Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Relationship Between Cb1 And S1p Receptors In The Central Nervous System, Lauren Michele Collier

Theses and Dissertations

There is significant sequence homology and anatomical co-distribution between cannabinoid (CB1) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptors in the CNS, but potential functional relationships between these lysolipid receptors have not been examined. Therefore, to investigate possible relationships between these two systems at the level of G-protein activation, agonist-stimulated [35S]GTPγS binding and autoradiography were conducted. Autoradiographic studies were first performed to localize receptor-mediated G-protein activation in mouse brain. Coronal brain slices were processed for stimulation of [35S]GTPγS binding using the synthetic cannabinoid agonist WIN 55,212-2 (WIN) or SIP. High levels of WIN- and S1P-stimulated [35S]GTPγS binding were observed in the caudate putamen, hippocampus, …

Factors Associated With The Provision Of Coronary Heart Disease Preventive Careservices, Patricia Carcaise-Edinboro

Theses and Dissertations

The Anderson and Aday access framework (1974) is utilized to investigate the association of individual and community level, predisposing, socio-demographic, and enabling factors, on potential and realized access to coronary heart disease (CHD) preventive care. The cross-sectional study is based on a sample of adults age 18-85 from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) who were identified with CHD risk or who had a CHD diagnosis.Variables from the MEPS and the Area Resource File (ARF) are used to test logistic regression models for dependent variables measuring primary and secondary CHD preventive care services. The primary preventive care measures include blood …

The Corbett Pain Scale: A Multidimensional Pain Scale For Adult Intensive Care Patients, Gina M. Corbett

Theses and Dissertations

There are no reliable tools that evaluate pain in adult critical care patients who cannot communicate as a result of sedation or illness. This was an observational study in which postoperative cardiothoracic intensive care patients were assessed for pain using both the newly devised Corbett Pain Scale (CPS) and the Numerical Pain Scale (NPS). The CPS was evaluated for content validity, criterion validity, construct validity, test re-test reliability and internal consistency. Thirteen male and seven female patients (n=20) were enrolled and underwent a maximum of five pain assessments each. The mean total scores of the CPS (.740, SD+1.03) and the …

Factors Associated With Hospital Commitment To Provide Child/Adolescent Psychiatric Services, Lea Anne Gardner

Theses and Dissertations

General acute care hospitals play a particularly important role in the delivery of children's mental health given the extant lack of alternatives to long term hospitals for patients requiring a restrictive treatment environment (Glied and Cuellar, 2003). This cross-sectional study identifies environmental and organizational factors associated with general acute care and children's hospitals in the United States that provide hospital-based child/adolescent psychiatric services and the number of services. Two macro-level theories, Resource Dependence Theory and Institutional Theory were used to identify environmental and organizational factors. A nationwide sample of hospitals was drawn from the 2003 AHA annual survey. Data from …

Assessing Epidermal Growth Factor Expression In The Rodent Hippocampus Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Janice Mabutas Daus

Theses and Dissertations

Hippocampal neurons are vulnerable to injury, as indicated by the prevalence of learning and memory deficits following traumatic brain injury. Research indicates that proliferation of neural precursor cells increases following brain injury, which implies that there is an endogenous response in the hippocampus to replenish neurons and restore cognitive function. Studies show that mitogenic growth factors may drive this proliferative response; one of which is epidermal growth factor. Because adults and the elderly manifest the most enduring deficits following TBI, it is critical to investigate how EGF expression following injury may relate to injury-induced cell proliferation and the degree of …

The Effect Of Silencing The Wilms' Tumor 1 Gene On The Radiation Sensitivity Of Glioblastoma Cells, Dana C. Chan

Theses and Dissertations

Glioblastomas are among the most devastating of human cancers with a median survival of only 9-12 months. This type of brain tumor is incurable, largely due its remarkable proliferative capacity and resistance to current treatments. High levels of the Wilms' Tumor 1 (WTI) gene have been identified in glioblastomas, suggesting an oncogenic function. Moreover, known WT1 target genes have been implicated in resistance to radiation. To determine the role of WT1 in radiation resistance, two glioblastoma cell lines expressing WT1 were treated with siRNAs to silence this gene. Confirmation of WT1 knockdown was achieved through real-time PCR and Western blot. …

Serum Anti-Phosphorylcholine And Anti-Cardiolipin Concentrations Following Periodontal Scaling And Root Planing, Reve W. Chaston

