Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Study Of Bacteria In Autopsy Room At Chulalongkorn Forensic Center, Faculty Of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, G Thepsitthar, U Hoonwijit, Chatsuwant, S. Nilgate

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Background : Postmortem culture of forensic cases shows some difficulty in interpretation. Many contaminated organisms may be isolated from the specimens. One of the most important sources of these contaminants may include the environment of the autopsy room. This study of bacteria culture in the autopsy room is therefore made in order to identify colonized bacteria which are able to contaminate in the forensic specimen. Objective : To identify colonized bacteria for assisting in interpretation of postmortem culture. Design : Descriptive study Setting : Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University. Materials and methods : Three areas of …

Providing Better Care At Lower Cost: Building Maine's Health Data Infrastructure To Support Financing And Delivery System Reform, Andrew F. Coburn Phd

Health System Reform

Maine needs a robust and functional health data infrastructure to support efforts by health care providers and purchasers to improve quality, address Maine’s health care cost problems, and improve the health of individuals and populations through payment and delivery system reform. Although Maine has been a leader in building and using health data systems such as the hospital discharge data set and the all-payer claims database, new performance-based financing and delivery system arrangements are highlighting shortcomings in these systems and the need for a renewed vision of Maine’s future health data infrastructure.

The Health Data Workgroup was created by The …

Is There A Benefit To Screening For Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm In The Irish Male Population Between The Ages Of 55 To 75 Years; An Ideal Opportunity Group For Evaluating Cardiovascular Risk Factors?, Mairead Brosnan

Masters

Introduction: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening programmes have been carried out worldwide on males between the ages of 65-75 years. The results of such programmes show AAA screening to be beneficial and cost effective. In the Multicentre Aneurysm Screening Study conducted in the United Kingdom, the incidence of AAA was 4.9%. Early diagnoses of AAA’s have reduced AAA related deaths by 42%. This study investigated the incidence of AAA in Irish males between the ages of 55-75 years and incorporated an assessment of cardiovascular risk factors. A younger group of males were screened to see if there was any benefit …

Standardisation Of Ammi Visnaga L. Fruit - A Homoeopathic Drug, P Rao, P Subramanian, P Reddy, H Gupta

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Ammi visnaga L. is an annual herb belonging to the family Apiaceae. The dried ripe fruits of this plant are powerful bronchial antispasmodic, cures asthma, besides a strong photosensitiser. The fruit is small, 2 - 2.5 mm in diameter, oval or ellipsoid to lanceolate; each mericarp in transection appears as a pentagon; vittae are present in the secondary ridges; primary ridges possess glandular lacunae; endosperm is enclosed by a testa; aleurone grains are present in the endosperm besides a few sphaeraphides. The powder microscopic and organoleptic characters are provided. Physico-chemical parameters of raw drug viz., extractive values, ash values, formulation, …

Enhanced Super Continuum Generation In Water In The Presence Of Ultra Dilute Solutions, P Joshi, A Dharmadhikari, P Barvalia, V Joshi

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Intense ultrashort laser beam, after propagation through a transparent medium (water in this work), experiences self-focusing, thereby increasing the intensities in localized area to such high values so as to induce nonlinear optical effects like the generation of white light super-continuum and multi-photon absorption. We have carried out experiments for measuring super-continuum generation in water that contains ultra dilute solutes (of ethanol). Our observations of generation of super-continuum spectra in various solutes indicate that our measurements are able to make a distinction between normal water and water mixed with such ultra-dilute solutes i.e. Homoeopathic medicines.

Curcuma Longa - A Multicentric Clinical Verification Study, P Chakraborty, S Ali, Subhash Kaushik, R Ray, R Yadav, M Rai, Darshan Singh, A Bhakat, Singh

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Curcuma longa is a lesser known drug in Homoeopathy. Council had conducted a thorough proving and subsequently a multi-centric clinical verification study was taken up to verify the pathogenesis of this drug. It is a medicine being widely used as an appetizer, carminative, stomachic, laxative, diuretic, expectorant, stimulant, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and anti-pruritic. It is also used in several conditions like dyspepsia, flatulence, colic, constipation, strangury, cough, bronchitis, fever, giddiness, conjunctivitis, general debility and diabetes as reported in various literature. In our study most of these clinical conditions have been verified confirming its clinical utility for various illnesses. Besides these, it …

