Digital Commons Network^™

Marketing Dietary Supplements: Public Relations And The Ability Of Pharmaceutical Companies To Retain And Develop Consumer Relationships, Nicole Schmidt

Journalism

Dietary supplements have grown in popularity in recent years, with multivitamins the most commonly used. As the awareness of dietary supplements continues to increase, there are more chances for consumers to misuse or misunderstand the risks of taking dietary supplements. Public relations, physicians, and pharmaceutical companies should work to educate the consumer about the uses and risks of supplements. This paper addresses the issues associated with dietary supplements, particularly in the area of weight-loss supplements. Adverse side effects are addressed, as well as how public relations can influence the outcome of pharmaceutical companies’ relationships with consumers. Public relations can help …

Expanding The Love Out Loud Campaign: The Utility Of Online Public Relations Practices For Nonprofit Organizations Focused On Reducing Suicide Among College Students, Kristen Marie Weilenmann

Journalism

Nonprofit organizations and movements geared toward suicide prevention, a somewhat taboo subject in American culture, are oftentimes confronted with the dilemma of lacking adequate funding to meet their goals. This essay focuses on the expansion of one such movement, the Love Out Loud Campaign, which took shape at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2011, in hopes of encouraging open communication and positivity to dissuade those at risk for suicide from taking their own lives. The campaign began as the senior project of a group of students who graduated in June of 2011. Unfortunately, the movement lost steam …

Embodied Consciousness In Non-Fiction Illness Narratives : A Phenomenological-Sociological Approach., Kathryn A. Jacobi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation uses a phenomenological and sociological lens to explore how non-fiction illness narratives help us understand how perception of the self is disrupted because of serious illness or injury. Specifically, I use the French philosopher, M. Merleau-Ponty's phenomenological thought concerning the body and the sociological perspective of medical sociologist, Arthur Frank and his types of narratives and how culture helps construct illness. I analyze the works of four different writers: Sarah Manguso, Oliver Sacks, Jean Dominique-Bauby, and Anatole Broyard. Chapter one serves as an introduction to the subject of illness writing and an overview of some of the material …

Early Detection And Control Of Potential Pandemics., Shengpeng Jin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Early information is crucial for policy makers and public health officials responsible for protecting the public from the virulent spread of contagious diseases. Current indicators of the spread of contagious outbreaks lag behind the actual spread of the epidemic, leaving no time for a planned response. The studies of Christakis et al. in 2010 have shown that social networks can provide more timely information for prediction. Our focus, however, is on the effective control of the spread of contagious outbreaks in their early stages. We do this by defining a more effective way to chart the spread of contagious outbreaks, …

Use Of Statistical Analysis, Data Mining, Decision Analysis And Cost Effectiveness Analysis To Analyze Medical Data : Application To Comparative Effectiveness Of Lumpectomy And Mastectomy For Breast Cancer., Beatrice Ugiliweneza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Statistical models have been the first choice for comparative effectiveness in clinical research. Though effective, these models are limited when the data to be analyzed do not fit the assumed distributions; which is mostly the case when the study is not a clinical trial. In this project, data mining, decision analysis and cost effectiveness analysis methods were used to supplement statistical models in comparing lumpectomy to mastectomy for surgical treatment of breast cancer. Mastectomy has been the gold standard for breast cancer treatment for since the 1800s. In the 20th century, an equivalence of mastectomy and lumpectomy was established in …

Narrative Comprehension Abilities Of Children From Low-Income Families : Role Of Temperament, Attention Skills, And Cognitive Engagement., Tara N. Weatherholt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study investigated narrative comprehension ability in children from low-income families by examining the contributions of temperament, attention skills, and cognitive engagement. Research has identified narrative comprehension skills as significant for successful literacy outcomes, but few studies have examined the effect of individual level characteristics on comprehension ability. As reading and pre-reading skills in children from disadvantaged homes has been shown to be lower than that of children from more privileged backgrounds, it is critical to examine the factors that contribute to comprehension skills in this population. The current study focuses on the relationships among temperament, attention network skills, …

