Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Context Versus Rote Learning In The Martial Arts, Pearson F. Klein

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Research has shown that when learning martial arts katas, adults retained the information better “when the katas were taught with the context method than when the katas were taught with the no context method.” (Tovar, M.) It is imperative more experimentation be performed in this area because the findings do not relate to the population of children. Children between ages seven and twelve were instructed in two original katas utilizing two methods of instruction. First the katas with context were taught and then the other taught was purely based on rote completion of the sequential movements. Every subject was tested …

Predicting College Student Classroom Performance With A Simple Metacomprehension Scale, Amber Lee Klein

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The present study investigated the relationship between college student metacomprehension and the error of predicted classroom performance. College student metacomprehension was evaluated using the Metacomprehension Scale (MCS) designed by Moore, Zabrucky, and Commander (1997a). Prior to an examination administered by a course instructor, covering course content, students predicted the percentage score he/she expected to achieve. The predicted score was subtracted from the obtained score generating an error score. It was hypothesized that error of predicted classroom performance is a function of student metacomprehension, as measured by the MCS. Results indicate the MCS was not a reliable indicator of student predicted …

Attitudinal Measures Of College Students' Punitiveness Toward Sex Offenders, Antonio Zamorano

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The following experiment investigates punitiveness toward sex offenders using a sample of one hundred sixty students from the University of Texas-Pan American student population recruited from undergraduate introductory psychology courses and compensated with extra course credit. Punitiveness toward sex offenders was measured with six-point bipolar Likert scales using two attitudinal research methodologies: a randomly assigned between group experiment using a manipulated hypothetical crime scenario, and a survey using a shortened version of the Community Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders Scale (CATSOS). A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple comparison tests of attitudinal responses to the hypothetical crime scenario determined that …

Cortical Thickness Or Grey Matter Volume? The Importance Of Selecting The Phenotype For Imaging Genetics Studies, Anderson M. Winkler, Peter Kochunov, John Blangero, Laura Almasy, Karl Zilles, Peter T. Fox, Ravi Duggirala, David C. Glahn

School of Medicine Publications

Choosing the appropriate neuroimaging phenotype is critical to successfully identify genes that influence brain structure or function. While neuroimaging methods provide numerous potential phenotypes, their role for imaging genetics studies is unclear. Here we examine the relationship between brain volume, grey matter volume, cortical thickness and surface area, from a genetic standpoint. Four hundred and eighty-six individuals from randomly ascertained extended pedigrees with high-quality T1-weighted neuroanatomic MRI images participated in the study. Surface-based and voxel-based representations of brain structure were derived, using automated methods, and these measurements were analysed using a variance-components method to identify the heritability of these traits …

Transforming Grief: The Use Of Images During Bereavement In Mexico And The United States, Rebecca M. Reséndiz Rodriguez

School of Medicine Publications

According to the literature, bereavement photography was an important part of funeral rituals in many countries, including Mexicoand the United States. By the early to mid- 20^th century, the custom appeared to have fallen out of favor in both countries except in the case of neonatal bereavement photography, at least in theUnited States. By comparing participants from 2 distinct cultures - theUnited States andMexico - I hope to show that bereavement photography can still be a useful tool during grieving. Anxiety and depression related to the topic of death will be evaluated for differences or similarities between the 2 …

Employment Outcomes Among Individuals With Visual Impairments: The Role Of Client Satisfaction And Acceptance Of Vision Loss, Song-Jae Jo, Roy K. Chen, John F. Kosciulek

School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling Faculty Publications

This study examined the relationship of client satisfaction with the vocational rehabilitation (VR) process and acceptance of vision loss with respect to employment outcomes among former VR clients with visual impairments. Participants were 128 clients of the Michigan Commission for the Blind (MCB) whose cases were closed between fiscal years 2003 and 2004. The results of a logistic regression analysis indicated that participants who reported higher levels of client satisfaction and who focused on their remaining assets (e.g., functions, abilities) after vision loss were more likely to be employed at the time of case closure than their counterparts who did …

