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The Effect Of Integrative Medicine Interventions On Patient Activation Measure, Rochelle F. Richards Jan 2022

The Effect Of Integrative Medicine Interventions On Patient Activation Measure, Rochelle F. Richards

All ETDs from UAB

Activated patients believe they have essential roles in achieving and maintaining their health. Patient activation is strongly related to improved clinical outcomes (Hibbard, 2017; Greene, 2013). The study’s primary purpose is to evaluate the use of Integrative Medicine Interventions (IMIs) and their relationship to patient activation levels; and to investigate the association between IMI protocols and patient activation levels on patient reported outcomes (PROs) for those with chronic diseases, specifically chronic fatigue and mental health-related conditions of anxiety and depression, using the principles of Integrative Medicine’s (IM) whole-person approach as the model of care in independent IM practices across the …


A Gastrointestinal-Specific Antibiotic As An Experimental Treatment For Anxio-Depressive Disorders, Yuang-Tai Huang Jan 2022

A Gastrointestinal-Specific Antibiotic As An Experimental Treatment For Anxio-Depressive Disorders, Yuang-Tai Huang

All ETDs from UAB

Chronic stress is a predisposing factor for various disease states, including neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety [1]. Stress-related disorders have complicated multifactorial etiologies [2]. Advances in psychotherapeutic and psychotropic treatments have occurred, but anxiety and depressive disorders are still prevalent and remain a burden to our societies [3]. More than 30% of major depressive disorder patients fail to remission despite an FDAapproved medication [4]. Meanwhile, the contribution of microbiota-gut-brain axis signaling in both etiologies and treatment of stress-related disorders is increasingly being recognized [5]. More evidence has shown that the gut microbiota has the potential to alter the …


Pain-Related Injustice Appraisal And Chronic Low Back Pain Among Arabs In The United States, Albatool Homoud Alnojeidi Jan 2021

Pain-Related Injustice Appraisal And Chronic Low Back Pain Among Arabs In The United States, Albatool Homoud Alnojeidi

All ETDs from UAB

Pain-related injustice appraisal has emerged as a psychosocial predictor of deleterious chronic low back pain (CLBP) outcomes. The appraisal is defined as the individual’s perception regarding the magnitude and irreparability of pain-related loss and suffering, externalized blame, and unfairness. Research in diverse samples revealed racial differences in pain-related injustice appraisal, suggesting that it may reflect broader racial/ethnic, sociocultural, and socioeconomic factors. This agrees with theories recognizing the role of ethnic and cultural characteristics in ethnic minorities’ health. Despite global data showing that Arabs represent the population with the second-highest prevalence of CLBP worldwide, a reliable characterization of CLBP among Arabs …


Mental Health And Chronic Disease Management: Examining The Association Between Depression And Multiple Sclerosis (Ms) Outcomes, Christina J. Glenn Jan 2021

Mental Health And Chronic Disease Management: Examining The Association Between Depression And Multiple Sclerosis (Ms) Outcomes, Christina J. Glenn

All ETDs from UAB

The aim of this dissertation is to determine whether depression is associated with clinical (relapses and disability worsening) and MRI outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS) by conducting a secondary data analysis of the CombiRx clinical trial. Psychiatric comorbidities, including depression are common in people living with MS (PwMS), often underreported, and contribute to reduced quality of life and mortality associated with the disease. Most clinical studies that have examined the relationship between depression, depression medication usage, and MS outcomes have been small, excluded participants with relapsing-remitting subtypes and severe depressive symptoms, and had relatively short study periods—all shortcomings this thesis …


The Effects Of Ketamine And Other Rapid Antidepressants On Hippocampal Circuits, Allie J. Widman Jan 2018

The Effects Of Ketamine And Other Rapid Antidepressants On Hippocampal Circuits, Allie J. Widman

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Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in a common mental disorder that can impair cognitive functioning and negatively impact hippocampus. While several pharmacological treatments are currently available for MDD, most target the monoamine system, providing little variety in approaching treatment. Additionally, a large percentage of people with MDD have an inadequate response to this drug class, leaving them with little optimism of a full functional recovery. Recently, low-dose ketamine, an open-channel N-methyl D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, produced rapid antidepressant effects in humans, including people who do not respond to monoamine-based therapies, that lasted for days. The antidepressant-like behavioral effect of ketamine is …


Modeling Depression Treatment Strategies For Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Hiv) Positive Patients, Rongbing Xie Jan 2017

Modeling Depression Treatment Strategies For Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Hiv) Positive Patients, Rongbing Xie

All ETDs from UAB

This dissertation empirically examines the associations between depression and HIV-related outcomes, simulates both care and outcomes under different depression care strategies, and compares the cost effectiveness of various depression care strategies to the current care strategy. The empirical investigations reveal the negative associations between depression and HIV-related outcomes using two longitudinal patient-level databases. Furthermore, the patterns and outcomes of depression care are identified and simulated using agent-based modeling. Finally, simulated costs and effectiveness are used to evaluate different depression care strategies for reducing new HIV infections and improving quality of life. The current standard of care for depression among patients …


Neurobiological Consequences Of Perinatal Ssri Exposure, Matthew Edward Glover Jan 2016

Neurobiological Consequences Of Perinatal Ssri Exposure, Matthew Edward Glover

All ETDs from UAB

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been a mainstay pharmacological treatment for women experiencing depression during pregnancy and postpartum for nearly three decades. Recently, though, growing evidence indicates that early-life SSRI exposure triggers long-lasting behavioral abnormalities. Clinically, children exposed to SSRIs in early life exhibit increased internalizing behavior, reduced social behavior, and increased risk for depression in adolescence. Similarly, in rodents, perinatal SSRI exposure leads to increased traits of anxiety- and depression-like behavior. Interestingly, certain individuals are more susceptible to early-life SSRI exposure than others, suggesting that perinatal SSRI exposure poses greater risks for negative outcome within certain populations; however, …


