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Regulation Of Hyaluronate Lyase (Hyla) Expression By Regr A Transcriptional Repressor In Streptococcus Pyogenes, Alexis A. Kordis

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Streptococcus pyogenes, group A streptococci (GAS), causes diseases ranging from asymptomatic to life threatening. Some strains of S. pyogenes produce extracellular hyaluronate lyase (HylA), a potential virulence factor. HylA is an enzyme that degrades hyaluronic acid, which is found in the extracellular matrix of human tissues. The breakdown of the host tissue contributes to the spread of infection. The hylA gene is not constitutively expressed in vitro, which implies regulation.

A proposed regulator of hyaluronate lyase expression is RegR, a LacI/GalR like protein. A vector containing disrupted regR was electro-transformed into S. pyogenes M-type 22 strain 10403. Growth characteristics …

Long-Term Outcomes Of Ranibizumab Therapy For Diabetic Macular Edema: The 36-Month Results From Two Phase Iii Trials: Rise And Ride., David M. Brown, Quan Dong Nguyen, Dennis M. Marcus, David S. Boyer, Sunil Patel, Leonard Feiner, Patricio G. Schlottmann, Amy Chen Rundle, Jiameng Zhang, Roman G. Rubio, Anthony P. Adamis, Jason S. Ehrlich, J. Jill Hopkins

Journal Articles: Ophthalmology

PURPOSE: To report 36-month outcomes of RIDE (NCT00473382) and RISE (NCT00473330), trials of ranibizumab in diabetic macular edema (DME).

DESIGN: Phase III, randomized, multicenter, double-masked, 3-year trials, sham injection-controlled for 2 years.

PARTICIPANTS: Adults with DME (n=759), baseline best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) 20/40 to 20/320 Snellen equivalent, and central foveal thickness (CFT) ≥ 275 μm on optical coherence tomography.

METHODS: Patients were randomized equally (1 eye per patient) to monthly 0.5 mg or 0.3 mg ranibizumab or sham injection. In the third year, sham patients, while still masked, were eligible to cross over to monthly 0.5 mg ranibizumab. Macular laser …

Effects Of Truncation On Language Sample Analysis In Aphasia, Gerasimos Fergadiotis, Heather Harris Wright

Speech and Hearing Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The goal of this study is to determine if the length of a language sample elicited from a person with aphasia (PWA) is of consequence when making inferences about the patient's functional language ability. When conducting a language sample analysis, a sample representing a snapshot in time is used to make inferences about an individual's language capacity in general. However, current findings are inconclusive regarding the ideal length of the language sample necessary to draw valid conclusions about patients (e.g. Heilman, Nockerts, & Miller, 2010).

The Association Between Insurance Status And Cervical Cancer Screening In Community Health Centers: Exploring The Potential Of Electronic Health Records For Population-Level Surveillance, 2008-2010, Stuart Cowburn, Matthew J. Carlson, Jodi A. Lapidus, Jennifer E. Devoe

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction: Cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates in the United States have decreased 67% over the past 3 decades, a reduction mainly attributed to widespread use of the Papanicolaou (Pap) test for cervical cancer screening. In the general population, receipt of cervical cancer screening is positively associated with having health insurance. Less is known about the role insurance plays among women seeking care in community health centers, where screening services are available regardless of insurance status. The objective of our study was to assess the association between cervical cancer screening and insurance status in Oregon and California community health centers …

Indigenously Developed Close Delivery System For Oral Iodine-131 Therapy: Nominal Cost But Phenomenal Protection., Imran A Shah

Department of Radiology

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Administration of radiopharmaceuticals through intravenous and oral routes is the major source of radiation exposure to nuclear medicine (NM) technologists. Adopting new strategies to minimize radiation exposure is an important step toward safe practice in nuclear pharmacy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

We have indigenously developed a relatively close delivery system for oral administration of radioiodine-131 ((131)I) to minimize radiation exposure to the technologists.

