Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

An Organizational Ethics Framework To Balance Individual Privacy And Population Interests Regarding Genetic Technologies, Christine Trani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The American culture holds the right to privacy as one of the most esteemed rights for individuals. As such, the culture adamantly defends the right to privacy to ensure individuals have the opportunity to live freely. In the American healthcare system, the right to privacy is critical for individual autonomy. However, genetic science has pushed this boundary as it emphasizes the interdependency between individual and population health. Genetic technologies for healthcare have been increasing at an exponential rate since the early 2000s. Their implantation into clinical care has been a slower process due to ethical dilemmas. Specifically, ethical dilemmas revolve …

The Challenge Of Enhancement & Adaptability In Healthcare: An Ethical Framework For Organizations, Gary Edwards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work defends enhancements that aim at promoting adaptability and formulates a framework for how healthcare organizations can cope with these sorts of enhancements. It begins by defending explicit approaches to defining enhancements and sketches a tripartite conception of enhancements dependent on well-being, social, and perception approaches. After assessing several major arguments for and against enhancement, it defends an adaptability justification for enhancements. In light of this justification, the remaining sections explore the adaptability argument’s implications for healthcare, justify an organizational approach for dealing with these implications, and finally formulate an organizational ethics framework for coping with the adaptability argument’s …

Occupational Profiles Of At-Risk Youth: A Multi-Case Study, Abigail Catalano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Occupational therapy’s work with at-risk and adjudicated youth is a practice area currently possessing a limited base of evidence. One significant need in this body of literature is for examination of evidence-based evaluation practices. This project describes implementation and results of an evaluation protocol, Primary Occupations for Work and Employment Readiness (POWER), designed to elicit comprehensive occupational profiles from participants. POWER consists of five assessment tools, supplemented by clinical observations and program data. The assessments included are the Occupational Self-Assessment (OSA), Model of Human Occupation Screening Tool (MOHOST), Double OT (DOT), Kawa River Model, and Role Checklist Version 3 (RCV3). …

Salient Beliefs And Social Influence On Intentions To Misuse Prescription Opioid Pain Relieving Drugs For Recreational Purposes: An Application Of The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Robert Eugene Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of the proposed study was to evaluate the utility of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in predicting intentions to use prescription opioid pain relieving drugs for recreational purposes among a sample of college students, while identifying salient beliefs that underlie recreational use in order to inform future intervention efforts among this population. Methodology: A cross-sectional electronic survey design was used to evaluate the direct measures of TPB constructs, salient beliefs, substance use, and individual characteristics of a random sample of university students. Results: Among our sample (N=776) more than 20% reported lifetime use of prescription opioids …

The Relationship Between Caring For Individuals Diagnosed With Prader-Willi Syndrome And Caregiver Stress, Michael Andrew Vice

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background/Purpose: Chronic stress is related to numerous health risks such as causing an individual to age more rapidly than an individual with less stress (Oliveira, et al., 2010; Bauer, 2009; McEwen, 2002). Other aging problems related to chronic stress are Alzheimer’s disease (Peterson et al., 2007) and premature death (Canizzo et al., 2011). Stress can lead to mental health issues such as depression (Wiegner, 2015; Hammen, 2005) and anxiety (Wiegner et al., 2015). Stress has also been linked to cardiovascular disease (Seldenrijk, 2015), asthma (Rod et al., 2012; Chen & Miller, 2007), obesity (McInnis et al., 2014), diabetes (Salpea, 2010), …

Identification Of Cdks As Novel Targets Of Aspirin And Its Metabolites: A Potential Role In Cancer Prevention, Rakesh Dachineni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background:
The pursuit of drugs that inhibit cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) has been an intense area of research for more than 15 years. Till date, although multiple CDK inhibitors have been identified and few are undergoing clinical trials, only two synthetic drugs have been approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the treatment of cancer. These two drugs are mainly used for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in combination with other drugs; however they have toxicity associated with their use and extends patients life not more than 24 months. Therefore, there is an urgent need for …

