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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

A Comparison Of Rectangular Vs. Circular Radiographic Collimation During Simulated Endodontic Therapy, Tareq Alali May 2013

A Comparison Of Rectangular Vs. Circular Radiographic Collimation During Simulated Endodontic Therapy, Tareq Alali

Theses and Dissertations

Rectangular collimation is used in dentistry to reduce radiation by restricting the x-ray beam to approximately the size of a number 2 intraoral film (3.2X4.1 cm). However, this restricted beam size can lead to exposure errors. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the number of radiographs exposed and the presence of technical errors by the use of traditional circular or rectangular collimators during endodontic therapy on simulated teeth in manikins. A total of 1475 digital radiographs of 84 teeth exposed by 60 dental students were evaluated. Evaluation was done by a board certified endodontist, an endodontic resident, …


Accuracy Of Limited Field Cone Beam Computed Tomography In The Detection Of Buccal Cortical Plate Perforations Due To Periapical Lesions, Dan-Linh Ha May 2013

Accuracy Of Limited Field Cone Beam Computed Tomography In The Detection Of Buccal Cortical Plate Perforations Due To Periapical Lesions, Dan-Linh Ha

Theses and Dissertations

Pre-surgical planning for endodontic microsurgery is facilitated by the use of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). The purpose of this study was to determine whether limited field CBCT accurately predicts buccal cortical plate perforations due to endodontic lesions. Thirty-five roots that underwent microsurgical root end resection were included in this study. Prior to the surgery, 90 voxel CBCTs were taken with a Carestream 9300. The scans were analyzed by an endodontic resident and oral radiologist to determine the presence of a perforation in the buccal plate. These findings were compared to the clinical appearance of the bone. There was a …


Microbial Evaluation Of The Calamus Heated Gutta-Percha Delivery System, Christopher Smart Dds May 2013

Microbial Evaluation Of The Calamus Heated Gutta-Percha Delivery System, Christopher Smart Dds

Theses and Dissertations

If gutta-percha cartridges are contaminated with bacteria prior to obturation then contamination of the root canal system may result. Successful treatment not only depends on bacterial elimination but also depends on prevention of recontamination. This study was motivated by the observation that endodontists frequently use single use gutta-percha cartridges on multiple patients. The goal of this study was to determine if cross contamination occurred when a single gutta-percha cartridge in the Calamus™ Flow System was used on multiple patients. An effective recovery method was established during a pilot study using Enterococcus faecalis as a sample bacterium. Microbial recovery was obtained …


The Development And Applications Of The Hint Scoring Function: Exploring Colchicine-Site Anticancer Agents And Tautomerism, Chenxiao Da May 2013

The Development And Applications Of The Hint Scoring Function: Exploring Colchicine-Site Anticancer Agents And Tautomerism, Chenxiao Da

Theses and Dissertations

The overall aim of this work was to apply HINT, an empirical scoring function based on the understanding of hydrophobicity, to analyze and predict the binding affinities and biological activities of colchicine-site anticancer agents. The second, concurrent aim was to improve the scoring function by incorporating tautomerism within the modeling process. Our belief is that proper evaluation of tautomeric forms for small molecules will improve performance of virtual screening. The novel pyrrole-based compounds targeting the colchicine site were docked into the receptor using HINT as a rescoring function. Two distinct binding modes dictated by the size and shape of a …


Comparative Analysis Of Waveone And Lightspeed Lsx For The Residual Dentin Thickness Of The Bifurcated Maxillary First Premolar Buccal Root Utilizing Limited Field Cone Beam Computed Tomography, Manpreet Singh Sarao May 2013

Comparative Analysis Of Waveone And Lightspeed Lsx For The Residual Dentin Thickness Of The Bifurcated Maxillary First Premolar Buccal Root Utilizing Limited Field Cone Beam Computed Tomography, Manpreet Singh Sarao

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the thickness of dentin removed from the buccal root of bifurcated maxillary first premolars (BMFP) in the area of furcation groove after instrumentation with WaveOne and LightSpeed LSX files utilizing limited field cone beam computerized tomography. All data was analyzed using repeated-measured mixed-model ANOVA and differences were described using Tukey’s multiple comparison procedure. The thickness of dentin removed with LightSpeed LSX files (0.1 mm) was significantly less than the thickness of dentin removed with WaveOne files (0.2 mm). To conclude, LSX files remove a more predictable and consistent thickness of dentin from …


