Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Bioinformatic Analysis Of A Mammalian Bip Gene For Insertion Into Green Algae And Comparison Of Its Possible Effects On The Synthesis Of A Mammalian Antibody, Katrina Ghazanfar

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes a study utilizing bioinformatics to analyze homologues of a molecular chaperone, glucose-regulated protein 78 (grp 78), also known as BiP. The selected homologous proteins originate from organisms of infinitely diverse genera. Comparisons of protein sequence yielded the first clues of a common ancestry among these proteins. Furthermore, protein molecular weights, isoelectric points, N-terminal amino acids and half-lives of a known homolog and a non-homologous protein were examined. Additionally, electroporation, a state-of-the-art plasmid insertion technique, was explored using Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a green alga, as the recipient of a parent plasmid, pSP124S. Distinctive hypertonic solutions and three separate field …

Cultural Value Orientations, Attributions, And Breast Cancer Screening Behaviors, Patricia M. Flynn

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Discrepancies in breast cancer screening behavior exist among various ethnic groups in the United States (Jacobs & Lauderdale, 2001), with Latino American women reporting particularly low screening rates in comparison to Anglo American women (ACS, 2002). Research indicates that behavior is in part influenced by aspects of culture and relevant psychological processes (Betancourt & Lopez, 1993; Betancourt & Fuentes, 2001). This study was designed to investigate the relations among cultural values, attributional processes, and breast cancer screening behavior among Anglo and Latino women. This study also investigated the influence of acculturation among Latino women in relation to the other study …

Language Sampling Analyses: Bridging The Gap Between Assessment And Therapy, Maria C. Wood

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Six language sampling analyses: (a) MLU, (b) Grammatical Morpheme Analysis, (c) Sentence Development Analysis, (d) TTR, (e) Semantic Roles/Categories, and (f) LSAT were performed on language samples elicited from five subjects age range 5:8 – 7:0 years. Efficacy of these analyses were determined by: (a) how well intervention targets could be determined to address identified deficits, (b) effects of length of sample size on assessment findings, (c) precision of the analyses’ results, and (d) the validity of the “time-consumption” often associated with language sampling analyses. Results indicated that language sample analyses bridged the gap between assessment and intervention by making …

Pediatric Obesity: Intervention Outcomes, Kristy Anne Kuehfuss

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Childhood obesity is a national epidemic with serious medical and psychological implications. Almost one-fourth of children in the United States are overweight. Children do not typically grow out of obesity and without intervention the majority of overweight children become overweight adults. Further, childhood obesity results in numerous chronic medical conditions. Thus, the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity are paramount to the avoidance of resultant physical and psychological risk factors. Loma Linda University’s Growing Fit Program seeks to serve the critical and urgent needs of the ever-increasing population of obese children with a multi-disciplinary approach to pediatric weight management. Evaluating …

Coping Patterns Among Perpetrators Of Child Sexual Abuse, Henry Adolphus Beck

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study examined the coping and religious coping strategies used by child sexual abuse (CSA) perpetrators. It was hypothesized that (1) Perpetrators of incestuous CSA would show greater use of Emotion-Oriented coping than perpetrators of non-incestuous CSA, (2) perpetrators of non-incestuous CSA would show greater use of Task-Oriented coping than perpetrators of incestuous CSA (3) Perpetrators of incestuous CSA would show greater use of Avoidance-Oriented coping than perpetrators of non-incestuous CSA, and (4) there would be a difference in the use of positive and negative religious coping between groups of incestuous and non-incestuous CSA perpetrators. Participants completed the Coping Inventory …

Prevalence Of Degenerative Joint Disease In A Pre-Orthodontic Adolescent Sample, Marie Mansour

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this research was to determine a prevalence of degenerative joint disease in our pre-orthodontic adolescent patients age ten through seventeen. The prevalence was assessed according to gender. Severity of DJD was established for each patient and a "red flag" for diagnosis was identified. The purpose was also to establish norms for joint space for patients with and without degenerative joint disease. Correlations to distal condyle position and angle classification were described. 123 consecutive patients, 77 female and 46 male T1 NewTom records were reviewed. Severity of DJD was classified according to none, mild, moderate, and severe. Sagittal …

Cone Beam Ct And Digital Radiography. A Comparative Study Of P/A Cephalometrics., Michael John Erickson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine if Rickett's posterio-anterior (P/A) cephalogram measurements could be obtained from Cone Beam Computerized Tomographic (CBCT) images taken on the NewTom QR-DVT 9000™.