Evidence Based Clinical Study On The Effect Of Homoeopathic Medicines In Cases Of Ovarian Cysts, Girish Gupta, Nilima Singh, Richa Singh, Santosh Singh, Chaturbhuj Nayak, Anil Khurana

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Background and Objectives: Patients with persistent ovarian cyst for more than 6 months which do not respond to hormone therapy usually, require surgical treatment. Surgery should be avoided as much as possible in unmarried and childless women where future reproductive functions are of prime concern. There are a few claims by homoeopathic physicians to have treated cases of ovarian cysts with homoeopathic medicines. Such claims, however, have neither been scientifically documented nor published. To give scientific support to such sporadic claims, a clinical study was carried out to evaluate the usefulness of homoeopathic medicines for treatment of patients suffering from …

Editorial, Alok Kumar

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

No abstract provided.

Amoora Rohituka : A Multicentric Double Blind Homoeopathic Pathogenetic Trial, Rajpal Rajpal, Singh Vinay, Majumdar A, Chandra P, Rakshit Goutam, Sivadas P

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Objective: To elicit the pathogenetic response of the drug Amoora rohituka in homoeopathic potencies on healthy human beings. Methodology: Drug Amoora rohituka was proved by the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy through double-blind placebo-controlled method. The study was conducted at three centers. The drug was proved in two potencies (6C and 30C) on 53 apparently healthy volunteers who were selected after conducting pre-trial medical examination by the medical specialists and routine laboratory investigations. In the first phase volunteers were given 56 doses (04 doses per day for 14 days) of placebo. In the next two phases 56 doses (04 …

Factors Affecting Space Use Overlap By White-Tailed Deer In An Urban Landscape, W. David Walter, Jeff Beringer, Lonnie P. Hansen, Justin W. Fischer, Joshua J. Millspaugh, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Variation in the size and overlap of space use by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) has broad implications for managing deer–human conflicts and disease spread and transmission in urban landscapes. Understanding which factors affect overlap of home range by various segments (i.e., age, sex) of an urban deer population has implications to direct contact between deer on disease epidemiology. We assessed size of home range and overlap of space use using the volume of intersection index (VI) for deer in an urban landscape by sex, age, season, and time of day. We found mean space use was larger for …

Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (Kim-1) As An Early Detection Tool For Acute Kidney Injury And Other Renal Diseases, John Fontanilla, Md, Won K. Han, M.D

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Introduction: Although serum creatinine is the standard metric tool for the detection of renal injury, its lack of sensitivity has made the early diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) very difficult.  In fact, the absence of sensitive AKI biomarkers has impaired progress in the nephrology field and had a detrimental effect on the design and outcome of AKI clinical trials.  Recently, several proteins have shown potential in the early detection of acute and chronic kidney injuries.

Areas covered: This review discusses the current status of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) as a potential diagnostic tool in patients with various acute …

Periodontal Ligament And Gingival Fibroblasts Participate In The Production Of Tgf-Β, Interleukin (Il)-8 And Il-10, Ana Carolina Morandini, Carla Renata Sipert, Erivan Schnaider Ramos-Junior, Daniel Thomas Brozoski, Carlos Ferreira Santos

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

The aim of this study was to quantify and compare the production of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), interleukin (IL)-8 and IL-10 by human cultured periodontal ligament and gingival fibroblasts both obtained from the same donors challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Porphyromonas gingivalis. Fibroblasts were exposed to 0.1-10 µg/mL of LPS from P. gingivalis and after 24 h the supernatants were collected and analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). TGF-β protein production was upregulated in a concentration-dependent manner, mainly in gingival fibroblasts, which was statistically significant when challenged by 10 µg/mL LPS. Additionally, at this concentration, gingival fibroblasts had almost …

D-4f, An Apoa-1 Mimetic, Decreases Airway Hyperresponsiveness, Inflammation, And Oxidative Stress In A Murine Model Of Asthma, S. D. Nandedkar, D. Weihrauch, H. Xu, Y. Shi, T. Feroah, W. Hutchins, D. A. Rickaby, Nejat Düzgüneş, C. A. Hillery, K. S. Konduri, K. A. Pritchard

