Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Management Of Sexual Disorders In Spinal Cord Injured Patients., Vafa Rahimi-Movaghar, Alexander R Vaccaro

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Spinal cord injured (SCI) patients have sexual disorders including erectile dysfunction (ED), impotence, priapism, ejaculatory dysfunction and infertility. Treatments for erectile dysfunction include four steps. Step 1 involves smoking cessation, weight loss, and increasing physical activity. Step 2 is phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5I) such as Sildenafil (Viagra), intracavernous injections of Papaverine or prostaglandins, and vacuum constriction devices. Step 3 is a penile prosthesis, and Step 4 is sacral neuromodulation (SNM). Priapism can be resolved spontaneously if there is no ischemia found on blood gas measurement or by Phenylephrine. For anejaculatory dysfunction, massage, vibrator, electrical stimulation and direct surgical biopsy …

Nitrous Oxide Myelopathy Posing As Spinal Cord Injury., George M. Ghobrial, Md, Richard Dalyai, Md, Adam Flanders, Md, James Harrop, Md

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

The authors describe a patient who presented with acute tetraparesis and a proposed acute traumatic spinal cord injury that was the result of nitrous oxide myelopathy. This 19-year-old man sustained a traumatic fall off a 6-ft high wall. His examination was consistent with a central cord syndrome with the addition of dorsal column impairment. Cervical MRI demonstrated an isolated dorsal column signal that was suggestive of a nontraumatic etiology. The patient's symptoms resolved entirely over the course of 48 hours. Nitrous oxide abuse is increasing in prevalence. Its toxic side effects can mask vitamin B12 and folate deficiency and central …

A School-Based, Peer Leadership Physical Activity Intervention For 6th Graders: Feasibility And Results Of A Pilot Study, Daheia J. Barr-Anderson, Melissa N. Laska, Sara Veblen-Mortenson, Kian Farbakhsh, Bonnie Dudovitz, Mary Story

Faculty Publications

Background: The aim of this study was to promote physical activity in 6th graders by developing and testing the feasibility of an enhanced Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) program comprised of a peer leadership component and innovative exercise resource toolkit including DVDs. Methods: A racially/ethnically diverse sample of students received the standard PALA program (2 control schools, n = 61) or enhanced PALA+Peers program (2 intervention schools, n = 87) during 2006-2007 academic year. Results: Compared with the control condition, the intervention was successful in increasing moderate physical activity in all students (P = .02) and …

Adverse Metabolic Response To Regular Exercise: Is It A Rare Or Common Occurrence?, Claude Bouchard, Steven N. Blair, Timothy S. Church, Conrad P. Earnest, James M. Hagberg, Keijo Häkkinen, Nathan T. Jenkins, Laura Karavirta, William E. Kraus, Dabeeru C. Rao, Mark A. Sarzynski, James S. Skinner, Cris A. Slentz, Tuomo Rankinen

Faculty Publications

Background: Individuals differ in the response to regular exercise. Whether there are people who experience adverse changes in cardiovascular and diabetes risk factors has never been addressed.

Methodology/Principle Findings: An adverse response is defined as an exercise-induced change that worsens a risk factor beyond measurement error and expected day-to-day variation. Sixty subjects were measured three times over a period of three weeks, and variation in resting systolic blood pressure (SBP) and in fasting plasma HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), in insulin (FI) was quantified. The technical error (TE) defined as the within-subject standard deviation derived from these measurements was computed. An …

Functional Rehabilitation Of Low Back Pain With Core Stabilization Exercises: Suggestions For Exercises And Progressions In Athletes, Joshua Johnson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Introduction: Low back pain is very common in the adult population and accounts for more time lost from work than other diagnoses. It also affects athlete's at all different levels of competition and results in missed practice and game time. Diagnosing and treating a specific pathology is often difficult because clinical evaluation and radiologic studies are often unable to find a root cause. A popular treatment approach with a high volume of anecdotal evidence is the use of core stabilization exercise in the treatment of low back pain.

