Life Sciences Commons^™

Reproducibility And The Effects Of Exercise On The Endurance Index, Michael Dean Smith, Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The Endurance Index (EI%) is a method to objectively assess a muscle’s ability to resist fatigue. The purpose of these studies was to determine the reproducibility of the EI% and determine the influence of muscular fatigue on the EI%. Methods Study 1: sixteen apparently healthy participants (18-30yrs) completed three nonconsecutive visits each with 3 bouts of 5-minute electrical muscle stimulations (EMS) and accelerometer-based mechanomyography (aMMG) of the vastus lateralis at 4 Hz and low amperage (25-35mA) on the hamstrings of the dominant leg; peak torque was measured at each visit. Study 2: fifteen apparently healthy participants (ages 18-30yrs) …

Differential Cholinergic Modulation Of Prelimbic And Thalamic Input To The Basolateral Amygdala, Sarah Catherine Tryon

Theses and Dissertations

The basolateral amygdala (BL) is critical for emotional memory acquisition and expression. It receives afferent projections from both cortical and subcortical regions that send glutamatergic transmission to the BL. This input conveys information necessary for survival, including information about one’s behavioral state and environment. How this information is integrated and processed by the BL, however, remains largely unknown. Interestingly, the BL receives the densest amount of cholinergic innervation from the basal forebrain. This acetylcholine (ACh) can modulate emotional memories, but how it modulates specific afferent inputs to the BL is unexplored. To answer this question, we used brain slice field …

The Effect Of Patient Financial Liability On Physical Therapy Utilization And Patient Reported Outcomes For Patients With Low Back Pain: An Instrumental Variable Analysis, Adam D. Lutz

Theses and Dissertations

Low back pain (LBP) is the most common orthopedic complaint managed by physical therapists in the United States. Insurance plans that require greater patient financial liability per physical therapy visit are thought to disincentivize participation in recommended physical therapy plans of care. The primary purpose of this investigation was to use instrumental variable regression to investigate the effect of insurancemediated patient financial liability per visit on physical therapy visit count and functional patient reported outcomes. The secondary purpose of the study was to examine the generalizability of results to the broader excluded patient population—and beyond to patients that seek physical …

Effects Of Spinal Manipulation On Brain Activation In Individuals With Chronic Low Back Pain, Max K. Jordon

Theses and Dissertations

Chronic low back pain (cLBP) continues to be one of the most common health conditions in the United States. Despite an enormous amount of research, there are no treatments for this condition that consistently improve outcomes. For decades health professionals have incorporated spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) into their practice, but the evidence to date has shown that SMT has only small to modest effect sizes when treating cLBP. One way to improve the effectiveness of SMT is by getting a better understanding of its underlying mechanisms so that the intervention be more specifically targeted to the appropriate individual.

While biomechanical …

The Role Of Ampk In The Regulation Of Skeletal Muscle Proteostasis During Cancer Cachexia, Dennis K. Fix

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer-induced cachexia is a debilitating disease that diminishes quality of life due to severe loss of skeletal muscle mass and function. Skeletal muscle proteostasis fluctuates diurnally depending on different fasting and feeding durations as well as in response to activity and exercise stimuli. Nutrient availability is key in the net loss and gain of skeletal muscle protein. The adenosine monophosphate protein kinase (AMPK) is a nutrient sensitive kinase that has long been established as a critical regulator of both protein synthesis and protein degradation. AMPK is capable of being activated by many different stimuli as well as diseases such as …

Leveraging For-Cause Physical Activity Events For Physical Activity Promotion: An Investigation Using Self-Determination Theory, John A. Bernhart

Theses and Dissertations

Motivating individuals to live active lifestyles remains a challenging but important public health issue. For-cause physical activity events reach large groups of people, many of whom are not regularly active. However, little research has applied established health behavior theories to explain participation in for-cause events. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to investigate participation in for-cause events through the lens of Self-Determination Theory (SDT).

The first study recruited participants (n=207) registered in a for-cause PA event (i.e., 5K distance or shorter) to complete online surveys that assessed need satisfaction for autonomy, competence, and relatedness; intrinsic motivation; altruism; PA behavior; …

Physical Activity Of Preschoolers With Developmental Disabilities And Delays, Michaela A. Schenkelberg

Theses and Dissertations

Children with developmental disabilities and delays are at greater risk for developing overweight and obesity compared to typically developing peers. Participation in regular physical activity is a modifiable behavior that is consistently associated with improved weight status and other positive health outcomes. Previous studies have identified numerous individual- and environmental-level factors that associate with physical activity among school-age children with and without disabilities. However, little is known about physical activity behaviors and related correlates among preschool-aged children with disabilities (ages 3 – 5 years), especially while they are in preschool settings. Therefore, the overall purpose of this dissertation was to …

The Regulation Of Skeletal Muscle Fatigue During The Progression Of Cancer Cachexia, Brandon N. Vanderveen

Theses and Dissertations

Cachexia is the unintentional loss of body weight secondary to chronic disease and is prevalent is roughly 50% of cancer patients. The loss of body weight and skeletal muscle mass is reduced functional capacity associated with reduced life quality. The etiology of cachexia is multimodal and complex; however, cachexia has been linked to several systemic (e.g. chronic inflammation, hypogonadism, anemia, insulin resistance) and behavioral (e.g. anorexia, inactivity) changes that can compound to accelerate muscle mass and body weight loss. While several inflammatory cytokines are associated with cachexia’s disease progression, our laboratory has established that Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a key regulator …

Identification Of Factors Contributing To Musculoskeletal Injuries In Military Basic Trainees, Amy Fraley Hand

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the physical activity requirements of the United States (U.S.) Armed Forces, there is a concerning incidence rate of musculoskeletal injuries in military personnel. In the basic trainee population specifically, multiple studies have reported a range of exercise- related injury incidence from 14% to 42% in males and 27% to 61.7% in females. Depending on the severity, these injuries can exclude basic trainees from participation, ultimately altering career trajectory and creating the possibility of long-term disability. The studies of this dissertation examine variations in muscle strength, flexibility, and dynamic postural control as a means to identify those basic trainees …

Be Your Best S.E.L.F., Rachel Wood, Casey Hasenbein

Senior Theses

The goal of our thesis was to use our knowledge as Exercise Science students and personal trainers to improve the health of an underserved population in South Carolina. We created a voluntary exercise and self-defense program for the girls residing at Epworth Children’s Home. The program began on October 1, 2018 and concluded on April 29, 2019 with data collecting taking place between October 8th and March 18th. Every other week SASS Defense taught their self-defense program, and on the alternating weeks we facilitated an exercise class. The program also included a mentorship aspect to create a supportive social environment …

Effect Of Trb3 On Skeletal Muscle Mass Regulation And Exercise-Induced Adaptation, Ran Hee Choi

Theses and Dissertations

Skeletal muscle, which composes over 40% of body mass, is responsible for daily locomotion and energy metabolism. It is a malleable tissue that can adapt its structure and function in response to internal and external environmental stimuli. Changing muscle mass and energy substrate utilization is a common skeletal muscle adaptation in response to various pathological conditions, including type 2 diabetes and obesity. Failure to maintain skeletal muscle mass and function has been correlated with increasing morbidity and mortality, as well as poor quality of life. Hence, maintenance of skeletal muscle integrity is a recommended strategy in achieving better quality of …