Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

An Overview Of The Near-Death Experience Phenomenon, David San Filippo Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Near-death experiences appear to be universal phenomena that have been reported for centuries. A near-death encounter is defined as an event in which the individual could very easily die or be killed, or may have already been considered clinically dead, but nonetheless survives, and continue his or her physical life. Reports of near-death experiences date back to the Ice Age. There are cave paintings, in France and Spain that depict possible after life scenes that are similar to reported scenes related to near-death experiences. Plato's Republic presents the story of a near-death experience of a Greek soldier named Er. In …

Biomechanical Testing Of Two-Level Cervical Disc Arthroplasty, Laura J. Gilmour

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

In vitro biomechanical studies comparing two-level cervical disc arthroplasty with two-level fusion were completed using an established cadaveric cervical spine model. Three conditions were tested: non-instrumented, instrumented with two-level fusion (C5-C6 and C6-C7), and instrumented with two-level arthroplasty (C5-C6, C6-C7) using the Prestige Low-Profile (Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Memphis TN) or ProDisc-C (Synthes Spine, West Chester PA) prosthetic disc. Specimens were tested non-destructively in physiologic flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation to an end-limit load of 3-Nm or 45o rotation. Rotations at the superior, implanted, and inferior motion segment units (MSU) of the instrumented conditions were normalized to the non-instrumented condition …

Tyrosine Phosphorylation Of Villin: Effects On Actin Dynamics, Cell Morphology And Cell Migration, Alok Tomar

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Cell migration is a key aspect of many normal and abnormal biological processes, including embryonic development, defense against infections, wound healing, and tumor cell metastasis. In this study we demonstrate that an epithelial cell actin-binding protein, villin, plays a crucial role in the process of cell migration. Overexpression of villin in doxycyline-regulated HeLa Tet-off and MDCK Tet-off cells enhanced cell migration. We further demonstrate that tyrosine phosphorylation of villin by c-src is required for villin-induced cell migration. Previously, we identified four tyrosine phosphorylation sites in the amino-terminal domain of villin. I further identified six new sites in the carboxylterminal region …

A Computer Simulation Model Of The Human Head-Neck Musculoskeletal System, Jun Yan

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Objective. The objective of this research was to develop a muscle-driven biomechanical model of the human head-neck system that could be used to simulate neck movements under muscle control. This model can further be modified to enable input from an external stimulus, such as EMG data.

Summary of background data. Utilizing computer aided design (CAD) and dynamic simulation software programs, the Joint Implant Biomechanics Laboratory at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center developed a virtual model of the human cervical spine to simulate the in vitro biomechanical experiments. This in vitro model did not include any muscle …

Molecular Screening Of Azoreductase Gene And Its Activity In Human Intestinal Bacteria, Syndia S. Todd

McCabe Thesis Collection

The intestinal microflora are capable of performing a wide variety of metabolic transformations. "The intestinal bacteria can enhance the function of the entire gastrointestinal tract, protect against pathogenic, maintain the vital chemical balance of the gastrointestinal system, and produce needed vitamins and hormones" (http;//www.upwardquest.com/crit2.html). Some of the products of this metabolism have been associated with carcinogenic processes, such as cancer, tumor formation, gastrointestinal disease, and infections. The ability of human intestinal microbes to interact with metabolites directly or after recirculation may contribute toward different toxicological disorders and disease.

The purpose of this study is to characterize and isolate the azoreductase …

Fracture Of The Scapula With Intrathoracic Penetration In A Skeletally Mature Patient, Cary C. Schwartzbach, Hani Seoudi, Amy E. Ross, Kimberly M. Hendershot, Linda Robinson, Alireza Maekzadeh

Department of Surgery Faculty Publications

To our knowledge, intrathoracic displacement of a fractured scapula has only been described in two reports involving adolescents^1,2. We present the case of a skeletally mature adult with a scapular fracture that penetrated the thoracic cage without causing a pneumothorax. We speculate as to how the adult scapula can deform in a manner consistent with this rare injury. As the patient had advanced Alzheimer disease, the family consented to the publication of data concerning this case.

