Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Potential Role Of Innate Immunity In The Pathogenesis Of Post-Operative Adhesions, Jennell White

Wayne State University Dissertations

Post-operative adhesion development occurs in the vast majority of patients following abdominal surgery and is a natural occurrence of peritoneal-wound healing. These fibrous bands may form within the first 5-7 days post-surgery and have the ability to cause a distortion in the normal anatomical positioning of abdominal organs. Consequently, adhesions are major contributors to small bowel obstruction, infertility, and severe pelvic and abdominal pain. Physiological processes responsible for adhesion formation remain obscure though it is believed to involve cell migration, proliferation, and differentiation of several cell types including mesothelial cells, fibroblasts, and inflammatory and immune cells. Substances released from these …

Overuse Of Antibiotics In Children For Upper Respiratory Infections (Uris): A Dilemma, Malika Taufiq, Rukhsana Wamiq Zuberi

Department for Educational Development

No abstract provided.

Probing The Mechanical Properties Of Tnf-A Stimulated Endothelial Cell With Atomic Force Microscopy, Sei-Young Lee, Ana-Maria Zaske, Tommaso Novellino, Delia Danila, Mauro Ferrari, Jodie Conyers, Paolo Decuzzi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α) is a potent pro-inflammatory cytokine that regulates the permeability of blood and lymphatic vessels. The plasma concentration of TNF-α is elevated (> 1 pg/mL) in several pathologies, including rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, cancer, pre-eclampsia; in obese individuals; and in trauma patients. To test whether circulating TNF-α could induce similar alterations in different districts along the vascular system, three endothelial cell lines, namely HUVEC, HPMEC, and HCAEC, were characterized in terms of 1) mechanical properties, employing atomic force microscopy; 2) cytoskeletal organization, through fluorescence microscopy; and 3) membrane overexpression of adhesion molecules, employing ELISA and immunostaining. Upon stimulation …

Addressing The Fertility Needs Of Hiv-Seropositive Males, Brian A. Levine, Sahadat K. Nurudeen, Jennifer T. Gosselin, Mark V. Sauer

Psychology Faculty Publications

An increasing number of serodiscordant couples are utilizing advanced reproductive technologies to address their reproductive needs. Recent literature has demonstrated that it is not only technically possible but also safe to utilize sperm-washing techniques to allow for the creation of embryos, thereby preventing both horizontal and vertical transmission of HIV. This article addresses the strengths and weakness of various reproductive techniques and discusses our experience at Columbia University (NY, USA), the location of the largest HIV-focused fertility program in the USA.

Predictors Of The Intracerebral Hemorrhage Volume In Hypertensive Patients, Mohammad Wasay, Adnan Yousuf, Darshan Lal, Safia Awan

Section of Neurology

Background: Hemorrhage volume is an important predictor of outcome in Patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). It is not clear why in some Patients ICH volume is larger than in others. Identification of modifiable factors responsible for large-volume hemorrhage in hypertensive Patients may help to reduce ICH-related morbidity and mortality. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify predictors of large-volume ICH in hypertensive Patients. Methods:At a tertiary care center in Karachi (Pakistan), 157 hypertensive Patients with ICH were prospectively analyzed in 2008-2009, and hemorrhage volumes were determined using CT or MRI and various factors, including duration of hypertension, …

Viewpoint: My Journey From The Us Back To Pakistan: What Keeps Me Here, Saad Shafqat

Section of Neurology

No abstract provided.

What Modifiable Risk Factors Lead To Strokes In Our Part Of The World, Maria Khan, Ayeesha Kamran Kamal

Section of Neurology

No abstract provided.

Work Interrupted: A Questionnaire Assessing The Relationship Between Work-Related Distress And Psychological Adjustment To Cancer, Betsy A. Bates Freed

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Cancer is an increasingly survivable disease that significantly impacts the ability of individuals to negotiate successfully the developmental task most distinctly affiliated with middle adulthood: creating meaning through achievement, creativity, and service. For many adults, these goals are accomplished through employment. When cancer intrudes, patients may be deprived of the ability to participate fully in the “generativity” that developmental psychologist Erik Erikson deemed essential to a healthy adulthood. In qualitative studies, patients’ narratives speak of many work-related losses — of routine, normality, economic stability, social connection, purpose, and identity. While psychosocial issues and quality of life are viewed with increasing …