Purpose: To evaluate exercise as a treatment for a low back pain …

Cattle Browsing Sagebrush Steppe During Fall: Effects On Plant Community Structure And Influence Of Experience On Cattle Foraging Behavior And Body Weights, Charles A. Petersen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Historic and repetitious spring grazing by livestock, combined with altered fire regimes, has increased the density and abundance of big sagebrush and reduced the frequency of perennial grasses and forbs on many western landscapes. Periodic disturbance is critical for maintaining and improving sagebrush ecosystems. Compared with traditional disturbances – chemical, mechanical, and fire – strategic grazing with livestock offers several benefits. They include creating locally adapted cattle that can rejuvenate sagebrush steppe, which reduces costs associated with mechanical and chemical rejuvenation treatments and feeding cattle during winter, the major cost of ranch operation.

I evaluated the practicality of strategically timed …

Effect Of Independent Crank Cycling Training On Running Economy In Collegiate Distance Runners, Aaron W. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the competitive sport world, the goal to become number one is what all athletes desire and train to obtain. Athletes and coaches are constantly looking for the new techniques to put their athlete atop of the podium. With that in mind, what is the new training technique that will accomplish that goal of success? Distance runners are always looking for the new training techniques that will accomplish that goal. Cross training, using one type of exercise to enhance another unrelated, is one way that athletes are constantly exploring to see if this can be successful.

Cycling is just one …

Family Planning, Natural Family Planning, And Abortion Use Among U. S. Hispanic Women, Dana Rodriguez, Richard J. Fehring

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Hispanics are the largest minority group in the U. S. and they contribute to over 50 percent of Catholics under the age of 25. The purpose of this study was to determine the patterns of contraceptive use (current and ever), natural family planning (NFP), and abortion among U. S. Hispanic women between the ages of 15 and 44 years and to compare their patterns of use to non-Hispanic women of the same age range. A particular interest was to determine the influence of faith on the choice of family-planning methods among the sexually active U. S. Catholic Hispanic women. Data …

Phonological Complexity: The Interaction Of Three-Element Clusters And Word Lexacility On Speech Sound Disorders, Heidi Joann Simon

Theses and Dissertations

Phonological complexity and word lexicality have been shown to induce phonological change in children with speech-sound disorders (SSDs); however, no prior research has used three-element cluster treatment target to directly compare real words (RW) to non-words (NW). Thus, the current research project sets out to answer the question of treatment efficacy in terms of real words and non-words using the complex three-element target, /str-/. Using a repeated measures single-subject research design, five children (5;7 to 7;7) were split into two SSD treatment groups (RW and NW) and directly compared in terms of learning during treatment, generalization from treatment, sound segments …

Improving Women And Family’S Health Through Integrated Microfinance, Health Education And Promotion In Rural Areas, Kahabi Isangula

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

While increasing number of women enjoys more freedom and power in urban areas, women in rural areas are at a disadvantage in almost all aspects of life when compared to men. Investing in economic empowerment of women particularly in rural areas by supporting them to implement local context based business ideas and basic finance capacity and skills development may reverse these trends, however, when combined with heath education and promotion through trainings focusing on preventive health yields greater impact. This paper is a systematic review of the peer - reviewed research papers and project reports in English language on how …

The Effects Of Single-Gender Classes On Students' Physical Fitness Test Performances And Attitudes, Zachary Wilson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this pretest-posttest control group study was to test the Social Cognitive Theory by comparing the effects of class type, coeducational or single-gender, on physical fitness test performance and attitudes, controlling for previous fitness levels, among sixth-grade male and female physical education students at a Northwest Georgia Middle School. A total of 277 students participated in the newly state-mandated FitnessGram physical fitness test as part of their regular physical education class. The groups then participated in standard physical education lessons for four weeks. Then, in each of the two sixth-grade physical education periods, students were divided among the …

Human Endogenous Retrovirus K As A Novel Tumor-Associated Antigen For Development Of An Ovarian Cancer Vaccine, Kiera Rycaj

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

HUMAN ENDOGENOUS RETROVIRUS K AS A NOVEL TUMOR-ASSOCIATED ANTIGEN FOR DEVELOPMENT OF AN OVARIAN CANCER VACCINE

Publication No.________
Kiera Rycaj, B.S.
Supervisory Professor: Feng Wang-Johanning, Ph.D., M.D.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the fourth most common cancer in women, and the most lethal gynecologic malignancy in the United States. Adequate screening methodologies are currently lacking and most women first present with either stage III or IV disease. To date, there has been no substantial decrease in death rates and the majorities of patients relapse and die from their disease despite response to first-line therapy. Several proteins, such as CA-125, are elevated …