Analysis Of Contributing Factors To Obesity In Children And Adolescents In Southwest Georgia, Sydney Leigh Worthy May 2013

Analysis Of Contributing Factors To Obesity In Children And Adolescents In Southwest Georgia, Sydney Leigh Worthy

Theses and Dissertations

Today more than 23 million U.S. children and adolescents are either obese or overweight. Hospital costs from obesity-related diseases in youth have increased from $35 million (0.43% of total hospital costs) during 1979 to 1981 to $127 million (1.79% of total costs) during 1997 to 1999. During the Pathway to Med School program, I collaborated with three other students to develop a research project on childhood and adolescent obesity. We conducted surveys at nine different primary care clinics in the southwest Georgia area. Approval was sought by the Institutional Review Board of Phoebe Putney Memorial Health System and Albany Area …


Effect Of Cannabinoids On Pain-Stimulated And Pain-Depressed Behavior In Rats, Andrew Kwilasz May 2013

Effect Of Cannabinoids On Pain-Stimulated And Pain-Depressed Behavior In Rats, Andrew Kwilasz

Theses and Dissertations

Cannabinoids produce antinociception in many preclinical models of acute and chronic pain. In contrast, cannabinoids produce inconsistent analgesia in humans, showing little or no efficacy in treating acute pain, with modest efficacy in treating chronic inflammatory pain. This discrepancy may reflect an overreliance on preclinical assays of pain-stimulated behaviors, defined as behaviors that increase in rate or intensity following delivery of a noxious stimulus. In these assays, antinociception is indicated by a reduction in pain-stimulated behaviors, and antinociception is produced either by a reduction in sensory sensitivity to the noxious stimulus (i.e. true analgesia) or by false positive motor impairment. …


The Impact Of Medicaid Reform On Dental Practice Setting, Barrett W. R. Peters May 2013

The Impact Of Medicaid Reform On Dental Practice Setting, Barrett W. R. Peters

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To assess the impact of dental Medicaid reform in Virginia on dental practice settings (private practice, corporate practice and safety net clinics). Methods: This retrospective cohort study of 16.2 million dental claims is from the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services, which included claims for providers participating in Virginia’s Medicaid program during a 10-year period (2002-2012). The dividing date for the reform was July 1, 2005. The outcome measure was mean claims per participating provider. A Poisson regression model was used to predict the mean number of claims per provider with the following predictors: reform period, practice setting, provider …


Characterization Of Bioreducible Poly(B-Amino Ester) Nanoparticles For Sirna Delivery, Bolivia Hurtado De Mendoza May 2013

Characterization Of Bioreducible Poly(B-Amino Ester) Nanoparticles For Sirna Delivery, Bolivia Hurtado De Mendoza

Theses and Dissertations

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most malignant brain tumors affecting adults. It is characterized by necrotic tissue and abnormal vasculature, making it highly resistant to current cancer treatments. A promising alternative to standard cancer therapeutics is the use of drug delivery systems such as polymeric nanoparticles (NP) that deliver silencing RNA (siRNA) exclusively to tumor cells for gene knockdown. Presently, nonviral delivery vectors, such as poly(B-amino ester) (PBAE) NP, are beneficial delivery systems because they are less immunogenic and easier to chemically modify than vectors delivered by viruses. Although current formulations of PBAEs allow cargo release via hydrolytic …


Management Of The Medically Fragile Child In The K- Fifth Grade Classroom Setting, Mandy M. Cranney May 2013

Management Of The Medically Fragile Child In The K- Fifth Grade Classroom Setting, Mandy M. Cranney

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this focused project was to explore perceptions and identify needs of teachers of medically fragile children (MFC), in the grade setting, with the hope of designing educational modules to be utilized as supportive measures by the teachers for the classroom setting. The focused project consisted of an extensive literature review of medical fragility in school age children as well as a literature review of teachers' perceptions and needs identified in the past. Nola Pender's Health Promotion Model served as the conceptual framework in designing the study. Two focus groups were conducted among grade teachers enrolled in Masters …


