Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Attachment Styles And Children In Foster Care: A Study Involving Art Therapy Evaluation, Abigail Johnson

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This case study explored the attachment style and perceptions of family, from the perspective of children in the foster care system, through the use of art therapy evaluative methods. The participants for this study included two half-sisters in the second and fourth grades. The Art Therapy-Projective Imagery Assessment (AT-PIA) was adapted and used to construct a well-rounded understanding of each client. Within the adapted AT-PIA, the Human Figure Drawing and the Bird’s Nest Drawing were evaluated using rating schemes. A dyad session was held with the two participants, where a Safe Place Sculpture was created. Review of the artwork revealed …

The Application Of Art Therapy Techniques To The Resolution Of Conflict, Maggie Hart

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Conflict is present in innumerable forms in current society. As a result, a variety of methods of conflict resolution exist, both constructive and destructive. The prevalence of conflict in our everyday lives warrants further study about improved means of resolution. Art therapy theory and techniques have much to offer the process of conflict resolution. Currently, a body of research about using art to explore past or future conflicts does exist. However, this literature lacks a thorough examination of using art in order to process and resolve current conflicts, involving all parties involved in the conflict.

The current study explores the …

Life Drawing With Gross Anatomy Medical Students And Implications For Art Therapy, Elliott Addesso

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

It is important to incorporate humanities training into medical education in order to enhance the potential for humane and ethical interactions among physicians. In this study, a life drawing studio course was led by an art therapy graduate student to explore the effects of a life drawing course on medical students concurrently enrolled in Gross Anatomy. Based on students’ perceptions of their experience in the life drawing class, theoretical implications for the practice of art therapy in studio applications were discussed.

Five medical students participated in the course on a voluntary, non-credit basis. The course consisted of seven meetings and …

The Use Of Lactobacillus In The Treatment Of Clostridium Difficile Infection In Hospitalized Adult Patients, Ali Alhammad

Theses and Dissertations

Objective To describe the use of Lactobacillus by hospitalized patients and to examine its relationship with various Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) related outcomes. Methods The characteristics of Lactobacillus users and non-users and the initiation of Lactobacillus with respect to initiation of antibiotic therapy and CDI treatment were described using national hospital discharge database. The relationships between Lactobacillus use and post-CDI length of stay, mortality, switch of CDI therapy, and readmission were analyzed. Results Lactobacillus users and non-users were different in most characteristics. Metronidazole and fluoroquinolones were the most frequently used antibiotics by Lactobacillus users. They were mainly CDI cases, used …

Examining Adolescent Suicide: How To Identify The Risks, Kelsey Moellering

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

The Evaluation Of Pain Experienced By Children Undergoing Simple Extraction Using 2% Lidocaine Versus Oraqix Topical Anesthetic Gel, John Haffner

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the pain response experienced by children undergoing simple tooth extractions using 2% Lidocaine injection versus Oraqix topical anesthetic gel. Methods: This study is being conducted at VCU pediatric dentistry clinic. The sample size will consist of 15 children ages 7-12 undergoing a simple extraction procedure. Each participant is randomly assigned to one of two groups, the lidocaine injection group or the Oraqix topical group. The pain level will be measured at four key events during the procedure. The first event will evaluate the pain at baseline. The second event will measure …

Functional Health Literacy And The Use Of Dental Services In Young Children, Melissa Fries

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine parental Functional Health Literacy and their child’s subsequent utilization of dental services. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of children (n=1175) enrolled in the Child Health Investment Partnership of Virginia (CHIP). Descriptive statistics and separate multivariate logistic regressions were used to determine the relationship between functional health literacy measures; 1) Health Care Literacy (HCL), 2) Personal Health Literacy (PHL), and 3) LSP 22 scale, with utilization as measured as number of dental visit/s. Results: Descriptive analysis of the cohort reveals: 45% black, 40% white, 10% Hispanic, 5% other, 41% of …

Meta-Analysis: Racial Disparities In Prostate Cancer Survival And Case-Control Study: Association Between Family History Of Cancers, Obesity And Prostate Cancer, Gayathri Sridhar

Theses and Dissertations

This is a compilation of 3 abstracts for the three manuscripts included in this dissertation. I. Meta-Analysis: Racial Disparities in Prostate Cancer Survival: Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in men. Previous studies have drawn inconsistent conclusions on racial differences in prostate cancer survival. This meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between race and survival from prostate cancer. A systematic review of published articles from 1968 to 2007 assessing survival from prostate cancer among African American and White men was conducted. The search yielded 20 eligible published manuscripts. Analysis of unadjusted studies showed African American …

Understanding Nurse Created Cognitive Artifacts: Personally-Created-Cognitive-Artifacts As External Representations Of Distributed Cognition, Sharon Mclane

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Manuscript 1: “Conceptual Analysis: Externalizing Nursing Knowledge”

We use concept analysis to establish that the report tool nurses prepare, carry, reference, amend, and use as a temporary data repository are examples of cognitive artifacts. This tool, integrally woven throughout the work and practice of nurses, is important to cognition and clinical decision-making. Establishing the tool as a cognitive artifact will support new dimensions of study. Such studies can characterize how this report tool supports cognition, internal representation of knowledge and skills, and external representation of knowledge of the nurse.

