Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Associations Between Opioid-Related Hospitalizations And Intravenous Drug Users, Jacklynn De Leon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The opioid epidemic has led to a chain reaction of public health concerns, including an increase in heroin usage, injection drug abuse, incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HIV transmission. There have been few population-based studies investigating the clinical and socio- demographic data associated with opioid use in Nevada (Feng et al., 2016; Frank, 2000) and few studies investigating the intravenous drug user (IDU) population in Clark County. On February 2017, Clark County’s first syringe exchange program (SEP) opened its doors to the IDU population. This study provides an updated analysis of opioid-related injuries within Nevada and provides a …

On The Development Of Computational Methods To Help In Performing Medical Physics Tasks Leveragin The Portal Dosimetry Application, Enea Rrokaj

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this project is to build software that can programmatically analyze dosimteric images and reduce the QA time when performing gamma analysis at varying test criteria and evaluating the results of the Winston-Lutz test. The application leverages the Eclipse Scripting API (ESAPI) within the Eclipse Treatment planning system of Varian Medical Systems. The Portal Dosimetry Application of Eclipse is used to collect the image pixels. The pixels are then displayed in a Windows Presentation Foundation using Microsoft Visual Studio and C#.

The purpose of the Gamma Index pass rates software is to benchmark the Portal Dosimetry Application by …

Air Pollution Related Asthma Inpatient Hospital Admission In The Las Vegas Valley, Joshua Allen Jensen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition characterized by inflammation in the lungs that causes airflow to be restricted. In Southern Nevada’s Las Vegas Valley, the natural basin geography causes air pollutants to accumulate. Research has linked air pollution with worsening asthma symptoms. The goal of this study was to determine the non-linear lagged relationship between Asthma Related Inpatient Hospital Admissions (ARIHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) criteria air pollutants in the Las Vegas Valley using hospital and pollution monitoring station data. Overall, a statistically significant increased RR of ARIHA between 7 and 13 days after exposure to PM2.5 24-hour …

Examining Environmental Hazards In Rental Homes And Habitability Laws In Clark County, Nevada, Jorge Luis Bertran

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

It is well established that home conditions are linked to the health outcomes of occupants. There are over 880,000 housing units in Clark County, Nevada; nearly half of those are renter-occupied units (ROUs). Currently, there is limited research on the characteristics of environmental hazards found in Clark County ROUs and the strength of habitability statutes created to protect tenants from substandard housing. Understanding how renters in Clark County are affected by environmental hazards in ROUs and the processes by which landlords and tenants resolve grievances related to those hazards would benefit public health. It would enhance the ability to quickly …

Cocoa, Postprandial Lipoproteins, And Inflammation In Type 2 Diabetes: A Secondary Data Analysis, Rickelle Tallent

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is associated with dyslipidemia and chronic low-grade inflammation, which greatly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in this population. Hyperlipidemia and inflammation in the postprandial state substantially contribute to atherosclerosis development and CVD risk, and have shown to be exacerbated by high-fat meals. Dietary cocoa is a rich source of flavanols that is associated with favorable effects on cardiovascular health, such as improvements in the lipid profile and chronic inflammation, in non-diabetic adults.

Objective: To conduct a secondary data analysis using unpublished data from a previously conducted clinical study to determine whether acute cocoa …

Telelactation And Breastfeeding Outcomes Among Low-Income Mothers In Mississippi: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Aaron Thomas Hunt

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

New mothers are recommended to exclusively breastfeed their infants for the first six months to provide optimal health for infant and mother. However, only 13.0% of mothers in Mississippi reached this milestone among infants born in 2015, which was far below the Healthy People 2020 objective of 25.5%. One factor that impacts breastfeeding success is access to certified lactation consultants, but low-income women may lack access due to an inadequate number of providers, unreliable transportation, rural location, or cost. The use of “telelactation” programs, which provide access to lactation consultants via video conferencing on internet connected devices, has been suggested …

Development Of An Evidence-Based Nursing Leadership Fellowship Program Guide, Jennie Noren

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Faced with an increasing demand for nurse leaders with competencies in effective inter-professional communication, change management, conflict resolution, business and financial acumen, and the ability to lead both within and across systems, the current practice of promoting the highest skilled clinicians into leadership positions is not effective. Leadership skills which have been demonstrated in the literature to generate successful and impactful leaders must be provided through immersive educational experiences in an efficient and effective manner to produce leaders who can promote the transformation of healthcare at all levels with confidence. This DNP Project has created a guide for an evidence-based …

Efficacy Of Combined 5-Fluorouracil And Photodynamic Therapy In Glioma Spheroids, Karanjit Singh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Standard treatment regimens consisting of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy have proven ineffective for the treatment of high-grade gliomas such as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). An effective cure requires elimination of nests of tumor cells that have migrated from the resection margin and infiltrated normal brain. A number of localized therapies, including light-based approaches such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photochemical internalization (PCI) are currently under investigation for the management of GBM patients.

