Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Microsurgical Excisions Of Vestibular Schwannomas: A Tumor-Size-Based Analysis Of Neurological Outcomes And Surgical Complications, Syed Faraz Kazim, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim, Ather Enam, Muhammad Ehsan Bari

Section of Neurosurgery

Introduction: Vestibular schwannomas (VS) are benign tumors originating from Schwann cells in vestibulocochlear nerve. This study aimed at evaluating outcomes of microsurgical resections of VS based on tumor sizes in a South Asian country.
Methods: The chart notes of 71 Patients who underwent microsurgical resections of VS at a single academic center over a 20-year period (1990-2009) were reviewed, and relevant information was extracted. For analyzing outcomes, Patients were divided into two groups based on tumor size at initial presentation: (1) Group A (tumor size ≤ 4 cm) and (2) Group B (tumor size > 4 cm). Pearson's chi-square and Fisher's …

Understanding And Characterizing Shared Decision-Making And Behavioral Intent In Medical Uncertainty, Roxana Maria Maffei

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Applying Theoretical Constructs to Address Medical Uncertainty

Situations involving medical reasoning usually include some level of medical uncertainty. Despite the identification of shared decision-making (SDM) as an effective technique, it has been observed that the likelihood of physicians and patients engaging in shared decision making is lower in those situations where it is most needed; specifically in circumstances of medical uncertainty. Having identified shared decision making as an effective, yet often a neglected approach to resolving a lack of information exchange in situations involving medical uncertainty, the next step is to determine the way(s) in which SDM can be integrated …

The Hospitalist: Better Value In Inpatient Care?, Lisa Sprague

National Health Policy Forum

From perhaps a few hundred practitioners in 1996 to an estimated 30,000 today, the discipline called hospital medicine has shown remarkably rapid growth. It represents a fundamental separation of the inpatient and outpatient components of internal and family medicine. The split has implications for the quality and efficiency of care delivery, the outlook for the physician workforce, and the development of new models such as accountable care organizations (ACOs).

P53 Regulates Oxidative Stress-Mediated Retrograde Signaling: A Novel Mechanism For Chemotherapy-Induced Cardiac Injury, Joyce M. Velez, Sumitra Miriyala, Ramaneeya Nithipongvanitch, Teresa Noel, Chotiros D. Plabplueng, Terry Oberley, Paiboon Jungsuwadee, Holly Van Remmen, Mary Vore, Daret K. St Clair

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

The side effects of cancer therapy on normal tissues limit the success of therapy. Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been implicated for numerous chemotherapeutic agents including doxorubicin (DOX), a potent cancer chemotherapeutic drug. The production of ROS by DOX has been linked to DNA damage, nuclear translocation of p53, and mitochondrial injury; however, the causal relationship and molecular mechanisms underlying these events are unknown. The present study used wild-type (WT) and p53 homozygous knock-out (p53(-/-)) mice to investigate the role of p53 in the crosstalk between mitochondria and nucleus. Injecting mice with DOX (20 mg/kg) causes oxidative stress …

In Vitro Migration Of Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Derived From A Colon Carcinoma Patient Is Dependent On Ccl2 And Ccr2., Klara Berencsi, Pyapalli Rani, Tianqian Zhang, Laura Gross, Michael Mastrangelo, Neal J Meropol, Dorothee Herlyn, Rajasekharan Somasundaram

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Infiltration of colorectal carcinomas (CRC) with T-cells has been associated with good prognosis. There are some indications that chemokines could be involved in T-cell infiltration of tumors. Selective modulation of chemokine activity at the tumor site could attract immune cells resulting in tumor growth inhibition. In mouse tumor model systems, gene therapy with chemokines or administration of antibody (Ab)-chemokine fusion proteins have provided potent immune mediated tumor rejection which was mediated by infiltrating T cells at the tumor site. To develop such immunotherapeutic strategies for cancer patients, one must identify chemokines and their receptors involved in T-cell migration toward …