Measuring The Symptom Burden Of Lung Cancer: The Validity And Utility Of The Lung Cancer Module Of The M D Anderson Symptom Inventory, Tito R Mendoza, Xin Shelley Wang, Charles Lu, Guadalupe R Palos, Zhongxing Liao, Gary M Mobley, Shitij Kapoor, Charles S Cleeland

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We conducted a study to establish the psychometric properties of a module of the M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI) developed specifically for patients with lung cancer (MDASI-LC). The MDASI measures 13 common "core" symptoms of cancer and its treatment. The MDASI-LC includes the 13 core MDASI symptom items and three lung cancer-specific items: coughing, constipation, and sore throat. MDASI-LC items were administered to three cohorts of patients with lung cancer undergoing either chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. Known-group validity and criterion (concurrent) validity of the MDASI-LC were evaluated using the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status and the 12-item Short-Form Health …

Significance Of Pyuria In The Diagnosis Of Urinary Tract Infections In Neonates, Arshalooz J Rahman, Farah Naz, Sohail Ashraf

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

OBJECTIVES: To determine the significance of pyuria as a predictor of culture proven urinary tract infections (UTI) in neonates and to assess the frequency of urinary tract anomalies in neonates with pyuria.

METHODS: Prospective study conducted at the neonatal intensive care unit of a tertiary care hospital; (Liaquat National Hospital Karachi) for a period of 4 months from April 2008 to August 2008. One hundred and ten consecutive infants < or = 28 days of age admitted to the NICU of Liaquat National Hospital for medical reasons were included in the study. Information regarding age, gender, antenatal history, birth weight, clinical examination, laboratory findings and outcome were recorded on a questionnaire. Septic work up was performed and urine samples were collected using urethral catheterization. Patients showing any number of white blood cells on microscopy were included and their urine sent for culture. All patients had Ultrasound done during their hospital stay and those patients with any renal abnormality were further investigated with Micturating cyestoretherogram (MCUG) at 6 weeks.

RESULTS: Out of one hundred and ten patients admitted, thirty five patients showed the presence of pus cells in urine and were included in the study. Of the 35 neonates with …

Perception And Practices Of Breastfeeding Of Infants 0-6 Months In An Urban And A Semi-Urban Community In Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study, Sumera Ali, Syed Faizan Ali, Ayesha Mallick Imam, Samia Ayub, Abdul Gaffar Billoo

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

OBJECTIVE: To investigate mother's perception and practices about breastfeeding and their socio-demographic correlate in infants equal to or less than 6 months.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 200 mother-infant pairs who visited the health care centers, Bilal Colony (semi-urban) and the Aga Khan University (urban), for their well baby follow-ups and vaccination using convenient sampling. Frequencies and percentages were computed and Chi-square was used to find associations between socio-demographics of mothers and their perception and practices about breastfeeding.

RESULTS: Exclusive breastfeeding was reported by about 54% of the mothers. Thirty-five percent of the mothers gave prelacteal feed, …

Dementia Caregiving Outcomes: The Impact Of Caregiving Onset, Role Occupancy, And Care-Recipient Decline, Katherina Nikzad-Terhune

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Dementia is characterized as a progressive loss of brain function that results in the deterioration of many cognitive and physical abilities. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, causing steady declines in memory, functional abilities, and mental functioning. With a projected increase of degenerative illnesses, such as AD, family caregiving for individuals with the disease is also steadily increasing. Caring for an individual with AD has been characterized as a “career,” and within this career are a number of key transitions, including the onset of caregiving. Preexisting caregiving research reveals a number of negative consequences for AD …

Association Of Retinoic Acid Receptor Genes With Meningomyelocele, Phong X Tran, Kit Sing Au, Alanna C Morrison, Jack M Fletcher, Kathryn K Ostermaier, Gayle H Tyerman, Hope Northrup

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Neural tube defects (NTDs) occur in as many as 0.5-2 per 1000 live births in the United States. One of the most common and severe neural tube defects is meningomyelocele (MM) resulting from failed closure of the caudal end of the neural tube. MM has been induced by retinoic acid teratogenicity in rodent models. We hypothesized that genetic variants influencing retinoic acid (RA) induction via retinoic acid receptors (RARs) may be associated with risk for MM.

