Regulation Of Diabetic Cardiomyopathy Through Mitochondrial Import Of Long Non-Coding Rnas, Andrew Dodge Taylor

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: The leading cause of mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus is heart failure. When mitochondrial health and function is disrupted, cardiac contractile function is compromised. Therefore, understanding mitochondrial regulation may benefit predicting and countering diabetic cardiomyopathy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in diabetic cardiac mitochondrial protein expression. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to regulate miRNAs, but not in the mitochondrion. Additionally, it has yet to be confirmed if lncRNAs utilize the same mechanisms for mitochondrial import that miRNAs use, or if lncRNA presence in the mitochondrion fluctuates in diabetic mitochondria like miRNA presence does. The …

Demonstrating The Need For Intergenerational Trauma-Specific Substance Use Treatment For Mothers Receiving Substance Use Treatment And Their Children, Brittany Ti-Esha Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For decades the United States has faced substance use epidemics that have devastating public health consequences, with the most recent epidemic being the opioid epidemic. While the substance that is the center of the epidemic’s changes over time, one factor that has been found to be positively related to substance use has remained consistent, that preventable risk factor is adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Those who experience ACEs are at elevated risk for developing SUD. If the trauma that is a result of experiencing ACE is not treated it can complicate recovery and impact the individuals’ families. The children of individuals …

Translational Approaches To Address The Metastatic/Resistant (Mr) Phenotype Of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Brain Metastases, Kent L. Marshall

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Lung cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed malignant neoplasm shared in men and women worldwide, second only to the sexually dimorphic prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women. Overall, lung cancer was responsible for 12.5% of new cancer cases globally in the year 2022. Of these cases, 80-85% are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a highly genotypically diverse sub-type of lung cancer. Over the past three decades, extraordinary improvement in screening, smoking cessation, early diagnosis and targeted therapy have been made, improving NSCLC survival markedly. However, as patients are surviving their primary disease better, there is a temporal …

Power Safety Plan Checklist As An Intervention In The Operating Room, Scott John Fankhauser

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT

Power Safety Plan Checklist as an Intervention in the Operating Room

Scott J. Fankhauser

Background: Intraoperative power failures (IOPF) force anesthesia providers to quickly make decisions to prevent patient harm when equipment does not operate as designed. Familiarity with alternative methods is critical during this decision process to deliver high-quality care during IOPF events. Purpose: The purpose of this project was to assess the impact of a checklist on anesthesia providers’ perceptions regarding continuation of care during an IOPF. Interventions: Pre- and post-intervention surveys were conducted during a simulation and education setting for annual competencies. Methods: The study …

Spiral Wave Teleportation And Multiplex Network Synchronization In Light Sensitive Belousov-Zhabotinsky Systems, Shannyn Alicia Tyler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

We experimentally and computationally investigate dynamical behaviors in excitable and oscillatory media using light sensitive Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) systems. These systems are not in a state of thermodynamic equilibrium, and have been proven to show various interesting phenomena including spatiotemporal patterns, self-organization, and chaos. We utilize the BZ reaction, a nonlinear chemical reaction, known for its relaxation-type oscillations, to explore the dynamics of these systems.

We examine spiral wave teleportation in an excitable media as an effective alternate defibrillation method. Spiral waves have emerged as a key phenomenon associated with the initiation and persistence of cardiac arrhythmias. Using a light sensitive …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of The Archaeal Proteasome To Alleviate Protein-Misfolding Retinopathy, Celine Brooks

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nearly all neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) and some eye diseases are characterized by the presence of misfolded and aggregated proteins. The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) is responsible for degrading the majority of proteins including misfolded and aggregated proteins. However, in NDs the performance of the UPS is impaired, and this impairment partially comes from these protein aggregates inhibiting the proteasome. This inhibition leads to an accumulation of protein aggregates, more proteasomal inhibition, and fewer chaperones for newly synthesized proteins, triggering a collapse in proteostasis, which is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of NDs. Consequently, stimulating proteasome function is being investigated …

