Digital Commons Network^™

The Physician Assistant Profession: A Handbook For Students, Jami L. Cynecki

Honors Theses

This document extensively covers the physician assistant career and can be used as a handbook for students who are interested in learning more about the career. This thesis explores the question, what is the process of becoming a physician assistant? More specifically, I will cover the progression from a student to a fully licensed PA. Topics that are discussed include: how to prepare for a career as a PA (including the pathway to being admitted to an accredited program), the training received in an accredited program and information on certification maintenance required as a licensed physician assistant Furthermore, this document …

Aberrant Placental Immune Parameters In The Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (Fiv)-Infected Cat Suggest Virus-Induced Changes In Leukocyte Function, Lyndon Bart Chumbley

Theses and Dissertations

Regulatory T cells (Tregs), interleukin 17-producing T helper cells (Th17 cells), and other immune cells play important roles in the maintenance of pregnancy, and their function is impacted by HIV infection. I hypothesized that FIV-infection may likewise alter placental T cell gene expression causing aberrant immune function and compromised pregnancy. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the expression placental immunomodulators related to Treg and Th17 cell function in the FIV-infected cat model. Gene expression was quantified in placenta and serum using quantitative PCR and ELISA, respectively. Abnormal expression of cytokines was frequently associated with infection and fetal nonviability, …

Ecology And Disease Potential Of The Black-Legged Deer Tick, Ixodes Scapularis Say, In Mississippi, Lauren Goltz

Theses and Dissertations

To assess the seasonality and disease potential of Ixodes scapularis Say in north Mississippi, ixodid ticks were collected by drag cloth method at two sites in north Mississippi weekly from August 1, 2010 through July 31, 2011 and tested for molecular evidence of disease agents via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. In addition, environmental data were observed and recorded for each collection date. I. scapularis nymphs (n=6) were collected in August, September, March, and May, perhaps reflecting a seasonally bimodal distribution, while adults (n=256) were found October through May with a peak in March. No statistically significant relationship between environmental …

Effects Of Sodium Methyldithiocarbamate-Induced Oxidative Stress On Nf-Kappa B Activation, Monica Cherie Gadson

Theses and Dissertations

Sodium methyldithiocarbamate (SMD) is commonly reported to cause health risks in humans. Previous reports indicate SMD causes oxidative stress, which can contribute to the activation of NF-êB and cause other characteristics of inflammatory responses to be altered. Almost all pro-inflammatory cytokines require NF-êB activation for full expression and development of an innate immune or inflammatory response. This study evaluated NF-êB activation, providing new information regarding reactive oxygen in macrophages from SMD-treated mice. Studies were conducted in which NF-êB reporter mice were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), SMD, buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), and N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). BSO depletes glutathione (GSH) and increases oxidative …

Prescribed Reading: August 2012, Centracare Clinic

Prescribed Reading

• Health Care Matters: Focus on the patient not the numbers
• Thank you for your focus on care, service
• Welcome to these new physicians
• Welcome to our new employees
• Road construction near Plaza underway
• Grant to help improve care for patients with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
• Celebrate with Dr. Allen Horn
• Recognition for years of service
• CentraCare Clinic to host Chamber event

Present And Potential Future Distribution Of Common Vampire Bats In The Americas And The Associated Risk To Cattle, Dana N. Lee, Monica Papeş, Ronald A. Van Den Bessche

KIP Articles

Success of the cattle industry in Latin America is impeded by the common vampire bat, Desmodus rotundus, through decreases in milk production and mass gain and increased risk of secondary infection and rabies. We used ecological niche modeling to predict the current potential distribution of D. rotundus and the future distribution of the species for the years 2030, 2050, and 2080 based on the A2, A1B, and B1 climate scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. We then combined the present day potential distribution with cattle density estimates to identify areas where cattle are at higher risk for the …

School Vaccinations Are Required Because They're Life-Saving, Jim Bakken

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

The Enhanced Pneumococcal Lamp Assay: A Clinical Tool For The Diagnosis Of Meningitis Due To Streptococcus Pneumoniae, Dong Wook Kim, Paul E. Kilgore, Eun Jin Kim, Soon Ae Kim, Dang Duc Anh, Bai Qing Dong, Jung Soo Kim, Mitsuko Seki

