Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Role Of Familial Conflict In The Adaptation To Menarche: Sequential Analysis Of Family Interaction, Grayson N. Holmbeck

Theses and Dissertations

Past research has suggested that temporary perturbations characterize parent-adolescent relations after the onset of pubertal change. The purpose of this study was to further delineate the characteristics of these disruptions in families with seventh-grade girls. Current operational definitions of family conflict in an observational context are inadequate and a potentially more useful definition was offered: conflict is believed to exist when there is the simultaneous occurrence of opposing interpersonal forces.

Two studies were conducted. A validation study was done to determine the psychosocial correlates of the following conflict variables: frequencies and reciprocal dyadic sequences of interruptions and disagreements. The affective …

Nosocomial Respiratory Tract Infections Associated With The Use Of Ventilatory Support Systems: Epidemiological And Bacteriological Study Of The Effect Of Changing Breathing Circuits At 24 Or 48 Hours, Virginia Archer Lamb

Theses and Dissertations

Nosocomial (hospital-acquired) pneumonia (HAP) continues to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the hospital. HAP is the third most common nosocomial infection after urinary tract and surgical wound infections. In addition, HAP is the nosocomial infection with the highest mortality rate. These infections are often difficult to treat, because most are caused by Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) that may be highly resistant to antimicrobial agents. HAPs frequently occur in intensive care patients with underlying lung and/or systemic diseases. Many patients are intubated and are on assisted ventilation. Several sources of infection associated with ventilators or respirators have been …

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 63, No. 1, 1986)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 63, No. 2, 1986)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 63, No. 3, 1986)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 63, No. 4, 1986)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Age And Experience Differences In Posture And Movement Of Children While English Horseback Riding At A Walk, Mary Katherine Belissary

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to: (1) describe posture and movement of non-disabled children while English horseback riding at a walk, (2) propose a developmental sequence for each of three components of body posture and movement: the upper extremity the lower extremity, and the head and trunk, and (3) describe age differences in posture and movement while riding.

The study was designed as a cross-sectional descriptive study. Thirty children without disabilities: ten five-year-olds who had never received formal riding lessons; ten seven- and eight-year-olds who had received six months or less of formal riding lessons; and ten nine and …

Medical College Of Virginia Hospitals 125 Years Of Health Care 1861 - 1986, Hunter H. Mcguire

VCU University History Books

The Medical College of Virginia (MCV) grew in size and reputation in the latter half of the twentieth century, amid a time of technological advancements in the medical field and the rise of teaching hospitals. Starting with the opening of the College Infirmary in 1861, this book follows the history of MCV’s hospitals. Also discussed is MCV’s role during the Civil War, contributions to the college, and William T. Sanger’s influence on the school’s growth. The book includes photos of the buildings and a timeline of the hospitals.

Synthesis Of Polyhydroxybenzene Derivatives For Evaluation As Antitumor Agents, Douglas L. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

In order to prepare more effective inhibitors of ribonucleotide reductase a series of 4-substituted and 4,5-disubstituted catechols were synthesized and tested. The derivatives synthesized were also examined for their antitumor activity against L1210 leukemia in mice. A free radical scavenging assay was performed to establish what electronic parameters may govern in vitro and/or in vivo activity. The molecular features of the most potent compounds were compared to the features of the natural substrate of reduction, CDP, UDP, GDP and ADP.

