Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Role Of Mummy Studies In Paleoparasitology, Adauto Araujo, Karl J. Reinhard, Luiz Fernando Ferreira

Karl Reinhard Publications

Paieoparasitology has advance during the past decade to the status of a statistically based science focused on problems of disease ecology and geographic distribution of parasitism. For most of its development, paleoparasitology has focused on the analysis of coprolites and latrine sediments. During the past few years, mummies have been increasingly included in paleoparasitology studies. We evaluate in this paper the interpretive value of mummies relative to other sources of paleoparasitological data.

EI estudio de la paleoparasitologia ha logrado transformarse, en esta ultima decada, en una ciencia basada en la estadistica, enfocada a temas tales como la ecologia de enfermedades …

Archaeoparasitology, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

The field devoted to the identification of parasite remains in the archaeological record and the reconstruction of past human-parasite interactions. Parasitic disease has always been a major problem. Recent summaries of the prevalence of parasitic diseases in the world today show that there are 4.5 billion infections with all species of parasitic worm, 1 billion infections with giant intestinal roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides), 750,000,000 infections with whipworms (Trichuris trichiura), 900,000,000 infections with hookworm (Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus), 657,000,000 infections with filarial worms, 200,000,000 with blood flukes (schistosome species), and 489,000,000 infections with malaria. These infections cause between 1,590,000 to 3,130,000 …

Coprolite Analysis: The Analysis Of Ancient Human Feces For Dietary Data, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

Although archaeological fieldwork is hot and dirty, the most “earthy” side of the discipline is the laboratory analysis of coprolites. Each coprolite contains the remains of one to several actual meals eaten in prehistory, and analysis of many coprolites provides a picture of ancient diet that is unique in accuracy.

The term coprolite originally referred to fossilized feces in paleontological context. In archaeology, the term broadened to refer to any formed fecal mass, including mineralized, desiccated, or frozen feces and even the intestinal contents of mummies. Coprolites contain the remains of animals (parasites) that lived in the humans, the foods …

Paleopharmacology, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

An emerging field devoted to the exploration of the archaeological record for evidence of medicinal plants.

In the future, archaeology will have a role in pharmaceutical research. In the late twentieth century, much of the world’s pharmaceutical research has been based on ethnographic documentation of tribally recognized medicinal plants. Once the active chemical compounds in the plants are identified, they are either extracted or synthesized for commercial use. The American film Medicine Man depicts this approach. As shown in the film, such pharmacological research is threatened by declining tribal populations with loss of traditional herbal knowledge coupled with declining biodiversity. …

Enriched Eggs As A Source Of N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids For Humans, Nancy M. Lewis, S. Seburg, N. L. Flanagan

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) decreases the risk of heart disease, inhibits the growth of prostate and breast cancer, delays the loss of immunological functions, and is required for normal fetal brain and visual development. The US has not established a recommended daily intake for n-3 PUFA. However, Canada has established the Canadian Recommended Nutrient Intake (CRNI) at 0.5% of energy. Dietary sources of n-3 PUFA include fish, chicken, eggs, canola oil, and soybean oil. Food consumption studies in the US indicate that the majority of Americans do not meet the CRNI for n-3 PUFA. Mean n-3 …

Modulation Of The Pharmacokinetics And Pharmacodynamics Of Proteins By Polyethylene Glycol Conjugation, Reza Mehvar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

With the rapid advances in the field of biotechnology during the last decade, many peptides and proteins have been produced and evaluated for therapy of various diseases, including cancer. However, rapid clearance and the possibility of immunogenicity after the in vivo administration of these biotechnology-driven products have impeded their marketing. To circumvent these problems, synthetic and natural polymers such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) and dextrans, respectively, have been covalently attached to proteins, and some of these protein-polymer conjugates have shown promising therapeutic results. The conjugation of proteins with polymers usually causes a reduction in the recognition of the protein by …

Anthropological Differences Between Contraception And Natural Family Planning, Richard J. Fehring, William Kurz

