Digital Commons Network^™

Predictors Of Developmental Screenings For Young Children, Janice Chandler Ranne

Health Services Research Dissertations

This study examines the usefulness of the New Model of Children's Health and its Influences for the identification of predictors for health service effectiveness. Health service effectiveness is measured by probability estimations of whether young children receive formal or informal developmental screenings. Screenings lead to prevention of communication delays in later childhood. Formal screenings with standardized questions are preferred over informal screenings, which are knowledgeable observations. The theoretical framework is a child-centered socio-ecological theory that is untested for use in health service effectiveness studies until the present one. Four developmental concepts of the theoretical framework, social environment, physical environment, biological …

The Role Of Choice And Control In Women’S Childbirth Experiences, Katie M. Cook

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The current study seeks to understand the role of choice and control in both planning and giving birth. This study explores three research questions: 1) What are the key influences on women’s birth plan decisions? 2) How do changes to a woman’s initial birth plan impact her overall birth experience? 3) What is the role of choice and control in women’s childbirth experiences? Narrative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 16 women who had given birth in Waterloo Region within the two years preceding data collection. The findings of this study cover five categories. The first category …

Exogenous Fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3 Ligand Overrides Brain Immune Privilege And Facilitates Recognition Of A Neo-Antigen Without Causing Autoimmune Neuropathology, Daniel Larocque, Nicholas S. R. Sanderson, Josée Bergeron, James Curtin, Joe Girton, Mia Wibowo, Niyati Bondale, Kurt M. Kroeger, Jieping Yang, Liliana M. Lacayo, Kevin C. Reyes, Catherine Farrokhi, Robert N. Pechnick, Maria G. Castro, Pedro R. Lowenstein

Articles

Soluble antigens diffuse out of the brain and can thus stimulate a systemic immune response, whereas particulate antigens (from infectious agents or tumor cells) remain within brain tissue, thus failing to stimulate a systemic immune response. Immune privilege describes how the immune system responds to particulate antigens localized selectively within the brain parenchyma. We believe this immune privilege is caused by the absence of antigen presenting dendritic cells from the brain. We tested the prediction that expression of fms-like tyrosine kinase ligand 3 (Flt3L) in the brain will recruit dendritic cells and induce a systemic immune response against exogenous influenza …

Romantic Relationships And The Physical And Mental Health Of College Students, Scott R. Braithwaite, Raquel Delevi, Frank Fincham

Faculty Publications

This study tested the hypothesis that, analogous to married individuals, college students in committed romantic relationships experience greater well-being than single college students. In a sample of 1,621 college students, individuals in committed relationships experienced fewer mental health problems and were less likely to be overweight/obese. There were no significant differences between groups in frequency of physical health problems. Examination of 2 models suggested that being in a committed romantic relationship decreases problematic outcomes largely through a reduction in sexual partners, which in turn decreases both risky behaviors and problematic outcomes. These results are discussed in the context of how …

The Effect Of Crushed Ice Quantity On Interface And Intramuscular Temperatures During And Following Immersion, Christopher James Nelson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Context: Latent heat of fusion of ice increases heat removal. Thus, a greater ice to water ratio during cooling and following immersion could enhance cooling efficacy. Moreover, a greater ice to water ratio could shorten treatment durations without reducing residual cooling effectiveness. Objective: Compare interface and muscle temperatures during and post-immersion using 2 ice to water ratios and treatment durations. Design: Crossover trial. Setting: Laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: Sixteen active volunteers (age= 21 ± 2yrs, ht= 173.0 ± 12.1cm, mass= 75.0 ± 12.4kg, skinfold= 21.7 ± 4.0mm, and girth= 37.2 ± 3.0cm) in accordance with university IRB. Interventions: During …

Buccal Granulocytic Sarcoma (Chloroma), Chieh-Yuan Cheng, Chi-Yuan Tzen, Chung-Ji Liu

