Digital Commons Network^™

Increasing Access To Family Planning (Fp) And Reproductive Health (Rh) Services Through Task-Sharing Between Community Health Workers (Chws) And Community Mid-Level Professionals In Large-Scale Public-Sector Programs: A Literature Review To Help Guide Case Studies, James R. Foreit, Sarah Raifman

Reproductive Health

This literature review covers case studies related to community-based distribution of family planning programs, and community health worker (CHW) programs that included family planning and other reproductive health services. It offers essential processes and implications for additional operations research which look at constraints and factors critical to introducing new program procedures or strengthening existing ones.

Effect Of An Intervention To Improve The Management Of Patients With Diabetes In Primary Care Practice., Assim A. Alfadda, Khalid A. Bin-Abdulrahman, Hussein A. Saad, Deanna O. Mendoza, Fatima F. Angkaya-Bagayawa, Jean F. Yale

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of an intervention targeted at primary care physicians (PCPs) in order to improve their management of diabetic patients. METHODS: Diabetic patients seen by PCPs in King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from January 2008 to July 2009 were included in this prospective cohort study. The PCPs were divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention group with the help of an assistant, utilized a customized designed computer program generating a checklist for the PCPs. The list included clinical and biochemical screening tests needed for the patients current visit, according to evidence-based diabetes …

Surgical Treatment Of Brachial Plexus Carcinoma Metastasized From Non-Ipsilateral Breast Cancer, Zheng-Hua Jin, Jia-Ao Yu, Zhen-Hai Niu, Kai Shi

Neurosciences

Lesions of the brachial plexus may arise for various reasons. Metastatic carcinoma involving the non-ipsilateral brachial plexus is a relatively rare condition. This report presents the case of a 56-year-old woman with brachial plexus carcinoma metastasized from non-ipsilateral breast cancer. After admission, minute examinations were arranged, which gave support to the previous diagnosis. Extended resection of the tumor mass in- and outside the foramen was performed. One month after the operation, the sensation of the left upper extremity began to recover gradually. Due to multi-organ failure, she died 2 months post-surgery. This case underscores the need for appropriate diagnosis of …

Relation Between Serum Magnesium Level And Migraine Attacks, Mahnaz Talebi, Dariush Savadi-Oskouei, Mehdi Farhoudi, Solmaz Mohammadzade, Seyyedjamal Ghaemmaghamihezaveh, Akbar Hasani, Amir Hamdi

Neurosciences

OBJECTIVE: The determination of serum magnesium levels in migraine. METHODS: In a case control study performed between January 2007 and December 2007 at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran, 140 migraine patients were enrolled and their level of serum magnesium was determined and the results were compared with 140 healthy people who did not have any headache, kidney, or gastrointestinal disorders, and no consumption of magnesium complements. RESULTS: Migraine patients (22 male, 118 female) with a mean age of 33.82+/-10.31 and 140 healthy people (26 male, 114 female) with a mean age of (34.19+/-9.95) were enrolled. Forty patients had …

Methylation And Patterns Of Evolution In Imprinted Genes In The Mouse, Tori A. Lafleur

All NMU Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Protein And Lipid Amounts Of The Parasitoid Bracon Hebetor Say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) At Constant And Alternating Temperatures, Özgür Varer Işitan, Nevran Eylem Akman Gündüz, Adem Gülel

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Bracon hebetor Say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a gregarious synovigenic parasitoid that attacks late stage larvae of many important lepidopterous species. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the influence of 3 constant (18, 25, and 35 °C) and 1 alternating temperature (incubator programmed to vary daily between 18, 25, and 35 °C at 8 h intervals) on protein and lipid amounts of female and male parasitoids. Protein amounts of female parasitoids were highest when exposed to alternating temperature. At all the temperatures tested, 1-day-old males had similar amounts of protein, but 5- and 10-day-old males had higher amounts …

Genes Differentially Expressed At 1 Day, 6 Weeks, And 6 Months Of Age In Aortas Of Spontaneously Atherosclerotic White Carneau Pigeons, Suzanne Lee Pearlman

Master's Theses and Capstones

Genetics is reported to be the primary causative factor for individuals diagnosed with atherosclerosis, in the absence of known risk factors. The development of atherosclerosis in White Carneau (WC) pigeons is of genetic origin, making it an excellent model to study genetic factors.

Representational Difference Analysis (RDA) was used to determine genes differentially upregulated between three ages, at the celiac bifurcation of the aorta in WC pigeons. Genes responsible for spontaneous initiation of atherosclerosis were hypothesized as being differentially expressed at 1 day, while those differentially expressed at 6 weeks and 6 months were related to progression.