Differential Levels Of Glutamate Dehydrogenase 1 (Glud1) In Balb/C And C57bl/6 Mice And The Effects Of Overexpression Of The Glud1 Gene On Glutamate Release In Striatum, Kevin N. Hascup, Xiaodong Bao, Erin R. Hascup, Dongwei Hui, Wenhao Xu, Francois Pomerleau, Peter Huettl, Mary L. Michaelis, Elias K. Michaelis, Greg A. Gerhardt

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

We have previously shown that overexpression of the Glud1 (glutamate dehydrogenase 1) gene in neurons of C57BL/6 mice results in increased depolarization-induced glutamate release that eventually leads to selective neuronal injury and cell loss by 12 months of age. However, it is known that isogenic lines of Tg (transgenic) mice produced through back-crossing with one strain may differ in their phenotypic characteristics from those produced using another inbred mouse strain. Therefore, we decided to introduce the Glud1 transgene into the Balb/c strain that has endogenously lower levels of GLUD1 (glutamate dehydrogenase 1) enzyme activity in the brain as compared with …

Two-Photon-Excited Tryptophan Fluorescence Microscopy For Leukocytes And Cancer Cells Imaging, Jesus A. Valdez^, Chunqiang Li*

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Spring 2011

Cancer screening and early diagnosis is an important yet controversial issue due to the safety and practicality of methods used. Our objective is to study the efficiency of an in vivo two-photon microscope developed in our laboratories to monitor cell inflammation. First, leukocytes were separated by subpopulation.  The tryptophan fluorescence intensity level of each type of leukocyte was then quantified with two-photon microscopy, in their naïve and inflamed states, respectively. Finally the tryptophan fluorescence intensity of multiple myeloma cells was quantified and correlated to the resulting images. The cancerous tissue auto-fluorescence from NADH and FAD was also recorded as a …

Effects Of Influenza Viral Infection On The Cellular Sumoylation System, Joshua Ortiz^, Jason Chacon, German Rosas- Acosta*

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Spring 2011

The tendency of influenza strains to mutate rapidly, changing their antigenic makeup between consecutive seasons and allowing them to jump over the genetic barriers that limit their host range, imposes the risk for the influx of highly pathogenic viral strains into humans. Current available anti-influenza drugs target structural components of the virus and consequently, resistant viral strains arise due to point mutations that render the drugs ineffective. SUMOylation, the reversible post-translational attachment of a SUMO (Small Ubiquitin-like MOdifier) molecule to its target proteins, regulates numerous biological processes. Our studies have shown that some influenza viral proteins are SUMOylated during infection, …

Aging Enhances Serum Cytokine Response But Not Task-Induced Grip Strength Declines In A Rat Model Of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders., Dong L Xin, Michelle Y Harris, Christine K Wade, Mamta Amin, Ann E Barr, Mary F Barbe

Department of Physical Therapy Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: We previously reported early tissue injury, increased serum and tissue inflammatory cytokines and decreased grip in young rats performing a moderate demand repetitive task. The tissue cytokine response was transient, the serum response and decreased grip were still evident by 8 weeks. Thus, here, we examined their levels at 12 weeks in young rats. Since aging is known to enhance serum cytokine levels, we also examined aged rats.

METHODS: Aged and young rats, 14 mo and 2.5 mo of age at onset, respectfully, were trained 15 min/day for 4 weeks, and then performed a high repetition, low force (HRLF) …

Maternal Health Workforce Shortages In Southeast Pennsylvania, Jacqueline E. Kohl

Master of Public Health Capstone Presentations

Since 1997, 19 maternity wards have closed in Southeastern Pennsylvania, leaving only 23 to serve the women and families in the area.  Additionally, there have been reports of maternal health workforce shortages, causing many women difficulty in accessing the care they need.  This aims of this qualitative study were to define the problem of maternal health workforce shortages in the region and to identify potential solutions.  Ten key stakeholders were identified for participation.  A single researcher conducted interviews using a structured interview guide.  Results were analyzed for content and major themes by two researchers.    The eight sections include: 1. preconception …