Attitudes About Predictive Men1 Genetic Testing In Minors, Katherine Rock

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is a hereditary cancer syndrome characterized by tumors of the endocrine system. Tumors most commonly develop in the parathyroid glands, pituitary gland, and the gastro-entero pancreatic tract. MEN1 is a highly penetrant condition and age of onset is variable. Most patients are diagnosed in early adulthood; however, rare cases of MEN1 present in early childhood. Expert consensus opinion is that predictive genetic testing should be offered at age 5 years, however there are no evidence-based studies that clearly establish that predictive genetic testing at this age would be beneficial since most symptoms do not …

Chronic Stress Promotes Tumor Growth Through Increased Bdnf Production And Neo-Innervation, Julie K. Allen

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in response to chronic biobehavioral stress results in high levels of catecholamines and persistent activation of adrenergic signaling, which promotes tumor growth and progression. However it is unknown how catecholamine levels within the tumor exceed systemic levels in circulation. I hypothesized that neo-innervation of tumors is required for stress-mediated effects on tumor growth.

Results: First, I examined whether sympathetic nerves are present in human ovarian cancer samples as well as orthotopic ovarian cancer models. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for neurofilament revealed that catecholaminergic neurons are present within tumor tissue. In order to determine …

Verification Of The Clinical Implementation Of The Respiratory Gated Beam Delivery Technique With Synchrotron-Based Proton Irradiation, Yoshikazu Tsunashima

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The clinical advantage for protons over conventional high-energy x-rays stems from their unique depth-dose distribution, which delivers essentially no dose beyond the end of range. In order to achieve it, accurate localization of the tumor volume relative to the proton beam is necessary. For cases where the tumor moves with respiration, the resultant dose distribution is sensitive to such motion. One way to reduce uncertainty caused by respiratory motion is to use gated beam delivery. The main goal of this dissertation is to evaluate the respiratory gating technique in both passive scattering and scanning delivery mode. Our hypothesis for the …

Long Term Follow-Up Of Morbidity And Quality Of Life Associated With Isolated Gastroschisis, Roya M. Mostafavi

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Gastroschisis is a birth defect in which an opening in the abdominal wall allows herniation of the viscera. Prenatal counseling regarding gastroschisis typically discusses that, although these infants often endure a difficult neonatal course, they experience few long-term complications. However, information regarding long-term outcomes is based on limited studies that lack specificity. Therefore, we aimed to study the long-term morbidity and quality of life in children born with gastroschisis in a large and diverse population drawn from the Texas Birth Defects Registry (TBDR). Study packets with informed consent, a questionnaire, and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Generic Core Scale …

Fzd6, Matn2 And Slc25a32, Possible Candidate Genes In Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip And Palate, Nevena Cvjetkovic

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCLP) is a common birth defect with a multifactorial etiology. Despite decades of research, the genetic underpinnings of NSCLP still remain largely unexplained. A genome wide association study (GWAS) of a large NSCLP African American family with seven affected individuals across three generations found evidence for linkage at 8q21.3-24.12 (LOD = 2.98). This region contained three biologically relevant candidate genes: Frizzled-6 (FZD6) (LOD = 2.8), Matrilin-2 (MATN2) (LOD = 2.3), and Solute Carrier Family 25, Member 32 (SLC26A32) (LOD = 1.6). Sequencing of the coding regions and the 5’ and 3’ …

Improved Techniques For Acquisition And Analysis Of Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging For Detecting Vascular Permeability In The Central Nervous System, Cheukkai Hui

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) is a noninvasive technique for quantitative assessment of the integrity of blood-brain barrier and blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) in the presence of central nervous system pathologies. However, the results of DCE-MRI show substantial variability. The high variability can be caused by a number of factors including inaccurate T1 estimation, insufficient temporal resolution and poor contrast-to-noise ratio. My thesis work is to develop improved methods to reduce the variability of DCE-MRI results. To obtain fast and accurate T1 map, the Look-Locker acquisition technique was implemented with a novel and truly centric k-space segmentation scheme. In …

Novel Use Of Dual Anti-Inflammatory Therapy To Overcome Drug Resistance And Improve Functional Recovery Following Spinal Cord Injury, Jennifer Dulin

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Over 1.2 million Americans are currently living with a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Despite the need for effective therapies, there are currently no proven effective treatments that can improve recovery of function in SCI patients. Many therapeutic compounds have shown promise in preclinical models of SCI, but all of these have fallen short in clinical trials.