Whole Brain And Regional Hyperintense White Matter Volume And Blood Pressure: Overlap Of Genetic Loci Produced By Bivariate, Whole-Genome Linkage Analyses, Peter Kochunov, David Glahn, Jack Lancaster, Anderson M. Winkler, Jack W. Kent Jr., Rene L. Olvera, Shelley A. Cole, Thomas D. Dyer, Laura Almasy, Ravi Duggirala, Peter T. Fox, John Blangero

School of Medicine Publications

Background and purpose: The volume of T2-hyperintense white matter (HWM) is an important neuroimaging marker of cerebral integrity with a demonstrated high heritability. Pathophysiology studies have shown that the regional, ependymal, and subcortical HWM lesions are associated with elevated arterial pulse pressure and arterial blood pressure (BP), respectively. We performed bivariate, whole-genome linkage analyses for HWM volumes and BP measurements to identify chromosomal regions that contribute jointly to both traits in a population of healthy Mexican Americans. Our aims were to localize novel quantitative trait loci acting pleiotropically on these phenotypes and to replicate previous genetic findings on whole brain …

Variants At Irf5-Tnpo3, 17q12-21 And Mmel1 Are Associated With Primary Biliary Cirrhosis, Gideon M. Hirschfield, Xiangdong Liu, Younghun Han, Ivan P. Gorlov, Yan Lu, Chun Xu, Yue Lu, Wei Chen, Brian D. Juran, Catalina Coltescu

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

We genotyped individuals with primary biliary cirrhosis and unaffected controls for suggestive risk loci (genome-wide association P < 1 × 10−4) identified in a previous genome-wide association study. Combined analysis of the genome-wide association and replication datasets identified IRF5-TNPO3 (combined P = 8.66 × 10−13), 7q12-21 (combined P = 3.50 × 10−13) and MMEL1 (combined P = 3.15 × 10−8) as new primary biliary cirrhosis susceptibility loci. Fine-mapping studies showed that a single variant accounts for the IRF5-TNPO3 association. As these loci are implicated in other autoimmune conditions, these findings confirm genetic overlap among such diseases.

Genome-Wide Meta-Analyses Identify Three Loci Associated With Primary Biliary Cirrhosis, Xiangdong Liu, Pietro Invernizzi, Yue Lu, Roman Kosoy, Yan Lu, Ilaria Bianchi, Mauro Podda, Chun Xu

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

A genome-wide association screen for primary biliary cirrhosis risk alleles was performed in an Italian cohort. The results from the Italian cohort replicated IL12A and IL12RB associations, and a combined meta-analysis using a Canadian dataset identified newly associated loci at SPIB (P = 7.9 x 10(-11), odds ratio (OR) = 1.46), IRF5-TNPO3 (P = 2.8 x 10(-10), OR = 1.63) and 17q12-21 (P = 1.7 x 10(-10), OR = 1.38).

Constitution Of The Market Through Social Media: Dialogical Co-Production Of Medicine In A Virtual Health Community Organization, Handan Vicdan

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This research explores new systems of marketing, and new roles and relationships of organizations and consumers developing in healthcare as a result of transformations occurring in technology, consumer/marketer value systems, forms of discourse and institutional roles. Inspired by observations from a Medicine 2.0 community organization, which turn social networking into a business phenomenon – PatientsLikeMe (PLM) – I explore how such systems develop and function and the institutionalizations that reconstitute roles and maintain relationships among actors in these systems through netnographic research. That is, (1) why and how patients in PLM participate in the social co-production of medical knowledge and …

Digit Ratio And Sexually Dimorphic Psychopathology, Miriam Sarahi Izaguirre

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The 2D:4D ratio is a sexually dimorphic trait which is lower in males than in females. A low value of 2D:4D indicates a uterine environment high in testosterone and low in estrogen which is a characteristic of males. Smaller 2D:4D ratios have been associated with disorders that occur more frequently in males, such as autism and ADHD. In contrast, eating disorders and depression (disorders that occur more frequently in females) suggests larger 2D:4D ratios. The purpose of the study is to replicate and extend the findings of previous research concerning the relationship of masculinized and feminized digit ratio to the …