RESULTS:

The efficacy of this indigenously developed close system was assessed upon 23 patients who were given (131)I therapies for benign (13 patients) and malignant thyroid disorders (10 patients). There was 64 ± 6% (P < 0.05) reduction in exposure rate using indigenously developed delivery system.

CONCLUSION: …

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The Spatial Distribution Of Cancer Incidence In Fars Province: A Gis-Based Analysis Of Cancer Registry Data, Ali Goli, Mahbobeh Oroei, Mehdi Jalalpour, Hossein Faramarzi, Mehrdad Askarian

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Background: Cancer is a major health problem in the developing countries. Variations of its incidence rate among geographical areas are due to various contributing factors. This study was performed to assess the spatial patterns of cancer incidence in the Fars Province, based on cancer registry data and to determine geographical clusters.

Methods: In this cross sectional study, the new cases of cancer were recorded from 2001 to 2009. Crude incidence rate was estimated based on age groups and sex in the counties of the Fars Province. Age standardized incidence rates (ASR) per 100,000 was calculated in each year. …

Using Embedded Assessments To Track Accreditation Standards And Generate Evidence-Based Curriculum Maps, Jane M. Souza

Pharmacy Faculty/Staff Publications

St. John Fisher College mined existing course-level assessments to address accreditation standards at the course, curricular, and student levels. This presentation demonstrated a strategy for coding existing test bank items to correspond to learning outcomes and accreditation standards and then using the data for multiple audiences. It also exemplified how an existing rich data source can simultaneously track student longitudinal progress, test bank item performance, and density of curriculum coverage. Strategies are offered to implement this embedded assessment approach to evidence-based curriculum mapping.

How Do You Live It?, Loma Linda University Health

Scope

Table of Contents

Wellness

2 | Live It campaign
4 | Healthy weight in Hispanics

Outreach

6 | Nursing degree offered internationally
8 | Safer community through K-9 unit 8

Clinical

10 | LLU Medical Center ranked nationally
11 | New Women’s Cancer Center
12 | $2.5 million for Pediatric MS Center
13 | Milestones in heart care
14 | Biospecimen lab advances cancer care
16 | Accreditation for bariatric programs
17 | New pediatric pharmacy residency

Research

18 | Vegetarians have longevity advantage
19 | Research in space
20 | $1.9 million for stroke research
21 | Proton research …

Selling Art: An Empirical Assessment Of Advertising On Fertility Clinics' Websites, Jim Hawkins

Indiana Law Journal

Scholarship on assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has emphasized the commercial nature of the interaction between fertility patients and their physicians, but little attention has been paid to precisely how clinics persuade patients to choose their clinics over their competitors’. This Article offers evidence about how clinics sell ART based on clinics’ advertising on their websites. To assess clinics’ marketing efforts, I coded advertising information on 372 fertility clinics’ websites. The results from the study confirm some suspicions of prior ART scholarship while contradicting others. For instance, in line with scholars who are concerned that racial minorities face barriers to accessing …

Clinical Inertia In Type 2 Diabetes: A Retrospective Analysis Of Pharmacist-Managed Diabetes Care Vs. Usual Medical Care, Felix K. Yam, Aimee G. Adams, Holly Divine, Douglas Steinke, Mikael D. Jones

Pharmacy Practice and Science Faculty Publications

Background: Evidence suggests that patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) suffer from a high rate of “clinical inertia” or “recognition of the problem but failure to act.”

Objective: The aim of this study is to quantify the rate of clinical inertia between two models of care: Pharmacist-Managed Diabetes Clinic (PMDC) vs. Usual Medical Care (UMC).

Methods: Patients in a university based medical clinic with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) were analyzed in this retrospective cohort study. Patients were exposed to either PMDC or UMC. The difference in days to intervention in response to suboptimal laboratory values and time …

Dia-Beat-It: An Online Game For Children And Teenagers With Type 1 Diabetes, Emily M. Stone

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Ferreira Named Chair Of Physical Therapy, Becky St. Clair

Lake Union Herald

No abstract provided.