An Investigation Of A Middle-High School System As A Learning Organization During The Implementation Of A Grade Eight To Grade Nine Transition Program., Carol Jean Christian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the impact of articulation activities and the extent to which the Grant County Kentucky school district operated as a learning organization during the implementation of a research-based middle to high school student transition initiative. Grant County is predominantly rural, located between Louisville, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio, and includes the town of Williamstown, Kentucky. This study analyzed the Grant County schools' to determine if they functioned as a learning organization to the characteristics common to organizational learning, high reliability organizations and effective schools that included the characteristics of systemic process, leadership/vision, collaboration, and the use of measures. This …

Age-Associated Periodontal Bone Loss In Normal And Tlr2- Or Myd88-Deficient Mice., Paul A. Ciero 1986-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Age-related alterations in innate immunity are poorly understood. The identification of those mechanisms, which are dysfunctional in old age, will shed light on potential therapeutic strategies for chronic inflammatory diseases prevalent in the elderly, such as periodontitis. Mice naturally develop chronic periodontitis as a function of age, which is characterized by periodontal bone loss. TLR2, a pattern-recognition receptor of leukocytes which mediates inflammatory responses in the periodontium, was expressed at higher levels in the gingivae of old mice (>18 months) compared with young mice (8 to 10 weeks). MyD88 is a signaling adaptor protein for TLR2 and other TLRs. …

Acute Myocardial Infarction Patient Data To Assess Healthcare Utilization And Treatments., Pedro Ramos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study is to use a data mining framework to assess the three main treatments for acute myocardial infarction: thrombolytic therapy, percutaneous coronary intervention (percutaneous angioplasty), and coronary artery bypass surgery. The need for a data mining framework in this study arises because of the use of real world data rather than highly clean and homogenous data found in most clinical trials and epidemiological studies. The assessment is based on determining a profile of patients undergoing an episode of acute myocardial infarction, determine resource utilization by treatment, and creating a model that predicts each treatment resource utilization …

Pharmacists As Mid-Level Healthcare Providers And The Clinical Results Of A Pharmacist-Led Diabetes Disease Management Program., Benjamin Maurice Risner 1983-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Advancements in medical therapy have augmented resources available to physicians to treat disease and, because of this, spending on prescription drugs has doubled in the past decade. Increasingly, clinical trials are demonstrating the benefits of aggressive disease management in reducing morbidity and mortality. Physicians treating patients with chronic conditions must balance the benefits of combination drug therapy against the risk of adverse drug events and drug interactions. For instance, evidence-based practice guidelines in patients with diabetes and multiple comorbidities require combination therapy in order to reduce morbidity and mortality. Patients with polymorbidity require the attention of multiple physicians, further fragmenting …

Theory Of Mind, Social Functioning, And Awareness Of Ability In Older Adults., Sarah Vedrody Rowe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Declines in social resources and in the quality of interpersonal interactions have been observed in some older adults. Unawareness of ability is a clinical problem that has been found in some older adults with dementia, but has also been found in non-demented older adults, and the clinical correlates have not been reliably established. Theory of mind (ToM) is a social-cognitive construct that refers to the ability to infer the mental states of others and the self. ToM has been linked with social functioning and self-awareness, but few studies have examined these variables in older adults. The current study tested the …

An Examination Of Teacher Instruction And Student Engagement Involving Adolescents With And Without Challenging Behavior., Regina Gilkey Hirn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The interactions between teachers and students provide a venue for instructional delivery and ultimately student achievement in the school setting. However, not all students experience positive interactions with teachers in the typical classroom setting, especially those students exhibiting behavioral challenges. These students are observed with greater off task behavior and increased classroom disruptions when compared with their peers. This dissertation examined teacher and student behavior observed in a typical high school classroom exemplifying these interactions. Direct observations of students and teachers were conducted to answer several research questions addressing teacher behaviors: classroom instruction, opportunities to respond, and feedback to students …

Professionalism And Social Networking: Can Patients, Physicians, Nurses, And Supervisors All Be ‘Friends’?, Joy Peluchette, Katherine Karl, Alberto Coustasse, Philip Rutsohn, Dennis Emmett

