Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Demographics, Patterns Of Care, And Survival In Pediatric Medulloblastoma, Emily V. Dressler, Therese A. Dolecek, Meng Liu, John L. Villano

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

We evaluated the American College of Surgeon’s National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) to describe current hospital-based epidemiologic frequency, survival, and patterns of care of pediatric medulloblastoma. We analyzed NCDB 1998–2011 data on medulloblastoma for children ages 0–19 years using logistic and poisson regression, Kaplan–Meier survival estimates, and Cox proportional hazards models. 3647 cases of medulloblastoma in those aged 0–19 years were identified. Chemotherapy was received by 79 and 74% received radiation, with 65% receiving both therapies. Those who received radiation were more likely to be older than four, while those who received chemotherapy were more likely to be age four …

Facilitating Pre-Service Teachers To Learn The Mathematical Practices And Engage English Language Learners, Jim Ewing

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

A methods course attempted to help pre-service teachers facilitate the engagement of English language learners (ELLs) in Mathematical Practices from the Common Core State Standards. When 22 elementary pre-service teachers were taught a mathematics lesson in Spanish, most were unable to make sense of the lesson. This made them more aware of challenges ELLs may face when they attempt to engage in Mathematical Practices. The pre-service teachers developed their own strategies to facilitate ELLs. The findings suggest that pre-service teachers not only better empathized with ELLs after being taught in another language, they also learned Mathematical Practices more deeply.

A Unified Inter-Host And In-Host Model Of Antibiotic Resistance And Infection Spread In A Hospital Ward, Lester Caudill, Barry Lawson

Department of Math & Statistics Faculty Publications

As the battle continues against hospital-acquired infections and the concurrent rise in antibiotic resistance among many of the major causative pathogens, there is a dire need to conduct controlled experiments, in order to compare proposed control strategies. However, cost, time, and ethical considerations make this evaluation strategy either impractical or impossible to implement with living patients. This paper presents a multi-scale model that offers promise as the basis for a tool to simulate these (and other) controlled experiments. This is a “unified” model in two important ways: (i) It combines inter-host and in-host dynamics into a single model, and (ii) …

Simplified Reversed Chloroquines To Overcome Malaria Resistance To Quinoline-Based Drugs, Bornface Gunsaru, Steven J. Burgess, Westin Morrill, Jane X. Kelly, Shawheen Shomloo, Martin J. Smilkstein, Katherine May Liebman, David H. Peyton

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Building on our earlier work of attaching a chemosensitizer (reversal agent) to a known drug pharmacophore, we have now expanded the structure-activity relationship study to include simplified versions of the chemosensitizer. The change from two aromatic rings in this head group to a single ring does not appear to detrimentally affect the antimalarial activity of the compounds. Data from in vitro heme binding and beta-hematin inhibition assays suggest that the single aromatic RCQ compounds retain activities against Plasmodium falciparum similar to those of CQ, although other mechanisms of action may be relevant to their activities.

Range-Wide Prevalence And Impacts Of Pseudocercosporella Inconspicua On Lilium Grayi And An Assessment Of L. Superbum And L. Michauxii As Reservoirs, Cindy L. Barrett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lilium grayi (Gray’s Lily), a southern Appalachian endemic species, is threatened by a Lilium-specific fungal pathogen, Pseudocercosporella inconspicua. The disease is characterized by tan lesions that can cause early senescence, while also lowering seed production and viability. This project tested for P. inconspicua conidia and accessed health at nine locations. The disease was present and ubiquitous across the range of L. grayi. Through identification of P. inconspicua conidia in the field, L. superbum (Turk’s Cap Lily) was identified as an additional host, while L. michauxii (Michaux’s Lily) was disease-free. However, infection was inducible in both species. With …

Statistical Methods For Two Problems In Cancer Research: Analysis Of Rna-Seq Data From Archival Samples And Characterization Of Onset Of Multiple Primary Cancers, Jialu Li

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

My dissertation is focused on quantitative methodology development and application for two important topics in translational and clinical cancer research.