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Asthma is characterized by oxidative stress and inflammation of the airways. Although proinflammatory lipids are involved in asthma, therapies targeting them remain lacking. Ac-DWFKAFYDKVAEKFKEAFNH2 (4F) is an apolipoprotein (apo)A-I mimetic that has been shown to preferentially bind oxidized lipids and improve HDL function. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of 4F on oxidative stress, inflammation, and airway resistance in an established murine model of asthma. We show here that ovalbumin (OVA) -sensitization increased airway hyperresponsiveness, eosinophil recruitment, and collagen deposition in lungs of C57BL/6J mice by a mechanism that could be reduced by 4F. OVA …

Development Of A Fidelity Measure For Research On The Effectiveness Of The Ayres Sensory Integration Intervention., L Diane Parham, Susanne Smith Roley, Teresa A. May-Benson, Jane Koomar, Barbara Brett-Green, Janice P Burke, Ellen S. Cohn, Zoe Mailloux, Lucy J. Miller, Roseann C. Schaaf

Department of Occupational Therapy Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: We developed a reliable and valid fidelity measure for use in research on Ayres Sensory Integration (ASI) intervention.

METHOD: We designed a fidelity instrument to measure structural and process aspects of ASI intervention. Because scoring of process involves subjectivity, we conducted a series of reliability and validity studies on the process section. Raters were trained to score therapist strategies observed in video recordings of adult-child dyads. We examined content validity through expert ratings.

RESULTS: Reliability of the process section was strong for total fidelity score (ICC = .99, Cronbach's alpha = .99) and acceptable for most items. Total score …

A Prospective Multicentre Observational Study To Evaluate The Role Of Homeopathic Therapy With A Group Of Predefined Homoeopathic Medicines In The Management Of Gastroenteritis, C Nayak, Vikram Singh, K Singh, Hari Singh, P Chakraborty, Subhash Kaushik, Debadatta Nayak, Vinay Kumar, V Padmanabhan

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

This observational study aimed to see the usefulness of homeopathic therapy in the management of gastroenteritis. A prospective, non-comparative, multi-centre observational study was conducted by Central Council for Research in Homeopathy at its various institutes and units in India during October, 2005- September, 2008. A total of 498 patients of all age groups suffering from gastroenteritis were enrolled in the study. A total of 22 predefined trial medicines were short listed after repertorizing nosological symptoms of gastroenteritis. Selected medicine was prescribed in 6C potency and was repeated from few minutes to few hours, as per the need of the case. …

The Evolution Of Prophy Paste, Caren M. Barnes

College of Dentistry: Faculty Publications

Dental hygienists have many products to choose from when deciding which prophy paste is best for each patient. To date, the evidence supporting prophy pastes formulated to remineralize enamel or eliminate dentinal hypersensitivity is somewhat unclear. Most of the research has been conducted in vitro among environments that do not accurately simulate clinical conditions. Additional clinical research performed in vivo is needed to provide the evidence base necessary for effective clinical decision making.

Low Levels Of Hydrogen Peroxide Stimulate Corneal Epithelial Cell Adhesion, Migration, And Wound Healing, Qing Pan, Wen-Ya Qiu, Ya-Nan Huo, Yu-Feng Yao, Marjorie F. Lou

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

PURPOSE. Intracellular reactive oxygen species have been reported to associate with growth factor and integrin signalings in promoting cell adhesion in many cell types. This study is to explore if exogenous H2O2 at low levels can be beneficial to cell adhesion, migration, and wound healing.