Fifteen frontal cephalometric radiographs were chosen for good image quality, with no regard for patient age or gender. Each cephalogram was traced three times by the same operator using ZeroBase™ software. Landmarks were located and measured according to the Rickett's frontal analysis technique. Methods were devised for obtaining analogous measurements using CBCT images on the same group of patients.

Measurements obtained using CBCT correlated well with those obtained using the …

Condylar Remodeling After Distraction Osteogenesis And Bilateral Sagittal Split Osteotomy, Robert Barker Hoffman

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The present pilot study is a histological evaluation of mandibular condyles taken from minipigs that underwent either traditional mandibular advancement (bilateral sagittal split osteotomy), or a distraction osteogenesis procedure to advance the mandible. One pig received a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy with an immediate mandibular advancement of 14 mm, while another pig underwent distraction osteogenesis consisting of a gradual advancement of 2 mm per day to advance the mandible the same distance. The control animal received no surgery.

In the present study, the mandibular condyles of the three pigs (2 control, 2 bilateral sagittal split osteotomy, and 2 distraction osteogenesis) …

Levels Of Intravenous Enterococcus Faecalis That Cause Heart Colonization, Louis Zane Stromberg

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

While previous studies have shown that presence of bacteria in systemic circulation can cause infective endocarditis, there is no information on the specific amount of bacteria necessary to cause this condition. The purpose of this study was to establish the minimum level of circulating bacteria that will cause colonization of damaged heart valves in rats. Fifty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized and their heart valves were damaged using an established protocol. A clinical isolate of Enterococcus faecalis was transformed with a plasmid bearing the luxF and Chloramphenicol cassettes to label the bacteria with the light-emitting protein. After four weeks, the rats …

Psychological Factors Associated With Anticipatory Nausea And Vomiting, Melinda L. Nielsen

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Many cancer patients experience adverse chemotherapy-related side effects. The present study examined the relationships among disease variables (i.e. stage of cancer, type of breast cancer), medical treatment variables (i.e. toxicity of chemotherapy regimen, strength of antiemetic treatment), psychological variables (i.e. health locus of control, anxiety sensitivity, desire for control, coping strategies), and anticipatory nausea and vomiting in women with breast cancer. One hundred women with breast cancer completed the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale - Form C, the Anxiety Sensitivity Index, the Krantz Health Opinion Survey, the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, and the Morrow Assessment of Nausea and …

Infant Heart Transplant: Perioperative Indicators Of Neurocognitive Development, Joy Michelle Gardner

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Approximately five to eight births per 1000 in the United States are born with a congenital heart defect (Limperopoulos et al, 1999), the primary defect in 57% is hypoplastic left heart syndrome (Johnston, 1991). A fatal disease twenty years ago, survival has jumped from less than 5% to 91% of infants surviving their one-month birthday due to advances in palliative and transplant procedures (Razzouk et al, 1996). Unfortunately, the decrease in mortality has been unmatched by a decrease in morbidity, which continues to be a major risk factor when undergoing deep hypothermia (du Plessis, 2000). While neurodevelopmental and cognitive dysfunction …

How Much Weight Is Too Much For Manual Lifting : Determining A Weight Limit Guideline For Team-Effort Lifting Tasks, Piyush G. Chapla

Theses

Manual material handling is the primary cause of musculoskeletal injuries, which includes injuries related to lower back, at the workplaces in the U.S. Of all the manual material handling tasks, lifting has been the leading contributor to lower back injuries. These injuries may be induced by several risk factors associated with lifting tasks, weight of the object being lifted being one of them.

