northern Intervention Strategy, Nicole Redvers, Melanie Nadeau, Donald Prince

Indigenous Health Faculty Publications

Urban Indigenous populations face significant health and social disparities across Canada. With high rates of homelessness and substance abuse, there are often few options for urban Indigenous Peoples to access land-based healing programs despite the increasingly known and appreciated benefits. In May 2018, the first urban land-based healing camp opened in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, one of the first to our knowledge in Canada or the United States. This camp may serve as a potential model for an Indigenous-led and Indigenous-based healing camp in an urban setting. We seek to present preliminary outcome data from the healing camp in a …

Centering Culture In The Treatment Of Opioid Use Disorder With American Indian And Alaska Native Communities: Contributions From A National Collaborative Board, Katherine A. Hirchack, Melanie Nadeau, Angel Vasquez, Alexandra Hernandez-Vallant, Kyle Smith, Cuong Pham, Karen Anderson Oliver, Paulette Baukol, Karen Lizzy, Raquel Shaffer, Jalene Herron, Aimee M. C. Campbell, Kamilla L. Venner

Indigenous Health Faculty Publications

American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities are disproportionally impacted by the opioid overdose epidemic. There remains a dearth of research evaluating methods for effectively implementing treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) within these communities. We describe proceedings from a 2-day Collaborative Board (CB) meeting tasked with developing an implementation intervention for AI/AN clinical programs to improve the delivery of medications to treat OUD (MOUD). The CB was comprised of Elders, cultural leaders, providers, individuals with lived experience with OUD, and researchers from over 25 communities, organizations, and academic institutions. Conversations were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded by two academic researchers with interpretation …

February 2, 2023: Agenda, University Of North Dakota

University Senate Meeting Minutes

Agenda for the February 2, 2023, meeting of the University Senate. 26 pages

January 25, 2023, The Dakota Student

The Dakota Student

No abstract provided.

Aircraft Communication Systems - Topologies, Protocols, And Vulnerabilities, Tyler Przybylski, Niroop Sugunaraj, Prakash Ranganathan

Electrical Engineering Student Publications

Aviation systems are facing fierce competition driven by private investments promoting the development of new avionics suites (AS). With these new AS comes the need for a faster and larger bandwidth requirement for next generation communication systems. The legacy military (MIL) standard 1553 communication system (e.g., 1Mbps) can no longer keep up with the surge in bandwidth demand requirements. The new communication systems need to be designed with a system architecture background that can enable simplistic integration with Information Technology (IT) controlled groundnetworks, military, and commercial payloads. To facilitate a seamless integration with communication architecture, the current system is highly …

Identification Of Cancer Related Risk And Protective Factors For American Indian Youth: A Mixed Studies Review, Melanie Nadeau, Kathryn Wise, Vianca Farfan Cuela, Devon Olson, Karan Saravana

Indigenous Health Faculty Publications

Introduction: Many causes of cancer related morbidity and mortality can be traced back to childhood behaviors. The culmination of cancer related risk and protective factors impacting the health and wellbeing of American Indian youth is unknown. The aim of this Mixed Studies Review was to identify cancer related risk and protective factors among American Indian youth. Results will be shared with Tribal communities to inform surveillance efforts.

Methods: A Mixed Studies Review process was deemed most appropriate for the search process and data collection. 7 databases were included in the search along with 3 databases that were hand searched. Google …

Exploring Occupation-Based Sleep Interventions For School-Aged Children Experiencing Homelessness: A Critically Appraised Topic, Aspen Delano, Joslynn Sauer, Emily Vieth

Critically Appraised Topics

Sleep is a crucial component of healthy neurological development throughout childhood. According to Suni (2023a), elementary school-aged children between the ages of 6 and 12 experience sleep deprivation when they obtain less than 9 hours of sleep per night. Contie (2022) found that children experiencing insufficient sleep had more mental health and behavioral challenges than those who had sufficient sleep. Additionally, Contie (2022) found that children experiencing sleep deprivation had less gray matter and volume in their brains. This impacts cognitive functioning, specifically decision-making, conflict-solving, working memory, and learning. The brain undergoes critical development of the basal ganglia, ganglia-thalamus-cortex circuit, …

Occupational Therapy’S Role In Natural Disasters, Olivia A. Dobrinz, Elise N. Gapp, Jocelyn R. Kirk

Critically Appraised Topics

This critically appraised topic paper (CAT) focuses on interventions for improving individuals’ quality of life and occupational participation following a natural disaster. Described within this CAT are the impacts on individual’s occupations following a natural disaster, the quality of life for individuals, and occupational therapy’s role in improving an individual’s quality of life and occupational participation.

Leukocytes As Mediators Of Gut-Brain Communication, Dilini Ekanayake

Biomedical Sciences Posters and Presentations

Food allergies

▪ Reactions range from mild/delayed to severe/rapid. ▪ People with mild allergic reactions have increased re-exposure risks. ▪ Cow’s milk allergy tends to manifest with milder allergic reactions.

Cow’s milk allergy (CMA)

▪ CMA has been associated with behavioral and neurological disorders. ▪ How allergic inflammatory signals from the gut reach the brain is unclear

Continuous Consumption Of Whey Protein Affects Motor And Cognitive Functions In A Mouse Model Of Cow’S Milk Hypersensitivity, Geetika Verma

Biomedical Sciences Posters and Presentations

Hypersensitization to a food allergen can occur in the absence of immediate allergic reactions, a condition referred to as asymptomatic sensitization. Using mice asymptomatically sensitized to a bovine whey allergen, β-lactoglobulin (BLG, Bos d 5), we have previously shown that chronic exposure to the allergen results in behavior changes with increased neuroinflammation and cortical demyelination. However, whether allergen avoidance can resolve these pathologies is unknown. Thus, we aimed to compare immunological and behavioral changes in sham- or BLG-sensitized mice with or without the removal of dietary whey after the mice had consumed either a control diet (CTL) or a whey-protein-containing …