Management Faculty Research

This study examines the use of Facebook by certified nurse anesthetist students. Our results showed that, contrary to expectations, most were neutral about faculty, physicians, and supervisors viewing their Facebook profiles but expressed concerns about patients seeing such information. Many (30%) of our respondents had observed unprofessional content posted on the social network sites of their classmates including: intoxication or substance abuse, profanity, sexually suggestive photos or comments, and negative work-related comments. A vast majority indicated they would accept a ‘friend’ request from their supervisor and a physician but not a patient. Surprisingly, about 40% had initiated a ‘friend’ request …

Widespread Regulation Of Mirna Biogenesis At The Dicer Step By The Cold-Inducible Rna-Binding Protein, Rbm3, Julie Pilotte, Esther E. Dupont-Versteegden, Peter W. Vanderklish

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in diverse cellular events through their effects on translation. Emerging data suggest that modulation of miRNA biogenesis at post-transcriptional steps by RNA-binding proteins is a key point of regulatory control over the expression of some miRNAs and the cellular processes they influence. However, the extent and conditions under which the miRNA pathway is amenable to regulation at posttranscriptional steps are poorly understood. Here we show that RBM3, a cold-inducible, developmentally regulated RNA-binding protein and putative protooncogene, is an essential regulator of miRNA biogenesis. Utilizing miRNA array, Northern blot, and PCR methods, we observed that over …

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness In People With Diabetes; Biomarkers And Nutritional Supplementation, Hani H. Al-Nakhli

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Exercise is important for controlling hemoglobin A1c, and maintaining proper glycemic control in people with diabetes. Exercise also increases the diabetics overall insulin sensitivity, and decreases their dependency on diabetes medication. However, people with diabetes are faced with metabolic and endothelial impairment, which could result in a prolonged sensation of muscle soreness following exercise. This would make it difficult for these people to sustain exercise regimes. Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a common problem in healthy individuals and in people who have diabetes. DOMS is a painful sensation experienced by individuals who have been recently inactive and then over-exercise. Yet, …

Neuropsychological, Psychosocial, And Mood Outcomes Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Julia L. Evans

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in adolescents and adults can result in cognitive, emotional, behavioral and neurological deficits that can persist more than a year after an injury. The aim of the current preliminary study was to use a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment to determine the nature of cognitive impairments and their relationship with specific psychosocial factors, including coping skills and perceived quality of life, following mild TBI (mTBI). Neuropsychological tests administered measured intelligence, pre-morbid intelligence, executive functioning, verbal memory, complex visual construction and non-verbal memory, sustained attention distractibility, and vigilance, verbal learning and memory, fine motor speed, and novel problem solving …

Mechanisms Of Brain Edema Formation In Mouse Models Of Intracerebral Hemorrhage, Qingyi Ma

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Perihematomal edema causes major neurologic deterioration following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), mainly resulting from the disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) by multiple mediators, including inflammatory mediators and thrombin. The objective of our study was to investigate the mechanisms by which inflammation and thrombin respectively lead to the formation of brain edema following ICH. Our long-term goal is to develop new therapeutic strategies against ICH-induced brain edema by targeting: (1) VAP-1 mediated inflammatory response and (2) PDGFR-α orchestrated BBB impairment. Vascular adhesion protein-1 (VAP-1) was previously shown to promote leukocyte adhesion and transmigration. Additionally, PDGFR-α was also found to play a …

Trauma Of The Sudden Death Of A Child: The Impact On Couple Relationship, Blessing Okoro Rellias

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A traumatic life event such as the death of a child can be very devastating and confusing for many couples and people tend to respond in different ways to such trauma due to different factors such as gender differences. Research studies have traditionally focused on the personal effects of trauma on individual family members, whereas less attention centered on the systemic outcomes and consequences that trauma has on family functioning especially from the couples' perspective. Previous research has indicated that parents who lost their children to sudden death are likely to have serious mental distress and some disruption in functioning. …

Role Of Vima In Cell Surface Biogenesis In Porphyromonas Gingivalis, Devon Osbourne Jr.