METHODS. Primary rabbit corneal epithelial cells treated with 0–70 M H2O2 were tested for viability by MTT assay, adhesion by centrifugation assay, focal contacts of vinculin and F-actin by immunofluorescence, activated Src(pY416), EGF receptor (pY845), vinculin(pY1065), FAK(pY397), and FAK(pY576) by immunoblotting. Cell migration was examined with 0–50 M H2O2 using the scratch wound technique. Corneal …

Regulation Of The Androgen Receptor By Set9-Mediated Methylation., Luke Gaughan, Jacqueline Stockley, Nan Wang, Stuart R C Mccracken, Achim Treumann, Kelly Armstrong, Fadhel Shaheen, Kate Watt, Iain J Mcewan, Chenguang Wang, Richard Pestell, Craig N Robson

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

The androgen receptor (AR) is a member of the nuclear hormone receptor family of transcription factors that plays a critical role in regulating expression of genes involved in prostate development and transformation. Upon hormone binding, the AR associates with numerous co-regulator proteins that regulate the activation status of target genes via flux to the post-translational modification status of histones and the receptor. Here we show that the AR interacts with and is directly methylated by the histone methyltransferase enzyme SET9. Methylation of the AR on lysine 632 is necessary for enhancing transcriptional activity of the receptor by facilitating both inter-domain …

Olanzapine And Risperidone Disrupt Conditioned Avoidance Responding By Selectively Weakening Motivational Salience Of Conditioned Stimulus: Further Evidence, Chen Zhang, Yiru Fang, Ming Li

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Suppression of conditioned avoidance response is a preclinical behavioral index of antipsychotic activity. Previous work shows that olanzapine and risperidone disrupt avoidance response elicited by a less salient conditioned stimulus (CS2) to a greater extent than avoidance elicited by a more salient stimulus (CS1), suggesting that antipsychotic drugs may have a weakening action on motivational salience of stimuli. In the present study, we further examined this mechanism of antipsychotic action, focusing on the possible impact of baseline difference of CS1 and CS2 response rates on the avoidance-disruptive effect of olanzapine and risperidone. Rats were first trained to acquire avoidance responding …

Circadian Rhythm Of Cortisol And Neighborhood Characteristics In A Population-Based Sample: The Multi-Ethnic Study Of Atherosclerosis, D. Phuong Do, Ana V. Diez Roux, Anjum Hajat, Amy Auchincloss, Sharon Merkin, Nalini Ranjit, Steven Shea, Teresa Seeman

Faculty Publications

Although stress is often hypothesized to contribute to the effects of neighborhoods on health, very few studies have investigated associations of neighborhood characteristics with stress biomarkers. This study helps address the gap in the literature by examining whether neighborhood characteristics are associated with cortisol profiles. Analyses were based on data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis Stress study which collected multiple measures of salivary cortisol over three days on a population based sample of approximately 800 adults. Multilevel models with splines were used to examine associations of cortisol with neighborhood poverty, violence, disorder, and social cohesion. Neighborhood violence was significantly …

Validation Of The Actical Activity Monitor In Middle-Aged And Older Adults, Steven P. Hooker, Anna Feeney, Brent E. Hutto, Karin A. Pfeiffer, Kerry Mciver, Daniel P. Heil, John E. Vena, Michael J. Lamonte, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Purpose: This study was designed to validate the Actical activity monitor in middle-aged and older adults of varying body composition to develop accelerometer thresholds to distinguish between light and moderate intensity physical activity (PA).

Methods: Nonobese 45 to 64 yr (N = 29), obese 45 to 64 yr (N = 21), and ≥65 yr (N = 23; varying body composition) participants completed laboratory-based sitting, household, and locomotive activities while wearing an Actical monitor and a portable metabolic measurement system. Non-linear regression analysis was used to identify activity count (AC) cut-points to differentiate between light intensity (<3 METs) and moderate intensity (≥3 METs) PA.

Results: Using group-specific algorithms, …

A Geographic Information Assessment Of Exposure To A Toxic Waste Site And Development Of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Sle): Findings From The Buffalo Lupus Project, Edith M. Williams, Robert Watkins, Judith Anderson, Laurene Tumiel-Berhalter

Faculty Publications

The Buffalo Lupus Project was a community-based participatory research partnership formed to address the relationship between an identified hazardous waste site and high rates of lupus and other autoimmune diseases in the surrounding community. Most cases identified began experiencing symptoms and were diagnosed in the periods when the site was inactive. Trends suggest that the impact of the site was more likely due to chronic exposure to waste rather than it being an acute trigger.