Department of Pharmacy Practice

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of invasive bacterial disease in developed and developing countries. We studied the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technique to assess its suitability for detecting S. pneumoniae nucleic acid in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Methodology/Principal Findings: We established an improved LAMP assay targeting the lytA gene (Streptococcus pneumoniae [Sp] LAMP). The analytical specificity of the primers was validated by using 32 reference strains (10 Streptococcus and seven non-Streptococcus species) plus 25 clinical alpha-hemolytic streptococcal strains, including four S. pneumoniae strains and 21 other strains (3 S. oralis, 17 S. mitis, and …

From The Editor, Alison Mcchrystal Barnes

Marquette Elder's Advisor

No abstract provided.

Serials Solutions Subject Search Report 2011-2012, Andrée J. Rathemacher

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Statistics on the total number of Serials Solutions subject searches at the University of Rhode Island Libraries by month for 2011-2012. Shows how many times the A-Z full text electronic journal list (at http://zu4tq4pb5v.search.serialssolutions.com/) was browsed by specific subjects.

Volume 49, Number 51: August 08, 2012, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Modeling Environmental Contamination Of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria In Hospitals, Lei Wang

Open Access Dissertations

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium that causes infections in different parts of the body. It is tougher to treat than most strains of Staphylococcus aureus or staph, because it is resistant to some commonly used antibiotics. In this work, we investigate the role of environmental contamination on the clinical epidemiology of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in hospitals. A compartmental model is constructed to describe the transmission characteristics of MRSA in hospital setting. The deterministic epidemic model includes five compartments: colonized and uncolonized patients, contaminated and uncontamincated health care workers (HCWs), and bacterial load in environment. Basic reproduction number R0 is …

Pairwise Protein Expression Classifier For Candidate Biomarker Discovery For Early Detection Of Human Disease Prognosis, Parminder Kaur, Daniela Schlatzer, Kenneth Cooke, Mark R. Chance

Faculty Scholarship

Background: An approach to molecular classification based on the comparative expression of protein pairs is presented. The method overcomes some of the present limitations in using peptide intensity data for class prediction for problems such as the detection of a disease, disease prognosis, or for predicting treatment response. Data analysis is particularly challenging in these situations due to sample size (typically tens) being much smaller than the large number of peptides (typically thousands). Methods based upon high dimensional statistical models, machine learning or other complex classifiers generate decisions which may be very accurate but can be complex and difficult to …

When Never Happens: Implications Of Medicare's Never-Event Policy, Hudson T. Rowland

Marquette Elder's Advisor

This article discusses the Healthiest Wisconsin 2010 (HW2010) statute and its implementation to improve patient care through a denial of payment to hospitals when a selected condition takes place. The state of Wisconsin has created a program to improve the state's overall health through a partnership between the state department of health, universities, and other health providers. While the two programs have their differences, this article explores how the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services can learn from Wisconsin and HW2010 to create a more reasonable plan to improve patient safety.

Bringing Age Discrimination And Disability Discrimination Together: Too Few Intersections, Too Many Interstices, Leslie Pickering Francis, Anita Silvers

Marquette Elder's Advisor

Old age and disability would seem to have adverse features in common. Membership in either group suggests depleted capability, decreased social contribution, significant fragility, and heightened susceptibility to maltreatment by other people. Yet some have argued that no wrong occurs when advanced age is made disadvantageous, for the elderly have had a fair chance at the goods of life. By contract, this argument goes, there is never a fair chance for people with disabilities. This article challenges the view that takes discrimination based on disability and discrimination based on age as so discrepant that they do not deserve similar efforts …

Does Anti-Malarial Drug Knowledge Predict Anti-Malarial Dispensing Practice In Drug Outlets? A Survey Of Medicine Retailers In Western Kenya., Andria Rusk, Nathan Smith, Diana Menya, Andrew Obala, Chrispinus Simiyu, Barasa Khwa-Otsyula, Wendy O'Meara

Collected Faculty Scholarship

Background

Malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Kenya, where it is the fifth leading cause of death in both children and adults. Effectively managing malaria is dependent upon appropriate treatment. In Kenya, between 17 to 83 percent of febrile individuals first seek treatment for febrile illness over the counter from medicine retailers. Understanding medicine retailer knowledge and behaviour in treating suspected malaria and dispensing anti-malarials is crucial.