Electronic Symptom Management Using Pros In A Rural, Appalachian Medical Oncologic Population, Andrea Ray Bailey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Systemic chemotherapy is a cornerstone of cancer treatment, but it often leads to significant side effects, which may impact patients' quality of life and lead to increased acute healthcare utilization. Although patients are typically informed of potential symptoms and advised to seek care as needed, many struggle to understand and manage symptoms effectively. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have been shown to improve symptom monitoring, decrease symptom burden, and reduce emergency department visits and hospital admissions. Electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs), in particular, offer timely and accessible symptom tracking, though their effectiveness has largely been evaluated within urban clinical trial settings and …

Pathways To Health: Linking Accessible Green Space To Improved Health And Well‐Being In Rural Appalachia., Udday Shankur Datta

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Green spaces are essential for our physical health. The quality of its green space often determines the health of a community. The presence of green space in our lives is associated with reduced stress levels, better sleep, and increased feelings of safety. Lack of access to green space can lead to many health issues, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, and has been linked to obesity and physical inactivity.

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) defines Appalachia as a region covering 420 counties across 13 states in the eastern United States. A large part of this region is …

Efficient Classification Of Very High Resolution Images, Mohammad I. Nouyed

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In recent decades, deep learning approaches have shown significant improvement in various image understanding tasks. However, analysis of high-resolution images remains a major challenge. In this work, we address the challenge of very high-resolution histopathological image (VHRHI) classification using a new information-theoretic discriminative patch selection approach. We show results on a high-resolution image dataset, namely, gigapixel whole slide tissue images for cancer tumors. Then we address how to efficiently classify challenging histopathology images, such as gigapixel whole-slide images for cancer diagnostics with image-level annotation. These ``weak labels'' are applied throughout the image but describe tumor regions of variable sizes and …

Effect Of Specific Data Variations On Automated Speaker Recognition, Ethan David Meighen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Speaker recognition is not a new biometric modality but there are still many obstacles in the way in order for it to become as used as fingerprint recognition, facial recognition, and iris recognition. Many real-world environmental conditions, hardware device variations, and human behavior present serious challenges to the use of opportunistic voice or speaker samples for identification purposes. Non-idealities, identified as nuisance factors, include environmental noise, input device quality, length of utterance, sample rate variation, and unscripted data are common nuisance factors that can impact speaker recognition match score performance. The impact of the nuisance factors listed above were evaluated …

The Relationship Between Moral Thought-Action Fusion And Scrupulosity Across Judaism, Christianity, And Islam, Kelsey Evey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Scrupulosity is a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) where individuals are upset by intrusive thoughts related to religious or moral issues. Current research suggests that scrupulosity occurs across the major world religions—including the Abrahamic religions (i.e., Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). Some research suggests that moral thought-action fusion (moral TAF), a dysfunctional belief that thinking something is equal to doing it, may only be pathological under certain circumstances (e.g., if it is not culturally normative). If this is true, the current cognitive model of scrupulosity may need to be amended to reflect how cultural differences impact the role of moral TAF …

Associations Among Psychosocial Factors, Health-Related Quality Of Life, And Adherence In Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Cecelia I. Nelson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a prevalent disorder among youth in the United States. IBD is one of the leading causes of chronic pain in adolescence and symptoms can lead to reduced quality of life, social embarrassment, and lower self-esteem. Adherence to medical regimens for IBD is incredibly important to prevent morbidity, mortality, and impaired health-related quality of life (HRQOL). However, adolescents struggle generally with adherence and the regimen for IBD can be complicated and include aversive side effects. Psychological factors, such as depressive symptoms, are key factors associated with non-adherence. Nevertheless, gut-specific anxiety (GSA) is a psychological factor that …

Treatment Patterns And Clinical And Economic Burden In Patients With Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Statistical And Machine Learning Approaches, Yves Mbous