Manuscript 2: “Research Methods: Exploring Cognitive Work”

The purpose of this …

The Economic Impact Of Antimicrobial Resistance In Patients With Nosocomial Staphylococcus Aureus Bacteremia, Suzanne Phillips

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The proportion of nosocomial Staphylococcus infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has increased from 22% in 1995 to 63% in 2004. Blood stream infections, more commonly referred to as bacteremias, represented the majority (75.5%) of hospital-onset MRSA cases. The economic impact of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia merits investigation. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort analysis within Cerner HealthFacts data warehouse. Eligible patients were those who had Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia and were discharged between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2006. Inclusion criteria include age > 18 years old and onset of infection > 48 hours post admission. The crude association was …

Obesity, Adiposity, And Satiety In Mouse Models Of Smith-Magenis Syndrome And Dup(17)(P11.2) Syndrome, Brooke Burns

Theses and Dissertations

Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS) is a complex disorder caused by haploinsufficiency of RAI1 and characterized by sleep disturbances, behavioral abnormalities, mental retardation, and obesity in teens and adults. Rai1+/- mice are obese after 20 weeks. Dup(17)(p11.2) syndrome is a complex disorder associated with overexpression of RAI1. A transgenic mouse model of dup(17)(p11.2) syndrome overexpresses Rai1 and results in a mouse that is growth delayed. In order to characterize the obese phenotypes of mouse models of SMS and the role of RAI1 in obesity, daily food intake and serum levels of insulin, glucose, PPY, and leptin were measured; adiposity was studied by …

Salvinorin A: Fragment Synthesis And Modeling Studies, Donna Mcgovern

Theses and Dissertations

Salvinorin A is a non-nitrogenous, selective kappa opioid receptor agonist with potent hallucinogenic properties. Because Salvinorin A has no basic nitrogen, it does not readily adhere to the “message-address” concept of selectivity for the opioid receptors. Therefore, a better understanding of how salvinorin A and its analogs interact with the kappa opioid receptor may shed some light on how salvinorin A obtains its potency and selectivity. The structure-affinity relationships (SAFIR) of salvinorin A and its analogs along with a discussion of the selectivity of the opioid receptors, is presented. A fragment of salvinorin A, methyl-3-acetoxy-4-oxocyclohexanecarboxylate, was synthesized to determine if …

Multisensory Input To The Lateral Rostral Suprasylvian Sulcus (Lrss) In Ferret, Elizabeth Hagood

Theses and Dissertations

For the brain to construct a comprehensive percept of the sensory world, information from the different senses must converge onto individual neurons within the central nervous system. As a consequence, how these neurons convert convergent sensory input into multisensory information is an important question facing neuroscience today. Recent physiological studies have demonstrated the presence of a robust population of multisensory neurons in the lateral bank of the rostral suprasylvian sulcus (LRSS) in adult ferret (Keniston et al, 2008). The LRSS is a region situated between somatosensory and auditory cortices, where bimodal (somatosensory-auditory) neurons occupy the greatest percentage of the sensory-responsive …

Comparative Analysis Of Torsional Strength Between Profile® Gt® And Gt® Series X(Tm) Nickel Titanium Rotary Instruments, Jake Reynolds

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the resistance to fracture by the twisting of two nickel titanium (NiTi) rotary file systems. The Profile® GT® (GT) and the GT® Series X(TM) (GTX) files were tested to analyze the maximum torsional strength and the maximum angular deflection at the time of separation of the files. For each system, ten new files were tested at each of the following eight taper/size designations for a total of 160 files: 20/0.04, 20/0.06, 30/0.04, 30/0.06, 30/0.08, 40/0.04, 40/0.06, and 40/0.08. The American National Standards Institute / American Dental Association Specification No. 28 was implemented …

Comparing Cyclic Fatigue Of The New Gt® Series X(Tm) Files To The Endo Sequence™ Rotary Instruments, Nathan Wayment