Weight limit guidelines have been developed by various groups recommending the weights that workers can lift safely without sustaining injuries. However, these guidelines are aimed to serve individual lifting tasks. Even though team lifting is a common …

Development And Assessment Of An Innovative Video To Introduce Concepts Of Adherence In Soweto, South Africa, Ilene Wong

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

ISSUES: The widening availability of antiretroviral therapy but dearth of medication taking experience among rural South Africans has raised concerns about adequate adherence to these medications. Interventions to improve adherence have been limited in development and evaluation and are often not culturally appropriate to patients in resource poor settings. It is hypothesized that a culturally-sensitive audio-visual patient education program may be of significant use in increasing patient understanding of concepts of resistance and medication taking skills, particularly in areas with low literacy rates. METHODS: After focus groups with health care providers and HIV-positive adherence counselors, a 15 minute educational video …

Early Speech And Language Development: A Comparison Of Typically Developing Children To Children With Cleft Palate., Holly Jannice Mcgahey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has shown that parent implemented intervention is effective in increasing the speech and language development of children with cleft lip and palate. To further determine the efficacy of this intervention, this study compared the speech and language development of children with CLP, who received parent implemented intervention, with a group of younger, typically developing children, matched for vocabulary size. This study also evaluated the language differences between the mothers of both groups of children. Speech and language assessments were administered to the typically developing children and their mothers at two times to mirror the time of assessment for …

Nongenomic Effects Of Estrogens On Epithelial Chloride Secretion., Sabyasachi Moulik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The human colonic cell line T84, a model for studying epithelial chloride secretion and cystic fibrosis chloride channel (CFTR) function, was used to investigate the regulatory role of estrogens in transepithelial ion transport. Estrogens and other steroid hormones do not stimulate chloride secretion by themselves. However, 17 β-estradiol (17β-E2) rapidly (within seconds to minutes) potentiates carbachol- and thapsigargin-stimulated chloride secretion measured as short circuit current in voltage-clamped T84 monolayer cultures. The cholinergic agonist carbachol and the SR Ca²⁺ ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin stimulate chloride secretion by elevating intracellular calcium. 17α-estradiol, a stereoisomer that does not activate nuclear estrogen receptors, is …

Quality Of Life In The Chronically Mentally Ill: Impact Of Demographics, Symptomatology, And Coping Styles, Dawn Castner

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder are often persistent and disabling conditions that require a wide range ofbiopsychosocial treatments. In recent decades, treatment has largely focused on assisting persons to maintain community tenure, while little attention has been devoted to quality of life. For many, these illnesses have a negative impact on life satisfaction due to their chronic and variable nature, lack of completely efficacious treatments, and social stigma. Some have speculated that various demographic, symptom, or treatment variables influence quality of life, but the nature and amount of influence is uncertain. 111 The purpose of this study was to investigate the …

Assessing Clinical Education In Nursing: The Development Of The Clinical Education Inventory, Marcia Ann Miller

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to construct a valid and reliable comprehensive instrument entitled the Clinical Education Inventory (CEI) that measures nursing students' perceptions of clinical nursing education. The comprehensive instrument developed during this study evaluates multiple facets of clinical nursing education and reduces the need to survey the students using several tools each semester. Ill The method for this study was adapted from the work ofDeVellis (1991) for scale development. Item generation was optimized through requesting existing tools from nursing programs across the United States. Thirteen programs contributed 34 tools. After the review by the expert panel for …

Will Knowledge Of Green Tea Benefits Influence Coffee Consumption?, I-Fang Wang

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many recent studies have focused on the health benefits of green tea consumption. Although there is conflicting evidence, there is a strong trend showing positive effects of green tea to human health. This current study was done to explore whether the knowledge of such green tea benefits will influence the willingness of coffee drinkers to consider switching to green tea consumption. The survey study included a convenience sample of 132 adults who considered themselves regular coffee drinkers. From the statistical analyses of the collected data, results were obtained primarily through frequency distributions and phi coefficients. Data analysis suggested a significant …