Multiple candidate genes …

Tennessee Home Visiting Programs Annual Report, July 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010, Tennessee. Department Of Health.

Home Visiting Program Annual Report

No abstract provided.

Hiv Protease Inhibitors Trigger Lipid Metabolism Dysregulation Through Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress And Autophagy, Beth Shoshana Zha

Theses and Dissertations

HIV protease inhibitors (PI) are core components of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). HIV PIs are extremely effective at suppressing viral load, but have been linked to lipodystrophy and dyslipidemia, which are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Recent studies indicate that activation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is an important cellular mechanism underlying HIV PI-induced dysregulation of lipid metabolism. However, the exact role of ER stress in HIV PI-associated lipodystrophy and dyslipidemia remains to be identified. Hepatocytes and adipocytes are important players in regulating lipid metabolism and the inflammatory state. Dysfunction of these two cell types is closely linked …

Electronic Health Records; Delivering The Right Information To The Right Health Care Providers At The Right Time., William M. Tierney

Center for Policy Research

No abstract provided.

Knee Disorders Among Carpenters In The St. Louis Area, Lu Yuan, Bryan Buchholz, Ann Marie Dale

Occupational and Health Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Soil Fertility And Crop Yields In Long-Term Organic And Conventional Cropping Systems In Eastern Nebraska, Samuel E. Wortman, Tomie D. Galusha, Stephen C. Mason, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Organic agriculture aims to build soil quality and provide long-term benefits to people and the environment; however, organic practices may reduce crop yields. This long-term study near Mead, NE was conducted to determine differences in soil fertility and crop yields among conventional and organic cropping systems between 1996 and 2007. The conventional system (CR) consisted of corn (Zea mays L.) or sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench)–soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)–sorghum or corn–soybean, whereas the diversified conventional system (DIR) consisted of corn or sorghum– sorghum or corn–soybean–winter wheat (wheat, Triticum aestivum L.). The animal manure-based organic system (OAM) …

Moving Micronutrients From The Soil To The Seeds: Genes And Physiological Processes From A Biofortification Perspective, Brian M. Waters, Renuka P. Sankaran

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The micronutrients iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) are essential for plants and the humans and animals that consume plants. Increasing the micronutrient density of staple crops, or biofortification, will greatly improve human nutrition on a global scale. This review discusses the processes and genes needed to translocate micronutrients through the plant to the developing seeds, and potential strategies for developing biofortified crops.

Comparison Of Thermally Pasteurized And Ultrasonically Pasteurized Blueberry Juice (Vaccinium Corymbosum) And An Investigation Of Blueberry Juice Effect On Lipid Oxidation During Microencapsulation Of Poly-Unsaturated Fish Oils, Fathima Waheeda Mohideen

LSU Master's Theses

Blueberries have received considerable attention due to their content of health promoting compounds such as polyphenols and anthocyanins. Thermal pasteurization (TP) is known to cause degradation of anthocyanins and juice color. Microencapsulation, particularly with incorporation of blueberry antioxidants, can improve the stability of menhaden (MO) and salmon (SO) fish oils rich in omega-3 fatty acids. The objectives of this research were to study the effect of TP and continuous ultrasonication processing on the microbiological, chemical and physical properties of blueberry juice (BJ) and to determine the effect of BJ on MO and SO lipid oxidation during microencapsulation. Fresh blueberries were …

Sources Of Self-Efficacy In Distance Runners, Ashley Ann Samson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1997) asserts that people will be more likely to engage in behaviors that they believe they can successfully perform and avoid behaviors in which they feel that they will be unsuccessful. Researchers have concluded that individuals with high levels of self-efficacy are more likely to pursue challenging goals, cope with pain, and persevere through setbacks, while those with low self-efficacy avoid challenges and tend to give up when confronted with obstacles (Llewellyn, Sanchez, Asghar, & Jones, 2008). Endurance sport, particularly distance running, is a domain in which being able to cope with pain and persevere through setbacks …

A Systematic Study Of Xylella Fastidiosa Strains Isolated From Pecan, Grapevine, Oleander, And Sycamore In Louisiana, Rebecca Ann Melanson

LSU Master's Theses

Xylella fastidiosa causes disease in a number of economically important crops and landscape shrubs and trees including grapevine, citrus, oleander, and sycamore. In pecan, X. fastidiosa causes pecan bacterial leaf scorch (PBLS), which leads to defoliation and reduces nut yield. No economically effective treatments are available for PBLS. In order to improve PBLS management practices, it is necessary to determine the subspecies of X. fastidiosa strains that infect pecan so potential sources of inoculum can be identified. Multiprimer PCR and phylogenetic analyses using nucleotide sequence data from the 16S-23S rDNA intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) region and pglA consistently identified strains …