Price, Access And Education At Philadelphia Farmers' Markets, Anna M. Quinn

Master of Public Health Capstone Presentations

Inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables is linked to chronic disease and obesity.   However, consumption rates of fruits and vegetables in the US and specifically in Philadelphia continue to fall short of recommendations for a healthy diet.  Access and price are two barriers in the food environment that prevent sufficient fruit and vegetable consumption. Farmers’ markets offer increased access to fruit and vegetables, yet continue to be perceived as being more costly than grocery stores. This study’s primary aim was to determine if the price of fruit and vegetables are more expensive at farmers’ markets than grocery stores in Philadelphia. …

Use Of Internet-Based Diabetes Self-Management Education: Emmi Solutions, Esther Pak

Master of Public Health Capstone Presentations

Diabetes is a serious public health problem in the United States and in Philadelphia. A 2007 CDC report stated that 7.8% in the US and 10.4% in Philadelphia had diabetes. While the key to managing one’s diabetes and lowering the risk of its adverse health outcomes is adherence to diabetes management guidelines, the prevalence of these behaviors among adult diabetics in the US remained relatively low. Attendance at a diabetes self-management class was particularly low (55.4%), which is of concern because of the importance of education in a patient’s adherence to diabetes-maintenance behaviors. Emmi Solutions recently developed three Internet-based diabetes …

Medicare's Bundling Pilot: Including Post-Acute Care Services, Laura A. Dummit

National Health Policy Forum

Fee-for-service Medicare, in which a separate payment is made for each service, rewards health care providers for delivering more services, but not necessarily coordinating those services over time or across settings. To help address these concerns, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 requires Medicare to experiment with making a bundled payment for a hospitalization plus post-acute care, that is, the recuperative or rehabilitative care following a hospital discharge. This bundled payment approach is intended to promote more efficient care across the acute/post-acute episode because the entity that receives the payment has financial incentives to keep episode costs …

Screening Prostate Specific Antigen Effects On Racial Disparate Mortality: A Propensity Score Analysis, R. David Mcnally

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT SCREENING PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN EFFECTS ON RACIAL DISPARATE MORTALITY: A PROPENSITY SCORE ANALYSIS By R. David McNally, Ph.D., M.S.H.A. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011 Dissertation Chair: Jeffrey S. Legg, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair, Doctoral Program in Health Related Sciences Department of Radiation Sciences Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in the United States. It is frequently cited that racial disparities in mortality between Caucasian and African American men with localized prostate cancer exist. In addition, …

In Vitro Amplification Of Misfolded Prion Protein Using Lysate Of Cultured Cells, Charles E. Mays, Jihyun Yeom, Hae-Eun Kang, Jifeng Bian, Vadim Khaychuk, Younghwan Kim, Jason C Bartz, Glenn C Telling, Chongsuk Ryou

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) recapitulates the prion protein (PrP) conversion process under cell-free conditions. PMCA was initially established with brain material and then with further simplified constituents such as partially purified and recombinant PrP. However, availability of brain material from some species or brain material from animals with certain mutations or polymorphisms within the PrP gene is often limited. Moreover, preparation of native PrP from mammalian cells and tissues, as well as recombinant PrP from bacterial cells, involves time-consuming purification steps. To establish a convenient and versatile PMCA procedure unrestricted to the availability of substrate sources, we attempted to …

Evolution Of A Major Drug Metabolizing Enzyme Defect In The Domestic Cat And Other Felidae: Phylogenetic Timing And The Role Of Hypercarnivory, Binu Shrestha, J. Michael Reed, Philip T. Starks, Gretchen E. Kaufman, Jared V. Goldstone, Melody E. Roelke, Stephen J. O'Brien, Klaus-Peter Koepfli, Laurence Frank, Michael H. Court

Biology Faculty Articles

The domestic cat (Felis catus) shows remarkable sensitivity to the adverse effects of phenolic drugs, including acetaminophen and aspirin, as well as structurally-related toxicants found in the diet and environment. This idiosyncrasy results from pseudogenization of the gene encoding UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A6, the major species-conserved phenol detoxification enzyme. Here, we established the phylogenetic timing of disruptive UGT1A6 mutations and explored the hypothesis that gene inactivation in cats was enabled by minimal exposure to plant-derived toxicants. Fixation of the UGT1A6 pseudogene was estimated to have occurred between 35 and 11 million years ago with all extant Felidae having dysfunctional …