Food Protein-Based Core-Shell Nanocarriers For Oral Drug Delivery Applications: (Influence Of Shell Composition On In Vitro And In Vivo Functional Performance Of Zein Nanocarriers, Md Saiful Islam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Oral delivery is the most preferred route for drug administration. Oral drug delivery is limited by poor physicochemical properties of drugs and physiological barriers in the gastrointestinal tract. To this end, there is a need for developing new carrier systems to enhance the oral bioavailability of poorly absorbed molecules. Food-grade biopolymers are attractive materials for developing drug delivery carriers’ due to their unique properties and proven safety. Six different core-shell nanocarriers were prepared using food-grade biopolymers including zein-casein (ZC) nanoparticles, zein-lactoferrin (ZLF) nanoparticles, zein-β-lactoglobulin (ZLG) nanoparticles, zein-whey protein isolate (ZWP) nanoparticles, zein-pluronic-lecithin (ZPL) nanoparticles and zein-PEG (ZPEG) micelles. The study …

Molecular Characterization Of The Opioid Receptors: Design, Development, And Preclinical Evaluation Of Salvinorin A-Based Molecular Probes., Adam Keasling

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The field of salvinorin chemistry represents a novel and emerging field of opioid research. The novelty is derived from the lead pharmacophore: salvinorin A — a neoclerodane diterpenoid natural product isolated from Salvia divinorum. Salvinorin A represents a pharmacologically unique compound in that it is the first known non-nitrogenous KOR subtype-selective agonist, exhibits a comparatively safe physiological profile with no reports of toxicological effects in clinical trials, and, most importantly, has a steadily growing body of literature indicating potentially useful clinical applications (e.g. antinociceptive, anti-addictive, antipruritic, neuroprotective, etc.). This has encouraged the development of analogues as essential molecular probes to …

Development Of Phenotypic Drug Discovery Models For Tropical Parasitic Diseases, Surendra Kumar Jain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Malaria and visceral leishmaniasis are major killer parasitic diseases. These diseases though occur primarily in tropical countries; economic burden and overall health impacts of malaria and leishmaniasis are global. The emergence of drug-resistant and more-virulent strains of the pathogens has further amplified the problems. New drug discovery approaches primarily rely on in vitro and in vivo models of the disease. The pathogens causing leishmaniasis and malaria are intracellular. Leishmania parasite grows as amastigotes in macrophages cells, and malaria parasite grows within the hepatocytes or erythrocytes. The intracellular forms of the pathogens are responsible for the pathophysiology of the diseases. New …

Phytochemical Investigation Of Psychoactive Medicinal Plants For The Treatment Of Neurological Disorders, Vedanjali Gogineni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neurological disorders include disorders such as migraine, tension-type headaches, Parkinson’s disease (PD), epilepsy, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Globally, PD is the second most comneurodegenerative disorder following AD. In developed countries, PD affects 1% of all population over 60 years of age. The prevalence of PD is increasing over the years and is expected to double by 2030. It is proposed that combination of dopaminergic drugs with monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitors, anticholinergics, catechol-O-methyl transferase inhibitors, and other non-dopaminergic drugs can better alleviate levodopa-induced motor complications along with better control of motor symptoms. MAO-B inhibitors play a significant role in …

Dose-Response Association Between Acute Exercise Duration, Exercise Recovery And Cognitive Function, Elizabeth Ann Crush

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies have shown moderate intensity exercise to be a desired intensity level to optimize cognitive function, however, this research has mostly been conducted among older adults despite the claim that cognitive function may start to decline in the early years (i.e., 20s). Another research gap within this population is our limited understanding of the effects of different exercise durations and recovery periods on cognitive function. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of different exercise durations and recovery periods on cognition using a treadmill-based protocol. In a counterbalanced, cross-over randomized controlled design, 352 participants, ages …

