Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Study Of Pediatric Heart Transplant Patients In Relationship To Post Transplant Coronary Artery Disease, Mark Randall

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Post transplant coronary artery disease influences short and long-term survival of pediatric heart transplant recipients. Associated cardiovascular disease risk factors among non-heart transplant adult and pediatric heart populations for development of coronary artery disease have been documented. Little is known about these typical cardiovascular disease risk factors as well as other possible risk factors in the development of post transplant coronary artery disease. Objective: The purpose of this research was to examine children/adolescents (n=194), 5-18 years old, at least one-year post heart transplant. This study also investigated if there were physiological and psychological/behavioral differences between recipients with (n = 28) …

Assessment Of A Body Composition-Focused Approach To Obesity Treatment, Beverly D. Hall

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Obesity is a significant United States’ public health concern. However, high relapse rates continue to be a problem for obesity treatment programs while the focus remains on weight loss, not body composition change. This study examined whether a clinic-based obesity treatment program, focused on body composition change through resistance training, lead to improved body composition, exercise behaviors, and attitude change from focus on weight loss to body composition change. Improvements in self efficacy, outcome expectations and stages of change were also examined. Forty-eight physician-referred overweight or obese adult women (mean body fat 41%, SD = 6.65%), completed assessments and questionnaires …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Facing Uncertainty, Proceeding With Caution, Living With Joy: Women With Multiple Sclerosis And The Motherhood Decision, Anne L. Van Acker

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Multiple sclerosis is a degenerative neurological disorder, affecting approximately 250,000-350,000 persons in the United States. Women are diagnosed twice as frequently as men, with the majority of those diagnoses occurring during their childbearing (typically between the ages of 20 and 40) years. For women with multiple sclerosis, the decision to bear children is complicated by numerous factors. First, conventional cultural images of motherhood rarely acknowledge women with disability of any kind as "fit" mothers. For a disabled woman to pursue motherhood often means confronting predominant ideals and frequently having to justify her decision. Second, multiple sclerosis has proven to be …

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 …

The Association Of Blood Type On The Five Factors Of Personality In Chinese Adolescents, Kunher Wu

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to identify the number of personality factors in Chinese adolescents using the Chinese Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and to determine whether blood type is associated with personality. It is widely accepted by psychologists that the five-factor model can provide an adequate representation of adult personality dimensions, but there is less agreement on the number of factors observable in adolescence. A total of 3,396 11^th graders from the city of Kaohsiung, Taiwan completed the Chinese NEO-PI-R. Principle component analysis with varimax rotation showed five factors of personality in these Taiwanese adolescents, which clearly …

The Anti-Proliferation Effects Of Lycopene On Breast Cancer Cells, Tixieanna Dissmore

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: The incidence and deaths from breast cancer represent the most cause of all cancer deaths among women. Lycopene, the carotenoid in tomatoes has been associated with decreasing risk of prostate, breast, and digestive tract cancers. Various mechanisms of lycopene action have been proposed, including antioxidant activity and pro-differentiation activities. Identifying changes in the expression of proteins modified by lycopene can provide information to study the modulating effects of lycopene carcinogenesis and tumorigenesis development.

Objective: The objective was to study the anti-proliferative effects of lycopene on MCF- 7 human breast cancer cells and to identify changes in protein expression patterns. …

An Ergonomic Assessment Of The Airline Baggage Handler, Stephen P. Salomon

Theses

A material or baggage handler is responsible for loading and unloading baggage and materials from inbound/outbound aircraft flights and transferring the materials to and from the baggage holding and sorting areas and back to the passengers or output source. Baggage handlers work in all types of inclement weather, all over the airport, and in-and-around the aircraft. The baggage handler's job entails repeated lifting pulling, pushing, squatting, twisting, kneeling, and stretching of the arms and back, which makes the baggage handler's job one of the more challenging material handling jobs to ergonomically assess and make corrections for. The aim of the …

Osha Laboratory Safety Standard 29 Cfr 1910.1450 And Achieving Compliance In The Microelectronic Laboratory, Danielle M. Digironimo

Theses

This thesis is a practical application of occupational exposures to hazardous substances in a microelectronics laboratory. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard for the safety in laboratories is (29 CFR 1910.1450). The application is a demonstration of the implementation of the standard in a university setting. Hazards that exist in laboratory settings are very complex and the task of providing a safe workplace can become increasingly complicated. A laboratory can and does impose different health and safety concerns that a standard industrial workplace setting might not have. The need for a laboratory safety standard program to be implemented …

Investigation And Calculation Of Dose Coefficients For Radionuclides Produced In A Spallation Neutron Source Using The Ensdf And Nubase Nuclear Databases, Yayun Song