The first topic was motivated by the challenge of applying transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) to formalin-fixation and paraffin-embedding (FFPE) tumor samples for reliable diagnostic development. We designed a biospecimen study to directly compare gene expression results from different protocols to prepare libraries for RNA-seq from human breast cancer tissues, with randomization to fresh-frozen (FF) or FFPE conditions. To comprehensively evaluate the FFPE RNA-seq data quality for expression profiling, we developed multiple computational methods for assessment, such as the uniformity and continuity …

Detecting And Evaluating Therapy Induced Changes In Radiomics Features Measured From Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer To Predict Patient Outcomes, Xenia J. Fave

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether radiomics features measured from weekly 4-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) images of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) change during treatment and if those changes are prognostic for patient outcomes or dependent on treatment modality. Radiomics features are quantitative metrics designed to evaluate tumor heterogeneity from routine medical imaging. Features that are prognostic for patient outcome could be used to monitor tumor response and identify high-risk patients for adaptive treatment. This would be especially valuable for NSCLC due to the high prevalence and mortality of this disease.

A novel process was designed to …

Synthesis And In-Vitro Cell Viability/Cytotoxicity Studies Of Novel Pyrrolobenzodiazepine Derivatives, John M. Jarrett

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Pyrrolobenzodiazepines (PBDs) are a group of naturally occurring compounds that were discovered in the cultures of Streptomyces in the 1960s. Some natural PBDs discovered in these cultures, such as anthramycin and sibiromycin, were shown to possess a broad spectrum of anti-tumor activity. Since cancer is still a leading cause of death globally, the development of novel anti-proliferative derivatives of PBDs is essential for human welfare worldwide. Further synthesis and structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies of the parent natural products and their tetracyclic analogs will lead to the discovery of drug candidates. In this work, thirteen PBD analogues were synthesized using no …

Determining The Effects Of Social Media Monitoring To Identify Potential Foodborne Illness In Southern Nevada, Lauren Diprete

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Foodborne illness, commonly referred to as food poisoning, affects an estimated 1 in 6 Americans every year, despite the fact that it is entirely preventable. Many cases of foodborne illness go unreported; however, better reporting leads to faster health department response and containment. Social media monitoring, using software to identify trends in social media posts, is a novel new tool that has been tested in a variety of public health fields with promising preliminary results. The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) has employed social media monitoring software to identify potential foodborne illness within Southern Nevada. The purpose of this study …

Does Educational Level Influence Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Mortality Among Asians In U.S.?, Sfurti Maheshwari

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Studies on mortality from postmenopausal breast cancer (PMBC) by education level have not shown consistent results among US women. For US Asians, often seen as a “model” minority in terms of affluence and education this relationship has never been studied despite PMBC being the most common cancer in the country.

We analyzed 2008-2012 California Vital Statistics data and population data from the American Community Survey 2012 to compute age and education adjusted mortality ratios using negative binomial regression model for White (as a reference category) and Asian women. In total 3,277,106 (80%) White women and 852,376 (20%) Asian women died …

Letter To The Members Of The Georgia Academy Of Science, David L. Bechler

Georgia Journal of Science

This letter is an update and review of recent activities in the Georgia Journal of Science. As of 2016, the journal has gone from a hardcopy format to a digital format through Digital Commons/Bepress (http://digitalcommons.gaacademy.org/gjs/). As a result of this, individuals worldwide now have access to journal articles free and online. Manuscripts accepted for publication are now placed online after the final acceptance and editing is complete.

A review on 20 March 2017 of online download events involving publications in 2016 shows that, of the 21 publications (the annual meeting program was included as one publication), there were …

Volume 3, Full Contents

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

Front cover, a list of the article contents in this issue, and editorial information.

Colorectal Cancer Screenings In The United States, Charles Buhrman

Honors Capstones

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States behind lung cancer, so research is needed about this particular cancer (American Cancer Society, 2016). With medical advancements over the past decade, doctors are able to detect cancer symptoms earlier and treat cancers more readily. By compiling the medical record data for the Midwest and the Northeast, a picture can be painted that shows the prevalence of screenings in each region, and the mortality rates of those regions based on the amount of screenings done. The aim of this study is to examine the current colorectal cancer (CRC) …

Functional Human Grin2b Promoter Polymorphism And Variation Of Mental Processing Speed In Older Adults, Yang Jiang, Ming Kuan Lin, Gregory A. Jicha, Xiuhua Ding, Sabrina L. Mcilwrath, David W. Fardo, Lucas S. Broster, Frederick A. Schmitt, Richard J. Kryscio, Robert H. Lipsky

