Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Mindfulness In Motherhood, Kenzi Kuemper

OT Student Capstones

The postpartum period is a vital healing window for new mothers who are undergoing serious physical, psychological, and hormonal changes. The current United States healthcare system fails to provide guidance and assistance for the role changes that occur in motherhood that impact daily habits, routines, and goals of women and their children. A substantial lack of education exists for healthcare professionals working with pregnant and postpartum women, by women themselves, and by society as a whole. Serious musculoskeletal, psychological, and social concerns commonly arise for many women after giving birth. The purpose of this capstone project was to attempt to …

Design And Implementation Of A Vision-Based Deep-Learning Protocol For Kinematic Feature Extraction With Application To Stroke Rehabilitation, Juan Diego Luna Inga

Master's Theses

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability, affecting thousands of individuals annually and significantly impairing their mobility, independence, and quality of life. Traditional methods for assessing motor impairments are often costly and invasive, creating substantial barriers to effective rehabilitation. This thesis explores the use of DeepLabCut (DLC), a deep-learning-based pose estimation tool, to extract clinically meaningful kinematic features from video data of stroke survivors with upper-extremity (UE) impairments.

To conduct this investigation, a specialized protocol was developed to tailor DLC for analyzing movements characteristic of UE impairments in stroke survivors. This protocol was validated through comparative analysis using peak …

Smart Cushion Device For Elderly Aging In Place, Anna Dion, Nate Colley, Leonardo Bravo

Biomedical Engineering

Our task at hand is to develop a consumer-focused solution for improving elder care to provide additional peace of mind for seniors and caregivers using technology to extend independent living. We intend to create a device that will improve the quality of life of elderly individuals living alone by encouraging periodical movement throughout the day, along with monitoring pressure distribution and alerting when pressure concentration is potentially harmful. It will also alert users to the presence of moisture which can arise from spills or incontinence. The key stakeholders of this project include elderly adults over the age of 65 who …

The Effects Of Blood Flow Restriction On Electromyography Activity Of Proximal And Distal Upper Extremity Musculature, Sami Dullum, Clyde Jensen, Connor Remus

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Purpose/Hypothesis: Blood flow restriction therapy (BFR) has become a popular strength training and intervention method. Research shows BFR increases muscular hypertrophy and strength, mostly attributed to vascular occlusion. The purpose of this study is to examine BFR effects on proximal and distal muscle electromyography (EMG) activity to evaluate characteristics of fatigue in the infraspinatus (INFRA) and extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) during resistive side-lying shoulder external rotation (ER). Number of Subjects: 51

Materials/Methods: Fifty-one college students, 31 females, and 20 males participated in the study. Shoulder ER peak force was identified in side-lying utilizing a MicroFET. Participants completed shoulder …

The Inhibition Of Sars-Cov-2 Papain-Like Protease By Tanshinones, Alex Beringer

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, has highlighted the critical need for effective antiviral treatments. Three significant coronaviruses—SARS-CoV-1, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2—have posed serious global health threats in the past two decades. Among them, SARS-CoV-2 has demonstrated the highest transmission and mortality rates, underscoring the urgency for innovative therapeutic strategies. This study delves into the potential of tanshinones, natural compounds derived from Salvia miltiorrhiza, as inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 PLpro enzyme. PLpro is a pivotal enzyme in the viral replication and an attractive target for antiviral drug development. By inhibiting PLpro, tanshinones may hinder viral replication …

Adaptations And Transformations: Perceptions Of Change In Academic Motivation, Resilience, And Covid-19 Stress, Ella V. Gregorio

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Of concern to educators, post-COVID-19 assessments have revealed significant achievement gaps in student performance, as well as significant decreases in adolescent mental health. Less is known about changes in achievement motivation. Here we ask how students perceive their own motivation and whether it changed between “before” the pandemic to the present (Fall 2022 - Spring 2023), about three years after the beginning of the pandemic when many school routines were returning to “normal.” To understand how variance in these perceived changes might be related to pandemic-related stressors, trait resilience, and current mental health, we conducted a large survey study (N …