Comparison Of Oral Ketamine-Midazolam And Chloral Hydrate-Meperidine-Hydroxyzine Sedation Regimens In Pediatric Dentistry, David Merrell May 2013

Comparison Of Oral Ketamine-Midazolam And Chloral Hydrate-Meperidine-Hydroxyzine Sedation Regimens In Pediatric Dentistry, David Merrell

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to create an experimental design to compare the regimen of ketamine-midazolam to chloral hydrate-meperidine-hydroxyzine for moderate oral conscious sedation. Methods: Patients between 36 and 83 months of age have been randomly assigned to receive 1 of the 2 regimens. Dosages, times, and vital signs will be recorded. Procedures will be recorded on video for assessment of sedation level and behavior. Patients will be contacted to evaluate postoperative sleeping, discomfort, and amnesia. Data will be analyzed using two-group t-tests (TOST) of equivalence in means to compare the two groups across the study period. Results: …


Myelin Is Not Required For Maintenance Of The Axon Initial Segment, Anna Josephson May 2013

Myelin Is Not Required For Maintenance Of The Axon Initial Segment, Anna Josephson

Theses and Dissertations

Axonal pathology is a major contributor to impaired motor, sensory and cognitive dysfunction associated with multiple sclerosis particularly with the progressive forms of the disease. However, the early pathologic events responsible for axonal deterioration remain unclear. It is well recognized that maintaining proper axonal function is intimately related to proper establishment and maintenance of axonal domains such as the node of Ranvier and the axon initial segment (AIS). Numerous laboratories, including ours, have investigated the mechanisms that regulate node of Ranvier formation and maintenance. These studies have shown that node of Ranvier formation and maintenance require myelin contact. Interestingly, many …


Three-Dimensional Soft Tissue Changes Upon Smiling, Clayton Mcentire Apr 2013

Three-Dimensional Soft Tissue Changes Upon Smiling, Clayton Mcentire

Theses and Dissertations

As esthetic improvement continues to be a primary goal of orthodontic patients and practitioners, it is important to understand the soft tissue movements that occur during the transition from rest to smile. Advances in technology allow capture of 3-dimesional photographs. The purpose of this study was to quantify the soft tissue changes that occur upon smiling and to compare changes between males and females using 3-dimensional photography. Fifty-four participants had resting and smiling photographs taken with the 3dMDface camera system. The two images were registered on stable facial surfaces, landmarks were placed, and measurements were recorded. Three-dimensional changes occurred in …


Service-Learning Programs Impact On Dental Students' Confidence In Treating Pediatric Population, Bushra Bhatti Apr 2013

Service-Learning Programs Impact On Dental Students' Confidence In Treating Pediatric Population, Bushra Bhatti

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: In 2011, Clinical Service-Learning (DENS 762) became a formal university-designated course required to all senior dental students at VCU School of Dentistry. The interest of this study was to measure students' experience in treating pediatric patients and to determine the effect the course had on students' self-perceived confidence in treating the pediatric population. Methods: This was an observational study of the VCU class of 2012 who were enrolled in the clinical service-learning class. Following their service-learning rotations, fourth-year dental students were surveyed about their experiences on their service-learning rotation. Out of 105 students, 76 completed the survey. Results: The …


Comparison Of Injection Discomfort And Anesthetic Duration Of Plain Polocaine Versus Epinephrine Containing Articaine And Lidocaine, Dana Doan Apr 2013

Comparison Of Injection Discomfort And Anesthetic Duration Of Plain Polocaine Versus Epinephrine Containing Articaine And Lidocaine, Dana Doan

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To determine possible differences in the pain level and soft tissue anesthesia duration of plain polocaine versus epinephrine-containing articaine and lidocaine during intraoral injections. Methods: Forty-eight subjects received plain polocaine and one epinephrine-containing anesthetic. Injections were randomized according to the first injection a)left or right buccal sulcus and b)epinephrine or not. The second injections were the opposite conditions. Subjects then recorded discomfort on a VAS and the time anesthesia wore off. Result: The second injection’s pain rating was influenced by the first. This carry-over effect makes it impossible to analyze all of the data. An analysis of the first …


Principled Variance Reduction Techniques For Real Time Patient-Specific Monte Carlo Applications Within Brachytherapy And Cone-Beam Computed Tomography, Andrew Sampson Apr 2013

