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Deficiency Of Rdh10 Causes Cleft Secondary Palate In Mouse., Swetha Raja

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this project is to understand the role of Retinoic Acid (RA) produced by RDH10-mediated metabolism of Vitamin A in palate development. For 80 years now, we have known that dietary restriction of RA/Vitamin A can cause cleft palate but we have failed to understand how RA deficiency causes cleft palate. Our gap in knowledge about how RA deficiency causes cleft palate is mainly owing to the fact that we lack a model system to study such defects. The aim of this thesis research project was to determine if conditional inactivation of the Vitamin A metabolic gene Rdh10 …

The Role Of Kinases And Phosphatases In The Pathobiology Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis., Sarah Whitmore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Periodontal diseases result from the interplay between the dysregulation of the host inflammatory response and the actions of a dysbiotic bacterial community. These chronic inflammatory conditions affect persons on a worldwide scale. P. gingivalis is strongly implicated as a key periodontal pathogen in the more severe manifestations of periodontal diseases such as periodontitis. A core element of P. gingivalis pathogenicity is its dysregulation of innate immunity, including suppression of IL-8 production by gingival epithelial cells. The NF-κB family of related transcription factors plays a central role in regulating many important aspects of innate immune responses. NF-κB RelA/p65 homodimers regulate transcription …

Moving Mountains : A Study Examining Long-Term Impacts Of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining On Mortality In The Appalachian Region Using Geographic Information Sciences Techniques., James Howard Kent Pugh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the last hundred years, the Appalachian region has been dominated by the coal industry. It has also been and currently is one of the unhealthiest regions in the United States. Recent scholarship has examined the relationship between coal mining and health and mortality rates in the Appalachian region. The first study incorporates air quality and pollution data to examine if coal mining counties have higher levels of pollution and if this pollution contributes to mortality disadvantage. In the second study, I construct a population-based coal-exposure measure to better evaluate the relationship between coal mining and health I find that …

Subjective Well-Being And Hiv Prevention: A Cross-Country Descriptive Study Using Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Data, Janine Foggia, Anne Sebert Kuhlmann

Journal of Refugee & Global Health

Subjective well-being (SWB) is positively associated with improved health outcomes and, in particular, preventative behaviors. Yet, the relationship between SWB and HIV prevention is not well understood, especially in the context of developing countries. Furthermore, young females experience a high burden of HIV as well as sociodemographic factors which influence SWB. Therefore, this descriptive study sought to describe the global landscape of three constructs of SWB - happiness, life satisfaction, and life perception - and the following HIV prevention variables: comprehensive HIV knowledge, HIV testing, and condom use among young adult females aged 15-24 years. Descriptive statistics of Multiple Indicator …

Health Profiles Of Newly Arriving Refugees In Kentucky, 2016: Data From The University Of Louisville Global Health Program, Ruth M. Carrico, Timothy L. Wiemken, Rahel Bosson, William A. Mattingly, Rebecca Ford, Sarah Van Heiden, Stanley Kotey, Julio A. Ramirez

Journal of Refugee & Global Health

Objectives: Refugees resettling in the United States bring with them a number of health conditions, the majority chronic. These health conditions may impact their ability to be successful with disease self-management and employment, and acculturate and thrive in their new communities. Knowledge of health conditions present in individual refugee populations can be of benefit to healthcare providers in the community and public health. The objective of this manuscript is to describe the state of health among refugees newly arriving in the US and resettling in Kentucky during 2016.