Flanker Task Performance In Young And Older Adults: A Behavioral And Erp Study, Fatima Medrano

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Research suggests that as we get older, executive function abilities decline (Hasher & Zacks, 1988; Salthouse, 1996). One affected ability is that of inhibitory control, which aids in monitoring our responses to non-target stimuli or information. Current research on inhibition reveals inconsistencies across studies. Monitoring brain responses during the Flanker (used to measure inhibitory control) task may add valuable insight into the processes underlying group differences behaviorally, by studying the N200 and P300 event-related potentials which have been associated with inhibitory control processes. This study investigated whether there are differences between older and younger adults in inhibitory control and whether …

Knowledge And Attitudes Towards Usage Of Hearing Protection In Volunteer Firefighters, Rachel S. Combs

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Occupational noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) represents a substantial global public health concern. Regulatory agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupation Safety and Health (NIOSH) aim to establish noise exposure limits in occupational settings, yet certain professions, such as firefighting, remain at a heightened risk. Although research has been conducted on noise exposure and hearing protection in career firefighters, a lack of research exists on volunteer firefighters. The purpose of this study was to 1) establish the extent that volunteer firefighters are currently educated on hearing conservation and hearing protection 2) …

Audiological Evaluation Of Persons With Dementia: A Systematic Review, Yehudis Hoch

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Dementia and hearing loss are both prevalent, age-related conditions and recent research has established a correlation between the two. Audiological evaluations of persons with dementia are important due to a likely comorbidity of dementia and hearing loss, the detrimental effect that hearing loss has on cognition and cognitive tests, and because the similar presentation of the two conditions can cause hearing loss to be overlooked. Hearing loss intervention is critical for this population due to the positive effects that amplification has on cognition, social engagement, and listening effort. Despite the importance of hearing assessment and intervention, audiological evaluation of …

The Effect Of Personal Listening Devices On Subjective Hearing Status, Esther Feldman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Long term or brief exposure to loud noise can trigger the onset of noise-induced hearing loss which can lead to a temporary (TTS) or permanent (PTS) shift in hearing threshold. Occupational noise, or recreational noise such as music can contribute to shifts in hearing levels. Listening to music in person at a concert or when listening on earphones/earbuds and streaming from a smartphone can produce sound pressure levels (SPL) high enough to lead to PTS, TTS, and associated symptoms. A survey of adults was conducted to gain insight into onset of self-perceived temporary hearing loss and tinnitus after short term …

The Impact Of Sport-Related Concussions On The Vestibular System Utilizing The Vestibular Ocular Motor Screening (Voms) Tool: A Systematic Review For Audiologists, Tina M. Ceriello

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Objective: This systematic review aims to analyze vestibular side effects of sport-related concussions (SRCs) based on differences such as age, gender, and/or sport when using the VOMS tool, and how audiologists may adapt practice for such individuals who have sustained SRCs.

Methods: A comprehensive search identified relevant articles using Google Scholar, ASHAWire, and other databases through the City University of New York (CUNY) Mina Rees Library website. Studies were included if SRCs were evaluated using the complete seven-item VOMS tool and had 25 or more participants. Studies were excluded if concussions were not sport-related, brain injuries were more severe than …

Positron Emission Tomography In Oncology And Environmental Science, Samantha Delaney

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The last half century has played witness to the onset of molecular imaging for the clinical assessment of physiological targets. While several medical imaging modalities allow for the visualization of the functional and anatomical properties of humans and living systems, few offer accurate quantitation and the ability to detect biochemical processes with low-administered drug mass doses. This limits how physicians and scientists may diagnose and treat medical issues, such as cancer, disease, and foreign agents.