Rain Rhythms: Fall 2013 - Summer 2014, College Of Nursing & Professional Disciplines

RAIN Rhythms

No abstract provided.

Altered Cholesterol Metabolism In Human Cancers Unraveled By Label-Free Spectroscopic Imaging, Shuhua Yue

Open Access Dissertations

Despite tremendous scientific achievements, cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States. Metabolic reprogramming has been increasingly recognized as a core hallmark of cancer. My dissertation work identified novel diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for human cancers through the study of cholesterol in cancer cells.

Enabled by label-free Raman spectromicroscopy, we performed the first quantitative analysis of lipogenesis at single cell level in human patient cancerous tissues. Our imaging data revealed an unexpected, aberrant accumulation of esterified cholesterol in lipid droplets of high-grade prostate cancer and metastases, but not in normal prostate, benign prostatic hyperplasia, or …

Patient Perceptions Of Physicians And Medication Adherence Among Medicare Part D Beneficiaries, Lori Marquinne Ward

Open Access Dissertations

Ward, Lori Marquinne. Ph.D., Purdue University, December, 2013. Patient Perceptions of Physicians and Medication Adherence Among Medicare Part D Beneficiaries. Major Professor: Joseph Thomas III.

An observational database analysis using Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data was conducted to examine patient perceptions of physicians and associations with adherence to antihypertensive medication among Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Part D. The study sample included beneficiaries if they were 65 years or older, dwelling in the community, had a diagnosis of hypertension in 2007, were enrolled in Medicare Part D all 12 months in 2008, and had Medicare Part D claims for antihypertensive …

Predicting Language Impairment Status: A Risk Factor Model, Johanna Maria Rudolph

Open Access Dissertations

The etiology of specific language impairment (SLI) is multifactorial. Research has shown that genetic, environmental, and developmental factors may influence the course of its development. Because many of these factors are present even before a child is born, it is possible that a child's risk of developing the disorder can be identified long before grammatical deficits are observed. The goal of this study was to develop and validate a screening tool to discriminate between children with SLI and typically developing (TD) children using risk factor information including gender, family history of communication or reading disorders, socioeconomic status, maternal and paternal …

Patients' Perceptions Of Provider Communication, Provider Knowledge And Provider Competence And Associations With Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use Among Medicare Part D Beneficiaries, Engels Nnamdi Obi

Open Access Dissertations

The objectives for this study were to determine prevalence and incidence of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use among community-dwelling Medicare Part D beneficiaries, and to assess associations between patients' perceptions of provider communication, provider knowledge, and provider competence with PIM use. A retrospective observational analysis was conducted using data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. Individuals were included in the prevalence sample if they were aged 65 years or older in 2008, continuously enrolled in Medicare Part D from October 2007 through December 2008, and living in the community from October 2007 through December 2008. Individuals were included in the …

Health Care Resource Utilization And Expenditures In Persons With Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease, Neeraj Neelakantan Iyer

Open Access Dissertations

The objectives of this study were to determine prevalence of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), to determine all-cause health care resource utilization and all-cause health care expenditures, to determine incremental health care resource utilization, and to determine incremental health care expenditures associated with ADPKD. An observational database analysis of a privately insured population was conducted using information from a large administrative claims database. Individuals 18 years of age or older and enrolled in a tracked health plan anytime during the period from April 1, 2011 through March 31, 2012, were eligible for inclusion in the sample for determination of …

Assessing The Preparedness Of The Veterinary Profession To Communicate With Limited English Proficient Spanish-Speaking Pet Owners, Ruth Ellen Landau

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to assess the preparedness of the veterinary profession to communicate with limited English proficient Spanish-speaking pet owners (LEP SSPOs). Results of surveys with 393 Latino pet owners, 383 small animal veterinarians and staff, and over 2000 veterinary students indicate that interaction between veterinary professionals and LEP SSPOs is not a rare occurrence: Veterinarians in states with large established or fast-growing Latino communities are seeing LEP SSPOs and their pets on a regular basis: 89% of veterinarians have LEP Spanish-speaking clients, over half of these practitioners are seeing LEP SSPOs weekly, and over half …