Journal of Dental Sciences

A granulocytic sarcoma (GS) is an extramedullary myeloid tumor which can occur in multiple sites around the body. GS rarely occurs in the oral cavity, and most cases are found in pediatric patients. In this report, we describe the case of a 56-year-old male who suffered from right buccal swelling for 1 week. Facial computed tomography revealed a low-density mass over the right buccal area. He was also a victim of acute myeloid leukemia; he had received chemotherapy and experienced remission 6 months later. An intraoral biopsy was performed and proved the mass to be a GS. He was referred …

High Crimes, Not Misdemeanors: Deterring The Production Of Unsafe Food, Rena I. Steinzor

Faculty Scholarship

In the fall of 2008, Minnesota public health officials became alarmed by an unusually high number of illnesses and deaths caused by salmonella poisoning. Federal and state regulators and the news media eventually traced the outbreak back to products supplied by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). Employees shipped batches that tested positive for salmonella from a plant with a leaking roof, mold growing on ceilings and walls, rodent infestation, filthy processing receptacles, and feathers and feces in the air filtration system. Under an agreement with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Georgia state inspectors visited the PCA plant nine …

Real-Time Pcr Method For The Quantification Of Burkholderia Cepacia Complex Attached To Lung Epithelial Cells And Inhibitionn Of That Attachment, Ciara Wight, Gillian Herbert, Ruth Pilkington, Máire Callaghan, Siobhan Mcclean

Articles

To develop a rapid method to quantify the attachment of the cystic fibrosis pathogen, Burkholderia multivorans, to lung epithelial cells (16HBE14o(-)) using real-time PCR with a view to monitoring potential inhibition of lung cell attachment. Mammalian and bacterial DNA were purified from bacteria attached to lung epithelial cells. The relative amount of bacteria attached was determined by amplification of the recA gene relative to the human GAPDH gene, in the presence of SYBR Green. The method was thoroughly validated and shown to correlate well with traditional plating techniques. Inhibition of bacterial attachment with simple sugars was then evaluated by real-time …

Macrophage Responses To Cf Pathogens: Jnkmap Kinase Signaling By Burkholderia Cepacia Complex Lipopolysaccharide, Suzanne Mckeon, Siobhan Mcclean, Máire Callaghan

Articles

Chronic bacterial colonization of the airways with opportunistic pathogens is the primary cause of morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) organisms pose a particular challenge in CF lung disease, due in part to their ability to trigger a fulminant pneumonia. This study compares the U937 macrophage response to two Bcc species, B. cenocepacia and Burkholderia multivorans, against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The two Bcc strains demonstrated higher levels of U937 macrophage internalization compared with both P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. Both the Bcc strains also stimulated significantly greater levels of tumor necrosis factor-a …

Managing Female Foreign Domestic Workers In Singapore: Economic Pragmatism, Coercive Legal Regulation, Or Human Rights, Eugene K. B. Tan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Singapore's immigration discourse is deeply influenced by its need to “right-size” its population. As a society that has and remains in need of immigration, contemporary immigration and globalization have rigorously challenged the conventional thinking and understanding of citizenship, as well as notions of who belongs and who does not. Nevertheless, international marriages and pervasive in-and out-migration for purposes of employment, study, and family, conspire to make more pronounced the decoupling of citizenship and residence in Singapore. This transnational dimension sits uncomfortably with the policy makers' desire for, and the imperatives of, state sovereignty, control, and jurisdiction.Although one quarter of people …

How Healthy Are Hairdressers? An Investigation Of Health Problems Of Female, Western Australian Hairdressers, Mary O'Loughlin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Aim: Hairdressing is a common worldwide occupation which, in Australia, comprises largely of a female workforce. Hairdressers are exposed to a range of potential health hazards in their work environment. There is a lack of current research into common health problems experienced by Australian hairdressers. This study aims to investigate health issues experienced by this occupational group, to identify potential health problems that may be associated with their work and to identify concerns for future research. Methods: A review of current literature examining the health of hairdressers was conducted to ascertain areas of health concern for hairdressers. This …