Information-Seeking Behaviors Of First-Semester Veterinary Students: A Preliminary Report, Sharon A. Weiner, Gretchen Stephens, Abdelfattah Y.M. Nour

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Although emphasis in veterinary education is increasingly being placed on the ability to find, use, and communicate information, studies on the information behaviors of veterinary students or professionals are few. Improved knowledge in this area will provide valuable information for course and curriculum planning and the design of information resources. This article describes a survey of the information-seeking behaviors of first-semester veterinary students at Purdue University. A survey was administered as the first phase of a progressive semester-long assignment for a first semester DVM course in systemic mammalian physiology. The survey probed for understanding of the scientific literature and its …

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - March 27, 2011, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the March 27, 2011 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's newsletter - Watercooler

Contents Include

• Med School Café - Expert Advice for the Community

• USA Physician's Research Provides New Insight in Pediatric Obesity Treatment

• ATR Health and Fitness Expo

• Next Week's DSS - Dr. Steve Ballard

• Snapshots: 2011 Gumbo Chili Showdown

41st Annual Wku Student Research Conference, Student Research Council, Western Kentucky University

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

No abstract provided.

Environmental Assessment & Monitoring Regime For Atrazine In Drinking Water For Kentucky

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

To describe occurrence in the environment & sampling regime of atrazine in public water supplies in Kentucky.

Library Impact Statement For Bps 555 Protein Molecular Modeling, Michael Vocino

Library Impact Statements

Library Impact Statement for BPS 555 Protein Molecular Modeling. No new resources were required to support this course.

The Relationship Of Physical Activity, Eating Behaviors, And Hunger Control To Weight Loss And Quality Of Life In Gastric Banding Patients, Nancy Baugh

Theses and Dissertations

Gastric banding as a weight loss surgery has increased in popularity in the United States since its approval by the Food and Drug Administration in 2001. Successful weight loss after weight loss surgery is most frequently defined as greater than 50 percent of excess weight loss (EWL). Systematic reviews show that the band is widely effective in achieving successful weight loss in most patients, however individual studies show more inconsistent outcomes. Although previous research supports gastric bypass surgery as having a positive effect on quality of life after gastric bypass, there is very little data to support this relationship in …

Identifying Postpartum Intervention Approaches To Preventing Type 2 Diabetes In Women With A History Of Gestational Diabetes, Jacinda M. Nicklas, Chloe A. Zera, Ellen W. Seely, Zainab S. Abdul-Rahim, Noelle D. Rudloff, Sue E. Levkoff

Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: Women who develop gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have an increased risk for the development of type 2 diabetes. Despite this "window of opportunity," few intervention studies have targeted postpartum women with a history of GDM. We sought perspectives of women with a history of GDM to identify a) barriers and facilitators to healthy lifestyle changes postpartum, and b) specific intervention approaches that would facilitate participation in a postpartum lifestyle intervention program.

Methods: We used mixed methods to gather data from women with a prior history of GDM, including focus groups and informant interviews. Analysis of focus groups relied on …

An Observation Of Immunological Effect, A Diet Enhanced With Spirulina And Treatment With Fractalkine In Models Of Parkinson's Disease, Mibel M. Pabón

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In my dissertation research we used use human wild type α-synuclein gene expression using an adeno-associated viral vector (AAV9) that induced a slowly progressive loss of dopamine (DA) neurons in the Substantia nigra (SN) as one of our animal model of Parkinson’s disease (PD). It is our hypothesis that neuroinflammation predisposes the brain to susceptibility to neurodegenerative diseases. Thus we examined the progression of a PD lesion and examined the manipulations of the immune system to understand further the inflammatory role when we administered exogenous soluble fractalkine.

The specific etiology of neurodegeneration in PD is unknown, but the inflammatory mechanisms …

Pregnant Women As Research Participants: Why Is Additional Protection Required?, Kyoko Wada

Research Day (Arts & Humanities, FIMS, and Education)

Today, blanket exclusion of pregnant women from research participation is not endorsed; however, a tendency still remains to exclude pregnant women from participating in research. This exclusion results in insufficient data to guide clinical practice for pregnant women, and hence adds risks to pregnant women and fetuses (Lyerly et al. 2007, 2008, 2009; Baylis 2010; Goldkind et al. 2010).