What's Happening: December, 2006, Maine Medical Center

What's Happening

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Quiet Time On The Sleep Quality Of Cardiothoracic Surgery Patients, Kristina L. Nelson

Graduate Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to observe patients' quality of sleep on a cardiothoracic step-down unit before and after institution of an "undisturbed quiet time" policy from eleven o'clock in the evening until five in the morning. It was hypothesized that these patients have improved sleep quality after institution of the Quiet Time protocol. The comparative group, quasi-experimental study utilized the Verran and Snyder-Halpern Sleep Scale and Factors Influencing Sleep Questionnaire to measure sleep disturbance, effectiveness, and supplementation. Results demonstrated a decrease in sleep disturbance with initiation of the Quiet Time, but no significant change in sleep effectiveness and …

Muscle Glycogenolysis And Resynthesis In Response To A Half Ironman Triathlon: A Case Study, Trevor L. Gullum, Charles Dumke, Brent Ruby

Integrative Physiology and Athletic Training Faculty Publications

Purpose : To describe the degrees of muscle-glycogen depletion and resynthesis in response to a half Ironman triathlon. Methods: One male subject (38 years of age) completed the Grand Columbian half Ironman triathlon ( 1.9-km swim, 90-km bike, 21.1-km run, Coulee City, Wash). Three muscle biopsies were obtained from his right vastus lateralis (prerace, immediately postrace, and 4 hours postrace). Prerace and postrace body weight were recorded, in addition to macronutrient consumption before, during, and after the race. Energy expenditure and whole-body substrate oxidation were estimated from linear regression established from laboratory trials (watts and run pace relative to VO(2) …

Dentalgram - Vol. 20, No. 12, Loma Linda University School Of Dentistry

Dentalgram

In this issue:

• Kathleen Moore honored for years of service
• Members of the class of 2008 win Academic Excellence Silver Awards
• ADA honors volunteer service in foreign countries
• Thirty years in implant dentistry

Language Delays And The Influence Of Therapeutic Riding: A Case Study Of An Autistic Child, Nadia Suckarieh

Graduate Theses

Autism is a Pervasive Development Disorder characterized by stereotype behavior and trouble with communication. One focus of working with this population is increasing the verbal and communication ability of the nonverbal individuals. The present study focused on the effects a six-week therapeutic horseback riding program would have on the stereotypical behaviors present in a six-year-old autistic child, and if this program would help the his verbalization and communication ability. The Psychoeducation Profile, 3rd Edition was used to measure possible changes the intervention might have influenced. The result of the study indicated there was a decrease in the child’s physical stereotype …

Paved With Good Intentions: A Definitional Study On The Issue Of Psychological Child Abuse, Anita Renee Fromm

Graduate Theses

Definitional issues concerning child abuse have long plagued the identification and treatment of this malady. This study examined the role of perpetrator intention in categorizing adverse parenting skills, as well as psychological child abuse potential. Exploitative parenting styles were displayed and rated in a variety of vignettes. Social service professionals and university students were participants in this vignette style questionnaire study. Results indicated that with a few exceptions, a constant perpetrator intention did not appear to alter subject perceptions that the scenarios presented adverse parenting skills and child abuse potential. The participants were indecisive concerning scenarios that represented excessive athletic …

Behaviorally-Based Disorders: The Historical Social Construction Of Youths' Most Prevalent Psychiatric Diagnoses, Christopher A. Mallett

Social Work Faculty Publications

The article discusses the historical social construction of the most prevalent diagnosis of youth in the U.S. The country's psychiatry controls the definitions of mental health disorders and diagnosis through required practice utilization of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. A research is conducted through a social construction theoretical paradigm to identify diagnostic classification systems, nosology changes, and critical time periods.

The Qingdao Twin Registry: A Focus On Chronic Disease Research, C. Anderson Johnson, Zengchang Pang, Feng Ning, Jennifer B. Unger, Shaojie Wang, Qian Guo, Weihua Cao, Liming Lee

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

With the changing patterns of morbidity and mortality in China, noncommunicable chronic diseases have become the major threats to the health of the Chinese population. The causes of chronic diseases include genetic factors and behavioral risk factors such as the use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, unhealthy dietary behaviors, and lack of physical activity. Twin studies offer a unique opportunity to disentangle the genetic and environmental risk and protective factors for chronic disease. The Qingdao Twin Registry (QTR) was initiated in 1998 as part of the National Chinese Twin Registry. Over 11,000 pairs of twins and multiples of all …

Clarification Of Basal Relationships In Rubus (Rosaceae) And The Origin Of Rubus Chamaemorus, Karen Michael

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Determination of phylogenetic relationships among ancestral species of Rubus has been elusive. Most Rubus species (including blackberries and raspberries), representing nine of the 12 subgenera, occur in a large, well supported clade named 'A' for reference). The remaining nine species are excluded from this group and represent three subgenera: subg. Anoplobatus (R. bartonianus, R. deliciosus, R. neomexicanus, R. odoratus, R. parviflorus, R. trilobus), subg. Chamaemorus (R. chamaemorus), and subg. Dalibarda (R. lasiococcus, R.pedatus). In addition, Rubus dalibarda L. is often treated in its own monotypic genus as Dalibarda repens L. Phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data from chloroplast regions and …

