Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Nosocomial Respiratory Tract Infections Associated With The Use Of Ventilatory Support Systems: Epidemiological And Bacteriological Study Of The Effect Of Changing Breathing Circuits At 24 Or 48 Hours, Virginia Archer Lamb

Theses and Dissertations

Nosocomial (hospital-acquired) pneumonia (HAP) continues to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the hospital. HAP is the third most common nosocomial infection after urinary tract and surgical wound infections. In addition, HAP is the nosocomial infection with the highest mortality rate. These infections are often difficult to treat, because most are caused by Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) that may be highly resistant to antimicrobial agents. HAPs frequently occur in intensive care patients with underlying lung and/or systemic diseases. Many patients are intubated and are on assisted ventilation. Several sources of infection associated with ventilators or respirators have been …

A Comparison Of Myofascial Release And Ultrasound In The Treatment Of Musculoskeletal Pain, Dianna Lynn Bishop

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of myofascial release (MFR) compared to ultrasound (US) in treating musculoskeletal pain. Data in the form of number of trigger points, active range-of-motion of the affected joint, pain scale measurement, and a Treatment Response Questionnaire score, were collected.

The Mann-Whitney U value supported that the MFR group outranked the US group 47 percent when ranking the percent change in trigger point number from pre to post treatment.

The Mann-Whitney U value supported that the MFR group outranked the US group in pain scale measurement. Kruskal-Wallis H value supported that MFR …

The Effects Of Various Lumbar/Sacral Back Support Systems Upon Human Peak Muscular Force, Total Work, And Average Power, Michael Lee Woodhouse

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of the present investigation was to study the effects of two lumbar/sacral back supports upon peak muscular force, total work, and average power. Subjects consisted of ten well conditioned male volunteers with an age range of 21-35 years. Each subject volunteered individually to participate and was required to read and sign an inform consent form prior to participating in the investigation.

The investigative design was quasi-experimental with a repeated measures (treatment-by-subjects) methodology. Each subject experienced three testing treatments to include each lumbar/sacral support and one without. The testing protocol consisted of three isokinetic back testing devices developed by …

Biochemical And Histological Evaluation Of Normal Human Epidermis Vs Cultured Human Epidermis, Ngo Thi Bich Lien

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Cultured human keratinocytes were grown in vitro for transplantation purposes in case of severe burns. Single keratinocytes were harvested from human epidermis and grown in culture flasks such that multilayered sheets of keratinocyte cells were harvestable in approximately three weeks. In order to evaluate cultured epidermis for equivalency with normal human epidermis, biochemical and histological studies were performed. Thin sections of cultured epidermis were shown to be composed of cells that had undergone developmental differentiation, but not terminal differentiation. Biochemical analyses of keratin and prekeratin proteins isolated from cultured epidermis indicated that cultured keratinocytes have electrophoretic patterns similar to keratins/prekeratins …

The Influence Of A Rehabilitation Program On Perceived Exertion In Cardiac Patients, Maria Jean Miller

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to determine the difference in the correlation between ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and heart rate during a graded exercise treadmill test in entry level cardiac rehabilitation participants and those participants that had been in a program for more than 28 months. Files containing the results of graded exercise treadmill tests for 22 entry level participants (G2) and 18 participants that had been in a rehabilitation program for more than 28 months (G1) were utilized. None of the subjects were currently taking medications that would alter the heart rate. The Bruce protocol was used …

Examining The Implementation Of Patient Education In Phases I And Ii Of Cardiac Rehabilitation, Ann Marie Bjorndahl

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine the implementation of patient education in phases I and II of cardiac rehabilitation so that an overview of its current status in cardiac rehabilitation programs could be determined. One hundred four phase I and II cardiac rehabilitation program directors from the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin were selected for participation in the study. A questionnaire containing items addressing both general program information and the specifics of the patient education programs was sent to the program directors. Seventy-five of the questionnaires were returned, seventy-one of which were viable for data …

The Comparison Of Body Fat Percentages Of Young Adult Females As Determined By Anthropometry, Bioelectric Impedance, And Hydrostatic Weighing, Jill Kathryn Fjelstul

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of the bioelectrlcal Impedance method of predicting the percentage of body fat of young adult females. The percentage of body fat predicted from the bioelectrlcal Impedance method was compared with the percentage of body fat predicted from the hydrostatic weighing technique, the criterion variable. A secondary purpose of this study was to compare the percentage of body fat predicted from the bioelectrlcal Impedance method with the percentage of body fat predicted from anthropometry. It was hypothesized that the mean values of the bioelectrlcal Impedance percentage of body fat would be …

A Comparison Of Positive And Negative Reinforcement Of Fingernail Biting, Naomi Lee Chandler