Methods: Using data from the domestic health screens, immunization clinics, and the …

Refugee-Centered Medical Home:A New Approach To Care At The University Of Louisville Global Health Center, Rahel Bosson, Ruth M. Carrico, Anupama Raghuram, Paula Peyrani, William A. Mattingly, Rebecca Ford, Stephen P. Furmanek, Julio A. Ramirez

Journal of Refugee & Global Health

Refugees arrive to the United States with a full spectrum of health conditions, many of which involve intense case management requiring significant financial investments and use of healthcare resources. Kentucky receives more than 3,000 new refugees each year and ranked 10th in the nation for numbers of new arrivals resettled during 2015. These refugees arrive from diverse countries representing different cultures and speaking different languages. In addition, they arrive with diverse health conditions and medical needs. The aims of this paper are to share experiences from the University of Louisville Global Health Center regarding conceptualization, implementation and evaluation of a …

Cumulative Trauma, Emotion Reactivity And Salivary Cytokine Response Following Acute Stress Among Healthy Women., Yvette Z. Szabo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study furthers understanding of how trauma exposure may be connected to the development and maintenance of poor health by focusing on cytokines, tightly regulated proteins of the immune system. Cytokine responses to acute stress have been associated with the onset of poorer mental health in physically healthy women. The present study examined how two factors recently associated with cytokine reactivity –cumulative trauma and emotion reactivity– are associated with salivary cytokine reactivity among healthy women. Seventy-one women, screened to be physically and mentally healthy, completed a laboratory acute stress paradigm and self-report measures of state emotion and trauma exposure. Participants …

Using An Audience Response System To Calibrate Dental Faculty Assessing Student Clinical Competence., Sean A. Aiken

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to best prepare students to become competent and confident practitioners in a clinical environment upon graduating dental school, it is imperative for them to receive consistent and productive feedback from the supervising faculty. Through academic engagement, and more specifically faculty calibration, it may be possible to eliminate the disconnect that sometimes exists between faculty expectations and terminology, and those of the students. In terms of definitions, academic engagement reflects faculty scholarly development activities that support integration of relevant, current theory of best practices consistent with the school's mission, expected learner outcomes, and supporting strategies.1-6, 32 The difficulty lies …

Treg Regulation In Periodontal Disease During Pregnancy., Aislinn Leah Hays

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Although pregnancy is prone to induce more severe periodontal inflammation and tissue damage, its mechanism remains elusive. Periodontal diseases during pregnancy are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes including preterm birth or low birth weight. Animal models are ideal for investigating immunological mechanisms in periodontal disease. With a newly modified ligature-induced disease model, we managed to develop periodontal disease in pregnant mice and investigate the immunological mechanism of more severe symptoms during pregnancy. Hypothesis: We hypothesis that P. gingivalis infection during pregnancy will lead to a down-regulation of Treg cells, therefore causing increased inflammation and disease severity. Methods: A ligature-induced …

Exploring A Novel Nf-ĸb- Inhibiting Nanoparticle For Periodontitis Therapy., Kameswara Satya Srikanth Upadhyayula

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Periodontitis is an infection-driven inflammatory disease characterized by gingival inflammation and bone loss. The NF-ĸB signaling pathway is pivotal in osteoclastogenesis and infection-induced pro-inflammatory responses. The use of nanoparticles as a vehicle to deliver drug increases stability, loading capacity, and facilitates transmembrane transportation. The hypothesis was that a novel nanoparticle carrying therapeutic NBD inhibitory peptides (NBD-nanoparticles) will inhibit measures of periodontal disease. In this project, we tested the nanoparticles for their ability to directly inhibit osteoclastogenesis and inflammation as an original strategy for periodontitis therapy. We also tested the capability of the nanoparticles to inhibit gingival inflammation and alveolar bone …

Student Self-Assessment Of Operative Dentistry Experiences : A Time Dependent Exercise In Best Practice Outcomes., Celine Joyce Cornelius Timothius

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to evaluate student self-assessment of operative dentistry experiences. Methods: First, a retrospective analysis of student self-assessment and faculty assessment grade sheets were evaluated for mean differences and correlations across time. Both preclinical (D2: n=120) and clinical (D3: n=120; D4: n=120) grades sheets were evaluated. Secondly, twenty-five (n=25) students from each of the D1, D2, D3 and D4 classes were asked to evaluate dentoform work. Twenty-five (n=25) operative calibrated faculty graded the same two dentoforms. Results: D2 student’s self-assessment scores were significantly higher than the faculty assessment scores (t-test; p0.05) and there was a …