P-glycoprotein (Pgp) is an active transporter expressed on capillary endothelial cell membranes at the blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB). Pgp limits passive diffusion of blood-borne drugs into the CNS, by actively extruding drugs from the endothelial cell membrane. Pgp can become pathologically up-regulated, thus …

The Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor, Ms-275, Sensitizes Metastatic Osteosarcoma To Fasl-Induced Cell Death: A Role For C-Flip, Krithi R. Bindal

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the histone deacetylase inhibitor, MS-275, on the Fas signaling pathway and susceptibility of osteosarcoma (OS) to Fas ligand (FasL)-induced cell death. OS metastasizes almost exclusively to the lungs. We have shown that Fas expression in OS cells is inversely correlated with their metastatic potential. Fas⁺ cells are rapidly eliminated when they enter the lungs via interaction with FasL, which is constitutively expressed in the lungs. Fas^- OS cells escape this FasL-induced apoptosis and survive in the lung microenvironment. Moreover, upregulation of Fas in established OS lung metastases …

Expression And Immunological Characterization Of Herv-K Transmembrane Envelope Protein In Human Breast Cancer, Bingnan Yin

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K) env gene encodes envelope protein comprising surface (SU) and transmembrane (TM) domains. Having shown the exclusive expression of SU in human breast cancer and the stimulation of SU-specific immune responses in patients with breast cancer, our research here confirmed and extended the data by investigating the expression of HERV-K TM envelope domain and the induction of specific immune responses against TM in breast cancer patients. We found HERV-K TM mRNA and protein expression only in human breast cancer cells but not in normal controls. The specific immune responses against TM domain were induced in …

Identification And Characterization Of Distinct Populations Of Clonogenic Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Capable Of Transferring The Hematopoietic Microenvironment In Vivo And Supporting Lt-Hscs In Vitro, Colby Suire

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Bone marrow (BM) stromal cells are ascribed two key functions, 1) stem cells for non-hematopoietic tissues (MSC) and 2) as components of the hematopoietic stem cell niche. Current approaches studying the stromal cell system in the mouse are complicated by the low yield of clonogenic progenitors (CFU-F). Given the perivascular location of MSC in BM, we developed an alternative methodology to isolate MSC from mBM. An intact ‘plug’ of bone marrow is expelled from bones and enzymatically disaggregated to yield a single cell suspension. The recovery of CFU-F (1917.95+199) reproducibly exceeds that obtained using the standard BM flushing technique (14.32+1.9) …

Understanding The Roles Of Non-Homologous End Joining And P53 After Dna Damage, Omid Tavana

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The inability to maintain genomic stability and control proliferation are hallmarks of many cancers, which become exacerbated in the presence of unrepaired DNA damage. Such genotoxic stresses trigger the p53 tumor suppressor network to activate transient cell cycle arrest allowing for DNA repair; if the damage is excessive or irreparable, apoptosis or cellular senescence is triggered. One of the major DNA repair pathway that mends DNA double strand breaks is non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). Abrogating the NHEJ pathway leads to an accumulation of DNA damage in the lymphoid system that triggers p53-mediated apoptosis; complete deletion of p53 in this system …

Taz As A Regulator Of Mesenchymal Transformation And Clinical Aggressiveness In Gliomas, Katrina Salazar

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive, high grade brain tumor. Microarray studies have shown a subset of GBMs with a mesenchymal gene signature. This subset is associated with poor clinical outcome and resistance to treatment. To establish the molecular drivers of this mesenchymal transition, we correlated transcription factor expression to the mesenchymal signature and identified transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) to be highly associated with the mesenchymal shift. High TAZ expression correlated with worse clinical outcome and higher grade. These data led to the hypothesis that TAZ is critical to the mesenchymal transition and aggressive clinical behavior seen in …