Graduate Theses

While nail-biting is not considered an important psychiatric symptom in the literature, it is an irritating and disfiguring behavior which calls for innovative intervention in its control. The subject in the present study was a 54-year-old female who spent an appreciable amount of time with facial make-up and hair grooming, but who often tried to hide her hands because of the disfigured appearance of her nails. In a ten-week study comparing the effects of positive and negative reinforcement, the subject was first rewarded for increasing her nail-biting behavior with tokens to be spent for "something to make her pretty". Then, …

The Effect Of Feedback Given To Nurse Aides On Response Latency To Patient Call Lights In A Geriatric Nursing Home, Patricia L. Matuszak

Masters Theses

Feedback has been used in staff performance and management systems in various human service settings. It was applied to four female nurse aides in a geriatric nursing home to decrease response latency to patient call lights. A multiple-baseline-across-subjects design was used with each aide receiving feedback on her mean response time to assigned patients' call lights. Two of the four subjects demonstrated a decrease in mean response times, while two showed little effect after feedback.

Fetal Whole-Body Fluid, Cardiovascular And Endocrine Dynamics : Computer Analysis Of Regulatory Mechanisms, Peter Stuart Gold

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The dynamics of transcapillary fluid and protein distribution and endocrine regulation of cardiovascular function were studied in chronically instrumented fetal sheep during the third trimester. Average experimental changes in vascular pressures, blood volume, plasma hormone concentrations, hematocrit and plasma protein concentration were analyzed using mathematical modeling and parameter optimization techniques in order to determine values for the major parameters which regulate fluid, protein and endocrine dynamics and to determine endocrine dose-response relationships to changes in cardiovascular function. The hormones which were considered are arginine vasopressin (AVP), angiotensin II (AII), epinephrine (EPI) and norepinephrine (NE). Vascular disturbances which were considered include …

Pre-Orthodontic Radiography Of The Temporomandibular Joint, Stephen G. Tracey

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The dental profession has given increased attention to temporomandibular joint problems in recent years. Many orthodontists have shown professional concern by taking pretreatment lateral tomograms to assess developmental abnormalities, previous injury, pathology, and condylar position. The purpose of this study was to determine the consistency of orthodontists in evaluating lateral tomograms and panoramic films, particularly when used prior to treatment. Lateral tomograms and panoramic films of 60 single joints were evaluated by 4 orthodontists on two separate occasions. A questionnaire was completed for each radiograph observed and responses were compared for interobserver and intraobserver [aggreement]. Statistically, results showed little to …

The Effects Of Aquatic Exercise On Self-Concept In The Elderly, Ok Chon Allison

MSN Research Projects

This quasi-experimental research study examined the effects of the aquatic exercise on self-concept in the elderly. The researcher hypothesized that there would be no significant difference in self-concept between elders who participated in an aquatic exercise program and elders who did not participate. A researcher-designed demographic data form and the Tennessee Self Concept Scale were used to collect pertinent data. A total of 22 subjects from two cities 30 miles apart participated in the study. Ten white female subjects were in the experimental group and 9 white and 3 black females were in the control group. The total positive self-concept …

The Synthesis And Evaluation Of The Cardiovascular Activity Of Novel Imidazole Ring Systems, Joseph E. De Los Angeles

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

An investigation was undertaken to synthesize and evaluate the cardiovascular activity of two imidazole ring systems. Imidazoles with hypotensive activity would provide novel potential antihypertensive drugs. These novel structures may also find use as chemical probes in the study of the cardiovascular system and as prototypes for other potential cardiovascular agents.

The histamine derivative, 7,7-dipyridyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroimidazo-[4,5-c]pyridine (ligand l), was demonstrated to possess significant hypotensive activity in laboratory rats. A 15 mg/Kg dose of ligand 1 produces a statistically significant decrease in blood pressure when injected IP. This hypotensive effect is also associated with marked increase in heart rate. Although compound 1 …

Effects Of A Structured Pretransfer Teaching Protocol On The Reduction Of Transfer Stress In Clients With Myocardial Infarction, Maureen R. Brennan Westphal

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

[Abstract Not Included]

The Effects Of Certain Oral Bacteria On The In Vitro Growth Of Bacteroides Gingivalis, Steven G. Morrow

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The effect of nine gram positive and grain negative cocci and bacilli, which are indigenous to the oral cavity, on the in vitro growth of Bacteroides gingivalis was examined in this study. A pure culture of B. gingivalis is was obtained from the American Type Culture Collection. The nine oral test organisms were Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Corynebacteriurn hofmanii, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Branhamella catarrhalis, and Escherichia coli. The effect on the growth of B. gingivalis of the nine test organisms was evaluated on a solid medium by use of …

Early Identification Of Risk For Noncompliance In Tuberculosis Patients, Penny Klein Weismuller