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

We investigated the role of a single nucleotide polymorphism rs3764030 (G > A) within the human GRIN2B promoter in mental processing speed in healthy, cognitively intact, older adults. In vitro DNA-binding and reporter gene assays of different allele combinations in transfected cells showed that the A allele was a gain-of-function variant associated with increasing GRIN2B mRNA levels. We tested the hypothesis that individuals with A allele will have better memory performance (i.e. faster reaction times) in older age. Twenty-eight older adults (ages 65-86) from a well-characterized longitudinal cohort were recruited and performed a modified delayed match-to-sample task. The rs3764030 polymorphism was …

Behavioral Sex Difference In Healthy Sprauge-Dawley Rats, Jeffrey Bagg, Jessica Obie, Fei Shang, Natalie Lista, Corinne Kiessling

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Recently, the NIH has pushed for both sexes of a species to be incorporated into behavioral experiments. This push came as a result of an unchecked exclusion of females in experimentation. In rat studies, it is a common argument that females are more variable than males due to the presence of their estrous cycle. This study set out to evaluate this claim, and provide sex differences data for a variety of motor, anxiety, and cognitive behavioral tests. No sex differences in motor or anxiety behavior were found between the sexes. Males performed significantly better on the spontaneous alternation test of …

Estimating The Impact Of A Select Criteria Pollutant (Pm2.5) On Childhood Asthma In Florida, Shabnam Mehra

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Asthma has been reported in children as a leading chronic illness in the US and around the world. It is also the third leading cause of hospitalization among children under the age of 15, and is also one of the most common causes of school absenteeism. Children are at higher risk of asthma attacks and they pose a higher burden on health care system. Nearly 20.6% of middle and high school children in Florida have been told they have asthma, this prevalence has grown over 3% from 2006 to 2012. Changes in air pollutant levels are often related to health …

Social Workers’ Salaries Vs. Educational Student Debt Burden: A Losing Battle, Michael Wadham

Celebration of Undergraduate & Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

College tuitions rise at disparate rates with starting salaries and inflation, causing student debt to weigh on social work graduates. Data was collected from 701 social workers in an NASW - Ohio Chapter survey to investigate this disparity and its consequences. The purpose of this study was to analyze the qualitative data set, 174 written comments, for themes and perceptions. The following themes, echoed in current research on the topics of social work salary and student debt burden, were identified: unmanageable debt and financial burden, varying lengths of time and repayment methods, social workers feeling undervalued and underpaid, loan forgiveness …

Legalization Of Gay Marriage And Its Impact On Military Stereotypes Of Homosexuals, Jasmine Moore

Celebration of Undergraduate & Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

Homosexuality has become a popular research topic in a variety of professional fields, and over the last decade has become a priority for the military. Since the implementation of the law repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) researchers have questioned what effects repealing this law has had on the military as a whole. Particular attention has been spent on studying the attitudes and stereotypes about homosexuals after DADT was repealed. However, there is a lack of research examining how marriage equality affects society's stereotypes about homosexuals serving in the United States military.

It was hypothesized that participants that have personal …

Wright State University's Celebration Of Research, Scholarship And Creative Activities Book Of Abstracts From Friday, April 21, 2017, Wright State University

Celebration of Undergraduate & Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

The student abstract booklet is a compilation of abstracts from students' oral and poster presentations at Wright State University's Annual Celebration of Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities on April 21, 2017.

Treating Chronic Post Herpetic Neuralgia Using Topical Superconcentrated Capsaicin, Jaree Naqvi, Scott Seider, Jason Miller, Cole Budinsky, Amol Soin

Celebration of Undergraduate & Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

Post Herpetic Neuralgia (PHN) is a painful condition that occurs after reactivation of the dormant Herpes Zoster Virus.Typically PHN presents with a unilateral rash affecting a single dermatome which is accompanied by burning, irritation, and hypersensitivity for >3 months.Current treatment includes anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, narcotic/nonnarcotic painkillers, and topical lidocaine.

We propose the utilization of a superconcentrated transdermal patch of capsaicin called Qutenza 8%, which is 300 times more potent than current OTC capsaicin. The treatment protocol using Qutenza to treat refractory PHN proposes a novel approach to the treatment of this condition.