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Almost twenty years ago, Pope John Paul II in his apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio called on scholars to study the anthropological and moral differences between the recourse to the natural rhythms of a woman’s menstrual cycle (i.e., natural family planning) and contraception (1). Although natural family planning (NFP) and contraception can both be used to prevent pregnancy, there are conspicuous differences between use of natural methods and contraception. Most people, however, have difficulty in distinguishing what the differences are and in understanding why some religious groups, health professionals, and other members of society consider contraception (but not natural family planning) …

Cardiovascular Disease Prevention By Sports: Myth Or Reality?, Maria João C. A. Almeida, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Low levels of physical activity and fitness substantially increase risk of several chronic diseases, reduce longevity, and lead to loss of function. The strength and relation of inactivity to health problems and the high prevalence of sedentary habits in most countries of the world make lack of exercise a major public health problem. Fortunately, there is now good consensus regarding public health recommendations for physical activity from many important medical, scientific, and public health organizations. Recent research on physical activity interventions provides additional approaches to helping sedentary adults become more physically active.

Regional Differences In Indian Health 1998-1999, Indian Health Service

Native Health Database Full Text

This document contains tables and charts that describe the Indian Health Service (IHS) program and the health status of American Indians and Alaska Natives residing in the IHS area. The information is grouped into five major categories: 1) IHS structures, 2) population statistics, 3) natality and infant/maternal mortality statistics, 4) general mortality statistics, and 5) patient care statistics.

Information Technology In The Health Care Industry: A Primer, P. Southard, S. J. Hong, Keng Siau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The paper discusses current and future applications of information technology within the healthcareindustry. It presents some broad strategies for approaching information technology investments and various tools available.

Generational Conflict, Human Capital Accumulation, And Economic Growth, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Mary E. Lovely, Mehmet Serkan Tosun

Center for Policy Research

Worldwide, dependency ratios are forecast to increase dramatically in the next 50 years. A great deal of attention has been devoted to understanding the changes in fiscal policies that "must" take place to accommodate these changes. In contrast, less effort has been concentrated on studying the fiscal shifts that will endogenously result from demographic pressures. An example of particular interest is the degree to which a more elderly population will support public spending for education. We use an overlapping-generations model to investigate the effect of this demographic transition on the endogenous determination of public spending for education. A demographic transition …

The Global Carbon Metabolism Regulator Crc Is A Component Of A Signal Transduction Pathway Required For Biofilm Development By Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, George A. O'Toole, Karine A. Gibbs, Paul W. Hager, Paul V. Phibbs, Roberto Kolter

Dartmouth Scholarship

The transition from a planktonic (free-swimming) existence to growth attached to a surface in a biofilm occurs in response to environmental factors, including the availability of nutrients. We show that the catabolite repression control (Crc) protein, which plays a role in the regulation of carbon metabolism, is necessary for biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Using phase-contrast microscopy, we found that a crc mutant only makes a dispersed monolayer of cells on a plastic surface but does not develop the dense monolayer punctuated by microcolonies typical of the wild-type strain. This is a phenotype identical to that observed in mutants …

What Are The Limits On Warrantless Drug Testing Of Pregnant Women?, Richard W. Garnett

Journal Articles

From the Issue

Does the special-needs doctrine permit warrantless drug tests of pregnant women at a public hospital when the hospital's testing policy is designed in cooperation with police and prosecutors, and when test results are shared with law-enforcement officials and used to present women with a choice between treatment and arrest?

Health Informatics Research & Evaluation Design Students Overwhelmingly Prefer Hypertutorial Web-Based Instruction In Randomized Comparison, Craig W. Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Java-Based World Wide Web Clinical Trial Data Management, Vinod Aggarwal, Venkatesh Rudrapatna, Craig W. Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

The Web-Based Interactive Family History Questionnaire, Rita Torkzadeh, Constance M. Johnson, Craig W. Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Euphemistic Codes And Tell-Tale Hearts: Human Assistance In End-Of-Life Cases, George P. Smith Ii

Scholarly Articles

A euphemism is defined as the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive word or expression for one that is harsh, indelicate, or otherwise unpleasant taboo; allusion to an offensive thing by an inoffensive expression. This article deals with medical euphemisms used commonly through medical codes in hospitals for end-of-life patient care. It examines the extent to which fear shapes decision making in critical care units - fear of medical failure, and fear of litigation if not "everything" is done to prolong life, no matter how agonizing. Furthermore, being trained to save lives, health care providers often lack the courage to …