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

In this descriptive study of early identification of risk for noncompliance to tuberculosis treatment or prevention regimens, 523 patients, from four ethnic groups, were rated by nurses trained as participant-observers of several predictive factors. The predictive factors included acceptance of diagnosis. attentiveness, eye contact, the treatment's interference with the patient's lifestyle, fear of side effects, fear of needed medical procedures, and the presence and degree of the patient's social support. An observational measure by the nurse of the patient's Health Locus of Control was also included. The patient was asked to provide a self-rating on the degree of difficulty anticipated …

The Effect Of Dietary Fat Level On Tumor Development And Immunity In Balb/C Mice Fed Casein Of Wheat Gluten As Protein And Challenged With Herpes Type 2-Transformed Cells, Helen Drakou

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A high percentage of fat in the diet has been implicated through epidemiological studies in several human cancers. Studies in experimental animals have produced evidence that increasing the fat in the diet decreases the animal’s ability to restrict tumor development and growth. In previous work done in this laboratory with BALB/c mice injected with herpes simplex Type 2-transformed mouse cells (H238), the effects of a diet which greatly enhanced tumor growth was compared with one which restricted tumor growth. The latter, a low (5%) fat, low protein diet, in which the protein was casein, was also found to produce a …

Sprague-Dawley Rats Fed Milk Or Beef Protein : Differences In Response To 1,2-Dimethylhydrazine Carcinogenesis, Stanley W. L. Ng

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Colon cancer is responsible for a high percentage of cancer deaths in developing countries, and there is convincing epidemiological evidence that meat protein and fat in the diet increase the incidence of this form of cancer. An animal tumor model which has been used by many investigators interested in colon cancer is the 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-rat or DMH-mouse tumor model. In previous work done in this laboratory the DMH-BALB/c mouse tumor model was used to compare the production of colon tumors in mice fed a diet using non-fat powdered milk as a source of protein with those in mice fed beef …

Relationship Between Dietary Intake And Reproductive Hormones In Premenopausal Vegetarian And Nonvegetarian Seventh-Day Adventist Women, Joan M. Spuehler

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

There is evidence that specific nutrients may modify hormonal balance and contribute to breast cancer etiology. To investigate the relationship between dietary nutrients and plasma reproductive hormones and to determine hormone-nutrient interrelationships, we measured plasma estrogens, androgens. progesterone and prolactin levels in 10 premenopausal Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) vegetarian and 10 premenopausal SDA nonvegetarian women. Over three days in each of three consecutive months. diet records and fasting midluteal blood samples were collected. The nonvegetarians consumed significantly more protein, total and saturated fats, oleic and linoleic acids, and cholesterol than did the vegetarians. Hormonal status of the two groups did not …

A Correlation Of The Client's Sense Of Power In Health Care And His Compliance To The Therapeutic Regime, Susan S. King

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this research study was to correlate a client's sense of powerlessness with his compliance to a health care regime. From a population of patients of a family physician in a rural county in Northeast Mississippi, a sample of 30 individuals were given the Health Locus of Control tool and the Compliance tool. Of these 30, 23 met the qualifications and were included in the study. The hypothesis for this study was that there would be no significant correlation between clients' sense of power­ lessness and their compliance to the health care regime. The statistical analysis of the …

The Effects Of Validation Fantasy On The Attitudes Of Nursing Students Toward The Elderly And The Willingness Of The Students To Work With The Elderly, Betty Thornton

MSN Research Projects

This was a descriptive study designed to determine the effect of Validation Fantasy (VF) on the attitudes of nursing students toward the elderly and their willingness to work with elderly clients. The null hypothesis stated that when second semester Associate Degree freshmen nursing students who had been taught by VF were administered the adaptation of Marion Gillis' Older Persons Questionnaire (OPQ) and the Personal Preferences Questionnaire (PPQ) and the results were compared using the ANOVA and the Newman- Keuls to the results from students taught by Reality Orien­ tation (RO) or a nonspecific approach, there would be no difference at …

Effects Of Seating Arrangement On Affective Meanings And Group Interaction In Healthy Senior Citizens, Judith Ann Boughton

Masters Theses

Occupational therapists state that environmental factors (seating arrangements) influence behavior. This ex post facto study examined the effect of peripheral versus central seating arrangement on interaction (verbalizing and looking), affect, and group climate in 41 healthy senior citizens. Nine men and 32 women aged 62 to 83 participated in two collage activities (creative and imitative) in either a parallel/nonsharing group or a project/ sharing group. Seating arrangement was added to an earlier study's independent variables (creative and imitative activities, and sharing and nonsharing groups). Dependent variables consisted of three factors of affective meaning from the Osgood Semantic Differential, evaluation, power, …

The Post-Exercise Cardiovascular Response Of Post Myocardial Infarction Males To Varying Water Temperatures In A Hot Tub, Janeen S. Docsa

Masters Theses

This study compared heart rate, blood pressure, and electrocardiographic response of post myocardial infarction males taking either vasodilator and beta blocker or just beta blocker medications, and a control, to different water temperatures in a hot tub. Twentysix adult males were observed. Each subject engaged in exercise, then sat in a hot tub for 12 minutes. Each subject repeated this procedure three times, once at each water temperature (36.6°, 38.3°, and 40°C).