The results obtained from the free radical assay did not show any correlation to the results observed either in vitro …

Phonetic Ambiguity Perception In Reading Disabled And Non-Disabled Children And Adolescents, Elizabeth A. Carter

Theses and Dissertations

There are speculations that disabled readers may fail to correctly decode written words because they are insensitive to language's phonetic form. This insensitivity is presumed by some to be due to a speech perceptual deficit. The purpose of the current study was to assess differences between disabled and non-disabled adolescents and elementary school students in their perceptual accuracy in decoding phonetically ambiguous speech. The effects of two processing factors derived from previous research, priming and word form (e.g., Spencer & Carter, 1982), were also examined to assess how perceptual processes may differ between groups. Clinical evidence of some verbal problems …

Health Perception, Anginal Symptoms And Life Satisfaction After Coronary Artery Bypass And Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty, Diana Creger Porter

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to gather data about the perceived health, anginal symptoms and life satisfaction in CABG and PTCA patients. The study explored the interrelationships among the variables and the differences between the two groups. The problem statement was:

1. How do patients perceive their own past, present and future health, level of anginal symptoms and life satisfaction after CABG and PTCA?

2. What are the interrelationships among perceived health, anginal symptoms and life satisfaction in CABG and PTCA patients.

The conceptual framework for this study was based on the social theory of symbolic interactionism …

Illness Behaviour Questionnaire As A Predictor Of Problematic And Aproblematic Patients With A Painful Upper Extremity, Suzanne S. Seay

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure the illness behavior of acute and chronic upper extremity pain patients using the Illness Behaviour Questionnaire (IBQ), to determine' the rehabilitation outcome by pre-set criteria, and to determine the effectiveness of the seven scales of the IBQ in predicting the problem pain patient. Each subject completed a self-administered test packet which included the IBQ. Each was identified by the investigator as a problematic or as a problematic patient using information in the medical chart. Patients entering the study with acute pain (n=12) had less pain upon discharge and returned more quickly to …

The Incidence Of Auscultatory Gaps In Hospitalized Adults, Elizabeth Tayloe Courts

Theses and Dissertations

The study was undertaken to determine the incidence of auscultatory gaps in hospitalized adults and to determine whether a relationship existed between the presence of a gap and the patient's age, sex, race, or medical diagnosis. Blood pressures were taken bilaterally on 120 randomly selected hospitalized adults using the technique recommended by the American Heart Association. None of the subjects in the sample had an auscultatory gap present.

Clinical Findings In Four Children With Biotinidase Deficiency Detected Through A Statewide Neonatal Screening Program, Barry Wolf, Gregory S. Heard, Linda G. Jefferson, Virginia K. Proud, Walter E. Nance, Karen A. Weissbecker

Human and Molecular Genetics Publications

Four children with biotinidase deficiency were identified during the first year of a neonatal screening program for this disease in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Two unrelated probands were identified among the 81,243 newborn infants who were screened. In addition, two siblings of one of these infants were found to be affected. Both probands had mild neurologic symptoms at two and four months, respectively, and the two older children had more severe neurologic abnormalities, cutaneous findings, and developmental delay at two and three years of age. However, none of the affected children had acute metabolic decompensation. Previous studies have shown that …

Intraoperative Ceforanide Pharmacokinetics And Protein Binding., Joseph T. Dipiro, Samir M. Bayoumi, Joseph J. Vallner, Robert R. Nesbit, Rajeev Gokhale, J. Peter Rissing

Publications from the Office of the Dean

The pharmacokinetics and protein binding of ceforanide were studied in 15 patients undergoing cholecystectomies. Each patient received ceforanide (20 mg/kg) intravenously on arrival in the operating room, after which serial blood samples were collected during the elimination phase for determination of total and free ceforanide concentrations in the serum. A high-pressure liquid chromatography assay was used, with a centrifugal filtration system for free-drug determinations. Serum concentration data for each individual were subjected to linear regression to determine the elimination rate constants (total and free drug), volumes of distribution, and systemic clearances. The mean elimination rate constants were 0.41 and 0.50 …

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 62, No. 4, 1985)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 62, No. 3, 1985)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 62, No. 2, 1985)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Pathophysiology Of Male Hypogonadism Associated With Endogenous Hyperestrogenism — Evidence For Dual Defects In The Gonadal Axis, Johannes D. Veldhuis, James R. Sower, Alan D. Rogol, Frederick A. Klein, Norman Miller, Maria L. Dufau