Several studies have demonstrated a high degree of synergy between PDT and bleomycin, via the PCI mechanism, in a variety of in vitro and in vivo models, including glioma …

Mental Health Research Productivity Of Nasp-Approved School Psychology Programs: 2010-2015, Mala Nash

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With the evident need for mental health support of children and adolescents, there are identified professionals prepared to provide services within the school setting. The school psychologist is considered a key resource for providing mental health services such as preventive and crisis response (Dwyer, 2004; Armistead, 2008). Based on our country’s mental health needs and the significant role that schools can make in meeting those needs, it is pertinent to take a closer look at the literature specifically related to mental health. This review focused specifically on the field of school psychology’s contribution to mental health literature and established a …

Designing National Indoor Radon Surveys According To Iaea Guidance, Charles Fitzpatrick

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Radon is a radioactive gas that can accumulate indoors, typically in buildings with unfinished basements, poor ventilation, and/or cracks in walls or floors that lead to underlying soil, from which radon emanates. Radon is estimated to be the second most prevalent cause of lung cancer worldwide and is a threat to public health, which is a concern for national health authorities in many countries. Fortunately, radon can be measured and controlled. In order to know if radon poses a threat on a national level, studies must be performed that allow these authorities to extrapolate data from a relatively small amount …

Handgrip Fatigue And Forearm Girth In Intermediate Sport Rock Climbers, Grace Antoinette Macdonald

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Rock climbing has been increasing in popularity both recreationally and competitively. Indoor sport rock climbing is a type of climbing where the climber ascends a wall using artificial rocks (hand and foot holds) and is attached to a safety rope. Despite this increase in popularity of the sport, the physiological responses to sport climbing as an exercise to specific muscle groups are not well defined in literature. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to quantify the change in handgrip strength over a 30-minute bout of continuous climbing, specifically in intermediate sport climbers. An additional aim of this study …

An Evaluation Of Alzheimer's Disease-Related Pathology In Two Different Models Of Diabetes In Immune-Challenged Mice, Andrew Scott Murtishaw

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and metabolic syndrome are related disorders with wide-ranging and devastating effects that can be observed throughout the body. One important and understudied organ of damage is the brain. Clinical and epidemiological studies have found that T2DM, and more specifically hyperinsulinemia, significantly increases the risk of cognitive decline and increases the likelihood of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other forms of dementia in the elderly. Insulin has slightly different functions in the peripheral body than in the central nervous system and the dysregulation of these functions may contribute to the onset and progression of late-life neurodegenerative …

Electronic Health Record Instruction In First-Semester Nursing Students: A Comparative Study, Angela Ruckdeschel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The use of health information technology has been shown to have positive effects on patient outcomes and provider efficiency. New nurses make more than half of the 7 million life-threatening medication errors that occur each year, and electronic health records (EHRs) have been shown to significantly reduce these errors. Nurses now are expected to enter practice with a solid foundation in health information technology and the use of the EHR. Unfortunately, the vast majority of nursing schools do not specifically train their students in effective EHR utilization. Academic EHRs (AEHRs) are software packages with learning features that can be incorporated …

Examination Of A Screening Tool For Athletes’ Mental Health And Its Direct Implications To Sport Training And Competition, Jesse Scott

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Sport Interference Checklist (SIC) is a psychometrically validated instrument designed to assess how often cognitive and behavioral factors interfere with athletes performance during training and/or competition as well as the extent to which athletes are interested in pursuing sport psychology to address these problems. The success of this scale inspired an interest in developing new items that assess the influence of specific mental health concerns on sport performance using the SIC format. The Sport Interference Checklist’s Sport Specific Screen for Mental Health (SIC-SSSMH) was empirically developed using 259 athletes to assist in the identification of mental health problems explicitly …

Prevalence Of Cariogenic Microbial Flora Among Scardovia Wiggsiae-Positive And Negative Patients, Amy Tam

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The formation of dental caries (cavities) is a complex, multi-dimensional process that necessarily involves many risk factors – including the acquisition and colonization of cariogenic oral bacteria. The most frequently associated oral pathogens are the acid-producing and acid-tolerant oral streptococcus species, such as Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans or SM). Many studies have established and confirmed the critical role of the formation of biofilm in the virulence of S. mutans, and the critical role this may play in determining the balance of the oral microbiome towards health or disease.