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Although considered a rare form of nonmelanoma skin cancer, Merkel Cell Carcinoma incidence rate has increased to 0.74 per 100,000 and projections expect this number to steadily rise over the next decades and to reach an average of 3,285 cases per year in 2025. MCC incidence increases significantly with age. Among those aged 40-44, it is 0.44, it rises to 1.0/100,000 in the 60-64 age group and soars to 9.8/100,000 among those ≥85 years and above. Due to the small number of cases, MCC is often managed using institutional practices or provider preferences. Formal clinical trials that enroll early stage …

Implementation Of The Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership In Research And Education (Aaspire)-Based Guidelines To Improve Perioperative Care Of Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Kayleigh Brink

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT

Implementation of the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE)-based Guidelines to Improve Perioperative Care of Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Kayleigh Brink

Introduction: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is becoming more prevalent with an increasing need to identify and eliminate barriers to care. Healthcare Providers (HCP) have shown limited knowledge and confidence when managing patients with ASD. The inability to provide specialized care and recognize symptoms of pain or discomfort could result in behavioral difficulties.

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to improve confidence among HCPs to identify ASD characteristics and to improve the use of …

Self-Efficacy And Parental Miscarried Helping In Adherence And Transition Readiness Among Adolescents And Young Adults With Epilepsy, Kirby-Estar G. Laguerre

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Given the complex regimen associated with epilepsy, ensuring that adolescents and young adults (AYAs) adhere to their medications, and are ready to transition from pediatric to adult care, is crucial to optimizing their health outcomes. Several social and ecological factors such as self-efficacy and parental miscarried helping can strengthen or weaken an adolescent’s medication adherence and readiness to shift from pediatric to adult care. Intending to contribute to informing and improving clinical care, this study sought to understand the relationships between self-efficacy, parental miscarried helping, medication adherence, and transition readiness. Methods: Using a cross-sectional observational design, 46 AYAs with …

Intervention To Reduce Tobacco Use Among Prostate Cancer Patient And Informal Caregiver Dyads, Trupti Dhumal

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Prostate cancer is the leading cancer in men. Continued tobacco use after prostate cancer diagnosis may affect a patient’s treatment outcomes, quality of life, and mortality. Despite the potential negative outcomes, 10-20% of prostate cancer patients continue to use tobacco after their cancer diagnosis. Considering risks associated with continued tobacco use, there is a lack of evidence-based tobacco cessation strategies to address tobacco cessation specifically in prostate cancer. Given the increasing prevalence of prostate cancer, the ongoing difficulty in tobacco cessation, and the limited evidence-based tobacco cessation interventions in the literature, it is important to prioritize reducing tobacco use in …

Assessing The Impact Of Olive Oil And Flaxseed Oil Supplementation On Hypertension And Inflammation In Healthy And At-Risk Adults, Tara Bess Mcnabb

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Supplementation of olive oil and flaxseed oil and their impacts on hypertension and inflammation have been reported for healthy and hypertensive adults. However, a comprehensive systematic literature review and meta-analysis on the preventive benefit of plant oil supplementation in healthy adults and adults at risk of inflammation inducing hypertension is lacking.

Objective: to evaluate human clinical trials assessing the impact of olive oil and flaxseed oil capsules on systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and select inflammatory markers in non-hypertensive and at-risk adults of hypertension.

Data sources: Four databases were searched in October 2023 …

Usage Of Peer Mentoring Workbooks: Enhancing The Transition Of College Students With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Taylor Nicole Grout

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This doctoral capstone project assesses the impact and effectiveness of using peer mentoring workbooks as a tool to enhance the transition of college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A peer mentoring workbook was developed using theoretical frameworks to guide its design and identification of primary occupations, roles, and routines of college students. From here, four domains of college student life (dorm living, college social life, classroom management and participation, and community engagement and transportation) were developed to act as a framework for the workbook. Through the usage of Participatory Action Research, key stakeholders provided essential feedback that allowed for …

Effectiveness Of Peer Support Groups For Mothers At Risk For Postpartum Depression, Natalie Paige Gates