Lateral Mobility Of Presynaptic L-Type Calcium Channels At Photoreceptor Ribbon Synapses., Aaron J. Mercer, Minghui Chen, Wallace B. Thoreson

Journal Articles: Ophthalmology

At most synapses, presynaptic Ca(2+) channels are positioned near vesicle release sites, and increasing this distance reduces synaptic strength. We examined the lateral membrane mobility of presynaptic L-type Ca(2+) channels at photoreceptor ribbon synapses of the tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) retina. Movements of individual Ca(2+) channels were tracked by coupling quantum dots to an antibody against the extracellular α(2)δ(4) Ca(2+) channel subunit. α(2)δ(4) antibodies labeled photoreceptor terminals and colocalized with antibodies to synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2 and voltage-gated Ca(2+) channel 1.4 (Ca(V)1.4) α(1) subunits. The results show that Ca(2+) channels are dynamic and move within a confined region beneath the …

Assessing The Impact Of Nutritional And Exercise Recommendations On Health Fair Participants: Follow-Up Program: Partnering Up For A Healthier You, Amy Mcmanness

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The primary objective of our study was to estimate the impact pharmacy students can have through the provision of educational fitness and nutrition materials and body composition assessments to increase knowledge in the general population at various health fairs throughout Indianapolis. The secondary objective was to assess the impact of follow-up phone calls on patient success towards personal health goals. It also provided an accountability and information resource to patients enrolled in the follow-up program as well as gauged the overall acceptance of pharmacists in this community role.

How Children’S Cognitive And Affective Responses To A Novel Task Relate To The Dimensions Of Perfectionism, Patricia Marten Dibartolo, Sara Pierotti Varner

Psychology: Faculty Publications

The current study examined how the Maladaptive Evaluative Concerns (MEC) versus Positive Achievement Striving (PAS) dimensions of perfectionism relate to anxiety, goal-setting, and cognitive appraisal in third-grade to sixth-grade students who completed an object-naming task under three goal-demand conditions: self-set goals, and low and high experimenter goals. The results indicated that children high on a measure of socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP; a measure of MEC) experienced more anxiety across all conditions than children low in SPP. Children scoring high on SPP also rated performing well on the task as more important and were more likely to say they should have …

Odor Fear Conditioning Modifies Piriform Cortex Local Field Potentials Both During Conditioning And During Post-Conditioning Sleep, Dylan C. Barnes, Julie Chapuis, Dipesh Chaudhury, Donald A. Wilson

Publications and Research

Background: Sleep plays an active role in memory consolidation. Sleep structure (REM/Slow wave activity [SWS]) can be modified after learning, and in some cortical circuits, sleep is associated with replay of the learned experience. While the majority of this work has focused on neocortical and hippocampal circuits, the olfactory system may offer unique advantages as a model system for exploring sleep and memory, given the short, non-thalamic pathway from nose to primary olfactory (piriform cortex), and rapid cortex-dependent odor learning.

Methodology/Principal Findings: We examined piriform cortical odor responses using local field potentials (LFPs) from freely behaving Long-Evans hooded rats over …

Anesthesia Recordkeeping: Accuracy Of Recall With Computerized And Manual Entry Recordkeeping, Thomas Corey Davis

Theses and Dissertations

ANESTHESIA RECORDKEEPING: ACCURACY OF RECALL WITH COMPUTERIZED AND MANUAL ENTRY RECORDKEEPING By Thomas Corey Davis, PhD A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of PhD in Health Related Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011 Major Director: Dr. Chuck Biddle Director of Research, Department of Nurse Anesthesia And Dr. Jeffery A. Green Assistant Chief of Anesthesiology, Department of Anesthesia Introduction: Anesthesia information management systems are rapidly gaining widespread acceptance. Aggressively promoted as an improvement to manual-entry recordkeeping systems in the areas of accuracy, quality improvement, billing and vigilance, these systems record all patient …