A promising alternative to extant invasive procedures and suboptimal imaging modalities to assess the nature of a biological environment is the use of positron emission …

Family Fragments: Pressure And Proximity In First-Episode Psychosis, Cassandra B. Seltman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study explores the value of assuming a position that decenters the identified patient in families with a member with schizophrenia. Instead, a systemic view of the family is taken, as subject to pressures from without and within, and utilizing observable processes for the management and discharge of tension. It attempts the difficult balance of thinking dynamically without sacrificing scientific rigor, considering the social without discounting the biological, and exploring the functionality of the family without collapsing into blame, reductive cause-and-effect thinking, and the search to prioritize one true origin.

When treating family members as discrete units around an identified …

Best Practices For Healthcare Providers When Communicating With Individuals With Hearing Loss: A Systematic Review, Ashley Mccaig

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic review of the literature to gather information about strategies to use when communicating with people with hearing loss, specifically in healthcare settings or environments where face masks are frequently used. The compiled literature was used to establish the best practices for healthcare providers to use when communicating with their patients with hearing loss, especially when utilizing face masks.

Methods: A comprehensive search of the literature was conducted using the Google Scholar, PubMed, and MEDLINE Complete databases. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was used to …

Targeting Trpc3: A Promising Therapeutic Strategy For Alzheimer's Disease, Jiaxing Wang

Alternative Theses and Dissertations (AETDs)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurological disorder characterized by extracellular β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques and intracellular tau tangles. The calcium (Ca2+) hypothesis of AD proposes that disrupted intracellular Ca2+ regulation underlies AD pathology, contributing to inflammation, oxidative stress, impaired autophagy, neurodegeneration, and cognitive dysfunction. Store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) maintains ER Ca2+ stores, involving transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) and Orai channels. Specifically, we speculated that dysregulated functions of TRPC3 contribute to the pathogenesis of AD. We believe that targeting TRPC3 with a pharmacologically feasible agent could prove beneficial in halting cognitive decline. We previously reported compound JW-65, a novel, metabolically …

Application Of Methods To Population-Based Surveys To Reduce Bias In Estimates Of Sars-Cov-2 Infection Burden In The Population, Saba Qasmieh

Dissertations and Theses

BACKGROUND: Population-based surveys designed to randomly sample the population can be a critical and complementary tool to traditional surveillance approaches. Probability-based surveys enable the measurement of SARS-CoV-2 testing and outcomes that avoid issues around self-selection into testing, making them an effective approach to address ascertainment bias in passive surveillance. For surveys to be a useful and reliable surveillance tool for understanding the burden and distribution of SARS-CoV-2 infection, they need to capture prevalence estimates that are both valid and reliable to be optimally informative for public health measures. The dissertation was undertaken to address three main gaps that have implications …

Strengthening U.S. Jail Systems’ Response To Infectious Diseases: An Evaluation Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Erinn Bacchus

Dissertations and Theses

Jails across the United States were struck with increased infections and deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies have shown the structural make up of jails, lack of preparedness plans, and overcrowding contributed to health risks and poor health outcomes both inside jails and local communities. Yet little research has been dedicated to strengthening jail responses to infectious disease outbreaks spanning prevention measures, data collection, and reentry planning. Gaps include information on the (1) myriad infectious disease mitigation strategies used in jails and adherence to CDC prevention guidelines, (2) development of a standardized epidemiologic surveillance system, and (3) experiences working at …

Accessible Real-Time Eye-Gaze Tracking For Neurocognitive Health Assessments, A Multimodal Web-Based Approach, Daniel C. Tisdale

Master's Theses

We introduce a novel integration of real-time, predictive eye-gaze tracking models into a multimodal dialogue system tailored for remote health assessments. This system is designed to be highly accessible requiring only a conventional webcam for video input along with minimal cursor interaction and utilizes engaging gaze-based tasks that can be performed directly in a web browser. We have crafted dynamic subsystems that capture high-quality data efficiently and maintain quality through instances of user attrition and incomplete calls. Additionally, these subsystems are designed with the foresight to allow for future re-analysis using improved predictive models, as well as enable the creation …

Exploring How Factors Affecting Exercise Adherence May Inform Strategies To Increase Adherence In General And Depressed Populations: A Literature Review, Henry D. Link

University Honors Theses

Background: Exercise is associated with numerous physical and mental health benefits; however, many people struggle to exercise a sufficient amount and thus do not reap the benefits. Exercise is recognized as an effective treatment for depression with few risks. Professionals must understand the factors affecting exercise adherence to assist individuals of different backgrounds with adhering to exercise over the long term and to avoid common pitfalls that could hinder an individual’s progress.