The Effects Of Ssris On Sexual Function In College Students, Adriana Ivette Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The present study will investigate the effects of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) on sexual function in college students. Depression is the most prevalent disorder individuals’ encounter. Depression could occur at any age but is most prevalent at 25-years to 44-years of age. The most common treatment is antidepressant specifically SSRIs, but it’s most common side effect is sexual dysfunction. The study includes 328 participants. The average age of the participants is 23.9 years old and had a standard deviation of 6.8. The participants answered a questionnaire asking about their sexual function. This study resulted with a very low sample …

An Analytic Hierarchy Process Approach To Assess Health Service Quality, Yan Li

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

While improving quality in health care is currently at the forefront of professional, political, and managerial attention, the key dimensions constituting health-care quality have not been fully understood. Also, few valid approaches have been proposed to the measurement of health-care quality. In this research, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach is applied to study the structure of health-care quality and deducted relative importance weights for each of the quality elements. A statistical quality model is derived to assess medical equipment quality which is an important part constituting the general health-care quality. Finally, the application of the AHP model to assess …

Selective Lesions Of Medial Septal Gabaergic Neurons Disrupt Hippocampal Theta Rhythm Amplitude, Miriam G. Perez-Cordova, Saul Jaime, Herminio M. Guajardo, Luis V. Colom

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Septal inputs critically modulate hippocampal function. However, the role of Medial Septal/Diagonal Band (MS/DB) neuronal populations in hippocampal theta rhythm generation is still under debate. MS/DB GABAergic neurons selectively innervate inhibitory hippocampal interneurons and through this action exert a powerful control on hippocampal excitability. To further investigate the role of the MS/DB GABAergic neurons in hippocampal theta rhythm generation, the antibody Gamma amino butyric acid Transporter 1 (GAT-1) conjugated to saporin (SAP, 3µL at 325ng/µL) was injected in the MS/DB of adults Sprague Dawley rats to selectively destroy GABAergic neurons. Population estimates of MS/DB GABAergic neurons were analyzed using StereoInvestigator …

Sequelae Of Childhood Sexual Abuse And Chronic Headache Pain In Women, Kathy L. Theiss

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

For many years the association of headache with CSA has been postulated and results have been similar across studies indicating a robust connection. Chronic headache is one of the most common causes of visits to physicians and contributes to decreased quality of life for those who suffer with them. Although CSA is detrimental to both men and women, evidence supports that women are more likely to suffer from chronic somatic headache pain than men. Therefore, it is hypothesized that chronic headache is significantly more common among women with a history of childhood sexual abuse when compared to women who have …

Apo B100 Similarities To Viral Proteins Suggest Basis For Ldl-Dna Binding And Transfection Capacity, Juan Guevara, Nagindra Prashad, Boris Ermolinsky, John W. Gaubatz, Dongcheul Kang, Andrea E. Schwarzbach, David S. Loose, Natalia Valentinova Guevara

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

LDL mediates transfection with plasmid DNA in a variety of cell types in vitro and in several tissues in vivo in the rat. The transfection capacity of LDL is based on apo B100, as arginine/lysine clusters, suggestive of nucleic acid-binding domains and nuclear localization signal sequences, are present throughout the molecule. Apo E may also contribute to this capacity because of its similarity to the Dengue virus capsid proteins and its ability to bind DNA. Synthetic peptides representing two apo B100 regions with prominent Arg/Lys clusters were shown to bind DNA. Region 1 (0014Lys-Ser 0160) shares sequence motifs present in …

A Multimodal Assessment Of The Genetic Control Over Working Memory, Katherine H. Karlsgodt, Peter Kochunov, Anderson M. Winkler, Angela R. Laird, Laura Almasy, Ravi Duggirala, Rene L. Olvera, Peter T. Fox, John Blangero, David C. Glahn