METHODS: We analyzed 47 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that span across the three retinoic acid receptor genes using the SNPlex genotyping platform. Our …

Immunopathology Of Postprimary Tuberculosis: Increased T-Regulatory Cells And Dec-205-Positive Foamy Macrophages In Cavitary Lesions, Kerry J Welsh, Semyon A Risin, Jeffrey K Actor, Robert L Hunter

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Postprimary tuberculosis occurs in immunocompetent people infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is restricted to the lung and accounts for 80% of cases and nearly 100% of transmission. Little is known about the immunopathology of postprimary tuberculosis due to limited availability of specimens. Tissues from 30 autopsy cases of pulmonary tuberculosis were located. Sections of characteristic lesions of caseating granulomas, lipid pneumonia, and cavitary stages of postprimary disease were selected for immunohistochemical studies of macrophages, lymphocytes, endothelial cells, and mycobacterial antigens. A higher percentage of cells in lipid pneumonia (36.1%) and cavitary lesions (27.8%) were positive for the dendritic cell marker …

Alterations In Content And Localization Of Defensins In Rat Ileum And Jejunum Following Ischemia-Reperfusion Specific Peptides, In Specific Places, For Specific Jobs?, Rosemary A Kozar, Rachel J Santora, Brian J Poindexter, Stephen M Milner, Roger J Bick

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: To determine alterations in quantities and distributions of natural antimicrobials following ischemia-reperfusion injury. We hypothesized that these compounds would be upregulated in areas of small intestine where changes in permeability and cellular disruption were likely and where protective mechanisms would be initiated. Methods: Rats with ischemia-reperfusion underwent superior mesenteric artery clamping and reperfusion. Shams were subjected to laparotomy but no clamping. Ileum and jejunum were harvested and sectioned, and subjected to fluorescence deconvolution microscopy for determinations of content and localization of rat beta defensins, 1, 2, 3; rat neutrophil protein-1; and cathelicidin LL-37. Modeling was performed to determine cellular …

Chondrosarcoma Of The Mobile Spine And Sacrum, Ryan M Stuckey, Rex A W Marco

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Chondrosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor of bone. This family of tumors can be primary malignant tumors or a secondary malignant transformation of an underlying benign cartilage tumor. Pain is often the initial presenting complaint when chondrosarcoma involves the spine. In the mobile spine, chondrosarcoma commonly presents within the vertebral body and shows a predilection for the thoracic spine. Due to the resistance of chondrosarcoma to both radiation and chemotherapy, treatment is focused on surgery. With en bloc excision of chondrosarcoma of the mobile spine and sacrum patients can have local recurrence rates as low as 20%.

Case Of “Slow” Stroke From Carotid Artery Occlusion Treated By Delayed But Cautious Endovascular Intervention, Kachi Illoh, Emilio Supsupin, Hashem M Shaltoni, Edwin D Cacayorin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In a challenging case of carotid occlusion with slowly evolving stroke, we used brain imaging to facilitate endovascular revascularization resulting in the relief of the patient's symptoms. Patients with carotid occlusion and continued neurological worsening or fluctuations present enormous treatment challenges. These patients may present "slow" strokes with subacute infarcts that present significant challenges and risks during attempts at revascularization of the occluded artery. We present such a case in which we used multimodal imaging techniques, including MR-perfusion, to facilitate endovascular revascularization. Our approach of delayed but cautious intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy, guided by brain imaging, and followed by stent placement …

Complete Genome Sequence Of Treponema Paraluiscuniculi, Strain Cuniculi A: The Loss Of Infectivity To Humans Is Associated With Genome Decay, David Smajs, Marie Zobaníková, Michal Strouhal, Darina Cejková, Shannon Dugan-Rocha, Petra Pospíšilová, Steven J Norris, Tom Albert, Xiang Qin, Kym Hallsworth-Pepin, Christian Buhay, Donna M Muzny, Lei Chen, Richard A Gibbs, George M Weinstock

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Treponema paraluiscuniculi is the causative agent of rabbit venereal spirochetosis. It is not infectious to humans, although its genome structure is very closely related to other pathogenic Treponema species including Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum, the etiological agent of syphilis. In this study, the genome sequence of Treponema paraluiscuniculi, strain Cuniculi A, was determined by a combination of several high-throughput sequencing strategies. Whereas the overall size (1,133,390 bp), arrangement, and gene content of the Cuniculi A genome closely resembled those of the T. pallidum genome, the T. paraluiscuniculi genome contained a markedly higher number of pseudogenes and gene fragments (51). In …