Differential Subcellular Distribution Of Rat Brain Dopamine Receptors And Subtype-Specific Redistribution Induced By Cocaine., Pamela J Voulalas, John Schetz, Ashiwel S Undieh

College of Pharmacy Faculty Papers

We investigated the subcellular distribution of dopamine D(1), D(2) and D(5) receptor subtypes in rat frontal cortex, and examined whether psychostimulant-induced elevation of synaptic dopamine could alter the receptor distribution. Differential detergent solubilization and density gradient centrifugation were used to separate various subcellular fractions, followed by semi-quantitative determination of the relative abundance of specific receptor proteins in each fraction. D(1) receptors were predominantly localized to detergent-resistant membranes, and a portion of these receptors also floated on sucrose gradients. These properties are characteristic of proteins found in lipid rafts and caveolae. D(2) receptors exhibited variable distribution between cytoplasmic, detergent-soluble and detergent-resistant …

Peer Effects And The Freshman 15: Evidence From A Natural Experiment, Olga Yakusheva, Kandice A. Kapinos, Marianne E. Weiss

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

This study investigates the importance of peer effects in explaining weight gain among freshman college students. We exploit a natural experiment that takes place on most college campuses in the US - randomized roommate assignments. While previous studies suggest that having an obese spouse, friend, or sibling increases one's likelihood of becoming obese, these social interactions are clearly non-random. We collect data from female students living on campus at a private Midwestern university at the beginning and end of their first year of college. Our findings suggest that the amount of weight gained during the freshman year is strongly and …

The Effects Of A Closed-Chain, Eccentric Training Program On Hamstring Injuries Of A Professional Football Cheerleading Team, Jay S. Greenstein, Barton N. Bishop, Jean S. Edward, Robert V. Topp

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

Hamstring injuries are a common occurrence among professional football cheerleaders. The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of an eccentric, closed-chain hamstring exercise intervention on hamstring injury–associated pain during the course of the football season among professional football cheerleaders.

Methods

Forty-three female cheerleaders participated in an eccentric, closed-chain hamstring exercise intervention protocol provided by doctors of chiropractic that incorporated loops of elastic-band or Thera-Band Loops (Hygenic Corporation, Akron, OH) during practice and at home during the regular football season. Hamstring injury–related pain was assessed in June, during team selection; in September, at the start of the …

Combating Childhood Obesity In California, Janelle Borelli

Social Sciences

Childhood obesity has become a major problem in Corporate America.  Our youth’s health is at risk, the statistics are alarming, and childhood obesity is largely preventable.  In order to solve the childhood obesity epidemic, government action, both state and federal, needs to be taken by passing nutrition standard laws.  Also, the built environment should support an active lifestyle rather than one based on fast food and lack of exercise.  Families should adopt a healthy lifestyle including having adequate fruits and vegetables at home along with exercising daily.

Lsuhsc Facilities Daily Updates: March 2011, Lsuhsc Property And Facilities Management

LSUHSC Facilities Daily Updates: 2011

LSUHSC Facilities Daily Updates from March 2011.

These updates describe damage and a timeline of repairs at the LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans campus due to Hurricane Katrina which made landfall August 29, 2005.

Lsuhsc Facilities Biweekly Update: March 2011, Lsuhsc Property And Facilities Management

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates: 2011

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates from March 11 and 25, 2011.

These updates describe damage and a timeline of repairs at the LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans campus due to Hurricane Katrina which made landfall August 29, 2005.

Salud Y Saludos: The E-Newsletter Of The College Of Health Sciences, College Of Health Sciences

College of Health Sciences

Monthly e-newsletter of the College of Health Sciences.

Pancreaticoduodenectomy: A Developing Country Perspective, Khawaja Muhammad Inam Pal, Hassaan Bari, Sana Nasim

Section of General Surgery

Objective: To review retrospectively, the resultsof Whipple's procedure from 1986 to December 2009 at the Aga Khan University Hospital.
Methods: Patient's case notes were reviewed to extract information related to demographics, clinical and laboratory data, operative procedure and post operative period. Surgical mortality was defined as death within 30 days of procedure.
Results: Hundred and twenty one patients underwent a successful pancreaticoduodenectomy during this period. There were 78 males and 43 females. Most presented with clinical features of obstructive jaundice. Perioperative evaluation in the majority included an abdominal ultrasound and contrast enhanced CT scan. A preoperative ERCP was performed in …