Acute Adenolymphangitis Due To Bancroftian Filariasis In Rufiji District, South East Tanzania, D.B. Gasarasi, Zul Premji, P.G.M. Mujinja, R. Mpembeni

Pathology, East Africa

A longitudinal prospective surveillance for acute adenolymphagitis (ADL) was carried out in three villages in Rufiji district. A sample population of 3000 individuals aged 10 years and above was monitored fortnightly for a period of 12 months. The annual incidence of ADL was found to be 33 per 1000 population and was significantly higher in males than females (52.7/1000 and 18.7/1000 respectively). ADL episodes were more frequent in the age group of 40 years and above. Individuals with chronic manifestations seemed to be more vulnerable to ADL attacks with 62.2% of the total episodes occurring in this group. Furthermore, individuals …

Play Therapy For Children With Aggressive Behavior, Jennifer M. Brehm

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this literature review was to investigate the effectiveness of various play therapy interventions for decreasing developmentally inappropriate aggression of children. Psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioral, and person-centered approaches of play therapy were reviewed. Each of the three theoretical approaches to therapy was described in relation to the aggressive behaviors of children. Similarities and differences among the three therapies were discussed. Efficacy of the interventions was presented based on published literature only. More studies of the various types of play therapy, particularly in relation to the aggressive behaviors of children, need to be conducted and results disseminated.

Applications Of Wavelet Transforms In Biomedical Optoacoustics, Zibiao Wei, Shujun Yang, Amin N. Dharamsi, Barbara Hargrave

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We discuss the utility of wavelet transform methods in signal processing in general, and in particular, demonstrate the technique in optoacoustic applications. In several optoacoustic experiments with different samples, we have successfully enhanced the signal to noise ratios. Wavelet transforms optimize resolution by utilizing a tailored, variable time-window in different frequency regions. The technique's great advantage lies in the fact that the wavelet transform adds some redundancy to the original signal, and some desired features can be enhanced in the transformed space. In addition, proper choice of the basis set allows a sparse representation of the signal. Therefore, even when …

Learning Approaches And Academic Performance Of Undergraduate Medical Students In Pakistan, Zoon Naqvi, Rashida Ahmed

Department for Educational Development

Objective: To classify undergraduate medical students according to their learning approaches and to correlate the learning approaches with their academic achievements.
Materials and Methods: A questionnaire to appraise learning approaches of undergraduate medical students was administered and collected at the end of the regular certifying examinations. The responses were analysed through the principal component factor analysis.
Results: The results did not depict formation of demonstrable learning approaches during academic years. However, increased self-awareness about the approaches was indicated by the responses of final year students as compared to the third year students. The correlation of the learning approaches with the …

Two Hundred Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: Recurrence Patterns And Prognostic Factors For Survival, Ronald P. Dematteo, Jonathan J. Lewis, Denis H. Y. Leung, Salvinder S. Mudan, James M. Woodruff, Murray F. Brennan

Research Collection School Of Economics

Objective: To analyze the outcome of 200 patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) who were treated at a single institution and followed up prospectively. Summary Background Data: A GIST is a visceral sarcoma that arises from the gastrointestinal tract. Surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment because adjuvant therapy is unproven. Methods: Two hundred patients with malignant GIST were admitted and treated at Memorial Hospital during the past 16 years. Patient, tumor, and treatment variables were analyzed to identify patterns of tumor recurrence and factors that predict survival. Results: Of the 200 patients, 46% had primary disease without metastasis, 47% …

Ethical Issues In Dementia, Peter J. Whitehouse

Faculty Scholarship

The growing number of individuals affected by dementia will intensify the ethical issues that emerge in clinical practice and research, issues early in disease relate to genetic testing, use of medications in mildly affected persons, and diagnostic disclosure. Research issues relate to appropriate informed consent processes, conflict of interests, and research design issues, such as the use of placebos and the use of biological tissues. In the later stages of disease concern about appropriate therapeutic goals and end-of-life care is appropriate.

