Digital Commons Network^™

Trichomonas Vaginalis Virus (Tvv) And Its Role In Trichomoniasis Infection, Keonte Graves

All ETDs from UAB

Background: Trichomonas vaginalis virus (TVV) is a non-segmented, 4.5-5.5 kbp, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus infecting T. vaginalis (TV). The objectives of this study were to examine TVV prevalence in U.S. TV isolates and associations with patient demographics, clinical outcomes, and metronidazole (MTZ) resistance. Methods: Archived TV isolates from the enrollment visit of 355 women participating in a TV treatment trial in Birmingham, AL were thawed and grown in culture. Total RNA was extracted using Trizol reagent. Contaminating single-stranded RNA was precipitated using 4.0M LiCl and centrifugation. Samples were analyzed by gel electrophoresis to visualize a 4.5kbp band representative of TVV. …

Emotional Precipitants Of Withdrawing Behavior In Couple Interactions, Jason Cencirulo

Theses and Dissertations

The demand-withdraw pattern of communication -- a cyclical pattern of interaction in which criticism and emotional or physical exit predominate -- is common amongst couples in distress and is linked to a number of deleterious health and relational outcomes. Inherent in the pattern are individual and dyadic difficulties regulating emotion that contribute to the process of polarization between demanding and withdrawing parties. While numerous therapeutic modalities target the pattern and attempt to facilitate its reduction through a focus on emotions underlying the pattern, few -- if any -- studies have examined the exact nature and quality of emotions that precipitate …

Managing An Epidemic: Zika Interventions And Community Responses In Belize, Deven Gray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Implementing effective health interventions in recent epidemics has been difficult due to the potentially global nature of their spread and sociocultural dynamics, raising questions concerning how to develop culturally-appropriate preventive measures, and how these health threats are understood locally. In Belize, health policy makers have only been marginally effective in managing infections and mosquito vectors, and Zika has been declared endemic in multiple regions of the country, particularly on the island of Caye Caulker. With one locally confirmed case of microcephaly on this small island already, this disease has the potential to severely impact the health and wellness of pregnant …

Split Aptameric Turn-On Fluorescence Sensor For Detection Of Sequence Specific Nucleic Acid At Ambient Temperature, Nanami Kikuchi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) enable sensitive detection of low density infections that microscopy and rapid diagnostic test are not capable of detecting. They enable quantitative and qualitative nucleic acid detection, genotype analysis, and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection. Current state of the art molecular probes used with NAATs includes molecular beacon (MB), Taqman and its variations. This work presents novel molecular probe designed from Spinach and Dapoxyl aptamers. The aptamers are split into two parts (split aptamer), allowing greater sensitivity and selectivity towards fully complementary nucleic acid analyte. The major advantage of split aptamer probe over state-of-the-art fluorescent probes …

An Integrated Lean Supply Chain Framework For U.S. Hospitals, Subhajit Chakraborty, Jorge A. Gonzalez

Management Faculty Publications

We apply a lean supply chain framework to the healthcare industry in the U.S., drawing support from lean systems philosophy. We conceptualize a view of the U.S. healthcare ecosystem that places a hospital and its admitted patients at the center and describes how all entities inside and outside the hospital work can implement lean principles to improve patients' quality care. This application depicts how a holistic consideration of hospital resources available in both the internal and external supply chain would increase the optimal use of such resources and ultimately serve patients. We offer propositions suggesting that an integrated supply chain …

Reactive Oxygen Species Generation In Human Cells By A Novel Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agent, Li Wang, Eric Lin, Mary J. Johansen, Timothy Madden, Edward Felix, Karen S. Martirosyan, Steven J. Frank

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

The novel positive-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) marker C4 consists of an aqueous solution of cobalt chloride (CoCl 2 ) complexed with the chelator N-acetylcysteine (NAC). We evaluated whether the presence of C4 or its components would produce reactive oxygen species (ROS, including hydroxyl, peroxyl, or other reactive oxygen species) in cultured cells. Human cancer or normal cells were incubated with 1% (w/v) CoCl 2 ·6H 2 O or 2% NAC or a combination of both (1% CoCl 2 ·6H 2 O: 2% NAC in an aqueous solution, abbreviated as Co: NAC) in the presence or absence of H 2 …