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Porphyromonas gingivalis is an important etiological agent of periodontal disease - a disease that affects an estimated 49,000,000 people in the United States of America. Periodontal disease includes gingivitis – inflammation of the gums, and periodontitis – destruction of the teeth and their supporting tissues. Porphyromonas gingivalis is associated with the chronic form of periodontal disease in addition to several systemic diseases.

The vimA gene of P. gingivalis has been previously shown to play a significant role in the biogenesis of gingipains (trypsin-like cysteine proteases). The vimA has also been demonstrated to play a role in hemolysis, hemagglutination, autoaggregation, posttranslational …

Chronic Hypoxia Induces Epigenetic Modifications In The Fetal Rat Heart, Andrew James Grant Patterson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. As a result of studies done by Barker and associates, our awareness of the significance of stress during gestation as a risk factor for heart diseases has expanded. We now know that events in utero can significantly alter gene expression patterns in heart tissue leading to increase susceptibility to ischemia reperfusion injury in adulthood. The focus of this project was to elucidate the role of chronic hypoxia in the programming of the cardio-protective gene, Protein Kinase C epsilon (PKCε) in fetal rat heart. We used an animal, organ base, and cell …

Parental Factors Impacting Neurobehavioral Late Effects In Latino Pediatric Cancer Survivors, Pamela R. Perez

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

While the survival rate for children with cancer has increased markedly over the past 50 years, the side effects resulting from cancer and cancer treatment have become a major concern for health care providers and families alike. Survivors of childhood cancers are at risk for late occurring sequelae, called late effects, which are associated with disease, chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Neurobehavioral late effects are some of the most debilitating late effects found, particularly in survivors of central nervous system (CNS) cancers. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of clinical and socio-demographic parenting factors on neurological late …

Mechanisms Of Erythropoietin-Induced Neuroprotection In: In-Vivo And In-Vitro Models Of Hypoxia Ischema, Rhonda Andrea Souvenir

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIBI) is a common cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity. Approximately 60 % of preterm babies and 2% of full term infants suffer from asphyxia. Asphyxia related death accounts for approximately 23% of neonatal mortality annually. Many therapeutic interventions show promise in the laboratory but fail in clinics. A thorough understanding of mechanisms by which promising therapeutic intervention confers its neuroprotection is necessary to promote smoother transitions from bench to the bedside. Erythropoietin (EPO), a hematopoietic growth factor that increases oxygen availability during hypoxia/ischemia is associated with cell survival and neuroprotection in: in vivo and in …

Stakeholder Participation In Large Scale Complex Systems Modeling: Lessons From An Urbansim Users Community, Sandra H. Goff

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Complex systems models for urban and regional simulation are increasingly being used as tools within decision-making processes underscoring the need to involve stakeholders in the modeling process. Stakeholder participation can serve both learning and community-building purposes, improving model legitimacy, saliency and accuracy and resolving conflicts over competing interests. However, the complex and highly technical nature of modeling activities has the potential to serve as an important barrier to stakeholder engagement. Members of an online UrbanSim user community were contacted in order to examine stakeholder participation in the development and implementation of UrbanSim models. For analysis purposes, a participation hierarchy was …

Allosteric Modulation Of Vla-4 With The Atypical Antipsychotic Thioridazine, Bart Williams

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

A recent primary drug screen by the University of New Mexico Center for Molecular Discovery uncovered a novel group of allosteric-modulators of VLA-4 integrins known as phenothiazines. Phenothiazine family compounds were initially discovered as organic dyes in the 1800's, the most well-known of which is methylene blue. Relatively soon thereafter phenothiazines were found to be useful clinically, a trend that has continued in the century since peaking as antipsychotics in the 1950's. Today, phenothiazines are still being pursued clinically as seen in a number of recent patents for phenothiazine use in autoimmune disorders. This study sought to further characterize the …

Spatiotemporal Dynamics Of Transport In The Squid Giant Axon: Competition Between Cargo Motor Receptors, Jip-1, App-C, And Negative Charge, Pamela E. Seamster