School of Medicine Publications

Working memory performance is significantly influenced by genetic factors. Here, we assessed genetic contributions to both working memory performance and neuroimaging measures focused on the network of brain regions associated with working memory by using a sample of 467 human participants from extended families. Imaging measures included diffusion tensor imaging indices in major white matter tracts thought to be associated with working memory and structural magnetic resonance imaging measures of frontal and parietal gray matter density. Analyses directly addressed whether working memory performance and neural structural integrity are influenced by common genetic factors (e.g., pleiotropy). While all cognitive measures, gray …

Factores Predictivos De Infección Para Estrongiloidosis En Pacientes Procedentes De Áreas Urbanas [Predictive Factors For Strongyloidiasis Infection In Patients From Urban Areas], Nathalie Chacon, Carmen Durán, María Josefina Rossomando

Physician Assistant Studies Faculty Publications

La estrongiloidosis constituye una enfermedad endémica de países en regiones tropicales y subtropicales y es menos ocurrente en países desarrollados donde se informa de casos esporádicos procedentes de países endémicos. Este trabajo persiguió investigar los factores de riesgo que permitieran predecir esta infección en pacientes urbanos en un país endémico para estrongiloidosis, así como también determinar la ocurrencia de las coinfecciones parasitarias para la enfermedad. Se estudiaron prospectivamente 2 815 pacientes de la Sección de Geohelmintiasis del Instituto de Medicina Tropical, Universidad Central de Venezuela, desde enero de 2006 hasta julio de 2009, a los que se les realizó estudio …

Atención Hospitalaria De La Leishmaniosis Tegumentaria Americana En Los Miembros Inferiores, Pedro Navarro, Linda Lugo, María Antonia De La Parte, Luis Alfonso Colmenares Suárez, Nathalie Chacon, Amando Martin, Sylvia Silva, Jorge Schuller, Eduardo Salas, Adayza Figueredo

Physician Assistant Studies Faculty Publications

La leishmaniosis tegumentaria americana (LTA) como enfermedad endémica crónica continúa afectando a la población del medio rural venezolano, ocasionándole morbilidad y limitaciones laborales. Mediante la descripción de casos clínicos se evaluaron 38 pacientes con LTA que recibieron atención hospitalaria por úlceras leishmánicas en miembros inferiores. De los pacientes descritos 63 % eran niños, 84 % procedía del Estado Miranda, 66 % tenía una lesión ulcerosa única, 45 % recibió cefadroxilo previo al tratamiento antiparasitario específico y el 24 % había recibido inmunoterapia previa para la enfermedad. Treinta y siete pacientes (97 %) recibieron antimoniato de meglumina en series terapéuticas de …

Socioeconomic Status And Prevalence Of Obesity And Diabetes In A Mexican American Community, Cameron County, Texas, 2004-2007, Susan P. Fisher-Hoch, Anne R. Rentfro, Jennifer Salinas, Adriana Perez, H. Shelton Brown, Belinda M. Reininger, Blanca I. Restrepo, Jeff Gaines Wilson, Monir Hossain, Mohammad H. Rahbar, Craig Hanis, Joseph B. Mccormick

School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Introduction Mexican Americans are at increased risk for obesity and diabetes. We established a cohort on the United States-Mexico border to determine the prevalence of obesity and diabetes in this Mexican American population and to see whether minor economic advantages had any effect on health.

Methods We randomly selected and extensively documented 810 people aged 35 to 64 years. Weighted data were analyzed to establish prevalence of obesity and diabetes and other markers of poor health such as elevated glycated hemoglobin levels.