Availability And Affordability Of Essential Medicines: Exploring The Health Seeking Behaviours And Health Service Utilisation For Children Under-5 Years Living In Squatter Settlement Of Karachi, Pakistan, Yasir Shafiq, Babar Tasneem Shaikh, Ramesh Kumar

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Child health outcomes in the poor communities are largely affected by the non-availability of essential medicines at government health facilities and non-affordability of prescribed medicines at private retail pharmacies. This phenomenon largely defines health seeking behaviours and health service utilisation patterns of the families of the children.
Methods: Using observational visits, we examined the shelf-availability of medicines for children less than 5 years of age at a rural health centre and conducted focus group discussions with the mothers to explore the effects of non-availability and non-affordability of medicines. We also validated all information by interviewing the health care providers …

Developing A Multidisciplinary Perioperative Safety Course, William Bond Md, Ms, Hope L. Johnson Msn, Rn, Cnor, Michael Pasquale Md, Facs, Fccm, Melissa B. Walsh Bs, Deborah Arnold Msn, Rn, Cmsrn, Matthew W. Leclair, Kelly L. Lago Ms, Jeanne P. Luke Msn, Rn, Cnor

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Pitx2 Is Overexpressed In Follicular Cell-Derived Thyroid Cancer And Promotes Thyroid Cancer Proliferation By Regulating Cell Cycle, Yue Huang

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Thyroid cancer is the most prevailing malignancy of the endocrine system. Its incidence is rapidly rising at the second fastest rate of all malignancies in the United States, making it a significant health problem. Although the majority of thyroid cancer is slowly-growing and well-differentiated, available treatment options are very limited, and most of them require complete removal of the thyroid gland and surrounding tissues. Patients who have undergone thyroid removal have to take life-long hormone replacement therapy, which is very inconvenient and costly. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new treatments for this disease. As a prerequisite for …

Atypical Lymphocytic Lobular Panniculitis: A Distinct Eentity In The Spectrum Of Cutaneous Lymphoid Dyscrasia, Lusia S. Yi Do, Ms, Nicole Bright Do, Stephen Purcell Do

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Giant Cell Arteritis Presenting With Bilateral Axillary Artery Occlusions, Vertebral Artery Stenosis And Left Internal Mammary Artery Graft Stenosis, Rashmi Sharma Md, J Patrick Kleaveland Md, Marie S. O’Brien Do

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Oral Fixed Drug Eruption Secondary To Isoniazid, Tanya Ermolovich Do, Tatyana Groysman Do

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Neurological And Cardiovascular Outcomes After Cardiac Arrest At Six Regional Interventional Cardiology Centers In The United States 2007-2011, David B. Seder Md, Nainesh Patel Md, John Mcpherson Md, Paul W. Mcmullan Md, Karl B. Kern Md, Barbara Unger Rn, J Browning, Sudip Nanda Md, Facp, Melkon Hacobian Md, Michael B. Kelley Md, Niklas Nielsen Md, Phd, Michael R. Mooney Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Appendiceal Mucocele Intussusception, Christine W. Du Md, Rovinder S. Sandhu Md

Department of Surgery

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Histamine Blockade On Surgical Outcomes Of Perforated Diverticulitis, Matthew M. Philp Md, John S. Park Md

Department of Surgery

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Preinjury Use Of Antiplatelet Agents In Patients With Isolated Traumatic Brain Injury, Danielle Cheeseman Md, David Milia Md, David Kashmer Md, Farheen Hussain Ms, John J. Hong Md, Robert D. Barraco Md

Department of Surgery

No abstract provided.

Experience Of Resident Assistant Does Not Influence Incidence Of Common Bile Duct Injuries During Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy, Ryan A. Lawless Md, Dale A. Dangleben Md, Charles Scagliotti Md, Judith A. Olenwine Ms, C-Tagme, John J. Hong Md, Michael M. Badellino Md

Department of Surgery

No abstract provided.

Laparoscopic Repair Of Incarcerated Obturator Hernia, Danielle Press Md, Dale A. Dangleben Md

Department of Surgery

No abstract provided.