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the number of rotations to failure of two different rotary file systems, EndoSquence Brassler USA (Savannah, GA) and GT(TM) series X(TM). Files sizes 20,30,40 with 0.04, 0.06 tapers of GT series X and Endo Sequence files size and taper used were 20, 30, 40 with 0.04 and 0.06 taper. Like tip and tapers were compared between systems. All files tested were 25mm in length. Files were allocated into 12 groups of 10 files each, and mounted to a universal testing machine. Each file was rotated at 300 rpms until fractured occurred. The …

Comparing Cyclic Fatigue Of The New Gt® Series Xtm Files To The Original Profile® Gt® Rotary Instruments, Steven Osmond

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test the number of rotations to fracture of the M-Wire GT® Series X(TM) rotary files compared to the original ProFile® GT® rotary files in a simulated curved canal. Eighty GT® Series X(TM) files of 25mm length were divided into eight groups of ten, one for each of the new GT® Series X(TM) files. Eighty original ProFile® GT® files of 25mm length were divided into eight groups of the same tip and taper sizes consistent with the GT® Series X(TM) file groups. Files were rotated at 300 rpm. While the angle may have slightly …

The Role Of Acanthamoeba Culbertsoni Serine Proteases In Abating Microglial-Like Cell Cytokines And Chemokines, Jenica Harrison

Theses and Dissertations

Acanthamoeba culbertsoni is an opportunistic free-living amoeba that is causative of granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE), a chronic and often fatal central nervous system (CNS) disease that is most prevalent in immune compromised individuals. One hallmark of this disease is the formation of granulomas within the CNS, which are commonly absent in immune compromised individuals. Granulomas are usually composed of amoebae, microglia (CNS macrophages), macrophages, T cells, B cells, and neutrophils. Previous studies have demonstrated that microglia respond to Acanthamoeba by producing pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1α, and IL-1β. In addition, activated microglia and macrophages …

Children Dealing With Autism And Asperger's Disorder And The Treatments Used, Kiley Wear

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduate requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Therapeutic Drugs In Cancer, Teneille Walker

Theses and Dissertations

The first study examined the interaction between low doses of the multi-kinase inhibitor sorafenib and the histone deacetylase inhibitor vorinostat in colon cancer cells. Sorafenib and vorinostat synergized to kill HCT116 and SW480 cells. In SW480 cells, sorafenib+vorinostat toxicity correlated with CD95 activation and CD95-stimulated autophagy. Drug lethality in SW480 cells was blocked by knock down of CD95. In SW620 cells that are patient matched to SW480 cells, sorafenib+vorinostat toxicity was significantly reduced that correlated with a lack of CD95 activation and lower expression of ceramide synthase 6 (LASS6). Overexpression of LASS6 in SW620 cells enhanced drug-induced CD95 activation and …

Immunomodulatory Effects Of Novel Therapies For Stroke, Aaron A. Hall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Each year, approximately 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke. About 610,000 of these are first attacks, and 185,000 are recurrent attacks (Carandang et al. 2006). Currently the only FDA approved treatment for ischemic stroke is recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (Alteplase) (Marler and Goldstein 2003). Unfortunately its use is restricted to a short, 4.5 hour, time window. Two promising therapies in the treatment of stroke at delayed timepoints are human umbilical cord blood cells (HUCBC) and the sigma receptor agonist DTG

The first series of experiments were conducted to characterize the effects of sigma receptors on various aspects of …

Implications For Child Welfare Teaching And Human Services Personnel Perspectives Experiences Of Children With Special Needs, Sarah Huesmann

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Genetic Variations Of Cyp2b6 Enzyme And The Response To Meperidine In Oral Sedation, Sally Hua

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of CYP2B6 genotype to the clinical response to meperidine in pediatric dental patients. Methods: Twenty-five patients, ASA I/ II, 45–92 months old, received an oral sedative regimen containing meperidine for dental treatment. The North Carolina Behavior Rating Scale (NCBRS) and Overall Effectiveness of Sedation Scale (OESS) were used to assess their behavior and sedation outcome. Saliva DNA samples were genotyped by PCR-RFLP. Results: We found the following genotype distributions: homozygous wild-type 1*1 (n = 8, 32%), heterozygous 1*6 (n = 13, 52%), and homozygous variant 6*6 (n = 4, …

The Effects Of Motivational Interviewing In Pregnancy On Infant Oral Health Knowledge And Behavior, Patricia Arteaga