The Development Of A Model Program For The Effective Management Of Biomedical Waste In The Caribbean. A Review Of Barriers Within Public Hospitals In The Caribbean., Andrea Spence

Theses

When biomedical waste is improperly managed it poses a health hazard and risk to healthcare workers, sanitation workers and the general public in contracting infectious/dangerous diseases. Biomedical waste is also generated from individuals in their homes from the use of syringes or diagnostic lancets that are not properly managed. Biomedical waste is considered special waste and has a health and environmental hazard that can result in infections and diseases such as HIV/AIDs. Discarded sharps pose a health risk to the public particularly solid waste workers who may suffer a needle stick injury if they are not properly packaged for disposal. …

The Legal Ecology Of Resistance: The Role Of Antibiotic Resistance In Pharmaceutical Innovation, Kevin Outterson

Faculty Scholarship

Antibiotic effectiveness is a common pool resource that can be prematurely depleted through resistance. Some experts warn that we may face a global ecological collapse in antibiotic effectiveness. Conventional wisdom argues for more intellectual property rights to speed the creation of new antibiotics. Recent theoretical literature suggests that conservation-based approaches may yield superior results. This Article describes a novel typology for organizing these emerging theories, and provides an early empirical test of these models, using proprietary data on the sales of vancomycin, an important hospital antibiotic for the last three decades.

The results challenge the assumptions in several models, and …

Fighting Antibiotic Resistance: Marrying New Financial Incentives To Meeting Public Health Goals, Aaron S. Kesselheim, Kevin Outterson

Faculty Scholarship

The world faces a worsening public health crisis: A growing number of bacteria are resistant to available antibiotics. Yet there are few new antibiotics in the development pipeline to take the place of these increasingly ineffective drugs. We review a number of proposals intended to bolster drug development, including such financial incentives for pharmaceutical manufacturers as extending the effective patent life for new antibiotics. However, such strategies directly conflict with the clear need to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions and could actually increase prescription use. As an alternative, we recommend a two-prong, "integrated" strategy. This would increase reimbursement for the appropriate, …

Asia's Participation In Global Health Diplomacy And Global Health Governance, David P. Fidler

Articles by Maurer Faculty

This article provides a framework for thinking about Asian approaches to and impact on global health diplomacy and governance that might contribute to more sophisticated analyses on Asia in global health politics, diplomacy, and governance. First, the article examines the "rise of Asia" and "rise of health" as overlapping but unconnected developments in international relations. Second, it analyzes how the shift of power and influence towards Asia, largely caused by China's and India's emergence as great powers; affects global health politics and potential Asian contributions to global health diplomacy and governance in the future. Third, the article looks at normative …

The Role Of Bone Marrow In Siv Pathogenesis Using The Rhesus Macaque Model, Amy F. Gill

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

CD4+ memory T cells are depleted in mucosal tissues post human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection without restoration to pre-infection levels during progressive course of disease. Bone marrow (BM) as a hematopoietic organ has been investigated for hematologic and morphologic changes during HIV infection. However, BM as a primary lymphoid tissue during HIV infection has been poorly characterized. We proposed BM was also a site of CD4+ T cell depletion driven by increased apoptosis during progressive HIV disease. We chose to investigate bone marrow changes using the premier non-human primate Rhesus macaque SIV model for the …

Negotiating Equitable Access To Influenza Vaccines: Global Health Diplomacy And The Controversies Surrounding Avian Influenza H5n1 And Pandemic Influenza H1n1, David P. Fidler

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Sitting Down With Dr. John Weg: Pulmonary Medicine Pioneer, Jenny Lam, Edward Hurley

Quill & Scope

Recently, the Quill & Scope’s Jenny Lam and Edward Hurley spoke with pulmonary medicine pioneer Dr. John Weg, Class of 1959, about his career, medicine in general and his time at New York Medical College.