Developing A Drug Delivery System For Treatment Of Vocal Fold Scarring, Aaron Michael Kosinski

Open Access Dissertations

Vocal fold scarring is an affliction that results in the formation of a disorganized and stiff extracellular matrix (ECM) with abnormal ECM component densities & structures including a significant increase in collagen deposition. It is caused by improper healing post injury and results in profound changes in the biomechanical properties of the vocal folds impairing their ability to generate a normal mucosal wave during phonation.

Finding an effective treatment for vocal fold scarring has been elusive. Currently, treatments seek temporary solutions that correct glottal incompetence and reduce stiffness caused by the scar through the augmentation of the vocal folds using …

An Epidemic Model Structured By The Time Since Last Infection, Jorge Alturo Alfaro Murillo

Open Access Dissertations

Epidemiological models structured by time since infection have their origin in the seminal work of 1927 by Kermack and McKendrick. Compared to ordinary differential equations (ODE) models, they are able to capture differences in infectivity of the individuals in a more suitable manner. Their use declined in the second half of the 20th century, probably because the theory for ODE models is more robust, complete and has proved successful in providing insights and predictions for many epidemiological problems. Nevertheless, it is important to understand in what occasions the inclusion of time since infection may alter the outcomes in a significant …

Effects Of Hearing Aid Amplification On Robust Neural Coding Of Speech, Jonathan Daniel Boley

Open Access Dissertations

Hearing aids are able to restore some hearing abilities for people with auditory impairments, but background noise remains a significant problem. Unfortunately, we know very little about how speech is encoded in the auditory system, particularly in impaired systems with prosthetic amplifiers. There is growing evidence that relative timing in the neural signals (known as spatiotemporal coding) is important for speech perception, but there is little research that relates spatiotemporal coding and hearing aid amplification.

This research uses a combination of computational modeling and physiological experiments to characterize how hearing aids affect vowel coding in noise at the level of …

Neural Encoding Of Complex Signals In The Healthy And Impaired Auditory Systems, Saradha Ananthakrishnan

Open Access Dissertations

Individuals with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) typically experience difficulty in understanding speech. Our current knowledge of deficits in speech perception and encoding consequent to SNHL is restricted to psychophysical studies in humans and single-unit experiments in animals. However, the nature of degradation in neural encoding of speech following hearing impairment in humans has not been extensively researched. The objective of this dissertation is to provide a systematic evaluation of neurobiological signature of hearing loss at the subcortical level using an objective electrophysiological non-invasive neural index, the frequency following response (FFR). Subcortical neural encoding of speech signals is explored by quantifying …

Trans-Sacrococcygeal Joint Ganglion Impar Injection For Treatment Of Pudendal Neuralgia (3 Cases Report), Matthew Mcauliffe, Md, Linqiu Zhou, Md

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Faculty Papers

History

Three patients, 2 male and 1 female were diagnosed with pudendal neuralgia. The female patient developed pudendal neuralgia secondary to post-herpetic neuralgia. The two male patients were caused from likely repetitive sitting injury. One patient was a truck driver causing him to sit for long periods of time and the other patient was a professional writer. The three patient initially all attempted conservative therapies, however their pain persisted. They elected to undergo Trans-sacrococcygeal joint ganglion impar injection for treatment of pudendal neuralgia.