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Motherhood requires a role transition, new maternal responsibilities, and changes in everyday life, which can impact the mother’s mental health, possibly leading to postpartum depression. Postpartum depression can, in turn, create additional challenges for the mother in engaging in her daily routines and occupations. Therefore, a peer support group for mothers at risk for postpartum depression was developed in hopes of improving the mothers’ management of routines, ultimately improving maternal mental health. The effectiveness of the peer support group was measured through quantitative and qualitative online self-report surveys, where the mothers reported their current mental health status, self-efficacy, and occupational …

Limb Speed Perception Accuracy In Neurodegenerative Disease, Brandmeir Lynn Cheryl

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Movement is a fundamental human activity, enabling us to engage with our surroundings. Consequently, a well-operating neuromuscular system is essential for maintaining quality of life. Motion is not only integral for the basic function of daily living, but also plays a significant role in enhancing our physical, mental, and emotional health. The importance of this system becomes abundantly clear when it is compromised, such as with neurodegenerative disease.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), followed by Parkinson’s disease (PD) are the two most common neurodegenerative diseases that profoundly affect millions of individuals worldwide (Lamptey et al., 2022). Characterized by distinct but sometimes overlapping …

Application Of Interpretable Machine Learning Methods To Study The Disease Characteristics And Healthcare Expenditures In Hodgkin’S Lymphoma, Zasim Azhar Dil Hasan Siddiqui

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) is a rare malignancy of lymphocytes that predominantly occurs in young adults aged 20-30 years or elderly individuals aged 65-75 years. Despite its low incidence, there were an estimated 223,512 HL survivors in the US in 2020. Hodgkin’s lymphoma shows a favorable prognosis among young adults, with a high cure rate of 85-90%; however, older adults experience poor prognosis, with a 5-year overall survival rate of 40-55% in patients over 60 years. HL survivors incur high total and out-of-pocket (OOP) healthcare expenditures, averaging $78,183 and $4,180 per patient in the first year after diagnosis, highlighting a considerable …

Occupational Therapy’S Role In Low Vision Throughout The Lifespan, Ka Ki Tse

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Low vision and blindness significantly affect individuals' engagement in occupational performance. While West Virginia (WV) offers low vision rehabilitation programs to enhance occupational performance, several challenges remain unresolved. This doctoral capstone project aimed to collaborate with low vision professionals to deliver comprehensive low vision services and advocate for the integration of occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) in the low vision field. A needs assessment and literature review were conducted to identify gaps and develop strategies for addressing the gaps. A qualitative study design was chosen to explore the perspectives of current low vision providers regarding the role of OTPs. The study …

Advancing Opportunities For The Autistic Community At West Virginia University, Drew D. Altizer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder often have difficulties with social integration and sensory challenges on collegiate campuses. These difficulties are sometimes tied together as social integration spaces are not always sensory-friendly and can be overwhelming for the individual. Creating a sensory-friendly space within the potentially overstimulating environment can provide the student with a place to recharge and recover and still access the desired social events. This capstone project focused on the design and development of a sensory room in the West Virginia University Mountain Lair Student Union, working directly with the students in the West Virginia University Autism Support Program …

Community Resource Programs Impact On Marginalized Communities Access To Health Care Services: A Program Development Project, Alexis N. Foehrkolb

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Caring for children and meeting their needs comes with a variety of considerations regarding temperament, developmental progress, and socioeconomic impact. For children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN), those considerations become more complex. Community resource programs are designed to help families of CSHCN get access to the resources they need regarding general and healthcare services. A program was developed in collaboration with Parents Place of Maryland (PPMD) to create materials effective in educating parents of CSHCN on desired topics of interest, create a virtual environment where parents felt safe asking questions regarding specific topics of interest, and determine the most effective …

Self-Care And Quality Of Life Of Remotely Monitored Appalachians With Heart Failure, Patrick Rexrode Murphy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT

Self-Care and Quality of Life of Remotely Monitored Appalachians with Heart Failure

