Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Cleaning Efficiency Of Nickel Titanium Gt And .04 Rotary Files When Used In A Torque Controlled Rotary Handpiece, Calvin Buford Suffridge

Theses and Dissertations

This study determined if the cleaning efficiency of NiTi rotary files in an endodontic electric handpiece using a no torque control setting was superior to that obtained when using the torque control feature. Fifty extracted human anterior teeth with straight canals were divided into two groups of 20 and two control groups of 5. Canals were instrumented with GT and .04 Profile NiTi files until a size 35 advanced to working length. Samples were sectioned, the apical 6 mm of the canal was photographed (x20) and projected onto a 3 x 4 foot grid with squares measuring 0.5 inches each. …

Effect Of A Desensitizing Agent And An Adhesive System On Microleakage Associated With Cast Restorations Luted With A Resin-Modified Glass Ionomer Cement, Saleh Abdulaziz Al-Rowaieh

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This study evaluated microleakage associated with cast restorations that were luted with a resin-modified glass ionomer cement (RelyX) following obturation of the dentinal tubules with either a desensitizing agent (Gluma Desensitizer) or an adhesive system (Scotchbond Multipurpose Dental Adhesive). The effect of acid etching on the removal of the smear layer and its influence on the extent of microleakage associated with the adhesive system was also evaluated.

Materials and Methods: Extracted mandibular premolars (N = 48) were prepared for complete cast restorations and divided into 4 groups (N = 12). In group A ( control), neither a desensitizing agent …

Factors Influencing Mammography Utilization Among Disabled And Nondisabled Women, Jeffrey S. Legg

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer mortality in women in the United States. Because the majority of risk factors for breast cancer are not modifiable, early detection methods such as mammography are essential. However, concern exists for the equitable provision and use of mammography services in the U.S. Mammography is ofien underutilized by various subpopulations resulting, potentially, in these groups not experiencing the benefits of early detection. A subpopulation that has received little attention in the study of mammography utilization encompasses persons classified as disabled.

The 1998 National Health Interview Survey provided the data for this analysis. …

The Effects Of An Aquatic Intervention Program On The Discomforts Of Pregnancy, Sheila Anne O'Hanlon Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 50% to 80% of pregnant women complain of low back pain, edema, and other discomforts. Although exercise programs have been recommended to decrease the discomforts of pregnancy and improve body image. There is a paucity of research in this area. There is very little research on exercise in water, despite theoretical and empirical advantages of such activity.

This study’s aims were to determine the impact of an aquatic exercise intervention program on pregnant women’s body image, self-efficacy, perception of barriers to health-promoting behaviors, health-promoting behaviors, mobility, and discomforts. Pender’s Health Promotion Model (1996) served as the framework for the …

Working Length Determination In Palatal Roots Of Maxillary Molars, Melanie A. Kim-Park

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to determine if a buccal curvature in the palatal roots of maxillary molars affected the clinician’s ability to accurately determine working length. Twenty-seven extracted, human maxillary molars were sorted by palatal root curvatures as J- and C-type and the angle of curvature was determined. Straight-line access was made and a #20 file was placed into the canal until the tip was visible at the apical foramen then withdrawn. The file, tooth and calibration wire were radiographed on one image using the RVG. Actual (file) and radiographic (tooth) lengths were determined using the RVG ruler. …

The Association Of Organizational Performance And Market Factors With Hospital Acquisition, Jeffrey P. Harrison

Theses and Dissertations

har_ass

This research focuses on the relationship between hospital acquisition and operational performance, market factors, and organizational factors following the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Resource dependence and financial theory guided the methodology. According to resource dependence theory, organizations desire to remain autonomous until they are faced with scarce resources. This scarcity of resources is caused by the dynamic interaction with the external environment. Financial theory recognizes the organizations ability to be successful by ensuring access to capital through profitability, strong bond ratings, lines of credit, and equity financing. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 reduced hospital Medicare reimbursement and …

Genetic Dissection Of Behavioral And Neurogenomic Responses To Acute Ethanol, Aaron Wolen