Capsaicin is commonly known as the active chemical …

Khealth Bariatrics: A Multisensory Approach To Monitoring Patient’S Postsurgical Behavior, Revathy Venkataramanan, Utkarshani Jaimini, Amit Sheth, Joon K. Shim, Priti Parikh, Dene S. Berman

Celebration of Undergraduate & Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

The rate of obesity is on the rise reaching epidemic proportions. According to American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), 500 million people all over the world are obese. The data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) shows that more than 36% of adults in the United States have obesity. According to World Health Organization (WHO), 65% of the world’s population lives in countries where the occurrence of death due to overweight and obesity is higher than being underweight. It is well established that weight loss surgery can play a significant role in reducing, or even eliminating medical …

Measuring Gender-Based Violence Attitude On Twitter, Goonmeet Bajaj, Tanvi Banerjee, Amir Hossein Yazdavar, Valerie L. Shalin, Amit Sheth

Celebration of Undergraduate & Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

This study examines social media to analyze communication patterns, specifically in the Gender-Based Violence domain. It explores the pragmatic content of tweets to categorize them into one of the following groups: Belief, Fact Reporting, or Other to determine the tweeting practices prevalent in this domain.

2017 - The Twenty-Second Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Twenty-second Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 20, 2017. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Network Exploration Of Correlated Multivariate Protein Data For Alzheimer's Disease Association, Matthew J. Lane

Theses

Alzheimer Disease (AD) is difficult to diagnose by using genetic testing or other traditional methods. Unlike diseases with simple genetic risk components, there exists no single marker determining as to whether someone will develop AD. Furthermore, AD is highly heterogeneous and different subgroups of individuals develop the disease due to differing factors. Traditional diagnostic methods using perceivable cognitive deficiencies are often too little too late due to the brain having suffered damage from decades of disease progression. In order to observe AD at early stages prior to the observation of cognitive deficiencies, biomarkers with greater accuracy are required. By using …

Assessing The Efficacy Of Recommended Antiseptics For Killing Bacterial Growth In Neonatal Blue Bulb Syringes: Addressing A Clinical Issue, Linda A. Hanson

Research Horizons Day Posters

No abstract provided.

Swosu Research And Scholarly Activity Fair 2017, Lisa Appeddu, Cj Smith

SWOSU Research and Scholarly Activity Fair Programs

Welcome to the Twenty-Fourth SWOSU Research and Scholarly Activity Fair! On display today are 158 poster presentations and 11 oral presentations, involving 314 student researchers, writers, presenters, and artists, and 47 faculty sponsors encompassing scholarly activity from the SWOSU Departments of Art, Communication, and Theatre; Biological Sciences; Business & Computer Science; Chemistry and Physics; Engineering Technology; Language & Literature; Music; Pharmaceutical Sciences; Psychology; and Social Sciences; and SWOSU School of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences. In addition, there are poster presentations from the Western Technology Center Biomedical Academy, Francis Tuttle Technology Center, El Reno Public Schools, and BlueSTEM AgriLearning …

Bryant University Research And Engagement Day Program

Bryant REDay (Research and Engagement Day)

No abstract provided.

Positive Affect Predicts Cerebral Glucose Metabolism In Late Middle-Aged Adults., Christopher Nicholas, Siobhan M Hoscheidt, Lindsay R Clark, Annie M Racine, Sara E Berman, Rebecca L Koscik, N Maritza Dowling, Sanjay Asthana, Bradley T Christian, Mark A Sager, Sterling C Johnson

GW Biostatistics Center

Positive affect is associated with a number of health benefits; however, few studies have examined the relationship between positive affect and cerebral glucose metabolism, a key energy source for neuronal function and a possible index of brain health. We sought to determine if positive affect was associated with cerebral glucose metabolism in late middle-aged adults (n = 133). Participants completed the positive affect subscale of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale at two time points over a two-year period and underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography scanning. After controlling for age, sex, perceived health status, depressive symptoms, anti-depressant use, family …

Shear Driven Micro-Fluidic Pump For Cardiovascular Applications, Nihad E. Daidzic

Aviation Department Publications

A valveless shear-driven micro-fluidic pump design (SDMFP) for hemodynamic applications is presented in this work. One of the possible medical and biomedical applications is in-vivo hemodynamic (human blood circulation) support/assist. One or more SDMFPs can be inserted/implanted into vascular lumens in a form of a stent/duct in series and/or in parallel (bypass duct) to support blood circulation in-vivo. A comprehensive review of various micro-pump designs up to about mid 2000’s is given in [1,2]. Many of micropump designs considered are not suitable for in-vivo or even in-vitro medical/biomedical applications.

Operating principles, design, and SDMFP features are given in [3]. A …