Principled Variance Reduction Techniques For Real Time Patient-Specific Monte Carlo Applications Within Brachytherapy And Cone-Beam Computed Tomography, Andrew Sampson

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes the application of two principled variance reduction strategies to increase the efficiency for two applications within medical physics. The first, called correlated Monte Carlo (CMC) applies to patient-specific, permanent-seed brachytherapy (PSB) dose calculations. The second, called adjoint-biased forward Monte Carlo (ABFMC), is used to compute cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scatter projections. CMC was applied for two PSB cases: a clinical post-implant prostate, and a breast with a simulated lumpectomy cavity. CMC computes the dose difference between the highly correlated dose computing homogeneous and heterogeneous geometries. The particle transport in the heterogeneous geometry assumed a purely homogeneous environment, …


Risk Factors For Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction In Older Adults Undergoing Major Noncardiac Surgery, Osama Shoair Apr 2013

Risk Factors For Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction In Older Adults Undergoing Major Noncardiac Surgery, Osama Shoair

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a deterioration in cognitive function that occurs after surgery as measured by neuropsychological tests. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and risk factors for POCD in older adults three months after major noncardiac surgery. Methods: This is a prospective study of patients aged 65 years and older who underwent major noncardiac surgery. Patients’ cognitive function was assessed before and three months after surgery using a computerized neurocognitive battery. Blood samples were withdrawn from patients before surgery to identify patients with high level of C-reactive protein (CRP), and patients who had …


Characterizing The Role Of Cdk2ap1 In Primary Human Fibroblasts And Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Khaled Alsayegh Apr 2013

Characterizing The Role Of Cdk2ap1 In Primary Human Fibroblasts And Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Khaled Alsayegh

Theses and Dissertations

Cyclin Dependent Kinase-2 Associated Protein-1 (CDK2AP1) plays an important role in cell cycle regulation, by inhibiting CDK2 and by targeting it for proteolysis. It is also known to bind the DNA polymerase alpha-primase complex and regulate the initiation step of DNA synthesis. Its overexpression has been shown to inhibit growth, reduce invasion and increase apoptosis in a number of cancer cell lines. In studies in which mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) with targeted deletion of the Cdk2ap1 gene were used, Cdk2ap1 was shown to be required for epigenetic silencing of Oct4 during differentiation. The goal of this thesis was to …


Microbial Dna Receptor Expression In Chronic Periodontitis, Stephanie Voth Apr 2013

Microbial Dna Receptor Expression In Chronic Periodontitis, Stephanie Voth

Theses and Dissertations

AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the expression of microbial nucleic acid receptors including Toll like receptor 9 “TLR-9”, DNA-dependent activator of interferon-regulatory factors “DAI” and absent in melanoma “AIM-2” in chronic periodontitis (P) versus healthy (H) tissues. METHODS: 33 chronic periodontitis (P) and 27 periodontally-healthy (H) gingival biopsies were included. The gene and protein expression for each receptor was determined using real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Our results revealed statistically significant up-regulation of TLR-9 (p<0.006) and DAI (p<0.001) gene expression in P tissues compared to H sites. We were also able to demonstrate significant correlation among three DNA receptors (p<0.05). Immunohistochemistry further confirmed the expression of DNA sensors in gingival tissues. CONCLUSION: This study highlights a possible role for nucleic acid sensing in periodontal inflammation. Further investigations will determine whether cytoplasmic receptors and their ligands can be targeted to improve clinical outcomes in periodontitis.


Pain Management And Menopausal Health Outcomes In Multiple Sclerosis, Rachel Jawahar Apr 2013

Pain Management And Menopausal Health Outcomes In Multiple Sclerosis, Rachel Jawahar

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Previous studies have addressed multiple sclerosis (MS) symptom management and improved health-related quality of life (HrQOL). Yet lowered estrogen levels in post-menopasual women with MS may further worsen physical function and symptomology and not all types of pain management have been examined. Objectives: For post-menopausal women with MS, we evaluated the extent to which smoking is associated with worsened health outcomes and HrQOL, and the extent to which menopausal hormone treatment (MHT) improves health outcomes and HrQOL. For all adult men and women with clinically diagnosed MS, we systematically reviewed pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies for the reduction of pain. …