Results Rates of obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg/m²) were 57% in the first (lower) of …

Predictors Of Pap Smear Utilization Among Female Mexican American College Students, Sylvia M. Morales

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The Pap smear is a diagnostic screening test that detects abnormal cell growth, which may lead to cervical cancer. Pap smears are performed at a consistently lower frequency among Hispanic than non-Hispanic American White women, potentially contributing to a 70% higher rate of cervical cancer in Hispanic Americans. This study examined possible predictors of Pap smear utilization among 165 Mexican American female college students aged 18 to 30 attending the University of Texas-Pan American situated near Texas’s United States – Mexico border. Significant predictors were: recommendation by a health care professional; sexual activity; mother’s educational level; and external locus of …

Septo-Hippocampal Networks In Chronic Epilepsy, Antonio García-Hernández, Brian H. Bland, Julio Facelli, Luis V. Colom

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

The medial septum inhibits the appearance of interictal spikes and seizures through theta rhythm generation. We have determined that medial septal neurons increase their firing rates during chronic epilepsy and that the GABAergic neurons from both medial and lateral septal regions are highly and selectively vulnerable to the epilepsy process. Since the lateral septal region receives a strong projection from the hippocampus and its neurons are vulnerable to epilepsy, their functional properties are probably altered by this disorder. Using the pilocarpine model of temporal lobe epilepsy we examined the pilocarpine-induced functional alterations of lateral septal neurons and provided additional observations …

Parity-Induced Decrease In Systemic Growth Hormone Alters Mammary Gland Signaling: A Potential Role In Pregnancy Protection From Breast Cancer, Robert K. Dearth, David A. Delgado, Jill K. Hiney, Thushangi Pathiraja, Steffi Oesterreich, Dan Medina, W. Les Dees, Adrian V. Lee

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Early full-term pregnancy is an effective natural protection against breast cancer in both humans and experimental rodents. The protective effect of an early pregnancy is in part linked to changes in circulating hormones that are involved in both normal breast development and breast cancer. For example, a reduction in circulating growth hormone (GH) has been shown to protect rats from carcinogen-induced mammary tumors. We examined the ability of a full-term pregnancy to alter the endocrine GH/IGF-I axis and how this change affected normal mammary gland function in two commonly used rat models (Sprague-Dawley and Wistar-Furth). Circulating GH and IGF-I were …

The Role Of Fat Mass Index In Determining Obesity, Gerson Peltz, Maria Teresa Aguirre, Maureen Sanderson, Mary K. Fadden

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Objectives: The objective of this study is to compare body mass index (BMI), percent body fat (PBF), and fat mass index (FMI) and to investigate the accuracy of FMI as a convenient tool for assessing obesity.

Design: Anthropometric measurements and bioelectrical impedance analyses were performed on 538 Mexican Americans (373 women and 165 men). Correlations between BMI and PBF and between FMI and PBF were investigated. The percentage of persons misclassified as obese using different classifications was calculated. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to generate predictive models of FMI for males and females separately.

Results: BMI and PBF were …

Condiciones Higiénico-Sanitarias Como Factores De Riesgo Para Las Parasitosis Intestinales En Una Comunidad Rural Venezolana [Hygiene And Sanitation As Risk Factors For Intestinal Parasites In A Venezuelan Rural Community], Alejandro Rísquez, Marvic Márquez, Geraldine Del Carmen Quintero, Juan Pablo Ramírez, José Gregorio Requena, Andrea Daniela Riquelme, Maigualida José Rodríguez, Margaret Gissel Rodríguez, Nathalie Chacon

Physician Assistant Studies Faculty Publications

Las parasitosis intestinales, enfermedades tropicales desasistidas, contribuyen con el ciclo de la pobreza en poblaciones rurales, con acceso limitado a la atención médica, malas condiciones higiénicas, con consumo de agua y alimentos contaminados. El propósito de este estudio de prevalencia, muestra no aleatoria de 69 niños, fue evaluar los factores de riesgo higiénico-sanitarios mediante inspección, las normas de disposición de residuos sólidos y manipulación de alimentos en la Unidad Educativa de Panaquire-Miranda, ejecutar encuesta sobre las condiciones de vida, examinar muestras de heces mediante el método Formol-Tritón-Éter y asociar las condiciones higiénico-sanitarias de la vivienda con la presencia de parasitosis. …

Medial Septal Beta-Amyloid 1-40 Injections Alter Septo-Hippocampal Anatomy And Function, Luis V. Colom, María Teresa Castañeda Licón, C. Banuelos, Gustavo Puras, Antonio García-Hernández, Sofia Hernandez, Suzanne Mounsey, Joy Benavidez, Claudia Lehker