Theses and Dissertations

Individual differences in initial sensitivity to ethanol are strongly related to the heritable risk of alcoholism in humans. To elucidate key molecular networks that modulate ethanol sensitivity we performed a systems genetics analysis of ethanol-responsive gene expression in brain regions of the mesocorticolimbic reward circuit (prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens and ventral midbrain) across the BXD RI panel, a highly diverse family of isogenic mouse strains before and after treatment with ethanol. Acute ethanol altered the expression of ~2,750 genes in one or more regions and 400 transcripts were jointly modulated in all three. Ethanol-responsive gene networks were extracted with a …

Alveolar Ridge Dimension Analysis Following Socket Preservation Using Clinical Assessment And Cone Beam Computed Tomography (Cbct)., Sayward Duggan

Theses and Dissertations

AIM: Extraction of a tooth can lead to alveolar ridge resorption which can be minimized by socket preservation. The aim of this study is to analyze vertical and horizontal alveolar ridge dimensions clinically and by CBCT immediately following extraction and 3-4 months following socket preservation. METHODS: The preserved group (P) consisted of 20 patients with1-2 non-molar teeth requiring extraction with socket preservation, while the control group (C) consisted of 5 patients requiring extraction alone. An acrylic stent was fabricated presurgically in order to measure vertical and horizontal ridge dimensions clinically and radiographically immediately following extraction and 3-4 months following socket …

Factors Considered By New Faculty In Their Decision To Choose Careers In Academic Dentistry, Harvey A. Schenkein, Al M. Best

Periodontics Publications

To determine the characteristics of new dental faculty and what factors influenced them to choose academic careers, a survey was sent to deans at all U.S. dental schools to be distributed to faculty with length of service of four years or less. Responses were received from 240 individuals. About half of the respondents had been in private practice for an average of eight years, and 20 percent had military experience averaging almost sixteen years. A majority had postgraduate training and 60 percent had specialty training. Nearly 32 percent of new faculty were female and 80 percent were U.S. citizens. Analyses …

Control Of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus In Health Care Facilities In A Region, Belinda E. Ostrowsky , M.D., M.P.H., William E. Trick, Annette H. Sohn, Stephen B. Quirk, Stacey Holt , B.S., Loretta A. Carson , M.S., Bertha C. Hill, Mathew J. Arduino, Mathew J. Kuehnert, William R. Jarvis

VCU Health Publications

Background

In late 1996, vancomycin-resistant enterococci were first detected in the Siouxland region of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. A task force was created, and in 1997 the assistance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was sought in assessing the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in the region’s facilities and implementing recommendations for screening, infection control, and education at all 32 health care facilities in the region.

Methods

The infection-control intervention was evaluated in October 1998 and October 1999. We performed point-prevalence surveys, conducted a case– control study of gastrointestinal colonization with vancomycin-resistant enterococci, and compared infection-control practices and …

Avoiding Medication Pitfalls, Jeffrey Delafuente

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Discuss the prevalence and risk factors for adverse drug events in older people.

2. Identify selected medications that often should be avoided in older people.

3. Discuss methods to ensure safe medication use.

Enhancing The Quality Of Life Of Nursing Home Residents With Late Stage Alzheimer's Disease And Related Disorders, Felicity Sluga

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Discuss the growing need for special programming and activities to improve the quality of life of nursing home residents with dementing illnesses.

2. Discuss program and activity options that have a positive impact on quality of life as measured by the resident's mood, behavioral symptoms, cognitive skills, physical condition and medication use.

3. Review the responses of a resident to our unit’s therapeutic interventions.

Bridging Aging And Domestic Violence Services In Our Communities, Janett Forte, Paula Knapp Kupstas, Stephanie White

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. To describe the problem of domestic violence in later life.

2. To show how the operating principles and service approaches of aging (APS and aging network) and domestic violence service providers differ and may cause them to interpret the same situation differently.

3. To encourage aging and domestic violence service providers to share information, expertise, resources, and philosophical perspectives with one another in order to improve the community response to older battered women.