Regulation Of Net1a Subcellular Localization By The Small Gtpase Rac1, Christopher A. Morris

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Activation of Rho family small G proteins is thought to be a critical event in breast cancer development and metastatic progression. Rho protein activation is stimulated by a family of enzymes known as guanine nucleotide exchange factors (Rho GEFs). The neuroepithelioma transforming gene 1 (Net1) is a Rho GEF specific for the RhoA subfamily that is overexpressed in primary breast tumors and breast cancer cell lines. Net1 isoform expression is also required for migration and invasion of breast cancer cells in vitro. These data indicate that Net1 may be a critical regulator of metastatic progression in breast cancer. Net1 activity …

Bim Mediates Imatinib-Induced Apoptosis Of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: Translational Implications, David Reynoso

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are oncogene-addicted cancers driven by activating mutations in the genes encoding receptor tyrosine kinases KIT and PDGFR-α. Imatinib mesylate, a specific inhibitor of KIT and PDGFR-α signaling, delays progression of GIST, but is incapable of achieving cure. Thus, most patients who initially respond to imatinib therapy eventually experience tumor progression, and have limited therapeutic options thereafter. To address imatinib-resistance and tumor progression, these studies sought to understand the molecular mechanisms that regulate apoptosis in GIST, and evaluate combination therapies that kill GISTs cells via complementary, but independent, mechanisms. BIM (Bcl-2 interacting mediator …

Metabolic Regulation Of Mtor Activation And Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress In The Heart, Shiraj Sen

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

When subjected to increased workload, the heart responds metabolically by increasing its reliance on glucose and structurally by increasing the size of myocytes. Whether changes in metabolism regulate the structural remodeling process is unknown. A likely candidate for a link between metabolism and growth in the heart is the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), which couples energy and nutrient metabolism to cell growth. Recently, sustained mTOR activation has also been implicated in the development of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. We explored possible mechanisms by which acute metabolic changes in the hemodynamically stressed heart regulate mTOR activation, ER stress and cardiac …

Induced-Pluripotent Stem-Derived Neuronal Progenitor Cells As A Novel Treatment For Neurodegenerative Diseases, Dennisse A. Gonzalez-Romero

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Cellular therapies, as neuronal progenitor (NP) cells grafting, are promising therapies for patients affected with neurodegenerative diseases like Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD). At this time there is no effective treatment or cure for CJD. The disease is inevitably fatal and affected people usually die within months of the appearance of the first clinical symptoms. Compelling evidence indicate that the hallmark event in the disease is the conversion of the normal prion protein (termed PrP^C) into the disease-associated, misfolded form (called PrP^Sc). Thus, a reasonable therapeutic target would be to prevent PrP misfolding and prion replication. This strategy …

Population Coding In Laminar Cortical Circuits, Bryan J. Hansen

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

One of the fundamental questions in neuroscience is to understand how encoding of sensory inputs is distributed across neuronal networks in cerebral cortex to influence sensory processing and behavioral performance. The fact that the structure of neuronal networks is organized according to cortical layers raises the possibility that sensory information could be processed differently in distinct layers. The goal of my thesis research is to understand how laminar circuits encode information in their population activity, how the properties of the population code adapt to changes in visual input, and how population coding influences behavioral performance. To this end, we performed …

Genetic Predictors Of Hyperglycemia Due To Hydrochlorothiazide Therapy, Jorge L. Del Aguila

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Response to pharmacological treatment is variable among individuals. Some patients respond favorably to a drug while others develop adverse reactions. Early investigations showed evidence of variation in genes that code for drug receptors, drug transporters, and drug metabolizing enzymes; and pharmacogenetics appeared as the science that studies the relationship between drug response and genetic variation.

Thiazide diuretics are the recommended first-line monotherapy for hypertension (i.e. SBP>140 or DBP>90). Even so, diuretics are associated with adverse metabolic side effects, such as hyperglycemia, which increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Published approaches testing variation in candidate genes (e.g. …