In Vivo And In Vitro Pathogenesis Of Francisella Asiatica In Tilapia Nilotica (Oreochromis Niloticus), Esteban Soto

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Francisella asiatica is a Gram negative, facultative intracellular pathogen that causes fish francisellosis. In this project, homologues to the F. tularensis iglABCD genes were found present in F. asiatica. As few as 23 F. asiatica bacteria injected in the peritoneum were found capable of causing mortalities in tilapia nilotica (Oreochromis niloticus), and even fewer were enough to cause pathological changes. We examined the in vivo and in vitro interaction of F. asiatica wild type (WT) and a ÄiglC strain with tilapia and tilapia head kidney derived macrophages (HKDM). The ÄiglC was found to be attenuated following intraperitoneal and immersion challenges …

Bioaerosols And The Risk Of Upper Respiratory Infection In Dental Hygienists, Christen Rebecca Gautreau

LSU Master's Theses

Multitudes of pathogenic and infectious microbes are known to spread via contaminated aerosols. Dental personnel have an increased incidence of respiratory infections. Ultrasonic scaling procedures are reported to produce the largest amounts of contaminated aerosols of any dental procedure. The goal of the current study was to see if dental hygienists are at an increased risk of respiratory infections during the performance of their job and to see if certain dental procedures had a significant effect on this risk. This study was conducted at the Dental Hygiene Clinic of the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry in New Orleans, LA. …

Itraconazole Loaded Poly (Lactic-Co-Glycolic) Acid Nanoparticles For Improved Antifungal Activity, Nipur Rajan Patel

LSU Master's Theses

PLGA (polylactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles containing the hydrophobic antifungal Itraconazole (ITZ) were developed to address the need for more efficient means of treating fungal infections. PLGA-ITZ nanoparticles were synthesized using an oil-in-water emulsion evaporation method. The nanoparticles morphology (TEM), size and size distribution, zeta potential (DLS), encapsulation efficiency (UV-VIS), release profile, and antifungal activity were characterized. The blank NPs and loaded PLGA-ITZ NPs were spherical with diameters of 201±5 nm, 232±1 nm and 223±36 nm at 0%, 12.5% and 25% loadings, respectively. All synthesized particles measured a negative zeta potential ranging from -28 to -33 mV. The maximum encapsulation efficiency of …

The Rise Of The Surgical Age In The Treatment Of Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Case Study Of The Mississippi State Sanatorium, Ashley Baggett

LSU Master's Theses

The historiography of tuberculosis, “TB,” covers four periods in the United States. During the Victorian Age, TB was classified as consumption. After Robert Koch’s discovery of the tubercle bacillus in the 1882, the germ theory took precedence. The early 1900s saw the rise of the Sanatorium Age, and finally, the antibiotic revolution of the 1940s and 1950s began the current understanding of the disease. Missing from this periodization is an era in which surgery took precedence as the preferred treatment for tuberculosis. This study corrects the historiography by arguing for a recognizable Surgical Age in the 1930s and 1940s. With …

Optimization And Toxocologic Effects Of Cancer Immuno-Electrogene Therapy Using A Tumor-Targeted Interleukin-12 Gene Construct, Scott Douglas Reed

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation includes a comprehensive current review of reversible electroporation (EP) and other related physical gene transfection techniques; an overview of results of electrochemogene therapy (ECGT) used to treat naturally occurring spontaneous neoplasms in dogs; and the results of comprehensive, pre-clinical toxicology testing of electrogene therapy (EGT) of a tumor-targeted version of interleukin-12 (IL-12) in mice. Intralesional bleomycin (BLM) and feline interleukin-12 (fIL-12) DNA injection combined with trans-lesional EP resulted in complete cure of two recurrent oral squamous cell carcinomas and an acanthomatous ameloblastoma in a series of six cases of spontaneous neoplasia in pet dogs. The three remaining dogs, …

Changing The Topography Of Sentencing, Kate Bloch

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Globalization And Obesity, Anais Liogier