Methods

To investigate medicine retailer knowledge about anti-malarials and their dispensing practices, a survey was conducted of all retail drug outlets that sell anti-malarial medications and serve residents of …

Transient Expression Of Ova Antigen: Rtb Fusions In Plants For Production Of Improved Subunit Vaccines, Lana Elkins

Student Theses and Dissertations

Plant-based production systems may provide a solution to the safety, cost, and scalability limitations of traditional vaccine production. While subunit vaccines offer several advantages, challenges of low immunogenicity need to be addressed. The nontoxic B subunit of ricin (RTB) may provide a novel platform for effective delivery and immune presentation for subunit vaccines. The RTB lectin binds sugars on the surface of mammalian cells to facilitate uptake/transport of fused antigen. The natural cell trafficking of RTB may allow differential presentation to the two major arms of the animal immune system, antibody- and cell-mediated using an RTB and RTBKDEL fusion vaccine …

Investigating The Transcriptional Regulation By Oxyr In Porphyromonas Gingivalis., Anuya R. Paranjape

Theses and Dissertations

Periodontal diseases are bacterially induced, inflammatory diseases which are responsible for loss of alveolar bone and connective tissue supporting the teeth which results in loss of teeth. Gram negative anaerobic bacteria are highly associated with these diseases. One of them is Porphyromonas gingivalis belonging to the phylum Bacteroidetes. Infection by P. gingivalis is recurrent after physical removal of the bacteria from the oral cavity and even after antibiotic treatment as development of resistance is not rare. Hence complete understanding the biology of this bacterium is of significance. This gram negative obligate anaerobe, being aerotolerant, manages to survive inside the oral …

Bjc Today

BJC Today

No abstract provided.

Interactome-Wide Analysis Identifies End-Binding Protein 1 As A Crucial Component For The Speck-Like Particle Formation Of Activated Absence In Melanoma 2 (Aim2) Inflammasomes, Li-Jie Wang, Chia-Wei Hsu, Chiu-Chin Chen, Ying Liang, Lih-Chyang Chen, David M. Ojcius, Ngan-Ming Tsang, Chuen Hsueh, Chih-Ching Wu, Yu-Sun Chang

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Inflammasomes are cytoplasmic receptors that can recognize intracellular pathogens or danger signals and are critical for interleukin 1β production. Although several key components of inflammasome activation have been identified, there has not been a systematic analysis of the protein components found in the stimulated complex. In this study, we used the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification approach to systemically analyze the interactomes of the NLRP3, AIM2, and RIG-I inflammasomes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells treated with specific stimuli of these interactomes (H2O2, poly (dA:dT), and EBV noncoding RNA, respectively). We identified a number of proteins that appeared to be …

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - August 5, 2012, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the August 5, 2012 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's newsletter - Watercooler.

Contents Include:

• August Med School Café: 'Parkinson's Disease, Tremors and Other Common Movement Disorders in the Adult Population'
• Snapshots: Mobile Street Clean-Up Day
• USA College of Medicine Welcomes Dr. Paola Maurtua-Neumann
• Mark Your Calendar: 2012 Sickle Cell Conference

Bacterial Virulence Factor And Host Stress-Response Kinase, Niraj Shrestha

Open Access Dissertations

Animals possess several different defense mechanisms to resist microbial infection. These defense mechanisms have different signaling pathway and receptors. Pathogens have also evolved different mechanisms to act against such defense mechanisms of the host. Previously we observed that in a yeast-based model, the activities of the Yersinia protein-kinase A (YpkA) and outer- protein J (YopJ) virulence factors converge on the eIF2α kinase Hri2. This pathway, eIF2α signaling, has been well characterized for regulation of global protein synthesis and to facilitate this function, in case of stress, four kinases are present in mammalian cells (GCN2, PERK, PKR and HRI). Out of …

Transitions Among Health States Using 12 Measures Of Successful Aging: Results From The Cardiovascular Health Study, Stephen Thielke, Paula Diehr

UW Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Introduction

Successful aging has many dimensions, which may manifest differently in men and women and at different ages. We sought to characterize one-year transitions in 12 measures of successful aging among a large cohort of older adults.