Influence Of Facial Profile On Social Perceptions: A 3d Video Imaging Study., Lisa Babb Apr 2013

Influence Of Facial Profile On Social Perceptions: A 3d Video Imaging Study., Lisa Babb

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of facial convexity on the perception of social attributes in a young adult population. Nine models were asked to pose for a 3 dimensional photograph that was then modified to represent ideal, retrognathic, and prognathic facial convexity angles. Survey evaluators were shown digital videos of models with ideal and non-ideal profiles and asked to rate their perception of the following 4 social attributes: intelligence, athleticism, popularity, and leadership ability using a visual analog scale. Results gathered from 271 evaluators showed that the model images with ideal facial convexity angles were …


Time Dependent Cone-Beam Ct Reconstruction Via A Motion Model Optimized With Forward Iterative Projection Matching, David Staub Apr 2013

Time Dependent Cone-Beam Ct Reconstruction Via A Motion Model Optimized With Forward Iterative Projection Matching, David Staub

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this work is to present the development and validation of a novel method for reconstructing time-dependent, or 4D, cone-beam CT (4DCBCT) images. 4DCBCT can have a variety of applications in the radiotherapy of moving targets, such as lung tumors, including treatment planning, dose verification, and real time treatment adaptation. However, in its current incarnation it suffers from poor reconstruction quality and limited temporal resolution that may restrict its efficacy. Our algorithm remedies these issues by deforming a previously acquired high quality reference fan-beam CT (FBCT) to match the projection data in the 4DCBCT data-set, essentially creating a …


A Comparative Effectiveness Study Of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (Cpap) Related Skin Breakdown When Using Different Nasal Interfaces In The Extremely Low Birth Weight (Elbw) Neonate, Katherine Newnam Apr 2013

A Comparative Effectiveness Study Of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (Cpap) Related Skin Breakdown When Using Different Nasal Interfaces In The Extremely Low Birth Weight (Elbw) Neonate, Katherine Newnam

Theses and Dissertations

Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is reportedly superior to mechanical ventilation in the neonatal population by reducing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). The neonate is vulnerable to injury secondary to immature physiological systems and skin structures and the current CPAP devices place constant pressure on nares, nasal septum and forehead, increasing injury risk. Through the framework of comparative effectiveness research an examination of nasal interfaces currently used during neonatal CPAP was conducted in an effort to provide scientifically supported recommendations and improve clinical outcomes. The primary aim of this study was to determine differences in the frequency, severity and specific types …


Chromosome-Specific Telomere Length In Women With Breast Cancer: Their Relationship To Chemotherapy And Acquired Psychoneurological Symptoms, Areej Alhareeri Apr 2013

Chromosome-Specific Telomere Length In Women With Breast Cancer: Their Relationship To Chemotherapy And Acquired Psychoneurological Symptoms, Areej Alhareeri

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common diagnosed malignancies in females. Although 90% of early diagnosed women are expected to survive for at least 5 years, their quality of life is adversely affected by a cluster of symptoms which we collectively named “psychoneurological symptoms’’ (PN). Given that acquired telomere attrition has been speculated to be a causal factor in chronic diseases and the lack in the literature of mechanisms giving rise to PN symptoms, this study was performed to assess telomere length using a chromosome-specific telomere assay before receiving chemotherapy and at the first chemotherapy. We showed significant …


Effects Of Short-Term Minocycline Treatments On Inflammatory Cell Response In The Acute Stage Following Tbi, Henna Ayub Apr 2013

Effects Of Short-Term Minocycline Treatments On Inflammatory Cell Response In The Acute Stage Following Tbi, Henna Ayub

Theses and Dissertations

Following traumatic brain injury (TBI), neuroinflammation contributes to the secondary injury. Microglia are the resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS), and when activated can exert either protective or detrimental effects on surrounding tissue. They are often segregated into subpopulations based on their type of activation, either pro- inflammatory (M1, classically activated), or anti-inflammatory (M2, alternatively activated). Minocycline, an anti-inflammatory drug, is known to be neuroprotective and to have effect on microglia. However, the effect of minocycline on subpopulations of inflammatory cells in the acute stage following injury is unclear. It is also unclear whether minocycline has a …


Understanding Molecular Interactions: Application Of Hint-Based Tools In The Structural Modeling Of Novel Anticancer And Antiviral Targets, And In Protein-Protein Docking, Hardik Parikh Apr 2013

