Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Arkansas Animal Science Department Report 2011, David L. Kreider

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.

My Patient Has An Elevated Hs-Crp. What Does This Mean? What Should I Do Now, Maria Khan, Emmon Raza, Ayeesha Kamran Kamal

Section of Neurology

No abstract provided.

Acute Myeloid Leukaemia In Children: Experience At A Tertiary Care Facility Of Pakistan, Zehra Fadoo, Naureen Mushtaq, Saima Alvi, Muhammad Ali

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Objective: To document the demographics and outcome of children with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) treated at a tertiary care facility of Pakistan.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at Aga Khan University on children (less than 15 years) diagnosed to have AML between January 2000 to May 2007.Total 40 cases were diagnosed out of which 37 charts were available for review.

Results: The average age of presentation was 8.5±4.5 years and 75% were males. The most common presenting feature was fever in 83% followed by bleeding in 41% and pallor in 39%. Initial WBC of > 100,000 was seen in 19% …

To Strive Or To Chill? Seeking Balance In The Fight Against Huntington's Disease, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Advocacy Pays Off: Huntington’S Disease Stem-Cell Research Advances In California, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Let’S Turn Grief For ‘Hd Angels’ Into New Impetus For The Huntington's Cure, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Human Pulmonary Microvascular Endothelial Cells Support Productive Replication Of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses: Possible Involvement In The Pathogenesis Of Human H5n1 Virus Infection, Hui Zeng, Claudia Pappas, Jessica A. Belser, Katherine V. Houser, Weiming Zhong, Debra A. Wadford, Troy Stevens, Ron Balczon, Jacqueline M. Katz, Terrence M. Tumpey

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 viruses continue to cause sporadic human infections with a high fatality rate. Respiratory failure due to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a complication among hospitalized patients. Since progressive pulmonary endothelial damage is the hallmark of ARDS, we investigated host responses following HPAI virus infection of human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells. Evaluation of these cells for the presence of receptors preferred by influenza virus demonstrated that avian-like (α2-3-linked) receptors were more abundant than human-like (α2-6-linked) receptors. To test the permissiveness of pulmonary endothelial cells to virus infection, we compared the replication of selected seasonal, …

Ginkgo Extract Egb761 Confers Neuroprotection By Reduction Of Glutamate Release In Ischemic Brain, Alexander Mdzinarishvili, Rachita K. Sumbria, Dorothee Lang, Jochen Klein

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose - Ginkgo extract EGb761 has shown anti-edema and anti-ischemic effects in various experimental models. In the present study, we demonstrate neuroprotective effects of EGb761 in experimental stroke while monitoring brain metabolism by microdialysis. Methods - We have used oxygen-glucose deprivation in brain slices in vitro and middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in vivo to induce ischemia in mouse brain. We used microdialysis in mouse striatum to monitor extracellular concentrations of glucose and glutamate. Results - In vitro, EGb761 reduced ischemia-induced cell swelling in hippocampal slices by 60%. In vivo, administration of EGb761 (300 mg/kg) reduced cell degeneration and edema …

Seven Years Of Striving For A Realistic And Unapologetic View Of Huntington's Disease, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Hiv-1 Tat Triggers Nuclear Localization Of Zo-1 Via Rho Signaling And Camp Response Element-Binding Protein Activation, Yu Zhong, Bei Zhang, Sung Yong Eum, Michal Toborek

Neurosurgery Faculty Publications

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-specific protein trans-activator of transcription (Tat) can contribute to the dysfunction of brain endothelial cells and HIV trafficking into the brain by disrupting tight junction (TJ) integrity at the blood–brain barrier (BBB) level. Specific TJ proteins, such as zonula occludens (ZO) proteins, localize not only at the cell–cell borders but are also present in the nuclei. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the mechanisms and significance of Tat-induced nuclear localization of ZO-1. Treatment of a brain endothelial cell line (hCMEC/D3 cells) with Tat resulted in a decrease in total levels of ZO-1 but …

Striving For Brave New Brains, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Hiv/Aids Stigmatization Among Oromo Immigrant Congregations In The Twin Cities : A Call For Biblical And Theological Response, Fikru Andea Eticha

Master of Arts Theses

No abstract provided.

Distance Saturation Product Predicts Health–Related Quality Of Life Among Sarcoidosis Patients, Julie M. Bourbonnais, Subramanian Malaisamy, Bhavinkumar D. Dalal, Priyan C. Samarakoon, Swapna R. Parikh, Lobelia Samavati

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Sarcoidosis is a chronic disease with different phenotypic manifestations. Health-related quality of life is an important aspect in sarcoidosis, yet difficult to measure. The objective of this study was to identify clinical markers predictive of poor quality of life in sarcoidosis patients that can be followed over time and targeted for intervention.