Appl1 Associates With Trka And Gipc1 And Is Required For Nerve Growth Factor-Mediated Signal Transduction, D. C. Lin, C. Quevedo, N. E. Brewer, A. Bell, J. R. Testa, Mark L. Grimes, F. D. Miller, D. R. Kaplan

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

The neurotrophin receptor TrkA plays critical roles in the nervous system by recruiting signaling molecules that activate pathways required for the growth and survival of neurons. Here, we report APPL1 as a TrkA-associated protein. APPL1 and TrkA coirnmunoprecipitated in sympathetic neurons. We have identified two routes through which this association can occur. APPL1 was isolated as a binding partner for the TrkA-interacting protein GIPC1 from rat brain lysate by mass spectrometry. The PDZ domain of GIPC1 directly engaged the C-terminal sequence of APPL1. This interaction provides a means through which APPL1 may be recruited to TrkA. In addition, the APPL1 …

Hormone Effects On Fmri And Cognitive Measures Of Encoding: Importance Of Hormone Preparation, C. E. Gleason, T. W. Schmitz, T. Hess, R. L. Koscik, M. A. Trivedi, M. L. Ries, C. M. Carlsson, M. A. Sager, S. Asthana, S. C. Johnson

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

We compared fMRI and cognitive data from nine hormone therapy (HT)-naive women with data from women exposed to either opposed conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) (n = 10) or opposed estradiol (n = 4). Exposure to either form of HT was associated with healthier fMRI response; however, CEE-exposed women exhibited poorer memory performance than either HT-naive or estradiol-exposed subjects. These preliminary findings emphasize the need to characterize differential neural effects of various HTs. ©2006AAN Enterprises, Inc.

Recognition Of Depression In Primary Care Settings: The Influence Of Patient Age And Gender On Patient Care, Kelly Marie Monette

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Depression is a common condition that is often poorly detected in primary care medical settings. The elderly often fail to receive appropriate attention to their mental health needs, possibly due to physician's interpretation of physical and emotional changes as part of the normal aging process. The purpose of this study was to explore physicians' identification of depression and to determine whether age-related factors and gender impact recommendations for patient care. The respondents were full-time primary care physicians (N = 46; 63% male) who were randomly selected from a national listing of family medicine practitioners and primary care physicians (family medicine, …

The Effects Of Existential Attribution And Religiousness/Spirituality On Well-Being In Hiv Patients, Amy N. Huggins-Rieke

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

HIV is a serious illness that has received considerable attention in research literature addressing the implications of religiousness/spirituality on coping with this illness. Past research indicates that an individual's level of guilt over having contracted HIV is associated with feelings of stigmatization and suffering, which can influence his 111 or her wellbeing in coping with the illness. The current study seeks to investigate the relationship between feelings of responsibility for illness (attributions) and engagement with religiousness/spiritual meaning as a coping resource. It is hypothesized that the use of existential attribution will moderate the relationship between an individual's religiousness/spirituality and his …

Transfusion-Associated Transmission Of West Nile Virus, United States 2003 Through 2005, Susan P. Montgomery, Jennifer A. Brown, Matthew Kuehnert, Theresa L. Smith, Nicholas Crall, Robert S. Lanciotti, Alexandre Macedo De Oliveira, Thomas Boo, Anthony A. Marfin, 2003 West Nile Virus Transfusion-Associated Transmission Investigation Team

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

BACKGROUND: National blood donation screening for West Nile virus (WNV) started in June 2003, after the documentation of WNV transfusion-associated transmission (TAT) in 2002.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Blood donations were screened with investigational nucleic acid amplification assays in minipool formats. Blood collection agencies (BCAs) reported screening results to state and local public health authorities. Donor test results and demographic information were forwarded to CDC via ArboNET, the national electronic arbovirus surveillance system. State health departments and BCAs also reported suspect WNV TATs to CDC, which investigated these reports to confirm WNV infection in blood transfusion recipients in the absence …

Transfusion-Associated Transmission Of West Nile Virus, United States 2003 Through 2005, Susan P. Montgomery, Jennifer A. Brown, Matthew Kuehnert, Theresa L. Smith, Nicholas Crall, Robert S. Lanciotti, Alexandre Macedo De Oliveira, Thomas Boo, Anthony A. Marfin, 2003 West Nile Virus Transfusion-Associated Transmission Investigation Team