Objective: This literature review aimed to identify factors affecting exercise adherence and to explore how those factors could inform strategies to increase exercise adherence among depressed …

Automated Orthopedic Impactor, Joshua P. Kannankunni, Maria F. Fletcher, Olivia K. Kam

Biomedical Engineering

We were tasked by Dr. Dimitri Delagrammaticas, an orthopedic surgeon, to develop an automatic impaction device to use in hip arthroplasties. The goal of this project is to create and design the mechanical internals for an electric impactor device to aid in the impaction of orthopedic devices and reduce the risk of surgeon injuries. The stakeholders include our sponsor Dimitri Delagrammaticas and other orthopedic surgeons, patients in need of hip arthroplasty, hospitals, and Dr. Berg-Johansen. Dr. Berg-Johansen will be reviewing the design process and documentation for the duration of the senior design project. The Automated Orthopedic Impactor will solely focus …

Age-Dependent Dynamics Of Breast Cancer Driven By Mutant P53: Insight From A Mouse Model, Jyotsna Devi Godavarthi

Dissertations (2016-Present)

Breast cancer (BC) incidence increases with age, and a substantial proportion of aggressive forms of BC are observed in older women. The mechanisms underlying BC's age dependence remain unclear. Genetic alterations in BC most frequently occur in the tumor suppressor gene p53, with most mutations occurring somatically at arginine (R) 248 to tryptophan (W) or glutamine (Q) (R248W/Q in humans, corresponding to R245W/Q in mice) mutation. Previously, a conditional mouse p53wmR245W allele was generated. It allowed inducing p53R245W mutant in the mammary epithelium of the p53wmR245W/+ mice by delivering adenovirus expressing Cre (Ad-Cre) into the mammary ducts, …

Infusing Values Into Written Exposure Therapy: A Comparison Study, Maegan Campbell

Dissertations

Written Exposure Therapy is a brief, efficacious intervention for the treatment of PTSD symptoms. The WET protocol calls for the infusion of values into therapeutic work, however, does not detail how to incorporate these values work into the highly scripted treatment. This study compared the standard WET protocol with WET infused with values. The study examined differences across the two conditions on seven variables (PTSD scores, depression scores, value importance and consistency, quality of life, psychological flexibility, customer satisfaction, and therapeutic alliance). The sample was largely homogenous in gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and reported index trauma. The sample was largely white …

The Association Of Acute Stress And Single Leg Balance, Theodore W. Gehrig Iii

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Chronic low back pain is a widespread and expensive societal burden that is routinely near the top of the list of reasons people live with a disability. There is an undeniable connection between low back pain and psychological stress, and it has long been accepted that stress comes as a consequence of the burden of pain. Our group sought to determine if the inverse of this paradigm might be true: that stress may actually play a role in the etiology of low back pain through its influence on neuromuscular control and strategies for balance stability. In this dissertation, we include …

Effects Of Electrotherapy On Pain And Mobility, Pablo Mleziva

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Introduction: Neck chronic pain is one of the most common problems in people today. However, people do not always seek medical treatment for their pain. Subclinical or mild pain generally does not prompt people to seek medical treatment. Consequences of this type of pain can be anxiety, disability and proprioception problems. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) recommends transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) as an intervention to treat neck pain with mobility deficits. TENS for the treatment of pain has been used for many years; however, there is still an “efficacy-impasse” for the use of TENS despite half a …