Understanding Molecular Interactions: Application Of Hint-Based Tools In The Structural Modeling Of Novel Anticancer And Antiviral Targets, And In Protein-Protein Docking, Hardik Parikh

Theses and Dissertations

Computationally driven drug design/discovery efforts generally rely on accurate assessment of the forces that guide the molecular recognition process. HINT (Hydropathic INTeraction) is a natural force field, derived from experimentally determined partition coefficients that quantifies all non-bonded interactions in the biological environment, including hydrogen bonding, electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, and the energy of desolvation. The overall goal of this work is to apply the HINT-based atomic level description of molecular systems to biologically important proteins, to better understand their biochemistry – a key step in exploiting them for therapeutic purposes. This dissertation discusses the results of three diverse projects: i) …


Automatic Block-Matching Registration To Improve Lung Tumor Localization During Image-Guided Radiotherapy, Scott Robertson Apr 2013

Automatic Block-Matching Registration To Improve Lung Tumor Localization During Image-Guided Radiotherapy, Scott Robertson

Theses and Dissertations

To improve relatively poor outcomes for locally-advanced lung cancer patients, many current efforts are dedicated to minimizing uncertainties in radiotherapy. This enables the isotoxic delivery of escalated tumor doses, leading to better local tumor control. The current dissertation specifically addresses inter-fractional uncertainties resulting from patient setup variability. An automatic block-matching registration (BMR) algorithm is implemented and evaluated for the purpose of directly localizing advanced-stage lung tumors during image-guided radiation therapy. In this algorithm, small image sub-volumes, termed “blocks”, are automatically identified on the tumor surface in an initial planning computed tomography (CT) image. Each block is independently and automatically registered …


Attire And Appearance Of Orthodontists: A Survey Of Parent Preferences, Gillian Kelly Apr 2013

Attire And Appearance Of Orthodontists: A Survey Of Parent Preferences, Gillian Kelly

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to evaluate parents’ preferences of the appearance and attire of orthodontists. Six subjects were asked to pose for photographs wearing various combinations of attire (casual, scrubs, white coat, formal), hairstyle and nametag. Survey participants were presented with choice sets and asked to select the most and least preferred provider photographs. A total of 77 parents of orthodontic patients participated in the computer-based survey. The results indicated that there were significant differences due to provider sex (P = 0.0013), provider age (P < .0001), dress (P < .0001), nametag (P = 0.0065) and hair (P < .0001). The most preferred providers were the younger female and the older male. Formal attire or scrubs was the most preferred style of dress. There was also a preference for the use of a nametag and for the provider to have his/her hair in a controlled style.


Acute Pharmacological Treatment Given To Older Adults With Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Nationwide Emergency Department Study, 1992-2010, Maryam S. Alowayesh Apr 2013

Acute Pharmacological Treatment Given To Older Adults With Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Nationwide Emergency Department Study, 1992-2010, Maryam S. Alowayesh

Theses and Dissertations

OBJECTIVES: To determine the pattern and predictors of use of antiplatelet agents and beta-blockers given in the emergency department (ED) to older adults with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and its effects on in-hospital mortality and length of hospital stay (LOS) and to determine the effect of computerized ED guideline reminders on their utilization. METHODS: A cross-sectional study using the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) ED data for years 1992 to 2010 was conducted. Patients were included if they had an admission diagnosis of AMI (ICD-9-CM code 410.xx) and were ≥55 years. Survey logistic regression was used to examine …


The Influence Of Active Reminders On Oral Hygiene Compliance In Orthodontic Patients, Matthew Eppright Apr 2013

The Influence Of Active Reminders On Oral Hygiene Compliance In Orthodontic Patients, Matthew Eppright

Theses and Dissertations

Text message reminders have proven effective for positive behavioral changes in medicine, but their influence on oral hygiene compliance has never been tested. This study aimed to determine if text message reminders about oral hygiene have an influence on the level of compliance. In this prospective randomized controlled clinical trial, 42 orthodontic patients were assigned to a text message or control group. Parents of patients assigned to the text message group received a reminder text message one weekday each week. Oral hygiene compliance was measured using bleeding index, modified gingival index, plaque index, and visual examination of white spot lesion …