United States Public Health Resources

BACKGROUND: National blood donation screening for West Nile virus (WNV) started in June 2003, after the documentation of WNV transfusion-associated transmission (TAT) in 2002.
STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Blood donations were screened with investigational nucleic acid amplification assays in minipool formats. Blood collection agencies (BCAs) reported screening results to state and local public health authorities. Donor test results and demographic information were forwarded to CDC via ArboNET, the national electronic arbovirus surveillance system. State health departments and BCAs also reported suspect WNV TATs to CDC, which investigated these reports to confirm WNV infection in blood transfusion recipients in the absence …

Towards A Cure For Traumatic Paraplegia - Is There Cause For Hope?, Rashid Jooma

Section of Neurosurgery

In the past decade, great strides have been made in the field of CNS tissue repair and expectations have been raised that a cure of spinal paralysis is at hand. The two broad categories of investigational approaches to spinal regeneration are: (1) Enhancing the Regenerative Milieu of the Cord and (2) Cellular and Tissue Transplantation. Amongst the latter approaches, the early use of foetal cord tissue has given way to the more sophisticated studies on stem cell therapy and the implants of olfactory ensheating cells. These have engendered considerable public interest and are being offered as commercially available therapies in …

Psychiatry, Syed Ahmer

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

No abstract provided.

Stealing What's Free: Exploring Compensation To Body Parts Sources For Their Contribution To Profitable Biomedical Research, Jo-Anne Yau

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] “At first blush, donating body parts in the name of science appears to be a beautiful solution to the problem of scarce body parts for research advancements. But a closer investigation reveals an ugly fact: the philanthropic donors—referred to as “Sources” in this article—are subjected to physical and financial exploitation.

Sources play a crucial and indispensable role in biotechnology. Without human body parts, most medical discoveries would not have been possible. Handsome profits can be derived from successful discoveries. But currently in the United States, when a Source provides body parts for research purposes, the researcher, research foundation, and …

Atomoxetine Treatment In Children And Adolescents With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: What Are The Long-Term Health-Related Quality-Of-Life Outcomes?, Amy R. Perwien, Christopher J. Kratochvil, Douglas E. Faries, Brigette S. Vaughan, Thomas Spencer, Ronald T. Brown

Journal Articles: Psychiatry

OBJECTIVE: Numerous investigations have examined the efficacy of pharmacological treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. However, relatively few studies have addressed the impact of treatment on long-term subjective, psychosocial outcomes, such as health-related quality of life (HRQL). This study examines the long-term effects of pharmacological treatment with atomoxetine on HRQL in children and adolescents with ADHD.

METHODS: Participants included 6- to 17-year-old children and adolescents (n = 912) with ADHD enrolled in a 24-month, multicenter, open-label trial of atomoxetine. Outcomes included clinician ratings of ADHD, parent ratings of ADHD, and a widely used measure of HRQL (The Child Health …

J Am Coll Dent 2006 73 4

Journal of the American College of Dentists

The Journal of the American College of Dentists (JACD) publishes scholarly articles, editorials, essays, and reflections addressing the ethical, professional, and social dimensions of dentistry. The Journal serves as a forum for advancing ethics, professionalism, leadership, and excellence within the dental community. By fostering dialogue across disciplines and perspectives, JACD provides readers with insights that encourage ethical, professional practice, lifelong learning, and service to the public, reinforcing dentistry’s commitment to advancing oral healthcare and the common good.

Acknowledgements, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Mcnair Scholars Program, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Narcotic Analgesics For Acute Migraine In The Emergency Room: Are We Meeting Headache Societies' Guidelines?, Mohammad Wasay, Khawaja Slaman Zaki, Saqib Uddin Khan, Rifat Rehmani

Department of Emergency Medicine

We analysed 161 patients with acute migraine in our emergency room (ER) to identify the use of narcotic analgesics as first-line treatment. Twenty-four percent of patients were treated with opioid analgesics and 76% patients were treated with non-opioid analgesics. Pain was completely relieved in 100 (62%) patients, partially relieved in 50 (31%) patients and was not relieved in 11 (7%) patients at the time of discharge. Pain relief was not related to the use of opioids vs. non-opioids. The treatment of acute migraine in our ER is in line with the guidelines of the Headache Societies and needs further improvement.

A Kinematic Analysis Of Sprint Starts With Varied Starting Block Foot Placement Widths, Jesse Lee Rhoades

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect of relative lateral foot placement in the starting blocks on the sprint start. The sprinting kinematics during the first four steps out of the blocks were examined. Eight females from the a Midwest University Track and Field team performed sprint starts using a pair of modified Fusion I starting blocks. These starting blocks were made in double wide configuration to accommodate a variety of foot placements. Foot placements were determined using relative hip to ankle angle. Experimental hip-ankle angles were± five degrees (Narrow/Wide), and zero degrees (neutral). The sprinters were recorded with four cameras at …