More recent efforts have discovered a novel cariogenic pathogen, Scardovia wiggsiae (S. …

Electron Monte Carlo Dose Calculation Model Dependency On Optional Applicator Specific 1d Profiles, Ryan Sharp

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The accuracy of a calculated dose distribution compared to the actual dose administered to a patient undergoing electron radiation treatment is dependent upon the configured electron dose calculation algorithm in the treatment planning system (TPS). Configuration of the electron Monte Carlo (eMC) algorithm in the Eclipse TPS requires a variety of beam scan data. One of the required data sets is the inclusion of optional in air crossplane (CP) and inplane (IP) profiles. It is unknown if the inclusion of the optional profiles into the eMC algorithm greatly influences the output of the TPS. Two eMC algorithms were configured in …

Effect Of Exercise And Hypoxia On Plasma Telomerase, Charli D. Aguilar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction: Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is the enzyme that adds telomeric sequences to the end of linear chromosomes. Exercise has shown to upregulate acutely leukocyte TERT after just 30 minutes of running on a treadmill at 80% of VO2max (Denham et al., 2016). Hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is also a mediator of TERT in in vitro (Nishi et al., 2004). Moderate acute exposure to hypoxia was associated with substantial increases in plasma TERT in a recent study on rats (Wang et al., 2014). The specific aim of the current study was to identify if acute hypoxia upregulates plasma TERT …

Implementing Dietary And Physical Activity Guidelines In A College Health Center, Terry Lynn Bartmus

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Obesity has been classified as a major national health care problem that results in a significant increase in morbidity, mortality, and health care related costs. Seventy percent of all adults age 18 and older have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or greater, indicating they are overweight or obese. Thirty-six percent of college students are overweight or obese. Research has shown that lack of time has further decreased weight-related counseling by primary-care providers. Printed materials have been shown to be effective in cueing individuals to engage in healthy behaviors such as following physical activity and recommended nutritional guidelines. Currently, …

The Effect Of Choice On Throwing Speed In Baseball Players, Brooke Andrea Boyd

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Incidental choices have been identified as one way to support the need for autonomy. The purpose of this study was to determine if choice in type and color of wrist tape would influence throwing speed in baseball players. Participants were experienced male baseball players from a local high school. All participants performed 10 throws under choice and no-choice conditions. Throwing speed did not differ as a function of choice versus no choice. Possible explanations and limitations of the present study are discussed.

An Evaluation Of Food Insecurity Rates And Its Correlates In A Filipino American Population Sample Residing In Clark County, Nevada, Prescott M. Cheong

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Filipino Americans comprise over half of the Asian American population in Clark County, Nevada. In 2016, 1.6% of Asian American households in Clark County reported being food insecure, which was considerably lower than food insecurity rates for White, non-Hispanic households (14.5%). Yet, Clark County demographic data reveals that 24% of Filipino-headed households report incomes at 200% or below the federal poverty level compared to 33% for Whites. Food insecurity rates specific to Filipino Americans in Clark County are lacking. Moreover, available food insecurity data aggregates Filipinos with other Asian American subgroups, which ignores the heterogeneity inherent to the Asian American …

Motor Impairments In Children With Autism: Insight Into The Complexity Of The Disorder, Jeffrey Douglas Eggleston

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder which has seen an increasing prevalence rate in recent decades. Currently, the diagnostic criteria for the disorder evaluate a multitude of social communication and interactions, in a variety of contexts, and restricted or repetitive behavioral patterns (stereotyped movement, resistance to changes in routines, restricted interests, and hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory stimulus). Furthermore, ASD severity is based upon the marked severity of the above described impairment and they must also fall within one of three potential categories: 1) symptoms being present in early development, although potentially not manifested fully; 2) the …

Modeling Impaired Hippocampal Neurogenesis After Radiation Exposure, Kapukotuwa Walawwe Sidath Chathuranga Kapukotuwa

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The birth of neuronal cells from neuronal stem cells is known as neurogenesis, and the granular cell layer of the dentate gyrus of hippocampus is one of the two regions in the brain this process occurs. Cognitive damages following radiation therapy for brain cancers in both children and adults have been linked to impairment of neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Studies followed using mice and rats as model animals have shown impairment in neurogenesis process following exposure to radiation. Obtaining experimental data for radiation-induced changes in neurogenesis in humans is very difficult. Model was developed and applied to mouse data previously; …

3-D Upper Airway Comparison Between Class I And Class Ii Adults With Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, Nga Nguyen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Objective: The aim of the study is to determine whether there is a relationship between the risk for daytime sleepiness in adults with Class I and Class II malocclusion and the airway volume, minimum cross-sectional area, and shape at the minimum cross sectional area.