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Transport of membrane-bound organelles is critical to neuronal cell function yet mechanisms hitching vesicles to transport machinery remain elusive. Here we test whether jun-kinase interacting protein (JIP-1), a peripheral membrane scaffolding protein that binds kinesin light chain, is sufficient to mediate cargo transport in axons and study its competition with amyloid precursor protein cytoplasmic domain (APP-) and negative charge, also known motor receptors. Fluorescent beads (100 nm diameter) exhibit sequence-specific fast anterograde transport (0.46μm/s instantaneous velocity) in the squid giant axon when conjugated to a 14- amino acid synthetic peptide derived from the carboxyl terminus of JIP-1. JIP-1- beads have …

Association Of Race And Ethnicity With Cognitive And Language Testing At 18-22 Months In Extremely Preterm Infants, Andrea Freeman Duncan

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship of race/ethnicity to cognitive and language scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development 3rd edition (BSID-III) in extremely preterm toddlers (< 28+0 weeks estimated gestational age). Study Design: Extremely preterm toddlers at NICHD Neonatal Research Network Centers evaluated at 18-22 months adjusted age from 3 race/ethnic groups (White, Black, and Hispanic-White) were included in this cohort study. Multivariable regression modeling was used to identify race/ethnic differences adjusting for medical and psychosocial factors. Results: Children included 369 Whites, 352 Blacks and 144 Hispanic-Whites. Cognitive scores differed between groups in unadjusted analysis (p=< 0.001), but not after adjusting for medical and psychosocial factors (p=0.13). Language scores differed in adjusted and unadjusted analyses. Whites scored higher than Blacks or Hispanic-Whites, and Blacks scored higher than Hispanic- Whites. Conclusions:A combination of medical variables and primary caretaker education accounted for differences in BSID-III cognitive scores between groups. Black and Hispanic-White toddlers had lower language scores than Whites, even after adjustment. Early intervention should be targeted to these identified risk factors. Assessment of early language development among minority groups may be warranted.

Building An Mft Outpatient Practice Through Contract Procurement: A Case Study, Anthony T. Alonzo

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

[Abstract Not Included]

Quantitative Comparison Of Late Effects Following Photon Versus Proton External-Beam Radiation Therapies: To Ward An Evidence-Based Approach To Selecting A Treatment Modality, Rui Zhang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Radiation therapy has been used as an effective treatment for malignancies in pediatric patients. However, in many cases, the side effects of radiation diminish these patients’ quality of life. In order to develop strategies to minimize radiogenic complications, one must first quantitatively estimate pediatric patients’ relative risk for radiogenic late effects, which has not become feasible till recently because of the calculational complexity. The goals of this work were to calculate the dose delivered to tissues and organs in pediatric patients during contemporary photon and proton radiotherapies; to estimate the corresponding risk of radiogenic second cancer and cardiac toxicity based …

Regulation Of Hgf Expression By Δegfr-Mediated C-Met Activation In Glioblastoma Cells, Jeannine Garnett

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Overexpression of the hepatocyte growth factor receptor (c-Met) and its ligand, the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and a constitutively active mutant of the epidermal growth factor receptor (∆EGFR/EGFRvIII), occur frequently in glioblastoma. c-Met is activated in a ligand-dependent manner by HGF or in a ligand-independent manner by ∆EGFR. Dysregulated c-Met signaling contributes to the aggressive phenotype of glioblastoma, yet the mechanisms underlying the production of HGF in glioblastoma are poorly understood. We found a positive correlation between HGF and c-Met expression in glioblastoma, suggesting that they are coregulated. This is supported by the finding that in a c-Met/HGF axis-dependent glioblastoma …

The Role Of Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Axl In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma And Its Regulation By Hematopoietic Progenitor Kinase 1, Xianzhou Song

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is one of the most aggressive malignancies with less than 5% of five year survival rate. New molecular markers and new therapeutic targets are urgently needed for patients with PDA. Oncogenic receptor tyrosine kinase Axl has been reported to be overexpressed in many types of human malignancies, including diffuse glioma, melanoma, osteosarcoma, and carcinomas of lung, colon, prostate, breast, ovary, esophagus, stomach, and kidney. However, the expression and functions of Axl in PDA are unclear. We hypothesized that Axl contributes to the development and progression of PDA. We examined Axl expression in 54 human PDA samples …