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Dose coefficients are useful for risk assessment during the design and siting of accelerator-driven nuclear facilities including the Spallation Neutron Source. There are seventy-two radionuclides with half-lives equal to or greater than one minute that will be produced by the spallation of a mercury target for which no published dose coefficients exist. Out of these seventy-two, twenty-four currently have conflicting published nuclear data in the Evaluated Nuclear Structure Data Files (ENSDF) and the NUBASE data files. In this research these twenty-four radionuclides have been studied. Because of missing ENSDF records, internal and external dose coefficients were determined for only six …

Religion And Crime: A Study Of Inmates In State And Federal Prisons In The United States., Dhanalakshmi Thirumalai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Persistent high levels of crime in this country have provided support for the need for public programs that help in reducing crime rates through effective interventions. Spirituality and religion are considered to play a major part in determining an individual's attitude towards committing a crime. This study analyzed if inmates in State and Federal prisons in the US are involved in prison religious activities and personal prayers in order to determine if criminality (measured by offense type) of inmates affects their participation in religious activities. Based on logistic regression analysis, gender, race, and marital status of inmates were found to …

Patient Handling Ergonomics, Paul Reichert

Theses

The incidence of musculoskeletal injuries among healthcare workers has been well documented in the medical and ergonomic literature. The epidemiological evidence demonstrates high injury rate among nurses, nurse's aides, therapists and other medical workers who frequently handle patients. The biomechanical research has shown large compressive forces developed in the lumbar spine performing various patient handling transfers that exceed the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health's recommended guideline. One of the most strenuous patient handling tasks is transferring the patient from bed to the chair and vice versa.

One of the objectives of this thesis is to design and conduct …

Toothbrushing, Flossing, And Preventive Dental Visits By Richmond-Area Residents In Relation To Demographic And Socioeconomic Factors, Kim T. Isringhausen

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose. This study was conducted to identify factors that influence preventive dental behaviors and, from the results, target groups for intervention.Methods. Data were collected using the 1997 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) resulting in a probability sample of 399 dentate adults living in Richmond City, Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover Counties in Virginia. All analyses were performed using the statistical software program STATA. Initial hypothesis testing was performed using univariate logistic regression models. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to test the significance of independent variables while controlling for other possible predictors of behavior.Results. Females were more likely than males …

Obesity And Health Status Among Urban Vs. Suburban Elderly In Philadelphia And Surrounding Counties, Ockidde Dufayne Harris

Theses and Dissertations

Obesity is a dangerous health condition affecting approximately 30% of all Americans and can be attributed to 300,000 deaths a year. Obesity has been found to disproportionately affect Blacks, Latinos, and those with lower SES. Although obesity is a problem for all age groups, its prevalence is highest among those 60-74 years of age. Studies have shown that there is an association between obesity and chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, cancers, and type-2 diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control, chronic health conditions affect 80% of all elderly persons, many times limiting function and decreasing quality of …

Association Between The Frequency Of Physical Education Classes And The Prevalence Of Overweight/Obesity In Adolescents, Collin N. Rice

Theses and Dissertations

Background/Objective: Overweight and obesity has been steadily on the rise in the United States for all groups. The prevalence of obesity for adolescents has tripled since 1980. The purpose of this study is to determine an association between the frequency of physical education classes and the prevalence of overweight/obesity in adolescents in the United States.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that used the 2001 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) of the Center for Disease Control. The outcome variable for the study was Body Mass Index (BMI). A BMI of 25 or greater was considered overweight or obese. The main independent …

Effect Of Repeated Dosing Of Delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol, The Major Psychoactive Ingredient Of Marijuana, On Memory In Mice, Floride Niyuhire

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. However, marijuana and cannabinoid derivatives have potential therapeutic uses. Studies in cannabis users have yielded contradictory results with regard to long-term effects on cognitive functions. There is no prospective study assessing this issue, and such studies may raise ethical issues in humans, whereas mice have been shown to exhibit similar cannabinoid-mediated behaviors as humans. The purpose of this study was to assess the consequences of chronic administration of Δ9-THC, the major psychoactive component of marijuana, in a mouse memory model. Methods: In Experiment 1, the dose-response relationship …

Evaluation Of The Hayes E. Willis Health Center In South Richmond -- Has It Served Its Targeted Population?, Shannon Nicole Shaw

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The Hayes E. Willis Health Center (HWHC) was opened in a neighborhood of South Richmond in October 1993 to remove the barriers that prevented South Richmond residents from accessing primary healthcare services. The major objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the HWHC in providing primary care to the South Richmond Community deemed to be in need. An additional objective was to describe the changes in characteristics of clinic users and illnesses seen over time.Methods: Patient data was compared from the HWHC�s first full year of operation in which patient data was collected (1995) to the …

Is Number Of Pregnancies A Risk Factor For Heart Attack In Women?, Pavan Kumar Irukulla

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Studies regarding number of pregnancies and coronary heart disease have shown inconsistent results. In the present study, we assessed the association between number of pregnancies and heart attack (HA) in women.Methods: Using data from NHANES III a cross sectional data analysis of 10634 women aged 17 and above was conducted. We considered socio-demographic factors and other potential risk factors including physical activity, smoking, alcohol, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, BMI, age, and family history of heart attack. We conducted Bivariate analysis to determine prevalence and crude odds ratios. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to adjust for confounding variables using SPSS. …

Characteristics Of Help-Seeking Among First-Year Community College Students, Patricia A. Smith

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Health trends among freshmen entering college indicate that 2-year college students are especially vulnerable to engaging in risky health behaviors, yet many do not seek help. There was a need to more directly assess those who use college health services and factors that enable them to seek help when others do not.