Theses and Dissertations

Atherosclerosis is an insidious disease with serious morbidity and mortality including ischemic heart disease, stroke, and myocardial infarction. This condition is progressive and can start early in life eventually leading to large plaques and arterial occlusion. Two key components of this process are the immune system and lipids; in particular, LDL which accumulates within the arterial walls and macrophages which recognize and engulf oxidized-LDL (oxLDL) to form foam cells. Knowing that certain antibodies directed against bacterial antigens such as phosphorylcholine (PC) and cardiolipin (CL) show opsonizing cross-reactivity with oxLDL it can be proposed that there is a link between immune …

Health Promoting Lifestyle And Quality Of Life In Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Saichol Janwijit

Theses and Dissertations

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has a severe impact on quality of life (QOL). Using the Health Promotion Model as a guide, a cross-sectional, correlational design was used to describe relationships among individual characteristics and experiences (age, gender, race, severity of illness, resilience), behavior-specific cognitions and affect (self-efficacy, barriers, social support), behavioral outcomes (health promoting lifestyle), and QOL in this patient population. One hundred and twenty participants were recruited from three clinics at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System. In addition to a demographic survey, participants completed a 151-item questionnaire incorporating measures resilience, severity of illness, self-efficacy, and barriers to a …

Factors Influencing Health Status In Community-Dwelling Older Adults, Janet Jestina Byam-Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive, correlational study was based on Pender's Health Promotion Model (Pender, Murdaugh, & Parsons, 2002). The purpose was to examine factors influencing health status in community-dwelling, older white and black adults. The following research question was addressed by the study: What are the relationships among the individual characteristics (age, gender, race, education, and income); the behavior-specific cognitions and affect (perceived self-efficacy, perceived barriers, and interpersonal influences); and the behavioral outcomes (health-promoting behaviors), and health status in community-dwelling whites and blacks 65 years of age and older? The convenience sample of 113 participants from four congregate meal sites in Central …

Factors Associated With High Sexual Risk Behavior In Single Women, Thomas B. M. Leecost

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: This study was to identify factors associated with High Sexual Risk Behavior (HSRB) in single Afro American women seen in an Epidemiology/Sexual transmitted disease (EPID/STD) Clinic in Richmond, Virginia from January 2006 through April 2006.Method: Participants were 154 single women (no history of marriage) between the ages of 18-30 visiting the EPID/STD clinic for the first time.Demographic information was obtained from their records. A volunteer interview was given that contained 101 variables to evaluate for High Sexual Risk Behavior (HSRB). HSRB was defined to response 'yes' to the question, "During the past 3 months did you have sex with …

Functional Redistribution Of Hippocampal Cannabinoid Cb1 Receptors In The Rat Pilocarpine Model Of Acquired Epilepsy, Katherine Winslow Falenski

Theses and Dissertations

Cannabinoids, such as the marijuana derivative Δ9-THC, are known to have CBl receptor-mediated anticonvulsant effects in several animal models of seizures and epilepsy, including the rat pilocarpine model of acquired epilepsy. However, the distribution of CBl receptor expression and function in brains of epileptic rats has not been characterized. Therefore, this dissertation was initiated to evaluate the effect of epileptogenesis on the distribution and function of the endogenous CBI receptor system in the rat pilocarpine model, a well-established model of acquired temporal lobe epilepsy. Using immunohistochemistry, we demonstrated that chronically epileptic rats exhibit a unique, long-term, and specific redistribution of …

The Life Pattern Of People With Spinal Cord Injury, Ronald R. Alligood Ii

Theses and Dissertations

This aim of this study was to answer the research question: "What is the Life Pattern of the Person with Spinal Cord Injury?" The unitary appreciative inquiry design, which has conceptualized through Rogers' (1986) science of unitary human beings, provided an approach for understanding the phenomenon in the context of human wholeness. The data, obtained through the methodology of unitary appreciative inquiry, led to the development of individual synopses for each of the participants. Once the synopses were completed, a composite pattern profile was constructed by the researcher that was indicative of the life pattern of people with spinal cord …

The Anti-Plaque Efficacy Of Listerine® Used In Combination With Toothbrushing In Orthodontic Patients, Zachary A. Casagrande

Theses and Dissertations

The bactericidal efficacy of Listerine®, the essential oil-containing mouthrinse, has long been recognized. The purpose of this study was to determine whether Listerine® mouthrinse, when added to the standard oral hygiene regimen, had an added benefit in reducing plaque and gingivitis development in orthodontic patients over a six-month period. 50 orthodontic patients from the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Orthodontics were assigned either to the brushing + flossing (N= 25) or brushing + flossing + Listerine® (N = 25) group. At baseline (TI), measurements for the Ramfjord teeth were recorded for the gingival index, plaque index and bleeding index. Subsequent …

Southeast Asian Immigrant Women's Perspectives On Domestic Violence, Pataporn Saengkhiew

Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the question, "What is the lived experience of Southeast Asian immigrant women who live in the United States related to domestic violence, including the relationships with their partners, their knowledge of domestic violence, and the existence of domestic violence in the Asian community?" Fourteen Thai women engaged in semistructured interviews during which they were asked to describe their experience. This study chose the phenomenological approach, using content analysis that identified six major themes representing essential aspects of the experience, as described by the participants: (a) Knowledge about Domestic Violence and Sources of Information, (b) The experience of …

Use Of A Synthetic Substrate For Orthodontic Bond Strength Testing, Elijah B. Saikaly

Theses and Dissertations

In vitro bond strength studies are of great importance and interest since they allow the prediction of clinical success of orthodontic adhesives. There are many studies that have investigated bond strength values of bonding systems. However, due to the variation in the materials and methods employed, it is very difficult and often impossible to make comparisons among data. The use of a substrate as an alternate to enamel for mechanical tests would minimize these variables and reduce the challenges faced with in vitro bond strength tests. The purpose of this study was to investigate the suitability of Macor as a …

Characterization Of Perphenazine And Scopolamine Aerosols Generated Using The Capillary Aerosol Generator, Xihao Li

Theses and Dissertations

The characterization of perphenazine and scopolamine aerosols generated using the capillary aerosol generator (CAG) was reported. Variables including steady state power, the formulation vehicle, the drug concentration and the formulation flow rate were studied for their effects on the chemical stability and particle size of these drug aerosols.Stability-indicating HPLC and LC-MS assays were developed and validated for perphenazine and scopolamine, respectively. The chemical stability of each compound was investigated under a variety of stress conditions and the structure of degradation products was proposed.Perphenazine aerosols were generated from propylene glycol (PG) formulations with concentrations of 9, 48 and 90mM at formulation …

Diffuse Brain Injury Triggers Ultra-Rapid Perisomatic Traumatic Axonal Injury, Wallerian Change, And Non-Specific Inflammatory Responses, Brian Joseph Kelley

Theses and Dissertations

A significant component of diffuse brain injury (DBI) is diffuse axonal injury (DAI) which is responsible for the morbidity and mortality associated with this condition. DAI and its experimental counterpart traumatic axonal injury (TAI) result in scattered microscopic pathology characterized by focal impairment of axonal transport leading to progressive swelling and delayed axotomy. DBI-mediated perisomatic axotomy does not result in acute neuronal death suggesting that delayed axotomy was responsible for this unanticipated response. To evaluate this hypothesis, we examined the spatiotemporal progression of DBI-mediated perisomatic TAI. LM / TEM identified impaired axonal transport within 15 - 30 min post-injury. Perisomatic …

Ige Production Regulation Via Cd23 Stalk Engagement And Cell Cycle Stimulation, Timothy Hays Caven

Theses and Dissertations

CD23, the low affinity receptor for IgE, is expressed mainly on B cells and has been shown to regulate IgE production. Previously, recombinant mouse and human CD23 were constructed with a trimerizing isoleucine zipper motif attached in frame to the N-terminus of the entire extracellular CD23 (lz-ECCD23). The goal was to examine the role of the necessity of the CD23 stalk for binding IgE. Using PCR-based mutagenesis to delete the majority of the stalk, binding to IgE was lost. Further studies examined the effect of lz-ECCD23 in preventing IgE from binding FcεRI and therefore acting as a therapeutic agent. It …

The Expression And Function Of Wilms' Tumor 1 In Malignant Glioma, Aaron J. Clark

Theses and Dissertations

The Wilms' tumor 1 gene is overexpressed in many types of cancer and is associated with poor prognosis and resistance to anti-cancer therapies. In vitro studies in non-glioma cells types have demonstrated that WTl plays a role in increased proliferation, resistance to apoptosis, and increased cellular invasion. We aimed to thoroughly characterize the expression pattern of Wilms' tumor 1 in human malignant glioma and discern its function in this complex disease process. We screened a large sample of established human malignant glioma cell lines and glioma tissue specimens of all grades for WT1 expression. The majority of cell lines and …

A Model For Studying Vasogenic Brain Edema, Anshu Shukla

Theses and Dissertations

Convection-enhanced delivery (CED) is a proven method for targeted drug delivery to the brain that circumvents the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Little study has been conducted in understanding CED in pathological brain states. This is of importance when dealing with chemotherapeutic agent delivery to brain tumors, where vasogenic edema (VE) exists. The current study aims to characterize a model of VE suitable for studying CED.VE was produced in the right hemisphere of the rat brain using multiple infusions of hyperosmotic mannitol (0.25mL/kg/s over 30 seconds) delivered through the right internal carotid artery. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed consistent edema formation and …