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Degeneration of septal neurons in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) results in abnormal information processing at cortical circuits and consequent brain dysfunction. The septum modulates the activity of hippocampal and cortical circuits and is crucial to the initiation and occurrence of oscillatory activities such as the hippocampal theta rhythm. Previous studies suggest that amyloid β peptide (Aβ) accumulation may trigger degeneration in AD. This study evaluates the effects of single injections of Aβ 1–40 into the medial septum. Immunohistochemistry revealed a decrease in septal cholinergic (57%) and glutamatergic (53%) neurons in Aβ 1–40 treated tissue. Additionally, glutamatergic terminals were significantly less in …

Major Depressive Disorder Among Individuals Who Are Deaf: Implications For Rehabilitation Professionals, Sandra Hansmann, Shawn P. Saladin, Diana M. Fraser-Mendez

School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling Faculty Publications

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a potentially disabling condition which adversely affects psychosocial functioning in the lives of many people. Individuals who are prelingually and/or profoundly Deaf are especially at risk of misdiagnoses, which in turn may prevent them from receiving the treatment needed to reach their full potential in independent living or vocational rehabilitation. This article reviews general depressive symptomology, followed by a discussion of challenges associated with diagnosing MDD in individuals who are Deaf. Suggestions for therapeutic interventions are also included. The article concludes with a summary of the implications of Deafness and MDD for independent living and …

Communication And Collaboration Among Providers, John Lowdermilk, Cheryl Fielding, Leila Flores-Torres, Alonso Andrew, Lisa Becerra

Human Development and School Services Faculty Publications

The current study examined the perceived communication and collaboration patterns among staff at an autism treatment center in Texas. Specifically, we believe that communication technologies provide a pivotal role in effective collaboration among direct service providers. Through the study's participant's open-ended responses, researchers identified and described potential issues of concern around communication and collaboration patterns. Implications and recommendations for practice are included.

Ocurrencia De Isospora Belli, Cryptosporidium Spp Y Cyclospora Cayetanenesis En Pacientes Urbanos Evaluados Por Síntomas Gastrointestinales Con O Sin Imnunosupresión [Occurrence Of Isospora Belli, Cryptosporidium Spp. , And Cyclospora Cayetanensis In Urban Patients Evaluated For Gastrointestinal Symptoms With Or Without Immunosuppression], Nathalie Chacon, Raquel Salinas, Emily Kuo, Carmen E. Durán, Wilfredo Márquez, Rosa Contreras

Physician Assistant Studies Faculty Publications

Este estudio de corte transversal, estimó la ocurrencia de infecciones por coccidias intestinales (CI) en pacientes urbanos procedentes de Caracas-Venezuela. Se analizaron, 1 831 referencias de pacientes externos de ambos sexos y con edad promedio ± desviación estándar de 28,8 ± 22,93 años. En la Sección de Geohelmintiasis del Instituto de Medicina Tropical (SGH-IMT), se evaluaron 4 650 muestras de heces seriadas, por examen directo, formol tritón éter y Baermann, pertenecientes a 1 550 pacientes. Adicionalmente, la prueba de Ziehl-Neelsen modificada, se aplicó a las muestras fecales de 150 pacientes, por solicitud del médico tratante o sugerencia de SGH-IMT. La …

The Relationship Between Quality Of Maternal Care And The Development Of Infant Sociability In A Captive Group Of Western Lowland Gorillas, Liza Veliz

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Maternal factors, e.g., quality and behavior were examined in order to determine if a relationship with enhanced infant social development exists. Gorilla mothers were each nursery reared and are full siblings, providing an unusual opportunity to examine the individual differences that may play a role in infant socialization. Observational data collected during three-time blocks by means of focal animal sampling were used to analyze social behaviors and identify initiators and receivers of contact behaviors, thereby determining a relationship between maternal care and infant sociability. Results indicated that mothers who provided successful maternal care produced more sociable offspring. Findings from this …