The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with help-seeking among two groups of first-year community college students: those who utilized the student health center and those who had not.

This study used a cross-sectional study design to examine differences between first year community college students …

Determinants Of Prenatal Care And Supplement Use: The Case Of Honduras, Catherine E. Henze

Theses and Dissertations

Context: Literature suggests that prenatal care and prenatal supplement use improves pregnancy outcomes. However, we do not know the factors associated with prenatal care and supplement use in Honduras.Objective: To identify characteristics of Honduran women who are the least and most likely to use prenatal care and supplements.Methods: Data from a 2001 Honduras cross-sectional survey of women was used to assess their use of prenatal care and supplements. All data was weighted, resulting in a sample size of n = 5647 women who had a live birth since January 1996. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine factors associated …

Rabies In Virginia, 1989-2003: With Particular Attention To Animals, Geographic Distribution, And Virus Variant, William Andrew Holzgrefe

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: The description of the raccoon rabies epizootic in Virginia over fifteen years (1989-2003). Methods: Using simple statistical methods and a geographic information system (GIS)-based approach, and fifteen years worth of animal surveillance data, the progress of this epizootic has been charted in terms of the geographic spread of the disease, the major animal species affected by the disease and its spread, and the exposure and risk to humans and livestock animals presented by the expansion of the geographic range. Results: The resulting descriptive study illustrates the eastward expansion of the epizootic, the mushrooming of the disease in the northern …

A Paradigm Shift In Progress: The Impact Of Work Hour Reform On The Operative Volume Of Surgical Residents, Kathryn A. Mendoza

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Antioxidants As Risk Factors For Gingival Bleeding, Hee-Jeong Bahng

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Studies of gingival bleeding and the effects of antioxidants on extracellular matrix and immunologic and inflammatory responses provide a rationale for hypothesizing that antioxidants reduce the risk for gingival bleeding.Methods: This study evaluated the role of antioxidants as contributing risk factors for gingival bleeding utilizing the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NAHNES III). A sample of 18,825 adults (20 to ≥ 90 years of age), with dental measurement and assessment of serum levels of antioxidants were included in the study. Gingival bleeding was defined as those who had more than 30 percent of gingival bleeding in 28 …

Patient Expectations Of Full Body Ct Screening, Carole Tanenbaum Kolber

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Attitudes Of Preventive Care Specialists And Registered Dietitians Toward Their Obese Patients, Maryanna Gabriel

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to compare preventive care specialists and registered dietitians regarding attitudes toward obese patients, to compare both groups with Canadian and American nurses previously studied, and to determine whether relationships exist between personal characteristics and attitudes toward obese patients. Questionnaires were sent to members of the American Preventive Care Association and 1,000 randomly selected members of the California Dietetic Association. Sixty-seven preventive care specialists and 579 registered dietitians participated in the study. A modified version of the Attitudes Toward Obesity scale, developed by Bagley, et al. was used to measure attitudes. Preventive care specialists and …

Achievement Goal Orientation And Perceived Motivational Climate In Winning Collegiate Softball Programs, Portery Scott

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Estimation Of Standardized Mortality Ratio In Geographic Epidemiology, Anna Kettermann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The analysis of geographic variation of disease and its representation on a map form an important topic of research in epidemiology and in public health in general. Identification of spatial heterogeneity of relative risk using morbidity and mortality data is required. The usual technique of disease atlas generation consists of data collection (observed number of disease cases). These data are collected during a continuous period of time (5 to 10 years). The second aspect of atlas creation relates to the analysis of these data. A traditional measure of the spatial variation is usually taken as a ratio of the number …

Comparisons Among Parent Reports And Self-Reports Of Sleep In Adhd And Normal School-Aged Children, Diana M. Turner-Eadie

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The objective of the study was to investigate whether school-aged children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience greater sleep disturbance than do normally-developing children. Participants included 33 parents and their children with ADHD (mean age = 10.7 ± 1.7 years) and 33 parents and their children without ADHD (mean age = 10.7 ± 1.6 years). Both parents and their children completed sleep questionnaires developed to assess a number of sleep variables. Based on parental report, the Total Sleep Disturbance score was significantly greater for the ADHD group than for the comparison group. Parents indicated that children with ADHD had …