Antisocial Personality Disorder And Psychopathy: Characterological And Behavioral Criteria, Megan Kay Null

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current diagnostic criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) have been criticized for being too behavioral and not sufficiently tied to the historical concept of a psychopathic character. Research suggests that clinicians may not find the current diagnostic criteria useful and that a different set of criteria may be more descriptive of the way they conceptualize ASPD. In addition, questions remain as to the relationship between ASPD and psychopathy (PP). The current study examined clinicians' prototypes of ASPD and PP to determine which criteria are most consistent with how clinicians conceptualize these constructs and to determine whether ASPD and PP …

Responses Of Flight Nurses To Catastrophic Events, Gene L. Olsen

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine for the presence of symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample of flight nurses. Also examined were the coping mechanisms used by the sample to ameliorate the stressors associated with performing the role of the flight nurse, as well as the relationship between the symptoms and the coping mechanisms identified by the sample. Data were collected by questionnaires sent to a randomly selected national sample of 350 flight nurses who belong to the Air and Surface Transport Nurses Association.

Of the 101 participants, intrusion was found to be most …

Examining The Meaning And Experience Of Self-Determination And Its Impact On Quality Of Life For Individuals With Cognitive Disabilities, Carol Marie Sundberg

Dissertations

There is a national agenda for advancing self-determination for persons with disabilities. Broadly defined, self-determination means having control over ones own life. The purpose of this research was to gain a better understanding of self-determination and its effect on the quality of life of persons with cognitive disabilities. A qualitative, phenomenological approach was selected. Ten individuals from a community mental health system in southwest Michigan participated in the study. Participants had a developmental disability and were dependent on others for their care. The research combined qualitative interviews with behavioral observations and proxy interviewing, and included the audiotaping of those interviews. …

The Effects Of A Multimodality Approach On Sentence Production Using Response Elaboration Training With A Reading Component On Aphasic Patients., Sara E. Mccarthy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The effects of a multimodality treatment were investigated using a single subject experimental design across behaviors in two patients with different severity levels of Broca's aphasia. We hypothesized that Response Elaboration Training and an oral reading task would improve accuracy of sentence production, information content, and mean length of utterance. Results indicated that this treatment approach elicited significant improvement in the accuracy of sentence production and information content in the participant with very mild Broca's aphasia. Furthermore, the participant with severe Broca's aphasia demonstrated a very significant improvement in information content and mean length of utterance. The improvements support the …

Visual-Motor Integration Skills Impact On Handwriting, Amber M. Kapnick

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate if a visual-motor integration intervention improved handwriting legibility and visual-motor integration in first grade students as measured by the Minnesota Handwriting Test (MHT) and the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI). Intervention was based on sensory-motor learning theories. Sixty-six children from four first grade classrooms in a suburban elementary school were randomly assigned to an intervention or a control condition. The intervention group received eight weeks of visual-motor integration training twice a week for 30 minute sessions. The control group received regular academic instruction. All children were tested on the Minnesota Handwriting …

Factors Affecting School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists’ Use Of Language Assessment Practices With Bilingual Children, Lena Gloria Caesar

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the assessment procedures and practices of school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) employed in the state of Michigan. A survey method was used to gather information from 409 SLPs regarding the assessment procedures used for assessing both their bilingual students, as well as their monolingual English-speaking students. The survey also gathered information regarding perceptions about language proficiency, professional training, and bilingual assessment products. In order to analyze factors related to their use of recommended practices, the study investigated the relationship between selected demographic, caseload, and work-setting variables, and the type of bilingual assessment methods …

Self-Efficacy, Metastasis, Treatment, And Demographics As Predictors Of Functional Performance Status Of Adult Colorectal Cancer Patients, Dollie A. Husfeld