Caregiver Attitude, As Expressed Verbally In A Group Setting, And Its Association With Children's Attachment Security, Erin Wallace Lovett

LSU Master's Theses

Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore whether or not mothers’ attitudes, as expressed verbally in a group setting, were associated with the attachment style of the child and the insightfulness of the mother. The Circle of Security (CoS) was used as a 27 week group intervention for mothers who had become clients of a child welfare agency. Pre- and post test ratings were obtained for children’s attachment security and mothers’ insightful understanding of their children, using the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) and the Insightfulness Assessment (IA), respectively. This study created scales for both Warmth/Empathy and Concern/Worry to …

Inositol And Rhizopine Metabolism - Key Pathways For Competitive Host Nodulation In Sinorhizobium Meliloti, Petra R. A. Kohler

Dissertations

"The rhizopine concept suggests that rhizopines, which are inositol derivatives, function as nutritional mediators and play an important role in host-bacteria interactions. This thesis analyzes the hypothesis that not only rhizopines but also naturally occurring inositol isomers, such as myo-, D-chiro-, and scyllo -inositol, function as nutritional mediators in the Sinorhizobium meliloti - alfalfa nitrogenfixing symbiosis. The idhA-encoded myoinositol dehydrogenase is responsible for the first step in the degradation of myo- and D-c/z/ra-inositol. A different dehydrogenase, IolY, was found to be essential for growth with scyllo-'mositol. The iolA and iolCDEB genes were required for the further degradation of myo-, D-chiroand …

Jamaican American Child Disciplinary Practices, Stephaney Carter

Dissertations

Little is known about child disciplinary practices in Jamaican American families. Literature on child discipline in Jamaica and other Caribbean nations has mainly focused on physical discipline, and no empirical studies have investigated the types of discipline used in the Jamaican American community. The purpose of this study was to describe current child disciplinary practices in Jamaican American families. A total of 311 primarily first-generation Jamaican American parents from New York City completed the 54-item Jamaican Child Discipline Survey, designed for this study, either online or in paper-pencil format. The main foci of the study included the use of child …

Glucosamine-Induced Insulin Resistance In Primary Rat Hepatocytes And The Role Of Selenium As An Insulin Mimetic, Sandhya N. Adiyodi Veetil

Dissertations

Type 2 diabetes is mediated by insulin resistance, the inability of insulin to elicit a normal biological response in insulin responsive tissues. Several cellular models have been utilized to determine the mechanism of induction of insulin resistance but questions remain unanswered. One model, implicates the products of the Hexosamine Biosynthetic Pathway (HBP) in the induction of insulin resistance under hyperglycemia. The major end product of HBP, UDP-GlcNAc, is the substrate for O-GlcNAc transferase, an enzyme that catalyzes the O-GlcNAcylation of numerous proteins. This modification may play a role in induction of insulin resistance and thus needs to be evaluated in …

Adviser's Guide To Health Care: Volume 3, Consulting With Professional Practices, Robert James Cimasi

Guides, Handbooks and Manuals

No abstract provided.

Adviser's Guide To Health Care: Volume 1, An Era Of Reform, Robert James Cimasi

Guides, Handbooks and Manuals

No abstract provided.

Novel Insights Into The Biotin Carboxylase Domain Reactions Of Pyruvate Carboxylase From Rhizobium Etli, Tonya N. Zeczycki, Ann L. Menefee, Abdussalam Adina-Zada, Sarawut Jitrapakdee, Kathy H. Surinya, John C. Wallace, Paul V. Attwood, Martin St. Maurice, W Wallace Cleland

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The catalytic mechanism of the MgATP-dependent carboxylation of biotin in the biotin carboxylase domain of pyruvate carboxylase from R. etli (RePC) is common to the biotin-dependent carboxylases. The current site-directed mutagenesis study has clarified the catalytic functions of several residues proposed to be pivotal in MgATP-binding and cleavage (Glu218 and Lys245), HCO3 − deprotonation (Glu305 and Arg301), and biotin enolization (Arg353). The E218A mutant was inactive for any reaction involving the BC domain and the E218Q mutant exhibited a 75-fold decrease in kcat for both pyruvate carboxylation and the full reverse reaction. The E305A mutant also showed a 75- and …

The Effects Of Reiki Treatment On Mental Health Professionals Who Are At Risk For Secondary Traumatic Stress, Martha P. Novoa