Patrick R. Murphy

Background: About 6.2 million persons are living with heart failure in the United States and over 960,000 new cases are diagnosed annually. The cost to provide care to this population exceeds $30 billion per year. Rates of heart failure are higher in the Appalachian region where persons are more likely to experience poverty, lack resources, and be geographically isolated. Heart failure coupled with these unique challenges can negatively impact self-care and quality of life. Numerous interventions have been attempted to support this population, but …

Visit North Carolina: Trail Accessibility, Hannah Caitlyn Guschel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This paper focuses on the perceived barriers to travel from marketing material for individuals with disabilities compared to those without disabilities and the direct impact on leisurely travel participation, particularly in outdoor spaces. Employing a cross-sectional study design encompassing both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods, this research investigates the experiences and transparency of trail accessibility in the state of North Carolina. Quantitative data were gathered through trail assessment accessibility checklists, while qualitative insights were obtained via in-depth interviews. The findings reveal an improved understanding of accessibility and the application of an accessibility checklist. Moreover, the study underscores the importance …

Effect Of Haemonchus Contortus Excretory/Secretory Protein On Differences In Host Neutrophil Migration, Hannah Grace Teddleton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An excretory/secretory (E/S) product, common to many helminths, is neutrophil inhibitory factor (NIF) which negatively affects neutrophil migration and activity. Due to differences in neutrophil accumulation between parasite resistant St. Croix STC and parasite susceptible Suffolk (SUF) sheep, we hypothesized that Hc-NIF may inhibit migration of SUF and not STC neutrophils. Previous studies have demonstrated that Hc produces NIF but is not commercially available. To test our hypothesis, neutrophils were cultured from STC and SUF sheep in the presence of Ancylostoma caninum-derived NIF (Ac-NIF) and measure chemotaxis to Interleukin-8 (IL-8), HcLA or H. contortus third-stage excretory/secretory (E/S) products. Neutrophils were …

Teaching Cultural Humility Practices In Appalachia: The Value Of Conducting Conversations Based In Education, Bailey A. Riggs

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent literature highlights the paradigm shift from utilizing cultural competence practices to cultural humility practices within the field of occupational therapy, and health sciences (Fisher- Borne, et al., 2015). The idea of cultural competency suggests that culture is unchanging, and individuals can master cultural knowledge. The perception of knowing culture can be perceived as an unwillingness to learn about culture. In contrast, cultural humility promotes the value of lifelong learning and introspection, encouraging greater self-awareness, reflection of personal biases, and recognition of power imbalances. This approach aims to better integrate educational approaches to serve diverse populations in a culturally affirming …

Comparison Between Coronally Advanced Flap With Sub-Epithelial Connective Tissue Graft And Tunnel Technique With Sub-Epithelial Connective Tissue Graft In Achieving Mean Root Coverage At Multiple Recession Defects: A Retrospective Study, Christian Daniel Davila

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Aim: The primary objective is to retrospectively compare the mean root coverage (MRC) achieved using a coronally advanced flap and sub-epithelial connective tissue graft (CAF + CTG) with that achieved using the tunnelling technique and sub-epithelial connective tissue graft (TUN + CTG) for the treatment of multiple recession defects. The secondary objectives are to compare the proportion of complete root coverage (CRC) achieved with CAF + CTG compared to TUN + CTG, compare the proportion of CRC achieved in these two techniques with respect to level of training (American board-certified periodontist or Graduate periodontics residents) and to evaluate the …

Development And Implementation Of Occupational Therapy Group Protocols For Individuals In Recovery For Substance Use Disorder: Considering Social Determinants Of Health And Occupational Areas Of Need, Samantha Jane Windisch

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are becoming a more widespread issue globally. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 19.7 million adults in the U.S. suffered from an SUD in 2017. (SAMSHA, 2018). Recurrent alcohol and/or drug use that results in significant disability, including health issues, and/or a failure to prioritize obligations like employment, school, or family life are characteristics of SUD (SAMHSA, 2022). Research suggests that healthcare providers must integrate cutting-edge and successful treatments for this population to lower the risk of overdose and relapse rates, given the swift global spread of addictive disorders. In the past, …