Surgery Publications

FEMINIZING tumors of the adrenal cortex are associated with symptoms that presumably reflect the combined effects of estrogen excess and androgen deficiency — gynecomastia, diminished libido, attenuated potency, and testicular and prostatic atrophy.1 2 3 4 5 Although such tumors are extremely rare, they provide a unique opportunity to appraise the nature of endogenous estrogen action on the gonadal axis in men. In principle, the pathophysiologic effects of estrogen hypersecretion could be expressed at the level of either the Leydig cell or the hypothalamic–pituitary axis (or both), with consequent suppression of androgen production. In the present studies, we investigated …

Evaluation Of Analytical, Pharmacokinetic And Pharmacodynamic Methods For The Study Of Digoxin, Santosh John Vetticaden

Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of the research was to investigate the pharmacodynamics of digoxin in dogs. Initially an assay specific for digoxin in the presence of its major metabolites, viz., digoxigenin, digoxigenin mono-digitoxoside, digoxigenin bis-digitoxoside and dihydrodigoxin was developed using HPLC-RIA. Methodology for non-invasive measurement of left ventricular ejection time (LVET) and other systolic time intervals (STI) in beagle dogs were developed. This involved surgery for exteriorization of the carotid artery in the dogs and subsequent measurements of LVET and STI after recovery. STI, heart rate (HR) and digoxin levels were monitored in normal beagle dogs administered 0.05 mg/kg or 0.025 …

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 62, No. 1, 1985)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Qualitative And Quantitative Morphology Of Lateral Rectus Motoneurons Of The Principal Abducens Nucleus, Helen Russell-Mergenthal

Theses and Dissertations

Nine lateral rectus motoneurons of the principal abducens nucleus, intracellularly stained with HRP, were morphometrically analyzed by light microscopy using a new method for determining motoneuron size. Particular emphasis was placed on devising a method of estimating total dendrite size from the proximal dendritic diameter alone.

The dendrites of these cells were divided into three types. One type, the microdendrites, had a consistent diameter of l micrometer, variable but short lengths, and added very little to the overall cell size. The majority of the dendrites on these cells (83) were standard in appearance but they could be separated into two …

The Incidence Of Postoperative Retching And Vomiting In The Adult Patient Undergoing Abdominal Surgery Following Intraoperative Administration Of Droperidol, Gary L. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

The complication of postoperative nausea and vomiting is still one of the most common today. The potential for secondary complications associated with retching and vomiting such as aspiration pneumonitis strain of suture line with possible hemorrhage, and potential fluid and electrolyte imbalance makes prevention of retching and vomiting a primary concern in the management of the postoperative patient.

The use of antiemetic drugs to prevent or control postoperative nausea and vomiting is a long-standing practice. Droperidol, an antiemetic, routinely used since being introduced in 1963, has been found to be successful in treating postoperative nausea and vomiting. This study examines …

Alterations In Blood-Brain Barrier Function Following Acute Hypertension: Comparison Of The Blood-To-Brain Transfer Of Horseradish Peroxidase With That Of Alpha-Aminoisobutyric Acid, Mary Draper Bennett Ellison

Theses and Dissertations

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) selectively restricts the blood-to-brain passage of many solutes owing to unique properties of cerebrovascular endothelial cell membranes. This selective blood/brain interface participates in the maintenance of brain homeostasis by controlling nutrient, gas, and fluid exchange necessary for brain function. Normal BBB function can be altered under various pathological and experimental conditions, allowing the transfer into brain parenchyma of blood-borne solutes normally excluded. To date, experimental study of the BBB has been accomplished primarily through the use of two different methodological approaches. Some investigators have focused on the barrier's morphological correlates and its morphopathological alteration under various …

The Effects Of Needle Play On Pre-School Children's Anxiety Concerning Injections, Michelle Anne Belyea