Introduction: Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is a category of conditions defined by airway complications while a person is sleeping. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common of these disorders and is defined as the presence of repeated episodes of complete or partial airway obstruction, which may be associated with loud snoring and daytime sleepiness. Daytime …

Screening For The Novel Cariogenic Pathogen Scardovia Wiggsiae Among Orthodontic Patients, Adam Whiteley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Screening for the Novel Cariogenic Pathogen Scardovia wiggsiae among Orthodontic Patients

by

Adam Whiteley

Dr. Karl Kingsley, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Biomedical Sciences University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine

The recent discovery of a novel cariogenic pathogen Scardovia wiggsiae has led many scientists and oral health researchers to re-evaluate and re-examine existing saliva repositories to determine the prevalence among patient populations. Recent efforts at this institution have used existing saliva samples to determine the prevalence among both adults and pediatric patients. These studies have revealed this organism may be found in approximately one-quarter of all samples …

Using Pictorial Action Instructions To Train Low-Literacy Adults To Construct A Basic Humanitarian Engineering Project, Kathleen Paco Cadman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are often disproportionately faced with environmental hazards, which can cause adverse health outcomes. Although humanitarian engineering projects have been created to mitigate these hazards, LMICs are also frequently impacted by literacy deficits, creating a barrier in training low-literacy individuals to construct these projects. The purpose of this dissertation was to develop, refine, and test the usability of pictorial action instructions (PAI) in training low-literacy individuals to construct a humanitarian engineering project. A concept analysis was completed, including the creation of an operational definition, for “lay worker health literacy.” This analysis and definition set a foundation …

Implementing Evidenced-Based Tools And Obesity Bias Training When Counseling Overweight And Obese Truck Drivers, Sheryl M. Giordano

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Many Americans are either overweight or obese, but commercial truck drivers are at an even higher risk by nature of their occupation. The 2010 Survey of U.S. Long-Haul Truck Drivers found that 22.8% were overweight, 68.9% were obese, and 17.4% were considered morbidly obese. The concern is that obesity is a gateway to multiple medical disorders, to include obstructive sleep apnea, cancer, diabetes, and cardiac disease. Despite growing concerns of obesity, healthcare providers face problems when counseling and discussing the issue with patients. The failure of healthcare providers to discuss obesity or the impending issue with patients (i.e., truck drivers) …

Mate Preferences Among Single Mothers, Carol Yvette Franco

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As individuals become parents, they shift time and energy towards parenting to ensure the survival and wellbeing of their offspring. However, it is not uncommon for a romantic partnership between parents to dissolve, which may lead a single mother to pursue a new partner in the future. But how does having a dependent child influence whom she will choose for her new partner? And how will resource availability and assistance from family influence the decisions she makes? A significant amount of research has been conducted on female mate preferences in the United States and elsewhere, yet little is specifically focused …

Clinical Instructors' Cultivation Of Pre-Licensure Nursing Students' Pharmacology Ksas, Rieneke Holman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Adverse drug events affect up to 5% of inpatients; half of these events are caused by preventable medication errors (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2015). Nurses are the final checkpoint between a medication being ordered and the patient taking it. This profound responsibility requires nurses to possess well-developed pharmacology knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs). To acquire these abilities, they must not only receive pharmacology content as part of their educational preparation, but also translate what they have learned during student clinical experiences. This is important in bridging the gap between what is learned in the

classroom and clinical practice. …

Effect Of Bmp Treatment On Periostin Gene Expression In Pre-Osteoblastic Mc3t3-E1 Mouse Cells, Vincent Lee Khang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Periostin is a secreted, extracellular matrix (ECM) protein widely expressed within collagen-rich fibrous connective tissues of the body including the periodontal ligament (PDL), bone, skin, heart, and cornea. Periostin has been shown to serve many important regulatory functions including cell adhesion, cell motility, wound healing and of particular importance to the dental field, differentiation of osteoblasts. The deletion of periostin compromises osteoblast attachment to bone matrix and induces a reduction in mineralization and expression of bone markers, including type I collagen, osteocalcin, osteopontin and alkaline phosphatase. Periostin has also been shown to play a significant role in collagen fibrillogenesis by …

Implementing High-Fidelity Simulation To Meet Undergraduate Clinical Requirements, Tammy Lynn Mccoy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Increased demand for clinical experiences, lack of clinical sites, and shortages of qualified nursing faculty are reasons undergraduate nursing programs are seeking to utilize simulation to meet student learning needs. High-fidelity simulation (HFS) gives students the

opportunity to develop technical skills, enhance critical thinking skills, and apply theoretical concepts to clinical presentations in a controlled, safe environment. There is mounting interest in replacing traditional clinical hours with simulated practice experiences, particularly in specialty nursing areas like obstetrics. Despite literature supporting HFS and the positive effects of its use in undergraduate nursing education, faculty remain unfamiliar with the process of integrating …