Evidence-Based Practice In Occupational Therapy Curricula., Tina Angelis, Edd, Otr/L, Thomas G Dimarco, Susan Toth-Cohen, Edd, Otr/L

Department of Occupational Therapy Faculty Papers

The purpose of this study is to describe currently used educational strategies for teaching evidence-based practice (EBP) in entry-level master's degree occupational therapy programs in the United States. Fifty-eight entry-level occupational therapy program directors completed a survey. Results showed that occupational therapy programs consistently use a wide variety of EBP resources for teaching EBP including database searches, literature reviews, and the development of a research proposal. Less commonly used strategies include the use of case stories and journal clubs. The current study provides a baseline of existing strategies taught in entry level programs that may be built upon to gather …

Cerebrospinal-Cutaneous Fistula In A Parturient Following Neuraxial Blockade, Stanlies D'Souza

All Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Prolonged Wakeup Caused By Pneumocephalus Following Resection Of Craniopharyngioma, Stanlies D'Souza

All Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Barriers To Utilization Of Nursing Research In A Magnet Designated Hospital, Sandra D. Copeland

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Translational and Clinical Research Projects

Barriers to nurses' utilization of research in patient care are the epicenter of translating evidence into practice. Assessment of demographic variables such as age, service line, years of experience, and education level and their impact on nurses' perceptions of barriers to research utilization in practice details this project. No statistically significant differences exist in perceived barriers between any demographic group including certified nurses, service lines, or time since last research course. The Magnet culture of the facility validates the low mean scores on the BARRIERS tool. New knowledge gained from the project includes the impact of certification, assessment of time …

Library Partnerships: Oh, The Possibilities!, Joanne Romano

Library Staff Publications

A presentation given at the annual meeting of the South Central Chapter of Medical Library Association (SCC/MLA).

Project Description

OBJECTIVE: To determine if new, strategic partnerships can be initiated between The Texas Medical Center Library (The TMC Library), Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston (UTHSC-H).

METHODS: Cohort study

The TMC Library joined a 22-member cohort of academic and research libraries to participate in the DuraSpace/ARL/DLF 2012 E-Science Institute, to discover new methods of supporting computational scientific research. From September to December 2012, library teams completed coursework that included interviews with key stakeholders at …

創作無障礙 : 一個為讀寫障礙初中生而設的藝術倡導計劃, Suk Mun, Sophia Law

Research Expression through Art : Visual Studies Faculty

《創作無障礙》是一項兩年的藝術倡導計劃，由東華三院屯門綜合服務中心與嶺南大學視覺研究系合辦，為屯門區有讀寫障礙(dyslexia)的初中學生設計為期一學年共二十節的藝術創作倡導工作坊，目的是為他們提供一處無障礙的創作平台，透過愉悅的創作過程，以及完成作品賦與的滿足感，促進他們認識自己先天的限制與天賦，發掘自己的潛能，肯定自我，增加自信。計劃分兩輪進行，參與計劃的學校共三間，包括東華三院鄺錫坤伉儷中學、中華基督教會譚李麗芬紀念中學和鐘聲慈善社胡陳金枝中學。其中鄺錫坤伉儷中學參與了兩輪的計劃， 譚李麗芬紀念中學參與了第一年、胡陳金枝中學參與了第二年的計劃。兩學年度一共有四十五位(二十九男、十六女)學生完成計劃。

為了增進家長和老師對讀寫障礙的認識，計劃期間先後舉辦了三次有關「創作與讀寫障礙」的座談會，讓主辦機構、學者和藝術倡導者與參與計劃的學生家長和老師分享計劃的理念、過程和成果。三次座談會的氣氛相當熱烈，尤其是最後一次老師的參與和意見，對促進家長和主辦機構的溝通起了很大的作用。藝術倡導者在會上就個別同學在計劃中的表現與他們的家長交換意見， 有助他們了解同學在學習上面對的困難，明白同學的潛能。

兩輪計劃在完結時都籌辦一次展覽，展出計劃中學生創作的話劇表演和藝術作品，讓家長、老師、以至社會人士能夠看到讀寫障礙學生的創意和能力，並加以肯定，使得參與的學生在計劃過程中已經建立的自我和信心，在計劃完結後能夠得到家長和老師持續的鼓勵，日後在生活和學習上幫助他們發展長處，推動他們的動力去面對困難。