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of needle play in reducing pre-school children's anxiety concerning injections. The Pre-school Observational Scale of Anxiety was used to measure the degree of anxiety experienced by the children. The hypothesis stated that there would be a significant decrease in anxiety of pre-school children who participated in needle play as compared with the anxiety scores of pre-school children who did not participate in needle play.The sample consisted of 20 pre-school children who were receiving routine health care and injections for immunizations or PPDs (purified protein derivative) at a county health department …

Fluorescence Probes For The Study Of Acetylcholine Receptor Function, M. Martinez-Carrion, J.M. Gonzalez-Ros, J.R. Mattingly, J.A. Ferragut, M.C. Farach, D. Donnelly

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Publications

Our group initiated the use of pyrene derivatives for functional and structural studies of the membrane-bound Acetylcholine Receptor (AcChR) system. Our studies have taken two approaches. We have recently used a hydrophobic derivative (pyrene-l-sulfonyl azide) that is able to bind covalently to regions of the AcChR molecule accessible from the membrane lipid (1) to monitor ligandinduced effects at those hydrophobic regions of the AcChR protein exposed to the membrane matrix (2). The structural effects induced by ligand binding are interpreted in relation to the AcChR "desensitization" process. We have also used a hydrophilic pyrene derivative (1,3,6,8-pyrene tetra sulfonate [PTSA]) to …

Inability To Predict Relapse In Acute Asthma, Robert M. Centor , M.D., Barry Yarbrough , M.D., Judy P. Wood , P.A.

Internal Medicine Publications

No abstract provided.

Cellular Dna Content As A Predictor Of Response To Chemotherapy In Infants With Unresectable Neuroblastoma, A. Thomas Look, F. Ann Hayes, Ruprecht Nitschke, Nancy B. Mcwilliams, Alexander A. Green

VCU Health Publications

We studied the relation between the DNA content of neuroblastoma cells and the response to therapy in 35 infants under one year of age with a diagnosis of neuroblastoma. Using flow cytometric techniques, we found that in 27 cases the primary malignant stem line consisted of neuroblasts with hyperdiploid DNA content, ranging from 1.07 to 2.42 times the finding in normal diploid cells. All remaining cases had diploid stem lines. Diploidy was more common in infants with clinical Stage D neuroblastoma (metastases beyond regional lymph nodes) than in those with other, less advanced stages: 6 of 10 as compared with …

Ventriculostomy-Related Infections, C. Glen Mayhall, Nancy H. Archer, V. Archer Lamb, Alice C. Spadora, Jane W. Baggett, John D. Ward, Raj K. Narayan

VCU Health Publications

We conducted a prospective epidemiologic study of ventriculostomy-related infections (ventriculitis or meningitis) in 172 consecutive neurosurgical patients over a two-year period to determine the incidence, risk factors, and clinical characteristics of the infections. Ventriculitis or meningitis developed in 19 of 172 patients (11 per cent) undergoing a total of 213 ventriculostomies. When data from all these cases plus five cases of nonventriculostomy-related infection were combined, cerebrospinal-fluid pleocytosis was more significantly associated with the diagnosis of ventriculitis or meningitis (P<0.0001) than were fever and leukocytosis (P = 0.07). Risk factors for ventriculostomy-related infections included intracerebral hemorrhage with intraventricular hemorrhage (P = 0.027), neurosurgical operations (P = 0.016), intracranial pressure of 20 mm Hg or more (P = 0.019), ventricular catheterization for more than five days (P = 0.017), and irrigation of the system (P = 0.021). Previous ventriculostomy did not increase the risk of infection with subsequent procedures. We conclude that ventriculostomy-related infections may be prevented by maintenance of a closed drainage system and by early removal of the ventricular catheter. If monitoring is required for more than five days, the catheter should be removed and inserted at a different site. (N Engl J Med 1984; 310:553–9.)

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 61, No. 1, 1984)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.