The data during immersion indicated: (a) heart rate was affected by increased temperature and duration of exposure; (b) blood pressure was affected by length of exposure; (c) frequency …

The Effects Of Methylphenidate On The Learning And Performance Of A Child Diagnosed Addh, Kendra Leigh Heath

Masters Theses

The effects of methylphenidate (Ritalin) on the learning and performance of a child diagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity (ADDH) was evaluated using a repeated acquisition apparatus. A placebo and three dosages of methylphenidate were evaluated in both the learning and performance components of the experiment. Dosages tested included the subject's therapeutic dosage, a dosage 5 mg higher, and a dosage 5 mg lower. Methylphenidate produced no effect of consequence on the number of errors per session, suggesting that the medication neither impaired nor facilitated learning or performance at the range of dosages investigated. Data were also collected on social …

Physiological Differentiation And Cognitive Discrimination Of An Olfactory Stimulus Produced Under Stress, Robert Gray Perra

Dissertations

Humans may have ability to transmit, receive, and react to biological information from other humans through olfactory chemosensory communication. Two studies examined human (1) ability to differentiate physiologically, via olfaction, fresh stress produced sweat and (2) cognitive discrimination, through smell, of "aged" stress produced sweat. Four stress conditions were employed; (1) exercise, (2) relaxation, (3) sexual arousal, and (4) repulsion.

Experiment I. A male dyad participated--donor and recipient. Donor was prepared to collect his axillary secretion on gauze; following preparation donor was stressed. After stressing, the gauze which was presumed to contain a fresh non-odoriferous sweat, was removed, sandwiched between …

Relationship Of Admission Variables To Success For Licensed Practical Nurses In Associate Degree In Nursing Ladder Program, Sally Kathryn Johnson

Dissertations

The problem and challenge for nurse educators in Practical Nursing/Associate Degree Nursing (PN/ADN) ladder programs is to identify admission criteria for Licensed Practical Nurse (PN) applicants entering the advanced standing level. The selected admission criteria should include those which are most likely to indicate success in the program and on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nursing (NCLEX-RN). Identifying such criteria would promote the most efficient use of scarce educational resources and help avoid loss of time, energy and financial resources for potential nursing students.

The records of 79 LPNs who entered a PN/ADN ladder program at the advanced …

A Semiquantitative Analysis Of The Chorda Tympani Taste Pathway In The Rat Brain With The 2-Deoxyglucose Method, Charles L. Hardison

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This thesis is based on a semiquantitative analysis of four nuclear relay centers [nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), parabrachial nucleus (PBN), ventroposteromedial nucleus (VPM), gustatory neocortex (GNC)] in the chorda tympani nerve pathway. Metabolic changes were examined by the 2-deoxyglucose method in which one chorda tympani nerve was chemically stimulated and its contralateral side lesioned. Coronal sections of four taste centers were prepared for autoradiography and Nissl staining. Densities of the autoradiograms were determined by means of a video based image processor. Relative differences in the optical density ratios of the stimulated versus lesioned nuclear grey matter areas to white matter …

Language Disabilities Of Delinquent Adolescents, Sue E. Eaton

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Many studies have been conducted on the prevalence of learning disabilities in the population of juvenile delinquents (Holte, 1972; Broder, Dunivant, Smith, and Sutton, 1981; Meltzer, 1983; Bachara and Zada, 1978). One investigation conducted by the United States Government, found that juvenile delinquents have severe learning problems (Reed and Heilman, 1981).

Learning disabilities appear in eight to 10 percent of all school age children and adolescents. Of that group, 39 to 63 percent show a language disorder syndrome which may negatively affect school learning over a broad range of the curriculum area (Semel and Wiig, 1980). The prevalence of learning …

The Use Of Dura Mater As A Meniscus Replacement In Tmj Surgery, Kim J. Dipasquale

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint is recognized as a problem of significant magnitude in both medical and dental circles. The last decade has seen a steady progression in the knowledge and sophistication of not only the anatomy and physiology of the temporomandibular joint, but also in the techniques of non-surgical and surgical management of internal derangements. Surgical correction of the unrepairable disc has typically been addressed by performing a menisectomy followed by placement of a non-physiologic implant material.

The animal study reported here was performed in order to evaluate the histologic fate and biological compatibility of freeze-dried dura when …

Auditory Temporal Processing Abilities Of Autistic Children, Theresa L. Bender

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.