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine infant oral health knowledge and readiness of expectant mothers to incorporate preventive oral health behaviors for their infants. Methods: The study used a prospective cohort design to examine the effect of prenatal education and motivational counseling with expectant mothers about infant oral health care readiness. Participants were all enrolled in a prenatal care program called Centering Pregnancy offered by VCU’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. They all completed a pre-survey questionnaire, followed by a motivational counseling intervention, and then completed a post-survey questionnaire. Results: A sample of 30 pregnant women completed …

Preventive Dental Services For Infants And Subsequent Utilization Of Dental Services, Elizabeth Berry

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of dental services for young children following a preventive oral health intervention in a pediatric medical clinic. Over a 3 year period (2005-2008), children 0-36 months of age, enrolled in Medicaid, were provided preventive oral health services in a medical setting. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression were used to determine the effect receiving the preventive oral health services in a medical setting with the outcomes of dental utilization. 15% were determined to have dental caries at the intervention and 42% found to have a dental visit post-intervention. Children determined …

Academic And Non-Academic Factors Associated With Retention Of Undergraduate College Students, Connie Myers Kracher

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The purpose of this study was to critically analyze both academic and nonacademic factors that may influence retention of health science students and the potential for future effective admission strategies beyond cognitive admission standards. The health science professions are fortunate to attract intelligent, competitive applicants to the professional programs. However, applicants may not possess the emotional intelligence skills to be interpersonally competent, caring healthcare providers. College institutions have only recently begun acknowledging the value of noncognitive criteria in admissions and student retention of beginning undergraduate students.

The purpose of this correlational and comparative research study was to test a hypothesized …

Psychometrically Equivalent Bisyllabic Word-Lists For Word Recognition Testing In Spanish, Anna M. Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to develop, digitally record, evaluate, and psychometrically equate a set of Spanish bisyllabic word lists to be used for word recognition testing. Frequently used bisyllabic words were selected and digitally recorded by male and female Spanish talkers. Twenty normally hearing subjects were presented each word to find the percentage of words which they could correctly recognize. Each word was measured at 10 intensity levels (-5 to 40 dB HL) in increments of 5 dB. Chisquare analysis was used to determine the equivalency among the final four psychometrically equivalent word lists of 50 words, and …

The Role Of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells In The Immunotherapy Of Breast Carcinomas, Johanna Morales

Theses and Dissertations

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) are a heterogeneous population of immature cells at various stages of differentiation. These cells are broadly characterized by the simultaneous expression of the surface markers CD11b and Gr1 and have been found to accumulate in large numbers in response to many different tumors in both mice and humans, including HER2/neu+ breast cancers. The adoptive immunotherapy of cancers has been a promising field, yet the clinical efficacy of adoptive immunotherapies targeted against human breast cancers and many other cancers has been extremely limited. Given the influx of MDSC in tumor-bearing individuals, we hypothesized that these cells were …

Psychometrically Equivalent Bisyllabic Words For Speech Reception Threshold Testing In Mongolian, Kristen Nicole Gilbert

Theses and Dissertations

Speech audiometry is an important aspect of audiological testing. One aspect of speech audiometry is the measurement of an individual's speech reception threshold (SRT). Materials needed to measure the SRT are available in many languages; however, recorded materials for the Mongolian Language are not widely available. The purpose of this study was to develop a list of psychometrically equivalent words for evaluating the hearing abilities of native Mongolian speaking individuals. A set of 90 commonly used bisyllabic Mongolian words were digitally recorded by a male and female talker of Mongolian and then evaluated by 20 native Mongolian listeners. A final …

Cannabinoid Effects On Nfkappab Function In Microglial-Like Cells: Dual Mode Of Action, Latoya Griffin-Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

Cannabinoids have been shown to modulate the immune system in vitro and in animal models. A major area of interest is how cannabinoids impact the brain. A whole variety of neuropathies or brain disorders, such as AIDS dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease, are associated with a hyperinflammatory response within the brain. Microglia, the resident macrophages of the brain, are the major cell type responsible for the persistent elicitation of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1a, IL-1b, IL-6, TNFa) and other mediators. In vitro experiments have demonstrated that the partial exogenous cannabinoid agonist delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (D9-THC) and the potent synthetic exogenous cannabinoid …

The Effect Of Early Cochlear Implantation On Oral Language: A Review Of The Literature, Nicole Supplee

Honors Theses

Current research suggests that implantation of cochlear implants before 2 years of age significantly impacts oral language development, specifically in increased rate of oral language development. In addition, children who have been implanted early (between 12 months and two years) have been shown to obtain age-appropriate language skills, whereas children who have been implanted later (after 2 years of age), or not implanted at all, do not. Because of the documented benefits of early implantation, researchers have recently pushed to lower the current minimum age of implantation to below 12 months of age. Although research suggests improvements in language development …