Synthesis, Chemistry, Biological Evaluation And Structure-Activity Relationships Of Rac- And Chiral 6-Desmethyl-5Β –Hydroxy-D-Secoartemisinin And Analogs, Mohamed Elsideiq Jihan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The prevention and cure of malaria is difficult as it thrives under poor socio- and pharmacoeconomic conditions in third world, tropical and subtropical regions. It is a parasitic disease spread through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito. In humans, malaria can be caused by several Plasmodium species that include: Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium knowlesi. The natural product artemisinin is a sesquiterpene lactone with an endoperoxide bridge isolated from the Chinese annual herb qinghao (Artemisia annua L or sweet wormwood). The relatively stable endoperoxide bridge is essential for their antimalarial activity. The synthesis of …

Lipid Based Frameworks And Topical Ocular Inserts For The Delivery Of Small Molecule Therapeutics To The Posterior Segment Of The Eye, Sai Prachetan Balguri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lipid based systems and topical ocular inserts of various drugs were developed for the intervention/treatment of posterior segment ocular complications. Indomethacin (IN) was developed into solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs). Effect of surface functionalization using chitosan (CS) on lipid nanocarriers was tested to evaluate corneal penetration. Surface modification of SLNs with CS increased ocular penetration of IN. NLCs maintained significantly higher IN concentrations in all ocular tissues tested, compared to the other formulations evaluated in vivo. Effect of surface poly (ethylene) glycol (PEG) functionalization of the NLCs on ocular disposition was studied using Ciprofloxacin (CIP) as …

Predictors Of Medication Nonadherence In Children/Adolescents With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd) In Mississippi Medicaid Program, Wahidullah Noori

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: To examine adherence to ADHD stimulant medications and determined the condition-related, therapy-related, patient-related, health-system related, and social and economic related predictors of medication nonadherence in children/adolescents (4 – 18 years) with ADHD enrolled in Mississippi Medicaid Program. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of the Mississippi Medicaid administrative claims data. Data was analyzed from March 01, 2014 to February 29, 2016. Adherence was calculated as the proportion of days covered (PDC). PDC was calculated including and excluding summer break (June – August) and at two different timelines, at 6 months and 12 months depending upon the length of …

Identification Of Stimulant Misuse And Malingering Of Symptoms Of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Sujith Ramachandran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It was estimated in 2013 that 54.3 million individuals reported overall lifetime prevalence of prescription drug abuse, and 16.7 million individuals reported misusing or abusing prescription drugs in the past year. This study focuses on the abuse of psychostimulants, popularly used for treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It is estimated that 10 to 30% of college students might be abusing stimulants, mostly for academic purposes. The incidence of stimulant related ER visits has nearly doubled in the last decade. It is also estimated that 10 to 50% of ADHD evaluations in a University setting might be exaggerated or …

The Microbial Ecosystem Of Beer Spoilage And Souring: Competition And Cooperation In The Age Of Bioinformatics, Andrew Kettring

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The brewing industry generates $350 billion in revenue in the US annually, representing 1.9% of the gross domestic product. Spoilage is a persistent problem throughout production and distribution that causes economic loss, and is therefore meticulously avoided. Contrarily, artisanal sour beers are necessarily produced by a diverse variety of these spoilage organisms metabolically interacting in symbiosis as a microbial ecosystem. We sought to gain insight into factors driving assembly of microbial communities by testing a long-debated Darwinian hypothesis. A collection of community members were screened in co-culture and novel bioinformatics tools were developed to predict observed interactions. A fundamental understanding …

Effects Of Collaboration Between Speech-Language Pathologists And Third-Grade Teachers On Student Vocabulary Outcomes, Mary Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A persistent literacy crisis continues to be reflected in international (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2013), national (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2015), and local literacy outcome data. Educators, including speech-language pathologists (SLPs), are called upon to collaborate to support students who struggle with academic language/literacy. However, few studies have operationally defined collaboration and investigated the effects of collaboration on student achievement. As a result, there is insufficient guidance for educators about ways to design, implement, and assess the effectiveness of collaboration models, defined in terms of their effects on student outcomes. There were two main objectives …