Methods

We assessed the quality of life of 162 patients with confirmed sarcoidosis in a prospective, cross-sectional study using the Sarcoidosis Health Questionnaire (SHQ) and Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36). We evaluated the validity of these questionnaires and sought to identify variables that would best explain …

It Is Time To Talk About It: Designing A Health Communication Program For Eating Disorder Recovery In An Appalachian University, Erica Lynn Clites

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this thesis was to evaluate the treatments used in current eating disorder programs and to develop a more effective model using two relevant communication theories: the Transtheoretical Model of Change and Social Networking Theory. Further, the thesis explored the need for greater mental health literacy on Appalachian college and university campuses as it relates to the three major eating disorders defined by the DSMIV-TR: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorders. The analysis of current treatment revealed an overemphasis on physical health and quantitative medical progress. Applying both the Transtheoretical Model of Change and Social Networking …

Redefining Chronic Toxoplasmosis: A T Cell Exhaustion Perspective, Rajarshi Bhadra, Imtiaz A. Khan

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Web-Based Assessment Of Visual And Visuospatial Symptoms In Parkinson's Disease, Melissa M. Amick, Ivy N. Miller, Sandra Neargarder, Alice Cronin-Golomb

Psychology Faculty Publications

Visual and visuospatial dysfunction is prevalent in Parkinson’s disease (PD). To promote assessment of these often overlooked symptoms, we adapted the PD Vision Questionnaire for Internet administration. The questionnaire evaluates visual and visuospatial symptoms, impairments in activities of daily living (ADLs), and motor symptoms. PD participants of mild to moderate motor severity (n = 24) and healthy control participants (HC, n = 23) completed the questionnaire in paper and web-based formats. Reliability was assessed by comparing responses across formats. Construct validity was evaluated by reference to performance on measures of vision, visuospatial cognition, ADLs, and motor symptoms. The web-based …

Improved Left Ventricular Mass Quantification With Partial Voxel Interpolation – In-Vivo And Necropsy Validation Of A Novel Cardiac Mri Segmentation Algorithm, Noel C.F. Codella, Hae Yeoun Lee, David S. Fieno, Debbie W. Chen, Sandra M. Hurtado Rua, Minisha Kochar, John Paul Finn, Robert Judd, Parag Goyal, Jesse Schenendorf, Matthew D. Cham, Richard B. Devereux, Martin Prince, Yi Wang, Jonathan W. Weinsaft

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Background—CMR typically quantifies LV mass (LVM) via manual planimetry (MP), but this approach is time consuming and does not account for partial voxel components - myocardium admixed with blood in a single voxel. Automated segmentation (AS) can account for partial voxels, but this has not been used for LVM quantification. This study used automated CMR segmentation to test the influence of partial voxels on quantification of LVM. Methods and Results—LVM was quantified by AS and MP in 126 consecutive patients and 10 laboratory animals undergoing CMR. AS yielded both partial voxel (AS_PV) and full voxel (AS_FV) …

Artificial Devices As A Viable Alternative To The Conventional Heart Transplant, Hadassah Radzik

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

The human heart is one of the most vital organs in the body. It distributes blood throughout the body, providing the body with oxygen and nutrition, and contributes to metabolism. When the heart fails, blood flow is impaired, thereby limiting the exchange of oxygen within the cardiopulmonary system as well as diminishing oxygenation and nutrition to the other major organs and periphery. The only current proven treatment for advanced heart failure is cardiac transplant. Given the heart’s importance and the scarcity of donated organs, modern medicine has experimented with the creation of an artificial heart. Because the heart is primarily …

Anorexia Nervosa: Current Research From A Biological Perspective, Udy Tropp

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Eating disorders are viewed as serious mental illnesses, carrying significant, life-threatening medical and psychiatric implications, including morbidity and mortality. According to the Academy of Eating Disorders, anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder. The American Psychiatric Association (2004) claims that approximately three percent of the United States female population has a clinically relevant eating disorder. Risk of premature death is 6-12 times higher in women with anorexia as compared to the general population, and it has become the third most common form of chronic illness among adolescent women aged 15 to 19 years. Although the prevalence …

Cd4+Cd25+Regulatory T Cells And Their Role In Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Sara Shilcrat

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

The following is an excerpt from the introduction of this paper: Systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE, is an autoimmune disease that currently has no known cause or cure (Postal et al. 2012; Okamoto et al. 2011). According to the Lupus Foundation of America, 1.5 million Americans are thought to be suffering from SLE. It is found in females ages 15-44 but may also been seen in men, teens, and children (Lupus Foundation of America 2012). It is characterized by the loss of the immune system’s ability to discern between “self” and foreign antigens. This leads to autoantibody production, abundant production …

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: How Can It Be Told Apart From Neurodegenerative Diseases Of The Elderly?, Raphael C. Zohn

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) affects more of the older population than people recognize. The underestimation of this neurological condition is due in most part to the overlap of its symptoms to other forms of dementia as well as many other geriatric conditions. The objective of this paper was to research and contrast various methods of differentiation in the diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus as well as find pretreatment indicators of successful surgery. Methods included reviewing of articles and studies done to evaluate which symptoms are most commonly presented in normal pressure hydrocephalus and their subtle differences from the symptoms of …

Examining Fatigue In Copd: Development, Validity And Reliability Of A Modified Version Of Facit-F Scale, Khaled Al-Shair, Hana Muellerova, Janelle Yorke, Stephen I. Rennard, Emiel F.M. Wouters, Nicola A. Hanania, Amir Sharafkhaneh, Jørgen Vestbo, Eclipse Investigators

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

INTRODUCTION: Fatigue is a disruptive symptom that inhibits normal functional performance of COPD patients in daily activities. The availability of a short, simple, reliable and valid scale would improve assessment of the characteristics and influence of fatigue in COPD.