Vision And Hearing Loss In The Older Adult - “Double Trouble”, Paige Berry

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. How to recognize age related vision and hearing loss.

2. How the loss of both vision and hearing affect the individual's day to day functioning.

3. Services and technology available to assist the professional in better meeting the needs of the individual who is experiencing a vision and hearing loss.

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 78, No. 4, 2001)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Lack Of Effect Of Induction Of Hypothermia After Acute Brain Injury, Guy L. Clifton, Emmy R. Miller, Sung C. Choi, Harvey S. Levin, Stephen Mccauley, Kenneth R. Smith, J. Paul Muizerlaar, Franklin C. Wagner, Donald W. Marion, Thomas G. Luerssen, Randall M. Chesnut, Michael Schwartz

Biostatistics Publications

Background

Induction of hypothermia in patients with brain injury was shown to improve outcomes in small clinical studies, but the results were not definitive. To study this issue, we conducted a multicenter trial comparing the effects of hypothermia with those of normothermia in patients with acute brain injury.

Methods

The study subjects were 392 patients 16 to 65 years of age with coma after sustaining closed head injuries who were randomly assigned to be treated with hypothermia (body temperature, 33°C), which was initiated within 6 hours after injury and maintained for 48 hours by means of surface cooling, or normothermia. …

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 78, No. 2, 2001)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 78, No. 1, 2001)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 78, No. 3, 2001)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

The Pineal Gland, Via Melatonin, Protects Dna, Coordinates The Endocrine System With The Immune System And Controls The Timing Of Reproduction, Craig L. Anthony

Theses and Dissertations

The pineal gland secretes the hormone melatonin (n-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) with a circadian rhythm. This secretion's rhythm becomes disrupted with age. When melatonin secretion is decreased with advanced age, the immune, endocrine and reproductive systems fail to function optimally. Melatonin possesses lipophilic and anti-oxidant properties, providing it with access to nuclei. Melatonin protects the DNA, preventing cancerous mutation. Hippocampal degeneration and age increase and prolong the adrenocortical responses to stress. Melatonin supplementation reduces the prolonged exposure to harmful hormones.

Titrating And Evaluating Multiple Drug Regimens Within Subjects, Margaret Shih

Theses and Dissertations

The dosing of combination therapies is commonly undertaken empirically by practicing physicians, and there is a lack of a coherent algorithm to approach the problem of combination dosing. Current methods of evaluating multiple drug combinations in clinical trials generally do not provide information regarding the location of more effective dosages when the combination is not found to differ from the standard, even though the absence of a difference does not necessarily mean the new combination is ineffective. Additionally, if a new combination is found to be more effective, often a large proportion of the subjects has not benefited from the …

A Comparative Study Of Murine Mast Cell Progenitors, Shirley K. Desimone

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a comparative study of variables affecting differentiation and proliferation of progenitor cells from various embryonic and fetal tissue sites as they differentiate into mast cells. Embryonic stem cells from gestation day 4.5 (d4.5) differentiated exclusively into mast cells when cultured in semi-solid media with stem cell factor (SCF) and Interleukin-3 (IL-3). The same was true of d8-1 1 yolk sac cells and d8-1 1 cells from the embryo itself. However, culture with SCF and IL-3 of cells from dl4 fetal livers differentiated into mast cells, cells of the erythrocyte lineage and a few "macrophages" which may have …

Effect Of Ceftazidime On Systemic Cytokine Concentrations In Rats, Khalid M. Alkharfy, John A. Kellum, Reginald F. Frye, Gary R. Matzke

Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science Publications

The effect of a single dose of ceftazidime on circulating concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in a rat model of sepsis was studied. IL-6 concentrations were significantly elevated (100 to 200 times the baseline) 6 h after ceftazidime administration in both septic and nonseptic (control) rats. TNF-α concentrations increased significantly in nonseptic (∼40 times the baseline) rats but not septic (∼2 to 3 times the baseline) rats. Ceftazidime administration was not associated with an increase in endotoxin concentrations. These findings suggest that ceftazidime modulation of proinflammatory cytokine concentrations may be independent of its antimicrobial properties.