The Long Term Effects Of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibition And Metabolic Control On Cardiovascular And Renal Outcomes In Hypertensive Type 2 Diabetic Patients, Julien C. N. Chan, Gary T. C. Ko, Denis H. Y. Leung

Research Collection School Of Economics

Long-term effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition and metabolic control in hypertensive type 2 diabetic patients. Background. In hypertensive type 2 diabetic patients, treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors is associated with a lower incidence of cardiovascular events than those treated with calcium channel-blocking agents. However, the long-term renal effects of ACE inhibitors in these patients remain inconclusive. In 1989, we commenced a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized study to examine the anti-albuminuric effects of enalapril versus nifedipine (slow release) in 102 hypertensive, type 2 diabetic patients. These patients have been followed up for a mean trial duration of 5.5 ± 2.2 years. …

Through The Eye Of The Beholder: Multiple Perspectives On Quality In Women's Health Care, Jaynelle F. Stichler, Marianne E. Weiss

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Quality is an illusive concept with different meanings to different people. Providers often define quality in terms of patient outcomes, professional standards of practice, predetermined criteria used to measure quality, and even subjective opinion. Patients describe quality in terms of the interpersonal aspects of care, how well they were treated, and the responsiveness of the provider to their needs. This qualitative study using a semi-structured interview defined quality from the perspectives of patients, physicians, nurses, and payers associated with a hospital-based women's service line, and how the attributes of quality varied among the multiple groups. The study also described how …

The Treatment Of Essential Voice Tremor With Botulinum Toxin A: A Longitudinal Case Report, Christopher Dromey, Paul Warrick, Jonathan Irish, Lisa Durkin

Faculty Publications

Summary: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of bilateral botulinum toxin injection into the thyroarytenoid (TA) muscles of a patient with essential voice tremor. Acoustic and aerodynamic data were collected weekly over a 16-week period. Flexible nasolaryngoscopy was performed prior to injection and 2, 6, 10, and 16 weeks post injection. Perceptual analyses of the acoustic and nasolaryngoscopic data were performed. A reduction in frequency tremor and, to a lesser extent, amplitude tremor was observed during the 1-10 week period. Estimated laryngeal resistance decreased after injection and was accompanied in perceptual measures by a reduction in …

An Investigation Of The Effects Of Subthalamic Nucleus Stimulation On Acoustic Measures Of Voice, Christopher Dromey, Rajeev Kumar, Anthony E. Lang, Andres M. Lozano

Faculty Publications

Summary: Seven patients with Parkinson’s disease were implanted with deep brain stimulators to provide chronic electrical stimulation to the subthalamic nucleus bilaterally. Acoustic recordings and neurologic assessments were undertaken before surgery in the medication-off and medication-on conditions and after surgery with and without electrical stimulation in the medication off and medication-on conditions. The data showed significant improvements in limb motor performance in response to medication before surgery and when the subthalamic nucleus was stimulated after surgery. Six months after surgery, there were small but statistically significant increases in sound pressure level and fundamental frequency variability in response to stimulation in …

Development Of An Amperometric Biosensor For Lactate., Brian Lillis, Catherine M. Grogan, Helen Berney, Bill Lane

Conference Papers

A gold enzyme electrode for lactate, fabricated on silicon has been developed. Standard silicon processing and micromachining techniques have been applied to the fabrication of three sensor types.

Two planar types and a containment sensor are presented. The enzyme lactate oxidase (LOX) was immobilised in a suitable matrix and placed on a planar gold electrode or in a gold coated, KOH etched silicon cavity. Activity and stability of the enzyme LOX was assessed in a modified BSA gel and two sol gel matrices. The enzyme has shown above average stability of three months, stored dry, when immobilised in a sol …

Are Ethics Committee Members Competent To Consult?, Diane E. Hoffmann, Anita J. Tarzian, J. Anne O'Neil

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Hepatitis C: Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices Among Orthopedic Trainee Surgeons In Pakistan, J S. Rana, A R. Khan, A A. Haleem, F N. Khan, A Gul, A R. Sarwari

Section of Gastroenterology

No abstract provided.