The Influences Of Mindfulness And Neuromotor Exercise Mode On Balance In Healthy Older Adults, Maxine Hicks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the roles of mindfulness and balance to optimize strategies for fall prevention in healthy older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of mindfulness with respect to balance in healthy older adults who are experienced in meditative versus non-meditative modes of neuromotor exercise. This was a comparative descriptive study that used a convenience sample of N=86 older adults (20 male; mean age = 69.33 ± 7.24; range: 60 – 93 years). The sample included experienced participants of meditative (e.g., yoga, Tai chi) and non-meditative (e.g., partnered dance) neuromotor exercise recruited from community yoga, …

Monitoring Pollen Counts And Pollen Allergy Index Using Satellite Observations In East Coast Of The United States, Murat Cagatay Kececi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Allergic diseases have become increasingly common over the world during the last four decades, and they are affecting millions of people. Pollination is an important process in the life cycle of plants. However, pollen exposure is associated with allergic diseases such as asthma and seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever). As a result, the total annual expenditure for asthma-associated morbidity is about $56 billion in the United States, and the overall cost of allergic diseases is over $18 billion annually. For allergic rhinitis, the annual medical cost is approximately $3.4 billion. The intensity and frequency of the pollen exposures can be …

Associations Between Personality Style, Perceptions Of Health Coaching And Percent Of Starting Weight In Meal Replacement Program Participants, Anne E. Sawyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To determine if personality style and an individual’s perception of their health coaching experience impact their ability to lose weight and/or maintain weight loss. Methods: An electronic survey was distributed to 20,000 current and past meal replacement program participants. Personality style was assessed via the Ten Item Personality Inventory, providing individual perceptions of each of the Big Five personality domains (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience). The Working Alliance Inventory (Short Revised) was used to assess three key perceptions of health coaching: 1) agreement on the goals of coaching (goal), 2) agreement on the tasks of …

Understanding The Effect Of Bvdv On Innate Immune Response Of Neutrophils, Neelu Singh Thakur

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is one of the highly prevalent and economically important diseases of cattle industry worldwide. The two major consequences of this disease are persistent infection and immunosuppression. Several studies have been done to determine the underline mechanisms of BVDV-induced immunosuppression targeting antigen presenting cells, adaptive immune system cells and cytokine gene expression. However, very little research has been done to determine the effect of BVDV on neutrophils. Neutrophils are one of the most abundant while blood cells (WBC) in the peripheral blood, which play a critical role in the innate as well as adaptive immune response. …

The Impact Of Standardized Patients On Physical Assessment Skills, Clinical Judgment, And Self-Efficacy In Undergraduate Nursing Students, Allison Mueller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The healthcare industry is seeing constant changes in patient acuity, expanding care environments, new healthcare policies, and continual advancements in research and technology. To overcome these challenges, nurses must receive education that adequately prepares them with confidence, clinical judgment, and the proper skills to provide safe and quality care to patients. More specifically, nurses must have strong physical assessment skills, sound clinical judgment, and high levels of self-efficacy (Chong, Lim, Liu, Lau, & Wu, 2016; Institute of Medicine (IOM), 2010). Peer physical assessments are generally the standard for practicing and validating physical assessment skills (Slater, Bryant, & Ng, 2016). Standardized …

Factors Influencing Hypoglycemia Care Utilization And Outcomes Among Adult Diabetic Patients Admitted To Hospitals: A Predictive Model, Waleed Kattan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diabetes Miletus (DM) is one of the major health problems in the United States. Despite all efforts made to combat this disease, its incidence and prevalence are steadily increasing. One of the common and serious side effects of treatment among people with diabetes is hypoglycemia (HG), where the level of blood glucose falls below the optimum level. Episodes of HG vary in their severity. Nevertheless, many require medical assistance and are usually associated with higher utilization of healthcare resources such as frequent emergency department visits and physician visits. Additionally, patients who experience HG frequently have poor outcomes such as higher …

Implication Of Alpha-Synuclein Transcriptional Regulation And Mutagenesis In The Pathogenesis Of Sporadic Parkinson's Disease, Sambuddha Basu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder characterized by selective loss of dopaminergic neurons (DA neurons) from the substantia nigra (SN) of the mid-brain. PD is classically associated with cytoplasmic inclusion of aggregated proteins called Lewy bodies. alpha-synuclein (α-SYN) coded by the gene SNCA, is one of the major components of Lewy body and neurite along with several other proteins like ubiquitin, neurofilament to name a few. PD is broadly categorized into two groups based on their incidence of occurrence. First is the familial form that occurs due to known genetic aberrations like mutation, gene duplication/triplication in important PD …