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study was to assess self-efficacy as a predictor of functional performance status in order to discover correlations that could be used to improve care of the colorectal cancer patient. Thirty participants were accessed through three outpatient cancer clinics during a two-week period. Data was collected through a demographics questionnaire, the Cancer Behavior Inventory Long Form, and the Karnofsky Performance Scale Index. Stepwise multiple regression was used to identify and relationships between the dependent variable, functional performance status, and the independent variables, self-efficacy, age, gender, residence, treatment, and metastasis ( p = .05). Pearson's correlation showed a …

Cloning And Functional Analysis Of The Putative Tetracycline Resistance Gene Hp1165 In Helicobacter Pylori, Yuhuan Li

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tetracycline has been used in combination with other antibiotics in treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection. However, tetracycline resistance has developed in clinical isolates of H. pylori, rendering treatment failure. Mutations in the 16S rRNA gene have been reported to mediate tetracycline resistance in some patient isolates. Nevertheless, the diversity of tetracycline resistance cases suggests multiple genes are involved. HPl 165, a putative tetracycline resistance gene in the genome of H. pylori 26695, displays 49.8% identity to the tetracycline efflux gene tetA (P) from Clostridium perfringens. To determine the function of the HPl 165 gene and gain a better understanding of …

Body Image, Emotional Regulation, And Binge Eating In Obese Females, Courtney D. Stahl

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with binge eating disorder (BED) tend to endorse significant overconcerns with weight and shape and a greater propensity to eat in response to negative mood states. The primary aim of this study was to examine the impact of body image disturbance on the self-regulation of affect in female obese non-binge (n=46) and binge eaters (n=l09). Groups were similar in age (M=46.3) and race (84% Caucasian). Obese non-binge eaters were significantly less obese (BMI=35.50) than their binge eating counterparts (BMI=38.60). On the Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ), obese binge eaters endorsed significantly higher levels of body dissatisfaction, greater feelings of …

Frequency Of Mental Health Service Use In School-Based Health Centers: School Performance And Family Characteristics, James William Depetro

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Public schools and community health organizations have created partnerships to provide mental health services to children. One such collaboration has led to the development of School-Based Health Centers (SBHC). SBHC provide mental health services in an attempt to enhance students' development and performance. The research findings regarding SBHC impact on school performance are mixed (Gall, Pagano, Desmond, Perrin, & Murphy, 2000; McCord, Klein, Foy, & Fothergill, 1993; Weist, Proescher, Freedman, Paskewitz, & Flaherty, 1995; Wolk & Kaplan, 1993 ). The purpose of this research study was to determine if the frequency of use of mental health services at SBHC are …

The Prevalence Of Dental Caries In A Central Coast Of California Middle School, Belen R. Mojica

Master's Projects

Dental morbidity is a chronic problem that affects a child's ability to attend school, to learn, and to enjoy good health. Of all childhood diseases, oral disease ranks as one of the highest and is considered one of the most common and the least treated. The prevalence of dental caries is high among children and adolescents in school populations. This study explored the prevalence of dental caries in a California Central Coast middle school during the 2002-03 school year (N=526). Findings indicated that severe dental caries existed in both boys and girls and in students of various ethnic groups. Approximately …

Introduction Of Healing Touch Into An Established Torture Treatment Center: A Graduate Field Project, Kathleen Mccullough-Zander

Theses and Graduate Projects

Healing Touch, an energetic treatment modality developed by nurses, was introduced into an established torture treatment center with the goal of decreasing torture-related symptoms and increasing survivors' overall sense of well-being and health. Three methods of evaluation were used to determine if the project goal had been met. The first project objective of showing a decrease in participants' reported feelings of anxiety and depression was not achieved. The second project objective of demonstrating a reduction in participant's reported levels of pain was achieved with statistically significant results. The third project objective of obtaining statements of recognition of the therapy as …