A Rare Case Of Kaposi’S Sarcoma In Hiv Negative Male, B Kar, F Ibrahim, A Hassoun, M Abdulhaleem

UAB Huntsville Research Day - All Presentations

2018 clinical vignette poster

Atypical Leptospirosis: An Overlooked Cause Of Aseptic Meningitis, Bhavini Kar, Bhavya Bahl, Parekha Yedla, K Ivey

UAB Huntsville Research Day - All Presentations

2018 clinical vignette poster

Appendicitis Caused By An Atypical Organism In An Immunocompetent Patient, Sarah Oncale, Aadil Lodhi, Ali Hassoun

UAB Huntsville Research Day - All Presentations

2018 clinical vignette poster

When All Else Fails: A Case For Doxycycline In Pertussis, Mary Smithson, Roger Smalligan, David Kimberlin, Lea Eiland, Pippa Abston

UAB Huntsville Research Day - All Presentations

2018 clinical vignette poster

"Abscessed" Not Your Typical Skin Infection, Clark Alves, Haley Gates, Ali Hassoun

UAB Huntsville Research Day - All Presentations

2018 oral presentation

Eosinophilia Causing Peripheral Neuropathy, Jesse Faulk, Parekha Yedla, Soujanya Thummathati

UAB Huntsville Research Day - All Presentations

2018 oral presentation

Evaluation Of Commercialized Fecal Microbiotatransplant (Cfmt) Therapy For The Treatment Of Recurrent Clostridium Diffiicle Infections, Jenna Lee, Ali Hassoun, Brian Boyett, Jonathan Edwards, Taylor Steuber

UAB Huntsville Research Day - All Presentations

2018 research poster

Morbidity Burden And Community-Based Palliative Care Are Associated With Rates Of Hospital Use By People With Schizophrenia In The Last Year Of Life: A Population-Based Matched Cohort Study, Katrina Spilsbury, Lorna Rosenwax, Kate Brameld, Brian Kelly, Glenn Arendts

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Objective: People with schizophrenia face an increased risk of premature death from chronic diseases and injury. This study describes the trajectory of acute care health service use in the last year of life for people with schizophrenia and how this varied with receipt of community based specialist palliative care and morbidity burden.

Method: A population-based retrospective matched cohort study of people who died from 01/01/ 2009 to 31/12/2013 with and without schizophrenia in Western Australia. Hospital inpatient, emergency department, death and community-based care data collections were linked at the person level. Rates of emergency department presentations and hospital admissions over …

The Prevalence And Genetic Diversity Of Feline Immunodeficiency Virusand Feline Leukemia Virus Among Stray Cats In Harbin, China, Mei-Qiao Pan, Jiu-Cheng Wang, Ya-Jun Wang

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) are typical retroviruses that are transmitted horizontally among felines. FIV results in symptoms of immunodeficiency such as weight loss, chronic lesions, opportunistic infections, and neurological abnormalities, while FeLV is known to cause a variety of neoplastic and nonneoplastic diseases in cats, such as thymic lymphoma, multicentric lymphoma myelodysplastic syndromes, acute myeloid leukemia, aplastic anemia, and immunodeficiency. The prevalence and genetic diversity of FIV and FeLV in stray cats have not been investigated. In this study, polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to test 198 blood samples from stray …

Researching Colorado Health Law, Kerri Rowe

Publications

No abstract provided.

Data Collection, Ehrs, And Poverty Determinations, Craig Konnoth

Publications

Collecting and deploying poverty-related data is an important starting point for leveraging data regarding social determinants of health in precision medicine. However, we must rethink how we collect and deploy such data. Current modes of collection yield imprecise data that is unsuited for research. Better data can be collected by cross-referencing other sources such as employers and public benefit programs, and by incentivizing and encouraging patients and providers to provide more accurate information. Data thus collected can be used to provide appropriate individual-level clinical and non-clinical care, and to systematically determine what share of social resources healthcare should consume.