Effects Of Symbol Type On Naming And Identification Of Graphic Symbols By Typically Developing Three, Four, Five And Six-Year Olds Children., Pamela Resnick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Speech-language pathologists and educators face unique challenges in assessing the language skills of children with complex communication needs due to the wide array of impairments with which these individuals present. For example, most receptive language assessment tools require that children either point to or label line drawings to determine whether or not they comprehend the depicted concepts; task demands such as these preclude administering such assessment tools with children who are unable to physically point to or verbally label presented stimuli. In light of these challenges, the use of eye tracking technologies has become particularly appealing since this alternate response …

Targeted Therapy Development For Neurofibromatosis Type 2, Marisa Fuse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is a debilitating disease characterized by the formation of bilateral vestibular schwannomas, which compress the vestibulocochlear nerve and cause deafness. Additional peripheral schwannomas, meningiomas and ependymomas may also form. NF2 is caused by mutations in the NF2 gene, resulting in the loss of function of the merlin tumor suppressor. Merlin functions in multiple signaling pathways and its absence in Schwann cells yields increased cell survival and proliferation, thereby causing schwannoma formation. First line treatment for NF2 is watchful waiting and surgical removal of tumors, potentially resulting in facial paralysis and deafness. To date, there are no …

The Actin-Severing Protein Cofilin Is Downstream Of Neuregulin Signaling, Is Regulated By The Tumor Suppressor Merlin, And Is Essential For Schwann Cell Myelination, Nicklaus Sparrow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Myelination is a complex process requiring coordination of directional motility and an increase in Schwann cell (SC) size to generate a multi-lamellar myelin sheath. Regulation of actin dynamics during myelination is poorly understood. However, it is known that myelin thickness is related to the abundance of neuregulin1-type III (NRG) expressed on the axon surface. NRG binding to ErbB2/3 receptors on the Schwann cell surface initiates signaling cascades necessary for myelination. We identify cofilin1, an actin depolymerizing and severing protein, as a downstream target of NRG-ErbB2/3 signaling in rat SC. A five minute exposure of SCs to NRG triggers phosphorylation of …

A Systems Approach To Moral Distress In Long Term Care, Margaret Lemley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract: The question that this dissertation seeks to answer is whether or not a Systems Approach to Moral Distress can serve to positively address issues of moral distress within the Long-Term Care setting. Because moral distress has largely been understood as a phenomenon of the individual, efforts to address and reduce incidents of moral distress have focused almost entirely on the individual and his or her reaction to specific triggers. Building upon the existing literature this dissertation argues that previous efforts to understand moral distress within the healthcare setting have been limiting in two very important aspects. The first …

Tobacco Use, Cessation, And Locus Of Control Among College Students, Bernard Ambe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to (a) determine the locus of control among American college students (b) determine if tobacco use or cessation correlate with any demographic variables to better understand the efficacy of tobacco interventions and help design an intervention most effective in the prominent LOC of college students.

The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) was modified for the purposes of this study and used to determine demographic factors and tobacco usage status. The modified GATS survey also included the LOC questionnaire which yielded the data. Seventy-four responses were recorded. The mean locus of control scores were …

Perceptual Variations In Thermoregulation During Exercise In A Hot Environment, William C. Alger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Professionals are seeking to find ways to prevent exertional heat illness (EHI) in populations working in hot environments as well as populations that are physically active. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate individuals’ ability to accurately perceive core temperature ranges associated with homeothermic and EHI temperatures during exercise. Ten physically active males exercised on a treadmill at a self-selected rate until core temperature reached 39°C. Participants rated perceived core and skin temperature on 100 mm scales each time core temperature increased 0.25˚ C (37.5-39.0˚ C), along with thermal comfort and sweating sensation. During exercise core temperature …