METHODS: At baseline, 2107 COPD patients from the ECLIPSE cohort completed the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue (FACIT-F) scale. We used well-structured classic method, the principal components analysis (PCA) and Rasch analysis for structurally examining the 13-item FACIT-F.

RESULTS: Four items were less able to capture fatigue characteristics in COPD and were deleted. PCA was applied to the remaining …

Health Disparities Experienced By People With Disabilities In The United States: A Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Study, Jennifer Renee Pharr, Timothy J. Bungum

School of Public Health Faculty Research

The Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990; since then research has shown that people with disabilities continue to experience barriers to health care. The purpose of this study was to compare utilization of preventive services, chronic disease rates, and engagement in health risk behaviors of participants with differing severities of disabilities to those without disabilities. This study was a secondary analysis of 2010 data collected in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System national survey in the United States. Rao Chi square test and logistic regression were employed. Participants with disabilities had significantly higher adjusted odds ratios for all …

Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program Year Two Outcome Evaluation Report For The Southern Nevada Health District, Nevada Institute For Children’S Research And Policy, Southern Nevada Health District, Dawn Davidson, Tara Phebus, Alyson Baker

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

In the fall of 2010 the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) was awarded funding from the Federal Office of Adolescent Health to implement an evidence based teen pregnancy prevention curriculum. They have partnered with the Department of Juvenile Justice Services and the Clark County Department of Family Services to offer this curriculum to the youth in juvenile detention, probation, and life skills classes for youth aging out of the foster care system. The Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy (NICRP) has been contracted to complete the outcome evaluation for this program and is collecting data to help measure the …

Power, Race, And The Neglect Of Science: The Hiv Epidemics In Sub-Saharan Africa, Eileen Stillwaggon, Larry Sawers

Economics Faculty Publications

This work addresses racial stereotyping and the effect it has in distorting AIDS policy for sub-Saharan Africa.

Factors That Influence Food Access In The United States: A Snapshot Of Food Access In Ohio And Kentucky, Maimouna Falls

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Background: The United States is one the richest countries in the world with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of $48,442, yet many communities lack access to affordable nutritious food. Access to food impacts health outcomes such as obesity and diabetes. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between food access and rates of obesity and diabetes in the states of Ohio and Kentucky.

Methods: County level food access data from 120 counties in Kentucky and 88 counties in Ohio were obtained from the USDA website. The dataset included demographic variables and poverty rates. Food access …

Retrospective Comparison Of The Incidence Of Acute Kidney Injury In Patients Treated With Intravenous Polymyxin B Or Intravenous Colistimethate Sodium, Rebecca A. Sumner Pharmd, Jarrod W. Kile Rph, Bcps

Department of Pharmacy

No abstract provided.

Diabetic Ketoacidosis, Thanaporn Chittiphalungsri

Natural Sciences Student Research Presentations

This poster describes the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis.

Effects Of Inhaled Corticosteroids On Airway Inflammation In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Rachel Jen, Stephen I. Rennard, Don D. Sin

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by chronic inflammation in the small airways. The effect of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) on lung inflammation in COPD remains uncertain. We sought to determine the effects of ICS on inflammatory indices in bronchial biopsies and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with COPD.

METHODS: We searched Medline, Embase, Cinahl, and the Cochrane database for randomized, controlled clinical trials that used bronchial biopsies and bronchoalveolar lavage to evaluate the effects of ICS in stable COPD. For each chosen study, we calculated the mean differences in the concentrations of inflammatory cells before and after treatment …

A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial Of Varenicline For Smoking Cessation Allowing Flexible Quit Dates, Stephen I. Rennard, John Hughes, Paul M. Cinciripini, Eva Kralikova, Tobias Raupach, Carmen Arteaga, Lisa B. St Aubin, Cristina Russ, The Flexible Quit Date Study Group

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

INTRODUCTION: Current smoking cessation guidelines recommend setting a quit date prior to starting pharmacotherapy. However, providing flexibility in the date of quitting may be more acceptable to some smokers. The objective of this study was to compare varenicline 1 mg twice daily (b.i.d.) with placebo in subjects using a flexible quit date paradigm after starting medication.

METHODS: In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled international study, smokers of ≥10 cigarettes/day, aged 18-75 years, and who were motivated to quit were randomized (3:1) to receive varenicline 1 mg b.i.d. or placebo for 12 weeks. Subjects were followed up through Week 24. Subjects were …