A Comparison Of The Antimicrobial Efficacy Of Silver Diamine Fluoride And Silver Nitrate: An Ex Vivo Study, Reham M. Alnajjar

Theses and Dissertations

A comparison of the antimicrobial efficacy of silver diamine fluoride and silver nitrate on various cariogenic bacteria: an ex vivo study By: Reham AlNajjar, D.D.S.

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Dentistry at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2019

Thesis Advisor: William Dahlke, D.M.D., Associate Professor and Chair of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry

Purpose: The use of silver-based antimicrobials is an emerging method for the treatment of dental caries. In this study, the authors compare the efficacy of the two most prominent silver- based therapeutics, silver diamine …

The African Open Science Platform: The Future Of Science And Science For The Future, African Academy Of Sciences, Academy Of Science Of South Africa, Committee On Data For Science And Technology, International Council For Science, National Research And Education Networks, Research Data Alliance, South African Department Of Science & Technology, National Research Foundation, Square Kilometre Array, Unesco

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

This document presents a draft strategy and makes the scientific case for the African Open Science Platform (AOSP). It is based on an expert group meeting held in Pretoria on 27-28 March 2018. Its purpose is to act as a framework for detailed, work on the creation of the Platform and as a basis for discussion at a stakeholder meeting to be held on 3-4 September 2018, which will lead to a definitive strategy for implementation from 2019. Expert group members at the March meeting were drawn from the following organisations: African Academy of Sciences (AAS), Academy of Science of …

Paying Patients: Legal And Ethical Dimensions, Govind Persad

Publications

This Article explores the implications for medical care of a debate that is more familiar in the law and ethics of human subjects research: whether people should be paid to receive or decline medical interventions, or to reach certain health objectives. It examines the legal and ethical issues such payments raise, and considers various actors who might make such payments, including governments, employers, insurers, care providers, and private parties. It argues for two interrelated conclusions: first, that these payments should not be subject to blanket normative condemnation, and, second, that payments made in different settings and contexts frequently share underlying …

Testing The Impact Of State-Society Relations On Human Security, Ilhan Aydemir

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The aim of this dissertation is to provide explanations for why prosperity, peace and development are achieved in some countries but not in others. To do so, this research analyzes how civil society and state capacity effect human security; using an explanatory mixed-method approach. The statistical analysis used in this research is a time series cross-sectional data analysis covering over 160 countries from 1984 to 2014. The statistical findings are further tested by comparative case studies of Slovenia, Lithuania, Russia and Singapore. The results suggest that civil society and state capacity are significant factors for explaining how different levels of …

Evaluation Of Ispe For Inhibitor Design In The Non-Mevalonate Pathway, Kataryzna Barbara Hoerchler

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

There is an urgent need to discover new antibiotics to combat the emergence of drug resistant Novel antibiotics that target unique pathways different from existing therapies are promising targets. The non-mevalonate pathway (MEP), which was discovered in the 1990’s, is essential for most bacteria, plants and apicomplexan parasites. Inhibition of the non-mevalonate is an attractive pharmaceutical target, since it is not present in mammals. Many compounds have surfaced as potential inhibitors, but none have made it to market. This thesis investigates the fourth step in the MEP pathway involving the enzyme 4-diphosphocytidyl-2-C-methyl-D-erythritol kinase (IspE) from Escherichia coli (Ec), Burkholderia thailandensis …

The Development Of Microfluidic Devices For The Production Of Safe And Effective Non-Viral Gene Delivery Vectors, Jason Matthew Absher

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Including inherited genetic diseases, like lipoprotein lipase deficiency, and acquired diseases, such as cancer and HIV, gene therapy has the potential to treat or cure afflicted people by driving an affected cell to produce a therapeutic protein. Using primarily viral vectors, gene therapies are involved in a number of ongoing clinical trials and have already been approved by multiple international regulatory drug administrations for several diseases. However, viral vectors suffer from serious disadvantages including poor transduction of many cell types, immunogenicity, direct tissue toxicity and lack of targetability. Non-viral polymeric gene delivery vectors (polyplexes) provide an alternative solution but are …