The Phantom Burster Model For Pancreatic Β-Cells, Richard Bertram, Joseph Previte, Arthur Sherman, Tracie A. Kinard, Leslie S. Satin

Pharmacology and Toxicology Publications

Abstract

Pancreatic β-cells exhibit bursting oscillations with a wide range of periods. Whereas periods in isolated cells are generally either a few seconds or a few minutes, in intact islets of Langerhans they are intermediate (10–60 s). We develop a mathematical model for β-cell electrical activity capable of generating this wide range of bursting oscillations. Unlike previous models, bursting is driven by the interaction of two slow processes, one with a relatively small time constant (1–5 s) and the other with a much larger time constant (1–2 min). Bursting on the intermediate time scale is generated without need …

Peginterferon Alfa-2a In Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C And Cirrhosis, E. Jenny Heathcote, Mitchell L. Shiffman, W. Graham E. Cooksley, Geoffrey M. Dusheiko, Samuel S. Lee, Luis Balart, Robert Reindollar, Rajender K. Reddy, Teresa L. Wright, Amy Lin, Joseph Hoffman, Jean De Pamphilis

VCU Health Publications

Background

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with cirrhosis is difficult to treat. In patients with chronic hepatitis C but without cirrhosis, once-weekly administration of interferon modified by the attachment of a 40-kd branched-chain polyethylene glycol moiety (peginterferon alfa-2a) is more efficacious than a regimen of unmodified interferon. We examined the efficacy and safety of peginterferon alfa-2a in patients with HCV-related cirrhosis or bridging fibrosis.

Methods

We randomly assigned 271 patients with cirrhosis or bridging fibrosis to receive subcutaneous treatment with 3 million units of interferon alfa-2a three times weekly (88 patients), 90 µg of peginterferon alfa-2a once …

Adult Daycare: Sharing The Caring, Having A Life, Lory Phillippo Osorio

Case Studies from Age in Action

Objectives

1. Demonstrate the role of adult daycare in community-based services for older adults.

2. Illustrate the diversity of services provided in adult daycare/day health care centers in Virginia.

3. Encourage public policy and funding to expand quality adult daycare in the Commonwealth.

The Aging Woman And Hiv/Aids: Increasing Risk And Incidence, Loretta Brush Normile

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Discuss the increasing incidence of HIV in the aging population.

2. Describe the ways HIV affects the aging person.

3. Identify implications for HIV education and risk assessment of the older population.

Pace: Program Of All-Inclusive Care Of The Elderly, A. Leigh Peyton, Wendy Boggs, Bill Miller, Nancy Allan

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. To describe the origin of PACE.

2. To identify essential services provided by the PACE model.

Aging With Cerebral Palsy: A Consumer’S Perspective, Bryan K. Lacy

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. To illustrate the necessity of an holistic approach to addressing the changing health care needs of adults with Cerebral Palsy.

2. To show the necessity of dealing honestly and creatively with the intimacy/sexuality concerns of older adults with Cerebral Palsy.

Determinants Of Ceftazidime Clearance By Continuous Venovenous Hemofiltration And Continuous Venovenous Hemodialysis, Gary R. Matzke, Reginald F. Frye, Melanie S. Joy, Paul M. Palevsky

Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science Publications

Although several dosage adjustment regimens have been proposed, there is little quantitative information to guide the initiation of ceftazidime therapy in patients who are receiving continuous renal replacement therapy. To determine the clearance of ceftazidime by continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH) and continuous venovenous hemodialysis (CVVHD), we performed controlled clearance studies with stable hemodialysis patients with three hemofilters: a 0.6-m2 acrylonitrile copolymer (AN69; Hospal) filter, a 2.1-m2 polymethylmethacrylate filter (PMMA; Toray) filter and a 0.65-m2 polysulfone (PS; Fresenius) filter. Subjects received 1,000 mg of ceftazidime intravenously prior to the start of a clearance study. The concentration of ceftazidime in multiple plasma …