Methods

We analyzed twelve different measures of health in the Cardiovascular Health Study: self-rated health, ADLs, IADLs, depression, cognition, timed walk, number of days spent in bed, number of blocks walked, extremity strength, recent hospitalizations, feelings about life as a whole, and life satisfaction. We dichotomized responses for each variable into “healthy” or “sick”, and estimated the prevalence of the healthy state and …

The Feminization Of Hiv/Aids In The Republic Of South Africa: Examining The Influence Of Socio-Economic, Political And Cultural Determinants, Wanda Denise Jackson

Open Access Dissertations

Worldwide few communities have escaped AIDS’ reach. However, epidemiological surveys reveal a significant regional variation in HIV/AIDS incidence and prevalence rates (UNAIDS, 2004). South Africa, which possesses one of the highest prevalence rates in the world, is located at the apex of the AIDS pandemic (UNAIDS, 2004). Furthermore, although both men and women are vulnerable in contracting HIV, women are disproportionately infected with the virus. While the lives lost to HIV/AIDS are lamentable for both sexes, this author maintains that the feminization of HIV/AIDS in South Africa presents deleterious consequences for the fiduciary and physical and mental health of the …

The First Urop Grant Recipients, Unh Communications And Public Affairs

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Mixing Events On The Dynamics Of Ph1n1 Outbreaks At Small Residential Colleges, Karen Palin, Meredith Greer

All Faculty Scholarship

Objective: The authors examine the dynamics and the impact of all-campus events on pH1N1 spread at Bates College in fall 2009, with comparisons to 3 other campuses. Participants: Students (N = 285) presented or called in to the Bates Health Center with symptoms consistent with influenza-like illness. Methods: Health Center staff at Bates collected data on the outbreak; data from other colleges are from Web sites and journal articles. Data were analyzed using a mathematical model for influenza. Results: Bates held 2 vaccine clinics mid-outbreak. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that the vaccine clinics may have altered …

Quantification And In Vitro Analysis Of Nanolipoproteins (Nlps) Containing Adjuvants, Purna Venkataraman, Craig Blanchette, Nicholas O. Fischer

STAR Program Research Presentations

Nanolipoprotein particles (NLPs) self-assemble into nanoscale structures that can be used as vaccines or drug delivery agents. Due to the nature of the NLPs, a variety of immune stimulating compounds or adjuvants can be readily incorporated into NLPs: a characteristic difficult to engineer into most other nanoscale platforms. In light of this, a method for quantifying the amount adjuvant actually incorporated into NLPs is a question of high importance. Through the use of reverse phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and an Evaporative Light Scattering Detector (ELSD), standard curves can be constructed by analyzing mixtures of NLP components of known concentration, …

Infection Connection, Lehigh Valley Health Network

Infection Connection

No abstract provided.

Progress Notes, Lehigh Valley Health Network

Progress Notes

No abstract provided.

Molecular Mechanisms Of Aging And Immune System Regulation In Drosophila., Ioannis Eleftherianos, Julio C. Castillo

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Aging is a complex process that involves the accumulation of deleterious changes resulting in overall decline in several vital functions, leading to the progressive deterioration in physiological condition of the organism and eventually causing disease and death. The immune system is the most important host-defense mechanism in humans and is also highly conserved in insects. Extensive research in vertebrates has concluded that aging of the immune function results in increased susceptibility to infectious disease and chronic inflammation. Over the years, interest has grown in studying the molecular interaction between aging and the immune response to pathogenic infections. The fruit fly …