Protein Engineering In The Study Of Protein Labeling And Degradation, Xinyi Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Proteins are large macromolecules that play important roles in nature. With the development of modern molecular biology techniques, protein engineering has emerged as a useful tool and found many applications in areas ranging from food industry, environmental protection, to medical and life science. Biomimetic membrane incorporates biological elements, such as proteins, to form membranes that mimic the high specificity and conductance of natural biological membranes. For any application involving the usage of proteins, the first barrier is always the production of proteins with sufficient stability, and the incorporation of proteins into the artificial matrix. This thesis contains two major parts, …

"The Lives Of The Wicked" : Love, Death, And The Hero In Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, Amy Erickson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis discusses Stephen Sondheim's 1979 musical adaptation of the novel that originated the story of Sweeney Todd in 1846, The String of Pearls. Sondheim's musical has been lastingly popular with its American audience despite the story's British roots, due in large part to the American innovation of the tale. Sondheim's Americanization emphasizes several themes, already staples of American culture as evidenced by trends in popular cultural artifacts such as Batman, which speak to American audiences and allow them to connect with the British story of Sweeney Todd. In Sondheim's transformation, the villainous Sweeney Todd becomes a complex lover, along …

Pulmonary Mucormycosis In Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia And Neutropenia., Izza Mir, Sijan Basnet, David Ellsworth, Elan Mohanty

Reading Hospital Internal Medicine Residency

Pulmonary mucormycosis is a rare life-threatening fungal infection associated with high mortality. We present the case of a 61-year-old man with history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia who presented with fever and cough, eventually diagnosed with pulmonary mucormycosis after right lung video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. The patient was successfully treated with amphotericin B and right lung pneumonectomy; however, he later died from left lung pneumonia.

The Association Between Asymptomatic And Mild Neurocognitive Impairment And Adherence To Antiretroviral Therapy Among People Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Violet Awori, Peter Mativo, Gerald Yonga, Reena Shah

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: Asymptomatic cognitive impairment in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients has recently been recognised as part of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. This has been implicated as one of the causes of poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Objective: To assess the association between neurocognitive impairment (asymptomatic and mild forms) and adherence to ART.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey involving 218 participants consecutively sampled from those attending the HIV treatment clinic at Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi. Data collected included quantitative primary data on pre-defined baseline characteristics, neurocognitive assessment by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) tool (Appendix 1), instrumental …

Using Astrobiology As A Platform To Study The Impact On The Mathematical Content Knowledge And Pedagogical Content Knowledge Of Elementary Education Majors, Meredith Kay Berthelson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Early mathematical skills have long been hailed as a cornerstone and as the best predictor of later success in mathematics and literacy. This perception highlights the importance of elementary educator’s mathematical content knowledge (MCK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). This study explored a novel approach to motivating and facilitating preservice elementary educators’ engagement in an interdisciplinary context. Astrobiology is a growing interdisciplinary field with extraordinary educational potential. It has the potential to provide an exciting science framework structure to mathematics for preservice educators. Due to its interdisciplinary content, astrobiology offers preservice educators an opportunity to see math content through a …

Political Affiliations And Interagency Collaboration In Emergency Management In Nigeria, Charles Otegbade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Collaboration has been indispensable in resolving many contemporary problems involved in emergency/disaster management, but it is unclear if key determinants of collaboration established through studies focused on the Western world would apply to countries outside the West. The purpose of this cross-sectional non-experimental study was to examine the effects of political affiliation, an established determinant, on collaboration among emergency management agencies (EMAs) in Nigeria. Barnes's theory of social network and Lévi-Strauss's theory of social exchanges framed the study. Survey data were collected from a sample of 38 EMAs out of the population of 812 EMAs; they were affiliated with 6 …

Adherence To Antiretroviral Medicines Among Adolescents And Young Adults In Benue State, Nigeria, Amom Tor-Anyiin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adherence to ARV medicines is essential to halt HIV progression, increase CD4 counts, decrease virologic impact, and improve quality of life for the infected people. However, sustaining good adherence among adolescents and young adults (AYA) has been a challenge caused by various problems such as distance to clinic, improved CD4 count which lead to complacency in adherence, and the nature of the environment. This was a quantitative, retrospective, correlational, cross-sectional study anchored by the transtheoretical model, which was used to understand how adherence rate among the study population was impacted by the predictive factors. Secondary data was collected from patient's …