E6 Inhibtion-Mediated Combinatorial Therapy For Hpv+ Hnscc, Sonia Whang

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV) are the causative agents of virtually all cases of cervical cancer and up to 80% of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Current treatment options include chemo- and radiotherapy, though the effectiveness of these therapies is limited by the viral oncoprotein E6, which disrupts apoptotic pathways by binding to and accelerating the degradation of molecules such as p53 and caspase- 8. Our hypothesis was that inhibiting E6 and rescuing the apoptotic mediators would increase the effectiveness of apoptotic agents. The aims of this study were to first, develop an HPV+ HNSCC xenograft model to test …

Effect Of Home Exercise Program On Visual Reliance For Balance In Older Adults, Madeha Jaber

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: Older adults tend to rely excessively on visual inputs to maintain their balance. This overreliance on visual inputs can increase the risk of falls, particularly when visual inputs are reduced or eliminated. This study aimed to determine the effects of a home exercise program (HEP) on visual reliance for balance and cervical active range of motion (AROM) among older adults.

Patients/Materials and Methods: The study sample consisted of 19 older adults, aged 65-79 years old. Outcome measures included static balance, balance confidence, and cervical AROM. Participants were instructed to follow an 8-week HEP and were provided with …

Comparing Nurses’ Perceptions Of Work Environment And Health By Ethnicity, Nia M. Martin

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A healthy work environment significantly affects nurse outcomes such as burnout and retention, but also physical and mental health-- for nurses as well as for the patients for whom they provide care. Black/African Americans (BAAs) face numerous and unique challenges from systemic discrimination that contribute to health-related disparities and numerous physical and psychological challenges. Given the inherent challenges BAAs face and the need for supportive work environment for nurses, this study examined how ethnicity was associated with perceptions of work environment and personal health, focusing on BAA nurses to identify specific challenges and areas for improvement. This cross-sectional, descriptive correlational …

Articulatory Activity Of The Tongue, Jaw, And Lips During The Second Passaggio Transition Of The Soprano Voice, Richard C. Lissemore

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation describes three experiments designed to explore the acoustic and articulatory activity of a perceptible change in the soprano voice known as the secondo passaggio, or second transition, which typically occurs for the [ɑ] vowel between D♮5 (587 Hz) and F♮5 (698 Hz). Acoustically, the transition involves a shift in resonance strategy from second resonance tracking of the second harmonic (f_R2/2f_o) to first resonance tracking of the fundamental frequency (f_R1/f_o). To quantify the acoustics of the transition, we employed the measure L₁-L₂, the …

The Effect Of Nuciferine On The Renal Dysfunction Following Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury, Sundus Farag Sallabi

Theses

Renal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury (IRI) is an inevitable consequence of some surgical procedures and clinical conditions such as renal transplantation and aortic cross-clamping. The pathophysiology of renal IRI includes oxidative stress, an aggravated inflammatory response, apoptotic cell death, and fibrogenesis. These pathophysiological processes underlying renal IRI lead to the development of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI). Therefore, there is a need for effective and affordable therapeutic agents, such as phytochemical compounds to mitigate this injury. Nuciferine (NF), is a phytochemical compound extracted from the plant Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn and has been selected for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as demonstrated in the …

A Thorough Examination Of Different Elisa Kits To Determine The Concentration Of S100b Linked To Intracranial Hemorrhage, Anthony Phan

University Honors Theses

Background: Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Intracranial Hemorrhages (ICH) are one of the leading causes of death. Faster diagnosis and treatment positively impact patient outcomes. Two protein markers (UCHL-1 and GFAP) were approved by the FDA as an indicator for prediction indicators of an ICH or moderate TBI.

Methods: In this project, the S100 Calcium Binding Protein B (S100B) was measured by performing an enzyme-linked immunoglobulin assay (ELISA) on the placebo arm of the Prehospital Tranexamic Acid Use for Traumatic Brain Injury" clinical trial. The aim of this project is to compare glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) concentrations that were …