Agribusiness and Applied Economics

Obesity has been growing around the world during the last few decades leading the World Health Organization to announce the global obesity epidemic. This study focuses on identifying the impacts of different economic and socio-economic variables on the growth of obesity, as well as forecasting and monitoring this growth. A static model is developed using foreign direct investments (FDI) and trade openness as proxies for economic globalization factors and globalization social index as a proxy for social globalization. Data are collected for 76 countries over the period 1986-2008. The fixed effects model and quantile regression were used to analyze the …

Prisoners As Human Subjects: A Closer Look At The Institute Of Medicine's Recommendations To Loosen Current Restrictions On Using Prisoners In Scientific Research, Osagie K. Obasogie

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Multicultural Family Learning Gardens At The Learning Gardens Laboratory: An Investigation Of Community Collaboration, Madelyn Mickelberry Morris

Leadership for Sustainability Education Comprehensive Papers

This project explores the role of the small-scale polyculture garden in promoting a resilient community, its importance in helping meet nutritional and medicinal needs, and its role as a site for civic and place-based transformative development. The pedagogical principles of sustainability education address the importance of ecological systems, biocultural diversity, social & economic justice, and multicultural perspectives. Framing the garden as a sustainable solution, I will address the need for vibrant local food networks, particularly in low-income areas; social, ecological, and community resilience; opportunities for ecological education; and increased meaningful opportunities for civic engagement. Using a conceptual framework of the …

Oregon's Fish And Wildlife In A Changing Climate, Mark A. Hixon, Stanley V. Gregory, W. Douglas Robinson, C. Scott Baker, Harold P. Batchelder, Clinton Epps, Tiffany S. Garcia, Susan M. Haig, Ricardo M. Letelier, David A. Lytle, Bruce A. Menge, Jeffery C. Miller, David L.G. Noakes, William T. Peterson, James M. Rice, Steven S. Rumrill, Carl B. Schreck, Robert M. Suryan, Mark D. Sytsma, Angelicque E. White

Center for Lakes and Reservoirs Publications and Presentations

Chapter 7 in: The Oregon Climate Change Assessment Report

Oregon's fish and wildlife include animals on land, fish and other species in rivers and lakes, and various kinds of sea life in estuaries and coastal ocean. Oregon is one of the most ecologically diverse states in the country. The state’s robust biodiversity, some of which is already threatened or endangered -- inhabits complex and dynamic ecosystems that we have only begun to understand, let alone examine in terms of climate change.It is clear that the abundance and distribution of species are shifting already and will shift more rapidly as habitats …

Capillary Electrophoresis Of Pteridines In Urine And Plants And Quantification Of Pharmaceutical And Personal Care Products In Missouri Waste Water, Stephen E. Gibbons

Doctoral Dissertations

"Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a powerful technique that separates molecules based on their respective charge and hydrodynamic size. The major advantages of CE are high separation efficiency, small sample volume requirements, simple to no sample preparation and often organic solvents are not required for the separation.

The work presented in this dissertation utilized capillary electrophoresis for the analysis two different classes of compounds in different matrices. The first project investigated pteridines in urine and plants. The second project investigated pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCP's) in Missouri waste water.

As cancer continues to be one of the top three causes …

Genetic Diversity Among Plasmodium Falciparum Field Isolates In Pakistan Measured With Pcr Genotyping Of The Merozoite Surface Protein 1 And 2, Najia Ghanchi, Andreas Martensson, Johan Ursing, Sana Jafri, Sandor Bereczky, Rabia Hussain, Mohammad Asim Beg

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background:The genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum has been extensively studied in various parts of the world. However, limited data are available from Pakistan. This study aimed to establish molecular characterization of P. falciparum field isolates in Pakistan measured with two highly polymorphic genetic markers, i.e. the merozoite surface protein 1 (msp-1) and 2 (msp-2).
Methods:Between October 2005 and October 2007, 244 blood samples from Patients with symptomatic blood-slide confirmed P. falciparum mono-infections attending the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, or its collection units located in Sindh and Baluchistan provinces, Pakistan were collected. The genetic diversity of P. falciparum …