Why Undergraduate Nurses Choose Not To Pursue Mental Health Nursing As A Career In Western Australia : A Descriptive Study, Therese Howell

Theses : Honours

Not only are fewer undergraduate nursing students opting to pursue a career in mental health nursing (Arnswald, 1987; Clinton & Hazelton, 2000; Happell, 1998; Lam, McMaster & Troup, 1993), but nursing students continue to rank mental health nursing as their lowest preference of career choice. Instead, nursing undergraduates appear to be opting for positions within the surgical or critical care specialties (Durkin, 2002; Happell, 1999; Happell1999; Happell, 2001). The aim of this descriptive study was to investigate and identify the potential reasons why undergraduate nursing students do not take up mental health nursing as a career. This descriptive study implemented …

Determinants Of Dating Violence Among Youth In The U.S., Candace Hamm

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Physical Dating Violence (PDV) victimization is a major public health concern among adolescents in the United States. Research has shown that determinants of PDV victimization are different for male and female adolescents. However, inconsistent findings entail that further research needs to be done using a representative sample of male and female adolescents.Objective: To identify gender-specific determinants of PDV victimization utilizing a nationally representative sample of high school adolescents.Methods: Data from the 2005 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey was used for this analysis. The study population included 6.951 male and 6,807 female students in grades 9 through 12. Bivariate and …

Pharmacological Studies Of Nicotine And Galantamine Effects On Age Associated Memory Impairment And The Neurotrophic System In Aged Female Rats, Kristen L. French

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Nicotine and Galantamine were studied for their pharmacological effects on age associated memory impairment (AAMI) and the neurotrophin system in the aged female F344 rat. Nicotine was found to have dose dependent effects on cognition in the 24 month old rat. A low dose of nicotine improved both working and reference memory (WM, RM) performance on the water radial arm maze and also improved the ability of aged rats to handle an increasing WM load. A high dose did not improve WM and caused deficits in RM, and high cotinine levels in these subjects correlated with worse performance. Nicotine treatment …

Using Reflective Journeys To Engage And Empower Leadership Teams, T J. Sullivan

EDU-COM International Conference

The Reflective Leader Development Workshop was designed to professionally and personally develop individual leaders in the health care and education industries into working teams. It was used to meld the individual nursing administrators and school heads in the Master of Education (Educational Management) programme at Universiti Brunei Darussalam into small cooperative leadership learning teams that would function after the programme, as workplace support networks. However, the need for renewal of leadership is always present. It readily became obvious that a workshop using reflective journeys could engage and empower leadership teams in the workplace at individual and group levels. So the …

Attenuation Of Acute Rejection In A Rat Liver Transplantation Model By A Liver-Targeted Dextran Prodrug Of Methylprednisolone, Anjaneya Chimalakonda, Donald L. Montgomery, Jon A. Weidanz, Imam H. Shaik, Justin H. Nguyen, John J. Lemasters, Eiji Kobayashi, Reza Mehvar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background. The use of methylprednisolone (MP) and other corticosteroids for the treatment of acute liver allograft rejection is associated with severe toxicities in nontarget tissues. Therefore, selective delivery of NIP to the liver may improve its efficacy and alleviate its side effects. We investigated the effects of a novel liver-targeted dextran prodrug of MP (DMP) in an orthotopic rat liver transplantation (OLT) model.

Methods. The model consisted of a high responder rejection strain combination (Dark Agouti donors and Lewis recipients). Liver recipients were intravenously administered saline or a single subtherapeutic dose of MP (5 mg/kg) as the parent …

Reproducing Published Results From In Silico Computer Models Of The Acute Inflammatory Response To Severe Sepsis, Wayne W. Wakeland, Joe Fusion, Brahm Goldstein

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recent studies describe computer simulation models of the acute or systemic inflammatory response (AIR or SIR) to severe sepsis, a condition that can lead to multiple organ failure and death. One study used an agent-based model, while the other used differential equations (DEs) to simulate a randomized clinical trial. Both studies obtained results similar to the actual results from a successful clinical drug trial of severe sepsis, suggesting that in silico (simulated) randomized clinical trials may be used to design more effective in vivo clinical trials.

We Have Arrived!: Magnet Status 2006, Maine Medical Center

Annual Reports

Report on Nursing Research and Outcomes, vol. 2, 2005 & 2006

We Have Arrived!: Magnet Status 2006, Maine Medical Center

Annual Reports

Report on Nursing, vol. 1, 2005 & 2006

Outlook Magazine, Fall 2006

Outlook Magazine

No abstract provided.

Outlook Magazine, Winter 2006

Outlook Magazine

No abstract provided.