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this cross-sectional experimental study was to examine the effects of Reiki on risk level for secondary traumatic stress (STS) among mental health professionals, such as, social workers and licensed professional counselor (LPCs). The sample (N=67) was mostly composed of master social work students (MSW) (61%) from the School of Social Work at Louisiana State University (LSU), professionals social workers (34%), and LPCs (5%). Study participants were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: Reiki, placebo or control group. Dependent variables measured at pretest and posttest were: risk level for STS, anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms, anger and …

Influences Of Landscape Characteristics On The Nesting Ecology Of Female Wild Turkeys And Behavior Of Raccoons, Michael E. Byrne

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Nest predation is the principle source of reproductive failure in many bird species. Understanding nest predation requires knowledge of interactions between landscape characteristics, and the ecology and behavior of birds and local nest predators. I studied nesting ecology and multi-scale habitat selection of female wild turkeys and the habitat selection and searching behaviors of raccoons, an important nest predator, in a bottomland hardwood forest in Louisiana. My objective was to evaluate the relationships between habitat, wild turkey nest site selection, and raccoon foraging behavior. I used first-passage time (FPT) analysis on nightly foraging tracks of raccoons during the turkey nesting …

Inhibition And Nucleic Acid Binding Studies Of The Carboxyltransferase Component Of Bacterial Acetyl-Coa Carboxylase, Brian Benson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase is an essential enzyme, as it catalyzes the first committed and regulated step in fatty-acid biosynthesis in all organisms excepting few Archaea and Eubacteria. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase from gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria is a multifunctional enzyme composed of three separate proteins. The carboxyltransferase subunit catalyzes the transfer of a carboxyl group from carboxybiotin to acetyl-CoA, forming malonyl-CoA. The crystal structure of the Escherichia coli (E. coli) carboxyltransferase component of acetyl-CoA carboxylase revealed a unique Zn-domain, presumed to mediate nucleic acid binding, that is absent in the eukaryotic enzyme. Notably, the Zn-domain, adjacent to the active site of carboxyltransferase, makes …

Production And Processing Of A Functional Yogurt Fortified With Microencapsulated Omega-3 And Vitamin E, Jose Daniel Estrada Andino

LSU Master's Theses

Market and nutritional values of fermented milks can be enhanced by adding microencapsulated polyunsaturated fish oil and vitamin E. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) lower the risk of heart disease and vitamin E is an important lipophilic antioxidant that protects cell membranes from oxidation. This study aimed to develop functional yogurts YMSO and YMMO fortified with á-tocopherol and microencapsulated salmon oil (MSO) or microencapsulated menhaden oil (MMO), respectively and to evaluate their physicochemical properties during 1-mo of storage. Stable emulsions were prepared with 7% red salmon oil (SO) or menhaden oil (MO), 22% arabic gum, 11% maltodextrin, 0.83% á-tocopherol and 59.17% …

Amino Acid-Supplemented Diets And Amino Acid Requirements In Corn And Soybean Meal Diets For Broilers And Pigs, April Marie Waguespack

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The objectives of this research were to: 1) evaluate the role of Gly in low CP, AA supplemented diets for broilers, 2) determine subsequent effects of supplementing Gly in broiler diets, and 3) determine the Val and Ile requirement in an AA supplemented, C-SBM diet for 20- to 45-kg pigs. Three experiments were conducted to evaluate supplementation of Gly, creatine, GAA, and fishmeal in C-SBM diets on growth performance of broiler chicks and to determine if Gly, creatine, or GAA could be added to a C-SBM diet in place of fishmeal to produce similar growth performance. The results from these …

Development And Application Of Serogroup-Independent And Serogroup-Specific Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assays For Detecting Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli, Fei Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), encompassing E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 STEC, is a significant cause of foodborne illnesses and deaths in the United States and worldwide. Shiga toxins (encoded by stx) and intimin (encoded by eae) are important virulence factors for STEC strains causing infection. Although E. coli O157:H7 remains to be the single most common STEC causing disease, the clinical importance of non-O157 STEC is on the rise worldwide. And six major serogroups (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145) accounted for over 70% of non-O157 STEC infections in the United States. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a …

Fragmentation Sensitivity And Its Consequences On Demography And Host-Ectoparasite Dynamics In Amazonian Birds, Erik I. Johnson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Amazon rainforest is experiencing rapid deforestation due to ranching, agriculture, and urban development, which often leads to remnant patches serving as refugia for forest organisms. By mist-netting passerines in 11 forest fragments (1-, 10-, and 100-ha patches) and nearby continuous forest at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragmentation Project near Manaus, Brazil, I conducted a series of studies to identify mechanisms that drive population changes in fragmented landscapes. First, I examined the age structure of bird populations from six ecological guilds in fragments and continuous forest. Immatures are the dispersing age group in birds, and their relative abundance in …