Early-Life Programming Of Emotional Behaviors And Cardiovascular Function, Samir Rana Jan 2016

Early-Life Programming Of Emotional Behaviors And Cardiovascular Function, Samir Rana

All ETDs from UAB

Extensive evidence implicates bi-directional relationship between mood disorders and cardiovascular disorders. Early-life experience can have strong effects both on emotional development and cardiovascular function throughout life. Studies in humans are limited to correlational analyses, which are necessarily limited in terms of revealing mechanistic underpinnings of these associations. Thus, various pre-clinical models are utilized to investigate the effects of early-life experience in various domains, such as behavior and cardiovascular function, which are likely mediated by epigenetic mechanisms. Previous studies have used maternal separation and neonatal handling in developing rodents as a way to model differences in early-life experience. The effect of …


Neurodevelopmental Alterations In A Rodent Model Of Temperamental Differences, Chelsea Mccoy Mccoy Jan 2016

Neurodevelopmental Alterations In A Rodent Model Of Temperamental Differences, Chelsea Mccoy Mccoy

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Understanding biological mechanisms that shape brain development and susceptibility to emotional dysfunction is crucial for generating improved treatments for depression and anxiety disorders. To study neurodevelopmental factors that influence emotionality, we use model rats that were bred for distinct behavioral responses to novelty. Rats bred for low novelty response (LRs) exhibit a high anxiety-/depressive-like phenotype compared to high novelty responder rats (HRs), which vigorously explore novelty and exhibit high impulsivity, aggression, and risk-taking. Transcriptome profiling revealed multiple gene expression differences in the early postnatal hippocampus and amygdala and in the adult amygdala of HR/LR rats. Through gene ontology analysis, we …


Norepinephrine Circuits In Mediating Stress-Elicited Behavior, Hyungwoo Nam Jan 2015

Norepinephrine Circuits In Mediating Stress-Elicited Behavior, Hyungwoo Nam

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Norepinephrine in the central nervous system (CNS) is a key mediator of stress-elicited behavioral and physiological adaptations. However, our understanding of central noradrenergic circuitry that regulates specific stress-elicited adaptations is incomplete. The working model for the studies described in this dissertation is that disruptions of specific noradrenergic circuits are responsible for the manifestation of distinct stress-elicited behaviors. Initially the organization of descending noradrenergic neurons with poly-synaptic collaterals to the adrenal gland and skeletal muscle was defined. These noradrenergic presympathetic-premotor neurons (PSPMNs) were distributed within the ventral locus coeruleus (LC), nucleus subcoeruleus (SubC), and the A7 cell group. Then behavioral characterization …


Nutrition And Health Related Outcomes In Patients On Hemodialysis, Shawona Cannon Daniel Jan 2014

Nutrition And Health Related Outcomes In Patients On Hemodialysis, Shawona Cannon Daniel

All ETDs from UAB

Millions of Americans are affected by kidney disease and a large proportion of these individuals require hemodialysis to sustain life. This is a life changing event. The nutritional lifestyle changes associated with hemodialysis may be a key factor to health related outcomes such as depression and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study examined the relationship between selected demographic characteristics, nutritional status, measured by serum albumin, normalized protein catabolic rate (nPCR), body mass index (BMI), percent body fat, and self-report dietary protein intake, and HRQOL and depression in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis. This study also examines the magnitude of correlation …


Relationships Among Heart Failure-Related Physical Symptoms, Social Support, Social Problem-Solving, Depressive Symptomatology, And Self-Care Behaviors In Individuals Living With Heart Failure, Lucinda Joy Graven Jan 2014

Relationships Among Heart Failure-Related Physical Symptoms, Social Support, Social Problem-Solving, Depressive Symptomatology, And Self-Care Behaviors In Individuals Living With Heart Failure, Lucinda Joy Graven

All ETDs from UAB

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) is a chronic condition that progressively worsens over time. The condition is more common in individuals over the age of 65 and commonly causes dyspnea, fatigue, orthopnea, nocturnal dyspnea, edema, and activity intolerance. Prior studies suggest a relationship between HF-related physical symptoms and depressive symptomatology in individuals living with HF. Depressive symptomatology in individuals with HF are linked with a higher mortality rate, decreased quality of life, decreased functional status, and disturbed sleep. Additionally, HF-related physical symptoms impact self-care in individuals living with HF. Previous studies have found that symptom severity and the associated decrease in …


The Predictability Of C-Reactive Protein, Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2, And Depression On Later Health Outcomes In Patients Experiencing A First-Time Stroke, Mary King Brethour Jan 2011

The Predictability Of C-Reactive Protein, Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2, And Depression On Later Health Outcomes In Patients Experiencing A First-Time Stroke, Mary King Brethour

All ETDs from UAB

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the most common cause of neurologic disability for adults in developed nations. Strokes trigger an acute inflammatory response prompted by brain tissue injury at the infarct site and the surrounding ischemic penumbra raising plasma levels of inflammatory markers. C-reactive protein (CRP), an acute-phase inflammatory marker, has been significantly correlated with infarct size and post-stroke complications. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) may also predict long-term cardiovascular risk in the stroke population. In addition to physiologic changes, up to 60% of all stroke survivors are known to experience depression, which may contribute to decreased …